Ohio State Football Preview: How Will Early Season Suspensions Affect Buckeyes?

Everyone knows the story. Terrelle Pryor and company will be sitting the first five games for their role in Tatgate. The big question is how this will affect the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The message board fortune-tellers will tell you that the 2011 season is shot. A 3-2 start will set the tone for the rest of the year, destroying dreams of a seventh consecutive Big Ten title and BCS bowl appearance.

The truth is more prosaic. The suspensions do impose an obstacle, though not one that should unduly disrupt the 2011 season. Since the suspensions occurred so early, Jim Tressel and the coaching staff have ample time to counter the situation.

The New Starters

QB: Joe Bauserman, Kenny Guiton or Braxton Miller

As long as the new starter can effectively hand off the ball, Ohio State will be fine. After the debacle against Purdue in 2009, Tressel opted for a conservative offense and it worked; the Buckeyes won their last six games including the Sugar Bowl. We'll see that kind of offense in full force next year for at least the first five games.

RB: Jordan Hall, Jaamal Berry, Carlos Hyde or Rod Smith

With Dan Herron out, more talented RBs will see the field. Okay.

WR: Corey Brown, Chris Fields or Jake Stoneburner?

With DeVier Posey out and Dane Sanzenbacher graduating, the cupboard is pretty bare but Ohio State won't be passing much anyway. Stoneburner might move from TE to WR to help facilitate the passing game.

OL: Andrew Norwell

Mike Adams' replacement has played well in the limited time he has seen the field.

The Schedule

In their first two games, Ohio State plays Akron and Toledo. That's two wins. The Buckeyes have not lost to an Ohio team since Ohio native Warren Harding was in the White House. In addition, the games will help the new starters get acclimated to their role.

The first real test is a trip down to Miami to face The U. This should be another victory; not only is Ohio State the better team, but Miami has had plenty of adversity to deal with themselves. They ended their season on a three-game losing streak and upended much of the coaching staff, including Randy Shannon. Miami now has new faces at head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator.

Next up is a meeting with Colorado in the friendly confines of Ohio Stadium. This is a win.

The fifth game and most likely loss is against Michigan State. Though their season ended on a down note with a blowout loss against Alabama, they were a good enough team to share the Big Ten title. Since Ohio State boasts a 27-12 record against Michigan State and the game is in Columbus, the Buckeyes should win but it could go either way. 

It's possible, though unlikely, that the suspensions could be reduced to just the OOC schedule, allowing the Buckeye Five to play against the Spartans. This could tip the scales further.

For the first five games, Ohio State is looking at a 5-0/4-1 record. Hardly devastating.

Potential Problem

If the new starters perform well, it might be better to let them play instead of disturbing team chemistry. Tressel is loyal to the seniors so they will likely get their starting jobs back. This could potentially be a problem, albeit a good one.

Graduation

If Ohio State struggles, it will be due more to graduation than Tatgate. Ohio State is losing MVP WR Dane Sanzenbacher and All-Big Ten guard Justin Boren on offense and important players at every level of their defense: DL Cameron Heyward, LBs Ross Homan and Brian Rolle, CBs Chimdi Chekwa and Devon Torrence and DB Jermale Hines. If Ohio State can overcome this barrier, they will be fine in 2011. Chances are they will.