Ohio State Football 2011: 10 Reasons the Buckeyes Will Win the Big Ten
Spring football is knocking on the door, and this time around, the sun looks much brighter for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
They finally got the SEC monkey off their backs by beating Arkansas in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, but they do have a new set of challenges ahead of them.
The Big Ten is split in half with the Buckeyes paired up with the likes of Wisconsin and Penn State in the Leaders Division, and Nebraska joins the conference after leaving the Big 12.
In addition, they have to deal with the loss of the Suspended Five including Sugar Bowl MVP Terrelle Pryor for the first five games of the season.
Nevertheless, the Buckeyes appear poised to win a staggering seventh-straight Big Ten Championship, this time in a conference championship game in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis in December.
Here are 10 reasons why the Buckeyes will win the Big Ten championship in 2011 once again.
1. Jim Tressel Is Great with Using What He Has
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If there was a coach that was as fluid with his gameplan depending on his personnel, that would have to be Jim Tressel.
It seems almost every season this team has a different look, and through it all, Tressel always wins games.
What he does well is adjust his gameplan to what he has, and in the first five games it's about having depth in the RB position with an inexperienced starter at QB.
And in November, though he does tighten up his gameplans to a frustrating level at times, all it produces is wins.
With trusted personnel, he opens things up as we saw through most of 2010.
Fans trust in Tressel because his career results, which should help his team's chances this season.
2. Terrelle Pryor Will Play in the Important Games
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Terrelle Pryor has been the MVP of OSU's last two BCS wins, but he will spend the first five games of the 2011 season off the field due to the suspensions for selling apparel.
But in reality, the only game he is missing which matters in the Big Ten race is October 1 at home against Michigan State, the surprise of the conference last season.
He, Boom Herron, DeVier Posey, Mike Adams and Solomon Thomas will all be absent in the first five games pending an appeal.
But when Pryor comes back, if he is allowed to practice with the team along with the rest of the suspended five, they can slowly start to work back into the form the team had offensively last season.
And with Pryor looking to prove he has an NFL future, he will have an extra chip on his shoulder to play well as a QB, and to try to lead his team to a national championship game.
3. The Backup RBs Are Ready to Roll Right Away
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With Boom Herron suspended, all Ohio State has left at running back are two youngsters that combined to finish in the top five in kick return average: junior Jordan Hall and redshirt sophomore Jaamal Berry.
In spot duty, both backs have shown great quickness and vision and the ability to make big plays.
They will get a majority of first-team reps in spring and fall practices.
And also look at the Buckeyes playing a combination of power backs between sophomore Carlos Hyde, who saw some action last season, and redshirt freshman Rod Smith who lit up bowl practices.
But whoever sees more of the action, there is little doubt that the RB position is in great shape this season.
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4. Defense Is Young, but Loaded with Potential
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Cameron Heyward, Ross Homan, Chimdi Chekwa and Brian Rolle are among the defensive starters that are no longer with the team after graduating.
What's left on the team is a slew of players with a high amount on potential but not too much on-field experience.
Right away, the defense will lean on veterans Johnny Simon and Nathan Williams up front and LB Andrew Sweat who will most likely fill in Homan's vacancy.
Expect players like Travis Howard, Dorian Bell and Etienne Sabino to fill in some of these vacancies and C.J. Barnett to return to the lineup after knee surgery took away a promising season for the young safety.
Based on past precedent, it shouldn't be out of the realm of reason to expect this group to keep the beat rolling defensively.
5. Not Every Big Ten Game Is Totally Important
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It might sound very weird to say this, but the outcome of the Ohio State-Michigan game might not make that much of an impact on the Big Ten race.
Both teams are in separate divisions, with the small chance of facing off in the Big Ten Championship Game in the near future.
But with the new format, teams have to win their division before they can play for the conference title.
That means this lessens the significance, but only by an extremely small amount, of The Game at the end of the regular season.
In the grand scheme of things, the more important games to win to book a trip to Indy will be those against Wisconsin and Penn State.
6. Ohio State Draws the Two Toughest Division Teams at Home
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For the time being, Ohio State fans will love odd-numbered years and hate even-numbered years.
The reason for that is that the toughest competition in the Leaders Division, both Wisconsin and Penn State, are home games this season and road games next year.
Penn State will make an unusual second-straight trip to Columbus after giving up 35 unanswered points to the Buckeyes in the teams' previous meeting.
And Ohio State will certainly be out for blood against Wisconsin, which is almost a lock for the Buckeyes' night game of the season, or at least it should be.
OSU has to go on the road to face Illinois and Purdue, but their toughest division games are without a doubt leaning towards the Bucks as the road to Indy goes through Columbus.
7. Competition at Big Positions Could Bring Inspired Play
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One of the more underused cliches in sports is that competition brings out the best in everybody.
And with multiple starting jobs opening up and the vacancies left by Pryor and company, the opportunities for many of the young guys to get some playing time will be very available.
OSU returns only 11 starters (four of whom are suspended) which means there are 11 young guys ready to fill the roles.
Each guy that will be asked to fill in these roles will do whatever they can to keep their job, which will in turn keep the machine rolling.
That is why some say the best programs don't rebuild, they reload.
8. All Eyes Will Be Pointed to the Wisconsin Game
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Last season, Wisconsin thoroughly dominated Ohio State from a physical standpoint in a way that hasn't happened in quite some time.
This time around, not only do the Badgers have to come to Columbus, but here is also a list of the big time players that Wisconsin will not have for this rematch: J.J. Watt, John Clay, Lance Kendricks, Scott Tolzien and Gabe Carimi among others.
All five of those players were instrumental in the Badgers beating the then-No. 1 Buckeyes in Camp Randall.
With those five gone, the scene shifted and a chip on Ohio State's shoulder, it's hard not to imagine the Buckeyes being a big favorite in the rematch this year.
9. November Is an Easy Month for the Buckeyes
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Heading into the final and usually the toughest month of the regular season, the Buckeyes do have a surprisingly-easy month of November.
The Buckeyes host Indiana, travel to Purdue, host Penn State and go to Ann Arbor in November this season.
This schedule is a complete 180 degrees from the gauntlets of Penn State, Iowa and Michigan from the last two seasons.
Jim Tressel stresses winning in November above every other month because he knows that's when the champions are decided.
With a lighter schedule, it might be easier for Ohio State to post another perfect November.
10. The Big Ten Championship Game is New to Everyone
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Other than Nebraska in the last two seasons, no one has any idea what to expect when the conference title will be decided by one game.
Fans had a glimpse of one in 2009 when Ohio State beat Iowa 27-24 in OT in a de facto championship game which sent the Buckeyes to the Rose Bowl.
Conference title games are certainly a wave of change in a conference known mostly for its tradition and legendary status.
Taking on a 13th game like this can only do good for the conference.
But since it's so new, it really doesn't give any team a particular advantage because of the unpredictability it can create.
And in a one-game season, it would be tough to pick anyone but Jim Tressel when you need to win that game.
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