Ohio State Football: Why the 2011 Season Won't Be Like Florida and Texas in 2010
Ohio State is currently under quite the NCAA firestorm brought on by the violations of coach Jim Tressel and the Suspended Five.
With five players suspended for the first five games of the season along with Tressel, the team is suddenly in a spot that could ultimately kill any national title hopes that this senior class had when they arrived in 2008.
Terrelle Pryor's absence will no doubt be the biggest problem as he has been OSU's only starting QB since the 2009 Fiesta Bowl when Todd Boeckman got the start.
But unlike the teams that had a shocking collapse in 2010, especially Florida and Texas, Ohio State should not have that much of a fall in 2011.
Here are five reasons why that will not happen.
5. The Big Ten Is Not as Deep as the SEC
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While many Big Ten fans will debate whether or not the conference can stand up to the SEC at the top, there is no doubt the strength of the SEC is the depth of good teams.
This could play into Ohio State's favor because the Big Ten schedule has plenty of cupcakes that the SEC does not have, especially looking at Indiana and Purdue.
Outside of the Nebraska game, Ohio State gets their toughest opponents all to come to Columbus this season in Wisconsin, Michigan State and Penn State.
But with the weak teams in the Buckeyes' schedule including Akron, Toledo and Colorado, the Buckeyes will be able to rack up some easy wins while at the same time developing the young players on both sides of the ball.
4. All the Underclassmen Are Back
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Ohio State football has known nothing but Big Ten Championships and the BCS for the past six seasons.
That means that at least two full classes of players have come and gone winning the Big Ten title and playing in the BCS every single season. Over time, that becomes an expectation that the young players need to live up to.
To make a comparison once again to Florida, the Buckeyes did not lose any underclassmen to the NFL and had only five players drafted, only one in the first round.
The Gators, however, lost six players in the first two rounds alone, and that depth, especially with Tim Tebow gone, had to be a crippling problem.
All of OSU's underclassmen returned for another go in 2011, which brings us to...
3. Terrelle Pryor Will Play After Week Five
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Unlike Texas and Florida last season, Ohio State does have their quarterback returning, although not right away.
The Longhorns and Gators both had to move on entirely with new QBs, Garrett Gilbert and John Brantley respectively. Both of them, who showed some promise in limited snaps, underperformed greatly.
For Ohio State, the first five games of the 2011 season will either be the last stand of senior Joe Bauserman, or the testing ground of blue-chip freshman Braxton Miller.
And regardless of how either player does, Pryor, who has lost only five games since he became the starting QB after Week 3 in 2008, will be back for his final go-around.
Pryor may never win the Heisman, but he has proven more times than not that he can win football games and he gives the Buckeyes' offense a dimension that Bauserman and Miller, at least right now, can't provide: experience.
That experience is something Florida and Texas never had in 2010, part of the reason why they had issues last season.
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2. Expect Status Quo from the Defense
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The Ohio State defense has been one of the best in college football as far as reloading departed personnel in the past decade.
This year, the unit has plenty of work to do in replacing seven starters, which they will do with a multitude of players that have plenty of experience off the bench as usual.
Although the defense has a great amount of losses to overcome on all three levels on the defense, they know that the standard that has been set by their predecessors and the coaching staff.
This current unit promises to be one of the more athletic and fastest units from top to bottom that OSU has had in some time, and that's saying something based on history.
They can avoid the letdowns that plagued Texas against Kansas State and UCLA last season, although they may struggle early on as they gain chemistry as a unit.
When they do, this defense can be a big reason why this team has another good season.
1. The Running Game Is Strong Even Without Dan Herron
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The mantra that is the most true in football is that no matter who you are, you're going to be a good team if you can run the football.
That's a problem Texas moreso than Florida had to worry about with a lack of a consistent running game.
No such problem should exist for Ohio State in 2011, even with starter Dan Herron under suspension.
Three talented young backs, junior Jordan Hall, third-year sophomore Jaamal Berry and redshirt freshman Rod Smith, will all compete for carries in the first five games of the season.
All three played well in the spring game, making the decision for the coaches on who to start only that much harder.
The run game has always been important for Ohio State the past few seasons, and will need to be again if they want to have another big season, or to avoid an underachieving season like Texas and Florida had in 2010.
What they do have though is the ability to do it, now they just need to be able to get it done.
For more college football news and updates, visit The BCS Blitz and follow me on Twitter @bielik_tim.
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