Ohio State Football: Predicting Every Game for the Buckeyes Under Fickell
Amid the cloud of controversy floating over Ohio State in Columbus, Jim Tressel resigned from his head coaching position at Ohio State Monday after going 106-22 and capturing seven Big Ten championships in ten years.
With Tressel on the way out, assistant coach Luke Fickell will take over as the Buckeyes' interim coach for the upcoming 2011 season with a team that has the talent still on the roster to make a run at a BCS bowl game.
So, will the Buckeyes be able to capture the program's seventh straight Big Ten title this season or will Ohio State fall into the pack after the resignation of Tressel?
Akron
1 of 12
Date: September 3
Record Under Tressel: 2-0
The opening game of the season for the Buckeyes will be more of a walk-through than that of an actual contest, as Ohio State will simply treat the Zips as another practice to help build team chemistry for bigger games in 2011.
Prediction: Ohio State by 40
Toledo
2 of 12
Date: September 10
Record Under Tressel: 1-0
Just like the Akron game the week before, Ohio State will use the size and experience advantage the team possesses to just walk over Toledo as the Buckeyes continue their stranglehold on the state of Ohio.
Prediction: Ohio State by 28
At Miami (FL)
3 of 12
Date: September 17
Record Under Tressel: 2-0
While new Miami coach Al Golden might have an edge on head coaching experience over Fickell, the Buckeyes have an edge over the Hurricanes on talent, not to mention the fact that they rolled through the Hurricanes to a 38-17 win last season in the first game since the controversial National Championship game in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl.
Prediction: Ohio State by three
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Colorado
4 of 12
Date: September 24
Record Under Tressel: No Games
After the marquee game with the Hurricanes last Saturday, the Buckeyes might have a chance to be a victim of the trap game when Colorado makes their first trip to Columbus since the 1986 season, but again, the Buckeyes will likely have the advantage across the board against the Buffaloes.
Prediction: Ohio State by 10
Michigan State
5 of 12
Date: October 1
Record Under Tressel: 6-0
As the Spartans were one of the best teams in the country last season, Michigan State will have the talent on the roster to attempt to duplicate those results in 2011, but it will not be easy as the team makes its first trip to Columbus against the Buckeyes since 2008.
Prediction: Ohio State by Six
At Nebraska
6 of 12
Date: October 8
Record Under Tressel: No Games
Of the slate of games on the 2011 schedule, the Ohio State Buckeyes first trip to Lincoln in school history will likely be the toughest game all season that will likely be the first loss of the season for new interim coach Luke Fickell against the eventual Big Ten Champion.
Prediction: Nebraska by Seven
At Illinois
7 of 12
Date: October 15
Record Under Tressel: 6-2
In recent years, the Fighting Illini have played the Buckeyes very close in their conference games but they have not been able to close the deal in the later parts of the game. This year might again be a close game, but sadly for Illinois, Ohio State will win in Champaign for the ninth straight time.
Prediction: Ohio State by 14
Wisconsin
8 of 12
Date: October 29
Record Under Tressel: 4-4
In his time in Columbus, the one team that gave Jim Tressel the most trouble was the Wisconsin Badgers, and Ohio State will likely have to navigate through this game if the Buckeyes want to win the Leaders division and make the inaugural Big Ten title game in Indianapolis.
Prediction: Ohio State by Three
Indiana
9 of 12
Date: November 5
Record Under Tressel: 8-0
It doesn't matter who is the head coach when Ohio State plays the Hoosiers, as the Buckeyes have all but owned Indiana, as the team has won 69 of the 80 total games since the first meeting of the two schools back in 1904.
Prediction: Ohio State by 20
At Purdue
10 of 12
Date: November 12
Record Under Tressel: 6-2
While Purdue was bit by the injury bug in 2010, the Boilermakers shouldn't have such a dramatic season in 2011, as the team will have six starters returning on offense and nine on defense. That still might not be enough against an experienced Ohio State team
Prediction: Ohio State by 21
Penn State
11 of 12
Date: November 19
Record Under Tressel: 7-3
As the Nittany Lions are stuck in a bit of quarterback controversy, Penn State might have trouble on who will be starting by the time this game is played in late November, whereas the Buckeyes will have a proven Terrelle Pryor under center.
Prediction: Ohio State by 10
At Michigan
12 of 12
Date: November 26
Record Under Tressel: 9-1
With Brady Hoke taking over the head coaching job at Michigan this season, the Wolverines might have a chance to upset the Buckeyes in their season finale game after only winning one game against Jim Tressel's Ohio State teams across the Lloyd Carr and Rich Rodriguez eras in Ann Arbor.
Prediction: Michigan by Three
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
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