Ohio State Football Scandal: Buckeyes' Talent Not Enough To Overcome Adversity

There's a notion that's making its way across the college football landscape these days that the Ohio State Buckeyes, despite the defections of Jim Tressel and Terrelle Pryor amid the myriad distractions and suspensions that have rocked Columbus since 2010, will not only contend in the newly-expanded Big Ten, but win the conference championship by way of the first title game.

My response to that notion: fat chance.

Say what you want about residual talent and returning experience to place the Scarlet and Gray as the favorites to run away with the goofily-named "Leaders" division, but I'm just not buying all the love the Buckeyes are getting in the wake of this year's NCAA scandal. Here's why:

Where Did All the Players Go?

 Ohio State's absences, both early and otherwise, are as alarming as their existing stockpile of blue-chippers is encouraging.

Overrated as Terrelle Pryor may have been, he was still an excellent quarterback during his three years in Columbus and did plenty to lift his team to victory in the biggest games. The Buckeyes were 3-0 against Michigan during the Pryor era, which is key to the legacy of any respected quarterback in Columbus.

As a full-time starter, Pryor led Ohio State to back-to-back BCS bowl victories while earning Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl MVP honors.

In his stead, head coach Luke Fickell will turn to fifth-year senior Joe Bauserman and true freshman Braxton Miller, who have a combined 47 career snaps under center.

Even with those two splitting the signal-calling duties, and without the likes of Dan Herron, DeVier Posey, Jordan Hall, Mike Adams and Solomon Thomas available in the early going due to NCAA suspensions, the Buckeyes should be able to win their first four games of the season—vs. Akron, vs. Toledo, at Miami and vs. Colorado—with relative ease.

Have You Seen The Big Ten Lately?

 However, once they hit that fifth game, against Michigan State, all bets are off.

The Spartans split the Big Ten title with Ohio State and Wisconsin last season, and will be fully prepared, behind quarterback Kirk Cousins, to show that they still belong among the conference's elite.

At least ahead of the Buckeyes.

OSU will have the aforementioned five players back in time to travel to Nebraska, though pundits seem, for whatever reason, to discredit the Cornhuskers as serious contenders largely because they're the newcomers to the crowd.

Which, of course, overlooks the fact that Big Red nearly upended Oklahoma in the final Big 12 Championship Game after fighting through a conference that was (and still is) significantly stronger than the Big Ten.

Three weeks later, the Buckeyes will host Wisconsin, another Big Ten contender, whose offense looks as potent as ever with North Carolina State transfer Russell Wilson taking snaps under center.

And while you could certainly point to the heavy losses sustained by the Badgers this offseason as reason for concern, has any team in the Big Ten lost more, in terms of both personnel and pride, than the Buckeyes?

Don't College Kids Get Distracted By Turmoil?

 If all of this weren't enough, there's no telling what the emotional and mental toll of the distractions surrounding Ohio State will be heading into the season.

That toll could be small. It's entirely possible that a squad of 18- to 22-year-olds won't be phased by the fact that their school has been squirming under the NCAA's thumb for nine months now, that losing Pryor and, more importantly, Tressel—he of the six consecutive Big Ten titles and the incomparable sweater vest—won't be much of a burden to bear.

Sure, it's possible. But is it at all likely? Especially when coupling the recent transgressions of kids still on the team with the fact that, yes, these are still kids we're talking about?

You don't think having that extra spotlight, that extra ring on the bull's eye (or Buckeye) won't make winning football games just a wee bit more difficult for Ohio State this season?

I'm not saying the Buckeyes won't win games or that they won't be any good. On the contrary, I think they'll turn out to be a pretty good team, possibly even a nine- or 10-win team.

But not good enough to win the Big Ten or a BCS bowl.

Fight On?

Ohio State, of all schools, should know this full well. It was just over two years ago that the Buckeyes hosted another big-time program on the edge of a cliff and lost.

That third-ranked USC Trojans team escaped the Horseshoe with a thrilling 18-15 win but couldn't avoid further collapse, notching four losses by season's end before Pete Carroll took off for the Seattle Seahawks' big gig.

The Trojans were just as talented then as the Buckeyes are now, if not more so, and still lost five games the following year after replacing Carroll with Lane Kiffin.

And if the mighty Trojans, owners of six Pac-10 titles between 2002 and 2008, were dragged down—by defections, distractions and tough scheduling—then what's to say the Buckeyes won't be done in by the very same problems?

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