College Football Picks Week 3: 5 Predictions for Ohio State vs. Miami

It is hard to predict what will happen when the Ohio State Buckeyes face the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday.

Both programs are led by new head coaches, and both are missing key players due to suspensions. OSU throttled the Hurricanes during last year's meeting, but the makeup of the 2011 Buckeyes is very different from the team of 2010.

With all of the turmoil and uncertainty surrounding these two programs, don't expect this year's game to be a repeat of the 36-24 contest in 2010.

Here are five predictions for the OSU vs. Miami game.

Jacory Harris Will Throw Multiple Interceptions

Miami quarterback Jacory Harris returns from suspension hoping to avoid a repeat of his four interception performance against OSU last season. Harris will have trouble keeping the ball out of the hands of the OSU defenders, as their defensive line will put heavy pressure on him.

Harris has had accuracy problems throughout his career at Miami, and those problems will continue as he tries to get acclimated to game speed against a stout OSU defense.

Braxton Miller Will Play

OSU coach Luke Fickell surprised many Buckeyes fans when he kept freshman quarterback Braxton Miller on the bench for the entire game against Toledo. But it will be hard to keep Miller on a leash after the way quarterback Joe Bauserman was exposed against the Rockets last week.

Fickell has already announced that Miller will play against Miami, and although he said the same thing before the Toledo game, he also revealed that Miller had missed practice time because of injuries last week. A healthy Miller will see playing time against the Miami defense, which is sure to force Bauserman into making mistakes.

Drew Basil Will Miss at Least One Field Goal

OSU kicker Drew Basil has had a rough start to the 2011 season, badly missing both of his field goal attempts.

Although the OSU offense steamrolled the Hurricanes in last year's game, the Miami defense forced the Buckeyes to attempt six field goals. Expect the struggling Basil to miss his kicks when the Buckeyes have to settle for field goals.

Lamar Miller will rush for less than 100 yards

The strength of Miami's offense is their running game, but running back Lamar Miller will have difficulty getting by the big OSU defensive line of John Simon, Johnathan Hankins and Nathan Williams, who is expected to return to action against the Hurricanes.

The Buckeyes have only allowed a handful of players to rush for more than 100 yards against them during the last decade, and Miami will not be an exception. Hankins has been perhaps the best player for the Buckeyes during the first two games, and Simon can be lined up anywhere along the defensive line. OSU's defensive line will contain Miller and force Harris to win the game through the air.

This Game Will Be Closer Than Last Year's Game

This game would be another rout if the Buckeyes had former quarterback Terrelle Pryor and the other suspended players for this game. But alas, they are not playing, and OSU will practically be facing Miami with one hand tied behind its back.

That should make for an exciting, if not close, football game between the two scandal-rocked programs. Both teams are playing with unreliable quarterbacks and capable defenses, so this contest may be less about who wins and more about who doesn't lose. Those games usually went to the Buckeyes when Jim Tressel was the coach, but there is no guarantee that Fickell will have the same fortune Tressel had in tight games.

The Oklahoma vs. Florida State game will steal the spotlight from this matchup, but expect the OSU vs. Miami game to be better than the one being played in Tallahassee.