2012-13 Football Previews – (Big 10) – Ohio St. Buckeyes
All of the air was taken out of the Ohio State Buckeyes sails a year ago. Ohio State went 6-7 and the fan base in Columbus was more upset than they have been in years. In November 2011, when Ohio State hired Urban Meyer, it seemed the program had already taken a major step to getting back on track.
Big 10 Conference 2012-2013 College Football Previews: Ohio State Buckeyes
Head Coach: Urban Meyer
2011 Record 6-7
Ohio State Gambling Odds from JustBet to win BCS Championship: Off
Ohio State Gambling Odds from JustBet to win Big 10 Conference: Off
OSU Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2012 Schedule –>
Meyer managed to get a top five recruiting class despite NCAA sanctions, and the future appears bright for the Buckeyes.
It has to be disappointing for Ohio State to be ineligible for postseason play this year, but Meyer seems to be doing a great job motivating this group. The problems from the Tressel-era seem to be in the past, and it appears Meyer is taking an aggressive approach at keeping players in line. The goal at Ohio State is to set the stage for a return to national prominence in 2013.
Team Strengths:
Braxton Miller should be a very good fit for the Urban Meyer spread offense. Miller struggled through the first half of last year, but he really wasn’t supposed to be on the field at that point. Miller expected to be watching Terrell Pryor last year, but he was thrown into the fire as a true freshman after the tattoo mess. Miller played his best in the last four games of last season, and there isn’t a better coach for his skill set than Meyer.
Ohio State’s defensive line is filled with star power. Meyer absolutely loves John Simon’s work ethic. In the offseason, Meyer called Simon “Tebowish” in terms of his commitment. Simon piled up 16 tackles for loss in 2011, and I expect a huge season from him in 2012. Johnathan Hankins is a huge defensive tackle that has amazing athleticism for his size. He is the perfect run-stuffer for this defense. Freshmen Noah Spence and Adolphus Washington could make an early impact on this line as well.
The Buckeyes secondary is another area of strength. Bradley Roby is an impressive cover corner, while Christian Bryant and C.J. Barnett are solid at the safety spots. Travis Howard and Doran Grant are battling it out for the other starting cornerback spot. Depth is a major strength in the secondary. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Team Weaknesses:
Ohio State might have the worst group of wide receivers in the Big Ten. This is a serious area of concern for the Buckeyes. Urban Meyer has made it clear in the offseason that he worries about the lack of a play maker on the outside. It’s a very bad sign when your leading receivers had 14 receptions, but that was the case for Ohio State in 2011. Philly Brown must step up on the outside, and the Buckeyes expect big things from tight end Jake Stoneburner.
Only Jack Mewhort and Andrew Norwell return on the offensive line. This group has to make a big adjustment in blocking schemes with the new offensive system. Look for this group to have some growing pains early in the year.
2012-2013 Ohio State Buckeyes Football Prediction: 9-3
Ohio State may have gone 6-7 last year, but Meyer definitely isn’t walking into a bad situation. The Buckeyes are only a couple years removed from winning six straight Big Ten titles. Last year was an anomaly, and I fully expect the Buckeyes to be much better in 2012. The non-conference schedule sets up very well for the Buckeyes to be 4-0 heading into Big Ten action. Late in the year, Ohio State visits Madison on November 17 and then hosts Michigan a week later. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Ohio State win ten games, but I’ll keep the number at nine because of the sanctions which don’t allow Ohio State to play in the postseason. Things are looking up in Columbus.
2012 OSU Schedule
9/1/12 12:00 PM ET MIAOH
9/8/12 12:00 PM ET CENFL
9/15/12 12:00 PM ET CAL
9/22/12 TBD UAB
9/29/12 TBD @MCHST
10/6/12 TBD NEB
10/13/12 TBD @IND
10/20/12 TBD PURD
10/27/12 TBD @PENST
11/3/12 TBD ILL
11/17/12 TBD @WISC
11/24/12 12:00 PM ET MICH
