2008 Ohio State Buckeyes
Written June 10, 2008 by Jason Lowry
It’s time for Jason Lowry to make his 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes football predictions, but before we jump right in and get to that lets take a look at what the Buckeyes have on both sides of the ball in 2008. Last year the Buckeyes had yet another shot at the BCS title game, but for the 2nd straight year they got beat bad, this time by LSU. While many fans think they have seen enough of the Buckeyes blowing it at the end of the season, they just might have one of their best squads this year. They are returning 20 starters to a team that went 11-2 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten. Coach Jim Tressel will be in his 8th season as the Buckeyes head coach, and if things fall into place it just might be yet another National Title game for the Buckeyes.
Offense:
With 9 starters coming back to a loaded offense, there is no question that defenses in the Big 10 will have their hands full. Senior Todd Boeckman will return as your starting quarterback, but don’t be surprised if freshman sensation Terrell Pryor doesn’t get anywhere from 10-15 snaps a game. Pryor will likely be used the same way Florida used Tim Tebow, as Pryor has excellent speed. Junior running back Chris Wells has all the tools to be the next Buckeye Heisman Trophy winner. After rushing for 1,609 yards and 15 touchdowns, there is talk he could go for 2,000 yards and closer to 20 touchdowns. Making life easier will be the offensive line, where 3 future NFL prospects call home. LT Alex Boone, C Jim Cordle, and LG Steve Rehring are going to be a force on the left side, while senior Ben Person and sophomore Bryant Browning hold down a solid right side. At the receiver position senior Brian Robiskie led the team with 935 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns, and junior Brian Hartline had a solid 694 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Defense:
Even with the loss of Vernon Gholston this team is going to be one of the best on this side of the ball. A major reason why is seniors LB James Laurinaitis and CB Malcom Jenkins decided to come back to the team after initially declaring for the draft. Both players are predicted as All-Americans this upcoming season. Up front look for Lawrence Wilson to step in at the defensive end spot, and be almost the same force that Gholston was. The defensive tackles will need to improve, as they weren’t able to get much pressure on the quarterback last year. At linebacker Marcus Freeman joins Laurinaitis to make one of the best linebacking combos in the country. The secondary remains the same as a year ago, and you can probably expect some big plays from this unit. They were ranked #1 against the pass a year ago, and the coaches still want more takeaways from these guys.
Prediction: 1st in the Big 10
The Big 10 looks like it could be a tough division this year, but Michigan will likely be a year or two away under their new coach. This team toughest competition in the Big 10 will be Illinois and Wisconsin, but their toughest game will be in week 3 against USC. We really think that this is a pissed off team, and that the reason the seniors came back, was to ensure this team does win a National Title and prove all their critics wrong. The game against USC could go a long way to deciding if they get that chance. This team could easily run the table, and with the talent they got it would be hard to expect anything less.
Professional handicapper Jason Lowry will continue to run down of every team in the Big 10, but before the season gets going in a few months, now is a great time to head over to BetUS.com and get an account up and going. As always feel free to leave any comments in the comment box.