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Ohio State Buckeyes - 2008 Season Preview

By Jordan Walters
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Sports Betting at WagerWeb Online Sportsbook

Ohio State’s 2008 season is simple: Anything other than a national title is failure. After reaching the past two national title games and getting routed by SEC teams, this year’s squad actually could be coach Jim Tressel’s best yet in Columbus, which is a scary thought for the rest of the Big Ten.

2007 record: 11-2 (7-1 Big Ten)

Coach: Jim Tressel (8th season at OSU, 73-16)

Returning starters: 20 (offense: 9, defense: 9, special teams: 2)

Key returnees: QB Todd Boeckman, RB Chris Wells, WR Brian Robiskie, LT Alex Boone, LB James Laurinaitis, LB Marcus Freeman, CB Malcolm Jenkins, FS Anderson Russell

Key losses: RT Kirk Barton, DE Vernon Gholston, LB Larry Grant, QB Antonio Henton

WagerWeb.com odds to win BCS title: +500

2008 SCHEDULE

Aug. 30 Youngstown State
Sept. 6 Ohio
Sept. 13 @ USC
Sept. 20 Troy
Sept. 27 Minnesota
Oct. 4 @ Wisconsin
Oct. 11 Purdue
Oct. 18 @ Michigan State
Oct. 25 Penn State
Nov. 8 @ Northwestern
Nov. 15 @ Illinois
Nov. 22 Michigan

Key game: Sept. 6 vs. Ohio – The battle for the Buckeye State will determine Ohio State’s season. COME ON! Of course it’s Sept. 13 at Southern Cal. No. 2 vs. No. 3 in the preseason coaches’ poll. Ohio State has been getting a rep that it can’t win big games outside of the Big Ten. That can all be quieted by winning in L.A. in one of the most anticipated regular-season games in years.

2008 OVERVIEW

Senior Todd Boeckman is the starting quarterback, and two of his backups have transferred since last season, mainly because super-recruit Terrelle Pryor is in the fold as well. Boeckman had a strong 2007, throwing 25 touchdown passes and completing 64 percent of his passes. However, he threw six total interceptions in the final three games, of which Ohio State lost two. Tressel says Pryor will be on the field some this season, perhaps in a Tim Tebow-type role when Tebow was a freshman at Florida.

Many times, Boeckman will be handing off to one of the Heisman favorites this year in running back Chris “Beanie” Wells. The now junior rushed for 1,609 yards last season, breaking the school’s sophomore record. In his final six games, he rushed for 967 yards (161 per game), including a huge effort in beating Michigan to clinch the Big Ten title. And all this came as he was dealing with nagging injuries. Eddie George’s single-season school record of 1,927 rushing yards could be in jeopardy.

At receiver, senior Brian Robiskie had 935 receiving yards and 11 TD catches last season, while junior Brian Hartline snagged 52 receptions in 2007. A third receiver may need to step up to take some pressure off the Brians. Two experienced tight ends return - fifth-year senior Rory Nicol and junior Jake Ballard.

The offensive line will be one of the best in the Big Ten again this year with four returning starters. Senior Alex Boone, a potential All-American, is the best of the group.

On the defensive side, the talent is just as evident. Yes, the D-Line lost Vernon Gholston and his 14 sacks, but Lawrence Wilson is back after missing last season with a broken leg. Cameron Heyward, who started in Wilson’s spot last year, is expected to line up opposite Wilson at the other end spot.

The face of the OSU defense is senior linebacker James Laurinaitis, a two-time All-American who shockingly passed on the NFL draft. Laurinaitis and fellow senior and All-Big Ten performer Marcus Freeman each finished the 2007 season with more than 100 tackles and nearly 30 tackles for loss. These two lead a defense that led the nation in scoring defense (12.8 points a game), total yards (233) and passing yards (150.2), and was third against the run (82.8) last year.

 

The secondary got a Laurinaitis-like boost when Malcolm Jenkins also passed up NFL millions to return for his senior year. He is a leading candidate for the Thorpe Award this year after intercepting four passes last season as teams often chose to throw away from him. Junior Donald Washington (who will be suspended for the first two games of the season) had a strong showing last year playing opposite of Jenkins.

There’s not much more to say other than expectations are as high as ever in Columbus, as they should be. The only pothole could be if Boeckman struggles early and players join the fans in favoring getting Pryor under center. With Michigan likely down this year, Ohio State’s season hinges on that USC game. If the Buckeyes lose that game, they may have trouble jumping another one-loss team into the BCS title game since many consider the Big Ten more like the Big One and the other 10.

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