Ohio State has turned to proven winner Urban Meyer to turn around and move on from the difficult season it had last year. Meyer has an overall record of 104-23.
The Buckeyes had won at least 10 games and earned at least a share of the Big Ten title for six straight seasons before their disappointing finish last year. They got off to a Wisconsin Badger Football Jersey solid 6-3 start last year before fizzling out and finishing the year at 6-7.
Ohio can certainly get back to its former glory with Meyer at the helm, but this year could be interesting. The team seems to be suffering from lack of focus as they did last year, and now Meyer will have a tough time trying to keep this team motivated enough without a Big Ten title or Bowl Game to keep them interested.
Offense
Offensively, the team was a mess last year. They ranked 11th in the Big Ten (107th nationally) in total offense with just 318.2 yards/game and eighth in the conference in scoring (81st nationally) with 24.5 points/game. Their running game was good enough as they ranked fourth in the league with 191.2 yards per contest, but their passing attack was absolutely dreadful as they were dead last in the Big Ten with only 127.0 yards/game.
Sophomore quarterback Braxton Miller will be the focal point of the offense. Other teams will look to disrupt his game as they know he completed just 54.1% of his passes last year, forcing him to beat them through the air.
Devin Smith will be asked to play a bigger part of the offense alongside Philly Brown and tight end Jake Stoneburner this year. Smith is the team\'s top returning receiver as he caught 14 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns.
The loss of Mike Adams and Mike Brewster will definitely sting a bit on the offensive line, but the unit should definitely be okay. Besides - fullback Zach Boren is an excellent blocker and will make there is running room behind him.
Defense
The Ohio state defense regressed a bit last year, but overall it was still strong. It ranked fifth in the Big Ten (19th nationally) in total defense with 323.5 yards allowed per game. It also finished sixth in the league (27th nationally) in scoring defense with 21.0 points allowed per game.
The Buckeye were among the best in the country against the pass (14th nationally), but struggled to consistently stop the run. They ranked an abysmal 50th in the nation with 141.5 rushing yards allowed per game.
End John Simon and tackle Jonathan Hankins are projected to have excellent seasons ahead of them and both could be All-Americans by the season\'s end. Simon recorded seven sacks last year and Hankins is a beast who\'s being Wisconsin Badger Football Jersey projected as a first-round draft pick already.
A secondary that returns five players with starting experience could be special. Cornerbacks Bradley Roby and Travis Howard are both lockdown guys who create matchup problems for opposing offenses.
Big Ten Leaders Prediction: 2nd Place
Ohio State boasts a roster that has arguably the best talent in the Big Ten, plus favorable schedule that features eight home games. Meyer should have no trouble besting the sub-.500 mark it had last year.
Their biggest tests will be against Michigan State, Wisconsin and Michigan.
The talent is definitely there to post the best record in the Leaders division, but as we all know, it takes more than just talent to win football games.
Meyer must keep his players motivated Wisconsin Badger Football Jersey the whole year round, and the team is now having to make another adjustment with new coaches and a new system. He has won everywhere and it will be interesting to see if he can bring his winning ways to Ohio State.
