2009 Pre-Season Coaches Poll is Published
August 8, 2009 - Coaches Poll
Last season, OSU began #3 in the Coaches poll and finished 11th after a 10-3 season. This year they will not start quite as high. The three teams that return Heisman Trophy-finalist quarterbacks top the USA Today preseason college football poll, but Ohio State is not far behind.
Defending national champion Florida was the overwhelming favorite at #1. The Gators led by 2007 Heisman winner Tim Tebow, received 53 of 59 first-place votes from the panel of coaches. Texas (four first-place votes) and Oklahoma (one) are second and third, followed by Southern California (one), Alabama and Ohio State in sixth.
Texas is led by 2008 Heisman runner-up Colt McCoy. Oklahoma which did what they always do anymore, lose bowl games, lost to Florida in the national championship game, returns Sam Bradford, last year's Heisman winner.
Besides the Sept. 12 showdown with USC, the Buckeyes will face two teams in the preseason top 25: #8 Penn State and #21 Iowa.
This is the seventh straight season Ohio State has been ranked in the preseason top 10. The last time the Buckeyes were lower was 2002, when they were picked 12th and went on to win the national title.
2009 Ohio State Football Preview
June 19, 2009 - By Pete Quint
Summer practice is still weeks away but the realization of only having approximately three months until the season starts has gotten this reporter's juices rolling. Last season was a disappointment of sorts as Ohio State lost two regular season games and dropped a thriller to their bowl opponent Texas. The Buckeyes were ranked in the top five by most of the preseason pollsters but the team just didn’t live up to its potential, especially the offense which didn’t seem to want to show up at all last year.
It’s been the modus operandi in the Tressel era to win the games you’re supposed to and lose consistently to higher ranked opponents. That’s not a jab at Tress, it’s the truth. The last time the Buckeyes beat a team ranked above them in the polls was Miami (FL) in the 2002 National Championship game. This is a disturbing trend in Buckeye football that needs to change or the team will continue to be ridiculed nationally as an above average team in a weak conference. This season, the Buckeyes will continue to load up on cupcakes in the preseason, play one legit out of conference and cruise through the Big Ten looking for another conference championship. Outside USC, Penn State and maybe Wisconsin, there’s not much competition for Ohio State in 2009.
While 12-0 is very realistic, albeit scarlet colored and optimistic, the Bucks are much more likely to go 11-1 than 9-3. Anything less than 10 wins and as least a share of the Big Ten title this season will be a big disappointment. Tressel will have his young troops ready to earn the Big Ten crown but how will the Bucks fare against USC and most likely an SEC bowl opponent? Here’s a quick look at Ohio State’s opponents for the 2009 season.
09/05 - Navy
Don’t be too surprised if the Bucks go 11-1 and the “1” happens to be Navy. The Buckeyes are bigger, faster, stronger and easily more talented than the Midshipmen and on paper it looks like an easy warm-up leading into the USC game. However, not only will OSU be looking ahead to the colossal match-up in prime time, the Buckeyes will also be facing an offensive scheme they have never seen before. If you pick one game this year that has Appalachian State written all over it, it’s OSU v Navy.
09/12 - USC
Ohio State and USC are mirror images of each other this year in that both teams need to reload in 2009 losing a ton of talent to the NFL. The biggest advantage the Bucks have in this one is experience at quarterback. Terrell Pryor has most of a year under his belt and with a young nasty offensive line lead by Michigan transfer Jason Boren (I love saying that), the Bucks should match up well with the Trojans. What’s the biggest disadvantage going against the Buckeyes? USC will be ranked above OSU in the polls and favored to win. As stated before, Tressel has an embarrassing record against higher ranked opponents and if he wants to start being considered one of the best in the country he has to win this game.
09/19 @ Toledo (in Cleveland)
Toledo will give the Bucks a run for their money in the first quarter and a half but don’t expect it to last. The Rockets just don’t have the horses to keep up. We will see a lot of new faces in this one as Tressel and the coaching staffs start to develop some of the younger talent.
09/26 - Illinois
Illinois isn’t expected to do much this season but that’s usually when they come out of nowhere and have a 9 win season. After Ohio State it’s a toss up between Penn State and Illinois as to who is number two in the Big Ten this season. Juice Williams is back and is as always a legitimate threat. Even with a week off before they face OSU, I don’t think the Illini can hang with the Buckeyes in the Shoe.
10/03 @ Indiana
Cupcakes come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. This one has Crimson and Cream icing. Delicious!
10/10 Wisconsin
The Badgers have turned into an annual choker lately. They have sported excellent talent and have plenty ability to put teams away but they always seem to drop one or two games they have no business losing. Quarterback play has been the Badgers Achilles heal for the last few years and this year will be another struggle. This one’s in the Shoe. Badgers will go home with their tails tucked between their legs.
10/17 @ Purdue
Purdue is a team I would like to see rise to the upper tier of the conference but they just can’t seem to attract enough talent across the board to muster an elite team. They return a most of their league leading pass defense while on the other hand lose nearly their entire offense. A defense can make a great offense…unless you don’t have an offense to speak of. Pryor will be ready to slice and dice them by October.
10/24 Minnesota
After a heartbreaking loss to Northwestern, Minnesota gave up on the season. In 2009, many of the skill players that made a great run at the beginning of the season are back. Again, this one’s in the Shoe and the Gophers don’t stand a chance.
10/31 New Mexico State
Extending the Big Ten season has caused a few odd-ball mid-season out-of-conference games to pop up here and there. Until the league gets a hold of the new calendar we will continue to see Whattsamatta U. and Whodaheckisthat CC. on the schedule. Bucks play a lot of youngsters in this one.
11/07 @ Penn State
For the first time since joining the Big Ten, Penn State tasted victory in Columbus…then promptly blew it by losing to Iowa in the very next game. Talk about a hangover. They did go to the Rose Bowl but lost out on a chance at an outright Big Ten title and a birth in the National Championship game. By this time in the season, the Lions will be seasoned and ready for the showdown with the Buckeyes but Ohio State has a long memory. Last year was a solid defensive stand by the Lions as the Bucks couldn’t get anything going on offense. Look for Terrell Pryor to redeem himself and put a whoopin’ on the Lions in Happy Valley.
11/14 Iowa
It sounds like the Hawkeyes are on the right track and may be rising up the ranks in the Big Ten. This should be a fun game in the cold in Columbus, Ohio as the Bucks might be in the running for the national championship game and Iowa will be looking at a BCS game. Tag: Old School Slobber-Knocker Game.
11/21 @ MeatChicken
Rich Rod got himself another stellar recruiting class…for the next coach that gets hired at Michigan. Michigan alumni will be calling for his head early and often as the “Victors” try to dig their way out of last years 3-9 season, all the way to 6-6. To help matters for the Wolverines and their search for a new head coach, they are starting a true freshman quarterback behind an average line. The emphasis will be on the running game and Kevin Grady. Is he out of jail yet? No? Then I guess they’ll have to rely on Brandon Minor. Good luck with that. Tressel continues his winning streak versus That Team Up North.
Bowl Prediction
If the Buckeyes suffer a loss this season they will not play in the National Championship game, even if it’s early and to USC. I’m calling USC, PSU and Iowa as “Buckeye Up” games the OSU has to win and Navy being the “Look Out” scary sleeper team that won’t but might….but won’t…
Wrap up
2009 will loads of fun to watch as the next batch of Buckeye superstars make names for themselves. It will also make Buckeye fans pull out their hair in frustration as we see these athletes through their growing pains. In 2010, Ohio State will be a legitimate powerhouse and contend for the National Championship along with numerous awards (see Heisman). However, if the Bucks can develop quickly, rally under the leadership of Terrell Pryor and maybe catch a few breaks along the way, 2009 could end up a lot Rosier than originally thought.
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2009 NCAA, Bucks, Big Ten - Tidbits, Comments
June 7, 2009 - By Brent Baver
--USC's last 7 non-conference games against ranked opponents; they are 7-0 outright and 7-0 against the spread, having won those games by an average score of 39-18. Their defense only returns 3 starters, but they'll still have a top 10 defense nationally. They return all five on the OL, return their top 4 RB's where their #3 guy, Joe McKnight, averaged 7.4 ypc, and return 9 out of their top 10 guys in terms of catches. The new starter at QB looks to be Aaron Corp. New starting QB's have settled in quickly for USC and with what Corp has to work with on offense, this year should be no different.
--Does anyone stop Florida this year? 18 starters back, and the entire 2-deep back on defense....the same defense that held Oklahoma to 14 in the NC game this past year. They'll have to guard against themselves. I think someone beats them in conference play, but that probably won't keep them out of the NC game if they finish 12-1. If they win it again, that will be 3 out of 4 years for Meyer and the "D" word (dynasty) will be used frequently by the press.
--Three year standings in the B10; as one would expect, OSU has dominated what has been a weak conference:
--Although the league has been bad, the Big Ten should take a step forward this year. Penn State and OSU may be the only teams ranked to start the season, but these five teams return 14 or more starters and look like they will improve:
Minnesota (17) Indiana (15) Michigan State (15)Michigan (15) Iowa (14) For the record, I think OSU, Illinois and Wisconsin will be improved as well, which mean 8 of the 11 teams will have improved.
--I think PSU, ND and Ole Miss are the three most overrated teams heading into 2009. I’ll comment on PSU in a moment. Notre Dame returns 15 starters, but this is a team that lost 6 games last year and rarely plays up to their potential. Ole Miss now has a bull's eye on its chest after over-achieving last year. Much harder when teams are gunning for you.
--Count me in the PSU is overrated crowd. They have had two real good teams this decade, in 2005 and 2008, where they went 11-1 and 11-2, respectively. Their other seasons have seen them lose at least 4 games:
2000: 5-7
2001: 5-6
2002: 9-4
2003: 3-9
2004: 4-7
2006: 9-4
2007: 9-4.
They have a whopping 9 starters back. They lose 3 out of 5 O-linemen. They lose their trio of WRs that had started 4 years for them. And they lose their entire defensive backfield. Had they played Ohio State 3 weeks later last year, when Pryor had settled in, they would have lost. MLB Sean Lee is being talked about (by some) like he is the top player in the Big Ten. He has yet to play a down since he tore his ACL. We shall see. They play Illinois and Michigan State on the road.
I like the Bucks over PSU this year, and I like the Illini to finish 2nd in the Big Ten, behind Ohio State. PSU battles Iowa and Sparty for 3rd place.
--Ron Zook seems to perform poorly when expectations are high and perform well when expectations are low. I like the Illini to bounce back from their 5-7 finish last year.
--Dextor Larimore is my pick for most-underrated Buckeye. Think he has a big year and think the Buckeyes defense will actually be improved, mainly because of their strength on the D-line.
--Could Tyler Moeller be the best LB on the team this year? The kid can flat out play.
--Heisman voters more than often shy away from a previous winner. I like Colt McCoy to win the Heisman this year. And I like Terrelle Pryor to finish among the top 10 vote getters.
--The best player that many haven't heard of? Check out Dez Bryant, WR for Okie State. 1,480 yards and 19 TD's last year, and still flew (somewhat) under the radar.
--Up and Coming exciting team? Check out Baylor. Like Ohio State, they have had a true frosh at QB last year, and a good one at that - Robert Griffin. Ran for 843 yards and had a 15-3 TD to Int ratio last year. They went 4-8 last year, but have an up and coming coach and return 16 starters. They should be bowl bound this year.
--Prediction on 2009 OSU: A couple injuries on the O-line, and that could ruin a good year for Ohio State. I think they go 11-1 or 10-2 this year. I tend to think they won't get by USC, but if they do, then the table is set for a NC run. I'm definitely more worried about USC than Penn State. The whole key is the guys in the trenches on offense. I like what I saw out of two positions of question in the spring: CBs and RBs. Between Amos, Torrence and maybe Corey Brown, I think they will be fine at the CB spot opposite Chekwa. And I think Boom Herron easily hangs onto his #1 TB spot and has a very nice season. I will believe Brandon Saine stays healthy when I see it.
Brent Baver
Preview:
2009 Pre-Season Predictions
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22-2
16-8
15-9
15-9
11-13
10-14
10-14
10-14
10-14
7-17
6-18
1) OSU
2) Penn State
3) Wisconsin
Michigan
5) Iowa
6) Michigan State
Northwestern
Purdue
Illinois
10) Indiana
11) Minnesota
