Skinny - The Terrelle Pryor era in Columbus is well under way, but this will be Pryor's first season of real pressure. Without Beanie Wells complementing him or Todd Boeckman backing him up to add some stability, Pryor will be expected to lead the offense and must remain healthy for the team to compete. The Buckeyes arguably have the best talent in the Big Ten, but can Tressel and crew finally win the primetime games that they have been missing the last few years.
Strength - Safety
Kurt Coleman and Anderson Russell.
Coleman, a second-team All Big Ten member last season, is the anchor to the defense, as he is the team's leading returning tackler. Coleman led the team with 4 picks last season, while Russell had 2. In a league that doesn't have the best quarterbacks, the duo should be able to cause mistakes in the passing game, while also being solid in run support. The team lost its two top linebackers (Laurinaitis and Freeman), so it will be the job of Coleman and Russell to quarterback the defense for the Buckeyes, while Thaddeus Gibson and Cameron Heyward wreak havoc on the league's quarterbacks from the defensive end position.
Weakness - Coaching
Yes, Jim Tressel has a National Championship
Yes, Ohio State has won outright or shared the conference title since 2005
Yes, the team constantly finishes near the top of the national rankings
But what team has fallen the hardest on the national stage? That would be the Ohio State University. Last season they lost their three biggest games against USC, Penn State, and Texas. The USC was a 35-3 massacre. The previous year was the loss to LSU, the year before that was the 41-14 blowout to Florida. Both those games were for the National Championship.
Tressel's last bowl win was over Notre Dame in 2005, which is much too long for a team that is constantly in the spotlight like OSU. According to those "experts" at the recruiting services, Ohio State has the talent. To further support the "experts," Ohio State has been sending players to the NFL, so it's not like the talent isn't there. Ohio State looked good against Texas, but good is not good enough to beat the elite teams. Tressel has to do something to get Ohio State back over that hump.
Key Game - 9/13/09 USC
Ohio State must show the country something in order to regain some of the respect they have lost for themselves in terms of the media in the last couple years and to help the Big Ten conference as a whole. This is the Buckeye's chance to show the country something in an early season match-up while USC is still trying out a new QB and reloading their defense.
Key Player - Dan Herron
Terrelle Pryor is the obvious choice here, but he gained invaluable experience last year leading the team for most of the season. Herron had 439 yds/6 TDs last year on the ground when he played while Beanie was hurt, but he must prove this season he can carry the load the entire season. Pryor is a mobile quarterback and will get yards on the ground, but the Buckeyes need a durable back so Pryor doesn't take a beating considering all the marbles are in one bag with Pryor.
Impact Freshman -Dorian Bell
Predicted Big Ten Finish - 2nd
Top 5 Players
1. S Kurt Coleman
2. QB Terrelle Pryor
3. DE Thaddeus Gibson
4. OL Justin Boren
5. WR Ray Small
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