Ohio State Buckeyes Betting – 2011 Ohio State College Football Preview
The Ohio State University’s coming months could go down as the “Summer of Woe.” Coaching legend Jim Tressel resigned in May under a scandalous cloud. The wheels that made Terrelle Pryor a prolific dual threat quarterback took a backseat to wheels of a different kind. And the NCAA continues to circle like a ravenous vulture.
Forgotten behind all the turmoil is that OSU Buckeyes has a football season ahead of it. The Buckeye roster is talented enough to go as far as the NCAA allows, which barring a bowl game ban means the first Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis. Buckeye defenses are among college football’s stingiest year in and year out, and that will not change one year removed from boasting a 14.3 point per game average on the defensive side of the ball. Nathan Williams has the makings of a breakout star taking over for Cameron Heyward as the line’s anchor. A wise sports bet is that Ohio State will continue to excel on defense.
Linebackers Andrew Sweat and John Simon contributed 41 tackles a piece and have seven years of experience in the program. The duo will supplement a rush defense that allowed just 96.7 yards per game.
Realistically though, it’s what OSU will not have that will define the season.
Tressel’s absence leaves a gaping void untested Buckeye alum Luke Fickell must try to fill. You might be ignorant of college football, as you spend your time as an MLB baseball betting analyst, but you can still put two and two together – you can easily appreciate that Ohio State will struggle without Jim Tressel on the sidelines every Saturday.
With that said, a new head coach won’t necessarily mean the end of ultra-conservative “Tressel Ball.” If anything, with offensive tackle Mike Adams, wide receiver DeVier Posey, tailback Dan Herron, and end Solomon Thomas missing the first five games, the Buckeyes should be more conservative in the season’s first month. Joe Bauserman assumes quarterback duties in Pryor’s stead, with the troubled quarterback now free from the NCAA after his Tuesday departure from Ohio State. Sophomore Jaamal Berry is the most game-tested rusher until Herron returns, and he will get a baptism-by-fire that first month carrying the workload.
Tight end Jake Stoneburner will be an invaluable target for Bauserman. The quarterback isn’t likely to air it out, so a big, sure-handed receiver like Stoneburner, capable of working off shorter routes, will play a key role.
One of Ohio State’s titanic tilts this season is a sports betting dream against a top 10-rated Nebraska Cornhusker defense. Defeating Nebraska a season ago meant keeping the score low and the Huskers on a long field. For Bauserman, simply avoiding big turnovers and the field- position flips associated with them - will prove to be essential.
The Lincoln trip follows a date with defending co-conference champion Michigan State. The first two weeks of Big Ten play should shape the Buckeyes’ title hopes.
Center Mike Brewster is one of Ohio State’s prime performers. He earned First Team All Big Ten a season ago in helping OSU to the nation’s 14th best rush offense. Brewster will again captain the Buckeyes in the trenches. He’s a powerful 6-foot-5, 305-pounder with quickness off the snap and an ability to read blitzes.
In sum, the challenges before OSU are plentiful, and that’s before any further action by the NCAA comes against the program. For the rest of the team, game days will provide a necessary escape, and the squad is talented enough to compete with the conference’s best. Despite facing the Nebraska Cornhuskers and a dangerous Illinois Fighting Illini squad on the road, the Buckeyes have a favorable slate. Wisconsin, MSU and Penn State all come to the Horseshoe. Ultimately the tumult will be too much for OSU to make another BCS bowl run. The Buckeyes face a 10-2 ceiling. Hello, Capital One Bowl.
