Buckeyes poised for sixth straight Big Ten title

By Brian Heinemann
For The Herald

Much like every year in recent memory, the Ohio State Buckeyes enter the 2010 season with a giant bulls-eye on their backs. 

With the way they handled Oregon in the Rose Bowl and the experience they bring back, it should come as no surprise that the Buckeyes are my favorite to win their sixth straight Big Ten title.

“I think we should be a team that’s being targeted. I know we’ll be a team that’s being targeted,” Coach Jim Tressel said. “And we’ll always get everyone’s best shot. And with that in mind, we better make sure our best shot’s ready each Saturday. But it’s just part of the deal.”

The Buckeyes are clearly used to these kinds of expectations. They are also used to winning a lot of football games, something that isn’t likely to change in the near future.

“There’s always high expectations,” Dane Sanzenbacher, a senior receiver, said. “We know that if we take care of everything we need to take care of, things will fall into place for us. We expect to win when we’re on the field. We prepare to win.”

There are several major hurdles on the schedule, though, each of which has the power to derail what is expected to be a championship season for Ohio State. A home date with Miami in Week 2 will be crucial, and road contests at Wisconsin and Iowa will likely decide the pecking order at the top of the conference.

To live up to expectations in 2010, the Buckeyes are going to need their quarterback to improve his passing, as Terrelle Pryor completed just 56.6 percent of his passes last year in leading the Big Ten’s worst passing attack.

Things turned around in the Rose Bowl, where Pryor was terrific in ousting the Ducks.

“I thought he learned a great deal throughout the regular season his sophomore year,” Tressel said. “And I thought it really started to really crystallize in his mind during bowl practice. He really focused on becoming the best he could be. And now he has a new team that he’s, without questions, looked to for leadership.”

The defense should again be ranked in single digits in the country, so the hopes and expectations of the Buckeyes’ season rests squarely on the shoulders of Pryor. 

Even if he shows only marginal improvement from last year, his running ability and game-changing talent should carry Ohio State to yet another Big Ten title.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Last year: 11-2, 7-1 Big Ten, first place

Lettermen returning/lost: 48 returning, 21 lost.

Starters returning/lost: Offense 9/2, defense 6/5, kickers 0/2.

Key returning starters: Terrelle Pryor, QB, Jr.; Cameron Heyward, DE, Sr.; DeVier Posey, WR, Jr.; Chimdi Chekwa, CB, Sr.

Others to watch: Ross Homan, LB, Sr.; John Simon, DT, So.; Brandon Saine, TB, Sr.; Brian Rolle, LB, Sr.

By the numbers: 5 - straight Big Ten titles (shared or outright) for the Buckeyes. 779 - rush yards by Pryor, the team leader in 2009. 104 - rank of Ohio State’s pass defense in 2009, worst in the Big Ten.

Schedule: After opening against Marshall Sept. 2, Ohio State hosts a very talented Miami Hurricanes team Sept. 11 in one of the biggest games of the year. The next four games will see the Buckeyes as huge favorites, and the Big Ten schedule starts light, with Illinois Oct. 2 an Indiana Oct. 9. A date at Wisconsin Oct. 16 follows, with games against Purdue and Minnesota providing breathing room before another late-season gauntlet. Like last year, Ohio State faces Penn State, Iowa and Michigan to close the season, Nov. 13, Nov. 20, and Nov. 27 respectively, with Iowa being the one road game of the three.

Reason for optimism: Talent across the board, offensive experience. The Buckeyes are loaded almost everywhere, and with Pryor’s development last year, culminating in a huge performance in the Rose Bowl, the offense looks should greatly improve from last season, a scary thought for their opponents. The defense was one of the nation’s best in almost every category last year, and brings back a slew of big names and top performers.

Reason for pessimism: Pryor’s passing. Really, Terrelle Pryor is the one major question mark for the Buckeyes. Will he continue to improve, as he did late in 2009, or will he still be the same inconsistent passer? The Buckeyes pass offense ranked near the bottom of the entire nation last year, and even with an overpowering defense, a weak passing game could kill the Buckeyes championship hopes.

Bottom line: This team is simply too talented to not win at least 10 games, which should be considered the worst-case scenario. Even a stumble against Miami in Week 2 wouldn’t derail the Buckeyes season, although road trips with Wisconsin and Iowa should prove to be difficult. Expect Pryor to improve again this year – although not live up to his full potential or hype – en route to leading the Buckeyes to either the Rose Bowl or BCS National Championship game.