Thoughts on Day #1 of the 2008 Season

Day #1 of the 2008 college football season is over, and it was not very exciting, except in a couple of spots.

The SEC Continues to Dominate

South Carolina destroyed NC State 34-0, even though USC's quarterback threw four interceptions. The Gamecocks defense was outstanding. It looks pretty bad, though, when the ESPN announcers say at halftime, "I'm looking down the roster, and I don't see any players on NC State's side who can make the plays to get back into this game." Is NC State that bad, that it loses by 34 to a mid-level SEC team who has a bad day on offense.

Also, Vandy had a very impressive win over Miami Univ., who many picked to win the MAC. Thjis is a terrible result for the Big ten. The Big Ten has 13 games scheduled against MAC teams, and if the team who is supposed to win the MAC gets drilled by Vandy ... yikes. Even more fodder for the pundits who say the Big Ten is overrated.

The feel good win of the day was Stanford's 36-28 win over Oregon State. I don't like the team from up north, but I do have to say that Jim Harbaugh seems like a real stand-up guy. His win over USC last year was huge. It is good to see Harbaugh improving the Cardinal and leading them to a big victory.

A team that the Buckeyes will play on Sept. 20th, Troy went to Middle Tennessee State and defeated them without much problem, 31-17. Curiously, Troy had 4 turnovers to MTSU's 2, only led in the yardage category 300-284, and had less time of possession. Troy also was fairly inefficient on 3rd downs (4 of 13). With those kind of stats, Troy should not pose much of a threat to the Buckeyes (although, I never imagined they would anyway, but it is good to make sure).

All in all, a fairly ho-hum first day of college football. Today, Friday, August 29th is even more ho-hum. Temple-Army and Rice-Southern Methodist. Woohoo.

tomorrow, the real show begins.

Expectations

The price of coaching, playing and rooting for The Ohio State Buckeyes football program is high expectations. How high? The Buckeyes are expected to win the Big Ten every year, go to the national championship, and win the national championship. There is no room for error. Can the Buckeyes live up to their expectations this year? Who knows, but what I do know is that I would not want to bet my life on what 18-22 year olds do on any given Saturday.

The expectations come with the territory, and I believe one man who does handle it well is our fearless leader, Coach Jim Tressel. He is unflappable, and the Buckeyes follow his lead. Jim Tressel's leadership in part has created the high expectations. The question is, do the Buckeyes have the talent to not only get to the national championship game (a fair expectation), but win it? That is the question that everyone is dying to see answered. Inclduing this blogger.

I can't wait for the season to start.

2008 Preview: Week #12, November 22nd vs. Michigan

Michigan record in 2007: 9-4 (6-2 in Big Ten), defeated Florida 41-35 in Capital One Bowl.
OSU record vs. Michigan all-time: Michigan leads series 57-41-6.
Last meeting: OSU 14, Michigan 3 (2007, in Ann Arbor)

Total domination:

• Chris Wells - 39 rushes for 222 yards, 2 TD's (from 1 yard out, and 62 yards out)
• OSU outgained Michigan 279-91.
• OSU outrushed Michigan 229-15.
• TOP: OSU 37:50, UofM 22:10

The Buckeyes last year rode Chris Wells to victory, after Todd Boeckman threw an interception late in the first half. Jim Tressel, in the terrible weather conditions, rode the Chris Wells horse all the way to a 14-3 win.

Biggest win: OSU 38, UofM 0 (1935, in Ann Arbor)

Worst loss: UofM 86, OSU 0 (1902, in Ann Arbor)

Fun Facts:

• Jim Tressel holds a 6-1 record vs. Michigan. His only loss was a 35-21 defeat in 2003 in Ann Arbor.
• Tressel's Buckeyes have outscored Michigan 179-148 in those seven games.
• Michigan's 3 points scored in the 2007 contest was their lowest point total vs. the Buckeyes since OSU beat them 28-0 in 1962.
• the Buckeyes have won the last 4 meetings vs. Michigan. They have done that twice in the series (1934-37 and 160-63), but have never won 5 in a row.
• Tressel's record of 6 wins in 7 games matches a streak by Woody Hayes, who won 6 of 7 from 1957 to 1963. No coach has every won 7 of 8.

Fearless Prediction: Michigan, in Rich Rodriguez's first year, will be going through a lot of growing pains. There is no quarterback who fits RichRod's system as of yet. Although Michigan will probably work out some kinks by year's end, Ohio State will be a fearsome juggernaut by that time as well. Ohio State will hand Michigan its fifth straight loss in the series in an impressive win: Ohio State 32, Michigan 17.

2008 Preview: Week #11, November 15th at Illinois

Illinois record in 2007: 9-4 (6-2 in Big Ten), got crushed by USC in the Rose Bowl 49-17 (ouch).
OSU record vs. Illinois all-time: 60-30-4
Last meeting: A dreadful 21-28 loss (2007, in Columbus). The Buckeyes could not stop the run (giving up 260 yards rushing), and could not stop the pass (giving up 4 TD passes). Combined with 3 Todd Boeckman interceptions, Illinois upset the #1 Buckeyes 28-21. Oh yeah, throw in Jim Tressel's dumbest timeout call ever (maybe the dumbest timeout callof all time), when Illinois was about to punt in the 4th quarter, and Tressel called timeout to get the proper personnel on the field, Illinois came out and went for it on 4th down, got it, and ran out the clock on the Buckeyes.

Just get the ball back - who cares if you have somebody to receive it!!! Let it drop on the ground, Jim.

Biggest win: OSU 48, Illinois 0 (1996, in Champaign)
Worst loss: Illinois 46, OSU 0 (1904, in Columbus)

Fun Facts:

• Jim Tressel holds a 3-2 mark against Illinois, his two losses coming in 2001, a 34-22 loss in Columbus, and of course, last season's horrendous loss in Columbus.
• In Tressel's two trips to Champaign, he led the Buckeyes to their gritty 23-16 overtime victory in 2002, and won a sloppy 17-10 game in 2006.
• Up until 1929, Illinois held a solid 11-5-2 record in the series. Since that time, Ohio State holds a dominant 55-19-2 mark.
• Their first meeting in 1902, which was held in Columbus, ended in a 0-0 tie.
• The Buckeyes, oddly enough, have won their last 6 games in Champaign. The Fighting Illini's last home win vs. the Buckeyes came in 1991, in a close 10-7 victory.

Fearless Prediction: With revenge in their hearts, the Buckeyes will defeat the Fighting Illini in a tough showdown, with a Illinois team less-Rashard Mendenhall, 31-17.

2008 Preview: Week #10, November 8th at Northwestern

Northwestern record in 2008: 6-6 (3-5 in Big Ten), did not play in a bowl.
OSU record vs. NW all-time: 58-14-1
Last meeting: OSU 58, Northwestern 7 (2007, in Columbus)
Biggest win: OSU 70, NW 6 (1981, in Columbus)
Worst loss: NW 21, OSU 0 (1958, in Evanston)

Fun Facts:

• Jim Tressel holds a 6-1 record vs. NW, their only loss a 33-27 OT loss in Evanston in 2004.
• Since 1964, the Buckeyes are 31-2 in that span.
• Before the 2004 loss, the Buckeyes had won 24 in a row.
• The Buckeyes won the first five meetings in the series (1913-1917) by a combinedscore of 182-3.

Fearless Prediction: The Buckeyes, looking forward to a big contest at Illinois ... will still crush the Wildcats 49-6.

2008 Preview: Week #9, October 25th vs. Penn State

Penn State record in 2007: 9-4 (4-4 Big Ten), defeating Texas A&M 24-17 in the Alamo Bowl.
OSU record vs. Penn State all-time: Ohio State leads the series 12-11.
Last meeting: OSU 37, Penn State 17 (in Happy Valley).
Biggest win: OSU 45, Penn State 6 (2000, in Columbus)
Worst loss: Penn State 63, Ohio State 14 (1994, in Happy Valley)

Fun Facts:

• Jim Tressel holds a 5-2 record against Penn State. His losses came in 2001 (29-27) and 2005 (17-10), both in HappyValley.
• Since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1990, the Buckeyes hold a 10-5 mark against the Nittany Lions. Previous to their joining, Penn State held a 6-2 series edge.
• The two schools have met in a bowl game, with Penn State defeating Ohio State 31-19 in the 1980 season Fiesta Bowl.
• Penn State won the first four meetings between the two schools (1912, 1956, 1963, and 1964), outscoring the Buckeyes in the four games 81-13.
• Not only do the Buckeyes hold a slim 12-11 lead in the series in terms of wins, the Buckeyes hold a slim lead in points scored as well, 432-423.

Fearless Prediction: Last year, the Buckeyes dominated Penn State on national TV in Happy Valley. They will do the same this year. This time, the Buckeyes will roll in front of their home fans, 38-7.

2008 Preview: Week #8, October 18th at Michigan State

MSU Record in 2007: 7-6 (3-5 Big Ten), lost 21-24 to BC in Champs Sports Bowl.
OSU all-time record vs. Michigan State: OSU leads series 26-12.
Last meeting: OSU 24, MSU 17 (2007, in Columbus)
Biggest win: OSU 35, MSU 0 (1973, in Columbus)
Worst Loss: MSU 32, OSU 7 (1965, in East Lansing)

Fun Facts:

• Jim Tressel holds a perfect 5-0 record vs. MSU (did not play in '01 and '02).
• The Buckeyes hold a six-game winning streak. Their last loss was a 23-7 loss to the Spartans in 1999 in East Lansing.
• The Spartans won the first three games of the series, in 1912, 1951 and 1953. The Buckeyes won their first game against the Spartans in 1959, a 30-24 win in Columbus.

Fearless Prediction: Last year, Ohio State really had few problems with the Spartans until two late turnovers turned into quick Spartan touchdowns to make the game close on the scoreboard (OSU 24, MSU 17). This year, the Spartans will give the Buckeyes a tougher test with the game being in East Lansing, but the Buckeyes will prevail with another stellar game from Chris Wells, winning it 34-23.

2008 Preview: Week #7, October 11th vs. Purdue

Purdue record in 2007: 8-5 (3-5 Big Ten), def. CMU 51-48 in Motor City Bowl
Record vs. Purdue all-time: OSU leads series 36-12-2
Last meeting: OSU 23, Purdue 7 (2007, in West Lafayette)
Biggest win: OSU 46, Purdue 0 (1977, in Columbus)
Worst loss: Pudue 41, OSU 6 (1967, in Columbus)

Fun Facts:

• Jim Tressel holds a 4-1 record vs. Purdue. His only loss came in a 24-17 defeat in West Lafayette in 2004.
• OSU holds a 6 game home winning streak vs. Purdue. Their last home loss to Purdue was a 31-26 loss in 1988.
  

Fearless Prediction: In Joe Tiller's last year, Purdue will play their heart out. They won't be a match however for the superior Buckeyes, especially at home. Ohio State 32, Purdue 14.

2008 Preview: Week #6, October 4th at Wisconsin

• Minnesota record in 2007: 9-4 (5-3 Big Ten), lost 17-21 to Tennessee in Outback Bowl.
  OSU record vs. Wisconsin all-time: 51-17-5
  Last meeting: OSU 38, Wisconsin 17 (2007, in Columbus)
  Biggest win: OSU 59, Wisconsin 0 (1979, in Columbus)
  Worst loss: Wisconsin 42, OSU 17 (1999, in Columbus)

Fun Facts:

• Jim Tressel has a 2-3 record vs. Wisconsin (they did not play in 2005 and 2006).
• Jim Tressel holds a 1-1 record in Madison. His only win came in a 19-14 victory in 2002. The victory was saved by a Chris Gamble interception at the end of the game.
• In their last 7 meetings, Wisconsin holds a 4-3 record vs. OSU.
• Since 1981, the Buckeyes hold a 5-5-1 record vs. the Badgers in Madison.

Fearless Prediction: Another battle for the ages, as it always seems to be in Madison for the Buckeyes, the Buckeyes will once again rely on Chris Wells to get them through a tough test. Ohio State will have to make a late defensive stop to win 31-28.

2008 Preview: Week #5, Sept. 27th vs. Minnesota

Minnesota record in 2007: 1-11, 0-8 in the Big Ten
OSU record vs. Minnesota all-time: 40-7
Last meeting: OSU 30, (at) Minnesota 7 (2007)
Biggest win: OSU 69-18 (1983, in Columbus)
Worst loss: Minnesoa 27, OSU 0 (1949, in Columbus)

Fun Facts:

• Ohio State has a five game winning streak against Minnesota.
• Their last loss to Minnesota was in 2000, under John Cooper (a 29-17 loss in Columbus).
• The Buckeyes are 21-1 vs. Minn. in their last 22 meetings.
• 4 of Minnesota's 7 victories against the Buckeyes came before 1950.

Fearless Prediction: The Buckeyes will hand the Golden Gophers their nint straight Big Ten defeat in a 49-10 lopsided victory.

2008 Preview: Week #4, Sept. 20th vs. Troy University

Troy U. record in 2007: 8-4, co-Sun Belt Champion, did not play in a bowl game.
OSU record vs. Troy all-time: 0-0 (first ever meeting)
Record vs. the Sun Belt all-time: 0-0 (never played a Sun Belt team)

Fun Facts:

• Troy University, for those of you who do not know, is located in Troy, Alabama.
• Troy began pariticpating in Division 1-A sports n 2001.
• the Trojans are 1-1 in bowl appearances, winning the New Orleans bowl in 2006.
• Troy won the NAIA championship in 1968 and the NCAA Divison II championship in 1984 and 1987.
• Ohio State is 0-4-1 against teams from the state of Alabama all-time (0-3 vs. Alabama and 0-1-1 against Auburn).

Fearles Prediction: Troy did defeat Oklahoma State and hung with Arkansas and Georgia last year, but Troy has a new quarterback this year. Beating Oklahoma State in Troy is one thing, beating Ohio State in Columbus is another. Ohio State 50, Troy 10.

2008 Preview: Week #3, Sept. 13 at USC

USC record in 2007: 11-2, def. Illinois 49-17 in Rose Bowl (ouch)
Record vs. USC all-time: 9-11-1 (.429 winning percentage)
Best win: OSU 33, (at) USC 0 (1941)
Worst loss: (at) USC 42, OSU 3 (1989)
Last meeting: USC 35, OSU 26 (1990, in Columbus)
Record vs. the Pac 10 all-time: 50-23-2

Fun Facts:

• Surprisingly only 7 of the Buckeyes and Trojans 22 meetings have come in the Rose Bowl. USC holds a 4-3 lead over the Buckeyes in those seven meetings.
• The last home and away series between the two schools happened in 1989 and 1990, in John Cooper's 2nd & 3rd years of his tenure. The Buckeyes were blown out in '89 and lost at home in '90. Both years the Buckeyes were fairly mediocre (8-4 and 7-4-1, respectively).
• The Trojans hold a five game winning streak against the Buckeyes. he last time the Buckeyes defeated USC was in the 1974 Rose Bowl, when OSU doubled up USC 42-21. the Buckeyes coach was none other than Woody Hayes.
• Woody Hayes had a 5-3 record against USC.
• Although USC leads the series in wins, Ohio State holds a slim 359-351 advantage in points scored. This is mostly due to the fact that the Trojans have been shut out 5 times in their 9 losses (1941, 1946, 1948, 1960, and 1964).

Fearless Prediction: In a battle for the ages, the USC Trojans will beat the Ohio State Buckeyes 38-35. Ohio State will have a field goal blocked during the game. The loss however, will not be because of Chris Wells, who will rush for over 150 yards.

Tressel's Buckeyes vs. Non-Conference Opponents

Before I preview Ohio State's Sept. 13th date at USC in the LA Coliseum, let's look at Tressel's record vs. non-conference opponents, both in and out of the bowl season.

During Tressel's tenure at Ohio State (2001-present), the Buckeyes have the following records:
Overall non-conference record: 27-5 (.844 winning percentage)
Bowl Record: 4-3 (lost to South Carolina (2001, Outback), Florida (2006, BCS), and LSU (2007, BCS)

Tressel's other two losses to n0n-conference opponents came in a 13-6 loss to UCLA in 2001 and a 25-22 loss to Texas in 2005 in Columbus. In fact, the loss to Texas happens to be Tressel's only loss to a non-conference opponent at home in his seven year tenure.

Tressel's record vs. the Pac-10: 3-1 (2001 @ UCLA 6-13, 2002 vs. WSU 25-7, 2003 vs. UW 28-9, 2007 @ UW 33-14)

Analysis: If you take away Tressel's two non-conference losses in 2001 (which can fairly be considered a transition year), the only non-conference losses for Ohio State have come to top-tier teams such as Texas, Florida and LSU. The2008 USC Trojans definitely fall into that category. In fact, versus top-tier non-conference teams, you could argue that Tressel has really only won 2 games against top-tier non-conference opponents: the 2002 BCS NC Game vs. Miami and the 2006 #1 vs. #2 game vs. Texas. There may be some similarities between the 2006 game at Texas and this year's contest at USC. Texas in 2006 were breaking in Colt McCoy, who definitely made some firt-year mistakes. USC in 2008 will be breaking in Mark Sanchez, if his knee heals in time. In Ohio State's losses to Texas in 2005, Florida in 2006 and LSU in 2007, all three teams had very good to great quarterbacks (Vince Young, Chris Leak/Tim Tebow and Matt Flynn/Ryan Perrilloux).

Ohio State's hopes for the contest at USC on Sept. 13th comes in the fact that this will be Mark Sanchez's biggest game of his young USC career. If the Buckeyes can keep the mistakes to a minimum, they've got a chance to beat USC in LA.

2008 Preview: Week #2, Sept. 6 vs. Ohio U.

Ohio U. record in 2007: 6-6, did not go to a bowl.
Record vs. Ohio U. all-time: 5-0
Last meeting: OSU 40, Ohio 16 (1999, in Columbus)
Record vs. the MAC all-time: 23-1 (only loss was a 12-6 loss to Akron in Columbus in ... 1894.

Fun Facts:
The first four meetings between the two schools occurred in the years 1899-1902.
The combined score between the two schools is OSU135, Ohio U. 16.

Fearless Prediction: OSU 38, Ohio U. 10
Looking ahead to the next weeks' game at USC, Ohio State will have a nice easy tune-up against Ohio, but will give up their first touchdown of the year. Easy, breezy. Chris Wells will run for about 150 yards.

2008 Preview: Week #1, Aug. 30 vs. Youngstown State

Record vs. Youngstown State all-time: 1-0 (2007, 38-6 win in Columbus)
Record vs. Lower/Closed teams all-time: 168-56-19 (last losses to Lower Division teams were in the 940's)

In 2007, Ohio State played their first game against a non-Division 1-A team since 1953, when they traveled to Penn and defeated them 12-6.

This game vs. Youngstown State was presumably added to the schedule after the NCAA allowed Division 1-A teams to play a 12-game schedule starting in 2007. Ohio State currently does not have a game scheduled with a lower division school in 2009 and 2010, but it does have one open date available each year. I would prefer that the Buckeyes not play lower division teams, but we'll see. Most of the Division 1-A teams do have one game against a lower division school on their schedule in 2008.

Fearless Prediction: Ohio State 45, Youngstown State 6
Beanie Wells will rush for over 100 yards. Tyrelle Pryor will play for a quarter and shine, but also make a couple of freshman mistakes.

Quarterbacks Under Jim Tressel

Todd Boeckman, a 5th-year Senior will be in his 2nd year as the starting quarterback of the Buckeyes this year. How have 2nd year quarterbacks done under Jim Tressel? What can we expect of Boeckman in his second year? Here is a quick look back at the quarterbacks in the Jim Tressel era (2001-present).

Year/Quarterback/Record/Results
2001/Steve Bellisari/6-5/lost Outback Bowl to S. Carolina
2001/Craig Krenzel/1-0/def. Michigan 26-20 in Ann Arbor
2002/Craig Krenzel/14-0/won National Championship (def. Miami 31-24 in Fiesta)
2003/Craig Krenzel/11-2/def. KSU 35-28 in Fiesta, lost to Wisc. and UofM
2004/Justin Zwick and Troy Smith/8-4/def. Oklahoma St. 33-7 in alamo
2005/Troy Smith/10-2def. NDU 34-20 in Fiesta, lost to Texas and Penn State
2006/Troy Smith/12-1/lost to Florida 14-41 in BCS NC Game
2007/Todd Boeckman/11-2/Lost to Illinois and LSU in BCS NC Game

The two years in which quarterbacks had a 2nd year in which they followed a full year in Year #1 was 2003, in which Krenzel led the Buckeyes to a BCS Bowl, and 2006, when Smith won the Heisman and led the Buckeyes to the national championship game, only to get drilled by Florida. Too many banquets, supposedly.

2003 was a year with a big what if: What if Maurice Clarett had stayed? A comment by Brent Musberger late in the 2003 season has stuck with me. He said (roughly), "I would go back and change my (2002) Heisman vote to Maurice Clarett, after seeing the Buckeyes without him this year." Clearly Krenzel was forced to do much more without a top-tier back like Clarett. In 2007, Todd Boeckman will face no such problem. Chris Wells is a Heisman cnadidate and Boeckman will have a strong running game to work with. He will not have to carry the load offensively as Krenzel did in 2003.

In 2006, Troy Smith had a vast array of offensive weapons to go with his great throwing and running ability. Ginn, Gonzalez, Pittman (a very underappreciated back), Robiskie and Hartline, and also Chris Wells in his freshman season. Smith's group of talent may be better than what Boeckman will have, but with the addition of Pryor, the talent level may be very similar. In my mind, the deep threat of Ginn stretched defenses more so than any receiver that the Buckeyes currently have, although the Buckeyes receiving corps is probably deeper as a group than it was in 2006. What can be said is, the Buckeyes in 2008 have the talent on their team to win every game on the schedule. Whether Todd Boeckman will lead them to glory, however, and bring Jim Tressel his second national championship, remains to be seen.

Overall, quarterbacks in Boeckman's situation, such as Krenzel in 2003 and Smith in 2006 have done very well, and you can expect the Buckeyes once again to be going bowling sometime after the New Year. Whether it is in Pasadena, Tempe or Miami, however, remains the big question.

A Look at the Jim Tressel Era So Far

Let's take a look at what Jim Tressel has done while he has been the coach of our beloved Buckeyes (2001-present):

• Record of 73 wins, 16 losses (.820 winning percentage - our beloved Woody had a .743 winning percentage in case you are curious. The only other Buckeye coach with a higher winning percentage was Carroll C. Widdoes who coached in 1944 and 1945, who held a record of 16-2 for a .889 winning percentage).
• 1 Unanimous National Championship (2002)
• 2 trips to the BCS national championship game (2006, 2007)
• 4 Big Ten titles (2 outright, 2 co-championships, interestingly enough one of the co-championships was in 2002 when they won the national championship; Iowa also went 8-0 in the conference and the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes did not play each other).
• A 6-1 record against the team from up north (only loss a 35-21 loss in 2003).
• A 4-3 record in bowl games (the only non-BCS national championship loss coming in his first year in 2001 when they lost to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl 31-28.

As far as intangibles go, Jim Tressel has brought national prominence to a program that had lost a little of its luster under John Cooper. He has built a program that expects to win, and is hated by everyone but Buckeye fans. He has proven that he can recruit the best (Clarett, Beanie, Pryor) and that he can mold players into greatness who weren't expected to do much (Troy Smith).

Yet questions still linger about his tenure. Let's be honest Buckeye fans. Our beloved Bucks got waxed in the last two national championship games. Does this have to do with Tressel, or the fact that the SEC truly has superior athletes, or at the least, play in a tougher conference week in and week out and are better prepared for a national championship game. Personally I happen to think it has more to do with the greatness of the '06 Gators and the '07 LSU Tigers rather than some sort of weakness in Jim Tressel's ability to coach. One thing is for sure. A national championship in 2008 for Jim Tressel's Buckeyes will make Tressel among OSU's greatest coaches of all time, if he is not already.

I love the man in the sweater vest.

Can the Buckeyes Get Over the Hump?

That is the question that seems to be on everyone's minds. Can our beloved Buckeyes win the national championship? To be completely honest, I am taking an "I'll believe it when I see it" appraoch. I have no idea how the Buckeyes will do against USC on September 13th. USC wasted Illinois in the Rose Bowl ... WITH Rashard Mendenhall. I don't doubt that Ohio State will likely buzz through the Big Ten once more, but if they do not beat USC, no title game for the Buckeyes, unless something crazy happens like last year and they end up being the only one-loss team. I doubt that will happen again. OSU needs to go undefeated, and maybe even waste USC in LA to be assured of being in the title game this year. We'll see ...