Ohio State Buckeyes 2010 NCAA Football Preview, Schedule, Odds, and Predictions: As a kid going to the Big House to watch my uncles best friend Donny Morehead start at quarterback for Bo Schembechler beat Woody Hayes and the OSU Buckeyes, all I can say is bring back John Cooper! Sweater vest and glasses, head football coach Jim Tressel looks more like a professor, but he has brought credibility and national prominence back to the Ohio State Buckeyes. The numbers on Jim Tressel are just as straightforward as the man himself; 218 career wins; nine national title game appearances; five Big Ten titles; eight bowl appearances; and a national championship in 2002 for OSU. Add a .814 winning percentage with the Buckeyes and the most academic all-Big Ten selections in the conference each of his years as coach. Vegas odds makers have the Ohio State Buckeyes +450 odds to win the 2011 BCS National Championship.
Offensively it all starts with quarterback Terrelle Pryor the athletic player who can burn you with his arm or his feet. As Pryor goes, so goes the offense and while beating Oregon in the Rose Bowl Pryor threw for a career-high 266 yards. Look for true freshman Carlos Hyde, a 235-pounder with a surprising burst, to step in and join a talented stable of running backs for a balanced offensive attack. Wide receiver DeVier Posey is ready for stardom and is blessed with superb size and speed and looks to improve upon a 60-catch season last year. The third receiving option should be tight end Jake Stoneburner, a good route runner. The odds makers at Bodog have the Ohio State Buckeyes -250 to win the Big Ten Conference.
The defense was solid throughout the 2009 11–2 campaign and led the nation in defensive three-and-outs. Anchoring the d-line senior End Cameron Heyward could be on the way to an All-America season. “Obviously, we will count on him a lot on the field, and I think he has a good knack of helping bring other people along,” Tressel says of Heyward. Cornerback Chimdi Chekwa is one of the best in the Big Ten, while Devon Torrence is constantly getting better on the other side bringing experience back for another dominate season. The oddsmakers at Bodog Sportsbook have the Ohio State Buckeyes middle number listed at over/under 10 wins for the 2010 NCAAF regular season.
To add insult to injury, in Coach Tressel’s previous gig at Youngstown State they perennially played then NCAA AA division rival Marshall University (where I played football) and kept Marshall from winning as often as I would have liked. OSU starts with under matched Marshall and ends with Michigan and although I will be rooting against them and for my College Football Picks my prediction is another 12-1 season, Big Ten Title, and Rose Bowl berth. I have OSU at preseason number 4 in my poll, go BIG BLUE!
2010 Ohio State Buckeyes College Football Schedule
Thu, Sept 2 vs Marshall 7:30 PM ET
Sat, Sept 11 vs Miami (FL) 3:40 PM ET
Sat, Sept 18 vs Ohio 12:00 PM ET
Sat, Sept 25 vs Eastern Michigan TBD
Sat, Oct 2 @ Illinois TBD
Sat, Oct 9 vs Indiana TBD
Sat, Oct 16 @ Wisconsin 7:00 PM ET
Sat, Oct 23 vs Purdue 12:00 PM ET
Sat, Oct 30 @ Minnesota 8:00 PM ET
Sat, Nov 13 vs Penn State TBD
Sat, Nov 20 @ Iowa TBD
Sat, Nov 27 vs Michigan TBD