Ohio State Buckeyes

The fifth installment of a series ranking potential B1G championship game opponents that Iowa will not play in the regular season: No. 1 Ohio State

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

Conference:

Big Ten, East Division

2013 record

: 12-2 (8-0 Leaders Division, lost 34-24 to Michigan State in B1G championship, lost 40-35 to Clemson in Orange Bowl)

Returning offensive starters (5):

QB Braxton Miller, TE Jeff Heuerman, WR Devin Smith, WR Evan Spencer, T Taylor Decker

Projected starting offense:

QB Braxton Miller, sr., 6-2, 215; RB Ezekiel Elliott, so., 6-0, 225 OR Rod Smith, sr., 6-3, 231; WR Devin Smith, sr., 6-1, 197; WR Corey Smith, jr., 6-0, 190; WR Evan Spencer, sr., 6-2, 208; TE Jeff Heuerman, sr., 6-5, 255; LT Taylor Decker, jr., 6-7, 315; LG Antonio Underwood, jr., 6-2, 303; C Jacoby Boren, jr., 6-1, 285; RG Pat Elflein, so., 6-3, 300; RT Darryl Baldwin, sr., 6-6, 307

Returning defensive starters (8):

DE Joey Bosa, DT Michael Bennett, DL Adolphus Washington, V-DE Noah Spence, LB Curtis Grant, LB Joshua Perry, S Tyvis Powell, CB Dorian Grant

Projected starting defense:

DE Joey Bosa, so., 6-5, 285; DT Michael Bennett, sr., 6-2, 288; DL Adolphus Washington, jr., 6-4, 288; Viper/DE Noah Spence, jr., 6-3, 252; MLB Joshua Perry, jr., 6-4, 250; WLB Curtis Grant so. 6-3, 240 OR Raekwon McMillan, true fr., 6-2, 242; SLB Darron Lee, so., 6-1, 225 OR Chris Worley, fr., 6-2, 220; CB Armani Reeves, jr., 5-10, 198; CB Dorian Grant, sr., 5-11, 193; SS Tyvis Powell, so., 6-3, 205; FS Vonn Bell, so., 5-11, 200 OR Cam Burrows, so., 6-0, 208

Returning specialists (3):

P Cameron Johnson, so., 5-10, 190; KR Dontre Wilson, so., 5-10, 185

Other specialists:

K Sean Nuernberger, fr., 6-1, 237; LS Bryce Haynes, jr., 6-4, 220; PR TBD

Key losses:

LB Ryan Shazier, CB Bradley Roby, S Corey Brown, S C.J. Barnett, S Christian Bryant, LT Jack Mewhort, C Corey Linsley, RB Carlos Hyde, K Drew Basil, KR Jordan Hall

Key additions:

LB Raekwon McMillan, 6-2, 242 (Hinesville, Ga.); LB Dante Booker, 6-3, 215 (Akron, Ohio); DL Jalyn Holmes, 6-5, 240 (Norfolk, Va.); OL Demetrius Knox, 6-4, 285 (Fort Worth, Texas); S Erick Smith, 6-1, 195 (Cleveland, Ohio); CB Damon Webb, 5-11, 180 (Detroit); WR Curtis Samuel, 5-11, 185 (Brooklyn, N.Y.)

2013 review:

Ohio State's season provided a paradox of sorts. The Buckeyes won their first 12 games to open the Urban Meyer era 24-0. Some games were in dominant fashion (Purdue, Penn State, San Diego State), others lacked style points (Northwestern, Iowa, Michigan) but still achieved the desirable results. Yet when Ohio State needed to make plays in its final two games, it fell short. And that's what will be remembered the most.

In the Big Ten championship game, Ohio State fell behind Michigan State 17-0 early in the second quarter. The Buckeyes stormed back, scoring the game's next 24 points to take a 24-17 third-quarter lead. But OSU's offensive and defensive units stalled in the clutch, allowing MSU to score the game's final 17 points. Twice OSU was stopped on fourth down. MSU outgained Ohio State 174-25 in the fourth quarter and converted 3-of-4 third-down chances to OSU's 0-for-5.

In the Orange Bowl, Ohio State led Clemson by nine points in the third quarter before giving up two touchdowns to fall behind entering the fourth. OSU retook the lead but Clemson claimed the last lead with a 13-play, 75-yard drive. A late interception sealed the loss, as did the 576 yards OSU gave up. The consistent defensive letdowns spurred a few coaching changes. Meyer hired former Wisconsin (and Arkansas) defensive coordinator Chris Ash to lead the defense. OSU also hired Penn State super-recruiter and defensive line coach Larry Johnson.

The Buckeyes led the Big Ten in most measurable offensive categories, and quarterback Braxton Miller claimed his second straight Silver Football Award as the Big Ten's best player.

2014 schedule:

A30 vs. Navy at Baltimore; S6 Virginia Tech; S13 Kent State; S27 Cincinnati; O4 at Maryland; O18 Rutgers; O25 at Penn State; N1 Illinois; N8 at Michigan State; N15 at Minnesota; N22 Indiana; N29 Michigan

Key Stretch:

For many Ohio State fans, the only game that matters is the season finale against Michigan. But the Buckeyes - and the Big Ten's - game of the year is held Nov. 8 at Michigan State. The Buckeyes suffered their first defeat of the Urban Meyer era in a 34-24 loss to the Spartans in last year's Big Ten championship game. It cost Ohio State a spot in the national title game. While it's only one game (and not an official 'stretch”), the Ohio State-Michigan State game carries enough weight to rank it with any squad's key stretch.

Trap game:

One week after playing Michigan State, the Buckeyes travel to Minnesota. This series has had the intrigue of a hammer-nail collision with OSU claiming 24 of the last 25 games. The last time the Gophers beat Ohio State at home was in 1981 - two stadiums ago. But Minnesota has built a physical reputation along the line of scrimmage and the Gophers' talent level has increased under Jerry Kill. A mental letdown by Ohio State against a power-style opponent on the road has the potential for a college football-altering upset. Not that it's likely, however.

Glass half-full:

A year after losing its final two games to spoil a 12-0 start, the Buckeyes return to prominence with authority. Solid non-conference foes Navy, Virginia Tech and Cincinnati are no match, and Ohio State breezes past its first four Big Ten opponents into a showdown with Michigan State. If the Buckeyes survive that game, then dispatch Minnesota and Indiana, it could put a No. 1 ranking on the line against Michigan. A rivalry win there, coupled with its first Big Ten title game victory over the West Division champion elevates Ohio State into the four-team playoff. Two wins in the inaugural playoff secures the school's - and the Big Ten's - first national title since 2002.

Glass half-empty:

The defense, which was suspect at times last year, fails to jell as does a young offensive line. The weekly best shots OSU accumulates take their toll against a midlevel Big Ten squad somewhere (Maryland, Minnesota, Penn State) and Ohio State suffers an upset. A defeat at Michigan State ends its Big Ten title hopes and the team struggles to bounce back the final few weeks of the regular season. A loss to archrival Michigan in the finale sends OSU to a non-major bowl. No season is a positive for OSU that includes a Michigan loss.

The Iowa angle:

These teams have one scheduled meeting through 2020, and that's Nov. 4, 2017 in Kinnick Stadium. Since 2001, Ohio State and Iowa consistently have been two of the Big Ten's top five squads yet they will have played just eight times from 2000-2019. In 2002, the teams tied for the Big Ten title with 8-0 records, yet there was no Big Ten championship game. Ohio State was undefeated overall, while Iowa lost a non-conference game to Iowa State. The Buckeyes qualified for the BCS championship game, which was held in the Fiesta Bowl, while Iowa was dispatched to the Orange Bowl. A game between the squads that year would have been an epic tossup featuring the nation's best power offense against the nation's best power defense.

Ohio State has won five straight in the series, but the last three were fiercely contested. In 2009, the teams engaged in a winner-take-all de facto Big Ten title game in Columbus. The Buckeyes took a two-touchdown fourth-quarter lead, but a furious Iowa rally tied the game and sent it into overtime. The Buckeyes drilled a game-winning field goal to claim the Big Ten title outright 27-24 and earn a Rose Bowl berth.

In 2010, Iowa dominated most of the game and held a 17-13 fourth-quarter advantage at Kinnick Stadium. Late in the fourth quarter on a fourth-and-10 from midfield, OSU QB Terrelle Pryor scrambled from side-to-side to pick up a first down. The Buckeyes scored a touchdown on that drive to win 20-17. Last year, the teams played at Columbus and Iowa's physical offensive line led it to a 17-10 halftime lead. The game was tied 24-24 in the fourth quarter before OSU held the ball for 11:12 and converted 5-of-7 third-down opportunities. The Buckeyes produced 10 fourth-quarter points to win 34-24.

The series historically is one-sided with OSU leading 47-14-3 and winning 13 of the last 14.

Quotable:

'Defense, I hope the reaction was that they looked quicker, they look faster, they trigger on the ball much better than they have in the past. If that's your perception, that's mine as well. Darron Lee and Chris Worley are two examples of developed guys that - ready to send Darron Lee back to New Albany on a one‑way bus ticket. He just didn't show up with the right demeanor. He was a quarterback. All the sudden about midway through the season you saw this natural athlete and great kid start to develop and here he is. He'll most likely start for Ohio State. So there are some great storylines. I would say we are faster and more athletic in a lot of positions.” - Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@sourcemedia.net