Game by Game: 2007-2008 Ohio State Buckeyes

I will give you game by game thoughts, predictions, and I will conclude with guesses as to which Buckeyes will walk home with post-season hardware, and which bowl the Buckeyes will be representing and a projected opponent as well...as always I ask for your thoughts and opinions, and hope you enjoy.

Youngstown State @ OHIO STATE (Noon):
The Buckeyes open their 07/08' schedule against 1AA Youngstown State. Jim Tressel is obviously familiar with this opponent as he previously led the Penguins to four 1AA National Championships before taking the head coaching position at OSU. Youngstown State comes into this game pre-season 4th ranked in division 1AA. However, this isn't 1AA football, this is Ohio State, at The Shoe with 102,000 people drooling for a taste of college football. This game will not be close, but Tressel's respect for Youngstown State will not allow this one to get too out of hand. Expect Beanie Wells to go for around 150, and look for Boeckman to throw for around 200 and a couple of TD's in a nice game to get this very green offense a little bit of game experience.
FINAL PREDICTION & SCORE: Ohio State wins 45-10.

Akron @ OHIO STATE (Noon):
Beware the Zips from Akron! Akron went to Raleigh last year, and pulled off a huge upset over the Wolfpack. So this team has the talent and now the experience and confidence to feel they can win in this type of an atmosphere. You also have to take into account when you play an in-state university the fact that many of them are Ohio kids whose dreams were to play for OSU, and they are gonna try and go out there and prove why they should have. I think Akron keeps it in reach for the first half, but to much Wells, and a stifling defense that will cause a couple of turnovers, will wear out the Zips in the second half.
FINAL PREDICTION & SCORE: Ohio State wins 42-17

OHIO STATE @ Washington (3:30):
This game will be the completion of the home and home of this series. Washington has been down for a few years now, but under Ty Willingham the Huskies made great strides last year, and will look to take the next step back to respectibility. A win against the Buckeyes would go a long way to accomplishing that. The tough Huskie crowd will play a factor, and I feel the young Buckeye offense will struggle early facing its first tough road crowd, but Washington will be breaking in a new QB who will not have faced a defense like this before. I think that will be the difference in this contest.
FINAL PREDICTION & SCORE: Ohio State wins 30-17

Northwestern @ OHIO STATE (TBA):
Northwestern just hasn't played with any intensity since the sudden passing of Randy Walker. People around that program tells me that their is still a degree of shock and a lack of recovery. Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald is still learning on the job, and Tressel and the staff will continue to use that to their advantage. Look for the defense to set the tone early with a couple of three and outs, take the winds out of the sails of the Wildcats. Also, the crowd will be amped for the Big Ten opener. The offense will continue to jell and try and find a cohesivness, and they will find the endzone enough times to get the job done.
FINAL PREDICTION & SCORE: Ohio State wins 35-14

OHIO STATE @ Minnesota (8:00):
This will be the first of 3 scheduled night games for OSU. The Metrodome will be pumped up for this Big Ten battle and look for OSU to be a Top 10 team and undefeated by this point. Minnesota will have a new head coach in Tim Brewster and OSU will have to make an adjustment to what he will throw at the Bucks. Another new challenge for this new offense as they will deal with an adjustment to a night game on the road, and this is a game I feel will truely start to indicate what this offense is going to be for the season. All of these factors will add up, and I think this offense will struggle early, but I think the loss of Dominic Jones will make the Gopher secondary vulnerable. Once again the Bucks defense will create a few turnovers and that will be the difference in a tightly contested battle.
FINAL PREDICTION & SCORE: Ohio State wins 27-21

OHIO STATE @ Purdue (8:00):
This is the game that really scares me. Purdue has a dynamic offense and Curtis Painter and Selwyn Lymon will have to be dealt with. Ross-Ade will be rocking and will be a big factor in trying to help the Boilermakers pull off the upset. Purdue's defense was surprisingly undisiplined last year, and Jor Tiller is too good a coach not remedy that. They are going to have this game circled on their calender and are going to want to make a statement. This environment will be far more electric than The Metrodome, and I think the offense will cough the ball up a few times. I think this is a game that the OSU defense is going to have to be as stout as it has been to this point of the season. I am looking for another 2002 type game, low scoring, and tough fought. The defense will rise to the occasion, and pull the young offense through for another week.
FINAL PREDICTION & SCORE: Ohio State wins 17-14

Look for games 7-12 in the next post.

Man onezuke you are truly amazing. Your post are so thorough. I would love to see us start 6 and 0. I think we are gonna need to start great since michigan has 8 homes games. Look forward to the next games. You got some pretty high scores for OSU. I hope that turns out to be right. Only one under 20. My kindof game.

Originally Posted by fireman937

Man onezuke you are truly amazing. Your post are so thorough. I would love to see us start 6 and 0. I think we are gonna need to start great since michigan has 8 homes games. Look forward to the next games. You got some pretty high scores for OSU. I hope that turns out to be right. Only one under 20. My kindof game.

Well you gotta remember who we are starting off against. lol. Not exactly the 70's Steel Curtain defenses out there with Akron, Y-State, Northwestern...lol.

The Purdue spread offense could cause problems. It depends on how the new "attacking defense" plans for it. I might get bashed for saying this, but the zone we played last year was very effective due to the pure athletic ability of the defense.

I think that this year's defense will posess even more speed and athleticism. The problem with the soft zone in the NC game was that 1. The overall team speed was matched, and 2. We were horribly out of shape.

It will be interesting to see the new schemes, if any, the defense runs this year.

Originally Posted by onezuke18

Well you gotta remember who we are starting off against. lol. Not exactly the 70's Steel Curtain defenses out there with Akron, Y-State, Northwestern...lol.

Oh i know. I just hope we score that much. I hate the low scoring defensive games.

I love the game either way. I personally love watching our defense just attack the quarterback. (My favorite defensive showcase was against Iowa in 05 where Drew Tate spiked the ball after getting sacked yet again by AJ Hawk and Co.)

yeah that was classic. you could tell that both tate and iowa's offense were frusturated by our defense

lol, I just saw this posted on another board. It took me a second to get it

Haha nice! It says "Yawn"

LOL. Never would have thought to put that together. Thats pretty funny.