In less than a week, the Ohio State football team will finally be playing football again. It’s been a long offseason full of change and motivation. After a poor finish to last season, the Buckeyes are looking to win the Big Ten and capture the national championship this year.
Ohio State starts the season ranked second in both polls. Only Georgia is ranked higher than them to start the year. They probably have the best defense in the country. It will be hard for opposing teams to move the ball against them all year long.
Offensively, the team should be better now that Will Howard is leading the program at quarterback. He should be a slight improvement over Kyle McCord. The Buckeyes also still have the best receiver group in the country. However, we are not sure how the offensive line will perform.
With the season about to begin, it’s time to make some bold predictions for the season. It’s always exciting to see if they end up coming true or if they’re completely wrong. This year, the predictions are even more fun because of the immense pressure this team is under.
The first prediction concerns defense.
Under Jim Knowles, the Buckeyes’ defense improved in both years under Jim Knowles. In the first year, he allowed too many big plays, which cost them a win against Georgia in the Peach Bowl. That ultimately cost them a chance at the national championship.
Last season, the Buckeyes fixed that problem and were among the top five defensive players in nearly every major category. They ended up with one of the best defenses in the country. The team hopes to improve even more in year three under Knowles’ system.
The only thing they didn’t do so well last season was forced turnovers. They only had 11 forced turnovers last season, which isn’t very good. In fact, they were in the bottom 10 in the country. That’s one of the last things the defense needs to do to achieve full elite status. That and get the run defense into the top five statistically.
Turnovers can change games, especially against good teams. If the Buckeyes can get more turnovers this season against teams like Oregon, Penn State and Michigan, they should be able to win those games. They are the toughest games this year.
I believe the defense can force at least 20 turnovers this season. The players they have on that side of the ball will be ready to make big plays, especially in the secondary. More passes will lead to interceptions.
The next bold prediction for Ohio State this season revolves around their placement in the Big Ten.
