From ESPN’s declaration that Troy Smith was God’s gift to football, to Ted Ginn Sr. actually entering the national college football fan consciousness, to Sweatervest McCheatypant’s efforts to look like some sort of father figure, and, of course, their fan base’s ability to remind one of the scene with all the locusts from Exorcist, there is perhaps no team in the Top 25 that earns more scorn than Ohio State.

This year they must replace the man, the myth, the legend: Troy Smith. How this will be done is anyone’s guess. How do you replace a deity? They also have to replace 5 other guys on offense that weren’t made into golden gods. So don’t expect them to continue an offensive production of about 30+ points a game from last year. No. I expect a much more Krenzelian performance from this year’s Ohio State offense.

Offense: Smith is gone. So are their 2 top wide receivers, and their top rusher. Plus they lost about half of their starting experience on the O-Line. Good luck.

Defense: Then again, maybe they don’t need luck. Maybe they’ll just win a lot of games 3-0. And they could, because of their defense. Last year, everyone was talking about how on earth they were going to manage with just 2 returning starters. They managed just fine, allowing a pretty awesome 12.8 points per game. This year, they get back 6 starters. I wonder if they can average fewer than 10. If they manage to stay away from Florida, probably.

Special Teams: No more Ted “Sidelines!” Ginn, Jr. He’s off reviving the Miami Dolphins franchise. There goes the NCAA record 8 TD returns. They do get all their kicking specialists back, and they’re all pretty good.

Facts:

• Ohio State and Youngstown State will meet for the first time this year. It was Cheaty’s idea. Way to go after that 1AA blood, guys!
• That defensive average of allowing just 12.8 points per game includes the last 2 games where Ohio State gave up 80 points total.
• Andy Katzenmoyer, winner of the 1997 Butkus Award, is no longer a pro football player and is still working on his degree from Ohio State. I wonder if he’s passed golf.

HLS Top 25 Meta:

• Highest spot on a HLS Ballot: 10
• Lowest spot on a HLS Ballot: 20
• Average ranking on HLS Ballots: 13

Why Alex Trebek Loves Them:

• He doesn’t, but here’s a very good recipe for buckeyes.

Around the Web:

• Around the Oval
• Buckeye Commentary

HLS Tracker 10 Forecast Technology Says:

This is a rebuilding year for the Bucks, but I don’t think it’ll be too much of a downer. Any time you’ve got pretty good special teams and excellent defense, you’ve got a shot. No matter how much I hope God eventually smites Cheatypants, I don’t think we’ll see them under 9 wins for the season, but I’m not convinced they win the Big 10. Their offensive problems, coupled with some capability on the parts of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Penn State might prevent that.

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