2019 College Football Season Preview: Ohio State Buckeyes

In the weeks leading up to the season, I’ll be previewing some of the top programs in college football. Today I cover the defending Big 10 champion, Ohio State University. All stats according to sports-reference.com unless otherwise noted

2019 Coaches Poll Ranking: 5

2018 AP Final Ranking: 3

2018 Record: 13-1

Coach: Ryan Day

Conference: Big 10

Summary: Last year, Ohio State was left out of the College Football playoff after a 12-1 record and a Big Ten Championship primarily due to the fact that their only loss was an embarrassing 49-20 blowout at the ends of Purdue. It was an ugly game for the Buckeyes, and one they will seek to erase from memory as soon as possible. For that to happen, though, they will have to overcome some serious turnover. The Buckeyes’ losses in the offseason included several losses, led by their Heisman finalist passer Dwayne Haskins, who went to the NFL, and their future hall of fame coach Urban Meyer, who retired due to health reasons. Furthermore, every defensive coach except for the defensive line coach Larry Johnson was fired after an effort that saw the unit once labeled the “silver bullets” allow 404 yards per game, good for 72nd in the nation. Ohio State comes into this year with a new coach (Ryan Day), a shiny new five-star transfer at quarterback (Justin Fields), and arguably the best player in the nation (Chase Young). Fair or not, the expectations are no different than any other year: they have to make the playoff.

Most Valuable Player: Chase Young, Defensive End Technically Justin Fields might be more crucial to Ohio State’s success, but Young is the best player on the roster, a team captain and a potential number one overall draft pick. The next in a series of great Ohio State pass-rushers (but the first not named Bosa), Young is looking to build off a 34 tackle, 10.5 sack season (credit: ESPN.com) in which he was forced to take the lead after Nick Bosa saw his season end with a core muscle injury. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the fifth-ranked player in the nation, and the wide consensus is that, regardless of how the once-mighty Buckeye defense rebounds, Young will be making highlights and hurting offenses.

Biggest Game: Nov. 30th vs. Michigan. It’s The Game, and it might be the long-suffering Wolverines’ best chance to take back the power balance of the rivalry. The Buckeyes have won all but two since 2000, and has successfully quashed the Wolverine’s optimism that came with Jim Harbaugh’s arrival. But this year, Ohio State comes in with a new coach and new quarterback, offering what might be their most dangerous season finale in recent memory. Meanwhile, Michigan returns with a talented roster, a hunger for revenge and what should be a modern offense with new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. But Ryan Day brought on several Michigan defensive coaches to recreate that success in Columbus, and the offense should still be better than the one out of Ann Arbor. On talent alone, Ohio State should win. But don’t underestimate an increasingly desperate head coach leading an increasingly frustrated team in what has lately been the de facto Big Ten East Championship.

One Big Question: How will the new faces perform? Ryan Day comes in to replace one of the greatest college coaches of the twenty-first century in Urban Meyer. Those are huge shoes to fill. But Ryan Day was handpicked to succeed Meyer, and the four games that he coached last year with Meyer suspended were dominant, though admittedly against weak opponents. Between games against Oregon State, Rutgers, TCU and Tulane, the Day-led Buckeyes had an average margin of victory of 37.5 points. With Meyer, the team’s margin of victory fell to 20.4 points, and that doesn’t include the loss to Purdue. What does this mean? Potentially nothing. That margin with Meyer leading includes games with Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Northwestern and Washington, so the number was always going to be lower. It’s also worth mentioning that those four games only kept Meyer off the sideline on game day. He was still the head coach the other six days of the week. But at the very least, the team hardly looked overwhelmed or lost without Meyer on the sideline. All this could potentially be a good sign for how Ohio State could look under Ryan Day. On defense, Day has brought in almost an entirely different coaching staff, and their ability to fix the defense could be the most important factor for their journey towards a playoff spot, outside of the new face at quarterback (more on that in a second). A big name to watch in the secondary? Jeffrey Okuda, the cornerback widely expected to become the next great Buckeye corner. He’s even receiving Jalen Ramsey comparisons. Meanwhile, Justin Fields was just officially announced the starter for 2019, confirming the unofficial presumption all off-season. He was a 247 Sports five-star recruit, and the second overall prospect out of high school two years ago after only some guy you might have heard of named Trevor Lawrence. He will likely be the key to Ohio State’s season, with an offense returning several impact receivers and star running back J.K. Dobbins. Will the changes in Ohio State’s makeup mean a different result? It will be important to watch.

My Prediction: 13-1, loses in College Football Playoff to Clemson The Buckeyes have a very difficult schedule, with an impressive five different ranked opponents. But in the last five years, Ohio State has lost just two regular-season games to a team that was ranked in the top 25 at the time that they played them (2015 against Michigan State and 2017 against Oklahoma). The funny thing about talent is that it generally shows up best at the biggest moments. Last season has me optimistic that Day can keep the Buckeyes motivated against the weak teams that they traditionally struggle against, particularly in past losses to unranked Big Ten opponents (Purdue and Iowa). If he can keep up their high-performances against top programs, the sky, or at least Clemson, could be the limit.

I previewed the top 5 returning starters from Ohio State

For my previous season previews:

#1 Clemson

#2 Alabama

#3 Georgia

#4 Oklahoma

-By: Alex Spieldenner

Instagram: alex_spieldenner

Twitter: @aspieldenner

Jerome JonesAugust 23, 2019Comment