#1-OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes are bowl eligible once again just in time to make a run at not only the Big Ten Title, but also a National Championship. While most publications have Ohio State as a top 5 team, the critics point to several narrow escapes in 2012 as the reason for the Buckeyes being a bit of a fraud.

The offense will start and stop with Braxton Miller. Miller may very well be the odds on favorite to bring the Heisman Trophy back to Columbus this fall. If Ohio State goes undefeated this year, you can consider Miller a lock for the award. Miller's offense line looks extremely strong with 4 seniors making up the starting five. Devin Smith and Corey Brown lead a group of receivers that will need to take another step forward in 2013. Carlos Hyde will miss a couple of games due to suspension but will be back for conference play. Hyde is the clear cut #1 in the backfield and one of the better backs in the country.

Defensively, linebacker Ryan Shazier (115 tackles, 5.0 sacks)is the unquestioned leader and a candidate for multiple post season awards. The defensive line appears to be the soft spot as Chris Carter, Joey Bosa, Michael Hill and Chase Farri all will need to improve their output from the prior season. As usual, the Buckeye secondary is loaded lead by the latest All-American corner from OSU, Bradley Roby.

A trip to Cal figures to be the only moderate test during a weak non-conference slate. Minnesota, Michigan State and Nebraska were lucky enough to miss Ohio State on the schedule this year. The toughest test will as usual be the last weekend of the season, in Ann Arbor against Michigan.

PREDICTION: 4-0 non-conference, 8-0 conference, 12-0 overall.