#3-OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

Urban Meyer enters year 3 at Ohio State still seeking a Big Ten title and with Braxton Miller now out for the season, Meyer will have to craft his best coaching job to date in order to keep the Buckeyes near the top of the conference.

Gone from the offense are Miller, Carlos Hyde and 140+ starts from graduated offensive lineman. In truth, the latter may be of the greatest concern. Meyer had to figure Miller and his scrambling ability would be able to cover up some of the flaws for his young offensive line early in the season. However with Miller’s shoulder giving out again, J.T. Barrett will be counted on to keep the chains moving. Ezekiel Elliot and Rod Smith will attempt to fill the void left by Hyde at running back. At wide receiver, Ohio State as usual has an abudence of talent, led by Devin Smith. The Buckeye defense will look to bounce back from an awful ending to 2014 after getting torched by Michigan, Michigan State and eventually Clemson in the bowl game. Freshman All-American defensive end Joey Bosa will lead the charge up front while senior Curtis Grant, junior Joshua Perry and redshirt freshman Darron Lee form a formidable group of linebackers. Doran Grant will be the star in the secondary this fall in Columbus but it remains to be seen who wins the cornerback battle opposite him.

The Buckeyes open the season against what is possibly the best Navy team in the past decade. Next are 3 home games against tough Virginia Tech, Kent State and Cincinnati. Escaping September 4-0 would be considered a major success for Ohio State given the inexperienced quarterback situation. Once Big Ten play starts, the Buckeyes face four difficult road games in Maryland, Penn State, Michigan State and Minnesota. As usual, the Wolverines come calling to close out the regular season.
PREDICTION: 6-2 IN THE BIG TEN, 10-2 OVERALL.