I fell into all the usual traps tis off-season in my pre-season rankings, placing the Ohio State Buckeyes at #1 in the nation. To my credit, I predicted an Ohio State defeat against USC (including with Beanie) after witnessing the O-Line struggle against Ohio. The performance overall was bad but in reality the defense played only sort of bad. The D-Line got owned and the linebackers were not playing downhill. James Laurinaitus is a great linebacker but he made many of his tackles after a 10 yard gain. THE OFFENSIVE LINE WAS CRIMINAL once again in a big game. They need to bring more nasty and Alex Boone may have seen his draft stock drop to day 2. We here the young pups are talented but they'll need to bring the hurt if the Buckeyes want to win against the best with Terrelle Pryor. There is no need to talk about Todd Boeckman. I don't know if he has an NFL future or not (I think not but Mel Kiper had him as a pre-season top NFL qb prospect) but he does not work for Ohio State. He needs time and a great RB. He needs receivers he can throw deep to. Beanie helps but this is now Pryor's team.

Ohio State's receivers (the 2 Brians) are not as good as the days with Santonio Holmes, Tedd Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez.

It's time for a balanced youth movement in Buckeye land.

The game could have been closer, even really close (don't worry, I won't make you read the boring details filled with "if"). Once again it was a blowout and changes will have to be made.

Back to focus, here is how I became dillusional this off-season and I even throw in a scenario where I can easily get dillusional again.

Stage 1: Read Message Boards and "Insider" Opinions

I read way too many forums with Ohio State chronies who make me feel oh-so-wonderful in times of need. These are people who see everything as "the glass is 3/4 full." I don't blame them people for my ignorant expectations, I blame myself for feeding on the nipple of the beast, again. I get nuggets filled to the brim with behinds-the-scenes facts but need to learn to filter out the hype from people who are ultimately fans who love OSU.

Stage 2: Become convinced NFL Draft Picks Equals Championships

Despite the emabarrasing loss, the 2008 Buckeyes are loaded with NFL talent. Beanie Wells, James L. and Malcom Jenkins are sure first rounders. After that, of the Juniors and seniors, I'm going to temper my enthusiasm of 10-12 other guys because they've collectively sucked the last two weeks. Regardless, all the talent in the world won't make up for the fact that the O-Line and D-Line continue to get punked in big games. It has been catastrophic.

The safety play has been average. At RB, Boom Herron is the only hope with Beanie injured. If Beanie goes pro, they better hope 1 of the 3 running back recruits coming in can step up. Sophomore Brandon Saine has run the fastest 100m time in Ohio High School history and weighs 215lbs, but I've yet to see him perform all the great on the football field. USC's 'backs are much better than him for sure. They are better than Boom too but Boom has potential to be very solid. Beanie is Beanie.

Stage 3: 2002 National Championship win Against Miami - Tressel Ball

In 2002 Ohio State was loaded on defense. The D-Line was the best part of the D, with Will Smith leading the charge. The offensive Lineman were not all nice. The QB did not make mistakes and could move the chains with his legs. The special teams was great. That was Tressel Ball. The past two season in particular have not been Tressel ball.WR Michael Jenkins was better than our current top two and Chris Gamble as a threat at WR too. That team really was loaded, even with a QB who could not throw the ball. Best of all, K Mike Nugent and P Andy Groom were among the best in the biz. And oh yeah, they had Mark Dantonio as the defensive coordinator.

Things are still conservative and predictable but the special teams play is spotty and the line play is dumbounding in epic proportions. Worst of all, the offense is putting the D in bad postions, making them look worse than they should. The punting game was average at best against USC and Boeckman threw 2 interceptions. Terrelle Pryor clearly would fit Tressel's style more.

I expect and a continued youth movement of sorts, while Tressel still plays to win for the seniors. The season is still not lost, as Big Ten bragging rights are up for grabs. It will be interesting to see how Terrelle Pryor progresses this season. It will be interesting to see what younger offensive lineman start getting more PT. It will also be vital that Beanie Wells returns. If those three things progress in a "glass 3/4 full fashion" Ohio State could be at seasons end, dare I say, championship Caliber.

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onearmedbandit said:

I agree with a lot of what you said, as you'll see in the article I just submitted. I'm a bit more pessimistic as I think the season ended with this loss. I'm amazed that Tressel doesn't adapt better to his personnel. Same with Jim Heacock. You don't get beat by 32 and think that you've still got the right game plan. Any assholes could go out and lose to USC by four scores. OSU isn't supposed to. This program is in need of some changes, and the first and biggest is Terrelle Pryor at QB. Good riddance Todd. I just hope Pryor lives to see the end of the year behind that sorry excuse for an O-line.

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September 14, 2008
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