#24 Ohio State Buckeyes

2010 Recap

Terrelle Pryor

What a year for Ohio State. A Rose Bowl victory over the Oregon Ducks, in which Terrelle Pryor resoundingly lived up to his billing as the nations number one rated prospect coming out of high school earning MVP honors, and followed that up with a 12-1 record and a Sugar Bowl victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks.Then came the allegations and the sanctions. And did they ever come. Mike Adams, Daniel Herron, Devier Posey, Terrelle Pryor and Solomon Thomas all were deemed in violation of NCAA regulations and were sentenced to a five game suspension in the upcoming 2011 season. If that was not enough the surfaced e-mails of head coach Jim Tressel turned the University in on itself. The e-mails documented proof that Tressel not only knew about the benefits the five Ohio State players received but also that he failed to act in accordance with NCAA Compliance officials. In response the NCAA suspended Tressel along with the other five and suspended him for the initial five games of the season. But then in a move that surprised some and none Tressel stepped down and abandoned Ohio State in its hour of greatest need.

Enter 2011 and Terrelle Pryor has declared for the NFL and hopes to be drafted in the NFL's supplemental draft, while the four other Buckeye players still remain suspended for the start of the season. To say the Buckeyes had a turbulent off season is an understatement.

Recruiting

Braxton Miller

The Buckeyes turned in another solid recruiting class finishing with the #11 ranked recruiting class according to Rivals.com. The class was headlined by the #2 ranked player, Richmond, VA linebacker Curtis Grant and Hubert Heights, OH quarterback Braxton Miller. With the sudden departure of Terrelle Pryor this off season Miller ought to be given the opportunity to compete for the starting quarterback position with Joe Bauserman and if the Buckeyes intend to right the ship under interim head coach Luke Fickell, expect Miller to see significant playing time trending towards the back end of the season.


2011 Season Prediction
Why rank the Buckeyes at #24 in the CTSports rankings? Despite the fact that the Buckeyes like many of the other power houses of college football are stocked with premier athletes the turnover of the off season, especially the losses of Terrelle Pryor and head coach Jim Tressel, the allegations, sanctions and general media swarm seem to great to over come. Expect the Buckeyes to start Joe Bauserman at quarterback for the opener against Akron. It would not surprise anyone CTSports if the Buckeyes were 3-2 with losses against Miami (FL) and Michigan State by the time Ohio State finds relief from the four suspended Buckeyes. CTSports predicts the Buckeyes to finish 8-4 with losses against Miami (FL), Michigan State, Nebraska and Michigan.

2011 Schedule
Sep. 3 - Akron
Sep. 10  - Toledo
Sep. 17 - @Miami (FL)
Sep. 24 - Colorado
Oct. 1 - Michigan State            
Oct. 8 - @Nebraska
Oct. 15 - @Illinois    
Oct. 29 - Wisconsin
Nov. 5 - Indiana     
Nov. 12 -  @Purdue   
Nov. 19 - Penn State      
Nov. 26 - @Michigan