Ohio State Buckeyes 2009 College Football Picks

Written by Steve Hastings

Thursday, 03 September 2009

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Ohio State Buckeyes 2009 College Football Picks: After finishing 2nd in the Big Ten Conference in 2008, a Tostito’s Fiesta Bowl loss to Texas was not the way that Ohio State wanted to finish it’s season. Coach Jim Tressel will have to find replacements for seven key players, including Malcolm Jennings and Chris “Beanie” Wells, who were both drafted this past April. While every school has key losses to its roster, Ohio State always finds a way to reload and will contend for a Big Ten title in 2009. The college football picks experts at online sportsbook SBG Global has the Ohio State Buckeyes listed at +800 odds to win the 2010 BCS National Championship Title.

#11 OHIO STATE
2008 Season Record: 10-3
2008 Final Rank: 11
Returning Starters on Offense: 5
Returning Starters on Defense: 8

Pros: The defense in Columbus is ready to attack the Big Ten in 2009. The front line of the Buckeyes is returning at full strength, including Thaddeus Gibson who led Ohio State with five sacks last season and was second on the team with nine tackles for a loss. Gibson’s 6-foot-2, 240 pound frame will anchor a defensive line that should be the key to a solid defensive unit. On the offensive side, Terrelle Pryor is a major weapon for Ohio State, and should keep things exciting. As a freshman, Pryor threw for 1,311 yards and ran for 631. With Pryor making opposing defenses guard against him in the running department, the loss of Wells seems a bit less severe than it could have been. In the air, Pryor has to mature, even given his 12 touchdowns to only four interceptions last season, (a good start for any young quarterback in a major Division I conference). Ohio State will once again contend with Penn State for a conference title, but should have little to no difficulty with the rest of the Big Ten, having gone undefeated against them in 2008.

Cons: When a team loses its two top receivers in the first four rounds of the NFL draft, as well as its best cornerback as the 14th overall pick in 2009, it is never a plus. A pro for the Buckeyes may be its biggest con as well. Terrelle Pryor is going to be the wildcard for Ohio State in 2009, and assuming that he will stay healthy, he should be more of a pro. But does health assure success? For young sophomore Pryor, a lot has to be placed on his shoulders following a season where he was more of a bonus. The OSU “O” and Pryor will be without running back Chris Wells, who established a career high 1,197 rushing yards last season, along with eight touchdowns. With the running game taking a hit, Pryor will have to become more of a passer than he was last season. That will be difficult with his top two receivers Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline not returning. The killer B’s accounted for 12 of the teams 17 touchdown receptions last season. Even with losing Malcolm Jennings and James Laurinaitis, OSU has plenty of the defensive side of the ball to keep that unit from being a liability. Pryor is going to have to learn how to become a quarterback fast, especially against Penn State who finished 8th in rushing defense in the country last season. If Pryor can’t run and can’t hide from Penn State, will he be able to throw?

The college football picks odds makers at SBG Global have the Ohio State Buckeyes +115 odds favorites to win the Big 10 Conference Title.

Overall Outlook: The defense is solid and should rank in the top 20 in the nation and 3rd at worst in the Big Ten. Aside from a November 7th meeting at Penn State, the Buckeyes seem to have a fairly easy road to another Bowl game. On the offensive side there is sure to be some excitement. Even if Pryor makes a mistake here and there, as all young quarterback will do, he will do much more to help his team than hurt it. His dynamic presence on the field should spark some enthusiasm in the rest of his teammates, and Coach Jim Tressel will be sure to give Pryor more than enough talent to work with. Expect Ohio State to run a lot with Pryor even though Pryor has been working on passing, passing, and more passing in preparation for 2009. Hopefully practice does make perfect, because sophomore DeVier Posey will be Pryor’s new number one target. Posey will be Pryor’s new number one target. Posey caught a total of 11 passes in 2008.

Keys to Success: If you have not gotten the idea at this point, let me remind you. Pryor, Pryor, and more Pryor will be the KEY to success for Ohio State. This team has the defense to stay competitive all season, but if the Buckeyes want to be crowned Big Ten Champions, it will depend on how this young star handles the pressure. It is easy to say that Ohio State will go only as far as Pryor takes them. With a very inexperienced and thin offensive unit, the new starting quarterback for Ohio State is going to have to create and convert opportunities for his squad. But let’s not forget that this is Ohio State here! Even if Pryor struggles, the Buckeyes are too strong, and the Big Ten is too weak for Ohio State to not contend for a title. Ohio State has won or shared the Big Ten Conference Championship the past 4 seasons. Ohio State allowed 98 points in the Big Ten last season, the least in the Conference. Ohio State was undefeated on the road in the Big Ten last season. Jim Tressel has a .814 winning percentage at Ohio State, first among coaches who have coached more than 18 games, second in all time.

Online Sportsbook SBG Global has posted the following odds to win the 2010 BCS National Championship: Alabama +2200
Arizona St +7000
Arkansas +7000
Auburn +9000
Boston College +7500
California +2200
Cincinnati +8500
Clemson +7500
Colorado +8500
Florida +150
Florida St +4000
Georgia +7500
Georgia Tech +1200
Illinois +4500
Iowa +8500
Kansas +4500
Kansas St +8500
Kentucky +8500
Louisville +8500
LSU +3200
Miami FL +3200
Michigan +8500
Michigan St +1700
Missouri +8500
Nebraska +4500
Notre Dame +1200
Ohio St +800
Oklahoma +650
Oklahoma St +2700
Oregon +4500
Penn St +1500
Rutgers +4500
South Carolina +8500
South Florida+5000
Southern Cal +600
Tennessee +8500
Texas +650
Texas A&M +8500
Texas Tech +6500
UCLA +8500
Virginia Tech +1700
Wake Forest +8500
North Carolina +4500
West Virginia +6000
Wisconsin +6500
Field (All Others) +1200