12/8/09
Year-in, year-out, nobody knows how to succeed in the Big Ten better than Ohio State. The Buckeye’s combination of a powerful ground game and a consistent, top rated defense perennially lands them atop this venerable conference. Whereas the Buckeyes have lived on this formula while reeling in five consecutive Big Ten titles, they have also died the same way(s) when it comes to winning the bigger games, especially those for all the national marbles. This will be the year dual-threat phenom Terrelle Pryor is truly graded. His first two years were adequate, but far from strong enough to meet the lefty expectations – No.1 prep recruit in the nation – that he has carried since arriving late in 2008. The passing game is not going to get worse; it should only improve, which ultimately means that dreams of playing for more than just a conference title have some truth to them. The offensive line should be point of emphasis, and will improve for 2010 with four starters coming back. More importantly, one of the nation's top defenses in 2009 will continue its dominance. Seniors Thaddeus Gibson and Cameron Heyward, should they both decide to stick around, could be the best DE duo anywhere. The back seven, like the entire Buckeye stopping group, is a senior-laden group across the board, and the D is good enough to put the Buckeyes right in the thick of any national championship discussion.