Could you beat me in ping pong if I cut off your arms and one of your legs?
No. You couldn’t (because you couldn’t hold the paddle…)
Because this is fact, it’s going to be tough for Ohio State to win nine games next year.
I’ll keep this very simple:
Quarterbacks
The Past: Heisman winner Troy Smith; Justin Zwick.
The Future: Todd Boeckman; Rob Schoenhoft.
What this means: The two who will be around next year threw four total passes in 2006. Three were completed. They amounted for 24 yards through the air.
Running backs
The Past: Antonio Pittman
The Future: Chris Wells; Maurice Wells.
What this means: Chris Wells rules. If he stays healthy, he’s the one leg that wasn’t cut off.
Wide receivers
The Past: Ted Ginn, Jr., Anthony Gonzales
The Future: Brian Robiskie; Brian Hartline
What this means: Well, Ginn and Gonzales were extremely reliable. I think Robiskie can be a No. 1 receiver. He did well this year. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because his dad played in the NFL and coached the Browns for a bit. Seeing Hartline on the field makes me wish I had grown three more inches, I am better than him.
Otherwise, the offensive line should be fine. Losing Datish at center could be tough, but Ohio State brings in supreme OL talent every recruiting class. The same goes for defense. The D was a little senior-heavy this year, but this was considered to be a rebuilding year on the defense and it did just fine, sans national title game.
Here’s what OSU faces next year:
- Youngstown State (9/1)
- Akron (9/8)
- at Washington (9/15)
- Northwestern (9/22)
- at Minnesota (9/29)
- at Purdue (10/6)
- Kent State (10/13)
- Michigan State (10/20)
- at Penn State (10/27)
- Wisconsin (11/3)
- Illinois (11/10)
- at Michigan (11/17)
OSU should easily win eight of those games. A ten-win season would be very impressive for the Buckeyes. I think it’s pretty obvious that Chris Wells needs to stay healthy and be the tank he can be and the defense needs to keep up its impressive form.
Stay with me this off season, I’m going to try some things. Just check in every now and again, I promise I’ll keep it fresh.