Marshall enters tonight's season opener as a bit of an unknown, which should prove a good test for the Buckeyes with Miami looming.
With former West Virginia assistant Doc Holliday now in charge of the Marshall football program, the Buckeyes aren't sure what they'll see from the Thundering Herd tonight.OHIO STATE SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
Doug Lesmerises predicts all 12 Ohio State games this season, with a breakdown of the four toughest dates:
Today: Ohio State 27, Marshall 14
Sept. 11: Ohio State 24, Miami 17
The Hurricanes offer one of the best defensive lines in the country, led by Allen Bailey, who is viewed as a potential top-20 NFL draft pick. Miami is viewing this opportunity as a chance to leap back into the elite level of college football, and the side stories — from the 2002 national championship rematch to LeBron James’ defection to Miami — will add to the hype. It might come down to which quarterback, Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor or Miami’s Jacory Harris, commits the fewest turnovers. Last season, Harris threw 17 interceptions, while Pryor threw 11.
Sept. 18: Ohio State 34, Ohio 10
Sept. 25: Ohio State 45, Eastern Michigan 0
Oct. 2: Ohio State 41, Illinois 3
Oct. 9: Ohio State 28, Indiana 7
Oct. 16: Ohio State 17, Wisconsin 14
The Badgers have the best offensive line in the Big Ten and the best running back in John Clay, the conference’s offensive player of the year last season. Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema is 0-3 against Ohio State, and this is the kind of game the Badgers haven’t won in this era to take the next step. If Wisconsin can control the clock with its running game, the Badgers will have a chance to make up for their last-minute loss at home to Ohio State in 2008. Like that game, this one is at night, which will help make it the Buckeyes’ toughest test of the season.
Oct. 23: Ohio State 38, Purdue 13
Oct. 30: Ohio State 20, Minnesota 7
Nov. 13: Ohio State 21, Penn State 10
The Nittany Lions are breaking in a new quarterback, but they should have that accomplished by this late point in the season. Early on, there could be some major bumps. While running back Evan Royster is a star, this isn’t a season when this game will be for the Big Ten title, as it has been in three of the five previous years.
Nov. 20: Ohio State 24, Iowa 13
Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi (Lake Catholic) didn’t get his shot at the Buckeyes last season when he was sidelined with an injury and had to watch the Hawkeyes lose to Ohio State in overtime in Columbus. He gets his chance at home now, and many see this as the game in which the Buckeyes are most likely to fall. But Iowa’s strength is its defensive line, and no quarterback neutralizes a pass rush as well as Terrelle Pryor, who certainly will have to evade defensive end Adrian Clayborn, the Big Ten’s best player, at times. But the guess here is that this game won’t be as tight as expected.
Nov. 27: Ohio State 33, Michigan 9
-- Doug Lesmerises
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Buckeyes don't have much of an idea how the Thundering Herd will play today with a new coaching staff in place under first-year boss Doc Holliday.
Ohio State has been studying film from wherever the assistants used to work in the past, from Purdue to Illinois to Florida International. Tressel has to make sure the Buckeyes take that as an opportunity, not a worry. This is chance for Tressel and his staff to see how their players react on the fly, particularly quarterback Terrelle Pryor and defensive captain Brian Rolle.
"We have to make sure we're ready for anything and expect the unexpected," Tressel said.
The OSU coaches have talked about playing the second team in bunches, from the offensive line to the receivers. Expect Tressel to give the first team enough of a chance to learn from its discoveries, processing the looks offered by the Herd and finding answers.
In last year's opener, the Buckeyes struggled with Navy's option at times in a win that went down to the final minutes. But those lessons didn't translate -- no other team on the schedule ran the option.
Plenty of other teams this season should do things the Buckeyes aren't expecting. That's what underdogs do. This should serve as a great test case for how quickly the Buckeyes can adjust.