The Ohio State Buckeyes head into the new college football season as defending national champions, but with several fresh faces, this year’s squad looks very different from the one that lifted the trophy last January.
The Buckeyes' first test couldn’t be tougher: a season opener this Saturday against the No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns. Kickoff is set for noon at Ohio Stadium.
Sports journalist Bill Rabinowitz covers the Buckeyes for the Columbus Dispatch.
Matthew Rand: Let’s talk about the turnover in the Buckeyes’ roster. How does the new lineup compare to last year’s national champion team?
Bill Rabinowitz: You know, they had 14 players drafted, the most of any school in the country, by the NFL. So, you lose that, and plus Seth McLaughlin, their center, who tore his Achilles late in the year. He was not drafted, but would have been. So really 15 guys. But they still have a lot of talent. I mean, you have Jeremiah Smith on offense, you have Caleb Downs on defense, arguably the best players in the country on offense and defense. And you have others who have played a lot. On defense you have Sonny Styles, who's the Block O recipient. He's kind of the leader of the defense. He should be really, really good.
They have eight new starters on defense. So, there'll be some growing pains. On offense you have mostly the offensive lineback. There's still some uncertainty at the right tackle spot. But they feel better about the offensive line this year than they did last year. Of course, the big news, the big new name is Julian Sayin is the quarterback, in place is Will Howard. Julian Sayin is a terrific passer. He's got a strong, accurate arm, quick release, but he's inexperienced. He threw a total of 12 passes last year, so he'll probably lead on Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss, and Ohio State has a really good new tight end in Max Klare, a transfer from Purdue. So, it's still a loaded team.
Matthew Rand: Texas, of course, comes into the game the top ranked team in the country. Where do you see some of the toughest matchups for the Buckeyes and what'll it take for them to pick off such an experienced Longhorns team?
Bill Rabinowitz: Yeah, Texas' defense should be really good. Texas lost a lot of players too. They lost 12 players in the NFL draft. So even though these are the number one and number three ranked teams in the country, there are a lot questions on both teams. Texas sets to replace most of its offensive line. They have a new quarterback who's even more valuable than Ohio State's Arch Manning. Everyone knows the Manning name. Arch Manning is the latest. He's waited for Quinn Ewers to graduate. When Ewers graduated, he takes over as Texas' quarterback. He's kind of the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this year. It'll be interesting to see how he plays. He's played two games or started two games against lesser opponents last year. This is a huge test for him obviously playing in the Shoe.
Matthew Rand: Given the relative youth and inexperience of this Buckeyes team, will that change anything about how the team approaches coaching, play calling, etc. on Saturday and on through the rest of the season?
Bill Rabinowitz: Well, you also have two new coordinators. Brian Hartline has been promoted to offensive coordinator. He's also the wide receivers coach. And Matt Patricia, who has spent the last 20 years in the NFL, mostly with the New England Patriots under Bill Belichick, he's the new defensive coordinator taking over for Jim Knowles, who went to Penn State. So, you know, how will that adjustment and transition go? That's one of the storylines also.
Matthew Rand: And finally, I'm always hesitant to ask, but any predictions for Saturday's game you'd feel comfortable making?
Bill Rabinowitz: Well, we have to do this for the paper. So even though it's not my favorite thing in the world to do, I picked Ohio State. I think it was 31-28. I think there'll be a close game. It certainly could go either way. Ohio State's, I think, a two-point favorite, roughly. It should be a great game. It's the most anticipated opener, I think in Ohio State history. The only thing as close as maybe the game three years ago when they opened against Notre Dame, but that wasn't a one versus three matchup. And so...this should be a great one, especially given what happened last year in the college football semifinal when Ohio State won with the famous Jack Sawyer flight.
