Your 2013 Ohio State Season Preview

"And that will do it!  The Buckeyes win the national title! Their 8th in school history! They've taken down Alabama and the SEC!"

Calm down, Buckeye fans...As far as I know, I'm not a psychic.  But make no mistake about it, that is clearly where this year's team has their sights set.  Below, we will preview their journey and what needs to happen to get there.

Offense:

The offense should be much improved in Year 2 under the Tom Herman/Urban Meyer spread/power run/no huddle offense.  Junior Quarterback Braxton Miller is back and poised for a serious Heisman run.  Four offensive line starters, all seniors, return from last year's undefeated season and former five-star recruit Taylor Decker has locked down the right tackle position.

Ohio State will be dealing with several suspensions in the backfield - senior Carlos Hyde for the first three games, and junior Rod Smith for the opener.  Fear not, as the Buckeyes are loaded with five-star talent at running back.  Jordan Hall, who was thought to be the best option for the "pivot" or "hybrid" role, will slide over as the starting running back to start the season.  There are several guys working to get on the field - including true freshmen Ezekiel Elliot (EzE for future references) and speedster Dontre Wilson.

The receivers are led by several veterans, but should feature some new faces throughout the season.  Jalin Marshall, the previously mentioned Wilson, James Clark, and Corey Smith all bring more speed to the field for the Buckeyes.  Corey Brown is Mr. Consistent and Devin Smith is always a deep threat.  Senior Chris Fields is actually the starting "H" or hybrid right now.

The staff has raved about the tight ends, and some expect the group to be the best in the country.  Both Nick Vannett and Jeff Heuerman are athletic tight ends who can both block and pass.  Two tight end sets may be more common in Buckeye Country this year.

Overall, the offense is a veteran group that should improve upon last season's average of more than 37 points per game in Year 2 of this offense.  The hype around Dontre Wilson has him as a leading candidate for "X factor" on the team.  Additionally, the offensive line should be one of the top units in the nation.

Defense:

Unlike the offense, Luke Fickell and Everett Withers' unit will field a lot of new faces.  Just four starters return from last season, and Bradley Roby is suspended for the Buffalo game.  Ryan Shazier is the only starter back among the front seven.

The entire defensive line will be new starters, but the coaches like the young talent they have.  Former five-stars Noah Spence and Adolphous Washington will bookend the line on the ends, while juniors Joel Hale and Michael Bennett will anchor the interior.  The athleticism is expected to be better than 2012, but it is all potential right now as most of the guys have limited experience.

The linebacker corps is the biggest question mark for the 2013 team.  Ryan Shazier is a pre-season All-American, but the rest of the unit is unproven.  As of now, the staff will roll with former number two overall recruit (2011) Curtis Grant and sophomore Josh Perry.  Do not expect to see a lot of the 4-3 base defense with the inexperience at this position.

When Brad Roby returns, the secondary will feature three four-year starters.  Christian Bryant and C.J. Barnett anchor the safety positions.  There's a lot of young talent waiting in the wings.  Tyvis Powell has earned the "STAR" position as the nickel-back.  Expect to see freshman Vonn Bell on the field at some point this season.

With the depth in the secondary and question marks at linebacker, expect to see quite a bit of the "4-2-5" nickel package and "3-2-6" dime package against the four and five wide receiver sets.  The young players will have to grow up in a hurry if the defense wants to return to a top unit nationally.

Other factors:

Ohio State is one of just twenty schools in the country returning their entire coaching staff.  It is Year 2 with the new staff, meaning the players have more familiarity with the system.  Meyer is 34-4 in previous stops in his second year, including a national title at Florida.  Braxton Miller is reportedly "not even in the same hemisphere" when compared to last year.  Will it result in a more polished product on the field? We'll soon find out.

The 2013 recruiting class was ranked second or third nationally.  There are a lot of fast skill players and playmakers who should make an impact.  Urban said they lacked some of that top end speed last year.  They like what they have now and the offenses should have some more "jets."

Schedule:

Date	Opponent / Event	Location	Time / Result
08/31/13	vs. Buffalo	Columbus, Ohio	12:00 p.m. ET
09/07/13	vs. San Diego State	Columbus, Ohio	3:30 p.m. ET
09/14/13	at California	Berkeley, Calif.	7:00 p.m. ET
09/21/13	vs. Florida A&M	Columbus, Ohio	TBA
09/28/13	vs. Wisconsin *	Columbus, Ohio	8:00 p.m. ET
10/05/13	at Northwestern *	Evanston, Ill.	8:00 p.m. ET
10/19/13	vs. Iowa *	Columbus, Ohio	3:30 p.m. ET
10/26/13	vs. Penn State *	Columbus, Ohio	8:00 p.m. ET
11/02/13	at Purdue *	West Lafayette, Ind.	TBA
11/16/13	at Illinois *	Champaign, Ill.	TBA
11/23/13	vs. Indiana *	Columbus, Ohio	TBA
11/30/13	at Michigan *	Ann Arbor, Mich.	TBA
Big Ten Championship Game
12/07/13	TBA *	Indianapolis, Ind.	TBA

The Buckeyes should be favored in every game, probably by a touchdown at least.  The toughest games will be Wisconsin, at Northwestern (who won 10 games last season), and of course the finale in Ann Arbor.  Ohio State is the hands-down favorite to win the "Leaders" Division and get to Indy in December.  San Diego State and California may be tricky non-conference games.

The ceiling is obviously 13-0 and the BCS Championship Game.  However, history says back-to-back undefeated seasons are not likely.  It has only happened five times previously in the Big Ten, and the last time was 1947-1948.  So, is 26-0 in the cards?  Time will tell.  The season starts soon.