Ohio St Buckeyes 2016 NCAA Football Preview
OHIO ST BUCKEYES
Big 10 Conference – East Division
2015 Record – 12-1
ATS – 6-7
2016 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating Rank
East Division – #1 (Tie)
Conference – #1 (Tie)
2015 Recap
Everything was looking really good. Until the November match-up with Michigan St in which they managed only 132 total yards and just 86 yards rushing. Their 2nd lowest rushing total of the year was 162 vs N Illinois. Yes, the game was played in difficult weather conditions, but Ohio St still found a way to lose as 14 point favorites at home against a backup QB. In any event, that game was the only time the Buckeyes tasted defeat all season. They finished up with a Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame.
Here is the thing. What cannot be lost in the discussion is how great the Buckeyes have been the past four seasons under Urban Meyer. 50 wins and 4 losses. We are most impressed with their amazing 18-0 record in road games.
2016 Preview
OFFENSE
Only three starters from last season return to the offensive unit, but realistically, they are still loaded with talent. QB JT Barrett was fantastic in 2014 and very good in limited action in 2015. Losing an 1800-yard rusher and #1 NFL DC in Ezekiel Elliott is never a good thing and they have a relatively inexperienced offensive line. Not to mention their top three receivers from 2015 are gone.
RB Mike Weber appears to have the talent to continue the tradition of great RBs at Ohio St but it is not fair to ask him to provide the kind of production that Elliott did in 2015. Depth is an issue with the unit after Bri’onte Dunn was dismissed.
Our gut feeling is that they are still going to be very good on offense but closer to last year’s production of 35.7 points per game as opposed to the 45 points a game in 2014.
DEFENSE
The defense was fantastic last season (311 yards per game – #9 FBS) holding up well against the run, allowing only 50% completions while recording an impressive 38 sacks. Ohio St has averaged over 40 sacks a season the last three years. It will be very interesting to see how the defense reloads in 2016 because they return only 3 starters on defense and lose star DL Joey Bosa (#1 NFL DC) and four of their top five tacklers from last year’s squad.
JUGGERNAUT ALERT – The Ohio St defense features outstanding MLB Raekwon McMillan who is the leader of the defense and leading tackler from 2015. At least one 2017 mock NFL draft has McMillan going in the top half of the first round (yes, its early !) but we are a big fan of this tackling machine.
SPECIAL TEAMS
This unit looks good. The Buckeyes return 2nd team Big 10 punter Cameron Johnston and a decent FG kicker. They did not have a punt return or kickoff return TD last season, but they have a ton of young talent, and our guess is that they find at least one gem this season.
MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10) 5.5
MEGALOCKS says:
We just love the fact that Ohio St and Oklahoma hook up in week 3. Obviously a tough game, especially on the road early in the season, but that is a nice game to have on the docket should the old “body of work” discussion come into play for a playoff spot. They also have three tough conference road games (Wisconsin, Penn St, Michigan St). Then comes that little match-up with Michigan.
Overall, we give the BUCKEYES a 5.5 ATS Value Rating (Average) this season. They are a puzzling team to try and figure out as far as overall performance goes against the number. On the one hand, they have a lot of inexperience on both sides of the ball. On the other hand, they have loads of highly-touted talent and seem to be able to reload in a similar fashion to Alabama. Urban Meyer is 30-24 ATS (56%) at Ohio St and we feel this team is going to get better and better as the season moves along. The best value will probably present itself in their tough road tests (18-0 SU road under Meyer) as opposed to games in which they are big favorites.
Want more Ohio St football?
Website
http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-footbl/osu-m-footbl-body.html
Forum
http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/forums/buckeye-football.2/
http://www.scout.com/college/ohio-state/forums/3154-hineygate
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http://www.elevenwarriors.com/forum/college-sports
http://www.scarletbuckeye.com/index.php?forums/football-talk.2/
News
http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football
http://bleacherreport.com/ohio-state-football
http://www.landgrantholyland.com/
http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/
https://twitter.com/OhioStateFB (@OhioStateFB)
https://twitter.com/brdispatch (@brdispatch) Bill Rabinowitz
https://twitter.com/TIM_MAYsports (@TIM_MAYsports) Tim May