Ohio State football is predicated annually on three things: beat that team up north, win the conference, and win the national title. Unfortunately, the Buckeyes haven’t been able to reach these heights in the past three seasons. Nevertheless, expectations are just as high as the perennial Big Ten favorites prepare for the 2024 season. These goals also come with ever-increasing pressure on Head Coach Ryan Day as he enters his sixth season at the helm in Columbus.
The Schedule:
Some experts say the Buckeyes will face a relatively mild schedule this season. The out-of-conference slate includes the mid-tier Ohio team, Akron, another MAC opponent, Western Michigan, and a less-than-stellar Marshall team. Conference play will include the possible trap games of Iowa and Purdue. Fortunately, both teams travel to Columbus. New to the Big Ten Conference, Oregon hosts the Scarlet and Gray in a mid-October brawl that could easily be the matchup for the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis. With the new playoff format, it may very well be the National Championship game in Atlanta, too. Rivalry games include a trip to Happy Valley for what will most likely be a White Out for Penn State and welcoming their most bitter rivals to the north for The Game. With a “weak” schedule and expanded playoff structure, expect Ohio State to be a real contender come December.
The Offense:
The Buckeyes and their fans would have been happy enough with quarterback Kyle McCord entering the transfer portal; some say it's addition by subtraction. McCord leaving was never going to be enough for Ryan Day. Instead, he recruited the third-best quarterback in the 2024 class, Air Noland, while Will Howard and Julian Sayin joined the roster via the portal. Howard has won the starting spot, but all the backups should get ample playing time through the season's first month. As long as the line can keep whoever’s under center upright, the Bucks should average 45 points per game without breaking much of a sweat.
The biggest loss came with receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. leaving for the draft. Rather than a total rebuild for the best wideout room in the country, co-offensive coordinator and receivers coach Brian Hartline has reloaded with Freshman Jeremiah Smith. At the same time, the second-year Carnell Tate is expected to have a much larger role, and stud Emeka Egbuka will be the centerpiece of this dangerous group. The Buckeyes continued their portal heist by landing Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins. Now, with TreVeyon Henderson, the backfield will be as much of a nightmare as the receivers.
The final puzzle piece is that Ryan Day has given up playcalling to his mentor and new hire, former UCLA Head Coach Chip Kelly. Relinquishing these duties will free Day up to manage the entire game. This feels like a full-circle moment, as Kelly’s offense while at Oregon inspired Urban Meyer’s earliest offenses at Florida and Ohio State, who in turn hired Ryan Day as his quarterback guru.
Defense:
There isn’t much to say, and there isn’t much to question about this aspect of the Buckeye machine. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles came to Columbus three years ago and did exactly what he set out to do: improve the defense, and it has only gotten even more menacing on paper for 2024. Much like their offensive counterpart, the Silver Bullets added a ton of SEC talent, with Caleb Downs joining the fold. He will make an immediate impact with defensive backs Denzel Burke and Lathan Ransom. Add to that returning defensive linemen Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau, and you have what many believe is the scariest defense in the nation.
Final Thoughts:
There isn’t another team in the nation experiencing the same level of hype and pressure as the Buckeyes. If they were an SEC school, they’d easily be the odds-on favorite to win the whole thing. Ranking them at 2 to start the season will only stoke the flames. The Buckeyes could have lost most of their talent to the draft, and instead, they boast a staggering 14 returning starters, a new offensive mastermind, and a haul from the transfer portal. Yes, this apparently came at the cost of nearly 20 million dollars in NIL deals, but it will all be worth it as long as THE Ohio State Buckeyes beat the folks from Ann Arbor; bonus points for winning the conference and championship.
(Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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