Ohio State Buckeyes Preview

If defense wins championships, one team that is above the rest right now will have to discover which pieces fit in the right places on their draft torn defense. That team is the Ohio State Buckeyes, and obviously the voters don’t believe in the age old adage about the importance of a defense on a championship caliber team.

The 2006 NFL draft took about as much out of Ohio State’s defense as was possible. Ohio State lost both of its defensive ends, all of its linebackers (two of them having been selected in the first round), and all of its secondary (with a handful going on the first day) that contributed to a solid 10-2 season that featured an exciting win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.

For 2006, Ohio State hopes to be able to patch up their torn defense with a batch of extremely talented recruits that they have been able to land over the past few years. Names such as Antonio Smith and Jamario O’Neal with be new starters in the defensive secondary but their talent is second to none and players such as this hope to lend their hand in living up to the hype that has been built around the traditional powerhouse.

And hype is definitely what exists. Debuting at #1 in every major poll, including the AP Poll, the USA Today’s Coaches Poll, and ESPN’s Power 16, the sports world has high hopes for Ohio State’s 2006 season. Hoping that hope isn’t misplaced, 7 starters return to an extremely strong offensive unit for Ohio State.

Led by the amazingly talented dual-threat quarterback Troy Smith, Ohio State hopes to be able to put up big numbers this year on offense. Although they don’t have quite the weapons that existed in USC’s All-World 2005 offensive unit, Ohio State hopes to forge a similar path in that they have a powerful offensive unit with a rebuilding defensive squad. Players such as Ted Ginn Jr. and Antonio Pittman hope to be able to use their talents to take Ohio State through the talented Big Ten undefeated and hopefully end up with a ticket to the National Championship game in January.

Indeed, Ohio State fans will be witnessing a new form of the team then they have been used to in recent years. Ohio State has been known for its powerful defense that has held teams to low scoring games, but the 2006 version of the famed Buckeyes will instead be focused on outscoring their opponents with their offense rather than relying on their young defensive squad to keep games close.