Here we go again.  It may not be Christmas morning, but for Buckeye fans with the kick off just hours away, there is the same excitement and anxiety.  Each year the off-season seems to get longer and longer, but our wait will be over soon.  Questions abound. Will Teddy be the superman he appeared to be in the second half of last season? Will Justin Zwick take advantage of this huge, and largely unearned, opportunity to  be an effective QB?  Is the O-line finally, and I do mean finally going to be an area of strength?  Do we have a running back(s) who can live up to the OSU standard, or are they just guys?  Is Ashton Youboty as good as he looked  covering Braylon Edwards?  Has another corner been found?  Will the D-line return to prominence or are we still mourning the loss of Smith, Anderson, Peterson, Scott etc? Are the linebackers as good as we think they are?  I  never expect to see  a kicker as good as Nuge, but can Huston get the job done?  Will another fat white guy who doesn’t know that he can’t dance take the place of the departed Neutron Man?  No, all of these questions will not be answered in just one game, but it will be our first peek at hints to the answers. 

 

                Helping us find the answers as well as trying to ruin our lives will be the Red Hawks of Miami.  It seems that Miami was somewhat ahead of the curve with regard to political correctness when they discarded their Redskin moniker several years ago.  Though they bring a veteran team, led by QB Josh Betts, who put up some pretty gaudy numbers last year, no amount of political correctness will spare them the beating they have in store.  I could go through a long-winded scouting report on what is really a pretty talented Miami team but why?  If the Buckeyes don’t shoot themselves in the foot with a lot of turnovers, they will win and win easily.  Why? In a word –DEFENSE.  The Red Hawk players may think they have faced big time teams before (they opened with the Weasels in 04), but they have not faced a defense like the Silver Bullets.  Not only will Betts see blitzers coming from places he didn’t know existed, but he will be facing team speed the likes of which he doesn’t yet understand.  I doubt he finishes the game.  He should be good for at least two picks before retiring to the sidelines when various people in suits will repeatedly ask him what day it is and how many fingers they are holding in front of his face.   The Miami O-line though experienced gave up 26 sacks last year.  After Saturday they will be on pace to eclipse that record by midseason.  If Betts can remain vertical long enough to find him, Martin Nance is an NFL  caliber receiver, but our DB’s cover NFL caliber receivers every day.  At running back the Red Hawks bring all whole lot of new guys who are supposed to be good someday.  Just not just on this day.  Another reason for such confidence is the addition of new Buckeye coach Tim Beckman.  He was the defensive coordinator at Bowling Green and is reputed to be an expert in stopping the spread offense, plus, and this is big, he has game-planned against Miami several times before.  And no, the Buckeyes will not be looking ahead.  This is the opening game, the enthusiasm will be high.  The players are desperate to hit someone they don’t eat dinner with. 

 

                I think the Red Hawks defense will give us some problems early and keep them in the game.  Miami has a lot of experience and a few big time players.  That does not mean that their talent level will equate to what we see in the Big Ten every week (well maybe not at Indiana).  Anyone think that members of  Red Hawk secondary have been sleeping well of late, after watching tape of Ginn, Holmes and Gonzalez?   Miami has been saying they can  play with anyone and they can.  That is a long way, however,  from being at the level where they can beat anyone.  The Bucks have just too much skill and speed to be held down for long.  Once we hit a couple of big plays things will open up and we’ll see a dominant performance in the third quarter as  the good guys pull away for  31-10 victory.

 

                It will be interesting to see if Karen Holbrook’s beer Nazis are out preventing fun again this year.  I see that they are requiring permits for some of the larger tents this year.

That along with the ban on grills in the garages should go a long ways toward preventing those catastrophic fires we have had at tailgates in recent years. What is going on?  I think her theory is to de-emphasize football by taking all the fun out of  game day.  What is next?  A ban on loud cheering;  golf clap only.  Wearing school colors might cause folks to get excited; let’s  require everyone to wear gray – oops that is a school color.  I’m sick of it.  Hey K-Dog, arrest those causing trouble, but leave everyone else alone.  Tailgaiting has gone on for generations and here and all over the country.  Leave us alone, or better yet, just leave.

 

                On the negative side I fear it is again alumni band day.  Their enthusiasm is appreciated, but there are just too many of them.  Just the thought of 1,254 spit valves is disturbing.  I like Script Ohio as well as anyone, but when it takes 45 minutes to complete it bothers me.  Hopefully the weather will be cool enough that none of the older alums expire beneath their berets. 

 

                Around the country we get a peek at the Spurrier era as South Carolina thumps Tulsa.  Don’t you think it  a little insensitive for Tulsa to be allowed to use their nickname of  Golden Hurricanes, given the disasters earlier this week.  I doubt “Yea Hurricanes” is often heard along the gulf coast these days. I never understood that one anyhow.  When is the last time a hurricane hit Tulsa, Oklahoma? Sort of like the South Florida Polar Bears.  Pitt  will host the Domers in the debut for 2 new head coaches.  Dave Wannstedt, following the proud tradition of former Jimmy Johsnson assistants, has led  two proud NFL franchises (Bears and Dolphins) into oblivion.   Weis underwent gastric bypass surgery to lose weight and improve his appearance and thus enhance his chances of landing a head coaching position.  Well it worked…. sort of, he lost weight, and got a head coaching job., but you be the judge on his appearance.  By the time this season is over Charlie may want to rip out the staples in his stomach  and attack a Snicker factory.  While neither one of these teams is good, Pitt will be less-bad enough to win at home.  Bowling Green at Wisconsin.  BG has the talent to win this game, but not in Madison at the start of Barry’s farewell tour.  The Badgers bring a degree of physical-ness not found in the MAC. Even the tremendous talent of BG QB Omar Jacobs won’t be enough to get the job done. It does worry me when I hear about  some guy name Omar  throwing bombs.  But then I remember that the game is in Madison and who really cares.  Texas A&M will handle Clemson on the road as the Franchione era gets cranked up and the Little Bowden era fades.  Miami goes to Florida State and will sneak out of town with a victory and possibly the silverware.  Isn’t nice that this game hardly matters.  I’m just hoping for a new hat for Coach Bowden.  The call me Bwana look is getting old.

                I hope everyone noticed that not once did you see the T-word in this week’s column and we are absolutely not looking ahead.  Really!