2004 Predictions

Clarity · #1 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 12:58 PM

One of the nice things about this software is that we never lose posts. Should this forum still be standing ten years from now, you can go back whenever you want and revisit threads about Clarett, the Fiesta Bowl wins, recruiting, whatever you like.

In that theme, I thought it might be cool to put together a thread where we each make a prediction for next season now, perhaps after Spring ball, and then again in the Fall. It might be interesting to see how our opinions change and why. On the flip side, it could be a ridiculously silly idea, as there are so many huge questions next year. Is Mo back? Will Zwick or Smith start? Who else will we sign in this recruiting class? Who will be our DC? Etc. But what the hell, doesn't cost anything to start a thread.

To get things rolling, I'm putting the 04 schedule below;</TD></TR></TABLE>

Hubbard · #2 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 01:05 PM

The code is all I see with that C0Dog

Clarity · #3 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 01:10 PM

<div><center><TABLE CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=2 BORDER=2 WIDTH=75% bordercolor="C80000"><tr bgcolor="eeeeee"> <TD>Day</TD> <TD>Date</TD> <TD>Opponent</TD> <TD>Location</TD> <TD WIDTH="100">Time</TD></TR>
<tr bgcolor="ffffff"> <TD>Sat</TD> <TD>09/04/2004</TD> <TD>Cincinnati (1)</TD> <TD>Columbus, Ohio</TD> <TD WIDTH="100">TBA </TD></TR>
<tr bgcolor="eeeeee"> <TD>Sat</TD> <TD>09/11/2004</TD> <TD>Marshall</TD> <TD>Columbus, Ohio</TD> <TD WIDTH="100">TBA </TD></TR>
<tr bgcolor="ffffff"> <TD>Sat</TD> <TD>09/18/2004</TD> <TD>North Carolina State</TD> <TD>Raleigh, NC</TD> <TD WIDTH="100">TBA </TD></TR>
<tr bgcolor="ffffff"> <TD>Sat</TD> <TD>10/02/2004</TD> <TD>Northwestern</TD> <TD>Evanston, Ill.</TD> <TD WIDTH="100">TBA </TD></TR>
<tr bgcolor="eeeeee"> <TD>Sat</TD> <TD>10/09/2004</TD> <TD>Wisconsin</TD> <TD>Columbus, Ohio</TD> <TD WIDTH="100">TBA </TD></TR>
<tr bgcolor="ffffff"> <TD>Sat</TD> <TD>10/16/2004</TD> <TD>Iowa</TD> <TD>Iowa City, Iowa</TD> <TD WIDTH="100">TBA </TD></TR>
<tr bgcolor="eeeeee"> <TD>Sat</TD> <TD>10/23/2004</TD> <TD>Indiana (3)</TD> <TD>Columbus, Ohio</TD> <TD WIDTH="100">TBA </TD></TR>
<tr bgcolor="ffffff"> <TD>Sat</TD> <TD>10/30/2004</TD> <TD>Penn State</TD> <TD>Columbus, Ohio</TD> <TD WIDTH="100">TBA </TD></TR>
<tr bgcolor="eeeeee"> <TD>Sat</TD> <TD>11/06/2004</TD> <TD>Michigan State</TD> <TD>East Lansing, Mich.</TD> <TD WIDTH="100">TBA </TD></TR>
<tr bgcolor="ffffff"> <TD>Sat</TD> <TD>11/13/2004</TD> <TD>Purdue</TD> <TD>West Lafayette, Ind.</TD> <TD WIDTH="100">TBA </TD></TR>
<tr bgcolor="eeeeee"> <TD>Sat</TD> <TD>11/20/2004</TD> <TD>Michigan</TD> <TD>Columbus, Ohio</TD> <TD WIDTH="100">TBA </TD></TR></TABLE></center></div>

Clarity · #4 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 01:13 PM

Yeah, still playing with it Hubs. Seems to be some quirkiness with the HTML processing. Not sure what's going on with that large dead space above the tables. Hrmm...

And as long as I'm messing with it all, I might as well toss my own initial thoughts out. With the obvious caveat that this early in the game, it's mostly just gut feeling based on how I think teams will look next year given losses from 2003 squads.

Cinci - W
Marshall - W
@NCSU - W
@NW - W
Wiscy - W
@Iowa - W
Indiana - W
PSU - W
@MSU - W
@Purdue - W
Michigan - W

lol -- woops, there it is. 11-0. Maybe this is going to be a silly thread after all. Looking at the season, I just don't see where we won't be favored. Michigan and NCSU are the only two I really had to stop and think about.

But, like last year's predictions, I think we bite ourselves in the butt once. So despite giving us a W each week, I'm going to predict a 10-1 season, with the loss coming in one of our last 3 conference away games. Iowa, MSU or Purdue.

daddyphatsacs · #5 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 01:41 PM

I am looking at this with a great deal of optimism. I look over the schedule and do not see an opponent that sticks out and punches me in the face. NC State lost Rivers........enough said. Michigan lost their line, and a 4 year starter at QB, plus their TB. The only games that scare me are @ Iowa and @ Purdue. This year I was dead on picking us to go 11-2. Next year we make it back to the big scene and will win our 2nd title in 3 years (wow). The swagger is back in Columbus!!!

12-0

Hubbard · #6 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 02:23 PM

I guess I will be the only one to go with 9-2, with 8-3 a definite possibility with a new QB, DL, etc. Purdue and Iowa will be our toughest and you never know what will happen with scUM. I think we drop one we shouldn't as well.

CCI · #7 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 02:48 PM

The Seniors set the tone. I expect another great season.

Cinci and The Blunderings Turds got a serious butt whiping coming.

BuckNutty · #8 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 03:05 PM

10-1 with our only slip up at NC State. If that game was played later in the season after our quarterback's gain some experience I think we would win. If we somehow get by the Wolfpack early I can see us running the table, especially if a certain #13 comes back. I'm not talking about Harlen Jacobs, as fine a ball player as he is.

Hubbard · #9 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 03:10 PM

Quote:

especially if a certain #13 comes back. I'm not talking about Harlen Jacobs, as fine a ball player as he is.

I did forget about him, if he comes back, then I think we lose 1.

Clarity · #10 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 04:07 PM

I'll go out on a limb and take that one further. If Mo comes back in such a way that we could reasonably expect him to be available to play all season -- then I'll be figuring out a way to put money down on a pre-season bet that OSU plays for the national championship. Few things are a given, and our going undefeated (or suffering a loss that doesn't keep us from the title game) isn't one of them to be sure. But to me, Mo's return would draw a ton of attention. From the media, from other teams, from everyone. The key to that being that attention is drawn away from our QB who will, no matter what, be a young kid who has never been the starter before. Give him time to develop and mature while people stress over Maurice, and Dog knows we have the receiving talent to do some real damage. Even if we didn't throw one more pass next year than we did this year under that scenario, I think we could put up some reasonably gaudy numbers¹.

¹ - 'Gaudy' by OSU standards....

bucksnut68 · #11 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 04:51 PM

I can see us going 10-1 with the only iffy game being at Purdue. Everyone else in the Big 10 loses to much to make up for in one year.

GO BUCKS!!!!

RAMdrvr1 · #12 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 06:24 PM

Clarity:
Go out on a limb, huh? OK, I'll pretend that you posted
the Buckeyes in the NC first.
If they get by Purdue up there, then I "agree" with
you. I'm real excited about next year's team. I believe
that, with less experience, the Buckeyes will go into the
season with a wide open offense, figuring that they will
have to score more often.

Clarity · #13 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 06:45 PM

I said 'out on a limb', not 'you heard it here first'. Calling for a national title shot before a season starts (even with all my specific conditions) for me is grossly uncharacteristic. I predicted 2 losses 2 seasons ago, and 2 losses this season. Despite predicting only 1 this coming season, I feel 2 losses is more likely than 0 unless the moons align. Which they can do. So for me, yeah, that's extending myself.

I'd also submit that "going out on a limb" in a post here, and someone saying the same thing over on a familiar larger board, are two totally different creatures -- they carry different weights. One means something. The other is a clichéd catchphrase used to mask the fact that some people have pie in the sky expectations for our team, clouded by fan bias and a small scale focus.

Not knuckling up here, just observing the differentiations.

The flip side of all of this, is that I could also say "I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if we win all of our games, we'll play for the title" and that in of itself would be a little slice of happy idiocy. So either way, brussels sprouts are nasty no matter how you serve them.

In the end, the purpose of saying such things in this thread, is to measure them against perspectives made in 2-3 months, then again in 6-7, then again in 10-12. What may well be 'out on a limb' now, maybe be a given by some of those points, or complete foolishness.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RAMdrvr1

Clarity:
Go out on a limb, huh? OK, I'll pretend that you posted
the Buckeyes in the NC first.
If they get by Purdue up there, then I "agree" with
you. I'm real excited about next year's team. I believe
that, with less experience, the Buckeyes will go into the
season with a wide open offense, figuring that they will
have to score more often.

RAMdrvr1 · #14 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 10:32 PM

Clarity:
I hope that you noticed that I was joking. Should have
went with a smiley face, I guess.

Clarity · #15 (**permalink**) 01-04-2004, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RAMdrvr1

Clarity:
I hope that you noticed that I was joking. Should have
went with a smiley face, I guess.

lol, I knew you were. I just felt like taking a jab at some of the chowderheads on the 'other' board.

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