On Campus in Ohio: Week 1

[Bucklion]

ON CAMPUS IN OHIO: WEEK 1

By Bucklion





Well, the time for talk and preseason analysis is over…time to break out the tailgating equipment and dive head-first into the season. Week 1 features the unofficial Big Ten/MAC challenge, with several of our Ohio teams taking on Big Ten opponents, including state rivals Miami and OhioState battling it out in Columbus. Several area teams have at least a chance to snag a win to start the season, and several programs will get a good measure of themselves with the opening matchup.





Week 1 State Rankings:



1 (-) Ohio State: The Buckeyes open with a visit from the RedHawks. The team must be focused on a very respectable opponent, and not looking ahead at all to a big-time showdown with Texas in game 2.



2 (-) Bowling Green: The Falcons have perhaps the most intriguing matchup on opening day, as they travel to Wisconsin to take on the Badgers. A lot will be known about the season’s potential fortunes for both teams after the conclusion of this battle.



3 (-) Miami: The RedHawks open their defense of the MAC East by traveling to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes in their toughest OOC matchup. A good showing could build momentum for the rest of the season.



4 (-) Toledo: The MAC West champs begin their season with I-AA Western Illinois.



5 (-) Akron:Akron is off week 1.



6 (-) KentState: Continuing the Big Ten theme, the Flashes travel to East Lansing to take on the Spartans. It is never clear what you’ll get from the Spartans, so this could be an interesting matchup.



7 (-) Cincinnati: The Bearcats get MAC foe Eastern Michigan in Week 1. EMU could be improved this year, so this is a very important game for the psyche of the Bearcats.



8 (-) Ohio: Frank Solich takes his team to Evanston to take on Northwestern. This is a good matchup for Solich, to see where his team stands against quality, but not elite, competition.





Head-To-Head Matchups: Week 1



(NOTE: Upset alert is from 0-10, with 10 being “Red Alert…better concentrate on these guys� and 0 being “Here’s your 400 thousand for an ass-whuppin’….thanks for coming�)



Prediction record: 0-0 SU, 0-0 VL





Thursday



Eastern Michigan (0-0) at Cincinnati (0-0)



Line:Cincinnati -10 ½



Upset Alert:8



Synopsis: The Bearcats are comfortably favored in their home opener against MAC foe Eastern Michigan. The Eagles finished last season 4-7, but there is some optimism in Ypsilanti, after beating state rivals Central and Western last season. The Eagles run a dangerous spread offense against a Bearcat defense that returns virtually no experience. Eastern returns little defensive experience either, so both units could be exploited. Cincinnati will have to control the clock and force some turnovers to be successful…this is a battle between 2 teams that are hopeful, but have many outside detractors, and the winner will springboard into a possible run at a winning record. Look for the scrappy Bearcats to get the edge at home.



Prediction: Cincinnati 27, Eastern Michigan 24











Western Illinois (0-0) at Toledo (0-0)



Line:N/A



Upset Alert:0



Synopsis: Toledo should steamroll to a big victory against a lower division opponent.



Prediction: Toledo 56, Western Illinois 10











Saturday



Miami (0-0) at OhioState (0-0)



Line:OhioState -14 ½



Upset Alert:6



Synopsis: Before Buckeye fans get in an uproar, the alert rating doesn’t indicate that I think there’s a good chance that Miami will beat OhioState. However, historically most of the in-state games have been close, and Miami is coming off a very successful season and returns a large number of starters. The offense is prolific but too one-dimensional to beat an elite defense like the Buckeyes consistently. This all leads to the RedHawks giving the Buckeyes a tussle…before succumbing at the end.



Prediction: OhioState 31, Miami 20











Ohio (0-0) at Northwestern (0-0)



Line:Northwestern -14 ½



Upset Alert:2



Synopsis: Frank Solich has fans buzzing again about Ohio football. The opening contest is a trip to Evanston to take on a Wildcat team that runs a spread option that is extremely difficult to defend. The Wildcats will be a competitive team again this year, and will again pile on the points. The defense is vulnerable, but there are far too many questions on the Ohio offense to think that they will be able to keep up with the Wildcats on the road in the coach’s opening game. Still, a good showing could build some confidence, but Northwestern is poised to make a run at the upper division of the Big Ten, and that’s too much for the Bobcats to handle.



Prediction: Northwestern 35, Ohio 13











KentState (0-0) at MichiganState (0-0)



Line:MichiganState -18



Upset Alert:4



Synopsis: The Spartans are probably the most enigmatic team in all of college football. One week they could beat Texas, the next week they could lose to Texas Southern. As usual, the Spartans have a great deal of talent, and certainly overmatch the Golden Flashes on paper. Still, the Flashes won their last four games in 2004, and the defense was overachieving to the tune of a first place conference finish. Certainly the defense can keep the team in the game, but offensively, the loss of Cribbs is huge, and it will take time to get the passing game to the point they can compete with Big Ten teams. The Spartans also usually play well at the beginning of the season, so look for them to take control of this one. Look for the Flashes D to help the team squeak inside the spread.



Prediction: MichiganState 31, KentState 14











Bowling Green (0-0) at Wisconsin (0-0)



Line:Wisconsin -4



Upset Alert:10



Synopsis: Questions, questions, questions. Wisconsin is in a state of flux with the announcement that coach Barry Alvarez is stepping down at the conclusion of the season, as well as with the loss of several key players from last year’s squad. The Falcons return one of the nation’s most prolific offenses, and an experienced defense. The Badgers tend to overachieve when picked low, and underachieve when picked high, so given the coaching situation, it wouldn’t at all be a surprise if the Badgers made a run at a major bowl. On the flip side, Bowling Green has played some very good teams on the road in recent seasons, and will not be intimidated at CampRandall. This will probably be a chic pick for an upset on most of the Saturday morning analysis shows, but the pick has some teeth, because Bowling Green is battle tested, and can pile on points with anyone. Given all the questions at Wisconsin, if Bowling Green has any semblance of a defensive showing…they’ll have the answers.



Prediction: Bowling Green 27, Wisconsin 25

[daddyphatsacs]

Nice job Bucklion.

[3yardsandacloud]

Wow, BG lays 27 on Wisky at CR. I'd LOVE to see it BL. Anyone hearing the Ohio U Football commercials running locally? Solich really has them "buzzing" down in Athens. I know. Bad pun. It's very odd to hear the Bobcat stuff on radio here in Columbus. Hope he gets them turned around. Maybe folks will attend games for the team and not just the band. Nice stuff again BL.