Burning Preseason Questions

For a team to be unanimously voted #1 by the Associated Press, you would think that college football nation, or at least Buckeye Nation, would have their major questions surrounding the team answered by the start of the season. Not so for our beloved defending champions. The Let's Go Bucks! staff weighs in on the QB controversy as well as what we can expect from such a talented squad.

1a. The starting quarterback should be ________. . .
Draper: JT Barrett.  Everyone seems to forget that JT Barrett matured like crazy after that VT debacle (mostly on the O-line).  I have said for the past year that Braxton is the best athlete, Cardale has the most NFL ready body, and JT plays the mental game best and has the most accurate arm.  While I won't be upset with either QB, great quarterbacks all have the mental game at the peak.  Cardale isn't the same guy from freshman year, but he can't read defenses as well as JT.  Jones can throw it farther, but no one puts the ball on a dime as well as Barrett.  In addition, Cardale has the skill of running defenders over but Barrett makes them miss.  Both are great but I see JT more as Russell Wilson and Jones more as a Roethlisberger.  At this level, I want someone that relies more on the head than the brawn. Both Superbowl winners, but the loss of Devin Smith will affect Cardale more than it will JT.
Hoying: JT Barrett. Quick, what Buckeye QB had the best season in Ohio State history? Rex Kern in 1969? Bobby Hoying in 1995? Troy Smith in 2006? Braxton Miller in 2013? Try JT Barrett in 2014. Barrett set the school record for yards in a season, as well as the B1G record for TDs (breaking a record held by Drew Brees). "But Cardale won the title," you say. Good point. If Craig Krenzel were on this team, then I guess the battle would be between him and Cardale. Barrett put this team in a position to compete for the title and was a sure-fire Heisman finalist before his untimely injury. Don't forget about JT's superhuman performance in Happy Valley in double OT, or his complete dismantling of the no-fly zone in East Lansing. There's a reason he won the starting job last season.
Schweinfurth: Cardale Jones. I have been so split on this all summer. JT put up some great numbers last year, but my biggest concern was late in the season. JT slowed down and missed a lot of passes (just watch the TTUN game last year). While Cardale isn't as polished, he did win 3 of the 4 toughest games the Buckeyes played last year.  His arm backs the defenses off; and we all know what Zeke can do with room to run. After all of that, the one stat that caught my eye was completion percentage against the blitz. Cardale was almost 10% higher than JT. It is just unfortunate one of these guys have to sit. You really can't go wrong with either guy.
Seeberg:  J.T. Barrett.  Both Barrett and Jones are obviously capable of running the Buckeye offense in high gear, but J.T. is the slightly more polished QB, particularly in terms of pocket awareness and accuracy on short/intermediate routes. J.T. is the choice, but having a 12-gauge loaded as a fallback is a phenomenal luxury to be sure.

1b. . . but actually will be ________.
Draper: JT Barrett.  If Jones was to be the starter, I think Urban would have made the announcement (even though there is no real benefit to announcing it). He's the senior, he's the QB from the playoff, he decided to come back....but the silence makes me lean on the side that Urban is looking for the best chance to win which in my opinion behind JT.  The spread is more tailored to a QB of JT's skill set than a beast that would prefer a pro-set.
Hoying: JT Barrett. When does Urban enjoy his highest level of success? When his quarterback is a run/pass dual threat spread master. NOBODY, not even Blessed Timothy of Philadelphia, runs the zone read like JT. I think I saw him make one bad read during all of last season, on the play that broke his ankle. And JT is able to see the field and utilize all of his weapons in a way Cardale can't, especially after the departure of Cardale's biggest deep threat. Cardale's bomb to Devin Smith set the tone for a rout of Wisconsin, but he threw the ball into double coverage and let Smith bail him out. If Corey Brown's running that route, the pass is picked off and the game may have followed a very different path. Cardale is, of course, the better pro prospect, but this is Division 1-A football, brother.
Schweinfurth: JT Barrett.  There is a reason he won the job over Cardale last year and his ability to distribute the ball will be needed without 4 wideouts.
Seeberg:  J.T. Barrett.  He won the job last year just before Braxton was hurt, no reason to think he won't again.  And let's remember, the last three games Cardale won were every bit as much about 'Zeke than Cardale, as well as the gelling of the offensive line.  Despite the occasional heroics of Cardale, I believe this has always been J.T.'s job to lose.

2. The 2015 season will be a disappointment if __________.
Draper: the Buckeyes don't play in the National Championship game. One can make a convincing argument that it's title or bust, but national championships are really, really hard to come by.  There are so many factors that can bite you in the butt.  Just think about TCU last year.  A stupid 4th down throw may have cost TCU the undefeated season and the shot for the playoff...one play.  Now, with that said, there is no one...NO ONE...that should compete with this team.  You want history, win it all; you want to 'not be a failure', make the title game (and don't crap the bed a la 2006 Buckeyes---stupid Meyer).
Hoying: another banner doesn't go up in Woody Hayes. Anyone remember the 2006 season? The Buckeyes were preseason #1 and played like it all season long, trouncing #2 Texas in Austin and engineering a convincing win over #2 Michigan in the Game of the Century. But, upon retrospection, does anyone feel like two wins over #2, a 12-0 regular season record, the Bucks' first outright B1G title since 1984 made that season a success? Not hardly. How about 2007's national runners-up? 2010's SEC-beating* 12-1* #5* campaign? Uh-uh. As soon as that #1 is attached to your name, it's national championship or bust. The margin for error is even smaller when one considers that the "nine units strong" should be "nine units stronger" this season, with the possible exception of WR. The wins over Alabama and Oregon were no fluke, and it'll take nothing short of a disaster to stop this team from repeating.
Schweinfurth: I agree with Draper and Seeberg.  This team should make the National Championship game.
Seeberg:  I have to agree with Draper here.  The new format makes it one really really tough game harder to win a national title.  Last year, were it BCS style, Oregon would've played Alabama and OSU wouldn't have even had a shot.  OSU has got to make the playoffs and win their semifinal, but to simply anoint this team champs again with this 4-team playoff is premature, particularly with a defensive line and secondary lacking some depth.

3. Compared to other Ohio State teams of the past, this team is __________.
Draper: in the team photo of best teams (top 5).  Need more data to place them at the top.  The talent is all there, but I need to see real results.  Last year was fantastic, but USC was an all-time great team....on paper when Barkley returned for his senior year....and crapped the bed.  There is no reason this won't be another studly team, but games aren't won on paper.  Finish and go down as one of the (if not THE) all-time greats.
Hoying: better. "Nine units strong" from last year should be "nine units stronger" this year, with the possible exception of WR. The losses of Devin Smith and Evan Spencer (and Noah Brown) are huge, but hopefully the addition of Braxton to the arsenal and the dual threat of Dontre Wilson and Jalin Marshall should lessen the impact of the losses (if they stay healthy - don't hold your breath). I discussed above that we can expect the best QB season in OSU history this year. RB should be no problem, since not even Eddie or Archie could match Zeke's 3 consecutive 200+ yd games. The lines are practically identical to last season's Tide-manhandling groups, and the secondary should surpass last year's already much-improved squad. Is this team flawless on paper? No. 2005 and 2009 had better defense. 1995, 1998, and 2006 had more seasoned QBs (although not more talented). 2002 had a better kicker. But this team knocked off the #1 and #2 teams in the country with performances that would have been blowouts if not for mistakes. And mistakes are the mark of a young team that has a lot of room to grow.
Schweinfurth: If this team wins a second National Title, this is the best team in Ohio State history.
Seeberg:  Hmmm.  IF we assume a second national title run, it has to be in the top three.  The offensive is terrifyingly stacked, littered with potential first-round draftees (Zeke, Jones, Barrett, Thomas, Decker, etc. etc.).  The D has two phenomenal playmakers in Bosa and Lee but is lacking some depth.  The Buckeye benchmark will always be 1968, the infamous "because I couldn't go for three" squad that dismantled scUM 50-14 before beating USC in the Rose Bowl.  The 1998 squad was so hysterically talented even Cooper couldn't lose to that team up north with them.  2006 was also an incredible team before the defense suddenly decided to stop blitzing and give up 80 points in their last two games.  Hard to imagine this D being comparable to any of the three aforementioned squads, but a repeat would stand on its own in Buckeye lore.

4. The player to watch in 2015 is __________.
Draper: Michael Thomas.  Unlike my co-writers, I'm not going to cop out.  We know the big names: Zeke, Barrett, Jones, Bosa, Braxton, etc.  Who will step up? Michael Thomas had a sneaky good year last year, but this is his year to take control of the WR corps and become a force to be reckoned with.  Losses of Smith and Spencer leave a void that I fully believe Thomas will fill.  He had some eye-popping plays last year, but was mostly an unknown due to the star power.  This year, he takes the step to the big boy table.  Don't close your eyes.  Keyshawn's nephew is ready to star.
Hoying: Braxton Miller. The biggest question mark on this team is at wide receiver after the losses of Devin Smith, Evan Spencer, and Noah Brown. 2-time B1G player of the year Braxton Miller may be the answer. We've seen Braxton make seemingly impossible plays from the pocket. What can he add to Urban's spread offense when given the length of the field to work with?
Schweinfurth: Ezekiel Elliott. An Ohio State running back wins the Heisman every 20 years.  It's been 20 years since Eddie George.  He will easily break Eddie's 1927 yard mark if he runs the way he did the last 3 games.
Seeberg:  It's Joey Bosa.  Yes I'm not exactly going off the radar here, but with good reason.  Aside from Bosa and Adolphus Washington, the D-line is very inexperienced.  Teams will double up on Bosa and perhaps Washington as well, so Bosa has to stay healthy, not suspended, and still make his share of plays despite lots of attention.  Otherwise the linebackers and secondary will be forced to make far too many tackles and cover for far too long for the defense to be effective.