The Ohio State Buckeyes finished the 2003 campaign with an 11-2 record and defeated Kansas State 35-28 in the Fiesta Bowl, one of the four BCS bowls played each year. It was the second consecutive Fiesta Bowl victory for the Buckeyes who beat the Miami Hurricanes a year before to take the national title. Fiesta Bowl MVP QB Craig Krenzel was among the 14 Ohio State players selected in the 2004 draft so the 2004 edition of the Buckeyes will likely look different from previous seasons. Coach Jim Tressel is still calling the shots on the field and he won’t tolerate anything but the best from his squad. I expect him to field another solid team in the competitive Big Ten and compete for a national title once again. They’ll start the season at #13 in my pre-season poll.

Running back Maurice Clarett is still fighting to get into the NFL, but it seems as though each decision is going against him now. Ohio State suspended him during the 2003 season and after he was initially successful in his attempt to challenge the NFL's rule that a player needed to be out of high school for three years before he was eligible for the league's draft, the ruling was overturned and he’s been on the outside looking in ever since. Ohio State University is also one of 40 Division I schools that operates without aid from the rest of the university. The school works on a whopping $83.6 million budget, easily the largest in the nation, but they made a profit last year largely due to the $22.6 brought in from football revenue. Ohio Stadium, commonly referred to as “The Horseshoe”, can hold 105,000 people per game.

Receiver Santonio Holmes finished last year with 32 catches for 549 yards and seven scores and should post great numbers this season due to his breathtaking speed. Running back Lydell Ross recorded 826 yards and ten touchdowns last year and should eclipse the 1,000 yard mark in 2004. Linebacker Anthony Schlegel will fill the void in the middle of the defense next to A.J. Hawk and cornerback Dustin Fox will likely start for the third season. Fox finished last year with 77 tackles and three picks. Hawk had a team high 106 tackles last season with 13 tackles for loss and four sacks. He also recorded ten tackles in the Fiesta Bowl win and was named defensive MVP.

The Buckeyes will face tough road tests during the season when they travel to Iowa and Purdue before finishing the season at home against the rival Michigan Wolverines on November 20. The Michigan game is always the biggest on the schedule and is often one of the biggest games in all of college football and this year shouldn’t be an exception. If the team can get by some of the middle-level teams in the conference, the game at the Horseshoe against Michigan could determine whether the Buckeyes can make their third consecutive BCS bowl game.

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