What to Expect

Things can only get better for Akron this season, after going 1-11 last year. In come some junior college transfers, and some players cast off from bigger schools. Ianello may have an eye for talent, but this could be another difficult year for the Zips. It is understandable that a team is still finalizing during the final two weeks before the first game, but the Zips roster was a bit of a mystery in some key positions before this week, such as fullback and place kicker.

I think you will see some first game jitters for the Buckeye team and the coaching staff. However, remember that only one coach (although an important one) is missing from last year's team, so there will not be chaos on the sideline. Fickell has been around the game long enough to know that he is good at defense, and will likely leave most of the offense decisions to Bollman and his crew. I expect OSU to get 200 on the ground, split mostly between Hyde and Smith. Bauserman and Miller will split the game fairly evenly and pass for a total of 215 yards in the air. OSU will win the game, with a score of 42-10.