For the next few weeks our very own Jordan Lauterbach will be previewing the upcoming 2009 College Football season. Each day, he will be posting a new preview so be sure to check in everyday.

Last Season: 10-3, 7-1, Lost to Texas in Fiesta Bowl

Losses don’t get much tougher than the one Ohio State had in last year’s Fiesta Bowl. After coming back from a 17-6 first half deficit, a first half in which they looked out-classed by yet another non-conference BCS opponent, the Buckeyes let Colt Mccoy march 76 yards down the field and lost the lead with 16 seconds remaining. It was a disapointing end to a season that saw the begining of a quarterback philosopy change for the school. That change revolves around one of the most exciting players in the country, Terrelle Pryor.

Of all the storylines entering this season, the matuaration of Terrelle Pryor is one of my favorites. The highly recuited quarterback was reportedly this close to going to rival Michigan when he decided he needed more time to mull the decision. Finally, the high-school start spurned the Big House for Ohio State. Much to the chagrin of almost everyone in the state of Michigan. Ironically, I think his skill set would have fit really well with a Rich Rodriguez spread offense.

Last season, Pryor split time with sixth year senior Todd Boeckman. Boeckman was largly in charge of holding down the ship until Pryer was ready to take over. He did a fairly decent job of it, completing 61% of his passes and only turned the ball over twice, but nothing to make Ohio State fans forget about the stud on the sideline.

As the season went on, Pryor was used more and more and looked better and better. He showed flashes of what he can be late in the year, when he recorded three separate individual season highs in three seperate games. In a loss to Penn State, Pryor threw for 226 yards. In a win at Northwestern, he had a passer rating of 253.20. In a win over Illinois, he displayed his incredible athleticism by running for 110 yards.

That athleticisem was shown again in the Fiesta Bowl when he lined up at wide reciever and caught a touchdown pass. This kid is special and will show it early and often this year. He reminds me a little of Tim Tebow with the way he can change the game in so many ways.

Pryer finished the year with over 1000 yards passing, 12 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. This will no doubt improve.

Here’s a not-so-bold prediction- Terrelle Pryor will win the Heisman trophy in his Junior season (‘10). He’ll certainly be in the running this season.

But as good as Pryor will be, he can’t do it on his own. Ohio State’s offense could stall a little if they don’t get help from other areas. Running back is one of those areas. Although he was banged up in the first game of the year last season, the loss of Bennie Wells is big. The Buckeyes will need sophomore Dan Herron to fill his shoes. Herron racked up 439 yards and 6 Td’s last year. With an increased number of carries, Herron will get his chance to shine. OSU will need that to take some of the pressure off Terrelle Pryor in the running game.

Pryor’s recievers will also be a major issue. The Buckeyes ranked 104th in passing offense last season. Without a proven running back core to fall back on, OSU will need increased controbutions from players like Dane Sanzenbacher and Ray Small. Sanzenbacher is the leading returning reciever. Last year he caught 21 passes for 272yards and one touchdown. This is not close to the statline he’ll need to have for the passing offense to be beter that it was last year.

While Pryor’s impact will be imeadiate, I question if the rest of the offense will produce enough to take some of the pressure off the star under center. I can see this being a major issue against good defenses.

What I wouldn’t worry about if I was a Buckeye fan is the defense. The unit returns eight starters and boasts the Big 10’s best pass defense. Two big losses on the defense to take a look at. First, the loss of linebacker James Laurinaitis is big. But those in the OSU know think that the core of Tyler Moeller, Austin Spitler, and Ross Hoffman could not miss a beat with Laurinaitis. Given the talent that the spawn of half the Legion of Doom was, that would be quite impressive.

The other defensive loss to keep an eye on is Jim Thorpe Award winner Malcom Jenkins. But don’t expect the secondary to suffer too much. Junior corner Chimdi Chekwa is a stud that a secondary can be built around.

While I think the emmergence of Terrelle Pryor will be as fun to watch as anything this season, the offense could struggle from time to time. But Pryor and a very good defense will still be enough to win the Big 10. But when it comes to a BCS Bowl…well, we’ll see….

3 Games To Watch

September 12- USC- While USC may not be as good this year as they’ve been in past years, they still are the Trojans. This should be a defensive battle as we get to see what this OSU offense can do. Somehow, I don’t expect the Navy game on September 5th to be a close one.

November 7th- @ Penn State- A key Big 10 road game for the Buckeyes. Late in the year, this one could be huge when it comes to the Big 10 standings.

November 21st- @ Michigan- C’mon, how can you not love this game. Michigan is going to be bad once again. I don’t see how anyone can realistically see more than five wins on the scedule (tops!). But no mater what, this game is always a special one. Plus, it’s Terrelle Pryors first game in Ann Arbor since spurning the Wolverines to go to OSU. That’s looking like a pretty smart move, by the way.