Ohio State Football: 2017 game-by-game predictions
By Shane Lunnen
Last season, the Buckeyes left Norman, Oklahoma with a convincing 45-24 victory. This year the Sooners pay the return visit to Columbus in an early season top 10 battle.
In June, Sooners head coach Bob Stoops shocked the college football world by announcing his retirement. Oklahoma immediately named offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley his successor. Riley has big shoes to fill as Stoops won ten Big 12 championships and a national title in his 18 seasons.
The Sooner offense has a lot of weapons to replace at running back and receiver, but they won’t have to replace Baker Mayfield. There is a lot unproven talent surrounding Mayfield, but with Oklahoma, they usually reload instead of rebuild. The offense should be just fine this season.
The defense has a lot of question marks in the front seven, but the secondary will be a strength for this team. Unfortunately for them, they play in the Big 12 where high-octane offenses make even the best defenses look silly. Still, they should be one of the better secondaries in the conference.
If Oklahoma gets its receivers to step up early in the season, this game could be a track meet Big 12 style. A game that’s fun to watch if you don’t have a rooting interest. Both Mayfield and J.T. Barrett throw for a lot of yards and three touchdowns a piece. Sooner running back Rodney Anderson and Buckeye Mike Weber rush for 100 yards and two touchdown each. The game will come down to the team with the ball last and it will be the Buckeyes. They march down the field on a last-minute drive to get the win with a chip shot field goal.