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Ohio State Football: 5 bold predictions for September 2018

By Shane Lunnen

COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 09: Ohio State Buckeyes cheerleaders run onto the field before the game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 09: Ohio State Buckeyes cheerleaders run onto the field before the game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Ohio State begins the 2018 season with high expectations. Here are our predictions for the first month of the season.

Before the month of August, it appeared Ohio State was heavy favorites to win the Big Ten again and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. Those hopes have diminished some after the three game suspension of Urban Meyer.

Meyer has been away from the team the entire month of August and will continue to be through the first game of the season against Oregon State. He then can return to practice, but will still not be allowed with the team on the next two game days. The Buckeyes still have plenty of talent to win and it is the players that make the plays on the field. However the lack of Meyer’s presence on the sidelines for three games will be felt.

Ohio State has a few easy games with a couple of tests in the first month of the season. Let us make some predictions of how the month of September will look for the Buckeyes.

5. Mike Weber leads in rushing yards

Last season, Mike Weber was originally set to be the lead tailback for the Buckeyes. His left leg had other plans as he dealt with a hamstring injury throughout last year’s training camp and into the first few weeks of the regular season. This gave J.K Dobbins his opportunity to become the go to guy in the backfield.

Weber decided to forego the NFL draft for one more season in Columbus. While Weber had 90-plus less touches than Dobbins and ended up with only 626 yards on the year, he did have 10 touchdowns compared to Dobbins’ seven scores. In his two seasons, Weber has 1,722 yards and 19 touchdowns, averaging just over six yards per carry.

With Weber and Dobbins, the Buckeyes have a formidable one two punch out of the backfield and they will help ease the transition to Dwayne Haskins as quarterback. Dobbins appears to have more upside, but Weber is still a quality back. Both have a good chance of finishing the season over the 1,000 yard mark.

The coaches may choose to run Weber more early in the season, saving Dobbins for the bulk of conference play. We are betting Weber leads the team in rushing yards after one month of the season.

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