Ohio State Football: Way too early 2021 game predictions
Despite losing star power, Ohio State Football remains the heavy favorite to once again win the Big Ten and return to the college football playoff
Ohio State football took a small step forward in head coach Ryan Day’s second season, by defeating Clemson in the Sugar Bowl and getting to the national championship game vs Alabama. The Buckeyes were no match for the Crimson Tide, but Ohio State is close to winning their first national championship since 2014, but they will need to replace some serious star power to reach that goal in 2021.
The obvious storyline for the Buckeyes this spring and into the fall will be who replaces Justin Fields, one of the greatest quarterbacks in school history. The frontrunner appears to be CJ Stroud, who has a lot of talent, but he will have to fight for the job against some talented players as well. The other guy that will need to be replaced will be Trey Sermon.
Sermon was one of the key pieces in the championship run last season and he was clearly missed in against Alabama. Master Teague is back to lead the running back group, but keep an eye out for five-star freshman Treyveon Henderson to get some carries.
Ohio State will boast the most dangerous receiving corps in the whole country. The surprise return of Chris Olave to pair back up with Garrett Wilson will be the most dangerous combo in the country. The offensive line is going to have to replace Wyatt Davis, but the Buckeyes recruit and develop as well as anyone.
The defense for Ohio State will need to be better than it was last season if the Buckeyes want to win a championship. The return of Haskel Garrett on the defensive line will be huge. The secondary will need to replace Shaun Wade and be a better overall unit in 2021.
The schedule has some potential challenges to it this season. Ohio State has a non-conference game with Oregon in week two and then faces Penn State, Indiana and Michigan in Big Ten play.
Here are my way too early predictions for Ohio State’s 2021 season.