What Does 2012 Have In Store For Urban Meyer's Ohio State Buckeyes?

With the 2012 football season nearly upon us, you, the fan, likely have lots of questions. Luckily for you, we just happen to have the answers. Here is a staff chat addressing some of the biggest topics of the year.

ON OHIO STATE

Q: What are the chances of Ohio State making it through non conference play undefeated?

A: Everybody but me said 95%+ and I hedged my bets and said 80%. Here are some sample answers;

-Matt Brown--"80%. UCF and Cal aren't bad football teams, but neither are likely to be top 25 teams this year.OSU also gets everybody at home. Miami and UAB are cannon fodder." I have to admit though, after reading the pounding this blog (and other Buckeye blogs) has taken on some UCF forums, I hope OSU wins by 30.

-David Regimbal--"93%. Cal was on the upswing when Ohio State scheduled this game, but Jeff Tedford has sucked all the success and promise from the program like a weird vampire that sucks success and promise out of things."

Q: OSU's leading rusher at the end of the season will be...

A: Braxton Miller-5 votes Carlos Hyde: 3 votes

From Team Carlos, Ian Cuevas--"While Jordan Hall will certainly be a main cog in the offense, Hyde is more of a power-type back. Expect El Guapo to receive the majority of the carries while Hall will be playing all sorts of different roles within the spread offense.

Team Braxton, Eric Schieve--" Wow, good question. Honestly I think it'll be Braxton Miller. Braxton running was the Buckeyes' best offense last year. While Tom Herman is already looking like he'll install a far more progressive system than #WALRUSBALL, it doesn't mean that Braxton Miller still won't be the most dynamic running threat the Bucks have. Plus, I think an inexperienced O-line plus questionable targets besides Jake Stoneburner mean that Miller will still be scrambling often on pass plays"

Many guys who voted for Braxton said this was because OSU has several backs that are likely to split carries, not that Miller is going to run for 1,200 yards, although that would be dope.

A: Lots of different answers here. WR Michael Thomas was the only player to get more than one vote.

D.J Byrnes --"Michael Thomas. I have watched all the YouTube clips, browsed his Twitter timeline, and watched him during the Spring Game. I love everything about this dude."

Ian-- "Nick Vannett. I covered this in a previous post, but Nick Vannett has all the potential to be an extremely dangerous tight end for Ohio State. With the move of Stoneburner to receiver, Vannett will most likely be put into more pass situations than Jeff Heuerman. Both are capable, but Vannett is more versatile with his route-running ability and speed. Heuerman will most likely share time with Vannett but I'm going out on a limb and guessing that Vannett becomes the more reliable receiving target."

Other players to receive votes: Zach Boren, Jeff Heuerman, Doran Grant, Taylor Decker, Tyrone Williams.

Q: With no bowl, what has to happen for you to consider this season a success?

A: General consensus: win at least 9 games and beat Michigan.

Chip Minnich--"A victory over Michigan. Defeating Michigan in the first season under Coach Meyer will only ramp up the enthusiasm for both teams, as well as on a national scale, can only help Ohio State's recruiting, and will only stoke the fires in anticipation for an even bigger 2013 season for the Buckeyes."

David--"Nine victories? A win over Michigan? All those sound good, but I'll settle for an offense that doesn't make me want to set myself on fire."

Luke--"Beat Michigan, beat Michigan, beat Michigan, and beat Michigan."

Q: What's OSU's final record going to be?

A: 9-3 (2 votes) 8-4 (1 vote) 12-0 (1 vote) 11-1 (1 vote) 10-2 (2 votes)

Luke--" 9-3. I've been dead set on 8-4 all summer (as going from 6-7 to anything more than give or take two wins is damn near impossible under ordinary circumstances), but this Ohio State team is better than everyone they play but will still probably find ways to lose games they shouldn't."

Ian--"This is a new offensive system and despite all of the fireworks we may get to see during the season, the team won't be perfect. I see the Buckeyes dropping two games this season, probably to Michigan State and Wisconsin. Both are away and playing good football in Camp Randall is no small task. Past Buckeye teams have learned that lesson the hard way. As for the Spartans, they do lose much of their offensive firepower but the defense should still be able to stand toe to toe with the best of them."

For what it's worth, nearly every staff writer thought Michigan State would beat OSU. Wisconsin was another popular pick for a loss. After that, we just kinda assumed some other random team would win. Of course DJ thinks OSU's going undefeated.

***ON ALL THINGS B1G****