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It's here. 7 months and 15 days since the last Ohio State football game of consequence, the Buckeyes kick off the 2014 campaign by heading east to newly claimed Big Ten country, Baltimore, MD.
The Buckeyes' opponents? The Naval Academy. Yes, the same plucky side that nearly spoiled OSU's 2009 opener.
Navy's maintained a similar amount of success in the four years that followed, while Ohio State looks to kickoff their first Big Ten title run under Urban Meyer.
In order to do so, they'll have to find success in a hurry with first year starter redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett. With Braxton Miller lost for the season, OSU won't have the benefit of time as both Navy and future Week 2 opponent, Virginia Tech, could provide immediate challenges and require Barrett to look the part and in a hurry.
Can Ohio State live up to their pre-Braxton injury expectations? And can 2014's Navy game feel a lot less unnerving than the 2009 equivalent did? Join us to find out.
Below is your 2014 Ohio State season opener GameThread. We have few rules here except Woody's "pay it forward" mantra. Be good to one another and so forth and so forth (sup, Jim Tressel). If you like GIFs (and hot damn, do we love them), you're welcome to meet our friend, the GIF Oracle, by commenting "@oracle GIF me".
#GoBucks
