Big Ten Football 2018 preview: Breakout stars, biggest games, predictions
By Brad Weiss
Conference Champions: Ohio State Buckeyes
One look at the Ohio State roster, and you can see why many feel they will be the team to beat in the Big Ten this season. The Buckeyes are going to be tasked with replacing J.T. Barrett at quarterback, but Dwayne Haskins is no slouch, and he has a bunch of weapons around him in his first year as the starter.
In the backfield, Mike Weber and J.K. Dobbins are a dominant tandem, and they have one of the best wide receivers in the Big Ten in Parris Campbell. On defense, the Buckeyes could have the best overall unit in the entire nation, as guys like Nick Bosa, Dre’Mont Jones should be very tough to compete with up front. In addition, Damon Arnette is one of the best cornerbacks in the country.
Ohio State does have to go on the road to take on Michigan State and Penn State, so their road to the top of the East Division will not be an easy one. However, they do get Michigan inside Ohio Stadium, and while that game is late in the year, the Buckeyes should be able to take care of business in front of their home fans.
There is no word as to what is going to happen with head coach Urban Meyer just yet, as the investigation should be concluded by the end of the week. That has cast a bit of a cloud over the program over the past few weeks, but the only thing the players can do is prepare themselves for the season opener against Oregon State.
Ohio State will have to wait until later this week to learn the status of their head coach, but the team has forged on to prepare themselves for the 2018 season. They have the players to win no matter who is the head coach, but Meyer is a difference maker when he is stalking the sidelines, and they are going to need him if they want to bring home a national title.