Ohio State football is a team with a lot of pressure on their shoulders this season. The Buckeyes are picked to win the Big Ten Conference, per the preseason media poll. The team's head coach Ryan Day is also a man with a lot of expectations on him. Ohio State has lost to their bitter rival Michigan three years in a row, and Buckeyes fans are restless for a conference championship.
The team has the tools to win that title in 2024. The transfer portal brought several talented young men to Columbus, and the Buckeyes have several highly-touted freshmen on the roster as well. Here are some way-too-early bold predictions for Ohio State football in 2024.
Ohio State football's Will Howard will have a 3,000 yard passing season
The Buckeyes have a transfer quarterback in Will Howard, who brings experience and leadership to the team. Howard spent the last few seasons at Kansas State, leading the Wildcats offense. He threw for a total of 2,643 yards last season at Kansas State, which was a career-high.
Howard had a breakout season for Kansas State in 2023. He set a career-high in touchdown passes as well, with 24 touchdown throws. His completion percentage was close to 62 percent, another personal best for the veteran quarterback. Howard has improved tremendously over the last few years, and he will do so again in a high-octane Ohio State offense.
The Buckeyes have weapons all over the field on offense. Former coach Urban Meyer is one of many people who are impressed with the talent level of the squad. The offensive weapons include five-star freshman recruit Jeremiah Smith, a standout player from Opa Locka, Florida. These weapons will help Howard have another career-high year in passing yards in 2024.
A strong season from Howard will also help unlock some other bold predictions for this team.
Ohio State football will finally win the Big Ten again
The boldest prediction here is possibly that Ohio State football will once again win the Big Ten Conference. The league is in transition, as Jim Harbaugh has left Michigan and USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington are joining the conference. The one constant in this turmoil and changing environment is that Ohio State has mostly the same coaching staff from the last few years, with a lot of talent on both sides of the ball.
Ohio State has some tough challenges along the way. The team must go to Oregon and Penn State, while also playing Michigan at home. The road to a championship won't be easy. But the team will get it done. The Buckeyes have simply too much talent at too many spots to lose its way yet again.
There's also too much pressure on coach Ryan Day to lose. Day is a very good coach, and he will show the college football world once again why he is such a good coach. While the road won't be smooth and Ohio State won't be undefeated, the Buckeyes and Day will get the squad into the conference championship game. Ohio State is then going to win the league, and finally return to the College Football Playoff.
Ohio State's Ryan Day will win Big Ten Coach of the Year
As mentioned, the pressure is on Ryan Day to win this season. The head coach will rise to that challenge. The head man at Ohio State has an overall record of 56-8. He's done a lot at the school and has nearly had the team in the Big Ten championship game the last few years. Only Michigan tripped them up. With Jim Harbaugh finally out of the way, it is time for Day and Ohio State to once again claim the throne of the league's top football program.
The marvelous season ahead for the 2024 Buckeyes is going to give Day the award for conference coach of the year. There will be competition for that trophy, but Day would be deserving if the chips fall as they are supposed to. He would be going through a very difficult schedule, with Oregon, Penn State, Iowa and Michigan all regular season contests.
Time will tell if these predictions prove correct. Ohio State football opens its season on August 31 against Akron.
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