Bold Predictions - 2019

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Fall camp is in the books and the season is here, well... almost. Attention has turned to the season and a week one opponent coming to Ohio Stadium with Florida Atlantic set to make its first ever trip to face the Buckeyes.

With that, it gives us a final chance to look at some big picture things before we get into the grind of weekly coverage with the team. How is this team going to fare in 2019? Who is going to make the playoffs? What are some bold predictions about Ohio State and college football in general?

A handful of us took these questions on and are making our picks. We also gave our members a chance to talk about the very same things and will highlight a few of their answers as well.

Kevin Noon: Justin Fields will account for just as many touchdowns as Dwayne Haskins did last year. Last season Haskins had 54 touchdowns but 50 of them came by way of the pass. Fields won’t have 50 in the air or 50 on the ground but once he gets going in this offense, it will be hard for teams to stop him. I tend to think that even with everyone being more excited by his running ability that we will see more of these come by way of the pass with the talented receivers that are around him and Ohio State likely not looking to become too predictable with the run. It will be more of a case where Fields will be in the range of 35 passing and 20 rushing. Obviously, if Fields can pick up a lot of that scoring slack and with the improved Ohio State defense, this team is going to win a lot of games.

Alex Gleitman: Gunnar Hoak wins a game for Ohio State this year. Justin Fields will be limited by the staff in the run game, but at some point it's an asset he's going to have to use. We never want to see anyone get injured, but with a quarterback who runs in the open field, it's something that has good odds of happening, even if the injury is minor. I predict at some point this season, Gunnar Hoak will either have to come into a game, or start a game, for the Buckeyes, and will pull out a win, saving OSU's chances at making a run at the CFP.

Keaton Maisano: The Ohio State defense will force more turnovers than the 2016 defense did. The defense in 2016, headlined by players such as Malik Hooker and Marshon Lattimore, was able to intercept 21 passes and recover six fumbles. The current rendition of the Ohio State defense will be able to top these 27 turnovers and threaten the seven defensive touchdowns scored by the 2016 unit. The presence of Jeff Hafley has already had a positive influence on the secondary, and there seems to be an increased freedom for playmakers to play the ball in the new system. Throughout camp the defense has been successful in forcing turnovers, and Hafley’s philosophy of simplifying the system and implementing more mixed looks will allow the defense to play the ball more often.

Braden Moles: J.K. Dobbins will rush for over 1,600 yards this season. With Mike Weber off to the NFL, he’s taking over 30 percent of Ohio State’s carries at running back last season with him. Those carries need to go somewhere, and following Dobbins self-described “failure” of the 2018 season, he’s going to be running with a vengeance this year. Though Justin Fields is expected to take some of the rushing load, the coaches will want to limit the amount Fields is leaving the pocket due to the shaky QB depth behind him. As the clear No. 1 back for the first time in his Ohio State career, Dobbins is going to run with the opportunity and go beyond his freshman year to rush for over 1,600 yards.

Best of the Horseshoe Lounge: Ohio State does not lose a trap game, nearly loses two conference games but ekes out an undefeated season. - Purplewreck The defense will be number 1 in the Big Ten and top-5 in the country. - Waughbr Ohio State goes 12-0 and Ryan Day doesn't win coach of the year in the B1G. - Tgib31 Ohio State loses to Michigan State giving (Mark) Dantonio a (Kirk) Ferentz-like win that secures him more time and money in East Lansing. Buckeyes rebound and win East and Big Ten. - Silverbullet1

Kevin Noon: The Pac-12 is eliminated from playoff consideration before 11/1. Call it a down league, call it parity, just don't call it for the College Football Playoff. There may be five teams in the AP preseason top-25 (three more teams than the ACC has) but that won't mean anything when it comes down to teams that are seriously in consideration for the final four of college football. Oregon will likely be sitting at 0-1 after week one with Auburn on the schedule and while Washington and Utah ease into the schedule under less fire, neither are exactly impressive on paper. The Ducks have by far the most difficult of the early schedules but there will be enough cannibalization in this league that nobody will be standing before the Nov. 2nd games and try as ESPN might, the league will be playing for the Rose Bowl or bust before Halloween candy is handed out.

Alex Gleitman: Georgia Won't Win The SEC East But Florida Will. The Bulldogs have won the division the last two years, making the CFP in 2017 and barely missing it in 2018. That run will at least take a pause this year, as it will be Dan Mullen and the Gators that emerge as SEC East winners, and take on Alabama in Atlanta following the conclusion of the regular season.

Keaton Maisano: The Heisman trophy will be won by a non-quarterback for the first time since 2015. Derrick Henry was the last player to win the Heisman at a position other than quarterback, and the 2019 pool of players boasts many candidates that could potential win. At the running back position, Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor and Clemson’s Travis Etienne both have the talent to put up monster stats in 2019. Taylor, who had 1,847 rushing yards last year, will certainly receive the workload to compete for the trophy, but he will need a solid season from Wisconsin and a Heisman moment to truly elevate himself above the field. Wideouts like Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy and Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb have the potential to explode on championship-caliber teams, but with only three wide receivers ever being able to capture the trophy, it would take a special season to break the trend.

Braden Moles: Alabama misses out on the playoffs after losing to Georgia in the SEC Championship game. From where I’m looking, I feel confident saying that Clemson, Oklahoma and Ohio State can win their respective conferences with one or fewer losses. Georgia and Alabama’s schedules are a bit beefier than they have been in previous years, so it’s possible one or both of them may come into the SEC Championship game with a loss. With the incredible recruiting class Georgia has put together with five five-star guys, I think they may finally be able to get the monkey off their back this year. If Georgia wins and hands Alabama their first or second loss of the season, can an 11-1 or 10-2 Alabama match up in the minds of the committee against a group of 11-1 or better conference champions in Clemson, OU, OSU and Georgia? Even if you think the committee has a bias towards Alabama, I don’t see how they could spin that.

Best of the Horseshoe Lounge: Michigan finishes the regular season 9-3 with another loss to OSU, and Harbaugh decides to head back to the NFL rather than deal with the collective Michigan fan base meltdown. - CincyOSU284 There will be no undefeated teams entering the playoffs. - RVABuckeye710 Alabama misses the CFB playoff for the first time ever. - OSUEvan Jake Fromm wins the Heisman Trophy on the back of Georgia going 12-1 and beating Alabama in SEC finale. - BG79

Kevin Noon: Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma

Alex Gleitman: Clemson, Alabama, Ohio State, Washington

Keaton Maisano: Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama, Texas

Braden Moles: Clemson, Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio State

Best of the Horseshoe Lounge: Members of the community voted for 10 different teams but the top-four vote getters were Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama, Oklahoma. Georgia finished 5th while Texas and Oregon were tied for 6th. Other teams receiving votes included LSU, Washington and Notre Dame.

Kevin Noon: Clemson

Alex Gleitman: Alabama

Keaton Maisano: Alabama (def. Clemson)

Braden Moles: Clemson

Best of the Horseshoe Lounge: Shocking that asking this question to Ohio State fans ended up with an answer of Ohio State, but it's true. Alabama was second, Clemson was 3rd and UGA was the only other team receiving votes.