Analysis: Answering Buckeyes' questions

CHICAGO - The Cubs are a first-place team. The White Sox have been a first-place team  most of the season.

And if you believe the preseason predictions, a third first-place team will be represented in Chicago today and tomorrow when Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel and three of his players are here for the Big Ten's annual summer media days.

With 18 starters back from last year's 11-2 team, which lost to LSU in the BCS national championship game, the Buckeyes are the obvious choice to win the Big Ten this fall.

OSU has its eyes on a third straight trip to the BCS title game with veteran players like Chris Wells, James Laurinaitis, Alex Boone, Todd Boeckman and others.

But, like any year, even a year in which you're everybody's early favorite, Ohio State faces some questions.

A few of those questions are:

Question: Boeckman threw for 2,379 yards and had 25 touchdown passes, with 14 interceptions in his first season as the starting quarterback last fall. But in the last three games against Illinois, Michigan and LSU, he had only two touchdown passes and threw six interceptions. Is this a reason to be concerned?

Answer: Obviously, the numbers in those last three games are not pleasant to look at. But consider the protection he got against LSU (5 sacks, countless other hits) and the fact OSU threw only twice in the second half at Michigan. Boeckman will be fine. He has to be. After the transfers of Rob Schoenhoft and Antonio Henton, there is not another quarterback on OSU's roster who has thrown a pass in a college game.

Question: Ohio State has nine returning starters on offense and nine starters back on defense. Guys everyone thought were leaving for the NFL, like Malcolm Jenkins, Laurinaitis and Boone, came back for their senior years. What's there to worry about?

Answer: Injuries. Ohio State got through last season without losing a major player for a significant amount of time. Also, the defensive line, other than Vernon Gholston, didn't scare anybody last year. That's one area where improvement is needed.

Question: Can Ohio State get back to the BCS national championship game for a third consecutive season?

Answer: It all hinges on Week Three when the Buckeyes play at Southern California. If Ohio State loses even one game this season, the poll voters, whose votes count for two-thirds of the BCS formula, will probably vote the Buckeyes too low to get to another national title game.

If Ohio State is going to be playing for a national title on Jan. 5 in Miami, it is probably going to have to be unbeaten.

That's not to imply that there is a conspiracy against OSU. If, say, Oklahoma or Texas or Michigan had gone to back-to-back BCS championships and been beaten soundly in both, Ohio State fans would be screaming to give somebody else a chance too.

Question: Why is Ohio State playing Troy Christian High School the fourth game of the season?

Answer: It's not Troy Christian, it's Troy University of Troy, Ala. Troy, an NCAA Division I school, was 8-4 last season. But three of those losses were to Georgia, Florida and Arkansas. And Leodis McKelvin, a cornerback, was the 11th overall selection in the NFL draft. So Ohio State fans might want to hold off on the laughter.

Maybe the better question is what was Troy thinking when it made out this year's schedule. It plays both of last season's BCS championship game opponents, LSU and Ohio State, in a span of three weeks in September.

Question: Will the hiring of Rich Rodriguez as head coach at Michigan change the recent trend of Ohio State dominance in the Big Ten's biggest rivalry? And how long will he be in Ann Arbor?

Answer: If he loses anywhere close to six of seven against Ohio State, as Lloyd Carr did from 2001-2007, he won't last too long. His stay might not stretch into decades for another reason. Don't be surprised if Rich Rod's name comes up when NFL jobs open up.

To change the rivalry, he needs a signature win over Ohio State, like Bo Schembechler's upset of the Buckeyes in his first season in 1969. But this doesn't look like the year he will get it.

Question: Which Ohio State player could surprise people by making the biggest improvement this season?

Answer: Improvement might not be the right word. This player might make the biggest leap in impact. Sophomore tailback Brandon Saine was just starting to look like he would be a major contributor last year when he had to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery after the Washington game last season. He returned to play, but didn't look quite the same. He has size, speed and can catch the football.

Question: What is the most dangerous game on Ohio State's schedule?

Answer: Sometimes, the obvious answer is the correct one. It's the game at Southern California.

But there could be a surprise out there. Nobody saw a loss to Illinois coming last season. And that game is on the Illini's homefield this season. Going to Wisconsin won't be easy and all five of Michigan State's losses last season, including a 24-17 decision at Ohio State, were by a touchdown or less.

Question: What's a good guess for a record and will the Buckeyes be playing in the national championship game again?

Answer: It's just a guess, but 11-1. And they'll probably need help to get back to the title game.