FACE FIRST TEST AT WASHINGTON
WITH apologies to the scarlet-and-gray die-hards out there who watched every snap against Youngstown State and Akron (and bomb e-mail us every time we pick against their beloved Buckeyes), the new beginning of Ohio State football truly starts Saturday at Pac-10 Washington.
The No. 11 Bucks (2-0) - minus a Heisman Trophy winner and his two elite wide receivers, all now playing on Sundays - will fly across a couple of time zones and prepare to show the nation that life without Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., and Anthony Gonzalez will be just fine.
Of course, it may not be . . . at least this season. Coach Jim Tressel's offense is laced with inexperience and the remaining schedule is not easy. But, oh, that defense.
Granted, the Penguins and Zips - escorted out of Ohio Stadium after scoring a combined eight points - won't be confused with high-octane Hawaii anytime soon. But the Buckeyes defense is loaded nonetheless, and as we learned in January, as long as they're not playing an SEC team on a neutral field, they should be fine.
The Washington Huskies (2-0) - with Ty Willingham at the controls and a win over Boise State already in the bank - are a good early-season story. But they're not Florida. They're not even ranked.
"They have a great team. They've got all the things in place," Tressel said. "You can see that they've been working toward this goal. [We'll] find out more about who we are."
So will we. In the interim, lay the one score with the Big Ten champs as they return to the national spotlight. We'll dodge the Buckeye e-mail bombers for at least a week. Ohio State (-4) is the pick.
TONIGHT
West Virginia (-161/2) over MARYLAND: Home Thursday 'dogs usually have some bite, but the Terps have serious questions and the Mountaineers need to keep running up scores.
SATURDAY
Buffalo (+34) over PENN STATE: Sandwich game for the Lions, who just defeated Notre Dame and have Michigan in a revenge game next week.
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