Dave Thurman (10:16 am)

I think is's fitting that this past weekend was our national celebration of Labor Day, because our beloved Buckeyes have plenty of work to do following a spotty performance against Navy.  Of course the $64,000 question is, can this squad defeat USC on Saturday?  Well, if I was a betting man I would put my money on the Trojans but I haven't given up hope.  Quickly let me highlight some reasons for optimism and then some causes for fear and trepidation.

Positives that might lead to victory:

- The defensive ends (Heyward, Gibson & Williams) are strong and I think they'll be able to bring some pressure on Barkley.  A true freshmen quarterback in Ohio Stadium before 105,000 screaming fans, and a national TV audience might be suseptible to pressure, and I have high hopes that we can bring some. 

- Two words: Terrelle Pryor. Enough said. His athleticism and competiveness is invaluable, and you have to think he'll be primed for a big, breakout performance.

- Some good weapons to throw the ball to. Sanzenbacher, Pryor and Carter look like they can make the tough catch, and with a new commitment to hitting the tight end, both Ballard and Stoneburner become weapons that can spread out the vaunted USC defense.

- A monster crowd, hyped up from a whole day of tailgating, with many, no doubt, full of their favorite adult beverages. Even if the crowd doesn't intimidate USC it ought to pump up the Buckeyes.

Negatives to overcome:

- Petey the Great - PC may annoy you, and his teams occasionally get upset, but nobody in college football has a better record in big games, a fact that is chilling to be quite honest.

- Sheer talent - USC has out-recruited everybody the past five years and has talent to burn at every position, with tons of speed.

- A great o-line - The best offensive line in college football returns all five starters from a year ago, and with a stable of fabulous backs, they might be able to run at will.

- OSU linebackers - Facing a great running game, OSU fields it's most suspect group of backers in years.  I like Rolle but he is undisciplined and is often lined up out of position.  Homan is solid and I would probably put him in the middle but he is not a superstar.  Spitler, meanwhile, is just too slow to play against a team like the Trojans.  During the off season I mentioned that I was afraid of putting Homan and Spitler on the field together.  After last Saturday, I am not only afraid I am downright terrified.  I have visions of Maroon and Gold players running around and past our backers, and would like to see more of Sabino, inexperienced as he is. 

- The secondary - Last season's defensive backs couldn't stop the Trojan receivers and they were better than this year's group.  I don't think a big bottle of 60 SPF sunscreen could keep poor Anderson "Toast" Russell from getting burned.  Maybe there is nobody better on the bench, but I'd sure like to give Hines a try.  Needless to say I am very leery of the back seven against a high octane USC offense.

Well, there you have it, and I didn't even mention our offensive line, deciding to let Bollman and the big boys rest in peace.  So can the Bucks pull the upset?  We'll find out in a few short days, but it won't be easy!