Week 2 Predictions – 2023
Last Week: Week 1 is now in the books and Ohio State came away from Bloomington with the win. The Defense was clearly the star of the day, as they held the Hoosiers to just a field goal. The Offensive line is still working to replace three starters but they have three weeks to get things worked out. As for our staff picks, everyone was either 3-0 or 2-1 so a strong start for us as well.
This Week’s Games: The Buckeyes will host the Youngstown State Penguins to open the home slate for 2023. They should be able to name their score and most of the players will get the see playing time, the question will still be who will step up at quarterback? …. For the second week, Prime Time Deion has the Buffalos in the spotlight. This week the Pac-12 Colorado squad will play the Big 10 Nebraska team. Am I the only one that remembers this as a Big 8 rivalry game? …. The big game of the week will be in Tuscalusa as the Longhorns will travel to Alabama to play the Tide. The game came down to a field goal last year, will it be close again this year?
Buckeye Greats: As in the past, we will continue to include former Buckeye players in our prediction fun and we are thrilled to have Vaughn Broadnax back with us as a regular participant for the ninth straight year.
Here we go with our Week 2 Picks – Good Luck to All – Gregg
Youngstown State @ (5)Ohio State
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU 1980-83): Youngstown State is coming to Ohio Stadium with the hopes that clubbing seals is as abhorred as clubbing seals. Unfortunately, Ohio State fans have the thirst of a Roman colosseum crowd looking to fill their need for carnage. This may inspire our team and coaches to give them what they ask for. Ohio State will stuff the Penguins 54-0.
Andy: The Buckeyes got off to a slow start against Indiana and struggled through most of the game. Losing CJ stroud no doubt had an impact on this offense. It remains to be seen whether Ohio State actually has a good replacement QB on their roster currently. Make no bones about it, Kyle McCord looked bad against Indiana. I don’t think that was the sole issue with Ohio State’s offense. It seemed like there was bad play calling and play design and the offensive line also looked really bad. Despite the ugly win there was a bright spot, Ohio State’s defense looked really good. At this point in the season it is too early to tell what type of team we have. I expect to see a bit more points this week as Ohio State is at home against Youngstown State. Ohio State 42 Youngstown State 7
Cory: After seeing some week one performances from other teams, I am not so down on Ohio State anymore. We knew there would be some growing pains with a new QB and a new offensive line, and to be honest, Indiana’s defense looked better than expected. I will be more concerned, however, if the offense does not show signs of improvement against Youngstown State. Defensively, the Buckeyes looked pretty good on Saturday and you would expect that to continue against Youngstown State. The Penguins love to run the ball – they racked up over 300 rushing yards in their win over Valparaiso last week. Slowing that down is the key to the game. With the new clock rules the Buckeyes cannot allow Youngstown State to control the clock. I expect another balanced game plan offensively, and I don’t expect we’ll learn much about the quarterbacks this week. Ohio State 52, Youngstown State 13
Dave: Ohio State 42 Youngstown State 3
Gregg: A solid performance last week from Kyle McCord but it did not produce many points and Buckeye fans are used to a lot of points. The closeness of the score prevented Devin Brown from getting more snaps, both should get plenty this week. I doubt we get a clear starter yet but it will be nice to see the offensive line get more reps together. Hopefully less field goals and more touchdowns this game. Only two more weeks before the scarlet & gray head to South Bend. Ohio State 55 Youngstown State 6
Joe-S-U: Ohio State
John: Ohio State
Josh: This is the honorary Tressel game, and as much as Ohio State should respect the opponent, this is a game where you can treat as a practice to work on fixing things they need to get fixed. If there really is a quarterback competition still, this should be an evenly split game with Kyle McCord and Devin Brown, and let them both get to work with the 1’s through the 3rd quarter to let each of them get experience. Notre Dame is looming in 2 weeks, and no offense to the Penguins or the Hilltoppers, but that is the game Ohio State is getting ready to keep any chance of playoff aspirations alive. If the defense can play lights out again, and help give the offense more possessions to work on its chemistry, that is where the real win comes in this game. Ohio State 63 – Youngstown State 3
Steven: Well kids, this isn’t last year’s Ohio State team. In some ways that’s a good thing. If Jim Tressel taught us anything, it is that the Promised Land can be met via the most ugly of routes. This may be one of those seasons where win ugly, survive and advance, is the primary game plan. A lot of us thought the run game would be more efficient. While Treveyon Henderson struggled, Chip Traynum took his opportunities and, forgive the pun, ran with them. It is clear the offensive line struggled, but it was a bit strange when they were doing well in pass protection, we held the reins tight on the pass game. The Buckeyes will have to improve across the board in order to stay in the National Championship picture, not to mention just the B1G race. They get their chance against Youngstown State. Last Saturday, the Buckeye defense played well against an Indiana team that may, or may not have been really trying to win. Like the Buckeyes, it seemed like the Hoosier offense wasn’t fully baked, and keep away was their best, and possibly only strategy. With the new clock rules in college football, I think you’ll see a lot more of this. It could very well take college football back to the era of Tressel-ball, whether we like it or not. The only way to combat this is to work tempo and rely on finishing drives, because possessions are now at a premium. This all shouldn’t matter much against an outgunned team such as the Penguins, but come 2 weeks against Notre Dame, we better have the kinks ironed out. OSU should roll, and may not give up a point. I’ll give YSU a token field goal. OSU 51-3
Trout: Last week was definitely not the game we were hoping that Ohio State would have. My hope was that McCord and the Buckeye offense would have had more consistency. I am not expecting McCord to Justin Fields or CJ Stroud out the gate, but his play needs to be a little less chaotic. Granted, he did have a few drives that look pretty good. The touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison that didn’t count was a great throw. However, I am not blaming the lackluster premorance all on McCord. The offensive line was objectively terrible. The linebacker for Indiana, Casey had a field day. He was able to get into the backfield with little to no issues. They need to figure things out, if they want to stand a chance against Notre Dame. In regards to this week’s game, McCord and the offense can gain a little more confidence. There is no way that Ohio State loses this game. It’s not only a FCS team, but it’s a bad FCS team. The game is a glorified scrimmage. This game is a chance for Ryan Day and the offense to work out some kinks, and get the offense looking more like it did these past few seasons. I also expect Devin Brown to play a little more. If everything goes right, McCord will play the first half and Brown will play the second half. The Buckeyes win big and hopefully learn from their mistakes last week. (Ohio State 63-10)
Final Score: Ohio State 35 Youngstown State 7
Nebraska @ (22)Colorado
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU 1980-83): Nebraska will enter a sold out Folsom Field to as they visit Deion Sanders and his Colorado Buffalos team. There has not be a fervor in the stadium since the early ‘90s. This will add additional energy coming off a big upset win. While I do expect Shedeur Sanders to light up the Cornhuskers D with Travis Hunter on the receiving end, I think the score ends up close. Colorado moves to 2-0 beating Nebraska 33-24.
Coach Rick: This game is a coin flip for me. Nebraska has no offense and Colorado has no defense. I believe that defenses win championships. Yes there is no championship coming out of this game, so I have Nebraska by 3 points this week.
Cory: I am buying the hype on Colorado. Yes, TCU lost a lot of starters from last year’s team that played for a national championship so perhaps the Horned Frogs were a bit overrated coming into the season. But, for a team that won one game last year to go on the road and beat the defending Big 12 champions was an impressive showing from Colorado. The Buffaloes can move the ball, too. Sheduer Sanders was comfortable throwing and running, and WR/CB Travis Hunter might be one of the most versatile players in the country. For Nebraska, their offense has to be better than it was against Minnesota. The Cornhuskers rely way too much on quarterback Jeff Sims, and that is a problem considering he had three interceptions in the loss to the Golden Gophers, and another pass that should have been intercepted that the defender somehow dropped. Colorado 27, Nebraska 13
Dave: Colorado 32 Nebraska 24
Gregg: It is too early to crown Colorado as a Pac-12 competitor but this is obviously not the team that went 1-11 last season. Nebraska seems to have mastered the gift of snatching a loss out of the jaws of victory. The Huskers have a tough start to play the first two weeks on the road but I bet they thought back in the spring it would be two easy wins. I want Nebraska to win to boost up the conference, but I predict the Buffalos keep that momentum for at least one more week, so long as they can get the running game going. Colorado 24 Nebraska 17
Joe-S-U: The Prime Times
John: Colorado
Josh: There was nothing I saw from Nebraska against Minnesota that makes me believe that they have an offense capable of scoring a lot of points. Jeff Sims looked inconsistent, but maybe a game against the Colorado defense who just gave up 42 points to a TCE without all of the weapons that had on the National runner up team from last season. Credit to Dieon Sanders for having his team ready and resilient but I think most fans going into that game knew TCU was not going to stop much on defense, especially all of the points they gave up in their two playoff games. Nebraska should bring more of a challenge defensively, but I expect Colorado to win this game but at least 2 scores. Colorado 35 – Nebraska 17
Steven: Whether you appreciate the approach or not, Deion’s rent-a-squad may be legit. If you watched both the Colorado-TCU and Nebraska-Minnesota games, it is hard to come away and not notice the level of talent and athleticism Deion has amassed. Clearly, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as Deion’s son, playing QB for the Buffaloes, threw for 510 yards and 4 touchdowns, and he wasn’ even close to the most electric guy on the field. That was certainly Junior Mr. Everything Travis Hunter, who just grabbed 11 balls for 119 yards, and had 3 tackles and an interception while playing cornerback. Add to this Freshman phenom running back Dylan Edwards who while not doing much on the ground, was deadly as a receiver, catching 3 TDs, one going for 75 yards. Husker QB Jeff Sims is coming off a 3 interception game in a loss to Minnesota. Hopefully, his Tommy Armstrong-esque performance is not an indication of future results. Nebraska does have a chance, though. While Colorado showed a lot in their win against TCU, they still gave up over 500 yards of offense to a rebuilding Horned Frog team. The Huskers will need to take advantage of the Buffaloes, but after tallying less than 300 yards total against Minnesota, I wouldn’t hold my breath. Running the ball and controlling the clock will be the way to bring home a win. The Huskers keep it tight, but another 4th quarter collapse sinks the ship. Colorado 27-21
Trout: Colorado should win this game. I am not sure how this season is going to shake out for them, but it’s clear that Deion has this team in the right direction. The game should be close however. I think Nebraska has shown that it can stick with teams, but they also have a tendency to shoot themselves in the foot in the last moments of games. Looking at last week with Minnesota. They had the game in hand, and a series of mistakes led the Gophers to pull ahead and win the game. I think Matt Rhule has the ability to make Nebraska a better team than they ever were under Scott Frost, but they are not there yet. Much like with their game with TCU, Coroado will go back and forth with the Cornhuskers. I can see the lead changing a few times throughout the game. But then the Cornhuskers “pull a Nebraska” and allow the Buffalos to get ahead due to a crippling mistake. Coach Prime gets his second victory, while Nebraska continues with their struggles. (Colorado, 31-23)
Final Score: Colorado 36 Nebraska 14
(11)Texas @ (3)Alabama
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU 1980-83): Texas should have beat Alabama at home last year, but some questionable calls by the refs and Quinn Ewers early exit allowed Alabama to escape with a win. However, Ewers is back and Jalen Milroe has stepped in for Bryce Young and the Crimson Tide is at home. Alabama beats the Longhorns 35-31.
Coach Rick: Neither team impressed me on the opening week. I will go with the home team in this game to win by 10 points.
Cory: Texas was so close to upsetting Alabama last year and perhaps could have if QB Quinn Ewers didn’t get hurt. The Crimson Tide struggled to get any offensive momentum in that game and were lucky that Bryce Young managed to make some big plays down the stretch. Young, now in the NFL, is no longer around to save Alabama any more. Jalen Milroe looked good in the team’s opening win over Middle Tennessee State, and the Crimson Tide will need him to continue to step up if they want to hold off Texas. While Texas features the better quarterback of the two teams in this game, I am still giving the edge to Alabama this week. Playing in Tuscaloosa will be difficult for Texas, and I’m not much of a believer in Texas coach Steve Sarkisian. Alabama 31, Texas 17
Dave: Alabama 32 Texas 28
Gregg: Alabama need to prove they belong back on top again and this is the game they will do that. Quinn Ewers had them beat in the first half last year but then got hurt. He did not have a great game in week one but he may have already been looking ahead. I would love Texas to win this one, but I think it will be all be all Tide. Alabama 24 Texas 14
Joe-S-U: Tide
John: Alabama
Josh: A showdown that both fan bases have been looking forward to since the controversial ending in the 2022 game at Texas where some felt the Tide were bailed out. This year’s Alabama team has almost a whole new roster at the skill spots, and Texas is bringing back Quinn Ewers, who got hurt in the game last year and was not able to finish. Based on week one, Alabama’s Justin Milroe will be a dual threat match up that the Longhorns will need to contain, and the Crimson Tide will need to have an answer for Xavier Worthy. With this game in Tuscaloosa, and to keep with my preseason predictions, I have Alabama winning this game at home to move to 2-0, and the chatter for them being the best team in country will start to build, especially after LSU losing to Florida State, and Georgia looking pedestain for the first half of their game. Alabama 26 – Texas 21
Steven: Can Quinn Ewers do the world a solid and take down Darth Saban? The truth is, what is necessary to take out the Tide is going to be a solid showing from the Longhorn defense. Alabama didn’t need to lean too hard on Sophomore QB Jalen Milroe last week. Despite throwing for 3 TDs, his day against Middle Tennessee State was pretty pedestrian. The Crimson Tide run game is what won the game. Against the Blue Raiders, 8 rushers gained a relatively modest 205 yards on 40 carries. Modest or not, the Alabama ground game accounted for 5 of the teams 8 touchdowns. The sledding will be much tougher against Texas. If Texas is going to win QB Quinn Ewers cannot be a one man band. The Longhorns will need to commit to the run game to keep Ewers upright. Expect the Tide D to pin their ears back and come after the QB from the start, at least until Texas can prove they can run. That will be a tough task against a stout Alabama defense. The pundits have Alabama as a big favorite. This seems like it could be a lot closer than many think. Bob, I’ll take Ewers on the road, 33-31, (but I won’t be surprised if I’m wrong).
Trout: I think Alabama wins this game, but it’ll be close. A bad Texas team nearly beat them last year. I think the shine has worn off of Alabama. They are not the unbeatable juggernaut that they used to be. Now, that is not me saying Saban is done, and Alabama is going to struggle to make a bowl this year. I think Alabama will still be a good team. They will be in the mix for the SEC championship and maybe even the playoff. I just don’t think they are going to be that consistent number one ranked team anymore. I also think Texas will be slightly improved this year. Although I am not a believer in Sark as a coach, I do think Texas will have a better showing this season than they did last year. I can see the game unfolding much like it did last year. With both teams struggling to find the endzone consistently, and the game finishing with a last minute field goal. The Longhorns will put up a good fight, and I do think Ewers will have a decent game. But it won’t be enough to get by Alabama. The Crimson TIde win in a hard fought, close game. (Alabama, 27-24)