His absence should be replaced by disciplined offensive line play, courtesy of proven pedagogue George Belu who came over from Wake Forest. The play calling goes to Chuck Stobart, a staff veteran who has good rapport with both the other coaches as well as the players. John Tenuta, who has every one of his graduated secondary starters in the NFL, is now the defensive coordinator while Fred Pagac is assistant head coach. A new chain of command is established. And now, let s bury the memories of the 1999 Buckeyes.
Football goes through an enigmatic ritual every fall with prognostication.
In no other sport are so many meticulous facets of the upcoming season predicted before the season starts . Who will win the Heisman Trophy for the most valuable player in college football that season is tossed around a month before kickoff and every week thereafter. Numerous publications, both print and on the Internet, carefully explain the unfolding events of games yet to be played. This kind of wacky fortune telling is not some Cassandra-like power which only sportswriters possess. Imagine predicting Pete Sampras to beat Patrick Rafter with a cross-court backhand return at the net, or reading a column predicting Robert Horry to feed Shaq the ball for a dunk late in the fourth quarter.