(W) Youngstown State (Columbus, Ohio)
(W) Akron (Columbus, Ohio)
(*) Washington (Seattle, Wash.)
(W) Northwestern (Columbus, Ohio)
(*) Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.)
(*) Purdue (West Lafayette, Ind.)
(W) Kent State (Columbus, Ohio)
(*) Michigan State (Columbus, Ohio)
(*) Penn State (University Park, Penn.)
(*) Wisconsin (Columbus, Ohio)
(*) Illinois (Columbus, Ohio)
(*) Michigan (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Easy wins: YSU, Akron, Kent State
Games that we have all the right in the world to win: NW, Minny, MSU
Games that we have to perform well to win: Washington, Illinois, Purdue
Games that come down to who want it more on gameday: PSU, Wisky, SCum
I've penciled in four wins, no more, no less. I would be ecstatic with a 10-2 record going into the bowl game. However, because of the transition at QB and unknowns at a couple of key positions, I think we are looking at a 9-3 record. This team is loaded, but not as loaded as we've been in previous seasons and does not yet possess the same experience.
Despite potential key losses, I see 2008 as the year when we start to make another 2 year stint title run. The explanation is simple: you need tons of experience at QB to make a run at the national title.