I see some similarity to the 2002 team in this one. Both had great defensive units, especially their D-lines, and both had offenses that were able to be held in check by a quality defense (Illinois this year). The Buckeyes needed some luck to go with their talent and hard work to win it all in 2002, and they'll need it this year.
My concerns about this team:
[*]Pryor still throws the ball into coverage/misfires too much. Indiana's woeful D does not count. I see him staring the 1st option down too much and expect he'll throw some bad interceptions in a big game or two. He's not yet where Troy Smith was as a junior in his decision-making. Of course, Pryor's athleticism makes up for some of that, but a turnover is a turnover. I hope I'm wrong about the INT's...
[*]Our O-Line still isn't an elite unit, though it's certainly good, and better than we've had in a while.
[*]Two of our starting nickelbacks would be backups if not for injury, though they are talented. Having Barnett and Moeller healthy would make our D that much better.
[*]We aren't featuring an elite quality RB. Boom is good but not great, Berry, Hall and Hyde don't see enough carries to qualify.
[*]It's a dead-horse, but it's true, Tressel would benefit from more pass calls on 1st and 2nd down, even short passes. This team can't get 4 yards regularly on a decent defense if they're stacking the box. We don't need to be flashy, but we need to be less predictable to earn more first downs against Wisconsin and Iowa.
The 2002 team had serious flaws, but their dominant defense, running game with Clarett, and Krenzel's anti-turnover decision-making and clutch passing (see Purdue and Miami) on 3rd and 4th downs led them to the title. I could see that happening again this year, but could also see them lose a couple games (from among Wisconsin, Iowa and the bowl game). If I were betting, I'd say they lose one of those, but my heart's holding out hope for another magical run to take another crystal football back to Columbus.