Ohio State has been a notoriously slow starter in these opening season games against weak opponents. Part of the problem is that the Buckeyes seem to usually have a premiere game in the following week or the week after. That forces head coach Jim Tressel to have even more of a boring game plan than he usually does. This season is no different, as he has one of the biggest games of the year next week against Miami. The players and coaches have been pounded with questions about that game, and it is likely that they are looking toward that game a lot more than lowly Marshall. The Buckeyes aren’t a particularly high scoring team usually anyway, so a very basic game plan allows opponents to keep the game closer. Usually Ohio State is known for a dominating defense, but this year’s team has inexperience across all three levels of the defense. Marshall’s offense should be able to put up enough points to keep within this spread, as they return three starters on the offensive line, as well as their quarterback and some good weapons on offense. The Thundering Herd were fairly decent against the run last year and return four out of seven starters on their front seven. Marshall also has a new coach in Doc Holliday, who is likely to open up the offense more and has added new excitement to the program. The Thundering Herd are likely to be very fired up for this game because of the new coach, while Ohio State will be resting some of their banged up players on defense and looking toward the game against Miami next week. Marshall should be able to cover this spread by just scoring about 10 points. Look for them to get the point spread cover. 3 UNIT SELECTION

Reports from the Pittsburgh camp have said that head coach Dave Wannstedt is focused on playing an even more physical style of play this season. The defense has progressed nicely and is ready, but the offensive line is still having problems in practice. Pittsburgh returns star running back Dion Lewis and star receiver Jonathan Baldwin, but they only return two starters on the offensive line and a new quarterback. Tino Sunseri has looked shaky at times as the new quarterback during practices and scrimmages for the Panthers. He has a great deal of talent but is still raw and inexperienced. It doesn’t help that he only has two returning offensive linemen as well. This game is a tough task for him, having to travel across the country and play in a hostile environment at a high altitude. Utah’s only two bad defensive performances last season came to Oregon and TCU. They don’t return many starters, but most of their starters this season will be juniors with ample playing experience. The key to shutting down Pittsburgh’s offense is stopping the running game, and the Utes have the size in their front seven to do that. They will put Sunseri in a position to have to beat them without having a strong running game to rely on. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh’s strength will always be defense while Dave Wannstedt is the coach. It also helps that they have one of the best defensive players in the country in Greg Romeus. They ranked 23rd in the nation last year in total defense and return seven starters to their defensive front seven and seven starters overall. The Panthers have the athletes on defense to limit Utah’s offense, despite them returning several starters. The Utes offense wasn’t particularly explosive on offense last season, being held in the 20’s in seven games, despite playing a rather easy schedule. They only put up 28 points against TCU because the Horned Frogs were blowing them out by so much. This game is also the first for both teams, so I expect the offenses to be a little sluggish anyway. Look for this game to be physical and dominated by the defenses. 3 UNIT SELECTION

South Carolina will once again have a strong defense this season. They return seven starters on a defense that was ranked 15th in the country, as well as one of the best cornerbacks in the country in Stephon Gilmore. The Gamecocks were ranked 8th in the country against the pass last season, which is great for them against Southern Mississippi. The Gamecocks have too much size upfront for a smaller school like Southern Miss to run the ball against. The Golden Eagles strength this season will be with their quarterback Austin Davis, but he won’t have much help as they only return one starting offensive lineman. Southern Miss is going to have a very difficult time moving the football against the speed and size of South Carolina. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles did not have a very good year on defense last season, but they do return nine out eleven starters from last season, including all front seven starters. Until South Carolina proves that they are improved on offense this season, the Gamecocks will still struggle to point up points in my opinion. To make matters worse, their starting tight end, Weslye Saunders, is suspended for this game. Last season, they were only able to put 38 points for their highest point total, and that game was against South Carolina State. In addition, the Gamecocks have Georgia looming on the schedule next week, so they will likely be happy getting a low scoring win here and not showing too much on offense. Look for this game to be low scoring and ugly. 3 UNIT SELECTION

USC’s offense struggled at times last season with a freshman quarterback and some inexperience at other positions. Also, their defense was nowhere near as dominant as in previous seasons. However, that unit returns five starters on their front seven so they should be a little better this season. The main reason for this selection though is that Lane Kiffin will be anxious to get a blowout win tonight. Last season his Tennessee team had a blowout win over Western Kentucky in his first game as head coach, winning 63-7. I expect him to keep the offense going tonight, regardless of what the lead is. USC won’t be phased too much be traveling to Hawaii because it’s the first game of the year, and the team is on the West Coast to begin with, making the travel and jet lag less of a factor. I also expect USC to want to make a statement after all the off-field controversies and sanctions. I expect them to absolutely destroy Hawaii and be motivated to get a blowout win on national television. 4 UNIT SELECTION