By Rusty Miller (Cleveland.com) -

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Here are 10 questions swirling around the 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes:

1, Is three a charm?@ The Buckeyes have almost everybody back in their run for a third-straight trip to the Bowl Championship Series title game. They’ve gotten blown out in those two earlier ones. Several columnists, pundits and publications have weighed in that they’d rather see a return to leather helmets and the flying wedge than to have to watch the Buckeyes get drilled in another title game. As good as Ohio State figures to be this fall, a third trip to the championship game will be difficult to pull off, particularly with a showdown at Southern California looming on Sept. 13, not to mention games at Wisconsin, Michigan State and Illinois. But those games aren’t slam-dunk losses. Put it this way: if Ohio State gets back to the ultimate game, don’t be surprised if you read lots of references to the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings.

2, How long before Terrelle Pryor’s the QB?@ Hold on, big fella. Todd Boeckman is the starting quarterback and also was last year while the Buckeyes went 11-2. It’s his job, for about a thousand reasons. That being said, the pressure will be on coach Jim Tressel to throw Pryor out there in games, partly to give him some game experience and partly to shake up opposing defenses. So count on Pryor to play early and often, but maybe not take over the starting job unless the critics yell too loud because of the way Boeckman’s playing.
3, Could they share the job?@ Sure. Despite the 2006 example of Chris Leak and Tim Tebow as co-quarterbacks for national champ Florida, most coaches run screaming from any platoon system at the position. Back in the early 1980s, Penn State’s Joe Paterno said the dumbest thing he ever did was have a committee of quarterbacks handle the job one year. There are many pitfalls, whether it’s exposing two players to injury, the risk of bruising the delicate psyche of your older player, possibly alienating your upperclassmen or destroying the confidence of the young guy. But it worked for Florida, so maybe it could work for the team that Florida beat in the title game two years ago.

4, Are there any other real concerns on offense?@ Yep. The line has a lot of experience — it’s only missing tackle Kirk Barton — but it went into sieve mode at the worst times last year. LSU had five sacks and harassed Boeckman mercilessly in the bowl game. The Buckeyes had just 336 total yards in the home loss to Illinois. This is almost a transitional year, with lots of veterans and lots of freshmen. Tressel may just try to blend them in to avoid more meltdowns.

5, Will the defense be as good as last year’s?@ The entire secondary is back, which is a big plus. The Buckeyes shouldn’t have any problem filling the LB spot held by the graduated Larry Grant. Replacing the other loss won’t be nearly so easy. DE Vernon Gholston was a monster. Even though the line appears to be solid, it’ll be tough to fill his shoes. He was an intimidator who made everybody else a lot better. However, if Lawrence Wilson, who missed almost all of last year with a broken leg, comes back strong and healthy, the defense should be as good as the one that held seven teams to nine or fewer points in 2007.

6, What should we expect out of James Laurinaitis?@ Well, expect him to have to grab just about every major award available to LBs (and unfortunately, no, that doesn’t include the Heisman). Laurinaitis is already a two-time All-American and has won the Nagurski and Butkus awards. He’ll add more. The biggest danger is a hernia from carrying off all those heavy bronze statuettes.

7, If not Laurinaitis, could Beanie Wells win the Heisman?@ The junior TB has several things going for him: he racks up big number, he’s sturdy, plays on TV a lot, says all the right things and is on a national contender. Even though there’s a groundswell of negativity by media toward Ohio State because of those two black eyes they’ve taken in the title games, Wells could very well end up being the Buckeyes’ second Heisman winner in three years and eighth overall. (Then he’ll bolt for the NFL.)

8, What’s up with coach Tressel this year?@ The 55-year-old Tressel is entering his eighth year at Ohio State, his 23rd as a head coach and his 34th year in the college ranks. His contract runs through 2012, although he can probably renegotiate at any time. He says he’s still excited about coaching and is still in good health. By the time the contract ends, he’ll be 60 years old and will be second on the list of Ohio State coaching victories to only Woody Hayes. Wouldn’t that be a good time to step aside?

9, Can the Buckeyes win at USC?@ They sure can. And they just might. The Trojans play at Virginia and then have a week off before playing their home opener against the Buckeyes. Ten USC players were drafted, and several more graduated. The Men of Troy return just four starters on offense and will be replacing vets at quarterback, tailback and at all but one line spot. Ohio State will have played two games, both at home, against teams they’ll be heavily favored to steamroll. Don’t be surprised if the Buckeyes rely on their experience to pull this one out.

10, So, another perfect season and a trip to the BCS title game, right?@ Uh, no. A reasonable person has to like the Buckeyes’ chances in L.A. But Illinois beat the Buckeyes a year ago on their home field, and now should be primed to do it again before their own friends and family. Along those same lines, Ohio State has never played well at Wisconsin. So it’ll be another good year, but maybe not good enough to aggravate all those media people who don’t want the Buckeyes in another title game.

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