2022 Ohio State Buckeyes Football Way-Too-Early Preview

An underwhelming 2021 regular season ended on a high note with a 48-45 Rose Bowl win against the Utah Utes.11-2 may not seem underwhelming but by Ohio State’s standard any regular season that ends with a loss against rival Michigan and not a trip to the College Football Playoff is a letdown.

The Buckeyes’ two losses came to Oregon early on in the season and one against Michigan in the last game of the season. They are looking to build on their 2021 season and turn some heads in 2022 to cement their spot back in the Playoff.

Let’s look ahead at what the Ohio State Buckeyes will look like in the 2022 season.

Buckeyes Offense

Ohio State was ranked first in points per game, yards per game, points per play, and yards per play to make them the most lethal offense this year in college football. Both starting quarterback CJ Stroud and running back TreVeyon Henderson will be returning for their Sophomore seasons next year.

CJ Stroud ranked fifth in yards this season with 4,435 and third in touchdowns with 44 which eventually led to him being named the 2021 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and a Heisman finalist. TreVeyon Henderson averaged an astounding 6.8 yards per carry with the 1,248 yards that he accrued this season along with his 15 touchdowns.

The wide receiver core will be strong as always which was able to be showcased during the Rose Bowl as both Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave sat out the Rose Bowl. The top three receivers for next year will include Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Julian Fleming. Smith-Njigba led all receivers this year in yards with 1,606 and added nine touchdowns.

Buckeyes Defense

The main story with next year’s defense will be the addition of former Oklahoma State defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles. With a more consistent defense, the Buckeyes would’ve been able to make the College Football Playoff. They are hoping that Knowles can adapt this great talent on the defensive end to create a more complete Ohio State football team.

Many of the starters from this year were Sophomores and may be moving on to the NFL, but there is a lot of young great talent behind those players that are ready to prove themselves. It will be very important that Knowles can renovate the defense and guide the newcomers into a solid defensive scheme.

Key 2022 Matchups

The Buckeyes have one major non-conference matchup in the first game of the season on September 3rd against Notre Dame in Columbus. This is the first of their home and home matchup agreed upon for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Key matchups for the Buckeyes in Big Ten play will be at Michigan State on September 24th, at Penn State on October 1st, and at home against Michigan on November 26th for the last game of the season.