This is some tidbits from the ESPN Big Ten Blog with info on updates about the Buckeyes.

Junior defensive end Nathan Williams, a projected starter, will miss the Marshall game with a knee injury. He should be back shortly thereafter. Solomon Thomas will start in Williams’ spot Thursday night.

Starting cornerback Chimdi Chekwa (hamstring) is questionable for the Marshall game, but corner Devon Torrence (hamstring) should be fine.

Sophomore C.J. Barnett’s strong performance in camp lifted him ahead of Orhian Johnson on the Week 1 depth chart. Johnson missed a chunk of camp with an injury.

Start salivating, Buckeyes fans, because running backs Jordan Hall and Jaamal Berry likely will handle kickoff returns against Marshall.

Hopefully this info will help with any questions about injuries and depth chart. Stil waiting to see who is listed as the no. 2 QB and how much Tyler Moeller will play.

According to Taurian Washington his former high school teammate Dionte Allen from Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Marys will become a Buckeye. The cornerback from Florida State was a highly touted recruit and chose FSU over OSU originally but has had a injury riddled past and apparently left the team over playing time this year. He will have one year of eligibility left next year after sitting out this year.

No one from OSU admissions office has confirmed this story as of yet.

This is where Tressel earns his paychecks as a coach. You can not have Tressel Ball without having good Special Teams. Last year was a mediocre season at best for tOSU in this area. We relied on a guy who couldn’t stay out of the doghouse and dropped balls like hot potatoes. Needless to say, Ray Small, I will not miss you as a PR/KR and will remember you most for getting knocked the crap out against Wisconsin two years ago.

Now onto this years preview of our kickers, punters and return guys.

Place Kickers/Field Goal Kickers

Devin Barclay

This guy is a former MLS player turned college football Kicker. At 5’10” and 204 pounds he has good size and is able to help cover on kickoffs. He is a little shaky on the long FG attempts and has very little experience. He has age on his side at 26 years old and with experience playing professional soccer it should help calm his nerves. If it doesn’t, he will be pushed by the next guy on the list.

His 2009 statistics were: 7-10 on FG with a long of 39 yards. 26 KO’s for an avg of 64.8 yards and 4 touchbacks.

Drew Basil

A true freshman a few months removed from high school, there is one thing this kid isn’t lacking: SIZE. He is 6’2″ and 210 lbs out of Chillicothe, Ohio. Rumors out of camp have him making up ground on Barclay quickly and if Barclay stumbles he will be moved into the starting spot soon. Look for a few more FG contests to decide the starter.

Punter

Ben Buchanan

This sophomore has the job locked up and won’t be losing it anytime soon as the depth here is limited this year. He is listed at 6′ 195 lbs out of Westerville, Ohio. He better have a big leg and accuracy to keep Tressel Ball on track this year. Hopefully we will see a lot of kicks downed inside the 20.

His 2009 statistics were: 4 punts with a 42.8 avg and long of 55 yards.

Kick Returners

This area of team is decided and not much info to share as the two return guys are well Boom and Zoom. Brandon Saine and Dan “Boom” Herron are listed as 1 and 2 KR on the depth chart.

Punt Returners

Like the aforementioned KR’s these two guys are well known for being able to catch balls and run fast with them. DeVier Posey and Dane Sanzenbacher are PR 1 and PR 2. Hopefully they will have much more success than last years PR. We need a Ted Ginn Jr. type of guy back there fielding punts and I think Posey fits that nicely.

If you are interested in watching Terrelle Pryor’s replacement in waiting. Tonight at 7 PM on ESPN8 The Ocho errrrr ESPNU you can see Braxton Miller of Huber Heights Wayne play against Powerhouse Cincinnati Moeller. It is a good chance to see this future Buckeye QB play against some top notch HS football talent and on national TV. If nothing else it gives us some football to watch while we wait these last 4 days before KICKOFF. I hope to watch the game and share some of my thoughts and his stats during the game.

So as camp is coming to a close there were several depth chart moves made some surprising and some were expected due to injuries and rumors.

First, the surprise move. Sophomore C.J Burnett has been named the starting Strong Safety. He has beat out Orhian Johnson who is having injury issues and is now listed as the back up to Burnett.

Second, Andrew Sweat has taken the starting Strong Side Linebacker with Jonathan Newsome as his back up. Ettiene Sabino who was suppose to be that starter has moved to Middle Linebacker where he will back up Brian Rolle along with Storm Klein.

Third, Nate Williams who has been out 2 weeks with a knee injury is listed as a starter at Defensive End. He will be backed up by Soloman Thomas. Hopefully Williams will be ready to play by Thursday we need every DL we can get.

Fourth, As I predicted Drew Basil has supplanted Devin Barclay as the starting kicker. I dont think Tressel ever really had trust in Barclay and Basil has the much bigger leg for those long FGA he loves to try. Lets hope he has accuracy as well.

Lastly, a few True Freshman made the 2 deep chart. On Defense, Jonathan “Big Hank” Hankins at 335 pounds will back up Dexter Lattimore and I bet see a lot of time against the run with his wide load. Christian Bryant will back up Tyler Moeller at Nickel Back and will also back up Jermale Hines with Moeller. On Offense, Andrew Norwell will be the back up at right tackle. Corey Brown will help backup the No. 2 WR with Chris Fields to Dane Sanzenbacher.

So we are less than a week away from the start of the season and we here at MOTSAG thought it would be a good day to get some predictions for the CFB season. Hopefully when we look back on this thread in mid January we will know who has the most CFB knowledge. Good luck and try your best not to be to big of a homer and answer all the questions.

1. What will Ohio State’s record be at the end of the season?
2. Who will win the Big Ten?
3. What bowl game will OSU be in?
4. What will scUM’s record be and will they make a bowl game?
5. Will Rich Rod be the head coach at scUM next year?
6. Who will play for the National Championship title?
7. Who will win the Heisman Trophy?
8. Will Illinois win a game?
9. How many All-Big Ten members will OSU have?
10. How many All-Americans will OSU have?

Bonus Question

11.) Will HWNSNBM make the Omaha Nighthawks UFL team?