11 Ohio State

THE BUCKEYES CAN be forgiven for feeling vulnerable. In fact, a little self-doubt might be a good thing. Gone to the NFL are last year's Heisman Trophy winner (quarterback Troy Smith), leading rusher ( Antonio Pittman) and leading receivers (Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez). Haunting the players' minds like a recurring nightmare are memories of the blowout loss to Florida in the BCS championship game last January. Complacency won't be an issue in Columbus. Redemption is all anybody's thinking about. "We have to reprove everything we've ever done," says senior right tackle Kirk Barton.

Nobody's as ready to reprove themselves as Barton and junior left tackle Alex Boone, who were last seen in the title game watching helplessly as defensive ends Derrick Harvey and Jarvis Moss raced by them into the Ohio State backfield. The Gators' duo combined to sack Smith four times and pressured him repeatedly. The result: The Buckeyes quarterback completed just 4 of 14 passes in the 41-14 thrashing. "We just didn't execute," says offensive coordinator and line coach Jim Bollman. "There were breakdowns everywhere. You can't blame it on one guy."

After the beatdown in the Arizona desert, the 6' 6", 310-pound Barton--unlike Ginn, Gonzales and Pittman--bypassed the draft because he wanted another year to improve his status. He anchors a line that should be the strength of the Buckeyes' offense, with three starters returning. The left side is massive, with a pair of 6' 8" bruisers in Boone and junior guard Steve Rehring, both of whom weigh nearly 330 pounds. And though All-Big Ten center Doug Datish graduated, coaches are high on 6' 4", 285-pound sophomore Jim Cordle.

Solid play up front will be crucial to the development of Smith's successor. The current No.�1 is 6' 5", 235-pound junior Todd Boeckman, a pocket quarterback with limited mobility. The three-year backup knows the offense, but he has attempted only 10 passes during his career and threw too many interceptions during the spring. If he falters, coach Jim Tressel won't hesitate to turn to 6' 6", 240-pound sophomore Robbie Schoenhoft, who has attempted only one pass but arguably has the strongest arm on the roster.

No matter who's under center, Ohio State's attack won't be as explosive as the one that averaged 34.6 points in 2006. The focus of the running game will be fast and physical Chris (Beanie) Wells, a 6' 1", 230-pound sophomore who averaged 5.5 yards in spot duty last season; Tressel will now count on him for about 25 carries a game. Playing Lightning to Beanie's Thunder will be 5' 10", 190-pound junior Maurice Wells, a slasher with speed to burn. "Whoever's back there, we're going to need them to run the ball a lot," says Barton. "Especially late in the season against Wisconsin and Michigan. Those are going to be wars."

Provided one of the quarterback candidates emerges, then Barton, Boone and their linemates will make those wars very winnable. "People are underestimating us," says Boone, "but we feel pretty confident."