Ohio State Buckeyes
2001 record: 7-5 (5-3)
Coach: Jim Tressel (second season, 7-5)
Starters returning: 5 offense, 7 defense, 2 kickers

Outlook: Kudos to Tressel for beating Michigan the first time out, something his predecessor, John Cooper (2-9-1) managed only twice in 12 years. And kudos to Tressel for signing one of the nation's best recruiting crops last spring.

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The only trouble is, Tressel has set himself up for some scary expectations, beginning right now. The good news is that Ohio State is loaded with talent. The tough part is that the Buckeyes need to plug in a new quarterback and running back, and not miss a beat.

Junior Craig Krenzel is listed as the No. 1 quarterback, but incoming freshman Justin Zwick (rhymes with quick) is widely expected to wind up taking snaps before he takes a mid-term exam. Another incoming freshman, Maurice Clarett, who enrolled at Ohio State early so he could go through spring practice, is expected to push sophomore Lydell Ross for the runningback job.

Easing these transitions is the schedule, which includes five non-conference games, although Washington State is a stern test. The Buckeyes, who open conference play with Indiana and Northwestern, will have played seven games before they face their first major Big Ten confrontation, at Wisconsin on Oct. 19. By then, Zwick and Clarett figure to have plenty of experience.

Key game: At Wisconsin on Oct. 19. No doubt, the season-ending meeting with Michigan is the big game. But the Buckeyes, who have lost to the Badgers twice in the last three years, will have to beat the Wisconsins and Penn States to put the expected implications on the Michigan showdown.

Keep an eye on: Zwick. Quarterback whiz Tressel, who coached Zwick's brother, Jared, at Youngstown State, is the right coach to help a true freshman quarterback grow up fast.

It's a good year if. . . Ohio State runs the table. That seems to be the view in Columbus. Realistically, the Buckeyes figure to be too young in key places to be that good. The key will be to keep the upsets to a minimum, and play on New Year's Day, preferably in Pasadena or -- gulp -- Tempe, Ariz.

Herb Gould covers the Big Ten for the Chicago Sun-Times.