 "Photo: Brooke LaValley / MCT")
Come Election Day, the state of Ohio is slated to be a crucial swing state.
For the UCF Knights, the state of Ohio will paint the picture for their 2012 season.
In Week Two, UCF will travel back to Ohio, this time to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in a nationally televised game.
Coming off of their worst season in recent memory, the Buckeyes made perhaps the biggest offseason splash, reeling in former Florida Gator head coach Urban Meyer.
The Buckeyes are known for their old-school smash-mouth mentality, but under Meyer they will go to a shotgun-based spread offense.
What to look for
The success of the season for the Buckeyes will depend on quarterback Braxton Miller. Miller, a true dual-threat player, is a more natural runner than passer. Miller could potentially have a huge season, with a chance to thrive in the same system that made Tim Tebow one of college football’s most storied quarterbacks despite troubles with throwing form.
Luckily for the Knights, they meet Ohio State early in the season so Meyer’s program will likely not be completely comfortable in the spread.
The key for UCF is going to be to control the line of scrimmage, which is no easy task against one of the more physical defenses in the nation.
UCF is going to have to be able to run the ball consistently in order to keep the Buckeye offense off of the field.
The running game will also keep the crowd out of it.
The Buckeyes pack the house for every home game, but there is no doubt they will fill their capacity of more than 100,000 for their first nationally televised game of the Meyer era.
Ohio State may be vulnerable, especially early in the season.
The buzz
A win over a national power such as Ohio State on national television would be huge for the Knights both as a program-defining victory and as catalyst to some early season momentum. It would also go a long way in getting people talking about the Knights.
Coming next issue:
Week Three Preview —
UCF opens home schedule against FIU Panthers
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