Ohio 2024 Football Season Previews For NCAAF And NFL Teams
The Buckeye State is the home of the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes, who share the state with six teams from the Mid American Conference (MAC), the Cincinati Bearcats and the Youngstown State Penguins. Of course, Ohio State dominates and is the go-to team for Ohio sports betting fans, while Youngstown State has long since ceded its stature as one of the most potent teams at the D-I AA level.
MAC Football Teams in 2024
Five of those six MAC schools: Akron, Bowling Green, Kent State, Miami (Ohio) and Ohio make up the East Division of the conference, while Toledo is the only Ohio school that’s part of the West. Two schools that are close to each other in Bowling Green and Toledo are projected to be the winners of their division that will put them together in the MAC title game. Both teams have impressive running games, with BG’s Travis Green and Toledo’s Kareem Hunt both looking to gain plenty of real estate in the upcoming campaign’ The two squads that figure to have the longest year are Kent State and Miami (Ohio), while Akron and Ohio battle for a spot in the middle of the pack.
Cincinnati Bearcats 2024 Football
Starting his third year leading the Bearcats, Tommy Tuberville must deal with the pressure of being the favorite to win the American Athletic Conference. One way to make that process easier would be to get the running game up to the level of the team’s passing attack. Gunner Kiel arrived at Cincinnati with plenty of baggage, but he has a chance to eliminate such talk by putting up even bigger numbers than the 31 touchdown passes he threw in 2014. He’ll have Shaq Washington to throw to, but Washington is more of a possession receiver. The team’s top defensive lineman also has one of the top names in college football in Silverberry Mouhon. He’ll man one end, while Terrell Hartsfield will take the other side. Meanwhile, at linebacker Jeff Luc and Nick Temple see plenty of action, while Zach Edwards is back at safety.
Ohio State Buckeyes 2024 Football
Urban Meyer has plenty of talent in place to again win the national title, having done it with a quarterback who was third on the depth chart a year ago. That signal caller, Cardale Jones, is good enough to push the former quarterback, Braxton Miller, over to wide receiver. The running game saw Ezekiel Elliott emerge as a true weapon, and another big year could put him in line for the Heisman. At wideout, Miller will contend with Michael Thomas for touches.
Though he’ll miss the opener after being suspended, returning conference Player of the Year Joey Bosa returns at defensive end to create more havoc. He’ll be joined by Adolphus Washington at tackle. At linebacker, Joshua Perry will be in charge, while look for Darron Lee to make an impact in some fashion. Meanwhile, Eli Apple will be the top cornerback. Considering that Ohio State accomplished their goal a year earlier than expected, the danger this season might be overconfidence. One factor in their favor is that Meye has experience showing how to win consecutive titles, having done it with the Florida Gators.
Cincinnati Bengals 2024
After continuing to reach the postseason, only to lose their opening game, the Cincinnati Bengals need a way to take that next step. They have plenty of talent available, but always seem to come up short when it counts. Andy Dalton will remain at quarterback, but his shaky performances last year can’t be a good sign for head coach Marvin Lewis. Dalton does have A.J. Green at wide receiver, but they need other weapons to stop teams focusing on Green.
The running game has an effective tandem in Gio Bernard and Jeremy Hill, who get enough help from the line to keep defenders on their toes. On defense, the pass rush needs to start having a bigger impact, since Cincinnati ranked near the bottom of this category. End Carlos Dunlap led the team with nine, a number indicative of how much more they need to do for the 2015 football season. If Michael Johnson and Geno Atkins can regain their old form, the Bengals will be fine. The rest of the defense will likely depend on how things shape up in the secondary, with the talent potential needing to be realized.
Cleveland Browns 2024
Another late-season slide, coupled with continuing questions at quarterback usually mean business as usual for this sad franchise. However, Mike Pettine could actually be righting the ship, ever so slowly. The team still needs receivers, but does have second-year men Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell who put up decent numbers. They’ll get blocking from perennial All-Pro Joe Thomas, Alex Mack at center and newcomer Cameron Erving.
The defensive line welcomes the addition of top pick Danny Shelton and hopes that Phil Taylor can stay healthy. Linebacker has veterans Paul Kruger and Karlos Dansby leading the way, while the secondary has quality in Joe Haden and Donte Whitner, but really needs Justin Gilbert to emerge after a poor first year. The Browns are still a year or two away from the postseason, but their long national nightmare may finally be ending.
