Bowling Green @ Ohio State preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 7, 2006 ) Bowling Green 7, Ohio State 35

Urban Meyer had great success with his 2014 team and sees some similarities to his current squad. The Ohio State coach has been raving about his fifth-ranked group leading up to Saturday's season-opening tilt against visiting Bowling Green.

“Very similar,” Meyer said Monday in comparing the 2016 Buckeyes to the 2014 version that won the national championship. “I’m real excited about them. I’m trying to hold down the excitement, but I really am. I can’t wait to watch them play. This is a talented team and good guys, good people to work with.” Ohio State lost nine underclassmen to the NFL but has many key returnees, including senior center Pat Elflein, junior quarterback J.T. Barrett and junior middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan. The Buckeyes began last season 10-0 and finished 12-1 with their only loss a three-point setback against Michigan State. They visit No. 3 Oklahoma in a nonconference showdown in two weeks, but first they must take care of a Falcons' squad that won 10 games a season ago.

TV: Noon ET, Big Ten Network. LINE: Ohio State -27.5

ABOUT BOWLING GREEN (2015: 10-4, 7-1 Mid-American): A 31-point setback in the GoDaddy Bowl left a sour taste in the mouths of the Falcons, but it did not ruin a quality year in which the team averaged 42.2 points and 546.8 yards per game. Mike Jinks, formerly of Texas Tech, takes over on the sideline for Bowling Green, which lost coach Dino Babers to Syracuse last winter. Jinks inherits an offensive line that has combined for 144 career starts - the most in the nation.

ABOUT OHIO STATE (2015: 12-1, 7-1 Big Ten): The Buckeyes return only six starters - three on each side of the ball - which is the fewest among all FBS schools. Barrett is 15-2 in his career as a starter, including an 11-1 mark as a freshman in 2014, and has accounted for 58 touchdowns in his 17 career starts. McMillan finished third in Butkus Award voting for the nation's top linebacker last season after averaging 9.2 tackles per game as a sophomore.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Ohio State freshman WR Torrance Gibson has been suspended for the season for a violation of the school's code of conduct.

2. Meyer got his head coaching career started at Bowling Green, where he went 17-6 in 2001 and 2002.

3. In his career, Meyer is 14-0 all-time in season openers.

PREDICTION: Ohio State 44, Bowling Green 13