Staff Picks: Buckeyes Open 2024 Season with the Akron Zips

No. 2 Ohio State opens the 2024 season with high expectations and will kickoff on Saturday afternoon as nearly 50-point favorites when it hosts the Akron Zips.

As always, the BuckeyeHuddle.com staff makes their predictions for the upcoming game and what they are looking forward to watching on Saturday.

Ross Fulton

Ohio State having a slow ramp-up in non-conference play gives them the luxury of not playing or limiting a few guys who have bumps and bruises from fall camp. First games are typically sloppy, so it’s nice to open with an easy one. My eyes will be on how Chip Kelly has changed the OSU offense and what coverages Jim Knowles is using in the back end with an experienced secondary.

Ohio State 51 Akron 8

Tony Gerdeman

This game is going to be a tale of two halves. The first half will feature domination by the Buckeyes starters, and the second will feature domination by the Buckeye backups. Until about the fourth quarter.

I expect Will Howard to look crisp and efficient. This should be the most he’s ever looked downfield and the best he’s ever looked doing it, but it’s still just Akron.

The more encouraging story here would probably be an Ohio State offense that rushes for 300 yards and only has a couple of third-and-long situations. James Peoples may go over 100 yards in this one.

I’m interested to see how vanilla the defense is this week. I expect it to be pretty basic, but still incredibly effective. I think it’s going to be hard as hell to complete a pass more than seven yards downfield this week for Akron.

Ohio State 52, Akron 7

Marc Givler

While I don’t think there will be a whole lot of mystery in this game, there is one thing that I’m going to be interested in watching on Saturday and that is Ryan Day’s substitution patterns. Historically, Day has been slow to pull the starters.

Will that change with a team that seems loaded with depth at most positions?

Or will it remain the same with trying to get Will Howard and others some important live reps in an underwhelming non-conference schedule?

How will the rotations look at linebacker, receiver, defensive line, and right guard? The right guard battle in particular seems like it could still play out in the month of September. Will we see some early rotation here?

Otherwise, I suspect the Buckeyes will have a monster day on the ground and predict both Tre Henderson and Quinshon Judkins go over 100-yards.

Ohio State 49 Akron 3

Kevin Noon

This is a classic “name your score” game for the Buckeyes. Akron has been a two-win type of team as of late and there is little faith that Akron will break that streak this year. And if they do, one of those wins will not be against Ohio State, let me promise you.

The past two years, the Buckeyes have not put up big numbers in the opener, but those games were against P4 teams (Indiana and Notre Dame) scoring an average of 22 points in those two games.

Ohio State honestly should beat that number out by the end of the first quarter, so much as Akron doesn’t take the air out of the ball and limit Ohio State’s possessions.

Will Howard will be under the microscope for the entire nation, and he will pass that test, but it is just Akron.

Ohio State 52, Akron 0

Tom Orr

It’s hard to believe that the last time Ohio State stepped on a football field to play an actual game was in late December 2023 in Arlington, Texas. You probably remember how that went.

Walking out of the stadium that night, Ryan Day’s program was at arguably its lowest point yet. They ended the season on two straight losses, looking at potentially losing eight or more players early to the NFL Draft, and it was fair to wonder if things were going to turn around.

A month later, most of those potential Draft departures had decided to return, they had added a pair of talented quarterbacks, a star running back, a veteran center and tight end, and possibly the best safety in the nation to the roster. Since then, there have been seven solid months of excitement, anticipation, and hype in Columbus.

It’s easy to look past this Saturday’s game because it’s “just Akron.” But this is the game you’ve been waiting all year for.

Please try to enjoy it, even if the offense has to punt the ball or the defense gives up a first down at some point.

Ohio State 56, Akron 3