COLUMBUS, Ohio -- This wasn't the way the season was supposed to go for Ohio State.
The offense was gutted by graduation and early defections to the NFL. The defense had a rebuilt line and new faces at half the slots in the secondary and at linebacker. The quarterback had never started a game, and neither had the tailback. The place-kicker was a seldom-used, 27-year-old walk-on from South Africa.
Yet Ohio State finds itself exactly where it was a year ago: ranked No. 1 and headed to the Bowl Championship Series title game.
What a strange, wonderful trip it's been.
"We knew we definitely could (get back)," quarterback Todd Boeckman said. "A lot of people were doubting us. We put that to good use. We used that as bulletin-board material. We had great leaders coming back in the seniors and some of the underclassmen, and a lot of guys stepped up and we had a great year."
Buckeyes fans say their team filled in the holes and slowly crescendoed to a strong finish. Critics say Ohio State played cream puffs and benefited because no one else in the nation seemed able to win a meaningful game.
Either way, almost no one would have foreseen what took place.
"Nothing surprises you in football," coach Jim Tressel said.
There isn't much debate that the Buckeyes had talent coming back. A good place to start is a first-team All-American at linebacker, where James Laurinaitis was a cornerstone with 103 tackles. Defensive end Vernon Gholston had been hampered by injuries but dominated up front with 13 sacks.
Even though wide receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez left early for the NFL, "the two Brians" as the coaching staff calls them -- Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline -- stepped in and there was little or no falloff.
Tailback Antonio Pittman also gave up his senior season to move to the pros, taking with him back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Chris "Beanie" Wells, plagued by "fumbleitis" as a freshman, moved in and got stronger as the season progressed, finishing with 1,463 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Last and certainly not least, gone was Troy Smith, last year's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, who graduated and is now with the NFL's Baltimore Ravens.
The Buckeyes were ranked No. 11 in the preseason Associated Press media poll. They gradually worked their way up the rankings and moved into the top spot for the first time the same weekend they were crowned No. 1 in the initial BCS standings, on Oct. 14.
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