The Ohio State Buckeyes were a bit of a mixed bag in the 2022 season. It was the second straight season they lost to arch-rival Michigan, and as a result, it was the second straight season they failed to win the Big Ten title. For a program that had won eight straight games against Michigan, four straight Big Ten titles and five in seven seasons from 2014-20, two seasons without a conference title has some "sky is falling" implications.
Despite those disappointments, Ohio State was still selected to play in the College Football Playoff. It nearly knocked off Georgia in the semifinals, but Noah Ruggles' 50-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds missed as the Dawgs held on to win 42-41. Considering how badly Georgia beat TCU a week later, there has to be some "what could've been" had Ruggles' kick been good.
Now the Buckeyes enter the 2023 season in unfamiliar territory: looking to climb back to the Big Ten mountaintop. But they'll have to do so after weathering a lot of changes with new faces in key places. With the spring game being played on Saturday, let's catch up on where the Buckeyes stand ahead of the summer.
How to watch 2023 Ohio State spring game live
Date: Saturday, April 15 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Ohio Stadium -- Columbus, Ohio
TV: Big Ten Network | Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)
2023 Ohio State spring game storylines
1. The QB Battle will not be decided here: The presumption of many has been Kyle McCord is the favorite to replace CJ Stroud as Ohio State's starting quarterback, but it's an open competition. The problem is there hasn't been a chance to compete yet with Devin Brown unavailable in the spring. Brown's offseason hand surgery kept him out of spring practice and will keep him out of the spring game as well. As for how that impacts the competition going forward, every rep matters, and McCord is getting the lion's share of them due to Brown's injury. Logic dictates it could be hard for Brown to close the gap once he's able to compete.
2. There's a new play-caller in town: Yes, Ohio State's undergoing a lot of offensive changes. Stroud is gone, as is receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and one of the best offensive lines in the country will be without starting tackles Paris Johnson Jr, Dawand Jones and center Luke Wypler. There are also a bunch of players -- including running back TreVeyon Henderson and receivers Julian Fleming and Emeka Egbuka -- who won't be playing due to injury. So the most interesting part of the spring game could be the new offensive coordinator. Brian Hartline was incredible as a receivers coach before his offseason promotion, and coach Ryan Day plans to share play-calling duties with him going forward. The offense will be Hartline's to run this spring, however, and Saturday offers our first glimpse at him in his new role. Considering how prolific the Ohio State offense has been, Hartline has large shoes to fill.
3. Keep an eye on LB C.J. Hicks: The offense isn't the only side of the ball missing key players this spring. Returning linebackers Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers will be out, too, leaving the door open for C.J. Hicks, a five-star member of Ohio State's 2022 class who was ranked as the No. 1 linebacker and No. 7 player in the class overall. He saw limited time last fall but has been receiving a lot of first-team snaps in practice and impressing coaches.
