Ohio Bobcats:

Ohio has won five consecutive bowl games dating back to the 2017 season. The rest of the MAC combined has six bowl victories during that same timeframe. So Ohio has been the model of consistency in this conference, but perhaps no roster has more turnover than the Bobcats. They not only lose 34 lettermen to either graduation or the transfer portal (39 new players in the program this year), but also replace both coordinators as Tim Albin promoted Brian Smith from assistant head coach to offensive coordinator and John Hauser from safeties coach to defensive coordinator. The schedule does not give them many breaks either, so it will be an impressive feat to win 10 games for the third season in a row.

Offense

Three-year starting quarterback and former MAC Offensive Player of the Year Kurtis Rourke transferred to Indiana taking 34 career starts, more than 7,500 passing yards and 50 touchdown passes out of Athens. The attrition does not stop there as leading rusher Sieh Bangura (811 yards, seven TDs) transfers to Minnesota and the Bobcats also must replace their top seven pass catchers and three offensive line starters from 2023.

 

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Parker Navarro led Ohio in the Myrtle Beach Bowl victory and is probably a better schematic fit for Albin’s spread option, but there is little experience around him. 

Chase Hendricks (11 catches, 108 yards) is the leading returning wide receiver and no one else has more than three career catches as a Bobcat. Redshirt freshman Ricky Hunt had five TDs in last year’s bowl victory but will likely split time at RB with Northwestern transfer Anthony Tyus.

Defense

The roster attrition also is prevalent on the other side of the ball as the transfer portal decimates this group and defensive coordinator Spence Nowinsky left to take the same job at Memphis during spring practice. This group was the nation’s sixth-ranked scoring defense (15.8 PPG) last season. 

Ohio already had to replace its top three tacklers but did catch a break with DE Bradley Weaver (34 tacklers, 6 sacks) withdrawing from the portal and returning. 

Zero starters return at linebacker but Shay Taylor had a breakout showing in the Myrtle Beach Bowl, with six tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery. 

Both safety starters — Austin Brawley (39 tackles, 2 INT) and Adonis Williams (39 tackles, INT) — return for a group that was Top 20 in passing defense last season.

Outlook

Ohio has been the steadiest program in the MAC over the last two seasons, but they are anything but this season with all the roster turnover. The Bobcats play at Syracuse and at Kentucky in the non-conference plus host South Alabama. While they avoid Northern Illinois and Bowling Green in conference play, they do play four teams off bye weeks including three of the last four games, so the schedule is tougher. There is still enough talent to return to a third straight bowl game, but that looks to be the ceiling for a program that has to rebuild its roster.

Pick: Under 6.5 Wins

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