Toledo @ Ohio State preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 19, 2009 ) Ohio State 38, Toledo 0

THE STORY: No. 15 Ohio State gets four players back from suspension this week, while four others remain out. The missing players did not seem to affect the Buckeyes much in an easy season opener against Akron. But Toledo, which has legitimate Mid-American Conference title and bowl hopes, should provide a bit more of a challenge. The Rockets have beaten Big Ten schools in the past and ran up 55 points last week in a season-opening triumph.

TV: Big Ten Network. LINE: Ohio State -19

ABOUT OHIO STATE (1-0): While Dan Herron, DeVier Posey and two others have four more games remaining on their tattoos-for-memorabilia suspensions, Jordan Hall, Travis Howard, defensive back Corey Brown and linebacker Jordan Whiting will be back from one-game absences for smaller violations. The Buckeyes trounced Akron, 42-0, last Saturday as Luke Finkell became the first Ohio State coach since Woody Hayes in 1951 to win his debut with a shutout. Senior quarterback Joe Bauserman, making his first career start against the Zips, threw for three touchdowns and rushed for another.

ABOUT TOLEDO (1-0): The Rockets tuned up against FCS school New Hampshire on Sept. 1 and predictably dominated, turning three first-half turnovers into touchdowns and running away. Running back Adonis Thomas rushed for 115 yards and a score on just nine carries and is on the Doak Walker watch list for the nation’s best running back. Toledo rotated three different quarterbacks against New Hampshire and plans to do the same in Columbus. The Rockets are 6-9 against Big Ten teams since 1992, including a 31-20 win at Purdue last season. They are 6-8 all-time against Top-25 teams.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Rockets have never scored on the Buckeyes in two previous meetings, most recently a 38-0 thrashing at Cleveland Browns Stadium in 2009.

2. Ohio State is 17-0 all-time vs. MAC schools and has not lost to an in-state opponent since falling to Oberlin, 7-6, in 1921.

3. The Buckeyes have won 55 consecutive non-conference home games against unranked teams and are 53-5 at Ohio Stadium since the start of the 2002 season.

PREDICTION: Ohio State 38, Toledo 17 -- The Rockets will get on the board this time and should make it interesting for the first half. But the Buckeyes’ superior athletes will end up making the difference.