Ohio State will begin its national title defense on Monday night when it takes on the only team that was able to beat the Buckeyes last season in Virginia Tech. Ohio State comes into the season ranked first in the nation by a unanimous vote and is the early favorite to win the National Championship again.
Last season's meeting between the Hokies and the Buckeyes happened in week two, and the Hokies were able to win by a score 35-21. Ohio State went on to win its next 13 games after that loss en route to the championship. The Buckeyes had to wait it out to see if they would even be in the College Football Playoff last season and they don't want to do that again. After the Virginia Tech game they have a pretty weak schedule until their final two games against Michigan State and Michigan.
Urban Meyer has not said which quarterback, J.T. Barrett or Cardale Jones, he will start, but he did say he knows and the quarterbacks know. Both quarterbacks played fantastic last season after being thrust into the position due to injuries. Last year's number one quarterback Braxton Miller is now a wide receiver due to the crazy depth the team has at the quarterback position.
The player to watch for Ohio State is Ezekiel Elliot who became a star in the postseason a year ago. In the College Football Playoff and the Big Ten Championship, Elliot rushed for more than 200 yards in each game and had eight total touchdowns. Whichever quarterback plays will have the comfort of being able to hand the ball off to one of the best running backs in the nation.
Joey Bosa, the star defensive end for Ohio State, will not play in this game as he is serving a one-game suspension.
Despite its huge win over Ohio State, Virginia Tech finished last season 7-6 which was a big disappointment. Virginia Tech is 0-8 all-time against number one overall teams, but it is expected to be much better this year and it is playing this game at home.
The Hokies' quarterback Michael Brewer is coming off an up-and-down season. Brewer played extremely well against the Buckeyes last season but overall his season was not great. He had the fourth worst quarterback rating in the ACC last season, as he threw 18 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, but he did throw for the fourth most yards in the conference.
Head coach Frank Beamer is not concerned about Brewer; he is more concerned with the players around him. Beamer thinks that if the offensive line does its job and the skill players make plays then Brewer will be just fine.
The game kicks off at 8 p.m. EDT, and you can watch the live stream here. For the Ohio State radio broadcast go here, and for the Virginia Tech radio broadcast go here.