INDIANAPOLIS (WCMH) -- Expectations are always high for Ohio State in football, and coach Ryan Day knows this season is no different.
"There's a lot of noise and a lot of hype around this team," Day said Tuesday afternoon at Big Ten media days. "We can't allow those distractions grab our focus from what we need to do day in and day out."
The Buckeyes are coming off an 11-2 season where they finished ranked ninth in the country. But both losses came at the end of the season, to national champion Michigan and to Missour in the Cotton Bowl.
This year marks big changes in college football, including the Big Ten, with four four former Pac-12 schools joining: USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington. The Buckeyes are set to play only one of those schools, on Oct. 12 at Oregon.
The Buckeyes roster has changes, too. Transfers include quarterback Will Howard, running back Quinshon Judkins, and safety Caleb Downs, joining a team that a mix of experience and touted freshmen. The offense will be led by new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who is set to takeover a majority of play-calling duties from Day.
"Chip's here for a reason, to run the offense," Day said. "I think it's my job as the head coach to look on the horizon … the games we need to win, how we need to win."
The Big Ten announced its preseason honors team earlier Tuesday. On the list from Ohio State were safety Caleb Downs, receiver Emeka Egbuka, running back TreVeyon Henderson and defensive end JT Tuimoloau.
The Buckeyes will discover where they rank nationally on Aug. 12 when the Associated Press' preseason poll releases. They'll open their season Aug. 31 against Akron at 3:30 p.m. at Ohio Stadium.
