The football team kicks off spring practice Thursday. There are always a lot of questions going into spring practice, and in my experience the spring doesn't provide a lot of answers. There are always guys that seem to break out in spring, only to disappear once fall rolls around. As Tressel mentions in this article discussing the battle for the starting QB job, the fifteen practices in the spring aren't really enough to decide anything.

Nevertheless, we are Buckeye fans, and making too much of every little thing in football is what we do. So here are some of the big questions going into spring practice:

Who's the starting QB? The big one. Smart money is on redshirt junior Todd Boeckman, though redshirt sophomore Rob Schoenhoft and redshirt freshman Antonio Henton are by no means out of the competition. Boeckman had a grayshirt year before he even redshirted, so he's been around the program a long time. He's a big, pocket-passer type, though Tressel claims he ran the fastest forty time of all the quarterbacks last year (whether that says more about Boeckman or Troy Smith, I don't know). Schoenhoft is also a big, pocket-passer type, and may have a bigger arm than Boeckman. Henton is the most Troy Smith-esque of the quarterbacks, so he's a bit of a fan favorite, needless to say. But if I were a gambling man, I'd put my money on Boeckman and his experience. A good indicator of who's winning this and the other position battles will be who gets drafted by the players first in the Scarlet and Gray game. If the players think a guy's the best at his position, the coaches may think the same way.

What will the offense look like? Most people are expecting a more conventional offense this season: more tight ends and fullbacks, fewer spread formations. Seeing as none of the quarterbacks have much in the way of game experience, it's expected that the offense will rely heavily on Beanie Wells and the ground game. And while I don't have any doubts about the importance of the rushing attack this upcoming season, I wouldn't automatically assume it means more conventional formations. A lot of these players have grown used to and comfortable in spread formations, and I doubt they'll be abandoned entirely. Certainly I think the attack will be more conventional than it was last season, but I still expect to see the occasional three or four wide receiver sets.

Will a receiver not named Brian step up? We're pretty sure Brian Robiskie's good. We're pretty sure Brian Hartline will be a solid number two option. Beyond that, who knows? Ray Small occasionally looked like the second coming of Ted Ginn in limited time last season, but can he do that consistently, and can he be a solid receiver? And what about the upperclassmen, Albert Dukes and Devon Lyons? Dukes has spent a couple years being the Bam Childress Honorary "Awesome in Practice" receiver, but has yet to show much in games. Commits Taurian Washington and Dane Sanzenbacher may also get a look (along with any of the eleventy safety commits that get switched to the offensive side), but we won't learn anything about them in the spring; cornerbacks Donnie Evege and James Scott are the only commits participating in spring practice.

Who takes over at center? This could be the least-heralded, but most important, position battle. Jim Cordle, a redshirt sophomore, is probably the favorite. Tyler Whaley did a decent job as a backup, but he was a walk-on before last season. Connor Smith, a redshirt freshman and a highly-touted recruit, may also have a shot at the job. Whoever gets the job is essentially running the offensive line, so they have to be good.

How will the defensive tackle situation shake down? According to Scout's eligibility tracker, the Buckeyes have three defensive tackles on the roster. Doug Worthington was moved over from end to give the Buckeyes a fourth defensive tackle, and if he plays well there, it could take care of immediate concerns at the position. Todd Denlinger, Nader Abdallah, and Dexter Larimore are also in competition for a starting spot. Whoever gets the job, I'm betting we'll see a step down in play from Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson, but hopefully they'll do a respectable job.

Who starts at linebacker? I wasn't that impressed with our linebackers for most of the season. James Laurinaitis did a decent job, and has the middle linebacker spot nailed down. But who takes the other two spots? Larry Grant was a highly regarded juco transfer, but wasn't all that impressive. Curtis Terry was solid against the run, but not so much against the pass. With Marcus Freeman, it was just the opposite. Ross Homan was a big-name recruit, but was hampered by injuries and didn't make much of an impact. Will we continue to see rotating linebackers, or will someone step up and claim one of the outside spots? I'm guessing either Grant or Terry will make the strides necessary to start on the strong side, but I don't know which it will be. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Homan work his way into a starting spot, if not by the start of the season, then at some point during the season.

Who starts at corner opposite Malcolm Jenkins? Donald Washington is likely the leader, as he saw quite a bit of playing time as the third corner in the nickel. Kurt Coleman had a lot of hype coming out of spring practice last year, but he appears to have been moved to safety. Andre Amos is also an impressive athlete and could get the job. Then there are the two commits joining the team in time for spring practice. I don't expect either to get the job, but you never know. The free safety position is also up for grabs, and Jamario O'Neal could be unseated as the starter at strong safety. Basically, there are a ton of talented athletes looking for playing time in the defensive backfield, and only Jenkins has assured himself of a job.

The defense: experienced, yes, but good? The defense had to replace nine starters last season (as you may have heard), so a lot of new guys got playing time. This season, they return a lot of guys that saw significant playing time last season. Experience is not an issue, but that doesn't automatically mean the defense will be good. They played well for most of last season, but it would be fair to say that they got exposed in the last two games of the season. What does that mean for this season? Which defense is the real one: the defense that shut down teams for most of the season, or the one that gave up 80 points in the last two games of the season? I admit that I'm concerned, but I think there's just too much talent on the defensive side of the ball for this defense to be average, let alone as bad as they looked in the last two games of the season.

So there are the questions I'm looking for answers to. I doubt we'll get any answers from spring practice, but we might get a hint of the right answers. In the meantime, what do you think? Do you have any answers for the above questions? Are there any other questions you're looking for answers to?