When the overlord of your program is Urban Frank Meyer, the phrase "records are meant to be broken" is more about volume than likelihood as evidenced by last year's national championship squad tying or shattering no less than 74 records.
Last week, I visited a list of numerous individual school records that could soon be broken and today I turn your attention to team records that best sleep with one eye open as the Buckeyes get set to stage their title defense.
To keep from writing a book, the focus will be narrowed to only the team records in the most trouble and/or those I deem to be the most worthy of note.
RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
One of the few offensive records not toppled a season ago, the current record for team rushing touchdowns has been around awhile. In fact, the 48 rushing touchdowns logged by the 1974 Buckeyes is going on 41 years old.
The mark has stood the test of time thanks to what was a punishing offensive line and a backfield featuring names like Cornelius Greene, Archie Griffin, Pete Johnson and Champ Henson.
This year, the Buckeyes are coming off a season in which they recorded 41 rushing touchdowns while boasting a bevy of returning rushers and a dominant offensive line. The potential record-breaking road to 49 rushing scores will have its best chance if J.T. Barrett wins the starting quarterback job since he runs the read/option better than his positional competitors and he'd have Braxton Miller getting some carries via snaps at quarterback, jet sweeps, and from the backfield to complement tailback Ezekiel Elliott who recorded 18 rushing scores last season.
RUSHING YARDS PER ATTEMPT
The 2015 Buckeyes will attempt to break the current record of 6.8 yards per carry set by the 2013 squad paced by Miller and Carlos Hyde.
Last year's squad posted just 5.7 yards per carry but I, unscientifically, attribute the drop off partially to having a green offensive line that needed to establish itself, not to mention being forced to prepare two different quarterbacks to face collegiate-level defensive pressure.
This year, that won't be a problem with OSU returning four of five starters in the trenches and an embarrassment of riches at the skill positions. Plus, the big play ability Elliott showed last year will now be complemented by Braxton's ability to take it to the house on any given touch giving Ohio State two elite game breakers that can inflate a stat like rush yards per carry.
PASSING ATTEMPTS, COMPLETIONS AND YARDS
These stats all kind of weave together so we'll take them as one section.
Specific to attempts, last year's squad failed to break the record of 419 set back in 1998 thanks to Joe Germaine's gunslinging prowess but they did come close launching 409 passes in 15 games which is pretty astonishing when you reflect back on losing the starting quarterback with just 10 days before the season opener then watching the backup snap his ankle during the last game of the regular season.
Though last year's quarterback tandem didn't set the team single-season attempts record, they did break the school completions mark with 260 leading to another program-best, 3,707 passing yards, to break the mark of 3,576 also set by Germaine's 1998 offense.
With the logic Ohio State gets to play another 15 games in 2015, all three of these school marks could be in serious jeopardy. As noted earlier, this year's team will have a far superior line and quarterback right out of the gate as opposed to last year's gradual evolution and with so many skill guys making a bid for touches, Ed Warriner and Meyer will again look to go up tempo.
PASSING TOUCHDOWNS
Another mark that was set by last year's group at 42 (Barrett 34, Jones 7, Spencer 1), breaking the old mark of 38 set by Miller (24) and Kenny G (14), the team single-season passing touchdowns record might last just one season.
On one hand, you might be in the camp saying Meyer will do all he can to feed Elliott in a Heisman bid especially anytime the Buckeyes get deep into the red zone. On the other, Ohio State has so much talent at tight end, H-back and split wide, along with up to three quarterbacks to reward, the ball should be in the air even when Ohio State has already secured victory by half time.
TOTAL OFFENSE
It's starting to get ridiculous when you realize that if the 2015 Buckeyes break the team single-season total offense record it will be the third-straight year a new mark has been set.
The 2013 offense fueled by Miller, Hyde and Guiton churned out 7,167 yards only to see last year's group go for 7,674 meaning this year's squad will need to average 511.7 offensive yards per game (again, assuming a 15 game schedule) to earn a spot atop the record book.
YARDS PER PLAY AND YARDS PER GAME
Though the 2013 offense couldn't hold the total offense mark for long, the group does still own the current yards per play and yards per game marks at 7.14 and 511.9 yards, respectively.
Last year's offense does rank a close second in both categories with 7.0 yards per play and 511.6 yards per game and again, knowing the offensive line and quarterback spots will be veteran laden instead of significantly inexperienced, both marks could be eclipsed.
POINTS PER GAME
Once more, the 2013 offense leads the pack with a standard of 45.5 points per game though last year's group wasn't far behind with 44.8.
To give you a flavor for the impressiveness of those totals, before 2013 the school-record of 42.5 points per game stood for 44 years, set by Woody's bruising 1969 bunch featuring Rex Kern, Jim Otis and John Brockington, among others.
SACKS
The school-record of 47 sacks is currently held by the 1998 and 2000 editions of the Silver Bullets, both of which employed a by-committee approach.
The '98 team, for instance, was led by Brent Johnson's seven sacks and five other guys with at least three each. The 2000 team, also paced by Johnson (9.0), boasted nine other defenders with at least three highlighted by eight from Rodney Bailey.
Last year, the defense tallied 45 sacks but saw 20.5 of those come from two defensive linemen (Bosa 13.5, Bennett 7.0) with only five guys recording at least three sacks. Despite coming so close last year and having Bosa back, the loss of Bennett and whether or not a defensive end opposite big #97 could make this record a challenging one to break.
TACKLES FOR LOSS
The 2000 defense wasn't a one trick pony as the unit also holds the team record for TFL in a season with 117. The 1996, '98 and '99 teams are in a three-way tie for second place with 113 with last year's defense holding down fifth place with 110.
Same with sacks, this year's team needs to successfully replace Michael Bennett to have a shot at bettering the school mark but with Bosa, Darron Lee and Adolphus Washington accounting for a combined 48 TFL last year and Raekwon McMillan projected to beat the combined 11.5 he and Curtis Grant amassed last year, the Bullets could make a run at a new standard.
