With the school year coming to a close and a long summer devoid of Buckeye sports, Ohio State fans will have to wait months for The ‘Shoe to come alive again. Here are the top storylines of the upcoming season.

Quarterback Terrelle Pryor
When he’s good, he is one of the best players in college football. When he’s bad, the offense has trouble moving the ball. After being named MVP of the Rose Bowl against Oregon, Pryor might have finally put it all together. His off-season knee surgery will also be something to remember come September. If the Buckeyes want to win a national championship this year, Pryor will have to limit turnovers and reach the high expectations many believe he can.

Can the secondary recover?
Losing safeties Kurt Coleman and Anderson Russell also means losing a total of 69 solo tackles and eight interceptions. Returning safety Jermale Hines played in all 13 games last year and the secondary will need him as a leader this season. Returning cornerbacks Chimdi Chekwa and Devon Torrence should provide stability.

Unproven special teams
Often a strength for OSU, this year’s special teams unit has potential but is inexperienced. The 27-year-old senior Devin Barclay returns as the team’s kicker, but his career-long field goal is only 39 yards. With punt-returner Ray Small moving on to the NFL, Jordan Hall and Taurian Washington are early options to take over the position. Junior Ben Buchanan will be the new punter with just four career punts.

Third receiver position battle
Washington has taken advantage of Duron Carter’s continued academic troubles and has worked himself into the discussion as the Buckeye’s third receiver. If Pryor’s passing game is to develop further this season, he will have to find someone else to rely on besides junior DeVier Posey and senior Dane Sanzenbacher.

Too many running backs?
Senior Brandon Saine and junior Dan Herron received most of the carries last year, but sophomore Jordan Hall performed well when Herron battled injuries. Add in freshman Jaamal Berry, who came to OSU as the eighth-ranked running back by recruiting website scout.com but missed last year with hamstring injuries, and the biggest problem for coach Jim Tressel might be finding enough carries for all of his backs.