When Ohio State knocked off favorite Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl to capture its first outright national title since 1968, the entire country was left wide-eyed in disbelief.

Four months later, OSU has entered spring workouts with both the swagger of a champion and the motivation to run the table for a second consecutive season.

The Buckeyes have reluctantly donned a bull’s-eye on the back of their scarlet and gray jerseys. Before reaching the national championship OSU felt the hardships included in making it to the pivotal game. After achieving its goal, the team is faced with the more difficult task of winning it all a second time.

“Any team we play is going to have the desire to come into our place and beat us,” said tight end Ben Hartsock. “Teams in the Big Ten have the talent to beat you at any time if you don’t come prepared. In that respect, we have to approach everything with the same intensity.”

Before reaching the Big Ten regular season OSU will have its hands full with a string of non-conference games. The Buckeyes are scheduled to face Washington to open the season on Aug. 30, and will then meet North Carolina State on Sept. 13. Though both games are at Ohio Stadium, the defending champs will have their work cut out for them.

“We know since our game ended on the night of Jan. 3, Washington has been thinking about coming to Ohio Stadium,” said coach Jim Tressel. “They’re talked about as one of two or three teams with 18 starters returning, and they’re being mentioned as a contender for the Pac-10. The game will obviously be extraordinary.”

Two weeks later, OSU will be forced to deal with a young running sensation N.C. State tailback T.A. McLendon.

He had a breakthrough season last year running for over 1,100 yards and 18 touchdowns. The young ball carrier has been mentioned with OSU tailback Maurice Clarett as a possible Heisman candidate for 2003.

“N.C. State I’m sure will be picked in the top 10 since they have mostly everyone coming back,” Tressel said. “But if we talk about them and Washington as our only big match-ups early on, I guarantee we won’t be taking a step forward if we don’t think about San Diego State (Sept. 6) and Bowling Green (Sept. 20).”

OSU has the luxury of hosting its first five games at the Horseshoe, and will play a total of eight games in Columbus. Its four road games include trips to Wisconsin, Indiana, Penn State and Michigan. Quarterback Craig Krenzel said the team was focused on improving on the road by remaining consistent offensively.

“We know we need to play better on the road, but we also know we didn’t blow the doors off teams in our stadium last season,” he said. “Our focus offensively is to be more consistent and efficient enough to put more points on the board, no matter who we are playing.”

A change in OSU’s conference schedule removes Illinois and Minnesota, but adds co-Big Ten champion Iowa and Michigan State to the list of opponents.

“We haven’t played Michigan State and Iowa since I’ve been here and that will be a new challenge,” Tressel said. “We have a lot of opportunities, but a whole lot of work to do before we can be ready for those games.”

Following a 5-2 conference mark in bowl appearances, the Big Ten may shape up as one of the most competitive conferences in the country.

Both Michigan and Purdue return the core of their teams from last season and will rival the Buckeyes in their quest for the league crown.

Wisconsin looks to bounce back after struggling through an unimpressive regular season in 2002, and Penn State quarterback Zack Mills plans on leading the Nittany Lions back to the top of the conference.

OSU will have to travel another treacherous road if it hopes to return to the top of the mountain. With 12 teams gunning to remove the Buckeyes from their pedestal, the coaching staff is primed to ready their players for another enduring journey.

“If you watched our games last year, you know we have to improve in every phase of everything we do,” Tressel said. “We can still get a lot better. But in order to do that we have to work hard in the spring and set the tone for fall camp.”