This is going to be a post basking in the after glow of a Sugar Bowl victory for the ages, and bask I shall.

However, I would also like to take a quick glance towards next season. I don’t know what it is about a bowl victory, but it immediately causes me to say “and just think what next year could be like!”

But first, the basking… primarily reserved for the seniors.

44 wins, 4 Big Ten championships, 4 wins against that school up north, and 2 BCS bowl victories, including a fantastic and heart stopping final victory in the Sugar Bowl that will be enjoyed and remembered for years to come.

Calling the careers of the seniors anything less than outstanding would be an understatement of extreme proportions. Several seniors deserve extra recognition for seemingly saving their best performances for their final games in scarlet and gray.

Cameron Heyward and Dexter Larimore were monsters all night and were a huge part of disrupting Mallett and the Arkansas offense.

Dane Sanzenbacher was as clutch as he has ever been, losing him will be a huge hit to the receiving corps next season.

Jermale Hines and Devon Torrence held together a decimated secondary for practically the entire second half. Without their leadership and experience who knows what would have happened back there.

Brian Rolle, Ross Homan, Bryant Browning, and Justin Boren all took care of business like we have come to expect. Chimdi Chekwa did his part before dislocating his wrist.

The rest of the seniors deserve credit for their contributions as well, on or off the field.

To them all, fantastic job and a huge thanks from Buckeye Nation for providing so many fantastic memories during your careers and for leaving it all on the field one last time during the Sugar Bowl.

Ohio State fans can enjoy that victory for at least the next 8 months, and most likely will for much longer. Part of the basking, at least for me, involves optimistically looking ahead to next season, so here are some early thoughts for 2011.

Defensive Line

As mentioned, Cameron Heyward and Dexter Larimore were outstanding against Arkansas and will be tough to replace. Honestly, the defensive line is probably the area I am most concerned about heading into next season.

At the same time, players like Adam Bellamy and Garrett Goebel made some noise in the Sugar Bowl as well, which gives me some hope for the future. It is clear that they have improved throughout the year and are ready to become more permanent parts of the line rotation.

The core of John Simon and Nathan Williams along with young guys like Bellamy, Goebel, and Johnathan Hankins should be a quality front in 2011, but depth will once again be a concern.

Linebackers

The duo of Brian Rolle and Ross Homan combined for 351 tackles over the past two seasons as starters. Although they were under appreciated nationally and in the media, that type of production is never easy to replace.

At the same time, Ohio State has had a seemingly endless series of linebacker that have stepped in to become the next great defender at Ohio State. As always, the spring competition for starting spots will be intense, but between Andrew Sweat, Etienne Sabino, Storm Klein, Dorian Bell, and Jon Newsome, there is little doubt that the Buckeyes will field an outstanding linebacking corps in 2011.

Losing established players is always tough, but in a way, looking forward to what the young guys can do makes the offseason even more exciting.

There will be a lot of excitement and action amongst the linebackers this offseason. Many of them have been waiting quite some time to get their shot, and with two open spots, 2011 will be their time to shine.

Secondary

Ohio State loses three of their four starters in the secondary heading into 2011. While that may seem daunting, in a way, all of the injuries in 2010 have prepared many of the young players to step in without missing a beat.

The Sugar Bowl was a tremendous challenge for the secondary as they sustained injury after injury during the game. Fortunately, Orhian Johnson, Christian Bryant, Dominic Clarke, Travis Howard, and many of the other young players stepped up and played beyond most people’s wildest expectations in the Sugar Bowl and throughout the season.

Thanks to that experience, they should be ready to fill the starting spots next year.

Florida State transfer Dionte Allen as well as recently committed incoming freshman Doran Grant could be factors as well.

With the return of C.J. Barnett and Tyler Moeller from injury, plus the young players who preformed so well filling in for injuries, along with the addition of new faces like Allen and Gant, there is little doubt in my mind that Ohio State’s secondary won’t miss a beat in 2011.

Offensive Line

Out of all of the positions on the team, the offensive line is probably the thing I am most excited about heading into 2011. Even with the suspension of starting LT Mike Adams and the loss of starting guards Bryant Browning and Justin Boren, the offensive line has the potential to be the best in the Jim Tressel era.

The return of Marcus Hall to the starting rotation is probably the most exciting thing heading into 2011. In my opinion, he is one of the favorites to fill in at LT during Adams’ suspension.

After Adams returns, Hall could conceivably play anywhere on the line, or even stay at LT. If he doesn’t miss a beat following his year off, Marcus Hall will be a game changer up front next season.

At right tackle, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Andrew Norwell win the starting spot, resulting in a move by J.B. Shugarts down to guard. Given Shugarts glaring struggles on the edge in the Sugar Bowl and at times throughout the season, that might be the best thing for Shugarts and the line.

Regardless of the exact positions, Shugarts is a tested veteran who is at the very least solid while Norwell is an exciting young player with an extremely high ceiling.

Michael Brewster, although contemplating an early entry into the NFL, will almost certainly return for his senior season and will be an anchor and leader in the middle.

Even with Adams missing games early, between Brewster, Shugarts, Hall and Norwell, the Buckeyes have the making of an outstanding front. Young guys like Corey Linsley, Sam Longo, and Jack Mewhort could all push for starting spots as well.

All together, the Buckeyes should field an outstanding front five in 2011 to lead the way for an amazing stable of running backs.

Running Backs

The depth of the Buckeye RBs is well documented and many fans would have loved to see exciting young players like Jaamal Berry receive more touches in 2010. With the graduation of senior RB Brandon Saine, the number of carries will go up. The competition to receive those carries will be fierce, particularly in the first five games during Boom Herron’s suspension.

The suspension of Boom and Pryor could be a blessing in disguise for the offense and the young RBs. It will force the Buckeyes to focus on the ground game which will give the young running backs plenty of opportunities to show what they’ve got.

No matter who plays at quarterback, I think the Buckeyes will be more than capable of starting 5-0 running the ball.

Wide Receivers

I said earlier that the defensive line may be my biggest concern in 2011, but upon further reflection, the wide receivers probably will take the crown.

With the loss of Dane Sanzenbacher and the suspension of Devier Posey, who knows which young players will step up, especially early in the season, but someone will need to. Corey Brown seems to have an inside track at one of the starting spots, but beyond that, it is anybodies guess who will play.

At the very least, it should be exciting to watch in the offseason. With any luck, one of the young players will surprise us all and become a star.

QBs

With the suspension of Pryor, the quarterback competition will probably be the hot topic this offseason.

While it will be interesting to see if Guiton, Graham, or even Braxton Miller can surpass Bauserman as the starter (fair or not, most fans will be hoping that one of them does), I think whoever wins the starting spot will be handing the ball off a lot more than they will be throwing, making the winner of the QB derby less important than all of the attention it will undoubtedly receive.

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Those are some of my quick early thoughts for 2011. Thinking ahead is infinitely more enjoyable following a bowl victory, so stay tuned all off season for plenty more early previews and thoughts on next season.