A football program the caliber of Ohio State expects a trip to the national championship game nearly every year.

Coming off a victory in the Rose Bowl, being picked to win the Big Ten once again and holding the No. 2 ranking in the Associated Press and Coaches’ polls make those expectations as realistic as ever this season.

With all the hype surrounding the Buckeyes, some fans are ready to book their tickets to Tempe, Ariz., for the title game. Though the team is in a favorable position, there are some reasons fans might prefer to hold off on calling their travel agents.

1. Special teams problems

Any discussion of the Buckeyes’ shortcomings must include special teams play. The problem goes back to the end of the 2009 season when big returns by Iowa and Oregon allowed them to remain in games that OSU could have put away.

It appeared to worsen this season when Miami returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns in a game that the Buckeye offense and defense thoroughly dominated.

“Can you win typically if that happens? No,” coach Jim Tressel said. “They know we’ve got to get better at that.”

Short, low kickoffs have resulted in only four touchbacks this season, three of which came against Eastern Michigan. The problem has been compounded by the team’s missed lane assignments, Tressel said.

Special teams are usually a point of pride for a Tressel-coached team, and he is pulling out all the stops by using starters on coverage teams.

2. Lack of secondary depth

Injuries to starting cornerbacks Chimdi Chekwa and Devon Torrence and second-stringers Travis Howard and Nate Oliver have forced them to miss time. Starting safety C.J. Barnett suffered a season-ending injury in the opener.

The injuries have placed inexperienced players in significant roles.

“Younger guys are coming in (with) a lot of things going through their mind,” safety Jermale Hines said. “We’ve just got to try to talk to them and slow them down as the game goes on.”

The inexperience of the backups was exposed to a degree against Eastern Michigan. The Eagles, winless since Nov. 28, 2008, had five pass plays of 20 yards or more against the Buckeyes.

“When a guy comes out there for the first time and hasn’t been playing with the same people, sometimes those situations occur,” safety Tyler Moeller said.

3. Lack of offensive balance

Championship-caliber teams usually feature a balance of run and pass on offense. So far this season, the Buckeyes have been pass-happy.

Over the last three games, Brandon Saine and Dan Herron, the team’s top two tailbacks, have averaged just 72 yards on the ground combined. Against Miami, the only BCS conference opponent OSU has played, the pair averaged just 2.8 yards per carry.

Tressel attributed the problem more to the opponent’s game plan than to his team’s deficiencies.

“There are some times when they can bring one more guy, and it’s going to be harder” to run, he said.

Past evidence suggests this concern might take care of itself. Through two games last year, the team averaged just 3.5 yards per carry but finished the season at 4.5 yards per rush.

4. Big Ten road schedule

Six of Tressel’s nine career Big Ten losses have come on the road.

This season, the Buckeyes face both Iowa and Wisconsin, the teams picked to finish second and third, respectively, in the conference, away from home.

With Iowa dropping an out-of-conference game to Arizona, Wisconsin might be the most serious threat remaining on OSU’s schedule. Tressel is 3-2 against the Badgers, his worst record against any conference opponent.

The coach is aware of his challenge.

“It’s going to be a physical next couple of months,” Tressel said. “Now we’ll find out how good we are.”

5. Three undefeated BCS teams

Though ranked No. 2, an undefeated season does not ensure the Buckeyes a trip to the title game.

An undefeated Boise State team, ranked No. 3, might not jump OSU in the rankings because of strength of schedule. But if No. 1 Alabama and another BCS conference team also have perfect records, being left out of the championship game becomes a real possibility.

That situation becomes more likely if the third team is from the Big 12, a conference with a championship game. If, for example, Nebraska and Oklahoma go undefeated and meet in their conference’s title game, it’s possible that the Buckeyes would be jumped in the polls by the winner.

Regardless, Tressel is not concerned with impressing the voters.

“We’ve always said that if we could be successful in our league … that we’ll have enough style,” he said, “and you’ll see where you land.”