I’m looking forward to re-watching the Rose Bowl to break down what went down in Pasadena (unlike the last few bowl games), but the bottom line is that Ohio State made the plays when they needed to and Oregon didn’t.
Three stunners stay with me as I sit awash in the post-Rose-Bowl-glow.
First and foremost was how Ohio State came out passing. 37 passing attempts is not something I thought would have been anywhere near the realm of possibility. In my mind, the gameplan was very obvious- ball control run game on offense eventually wearing down a smaller defense and bend but don’t break keep-it-in-front-of-you defense. Maybe the obvious nature of the offensive opportunity was the point and why Jim Tressel and his staff remain smarter than I am, at least when it comes to football.
The gameplan is one thing, but Pryor’s execution of the gameplan was tremendous. He still underthrows some balls but his pocket presence showed marked improvement, particularly his feel for when to run and when to throw. He’s just scratching the surface and assuming his progression takes a linear path, big things are in store for 2010 and 2011.
The second stunner was Ohio State’s special teams. Ohio State’s kick coverage and kick return game was horrible, borderline game changing and not in a good way.
Oregon started six of their ten drives from their own 38 yard line or better. Ohio State started seven of their eleven drives at their own 20 yard line or worse.
Those are stunning statistics when you consider that Ohio State held Oregon to only 17 points. If you told me before the game that Oregon would spend most of the game in Ohio State territory and the Buckeyes would still win, I’d have called you a liar and returned the Christmas gift I bought for you.
And speaking of the defense, the third stunner is the Ohio State D. Not only did Ohio State not allow a single 100-yard rusher for yet another game, but the defense shut down Masoli’s ability to pass and contributed to the Rose Bowl record 42-to-18 minute time of possession advantage.
You can certainly argue that had LaMichael James been able to play the entire game (he missed part in the locker room for x-rays) he might have been able to go over 100 yards, but he didn’t. He finished with 70 yards on 15 carries for a solid 4.0 ypc average.
Jim Heacock is long overdue to be mentioned by college football analysts along with the best defensive minds in the business. The personnel they recruit, the scheme, and the execution puts the Ohio State defense in the top 10 every year.
By the same token, Luke Fickel deserves similar recognition. He’s obviously got coaching chops and having spent several years now getting Tresselized and listening to Fickel in interviews, he’s due for some head coaching opportunities. It will hurt to lose him but he deserves whatever he ends up getting.
The rest of the Rose Bowl is all upside for the Buckeyes- stopping the bowl game losing streak, finding an offensive identity, improving the national perception of the Big Ten, building momentum for next year, and on and on.
Time will tell how good the ‘10 Buckeyes will be, the return of Gibson and Heyward would be a huge lift, but this is clearly a pre-season top five team next year with Miami, Michigan and Penn State at home and only road games at Wisconsin and Iowa as tough tests.
I hope your day yesterday was better than this dude’s:
I love that the dude in the black jersey is writhing on the ground like he’s injured. I’m sure his shin is reeeeeeeeal hurt from slamming into some dude’s junk. Pansies.
The bowl season starts to get more interesting today with Pitt -v- North Carolina and Boston College -v- USC. I’m interested to see who wins the battle between Pitt’s offense and UNC’s defense. I’m also interested on a scale of 1 to 10 where will USC’s apathy come in at, I’m going with a 6.5 or something. Whatever. I really don’t care.
I’ll have full game previews of the games that matter in the next day or two.
With the dead time between the end of the college football regular season and meaningful bowl games, I thought it might be an interesting exercise to look at Buckeyes in the NFL by position.
The data comes from ESPN and I made one change to it. Because the Jets play a 3-4 defense, Vernon Gholston is technically listed as a linebacker but I changed him back to a Defensive End. Though, if you asked Jet fans, he probably should be listed as on the “unable to perform” list.
Ohio State has 7 players at each of three different positions on active NFL rosters- Linebacker, Cornerback and Wide Receiver. With four players at Safety also, you could argue Ohio State has become Secondary U (insert Michigan joke here).
A bit surprising and at the same time not, is that Troy Smith is the only Ohio State Quarterback on an active NFL roster. Other positions with only one Buckeye include Defensive Tackle, Offensive Guard, Offensive Tackle, Kicker, Tight End and sadly, Running Back.
As for Penn State being “Linebacker U”, while that obviously is more of a historical reference for Nittany Lion fans, the present clearly doesn’t support that claim. PSU has four linebackers on active NFL rosters and two of those are Tim Shaw and Cameron Wake, both of whom I had to look up because I had never heard of them.
Here’s the full list of active Buckeye players for your perusal:
That’s what the last second of the Texas-Nebraska Big XII Championship Game was worth to Mack Brown- $2 million. Actually, $2 million times the number of years he coaches at Texas from next year forward, so we’ll put the over/under total value at $8 million. Here’s the play in case you need a refresher:
That play is worth $2 million per year thanks to the University of Texas Board of Regents. That brings Mack’s new salary to $5 mil per year, a staggering number considering that’s equivalent to $10 million in Texas dollars or $50 million pesos depending on where Mack retires.
You can be damn sure the overlords at Notre Dame are none too pleased with the timing of Mack’s contract escalation. That little Christmas present probably cost some Notre Dame booster $4 or $5 million.
Cincinnati Head Coach Brian Kelly is meeting with the Notre Dame overlords today according to reports in an effort to discuss how much it’s going to take to get Kelly to leave UC.
To start off the meeting, I strongly recommend Kelly fuses Flashdance with some MC Hammer shit (after all, it is for charity):
Fret not Cincy fans, with Dantonio to Michigan State and Kelly to Notre Dame you can now claim your school as one of the finest placement services in all of college football. Bravo.
Five undefeated teams and only two can play in the championship game; yep- the BCS is deeeeeeeeeefinitely working. All five undefeateds get fat cash glory for their conferences and that’s all that really matters in modern college football.
We’re guaranteed to have at least two undefeated teams at the end of the season, with the possibility of three. I hope the AP voters have a sense of humor come final ballot time.
If I were in charge of the selection panel for the college football playoffs, these would be the first round matchups, which would be played in two weeks at the home stadium of the higher ranked team:
As heard on the radio show he co-hosts in Columbus in the afternoon, Mike Ricordati indicated he may be interested in taking over the head job in South Bend. The move, despite being a lateral one from afternoon Columbus sports talk show to Head Coach at an independent I-A football program, would be a good challenge for the veteran radio man.
Ricordati would likely use his folksy common sense and moniker of “the Common Man” to shore up recruiting and get Notre Dame back into contention for the EagleBank Bowl and other lucrative post-season swag trips.
A source at Notre Dame would not confirm if Ricordati is in fact a candidate for the vacancy left by Chuck Weis. Randy Edsall could also not be reached for comment.
Buckeye nation- prepare yourself for an infinite array of day-glo yellow and green combinations in Pasadena. And I would suspect the Eugene Back Street Boys will be there as well:
In case you missed the 2nd half, Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount made his first appearance since he got suspended for the season. At the time Blount came in, Oregon was down and Blount was the shot in the arm (or punch in the chin) the Ducks needed. Blount finished with 9 carries for 51 yards and a touchdown.
After signing a contract extension through 2016 (4 years after the end of the world), TCU Head Coach Gary Patterson took an opportunity to dote on the evil empire- the BCS.
Here’s Patterson on the BCS (and imagine him holding a fistful of cash in one hand and a chili dog in the other):
Is it easier to win one game for a championship? Or to have to win four?” Patterson asked. “If you have a playoff, you practice and get on a plane and play. And if you lose, it’s over. If you go to a bowl game, you’re there seven days and the kids can enjoy a place and get rewarded.
Patterson spews part of the BCS fight song- the false notion that it’s an either/or proposition with the bowls and a championship game. To refute his noise, I’ll set the record straight:
*8-team playoff with the lower-seeded team playing at the home stadium of the higher-seeded team *Losers of round one still go to a bowl game as a consolation prize *4 winners move on and play in one of two National Semifinals that make use of two of the existing BCS bowls on a rotating basis. All four teams get still get the “bowl” experience with the SWAG, the pomp and circumstance, and the trim. *Winners play in the D-I National Championship two weeks after semifinals.
What went unsaid from Coach Patterson was that he’s perfectly happy to collect a fat BCS payday for his conference with the potential of back-dooring into the national championship and he knows damn well his team, as good as it is, would be a severe longshot to make it through a playoff.
Cash and a fear of change are the cold hard reality of the BCS. As close as Patterson came to a real moment of honesty, he stopped short and cowardly hid behind the company line. I’d love to hear from TCU’s players to see if they share his same sentiments.
Swill merchant Dennis Dodd from CBSSports.com is at it again. His latest blast praises the BCS, an act that should be met by public stoning in the streets.
A principal theme of his is that simply getting the undefeated teams into BCS bowls is success for college football. I don’t know what bizzaro world Dodd lives in but that type of ignorant logic belongs nowhere near college football.
Here’s an excerpt from his ill-conceived etude in crap minor titled “For all its flaws, BCS walking the right path”:
Whoever thought we’d be turning to the BCS for clarity and hope? But here we are. The Bowl Championship Series, by dumb luck more than master plan, has worked this season. For the second time in the BCS era, it’s possible there could be five undefeated teams at the end of the season (Alabama/Florida, Texas, TCU, Boise State and Cincinnati). For the first time, all of them would be playing in BCS bowls.
Complete and utter filth. You sir Mr. Dodd are part of the problem. Read the full article here.
Ten answers to ten questions I didn’t ask. With the turkey (cooked it dry I did) I didn’t get Ten Questions up last week. There was plenty of knowledge dropped on us though, namely that Tebow is out of his cage, Mickey Andrews picked a shitty year to retire, and the services of Charlie Weis are in high demand (as an NFL O-Coordinator). On to the ten (five) answers…
1.) It may be debatable as to whether or not defense wins championships, but it sure as hell wins regular season games. What is the common thread between each of the fallen glory teams this year (Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida State)? It’s bad defense.
Consider where each of these teams ranks in scoring defense:
Florida State - 98th
Michigan - 79th
Notre Dame - 64th
Despite being able to light up the scoreboard offensively, all of those programs have had significant difficulty this season stopping opponents (or even slowing them down in some cases). Let that help you go to sleep better at night Buckeye nation- as long as Jim Heacock and company are rocking the fierce D, things can’t go too far awry.
Even in the case of USC and Oklahoma, the defense hasn’t been horrible but the offense hasn’t been able to do enough to make up the difference.
2.)Cincinnati 49, Illinois 36
Tony Pike is a bad man. I don’t care who you’re playing, six touchdown passes in one game is pretty sweet. Tha’ts like 4 1/2 games worth of touchdown passes for TP. To keep Cincy fan’s ego in check, that was Illinois, and not Dick Butkus’ Illinois, the Zookers 3-8 Illinois.
Allowing the Illini to drop half a 72 on you is a problem. Sugarcoat it all you want. I still think TCU is the best of the non-BCS schools (yes I just called Cincy a non-BCS school- deal with that) but I would looooove to see Cincy take on Alabama, preferably at Alabama.
The $32 million dollar elephant in the Bearcat room is obviously Brian Kelly. Notre Dame fans should be comforted by the fact that everything Kelly touches turns to gold. Not only did he win at Grand Valley State and win at Central Michigan and win at Cincinnati, he’s done it convincingly and with an Urban Meyeresque go-for-the-throat attitude. Losing a stud QB like Pike would cripple most teams (see Oklahoma), yet all Kelly and Cincinnati did was tap Zach Collaros on the shoulder and ask him to go destroy three teams until Pike was ready to go again. Put Pike back in, six touchdowns, voila.
I hate to say it Bearcat nation, but there’s no better place for a gold-encrusted coach to go then Notre Dame. It’s going to happen; you’re a stairstep program. Kelly- any concern about what decision to make, give Greg Schiano a call at Rutgers.
3.) Boise State 44, Nevada 33 TCU 51, New Mexico 10
We’re guaranteed at least three undefeated teams at the end of the regular season so the BCS must be working. Boise State and TCU both finished their regular seasons undefeated and await their bowl fate.
TCU is a lock for the BCS but Boise State should have some heartburn until the official pairings come out. I think the Broncos are in but it’s all about the benjamins playa. I hope they don’t get in so somebody starts stirring up some BCS trouble (other than old white guys/the President in Washington).
I don’t think TCU or Boise deserve a spot in the BCS national championship game but they do deserve to play their way into it. It would be an unbelievable spectacle to see them go to Florida or Texas or Alabama to play in order to move on to the semifinals. There’s just no parity in the regular season schedules and there never will be.
4.)Florida 37, Florida State 10
It’s officially time for “Weekend at Bobby’s“ to be over. You know the movie- the two kids try to keep the party going by propping up the old man making it look like he’s still pulling all the strings. Anthony McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman it’s over. Time to divvy up the estate.
The eternal optimist in me would like to think that if FSU had Christian Ponder behind center, the ‘Noles could have kept the game closer. The realist in me knows an entire A-Team van full of past Florida State quarterbacks could have shown up and it wouldn’t have made a bit of difference.
I hate to say it because I think he’s one of the best assistant coaches of the last 20 years but the atrophy in the Seminole defense under the direction of Mickey Andrews is a huge reason why the Seminoles are where they are. That and they’ve had these guys as their last five quarterbacks:
*Drew Weatherford
*Xavier Lee
*Wyatt Sexton
*Adrian McPherson
*Chris Rix
5.)West Virginia 19, Pittsburgh 16
Wannstache!! Anyone who bet their hard-earned money on Pittsburgh over West Virginia needs a hug this week. Pitt lost to the Mountaineers via a late field goal, taking considerable wind out of the coming Pitt-Cincy matchup this weekend. Pittsburgh Board of Tourism, know this- had Pitt won last week I was on my way to the city of 2+1 Rivers but now I’m not. Thank the Wannstache for the loss of my tourism dollars- and I’m a big spender. Suck on that.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Eat turkey. Watch football. Repeat. That’s the plan for the next six days or so. Here’s the itinerary to help keep you on track and feel free to mix the turkey in whenever you can:
Just when I get hopeful there may be meaningful change to college football, namely a playoff, I hear interviews like the one that follows. New BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock was on Dan Patrick last week spouting off the usual BCS party lines- integrity of the bowls, protecting academics, blither, blather, etc.
For the record, only an idiot fails to see how a playoff can be established while still maintaining the bowls. Apparently Bill Hancock is such an idiot.
I’m stunned Mr. Hancock and his associates continue to use the shield of academics to hide under as well. Every level of football except for D-I has a playoff as does nearly every other collegiate sport. D-I basketball players miss three times as much class as football players too. It’s an insult to all college football fans’ intelligence to even raise the issue of academics.
Only one change and that’s swapping Florida and Alabama. I think Florida’s the better team solely because of who’s behind center; we’ll find out for sure in two weeks.
If the season were to end today and I were Commissioner, these would be the first round matchups (played at the home stadium of the higher-seeded team):
I think of the cursing and the anger LSU fans must have experienced Saturday night and I just laugh, laugh, laugh. Here’s Les in his own words:
I mismanaged the back end of the Ole Miss Game. It’s my responsibility. I’m the head coach. I let the clock get away from me. It’s my fault. It’s my mistake.
Here’s the video in case you missed one of the worst clock mismanagement episodes of the season, and if it helps, picture Les wearing a Michigan windbreaker instead of an LSU one:
Shame on you if you didn’t stay up for the Pac-10 party Saturday night. Here are your ten (five) answers:
1. Will Ohio State’s offense add another chapter in the bad Michigan defense story? Ohio State 21, Michigan 10
Damn I hate it when I’m wrong. I called an Ohio State win by 10 and Tress ran up the score winning by 11. Don’t I feel sheepish. I called for a Forcier fumble too, something that was hardly going out on a limb but the timing of that was pretty excellent for the good team.
Had Pryor connected on two bombs to Posey, the game would have looked more dominating, but the outcome never really was in question. Still, the offensive plan for Ohio State has worked to near perfection the last few weeks. It remains to be seen whether or not that success carries into the bowl game, especially because the bowl opponent is TBD at this point.
2. Will the Boren brothers go “Hanson Brothers” on the Wolverines? Ohio State 21, Michigan 10 (feels good to write that twice)
As it usually is, the action on the field stayed pretty classy. The Michigan fans on the other hand had words for the Borens all game long.
Justin and Zach provided the following statistical rebuttal: 251 yards rushing. Thank you.
3/4. Who’s going to represent the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl? Oregon 44, Arizona 41 (2OT) Cal 34, Stanford 28
If you’re keeping score at home, I picked both Oregon and Cal to win.
The more significant of the two games was Oregon/Arizona where the Arizona loss took them out of championship contention (glory of the Pac-10 variety only of course). Oregon now plays Oregon State on December 3rd in Autzen where the winner goes to the Rose Bowl to face Ohio State.
Despite making mistakes in the game, Jeremiah Masoli and the Duck offense would not quit. I was particularly impressed with Masoli’s guttiness and his ability to both run and pass effectively against a decent Wildcat defense (no relation to the Wildcat offense). I don’t know if it’s his diminutive stature (listed at 5′11″) but Masoli reminds me very much of Troy Smith. Funny enough, if you compare Masoli’s numbers to Smith’s numbers from his Junior year, they’re almost identical. If Oregon makes it to the Rose Bowl, let’s hope Masoli hits the buffet table as hard as Troy did post-Heisman.
5. How stoked are you for Florida/Alabama this weekend? Florida 62, Florida International 3 Alabama 45, Chattanooga choo choo 0
Florida gets Florida State, Alabama gets Auburn, then they get each other in what will result in orgasmic SEC delight. Drink it in college football fans, because there are seldom few opportunities left to use your SEC beer goggles.
That’s my message to Michigan fans- we’ll always have Delaware State.
Ohio State 21, Michigan 10
As an indication of how far the Michigan program has fallen, all that kept the Wolverines from ending the year on a stunning 7 game losing streak was the win against I-AA Delaware State, and that’s a two game improvement over last year. As it is, Team Rodriguez ends bowl-less again with a 5-7 final record and in a tie for last place in the conference with Indiana.
There’ll be plenty of soul-searching in Ann Arbor this winter and there are no easy answers. Firing RichRod won’t accomplish much except adding another year to the bottom of the bell curve.
They took their chances with two freshman QB’s, neither of which is a complete player in terms of fitting into his system. Tate Forcier is a decent passer and can create with his feet but isn’t nearly sturdy enough to survive loads of run calls over an entire season in the Big Ten.
Denard Robinson is a gifted runner but isn’t a thrower (yet, perhaps ever). If there’s no threat of meaningful passes, Robinson becomes a one trick pony that’s easy to stop when you’ve got the type of defense Ohio State has.
If Michigan Running Back Brandon Minor were healthier today he may have made a difference, but one of the many painful lessons RichRod has learned in his second year in the league is you must have a power running game. You don’t have to use it often, but no matter what kind of offense you run, there will be times in the Big Ten where you must be able to line up and simply overpower your opponent.
Obviously the biggest area of concern for Michigan is their defense. At the bottom of the conference for every statistical category that the NCAA tracks, the defense never got their bearings in conference play. I can’t even imagine how bad the defense would have been had DE Brandon Graham left for the NFL last year. Graham was all that kept UofM from ranking at the bottom in the nation defensively.
And defense is where RichRod has made his biggest miscalculation. I believe he thought he could be good enough on offense with his system to just outscore Big Ten opponents. What else would describe the lack of focus on defensive recruiting. Evidence of this is their piss-poor defense this year and the fact that they only have 8 of their current 20 commitments next year as defensive players, and only 3 of those as defensive linemen.
It should be to raised epidemic levels a la wartime draft status in Michigan. There should be posters in every high school in the state- “We want you to play defense for Michigan!”.
Ohio State - Six in a row
Ohio State now has six straight victories over the Wolverines, a feat which is starting to cleanse the beatings we took in the 90’s. Just in case you want to take a walk down memory lane, here are the scores from the last six:
It’s not all sunshine and roses for the Buckeyes (though Wolverine fans- just remember when you’re shoveling snow on January 1st, it will literally be sunshine and roses for buckeye fans ). Despite getting another dominating rush performance and the defense getting takeways and playing well, there are loads of places for improvement and even some areas for concern.
First and foremost in the “does this thing have a CarFax report” department is the one-dimensionality of the offense. The playcalling and the execution through the stretch run in the Big Ten has been exactly what was needed at this point in what I’ll call the “three year offensive master plan: building a team for Terrelle’s Senior year”.
Terrelle’s greatest development as a player has been in his ability to the manage the game and not make mistakes. You needn’t look any further in how far Terrelle has come than across the sideline in the Michigan game today.
Tate Forcier was throwing the ball around like a drunken sailor and he had four interceptions to show for it, and should have had at least two more. For the first time in four games Terrelle threw an interception, and unlike almost every other interception he’s thrown this year, it wasn’t a poor decision, it was just a bad throw. It’s not sexy, but managing the game is a huge part of the equation that goes into the Tressel Strategy Super Computer (TSSC).
Against good defenses (Penn State, Iowa) our offense has done enough to win while our defense has provided stops and breaks where needed. My concern is against a team like Oregon in the Rose Bowl, they’ll have some success limiting us on offense and their offense is too dynamic to think our defense will be able to flat out dominate the way they have other teams. The OSU offense is going to be relied upon to do more and that’s concerning.
Pryor’s inability to get any level of accuracy on deep throws is also very troubling. I’d like to think if he throws 500 long balls a day in the off-season he’ll get better, but having never played the position I just don’t know. It’s good that he’s at least missing long now as opposed to lobbing ducks that get picked off. His mechanics are clearly still inconsistent, and hopefully that will come with time.
OSU’s performance on 3rd down also is a problem. 18-for-48 to be exact over the last three games and 6-for-16 against the Wolverines. Add to that our sudden poor execution in the punting game and that’s the kind of negative field position that loses games. That will need to be better in order to get a Rose Bowl win.
The positives
A win is a win against Michigan- it doesn’t matter how it comes.
For the fifth game in a row and the eighth time this season Ohio State rushed for over 200 yards. As maligned as the offensive line has been, they’re starting to take over games and open up huge holes. Added to that is the good run blocking from fullback Zach Boren and the powerful back-and-forth combination of Saine and Herron. Put it all together and you have one of the most dominant rushing attacks in college football. 96 yards for Herron Saturday; 84 for Saine.
One of the more entertaining moments of the game came in the 2nd quarter with the Buckeyes up 7-3. Ohio State was supposed to run a rollout pass with a run option to the right. The play they actually ran was an option right counter, something I don’t recall seeing yet this season. It worked perfectly with Michigan getting sucked right and Saine rumbling left for a touchdown. After high-fiving the family I turned to my wife and said “Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.”
That play was brought to Buckeye fans not by Coach Tressel or Bollman but instead by the Student Manager Matt Esselstein. You see, Esselstein is responsible for writing the plays on the whiteboard for the offensive players once the formation has been called. It turns out Esselstein wrote the wrong number on the board and lucky enough, the wrong play turned into the right play.
On the third touchdown for the Buckeyes, I love the call from Tress and the execution from TP on the screen pass. Michigan brought the sellout blitz, Pryor threw the screen perfectly and Boom Herron made a great catch and ran it in. It’s not bells and whistles but it’s the type of solid playcalling and execution that Ohio State must have to be successful.
Today is kind of like an if, then statement. If Ohio State wins, I’ll continue watching the later games. If Michigan wins, I’ll put a size 10 1/2 through my television and drown my sorrows in barbecue sauce. I know what you’re thinking- consummate professional. Totally.
It will be an emotional game with the usual stakes plus Archie Griffin as honorary captain, a tribute to Stefanie Spielman planned, and the throwback uniforms. Here’s where I’ll be:
7:30pm #25 Cal @ #17 Stanford, not anywhere to be seen on TV which is why I laugh when West Coasters cry about east coast bias. One of the best games of the year in your conference- not on television. Are you the Pac-10 or the MAC? (Scoreboard watching)
It’s all about The Game, but there are a few other tilts worth keeping an eye on. Here are the questions I can’t wait to be answered…
1. Will Ohio State’s offense add another chapter in the bad Michigan defense story?
It’s not a huge mystery why Michigan has lost four in a row, six of their last seven, and needs a win over Ohio State to go to a bowl game. Here are some hints:
82nd in pass defense
84th in rush defense
80th in pass efficiency defense
76th in sacks
84th in scoring defense
The game plan for Ohio State is simple tomorrow, and Buckeye fans looking for high octane offense are going to be disappointed. Michigan’s offense can score and their defense is under-sized and highly susceptible to the run. The plan for Ohio State is ball control using the short passing game and heavy doses of run left, run right, run up the middle. The game may be close at the half but Ohio State will simply overpower and run over the Wolverines come the 4th quarter.
Michigan QB Tate Forcier is pixie-like in stature, has small hands (which usually ends up with him fumbling at some point) and hasn’t gotten much help from his offensive line this year. What he does do very well is throw on the run. Because of that, it will be important for the OSU defensive ends to keep Forcier in the pocket and running backwards as much as possible.
Ohio State is favored by 12 and I like them to win by 10.
2. Will the Boren brothers go “Hanson Brothers” on the Wolverines?
One of the few dramatic storylines this week is former Wolverine and current Ohio State Offensive Guard Justin Boren playing against his former team. His departure from Michigan was not quiet with him talking about erosion of family values and so forth.
Justin has been credited for added toughness to the Ohio State offensive line and I’d argue between he and his brother, Freshman Fullback Zach Boren, they’re both responsible for the resurgence of the OSU run game.
Michigan will certainly be gunning for both Boren brothers and I recommend they go a little Hanson on them.
3/4. Who’s going to represent the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl?
Runner-up game of the week goes to Oregon playing at Arizona in a night game. Actually two great Pac-10 night games with Cal playing at Stanford also.
Oregon and Arizona both control their Rose Bowl destiny, that is of course until one of them loses Saturday. The key matchup will be the Oregon ground game vs. the Arizona rush D. I like Oregon in that matchup.
Despite the game being played at Arizona, the Ducks are favored by 6. Ducks win.
The Cal-Stanford game is very intriguing. Both teams run the ball well and neither team defends the pass. Cal has the better rush defense, at least statistically, so at least on paper that gives them the edge.
If you happen to be at a Cal-Stanford party Saturday night- here are two fun facts for you to drop: Stanford is #1 in the nation in kickoff returns and #2 in sacks allowed.
Stanford is favored by 7; I like Cal in the upset.
5. How stoked are you for Florida/Alabama this weekend?
Actually Florida plays Florida International and Alabama plays Chattanooga. Florida is favored by 45 and there is no line for Alabama because they’re playing a high school team.
No changes from last week so the matchups still hold serve. Wouldn’t it be great if we could actually see these? If I was the Commissioner, these would be the first round pairings:
I’ve spent the last three days roaming Chicago with AT&T’s weak 3G (actually GSM) coverage on my wireless so I’m a bit behind. Better late than never I suppose. Here’s what we learned last weekend in college football:
1. Is your cat (Bearcat) making too much noise all the time? Try Kitten Mittons: Cincinnati 24, West Virginia 21
I called Bearcats by five over West Virginia; nearly nailed that with the margin of victory at 3. Cincy still plays an Illini team that is far more talented than WVU (notice I didn’t write “better” there) and then has a young but very good Pitt team on the road (not the backyard brawl but maybe the brawl with the kids a couple neighborhoods over, maybe in the 7-11 parking lot).
Cincinnati had the turnover margin in hand coming into the game but ended up -2 off a fumble and an interception. West Virginia dominated time of possession 34-26 and racked up 200+ yards rushing but couldn’t do enough to stop Cincy on defense. They especially couldn’t stop QB Tony Pike from doing his best Mariano Rivera impression throwing 2-for-4 out of the bullpen with both completions going for touchdowns.
Pike looks to have the ultimate college football gig right about now- throw down a few hot dogs, play a couple pranks on the sideline, run two pass plays for touchdowns, towel whip the fellas as they come out of the shower, constantly threaten a sick pencil-thin mustache, and have your humerus operated on every now and again. Sounds like co-ed utopia to me.
2. Mojito me please. Ohio State 27, Iowa 24 (OT)
I picked Ohio State by 10 and as you know it was much, much closer than that (line was 16.5).
The last word on this game is the interesting turn the Ohio State offense has taken over the last three games. Recognizing that defenses are going to load the box and dare TP to throw, Tress has simply decided to run right at teams. Give ‘em what they want I suppose. So far it’s working. Hopefully that trend continues against Team Rodriguez this Saturday.
TCU by far had the more impressive of the style-point beatings Saturday dropping the Bionic Elbow early and often on a decent Utah team.
Boise State clearly showed who has the best football in Idaho, a state that has to be at least the 45th or 46th best state for football. Well played Broncos. Well played.
New rule for college football’s Cinderellas- first team to drop 100 on somebody during their remaining games is in- no questions asked. No harm in making a blood sport out of it and besides, would that rule really be any more arbitrary or obscure than the current rules and formulae in place? I think not.
4. USC’s Spin Class. Stanford 55, USC 21
I called a Stanford win and they obviously won big.
USC has now lost two of their last three and have given up almost 750 combined rushing yards in the two losses. As the losses mount for a USC team that is clearly in transition (and perhaps in crisis), the opportunity Ohio State lost to beat them stings even more.
5. Martina Martinez = Michigan; Green Man = Wisconsin Wisconsin 45, Michigan 21
I obviously got the pick right in this one but not much of a reach. Michigan kept it close in the 2nd half but that defense just can’t stop being generous. Wisconsin had a very balanced 229 on the ground and 240 through the air.
The more I watch Michigan the more I wonder if RichRod may just be in over his head. I think he probably thought his offense would be dominant enough to outscore most or all Big Ten opponents, a point Tony Gerdeman made over at the OZone. Whether he thought that or not, the defense is not holding up their end of the bargain for the Wolverines this year (or last year either).
6. Come out blasting. Michigan State 40, Purdue 37
Northwestern 21, Illinois 16
Some level of justice was served Saturday, at least for Big Ten fans hoping for a better bowl showing this year. Michigan State outlasted Purdue and thankfully qualified for a bowl game after what has been a gut-wrenching season for the green and white.
Northwestern won the battle of Illinois outlasting the fighting Zookers with a little help from the officials. A second straight losing season and a second bowl-less season for the Illini will make for an especially numbing winter in Champaign.
Illinois gets 13 days to prepare for a fascinating road matchup at Cincinnati before closing with Fresno State. The Illini have the talent to win both games but your guess is as good as mine as to whether or not they will.
7. Threat level in Eugene this weekend: Yellow. Oregon 44, Arizona State 21
The Ducks raced out to a 31-7 lead and then held off a good 2nd half from ASU. Oregon continues to display focus and toughness as they march through the Pac-10. They’ll have a tough test at Arizona this Saturday in a night game.
QB Jermiah Masoli continues to do his best west-coast version of Terrelle Pryor, and just like Ohio State, Oregon has simply just been running over opponents despite the lack of a downfield passing game.
8. Elbows and Knees; Steve Spurrier = Dee in the yellow pantsuit. Florida 24, South Carolina 14
Pittsburgh 27, Notre Dame 22
I called for a Florida win by 20+ which obviously was a little high. Still, Florida did what they needed to to go through the SEC regular season without a loss. South Carolina QB Stephen Garcia threw for 186 yards and two interceptions and got no help from the rest of the offense, Steve Spurrier’s offensive intellect notwithstanding.
Despite giving up 19 second half points, Pittsburgh delivered the fourth loss of the season to Charlie Weis and the Fighting Irish, guaranteeing a BCS-less holiday for them.
Pittsburgh finishes with a road trip to West Virginia and then the de facto Big East Championship game against Cincinnati.
Installment number 11 from Dan Rubenstein. Line of the vid: “…I’m sure whoever the new guy is will be very open to looking at you for a Graduate Assistant job”.
The Block O flag is flying all week at Red Renee world headquarters; it’s Michigan week. Before we look forward, let’s take one more look back at the Rose Bowl clincher against Iowa.
**OSU Kicker Devin Barclay is no doubt breathing a mixture of euphoric oxygen with a couple sighs of relief this week. Kicking the game-winner in overtime to earn a share of the Big Ten title and a trip to the Rose Bowl is the dream for any Ohio State kicker. Who’s breathing a bigger sigh of relief is the New Mexico State player who knocked Pettrey out of the New Mexico State game. If Barclay would have missed that kick and Iowa gone on to win, that Aggie would have had a hard time letting go of his hit.
**After re-watching the Iowa game a couple of times, I was less discouraged with the OSU defensive play and more impressed with the Iowa offensive play. The gameplan team Ferentz put together on offense was outstanding mixing quick strike throws with their usual QB rollouts to keep the OSU D-line in chase mode instead of attack mode.
**For his part Iowa QB Vandenburg played at as high a level as anyone could have possibly expected, even his parents (special shout out to Mrs. Vandenburg whome we saw several times on the tv broadcast Saturday). Considering Iowa’s receivers dropped several passes that were very catchable, the redshirt freshman could have had a historic day in Ohio Stadium. In my opinion, his performance ranks only behind Zach Collaros’ performance in replacement of an injured Tony Pike in the Cincy-South Florida game.
**The play of both Boom Herron and Brandon Saine has to be very encouraging for Buckeye fans. We started the season without having a # 1 at running back and it now appears that we have two. And if something were to happen to either of them, Jordan Hall has more than proven that he can step in if need be. The prospects of the O-Line getting even healthier and getting the opportunity to practice more together in preparation for the bowl game make me feel all tingly inside. How about you?
**Tressel is a genius, I will never question his decisions*. JT took a lot of heat when Pryor was struggling earlier in the season. It turns out Tress really does know his QB best and the patience and faith Tress has shown in Pryor is really starting to pay off. It’s not all sunshine and lollipops with Pryor but he’s definitely maturing and developing into the QB Troy Smith was when he left Ohio State. Pryor might not do anything in the NFL but he can leave Ohio State as one of our most decorated Quarterbacks in our history if he continues to progress.
**Receivers blocking downfield. While the OSU receivers didn’t play a huge role against Iowa catching the ball, they did a fantastic job blocking downfield. It’s great to see guys doing whatever they can to get the win instead of complaining that pass plays aren’t being called.
On to Michigan…
Michigan QB Tate Forcier guaranteed a win over Ohio State, at least by proxy. Here was his exact quote to the Detroit News following another Big Ten loss last weeK:
I am going to get (my teammates) to a bowl game. If it means spending 10 hours in film this week, then I am going to do it. But we are going to get them to a bowl game.
Bad form too on the “spending 10 hours in film…” comment- not exactly the kind of rhetoric you want your starting QB to be spewing in the midst of an NCAA investigation on violating practice time rules.
The last time Ohio State left Pasadena in January, they left with a win. Thirteen years later, they’re headed back, hopefully with the same result (though let’s not lose to Michigan this time, mkay?)
I need to re-watch OSU -v- Iowa a couple times but some initial thoughts:
Whatever people are saying about the offensive line, keep saying it. Whatever it takes to motivate the hog mollys is fine with me. Nothing wrong with a 4th straight 200+ yard rushing performance either. If we were getting consistent special teams play this squad would be down right orgasmic for Coach Tress- pure Tresselball just like the manual reads.
I’m concerned the D-Line didn’t get pressure on Iowa but I need to re-watch to better understand why. Getting the sack on 3rd down in overtime is all that really matters I suppose.
Despite the loss and the list of injuries, Iowa is definitely a charmed team this year. Watching another gravity defying pinball reception in their favor tells me Coach Ferentz has some very good karma flowing his way.
The way Ohio State has run the ball the last four weeks and with a 6′6″ QB, I don’t like the decision to punt on 4th & 1 from the OSU 32 in the 1st half. Besides that, there’s not a whole lot else to disagree with Tress about.
I don’t like the long completions Iowa had; Devon Torrence in particular struggled a little bit. Giving credit where credit is due though, that’s the most talented set of receivers we’ve played this year and Iowa’s redshirt freshman QB played very well, throwing the ball into some very tight spaces.
Despite being the kings of 3-and-out on defense this year, Ohio State was only able to force two 3-and-outs against the Hawkeyes.
Pryor’s stats are pedestrian at best but he took what the defense gave him. Iowa was obviously playing safe zone coverage not allowing Ohio State to get anything deep. Rather than forcing the issue and throwing into coverage as Pryor did earlier in the season, he took what was available and didn’t turn the ball over. That’s a critical part of a QB’s development and it’s good to see Pryor getting there even if he’s not throwing 300 yards per game.
Whether it’s fear of losing playing time to more injury or other running backs, both Brandon Saine and Boom Herron are playing at a very high level right now. Running, catching, blocking, breaking tackles- these guys are finally playing like every Buckeye fan hoped they would.
The Buckeyes secured at least a share of a 5th straight Big Ten title. Whether the conference is down or not this year, that’s a remarkable accomplishment.
For all the recent big game troubles Ohio State has had, they’ve now won consecutive games against higher ranked opponents (though they were favored heavily today).
The Rose Bowl opponent for Ohio State is still very much in the air. As I write this, Oregon is up 14-7 over Arizona State. At the conclusion of that, all Pac-10 teams have two conference games remaining, except Stanford who only has one and Arizona who has three. Arizona was in a tie with Oregon for the conference lead until they lost to Cal today, so that puts Oregon in the driver’s seat as long as they go on to beat ASU tonight.
Stanford looks like the best team in the Pac-10 right now having dropped 50+ in consecutive games on both Oregon and USC, but my money’s on Oregon to be in the Rose Bowl based on where they stand and what’s left. I’ll have a more detailed post later this week but in the meantime here’s what each of those teams has left:
Oregon 7-2 (5-1 in conference)
playing Arizona State tonight
@ Arizona
Oregon State
Stanford 7-3 (6-2 in conference)
Cal
Notre Dame
Arizona 6-3 (4-2 in conference)
Oregon
@ Arizona State
@ USC
Oregon State 7-3 (5-2 in conference)
@ Washington State
@ Oregon
Not a lot of big games but plenty to keep the interest level up and the last football game in Ohio Stadium this fall. Sunday starts Michigan week. Here’s where I’ll be:
7:00pm Alabama @ Mississippi State, ESPN/360 (scoreboard watching) Arizona @ Cal, can be seen from a tree next to a hippie somewhere on campus (scoreboard watching)
A special Ten (eight) Questions for you this week tributing one of the best (albeit little known and slightly raunchy) sitcoms on television- “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”.
It’s spotlight weekend for the JV squads bringing up the rear plus another Weis referendum and of course the final home game in the Shoe with the Big Ten Championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line. Savor the flavor- a long cold winter lays ahead.
1. Is your cat (Bearcat) making too much noise all the time? Try Kitten Mittons:
Cincinnati gets a scrappy 7-2 West Virginia team coming into Nippert Stadium Friday night under the lights. These teams are pretty evenly matched which explains the 9.5 point spread (in favor of Cincy).
The Bearcats have rattled off consecutive wins against two 3-6 teams and a 4-5 UConn squad but will be tested against a West Virginia team that can do things on both sides of the ball. Cincinnati has given up over 150 yards on the ground to opposing teams five times so that obviously bodes well for West Virginia’s hope to get Noel Devine in a position to control the game.
Cincinnati can score quickly and uses the pass to set up the run, so if West Virginia can make a couple plays defensively in the passing game, the momentum could shift. Cincinnati has been very good in the turnover department this year (3rd nationally), the Mountaineers not so much (95th nationally). That will be a key to watch Friday night.
UC Coach Brian Kelly swears he doesn’t have a quarterback controversy, which is a true statement until it turns into a quarterback contoversy. With former Heisman candidate Tony Pike and his flimsy humerus (humeri?) returning from injury and the next coming of Tim Tebow in Zach Collaros starting, a good thing can turn into a bad thing in just a few turnovers.
And speaking of Zach Collaros, I’ve seen him in person and he is the real deal and could very well be the next Tim Tebow, but he’s bound to hit some growing pains eventually. But just in case, children of the third world, keep an eye on your foreskin.
I don’t think Cincinnati is going to win out against their remaining schedule but I don’t think they’re going to lose at home tonight. Bearcats by 5.
2. Mojito me please.
Refreshing, unexpected, sweet, and loaded with Rum. That’s what Ohio State’s win over Penn State was last week.
This week a battered and bruised Iowa team comes into Columbus. They’re not dead yet though. The Hawkeye defense should keep Iowa in the game, at least for a half. Unlike Penn State last week, Iowa plays a more conservative defensive scheme rarely blitzing and preferring to keep things in front of them; the very definition of bend but don’t break. Ohio State was able to take advantage of Penn State’s aggressiveness last week and will have to do things differently this week.
By dropping more in coverage, Iowa will provide tighter spots for Terrelle to throw into, something he’ll have to be very careful with. Another test of TP’s growing maturity will come against a patient, well-coached and disciplined defense. If the Offensive Line can play well and get the running game going, things will go smoothly for the offense. If the running game doesn’t go anywhere, it could be bumpy for the home team.
On offense, Iowa loses some intangibles without Rick Stanzi but should net out about the same. Stanzi has thrown 14 interceptions on the year vs. only 15 touchdowns- chances are redshirt freshman James Vandenberg can match those numbers. What they’ll miss is Stanzi’s ability to make clutch throws on 3rd downs.
Iowa has several excellent pass-catching options in Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Marvin McNutt, and the best Tight End in the Big Ten- Tony Moeaki. McNutt is a converted QB and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him lined up in the Wildcat Saturday both running and passing out of that. Other than that, Moeaki is the key for Iowa. It will be critical for Homan and/or Rolle to stay with Moeaki and keep him from breaking out.
Iowa uses the run to set up the pass and considering they don’t have much of a running game and they’re facing Ohio State’s 3rd best nationally run defense, it doesn’t project well for Team Ferentz. The real problem for Iowa, as is the case for every team Ohio State faces, is dealing with the Buckeye Defensive Line. Northwestern Defensive End Corey Wootton was in the backfield all game long last week against the Hawkeyes. Unfortunately for Iowa, Ohio State has 8 Corey Woottons. Advantage Ohio State.
Ohio State is favored by 16.5 which is a big number, even the way the Bucks have played lately. With the loss to Purdue still fresh, I don’t expect the Buckeyes to take Iowa lightly. I like Ohio State by 10 at home.
3. Splitting minimum wage.
Boise State and TCU are fighting over the BCS at-large spot this week; why not let them both play and split the payout?
TCU has the toughest test with a very good Utah team coming in. TCU is favored by 20 which tells you all you need to know about how good Vegas thinks TCU is. I like TCU to win.
Boise State has 7-3 potato-loving Idaho coming into town to challenge the blue turf. Boise State is favored by 31.5 so consider it a monumental upset if Idaho has it close at halftime.
4. USC’s Spin Class.
Stanford is going to do their best to put on some Stevie Winwood during USC’s spin class this weekend. Stanford and tailback Toby Gerhart have the exact type of physical running game that has given USC trouble in the past. I have no idea where USC’s psyche is after getting blown out by Oregon and barely surviving against Arizona State last week but I know exactly where Stanford’s psyche is- time to kick big brother in the nuts. USC is favored by 10.5.
5. Martina Martinez = Michigan; Green Man = Wisconsin
This one’s pretty simple- Wisconsin is playing to keep their place in a tie for 2nd place in the Big Ten. Michigan is fighting for their program, a bowl game, and potentially RichRod’s job. Rumors about QB Denard Robinson starting or at least playing more mean Michigan is searching for answers on both offense and defense.
With Wisconsin’s ability to run the ball with John Clay and control the clock, and Michigan’s ability to yield gobs of yards on defense, Michigan will need to score quickly because they won’t see the ball much.
Come out blasting. That’s the game plan for all four teams in Northwestern @ Illinois and Michigan State @ Purdue Saturday. All but Northwestern are fighting for bowl eligibility and now’s the time to either show up and play or sit at home for the Holidays, swag-bag-less.
As proof that Vegas has a sense of humor, Illinois is favored by 4.5 and Michigan State is favored by 2.5 at Purdue. I like Illinois and Michigan State to win.
7. Threat level in Eugene this weekend: Yellow.
Or is it orange? Oregon knows Rose Bowl glory awaits if they can win out against their remaining schedule of Arizona State, @ Arizona, vs. Oregon State. The Sun Devils nearly got USC this week but won’t be so lucky this week. It will be interesting to see how the Ducks balance the two LaRunning Backs going forward (LaMichael James and LeGarrette Blount). Oregon is favored by 18.
8. Elbows and Knees; Steve Spurrier = Dee in the yellow pantsuit.
With all the complaining about Navy’s cut-blocking last week, Notre Dame’s coaching staff might do well to go with the “elbows and knees” philosophy this week @ Pittsburgh. If they don’t, Pittsburgh freshman Running Back Dion Lewis will run all over them.
Pittsburgh is also #1 in the nation in sacks so don’t expect Jimmy Clausen to have much time to throw the ball, not that Pittsburgh will allow them to have the ball very often.
Despite all this, Pittsburgh is only favored by 7 at home so maybe Vegas knows something I don’t. Wannstache is bound to do something to cause his team some points, still I like Pitt to win and speed up the spiral for Charlie Weis.
Steve Spurrier is so clearly Dee in the yellow pants suit. Playing with an under-talented team and harboring hopes that coaching can fix everything. In comes Tim Tebow and Florida to claim their Heisman and finally start the Gator locomotive on the way to Pasadena.
As much as I’d like to pick South Carolina at home in the upset, I’ve seen them play too much this year and know that offensively they simply can’t be counted to do anything except go three and out and raise Spurrier’s blood pressure. Gators are favored by 17; they win by 20+.
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). Despite getting another dominating rush performance and the defense getting takeways and playing well, there are loads of places for improvement and even some areas for concern. 
