What a time to lock the previous thread, at kickoff.

Haskins.

what a player.

Hell Of a touchdown...

Man.. after OU won I figure we can't get into the playoff so was hoping Georgia would beat bama... I hate watching bama win...

All of college football amalgamation will be against the buckeyes, and all other teams hopes too,

Buckeyes will have to beat the refs, the announcers, and coming in to a letdown of sorts after getting amped up to beat their rival,

wouldn't be surprised if Ohio State loses outright.

^

said that before kickoff, after seeing the first 6 minutes, looks like Northewestern is playing like a homecoming opponent.

Gotta pile this on here

Personal foul on OSU DB for playing football. No matter, we intercepted on the next play.

Gotta love how those Big 10 refs described it. "Illegal block below the waist, defense"

Pitt is hanging in there!

Now is the point that they'll completely get blown out since I said that.

Would like to add on a touchdown before half...

Is the ghost of Woody Hayes calling these plays? You're playing a team that can't possibly match your offensive speed.

What a pass! TD Buckeyes!

Haskins just told woody to sit back down!! Wow!!

Never mind.

Pittsburgh with 5 losses and Northwestern with 4 losses is a joke in Conference Championship Games. After 2 very good games earlier today these 8:00 pm games are terrible.

You can only play who's on the field with you.

Just don't lose to chumps like Purdue and we're not even sweating it.

Hurts, I know. :-(

I'm already okay with this game being for the Rose Bowl - unless Clemson loses somehow.

We need to win 60-14, or something like that .... and that's just not happening.

Just heard Wandstead (sp) saying OSU needs some luck to get in to the playoffs. I agree that the Purdue loss is bad and Oklahoma's only loss is a better loss than Purdue (#15 Texas), But the Buckeyes have more quality wins. OU does not have a win over a top ten opponent while OSU has two. It just seems like losses carry more weight than wins, at least listening to some of the talking heads on TV.

Just looking like it’s not gonna be enough. Oh well, heckuva run

Heck, we might not even win this game outright, at least the way we're playing right now.

I just like 0 penalties on Northwestern. Lmao. 2 bs personal fouls on OSU. We should kill them anyhow, but no way we get in with this performance.

Let's finish this game and get on to the rose bowl...

Haskins gives us a lot to look forward to next year.

Kid can sling the .... out of it.

He will be in the NFL next year. Projected top 10 draft pick.

Unfortunately, probably so.

I think that he would benefit from another year in college ....but hopefully if he goes, he's ready. (unless he goes to the Steelers, or Bengals)

When he scrambles he reminds me of a Big Ben type player. Big, strong, smart, and sees the field well even on the move. I do not want to see him on the Bengals or Steelers either.

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Notre Dame
4. Oklahoma

Ohio State did what they were supposed to against a scrappy nw team, but they def knew that there needed to be statement style win tonight, and that just wasn’t there.

Georgia is a hell of a team, played a great game, but two-loss conference runner ups shouldn’t even be in the conversation. I’ve said it before, we give way too much credit for losing to really good teams. They once again let things slip away. I’m big on resume and body of work, and Georgia has neither.

Sucks for UCF but it’s going to be tough for teams outside the power 5, considering this format starts with leaving at least one p5 champ out.

I kind of feel like this was a really underwhelming year over all. Nobody really played anyone, you have one great team in Alabama and a slew of really good teams. There were too many weeks this season where I looked at the slate of games and wondered where the big time game was.

Seems simple enough to me, 4 undefeated teams, 4 slots open.
huh, what order.

Clemson 1

Alabama 2,

UCF 3,

Notre Dame 4,

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Notre Dame
4. Oklahoma

5. Georgia
6. Ohio State
7. UCF
8. Michigan

Good post. I agree w/your teams and I also agree that this year has lacked the match-ups that we typically salivate over during the course of the year. I even brought it up in the last thread.

I also think ND running around as an independent is not good for college football. Too many unanswered questions about them because they don't have to face the grind of going through a conference schedule. They also have been typically overrated by many pollsters.

While I agree w/your 4 teams, here are the best teams I personally have witnessed this year in order.

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Clemson
4. Ohio State
5. Notre Dame
6. Michigan
7. Oklahoma

I think Alabama would slaughter us this year. I think Georgia might be able to take 'Bama if they had to play again. Hard to beat a team twice in a season and they actually outplayed the Crimson Tide for most of the game. I think Oklahoma is really overrated. Watching that Texas/Oklahoma game was brutal. Two not-so-good teams trading points and mistakes. The jump in the quality from that game to the Alabama/Georgia game was huge.

Thank God I only have to watch this D one more time

In all of the debate going on the TV about who should be the 4th team in the playoff. I think it will be Oklahoma but for reasons not being said on TV. Oklahoma brings an audience in the western part of the country to the playoff.

Georgia is the best of the 3 teams. Ohio State is better than Oklahoma. But, the South is covered with both Clemson and Alabama. Notre Dame gives the committee a northern Midwest team. Oklahoma gives them the west. They will not say that because it is not suppose to be a criteria. I thought that was the reason in 2014 Ohio State passed both TCU and Baylor. Oregon represented the West and with Alabama and Florida State they're was no Northern Mid West team in the mix. When all things are equal I think the committee will always side with where the most interest in the games will be.

I think the only way to fix the issue is to force Notre Dame to join a conference and have the each conference device a system where they're 2 highest rated teams always play in they're conference championship games. In that scenario we would have had these games this weekend.

Friday night Pac 10 Washington vs Utah. Washington wins and are in.
Saturday at noon Big 12 Oklahoma vs Texas. Oklahoma wins and are in.
Saturday at 3:30 SEC Alabama vs Georgia. Alabama wins and are in.
Saturday at 8:00 Big Ten Ohio State vs Michigan. Lets say OSU does what it did last week again and Ohio State wins and are in.
Saturday 8:00 ACC Clemson vs Notre Dame. Say Clemson wins.

Then today the committe would need to rank the top 5 conference champions.

#4 vs #5 in two weeks December 15th 8:00pm first day of the bowl season and #5 Washington vs #4 Ohio State is played.

Winner will play #1 Alabama 2 weeks later on December 29th.

Also, on December 29th #3 Oklahoma vs #2 Clemson.

Championship game is played January 7th with the winners of the 2 December 29th games.

So essentially making the Conference Championship games the first round of the playoffs. So in reality a 10 team playoff.

This is college football, not basketball. I think there's a problem when a top ten team has to beat another highly ranked team twice in one season to get into the playoffs....especially if it's a rival who they just played. Alabama shouldn't have to beat Auburn two weeks in a row, OSU shouln't have to play ichigan on consecutive weeks. At least the TX/OK games had a nice time gap between them, but TX already beat them. The playoff is a different story, though. You have to have the best 4 teams there and a rematch may be unavoidable.

Nice post.

I agree that the Bama/Georgia game was on a whole different level than the Texas/Oklahoma game.

This is one of the issues with the whole "four best teams" argument-- Georgia is certainly one of the four best teams in the country. In terms of purely 'best teams', I'd probably put them at #3, behind Alabama and Clemson.

At the same time, a 2 loss conference runner-up has no business being in the discussion. Games played, who wins, and what actually happens on the field all matter.

Ohio State will probably just be left out of the playoffs, again at #5. I'm actually more ok with it this year than I was last year, where I still think they should have gotten in over Alabama.

I'm okay with going to the Rose Bowl too. There's little argument if they choose OU ... the loss at Purdue was THAT egregious

Playoff predictions:

1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Notre Dame
4. Oklahoma
(5. Ohio State)

Alabama over Oklahoma
Clemson over Notre Dame

Alabama over Clemson for the title

and OSU plays Washington I believe?

If OSU gets left out of the playoffs, they will play Washington in the Rose Bowl.

DC made a good post about this a while back. It seems like most people get hung up on the big win(s) and big loss. The committee members seem to follow this as well. In the early years of the playoffs, it was always the big wins that were emphasized.

It was only last year where the big loss was emphasized, possibly as justification for putting Alabama in over Ohio State. Then again I'm an Ohio State fan so not exactly unbiased here.

A better approach would be to look at the whole body of work. They'd probably need a system to do this, as most qualitative discussion seems to largely ignore the 'middling' games. It's just hard for a person to take all the data into account for all the teams playing 12-13 games apiece.

I wonder how much rankings like FPI and ELO factor into the committee's thinking. There is something in the guidelines about not using advanced mathematical formulas, but on the other hand, they have also made mention of using analytics in the decision-making process. I'm not sure how to reconcile that..

I'm sorry but I just don't see it. OSU played two games very well. Michigan and Northwestern. The rest of their season was very mediocre against some questionable schools. We came on at the right time but as far as the season overall I certainly wasn't impressed.

Haskins is a stud and some of the WR's stepped up no doubt. But as an overall team I don't think we were impressive.

This is another example of "best team" versus "whole body of work" arguments and how they don't always align.

I believe Ohio State, right now, is one of the four best teams in the country. Despite some very unimpressive games, they're still a 1-loss Big Ten champion. Were there to be a matchup of Ohio State vs Oklahoma on a neutral field, I think Ohio State would be favored by a small amount.

I also agree that much of Ohio State's season was very mediocre against some questionable schools. For that reason, I won't be too upset if Ohio State doesn't get in. Heck, it wasn't that long ago on here that some Ohio State fans were saying they had no chance to make the playoffs with some even hoping they didn't, because they'd get blown out.

How the committee sorts all of that out is up to them. I don't think Ohio State or Oklahoma have much of a chance against Alabama.

And the formula they use has many ingredients factored in. I agree that we're peaking at the right time and in pro football that means everything as the playoffs role around if you qualify.

I can't say that I really have any idea how much your season as a whole verses where you are now plays into the formula they use to determine the top 4 teams. But I certainly understand how the season as a whole could work against OSU.

I just think it would be much better, and more entertaining, to go to 8 team playoff. Have seeds 1-4 host first round if you even want.

1. Alabama
8. UCF

4. Oklahoma
5. Ohio State

2. Clemson
7. Michigan

3. Notre Dame
6. Georgia

The problem with that is the NCAA and ESPN don't want a true champion. They want the controversy that drives the talk shows and the website clicks.

2018 #CFBPlayoff
1 Alabama 13-0
2 Clemson 13-0
3 Notre Dame 12-0
4 Oklahoma 12-1

These game fell like duds, Bama will score 87 vs Sooners , ND vs Clemson is a bore fest.

i hope the buckeyes take it personal that the committee didn't rank them ahead of Georgia.

cant wait for that game.

College Football Playoff games

Saturday, December 29, 2018

Orange Bowl
at Miami Gardens, Florida

Oklahoma
Alabama -14

Cotton Bowl
at Arlington, Texas

Notre Dame
Clemson -11.5

BIG spreads for semifinals

but, it's probably what it should be

Georgia being ranked ahead of Ohio State is a joke. Doesn't really make a difference this year though.

The talk the other day about Alabama possibly being out with a loss-- even with all the qualifiers of it being an unlikely possibility-- looks like it was extremely misguided on my part. Oops.

The $EC favoritism is unreal.. like all that talk about 2 losses being a disqualifier, quality wins and conference championships being important, etc. only really apply when they help an SEC team.

My teams in it and i can’t even get excited ..

BLAH ...

Bama may beat OU by 50 ..

At least the ND/Clemson game should be competitive ..

ND doesn't belong weak schedule and no Championship game Oklahoma has the worst D in the country ...

Then the Sooners need to score 88.

The game will be December 29th and 8:00PM, 7 central.

Weak schedule ... we BEAT the snot out of your only quality win and BEAT THE SNOT out of the team U just beat in your championship game ...

We DIDNT LOSE TO NO CHUMPS EITHER ...

Its one thing to be biased ... its another to just talk out your butt ... ...

I'm starting to think this is a troll account.

Notre Dame 24, Michigan 17
Ohio State 62, Michigan 39

Notre Dame 31, Northwestern 21
Ohio State 45, Northwestern 24

Nothing there that compels me to watch.

ND has repeatedly turned down offers to join the Big Ten maybe its because they get a free pass on championship weekend ...

Sure ... look at the final scores ... neither game was that close ...

We were up 14 - 0 on the vaunted Michigan D with a QB that couldnt hit the broad side of a barn after our 2nd series ...

We BEAT THE SNOT out of Northwestern .. we PHYSICALLY kicked there ass ...

Not sure why i bother .. theres very few of u have that have any OBJECTIVITY what so ever ..

Were not that good .. but we clearly DESERVE to be in ... only a moron or someone so biased all they see is scarlet and gray to even make that statement ..

I’m OUT ...

Guys like U and the good pastor enjoy the rose bowl ...

For a pastor .. u sure dont care about the truth ... NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT ... odd choice of profession for someone that has such little regard for the truth ..

Thats why there not in a conference ... ...

o man sick burn!

Nobody has any respect for your mickey mouse independent program bub, only way to gain it is to win these next 2 games which they won't do.

Have fun getting manhandled by Clemson.

It's that a little, but mostly because they don't have to share their TV money.

In a way, I'm kinda glad I don't have to watch us play Bama

Diam, How did you beat the snot out of Northwestern when you were only up by 3 pts until you guys scored that late TD?

Their noses must’ve already been runny.

So, the entire world of sports, (all sports) is set up to punish the state of Ohio? Again

hehehehe.

Looks like I won't watch again.

Another year where an 8 team playoff would be beneficial. Hated to see Ohio State miss out but happy to see the Sooners in. Would have liked to know how UCF would have faired against the Big Powers. ESPN is throwing a fit about it. Pat Forde is crying to everyone in the universe. ESPN hates the Big 12 so bad after the B12 took advantage of a loophole in their contract with ESPN and made ESPN pay them millions more. Personally Im sick and tired of hearing Alabama and Tua Tagovailoa every time I turn ESPN on. Their SEC bias and attempts to influence the Playoff committee and Heisman voters turns my stomach. Even if I dont turn on ESPN then its all I see on Yahoo sports and any other sports network that picks the stories up on wire. Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion but its just funny how ESPN turned against the Big 12 "after" the contract incident.

Oklahoma doesnt have the recruiting of Alabama who's team depth is 3 strong at every position and has a total lock on the best athletes in college football. On paper Bama has it all covered and after OU loses its top 3 RBs and the top WR in the nation not to mention their incredibly undersized defense which was built to face the Spread week in week out in the Big 12 where everyone scores 50 pts a game not many will give the Sooners a chance in hell at winning. Bama may finally get their FIRST win EVER against the Sooners. But I'll take the Sooners and with the right points I'll lay my hard earned money on them. And if we lose then I hope who plays BAMA next sends them home. As a kid I lived in Florence Alabama, West Monroe La and Yazoo City Ms. and and played tennis at Milsaps College in Jackson Ms. I've seen more Ole Miss Football games in Oxford Ms than any team on the planet. You'd think I'd be an SEC fan

Sorry Ohio State fans I enjoyed our two game series and living in Lakewood those years I enjoyed the trips to Columbus with my ex-brother in law. You are a first rate program! I wished this was an 8 team playoff. We would all be celebrating today!

Congrats man, Oklahoma deserved to be in.

No hate here, OSU lost to Purdue we sealed our fate there. Good luck.

Top four make sense...

Notre dame deserves to be in the top four... undefeated ad had some solid wins... while I wish they were in a conference,,, they still did enough this year to make it in...

OU deserves to be in over us... while I think we are the better team.. we lost to a 6-6 team by 29... that's honestly why Georgia is probably ahead of us...

I wish we could play Georgia... wish there was an 8 team playoff... oh well... don't lose to a 6-6 team by 29 and we don't have to worry about getting help

It's so tough to judge ND because their lack of conference. To me, they should be forced to join one

Everything's coming up roses . . . .

National championship with no Big 10 representation. Just wrong. About as objective as figure skating. Horrible IMO.

The past has shown that committee feels bad losses hurt more than quality wins help.

It is simple. If you want to be considered for the CFP, do not lose to a 6-6 team by 30 points.

The playoffs are going to be expanded they have to, most of the country is left out, who wants to watch games that doesn't include their conferences, the NCAA is coming under a lot of pressure when a conference like the Big Ten has been left out 2 years in a row and last year there were 2 teams from 1 conference leaving 3 major conferences out, it has to change and IMO I think it will if not next year then 2020, I for one won't watch the playoffs, I will be done with it when the Buckeyes Win the Rose Bowl and not because I don't like college football but because they have set Alabama up to win another title, ND and Oklahoma Don't have a prayer and Clemson is coming out of IMO the weakest conference in America ... Rant over

Oklahoma doesn't have a prayer? You're the last person I'd expect that line from.

I agree, and rightfully so.

OSU didn't deserve to be in the playoffs this year. You don't lose to by 30 to a scrub team and expect to be in the mix.

As far as them "handing" Bama the title and no team in the playoff having a chance. . . I don't think that really mattered whether OSU was in the playoff or not, now does it?

if they expanded to 8, i'd rather have them just pick the top 8 like they do now with the top 4 ... who cares about conference champions?

Example: if the third team from the SEC is deemed better than the PAC12 champ, then go with the SEC team

Yeah, it's like beating Northwestern is some amazing feat?

The only way I feel a Conference Champion should be automatically excluded is if, for example, Northwestern would have won against Ohio State. I don't think that 19th (or so) ranked team should rise to one of the top 4, or 8 teams, even if they were to win a Conference Championship.

As far as Notre Dame, there is an additional risk for teams playing a Conference Championship game .... even against a lesser opponent. They skipped that risk. I think that should cost them, at least to some extent, in a final weighted scale to determine the final 4 teams in the Championship Series. 13 games presents more risk than 12 games, even if that 13th game is against a lesser opponent.

I want Oklahoma to win I just don't think their D can stop Bama ...

I think 8 is too much. 6 maybe, but 8 there would be too much a gap in talent level from 1-2 to 7-8, IMO.

I think OK will give Bama a run for their money provided Marquise Brown plays just like GA last year. Hell - Bama has not beaten OU since 1963 - LOL - only played 4 times.

Same for ND vs Clemson.

Both games will be closer than the current spreads. Take the points.

They don't have to stop them, just score one more point than they allow.

True but they have a legit Defense ...

Top 8 should be in. Notre Dame should be FORCED to join a conference for ALL sports. Period. Quit making excuses. Just join the weak ass ACC for football. It's not rocket science. LOL

On the radio (Bull & Fox, 92.3 The Fan) they're talking about whether Haskins will play in the Rose Bowl, due to reports that he'll be a top ten pick in the first round of the NFL draft next spring. I understand the reasons for not playing - he probably shouldn't - but I hate that this approach has become a "thing" in college football's postseason in the modern age.

Pay the players.

Another good reason to make it an 8 team playoff. These guys will play if it means a shot at a championship.

They use the excuse not to expand saying its to taxing on the players and also on their academics? Then why do division 2 and division 3 play a 32 team tournament?

Because more of them will end up working for H&R Block than in the NFL?

Unless the playoff is going to pay insurance for injury for every player, a portion of FBS college football players would be taking a lot of added risk towards their future earning potential with next to nothing to gain.

I understand what you're saying.

The other side of that is so few ncaa D1 players go to the nfl anway. What, some 224 get drafted?

Hey, it is what it is. Going both ways.

If they are afraid of getting hurt, don't play. Put in your 1 good season, right? Then sit?

I don't like it, but that's what the trend is now I guess.

I haven’t heard anyone use that excuse for a long time, maybe even prior to the 4-team playoff. If you have, then that’s cool, I haven’t is all. For me, I hear how crappy the teams are at 6-8 and how they don’t deserve the chance, which I normally agree.

For the most part, the teams in the 6-8 spots are normally 2 or 3 loss teams. UCF is odd because they’re an underdog non-P5, so anyone would want them in, but playing Bama? It would be a 70-14 game. Nobody wants that (well, until it’s happening). And Michigan? A 2-loss non conference champion that didn’t even win their division and gave up 62 points in their last game...them, in a playoff? Sorry, I just don’t get the need to see that. And who is #9? 3-loss Washington. That’s the team people would be possibly debating yesterday? Yuck.

I’m a 4-team guy but could maybe see why 6 might be justified (for fairness & more TV ratings). However, 8 just seems like we’d be letting a few trash teams in that don’t really have a chance (or deserve one).

Plus, that doesn’t begin to talk about the weekly pressure every team has to win. If we let in 8 teams in, OSU’s loss to Purdue means nothing at the time. It’s a footnote. Heck, the Bama/Georgia game would have only been about seeding if we let 8 teams in. We’d lose that intensity from college football. To me, that’s the one thing college has over the NFL, every game and margin of victory/defeat matters. Letting 8 in dilutes that.

I'm not so sure they will play even if they have a shot at a National Championship. I could be wrong, but I don't think OSU had lost to Purdue yet when Nick Bosa left the team. In fact I think they were still ranked in the top 4 when he announced his decision to leave.

https://www.cleveland.com/osu/2018/12/ur...art_river_index

Urban Meyer retiring as Ohio State football coach after Rose Bowl, Ryan Day to replace him
Updated 7:33 AM; Posted 7:31 AM
Staff Photographer
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer stands by his wife Shelley, after their 45 -24 win over Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship game, Saturday, December 1, 2018. (Marvin Fong / The Plain Dealer) (Marvin Fong)

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By Doug Lesmerises, cleveland.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer will retire after the Rose Bowl, forced to end his coaching career by a cyst in his brain that has grown in recent years, caused him regular headaches and made him fear for his long-term health.

Ryan Day, the offensive coordinator who led the Buckeyes while Meyer was suspended for three games at the start of the season, will take over as Ohio State’s new full-time head coach.

Ohio State will hold a news conference at 2 p.m.

The news comes as no surprise, as retirement was one of the options available to Meyer as he battled the cyst, which caused him to drop to a knee on the sideline during the Indiana game. Meyer had brain surgery to drain the cyst in the spring of 2014, and another surgery is an option for treatment. But Meyer knew he couldn’t go on the way things were this season.

Meyer is 82-9 at in seven seasons at Ohio State, with a 7-0 record against Michigan and three Big Ten titles. Seven years was the longest he lasted at any of the four schools where he coached, following two seasons as Bowling Green, two at Utah and six at Florida.

At Florida, he retired in similar fashion after the SEC Championship in the 2009 season, then unretired and stayed at Florida for one more year.


It’s unlikely that’s the case now. Meyer, 54, told cleveland.com and three other reporters in a meeting in his office earlier this season that he wanted to remain the Buckeyes coach, and he would for as long as his health allowed it.

He has decided his health will not allow it.

Day will ascend to the job after his trial run at the start of the season. Athletic director Gene Smith is a big fan of Day, 39, who has been at Ohio State for two seasons. Smith is hoping to catch a smart young coach on the rise, much as Oklahoma did when Bob Stoops retired before the 2017 season and Lincoln Riley took over, leading the Sooners to playoff berths in his first two seasons.

That makes me very happy .. i’ve Always rooted for and like u guys right up til the day u hired this POC to replace your previous POC (finding out what he did really hurt me in that i fell for that guys “line” about helping the disadvantage .... turns out that wasn’t the case at all ... ) ..

I can root for u guys again ... i really dig them helmets when they get filled up with buckeyes ..

potential plot twist: Urban is now the front runner for the Browns HC opening.

Ya know ... and i dont believe that for a second ... i believe NO ONE has any clue ...

LOVE how KING JOHN is appearantly going to handle everything ... uni colors are now treated like they are a matter of NATIONAL SECURITY ... good luck getting on sumptin this big ...

Wonder if Condi’s slid down to #2 ...

I could NEVER really root for the guy ... but in the NFL the main reason i can’t stand him will go away ... he can’t LIE to teenage boys anymore ... they wont be college kids anymore ...

And honestly ... i dont see Dorsey putting all his eggs in a dude with ZERO NFL experience ... it could happen but IMO any college coaches with limited to no nfl experience will have a long long way to go to get the job .. they’d have to beyond VERY IMPRESIVE they’d have to be MIND BLOWING good to get it ..

potential plot twist: Tim Tebow is now the front runner for the Browns QB.

That's a shame. OSU was Meyer's dream job, and he won a National Championship here. I know that he hoped to continue to coach for at least 1 more year.

I hope that he is able to deal with the brain cyst, and eliminate some of the extreme pain he has been under.

I am really happy that Day is being elevated to the position. I do think that he is the next great young head coach.

j/c:

I think a lot of people saw this retirement coming. I think the cyst was a huge factor, but I also think the abuse that he and his wife took earlier this year from the national media factored into the situation.

It bothers me that a lot of people automatically listen to reporters who have a history of slandering coaches, players, and programs while completely ignoring the words of former players. They call Urban a POC or POS. His players don't feel that way and have always spoken very highly of the man.

I don't think Urban is a saint. I think he is like almost every other coach at big-time collegiate programs. His misfortune was that he was beating Alabama and a certain reporter made a career of championing 'Bama and tearing down guys like Urban.

I do not think Urban will move to the NFL. His offensive philosophy is not really suited for the professional game and I doubt he would want to put up w/all the crap that NFL players get away with.

I think Day is a good choice to replace him, but I worry about recruiting. Urban is as good of a recruiter as there is in college football. He constantly drew superior talent to both Florida and then Ohio State. Recruiting is the name of the game in college football and Urban was masterful at it.

tough to see Urban go, in my opinion. He's been a great coach

Urban Meyer looked like he was going to have a stroke on the sideline several times this year. Good call by him.

ESPN still butthurt he left the SEC so they are playing up this narrative that "he'll be back". He's 54, made generational wealth, has plenty of broadcasting opportunities and has had two separate health scares now. On top of that why would he leave an elite program to go somewhere else.

He's done, you'll see him on set next fall.

If your reffering to me about being led by the nose by anyone much less a reporter ... your DEAD NUTS WRONG ...

HOW he drew the elite talent to UF is why he is a POC and SCUMBAG in my book ...

College recruiting is as bad as politics ... well Urban and Saban were the bottom of the barrel in a conference that was the bottom of the barrel when it came to recruiting ...

My KNOWLEDGE comes from two places ... following it religiously back then and my contact from ND ...

I have no clue what he did at OSU ... i quit following it and my contact didn’t bring him up ... my contact retired 3 years ago .... we seem to compete with him a lot more when he was at UF then at OSU ... not sure why ... OSU is national now and has been for a long time ... maybe the sheer numbers of the kids on the southern SEC states ... i don’t know ... ohio is right there with Florida and Texas when it comes to football talent ... guess just the sheer # of states the sec covers and at OSU U guys get almost every HS STUD and theres a lot of studs in ohio ...

I dont know ...

I really like OSU and i dont like trashing people .. i really dont .. he did some really rotten things at U of F ... not a good dude ...

No sense for me to talk about it anymore ... can’t lead to anything positive and i have no desire to “fight” with anyone anymore much less u ...

I hope alls well dawg ... your missed around here ...

If i dont talk to u ... enjoy your holidays ...

Do you think maybe your contact at Notre Dame was a little bit biased? Maybe a little bit resentful too, given that both UF (during Meyer's tenure) and OSU regularly out-recruited ND..

Is this also the same contact that had you juiced up for Brady Quinn?

ESPN is the worst. It used to be that they'd just have two talking heads yell at each other with manufactured, opposing viewpoints. It's gone downhill from there.

Absolutely not .... I KNOW he was ... *L* ...

He bled ND blue and gold ... great guy ... 26 years military before he went to ND ... extremely reasonable except in that case .... *L* ..

I never had even a little ill will toward Urban ... he took a lot of heat ... i wasn’t thrilled with him ... then about two weeks after he was hired Lou Holtz came out .and said ... and u gotta remember ... Lou is like a god on ND’s campus ... i personally love the man ... loved him before he went to nd ...

Lou came out and said that Urban called him ... more than once ... and his last bit of advice on the last phone call was “ if winning is what is most important to U take the UF job “ ... when i read that ... i had no ill will toward Urban and wished him nuttin nut the best ... always liked the gators til then also ... Urban was an up and coming offensive mind going to a school i liked .... I certainly couldnt root for Miami or FSU .. so i was a gator in that state by default .. *L* ...

I never felt ill will towards Art and still dont til this day ... the city messed with him and basically said only way your geting a new deal was to move ... BAD TIMING cause Baltimore had lost there team and been unsuccesfgul in two prior bids to get teams to move there .. they were used as negotiating pawns ... that wasn’t happening again ... they make a deal with some major hurdles including guaranteeing him a 30 mill profit for like the first 3 years ... cant remember the exact number ...

Ya .. he was EXTREMELY BIASED ... i followed it religiously back then ... i got 2 or 3 big pieces of info from him .. one was verified later in the paper ... never got any verification on the other one ... but everything else he ever said was true .. so although he was biased i tend to believe him ...

yeah, there were times this year where he looked in physical pain

*LOL* ... actually no ... that was solely on me ...

I met him ... he was a sophomore and still a good dude ... guess his head swelled during his senior year ... its not so big anymore ... *L* ...

I actually met him through my brothers best friend in HS up until the day he died ... his name was Greg Pelletier ... he was co- player of the week in d-1 a with Steve McNair one week ... he went to UB ... university of buffalo ... for those that aren’t from there and would have no clue what UB was .. *L* ..

Anyhow ... Greg went on to coach at a local HS ... a kid that played for Greg went to ND and was one of Brady’s 3 freshman roommates .... they were good friends .. i actually met BQ through him ...

Greg died of cancer about 5 years ago now .. he left behind a wife and 6 or 7 year old son at the time ... a real shame .. he was one of the good ones ... just a great guy ... i’m 12 years older than my brother ... was fun watching Greg grow and fulfill his dream of becoming a Hs coach and making a difference ...

Naaa ... i can’t pawn BQ off on anyone but me ... it WAS THE WEIGHTS i tell ya .... *L*

So let me get this straight. The reason you rail on Urban Meyer and call him a POS is because you once had a contact at Notre Dame who told you Urban Meyer had terrible/unethical recruiting practices.

Yet these were never reported on or confirmed by anyone. You just believe this as true without reservation because he happened to get a couple unrelated things right? That seems unreasonable.

Everything I see is that Urban Meyer is an honorable family man, and I'm not going to let some biased, second-hand source who could greatly embellish or even make up stories change my mind on that.

Now we both know that shady stuff goes on during recruiting, and I'm not going to say he was exempt from that. I doubt any of the teams in the playoffs are exempt from that for that matter.

Weights and dianabol, maybe

Roger that. I am a fan of the man. I was surprised to say the least. Quite a program with solid success. Nothing but the best to him and his. Hope his health is improved by this if possible. Thanks, Urban. Go, Bucks.

agreed

Thanks for all your contributions to the Ohio State University, Urban. You will be missed.

Buckeye faithful wish you good luck, good health, and good fortune going forward.

Ryan Day has big shoes to fill but he's as good of a man as any to do the job.

Reece Davis trying to be kind to Urban Meyer is like Sitting Bull Being nice to Custer !!!!

I think he’s back after a couple years. Guys like him can’t stay away.

Go re-read what i wrote ...

I said i got 2 or 3 pieces of info from him .... 1 was verified ... one was not ... he told me a whole bunch of other stuff that was always true ...

I also got a couple other things from the sources i followed back then ... some paper on the net ...

I dont take single incidents and run with them .. especially not unverifiable ones ... what i told u in PM’s i had read in two seperate recruiting articles and then my contact mentioned it ... un prompted ... then told me another story ... that one was never verified ... its why i never mentioned it ...

I have two or three others that had nuttin to do with my contact that i knew was biased .. im not stupid Haus ... u clearly want this to go one way ... and thats fine .. i get it ...

If u weren’t clear cause my post wasnt written well ... no problems .. if u understood what i just articulated and still believe what u wrote ... thats BS and very deviscesque ...

I acknowledged what a shady world it was ... i also pointed out why Urban and Saban are at the bottom of it in my book ....

Jim Brown was a GREAT GUY in many many ways off the football field ... hes done a heck of a lot of good for a heck of a lot of people ... dont mean he didnt have his warts ...

Believe what u want ... its your world, im just typing in it ...

Now let me add how funny it seems that all of these so called "experts" are now being kind to Urban after vilifying him early in the season, its like going to the funeral of someone you did not get along with and tell everyone how good he was and how you and him were such good friends

j/c...

Ari Wasserman had this story back on 9/22/18 (Ohio State obviously died it at the time). Sounds like this has been the plan for quite some time.

A snippet from that story in The Athletic...

A person close to the program told The Athletic that senior university officials have begun discussions about a “coach-in-waiting” arrangement, meaning he would be Meyer’s eventual successor as Buckeyes coach. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the discussions are in progress. Day doesn’t have any head-coaching experience but did have a three-game trial run as Ohio State’s interim coach.

Day, 39, received a three-year deal and a raise before this season, which isn’t typical for Buckeyes assistants. That was Ohio State’s attempt to keep him away from Mississippi State, which offered him its head-coaching position. The Buckeyes also made him the first $1 million coordinator in program history.

Ohio State had options when naming an interim coach after Meyer was suspended. It could have gone with Greg Schiano, a former coach in the NFL and at Rutgers, or Kevin Wilson, Indiana’s former coach. The Buckeyes also could have gone with defensive line coach Larry Johnson, a longtime college assistant. But it went with Day. The person close to the program said getting Day head-coaching experience that his peers on the staff already had was part of the reason the choice of Day was made.

Well it helps when you're not trying to kill them all and steal their land. Just sayin'.

no, no he wasn't. lol.

no women beaters are great guys, no matter what else they do.

He may not have tried to kill him physically but did try to kill his coaching career and Ohio States recruiting and name which is still going on from the E$PN/$EC talking heads

Agreed, but next year might be a rough one. Who knows how recruiting will go and he's losing a couple WR, likely his QB, and a couple OL, plus Bosa and likely Jones on the DL. Thankfully, I can't imagine too many underclassmen leaving early from this team (other than those mentioned already) - I suppose Sheffield, Weber, and maybe Harrison are possible.

This team is loaded for next year Meyer saw to that ...

we most likely losing haskins, a couple wr, ol, bosa - I don't know if they are going to be "loaded"

That is a great point to take note of in their re-telling and selling this "they do not know that" swami news about him being back in another saddle. He has dismounted from a job which ends (hopefully) in the Rose Bowl with a notch. He has succeeded wildly.

What program might he find enticing? Why would he step down to return to coaching? I see him with family. I don't think you need a bunch of tea leaves to read this with his health issues. JMO and nor for use by BSPN.

Just in case anyone was wondering:

Dwayne Haskins plans to play in the Rose Bowl | cleveland.com
https://www.cleveland.com//osu/2018/12/dwayne-haskins-plans-to-play-in-the-rose-bowl.html

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins stated that he plans to play in the Rose Bowl against No. 9 Washington.

“I’m playing in the game,” Haskins said.

In an era where many potential first-round NFL Draft picks opt to sit out of bowl games not included in the College Football Playoff, Haskins firmly stated he plans to play it what many believe will be his final game in an Ohio State jersey.

“Rose Bowl has a great history,” Haskins said. “A lot of quarterbacks have played in that and it’s a very rich tradition game. I’m looking forward to playing with my teammates.”

Prior to the game, there is a high chance that Haskins will be selected as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy after a season where he threw for 4,580 yards and 47 touchdowns.

Ohio State faces a Washington team that beat Utah, 10-3 to win the Pac-12 Championship. The game will be held on January 1.

He quit his previous job for health reasons.

Calm down man....you now have a weight room.

Yeah, I wish him well. I hope with all his medical issues that he doesn't try to return to coaching and just enjoys the rest of his days without the stress of coaching big time college football. I'd be wrong if I didn't think he'd be back though. We'll see. I hope to god it's not the NFL because with those concerns, he probably shouldn't be putting in those insane hours.

I'll remember him for that amazing 2014 run, beating Alabama, beating Oregon, all with a 3rd string QB who was at that point, mostly known for a stupid regrettable tweet.

I think he was wrong for not putting Zach Smith on leave. As usual with any kind of issue that hits the public, both sides are ridiculous. The people that are in blind support of Ohio State are awful for thinking that something wasn't right, simply because no charges were filed.

The other side, which definitely wants Ohio State to burn, treats Meyer as if he were the one hitting his wife. He was wrong, but it's also a bit ridiculous to make him the police. He should have put Smith on leave until things were figured out, regardless of what happened. He didn't, and I think deep down he regrets it, because of the way he has treated players in the past who have hit women, most notably Carlos Hyde, who got 3 games for literally not doing anything. Tape evidence and all.

I think Ryan Day is right guy to move forward with. He did a great job at the beginning of the year, and I am curious to see what he does with the current staff, and if he will make any changes.

I think we all knew when Meyer signed up that this wasn't going to be some 20 year run. His record during his time there is unbelievable. 7-0 against his rival, 1 national championship, with another playoff apperance, with some of the most memorable games we've seen.

I wish Urban well. While i think he punked out on the Gators because Saban was getting the players he wanted, I still love the guy.

My favorite Urban moment....the year before the Bulldogs beat us,,,,the year when they scored a TD early and their entire bench took a penalty for rushing the field to celebrate.

The next year we were killing the Dawgs. Urban held all of his time outs until the last 40 seconds, and then called all of them to keep the Dawgs on the field as he pulled starters who all celebrated off the field. The whole time Urban staring down the Ga. coach....

That was classic. Exactly what I would have done. I loved it....still do.

Denzel Ward said he was playing in the Cotton Bowl last year against USC, until he decided not to. Urban retiring might spur Haskins into playing, despite the risk and against his better judgement. But I wouldn't be surprised if he changed his mind either.

I guess I am old school. Not playing is equal to quitting the team.


You can buy insurance for such things. It doesn't cost that much.


I would like to see the NCAA loosen it's grip and allow boosters to pay for such insurance. The kid is going to be able to pay it back, plus a fee in 8 months, be it he is a high draft choice or injured and collects the insurance claim.

Add more teams to the playoffs and more players will play because they are playing for something ...

Also....the reality is most of these top guys already have a agent, they just haven't signed, but the agents pay for said insurance.


The NCAA shouldn't have a problem there either.



Screw the NCAA. Who says a college, or group of colleges has to play under NCAA rules?

Sperg, I could be wrong, but I don't think Urban will coach again. The main reason is that Ohio State was his dream job. I can't see him leaving Ohio State and going to a lesser program.

The only doubt I have is if Urban thinks that Ohio State threw him under the bus in the face of the onslaught by the media and the general population during the scandal that took place before the season.

Personally, I've never understood how a person should be fired from a job due to an allegation, especially when that allegation has been investigated by the police and the accuser's own mother became estranged from her due to her allegations.

If he retired due to health reasons he won't coach again. If he retired because of the feeling slighted by the administration then I could see him taking a coaching job like the USC Trojans after taking a year or 2 off.

I get that, but I think he could have done himself, his team, and the school a lot of favors by putting Smith on leave, until things were figured out. I understand that there are superiors, and Ohio State has an AD, but Meyer has more pull at that school than anyone else on campus. If he put Smith on leave, no one would have questioned it, instead they played this whole charade of not knowing, text messages being deleted, etc.. Regardless of what happened, it's a bad look.

Smith also did himself no favors by going onto social media and acting like a teenager. The guy needs serious help.

I'm not arguing. Just stating my opinion.

One solution would be for the NFL to have to drop its "3+ years out of high school" rule. If a player is talented enough to play in the league, he should be able to make a living doing so.

But, wouldn't that just translate into NCAA player sitting out games a year, or even 2 years, earlier?

How about if the NFL provides an umbrella policy against injury for players in NCAA Bowl games, and the Championship Series?

That would be quite expensive for the NFL. The whole idea is arguably about money in the first place, with the NFL wanting to maintain its free, de facto minor league system known as NCAA football.

They're not going to voluntarily buy umbrella policies for all the players in dozens of bowl games.

Okay. But, WHICH players?

Also, using Bosa as an example - he was hurt early in the season - not in a bowl game, or the Championship series.

Bowl games, for players likely to be rated in the top 2 rounds by the advisory panel. You would be insuring maybe 70-75 players, against injury that could be career threatening, or ending. Maybe a joint cooperative venture between the NCAA and the NFL to cover the Bowl season.

Some schools insure certain of their athletes. Clemson took out an injury policy for DeShaun Watson, and paid for it as well. (with Watson as the beneficiary, of course)

Our former 7th round pick, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, also had an injury policy, that he had to collect on.

I think we need to ask ourselves whether the players are there to get an education, or there to play football.

Some people say it's about the education, because the large majority of them will never play in the NFL. Fine... but then talk to somebody who actually attends class at one of these major (and in some cases, surprisingly minor) football schools. The students say, many of the players don't go to class, but they all seem to pass anyway.

If the best players are, in reality, just there to play football, then let them go to the big leagues where they can earn a living.

If you want to balance that with something, then make the whole system more fair for the average fan and citizen. For example, stop providing public/taxpayer funds for NFL stadiums. There's no good reason to subsidize billionaire owners so millionaires can play a game. Let them pay for their biggest costs and watch how the salary cap and salary floor naturally decline.

That's the free market in action-- not the 'socialize the cost, privatize the gains' strategy that some people are so passionate about defending.

I also don't think it's right to deny someone like Nick Bosa the ability to cash on his very rare skills, worth many millions of dollars per year, due to his age.

He could have played 1-2 full seasons in the NCAA and then moved on. I don't see what the big problem with that is... he was obviously ready to play in the big leagues. In any case, that is something for him and the individual teams to figure out. There shouldn't be a blanket policy preventing him from making a living due to his age.

I agree - for many/most of the D1 school's players, they are there to play football.

Which, when you hear of someone like Krenzel from OSU a number of years back. Not only did he play football, but he graduated in pre-med. That should earn some serious respect (not just for him, for all the players that actually DO graduate with a decent degree)


Fine by me.


You lost me here. That's a different discussion, isn't it?


I agree. I don't think it's right to deny him the right to earn an income. However, I never said it was.

My point, which I apparently didn't make clear, was having the ncaa pay for insurance - for WHO? Y town said maybe players that are hyped to be in the top 2 rounds.

Okay. What about the guy that has a definite 3rd round chance? He doesn't get the insurance?

I'm sure there would be some legal wrangling over that.



Agreed. That's, again, not the point I was attempting to make.

It was stated that if the nfl didn't mandate 3 years in college, this type of thing (missing bowl games) wouldn't happen.

Bosa was high in the rankings after his 2nd year, heck, most teams had their eye on him after 1 year at OSU.

All I was questioning was: So, you take away the 3 years in college requirement. Make it 2 years. A player the caliber of Bosa would/could decide to sit out towards the end of his second year, heck, good enough maybe at the end of his first year?


To me, this 'paying for their insurance thing' in order to entice them to play - the top players that is - and ignoring the 'lesser' players would be akin to the ncaa paying college athletes - but not all of them - only the football players and basketball players.

Not the tennis players, or volleyball players, swim team, etc. I know, I know, the football and mens basketball sports are the revenue makers.

So, take a player like Bosa. Pay his insurance. What about his backup? He doesn't get insurance?

Pay the football teams players. But which ones? If you're a scholarship football player, 3rd string, should you get the same amount as the star? If not, why not? You put in the same amount of time in practice, travel, being at the games, etc.


Just raising questions, that's all.

They are good questions. Unfortunately I don't have good answers to several of them.

About public-funded stadiums: it is mostly a different topic. I was just presenting something from the other side. The players, as a whole, have a really good thing going on, which is something the 'pay the players' crowd won't always acknowledge.

I can't believe Kliff Kingsbury went to USC. Clay Helton might've just hired his replacement.

Bad Idea. College football is the NFL's minor league. The NFL needs the college programs to develop their players. They still do a good job of that even if not so much at the QB position anymore, but the NFL is changing, be it slow.



A kid out of HS isn't going to be able to compete in the NFL. He just isn't while that isn't so in sports like basketball or baseball. If you can hit you can hit. If you can throw 95, you can. If you can shoot, you can shoot.

You can't put on 35lbs of man muscle on summer vacation. Unlike women who grow earlier, guys still do a lot of growing between 17-18 and 21-22 years of age.

Cris Carter alluded to Urban getting a procedure, sitting a bit, then returning to coaching

Yep, he’s taking over for Harbaugh at Michigan.

I have been through this with Urban. I am a Gator season ticket holder. I only hold them because my seat mate buys them and pays the yearly fee because we sit together and he can't buy them if I dump them. I didn't go to any games this year. Went to two last year..


That said, I like Urban. I do think he is self serving and not a good guy, but I like him.


This time I do think his health is a problem.


If it's like last time, Michigan has been getting the players he wanted just like Bama started plucking the players he wanted when he was the Gator coach.


I will say that Urban doesn't like competition.

I'm pretty sure Meyer has had the best recruiting class in the Big Ten every year he's been here. They've been among the best in the country. Like Vers pointed out a few days ago, that is hard to replace.

For the record, Florida's recruiting class in 2010-- Urban's last year there, was the #1 recruiting class in the country.

I saw we had 2 de-commits since yesterday

Yeah, I don't think recruiting had anything to do with it. Who knows.

If the guy does come back, I hope Ohio State fans don't hold anything against him. Ohio State is a great program that will be very good under Ryan Day.

If he ends up at USC, Notre Dame, or even Michigan, I wouldn't hold it against him.

He'd actually be great at USC. I just hope the dude's health is good before he thinks about jumping back in. If he never coaches another game, he goes down as an all time great.

I won't hold anything against him if he comes back with another team. Though if I'm being fully forthcoming, going to Michigan would be a tough one. I can't see that happening though.

I'm sure there were many factors that went into his decision, health being a big one. Maybe he felt a little betrayed by how the university handled the controversy earlier in the year... who knows.

There's nothing to say he can't get his health and other things in line and come back. I wouldn't hold it against him. I look fondly at his time here-- the 82-9 record, Big Ten championships, the national championship some years back. The program is still loaded with talent and there seems to be a reasonable succession plan in place.

The guy has to take care of his own health and his family first.. that is more important than football.

After listening to his PC, I am going to amend my stance on whether or not he will coach again. I am not saying he will, but I now believe it is a possibility.

Like I said earlier, I think the BS he took this past summer weighed very heavily on him, especially since his wife's name was also dragged through the mud. I honestly feel that Urban believed the university didn't stand by him despite the opposite claims of most media outlets and many common fans.

At the time, I remember saying I would quit if I were Urban. While I do think the medical concerns are real, I also believe that Urban felt betrayed by a university that buckled under the magnifying glass of media and public perception.

While unfortunate, I can't blame them.

I know a girl, and we're talking low naia here, that was recruited for basketball. She loved what the coach that was recruiting her was selling, and doing. She was at many practices, and games. She committed.

The coach left for a better, bigger job. The replacement coach? She can't stand.

While that example may be minor, it's just that: an example.

I think at D1, major D1 at that, it's no different.

And we're going to be taking hits in recruiting for a while, maybe a very long time.

The recruiting has been top notch. The play on the field hasn't always been.

Where was the disconnect...

Did that controversy and suspension weigh on Meyer that heavily?

Was the defensive staff just not very good?

Strength and conditioning not up to par?

Too many players 3 and done (2.5 in Bosa's case) and the younger guys just couldn't get up to speed fast enough?

Those are meant as questions. I don't have the answers.. just putting some possibilities out there.

I don't know the answer to your questions, but the amount of five star recruits will certainly go down with Ryan Day at the helm.

Top recruits will want to go to top head coaches and it will certainly hurt recruiting.

Of course it does.. hell that's why you have Dwayne Haskins. He committed to MD, when they fired the coach he decomitted and went to OSU... Now MD has hired a new coach, Alabama's OC who was at MD before and rumor is that if MD had hired him back then instead of Durkin that Haskins would have stayed.. I have no idea if that is true or not.

The big shake-up might not happen until OSU figures out who is staying and who is going from the rest of the staff.. a lot of these kids develop a relationship with their position coach and coordinator even more than the HC...

that's just insane.

I always tell people that there was a period where Ohio State had lost 3 out of 4 games, some people were actually calling for Meyer's head, and then his team ripped off 13 straight games taking down the Big Ten, SEC, and Pac-12 in the process.

If you take away that period where he lost to MSU (B1G title game), Clemson (Orange Bowl), beat Navy, and lost to VA Tech, he's 81-6 at Ohio State. That is insane. All time great.

Urban was a blessing for most of us Ohio State fans. I feel cheated by the national media's unfair attacks on him this past year. I think he would still be here if not for that.

yeah, i think the media basically ruined his year (and OSU's) ... I think it was a witch hunt. Not saying he's a great guy, just that it was an unjust end

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20...mes-reaches-10/



As a former athlete and someone who loves competition, I don't like this.

On the other hand, given the situation, I understand where the players are coming from. It's easy to tell players to go play in some meaningless Bowl game when it's not your millions of dollars in future earning potential at stake.

bingo.

its easy to tell athletes to go play in a meaningless bowl game when it isn't your future on the line.

Especially in a sport where you can literally end up paralyzed.

j/c:

I hear that Ohio State's AD, Gene Smith, said he would like to keep Urban around in an administrative role. I believe fundraising and professional development were named.

That sounds cool, but I would love to have Urban help w/the recruiting process. He is one of the very best in the business. I completely understand the HC has to take the lead role in that area, but I would love to utilize Urban's extraordinary ability to recruit.

Navy has an OLB named Fagot, pronounced fa-go. I can imagine what kind of abuse he endured growing up.

It also may have helped mold him into a tough individual having to endure that. I'll reference the Johnny Cash song "My Name Is Sue".

Agreed, and I would imagine his dad talked to him about it early.

Well hopefully, unlike the song by johnny Cash, he didn't have to hunt him down in a bar and fight over it.

Why would he, that's his last name, therefor his father's last name too. His father had to endure the same when he grew up.

j/c:

I love the Army/Navy game. It's old school. Tough guys who play very hard. Man, there were some big hits in this game.

I will say that there was more trash talking, "look at me" plays, and less discipline in this year's contest than I ever saw before.

Times are a changin.

I agree. It's one of my favorite games to watch

Kyler Murray and his family seem very humble. It'll be interesting to see if he goes to the MLB

Thats the plan ...

I thought all three Heisman finalists handled themselves w/class, dignity, and humility this weekend. I was very impressed w/all three young men.

Tuo stood out the most w/how he handled himself. Very genuint dude. Very respectful. I thought his family was amazing. Very grounded people who have strong convictions about their beliefs and values.

Who won?

Murray from Oklahoma.

I actually think he's quitting somewhat out of spite for this very reason. I just don't understand the media. The constant harassment of coaches and players. Even now that the Browns look like they are on the upswing you have idiots like MKC trying to get under Landrys skin by constantly asking him about his lack of targets and trying to drive a wedge between Landry and Mayfield. I listen to this and think to myself "why?". It's done under some guise that they are "doing their job". I call BS.

I probably watched more college football this year than any other year. I think Urban had just had enough of the media. This same media that drove him out is going to complain about the lack of success without him.

Did you see Urban almost collapse on the sidelines a few times this year?

The pain from the cyst on his brain was the main, if not only, reason he left.

Impressive speech from Murray. I think it's really amazing when basically someone who is still a kid can get up in front of a crowd and deliver a classy speech like that.

I thought he's had the condition for a long time?

Ty sir ...

Just saw this ... i’d Heard it a few days ago Murray would be going baseball ... this pretty much confirms it ...

Kyler Murray - QB - Player

Agent Scott Boras has confirmed to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport that Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray will not pursue a career in professional football.

Murray was awarded the Heisman Trophy last night, an honor he earned by passing for over 4,000 yards while also contributing 51 touchdowns (40 passing, 11 rushing) for the 12-1 Sooners. However it appears his future is in baseball as Murray is set to join the Athletics, who selected him ninth overall in this year's draft, after the season. Murray recently acknowledged a desire to continue playing both sports if "possible," though his agent claims that decision has already been made. "From a contractual perspective, it is set," said Boras. As good as he was at Oklahoma, it's debatable how Murray would have fared in the NFL, especially given his relatively short stature (5'9"). The 21-year-old outfielder received a $4.66 million signing bonus from Oakland earlier this year.

All three guys seemed very capable of being leaders at the next level. All of them were well presented IMO

I know this wont be a popular sentiment, but Urban Meyer is a slimeball. Always has been. A very successful coach and recruiter but a slimeball none the less.

I agree to an extent. he's certainly gotten himself into some prickly situations

He has, but it appeared to get worse this year.

Oh, he is a great recruiter. He just doesn't like it when the players he wants go to a rival. He knew the "Tide" was turning at Florida, so he left.

I am not saying that is the case here, we'll see what happens in the Big 10 the next few years.

I am just telling you what I think from my experience with the guy. Either way I like him and wish him well.

I don't know. I would imaging he was one of the bigger, tougher guys in his school.

A wrong pronunciation once could be considered a mistake. A 2nd time probably ended that talk fairly quickly.


Just looked him up....6'4", 255...3 time all state football player. A two time state champ in shot put.

He didn't take much crap.

Just my guess.

I saw it a little differently. I thought Meyer did outstanding work in his time at Florida, and always thought it was distasteful how fast Gators fans turned on the guy. He won two national championship at UF, and again, had the #1 recruiting class in the country his last year there. That's a hard thing to give up.

Some might say I'm a Buckeyes fan, I may be biased. Fair enough. I felt this way before he came to the Buckeyes though, this despite one of those Florida championships being over Ohio State. His teams were just always so well coached and so well prepared, on top of being very talented.

I wonder if any UF fans look at his current health issues and say maybe, just maybe, those were real when he resigned from the Gators job. For example, he had brain surgery just a few years after that. Those kinds of things don't just tend to come out of nowhere. They usually develop over the course of years.

Each has their opinion.

If Urban ends up coaching again, lets see what OSU fans say.

That's reasonable.

I've seen how unreasonable the media is towards Belichick and those who are known to be close to him (this includes Urban Meyer and Greg Schiano). They were just relentless toward Meyer at the start of the season, and the university did him no favors.

I'm just saying, if it were me, either that or the health issues would have been enough for me to walk away. There's a sense of honor and loyalty that go beyond a coaching job, like how Meyer stood up for Schiano despite the full out assault on him when Schiano was going to take the Volunteers head coaching job.

I hope Meyer does what's best for him and his family. That probably means hanging them up, but oftentimes medical issues can be cured, and he might get that itch to coach again. If he does that, more power to him.

And this is where we agree, yet for entirely different reasons.

When it's "your team" your emotions get involved. Being impartial is a difficult thing to do. Bias influences your thinking.

See, to me, whether Meyer feels he was thrown under the bus by OSU or whether it's an actual health problem makes no difference to me. Employers feel no sense of loyalty to their employees and for the life of me I don't see how reality would dictate that people feel when the shoe is placed on the other foot that employees should feel loyalty towards employers.

Yes I know, there's the players, the university and and the fans. But to a coach it's a job. Meyer had brain surgery only a short time after leaving Florida. Now how one "feels" about that is just that. How they feel. But the evidence here dictates there were health issues. And severe ones at that.

You are right though. As fans often times they think with their hearts and not their heads. So I would expect we'll see a backlash if he coaches again. I just won't be joining the mob.

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/12/ohio-st...ollege-football

Anyone else see this .... funny stuff.

I will have zero problems w/Urban if he takes another job. In fact, the day the university gave him a 3 game suspension, I said I would quit if I were Urban. The university succumbed to media and public pressure and tried to save face by disciplining a man that didn't deserve the discipline.

I'm an Ohio State fan and always will be. I won't root for Urban's new team should he coach again, but I would have no problem w/him if he wanted to coach again.

QFT

Today was the 2019 Early Signing Period for college football teams. Unfortunately, my biggest concern about Urban's retirement is already rearing its ugly head. The Buckeyes fell to number 20 in Rival's recruiting rankings. We also lost one of our top recruits to Alabama today.

Urban was a great recruiter and losing him is already proving to be a detriment to the program.

RYAN DAY BELIEVES OHIO STATE SIGNEE ZACH HARRISON HAS THE POTENTIAL OF “THE BOSAS OF THE WORLD”

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-stat...he-bosas-of-the

Ohio State can’t afford to miss on a five-star prospect just down the road from the in-state powerhouse football program. Those types of players with such proximity don’t come around every recruiting cycle.

Thus, Urban Meyer made Zach Harrison a priority a couple years ago, and Ryan Day had him atop the list of targets in the 2019 class when he was announced as the program’s soon-to-be head coach on Dec. 4.

“This was one of those ones we had to win,” Day said at his early signing period press conference on Wednesday. “He's down the street, and so that was a big get for us.”

At different points in the past year, both Michigan and Penn State seemed to have an edge on the Buckeyes, who desperately wanted the Olentangy Orange defensive end. But on Wednesday afternoon at a private ceremony with more than 15,000 people watching a livestream on Periscope, Harrison announced his commitment to Ohio State, which came more than two years after Meyer and Larry Johnson began recruiting him.

“It's been a long process,” Day said. “His head coach, Zebb Schroeder, had a lot to do with this. Larry Johnson has been recruiting Zach for a long, long time. Obviously Urban had a big part of this thing, and it's been a long time coming.”


Last week, Day and his coaching staff had their final in-home visit with Harrison, the No. 4 overall prospect in the country and the top player in the state of Ohio.

Day said he came away from the meeting with Harrison and his family feeling that “there was a connection made there.” He noted Johnson’s multi-year relationship with the Harrison family as being a key to landing the 6-foot-5, 243-pound defensive end. Day felt that by the end of the process, Ohio State’s coaching staff had earned the trust of the Harrison family to “take care of their son.”

“It was really important to sit down in the home and talk to the family about the direction of the program, and having some communication just on some of the leadership changes obviously that comes with the change in the head coach,” Day said. “And that communication stayed all the way until last night.”


As the top-ranked player to sign with Ohio State since Terrelle Pryor in 2008, Harrison will enter the program with ambitious expectations both for himself and foisted upon him from others. Those will only be increased due to his proximity to campus and the mysteriousness of his recruitment.

Harrison has the natural talent that is hard to overlook, including to Day.

“When you look at somebody who runs a 10.8 100-meter dash at his size and the potential that he has, all you think of is the Bosas of the world and some of the top defensive ends in all of America,” Day said. “He thought this thing through. This wasn't something he just jumped to, and obviously being under Larry's tutelage, that's a big part of this thing. And so it isn't all going to happen at once, but the ceiling for Zach is really, really high.”


Johnson has pumped out successful college defensive ends who have turned out to be high-level NFL players.

Just last year, the Buckeyes rotated four NFL defensive ends: Nick Bosa, Tyquan Lewis, Sam Hubbard and Jalyn Holmes. Chase Young, who will likely play one season with Harrison before heading to the draft, has a chance to become a first-round pick.

Harrison hopes to become the next player in the extensive list of collegiate studs Johnson has coached to make it to the next level, and given his freaky natural gifts, he has a head start.

Zach Harrison's Commitment Helps Punctuate Ohio State's Recruiting Class on Day 1

https://www.si.com/college-football/2018...flow_twitter_si

On the brink of announcing the most significant decision of his life, Zach Harrison briefly fumbled with a zipper. Harrison, the five-star defensive end prospect choosing among Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan, stood behind a podium in front of hundreds of classmates gathered at his high school’s auditorium on Wednesday prepared for his big reveal. “It’s been a long process, but I’ve decided to continue my academic and football career at, uh,” Harrison said, grabbing the top zipper of his hooded jacket and yanking it down to reveal a scarlet T-shirt, “THE Ohio State University!”

Harrison’s commitment on Day 1 of the early signing period reminds us all that OSU, with or without Urban Meyer, can win the biggest Midwest recruiting battles with its Big Ten neighbors. Harrison provided new coach Ryan Day with a much-needed jolt after a pair of defections, quelled fear that the Buckeyes’ class would come crumbling down because of Meyer’s retirement, and has OSU in position to complete one of the nation’s best signing groups come February. In all, Ohio State signed 15 players on Wednesday, grabbing a pair of non-committed guys (Harrison and three-star defensive tackle Jaden McKenzie) while losing two commitments to the SEC (defensive back Jordan Battle to Alabama and quarterback Dwan Mathis to Georgia).

The former was expected (Battle flirted with the Tide for a while). The latter was not (Mathis didn’t even visit UGA). Mathis served as the lone quarterback commit in OSU’s class, leaving Day in scramble mode ahead of the traditional signing date in February. The move left many shocked and looking for answers. Was this because of Urban!? No, many assumed Mathis’ flip involved OSU’s reported pursuit of Georgia transfer quarterback Justin Fields. It did involve Fields, Mathis told the Detroit Free Press, but it had nothing to do with the Buckeyes’ pursuit of him. Fields’ departure from UGA’s roster opened a spot for Mathis. “I’ve been wavering back and forth for the last couple of days,’’ he said. “I decided to go to Georgia because my chances of playing.’’ And, thus, the next six weeks for Day is to find a quarterback. Many expect starter Dwayne Haskins to turn pro, leaving the Buckeyes with just two returning scholarship quarterbacks in 2019, Tate Martell and Matthew Baldwin. That’s two QBs short of the number Day prefers to keep on his roster.


Meanwhile, Ohio State snatched Harrison in one of the bigger signing-day decisions Wednesday, wrestling the talented end from North Columbus away from James Franklin and Jim Harbaugh. OSU still owns this territory, even with a new leader. The Buckeyes signed more five stars (3) than Michigan and Penn State combined (2). And while their overall team ranking (12th) trails the No. 7 Wolverines and 10th-ranked Nittany Lions, the class’ quality is no slouch. In fact, according to 247Sports, OSU’s group has the third-best individual player rating, as Day noted in his opening comments to reporters Wednesday. Ohio State’s 16 ranked commitments are two fewer than PSU and 11 fewer than Michigan’s group of 27. Day’s roster spots are limited for this signing class because of a small departing senior class. In order to stay under the NCAA scholarship limit of 85, the Buckeyes won’t bring in a full 25. No matter, says Meyer, this class is “great.”

“Recruiting is all about being genuine and caring deeply for a player,” the out-going coach said in an interview on Big Ten Network. “Ryan has been a part of that. He’s embraced it and he’s great at it.” Recruiting is the lifeblood of any college program, and so concerns over OSU’s 2019 class were real given this hectic fall, from the emergence of the Zach Smith scandal in August to Meyer’s retirement two weeks ago. In all, the Buckeyes lost four commitments, counting the two flips Wednesday and the two earlier this fall (inside linebacker Kane Patterson signed with Clemson, and running back Sampson James signed with Indiana). “Everyone has de-commits,” says Steve Wiltfong, director of recruiting for 247Sports. “Urban would have defections too.”

In fact, a year ago at this time, Ohio State lost three commitments in LB Brenton Cox (Georgia), QB Emory Jones (Florida) and S Jaiden Woodbey (Florida State). At least one former major college head coach believes it's a positive that Meyer is out-going given the Smith scandal. “If I was recruiting against him, I’d go into mom's house 'You think that guy can tell the truth? He's the biggest liar in college football,’” the ex-coach told Sports Illustrated under the condition of anonymity. “Other coaches are going to be able to hammer him. Thing is, kids beg to go to Ohio State. You can put whoever as head coach.”


Time will tell if that’s true. Meyer’s recruiting success in Columbus runs deep. In his seven years, the Buckeyes have finished no worse than seventh in 247Sports’ composite team recruiting rankings, and they were No. 2 in each 2018 and 2017. “Urban is one of the greatest head coach recruits of all time. He was a rock star,” Wiltfong says. “He’s famous. Recruits gravitated to him. No head coach put in more time courting kids. Urban Meyer didn’t need an introduction. Ryan Day walks in the room right now and my wife doesn’t know who he is, but there was a time people didn’t know who Urban was.”

Day’s first class Wednesday lacks the top-five ranking, mostly because of quantity, but it does have big fish. The Buckeyes kept home the best player in the state, Harrison, and he joins two other five-star players that OSU plucked from Georgia and Texas. The three words in Harrison’s announcement graphic he tweeted Wednesday punctuated OSU’s first Meyer-less signing day in eight years with an exclamation point. “I’m stayin home.”

I think that's normal that there might be a bit of uneasiness with recruits after Meyer is gone. Nobody knows if Day is for real and how long he might last.

As you posted, if they can get that Georgia QB, that might go a long way in showing confidence in OSU's future. Fields is a high profile transfer and could pave the way for other guys on the fence.

IMO, I think it will really come down to how well they play this year (duh). If they can be in the top 6 and beat Michigan, the recruits will see OSU as if Meyer never left. If they struggle and lose to Michigan, that could hurt and spell doom for Day's future. I think Meyer's departure also impacted Harbough's wanting to stay. If there is any year to flip the momentum, it's this next year.

On another note, there was talk of the playoff committee talking 8 teams and soon, even before the current agreement expires. The Big10 and Pac10 are quite pissed about missing the top 4 again. I guess there is planned meeting early January to discuss changing the system. If they do change, I'd hope they go 6 first (two byes). I'd rather "baby step" the change than just jump in with 8 teams, but that may be the unavoidable future.

Top 2019 recruiting classes by 247Sports composite average player rating:

1. Alabama 94.04
2. Georgia 93.71
3. Ohio State 92.16
4. Penn State 92.12
5. Auburn 91.90
6. LSU 91.39
7. Oklahoma 91.13
8. Texas A&M 91.09
9. Oregon 90.97
10. Texas 90.90

https://twitter.com/BillLandis25/status/1075580039939440641

Fields would be a great coup for the Buckeyes. Wasn't he the number one qb and/or recruit when he came out of high school?

I see there are a lot of different rankings out there. ESPN, Rivals, 247 Sports, Scout.com. Some of the rankings are quite different. Do you know which one has the best reputation? I always thought Rivals and ESPN were the top two, but I'm not sure about that. Do you follow college football enough to help educate us?

From what I have read, the limited number of scholarships the Buckeyes have available (because of limited senior graduations this year) has hurt their grade. The quality of our class is outstanding, but the numbers lag behind other schools.

Thanks.

I'm curious about this too. I use 247 the most and think they do a good job, but I only follow this stuff casually.

Based on those rankings, the Buckeyes seem to have held together pretty well, despite the controversy and uncertainty surrounding the program. Like you said though, other rankings are quite different.

He was highly regarded, but I don't remember if he was #1 overall, or not.

I have read that he is (probably) going to apply for a hardship transfer, which would make him eligible next season.

Some had Justin Fields as the top ranked recruit and others had Trevor Lawrence as the top ranked recruit.

I believe QBs are separated into dual threat and pocket passer. Fields was the top dual threat, Lawrence the top pocket passer.

You are correct.

Good sign that our recruiting class is still holding up so strong

I don't know if you guys are following it, but Mark Richt retired from coaching. That left Miami's job open. They then hired Manny Diaz, their former DC, who just took the job at Temple.

College sports are filthy.

Don't hardship transfers usually have to be moving closer to home to help with a sick family member or situation. I can't see how moving from Georgia to Ohio is going to make sense when he is from Georgia.

haha that's a funny screen grab

So is this hardship transfer a policy, a requirement, a guideline, or loose precedent? Seems like it would fail any examination if it is a hard and fast rule.

We talked about this before. I favored four "best" as chosen now, along with four more teams selected as lower tier, especially if unbeaten, to play a "prove-in" game of sorts. Winner of those two pairs play winners of the top four pairings. We have enough time and Bowl Games galore to do this. The four now don't suit anybody completely it appears. The talking heads add nothing in my opinion. Justifying subjective choices. Two years neglecting any representation from major conference? This could be a fix.
At the end of this day, what does the final victory represent? Over whom? Everybody but the Big 10 and Pac? May not be THE Answer, but it has some merits. Might give some actual merit to the raft of barely .500 fluffy bowls.

This feels like a regular season game.

I think there is a review board that meets on it.

what a butt kicking

[u][/u]

Looks a bit like Browns vs Ravens.

Thanks for everything, Urban. Undefeated against TTUN, your legacy is cemented in state history.

Congrats to Urban Meyer and his Buckeyes. 13-1 is no disgrace.

j/c:

I'm going to miss Urban Meyer. Ohio State was his dream job and delivered the goods while he was here. The guy is one of the--if not thee--greatest recruiter in football. He gets a lot of bad press, but his former players think very highly of him.

I will definitely miss him also, but we're in good hands with Ryan Day I think.

I’m pretty sure Dwayne Haskins, officially moved himself into Ohio State lore tonight.

Taking the top off lids, challenging perceptions

way to go out Urban. I'll miss him as well; hard to beat what he's done

great gesture IMO

His Ohio State career will not be remembered for very much. Kind of a season where defensively, the team was a mess, they lost their best player, had a horrible loss at Purdue, and missed out on the playoff by a small margin.

But man, I think he is by far the best QB prospect to come out of Ohio State. He has what it takes to play at the next level, and be really good. I hope he ends up somewhere that will take good care of him, but I have a sneaking feeling the Bengals are going to do whatever it takes to land him.

Nice game by the Bucks last night. Little interesting towards the end, but they were able to hold off Washington.

I think OSU is in good hands with Ryan Day. I think he will make some changes but I fully expect him to keep this thing going.

I love Coach Meyer but lmao I did not believe a word of what he said last night. I believe he will coach again, it may be in a few years, but he'll be back if the situation is right.

Kind of a bummer that college football is basically over. I'm not really that excited about Alabama vs Clemson for the three hundredth time, but I will still probably watch. Feels like I always have a game the night of the national chip, but this year my night is clear to watch the game.

I think Clemson has a shot, but I still think Alabama should win the game.

https://www.cleveland.com/osu/2019/01/ju...ate-report.html


Justin Fields, 5-star transfer quarterback from Georgia, is headed to Ohio State: Report

What is Letterman row?

So will he be eligible to play for us next year or does he have to sit a year?

Fields will petition the NCAA for immediate eligibility in Columbus, and would have a case based on a racial slur directed at Fields by a Georgia baseball player this season. The NCAA has become more lenient with immediate transfers in recents years. But that decision may not be final for some time. Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson took part in spring football last year after transferring from Ole Miss, but news of successful waiver for immediate eligibility wasn’t announced until April 27.

This would be a huge coup for Ohio State. Hope it becomes reality.

This is all but confirmed, wow what an opening statement from Ryan Day!

j/c:

I am a little surprised that the news about Fields probably coming to Ohio State isn't getting much attention on here. Dude was the number one prospect in the nation when he came out of college just a year ago.

I’m excited that we will hopefully transition from Haskins smoothly.
The truth is I know nothing about Fields other than he was highly recruited and such. Once he declared for Georgia I doubt most Buck fans, or any one else except Georgia fans, followed or cared.
My hope is he’s eligible to play next year and lives up to his pedigree.

Good post. I wasn't criticizing anyone. Just happy that we have a real shot at the nation's number 1 recruit coming out of HS in 2017.

Maybe this can inspire some conversation...

Probably more relevant.

Looks like he's a "run first" QB in the small sample size from his freshman season. Also looks like he's got a nose for contact and won't hesitate to run you over. Seems to have a real canon for an arm as well. See some Cam Newton DNA in this cat.

Will definitely be exciting to watch!

I'm excited... wish Haskins was returning but this is a good sign for Ryan day

Awesome. Now let's hope he can play this year.

Yep, this great news. Huge coup for Day and Buckeye nation.

Can anyone project which of the OSU QBs from recent years that Fields reminds them most, if any? Watching just a bit of the videos above, you can see bits of Troy Smith or JT Barrett. Maybe a little of Terrelle Pryor only with a better throwing arm, but a bit less acceleration as a runner.

Anybody else feeling like giving Jerry Emig thee Associate Sports Information Director, Football a phone call just to say hi now that we have his phone number?

The next tweet lol

j/c Wouldn't be overly surprised to see Martell go the Braxton route. We're losing a bunch of receivers. If Hill goes to the NFL, I could see Tate spending time in the slot to get him on the field assuming he doesn't hold off Fields. Fields eligibility is also still to be determined. Maybe we'll see some Kitchens/Landry-type plays in Columbus.

Wow, we just took Michigan's best position coach.

Greg Mattison and Larry Johnson on the same staff...what D-line prospect wouldn't want to go there?

j/c:

Man, a lot of big news w/Ohio State.

Not sure how I feel about any of it, although it was almost a guarantee that Haskins was gone.

Coach day has had a busy first week

Sad to see him go but he really didn’t have much of a choice.

Hes the real deal. I expect great things from him in the NFL. IMO, he was the best QB we have had in a long time.

Justin Fields almost legitimizes Ryan Day before ever even playing, if he;'s a stud Ohio State is staying on top. What a HUGE move.

Praying the dude balls out

Can't blame Martel. He was a highly-ranked recruit. Sure hope Fields will be permitted to play this year.

I dunno... he talked a lot of smack about fields transferring... I'm with you thwt I can't blame him for exploring his options but man kid talks a lot for not doing much icollege yet...

Maybe when he transfers he can get a helmet that fits his head, lol. He has either the weirdest head ever or just couldnt find a normal helmet, that really bothered me all year.

Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts will transfer to Oklahoma for senior season
http://www.espn.com/college-football/sto...a-senior-season

Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts has committed to play his senior season at the University of Oklahoma.

He announced his decision Wednesday via a story on The Players' Tribune.

As a graduate transfer, Hurts is eligible to play immediately.

Hurts entered the transfer portal last week and took his first official visit to Maryland on Friday. He visited Oklahoma on Saturday and Miami on Sunday.

Hurts also drew interest from a number of other programs, sources told ESPN, including Auburn, Tennessee, Utah, UCLA, Florida State and Ohio State.

The Houston native went 26-2 as a starting quarterback at Alabama before he was benched in favor of Tua Tagovailoa this season.

Hurts appeared in all but two games in 2018 as a backup. He completed 51 of 70 passes for 765 yards, 8 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, and he rushed for 167 yards and 2 touchdowns.

During his two seasons as the starter, Hurts won an SEC Offensive Player of the Year award and threw for a combined 4,861 yards, 40 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, to go along with 1,809 yards and 21 touchdowns rushing.

Oklahoma has had success with transfer quarterbacks in the past, as Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray went on to win the Heisman Trophy and lead the program into the College Football Playoff in each of the past two seasons, most recently losing in the semifinal round to Alabama in the Capital One Orange Bowl in December.

Here we go, 3 for 3 in the Heisman!

That is a real possibility!

Right up until his decision I was reading that Maryland was the odds-on favorite.. was really hoping he would go there.

I do understand him choosing OU where he will get a lot more national attention... I also can't help but feel he is looking for a chance to play Bama in the playoffs to try to show them that they made a mistake.

OHIO STATE RELEASES 2019 SPRING FOOTBALL ROSTER, INCLUDING JUSTIN FIELDS AND SIX FRESHMEN

Ohio State released its spring football roster Friday morning, and it included six freshmen – Garrett Wilson, Zach Harrison, Marcus Crowley, Noah Potter, Ryan Jacoby and Ronnie Hickman – who enrolled early in the program. Justin Fields was also listed on the roster for the first time.

None of the freshmen nor Fields were given jersey numbers, but their heights and weights were made public.

Justin Fields: 6-foot-3, 225 pounds
Garrett Wilson: 6-foot-1, 180 pounds
Zach Harrison: 6-foot-5, 243 pounds
Marcus Crowley: 6-foot-1, 200 pounds
Noah Potter: 6-foot-5, 250 pounds
Ryan Jacoby: 6-foot-5, 270 pounds
Ronnie Hickman: 6-foot-1, 200 pounds
The roster shows 12 first-year players redshirted during the 2018 season. Kamryn Babb, Matthew Baldwin, Cameron Brown, Jaelen Gill, Marcus Hooker, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Tyreke Johnson, Matthew Jones, Nicholas Petit-Frere, L’Christian Smith, Master Teague and Max Wray will enter the 2019 season as redshirt freshmen.

With walk-ons included, 105 players are on Ohio State's roster, which features 31 seniors and 14 fifth-year seniors. The Buckeyes' players on the spring roster combine for 158 starts, with 82 from offensive players and 76 from defensive players.

Four quarterbacks – Fields, Baldwin, Chris Chugunov and Daniel Vanatsky – are on the spring roster. Vanatsky is a walk-on, while the other three are on scholarship.

Brian Snead, who was suspended after the second week of the season, is not on the roster. Ohio State confirmed he did not return to the team after his freshman season.

Branden Bowen, Alex Williams and Max Wray are the tallest players on the team, standing 6-foot-7. At 5-foot-9, Demario McCall is the shortest player on the spring roster. Weighing in at 319 pounds, Thayer Munford is the heaviest player on the roster, and Chris Olave is the lightest scholarship player, listed at 170 pounds.

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-stat...ds-six-freshmen

Ohio State football announces Ryan Day’s full coaching staff for 2019 season | cleveland.com
https://www.cleveland.com/osu/2019/01/oh...019-season.html

By Stephen Means, cleveland.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State has officially named its full 10-man coaching staff for the 2019 season, confirming that running backs coach/assistant head coach Tony Alford, offensive line coach Greg Studrawa and tight ends coach/offensive coordinator Wilson are being retained.

The staff features five returning new coaches — four on the defensive side of the ball — and five returning coaches with Ryan Day entering his first season as Ohio State head coach.

“I am really excited with this foundation of coaches who will mentor, coach and prepare in all areas the young men in our program,” Day said in a press release. “I am obviously very comfortable with the coaches who have been here and helped us win consecutive Big Ten championships and bowl games, and I am thrilled they want to continue to help this program pursue championships and achievements.

“I am also confident the new assistant coaches will make an immediate impact on this program. I’m really looking forward to working with this staff these next couple months shaping the program and developing our players for the 2019 season.”

The New Coaches

Mike Yurcich: Passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach replacing Day. Yurcich spent the past six seasons as Oklahoma State’s offensive coordinator. The Euclid native is the only new offensive coach.

Jeff Hafley: Replaced Alex Grinch as co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach. Hafley spent the past three seasons with the 49ers as a defensive backs coach.

Greg Mattison: Replaced Greg Schiano as co-defensive coordinator. Mattison spent the past four seasons as Michigan’s defensive line coach.

Al Washington: Replaced Bill Davis as linebackers coach. The Columbus native was part of Michigan’s coaching staff last season at the same position.

Matt Barnes: Replaced Taver Johnson as special teams coordinator and assistant secondary coach. Barnes spent the past two seasons as Maryland’s special teams coordinator.

The Returning Coaches

Tony Alford: Enters his fifth season as the running backs coach and assistant head coach

Brian Hartline: Promoted to full time wide receivers coach in December after being in the interim role in 2018.

Kevin Wilson: Enters his third season as tight ends coach and offensive coordinator

Greg Studrawa: Enters his fourth year as offensive line coach

Larry Johnson: Was promoted to associate head coach to go along with his title of defensive line coach. Johnson is the only returning coach on the defensive side of the ball.

The graduate assistants include Kenny Anunike, Keenan Bailey, Parker Fleming, Bob Fraser and Matt Thurin.

Huge news:

That's awesome for us Buckeye fans!!!

Great News although I would not have panicked with Baldwin ...

CFB Preseason AP Top 25
1 Clemson
2 Alabama
3 UGA
4 Oklahoma
5 Ohio St
6 LSU
7 Michigan
8 Florida
9 ND
10 Texas
11 Oregon
12 A&M
13 Washington
14 Utah
15 Penn St
16 Auburn
17 UCF
18 Michigan St
19 Wisconsin
20 Iowa
21 Iowa St
22 Syracuse
23 Washington St
24 Nebraska
25 Stanford

What a disappointing non-conference schedule for the Buckeyes.

Only Florida Atlantic and Cincinnati.

Owls first in less than two weeks. Looks like they're ~27 point dawgs.

Might as well have a barbecue during the game.

I think PSU will end up better than where they’re ranked ... and I have a sneaking suspicion ichigan will end up worse

I will persevere and prevail! I reserve to root the Buckeyes yet again.

And I will root against any Harbaugh-led group.

Status quo in other words.

The Gators play out of conference 4 times. UT Martin and Towson are the push-overs as well as two tough games against Miami(Fl) and FSU.

We have been going against FSU for many years to finish the season. This Miami series is over after this year, but picks back up again in 24-25.

Down the road we play home and home against Colorado in 28-29 and Texas in 30-31.