I was hoping someone else would start this, but kickoff is tomorrow at noon. Let's discuss the Buckeyes here and all the other also-rans on the College Football thread. LOL

One e is sufficient

I’m looking forward to this year; it’ll be interesting to see what the squad looks like in a more modern offense IMO.

FIRST THOUGHTS ON OHIO STATE'S OPENING WEEK DEPTH CHART

By Colin Hass-Hill on August 30, 2019

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-stat...eek-depth-chart

Just a little more than 24 hours before Ohio State kicks off its season at noon against Florida Atlantic, the Buckeyes released their Week 1 depth chart and a status report highlighting a number of injuries.

Jonathon Cooper, Taron Vincent, Rashod Berry and C.J. Saunders have already been ruled out for the season opener, and Demario McCall, Tyler Friday and Tyreke Smith are game-time decisions.

Now that we know who is sidelined for the first game and how the depth chart stacks up without them, we can break down what that might mean not only for the first game of the year, but for the rest of the season to come.







OFFENSIVE DEPTH CHART THOUGHTS

The faux starting quarterback mystery ended on Aug. 19 when Ryan Day announced Justin Fields as the starter. As the Buckeyes head into their first game, though, they still don’t have a clear backup at the position. Gunnar Hoak and Chris Chugunov are listed as co-backup quarterbacks. They’ll likely get chances to separate themselves early in the season late in games.

Demario McCall's roller-coaster of an Ohio State career continues. He’s a game-time decision for Saturday’s game. If he plays, he’ll likely serve as the backup running back behind J.K. Dobbins. But if he misses the opener? Master Teague has a chance to make up for the time he missed with an injury during preseason camp, and Marcus Crowley has a shot to show he deserves carries as a freshman. As much uncertainty as ever exists with McCall, and that has bled into the backup running back competition which now continues into the 2019 season.
Austin Mack and Chris Olave are both listed as co-starters at Z receiver, signaling a rotation at the position. Ohio State did not include Mack on Friday’s status report, meaning he has returned from an injury that held him out of multiple practices in preseason camp.

At the X receiver position, there could be a three-player rotation early in the season until somebody separates themselves from the rest of the pack. Ohio State named Binjimen Victor the sole starter, with Garrett Wilson and Jaylen Harris as co-backups. Given Wilson’s pedigree and skill set, it could be hard for Brian Hartline to keep him off the field as the season progresses, but he’ll have to show his skills early in the season in order to get to that point.
With C.J. Saunders missing the season opener with an undisclosed injury, opportunity awaits for Jaelen Gill. He’s the only backup to K.J. Hill at H-back on the Week 1 depth chart due to Saunders’ injury. Day has said he hopes to have a true rotation at H-back rather than relying on Hill to play the majority of snaps. Can Gill make a statement that he deserves the backup spot even when Saunders returns? We’ll be watching to see how he plays against Florida Atlantic.

Rashod Berry’s absence at tight end with an undisclosed injury opens up a path for Jeremy Ruckert to get more snaps as a second-year backup. Given the depth at the position, Ruckert might not get the opportunities necessary for a breakout season, but he now has an increased chance to prove in Week 1 that he deserves more targets as the season progresses. He might be the best pass-catcher at the position, and he only had one reception in 2018 as a freshman.

No surprises across the offensive line. It’s notable, though, that the Buckeyes listed Branden Bowen as the only starter at right tackle without Nicholas Petit-Frere as a co-starter. Day has mentioned Petit-Frere will play on Saturday, along with a couple other offensive linemen, but it appears that Bowen won the starting job outright.

Watch out for Harry Miller on the interior. With Jonah Jackson, Josh Myers and Wyatt Davis locking down left guard, center and right guard, respectively, he’ll have relatively limited opportunities. But Miller garnered consistent praise throughout preseason camp and is now positioned as the backup center as a true freshman.

K.J. Hill is the top punt returner, and McCall is No. 2. McCall and Olave are the co-starters at kick returner. Day, though, has mentioned he expects Wilson to serve as a returner on Saturday at times.




DEFENSIVE DEPTH CHART THOUGHTS

Ohio State has touted its defensive end depth in recent years, and it will get tested on Saturday. Jonathon Cooper is out, and Tyler Friday and Tyreke Smith are game-time decisions. On the first depth chart of the season, Jashon Cornell bounced back to defensive end after spending the offseason transitioning from the edge to defensive tackle. He prefers to play 3-technique and believes he’s more effective in that role, so this move is likely temporary. Not an optimal situation.

Even with Cornell at defensive end, the Buckeyes will likely turn often to Zach Harrison and Javontae Jean-Baptiste on Saturday. Neither have played an in-game snap yet at the college level, and that will soon change.

How much depth does Ohio State have at defensive tackle? Its starting 3-technique, Cornell, moves to defensive end. Its starting nose tackle, Davon Hamilton, moves to the starter at 3-technique. Its backup 3-technique, Taron Vincent, misses the season opener with an injury. Yet there doesn’t seem to be a major issue at either defensive tackle spot. With Robert Landers and Tommy Togiai at nose tackle and Hamilton and Garrett likely to play the majority of meaningful snaps at 3-technique in Week 1, both positions appear to be solidified.

Ohio State clearly thinks highly of Togiai. The sophomore is listed as a co-starter with Landers, a fifth-year senior. If Hamilton eventually moves back to nose tackle, as expected, Togiai would be an overqualified third-stringer in line to start in 2020.

All three of last year’s starting linebackers are once again the starters to open the season. At middle linebacker, Ohio State has Tuf Borland and Baron Browning as co-starters.
Borland will likely start, but expect Browning to play more snaps this season than any other backup linebacker on the team. He had a strong fall camp.

Dallas Gant is listed as the third-string middle linebacker, and Teradja Mitchell is the backup weakside linebacker. That highlights just how interchangeable Ohio State views middle linebacker and weakside linebacker, which are referred to as the two inside linebacker positions. Malik Harrison, Browning, Borland, Mitchell and Gant can all play both inside linebacker positions.

Sevyn Banks and Cameron Brown, listed as the backups to Damon Arnette and Jeff Okudah, are the top two backups at outside cornerback. The team did not list Tyreke Johnson on the depth chart, likely because he missed time in preseason camp with an injury. However, Johnson was not listed on Friday’s status report, signaling he has returned to full health.

The team listed its two bullets – Brendon White and Jahsen Wint – as strong safeties. A few months ago, Jeff Hafley said that position should be viewed as a strong safety. However, in both spring and preseason camps, they practiced with the linebackers. It's not too important, but just a bit interesting how Ohio State lists White and Wint.

Jordan Fuller, as expected, will start at free safety. Behind him, Isaiah Pryor and Josh Proctor are co-backups. Proctor led the team in interceptions throughout fall camp, but he remains in a competition with Pryor.

Ohio State listed 12 positions on its defensive depth chart. That, well, isn't exactly possible. However, it highlights the multiple personnel packages Hafley and Greg Mattison plan to use this season.

FAU is no slouch. Lane Kiffin gets legit talent there.

I look forward to every OSU season. But I feel just the opposite. Urban was one of the most successful coaches in college football. I'm just hoping that Ryan Day can hold a candle to Urban or we're all in for a huge disappointment.

I felt like Urban really excelled in two areas: recruiting and dealing with adverse situations (deficits on the road, team up against it, media scrutiny, etc) ... his teams were always clutch it seemed

Thanks for posting that. Man this team is stacked with talent on both sides of the ball.

Can't wait to watch tomorrow! It's awesome to see so much college ball on these last two days.

I really wish the NFL would get rid of dumb thursday night football, and let college kinda have that night back. Would love to see 2 really good games on thursday nights.

Excited to see how we look tomorrow

Go Irish!

Just kidding, I don't care.

OK

Well, at least it's real football.

But the problem is if the Buckeyes don't win by at least two touchdowns, it's like a loss. (Buckeyes are 4 touchdown favorites)

If it's a close game or, if god forbid, the Owls somehow win, Buckeye national play-off aspirations are over in August.

I wanna see Buckeyes v. Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame.

At least there's Michigan State, Wisconsin, Penn State & Michigan coming up.

GO BUCKEYES

Fields is faster than JT for sure

that was quick

Nice debut for Fields.

Three quick scores.

I should have taken Ohio State -28.

I didn't think it'd be possible to feel bad for Lane Kiffin, but here we are. lol

defense is extremely fast

I know it's early 28-0 with 6:35 to go in the first.

They are on pace to score 160... 140?

YIKES

I know it's FAU, and not some ranked team, but Ohio State looks so freaking fast on both sides of the ball, damn

fields took a massive shot there

End of the 1st Quarter: Ohio State 28, FAU 0.

Spread for this game was Ohio State -27.5.

Total yards:

OSU 222
FA -43

“Come on, tighten it up, D!” — Guy in front of me after Florida Atlantic completes a 5-yard pass.

The completed pass upped FAU’s offensive output on the day to -24 yards

https://twitter.com/JeffSvoboda/status/1167851066895011841

Florida Atlantic wins second quarter 3-0.

What a disgrace.

Fire Day.

All jokes aside, 2 fumbles lost is not a good thing.

Nice pass pro from Teague on the 3rd quarter TD.

Glad I didn't place that bet!

FAU was quite awful lol ... take the victory and get ready for next

Comments on the game:

--I think Fields first run at Ohio State went for a 51 yard TD. I think his first pass went for a long TD. LOL......crazy.

--We looked invincible in the first quarter.

--The OL struggled at times after that first quarter.

--I like that we are playing more zone on defense. I think we should mix in some man. I like Cover 3 and I saw us in Cover 2 at times, too.

--The D looked fast and we tackled fairly well. Not sure what to think about the pass defense in the second half. We're those guys backups?

--Day can use this game as a good win, but also to challenge his team because there are so many things that did not go well or need cleaned up.

Yes after we went up 35-6 Day started playing a lot of our 2nd and 3rd teamers on D ...

Who does OSU play next weekend? Is it Indiana?

Cincinnati Bearcats I believe

Cincinnati

OPPONENT DATE TIME (ET) LOCATION TV
Florida Atlantic Saturday, August 31 12 p.m Columbus, OH FOX
Cincinnati Saturday, September 7 12 p.m Columbus, OH ABC
at Indiana Saturday, September 14 12 p.m Bloomington, IN FOX
Miami (Ohio) Saturday, September 21 TBD Columbus, OH TBD
at Nebraska Saturday, September 28 TBD Lincoln, NE TBD
Michigan State Saturday, October 5 7:30 p.m Columbus, OH ABC/ESPN
at Northwestern Friday, October 18 8:30 p.m. Evanston, IL FS1
Wisconsin Saturday, October 26 TBD Columbus, OH TBD
Maryland Saturday, November 9 TBD Columbus, OH TBD
at Rutgers Saturday, November 16 TBD Piscataway, NJ TBD
Penn State Saturday, November 23 TBD Columbus, OH TBD
at Michigan Saturday, November 30 12 p.m. Ann Arbor, MI FOX

https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/artic...times-opponents

Oh okay thanks

Thanks ... CIncy is not a pushover

I had the game on the radio in my garage while working in the yard, with a few breaks for uh, beverages, and I thought once again that OSU's radio broadcast team (Paul Keels, Jim Lachey) is frigging brutal. And the postgame wrap up show is even worse. I would love to hear Tom Hamilton doing OSU football. As far as the game goes, I wish it had been 95-21, but oh well.

I like Keels a lot, but I can't stand Lachey. The over the top homer color guy is always awful. I mean I love Austin Carr, but he's not as obnoxious as Lachey or some of these other football color guys, even though he's still definitely a homer.

Wow, Penn State is late in the year I didn't even realize that

Having PSU followed by Michigan is a pretty brutal end

j/c

To say this game made me nervous would be an understatement.

After the first quarter, it seemed we went flat and FAU made some adjustments. They figured out the holes in the zone and exploited them.

The OL gave up too many hits on Fields and he tended to hold on to the ball too long at times.

It's early and it may just take a little time to get in a groove. But they better find it pretty quick.

jc

so....i know we're only 1 quarter into game 2, but i have to say that im not all that impressed with Fields as our QB.

I really hope Cincinnati's safety is ok.It looked like he went in seizure like convulsions

Apparently, he has a history of seizures.

On a happier note, Army's up on ichigan 14-7 in the 2nd.

Overall solid first half.... defense looked very good

As a Bearcats alum, I expected to lose but not like this..... at least so far. I did not envision 28-0 at the half.

Buckeyes look legit and polished. Chase Young is a boss.

It will be a big time hit on the UC program, and Luke Fickell, to get blanked on this game.

Ohio State looked like a top 3 team today, but also, I think the air got taken out of Cincinnati after that kid went down. They weren't going to win, but any chance at being competitive ended right there. That was terrifying

j/c:

--Fields looked really, really good today. Good decisions, good accuracy, arm strength, good running. He holds it too long, but he's young. I was impressed.

--I think Day is a very good offensive coach. We'll probably be able to recruit good QBs moving forward.

--I felt sorry for Fickel. He's a good guy.

--Our OL was awesome today. We opened up big holes and pass pro was much better.

--We have a slew of receivers.

--The D is pretty fast, other than Borland, and they are tackling well.

--Young is a candidate to go number 1 overall in the draft.

--A lot of people were saying UC had a chance today because their defense is so good. But man, we carved them up.

--This was a nice victory for us. We have a chance to contend for the title.

--This may sound weird, but Maryland is starting to worry me. Man, those cats can score.

A good day for the Bucks ... Fields looks legit (I think Urban is a bit jealous that Day has Fields haha) ... and I’m hoping the dude from CIncy will be okay

Our kicking game needs to step it up. Miss FG and XP

So it’s 23-3 good guys

51-10 good guys, with the whole 4th yet to play.

As of now, we look like the best team in the Big 10. Michigan seems off and PSU may not have the QB play

This team is looking very good. Some of the things I like:

--Our OL looks much better than last year.

--Our tackling is far superior than last year's.

--Our secondary is improved.

--Our special teams' coverage is better.

--Our running game looks better.

--The lack of outside distractions is probably helping our team.

So, I feel pretty good about this year's team. Of course, the negative is that the Big 10 has that contract w/Fox and we will probably face the same bias from ESPN, who has so much control over college football and the playoff teams.

Go Bucks!

Agreed.

The team seems to be thriving. Playing with something to prove.

I have especially enjoyed the contributions of co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. The Cover 3, Cover 4, Cover 6, pattern-matching concepts, etc. It adds a new, different dimension to the Buckeyes defense. They're playing with clear eyes and fast feet right now.

That said, we're still talking about 18-to-22-year-olds, so hopefully they aren't reading their press clippings.

Good points about the two DC's and the implementation of more zone coverages.

Miami (Ohio) coach Chuck Martin on facing Ohio State: "It's kind of like going to recess and they have the first 85 picks.

https://twitter.com/joeyrkaufman/status/1173612697038069763

Lol thats a good quote

Chuck knows it's all about collecting that $1.3M for playing Oho State.

Ohio State is paying Florida Atlantic a cool $1.4 Million to come into the ‘Shoe and fill a hole that was on the schedule. Cincinnati gets a payday of only $375,000, but then Miami (Oh) will receive a check for $1.3 Million. Do the math and that’s $3,075,000.00 Ohio State has to budget just to bring schools in to fill out the non-conference slate for 2019.

What’s the most amount of money a school has paid an opponent? That seems fairly high lol

when you draw 105,000+ you can afford it

You guys are playing some real heavyweights.

Obviously Miami is trash, but I thought Cincy would honestly give OSU a bit better game

Personally, I am so tired of Alabama's creme-puff schedule.

I think their fans are too ... the SEC is good of course, but their attendance is crap against the easy teams they destroy

Those creme-puff games only serve as exhibition games and when the good teams on the schedule come, the team is far from ready.

It's the college version of preseason.

You won't hear any arguments from me about OSU's OOC schedule this year, it's not very good, and you could have predicted that years ago.

I do give OSU credit for at least trying to schedule a good game every year outside of their conference. I just don't understand why these have to be scheduled so far in advance. I get not being able to schedule a game right now, for the 2020 season, but does it have to be 10 years from now? It doesn't make a lot of sense.

There has been a lack of good matchups early on so far, at least we get Notre Dame/UGA tomorrow, which I guess is good

Looking ahead in the future, OSU will be going to Oregon and Notre Dame (and both will travel to Columbus)

I have never liked how college teams schedule games so far in advance. What looks like a good match-up 5-10 years down the road might end up being a very disappointing two-game series.

I think colleges shouldn’t be in control of their own schedule.

Interesting. Maybe use a computer model based on the previous years power rankings to spit out 3-4 non conference games for each school. One top tier, one mid tier and one low tier opponent to keep things level?

Tuneup for Nebraska ... GO BUCKEYES

Call me back when Ohio State plays a real team! And that is coming from an OSU fan and someone who graduated from the school.

Seriously. It would be nice if any of the top 5 teams played a real team.

I got home and the Buckeyes were trailing 0-5.

It's now 21-5. Go Bucks!

Slow Start took them lightly IMO but they have now awoken

28-5 ... Fields looking good

42-5 ..... 1:13 in the 2nd ...... 4th and 3 converted.

1st down Buckeyes!

TD Buckeyes!

48-5, with the extra point to come.

49-5 Buckeyes.

Well, we turned it on quickly

Garrett Wilson is a stud

63-5 now ... should be a win

76 - 5 ?

If division 1 CFB is going to continue to schedule these types of games, there needs to be a mercy rule. This is ridiculous.

Final score, 76-5, Ohio State beats Miami of Ohio. Game called with 2:40 to go in the 4th quarter because of lightning, "by mutual agreement of both head coaches".

Somewhere, Somebody may be sweating bullits because they had Ohio State -65 and figured it was fixed.
Ohio States streak of 202 extra points made comes to an end on the miss of a final PAT kick, by some benchwarmer.

Nobody would be able to agree on the Mercy Rule anyway.

If they want to change any rules, go back to one possession sudden death overtimes, it was much more exciting back then.
AND, it made the end of regulation mean more.

NCAA football needs another, higher grade of Div 1. The Power 5 conferences and a few other teams should only play each other. Or else - here's an idea - how about the Big Ten teams just play each other, now that there's what (?) - 12, 14 teams in the Big 10?

Games that end 76-5 aren't good for anyone, and I don't care how much $$ Miami-Ohio got for playing at the Horseshoe today.

I'd rather our fans complain about how much better we are than the opposition than how we lost. LOL

Go Bucks! I loved it!

Good win Bucks ... now to the BIG10

Ready to get into the big ten game to see what type of team we really have...

Well, we did murder Indiana last week and I think they are 3 and 1.

One thing that really worries me is that Fields seems to really process some things extremely slowly, and instead of taking off to run, or throw the ball away, took at least a couple of sacks after what seemed like 10 seconds in the pocket.

You're right, but the cat is very, very young and inexperienced. He's actually playing better than I expected given his youth and inexperience.

We're loaded, YTown.

We are loaded. We have some individuals exposed on defense in secondary yesterday. I move the Buckeyes up.

On a side note, and just because I can, I am happy I woke up this morning, first of all. Second, my name wasn't;t Paterson. Most of all is third: My name was not Harbaugh, who took a real coach's flogging after an extra week to prepare. Somebody's khakis are stained after that outing.

J/c

I didn’t check, but I assume we’re still ranked 6th?

We're 5th. We passed Oklahoma.

Whatever they are paying Larry Johnson it is not enough.

thanks .... wasn’t sure if we’d pass them or not

Yeah.... I'm still cautiously optimistic... I think we're pretty good but we haven't played much yet....

Points of interest with today’s espn college gameday

1 I didn’t realize Gabriele Union was from, and a big huskers fan, she so fine
2 lol at all the Jesus saves signs
3 I’ve heard Nebraska fans are friendly, just not welcome tosu fans/players at the airport friendly

Love the Bucks!

I do hate late games. Hope we show some solid improvement.

Kinda hard to improve on what we've done so far, bro. LOL

I’m excited for the game tonight

PICKED OFF BABY

Picked off again!

What a crazy play!

What a pick!

A few things I love in football, usualy because they are rare to see.

I love the run to the upback, the shallow back, the fullback out of the I formation.

I love delayed release completions to a tight end.

I love the intentional grounding penalty.

I love when a player fumbles out of the side or back of the end zone while breaking away giving the defense the ball on the 20

The first one the Chuskers ran a few moments ago.

If they beat the Huskers at the same margin they beat Miami of Ohio, they'd get more respect for it.

I know, "captain obvious"

When on the 4 RUN the ball

Picked off again!

So this has been fun

I'm reminded of a scene from a movie called
" the quick and the dead"

Where the younger "son" of Gene Hackmans character wins a gunfight and says

" is it possible to improve on perfection"

later in the movie, Hackmans character is forced to shoot him in the gunfight and says,
" never any proof he was my son" LOL,

Never miss an opportunity to go up "five" scores.

38-0 at half

I just hope we don't take our foot off the accelerator and let this look like a game. I think we could go to #2 or 3 with a dominant performance.

Not being a homer just a fan and this Ohio State team is as good as I have ever seen they are scary good

I agree ... we look very crisp and explosive

All three phases Offense Defense and ST's

378 Yards to 76 for Nebraska

41-0

Never miss an opportunity to go up "six" scores.

Bucks go up 48-0
Nebraska gets a breakaway by the Qb, and 2 plays later scores, but doesn't go for 2

The ensuing kickoff is almost fumbled, for Nebraskas ball, (but it was recoverd by Ohio State AND negated by an offsides on the kickoff for a re-kick,

But!

Why didn't Nebraska go for 2, they were trailing 48-6,
4 minutes to go in the 3rd,

It's one thing if there were only 8 minutes or less to go in the 4th but with 15, and 4 game minutes to go, anything could happen,

Nebraska shoulda went for 2.

Either way, at this point,
48-7, less than 14 minutes to play in the 4th, the running out the clock has begun.

Less than 9 minutes to play.

Nebraska is stopped at 4th and goal, this probably signals the end of scoring on the day.
48-7, 6 minutes and change to play, probably will be the final score.

Ohio State's offense has gone three-and-out three times...all season.

Dominant performance ... on to MSU

j/c:

Okay, we are very good, Some observations and thoughts.

--Fields is slow reading coverages, but he is a great athlete and you can see him growing game-by-game. Heck, you can even see him growing during games. He has a huge upside. Seems like a good dude, too.

--The OL is world's better than last year. They are giving Fields a lot of time and are opening huge holes for the backs.

--Our WRs are good. Fast, quick, good hands, and good blockers.

--Nice one/two combo at RB w/Dobbins and Teague.

--Young might end up going first overall in the draft. Dominant.

--Our secondary is vastly better than last year.

--I like our scheme better. Our guys are able to fly around. We're not getting gashed like before and we are tackling better.

--I do have one concern. Day is a great offensive mind. His schemes are superior and he exploits weaknesses in the D. I worry that he is so good that the NFL will make him a top priority.

--After all of that.........I just have to say that this team is so much fun to watch.

I think the biggest upgrade is our OL ... just loads of time and we’re creating space for the run game

Also, the DBs have been plastered to their WRs for 5 straight games

j/c:

I've only been watching Ohio State Football on and off for the last couple of years. I'm happy that they are so good, but for me? The games are so lopsided scoring-wise it's obviously not very competitive. I find them hard to watch because of this.

...But better this way then the other way around.

So we play in prime time again this week ... 7:30 at the shoe

Yep!

Bucks moved up to 4th. We passed LSU.

Also, Alabama moved past Clemson.

1. 'Bama
2. Clemson
3. Georgia
4. The Ohio State
5. LSU

I figured Bama would jump them ... I thought we might sneak to 3rd.

First Poll is due out in a few weeks, so I think we’re a lock at top 4 at THIS point

Let’s go Bucks! Big one tonight

I like the black uni’s.

Same here Tulsa, at least for once a year

Wasn't sure they were gonna start the game or not.

Our ball to start

Their D is legit wow

Nice recovery by OSU.

Offense looks awful...

There you go Bucks... got some rhythm on that drive... great play all and execution on that touchdown

Good end to the half ... got it rolling a bit

j/c...

Buckeyes could have won by more had Ryan Day pressed for more. Let of the gas, especially in the 3rd.

Good win.

Solid win... shakeynearly but strong second quarter and never looked back

It really feels like we can beat anybody this year, love what Day is doing.

Solid showing today, I know MSU was only #25 but they always bring their A+++ game when they see us on the field.

That’s an amazing performance by the OSU band .. very cool

Some thoughts:

--Sparty gave us some trouble. I was surprised by how they got open and how the qb got to the perimeter. Their DL did a pretty good job at first.

--Ohio State is getting a lot of love from the ESPN folks about being the best team in the nation.

--There are a few words that pop into my mind when watching Ohio State play:

*Explosive---We can break a huge play at any time.

*Fast---Related to the first word, but we can run w/anyone, although some of our LBers are a bit slow.

*Well-coached. I'm very impressed w/our attention to detail and our schemes.

--One thing that bothered me was the taunting/verbal sparring. I really disliked what #29 did on the punt return and then he barked back at Day on the sidelines. I'd bench that dude for awhile. We are not Oklahoma or one of those other trash-talking programs. We are Ohio State and we don't need to be talking/taunting.

It's a fine line between cocky and confident. I agree we had some guys cross well over the line yesterday past cocky.

We are THE school that uses "THE," though, so "THE brand" spends a lot of time on that line.

The confidence could definitely be focused more constructively.

-

Our DL depth depth is pretty ridiculous. Larry Johnson is the dude. Seems like he's close to the LBs, too. Did anyone else notice him and Browning on the sideline after the latter's sack?

I noticed that and I meant to mention Larry Johnson in my previous post. Glad you brought him up. Guy is a great coach.

This was a fun watch! Love script ohio and Sloopy, but this was really creative.

Thanks for posting it up.

Next up: BYE week

Man that was a dominant beat down last night. I get that it was a sloppy start for both teams, but as mentioned on the broadcast, Ryan Day had things figured out in one quarter. He's really been impressive.

Ohio State's defense is just so good. When you get behind on the scoreboard, and the pass rushers KNOW you have to throw? yikes. They are teeing off. The DB's are smothering everything behind them, it's a championship level defense for sure.

Offensively, as good as Fields has been, you can tell he is still figuring out things at times, but JK Dobbins has been covering for the whole offense. He's so much fun to watch. Enjoy this team, because there are some clear cut NFL guys that will be gone next year.

I still think we have to watch out for those trap games, where a lesser team has a good plan with quick-strike offense to nullify osu's pass rush.

I think that game could be the next one on the schedule. It's a Friday night game in Evanston. OSU will be well-represented there, but Northwestern could possibly put something together to be competitive.

I don't really care about the rankings, and where OSU is at, I think we all know what needs to happen for them to get in. If you ask me, LSU is the top team in the country, and otherwise I think you could put OSU, Alabama, Clemson, etc at 2. It's a blurry picture at best, with the biggest games yet to come.

Yeah, next game is Friday at NW ... and NW is not nearly as good as they’ve been IMO. Not saying they can’t make it close, but from what I’ve seen of OSU .. the Bucks have ten times the talent

Why are they playing on Friday night why????

I think its a new initiative by the Big 10 and Fox to get some of the “lesser” teams exposure by pairing them up against the powers in a prime spot

Buckeyes are now tied w/Georgia for 3rd in the latest AP poll.

Yeah, it's dumb. I think Fridays, other than the first weekend, should be reserved for lesser conferences to get a bit more of the spotlight. If I'm home, I'm totally good with seeing a nice Mountain West game.

I don't want to see a Power 5 team beat the life out of one of their floundering botttom feeders. That's just dumb.

Whatever though, this is obviously Northwestern's Super Bowl/National Championship/etc game, so it's going to be huge for them.

I agree actually. I’m a big fan of Tuesday/Wednesday night games with MAC teams or MWC teams or whatever ... gives us football and we get to see lesser teams have their day in the sun.

Occasionally I like the big Thursday night game as well ... like ACC or PAC12 used to do

I love when MACtion takes over the early week days when there is normally not football. You basically get football every night and its a wonderful thing.

I actually miss the decent game we used to get on Thursday nights. The NFL pretty much ruined that one. i know we've had a few good thursday games this year, but I still think it's ridiculous to ask these guys to put on pads just a few days after taking them off. It's just not right. If you're going to do this, then at least work it so teams are playing these off a bye, essentially giving them a nice extended rest afterward too.

I miss the old Big East days when we'd get Miami and Virginia Tech or some other cool matchup on Thursdays

No offense to anyone, but I will enjoy watching the Buckeyes on a Friday night.

Exactly .. having teams like Bowling Green, Buffalo, Akron, Toledo, etc on Tues/Wed ... then having a game like Miami vs Va Tech on Thursday really set the slate for the weekend of football

As I will. Saturdays too busy usually.

It's ok, nobody is offended

I will watch them with my wife. Getting to be past my bedtime LOLetc. Usually have to fish up the final the following morning. For us it is right up there with New Year's eve. But we are waiting for next week.

Go, Bucks!

So far it’s been a good bye week

Man, Wisconsin is looking to be a real threat for us. Their D is dominant and they are better on offense than they have been in years.

and every wisconsin fan that I know still doesn't believe in them lol



I do agree that they look as good as they have in a long time, they are slightly more dynamic in the passing game, defensively, I dunno, we'll see, I think Fields might be too much for them

Really? Do you know why?

Wisconsin is definitely the big threat ... they don’t have a great QB, but nearly no other big weakness

I agree, but let's just worry about Northwestern first. I know it's a gimmie on paper and we should mop the floor with them. But the last couple years it's some of these gimmie games that have got us.

J/c

Is Wisconsin the game after NW? Hoping we dont look ahead of course

Yes

so 3 of our last 5 games are Wisconsin, PSU and MIchigan ... time to play our best

So LSU jumps OSU in both polls lol talk about SEC Bias my Lord we drop from 3rd to 4th in both polls on our bye week

That’s pretty dumb honestly

Not really. LSU had to move up. They beat a top 10 team and OSU didn't play. It's hard to move up a team that didn't play.

Don't worry, one of LSU and Alabama will lose when they play. It all sorts out in the end. The key is being there at the end to be one of the playoff teams. Don't worry about rankings at this point as long as you are up high enough to be one of the final 4.

I think most realize that both Bama and LSU are stacked. If any bias is there it is to make sure that whoever loses the Bama LSU game, they don't drop so far as to not have a shot at being one of the final 4 teams.

Odd decision. Irealize the winner needed rewarded and the loser dropped, apparently quite a bit. But is there much upside for OSU? Wisconsin. Slanted for SEC apparently. I don't think we should get nudged out if we win out.

Lets reverse this say OSU beats a top 10 Wisconsin and LSU/Bama are idol do really think OSU moves ahead of either ... Nope ain't going to happen why E$ECPN Bias ...

Not so sure. If they beat Wisconsin, I could see them jumping Clemson in the AP if Clemson was idle.. or had an ACC game, which is similar to being idle.

And in the coaches poll, OSU trails LSU by 1 point.. yes, if OSU beat a top 10 Wisconsin and LSU was idle, I feel pretty comfortable they would pick up more than 1 point.

I don't think you get nudged if you win out.

The Big 10 is much better of late. It has hurt OSU in the past with no real contenders other then them and maybe 1 other. For a long time the SEC has had many really good teams who end up picking each other off. That is where strength of schedule comes in to play and where a 1 loss team isn't out of the running.

At any rate, the middle of October isn't the time to worry all that much about rankings. You start worrying about that in November.

As a Gator fan I am not all that concerned about losing to LSU unless LSU starts losing to South Carolina like Georgia just did. If we take care of business and win the east, we are right back in the playoff picture.

I think most Wisconsin fans realize what they are. They are best case scenario that next best Big Ten team that either plays in the Rose Bowl or the Outback Bowl depending on how things play out. I don't think that's set in stone, but it's just after years of being that very team.

Although they landed Russell Wilson via transfer, so if they could ever pull off something like that again with the way Paul Chryst is building this team, they could be a legitimate playoff possibility.

I know NW is Friday, but we're fans, and we're allowed to look ahead, and man I can't wait for that game, it's going to be fun. We're finally starting to see good teams play good teams now after a really sad lackluster first month of college games

j/c.

So, I'm seeing that the OSU at Northwestern game friday night has been switched from FS1 to the Big Ten network due to some baseball game being postponed.

Sucks, funny enough, I am actually going to be in Madison that night for a concert. I'm probably going to miss the game, but will watch Sunday since no Browns

Wow! The Yanks/Astros [I think that is the two teams] got postponed yesterday. Thank God I have Big10 Network. I would be highly agitated if I missed that game.

Go Bucks!!!

Yeah, it’s ironic that FS1 and the Big10 wanted this Friday night game so badly, and now it doesn’t end up with a bigger audience haha. Good thing I have BTN as well

That's hoilarious... ticked it's on a Friday night... opposite the stros

luckily the Astro’s game isn’t as important now ... Bucks will also most likely be a blowout

Should be ok weather-wise in Evanston tonight, I feel like this is either going to be a blowout, or it's one of those games where NW puts together the right game, combined with Fields struggling, combined with maybe everyone being knocked off their zone with it being Friday instead of Saturday.

28 is a huge number though, Vegas thinks this thing is over by halftime, and you're really betting on what Ohio State does with a big lead late.

I just don't see a ho-hum 14-17 point win tonight. This thing is either over at half, or it's going down to the wire.

GO BUCKEYES !!!

I’ll spoil it for you ... it’ll be a blowout

I look for NW to play hard but they are over matched at nearly every position, they play decent defense but they won't be able to keep up with the Buckeyes speed ... 42-10 Buckeyes

Sparty put in on NW last week. I believe the spread is 24. The only way we don’t cover, outside of crazy things happening, is the tall grass.

I’m gonna go out on a limb and say we cover.

Good stuff on the B10 Network pregame show. Urban's on there, I could listen to him all day.

Looking forward to this one tonight!

7-0 bucks

31-3 Buckeyes Halftime

I hate these close games ......

73 yard run for Teague.

52-3 OSU

Does anyone doubt Justin Fields? I don't.

I think that he is probably one of the best 3-4 college QBs ...... and he also has a lot of room to grow.

I agree w/this ... Fields is perhaps the most intriguing of all of them ... he may end up being the #1 pick

That was fun!

--Northwestern's offense stinks, but man, our D is so fast. We are also so much more fundamentally sound than the last couple of years. Our angles are better which leads to better tackling. We keep guys in front of us for the most part. We swarm to the ball. And that DL? Holy moly, it's about 12 deep!

--Fields is incredible. He's just a sophomore, right? He has really strong legs. Guys who weight 275+ were bouncing off of his legs. His accuracy improves each week. His reads are improving. He holds it too long and he isn't ready for the pros, but he is improving. His running is a real threat and I think that has helped Dobbs have a better year.

--Our OL is much better than last year's. They gave up way too much pressure last year and committed too many penalties. That Prince guy drove me nuts.

--I am concerned a bit about Day. I mentioned this a few weeks ago. He's so good that I worry the NFL will try and lure him away from Columbus. This guy is super sharp.

--I love watching college football and I think the Buckeyes are playing better than any team in the country right now. Next week's game is going to a huge challenge. Should be exciting.

im just talking strictly physical traits, as:

1. i admit i was wrong about Fields, and

2. i think he will be a MUCH better QB and passer.

but physically, when you bring up his legs, he reminds me of Dak Prescott. Fields is 6'3, 223, and Dak is 6'2, 235. they both have crazy lower body strength, as when Dak takes off, people do bounce off of him as well.

I look at our improved OL play as a major reason we’re better this year ... we just own the defensive fronts

I think that is a good comparison in regards to leg strength.

I think the bowl rankings come out on Nov 5th. Provided we keep winning, we very well might be rated number 1. I saw that Ohio State was ranked first in the FPI and that is pretty significant.

I think that our OL and DL are among the best in the college ranks, and they are deep, deep, and deep.

i agree

Watching Wisconsin and Illinois the Badger secondary will Never keep up with the OSU offense Illinois burn't them twice one being called back ...

Wisky's D is built on bad opponents ... JMHO

Illinois although they probably won't win exposing some of Wisky's short comings

I root for underdogs a lot, but Wisconsin losing to Illinois hurts us.

Agreed.

I hope the Buck's see that game for what it is: You'd better play your best, every game, because ANY team can win.

J/c

Pretty surprised with the Illinois game ... plus, you know Wisconsin will come out desperate ... big one next week

Loss by the Badgers today isn't good for OSU. Takes away a quality win chance. Now they only have a chance to be "another" team like Illinois.

If OSU runs the table on the rest of the season they won't need to worry about any "quality win" BS. If they lose to Wisconsin, PSU, or UM, they won't belong in the final 4. Simple.

No it doesn't.

If Ohio State wins the rest of their games, they're in. If they slip up once, they probably won't get in at this point, regardless of what Wisconsin did today, or what they will do the rest of the season.

Which is kind of hilarious, because I don't think anyone is making that same claim for Georgia.

Also, Ohio State having that Cincinnati win in their back pocket is just bonus at this point, if you believe in having to have an argument for a one-loss Ohio State to get in, should Cincinnati continue to win.

I think right now Ohio State is past the point of any trap game. They have home games against Wisconsin, Maryland, and Penn State, and 2 road games left against Rutgers and Michigan. Obviously there are still some challenging games left, but I don't see Iowa or Purdue happening this year. If OSU loses, it will be to a ranked opponent, and a loss that late you know will be a huge obstacle to overcome when they pick the final four.

Next week:

Wisconsin at Ohio State (12:00 FOX)

Wisconsin is going to get their doors blown off. That was a shattering loss for them yesterday. I can't see them rebounding in Columbus

that was one of the more surprising outcomes i can remember

the OSU has moved to #3 in the AP poll.

We need to become Minnesota fans for a while. They are 7-0. Hope they go undefeated and win the other division leading into the Big Ten Championship Game

and rightfully so

OSU doesn't have to worry about "quality wins" unless they are trying to get in with 1 loss.. the game they can't afford to lose is PSU... because that likely keeps them out of the BIG10 Championship game.. it's like a double whammy, they get a loss AND they lose a chance at another quality win.

there is a lot of football left to be played and big games still on the schedule.. Clemson shouldn't lose again, their schedule is pretty weak. Wake Forest isn't horrible and South Carolina looks ok.. but Clemson should beat both of them.

Bama and LSU play each other in a couple weeks, one of them has to lose.. though both might end up in the final 4 anyway.

Florida still has to play Georgia..

Oklahoma has a couple ranked teams left to play but should probably win out...

Notre Dame has to play Michigan...

All things considered, the way things SHOULD work out, the committee might likely have to decide whether to take 2 teams (1 with a loss) from the SEC (Bama and LSU) or from the BIG10 (OSU and PSU)...

There are a lot of games still to be played - but if your scenario did play out, based on past selections and choices I am virtually certain that the SEC teams would get the nod. There is so much bias for the SEC it's not funny.

Yeah, I think SEC would get two as well. Lots of football left though, as you noted

Good day in Columbus to just pound the ball. Glad I'm not there...

Wisconsin keeping it tight and conservative

Freddie K calling plays. Running game was working so you go to the pass...

j/c:

Chase Young is a monster. Looking like the #1 pick.

BOOM!

Nice way to end the half ... 10-0 Bucks at the break

Man. Amongst. Boys.
They diagrammed a play where the offense committed an OL, TE and RB to stop him. Freaking SACK. Ridiculous.

31-7 good guys

Omg chase young with another strip sack. Good lord this guy is a monster.

38-7 good guys .. the route is on

Chase Young should be the front runner for the Heisman.

Minnesota's QB is going to have Chase Young nightmares for months.

Chase Young has certainly given himself a shot IMO, especially with Tua hurt, Lawrence playing average, and Hurts losing today

Buckeyes should be #1 Just sayin'

Great win for the Buckeyes. I was really nervous in the first half. We were really struggling on offense and were losing the field position battle for awhile. Some observations/thoughts:

--Fields didn't look good for most of the first half. He holds the ball too long. He's not really going through progressions. He did play better once he settled down. This season is a process for him.

--Dobbins had a monster game. He's so strong and has a nice second gear. He also caught the ball very well in tough conditions.

--Nice job by the kicker.

--The OL struggled some, but hammered Wisconsin's front in the second half.

--The WRs: I probably am misspelling his name, but Olivae [#17] is very smooth and fairly dynamic. Also, the freshman, Wilson, is clearly an athletic freak. This kid is going to turn out to be a great, big-play WR.

--As y'all have mentioned, Young is dynamite. He rushes the passer, plays the run, and is a great teammate. Could be the number 1 overall pick.

--Our DL was stout. Davon Hamilton, #53, had a nice game.

--Man, we played a lot of different combinations at LBer today and they all looked good. What a difference from last year.

--The secondary played decently.

--It's too bad Wisconsin lost last week. That might hurt OSU a bit in the mind's of some voters, but the Buckeyes are getting more and more attention as the continue to dominate.

We have a tendency to start really slowly. Have we had a good 1st quarter in any game other than Florida Atlantic?

We need to fix that. It could become an issue come playoff time.
Alabama , LSU , and Clemson aren't going to give us a 1st Q bye

I work with his dad. Good kid, very down to earth. His dad says the younger brother, who is only a 3 star, that also committed to OSU is better that Davon.

That's cool. Hamilton did a very good job. Our entire front seven played well, but he stood out a few times w/excellent penetration and tackles at or behind the LOS.

Wisconsin had exactly what they wanted in the first half, other than that late touchdown, but it was clear that Ryan Day and his coaching staff made the proper adjustments, because even after Wisconsin got a stop and a score to open the half, the beatdown happened anyway.

That loss by Oklahoma is huge for the college football playoff, it probably knocks out an entire conference from the conversation. I get that Baylor is unbeaten, but I don't think anyone sees them running the table..

The Pac-12 is probably not sending anyone either.

Leaving 4 spots for the SEC, Big Ten, and Clemson.

So if Ohio State wins out, Penn State wins out other than the OSU game, and LSU beats Alabama and wins the SEC after that? Who is in and who is out?

In that scenario it should be Penn State, considering they've beaten good teams, and Alabama out, since they have played garbage most of the year. I would be real interested to see the spin job from espn in that scenario, where maybe Nick Saban doesn't get in.

Marvin Harrison Jr. announces commitment to Ohio State
https://www.thescore.com/ncaaf/news/1867632

Ohio State added a strong prospect to its 2021 recruiting class Thursday with four-star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. announcing his commitment.

Harrison landed offers from top schools including Michigan and Texas A&M, but he chose the Buckeyes. He'll be under the tutelage of wide receivers coach Brian Hartline, an elite recruiter and former Miami Dolphin.

Harrison Jr., the son of iconic Indianapolis Colts receiver Marvin Harrison, is the No. 19 wide receiver in his class and the No. 5 2021 prospect in Pennsylvania. He stands 6-foot-4 and 174 lbs.

Harrison Sr. was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016. He was one of the most prolific receivers in NFL history and still holds the single-season record for receptions with 143. He amassed 14,580 total receiving yards (ninth all time) and 128 touchdowns (fifth) on 1,102 receptions (fifth) during his 13-year career.

The Colts icon also developed an extremely productive QB-WR relationship with NFL legend Peyton Manning. Over 11 seasons together, Manning completed more passes (953) for more touchdowns (112) and more yards (12,756) to Harrison than any other duo in NFL history.

Harrison Jr. will be joined in Columbus by his quarterback at St. Joseph's Prep, Kyle McCord.

Excellent!

What great news, and also such a fine choice! Happy to hear this. Any Dawgs here that have seen McCord play this year? Heard him talked up some, but not seen him myself.

I've watched a lot of film and broken down players and position groups for this weeks game between OSU and Maryland. I've charted plays and strengths and weaknesses and tendencies and I'm 100% convinced that what Ohio State NEEDS to do to win this game is... show up.

haha and maybe not all of OSU even has to be in attendance ... any 22 guys will suffice

Let's hope they don't think that way. That kind of thinking is how really stupid upsets happen.

I will break down Maryland for you in a nutshell. they have some decent speed and decent skill position players on O and in the defensive backfield, QB is not a strength though.

They are very weak, like extremely weak, on both the OL and the DL and they are very easily controlled by decent teams.. that's why, when they can hold their own at the LOS against weak teams like Rutgers, they can blow teams out... but against a good team with superior talent on the OL and DL, they get blown out because those skill position players never get a chance to do anything...

The only OL/DL that Maryland has played that is even close to OSU was Penn State... and Penn State beat them by 70... the math isn't all that hard.

I’ve watched a few Maryland games actually. One of my old players and family friend is their DT (Brett Kulka). He’s admittedly very undersized (weight wise) to compete against the guys from OSU, PSU, and Wisconsin, etc ... but they typically have the skill guys that are top notch (Like Stephon Diggs)

Yea, their OL/DL guys aren't "bad", they just aren't BIG10 combination of size and speed... They hold their own and play well against the Rutgers, Syracuse, and Indiana's of the world because it's a fair fight... it won't be a fair fight against OSU.

j/c....

Chase Young facing indefinite suspension for NCAA rules violation.
https://buckeyeswire.usatoday.com/2019/1...nsion-maryland/

Un-bee-lievable!

UGH

Reading from unconfirmed sources that he took a couple thousand bucks from a friend to fly his family to last years Rose Bowl. Not an agent or anyone associate with OSU. Took it as a loan and paid back the person. Sounds like minimum 2 game suspension, possible rest of year.

The university may try to spin it with the new “likeness” policy where athletes can make money.

Is there even a rule for that? Seems ridiculous. OSU smart to suspend him now, can't see how this would be more than a 1-2 game suspension. Hopefully he'll be back for Penn State.

Sounds like a 0 game suspension to me. Total horsebleep. And I'm not an OSU fan.

He's saying he took a loan from a family friend "before" his freshman year at OSU and he finished paying off the debt last year and as of right now it is just a 1 game suspension.

He'd be a fool. Stay until your welcome has worn out which could a long while.

https://twitter.com/youngchase907/status/1192819091993702400

"Unfortunately, I won't be playing this week because of an NCAA eligibility issue. I made a mistake last year by accepting a loan from a family friend I've known since the summer before my freshman year at OSU. I repaid it in full last summer and I'm working with the University and NCAA to get back on the field as soon as possible. I want to thank my family, teammates, coaches, and the whole Ohio State community for all the love and support. God bless and go Bucks!"

That is correct. I misread what I saw on another site.

The NCAA is the absolute worst.

Next man up. We’ll get a full game preview of our 2020 pass rushing DE.
I’m just glad this came to light this week. Not just days before Penn State or TTUN.

If that's what happened then it's stupid... but if you want to appease the NCAA suspend him for Maryland and Rutgers.... then you'll win those games by 65 instead of 68.

Obviously there are all kinds of rumors flying around, but if this is the truth, and he doesn’t get to play another down? That’s awful.

Cam newton, 180k? No big deal! sec sec sec

Who knows how much a took and how much has been repaid.

Repaid in cash or future earnings?

Lots of players have taken cash and paid back a percentage of a signing bonus.

I "suppose" that. They just didn't get caught. I find it hard to believe that the only players to take cash are also always caught. I'd say a fairly small percentage are caught.

Paying players wouldn't end this. Players would still take the cash.

I'll give you $100,000 now and you repay $250,000 when $250K isn't a very large percentage of what you just earned.

Ride in style for a few years in college.

Ummm, Kirk on gameday just said, “he’s gonna be suspended for four games, Tosu will appeal, and it will be reduced to 2-3 games.”

Everything I’ve scoured on the internets said, while the investigation is pending, it sounds like1-2 games, and no one on buckeye planet is talking about that little nugget Kirk just dropped, me so confused

According to what I heard on the radio, the NCAA punishment is based on the amount of the loan, with the upshot being that the most severe (4 game suspension) is for loans over $700 (which is about as ridiculous and arbitrary as I could imagine). If he borrowed money to fly his parents to the Rose Bowl, I am going to guess that those round trip air fares would be in excess of $700.

Using the Cam Newton precedence, the loan should have just been made directly to his parents ...

Just a good opportunity all around today to get next years starters some good work in. Kind of a reward for patience.

Correction: its now being reported that the loan was to fly Young's girlfriend to the Rose Bowl, not his parents.

(I wonder if she's still his GF, because if she isn't, I have an idea who might have turned him in ...)

I got a loan at 18 years old also. Such an insidious infraction...

Not sure they needed to do it, but that onside kick was just beautiful. Add to the tape of things other teams have to think about.

Let’s just hope he’s back for PSU

Gonna hang 60 on these guys.

What's that mess on their helmets? Looks like puke.

Maryland and Rutgers should be banished from the B1G.

maryland gettin GOT

D being held every play and STILL blowing through the block for the sack.

Young isn't be missed much today.

Men vs. boys in this game.

42-0 tOSU.

There is still about a minute left in the half .....

Total Yards OSU 364 Maryland 66

Maryland has us right where they want us

Maryland has struggled

Man....ouch.

It’s gotta be tough to recruit if your teams like Maryland and Rutgers in the big 10.

Might be 80.

The only thing left is to play the marching band!

That was an old fashioned drubbing ... Maryland should return to the ACC

Did you imagine any were needed. This is a crazy story. Incredible!

They weren't brought to the BIG10 to elevate your football... they were brought to bring in the DC market and to compete in basketball...

Yes, totally ... but if I were THEM I’d leave lol

They aren't going anywhere without a giant pay day.. and the ACC ain't going to provide it.

1. LSU
2. OSU
3. CLEMSON
4. GEORGIA

5. ALABAMA
6. OREGON

Bama getting hurt for having easy schedule... first ranked team they played and they lost.... that South Carolina loss for Georgia was really bad but they have two ranked wins.... still a lot of ball to play...

It’s kind of annoying that Clemson’s league is so bad ... they are basically given a free ride to the final 4

When you win the playoff the year before and bring back the QB and most of the skill players while consistently being at the top of recruiting rankings, you're going to get some leeway. Especially when there aren't many other consistently dominant teams.

They held Texas A&M to 10 points, so their defense is no slouch either. They still play South Carolina in a rivalry game and will most likely have a Championship game to get through.

What is Clemson's weakness? They've got talent everywhere.

Staying focused against lesser competition is its own challenge.

That's the best possible outcome we could hope for.

He actually will have been given two weeks rest against inferior opponents and should be rested and fresh down the stretch.

Good news! Back in time for the ones that count

All I know is the Buckeyes better not take Rutgers lightly ...

I know rules are rules, but I still think it's two games too many. Took out a loan from a family friend to get his girlfriend to his Rose Bowl game and paid it back. Utter trash to have him miss two games and jeopardize a Heisman win. Oh well...at least he's back and it won't interfere with the Big 10 title.

See Above

Looks I like I missed this, Fox announced the psu game will be a noon kickoff. For the fans on the west coast, getting excited for the biggest tOSU game of the year, that will be a 9:00am start for you.

Hey FOX, do me a favor, and never broadcast a tOSU game again. FOX, what an absolute joke.

https://onwardstate.com/2019/11/06/fans-pissed-over-noon-kickoff-for-penn-state-ohio-state/

Eh, it is what it is. Can't have all 4 pm or 7, 8 pm games.

We - wife and I - have anywhere from 40 to 70 people over for the OSU Michigan game each year. It would be nice for that to be a later game, rather than noon, but, it is what it is.

This article basically sums up my feelings. This game should be at the very least 3:30 kickoff. I really hope FOX’s contract with the big ten ends this year. I highly doubt it though. ESPN/ABC/Big10 network would never put this game on at noon.

Looks like ESPN and Fox signed a six year agreement in 2017. Hopefully after this contract ,FOX will never broadcast a tOSU game again.

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-stat...-it-has-to-stop


Noon games are bad.

They're bad for students who blew off a little too much steam on Friday night. They make that Saturday morning alarm clock more unwelcome than... well, noon games.

They're bad for us olds trying to squeeze in some errands before the game, or even better, a precious round of golf as the whispers of winter approach.

They're bad for tailgaters who are forced to wake up before the rooster in order to prep for the day's festivities, which will inevitably be cut short because of a criminally bad deadline. In the same light, they're bad for any non-local ticket holder with any legitimate driving to do that morning.

They're bad for any Ohio State fan unfortunate enough to live west of Texas. They have to take the first quarter in while finishing breakfast.

But most importantly, they're bad because they diminish the host team's home-field advantage. And that's why I hate Fox's recent power move into the noon time slot so much.

In preparation of the 2019 season, Fox made a big push to improve its college football presence. The network hired former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer to join host Rob Stone and fellow panelists Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and Brady Quinn for the Big Noon Kickoff — a fantastic pregame show that has been an unquestioned hit.

Fox also wanted to close the gap between ESPN and CBS in the game-time ratings race. The world-wide leader has a stranglehold on the primetime slot (7:30 - 8:00 games) while CBS historically features marquee SEC games at 3:30.

That left Fox with the noon slate, and the network went all in to put the most high-profile games it had contractual rights to in the worst possible slot. And of course, the crown jewel of Fox's broadcast candidates is Ohio State.

Because of that, the Buckeyes' most important home games of the season have been slotted for noon. That is dumb and bad.

I’m not sure why FOX is trying to push the noon kickoff anyways? It’s been a goal of there’s to do so ... and I’m not a fan. I’m of the thought that marquee CFB games should be played at 3:30 or 8 (at least one game in each slot per week) and then the other games can act as fillers

Awesome. It’s the best situation I could hope for. Done by noon. An entire day to get things done afterwards.

They scheduled this game for noon a few weeks ago too, when this was a possible 1v4 matchup.

Hilarious that when OSU plays at Penn State, they always will make it a night game. That's literally all Penn State has.

If nothing else, this should have been in the 3:30 slot, which if you ask me, is the best slot of the day, especially late in the year when it starts off light, and eventually the lights come on. Always cool

I agree ... that 3:30 slot is awesome

Buckeyes are killing 'em. Should let the clock run through halftime at Rutgers.

Rutgers is quite bad

1. LSU
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Georgia

I do think Oklahoma can leap frog the loser of the SEC title game. Having that extra game will be huge.

well, 7 of their 8 losses came inside the big ten, and someone has to lose when two big ten teams play each other. Therefore, Rutgers is a good team.

LOOOOOOOOOOOLLLL

1. LSU
2. Ohio St
3. Clemson
4. Georgia


And I agree about Oklahoma now ... it could come down to them or Oregon trying to nip for the #4 spot

I hate it....typically have stuff with the wife or boys during the day... so typically need to tape the game... will need to figure Out a way to watch the game live...

Buckeyes are 18 point favorites

Doesn't that sound a bit extreme? Wow.

YIKES

Penn States secondary is bad Indiana lit them up Fields will have (pardon the pun) a field day with our WR's

Last 3 meetings have been decided by like 5 points.

I would take PSU and the points, esp with Michigan being next week. Not saying trap game, but you know what I mean. 18 is a big number.

I don't know... In Penn State's last 2 games they were losing to Minnesota 24-10 late in the 2nd quarter and they had to hang on to beat Indiana... OSU is significantly better than both of those teams... If OSU gets out to an early lead, this one could get away from PSU..

That only works when it is good teams having to play each other.

Agree. I actually don't think this game will be all that close.

Further, Ohio State is 8-2 against the spread this year. OSU also only giving up 9.5 points per game at home while the offense is averaging 51 points per game at home.

Ryan Day will have them rolling and looking to make another statement.

Buckeyes roll.

So there is a group of tOSU fans that want to boycott ESPN College Gameday. Mainly because they feel “ESPN is against us”

Can you guys do me a favor, and just just shut your pie hole? You are the same fans that forced Kirk Herbstreit out of his Columbus home, and the same fans that give us all a bad name. When someone says to me, “I hate tOSU fans”, you are the main reason.

Stop giving me a bad name, keep my name out of your mouth.

Choke job incoming.

Choke job avoided. That Olave 28-yard TD was the backbreaking play.

Psu couldn't do squat in the 4th quarter on offense,

back to back sacks, many penalties before the snaps, centers snapping the ball early 2 times it looked like,

once on a 4th and big very late, which should have been a turnover on downs but the refs called it a false start which also went bad for psu,

their final snap on offense had a holding penalty declined,

There was an interception thrown by penn state on their 2nd or 3rd to last possession,

So there were more than a couple back breaing plays,

60% plus of the refs calls went penn states way,

the fumble called against Justin Fields where his knee was down,
The fumble called against Justin Fields where he crossed the plane of the goal line in the first half.

The Safety that wasn't ruled a safety

and some others,

Buckeyes had disfavorbale, (but not abominably, refs),
and a 3-1 turnover disadvantage and still won by 11 points.

J.K. Dobbins had rushed for 145 by sometime in the late 3rd or early 4th, so he could have gone 150+ easily.

That was a good team the Buckeyes beat today!


28-17 Ohio State! 11-0

Just looking for discussion and ideas...

When we are acting like the CFP committee and considering the different rankings.....

Did this game tell us more about Ohio State or tell us more about Penn State???

Both.

11-0

417 Yards to 227 for PSU

Second fumble I thought fields was down... first one he was short of goal line so I thought it was a good call...

Buckeyes played sloppy and did not cover and should have easily.

Not our best game, but a great W. Turnovers changed the game: we coulda won by 4 TDS.

ON TO ICHIGAN

A two score win against a ranked opponent. Three turnovers that turned a blowout win into a much closer game.
It shows me that our team has resiliency and resolve. Because of turnovers (not penalties which are discipline/mental mistakes) Penn State got within 4 points. The team understood the moment. They quickly got the offense into the end zone to increase the lead again. Then the D absolutely rose to the occasion and decimated the opposing O.
This game was a show of what our team is made of internally. That isn’t tested, or shown, in blowout victories. It’ll serve us well next week and into the bowl season.

Great job by Ohio State yesterday. Weathered a tough storm when they had that rash of turnovers, but proved to be dominant in the end. Too much Fields, too much Young.

Dobbins was an absolute workhorse too.

So I think the playoff picture is still pretty interesting..

I believe LSU will stay at the top spot in the rankings come tuesday. They have a home game against A&M, and I can't see them slipping up there.

Ohio State should also stay at 2. I believe the Michigan game will be a hard fought game, I just wonder what kind of points Michigan will be able to put up on this defense.

Clemson should beat a very bad South Carolina team.

Georgia should beat a bad GT team. Utah should beat Colorado. Then you have the Iron Bowl with Alabama and Auburn, but I honestly believe Alabama is out at this point.

I've said it a bunch the last few weeks, teams getting the extra game due to conference titles is going to be HUGE.

Alabama has no case over any conference champion. Ohio State got in a few years ago as a team that didn't make their conference championship, but I believe they finished with 3 wins against current top 10 or 12 teams. Alabama currently has no wins against anyone in the AP top 25.

Just so we're straight here...

LSU has wins over #5 Alabama, #8 Florida, #16 Auburn

Ohio State has #18 Cincinnati, #13 Wisconsin, #12 Penn State

Clemson does not have a win in the top 25

Georgia beat #15 Notre Dame, #8 Florida, #16 Auburn

Alabama does not have a win in the top 25

I do think Utah or Oklahoma have a shot to get in if they win out.

I think LSU can still get in with a loss in the SEC title game. I would put their resume even as a runner up in the SEC above Oklahoma or Utahs resume.

What I think will be interesting is if LSU beats Georgia in the SEC Championship game.

If Georgia wins, both get in. Assuming OSU and Clemson win out, who is the 4th team that gets in? A 2 loss Georgia team that doesn't win the conference? A one loss Alabama that doesn't get even get into the conference championship game and as you illustrate, no major wins? Utah or Oklahoma?

My bet would be Alabama because it's Alabama

There's no way you can put a two-loss team that didn't win their conference in.

Not to mention, if people are going to pick apart the way Ohio State lost on the road to Purdue and Iowa the last few years, how can you not knock Georgia for losing at home to a team they were favored by 3 touchdowns?

If Georgia does not win the SEC, they are most definitely out.

Jc

Just seeing the newest poll, we gained a little ground on LSU

They should have. I thought that if OSU doesn't let PSU back in the game they had a chance to jump over LSU who beat Baton Rouge Middle School.. letting PSU back in the game hurt them in getting to #1... overall doesn't matter, #2 or #1.. still in. Might rather be #2 the way it's going. Probably rather play Clemson than Georgia in the first game.

1. Ohio State
2. LSU
3. Clemson
4. Georgia

Ohio State comes in at the top spot, although it will be interesting if everyone wins next week, and on championship weekend LSU beats Georgia, while Ohio State beats the Wisc/Minn winner. Ohio State may need to drub that opponent to stay at 1.

Will be interesting... just win out and let's get going

Love it!

Can't wait. I think Michigan's only chance is to bottle up Dobbins, and make sure Fields can't move the chains with his legs.

The turnovers against PSU made that game closer than it should have been, but that was also a bit of OSU shooting themselves in the foot.

I expect a good game on Saturday. I know we have blown them out a few times over this 15/16 stretch or whatever it is, but I think Michigan shows up Saturday.

If they don't, is that it for Harbaugh? Can you really bring that guy back if he's 0-5 in the most important game of every season?

J/c

What’s the current spread?

Last I saw was 8 1/2

That’s about what I thought ... maybe 10 was my assumption