High expectations this year. We have 3 guys on the Heisman list and brought in a respected DC. We are ranked 2nd in the country and many folks are predicting we win it all. We open up against #5 Notre Dame on Saturday night. Here is an article to kick things off.

I can't frickin' wait.

I feel the same way. I'm really hoping Knowles makes a huge difference on D. Our O is going to be awesome!

Plowing my kids college funds on Ohio State -17.5. There better not be a backdoor cover!

Better get them in to a voc-tech school.

I haven’t been this excited for a season opener in a long time. Something awesome about starting against such a popular school under the lights

I'm anxious to see how the defense does... hoping we come out solid... excited that we have such a big game to start but also makes me nervous that we don't have a 'warm up' game...

Speaking as a former coach, I really don't like huge games to open the season. No matter how well you prepare, there are things that need to be worked on once the real bullets start flying.

As a fan, I'm nervous. We are loaded and a huge favorite, but it's still Notre Dame on National television under the lights. Very exciting, but I'll be on pins and needles.

That is why I said I wouldn't give the points...not that I bet on anything other than maybe a thousand or so on a vegas trip now and then, but for me that is chalked up as entertainment expense. I don't count on winning.

From a pure betting standpoint I think a big road dog has the advantage from a prep standpoint. I wouldn't be suprised to see the game a score apart, and wouldn't be shocked if ND won outright.

I don't think they will, but wouldn't be shocked. Like you said, opening games are often a crapshoot to predict how a team will come out of the gate. If I was betting football, I wouldn't bet any opening games for that reason. Way too much hype factors in to those lines.

I don't bet on games anymore, but I used to. A lot! Nothing more than I could afford to lose, but I was really into it.

Week 1 was always the hardest. Week 2 was always the week where I made the most money.

Nowadays, I concentrate on Daily Fantasy Football. I do a lot of research and it's enjoyable.

I view it like this too. I always prefer to play a tune-up type game first and then play a big one. It works kinks out. But it also means ND will be in the same boat

I'll have more time to devote to my Buckeyes this year. As has been mentioned on here my biggest interest going into the year is how the defense looks with a new DC. We've always had the talent but the results haven't matched up with the roster on defense at times. I used to place some casual bets on what appeared to be obvious mismatches in the line. Did pretty well. But I haven't even done that in years now. I'll certainly be focusing more on NCAA football this year and less on the NFL even though I enjoy both.

Can't wait either. Not to turn this into a culinary thread but fall Saturday tradition in my household is centered on hitting the grocery stores/market on Saturday morning, cooking in the mid morning/afternoon, parking it on my couch and watching football all day. YES!
As for the Bucs, 17 points is a big spread and Notre Dame is no pushover. My buddy is a big ND fan and thinks the Bucs will cover because they are stacked more this year than they were 3 years ago when the officials robbed them against Clemson. I digress. Should be a great game.

I love the autumn mornings when I’m doing some things (grocery shop, exercise, walking, etc) preparing for a long weekend of football

Boom.

There's nothing better.

The opener. Doesn't it "FEEL like" Notre Dame has more to prove this time around??
Things almost never go well for the team that enters a matchup between two top ranked programs and is the team that if feels like has LESS to prove.
So that means, Ohio State would have to fight real hard to overcome complacency.

I don't know if complacency is the word, but why I said that sometimes I think being the road dog in a big game isn't a bad thing. I think they can gain just a little bit extra "something".

Now if OSU jumps out early, that "something" can go away in a hurry. Sometimes these early season games expose the teams that are more hype than anything else. Over the past 10 years or so, ND has had more unfulfilled hype than OSU. ND always get hype that doesn't match the product.

It's pretty cool that College Gameday is in Columbus today.

Yep, love watching it

Talk about an UGLY half of football. Nd came to play and we did not

Yeah, not a good half of foootball, for sure.

And not a good start to the 3rd. Very undisciplined. Stroud looks off his game. ND looks much more prepared.

TD Bucks!

And again!

The Irish defense is worn out.

Bittersweet victory at the Milk Man household. Informed the kiddos that Ivy League dreams are out of the equation.

I did give them a strong lead by presenting them with contact information for the International Correspondence Schools.

Go Bucks!

Was I the only one yelling at the TV to run the ball in the first half?

The Bucks did enough to win. That 7 minute 95 yard 4th quarter drive showed toughness when toughness was needed. Good win.
Alabama should drop to 3 after their cupcake win over St Agatha’s School for Blind Hemophiliacs. The OSU and Georgia took care of business against ranked opponents. They deserve the 1-2 spots.

A few good signs: the defense grinded it out a little bit and the offense used more of a ball control tempo to score in the 2nd half.

First game is always tough. Glad it’s behind us

I don't think Bama drops but I agree... I'd have Georgia #1, OSU #2, Bama #3...

Good win for the Buckeyes... tough first half but was able to find a way to win... kudos to the defense for shutting the Irish out in the second half...

Solid win against the #5 team in the nation. ND played a very good game and we had to gut it out and get the W. I was getting nervous at halftime and early on in the 3rd quarter.

Some observations:

--Losing Jaxon Smith-Njigba [I need another name for him because I can't ever remember how to spell his last name] was huge. I thought the hit was dirty. Dude threw a forearm blow right to the side of JS-N's head. We really missed his route running and big-play ability.

--The timing between CJ and the receivers was off. We were also missing Fleming, who didn't even play in the game due to an injury. I think the WRs were making poor reads at times.

--I thought Williams ran harder and was more effective than Henderson.

--#51 on the DL was really good.

--It seems weird to see Ohio State w/out a dominant Edge rusher.

--The defense is much, much better. Definitely more sound. Gone are the days of being totally out of position. The talent is quite up to what we are used to on that side of the ball---or maybe it is just inexperience----but Knowles is far superior to what we've had the last two years.

Looked like the players were slipping some on the new turf. Definitely didn't expect to see big 79 on skates.

I was a bit surprised we didn't see more of the screen game.

(general response)
There are a LOT of College Football teams, and , (I'm not really a total heart fan of the Buckeyes) Not like I've been of the Browns)
But I have lived in Columbus for enough time it's def. rubbed off.

There are LOT of college football teams in the USA. and ... Someone help me out here?
I can't think of any other one than the Buckeyes' that have won 5 straight against the Notre Dame fighting Irish, even if they were spread out 70 years apart.

Anytime you beat Notre Dame in football it's a big deal, even in 2022, I don't care who you are it's still a big deal.

I talked to a buddy of mine about this game before it was played. It's sort of a double edged sword. As a fan of the game I hate seeing those gravy games at the beginning of the schedule. You know, when highly rated teams play the Western Utah State Ogden Campus schools of the nation. They're so meaningless and you know who is going to win 98% of those games. But the yang to the yin is that college football doesn't have any preseason games. So a couple of cupcake games at the beginning sort of serve that purpose.

But the fact is both Notre Dame and OSU were playing under those same circumstances. Neither had those early cupcake games to work out timing and a sense of game time familiarity with their systems. It certainly looked as if Notre Dame was better prepared to face their particular opponent in this game. I do love what I saw from the new OSU defense. I thought it may take a little time to come together being an entire new system and DC. I took it as a positive that OSU could change up their offense and produce two late game drives with it. Versatility will come in handy over the course of the season.

I almost bet on this game taking ND and the points. It just seemed like the spread was too wide for a first game of the season when matching up two such highly ranked teams. I haven't bet on any games for a long time now but this one just seemed too good to be true. In the end I chose not to. There went some cash.

#5 ranked Noter Dame +17.5 sure seemed like one of those "Vegas knows something we don't" type of bets that smart folks run away from.

I wouldn't even worry about ranking until Nov. as long as you are winning. It really doesn't matter all that much if you are #1 right now or 20 right now. Lot's of time to drop down or move up.

Agreed, especially if you are in the top 3-5

My thoughts and replies to a couple posts

- Usually they just call him JSN on eleven warriors. I get it, people on here that aren't OSU fans reading this thread might not know the reference when you are replying with that.

- I agree about the receivers, they're talented as hell but are behind on the experience. A few of those throws the receivers should've settled into the opening of the zones instead of continuing the routes. Your average fan will see the Olave/Wilson last year and look at this year and wonder why CJ was missing his mark (caveat, I know it's just one game). The reality is those guys besides being super talented had a few years of experience of knowing when to settle into a spot or adjust their route based on what the D was showing. The young corp will learn.

- CJ had some amazing throws, that first TD to EE was beautiful. CJ threw it from the other hash across the field, to an out route with a small window to throw. Just beautiful

- Loved seeing Xavier Johnson catch a TD pass, he's a former walk-on 5th year Senior that earned a scholarship (i think last year) due to his work ethic and special teams play. Also, was badass seeing him make a big tackle on the kickoff right afterwards. When he made the tackle on the kickoff, my first thought that was a huge momentum boost to the team. One of their brothers, fighting every day at practice to earn a scholarship (in the ultra talented receiver room no less), and to shine on the big stage.

- Former 5 star Mike Hall had an excellent game. So did Randsom and Eichenberg.

- Knowles called a great game. Really liked the defense. He said something (paraphrasing) about the defense isn't fully installed yet. He played a basic/vanilla defense, b/c he wanted his players to play fast instead of thinking too much.

- This game was HUGE for recruiting. I read they had something like 70 recruits at the game. Depending on the services you read, they had 13 five stars visiting! This doesn't even take into account that the 2025 class hasn't been completed. So there were technically more than that.

j/c

After seeing how both Georgia and Alabama performed I wouldn't be surprised to see Georgia jump OSU to the #2 spot and OSU falling to #3.

Yes, Alabama beating the Southestern College of Tractor and Farm Equipment Repair deserves to leapfrog Ohio State beating a top 5 opponent by two scores. Alabama played no one. They deserve no movement. Except back.

I don't think the rankings are always determined according to "who deserves it".

I was able to go to the game and it was an experience unlike any other I have had at the Shoe. The atmosphere was something else. All day.

The defense came up big. Held them to 10 points, shut out in the 2nd half. You take that all day long against a top 5 team. Got burned on a few long completions, but ended up doing little damage.

The Navy Seal paratroopers (the Leap Frogs) coming in before the game was a great show.

Well, Georgia jumped Ohio State and Alabama retained the #1 ranking. We are 3rd.

One problem Ohio State faces is that the Big 10 has a contract w/Fox and not ABC/ESPN. Also, the league is signing a massive new contract w/Fox, NBC, and CBS. There will be no ties to ESPN/ABC. On the other hand, ABC/ESPN have a huge deal w/the SEC. Like them or not, ESPN has a ton of leverage because they reach more viewers than anyone else.

On Monday morning, Mike Greenberg, the host of Get Up on ESPN, was declaring that Alabama and Georgia were definitely going to be in the title game and that B. Young--'Bama's QB--had locked up his second Heisman. There was no mention of the competition that Young and Stroud faced on Saturday.

I have maintained for years that there should be no official rankings until at least week 5. Way too many teams and way off by the preseason "experts". And tracking the Heisman race before week 5-6 is also nuts.

Only Greenberg would think the Heisman is locked up after one game. He has been like that for as long as I remember. In the NBA some guy comes off the bench because of an injury and scores 25. Greenberg talks about him being an all-star. And so on, and so on. I stopped listening to Mike and Mike because of him.

I wish there were a way to publicly hold these guys accountable.

A name to remember when it gets closer to Heisman time...Anthony Richardson.

He is long odds now, but if he keeps up, the odds will narrow.

Some explosive plays today. It's amazing how many top receivers Ohio State recruits.

Some of Stroud's passes were amazing. Pinpoint accuracy.

We did a good job against the run.

I was troubled by some of the play in the secondary. Some bad angles and Burks didn't play well despite the pedigree.

We handled business, but won't get any any credit from the SEC loving ESPN.

Burke really had a rough game. It was tough to watch.

Quite the offensive show last night. Almost 300 yards in the first quarter alone.

We have so many quality receivers and running backs. Hell, the 4th string guys were making unreal plays.

The OL played very well.

CJ is a very accurate thrower of the football.

Our scheme is top flight, as well.

Little concerned about the defense. Too many big plays. We do stop the run better and run to the football better, but we have some secondary guys that get on skates at times.

That qb for Toledo is a baller.

The stadium is electric!

j/c...

Dominate first half...

Total domination

That was fun. Our offense is so talented. Great QB. Very good WRs and our best one has barely played. Two excellent RBs. An OL that is starting to dominate. Wisconsin isn't the flashiest team, but they almost always play good defense and Leonard is a good DC. We sliced through them like they were butter.

We looked better for most of the game on defense. Heck, those young guys in the secondary looked better than what we have seen previously this year. Of course, Wisconsin's QB is absolutely dreadful. The LBers are playing pretty good and we do a good job of flowing to the ball.

Another week.......another win! Go Bucks!!!

If you had to have one on the Browns and Marvin Harrisson Jr. was off the table.
pick one, Ohio state Wr.

J. Flemming
E. Ebuka or
J. smith-Njigba

My Top 3 Right Now After UGA Struggled Against Kent State :::

1. tOSU
2. UGA
3. BAMA


Huge Gap for the Rest of College Football:::

I agree with those 3. It will be a much tougher test for the 2/3 seeds this year.

I know it makes for good conversation, but it doesn't really matter all that much until the BCS ranking start to come out. Then the rankings matter.

Soon enough the 8-9 team playoffs will begin, at that point it doesn't matter except to get in where at that point the teams decide who plays for the championship and not the select few who get to vote. Once you get down to a team ranked at 10 or whatever, their complaining rings a bit hollow IMO. At least we will have the top 5-6 teams....well, in theory. I don't think a conference champs should get an automatic bid. Most of the time they would, but there are times where a conference is weak from top to bottom.

I can't believe how much Graham Mertz sucks, absolutely terrible, Wisconsin is about to regime change.

We got by despite a rare sub-par performance from Stroud.

Man, Miyan Williams had a huge day.

The OL is really coming together, especially against the run.

Defense was swarming and Steele Chambers had himself a day.

The altercation between Ryan Day and Schiano had me rolling.

Brown had two big penalties that helped the Sparties score on this drive

it used to be more fun when MSU and OSU was a good game 😉

Harrison Jr is very good!

OHIO STATE is Hands Down the BEST TEAM in AMERICA !!!!

The Buckeyes are so good that most people don't even enjoy huge wins anymore. That's not a negative statement. Just a testament to how good the program is.

Let's wait until we actually play someone good... while I think we can play with anyone, we really haven't played anyone yet to see how good we actually are... you could argue that ND was a big game, but they aren't very good.... Oct 29th will be our first really big test.....

OSU seems to be improving too. Tough to tell because they havent played anybody, but I think they can play with (and beat) anybody

I would counter by saying that how many teams have actually played other really good teams at this point in the season and by saying if the eye test doesn't tell you anything......well.....I'll leave it at that.

I don't know if we will win the National Championship or even make the playoffs, but this team is fun to watch.

TTUN looks tough. Gritty defense and decent offense. The Buckeyes have looked great so far with Iowa coming to town on Saturday.

They were saying on the radio this morning that if Michigan and Ohio State play a tight one, we might see both of the in the playoff. This year, I can see it happening.

The SECBSPN won't let that happen.

Yeah, on ESPN the other day, they were discussing how Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee could all make the playoffs.

Getting ready for the most boring team in the nation to take the field: Iowa

No doubt. Kirk Ferentz has carved out a really nice career by putting out slightly better than middle of the road football teams. Beat around 60% of the teams in your league, maybe pull an upset, and don't get slaughtered by the others.

IOWA's Defense is Legit ....

Their offense is as inept as their defense is outstanding.

Ohio state 47- iowa I0.

Offenze woke up, 3 play drives for last two td'z.

If I had to guezz, earlier in the game the trying to inzert Jaxon Zmith Njigba into a WR room that had gotten used to ... each role,
kind of upset the apple cart of the Buckeye offense

He, Njigba, limped a little at the half and coach waz clear he wouldn't play in the 2nd half, and maybe with rolez returned,
the Bukeye offense returned to knowing what they were doing.

47-ten Buckeye lead with twelve minutez to play in the 4th @uarter.

Ohio state 54- Iowa I0
7:59 remains in the 4th @uarter.

But Ohio state had a pick 6 of their own in the first half. Out turnovered the game 6+ geesh to 2, a ton of turnoverz. on the day

And Ohio state did not give up a point in the 2nd half. halftime 26-I0 final score 54-I0 Ohio state over iowa in Columbus.

Iowa’s offense is unbelievable

I was a little annoyed that we got "caught" by the draw play a couple times on 3rd and long. People I was watching with were talking about the obvious passing situation and the potential for a sack or INT. I was like, "have we been watching the same Iowa offense? They're going to run the draw." This was right before the long draw with the forward fumble that Eichenerg and Jean-Baptiste couldn't corral at the sideline. Not only was the offense bad, it was bad in ways that made/make it predictable. Bad QB play, OL not holding up in pass pro, did they even have a WR catch a pass? I only remember TEs getting completions. 3rd and long, the draw was/is their best chance, though still not a good one.

...If only my predictive powers applied to fantasy football or point spreads....

Now for a big one: at PSU. Tough atmosphere heading into the game

Iowa looked pretty slow.

--Iowa does have a very good defense. I think they were 3rd in the country coming into the game. They play smart, sound football and trust their corners to cover well so they can create havoc between the hashes. That's a well-coached defense.

--Their offense is pathetic and has been all year. Thus, I'll say this w/a little trepidation........our defense looks light years ahead of the D we had the past two years. Knowles is a great defensive coach and his imprint on the team is showing. I'm still worried about our corners against big-time passing attacks, but the D is much more sound this year and swarms to the ball.

--Stroud had his worst game. Only one pick, but he threw some others that could have been picked and one was negated due to off-setting penalties. He also fumbled and that was returned to for Iowa's only TD. He did get hot in the second half.

--Our WRs are second to none. We keep trotting guy after guy out there. Marvin Harrison reminds me a lot of Justin Jefferson.

--It was a strange game because it was like our O was disappointing for most of the game and you look up and final was 54-10.

That’s the scary part … still had 54 points. PSU or Michigan have to be concerned about simply being able to score enough

People in the PA crowd look like they all have greasy hair. Nobody, (that I ever saw,) from Pennsylvania, had fluffy hair.

Ohio Ztate, 44-3I win, their ztreak, of consecutive gamez with 45 or more pointz comez to an end at 6? or 7? (6)
their ztreak of scoring 44 or more continuez at 7? or ?? 7.

That game waz cloze and mozt of the day I waz pretty zure PZU would win, probabaly.
But, it waz 30-2I,? (24 they juzt kicked the FG) and I went into the $$ and came out ten minutez later and it waz 44-24, (they were kicking the extra point.
Man. and Illinoiz too? the Big IG iz a tuff road indeed.

I admit that I was really worried for quite a while today ....

Harrison, Stroud, and JTT .. wow

That was an entertaining game and I found it to be nerve-wracking. We had all kinds of warts and it was one of those days where it didn't seem as if it were meant to be. For example, they miss a kick and the play doesn't count because they had a pre-snap penalty. They miss the second kick and we get a weird penalty that gives them another chance. Then, they go for it instead and make it. Some bad spots by the officials. A fumble they recover by the goal line. Another fumble they recover on a kickoff. Crazy day.

--We can just score so quickly. The analogy by the announcer of us being like an avalanche is a good one.

--Harrison is establishing himself as perhaps the best WR in college. It's amazing what he's done in the absence of JSN, who was considered the best. Imagine when we get him back?

--JTT had one of the most incredible games I have ever seen. This guy made big play after big play. He might be the #1 overall pick when the time comes.

--Our running game needs to improve if we want to win it all.

--The defense gave up some points, but we are light years ahead of the last two years. The coaching of Knowles has been a huge asset. We are in better position and we swarm to the ball.

--Gotta get better at handling the play clock.

--Very good win in a tough atmosphere.

j/c:

That was a good game to watch. Competitive, not a blow-out like they usually are. Ohio State came back towards the end, strong as ever. Good job!

Jaylahn Tuimoloau with one of the best performances in Ohio State history. Hell, probably one of best defensive performances I've ever seen. Two sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, TWO interceptions -- one a pick six. He batted another pass in the air that was intercepted by a teammate. Not a bad day's work for a DE.

I think the first half of the Iowa game showed, You don't want Jaxon smith Njigba back.
no matter how good he is, the evidence appearz, When he came back it threw a monkey wrench into the whole group, and the whole group took a major knock in effectiveness.
The O, fell apart when JsN took the field, and it included a group metric not just one player.
so, be careful what you wish for.

WOW
sounds like a good @uarter for Clay Mathews Jr. circa I985.
Did he block a kick? Clay would have blocked a kick.

Lol. Yes, he also blocked two kicks... with a Clay Matthews autographed cast on his arm.

At NW next week … that’ll be a snooze fest most likely

j/c

One thing I will say based on what I've seen as of late. When it all comes down in the playoffs, and maybe even before then, you can't play one half or one quarter of productive football against the best teams in the nation. OSU better figure out how to string four quarters of good football together and soon.

I had a feeling, so I had to go back and double check.

in 20I7, The Buckeyez beat Penn st.by one. 39-38.

season over, In the bag? a snooze remaining right??

THEY LOZT 24-55 the NEXT week after beating Penn st. TO IOWA in 20I7

They went to Iowa and gave up 55 pointz.

They wen to Iowa and gave up 55 pointz. I'm sure, Northwestern would be HAPPY to take advantage of a sleeping buckeye team,
without their running back

who have spent 2 @uarterz of each of the last 2 gamez

struggling TO FIND WAYZ TO sCore pointz.

If you want to sleep on Northweztern then enjoy 3rd place in the conference and the outback bowl.

Haha we’ll see

I bet a lot of teams would love to "struggle" scoring like Ohio State .... 98 points in the last 2 Games 49 points a game

You still seem to ignore that they can't string together all four quarters in a game. That won't work against top teams. They need to figure that out.

Not ignoring anything I know that at anytime and from any place on the field this team can score ... I think you are ignoring the fact that they scored those 98 points on 2 of the top rated defenses in America

Good point. Iowa's offense stinks, but they have a very good D. Penn State is a quality team all the way around. The Buckeyes are just so explosive on offense. They can score at any moment w/multiple players. And Knowles is such a breath of fresh air. We might not have the best D, but it's light years better than the crap we've watched the last two years. Knowles is a damn fine coach.

I know what you mean. I watched Michigan play Penn State a few weeks ago and Michigan dominated that whole game. OSU struggled against the lions in that first half.

The deal with the Buckeyes is the same as it has been for the last 50 years. Avoid a slip against one of the inferior teams, then beat Michigan. After the Bucks and Mich, the Big 10 doesn't offer much resistance. Usually there is 1 other team in there who has a run of a few years of being good they may need to beat.

Win out, beat Michigan and they will get a crack at the prize. Don't worry about BCS rankings other than the final 4 grouping. Now next year, seeding might make a difference with 12 teams in the playoff, especially if you get a home game or bye....not sure if they do or not.

Who have those teams played that gave them those rankings? When you ignore teams building great stats by playing inferior talent it gives you a false sense of reality. OSU hasn't put four quarters of solid football together in a single game this season. If you wish to fool yourself into believing that formula will beat teams like Ga. and Tenn. you are entitled to set yourself up for disappointment. So Iowa has a great defense? Let's look at how they earned that ranking shall we?

Teams they faced thus far to claim having such a great defense up until they played OSU.....

Iowa State, Nevada, Rutgers, playing a good team in Michigan they gave up 27 points, Illinois. So the only good team they played was Michigan and they gave up 27 points. The rest of these teams were scrubs. That isn't to say their defense is terrible. It does mean you can build an impressive resume playing inferior talent.

I would just like to start seeing OSU put together four good quarters of football when they play scrubs.

I wouldn't worry to much about OSU, every team struggles at some point during the season. Tennessee had to go to overtime to beat a not so good Pitt. team and struggled with Florida. Georgia struggled to score in the second half against Kent St. and struggled to put points on the board against Missouri until late in the 4th quarter.

There are exceptions to the rule then there is the rule itself. So far OSU hasn't put together four good quarters in a game all year. If it were only a single game or even two as your examples show the other teams you pointed out it wouldn't be such an issue. That's not the cae here. OSU has played some gimme games and still couldn't put together four solid offensive quarters.

I'm a huge OSU fan but I'm not in denial over what I've seen on the field.

Really? I know we struggled against Notre Dame and against Iowa and Penn St. we had to settle for FGs instead of the TDs we are used to, but in all the other games the offense was more than fine. You also have to consider the fact that in a few of our games because we had a big lead the 2nd, 3rd, and in some cases 4th string players played most of the 4th quarter and that we also went run heavy to eat up the clock.

I've watched more than my share of college football this season, and very few of the top rated teams put together 4 great quarters of football against quality opponents. The lone example given here was Michigan/Ohio St against Penn St. and even then MI was up only 16-14 at the half....and we won by a bigger margin and scored more points. Try comparing the box scores from the Michigan State games. We can turn it up whenever necessary. After week 1, our lowest output was 44 pts on the road at Happy Valley.

We are ranked second in the country. It's like some people don't want folks to enjoy anything.

It's like some people don't want to look at things from both perspectives and only wish to paint everything with lollipops and roses.

Man, I am kinda glad that Dish is having a dispute with ABC, so I can't see what appears to be one mess of a game.

Ugly game for the Buckeyes. The weather was crazy. We looked bad almost all game long.

I hate when ESPN/ABC announcers do our games [other than Fowler/Herbstreit] because they are always trying to drop us in the rankings. Yet, when Alabama escapes w/narrow victories it's about how resilient they are. This network alliance is tough because it creates bias.

I was never comfortable not having a dual threat QB like we've had in the past. Stroud is probably one of the best pocket passer's in collage today but after watching my Buckeye's these last two weeks it wouldn't hurt the coach to install a few more running plays for C.J....yes he looks awkward and not very nimble but he saved our butt a few times in that game.

Stroud needs to improve; need him to run more seems reasonable. We looked bad at first again. Weather was horrible, but NW looked great in places on the same field. Not sure what has been going on last three games, but some lame calls in the run game.

It was ugly. Real ugly. I know some lambasted me when I commented this team needs to learn how to put four quarters of quality football together but its true. Sure the weather was bad. But they were facing a 1-7 Northwestern team. There's no reason they shouldn't have been able to run all over them in the two quarters they were facing the wind.

I didn't lambast you, I just didn't agree that they didn't have a single game all season where they played a full 4 quarters, and yes they stunk it up yesterday. They seemed to have the attitude that all they had to do was show up yesterday to win.

Same thought... I was at the Texas A&M game so couldn't watch the Bucks... glad we won.. but hoping we start to play better...

During the radio broadcast, Paul Keels and Jim Lachey were talking quite a bit about this. The refs called a delay of game penalty as of a result. Bot Keels and Lachey remarked that fans were booing after the flag. It didn't seem to them that the fans booing was directing their boos it at the refs, but for the players "celebrating" too long., Anyone else catch this?

Thought they were booing the refs...

Great moment... and man! that catch by Harrison!!! amazing body control...

overall, great game... great bounce back from a questionable game last week... got get the whole team clicking... the team up north is lurking and they are looking good!

Awesome moment.

From The Athletic...

Wide receiver Kamryn Babb got his moment. The fifth-year senior has dealt with four ACL surgeries in his career at Ohio State. He scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter, an 8-yard grab from C.J. Stroud. The entire stadium erupted into celebration.

Stroud approached coach Ryan Day before the play and suggested the ball go to Babb. Day agreed right away.

“What happened today in the stadium is magical,” Day said. “That’s one of the reasons why college football is special. That’s one of the reasons you coach, to see something like that happen. Hopefully there’s somebody out there going through tough times that can see that as motivation to overcome.”

If you needed any evidence about what Babb means to the program, the reaction from his teammates told the story. The Buckeyes took a delay of game penalty after the touchdown to celebrate with him. He was surrounded by teammates in the end zone, and the celebration continued on the sideline and throughout the next defensive possession.

Stroud said it was hard to put into words how much Babb means to the team.

“He has inspired me,” Stroud said. “I know his phone is blowing up with JK (Dobbins) Chris (Olave) and people tapping into him because everybody has been felt by Babb. Chase Young, Justin Fields, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, I know all of them are really happy for my guy. That will tell you every year he has left a legacy.”

After he scored his touchdown, Babb fell to his knees to commemorate the moment.

“The past five years it’s been a dream of mine whenever I catch a touchdown, whenever that is, to get on my knees and praise Jesus Christ,” Babb said.

Babb was a four-star receiver out of St. Louis in the Class of 2018. It’s been a long road, but he finally had a moment to remember.

One final tune up next week at Maryland

If only Ohio State could string 4 good quarters together.

Great game. Glad Grateful and Milk made the posts about Babb. That was one of the most touching moments I've seen in awhile. To see the reaction of Babb's teammates was so inspirational and touching. I actually got tears in my eyes. Kid has endured 4 ACL's. Stuff like that makes college football special.

Some thoughts on the game:

--I have to admit that Harrison Jr. didn't impress me last year during the regular season. This guy is unreal. He might be the best WR in college football. Klatt predicted he'll be the best WR in the NFL. No idea how he made that catch along the sideline yesterday. The body contortion was unreal on a pass that should have sailed over his head. He also looks to be a great teammate. He's always there for other guys.

--The backup RT looked better than the starter he replaced. Much more fundamentally sound.

--Williams had 147 yards and it was only the 2nd quarter. It sucked to see him on crutches.

--Check out the video that Grateful posted about Johnson's 70+ yd TD. The announcers mentioned Harrison's block, but Fleming had a great one, too. Our WRs block.

--Knowles has made such a tremendous difference. Our D was pathetic the last two years. He has them playing inspired football and they are much more fundamentally sound.

Glad you noticed what they will need to do in order to beat the better teams. I was wondering how long it would take you. And yes, they finally did after weeks of not being able to.

RB Trevon Henderzon zeemz unreliable and ztallz drivez.
not cool, put someone elze in.

It wasn’t pretty bud we have the matchup we’ve all waited for

We got the win. Look at Tennessee getting blown out by S. Carolina of all people. It's tough to win week in and week out. Us Ohio State fans are spoiled by just how good this team is. Ryan Day has commented that just one loss equates to a "bad season." Crazy.

Some thoughts:

--We ran the ball better w/Hayden and Henderson and I think I know why. While Henderson is more explosive, he doesn't square his shoulders to the LOS quickly enough. Instead, he tries to bounce plays where his shoulders are facing the sidelines. That's something you learn in high school and maybe even middle school in good programs. You are so much easier to tackle if you are running w/shoulders facing the sidelines. Hayden runs forward and hits the hole much quicker. He doesn't need as much space.

--Our D-line is looking much better. We get pressure on the qb that often results in big plays.

--Safeties are looking good.

--Corners worry me a bit. Especially Burke.

--Linebackers playing very well.

--#79 was back at RT. Dude is massive, but I thought his backup played better last week than 79 has all season.

--Hope the injury to the RG is not serious.

--Little disappointed in the passing game.

--The play clock has been an issue multiple times this year.

--We are well coached, however. And we have talent out the blank.

--Congrats to the team for not laying an egg that resulted in a loss all season long and heading into the The Game w/a chance to advance.

Speaking of Tennessee … what a fall from grace. I saw them vs Bama and thought they looked unbelievable. A month later and they can’t do anything on defense

Ezpn really hatez the Buckeyez. Juzt consider the overnight coverage on xuen radio.
They didn't play the highlightz from the Ohio state game despite claiming they struggled.
Here iz what happened.
Ohio state had a 27-I3 lead after the 3rd @uarter, after trailing by 3 at halftime, I3-I0.
Then Maryland got a TD, and went for 2 whilst the Buckeyez were kind of thinking the game waz over and the Buckz were going to run away with it.

s But the buckeyes got a touchdown @uick, and it waz 33-2I, because Maryl had gotten the 2 pt.conv.
Then,
The Buckeyez were going to go for 2, and got a penalty, and then the extra point blocked, and they took it all the way down for 2 point to Maryland, (not against the defense) so a 33-23 point Buckeye lead.
Then,
at zome point Maryland got another td, 33-30 Ohio state lead

Then with I:39 to go Ohio state had made Maryl uze all their timoutz and the Buckeyez had the ball on the Maryland 40, and
at zome point the Buckeyez got a FG,
and then
When Maryland got a chance with few seconds left the Buckeyez took the ball away and ran it into the end zone
and made the XP for a final score of 43 to 30.

which was misreported on xpn radio as to 40. The Buckeyez scored ten pointz in the last ninety seconds.

I’d assume Gameday is going to Columbus this weekend

Michigan week... and two undefeated top five teams... should be a good game...

Great matchup between two excellent teams that boast the most heated rivalry in college football.

I worry about this game because TUN's strengths are on the offensive and defensive lines. They are very physical. We are more of a finesse team w/great athletes and scheme. Last year we were exposed in frigid temperatures and snow. They ran it down our throats. We were just a tad off on offense.

I just checked the forecast and it's supposed to be 47 degrees and sunny. That's a plus for us. Glad it isn't a bad-weather game. We saw what happened at Northwestern in such conditions.

I wonder if Miyan Williams will be available for this game? I think we will need him. It would also be great to get JSN back, but I doubt that happens.

Haven't missed an watching an Ohio State vs "that team up north" game "IN YEEEEARS".

A teacher of mine started on the 68? Nat Champ Team. The Woody Hayes stories we heard were hilarious.

Sat, 11/26, 12:00 PM

MICH(11-0)
Money Line +240
Point Spread +7.5
-105
O 57
-110

OSU(11-0)
Money Line -300
Point Spread -7.5
-115
U 57
-110

I’m liking Michigan with the points. I just think it’ll be a close game, less than a score. Something like OSU 26 Michigan 23

[quote=Versatile Dog]Great matchup between two excellent teams that boast the most heated rivalry in college football.

''I worry about this game because TUN's strengths are on the offensive and defensive lines. They are very physical. We are more of a finesse team w/great athletes and scheme. Last year we were exposed in frigid temperatures and snow. They ran it down our throats. We were just a tad off on offense.''

I've watched many of Michigan's games and all of OSU's. I agree with you on this. I think Michigan will have the edge in controlling both lines of scrimmage. Finding running lanes might be difficult so I'm expecting Stroud to pass a lot.

I am not happy that both tOSU and Georgia play at noon. I am not in party mode at noon. Why the heck did they do this? People have things to do on Saturday. Why not put it in the evening.

I’m happy with the 7 am time. An afternoon/night game means my late morning/afternoon is gone

Why would they not throw it until you stop them.

The thrashing today probably isn't going to help that.

A loss might not have hurt, but with the way the Bucs fell apart, that isn't going to help against other 1 loss teams.

Boy did Ryan Day coach scared. He's not the guy. If you can't beat Michigan you do not deserve to stick around. Way too much talent on this team for such an embarrassing loss at home.

Harbaugh took Day to the woodshed today.

Can only imagine the calls Gene Smith is getting right now from the big alumni donors.

Embarrassing loss

I just finished watching the game (recorded it) and boy oh boy did Michigan have our number.

Ohio State played the way we do in that 4th QTR. Those 2 long runs and that ridiculous tipped INT. looked very familiar.

Outcoached and outplayed, and did not look at all like a playoff team. Stroud and Day both looked like deer in the headlights. We got throttled.

Simply put, Michigan’s quarterback outplayed OSU’s. And I have no clue what OSU’s D-Coordinator was thinking at times. To get in the playoff, OSU will need either TCU or USC to lose and then get a vote of confidence from the playoff committee. - I don’t see a 2 loss team getting the nod but can’t guarantee anything. I wouldn’t put Clemson, ‘Bama, or LSU ahead of the Buckeyes but can’t argue if the playoff committee did.

How could that cornerback not cover any better and it waznt ' exposed every zingle week?
#I2 waz never on balance, I'm zurprized they didn't give up 6. or zeven 80 yard pazzez.

Stroud hurt us often. I have seen his game going downhill for last few games. TTUN beat us at our own game, and us missing tackles turned routine vanilla plays into 40+ yard TD's. We looked clueless in coverage. Our plays weren't very effective or aggressive. Our LT hurt us multiple times. Shame enough to go around today. We didn't seem ready. We helped them a lot IMO.

I’m still questioning why our (5th?) string RB was featured … and then we brought in the better backs late in the game?

And the number of penalties was alarming

Maybe if they didn't let it get away from them so bad at the end they might have had a chance at the playoff.

But after the way it ended they have no shot, and they shouldn't.

Hearing people are wanting Day fired, wondering if Urban will come back.

Do we really want to fire a coach that is 45-5?

I'm not happy today either, but that seems crazy to me.

Agreed. Can’t fire Day at this point. As for the playoff, I wonder if a Georgia, Mich, TCU, USC generates more money than Ga, Mich, TCU, Ohio State playoff does? It seems like it’s better for the sport (dollars) to have one West Coast contender than 2 Midwest contenders. Not sure though…

This sounds familiar...

The busted coverages were so Brownesque.

Here is my opinion on OSU with Day as coach, as a Michigan fan who has grown up and lived in Ohio my entire life.

OSU has been incredibly spoiled when it comes to coaches in the last 20 years. They made a great hire in Tressel who built a powerhouse, and who was one of the top coaches in the country for many years. He structured the program and did things the right way, for the most part. When he was forced out, OSU was incredibly lucky to have the stars align and have Urban Meyer available and wanting to coach in Columbus. He is another HoF coach and he continued the winning tradition, though less "the right way." Day was hired as part of Meyer's staff from the NFL with some college experience, and he is a good coach. But the odds of OSU going through 3 straight HoF coaches are pretty slim, and that isn't their fault. What program can/has?

OSU's last 2 coaches were very top tier for the most part. Day very likely is a step down from the previous 2, and in turn, OSU likely won't be the monster power house it has been for 10+ years, though they will still be a top tier program who will probably compete for the National Championship most years.

Michigan is finally providing some recruiting competition that it really hasn't in the last 10+ years locally. I believe Harbaugh is a better coach than Day overall. It remains to be seen if he is top tier either. We're probably in for a great couple years with both programs having good/great teams. OSU would probably be stupid to fire Day now.

Overall, I think the money will stay the same no matter what. It's the thing to watch.

The ideal for the committee is to have a team from 4 different conferences. The SEC has had 2 a few times simply because there was no way around it. This year that isn't the case.

I agree’Peen. Some of this seems cyclical as well. Over the last decade+ its been mostly ‘Bama, Ohio State, Clemson, and a miscellaneous 4th team getting into the playoff. Now it seems like it’ Georgia’s, Michigan’s and USC’s turn to be the 3 mainstays. - It’ll be interesting to see how this shakes out once the SEC and BIG10 expand in a couple years.

Disappointing loss yesterday. Some thoughts:

--We came out strong. Spread the field on offense and moved the ball well. Played man coverage and were determined to stop the run, which we did.

--Left points on the board a couple of times.

--We were totally dominating them and they had two long TD passes. The complexion of the game started to turn.

--We were plagued by pre-snap penalties, drops, and by leaving the pocket too soon on offense. I hate saying this, but it looked like we choked.

--The started gashing us w/the run in the second half and drops and penalties stalled our drives.

Post Game thoughts:

--Day is an excellent coach and recruiter. Talk of firing him is moronic. I hope he doesn't walk due to the negativity of some Ohio State fans/supporters.

--As a former player and coach, I find it upsetting that a team can go 11 and 1 and there are more negative comments than positive. It's really hard to win football games and the media and a large part of the fan base who have never played or coached are incredibly negative and critical. It takes the fun out of the game to see/hear all the harsh commentary. I saw the end of the Minnesota vs Wisconsin game and Minnesota won at the end. The pure joy and jubilation by the Gopher coaches and players was so cool to see. Both teams have had mediocre seasons, but winning that game meant so much. As did losing it. That's what football should be about rather than a lot of negative criticism by folks who really have no idea how hard it is to play and/or coach.

I appreciate your comments, but Ohio State is and should remain a powerhouse given the their vast resources. Day makes $9.5m/year and essentially has to outcoach his opponent 1 game per year. The Buckeyes win on talent alone the rest of the year. Beating Indiana, Kent State and the Arkansas Pine-Bluffs of the country should be expected.

The days of John Cooper type program should be over. Gene Smith definitely will not fire Day, he'd ask him to make it appear as his decision. Day will enter next year on the hot seat and if he loses to Michigan again, he'll be gone. Football is a bottom line business, some cherish moral victories, others want a winner. Would not be surprised to see Ohio State go after Fickell should Day pull a John Cooper again next year.

Congrats to you on the win, Harbaugh put on a coaching clinic yesterday and quite frankly, the last two years against Ohio State when it was clear Ohio State had more talent.

As of today, Ohio State has the 5th best odds of both making the playoffs and also winning the National Championship.

Georgia is first. TUN second. USC and TCU are either third or fourth depending upon what site you choose to use. In case you were not following along yesterday, both LSU and Clemson lost.

I think Georgia and TUN can lose their Conference Championship games and still make the playoffs. TCU might be able to survive if they lose. The team to watch is USC. They would have 2 losses if they lose in their Conference Championship games. Both teams beat ND by 11 on their home fields. Penn State will almost certainly be ranked ahead of any team USC has defeated. I do think a lot of people want a West coast team in, but 1 loss vs 2 losses is a factor. Also, OSU lost to the #2 team in the country. USC losses would not rival that.

As much as some might not want to admit it, Ohio State still has an outside shot of making the playoffs.

j/c

I posted a few weeks ago what would happen if OSU faced a good team and couldn't put four quarters of quality football together. Of course some didn't take that so well, not that I care. Yesterday we saw exactly what that looked like.

Yeah, it was a pretty good beat down. The top 4 are set

Georgia
Michigan
TCU
USC

It just feels like the NCAA is doing what it can to get 'Bama in.

The top 4 will be:
Georgia
Michigan
TCU
USC

5/6 will be OSU and Alabama in some order
TCU or USC lose in their conference championship and who gets in?
I am sure they would rather have 2 SEC team than 2 big ten teams.
jmo, and 'Bama is their little darling -again jmo

Both TCU and USC lose and it's a free for all

With all due respect to everyone here, this is how it is in Columbus: Beat Michigan, Win the Big Ten, Win the National Championship. Period. Ryan Day has failed two years in a row to achieve any of these things. He needs to win next year in Ann Arbor or things are going to get dicey in Columbus. He's getting paid $9M to win. That's the deal. Win or you are gone. Nobody cares about 11 wins a year against a collection of garbage teams if you lose to Michigan. It's always been that way. Don't like pressure? Columbus isn't for you.

If either USC or TCU loses in their conference title games, then Ohio State or ‘Bama gets in. - Since ‘Bama has 2 losses, I don’t think they’ll get the nod.

Yes, OSU will still be a top tier team, but for the last 10-15 years, OSU was always the overwhelming favorite to win the BIG and get to the playoffs/championship. I don't see that being the case anymore. They will be great, and they will still compete for those things, but I don't see them just steamrolling everyone as they have. Day isn't Tressel or Meyer, and they will now have real recruiting competition in Ohio, though I am sure they will still get a majority of the top tier kids from the state. Hell, a 4 star OT on an official visit to OSU on Saturday committed to Michigan after the game.

Most likely the reason he committed to Xichigan is because OSU has not offered him as of yet.

OSU does not deserve the playoffs.

Possibly, but that seems to be a theme with players from Ohio according to Luke Hamilton, the recruit who committed to Michigan while on a visit to OSU. Here is a quote from him:

“(Ohio State) did this to all of the in-state (recruits). They put us on the back burner and will wait until the last second, because they think they have us committed there if they offer, which I think is totally stupid. That is not how that works at all. I’ve talked to linemen all around Cleveland and people that I know and they all feel the same way. … I think Ohio State is taking too long and I don’t think they are doing it right (at this time).”

Which again was kind of my point previously. OSU will still control most in state recruiting, but there are a ton of good players in Ohio, and there are some who may look elsewhere if OSU struggles, or continues to dilly dally with in state guys. That was a huge part of Tressel's start, was locking up Ohio.

Hamilton is the 5th ranked recruit in OH, and he is I believe the 8th ranked tackle in the country for his class. A guy OSU would typically try to lock up. Now maybe he isn't a fit for whatever reason, but if OSU is stringing guys out as an insurance policy, a lot of those guys will start going elsewhere.

Nope, not even close

While I love Tressel and this isn't a knock on him, but recruiting at Ohio State has changed drastically since he coached for many reasons. I'll name a few as this could become a long conversation if explaining all the reasons.

Ohio State recruits nationally. When Urban came here, he changed the recruiting model for OSU. It was more about getting top recruits nationally while focusing only on the few top recruits from Ohio and supplementing the rest of the class with 3 or 4 stars from the Ohio area.

Ohio isn't the hot bed that it was in the early 2000s and earlier. Sure, there is still some great talent here, but alot of talent is the south. Urban and Day have focused on getting players from the south (i.e. GA, FL, TX mostly). There is so much talent in those areas. big reason for this is technology advancement. It's easy to communicate with anyone in the world. Applying for a job is made easy b/c of the internet. You can go online and buy/rent a place. Families can move anywhere and know they have a job and a place to live. Recruiting has exploded over the years. Partly b/c of internet recruiting sites, accessibility to get tape on almost any recruit, and also NCAA rule changes with summer camps where schools like Ohio State can get one on one time with any recruit to evaluate them.

Urban, just like Day will go hard right away after identified top recruits from Ohio. The ones a tier below that, they know they have a great chance of getting them closer to signing day. I can't speak for Hamilton. They could be so many reasons Ohio State didn't offer. His first of his statement, if he's talking generally about "all in-state recruits" then that is bs. He does say a couple sentences later about lineman, so if it's only lineman then that is different then "all" in-state. Though, that can be challenged b/c over the years, they have offered top lineman early from Ohio.


"OSU will still control most in state recruiting, but there are a ton of good players in Ohio, and there are some who may look elsewhere if OSU struggles"
OSU is a national brand. Recruits know they will be in the playoff hunt yearly for the significant future. But a good portion of why top recruits will come here is to get into the league. They have put the last couple QBs in the league. They have two highly rated recruits as backups and Dylan Raiola is the number 1 ranked recruit in the '24 class. I could go on about other positions for the similar reasons.

Losing recruits from Ohio will happen, but a high percentage of the time it will be b/c of OSU's choice. Some recruits will just choose other places. An example of this is Jackson Carmen (#2 LT five star) a few years ago. Ohio State went hard for him. He just didn't want to be in Ohio and signed with Clemson. So who did scramble to replace him? Petite-Ferre... a five star #1 LT in that class.

OSU will always go after top talent first. The more 5 stars / top 100 recruits on your roster, the better chance you will always be in the playoffs/National Championship conversation.

I agree with your thoughts. It used to be that OSU would recruit Ohio heavily and than fill in the rest of the class with players they liked outside of Ohio, the exception being a few top recruits. Now it's the opposite they recruit the top out of state recruits and fill in with Ohio recruits. According to Bucknuts OSU has offered 79 recruits in the 2024 class and only 6 are from Ohio, they have offered 18 from Florida, 15 from Georgia, and 8 from Texas, and the 6 from Ohio are all 4 and 5 star recruits.

Thanks.

The past couple years, the state of Ohio's classes haven't been ranked strong. (side note: i know rankings are the end all, but they are a good barometer on the players) Though if you look at since 2020 at the very least, Ohio State has grabbed almost all the Ohio recruits that were in the top 100. Sure, they didn't get Altar (went to PSU) but they signed Devin Brown who was a top 50 recruit and decommitted to USC.
Usually the ones outside of that, they tell the player to come to summer camp and possibly earn an offer.

Some teams can do this. Heck, the last few years, Bama will go through the summer/early fall being ranked 30s-50s and you'll think they're slipping with recruiting. Then all of a sudden, they act like they're picking a dodge ball team and say: ok, you, you and you are on our team. By signing day, they're #1 or 2 with 5-7+ five star recruits. OSU's recruiting game isn't that strong, but it's easily top 3 with Bama and Georgia (I guess you can sort of add A&M with their NIL contracts)


We are just really spoiled as fans of Ohio State.

247sports link
Link

Any more you have to rely heavily on skill guys from the high talent areas and fill in the OL from the Midwest … that’s a generalization, but holds true a lot of times

I don't know.

I will say the loss was a "bad" loss v a good loss. Losing at home and allowing almost 50 points isn't a good look. Especially after being totally spanked in the 2nd half.

When it comes to USC, a loss in a championship game isn't the same as losing in a game that would put you in the championship game. To me a championship loss is half a loss in the eyes of poll voters.

That does not make sense. Who would deserve to be the 4th team if USC loses their Conference Championship game? Why would any 2-loss team pass an Ohio State team whose only loss is to the #2 team in the nation?

I've watched more college football this year than at any other point. I don't have a good reason for my comment other than they don't seem like one of the four best teams to me, and I would personally like to see some fresh blood in the playoff.

I'm still not familiar with how it all works in college football, but that loss was fresh on my mind and seems it would weigh pretty heavily on their chances.

I’d just go by my eye test. OSU hasn’t looked as sharp as they should if they want to be in the CFP, even before this past weekend.

It would be hard for me to think they’d beat Alabama on a neutral field (heck, even at home)

Alabama has lost 2 games. They won 3 others by the narrowest of margins. They don't have the quality wins like OSU does. Their pass defense is atrocious. They have been penalized in double digits multiple times. Their WRs drop passes at an alarming rate. They don't deserve to be in the playoffs.

Here, check this out from ESPN college football playoff analysts, Heather Dinich and Paul Finebaum. It's telling because ESPN folks always favor the SEC.

This is correct. Does anyone really want to see them get blown off the field by Georgia? No thanks. Ryan Day is out of his freaking mind thinking that if they get in they will be a dangerous team. LOL

Bama has looked terrible this year. They shouldn't even be in the conversation for anything in the Top 5 this year.

One of the issues with Ohio State, is their first loss of the season was the last game of the season to an undefeated team.

The top 4 at the moment are pretty clear.
Who would anybody rank higher than OSU/Bama?
NMeither team is having a great year but neither is anyone else.

Anything can happen if a team gets in just look at the NFL and with a month to prepare anything is possible ... Just think in a couple years despite the loss they would be a 5th seed in a 12 team playoff ...

If I am reading this wrong, then please correct me.

When you say neither team is having a great year...do you mean Bama and OSU? All of the things OSU fans have been saying about the team (and playoffs), isn't even close to what Bama fans should be saying about if they're their team deserves a chance.

Ohio State lost just one game this year. They lost to the #3 team (now #2) in the nation. That team also statistically had one of the top 5 defenses in the whole country. Ohio State had one of the top offenses in the nation. Something had to give.

There are only two teams that should be in the conversation for the 4 spot at this point in time. The ONLY teams with one loss throughout the year so far. USC and OSU. That's it, and you can make a case for either team to be in the 4 slot.

This is a good point. I was thinking the same thing last night when reading that comment.

The time between now and the bowl season is one area you will see growth in players. Coaches can get back to coaching/teaching during practices leading up to bowl games. Younger players (not all, generalizing) will start to show growth. Players have time to heal previous injuries and be rested.

I think USC and TCU are locks to make the playoffs if they win their Conference Championship. However, I think Ohio State's resume is superior to USC's should the Trojans stumble this week. TCU? I'm not sure about. They would have only loss and have made it to their Conference Championship game.

1, yes I was talking about OSU and Bama. Clearly we agree on Bama.
OSU has not played up to expectations and got crushed by UM.
But I get your point.

2, I forgot USC lost a game. So I can see the argument of USC vs OSU
But if USC wins next week then they are a 1 loss conference champion which I think gives them the nod.

I agree with you and Vers.

1. I understand your point about Ohio State from a fans point of view. We are really spoiled. But the reality is we are one of 5 teams with one loss or less and each of these teams has their own flaws.

2. Yea that is why I said, "this point in time".

If USC wins their conference championship game, then I agree they should be the first to go. I would expect that result if it was OSU in USC's position.

After listening to a bunch of others thoughts, something is glaring. After watching this game, I commented that Michigan’s qb clearly outplayed Marcus Stroud. - I didn’t think much of it at first but there’s something we have to consider. Not only for Ohio State, but for some of the other programs with top tier talent.
I think college football is in a bit of trouble.. The guys who get those NIL deals know that they are established enough to get drafted pretty dang high. Remember last year against Utah, when Ohio State’s two best players-Garret Wilson and Chris Olave sat out the bowl game out of fear of getting hurt and risking their draft status? If you didn’t notice against Michigan on Saturday, Ohio State’s best player- Smith-Njgba essentially sat this one out- He knows he’s a first rounder and he isn’t going to sacrifice his future for the program. Ohio State’s quarterback also figures to be a top 10 pick and he damn sure wasn’t about to get himself hurt for the program. - Dude left the pocket how many times to avoid any contact. -He also wasn’t about to take off and run the way that Michigan’s quarterback was all game. (Remember when JT Barrett would lower his shoulder on the option plays?)- The last thing those guys want is to get into the playoff. Take a look at ‘Bama. 2 losses? You don’t think that has anything thing to do with guy’s looking forward to April? We’re seeing the effects of NIL play out in front of us. “I just made 100,000 to do a commercial because I’m a superstar” …. “Oh wait! I’m a superstar, as long as I don’t get hurt from now until April, I can make a few million just by signing on the dotted line, and then make a few hundred thousand by doing another commercial!”

I honestly don't think it has to do with the NIL at all. Players just realized that it too much of a business risk to play in meaningless bowl games. I am not saying I agree with it, and I don't think Stroud was playing with that in mind, but I do think Smith-Njiba has avoided the field this year after getting hurt early. If they win, Stroud plays in the Playoff. Since they didn't, I doubt he plays in the bowl game, unless they sneak in now with a USC loss or something.

Stroud has never been a runner. He can run, but it isn't a big part of his game. McCarthy is a bit of a scrambler, and was used primarily as such last year. Stroud honestly doesn't seem like much of a fiery guy anyway. McCarthy is. Just differences in attitude, not saying one is better than the other.

That's it in a nutshell IMO. If USC wins they're in due to holding the conference championship.

I think this season is a very good example of why a 4 team playoff is sufficient. Most people think they've gotten it right every season since the format was introduced.

I disagree. I think Ohio State would roll USC and beat TCU. Hell, I think Penn State is better than both those teams. I think LSU and Tennessee [when healthy] would also roll USC.

Ohio state getting slapped two years in a row against a more physical MI is a serious problem. We recruit soft players, playing MI in November every year is going to be brutal under Ryan Day.

Soft Pac 12 team masquerading as a Big Ten team.

- That’s about as perfect of a comparison as I’ve heard of. This team doesn’t maul and grind other teams the way that Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes did. I keep going back to guys like JT Barret and Cardale Jones running the option and not being afraid of taking a hit. - Completely different from what the Buckeyes have with Marcus Stroud. Don’t get me wrong, Stroud is an elegant passer and makes NFL throws all day— but for some reason, he just doesn’t seem like the right fit for a BIG10 offense. Now, if OSU lucks their way into the playoffs and plays in a dome or in good weather, I think he’ll look like Tom Brady ( if he hasn’t already opted to sit out and wait for the draft).

For the record, Marcus Stroud played for the Jags and the Bills. CJ Stroud is the Buckeyes qb.

I knew that didnt sound right. My Homer Simpson moment. DOH!

Agree... We have a very talented team this year, but that second half was awful.... Day better figure out how to beat MI or he's gone... that was the worst I've seen OSU in a half in years... MI played a hell of a game... congrats to them....

and in terms of the CFP... OSU is where they should be... I can see the argument to be ahead of USC... but they just got beat down at home... hard to make too strong an argument for 4th best team when we get beat down at home...

If USC or TCU loses then OSU likely makes the playoffs... but this team needs to figure things out if they want to actually win a bowl game...

The latest rankings from the Committee were released. They were exactly the way a few of us said they would be. Ohio State at 5 ahead of Alabama at 6. Both teams are done playing. So are the teams ranked 7-10. If USC loses Friday night, the Bucks will almost certainly be in the playoffs. If TCU loses, they might still get in ahead of OSU because they would only have one loss.

One thing they were talking about that I did not really consider was if TUN would be ranked ahead of Georgia. It ended up w/Georgia at 1 and TUN at 2. Interesting conversation, though.

After the league championships have played out, I don't think there will be any argument against the 4 teams that actually make the playoff. The Buckeyes have a decent chance of making it.

There is something going on with the Buckeyes and I don't know what it is given the talent there. They have not looked like a top 4 team since the PSU game. I even thought they were just toying with their opponents at first, and they haven't really "rolled" anybody except Indiana in that time. They've given up a lot of points, and they're not just garbage points....an average of 25+ points against over their final 5 games...and that includes the 7 vs Northwestern. Stroud just looks like he's playing scared.

I agree with MI being more physical. I thought Penn State was too at times.
What we didn't have the last two years was a dual threat QB. Think of Terrelle Pryor 2008-2010, Braxton Miller 2011-2015, JT Barret 2014-2017, Justin Fields 2019-2020, ... those guys always had the defense guessing.
Not taking anything away from CJ...he is smart and accurate but if our receiver's aren't open it's going to be a tough game especially with your best RB injured.

I personally think 8 teams is a good range for a playoff.

5 major conference winners and 3 at large selected by a committee

First round the top 4 seeds receive a game much closer to their campus than their opponent … and then following rounds are neutral

My only issue with all this is USC and TCU possibly being punished for making their conference championship games. OSU and Alabama shouldn't be able to improve standing while not playing. It's the weirdest situation, because teams who did progress further can be punished, while teams who didn't get as far can be rewarded for NOT playing. Especially TCU who currently has the best SoS according to a couple metrics. OSU's was 69th I believe, and Alabama's with in the 40s and they have 2 losses.

And this isn't just a "this year" problem.

No doubt. The only way OSU gets in is to enter the backdoor with a USC loss to Utah. A backdoor that I think could be open.

I will be glad when the playoffs go to 12 teams in 2 years. If they were this year the conversation would be if Utah or Kansas State gets in as the 12th team. It would still be interesting, but not nearly as when you start taking about who is 4th or 5th. At 12 the conversation sort of falls in that "whatever" realm.

No matter how many teams are included in the playoffs, somebody is always going to be the first team out.

j/c...

I'd hate to lose Hartline from that staff. Hope he stays, but understand moving your career forward. He'll be a HC someday whether it's it college or the NFL.

I've seen enough of these that I can't help but gravitate to the 'right now' part.

I was wondering if other teams would come after him. From everything I have read and heard, he sounds like a very intelligent coach who relates well w/his players.

Ohio State will be in the playoffs now that Utah beat the snot out of USC last night. I've thought USC was a pretend team all year long. I'm guessing that TCU stays in the top 4 even w/a loss.

I thought OSU belonged in over USC before last night's loss, both teams had 1 loss but OSU's came against what was the #3 team in the country at the time while USC's came against Utah who were the #20 team at the time plus USC didn't even play against 2 of the better teams in their conference in Washington and Oregon.

I think back to when I happened to watch with one of only one non conf. college football gamez all year, I watched earlier in the year, Utah vz. Usc, and late in the first half, maybe five minutez to go in the 2nd,
and the Refz, made one call that changed what realistically would have been a thirty five to seven UsC lead

to a 28 to fourteen lead. A fourteen point swing on one call, a light touch to the shoulder pad of the Utah @B which waz called roughing the pazzer and took away a pick 6. and zet up a red zone pozezzion.

UZC got Robbed in the first game against UTAH their only 2nd lozz, a one point lozz in the end, where UTAH would have given up down by 4 Zcorez at half, instead of juzt 2. And then the whole Zet of teamz getting into the playoff would be different.
all from one referee whistle call.
thumbzdown.

I can read about one zentenze of your poztz before I get pizzed of and quit reading.

LOL

j/c….

Ohio State is going to get another shot at Michigan in the CFP. A shot at redemption.

I’d love to see UGA vs Bama and OSU vs UM

I hope they will let Bama in, but I doubt it. Go Buckeyes!

Please no. I'd like to see some fresh teams in the playoff.

TCU deserves to be in over Alabama and I don't think it's all that close if you factor out SEC bias.

That’s how I feel too. Bama is 5 or 6 based on resume

Bulldogs will give us a massive beatdown

They’re certainly the best team by my view

Buckeyes where they belong. #4.

Have fun secondary

Vs Georgia at 4PM

I knew OSU was going to be #4 before they announced it. During the CFB playoff announcement show they were talking how Georgia was obviously #1 and UM #2 but the graphic showed a split screen of Kirby Smart and Ryan Day

I think the Committee got it right.

It's at 8pm.

It is? I thought the game wasn’t in phoenix

Thanks!

I was surprised that they're only 6.5 underdogs.

Georgia. Yikes. However, I think that Ohio State and Bama are the only two teams that can beat the dawgs.

Go Buckeyes

I expect this number to slowly climb and then come back down to just over a TD

What on earth would make you think this? Ohio State has no chance. This will be a double digit win for Georgia.

j/c

Jaxon Smith-Njigba not playing against Georgia, declares for NFL draft

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — The Buckeyes will be without one of its star receivers in the Peach Bowl against Georgia as he continues to recover from an injury and prepares for the NFL draft.

Junior Jaxon Smith-Njigba has missed almost the entire season after suffering a hamstring injury.

“I want to thank Jaxon for all he has done for our Ohio State program," head coach Ryan Day said in a statement. "He has had such a major impact here in Columbus, on and off the field, in a relatively short period of time. We all know he has a very bright future ahead of him and we all support him as he moves forward with his career.”

Ohio State said Smith-Njigba continues to rehabilitate while also preparing for the 2023 NFL Draft.

He played in three games this season, the last of which was Iowa.

"I did everything possible to put myself in a position to get back on the field multiple times this year, I wanted it as much, if not more than anyone else," Smith-Njigba said in a statement.

"After consulting with my doctors, it has been determined that I will not be able to participate in the playoffs... I have decided to focus on getting 100% healthy and commit to my training for the next chapter in my football journey. I am officially declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft."

No surprise... kid couldn't get healthy this year... wish him luck in the NFL

If OSU Protects CJ Stroud OSU Wins UGA is horrible against the pass ...

Wow! That's great news. Thanks for posting.

Love to see the stud WRs continue

Pretty cool article written by Paris Johnson Jr, kinda hard to read on here, OSU LT, probably a top 5 pick in the ‘23 NFL draft:


Paris Johnson Jr.


Ohio State University
Dec 29, 2022
Dear Buckeyes,
In my journalism classes, they always tell us that the truth comes first. So before I explain to you how much this place means to me, I really have to come clean.
Originally, this was not the plan. Growing up, I never saw myself as a Buckeye. Being from Cincinnati, people assume that it had always been my dream to play at The Shoe. And I really wish I could tell you that I had my little Troy Smith jersey and my Ohio State franchise on NCAA Football and everything. But honestly, I didn’t even really watch college football like that. If anything, we were a Miami (Ohio) family. My dad played in the NFL, and he was still in my life at the time, so my only mission since I was five years old was to play in the league like him.
I’ll never forget, my mom took me to the ESPN Wide World of Sports camp when I was eight or nine, and I thought I was literally at the Youth NFL Combine. That was the first time I’d ever seen cucumber water, and I was telling my mom for months afterward, “Listen, I can’t be drinking normal water anymore. I need it with the little cucumber slices, like the pros.”
At the end of the camp, they gave us the free ESPN T-shirt and I was like, “I’m so elite, man. I really made it.” I didn’t realize until I was looking at the pictures years later that I was just at Disney World with a bunch of regular kids. I’m looking at this dude in the picture like, “Dang, he’s 85 pounds???” I really thought he was Little Peyton Manning. He was just some kid on vacation and I was out there trying to take his soul. Hahahah.
When I got to middle school, we had a family friend who was a walk-on at Alabama, and I got invited to go down to Tuscaloosa to play in Bama's summer camp every year. I just remember being so hyped when I made the ALL-SABAN team in sixth and seventh grade. I thought I was official. Then eighth grade rolls around, and my mom is like, “Hey listen, we can’t make it work this year. We have to stay close to home. You’re gonna have to go to the Ohio State camp.”
I was like, “Mom??? Ohio State??? Really???” I almost took it as punishment. And the funniest part was that this was 2015, when they were coming off the national championship, so I don’t even have a good excuse. Literally, the first thing they had all the campers do was go and take a picture with Urban Meyer next to the trophy. I swear to you, I had no idea who this man was. He could’ve been a camp counselor or the AD or something — I had no clue. I shook his hand and put my hand on the trophy and smiled for the photo. Then they had all of us gathered around in a circle, and I guess they were trying to hype us up on the history of the program, because they were asking all these trivia questions. Coach Hinton, who’s still an assistant at OSU to this day, was the one running it. He said, “How many national championships have we won? Who knows?” There’s hundreds of campers. For some reason, one of the coaches hands me the mic. I have no clue. But I’m looking around, and I see all these banners hanging up — commemorating all the Orange Bowls, Rose Bowls and Big Ten titles over the last 70, 80 years. I’m counting the banners, thinking I’m slick.
Finally, I’m like, “42.”
Everybody starts laughing — I mean the whole camp. I was so embarrassed, but I was playing it off. I was still holding the microphone, and I just got all defensive, like, “Man, whatever! I usually go to Alabama every year anyway! I don’t even care!!!” (Whenever you hear somebody say, “I don’t even care!!!” that’s when you know they’re suppressing that single tear coming out of the corner of their eye.)
That whole week, I was in my 13-year-old pride. I think I was literally telling people, “Bro, I’m never coming here! I’m going to Bama!” Hahahaha.
It’s funny looking back on it now, because Coach Meyer became one of my biggest mentors. And as far as Columbus goes?
Columbus became my favorite place on earth.
Paris Johnson Jr. | Ohio State University | Dear Buckeyes | The Players' Tribune
Joseph Maiorana/USA Today
I can tell you the exact moment I knew I wanted to be a Buckeye.
I was sitting on the couch in Coach Meyer’s office with him and my mom. I was on my first official visit, right before my junior year of high school. That summer, me and my mom must’ve visited 25 schools. I’ve been to every college campus from Stanford to Penn State on down to Georgia, and, honestly, they all have something special about them. But I’ll never forget, we’re sitting there with Coach Meyer, and he’s like, “I want you to watch something.”
And then he put it on. The single greatest hype video of all time, in my opinion. The Brotherhood video. Every Buckeye in the world knows what I’m talking about. The YouTube video they put together after the Penn State comeback game in 2017. If you’re a real Buckeye, you know every frame of that video. You might just think about it and get goose bumps.
Coach turns off all the lights, and he’s sitting right next to me on the couch, and I’m not kidding you, every single time Penn State scored, whenever the score popped up in the lower left corner of the screen, he’d tap my knee. And he’d point at the screen, like, You seein’ this?
Saquon runs the opening kick back.
PSU 7
OSU 0
*Tap*
You seein’ this, kid?
PSU 14
OSU 0
*Tap*
Can you believe this?
This goes on for the next five minutes, to the point where I’m preemptively looking at him after every score like, Coach I can’t believe this.
Finally, it gets to the moment everybody knows — the “possession” catch from Penn State in the end zone, the overturned call, the stunned crowd, and then that overhead Goodyear blimp shot way above The Shoe.
PSU 35
OSU 20
*Tap*
Coach got a big grin on his face, like, This is about to blow your mind.
“AND IT’S BLOCKED!!! LOOSE!!! BOOKER!!! HAS IT!!!!!!”
You know the rest. Literally, every time Coach hit me on the knee, I wanted to run down into the locker room and put some shoulder pads on and just block somebody into the dirt. At the end of the video, you see the guys on the sidelines crying tears of joy, hugging one another, and the fans running onto the field, and he’s just looking at me like….
See? That’s FAMILY.
There’s a lot of great programs, and a lot of great cultures in college football. But there’s college football, and then there’s Ohio State. It’s two different things.

- Paris Johnson Jr.
I knew that day I was going to be a Buckeye. I told my mom, “That’s it. I think it’s time for me to commit.”
She was looking at me crazy, like, “We just started! I got a whole itinerary!”
Whatever mom says goes, so we hit the road again. But then finally, after we visited some more schools, she could tell that I wasn’t going to change my mind. I was meant to be a Buckeye. She let me commit. But the trick was that she made me promise to call every single coach who gave me an offer and thank them personally. It was a cool moment, because me and my mom were going through all my letters, and it brought back a lot of memories. I even had one from the University of West Georgia, from way back. In the end, I had to call 48 coaches. No matter how small the school, they gave me an opportunity, so I called.
I remember I started at eight o’clock in the morning and I finally called Coach Meyer at nine o’clock at night and told him I wanted to be a Buckeye. I was so tired that all I can remember him saying was, “Well, son, we’re ready to have you.”
Obviously, Coach Meyer had to leave not long after that, and Coach Day took over for him, but there was never a doubt in my mind about where I wanted to be. I remember my senior year of high school, right before the Penn State game, they invited all the recruits to come to the facility and actually watch the hype video with the team. We’re just in the back of the room, observing everything. Coach Day gives this amazing speech, and then they play the video, and when Coach Franklin came up on the screen, Coach Day grabbed a water bottle and just spiked it and started screaming.
The whole team was going crazy. I’m in the back of the room, not supposed to be saying a peep, and I’m losing my mind. I’m like, “Woooooo! Woooooo!!! Let’s go, Coach!!!! Let’s gooooooo!!!!!”
I was ready to run through a brick wall for the man, and I was still in high school.
There are a lot of great programs, and a lot of great cultures in college football. But there’s college football, and then there’s Ohio State. It’s two different things.

There aren’t a lot of times that come around in life when you feel like you just entered a secret cheat code and you get a second chance to take down the boss. I remember walking off the field with Donovan Jackson after the loss to The Team Up North a few weeks ago, and it was almost like a funeral type of feeling. We just said how appreciative we were of being by each other’s side in the trenches all season. We knew our fate wasn’t in our hands, and we weren’t sure what was going to happen next. You’re looking at the seniors and guys who might not be coming back next year, and it’s such a weird, bittersweet moment. You can’t help thinking about all the work you put in, and all the memories….
You think about the good times, the bad times, the mat drills, the Friday night team dinners, the pecan rolls with the ice cream, the walk-throughs, the Xbox, all the awesome hype videos, the first time you got a Buckeye leaf on your helmet, the time in the freshman dorms when the dishwasher was stinking so crazy that somebody called the fire department thinking it was a gas leak, the time you embarrassed yourself the first day of classes asking the professor if you had permission to go to the bathroom. (“You don’t have to ask in college, Paris. You just go.”)
You think of all that stuff, and it’s like: It can’t really have gone by this fast. It was a really emotional moment. We thought we were done. But somehow, some way … God gave us a second lease on life.
We’re going down to Georgia with unfinished business.

- Paris Johnson Jr.
I was watching that USC game just like everybody else. I was chilling on the couch, wondering if we had a chance. It’s the hope that really kills you! So I was just trying to chill and remain calm the whole time. But then I saw Utah establishing the run in the first quarter, and I was like … Hmm. Interesting.
Then I saw their defense really pressing the USC pocket and I was like … Interesting. Very, very interesting.
The funny part was that my girlfriend was watching with me, and she was extremely hype. But she’s new to football, and she got a little confused about the colors at one point, and when USC ripped off a 15-yard run, she’s yelling, “Go!!!! Go!!!!!”
And I’m yelling, “No!!!! No!!!!!!”
Everybody in the group text was going crazy, but I was trying not to say a word until the clock hit zero. When it finally did, and USC had been knocked off, I was just so thankful to have a second chance at this, with all my brothers. We don’t take that opportunity for granted. We’re going down to Georgia with unfinished business.
Paris Johnson Jr. | Ohio State University | Dear Buckeyes | The Players' Tribune
Michael Reaves/Getty
I want to win a national championship so badly. Not just for myself, not just for my teammates, not just for my classmates and professors and coaches and trainers. But really for this entire community. I didn’t grow up with the posters on my wall. I didn’t have an appreciation for big-time college football as a kid, and what this place really means. I literally thought we’d won 42 natties. (To this day, Coach Hinton likes to remind me, “Paris, 42? Really?”)
This was not supposed to happen. But I thank God that my path led me to Columbus, because this university and this community is about a lot more than wins and losses and banners on the wall. It’s really a feeling. It’s a brotherhood and an unbreakable bond, and I’m not just talking about football.
No matter what happens down in Georgia, just know that we’ll be ready to run through that wall for you one more time.
This is FAMILY. Forever.
Thank God that I’m a Buckeye.

Sincerely,
Paris

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/paris-johnson-jr-ncaa-football-ohio-state

I'm very anxious about this game. As much as it saddens me I fear we will be seeing a Georgia vs Michigan championship game.

TCU has come to play. I hope OSU does as well

They sure did and I do to. ttnu got jobbed on a couple of huge calls, but TCU was the better team today.

Link?

You feel a little better with that team up north losing ?

2:36 left. The OSU has shown well regardless of the pending outcome. Let’s hope they can close it.

Welp ......

I guess they have a minute or so l;eft .... needing a FG.

That totally sucked.

I am seriously not sure what is worse ... losing like Michigan did ..... or losing like this.

That was a terrible kick. I hope it was a bad hold or something.

Bummer. If Harrison doesn’t go out I think we win it.

CJ Stroud and Ryan Day both earned my respect tonight. How the officials changed the call on the Georgia TE oob on 4th down is beyond me. However, these were clearly the best teams in college football and it was going to be a fg game either way. TCU also earned my respect tonight. Does anyone think that they have a chance against UGA?

I still want to know how that 4th down call was overturned when the Georgia player was out of bounds. That was extremely suspect.

Also, I was unimpressed by Georgia's quarterback. Maybe you can say this about any college QB, but if that QB tries half the things he did in the pros he'll be a huge bust.

Wow, I went to bed thinking the Bucs had it in the bag. I was here to offer congrats to the Bucs fans here on the board and then find out Georgia won the game.

Anyway, congrats are still in order.

I suppose in real time I can understand the feeling, but in the views I just looked at there is no question the guy was inbounds.

Brutal loss. Harrison going out was a really game deciding factor. Couple that with UGA getting a few close breaks/calls AND the defense not being able to stop anyone when it counts again.

Stroud was awesome, and I hated the last 3 offensive play calls. Sucks that OSU probably beats TCU and now UGA will probably walk to the title

I see 3 major factors in the Buckeye loss.

1, Harrison going out.
Georgia had no answer in how to cover him

2, Georgia D dialing up the pressure.
At some point midway through the 2nd half, Georgia changed it's defensive philosophy
They really turned up the pressure and our offense had to work a lot harder to get things done
Prior to that move, things looked almost easy for our offense.

Two questions:
First, did they feel like they couldn't do this early in the game because of our Wr power then could after Harrison went out? Second, Could we have made some kind of counter on offense to lighten the pressure Stroud was getting?

3, The OSU defensive coordinator has this defense that he loves to call, but seems as if we are repeatedly getting scorched when he does. Cb's are wide, no safety in the middle and the LB is supposed to drop to cover the deep middle? Something weird like that. We got burned on it multiple times by Georgia. The thing that bothers me is that defensive call is the same one TTUN kept detrying when we played them.

j/c:

Just finished watching the game this morning. What a horrible kick at the end, my gosh. Still, it was an exciting game to watch.... too bad the outcome.

I can't believe we lost that game. I really think we outplayed them, but we ended up losing. The injuries to Harrison and Stover were huge. We also gave up too many explosive plays. A couple of sacks hurt us, as well.

I'm proud of the Buckeyes, though. That was one hell of a game. Two excellent teams trading body blows and haymakers. Heartbreaking loss for Ohio State.

It was close but I thought it had to be clear evidence to over rule the call and I didn't see it. It was hard to tell where the ball goes out on those angles.

He won’t be drafted high enough to be considered a bust. He’s 5’11” with cleats on. He’s not a top pro prospect.

OSU definitely outplayed them IMO. Injuries and their pressure hurt the last few drives. No shame in that loss, but it sucks to lose lol

No shame losing a game like that against a good team.

OSU had a chance to win at the end. The kicker was at the far edge of his range. He got quick in the mechanics trying to kick it as solid as he could and just hit the outside of the ball, sending it 25 yards left of where he wanted.

We went toe to toe with the defending NC in their home state and had a chance to win on the last play. Again, what a crappy kick. CJ Stroud was amazing. The Buckeyes played their hearts out, but the db slipping probably cost us the game. I thought it was pretty clear that the Georgia TE was in bounds on the reversed call. Kudos to Smart and his staff for recognizing the fake punt and getting the TO called.
A fantastic couple of playoff games, and I think another good example of why a 4 team playoff works.

It was a helluva game and a heart breaker. We were in it until the end. I couldn't believe that FG attempt.

I just didnt love the last 3 play calls. especially the stupid run to the short side on 1st down

Regarding the 4th down oob… Can someone find the rule? Is it the same as when a WR keeps his feet in and catches the ball while it is oob? - In this case doesn’t the ball get spotted where his feet are?

Is it the same rule for a runner… ball doesn’t get placed where it goes out rather where the runner’s limb (hand in this case) is touching and isn’t contingent on where the ball is as it goes oob?

I have no clue…

I am going to have to agree with you. Happy new year!

Are you agreeing that Muni has no clue???

Either way, He’s right!

You see guys reaching the ball out all the time. It is where the ball is, it couldn't be the feet. When a runner is tackled, they don't place the ball back at his feet.

After the game, I began my post with "I can't believe we lost that game."

I was watching College Game Day earlier and one of the guys said he was talking to Stetson, Georgia's QB and he apparently said "I can't believe we won that "bleeping" game" and "I don't know how did we win that "bleeping" game."

<<sigh>>

j/c...

I heard that this morning. I don't like the idea. He's a really good play caller.

I didnt think we had much issue with playcalling all year, except that last drive lol. I’m more worried about the defense

Maybe the guy has some issue I am not aware of, and this is a bit off topic, but to me Coach Day looks like he is made of wax. His face seems to be very tight and shiny.

Has he had plastic or reconstructive surgery of some sort?

I notice it too, but only when he’s either cold or really fired up lol. He may have had Botox

Ok....at least I am not the only one.

Wrong as usual...

Why Ohio State football canceled its home-and-home series with Washington in 2024-25



By Nathan Baird, cleveland.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio — You can cancel those Ohio State football travel plans to Seattle in September 2024.

You may also want to prepare for another West Coast trip instead.

Ohio State announced Wednesday it is paying the $500,000 cancellation fee to back out of its home-and-home with Washington in 2024 and ‘25. It instead plans to pick up home games for both seasons.

That eighth home game in 2024 will help cover the cancellation fee while also providing the money guarantee OSU will pay to the replacement opponent, according to athletic director Gene Smith.


“We initiated the cancellation,” Smith said in a news release. “I have the utmost respect for the University of Washington and for Director of Athletics, Jennifer Cohen, and this was a very difficult call to make.”


Ohio State was scheduled to play at Washington on Sept. 14, 2024, with the Huskies returning to Ohio Stadium on Sept. 13, 2025. Ohio State said it needs non-conference home games in 2024 on Sept. 7 or Sept. 14, and in 2025 on Sept. 6 or Sept. 13.




According to an OSU spokesperson, a few factors went into the decision to withdraw from the series.

Ohio State plays only six home games this fall. While the budget is adjusted accordingly, teams typically play at least seven home games to accommodate spending across all programs. Ohio State is also paying back a $48 million loan it received from the school to make up for budget shortages related to a lack of football attendance and other factors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, OSU and all Big Ten teams still face some unknowns as to who will be on their conference schedules beginning in 2024. The original schedules had to be redrawn after the admittance of UCLA and USC, who begin play that fall. Ohio State’s release said the Big Ten schedule is expected to be announced in October.

If OSU ended up with a road game at one of those Los Angeles-area schools in 2024, keeping Washington on the schedule would have required two West Coast trips during the regular season. And if USC is locked into the 2024-25 schedules along with known protected rivalries with Michigan and Penn State, a nonconference schedule with both Texas and Washington would begin to feel very heavy.

The solution, while requiring a half million dollar payment by February 2025, may have both competitive and financial benefits for OSU. We will know more once that Big Ten schedule is in hand.


https://www.cleveland.com/osu/2023/...e-series-with-washington-in-2024-25.html

j/c...

Brian Hartline is a recruiting machine. He'll be a running a program someday.

He's been fantastic... hope he stays with OSU for a long time...

Police: Alcohol involved in ATV crash involving Ohio State OC Brian Hartline

Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline was hospitalized Sunday after being involved in an all-terrain vehicle crash on his property. According to police reports, alcohol was involved in the incident.

According to Cleveland.com, police were called to the scene in Delaware County, Ohio, around 1:20 a.m. Sunday morning and Hartline admitted that he had been drinking earlier that night.

"According to an initial report released by the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, deputies also reported a strong odor of alcoholic beverage in Hartline’s hospital room when attempting to interview him at Riverside Methodist Hospital. Hartline could not be interviewed because he was unconscious due to the medication he had been administered at the hospital."

Hartline and a friend sustained non-life threatening injuries in the incident, Ohio State said in a statement Sunday. In a message posted on social media, Hartline said he was taken to the hospital for “further evaluation” and was “doing well.” As of Monday afternoon, Hartline remains hospitalized in stable condition.

The other man involved in the incident was identified as Joshua Gaylor. Gaylor told officers that Hartline was driving the vehicle, which rolled over in the accident. According to NBC 4, Hartline's sister called 911 after the accident and told the dispatcher the two had been drinking.

Hartline entering first season as offensive coordinator

Ohio State held its annual spring game Saturday, its first with Hartline as offensive coordinator. Hartline, 36, was promoted to offensive coordinator in January after spending the previous five seasons as the program’s wide receivers coach. He replaces Kevin Wilson, who left OSU to take the head coaching job at Tulsa.

Hartline played receiver for the Buckeyes before spending seven seasons in the NFL, mainly with the Miami Dolphins. When his playing career came to a close, he joined the OSU staff as a quality control coach in 2017. From there, he was bumped up to receivers coach on Urban Meyer’s staff and stuck around when Meyer retired and Ryan Day became head coach.

Hartline has helped recruit and develop a slew of NFL receivers during his time at OSU, including Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Terry McLaurin. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who caught 95 passes for 1,606 yards in 2021 before missing most of last season with a hamstring injury, should be next in line in the upcoming NFL Draft.

In 2023, OSU returns Marvin Harrison Jr. (77 catches, 1,263 yards, 14 TDs) and Emeka Egbuka (74 catches, 1,151 yards, 10 TDs). The Buckeyes lost to Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinals last season. In 2023, OSU opens the season at Indiana on Sept. 2.

https://sports.yahoo.com/police-alc...o-state-oc-brian-hartline-182630623.html