Archives for August 2014

Urban Meyer Post Scrimmage Press Conference 8/16/2014

August 16, 2014 by 1 Comment

After the Buckeyes had their scrimmage today coach Meyer meet with the media, the first time in six days.

Here’s some quick notes from his press conference:

The Buckeyes have had 9 practices this week.

Meyer said that Braxton Miller scrimmaged but was limited on his throws, expecting Monday to hopefully take a big step and is right on schedule.

Darryl Baldwin starting right tackle, Taylor Decker starting left tackle and Pat Elflein is another starting lineman. Joel Hale, Chase Ferris, Billy Price, Jacoby Born, Antonio Underwood, and Chad Linsey who’s shoulder is dinged up are all in the mix for the final two starting spots.

Coach said the safety position was strong with Cam Burrows, Von Bell, Tyvis Powell, Erick Smith, and Ron Tanner as the five competing.

The cornerback position has Doran Grant who has stepped up and taken one side but the other side is still up for grabs.

The running backs: Ezekiel Elliott is practicing but no contact due to his wrist injury. Bri’onte Dunn and Rod Smith have worked their tails off and are in the mix with Curtis Samuel.

He said that theres been no consistency due to nagging injuries.

Most Improved: Tommy Schutt and Darryl Baldwin have been the biggest and most improved in camp this year

Noah Spence suspension fill ins will be Steve Miller and Rashad Frazier with Jalyn Holmes making a push.

Meyer said there’s been no chemistry or alignment issues very positive camp.

J.T. Barrett has moved slightly ahead of Cardale Jones for backup quarterback spot.

To watch the complete press conference click the link below.

Urban Meyer Press Conference-8/16/14 courtesy of Buckeye Vision

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

Top 3 Players To Impact The Defense (Guest Post)

August 15, 2014 by Leave a Comment

We here at MotSaG are interviewing several potential writers and have each of them to write about a different topic and will present them to our readers so they may give some feedback. Please leave some comments for the guys and show some support. Thanks

This post is is brought to you by Kimberlee Stone and you can find him on Twitter at @osumax2.

As the Buckeye season gets closer, anything less then winning the Big Ten Championship and a trip to the College Football Playoff, will be a disappointment. Last season there were plenty of could have, should have moments but one of the biggest in my opinion was the defense, namely the pass defense which Urban Meyer obviously was not happy with either. But with the addition of Chris Ash this season, hopefully it will be new and improved.

Even with two undefeated seasons, Coach Meyer still doesn’t have a conference title or a bowl game win under his belt. I think this is the season for all of that to happen though and helping to get that done this season will be Michael Bennett at defensive tackle. At 6’2”, 288 pounds, Bennett will be the offensive lineman’s worst nightmare. He had 42 tackles last season with 11 of them for a loss and seven sacks. He also is a huge team leader. Bennett up the middle will drive offensive coordinators crazy trying to find a way around him. Ohio State should have one of the best defensive seven in the Big Ten this year.

BpOU0iECMAAHraD

Another big contributor this year on defense will be Joey Bosa. Bosa was a freshman phenom last year, stepping up for the graduated John Simon. He stepped in immediately and made an impact with 44 tackles, 13.5 for a loss and 7.5 sacks. He has the strength and that killer instinct the Buckeyes need. Quite simply, he is a freak!

The last of my top three impact players on defense is Noah Spence. Although he will have to sit out the first two games for a failed drug test last year that also included him missing the Orange Bowl game, he will still make a huge impact on defense. Speed is Noah’s threat on opposing quarterbacks. He will play a big role this year and definitely be a playmaker.

I think the defensive line will be the strength of the Buckeyes this season outside of Braxton Miller. The pressure will be on them, the rest of the team and coaching staff to go all the way.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, Ohio State Football Tagged With: , ,

Getting To Know Jashon Cornell

August 15, 2014 by 1 Comment

If you’re an Ohio State fan and follow Football recruiting, you are familiar with 4-star Weakside Defensive End Jashon Cornell. Jashon Cornell was part of a huge package deal with close friend 5-star Outside Linebacker Justin Hilliard. July 2nd may go down as the most historic recruiting day that wasn’t a National Signing Day in Ohio State football history. Jashon is from Saint Paul, MN and chose the Buckeyes over almost every top program in the nation at the time.

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Jashon was asked to elaborate on his friendship with Justin Hilliard and why they became a package. Jashon responded with “My relationship with Justin is great. I feel like we’re already brothers and we just have a bond that other recruits lack with one another. We always had a plan to play with each other in college ever since our sophomore years in high school.” Hopefully this close bond between one another will lead to great communication on the field as well.

Recent news broke about Jashon signing his financial papers to enroll early. Jashon talked about his feeling after signing those papers by saying “It feels great to know that I’m one of the first 2015 Buckeye commits to sign an enroll paper and I feel one step ahead of the game now.” Buckeye fans should be very ecstatic to see Cornell sign his early enroll papers as he will be on campus in January leading to him being one step ahead of the game on the field also.

Jashon was also at ‘Friday Night Lights’ a couple week backs helping recruit two of the targets in Quarterback Torrance Gibson and Wide Receiver Lawrence Cager. When asked how the atmosphere was in the Shoe for his second visit, Jashon shared “The atmosphere was unbelievable for how many people showed up for a football camp. I loved the Shoe and I can’t wait to get down there for the Virginia Tech game.” I think Buckeye nation would agree that we also can’t wait for Jashon to visit for the night game in the Shoe.

I finished the interview off by asking Jashon what his goals were for his final high school season and Jashon had some very steep goals that he has narrowed his focus on. “Break the Minnesota state sack record, 1st team all-state, 1st team all-district, 1st team all-conference, Mr. Football award, state championship and to be better than I was the past two seasons while leaving everything out on the field.” You’ve got to love the competitor in Jashon Cornell who wants to be the best of the best. Clearly there’s a reason Urban Meyer wanted Cornell and it’s because he wants nothing but excellence. That excellence is coming to Columbus in January.

You can follow Jashon on Twitter by clicking @Jay_Rock16.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Recruiting, High School Football, Ohio State Football Tagged With:

The Ohio State University Football Preview 2014 Edition

August 15, 2014 by Leave a Comment

This season I was approached by salsoothsayer.com to do a preview of The Ohio State Buckeyes 2014 football team. I was honored and excited, now that it is done I wanted to share it with our MotSaG readers. Please visit salsoothsay5r.com to see the previews of the other Big Ten teams and see our predictions of how the Big Ten teams will finish. Hope you enjoy and would love your feedback.

The Ohio State Buckeyes

Last Season: 12-2
Last Years Bowl: Orange Bowl lost to Clemson
By: Shannon Sommers/@smsommers84/menofthescarletandgray.com

Coach: Urban Meyer
Record at institution (years): 24-2 (2)
Overall record: 128-25

Position Preview:

QB:
Braxton Miller (6’2,215) Senior. Heisman trophy candidate, Athlon Preseason Third Team All American, on the Walter Camp Award watchlist. A dual threat quarterback who sometimes makes some amazing, video game like, moves to evade tacklers when he hits the open field. Having improved some from last season with his run first mentality, Braxton needs to trust in himself and improve his accuracy this season which might be a tall task. Miller will be playing behind only one returning lineman from last season however to make that next step, this is where his leadership skills must kick in. Braxton has all the tools and the coaching staff to allow him to be the best quarterback in the nation this season, coming back for his senior season showed he is ready to take that step and light up the Big Ten.

Grade: A

RB:
Here’s where it gets a little dicey for the Buckeyes and honestly I think I’m being conservative. Last season Carlos Hyde destroyed everyone and everything in his path to become Urban Meyer’s first 1k rusher ever. Who steps up and fills that role? Ezekiel Elliott or Bri’onte Dunn? Dunn should be the favorite for being in the program for 2 years already although he was redshirted last season and has been a disappointment, which has really brought out the drive in him and at the Spring Game he looked like he had some toughness finally. Elliott looked good last season as a true freshman and he really wants to be the leading back. Those are the two bruising backs, I haven’t even mentioned true freshman and speedster Curtis Samuel.

Grade: B

Receivers:
This group is going to be interesting to watch this season. Seniors Devon Smith, Evan Spencer and sophomore speedster Dontre Wilson will be the leaders of this unit. Meyer went out and recruited some nice talent like Johnnie Dixon, Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin. The tight ends are some of the best in senior Jeff Heuerman and junior Nick Vannett, just wish they were just used more frequently. Adding height and speed is what was needed for this group, its here now to develop.

Grade: B

Offensive Line:
The O-Line comes in with some question marks. Only one returning starter and a graduate transfer from Alabama. Senior Taylor Decker and graduate transfer Chad Linsey are going to lead the way and help develop the talent that Urban has recruited. Studs like Jamarco Jones (6’5,315), Marcelys Jones (6’4,340), Demetrius Knox (6’4,285), Kyle Trout (6’6,300) and Brady Taylor (6’5,290). They are very big and quick, The Wall of Scarlet and Gray, will be able to make big holes and protect Miller when needed. Plus practicing against one of the best defensive lines daily will speed up their learning curve.

Grade: C

Defensive Line:
This unit is going to be one of the much talked about and highly rated in the nation. Senior Michael Bennett (6’2,288), junior Adolpus Washington(6,44,288), junior Noah Spence (6’3,252) and sophomore Joey Bosa (6’5,285) combined for 24 sacks and 43 tackles for loss last season. There has been some turnover on the D-line this offseason for various reasons although joining the group are two studs in Dylan Thompson (6’5,270) and Jayln Holmes (6’5,240). Spence is suspended for the first two games of the season still there is some depth there albeit slim depth.

Grade: A

Linebackers:
The loss of Ryan Shazier the leading tackler is going to sting nevertheless junior Joshua Perry showed he will be able to step in and play the weak side, replacing Shazier. Sophomore Darron Lee is the leading candidate for the strong side spot. Senior Curtis Grant who has underachieved is needing to have his breakout season or risk losing his spot to true freshman Raekwon McMillan. Also in the mix for major playing time is freshman Chris Worley and sophomore Trey Johnson. Playing behind that defensive line is an advantage for the young squad that will hopefully improve on being 9th in the nation against the run.

Grade: B

Defensive Backs:
This will be the only time I thank Bret Bielema in my life. Former Wisconsin and Arkansas Defensive backs coach Chris Ash joined the Buckeyes staff. #karma For Buckeye fans what this means is they will now see man press coverage. DB’s at the line of scrimmage instead of the dreaded zone from last year. Buckeyes lost a lot of talent last season in their secondary which is ironic on how they were getting torched but they have senior Doran Grant and junior Tyvis Powell as leaders returning. There is a stable of young speedy talent like sophomores Vonn Bell, Cam Burrows, and freshmen Eli Apple, Marshon Lattimore, Damon Webb, Erick Smith, Malik Hooker. This group is going to be exciting to watch grow with Ash coaching them.

Grade: C

Special Teams:
In order to play for Coach Meyer you have to play special teams. The Buckeyes have some serious speed either covering downfield or returning kicks. Sophomore Cam Johnston might be one of the best punters in the league. That is if he has a chance to punt, averaging 3.5 punts per game, 44 yards per punt. They have a freshman for a kicker Sean Nuernberger which for Ohio State is fine only attempting ten field goals last season.

Grade: A

Coaching:
Urban Meyer’s highlighted two National Championships speaks for itself. Even Meyer’s most vocal critics must concede that he is raising the bar in the Big Ten. Chris Ash joined the team as CO-Defensive Coordinator and Defensive Backs coach. Former Penn State Assistant coach Larry Johnson has joined Ohio State as an Assistant and Defensive Line coach replacing Mike Vrable who joined the Houston Texans coaching staff. The mad scientist behind the exploding Buckeye offense is Tom Herman.

Grade: A

Best Case Scenario for 2014:
The Buckeyes win the Big Ten Championship game and head to the College Football Playoffs. Two wins later Ohio State brings the National Title back to Columbus. The year topped off by Braxton Miller winning the Heisman Tropy and Michael Bennett winning the Branko Nagurski Award.

Worst Case Scenario for 2014:
After a successful regular season it’s deja vu all over again as the team loses the Bug Ten Championship game and miss out on the first ever playoffs.

2014 Statistical Leaders
Passing: ATT COMP PCT TD INT QBR
Braxton Miller 255 162 63.5 24 7 158.1
Kenny Guiton 109 75 68.8 14 2 165.2

Rushing: ATT YDS YPC TD LONG
Carlos Hyde 208 1521 7.3 15 55
Braxton Miller 171 1068 6.2 12 70
Jordon Hall 81 536 6.6 8 49
Kenny Guiton 40 330 8.3 5 44
Ezekeil Elliott 30 262 8.7 1 26

Receiving: REC YDS AVG TD LONG
Philly Brown 63 771 12,2 10 58
Devin Smith 44 660 15.0 8 90
Jeff Heuermann 26 466 17.9 4 57
Evan Spencer 22 216 9.8 3 25
Dontre Wilson 22 210 9.5 2 32
Chris Fields 16 193 12.1 6 47
Carlos Hyde 16 147 9.2 3 25
Nick Vannett 8 80 10.0 1 16

Defense: TKLS SACKS TFL INT
Ryan Shazier 144 7 23.5 –
C.J. Barnett 84 – 5 4
Bradley Roby 69 – 2 3
Joshua Perry 64 1 2 –
Doran Grant 58 – 2 3
Corey Brown 55 – 1 –
Curtis Grant 52 2 3.5 –
Noah Spence 50 7.5 14 –
Tyvis Powell 48 – 1 1
Joey Bosa 44 7.5 13.5 –
Michael Bennett 42 7.0 11.5 –
Adolphus Washington 36 2.0 4 –

Kicking: XP-ATT PCT FG-ATT PCT LONG PTS
Drew Basil 77-79 97.5% 9-10 90% 45 104
Kyle Clinton 3-3 100% — – – 3

Punting: NO YARDS AVG NET
Cameron Johnston 49 2156 44 40.8

Stadium Name: Ohio Stadium, The Horseshoe, The Shoe

Capacity: 104,581

Attendance Last Year: 104,933 average

Unique about the Stadium/Tailgating/Gameday experience:
The Shoe is one of the most historic and largest stadiums in the nation, fans show up 5 hours before kickoff to start tailgating. There is The Best Damn Band in The Land, Script Ohio, so many more unique things that are Ohio State that you must experience when going to a game in Columbus. An experience like none other.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, Ohio State Football

Scanning the ’16 QB Horizon

August 15, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Many believe Urban Meyer needs to land a complete QB in the 2016 cycle. Well, Urban Meyer may be listening as Ohio State is in on many of the top signal callers in the 2016 class. Those names include 5-star Malik Henry, 4-star Dwayne Haskins, 4-star Jawon Pass, and 4-star Jarrett Guarantano. Buckeye fans would love to see Ohio State take two of these top quarterbacks, but it seems Urban Meyer and Co. are set on taking only one quarterback in the 2016 cycle with them maybe taking two in 2015 if Torrance Gibson decides to join the fold on October 20th. With Ohio State in on all these top prospects, who is the best bet to be the quarterback in the 2016 class and what are the strengths of each prospect?

downloadLet’s start with the highest rated prospect on the board and that is 5-star Malik Henry. Malik Henry is the number 1 rated pro-style quarterback in the country. Malik recently released a final four of schools and the Buckeyes were thankful to remain in the thick of the race for his services. Malik’s final four included Notre Dame, UCLA, Florida State, and Ohio State. It’s been reported that Malik Henry has family ties in Ohio, which does help Ohio State’s chances in this race. Currently the crystal ball has Henry going to Florida State at 70%, but that could change very quickly as it seems more of a guess right now. Henry went to the summer camps of 3 of his leaders with those being Ohio State (6/19), Notre Dame (6/20), and Florida State (7/16). It looks as though Henry has planned to visit Notre Dame for their primetime game against TTUN on September 6th.

Henry has pinpoint accuracy with a nice touch on the ball as well. He does a great job of reading the defensive secondary and finding the open receivers down the field. There’s a reason he is regarded so high on the field and you can see that by just watching his highlight tape. Malik would be a nice pick-up if he were to choose the Buckeyes, but he is going to be a tough pull at the end of the day with fighting against 3 other top programs for his services.

download (1)Next is 4-star Jawon Pass, who hails from Columbus, well Columbus, GA. Jawon is rated as the number two dual-threat quarterback in the nation for 2016. He said a few months ago that Ohio State and Notre Dame were his two leaders. Jawon also attended Ohio State’s QB camp (6/19) and the camp must have gone well for the talented star to name Ohio State as a co-leader at the time. Before naming Ohio State and Notre Dame his leaders, Jawon had Mississippi State as his leader, but it is another program leading the crystal ball at 64% in Auburn. Most experts feel at the end of the day, Pass will be a tough pull from the south and will ultimately choose an SEC school. However, there is a possibility that Pass heads north, but in this case, I would like Notre Dame’s chances of landing the touted prospect.

Analyzing Pass on the field, one will quickly realize why he is rated as one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation. Pass has a very strong arm to go along with his incredible mobility. His mobility allows him to break down the defense which results in easy throws to wide open receivers. The way Pass plays is perfect for the offense that Urban Meyer and Offensive Coordinator Tom Herman currently have installed up at Ohio State. There is no doubt that a commitment from Pass would be a great one, but I still feel it’s highly unlikely.

download (3)What about Dwayne Haskins you ask. Well, Haskins is considered to be a heavy Ohio State lean as he has stated numerous times that Ohio State was his childhood favorite and an offer that he coveted. Haskins grew up watching Buckeyes Quarterback Troy Smith and he instantly fell in love with the Buckeyes when he visited as a child. Dwayne resides from Potomac, MD and is ranked as the number five pro-style quarterback in the nation. Currently, it seems as Ohio State’s only competition for Haskins is local Maryland and out-of-state Florida State, but that may change as Texas A&M recently offered him. Haskins was last on campus on June 14th, but tweeted during ‘Friday Night Lights’ that he wishes he could have made it up. The crystal ball currently reads 100% for the Buckeyes with 19 analysts’ predictions in.

Looking at Haskin’s tape, he has great presence in the pocket, while also supplying great loft on the ball in his deliveries. He has the mobility to get out of the pocket when need be and he does a great job with his accuracy to get the ball to his receiver in a tight window. Haskins would be a great get for the Buckeyes in 2016 and plans to announce his decision after his junior season, but with that announcement date, Ohio State might already have its 2016 signal caller if they take a commitment from Jarrett Guarantano.

download (2)Jarrett Guarantano is from Oradell, NJ and rated as the number seven pro-style quarterback in 2016. Jarrett also recently released a final four with those schools being Oklahoma, Alabama, Clemson, and Ohio State. Reports came out that Jarrett had Ohio State in the driver’s seat with the other 3 just a few steps behind. His offers from both Alabama and Oklahoma were pretty recent as he received them at the end of July. Guarantano visited Ohio State for a camp on June 21st and looked good at the camp from what I’ve been told. The crystal ball currently has the Buckeyes as the leader with 73% and Oklahoma with the other votes.

If you look at Jarrett’s tape, you’ll see Jarrett likes to stand in the pocket very tall and deliver balls with great loft to his receivers. Jarrett isn’t afraid to try and fit the ball in a tight window and he also shows sudden bursts of mobility even though he likes to pass first before he decides to take off. Guarantano reminds me more of the Alex Smith type of quarterback the Urban had at Utah and I feel Ohio State would adjust their offense a little to play to his strengths.

Long story short, if Jarrett Guarantano decides before the end of his junior season, Dwayne Haskins sticks with a decision timetable of after his junior year, and the Buckeyes are willing to take Jarrett’s commitment with other top prospects still on the board, then Jarrett Guarantano may be your quarterback for the 2016 cycle. With all the possibilities that Ohio State is in on at quarterback for 2016, one thing is certain and that is Urban Meyer will land a strongly touted quarterback for the Buckeyes future in the 2016 cycle.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Recruiting, High School Football, Ohio State Football Tagged With: , , ,

Ohio State Adds Two New Teams To Schedule

August 14, 2014 by Leave a Comment

With the news yesterday that Ohio State and UNC had cancelled their 2 game series in 2017 and 2018 dues to the B1G going to 9 game conference schedule. Ohio State added Oregon State and UNLV to replace them as first reported by Lantern TV…

also in scheduling news comes this less interesting tidbit…

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

MotSaG Chat with Isiah Scott

August 14, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Isiah Scott is an Outside Linebacker/Wide Receiver coming out of the 2015 Class. He is from Hubbard, Ohio and is 6’3 and weighs around 200 lbs. Isiah has a couple offers, but will definitely pick up more in the future. 247 Sports ranks him as the 63rd player coming out of Ohio. He was given an 84 overall and three stars. Read below to learn more about Isiah.

Isiah

Andrew: How has the recruiting process been?

Isiah: It’s going. I mean I’m waiting until the season to start, I was thinking it’s gonna pick up by then.

Andrew: What schools have offered?

Isiah: Only two so far, Kentucky and Cincinnati.

Andrew: What other schools are showing interest?

Isiah: Well MSU, Ohio State, Pitt, Penn State, Syracuse, Toledo, West Virginia and Indiana.

Andrew: Where have you visited?

Isiah: I visited West Virginia, Pitt, MSU and Ohio State.

Andrew: How was the Ohio State visit?

Isiah: Perfect man. It was so legit. Everything up there was nice. Haha I fell in love with the campus and the coaching staff is great.

Andrew: What did the coaches tell you?

Isiah: They said I need to have a bomb year! And for me to buckle down on my grades. Grades come first.

Andrew: What schools are closest to offering?

Isiah: I know MSU is going to offer in the season but I believe Ohio State will offer me. I’m on my P’s and Q’s this year it is going to happen.

Andrew: How would you describe your game?

Isiah: I’m a fast player. I like to catch the ball. I read my keys easily.

Andrew: How are you feeling about the upcoming football season?

Isiah: We went 12-1 last year. Myself and a couple other seniors are trying to take our team to states. 15-0, nothing less we won’t take less. Defense needs to be solid because in the playoffs defense wins games. Well all year around hats to the football. I want a physical team.

Andrew: When would you like to commit?

Isiah: Probably towards the end before playoffs just because I’m trying to give it time. So if Ohio State or anyone would offer me and don’t do it until the end I could wait to actually commit.

Andrew: What do you like doing off the field?

Isiah: I love working out. I love eating I could eat for days. I’m trying to gain 10-15 pounds. Also getting in shape I like running. Oh I can’t forget this one haha I like playing Xbox straight Madden lol.

Andrew: Anything else you want people to know?

Isiah: Any team we play I’m going to be all over the field. My team has one mind set and one goal. And that’s the State Title without a question.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Recruiting, High School Football, Ohio State Football Tagged With:

New Look, New Feel, New Faces, Same Old MotSaG

August 14, 2014 by 1 Comment

Blog/site newsJust like the Buckeyes will have some fresh faces in uniform and on the sidelines this season, we here at MotSaG have also cleaned house a little and changed things up a bit here and there.

We have changed up the front page layout to give you quicker access to our content. Instead of the old blog-layout of a number of recent posts, in their entirety, we have cleaned up the front page, highlighting our most recent post and giving access to the rest of our content by way of short summaries with links to each post (and a section of our most popular content for a given day). We have also improved our menu system, which is that little black bar underneath the header. There, you can directly access different categories, different pages and more (including Forums, which we’ll get to in a bit).

We have also added a bunch of new contributors to the site. After having Mike Rockstedt called up to the majors (11W, where he’s putting in work), we wanted to restock our writing staff. You’ve hopefully seen the announcements on Twitter, but in case you didn’t, we have added JT Perry, Mark Cerimele, Christopher Owens, Stephan Sharp, LaMarques Greenwood, Nate, Ryan, and hopefully when the dust settles, Alexis. We are excited, as always, to have new blood and we think they’ll all contribute to the great community we’ve built up here.

Finally, and this is the part that has Jeremiah and I most excited — we added a Forums section to the site. (Sure, this is probably something we should have had years ago, but go with it). This will give us a chance to post content that may be more suited for a discussion in a forum setting, along with a chance to just shoot the breeze. You’ll have to register for an account (which you can do right here). The forum software is fairly basic, but fairly straight forward. We want to keep the discussion going, so feel free to add topics, reply to topics already there and continue to talk Buckeyes all you want. We just ask that you keep it clean, be cool to each other and don’t do (or link to) anything vulgar/racist/pornographic/illegal. You know the drill.

Welcome to the new and improved MotSaG!

Filed Under: Site News

The Top Four Contenders for the 2014 College Football Playoffs

August 14, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The BCS is dead! Isn’t that nice? After years of howling from college football fans to ditch the BCS and implement a playoff system, those fans will finally get that satisfaction in the 2014 college football season. On January 1 every year now the top four teams, as selected by college football playoff selection committee, will face off in semifinal games that take place at neutral sites. The #1 team will face the #4 team and the #2 team will face the #3 team. The winners of these games will then face off in the national championship game about a week or so later, with the game always taking place on a Monday night (this season its January 12). According to the college football playoff website,”the selection committee will choose the four teams for the playoff based on strength of schedule, head-to-head results, comparison of results against common opponents, championships won and other factors.” To read more information about the playoff on the website, click here.

With the national championship now being decided more fairly, the big question is now going to be who will be those final four teams? Well this year there is certainly no shortage of candidates for those four spots, as there are several great teams scattered across the country who appear on paper to have a shot at the National Championship. As I was trying to predict who these final four teams will be, I weighed several factor when making my four choices (strength of schedule, returning starters, coaches, etc.). If I don’t pick your team as one of the final four teams in my predictions below, please don’t take it personally. It’s just college football. And besides I’m going to list honorable mentions, which should cover most of the top contenders. Let’s gaze into my crystal ball. (My list is in no particular order)

Alabama

Why I Picked Them For The Final Four: Every year the Crimson Tide are in the national title conversation. Whether you love him or hate him, Nick Saban knows how to get the most out of his team every season and leading them to double-digit victories. They lose Heisman finalist and starting quarterback AJ McCarron, which will hurt them at first. But his replacement is pretty good, as he will be replaced by junior Florida State transfer Jake Coker, who battled Jameis Winston fiercely last summer for the starting quarterback position. With the schedule being easy early on, Coker will have plenty of time to prepare for the meat of their schedule. Running back TJ Sheldon and playmaking wide receiver Amari Cooper return to give him two deadly weapons. The defense loses several talented players, but their replacements look pretty good on paper. They get their bitter rival and biggest competition, Auburn, at home. The schedule isn’t that daunting, so I’ll be shocked if Alabama doesn’t at least win double-digit games this season. Saban will have his team right in the thick of the SEC race and national title playoffs.

Three Toughest Games: @ Ole Miss, @ LSU, Auburn

Ohio State

Why I Picked Them For The Final Four: Not because I’m a homer. I’ll give you logical reasons as to why. First, Braxton Miller returns at quarterback in his senior season and is the straw that stirs the drink in the Buckeye offense. If he hadn’t got hurt last season, he would’ve been a Heisman finalist. With the departure of Kenny Guiton, there is a lot less room for error this season. Miller is surrounded by great weapons in Dontre Wilson, Ezekiel Elliott, Corey Smith, Devin Smith and Jeff Heuerman. The offensive line loses four starters, but their replacements have looked good in practice and Urban has high hopes for them. It will be something to keep an eye on though. The defensive line is the biggest strength on the team and is arguably the best in the country. Noah Spence, Joey Bosa and Michael Bennett are all three capable of being first team All-Americans. The secondary is the other spot to watch on this team. The last time we saw this unit, it was getting torched in the Orange Bowl by Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins. The new unit, headed by Doran Grant, has shown improvement in the offseason under new secondary coach Chris Ash and Urban promises it will improve. We’ll have to wait and see, but I believe the Buckeyes have a friendly enough schedule (drawing the three weakest B1G West teams) and enough weapons to reach the playoffs.

Three Toughest Games: Virginia Tech, @ Michigan State, Michigan

Florida State

Why I Picked Them For The Final Four: Jameis Winston, the freshman who set the college football world on fire last season, winning the Heisman trophy, going undefeated and leading the Seminoles to victory for the 2013 National Championship. He returns for his sophomore season, along with four of his six top receivers. Both the offensive line and defensive line return great talent and the starters that were lost are replaced with highly rated recruits. Linebackers and the secondary are less experienced areas on the team and are two of the weaker spots, but once again highly rated prospects waiting in the wings will be filling the losses. The Seminoles return 13 starters in total. This team isn’t expected to lose a beat from where they left off, however the chances of a championship hangover will threaten the team’s focus early on. Repeating success in college football is no easy task. Winston will also have to keep out of trouble, after having a problem involving crab legs in the offseason. If Winston were to get hurt or suspended this season, the Seminoles would be in deep trouble. I’m sure Jimbo Fisher will be keeping a keen eye on his star quarterback. With a favorable schedule and lots of weapons, Florida State is a top contender to win it all again.

Three Toughest Games: Oklahoma State (at Arlington), Clemson, Notre Dame

Oregon

Why I Picked Them For The Final Four: The Ducks return a great quarterback of their own in Marcus Mariota, who had over 4,000 yards of total offense in 2013. Needless to say, Mariota is one of the best quarterbacks in the country and will be a contender for the Heisman. Oregon loses several players at running back and wide receiver, let’s be honest about this situation. The Ducks have plenty of talent replacing them, as every year Oregon has a three-headed monster of running backs and the wide receivers are athletic freaks. And did I mention that they only lose one starter on the offensive line and their line heading into this year has 108 combined career starts? In my eyes there are no concerns on the offensive side of the ball. Most of the defensive starters return too. With the Ducks high-powered offense, the defense just needs to be good for Oregon to wins lots of games. So why aren’t more people talking about Oregon as a national title contender? Their schedule is absolutely brutal. They face Michigan State, UCLA, Arizona and Stanford. They also have a trap game against Washington and have to face their bitter rival Oregon State in the Civil War on the road (the visitor is 4-13 in the last 17 games). I doubt the Ducks will escape this schedule without at least one loss, but I believe they can make the final four with a loss. Their strength of schedule is certainly a double-edged sword that will either push them in or out of the playoffs.

Three Toughest Games: Michigan State, @ UCLA, Stanford

Other Contenders That Could Be In The Playoff Conversation:
The following teams could also enter the conversation and easily make the playoffs under the right circumstances. I believe these teams all have a solid shot at undefeated or one loss seasons and at the very least have a great shot at making one of the marquee bowl games. Those 16 teams are the following:

SEC – Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss
B1G – Michigan State, Wisconsin, Iowa
Big 12 – Oklahoma & Baylor
PAC 12 – UCLA, USC, Stanford
Independents – Notre Dame
Mountain West – Boise State
MAC – Northern Illinois
Conference USA – Marshall

Let me know what you think of my predictions in the comments and feel free to share your own.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, Ohio State Football

Getting To Know Marcus Williamson

August 14, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Marcus Williamson is a 4-star cornerback from local Westerville South High School. Marcus is a 2017 prospect and recently sat down with me to discuss his recruitment that has just recently started to take off. Currently Marcus only owns an offer from the University of Toledo, but that could change very soon. When asked who has been in contact with him, Marcus responded “Mostly Ohio State, but I am also hearing some from Michigan State and Indiana.”
Marcus recently took in campus when he visited for Ohio State’s ‘Friday Night Lights’. When asked how he thought he performed and what stood out, Marcus said “ I performed pretty well, had a pick, a few knockdowns and the camp was overall good because Ohio State did a good job of showing the recruits what it is like to play at Ohio State. I think that in its self would influence anyone to want to play there.”

When asked what an offer would mean from Ohio State and if he could possible commit on the spot, Marcus responded “It would mean a lot. Me living in Columbus would pay a huge part in to me possibly committing on the spot.” Marcus said that he talks to Coach [Kerry] Coombs about once a week and he plans on visiting Ohio State during the Virginia Tech game.

Marcus was just recently named a composite 4-star by 247sports and when probed on what it meant to him, Marcus said “It feels so great that people think so highly of me on the field. It is an honor to be noticed and to have 4-stars by my name. It speaks volumes about the hard work that I’ve put in over the years.”

Obviously the local product, Marcus Williamson, is very interested in the Buckeyes and the interest must be mutual as Ohio State has recently been in touch. Landing a 4-star local product would be nice for the Buckeyes and you have to like their chances with the quotes Marcus gave me. Marcus Williamson is a name that may just be starting to get some publicity, but there is no doubt that the name and the football player is here to stay. When asked what he would like to say to Buckeye fans everywhere, Marcus responded with a short and sweet, “Go Bucks!”

Follow Marcus on Twitter by clicking @WW_Marcus.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Recruiting, High School Football, Ohio State Football Tagged With:
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