“The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on.†~ Ulysses S. Grant
Leave it to a native Ohioan to spell it out what needs to be done in order to win. West Point graduate, Civil War general, and former United State President, I am willing to bet Ulysses S. Grant would have given football coaching a shot if it had been around in his day.
While counting down the days until the 2015 college football season begins, I thought I would pass the time by ranking and reviewing the upcoming 2015 Ohio State opponents, from least difficult to most difficult. This ranking system of mine will be highly subjective, prone to possibilities of injuries, transfers, or other unforeseen events that could dramatically impact its accuracy. As always, I encourage comments and critique about what I have projected.
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We are getting into the stretch of games that I believe will be challenging for Ohio State. Not impossible, not insurmountable, but the type of games and opponents that Ohio State fans would be wise to not overlook or be overconfident about as the games approach. I am willing to bet that Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer and his coaching staff will be on guard against any overconfidence with the players.
Michigan Wolverines, AKA That Team Up North (Game 12)
2015 OSU Opponent Ranking: 2 out of 12
Players Recruited By Ohio State: DB Jabrill Peppers, DE Henry Poggi, LB Mike McCray, S Jarrod Wilson, RB Ty Isaac, DE Taco Charlton, RB Wyatt Shallman, TE Chase Winovich, RB De’Veon Smith, RB Derrick Green, DB Dymonte Thomas, LB Ben Gedeon, DL Chris Wormley, DE Tom Strobel, OT Mason Cole, OL David Dawson, OL Kyle Kalis, OL Logan Tuley-Tillman, DT Maurice Hurst Jr., WR Brian Cole, DE Lawrence Marshall. Ohioans from this group are McCray, Wilson, Charlton, Smith, Thomas, Gedeon, Wormley, Strobel, and Kalis. Derrick Green’s recruitment was ended after Ohio State began actively recruiting Ezekiel Elliott in 2013. I am more than willing to bet I may have inadvertently missed on some players; please let me know and I am happy to correct my error(s).
Game Date: November 28, 2015.
Kickoff Time: TBD
Location: Michigan Stadium
Rationale For The Ranking: THE GAME. ‘Nuff said.
Prediction: Anyone who says Ohio State can go into Ann Arbor confidently must not truly know their history of this rivalry. Look up at that list of players who were recruited by both programs, especially the players from Ohio who decided to spurn the Buckeyes in favor of That Team Up North. Do you think any of them want to halt a three year losing streak to Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer? Do you think any of them remember how close they were to victory the last time Ohio State was in Ann Arbor?
Throw out the record books. This one usually comes down to the wire. Jim Harbaugh will have the Wolverines ready to go, as Coach Meyer will have the Buckeyes ready also. More than likely a noon kickoff, this is a great way to conclude Thanksgiving weekend.
Previous Posts In The Series:
12 – Hawaii
11 – Western Michigan
10 – at Indiana
9 – at Illinois
8 – Maryland
7 – Northern Illinois
6 – at Rutgers
5 – Minnesota
4 – Penn State
3 – at Virginia Tech
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