IT’S BEAT MICHIGAN WEEK!!!
Week #12: Illinois – Revenge is Sweet Open Thread
November 14, 2008 by 9 Comments
OK Buckeye fans, you’ve waited a year for this revenge spanking.
Questions still arise: Will Illinois be able to depend on another two touchdowns courtesy the corrupt/incompetent officiating this year?
Not that we’re still bitter or anything. But it’s at least encouraging to know that Stephan Pamon will watching the game at his local B-dubs rather than dressing in stripes tomorrow.
But back to 2008’s matchup. In two of its past three games, OSU has found a spark with its offense, and they’ll be meeting a Zook squad that seems to be on its way down after losing to Western Michigan last week.
I don’t think there’s any mystery about this Ohio State offense anymore. It’s clear that it’s designed to wait patiently, then pounce on an opponent’s mistakes. If an opponent plays a mistake-free game, the Bucks either lose (USC, PSU), or struggle (Ohio, Purdue).
So where does Illinois fit in? How about tied for last place in the Big 10 in interceptions lost? It’s an encouraging stat for an OSU secondary currently playing lights out. This year, besides losing Pamon, Illinois has also lost Mendenhall, which will allow the improving D-line to key on Juice. Once again, it seems reasonable to assume that the nation’s sixth best defense will keep Illinois to a beatable number of points.
Which means that, once again, the outcome will come down to which OSU offense shows up. The weather looks to play some sort of role, as well.
So, chime in:
- Final Score?
- Will Laurinaitis chug his Juice Box tomorrow?
- Does Malcom Jenkins sew up the Thorpe award tomorrow?
sportsMonkey predicts:
- OSU, 27-10
- Revenge. Sweet revenge.
- Jenkins has another quietly dominant day, Juice avoids throwing his way.
el Kaiser predicts:
- OSU, 37-16
- You know when you push the straw into the CapriSun pouch too hard and all the juice spills out? Yeah, that’s what LA does to Juice’s head.
- Doesn’t he already have it sewn up? If not, then yes.
Don’t look now…
November 10, 2008 by Leave a Comment
…but the Jackets have quietly crawled out of the Western Conference basement.
In fact, they’ve amazingly moved up to 8th place in the West. Collecting nine points in six games will do that.
Mason is performing admirably. The young guns on the team are forming a chemistry – they seem to be playing more as a team and less as individuals. Brassard’s Rookie of the Month award for October was well-deserved. There’s still tons of inconsistency, but every so often, flashes of brilliance appear that grab the attention, and give some encouragement as the meat of the season gets underway.
For an example, check out the second goal of last Wednesday’s Edmonton game (starts at 1:03). The offensive effort was brilliant. Commodore comes out of the box, joins the rush, and several dizzying passes later, Brassard wrists it into the net. They looked like NHL veterans, but there were three rookies and three defensmen on the ice for that play.
Of course, when a team starts out at dead last in the standings, any rise defines “improvement.” But in the Jackets’ case, there does seem to be a bit of a fire brewing that was not there in early October.
Roses gone, but Oranges are nice, too [Updated] [Update to the Update]
November 9, 2008 by 15 Comments
Penn State’s loss against Iowa has all but shut out increased the Buckeyes’ chances of making it to Pasadena.
Assuming a PSU win next week, the Lions and the Spartans will be playing for Rose Bowl rights on November 22nd. A Michigan State victory creates a tie between Ohio State and Michigan State, with Ohio State owning the tie-breaker in the head-to-head category.
Contrary to popular opinion, an MSU win will not put the Bucks into the Rose Bowl, as a Big Ten tiebreaking rule would then be applied: the team with the fewest I-AA opponents would go. Since Sparty did not schedule an FCS opponent, they would get the automatic bid by default.
Ohio State’s only path to the Rose Bowl is for PSU to lose next Saturday (15th), and MSU to lose the following week (22nd). Both situations are very unlikely to occur.
So, assuming that Ohio State wins out (a big assumption, as there are still two very tough games left), that would place them in position for a BCS at-large bid.
Here’s where it gets messy: there are only two teams per conference allowed in the BCS. If Michigan State wins the conference’s automatic bid, then only Ohio State or Penn State will be allowed to go to a BCS game (not both). In that scenario, Penn State would likely be chosen since they’d probably be ranked higher.
If Penn State wins, then it’s safe to say that OSU has a lock on one of the at-large bids. Since the Orange Bowl has expressed interest in getting the Buckeyes this year — representatives of the committee were at yesterday’s Northwestern game — it seems likely that we’re going to see Ohio State match up against the ACC champion in primetime on New Year’s Day.
Not a bad end to a season at all.
So, once again, Buckeye fans, we are rooting (1) to win out, of course, and (2) for Penn State to beat Sparty on the 22nd. Otherwise, the Bucks will probably be heading to the Capital One Bowl, where Georgia seems destined to appear.
Update: el Kaiser here, hopefully to clear up some things sportsMonkey perhaps didn’t realize when he originally posted this. I’ll leave it as-is and let him clean it up as he sees fit, but it should be clear: A Michigan State victory over Penn State will send the Buckeyes to the Rose Bowl, since Penn State will have two conference losses, and OSU and MSU will each have one. Since Ohio State owns the tie breaker, they get the nod to the Rose Bowl. (Recommended reading: Method to Determine Big Ten Conference Automatic Representative to Bowl Championship Series (thanks to all that sent that in))
Whether a Rose Bowl (and probably rematch with USC) trip is good for the Buckeyes is subject for another day.
Update to the updated update:
sportsMonkey here. Sorry, folks, for the original inaccurate conclusion. For some reason, I was applying the rules for a three-way-tie to a two-way-tie. I swear I wasn’t smoking or drinking anything when I wrote it.
I’d love to alter this post retroactively, but I’ll let it stand like the piece of fail that it is, and hopefully the shame will cause me to tread more carefully with predictions in the future.
In case you’re lost, the possibilities are these (assuming OSU wins out):
- PSU loses next week to Indiana, then beats MSU the week after. OSU wins Big 10 outright, heads to Rose Bowl.
- MSU beats PSU in two weeks. OSU and MSU share Big 10 title, OSU goes to Rose Bowl via tiebreaker rule.
- PSU loses next two games. OSU and MSU share Big 10 title, Rose Bowl for OSU.
- PSU beats both Indiana and MSU. Penn State and OSU share Big 10 title. Lions go to Rose Bowl via tiebreaker rule. Orange Bowl for OSU. (IMO, this is the most likely scenario.)
Again, though, those four outcomes all depend on OSU winning out. Based on the remaining SOS, it seems likely that the Buckeyes will be favored in both games. However, let’s not look too far ahead. Illinois matches up very well against the Buckeyes, and as always, the outcome of the Michigan game is 50/50, no matter the records, no matter the teams.
Sorry again for the ginormous post of FAIL. Mucho thanks to el Kaiser for spotting me (and saving MotSaG rep) while I was AFK.
Adios, Ray Small
November 6, 2008 by 6 Comments
Jim Tressel has suspended Ray Small indefinitely for violation of team rules.
The rumor mill says Ray kept missing classes.
Ken Small, Ray’s father, attacked Tressel’s decision in the press:
“We see it as a family that they are intentionally blowing his whole career,” Ken Small said Wednesday night. “Whatever it is, it’s personal.”
It’s a sad situation to be sure, but it’s got to be done for the good of the team and its reputation. Especially since the father’s comments reveal an inappropriate attitude. Ray was touted as the next Ted Ginn – in fact, Coach Ginn Sr. said he had a more natural talent – and perhaps the hype gave him a false sense of entitlement.
Team-wise, it’s sad to see Small go, but the WR corps is rather deep and there shouldn’t be a significant drop-off in talent.
UPDATE:
ESPN and the AP are reporting the suspension is for two games, while the Plain Dealer reports that the suspension is “indefinite.” Either way, Small is not likely to return this year, if at all.
Tressel typically dominant following losses
November 3, 2008 by 3 Comments
Under the Vest’s tenure, OSU has fared quite well in games following regular season losses.
Since 2001, OSU has lost 14 regular season games (four of those were from Tressel’s inaugural season). Of the 14 games that followed, the Buckeyes won 12 of them.
The two losses were the last two of a stretch of three straight losses in 2004. The average score for those 12 wins was 27-15. They came against a variety of teams, from weakling non-conference opponents, to middle-performing Big10 teams, to conference leaders, and even Michigan.
Now, before OSU fans get too confident at Tressel’s 12-2 record in these circumstances, consider that aberrant year (2004) again. If you remember that “dark year” under Tressel, those three straight losses were the catalyst that caused the coaches to give Troy Smith the nod as #1 quarterback (which Zwick’s hip injury later helped seal). New quarterback, behind a terrible offensive line. Sound familiar?
So while the stats bear out confidence in a likely OSU victory against the Wildcats this weekend, the team’s circumstance seems to mirror that of the 2004 squad.
And you know what else happened in 2004? OSU lost, at Northwestern.
However, before el Kaiser bursts a blood vessel at my perceived pessimism, I will close by reminding everyone that NW’s 2004 victory was the first against OSU since 1971, and first at home since 1958. It is just Northwestern, after all.
Emo Portzline is emo
October 30, 2008 by Leave a Comment
…and you thought I was negative about the Buckeyes’ underachievements.
Portzline’s piece will make CBJ fans want to listen to Arcade Fire and cut themselves. He talks about his “friend” who has lost his interest in the Blue Jackets (ya sure, he’s your “friend,” Aaron).
For those who don’t know Portzline, he’s paid to cover the Blue Jackets. And yet the team chemistry is so terrible that he’s finding it hard to stay interested in them. Ouch.
In other news that reveals how abso-freakin-lutely desperate the team is, Rick Nash will be starting at center tonight. He hasn’t played center “since he was 10 or 11 years old.”
Still, it wouldn’t be late October unless the Jackets were at the bottom of the standings. Silver lining viewpoint – at least there’s only one place to go when you’re at the bottom, right?
(No, I don’t mean ‘Toronto’.)
The Big 10 bashing continues…
October 27, 2008 by 7 Comments
…this time from Tom Dienhart.
But don’t worry, The Rivalry, Esq. kicks some virtual tush:
“…bringing Penn State down because of something which has no correlative significance to the 2008 Nittany Lions (namely, the 06-07 Buckeye’s performance in the BCS title game). Using your logic, the 2008 Texas Longhorns should somehow be penalized because of Oklahoma’s two consectuve [sic] Fiesta Bowl losses. Obviously this makes no sense.”
Warning – Very unedited/unpolished loose rant is imminent:
Anyone who DARES claim that journalists are better than bloggers can read Dienhart’s article and then sit & spin. This nonsense about punishing Penn State for two OSU failures is ridiculous, and one of the most potentially damaging things in college football today.
Penn State is having a very similar season to OSU 2002. They started low, came out of nowhere in late October, and whammo! – actually play defense. The difference is, of course, that Penn State has a better offense than OSU did in 2002.
Go get ’em, JoePa.
The only thing that will shut these birds up is an old-fashioned beatdown at the hands of the folks that have been defining college football for over a century. It might not happen this year, but it will happen. So your conference had a few good years, big deal. It’ll be over soon, and the cycle will go somewhere else, and then what will you DO then?
I’d rather my team went and lost, than wasn’t man enough to never make it at all. So there. Sigh. Rant over.
Cheer up, Terrelle
October 26, 2008 by 23 Comments
This loss rests on Bollman’s shoulders, not yours. You can only work with what you’re given.
For those keeping score, that’s the second time this year a Bollman offense hasn’t scored a TD at home. (And had Herron not snuck one in against Ohio, it would have been three home games, out of six, without a TD.)
And it wasn’t for lack of effort, it was gameplan and scheme. Yeah, “Penn State has a good defense,” yet Coastal Carolina, Syracuse, and even UM scored more points against them, among a handful of other teams.
I don’t care what the optimists say about next year… no way this offense improves without a major change. Unless Beanie returns for his senior year, next season does not look promising, so long as the same tired coordinator is running the offense.
Time to stop screwing around.
Bollman, do what’s right and resign now.
Look at this picture. This is because of you.
Resign.
Why did OSU lose?
October 25, 2008 by 4 Comments
Briefly:
- The offensive gameplan in the first half was confusing and pathetic. Stuff that had worked for weeks was abandoned for formations and plays that were straight out of the Troy Smith era. Not one play from the pistol formation. No use of the fullback. Use of Beanie was sporadic (and he didn’t even start the game). Zero – NONE – play action passes. Make no mistakes – the OSU coaches did make good use of OSU’s talent. They got away from what the Bucks were good at.
- OSU lost the field position battle. Too many drives started around the 10-15 yard line.
- Pryor made the mistake(s) that we were expecting a frosh to make. HOWEVER, he didn’t affect the game as much as Washington’s two PI’s did, which kept two PSU scoring drives alive.
- Penn State is a good team, obviously.
The MSU game seems to be the aberrant outlier. Since USC, OSU’s offense has been playing worse and worse.
