B1G Preview for the Ohio State Buckeyes’ basketball team

The 2013 Ohio State Buckeyes provided Buckeye Nation with several memorable moments. On this final day of 2013, I provide you with the top 5 plays of 2013. Leave a comment below with your top 5 plays of 2013.

5. Smooth Jazz to Mr. Smith
Buckeye Nation took over California Memorial Stadium on the Buckeyes first road trip of 2013. Shortly after kickoff, Smooth Jazz Kenny Guiton hooked up with Devin Smith, for a 90 yard bomb, to begin the full take over of the Golden Bears home field.

4. Braxton’s Return
Braxton Miller’s return from injury came with a bang, as he lit up Wisconsin’s defense for four touchdown passes. The most brilliant and exceptional of those passes was Miller’s 40 yard touchdown pass to Philly Brown, at the end of the first half. That throw was a showcase of Miller’s natural arm strength and his improvement as a passer. It also sent a message to the rest of the Big Ten, Braxton Miller is back.

3. Guiton to Miller
Almost every Buckeye, including Coach Meyer, had thought of some way to get Braxton Miller and Kenny Guiton on the field at the same time. The opportunity came against the Hoosiers and neither Guiton nor Miller disappointed. Miller added another highlight to his already deep and abundant highlight reel.

2. Run and Hyde
Carlos Hyde ran like a grown man this season. Nobody was able to stop Hyde, his power, and also his new and improved agility and speed. Hyde showed off all three of these tools on this electric run against the Iowa Hawkeyes. A run that was worthy of a Heisman moment.

1. The Game Winner
The Game this year provided Ohio State fans with every range of emotion from incredible rage to incredible joy. Tyvis Powell helped save the Buckeyes hope of an undefeated season, and also destroyed any hope of the Team Up North having a bright spot in their season. Here is our top play. Enjoy it Buckeye fans.

While bowl season has begun and is in full swing, the top high school players in the nation prepare to showcase their talents in their respective All American games. In this post I’ll cover the Buckeye recruits and remaining targets participating in the Under Armour All American Game on January 2nd at 4 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.

Buckeye Commits

Jamarco Jones,OT, De La Salle Institute- Jones is a promising tackle prospect out of Chicago. He already has a good size frame at 6-5, 290 pounds and should be able to add even more mass once Coach Marotti gets his hands on him. Jones is currently better suited as a run blocking tackle in his young progression. He has good lower body strength which helps him drive defenders back, and has that nasty streak to finish off defenders. Jones is not a primary candidate to play early, but he should develop nicely in a couple years.

Jones will to need to improve his pass pro technique in order to deal with faster defenders at the next level. He has nice feet, however he struggles at times to have them in the right place. Once Jones gets in with Ed Warinner, Jones will be able to clean things up in his footwork and punch. That should lead to the Buckeye developing a solid starting tackle by his second or third year.

Raekwon McMillan, MLB, Liberty County High School- I really like McMillan’s game. He is a very fundamentally sound linebacker. He does not necessarily jump out at you on tape, but he is consistently around the football and in proper position. McMillan excels in shedding blockers and closing gaps in run support. He is a strong, consistent tackler who can punish opposing backs in the hole. He already has great size at 6’2, 250 pounds, which make coaches think he can be a day one starter.

In order for McMillan to become a complete three down linebacker he must improve his hip fluidity in space. McMillan functions well in zone schemes, understanding depth and closing on receivers, however he can get too stiff when going one on one with running backs. McMillan should battle Curtis Grant for a starting job at the middle linebacker spot when he gets to campus. He has the makings of another Buckeye great at linebacker. I believe the consistencies in his fundamentals and football IQ will set him apart from

Targets

Tony Brown, CB, Ozen High School- Tony Brown is a game changing corner. He has a ball-hawk mentality that encourages coaches to leave him on an island and shut down the oppositions best receiver. He has an incredible mixture of size, speed, and length, three attributes that every program needs in a shutdown corner. With a little more size, and some polishing to his press technique, Brown will become a Richard Sherman type corner.

Ohio State seems to be a bit of a long shot with Brown as LSU seems to be the favorite. However, some rumors out of Texas this week, according to our guy Jeremiah Sharpe, have said Brown has changed his mind to the Buckeyes. I would not count out Meyer until Brown puts on the hat, but again LSU seems to be the leader. If Brown does decide to go with the Buckeyes, expect Brown to play safety at Ohio State. Brown’s size, speed, and ball hawk ability would make him a great fit playing the star or strong safety. If Brown dons the scarlet and grey, expect him to be an early contributor.

The rumor floating around is 5 star DB from Texas Tony Brown will pick OSU at the UA game next weekend…. Would be astronomic if true.

— Jeremiah (@SYRmotsag) December 29, 2013

John “JuJu” Smith, Safety/Wide Receiver, Long Beach Poly High School- John Smith is one of the best athletes in the country. In my opinion he will be better suited at the next level as a safety. While his vision and deceptiveness running after the catch are some of the best in the country, his natural instincts seem to shine through on the defensive side of the ball at safety. Smith does not shy away from tackling, he can even at times be somewhat of a head hunter. He also is extremely fluid in coverage and will be a tremendous asset to whichever team lands him. Again, he is projected as a long shot to the Buckeyes as Notre Dame and USC seem to be the top two favorites. But with about a month left of recruiting Meyer and company could pull anything off.

Well, we’ve finally made it to the end of the year! We’re almost to the bowls that people actually care about, but first we’ve got to wade through a couple days of games that all sound the same, featuring match-ups we wouldn’t watch if the end of the college football season weren’t so frighteningly imminent.

Monday
11:45a

Armed Forces Bowl: Middle Tennessee vs. Navy. The Armed Forces Bowl is different from the Military Bowl, I guess. I mean, it at least has an actual service academy playing in it, even though that’s not a requirement. I’m so confused. (ESPN)

3:15p

Music City Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Mississippi. Keep an eye on whoever takes home MVP honors in this game. They’ll most likely end up playing for a terrible NFL team, like former winners Jason Campbell, Zac Stacy, C.J. Spiller, and William Green. (ESPN)

6:45p

Alamo Bowl: Oregon vs. Texas. The first time these two played was early December, 1941. The Longhorns thrashed the Ducks 71-7. Texas kicked Oregon around a few more times in the mid-twentieth century, before dropping the 2000 Holiday Bowl to the boys from Eugene. Can the ducks keep their mediocre mid-tier magic alive this year? Obligatory Program Cover Art. (ESPN)

10:15p

Holiday Bowl: Arizona State vs. Texas Tech. Head coaches Todd Graham and Kliff Kingsbury have faced off before. As an offensive assistant at Houston, Kingsbury had a hand in the 70-30 beatdown of Graham’s 2008 Tulsa team. They split the next two meetings (both razor-close) before their coaching paths diverged. Tonight, they meet again. Will Graham finally avenge that humiliating defeat or will he be out-handsomed once more? (ESPN)

Tuesday
12:30p

Independence Bowl: Arizona vs. Boston College. When the Wildcats and Eagles face off, you know it’s Arizona and Boston College getting together. Or Kentucky and Eastern Michigan. Or Northwestern and Southern Mississippi. Or Kansas State and Eastern Washington. Or Bethune-Cookman and Georgia Southern. Or Villanova and Morehead State. (ESPN)

2:00p

Sun Bowl: UCLA vs. Virginia Tech. A Bruin is a bear. A Hokie is a made up word, but apparently they’ve decided it’s some kind of turkey. So here you go: Turkey Bear. (CBS)

4:00p

Liberty Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Rice. No, the Liberty Bowl is not the Independence Bowl. Nor is it the Freedom Bowl, which existed for a little while in the ’90s, before folding into the Holiday Bowl. Nor is it the Emancipation Bowl, the Autonomy Bowl or the Sovereignty Bowl. Seriously, how many bowls are there? (ESPN)

8:00p

Peach Bowl: Duke vs. Texas A&M. It’s the last hurrah for Johnny Football, who is probably going to put up about a zillion yards on the Blue Devils’ 71st-ranked pass defense in what is essentially his Pro Day. (ESPN)

Belated Merry Christmas wishes to any and all Ohio State fans who may be reading this post. Sincere hopes that all of you have the happiest of holiday seasons.

**

Turning my attention to Ohio State football, I am naturally anxious to see how Ohio State will do versus Clemson in The Orange Bowl on January 3rd, 2014. After losing to Michigan State in The B1G Championship Game, Ohio State fans will want to see if the Buckeyes will successfully rebound heading into the 2014 season.

The long view of the 2014 season, and the subsequent seasons after that, are of concern to me as an Ohio State fan. The 2014 season will be the first season of the four team college football playoff, and strength of schedule will be a key criteria. How will Ohio State fare under such scrutiny?

Ohio State fans heard all throughout the 2013 season how weak the Buckeyes’ opponents were ~ Buffalo. San Diego State. California. Florida A&M. Yes, I know that Buffalo and San Diego State were bowl teams; ironically, the teams played each other in The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

Yes, Ohio State and the B1G members are moving to a nine game conference schedule in 2016. But look at Ohio State’s 2015 non-conference schedule opponents ~ at Virginia Tech, which is a solid opponent. Then home versus Hawaii, Northern Illinois, and Western Michigan. Does that sound like an impressive slate of opponents that will impress the college football playoff committee?

What I am proposing, in light of a nine-game conference schedule, is the following:

–Target an in-state MAC opponent for the season opener: Akron, Bowling Green, Kent State, Miami University, Ohio University, and Toledo would be ideal openers on a rotating basis. Every team would benefit greatly from the financial boost of having Ohio State contribute to their respective athletic departments. For Ohio State, this would also allow the Buckeyes to work on their opening game challenges against somewhat decent opponents, yet not ruin their national championship hopes right out of the gate…hopefully. For creativity, these teams could even be the “home” team by hosting Ohio State at stadiums like Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, or FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.

–Target close geographic teams in other top conferences: Teams such as Louisville, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, West Virginia, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Duke, North Carolina, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Marshall, and Iowa State should be on Gene Smith’s speed dial. Again, several of these teams are on Ohio State’s upcoming schedules, but locking them in can only help with that perceived strength of schedule component. (Yes, I know Notre Dame is close geographically, but with Notre Dame’s new ACC schedule, good luck getting them on the schedule. Plus, why help them, when they repeatedly turned down The B1G’s multiple membership invitations?)

–Get some SEC opponents on the schedule: Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Missouri are all close geographically and would only help to boost the rivalry between The B1G and SEC.

Close your eyes, and think of a schedule that reads like this…“Ohio State opens up on the road in Paul Brown Stadium, kicking off the XXXX season as the guest of the Miami University RedskinsHawks. Ohio State returns home to face ACC member Pittsburgh, then finishes up their non-conference slate against Tennessee, before B1G competition begins the following week…”

Think that wouldn’t be impressive to members of the college football playoff committee, when evaluating Ohio State versus other teams’ records for possible playoff inclusion?

Like many Ohio State fans this holiday season, I have much to be thankful for, heading into 2014. If Santa wants to bring me some more presents, tougher non-conference opponents for the Buckeyes would not be a bad way to start off future college football seasons.

You might notice a common thread in our second batch of post-season offerings: they’re all on ESPN. In fact, all but 2 of the 36 total bowl games are on an ABC/ESPN network and the Worldwide Leader in Conflicts of Interest owns eight bowls outright, with another two on the way next year. It means whatever you think you means.

Thursday
6:00p

Little Caesars Bowl: Bowling Green vs. Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh notched a pair of wins over the Falcons in 1999/2000, while Bowling Green won the most recent matchup in 2008. Obligatory Program Cover Art. (ESPN)

9:30p

Poinsettia Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Utah State. These two teams played in 1995, with Utah State winning 42-7. Ingesting a poinsettia could cause vomiting and diarr–oh wait, I think this part was for the Little Caesars Bowl. (ESPN)

Friday
2:30

Military Bowl: Marshall vs. Maryland. MARSHALL! MARYLAND! MILITARY! That’s my pitch for the ad campaign for this game, starring Terry Crews as a turtle and Zach Galifianakis as the buffalo or whatever it’s a herd of that’s thundering. They would both be dressed in fatigues. Give me money. (ESPN)

6:00p

Texas Bowl: Minnesota vs. Syracuse. Nothing says “Texas” like Minnesota and Syracuse. The Gophers hold the 3-1 all-time edge over the Orange, and this is an orange tie with gophers on it. (ESPN)

9:30p

Fight Hunger Bowl: BYU vs. Washington. Washington is 65-34 all-time vs. teams named “Cougars,” while BYU is 4-4 against teams named “Huskies,” all eight of those games being against Washington. What does it all mean? NO MORE HUNGER! (ESPN)

Saturday
Noon

Pinstripe Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Rutgers. These two teams have played four times, and Rutgers only scored in one of those games. When I searched for “Irish Knight,” I got this. Someone get Nolan on the phone! (ESPN)

3:20p

Belk Bowl: Cincinnati vs. North Carolina. The Bearcats haven’t had much luck against the Tarheels, losing by 21 and 35 in their previous two meetings (1979 & 1991). There are no Belk stores in Ohio, but if you like unnecessary z’s, you can buy a pair of these online. They were literally the only product that came up when I searched for “Ohio.” (ESPN)

6:45p

Russell Athletic Bowl: Louisville vs. Miami. Back in mid-October, you could have made an argument for these two teams to play for the national title. Oh well, lots of teams don’t get to play for the title. Enjoy your lousy bowl, jerks. (ESPN)

10:15p

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl: Kansas State vs. Michigan. While it’s unclear whether or not Brady Hoke realizes that his team has not been invited to play in an enormous bowl of actual buffalo wings, we do know that he has expertly executed his five-year plan so far by landing the Wolverines in three consecutive food-related bowls. (ESPN)

Ohio State will be taking on the Fighting Irish in the annual Gotham Classic at Madison Square Garden. The game till tip off at 7:30 PM and will be televised. The Buckeyes are coming into the game ranked 3rd in country with a record of 11-0. This is one of their final non conference games and there are many things Buckeye fans are questioning about the team. Our last away game was at a not so great Marquette team. This is only the second time the Buckeyes take the road for a game. But, this is a neutral site which will most likely be filled with Ohio State fans. Notre Dame is coming into this game 8-3. I believe this will not be an easy win for the Buckeyes. Last year Temple had an upset over Syracuse in the premiere game of the Gotham Classic.

Notre Dame is lead by senior guard Jerian Grant averaging a little over 19 points per game. They are also lead by senior center Garrick Sherman who averages a little over 14 points a game and a little over 7 rebounds a game. This will not be a breeze for Amir and Trey. Notre Dame has three loses. Two loses to teams that don’t have a high prestige. Their other lose comes from a ranked Iowa. I think this is one of the Buckeye’s hardest games played so far in the season.

Ohio State is looking to fix out the little flaws before heading into conference play. They came out very slow against Delaware. I think Ohio State will come out firing with the excitement of playing on the big stage at MSG. Ohio State fans a looking for a little more offense out of Laquinton Ross. He is the guy that can put up big numbers for OSU. Craft and Scott should be able to shutdown the back court for ND. If Amir and Trey hold up in the paint it will all work out for Ohio State.

The Garden hold a lot of history in sports. I am sure both teams will be coming out playing at full force. This will be a interesting game to watch. I will be at the game and am hoping to see a lot of Buckeye fans!