Lets all just take a second to bask in this feeling that we have going through our body’s right now. That feeling that THE BUCKEYES ARE BACK. Maybe I am being a little dramatic due to the fact that we really never went anywhere, in fact we are yet to lose a game since last season, but it’s no secret that the team has left a lot to be desired this season.

Thank god that it seems like that part of the season is behind us! The question is who is behind this offensive resurgence? I think that answer is pretty obvious, Mr JT Barrett. I wish there was someone else to thank along with JT just because I don’t want it to look like I’m dumping on Cardale, but the facts are the facts. From the second JT got the football, the game seemed to be in control. He is just simply able to do things in this offense that Cardale is not able to do. Key to remember about these two is Barrett was recruited by Urban to run this offense, Cardale was a Tressel recruit, not built to run a read option offense. The difference between these two is not just about their physical tools, but also their mental makeup. Cardale has proven to be a better leader than many ever thought he could be, but JT is simply on another level. It is not hard to see on the field that the rest of the team just rally’s behind JT. Not to mention that he was voted team captain as a Sophmore. That is extremely impressive!

Lastly, I would like to touch on a topic that almost makes me sick to think about, but as I said before, facts are facts. All year I have defended Cardale because Urban was saying that someone had to beat him out for Jones to lose his job, at the same time the nation was calling for JT because of how successful he had been in the redzone. Even with all the facts Urban did not seem to want to make the change to JT. Bottom line is Urban should have made this move many weeks ago. It has been obvious to everyone else that this was the thing the Buckeyes needed to get rolling and so far so good. That being said, none of us are in the locker room so we don’t know all the details, but from what we know, that move has been a long time coming. I am just thankful the Buckeyes look comfortable and poised for a post season run!

Is the Big Ten East the best division in college football? Its four best teams include two unbeatens (Ohio State, Michigan State) and two teams (Penn State, Michigan) with two losses each. Penn State’s two losses are to Temple (7-0) and Ohio State (7-0). Michigan’s two losses are to Utah (6-0) and Michigan State (7-0). That’s right: None of the division’s top four teams have lost to anything other than an undefeated team. No other division comes close to matching that feat.

Michigan’s streak of shut outs came to end last week in the most unimaginable way. The bizarre botched punt and ensuing touchdown return defies description. But its impact goes beyond the collective jaw-drop of a sports fan nation. The Big Ten East race has been significantly altered by that single, mind-boggling play. While I won’t pretend that there weren’t other ways Michigan State could’ve won that game, they were all just as unlikely to happen as the thing that did. So take away that or some other equally absurd ending, and we’d be looking at this:

1t. Ohio State (3-0)
1t. Michigan (3-0)
3t. Michigan State (2-1)
3t. Penn State (2-1)

At this point, Penn State seems to be at least a step behind the other three, although it’s never safe to count anyone out. But let’s assume that both Michigan and Michigan State beat the Lions and win their games against all other non-OSU Big Ten teams. That leaves us with two potential end-game scenarios: Ohio State beats Michigan State and heads into a battle with Michigan for a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game and probably the playoff, or Ohio State loses to Michigan State and can not make the conference title game. Beating Michigan would only put us into a tie with Sparty, who already owns the tie-breaker. And not making the conference championship game most likely means not making the playoff.

But that didn’t happen. Michigan isn’t out of the running yet, but it’s likely going to take Michigan State losing twice and Michigan running the table for the Wolverines to get to Indianapolis. With virtually no reasonable road blocks ahead of them except for each other, the top four Big Ten East teams are headed for a heck of an ending.

Since it has been the dominant topic of this space for most of the season thus far, I have to address the change at the quarterback position for Ohio State. When the Buckeyes take the field tonight, J.T. Barrett will be the starter for the first time since last November. His performance on third down and in the red zone in recent weeks (and particularly against Penn State) has earned him the spot. Ultimately, the inability of Ohio State to develop a deep-passing game was Cardale Jones’ downfall. It’s bizarre that a quarterback who’s 10-0 as a starter, was MVP of the Big Ten Championship Game and won a national title is going to be the backup, but it was just as bizarre that a quarterback who owns most of the school’s passing records and finished in the top 5 in Heisman voting the previous year was a backup. We always knew it was a strange situation we were in, and I hope that fans don’t forget how much Jones has contributed to this team.

As you probably know and have read about, J.T. Barrett was recently announced the starter over Cardale Jones for the upcoming game against Rutgers and on. After months of many fans calling for this to happen, and months of Urban being redundant that J.T. had not yet beat out Cardale, the switch was made.

Obviously, Cardale had some of the highest expectations of all returning college football players. After all, he was the 3rd string QB that led the team to beat Wisconsin, Alabama, and Oregon in an extremely impressive stretch that put Ohio State on top of College Football. His potential was and is apparent to anybody who watches. He is one of the biggest QBs in all of football, and has one of the strongest arms in all of football. He is undefeated as a starter. So, why was the switch made?

“Just sheer production. … Red zone production, third-down production made the difference.” said Urban Meyer on Tuesday.

If you go off of the stats, and the fact that he won the B1G Championship, the Sugar Bowl against “almighty” Alabama, and the National Championship against Oregon, you would think there’s no way he could be demoted. But, if you closely watch the game, you see why. His running threat is fairly non-existent which allows defenses to key on Zeke, and without Devin Smith and the coaches trust for that deep threat, his famous deep ball isn’t there. His short throw accuracy also isn’t as great as you would expect from a projected first round pick, which, inevitably, makes for struggles in the red zone.

Of course, those red zone struggles led to the J.T. Barrett package in that area of the field. Not only was he slightly better than Cardale in that spot of the field, but the team went from 6-16 under Cardale to 12-12 under J.T. Then, after more struggles from Cardale during the Penn State game, J.T. was handed the reigns to the offense. From there, J.T. led the team to flashbacks of last year, and he “beat-out” Cardale.

Now, what will the offense look like with a “new” starting QB? Let’s look at his stats and game scores from last year.

J. T. Barrett 2014 stats

Navy – W 34-27. 12-15, 226 yards passing, 2 TD, 1 INT. 9 rushes, 50 yards.

Virginia Tech - L 35-21. 9-29, 219 yards passing, 1 TD, 3 INT. 24 rushes, 70 yards, 1 TD.

Kent State - W 66-0. 23-30, 312 yards passing, 6 TD, 1 INT. 8 rushes, 6 yards.

Cincinnati - W 50-28. 26-36, 330 yards passing, 4 TD. 14 rushes, 79 yards.

Maryland - W 52-24. 18-23, 267 yards passing, 4 TD. 16 rushes, 71 yards, 1 TD.

Rutgers - W 56-17. 19-31, 261 yards passing, 3 TD. 7 rushes, 107 yards, 2 TD.

Penn State - W 31-24. 12-19, 74 yards passing, 1 TD, 2 INT. 20 rushes, 75 yards, 2 TD.

Illinois -  W 55-14. 15-24, 167 yards passing, 2 TD. 7 rushes, 38 yards.

Michigan State - W 49-37. 16-26, 300 yards passing, 3 TD. 14 rushes, 86 yards, 2 TD.

Minnesota - W 31-24. 15-25, 200 yards passing, 3 TD, 1 INT. 17 rushes, 189 yards, 1 TD.

Indiana - W 42-27. 25-35, 302 yards passing, 4 TD, 2 INT. 20 rushes, 78 yards.

Michigan - W 42-28. 13-21, 176 yards passing, 1 TD. 15 rushes, 89 yards, 2 TD.

Overall - 203-314, 2,834 yards passing, 34 TD, 10 INT. 171 rushes, 938 yards, 11 TD.

Obviously, these numbers are great. He broke the record for most passing TDs by an Ohio State QB when he threw for his 31st. He also broke Braxton’s single season yards record of 3, 310. And, he broke Drew Brees’s B1G single-season TD record when he recorded his 43rd score against the team’s rival. Then, to cap it off, he finished 5th in the Heisman race, even after not playing in the B1G Championship with a broken ankle.

Some of you may think, “Well, all those stats were last year, what about this year? He didn’t play well early in the season when replacing Cardale.”

“The first few weeks I was trying to come out, trying to make plays and forcing it.” J.T. admitted after the Penn State game. “That’s asking for bad things to happen, when you try to force things instead of letting them come to you.”

Like I alluded to earlier, J.T. is 6-6, 56 yards passing, and 2 TDs, along with 21 rushes for 164 yards and 5 TDs. He has shown flashes of his consistency and greatness of last year, along with a new level of speed. He showed the ability to continuously make the correct reads, specifically in the read-option with Ezekiel Elliott and Braxton Miller.

“Barrett makes a difference for them. There is no doubt about it.” said Penn State coach James Franklin after their loss to Ohio State. “Braxton Miller is a special athlete with the ball in his hands and their people up front and their tailback played very well. Give those guys credit. Good football team.” With a better decision maker in J.T., and those two elite runners with a powerful line will be something extremely difficult to stop.

Overall, I would certainly expect a more high scoring offense. J.T. is a smoother operator, and if nothing is open downfield, unlike Cardale, he can pick up adequate yards. With all the playmakers this team has (when healthy, of course), they need somebody to get them the ball. Who better to do just that, than The Distributor, J.T. Barrett. He may not possess the arm that Cardale has, but he didn’t have it last year, either, and look at the points the team put up. I predict the team will get their first 50 point game under J.T. Saturday night, but that of course gives the opposing offense more chances, which will likely result in more points for them as well. So, look for more points on both sides, but look for our side to look more like the offensive juggernaut everybody was predicting them to be.

by Ryan Black

image from variety.com

Ohio State is 7-0 and 6 more wins stand between them and another playoff berth. In my opinion there is nothing quite like a meaningless power poll to see where a teams strengths and weaknesses are. So I put together a list of the top and bottom 5 players of your Buckeyes.

Why just 5? Well, this is America; nobody cares about the “just good” players, the “less gifted but hard workers” or the middle class (don’t get me going)… The in-betweeners are boring, it’s all about the top and bottom baby.

Even my dumb ranking has to be better than this FPI poll that keeps getting thrown at fans each week as 3-3 USC is still #6 in this weeks ranking…

Link: http://espn.go.com/college-football/statistics/teamratings

#Weird

What went into my rankings? Well, unlike  the FPS with weird formulas and odd schedule logic, I used my eyes and my gut. So yes, this is also a very flawed poll.

Here is the Top and Bottom Power 5 Buckeye Player Rankings:

Number 5:

Top:  S Von Bell

Bottom: S Tyvis Powell

Reasoning: Both safeties appear at number 5 this week. Von Bell is always around the ball and a big time playmaker for this secondary.

Powell also makes plays but bad angles have really given the opponents (esp. qb’s) long touchdowns in the past three weeks. Unacceptable for a 3^rd year starter though I wouldn’t trade this duo for any other in the country.

Number 4:

Top: P Cam Johnston

Bottom: RT Chase Farris

Reasoning: Are we going to witness a punter enter the NFL draft early? Don’t count it out. Cam has outperformed Bama’s top punter of last season (J.K. Scott) by a solid margin; 47+ yards a punt is outstanding.

It’s also not surprising to see the only newcomer on the offensive line on the bottom list but Chase Farris is still giving up too many easy sacks/QB hurries on simple speed rushes.

Number 3:

Top:  WR Michael Thomas

Bottom: TE Nick Vannett

Reasoning: Both players at number 3 had high hopes for next years NFL draft. One has exceeded those expectations while the other began pressing. Tight End’s coach Tim Hinton thinks Vannett is finally mentally ready for the stretch run.

Number 2:

Top: RB Zeke Elliott

Bottom: C Jacoby Boren

Reasoning: The two currently at number 2 were irreplaceable during last years stretch run. Unfortunately, it looks like Boren was a little off at the start of the season (possible injury?) and I believe that his snaps were killing the flow of the offense in the first few weeks. In an offense like Urban’s with motion and misdirection, timing is everything and high snaps can be play killers. He has looked much better the last three weeks and I wouldn’t be surprised to see his improved play vault the other #2 Zeke to New York.

Number 1:

Top:  DE Joey Bosa

Bottom: K Jack WIlloughby

Reasoning:  How is Adolphus Washington left off the current top list? Well, I think the attention Bosa is receiving at DE is letting the big dog eat. Bosa’s numbers aren’t outstanding but teams are refusing to let him be the defensive lineman to beat them which has allowed all others on the line to flourish. He’s certainly a top 5 pick next year.

New kicker Willoughby hasn’t had it click yet. He’s had a few kicks out of bounds and hasn’t made a kick over 34 yards… This will have to change to win it all.

Bonus:

Biggest snub: LB Darron Lee (top 5)

Reasoning:  It hurts to not put arguably the best linebacker in the country on here but due to injuries to some corners, Lee is in coverage a lot more than usual in the slot. What this does is keep super soph. Raekwon McMillan (team tackle leader)  from being substituted out for a green nickleback on a lot of plays. Expect Def. Coordinator Fickell to dial up some blitzes from the secondary to keep Mr. Chaos involved.

Just remember kids-whether you’re a top or a bottom, you’re always a loved Buckeye in my heart ;).

By: Phil Schoch, Twitter me @osuphil95

Each week in this spot, we look at college football’s point spreads and match-ups and predict each B1G game as well as a few national spotlight games.

WOW! What a finish! Sparty… YES! The euphoria and ensuing celebration of a monumental Michigan loss has become a sweet once a decade event. I wasn’t around when Kennedy was shot, but I remember exactly where I was for these three days of infamy.

September 24, 1994 – Colorado

Kordell Stewart to Michael Westbrook. I watched it live at the next door neighbor’s apartment at 94 West Lane Avenue.

September 1, 2007 – Appalachian State

Armanti Edwards led then-FCS power Appalachian State to a roller coaster victory over #5 Michigan. I watched it live at the JerryGate Tailgate party on Woodruff Avenue.

October 17, 2015 – Michigan State

The botched punt. I watched it live from the neighbor’s house down the street. Because the group was wildly urging Jalen Watts-Jackson into the end zone, we missed hearing Sean McDonough go full Peter Brady on the final play. A classic.

Last week Pick ‘em & Tidbits made a serious move toward the .500 threshold with a 6-2 mark versus the spread and 6-2 straight up. In back-to-back weeks, my PM Stukenborg Fearless Prediction aka wishful thinking (Texas A&M over Bama) did not cover as the Aggies tossed out Pick 6’s like Trick or Treat candy. After seven weeks, I am 45-46 (49.5%) against the spread and 69-22 (75.8%) straight up.

Week 8 is a clunker on-paper – perhaps a high profile upset or two lurks.

Disclaimer: Warning! Do not wager your money or possessions based upon anything gleaned from this article. Full disclosure – In my side dabbling last week, I liked Kansas State to bounce back (from their loss to TCU) better than Oklahoma (from their loss to Texas). I liked Kansas State +4.5. Kansas State lost to Oklahoma, 55-0.

Around the B1G…

Saturday, October 24

Northwestern is on the slide again. The offense has abandoned them (10 total points in the past two weeks) and the defense has gotten leaky (78 total points given up the past two weeks). Last week Nebraska punched Goldy Gopher in the teeth 48 times.

Pick ’em says… Each team has momentum, ride it. Huskers, 39-5.

Old Style has always been linked to Chicago (Chicago’s Beer since 1902), but it is actually brewed by the G. Heileman Brewing Company in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.

Pick ’em says… Pick ’em & Tidbits readers, You’ve Got Style! Old Style. Grab a 6-er of Old Style, now available in Columbus at The Anderson’s General Store & in Cincinnatuh at Jungle Jim’s! Badgers, 23-13.

Poor Penn State. They were so lonely out there as the Eastern outpost of the B1G. Thank goodness the B1G grabbed all of those DC/Baltimore/Rutgers eyeballs for cable rights cash. Maybe this will become a decent rivalry down the road, but for now any mention of Maryland or Rutgers football aggravates me (except last year when these behemoths both beat Michigan).

Pick ’em says… In my day, the Big 10 had ten schools. That’s the way it was and we liked it!  https://youtu.be/BbU4Cb4A4-o

Momentum. Indiana has lost three straight including a 55-52 collapse last week versus Rutgers. The hurtin’ Hoosiers were outscored 22-0 in the 4th quarter. Ouch. Sparty, thank you for that Pure Michigan moment last week.

Pick ’em says… Sparty, 34-20.

Great! Ohio State now gets to play Rutgers every freaking year. We’ll get to see Northwestern, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois, you know, Big 10 schools – not B1G schools, every-so-often. But we get to see Maryland and Rutgers every-GD-year! Thanks a lot Obama Delany!

Pick ’em says… JT puts the offense in high gear, finally! For the 5th week out of 7, I’ll call for the Buckeyes to hit 50+. 52-17.

Two hyper-hypo-obnoxious fan bases. Please Tennessee?

Pick ’em says… Bama 27-20. 

From 1966 – 2012, legendary Minster (Ohio) resident, Paul ‘P.M.’ Stukenborg (pictured above) posted his weekly sports predictions in the hometown paper, The Community Post. Each week, Pick ’em will make a P.M. Stukenborg Fearless Prediction and call for an underdog to to knock off the favorite.

Pick ’em says… PM needs to get back into the win column. This has the too-good-too-be-true Kiss of Death written all over it. Utes, 31-28.

ENJOY YOUR BYE WEEK MICHIGAN FANS!

Another week, another win for Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes in black. But the quarterback dilemma continues to rage on.

Before getting into the third page of the dictionary, I would like to relay a message to those fans who chanted “JT, JT, JT” at the game this past weekend – What do you think that does to Cardale’s confidence and psyche? Barrett played well, but it’s not like he threw the ball for 500 yards like a gunslinger. Everybody thought Jones was the guy after Virginia Tech and Maryland. Personally, Cardale is still my starter. 10-0 as a starter as a matter of fact. Also, the guy won Buckeye Nation a national championship, the first since the Craig Krenzel era…show respect where respect is due. It’s fine to think and want JT to start; he played well, but one half of football does not justify a depth chart change, IMO.

But let’s ask Urban what he thinks about it. After all, he is the head coach.

Urban said – “I just read we’re 6-for-6 in the red zone again, so that’s 12-for-12 the last 12 times we’ve been in there. First of all, it’s a lot of times in there, which is good. The second thing is just let me evaluate it, let you guys know on Monday, and go from there.”

• The Fans – The fans said all they had to say during the game. “JT, JT, JT!!!”
• The Media – How could you possibly not know by now that JT is the man for the job?
• The Players – Doesn’t matter who the quarterback is. Just look at those red zone stats.

As I said above, I’m still rolling with #TeamCardale, but I can see the case people are making.

Meanwhile just before kickoff in the blackened Horseshoe, the team up north just lost a heart-breaker to little brother, Michigan State.

Urban said – “I heard about it. I saw there was a fumbled punt or something like that as time ran out. This league is tough. The East Division, Big Ten, lot of respect for those teams.”

• The Fans –

• The Media – Are you saying that the Big Ten is better than the SEC? Anarchy! Call the police! Call the mayor! Alert the media! Oh wait…we are the media.
• The Players – Hahaha, Michigan suuuuuucks.

The Big Ten is for sure a lot better than it is given credit for by ESPN/the SEC Network.

When it boils down to picking a quarterback, Meyer hasn’t named one officially yet for the game at Rutgers, but…

Urban said – “I see the same thing that you see.”

• The Fans – Thank goodness our coach finally listened to us chanting for JT! #TeamBarrett FTW!
• The Media – We see that you still haven’t stuck with the same guy…why is that? It’s not like it could be because we keep on asking you each and every week is it?
• The Players – We’re seeing 7-0 and a chance to go 8-0.

Whether you are on Team Barrett or Team Cardale, for the sake of my sanity and the sanity of both players, keep your opinions about it civil and respectful without belittling the other guy.

Welcome back to my weekly column, A Look Around the Country. I’m highlighting notable games from the previous week, the week ahead and of course, the Heisman and Playoff race. Special features include an in-depth look at the Ohio State and a Michigan update, mainly for folks to bask in their misfortunes. Feel free to comment with your opinions, I hope you enjoy!

Notable Games Last Week

Stanford 56, UCLA 35

The Trees were able to stretch their record to 5-1 after a big win over UCLA. Many people are starting to say that Stanford’s loss to Northwestern back in week one is comparable to Ohio State’s loss to Virginia Tech last season. We’ll see if Stanford is able to contend with Utah.

Iowa 40, Northwestern 10

In a very quiet manner, the Hawkeyes have managed to go undefeated thus far this season and are the clear frontrunners to play in the Big Ten Championship Game. It’s odd to think about, but Iowa is a playoff contender. For Northwestern, they seem to be falling into a rut yet again.

Alabama 41, Texas A&M 23

Kyle Field wasn’t enough for the Aggies to hold off the Tide as Derrick Henry was able to run wild for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns. Alabama just keeps on winning and has put themselves on a collision course with LSU.

Michigan State 27, Michigan 23

HOLY S—!!!! In what will go down as one of the craziest finishes in college football history, the Wolverines laid an egg the size of Mars on the last play of the game. Moving forward, the Big Ten East all comes down the Buckeye-Spartan game in late November. For Michigan, the wins should keep coming and the Ohio State game will be one for the ages.

Big Games This Week

There aren’t any big games this week. For example, College Gameday is headed to the James Madison vs Richmond game.

Ohio State at Rutgers

After looking very impressive against Penn State in Ohio Stadium’s first blackout, J.T. Barrett has been the named the starter for the Rutgers game. In my opinion, this has been the right move since day one and I think the Buckeyes will continue to improve moving forward. Zeke is playing like a madman and the defense has really stepped up. Come November 21, they’ll be ready for when Sparty comes to town.

Saturday, October 24 at 8pm on ABC

Michigan Update

I am still laughing at how they lost. Good thing for them that they have a bye week to regroup.

Heisman Watch

1. Leonard Fournette, LSU

2. Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State

3. Trevone Boykin, TCU

4. Seth Russell, Baylor

5. Derrick Henry, Alabama

My Playoff if the Season Ended Today

*Editor’s Note: This will be a volatile poll every week based on performance in the past week and resume to date, very similar to the Playoff Committee.

1. Ohio State (beat Penn State, plays Rutgers)

2. Baylor (beat West Virginia, plays Iowa State)

3. Michigan State (beat Michigan, plays Indiana)

4. LSU (beat Florida, plays Western Kentucky)

Just Missed the Cut

5. Utah (beat Arizona State, plays USC)

6. TCU (beat Iowa State, plays West Virginia)

7. Alabama (beat Texas A&M, plays Tennessee)

8. Clemson (beat Boston College, plays Miami)

9. Florida State (beat Louisville, plays Georgia Tech)

10. Iowa (beat Northwestern, bye week)