What I Learned From the College Football Playoff

As a longtime playoff proponent/BCS hater, it’s tempting to do a victory lap right now. It would be easy to go through each year of the BCS era and question how often a different team would have won the title in a four-team playoff system. It would be easy to point to the various experts who have confirmed that this year’s BCS match up would have been Alabama vs. Florida State, the two teams who lost in the playoff semi-finals. It would be easy to beat the dead horse of the BCS for every time the system got it wrong, calling every championship won in the era out as questionable.

And if I had written this last week, that’s what I would have done.

But while I still think the BCS was the wrong way to determine a champion and that the current playoff is infinitely better, I hesitate to call the results of the BCS “wrong,” because that would have to mean that there was another, alternate result that was “right.” That mindset–that we can objectively assess which team of any pair is better, without actually seeing them play–is exactly what was wrong with the BCS to begin with.

Half of the BCS title games were won by the #1-ranked team and half by the #2-ranked team. Even though it’s a little surprising that it worked out so perfectly, we should have expected it to be fairly even. After all, the rankings weren’t (nor could they have been) based on anything concrete; they were simply an amalgamation of various opinions (yes, computer rankings are opinions just like human polls are) and opinions are a crap shoot of reliability.

This isn’t intended as a shot against the BCS rankings; they did as well as they probably could have. I expect the playoff to achieve a similar type of balance, with the 3- and 4-seeds winning about as often as the 1’s and 2’s do. I like the committee system’s ability to introduce discussion and divergent thinking into the mix, but at the end of the day, we’re still talking about a bunch of opinions.

And that’s all we’ll ever be talking about, no matter what form the playoff eventually takes. Besides the possibility of automatic bids for conference champions, there will always be some element of subjectivity involved. In fact, the assertion that every conference champion deserves an automatic bid (something I believe) is subjective in itself. The truth is no team deserves a national championship, because that’s not the point.

There is no “best” team. Ever. There is no right answer that the post-season must conclude on so as to be considered legitimate. If Oregon had beaten Ohio State last Monday night, that would have been acceptable; their championship would have been legit. The same is true if Alabama or Florida State had won. Or if Baylor or TCU would have made the playoff in our place and won.

So what I learned from the college football playoff is that the BCS-era titles are no less legitimate or more questionable than titles won going forward. They are nothing more (or less) than the result of the system in place at the time, just like every title has always been and always will be.

Negative Buckeye: 10 Bold Predictions for Last Half of Season

by: Ryan Black

Ohio State beat a one loss Rutgers team 56-17 on Saturday and the good guys are now halfway through the 2014 season… seriously.  College football makes the fall go by faster than an Alabama fan running to a Walmart sale for chewing tobacco and machine guns.

Ohio State basketball just opened up practice for god sakes! Time to get hyped.

It’s an exciting time to be a Columbus resident right now but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of things that pissed me off this week. Here are a few:

1. People can be down on the Big Ten this and Big Ten that but 99% of the talking schmucks on the radio and t.v. simply don’t realize that parity is everywhere in college football. Example:

What happened: West Virgnia loses a close one to Bama- WVU then squeaks a win out against Maryland in OT (Maryland’s only loss before playing Ohio State). Ohio State kills Maryland. West Virginia beats #4 Baylor.

Media verdict: Maryland sucks. West Virginia good. Bama is god. Ohio State is overrated.

It’s frustrating but even though the games are usually close, until the Big Ten can have a winning record over the SEC in a bowl season that narrative won’t change. Damn you Iowa, you were so close last year.

2. Peyton Manning-please take that commercial off the air where you hum the Nationwide jingle. I hear it when I eat, when I work, while I type this and when I sleep. I’m terrified I’m going to wake up in the middle of the night and see that big goof over me with a knife singing, “And now I’m going to cut your throat.” #Shivers.

3. “What if” playoff talk is so stupid. Some jamoke on the radio the other morning said, “If the playoff was today, there would be 3 SEC teams.” While this is not incorrect, it’s so stupid. All three of those teams play will cross paths. This thing will sort itself out like it always does yet for some reason 97.1 will spend the whole Bishop and Rothman show on Mondays talking about why Ohio State will not make the playoff after they win out.  So pointless…

Oh well, I could go on all day but there is no point. I need to avoid all types of college football talk from the media. It’s cutting years off my life.

Let’s have  a little fun here. The Buckeyes are finally halfway through the season and you’re probably wondering what’s in store for our heroes.

Here are ten bold predictions coming from pure gut instinct (and my gut has gotten huge since I got married, so you should take these serious).

Bold Predictions For Rest of Season:

10. Corey Smith will make a big time play by the end of the year:

The coaches still rave about him and he isn’t losing playing time. Urban doesn’t put guys out there he doesn’t believe in, which is why last year we saw only 3 real receivers. Smith will come out of nowhere and break a game open. I guarantee it.

9. Von Bell will lead the team in interceptions by December:

He’s got 1 now and he is really impressing me with being in the right place in coverage. Really could have used him last year…

8. Dontre Wilson will finally break the big one:

Ugggggggh, he is so damn close. I haven’t been a fan of his vision on kick returns so far but on offense he is making the right cuts almost every carry. He keeps getting tripped up by the last line of defense and I think he is starting to get frustrated. Well don’t little buddy! Wilson is averaging about 6.5 yards a rush and 16 yards a catch. Nothing wrong with those numbers.

7. My fantasy team will bring home the championship:

It’s not Ohio State related and I get that. However, the Blackville Buckfutts’ future is looking very bright after an 0-3 start, so give me my moment.

6. You will look to the person to the left of you during a game and say, “I miss Braxton” at some point this season.

Hate to be negative (wait, no  I don’t). Either the beginning of this weeks game at Penn State or the MSU game, J.T. Barrett will get off to a slow start. He is a freshmen and playing his first “actual” road games may bring on some nerves. The good thing is this kid seems solid as a rock and I don’t think a mistake or two will ruin a game for him.

5. Darron Lee will get charged with felony assault on the field:

He hits hard and he scares me. Lee is going to knock somebody out in the next few weeks and that player is going to lawyer up.

4. The defense is going to win Ohio State a game before the season is over:

I mean it has to happen doesn’t it? The offense has to have a game where they aren’t clicking in the near future and doesn’t put up 50 points and I believe the defense will come through this time (unlike VA Tech). The young kids are coming together and they are getting scary.

3. Jeff Heuerman will have 5 touchdowns in the next 6 games:

My gut is really reaching here but I believe with all the playmakers who have showed up this season that defenses will forget about good ole #5 tight end. We’ve seen that the last few weeks with Nick Vannett posting 3 touchdowns.  Jeff is still getting healthy and will become the man before long.

2. J.T. Barrett will finish top 5 in the Heisman:

Not sure if he gets invited but even the most biased of voter can’t ignore the numbers the freshmen is putting up.

1. My wife will leave me by the Big Ten title game:

My obsession with Joey Bosa is tearing us apart. She walked in on me watching a Bosa highlight tape last week and let’s just say… I was enjoying myself a little too much.

 

At least we have a comfy couch.

 

I’ll revisit these picks at the end of the year. I expect a 100% success rate or I will be very disappointed.

 

Bonus:

Trailer Park Boys quote-

Jim Lahey: You know whats at work here? Its sh*t tectonics. When two sh*t plates strike and come together under incredible pressure, what happens Bubbs?
Bubbles: What Mr Lahey?
Jim Lahey: …Sh*t-quake.

 

Oh she’s a coming all right. Have a good week ladies and gentlemen

Double Bonus:

Try to watch this without peeing yourself-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ohio State-3 Changes Needed ASAP to Get to Indy

Well it happened, the first regular season loss for Ohio State in 25 games occured Saturday night (Recap) and it’s time to reflect and project. The playoff chances seem laughable and the season looks bleak, for now. Over reaction by the fans always happens after a loss for any major college football program (“fire this coach, strangle this player, drink that poison”) , but this time a little concern seems warranted.

It’s not time to throw in the towel and buy your D’angelo Russell jerseys for basketball season just yet. With the Big Ten looking as stinky as ever, the chance for a conference championship is very doable and is now should be the teams #1 goal. The talent is there but my god do the coaches and players need to change some things for Ohio State to get to Indianapolis on December 6th.

Here is my list of what needs to change in order of importance…

1.OFFENSIVE SCHEME:

7-8 men in the box with a blitz every play is something Buckeye fans can look forward to the rest of the season if a simple scheme change is not implemented. I’m no Vince Lombardi but the last play any coach would call against a suicide blitz is a play action vertical route down field-yet that is what happened and it happened frequently against Virginia Tech. As a fan I have never been more mad, frustrated or confused as I was Saturday night. The routes needed to be shorter, simple as that. J.T. Barrett was a sitting duck all night; he should be commended for being alive today. To be fair, there were a few (very few) short routes called, such as Michael Thomas’ 53 yard touchdown or the pass just out of Dontre Wilson’s hands on a swing play that was an easy 40 yard gain if caught.

WHERE WERE CALLS LIKE THAT THE REST OF THE GAME? A SCREEN, A DRAW, ANYTHING TO SLOW DOWN THE 8 HOKIES MAKING A BEELINE FOR A REDSHIRT FRESHMEN QUARTERBACK!!!

That’s the only time I’ll yell at you, promise. There has to be something we are missing; the only logical explanation I have is that Frank Beamer beat Urban Meyer in a high stakes game of poker. Out of chips Meyer went all in on a pair of aces and put up half is playbook as a payout.

The part that really worries me is the comments by the coaches afterward. Especially Meyer continually saying “they forced us to throw and catch the ball and we didn’t do it.” While true, they didn’t force you to run four go routes every play, or force you to abandon your whole offensive identity (if they even have one).

The talk of all preseason camp was of the running backs/h-backs and how they need the ball. Ezekiel Elliot, Dontre Wilson, Curtis Samuel. Jailin Marshall and Rod Smith are ready to make an impact and need the rock in their hand. Through two games almost 65% of the plays have been a called run or pass for J.T. Barrett. One would expect that number to be correct if number 5 was the quarterback, but a freshmen who hasn’t played a game in two years? Rod Smith only has two carries! He’s the guy who basically tied Elliot in the running back competition according to coaches. I don’t care how many guys are in the box, get the ball to your best players. A play action fake is not going to mean anything if the other team knows you’re not going to hand it off.

This is Ohio State, make teams adjust to you and not the other way around. If you are the Undertaker the last type of match you want to be in against Mankind is a boiler-room-brawl.

Am I as smart as Urban or Tom Herman? My A.C.T. and high school G.P.A. would say no. These guys know what they are doing and they will figure it out. However, a case could be made that they have been out-coached by teams with inferior talent in 4 of the last 5 games.  It will be interesting to see the gameplan used against Kent State this Saturday; if it’s more of the same I will become very worried about the Cincy game in two weeks.

2. OFFENSIVE LINE PLAY

There is not much to say about the 2014 offensive line right now.  Coach Meyer knows it, the players know it, and the opponents definitely know it- this unit is not very good right now. Virginia Tech exposed them (despite not a lot of help from the scheme) and there is a lot of learning on the fly ahead. There will be more ups and downs this season but with Ed Warriner I am not too concerned about the line issues in the future. A cream puff game this weekend and byes two of the next four weeks afterwards, there is no reason to believe this unit should not be ready to play at a high level come start of the big ten season. However, if the play stays at the path of the first two games then get ready to watch two other teams play in Indianapolis this December.

3. 3RD DOWN DEFENSE

“Frustrating, so frustrating.” All I could hear was Landfill from Beerfest saying that quote over and over in my head Saturday night. How many times this season has Ohio State forced an opponent in third and long only to give up an easy conversion? I’m going to give Chris Ash and Luke Fickell the benefit of the doubt here as I’ve already complained about the coaching scheme enough (Though the fact that Curtis Grant stays on and Michael Bennett comes off the field on third down is very puzzling). Ohio State fans just have to hope that these third down conversion rates will not be a trend this season. Sometimes the defensive backs are ten yards off the receivers only to give up an easy out route 1 yard behind the sticks. Other times the coaches dial up a blitz perfectly only to have the quarterback somehow Houdini is way out of the pocket to throw off his back foot to a receiver who makes a diving catch.  It can’t keep happening or the big ten title will be out of the picture and I will be 6 feet under after a heart attack, unable to bore you with my weekly articles.

I’m going to be positive here and believe this problem/aberration will be fixed. The linebackers look improved, the secondary looks talented and these young guns will only get better.

If these 3 weaknesses of the men of the scarlet and gray (menofthescarletandgray.com) get fixed then I certainly believe this team will finish with no more than two losses and a good chance of heading to Indy. As long as Frank Beamer agrees to give the other half of the playbook back of course.

Hanging Out With the Buckeyes & Tigers on the Orange Bowl Google+ Hangout

Getting to talk to Ohio State and Clemson players face-to-face? Sign me up! That was the opportunity I was offered just a few days before Christmas and of course I immediately jumped on it. For those that don’t follow me on Google+, I got to participate in the two-day Orange Bowl Digital Media Press Conference this past Monday and Tuesday via a Google+ Hangout with other fans. I talked directly with players on both sides and got to ask them questions about the upcoming game. It was certainly exciting and interesting to be so up close to the players. Over the two days, Clemson players Tajh Boyd, Sammy Watkins, Brandon Thomas and Vic Beasley were among the players that participated in the Hangout portion of the press conferences. For Ohio State, Carlos Hyde, Michael Bennett, CJ Barnett, Corey Linsley, Jack Mewhort and Corey “Philly” Brown participated.

On Monday I talked to Thomas, Watkins and Bennett. I asked offensive lineman Brandon Thomas how Ohio State’s defense stacks up on tape compared to other top defenses they’ve faced this season, such as South Carolina and Florida State. The audio doesn’t come in well here, but this is his answer:

Brandon Thomas on How Ohio State’s Defense Compares to Others

Fortunately the audio comes in quite well when I talk to wide receiver Sammy Watkins. I asked him to compare Ohio State’s secondary to the secondaries he faces in the ACC. He said the styles and aggressiveness of each are certainly different:

Sammy Watkins on Ohio State & ACC Secondaries

The final player I talked to on day one was defensive lineman Michael Bennett. I asked Bennett how it feels for him to reach the Orange Bowl after all that has happened around the football program the last few seasons. Bennett said it feels great after going through a few different coaches and to finally have stability and a plan around the program.

Michael Bennett Talks About How it Feels to Reach the Orange Bowl

I can imagine that Bennett would be a great interview. Seems very thoughtful and meticulous when he answers questions. Glad I got to ask him a question.

On day two I only attended the first part of the press conference and I talked to only Ohio State players. The first one I talked with was offensive lineman Jack Mewhort. I asked him what his biggest learning moment was this season, not only as a player, but as a person. Mewhort said it was definitely the Michigan State game.

Jack Mewhort on his Biggest Learning Moment in the 2013 Season

I liked Mewhort’s answer and he was definitely my favorite to talk to out off all the players I spoke with. Later in the hangout you’ll see him joking around with his teammates. He seems like a fun guy to be around and would love to have a full interview with him.

Later in the hangout I spoke with wide receiver Philly Brown and I asked him what the mood has been like around the team since the B1G Championship Game. Brown says it has been pretty good and he feels the team really learned from the experience.

Corey “Philly” Brown on the Team Since the B1G Championship

One last moment we were able to catch was the team getting a picture together after the press conference. You could definitely see they’re a tight nit unit and you get to see everyone’s favorite strength coach Mickey Marotti. I love his personality! Props to Matthew Laferty for getting this great screenshot below.

Orange Bowl Media Conference

I certainly had a great time participating in this unique opportunity and I’m glad to have shared it with you.

If you would like to view the entire day one hangout, click here. If you would like to view the entire day two hangout, click here.

The Spread: The More Things Change

On January 7, Florida State will take on Auburn for the final BCS National Championship. The Seminoles played an SEC team (Tennessee) in the first-ever BCS title game too. Like this year’s FSU team, the ’98 Volunteers were the only remaining undefeated major conference team. Like this year’s Ohio State team, the ’98 Buckeyes missed out on a shot at the title because they lost to Michigan State. Ohio State was the preseason #1 team in the 1998 AP poll, but ended up playing in the Sugar Bowl against a team from the Big 12, just like this year’s preseason #1 AP team Alabama will.

At the time, the BCS was an exciting prospect. After years of split national titles decided entirely by polls, we were finally going to get a True National Champion, decided on the field of play, as it should be. Of course, the convoluted and amorphous gel of human polls, computer rankings and bonus points left us unsatisfied. Sure, it turned in a gem of a season finale from time to time, but more often than not, when that last piece of confetti was vacuumed off the field turf, we were left with more questions than answers.

During the BCS era, we’ve seen the sport undergo even more radical changes–from the functional (instant replay) to the philosophical (read-option) to the structural (realignment). Three of the eleven conferences that made up Division IA football (now the FBS) in 1998 no longer exist. The WAC had 16 teams back then. It has 0 now. There was no Mountain West. There was a Sun Belt, but they didn’t play football then. There was a Big East, but they don’t play football now.

In 1998, there were 22 bowl games. Now there are 35. Next year: 39.

A microcosm of the shifting world of college football comes in the form of the Big 12. At the end of 1998, they had five ranked teams: Kansas State, Texas A&M, Texas, Nebraska and Missouri. Three of those teams are no longer in the conference. Neither is Colorado. Baylor was the worst team in the conference in 1998, winning just two games by a combined 10 points. This year, they won the Big 12 with just a single loss and posted a national best 53.3 points per game.

Next year, the College Football Playoff begins and with it a whole new host of arguments and controversies and spats over regional bias and schedule strength. Those things will probably never go away–not until football gets its own version of March Madness. When that day comes, someone will ponder over the four- and eight-team eras. They’ll marvel at how undefeated teams used to regularly get shut out of the national title picture, often before any games had even been played. They’ll remind us that Conference USA used to play at the same level as the Pac-16 (which only had twelve teams back then). They’ll say: Baylor used to be good. Really good.

They’ll say: Michigan State knocked us out of the title game in 2013 too.

The Spread, Week 15: Auburnt

As expected, we are now down to just two undefeated major conference teams. All that hand-wringing over how we would deal with the glut of perfect seasons seems silly now. Assuming both Florida State and Ohio State take care of business (which is a big assumption, at this point), the national title game matchup is an obvious choice, right?

Of course not.

Those in SEC country are having a hard time dealing with the fact that they very likely will not have at least one representative in the national game for the first time in eight seasons. Auburn AD Jay Jacobs is going full Kubler-Ross on this one, already covering denial (“A one-loss SEC [champ] can’t get left out. It’s impossible.”) and anger, calling the potential snub a “disservice to the nation.” Baby steps, Jay, baby steps.

Auburn has a devastating 14-point loss to 9-3 LSU on their resume though, and that’s going to be enough to keep them out if they don’t get help. That help would almost have to come from Michigan State, since the only other possibility is Duke beating Florida State, which isn’t even a sentence I should have to type about football. I mean, it would be awesome, but let’s not get crazy.

And should the Spartans be victorious Saturday night (which is entirely possible), then shouldn’t they finally enter the conversation? Mark Dantonio thinks so, and I agree. They have a dominant defense that has held half of their opponents under seven points. No one has scored more than 28 on them, and the two times that happened, the Spartans put up 40+ of their own.

By contrast, Auburn held only Western Carolina to less than seven points and gave up 28+ four times. Six of their eleven wins are by fewer than 10 points, and again, their loss was by 14. Michigan State won every game by at least 10, and only lost by 4, to a Notre Dame team that is only one game worse–record-wise–than LSU.

It’s actually Missouri (Auburn’s SEC championship opponent who just might make all this discussion irrelevant) that has a good argument to be favored over Michigan State. Missouri’s loss is a three-point double-overtime drop to 10-2 South Carolina and occurred without their starting QB in the lineup. Missouri has been far more dominant than Auburn, winning only once by fewer than 10 points. I would still give the nod to Michigan State if that were the choice, but it would be a little tougher.

But why stop there? It’s not like Alabama has reason to believe that winning their own division should be a pre-requisite to a national title berth, so even they have come up with a way to get back in the picture. You might think that a rematch of the most thrilling upset of the season would make a great national title game. It wouldn’t. We just did this. Have you forgotten?

As much as the common sports fan thinks he doesn’t want to see Ohio State in the national championship game, it is our duty to spare them from these other, far less desirable scenarios. We must beat Michigan State on Saturday. Not doing so would be a disservice to the nation.

Q&A with an Opponents Blogger:TTUN

Well here we are at the last game of the regular season, its the most anticipated game of the regular season. This is The Game really nothing in all of sports compares. Folks down south like to think that the Iron Bowl is the best but lets face facts I believe only twice have those teams met when they were both Top 5 or Top 10 something like that. It seems like 9 out of 10 times that the wolverines of TSUN and the Buckeyes of The Ohio State University meet there is something on the line.

I know you are all just waiting for this weeks post on who I’m talking with and what kind of hard hitting questions I can come up with for TTUN. Well this week Joshua who is the editor of The Big House report was ever so gracious enough to work with me on this weeks post.

MotSaG: I wanted to start out with what the hell is going on with the Michigan fan base? I’m seeing they are getting rid of their tickets online and ready to burn Ann Arbor down, is it that bad or just the Wolverine boards I’m reading greatly exaggerated?

TBHR: It’s not fun to be a Michigan fan right now. The season hasn’t gone as planned and the fans are acting accordingly. A lot of the message board fodder you are mostly reading are from fans who have a tendency to freak out. Most fans dont understand the meaning of “perspective” and just want to automstically result in fire and pitchfork protesting.

MotSaG: Do you think enough bandwagon fans get ride of there tickets Scarlet and Gray will overrun the Big House?

TBHR: Ohio State fans always travel well, it’s not a huge secret. Considering how big this game is, I expect the stadium to be filled with plenty of scarlet. Those fans who are willingly giving their tickets to Buckeye fans are part of the problem.

MotSaG: Brady cHoke is in his 3rd season and he seems to be getting worse (record wise) with his own hand picked talent, Is it him or the coordinators failing him?

TBHR: I wouldn’t necessarily call Hoke’s tenure a failure yet. Hoke is trying to rebound from a senior-heavy squad in 2011, the team is young. I’m not trying to excuse the lack of results, it’s just the way it is right now. Is Al Borges to blame for a lack of offense? Probably. I give Hoke one more season before the heat gets turned up on his seat.

MotSaG: One of Michigan’s biggest problems this season is the offensive line, will they be able to patchwork something to keep OSU’s defensive line away from Gardner?

TBHR: Simply put, no. Michigan has shuffled that line way too many times this season. There really isn’t much chemistry there, as you can see from the terrible year they are having.

MotSaG: Whats the over/under on Devin The Pastry Chef Gardners turnovers vs Buckeyes?

TBHR: Believe it or not, Gardner has cut down on the turnovers as the season has progressed. Although that won’t help him this weekend. Considering Michigan will be desperate, they will try to force plays. With that being said, I expect Gardner to have at least two turnovers.

MotSaG: Being this is The Game and the greatest rivalry in ALL of sports Buckeye fans know and expect Michigan to bring their best and then some but my question is have they played their best yet this season at any game or is there to many problems?

TBHR: Notre Dame was arguably Michigan’s most complete game. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really mean much. I am hoping that Michigan is leaving the best for last. But, again, that’s going to be tough.

MotSaG: Seen a report come out Sunday I believe that cHoke has lost the team do you feel this to be true?

TBHR: Don’t believe those reports, they are not true. Hoke is still respected by the team.

MotSaG: With the issues the Wolverines have been having this season what effect is it having on recruiting? I seen Jabrill Peppers is taking official visits after his season ends I thought that was a big no non in cHokes eyes?

TBHR: I think losing out on Hand is good enough evidence that the season is taking its toll on recruiting. The Peppers thing was overblown, he said he wanted to have a backup plan because of fake rumors floating around that Hoke will be let go after the season. So far, there are zero decommits and I dont really expect any changes with the current class. What happens in the future remain to be seen.

MotSaG: Before the season started I wrote my first post hoping and thinking Michigan was going to be a good team and I also wrote about The Pastry Chef and our site thinking he was going to be the in the Top 25 of the B1G talent as much as I don’t like Michigan I do respect the heck out of them so my question is, is the talent on the team overrated or the coaching overrated?

TBHR: I think it’s just a simple fact of the players not living up to expectations I don’t think the coaching or players are overrated, I still think the team needs one more offseason to be coached up before we can make a determination.

MotSaG: Buckeye fans keep hearing Michigan fans say that Ohio State has a cupcake schedule and they haven’t played anyone ( you know riding the coat tails of national media). If Ohio State schedule is so easy why did Michigan need OT to beat Northwestern lost to Iowa and Penn State and barely beat the cupcakes Akron and UConn? Michigan’s schedule isn’t harder than the Buckeyes yet tOSU is undefeated and Michigan is 7-4.

TBHR: Every team plays each other differently. Northwestern gave Ohio State all it could handle, while they sucked when they played Michigan (as did the wolverines.) The lopsided records to conference strength between the two teams is due to the Buckeyes being a vastly superior team. Its as simple as that.

MotSaG: What does your gut tell you to expect from this game? Final score prediction and if you feel Michigan wins what do they have to do to beat the Buckeyes?

TBHR: I’m thinking Ohio State will put up 35-40 points this weekend. Michigan will lose, obviously. It could be worse, considering the Buckeyes need style points in the BCS.

I’m at a loss here because honestly I have been hoping that TTUN was turning things around and this was going to start another Ten Year War or something along those lines. I’m not sure what the problem is up there nor do I really care but I do know rest assured as much as we Buckeye fans are beating our chests that this should be a slam dunk kick their butts type of game, it won’t happen till the end. As much as I feel that Brady cHoke is vastly overrated and in over his head those kids putting on those putrid maize and blue helmets and jerseys they will come to play.

One of the many reasons I can never look past this team no matter the coach no matter the year 2 games stick out in my mind from all of my many years of watching this rivalry. The kid from Cleveland striking that damn pose and the one which that kid ran all over us for over 300 yards and while he wasn’t doing his Forest Gump impression on the field he was riding a stationary bike on the sideline for which we recommended envy reaper scooter bars. I refuse to mention them by name because when I hear their names I feel that same pain in my heart all over again and if your to young to know I bet they will remind us Saturday.

Like many of you I will be going out early for kegs and eggs and I will make sure I sit next to my friend who is a TSUN fan and revel in his misery I hope. Seriously the Buckeyes could really make a statement in this game early and quickly like they have done this season. This is the game where if the Buckeyes get up early and are firing on all cylinders you better believe the main man from Astubula, Oh will be going for the kill and when asked after the game why did you run up the score. “Because its TTUN”

I as many of you are hoping for a can of whoop ass to be open up on the wolverines but history and my gut tell me the odds makers are probably right with the 13 point spread. The Buckeyes defensive line is going to need to pin their ears back and constantly beat the hell out of The Pastry Chef and Carlos Hyde is going to have to do what he does best run over them again and again.

I want to thank Joshua from The Big House Report again for being a great sport and taking the time out to help me with this weeks post. Please go check out his site they do great work over there even if its for TTUN.

If you want to get involved and have questions about THE B1G Championship Game feel free to send them in to me and I can send them on. Email your questions to AskMotSaG@gmail.com or MotSaG@gmail.com. Would love to know your thoughts on this post and hope you enjoyed it.

MotSaG TV Guide

Let me start by apologizing for accidentally listing this week’s UCLA/Oregon game in last week’s guide. I don’t know what happened. Probably interns.

We are down to 10 undefeated teams, and while all of them are in action this Saturday, none of them play each other. Still, it’s unlikely that all of them will survive. I’ll go on record saying 2 or 3 of them will fall.

Eight of those ten teams come from the Big 5 conferences (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC) and this has caused many fans to fear that we could end the season with 3 or more unbeaten major conference teams, meaning someone (probably Ohio State if we’re one of them) will be left out of the national title game.

To ease those fears a bit, I looked into the progression of undefeated teams from this point in the season on over the last five years. The first thing to note is that none of those five seasons ended with more than two major unbeatens (including Notre Dame last year). Also important is that in 2011 and 2012, there have been eight undefeated teams from the Big 5 conferences, just like this year.

Based on the five-year average, we should be down to just three unbeatens in three weeks, but last year we still had five at that time. In other words, relax. These things have ways of working themselves out.

Since we’re on the topic of being undefeated, this week we’ll take a look at the last time each of our 8 remaining major unbeatens finished the regular season with no losses.

Saturday

Noon

Wake Forest @ Miami. What a great place to start! The last time the Hurricanes went into bowl season unbeaten was 2002, when they met an underrated Ohio State team in the national championship game. We all know how that ended, and it still stands as one of the greatest games of the BCS era. (ESPNU)

3:30pm

N.C. State @ Florida State. In 1999, the Seminoles ran the table as the AP #1 team, defeating Virginia Tech for the national championship. Their offensive coordinator that season was current Georgia head coach Mark Richt. (ABC/ESPN2)

Tennessee @ Alabama. Despite winning three of the last four BCS titles, the Crimson Tide hasn’t gone unbeaten since 2009. Texas QB Colt McCoy was knocked out of the title game on the Longhorns’ fifth play that year, and it’s hard not to wonder what might have happened had he played the whole game. (CBS)

Texas Tech @ Oklahoma. This one was tricky, but I’m fairly confident that the last time the Red Raiders went undefeated in the regular season was the 10-win 1938 season, playing in the Border Conference, which featured teams from Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. (Fox)

7:00pm

Baylor @ Kansas. Less tricky was Tech’s Big 12 foe Baylor. The Bears have never gone undefeated in the regular season, coming closest in 1980, when a 30-22 loss to San Jose State sullied their perfect Southwestern Conference season. Baylor would also lose to Alabama in the Cotton Bowl that year, by the knife-twisting score of 30-2. (ESPNU)

South Carolina @ Missouri. Depending on who you ask, Missouri either did or did not go undefeated in 1960, the only time they have done so (if they did, which they didn’t but kind of they did). What happened? Kansas bested the Tigers in the 1960 Border War game by a score of 23-7. The Jayhawks’ Bert Coan scored two TDs in the game, but was ruled ineligible following the season due to recruiting violations committed by his former coach at TCU, Bud Adams. Kansas was forced to forfeit the game and Coan’s contribution can’t be ignored, but on the field, Missouri lost. (ESPN2)

UCLA @ Oregon. Let’s get back to modern times, shall we? The Ducks took an unbeaten record into the national championship game following the 2010 season, where a last second Auburn field goal kept the SEC streak alive. (ESPN)

8:00pm

Penn State @ Ohio State. As you know, the Buckeyes went undefeated last season. Under penalties from former coach Jim Tressel’s violations, Ohio State could not compete in the Big Ten or national championship games. Based on the performances of would-be opponents Nebraska and Notre Dame in those games, it’s very likely that OSU would have walked away with the crystal football. (ABC)

MotSaG TV Guide

It happens every year: that one week where there just aren’t many compelling match-ups. If I told you the ABC prime-time game this Saturday was a choice between North Dakota State @ BYU or Towson @ Akron, how excited would you be? Well, those aren’t the games, but the real ones feature teams who were beaten (or almost beaten until they were saved by shoddy officiating) by those teams. As a bonus, special guest Bo Pelini was secretly recorded giving his opinion on this week’s games.

Thursday

7:30pm

Clemson at N.C. State. N.C. State had a much-needed bye last week after narrowly defeating the Richmond Spiders, which is possibly a team made up of actual spiders. Bo Says: “I @#$!%$ hate spiders. They can kiss my #@%!” (ESPN)

Friday

9:00pm

Boise State at Fresno State. Fresno State had a bye last week because their opponent, Colorado, was under water. This week their opponent plays on a blue football field which, according to a popular lie, birds often mistake for water. Bo Says: “Football fields are #$%@&# green! Boise State can kiss my #%$!” (ESPN)

Saturday

Noon

Florida A&M at Ohio State. The Rattlers are 1-2 and are just now playing their paycheck game. I try not to be overconfident, but I feel like we could start the band and win this game. Bo Says: “Rattlers? Spiders? Are you trying to give me a @#$%%$#@ heart attack?!” (BTN)

3:30pm

Arkansas at Rutgers. It’s our old buddy Bret Bielema, who bailed on the B1G after breaking Nebraska’s defense apparently beyond repair. His Razorbacks are 3-0 and are looking for their first win over a somewhat decent team in future B1G pal Rutgers. He’d better hope for a win here, because his next four opponents are: Texas A&M, Florida, South Carolina and Alabama. And we’re all going to enjoy that! Bo Says: “TACKLE!!! TACKLE!!! HOLY @@#%$## @!$& SOMEBODY TACKLE!!!” (ESPN)

Michigan State at Notre Dame. Okay, well this one could be fun. The Spartans unveiled a new trick play called “Scoring Repeatedly On Offense” last week and their defense remains top-notch. It would be nice for the B1G to get to 2-1 vs. the Domers. Bo Says: “Looks like a good game.” (NBC)

Tennessee at Florida. It’s a battle of SEC East Teams Who Are Still Blaming Everything On Former Coaches. Bo Says: “Either of you guys taking applications?” (CBS)

7:00pm

Arizona State at Stanford. I don’t think this will be a good game, but it might be worth watching to see if karma exists in the college football universe. Bo Says: “@#$&%! refs are just %$#^&* worthless! @#$&!$ #$%% !@&*$% $$%@^!” (Fox)

8:00

Kansas State at Texas OR Michigan at UConn. LOL WUT? Bo Says: “$%&@ this, I’m watching Pawn Stars.” (ABC)

MotSaG Top 25 Poll- Week 2

Week 2 was kind of fun, no? There was quite a lot of movers this week. None bigger than Michigan which jumped up into the top 10 this week after 2 pretty impressive home wins. More on them later and everyone else as well. Here is my top 25 for this week.

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