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)

Urban Meyer, armed with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Cincinnati, is more of a forward-thinking strategist than any college football follower could have imagined. I always viewed him as one of a select few coaches in America capable of guiding a team with the gaudy expectations of the 2015 Ohio State Buckeyes. But that thought can be taken the next level now. After seven games, it is readily apparent that the season is unfolding as if Meyer had created it in a laboratory.

I touched on all the crazy expectations of the Ohio State football program in a previous article, and needless to say, it has proven difficult for the team to live up to all of them. For a team that made history by being unanimously voted as the No. 1 team in the country in the preseason, the Buckeyes’ performance thus far has seen those first-place votes steadily drift away to the likes of Baylor, Utah, TCU, LSU and Clemson. What was expected to be a weekly fireworks show of an offense has instead been somewhat of a  clunker, as the the team has struggled to impose its will on clearly inferior competition and only 2-5 against the spread this season, following its 28-point win over Penn State.

But just think – this whole thing was planned by Ohio State’s head football coach, himself. Meyer – a three-time national champion coach – has been there before. He’s attempted unsuccessfully to win back-to-back titles on two separate occasions. He knows the trials and tribulations that take a toll on players and coaches as they strive to sustain win streaks, appeal to voters by accumulating “style points”, and the complacency that can set in when a talented team begins to view winning as “another day at the office,” in stead of savoring the sweet taste of each victory.

With those challenges in mind – and knowing that Buckeyes program thrives in an underdog role – it is clear that Meyer made it his mission to self-inflict as much adversity into the team as possible. Building upon all the off-season discussion on quarterback battle – which seemingly placed OSU in the most fortunate position in college football history – Meyer opted to shake things up. By implementing a game plan that resulted in Ohio State’s offense sputtering inconsistently, instead of flourishing like a fine-oiled machine, he helped paint a national perception of doubt. Especially during a time that arch rival Michigan has been bursting back onto the national scene much faster than anticipated under Jim Harbaugh, Meyer manufactured a sense of mockery, an ability for this “unstoppable force” to be on the receiving end of snide remarks by analysts and rival fans.

Meyer knows that it is incredibly difficult for a championship-winning team that returns that much talent, and carries that much expectations, to stay hungry for the duration of 15-game season. He also knows that any good team, in any sport, aims to peak later in the season instead of early in the season. Knowing that Ohio State is blessed with a position where they can win each game – no matter how ugly – and still advance to the playoffs, Meyer chose to play in such a way that the Buckeyes would peak in Weeks 11-15, not in Weeks 5-9. So instead of opening the season with our read option offense and risking potential injuries to J.T. Barrett, who was recovering from a fractured ankle, we created a storyline about our offense abandoning the read-option staple of our offense and played Cardale Jones instead. Masked under another storyline of J.T. “failing to beat out Jones for the starting role”, Meyer made analysts and fans believe that he had indeed changed his core offensive philosophy. This also created doubt and sparked his own competitive fire, as people suddenly began questioning his decision making skills and ego.

Now, as the Buckeyes enter the second half of the season and begin tuning up for the important stretch of games in November and beyond, the momentum is beginning to shift back into the positive direction. First, Barrett was able to “prove himself” as a red zone specialist. Then, he’s able to give Buckeye nation a taste of how successful and fluid the OSU offense can be with him in the backfield on a regular basis. After igniting an offense that had otherwise been stagnant, Barrett has reopened the quarterback discussion – all while Meyer and offensive coordinator Ed Warriner make it seem that just aren’t ready to name Barrett the starter.

It’s all been a masterfully brilliant way to navigate the Buckeyes through the first seven games of the season. Now, after all the doubt and criticism, look for Ohio State to suddenly hit second gear, en route to hitting full stride in time for consecutive showdowns with Michigan State and Michigan. From here on out, Ohio State will emphatically transform all those question marks into exclamation points. You can count on it – because Meyer has scripted it that way. Enjoy the fireworks show.