By: Ryan Black

Websters defines a wildcard as a person or thing that can affect a situation that cannot be predicted.

The Lions of Nittany are headed East to Columbus in a few days and many are having a hard time figuring them out. They’ll be plenty of talk about quarterbacks, tackling, special teams, etc…Sometimes the basics don’t tell the whole story.

When Ohio State plays Penn State the outcome is usually unpredictable. Two years ago Ohio State sent the Penn State team straight to hell with a 63-14 smashing, while last year’s National Champion Buckeyes struggled mightily into double overtime.

I expect more wackiness this year and this will be due to some factors nobody sees coming.

Before we get started let’s get a brief overview of the Nittany Lions so far:

The Bad:

1. Killed By Temple.
2. Ugly wins against Army, San Diego State and Buffalo.
3. Passing game is non existent 90% of the game.

The Good:

1.  Sound wins against decent Rutgers and Indiana.
2. Saquon Barkley is one of the most dynamic freshmen in the country (though he is 50/50 to play Sat.).
3. The Penn State defense looks like last years stout unit; the defensive line is outstanding.

It’s hard to place a guess as to which team will show up in Columbus and it may not be as simple as execution, turnovers, boring football rhetoric etc. Let’s explore some other factors that may determine the story…

Here are 5 Wildcards to pay attention to Saturday night:

5. Referee Payback

Last year there were two missed calls that went Ohio State’s way in the first half that had Penn State fans fuming. There was a replay malfunction that gave the Bucks an interception that hit the ground at the 40 yardline and a missed delay of game on a made OSU field goal.

Were these bad calls? Absolutely.

Did they giftwrap Ohio State 10 points? Hell no.

Many of the PSU fanbase honestly believe they beat the eventual champs last year with the simplistic logic that since Ohio State was “given” 10 free points by the refs, they should have won 17-7 in regulation.

They are just assuming that Ohio State wouldn’t have scored on their opening drive and that our favorite German would have missed the longer field goal. The calls were bad but they didn’t have anything to do with Penn State getting run over on their first drive.

The worry Saturday for Buckeye fans should be that a lot of the 50/50 calls will go the Nitt’s way to avoid the conspiracy of OSU being the Big 10 cash cow as many PSU fans believe. I’d bet money James Franklin has been in the Big 10’s ear since last year.

It seems every 50/50 call has gone against the Bucks this year (esp. at Indiana) and it is something to pay attention to Saturday.

4. Penn State Offensive Line Shuffle

All the injury talk right now is about sensational freshmen running back Saquon Barkley but some injuries on the offensive line could spell disaster for Penn State.

The plan maybe to shuffle some lineman around to avoid a Joey Bosa vs Paris Palmer matchup in the trenches. Palmer has been very very bad in pass protection to put it mildly but some injuries may keep the matchup inevitable.

If this happens look for Bosa to feast on roast Hackenberg for dinner.

3. Blackout Issues

Some are worried about how the Blackout planned for the game will affect downfield passes, myself included.

Will the ball blending in with a dark crowd be in issue? Maybe a couple times.

As a guy who has never caught a pass on any football field with any crowd, I am probably not the guy to give his expertise but I’m always good at worrying.

2. Nickleback

Pardon my French but if Ohio State has another injury in the secondary then they will be headed straight to DB Heck.

Marshon Lattimore (freshmen) is now the teams nickleback after injuries to Cam Burrows, Erick Smith and the Damon Webb suspension.  He’ll be a good one but he may not be ready for a title run at this time.

Ohio State tried to mask this against Maryland by staying in the 4-3 set and moving Darron Lee out wide on many occasions. This limits Lee’s ability as a playmaker and is not ideal for the stretch run.

Against Penn State it may not be too bad as they are struggling a bit at wide receiver. Look for Ohio State to be in mostly 4-3 all night and see if Hackenberg will gamble downfield.

1. Motivation

After the loss to Virginia Tech last season, Ohio State was the hungriest team on the field no matter who they played on the way to a Championship. They still made mistakes, every team will, but the motivation was never questioned.

After the win to Virginia tech this season, Ohio State has slept walked through the first half of every game. Do they need to lose again to bring back the fire?

If Ohio State can’t get pumped up for the school’s first blackout night against a rival who nearly took away everything from them last year, then it’s time to worry.

My gutless prediction: Ohio State 38 Penn State 17

I rarely enter into the Buckeye football discussion world. It scares me frankly–all college football fan base discussions scare me. Scary people lurk there too.

Irrelevant side note: I don’t even like scary movies (I don’t gravitate to chick flicks either, but what would you expect me to say? To be perfectly truthful, I actually like some chick flicks. And they are also the only way to get my wife to watch a movie with me without her falling asleep. I just can never watch one a second time). If you can’t give me a western or historical film, give me your best nonsensical man comedy. Like Groundhog Day–a truly essential movie for the mature development of any modern man.

I’ve also been impressed by the fact that no matter how clever someone thinks he or she is on social media, someone, somewhere has already said the exact same thing. I’m not clever and I’m rarely original. So I stay out of the world of Buckeye football twitter mania. Too scary.

But I was in a bar in Las Vegas the night before last year’s B1G championship game. I was wearing a Buckeye wrestling hat. When a Michigan fan approached me my instinct was to roll my eyes, but this guy was unique. Wasn’t filled with the usual Michigan angst and oblivious condescension that goes way beyond football (you know, the hilarious kind that Michigan people are full of–“my Camaro–which we all tell ourselves is a Maserati–is better than your Mustang”). He asked how I thought Ohio State would do with its third string quarterback the next night. I said they’d win by three touchdowns. He was taken aback, but genuinely said, “I hope you’re right.”

I obviously understated the case but my point was that by that time it seemed clear the Buckeyes had grown into an elite offensive machine. One that grew, got more sophisticated and had become a smoothly functioning system that was much greater than the sum of its parts. I said with a little focused prep, Cardale could assume the controls and do just fine.

Until this year I had not really appreciated the full extent of what JT Barrett must have meant to the growth of that team. Think about what has happened in twelve months. A seemingly pedestrian team went from a home loss to Virginia Tech to embarrassing four elite or near elite teams. Based on that, the hype for this team, even from haters, was almost unparalleled, right? But then it seemed to disappear, right? None of anything I’ve just said is unique or hasn’t been said often.

Early in the season, Matt Finkes–a man with infinitely more insider and football knowledge than I will ever have, and a great wrestling fan–said, more or less, the 2015 Buckeye offense lacked cohesion and leadership. It’s a simple point to make, and it is also the kind of generic comment that could be said, and often wrongly, in a lot of instances when a team isn’t functioning as hoped.

I have zero real knocks on Cardale as a football player or even as a leader–I love him. Matt may have been saying JT was the reason why the chemistry was faltering. Regardless, just maybe JT’s key ability really is to take a complex task and synchronize it to near maximum efficiency. In fact, just perhaps JT actually has uniquely elite talent on that special facet. I do believe the Buckeyes gain a lot with that big arm of Cardale’s (assuming he can harness it a little more accurately).

So my only humble observation is that it may not really be about whether JT is a better red zone quarterback. Everyone talks about JT’s running, and ok I get that. But Cardale is no slouch and in the red zone with far less space to maneuver, I am not sure Cardale, who has been known to bulldoze over defenders, is not more suited as a red zone quarterback. And the touch thing on passes–well frankly Cardale needs to improve his touch on long balls as much as near the goal, so take your pick.

If a red zone quarterback really makes sense, on balance it does seem marginally better to have that QB be JT rather than the other way around. But the strict execution difference seems so marginal as to not justify foregoing the benefits of sticking with one quarterback and working on his areas of improvement.

So no, I don’t really buy the need to have JT as a red zone specialist, per se. What I do buy is finding a defined role for JT that gets him integrally involved every game as a way to capitalize on Cardale’s clear strength while putting the chief engineer of last year’s phenomenon back in a position where he can work his hidden magic.

So, without sacrificing Cardale’s potential, this dual role just might be the thing necessary to put the band back together. Ohio State’s own Blues Brothers may just be a unique chemistry, one that is perhaps based on the gifts of a truly gifted leader, just working from a new playlist. Who wants an orange whip?

A full slate of conference games for the first time in 2015 was on the schedule for the Big Ten this weekend. The Wolverines became the first time in 20 years to shut out three straight opponents when they blanked Northwestern in a Top 25 matchup. Wisconsin rallied in the closing seconds in Lincoln to keep their hopes of another Big Ten West championship alive.

Ohio State 49, Maryland 28

Ohio State struggled to find its footing early yet again, but managed to get its act together to outscore the Terrapins 28-7 after a Perry Hills touchdown run made it 21-all just a few minutes into the second half. Ezekiel Elliott hit 100 yards once again and the QB tandem of Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett proved effective, as the Buckeyes went 6-for-6 on touchdowns in the red zone.

Perry Hills was a nuisance to the Silver Bullets, passing for 133 yards on just 10-27 passing but the scrambler ran the ball 25 times for 170 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Maryland gets a week off to prepare for a visit from Penn State while the Buckeyes will unveil their black uniforms for the first time Saturday when the Nittany Lions come to Columbus.

Penn State 29, Indiana 7

Penn State made quick work of Zander Diamont and the Indiana Hoosiers. Christian Hackenberg threw two touchdowns and ran in two more for the Nittany Lions who had some struggles on special teams, with Joey Julius missing two extra point attempts in the first half.

Diamont and the Hoosier offense never got off the ground, gaining just 234 total yards and converting on just three of their 16 third down attempts. Indiana tries to get back on track this weekend when Rutgers heads to Bloomington and Penn State takes a trip west to take on the Buckeyes.

Iowa 29, Illinois 20

Jordan Canzeri was the workhorse for the Hawkeyes as they improved to 6-0 for just the 7^th time in school history. Canzeri totes the rock an amazing 43 times on Saturday, racking up 256 yards and a score.

Illinois was no pushover and had their chances to win this football game before Iowa ultimately emerged victorious. A 53-yard touchdown pass from Wes Lunt to Geronimo Allison early in the 4^th quarter cut the lead to three points, but the Illini would get no closer. Illinois will get their bye week out of the way before hosting Wisconsin in two weeks and Iowa goes to Northwestern where they could put a stranglehold on the B1G West crown.

Michigan 38, Northwestern 0

This one was over the minute the ball was kicked for the first time. Jehu Chesson took the opening kickoff back 96 yards for a touchdown and the Wolverines never looked back. Drake Johnson and Jake Rudock added touchdown runs before the 1^st quarter was over and even Derrick Green managed to find the end zone late in the ball game.

The Wolverine defense took the headlines once again though, shutting out their third consecutive opponent and allowing just 168 yards of total offense. College GameDay heads to Ann Arbor this weekend for the Wolverines matchup against Michigan State and Northwestern heads back to Ryan Field to take on undefeated Iowa.

Minnesota 41, Purdue 13

In a game some were picking the Boilermakers to pull off the upset, Minnesota led just 10-6 at halftime before blowing the doors off things with four 3^rd quarter touchdowns. Shannon Brooks got the rout started early in the half with a 71 yard run before Mitch Leidner and Brandon Lingen hooked up for a pair of red zone touchdowns.

David Blough attempted nearly 50 passes in the loss, completed just 21 of them for 207 yards and a touchdown while getting picked off three times. Minnesota goes back home on Saturday to take on a struggling Nebraska team and Purdue hits the road for the first time this B1G season to play Wisconsin.

Wisconsin 23, Nebraska 21

If you were told Joel Stave threw the ball 50 times in a game, you wouldn’t believe that Wisconsin was anywhere near their opposition. That’s exactly what happened on Saturday and the Badgers managed to claim a come-from-behind win over Nebraska. Stave completed 24 of those passes for 322 yards and a touchdown.

Rafael Gaglianone was first the goat and then the hero in this one for Wisconsin. Gaglianone doinked a field goal off the right upright with just 1:26 left in the game but the Badgers got the ball back and Gaglianone redeemed himself by hitting a 46-yarder with just four ticks left on the clock. Wisconsin will head back to Madison at 1-1 in the conference and a visit from Purdue up next while Nebraska will go on the road to Minnesota.

Michigan State 31, Rutgers 24

Michigan State needed a 3-yard touchdown run from LJ Scott with just :43 left in the game to avoid being upset by the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers benefitted from Leonte Carroo’s return as Carroo caught 7 passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns.

Connor Cook led the way for the Spartans, throwing for 357 yards and two touchdowns the much close than anticipated victory. Michigan State will stay on the road next week in Ann Arbor while Rutgers looks to rebound at Indiana.

Will Iowa essentially lock up the Big Ten West with a victory over Northwestern? What’s your prediction for the game in Ann Arbor?

Heading into the sixth week of the 2015 college football season, Michigan is playing the best football of any team in the Big Ten Conference. They’re displaying a better on-field product than both Ohio State and Michigan State right now. It’s okay to admit it – I’m a Buckeye fan who just typed those last two sentences and I feel completely fine.

It is critically important for Ohio State fans to realize that Michigan actually being a good team isn’t a bad thing – it’s an awesome thing! I know, at first glance, my argument may seem contradictory of my previous article about my general indifference towards the rest of the conference, but I really just want this to serve as comfort for all of my fellow OSU fans who like to share opinions online.

As an Ohio State fan, if you admit that Michigan is a good team playing inspired and impressive football, while being led by an excellent coaching staff, it doesn’t mean that you’re scared of the Wolverines. It doesn’t even mean that you think that Michigan can beat Ohio State. It simply means that you’re reasonable. It means that you can objectively watch and evaluate college football. And that’s how it should be.

Not every success by That Team Up North needs to be dismissed for some obscure reason. Likewise, not every struggle by the Buckeyes needs an excuse. Just call it how it is. Yes, Ohio State entered the season ranked No. 1 in the country and is undefeated – but Michigan is playing better football right now. The Wolverines just held three straight opponents scoreless – an impressive feat no matter who the games were against. Whether their shutouts were against BYU, Maryland and Northwestern, or against Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon, it’s an incredibly difficult accomplishment – one that hasn’t happened since 1995. Don’t belittle the tremendous three-week defensive performance by trying to point out their opponents’ key injuries or lack of offensive firepower. Those are just biased excuses that make you look pathetic. Besides, OSU’s competition has been worse – and the Buckeyes have only held Hawaii scoreless.

The truth is that, right now, Michigan’s on-field performance looks exactly like the way we wish Ohio State had been playing through the first five weeks of the season. I can guarantee that if the Buckeyes had posted lopsided shutout victories over Hawaii, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan, the majority of Buckeye Nation would have been pounding their collective chests, referring to the team as an unstoppable freight train en route to its second consecutive national championship.

Ohio State fans should be reasonable and except the reality that Michigan is playing better than OSU right now, because that reality contains a silver lining for the Silver Bullets. Michigan performing so smoothly now, heading into Week 6, while the Buckeyes steadily gain momentum as the season progresses is actually an ideal situation for the Scarlet and Gray. The goal for any team, in any sport, is to progress throughout the season, weather any possible storms, and be at their best later in the year. The great part about OSU not looking as impressive as Michigan in Game 5 is that the two teams don’t face off until Game 12. That’s plenty of time for the more talented Buckeyes to hit their stride and beat the Wolverines who may have actually peaked far too early in the season.

So Ohio State fans can and should remain optimistic about the rest of the season. But don’t be such a homer that you deny giving Michigan credit for the outstanding results they’ve achieved up until the midway point of the season. The Maize and Blue are looking like a quality team, and that’s not a bad thing. They’ll have to face a hot Buckeye team with more talent and more momentum come November – the time of year that championships are actually played for.

If you were to come up to me in July and told me that Utah would be top 5, Michigan would be ranked, and Oregon would be unranked, I would have told you that you were absolutely crazy. However, here we are. This year so far has already been up and down, upset after upset, and surprise after surprise. Since there have been so many twists and turns, lets take a look at some of them  and also a quick look ahead.

Surprises:

1. Utah- I can’t lie, I didn’t know much about Utah coming into the year outside of their running back Devontae Booker, who is coming off a 1500 yard and 10 TD season last year, but I quickly learned a lot about this team. First they beat a Michigan team, who is quickly becoming a very quality win, and then they absolutely demolished Oregon, who is struggling but no matter what, 62-20 is no joke. Their defense has played great all year and if Travis Wilson keeps playing like he is, then this team will quickly turn into a national title contender, if they have not already. They struggled against Cal but still got the win, which says a lot for them and how they can pull it off even when they may not be playing the best.
2. Running Backs- Whether it is Leonard Fournette, Ezekiel Elliot, Paul Perkins, Nick Chubb (who unfortunately went down with an injury on Saturday), or the afore mentioned Devontae Booker, running backs have been in full force this season. Currently, out of the 6 top guys that are in the Heisman watch, 4 of them are running backs. Players like Fournette and Zeke are honestly keeping their team undefeated because without them, Ohio State probably drops one against Indiana and LSU may not make it out of Syracuse alive. It is the year of these running backs so far and we will see if it continues or if the Quarterbacks take their title back.
3. The Big Ten- I came in to the year like everyone else…the Big ten is a two team race between Ohio State and Michigan State. Honestly, it still may be, but their are some teams that are putting on a nice little show. As much as I hate to say it, Michigan is the main one. Other teams like Iowa, Northwestern and Penn State are also looking strong and could really be a tough task to deal with. Michigan State plays Michigan next week, while Ohio State plays Penn State, and Iowa travel to Northwestern. The Big Ten could look very interesting.

Disappointments

1. Oregon- A team that has not had a losing season since 2004, and since Chip Kelly took over in 2009, the ducks combined record is 69-8, they are in some trouble this year. They are 3-3 with losses to Michigan State, Washington State and Utah, and things are not looking up after the Washington State loss Saturday. The main problem with this team right now is the quarterback position. Oregon has been known for being a “plug and Play” type team, with throwing any quarterback into the mix and them succeeding. This year has been a perfect example of the issues with that. Vernon Adams, the transfer QB from Eastern Washington, has played alright, but he has not played up to the normal Oregon QB standards and now they must rely on defense keeping them in the game and their defense has not delivered. They need to better their defense before this year gets out of control to where it is too late.
2. Arkansas- Yikes. This team has been a complete disaster. The season started well with them being ranked and winning the opener, but from there it started going downhill. First it was the rockets from Toledo knocking them off, then it was Kliff Kingsbury and Texas Tech and then it was Kyle Allen and A&M to get the job done. They got a big win against Tennessee then proceeded to lose all momentum they gained in a loss to Bama. With Brandon Allen, who came into the season the most veteran QB in the SEC, and a much improved defense, there was a lot of hope for Arkansas this year. Now, it looks like they will have to fight to finish .500.
3. AP Rankings- Self-Explanatory

Today I thought we could take our minds off of the season a little and take a look into the future to examine where our Buckeyes stand when it comes to this years NFL draft. Ohio State has had some incredible draft classes through the years, but depending on which players decide to declare for the draft, this could be the most prolific 1st round in Ohio State history

Lets go ahead and start with the obvious choice as the first Buckeye to come off of the board will most definelty be DE Joey Bosa. Bosa has proven to potentially be the most dynamic player to enter the draft in 2016. Joey’s combination of size, speed, and endless motor has propelled him to the top of every experts big board. Bosa has the potential to be the number 1 over all pick. If not, he will surely be in the top 5.

The next Buckeye most likely to be taken in the draft is RT Taylor Decker. Taylor is a 6’8″ mountain of a man at the right tackle position. With his prototypical size, strength, and athleticism for the position has NFL scouts excited for what Decker can bring to their offensive line.

Most likely to come off the board next for the Buckeyes is the legend himself, Zeke Elliot. Zeke is everything that NFL scouts are looking for in a franchise RB. Elliot has a God given ability to run strong behind his pads like any power running back, but also the extremely rare ability to pair that with breakaway speed once he gets through the pile. Combine that with great hands unbelievable blocking ability, Zeke is the real deal!

After Zeke comes off the board things could get interesting, but the next guy to fall will be DT Adolphus Washington. Washington has really come into his own this year. As a senior ,Washington had the option to leave last year and enter the draft. In doing so, he would have surely been a 3rd or 4th rd pick, but deciding to come back to school has turned out to be a good decision so far. As of now Washington has been unstoppable and for all Buckeye fans, I hope it continues.

The next guy off the board will have a lot to do with who decides to enter the draft, but if Darron Lee throws his name in the hat then I think he is the next guy to walk across the stage. D Lee is a freak of nature at the OLB position; stupid speed, crazy athleticism, and a massive chip on his shoulder makes Darron Lee a force to be reckoned with and NFL scouts love it!

The next guy is a personal favorite of mine! WR Michael Thomas is a guy that could rocket up the draft board with a big second half of the year. Thomas has the typical WR personality; a little cocky, a little arrogant, but not too much to make him unlikeable. Mike’s size, quickness, and incredible route running make Thomas a valuable commodity in today’s NFL.

The last two guys that could find themselves in the first round if they decide to come out is S Vonn Bell and (yes I’m going to say it) Cardale Jones. Bell is another guy that people are not  totally sure on whether or not he will declare for the draft, but since he has been playing so well I would say chances are high. There are still some things that he needs work on in his pass coverage, but as a pure talent and phenomenal tackler NFL teams are very interested in Mr. Bell. In the case of King Cardale it would be an understatement to say that his draft stock has drastically fallen, but this year, just like every year,there is always a team desperate for a franchise QB and Cardale has all of the flashy highlights and big arm to draw a team in. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Jones is a trap, I just don’t think he is ready for the big league.

All in all if everything worked out perfectly, the Buckeyes could have 8 first round draft picks. Chances are the NFL is going to be full of Buckeyes in the near future!