I accomplished something this weekend that few people I know have accomplished: I got my first hole in one. A 141 yard par 3 upwind, where I took a 6-iron and tossed it up into the wind. It hit a foot above the cup and rolled back in. I wish I could say I planned all that, but honestly I was just happy I hit it towards the green that time. I proceeded to shoot 25 over par for the round.

If you took my round and just looked at that one hole, you might think I’m pretty good at golf (I’m not). This past weekend of college football was very similar. Looking at just one game isn’t going to give us really how good a team is. Is TCU actually not great, or is Minnesota better than we all gave them credit for? Is Notre Dame a world beater, or is Texas just really, really bad? Is the Oregon defense terrible? (Oregon gave up 42 to Eastern Washington?!) We won’t know for a few more weeks where some of these teams stand, though I do still think that TCU and Notre Dame will be contenders for the playoffs. This weekend will start to clear some things up, like if Oregon’s defense is actually that bad. First, let’s take a look back at the three games I had my eyes on over the weekend.

Michigan 17 at Utah 24

Lol Michigan. They did a decent job at containing the Utah run game, but man did the Michigan backs miss some running lanes, and Rudock looked like Devin Gardner.

TCU 23 at Minnesota 17

Every time I flipped to this game from the Michigan game, I felt like I was watching TCU punt or make a dumb mistake. At one pint, I flipped over and watched them fumble in the red zone. TCU was missing some of their playmakers, and their offense should improve as they return.

Wisconsin 17 vs Alabama 35

Two words: Derrick Henry. Oh mama, there goes that man again. While QB Jake Coker didn’t look great, he was good enough. As long as Derrick Henry is healthy, he’ll be the focus of the Alabama offense. Somehow Alabama just produces good RBs – do they have them frozen cryogenically, and every two years they unfreeze a new one? Someone should look into this.

Week 2 Big Games

7 Oregon at 5 Michigan State

Week 2 is headlined by the matchup of Oregon and Michigan State. If I wasn’t going to be in Columbus for the Hawaii game, I would head to East Lansing with some of my MSU grad coworkers for Game Day and such that day. Oregon gave up 42 points to Eastern Washington last week, and over 400 yards passing. However, Oregon also rushed for nearly 500 yards themselves. Michigan State held Western Michigan to double digit rushing yards. As always, the battle will be in the trenches. Last year, Oregon’s offense was able to dig out of a hole in the second half. Michigan State has a shot this year, given that it’s at home. I also am curious to see what the Oregon secondary really is. Connor Cook is a much higher caliber QB, and WR Aaron Burbridge looked great in his first game taking over for the departed Tony Lippet. Oregon QB Vernon Adams, Jr. is coming off of a head injury from a real cheap shot from a former teammate last week, so his health will be something to keep an eye on. Will the game plan be changed to avoid getting him hit? I think Sparty has the slight edge this year. Let’s hope we don’t get a #SpartyNo again this year.

19 Oklahoma at 23 Tennessee

Between “Rocky Top” and “Boomer Sooner”, Neyland Stadium will become the most annoying stadium in all of America. Quick aside – Rocky Top isn’t Tennessee’s actual fight song, and as a somewhat native Tennessean and son of a Tennessee graduate, I feel it is my duty to point that out every time I see it. Now, as for the game. Tennessee played Bowling Green in Nashville and won, 59-30. The secondary for the Vols was iffy at best, giving up over 400 yards through the air. The Falcons also ran for another 100+ yards, for a total offensive output over 500 yards on the day. Tennessee ran for nearly 400 yards and amassed another 200 in passing yards. This game is going to come down to whether Tennessee’s secondary can play well enough for the Volunteer run game to establish itself and allow the Vols to chew up clock, keep Oklahoma off the field, and score 28-35 points. Starting QB Baker Mayfield threw for 388 yards last week against Akron, and is likely licking his chops looking at what Bowling Green was able to do to the orange and white. This should be a fun one, but I do expect Oklahoma to win.

14 LSU at 25 Mississippi State

LSU’s game was rained out last week, so there’s not much to go off of here. I do expect a heavy dose of Leonard Fournette, and then lather, rinse, repeat. LSU QB Anthony Jennings had a decent year last year, but was arrested over the summer, and has been in a QB battle with Brandon Harris for the starting job this year. Les Miles, like many before him last week, has not named a starter yet. Mississippi State returns Dak Prescott from last year’s team that at one point was on top of the country with in state rival Ole Miss. MSU did give up over 400 yards to Southern Mississippi, and containing Fournette could be problematic for the Bulldogs.

I’m still working on a name for this weekly bit, so if anyone has any witty suggestions, feel free to tweet them to me, @BigDaddyChrisO. I might be making a pre game appearance at the Varsity Club while I’m in town, so if that’s your jam, reach out to me and let’s enjoy some adult beverages.

Coming into the 2015 season, receiver was one of the many positions that the Buckeyes seemed to be loaded with depth. Michael Thomas, Corey Smith, Jalin Marshall, and Dontre Wilson, all played a large roll for the Buckeyes on their way to the College Football Playoffs. Fast forward seven months to the start of fall camp and things are off to a blazing start with this group, right? Wrong! Three of the Buckeyes (Smith, Marshall, Wilson) were suspended for violating team rules and all of a sudden the receiver room looked like Old Mother Hubbard with nothing left in the cupboard. The unfortunate situation left the Buckeyes with Michael Thomas as the only receiver on the roster with a catch in a meaningful game. The good news is that help is on the way, maybe. Braxton Miller’s position change is going to provide the group with some much needed athleticism. Curtis Samuel’s permanent move to H is hopefully going to do more of the same. But what about the rest of the new faces? Miller and Samuel have played under the bright lights before. The Buckeyes have former four and five star players all over this position group that have never touched the field in a game. Is Blacksburg, Virginia, under the lights at Lane stadium, going to be too much? Could Parris Campbell show the same wheels on September 7th that he showed in the 2013 Ohio state championship game? Is Johnnie Dixon going to prove that his knees are fully recovered and play like the same top 100 recruit that Urban Meyer recruited him to be? Most of all, is it possible that Braxton Miller lost a step? Monday night, we got the answers to all these questions.

Braxton Miller:

Rushing: 6-62 1 TD
Receiving: 2-78 1 TD

We all know the Ohio State quarterback competition received a ridiculous amount of national attention over the last seven months. Most people, and rightfully so, were dying to know who was going to trot out for that first snap. What about the other quarterback though? The one who was a two time B1G player of the year? The one who was making his debut at a brand new position while on national television? Some people in their mid-twenties still have no idea what their calling in life is, and that is totally normal. Braxton Miller on the other hand, came out of the womb with a football in hand. Monday night he proved to the world that it doesn’t matter if he is throwing, catching or running, he just needs to be around a football and amazing things can happen. Any questions that I may have had about Braxton’s position switch were answered in full against Virginia Tech. Sure, he is going to have to keep working tirelessly on his route running, but that is something that he is going to need to do regardless until his NFL playing days are over. Braxton showed he can make a non- routine, in game catch when he went down and plucked the ball before it hit the turf for his first grab of the season. During the third quarter, he turned the safety around with a nice inside jab move on a corner route that led to another great grab on his way to a 54yd touchdown, his first of the season. I think we all had a feeling that we were going to see Braxton take a few direct snaps in this game and we were right. He had six carries on a mix of jet sweep touch passes, handoffs, and direct snaps. The most notable carry coming on a direct snap where he did the most Braxton Miller thing I’ve ever seen and took the carry down the left sideline before performing a spin move that isn’t even possible in Madden when the game is on easy mode, and you’re playing against the Browns. Needless to say, I think we were all very pleased with his performance, and his potential going forward at his new position.

Curtis Samuel:

Rushing: 1-10
Receiving: 2-32 1 TD

Curtis is another semi new face to the receiver position. He lined up in the slot last year a bit but was mostly in the backfield backing up Ezekiel Elliot. Curtis wasted no time at all in getting started at his new position. On the opening drive of the game, Cardale Jones was flushed from the pocket, and while rolling to his right, he tossed a bit of a line drive prayer to Curtis in the back of the end zone. Curtis, despite pass interference by a Virginia Tech defender, made an exceptional play on the ball for a 24yd score. Curtis added a carry for 10yds on a jet sweep touch pass. After watching this game and seeing how little Urban Meyer used the backup running backs behind Ezekiel Elliot, one would have to wonder if Curtis will eventually see some more time in the backfield, especially considering the buckeyes get three receivers back from suspension this week. However, I don’t think that is totally necessary because Curtis is every bit as talented as any of the receivers on this team. That is going to be a call that I’m happy Urban Meyer has to make and not me

Parris Campbell:

I remember coaching against Parris Campbell in a scrimmage just before his junior year of high school. We had heard so much about Dante Booker, who is going to be a stud linebacker for the buckeyes after Josh Perry graduates, and nothing about this skinny young running back named Parris Campbell. He let us know who he was real quick as he took a bubble screen about 60 yards for a touchdown on about the fifth play of the scrimmage. He ran sideline to sideline about four times just because he felt like it and then decided that he didn’t feel like running anymore and it was just time to run towards the end zone. Parris is also somewhat in the middle of a position switch. He played mostly running back in high school so this receiver stuff is new to him. He has freaky speed and while the bright lights may have gotten the best of him on his two dropped passes (one of which should have been reviewed because it wasn’t a drop) he had a fine night on the perimeter blocking down field which is something that Urban Meyer frankly stated as the only way you will play receiver at Ohio State. I look for Parris to rebound in these next few non-conference games and get some confidence back. The ceiling is very high for this kid.

Johnnie Dixon:

Receiving: 1-29

Dixon is another new face that screams potential. Johnnie missed the better part of last year due to tendinitis in both of his knees. He had surgery last year and came on pretty strong after spring practice and fall camp. He is another playmaker that blocked well on the perimeter Monday night, and had a nice catch on a broken play for 29 yards. It is going to be very hard to keep Johnnie on the bench after Corey Smith returns this week. Unless Corey has fixed his fumbling ways of last year, I still expect to see Johnnie more on the field than on the sideline, but this is again another decision that I’m glad I don’t have to make.

James Clark/ Terry Mclaurin:

These are two players that I was really hoping to get some offensive snaps in this game. James Clark has been injured for two straight years but his high school high highlight film is the closest I have seen to looking anything like Ted Ginn Jr from a pure speed standpoint. Terry is someone who was talked about highly during all of fall camp. Makes me wonder a little bit if the Buckeye coaches didn’t want to waste snaps on guys that they knew weren’t going to play a ton once the suspended players return to the team. Hopefully these next three games will allow for some of the younger guys at receiver to come in and get their feet wet a little.

Needless to say, the new faces at receiver for the Buckeyes showed up in a big way as a whole. Unlike last year when Virginia Tech stifled this group with tight man coverage, this group flat out found way to get open. We have Urban’s tireless recruiting and Braxton Miller doing Braxton Miller things to thank for that.

There’s a holiday that is celebrated every Saturday in the south…Gameday. On gameday, women usually wear dresses, while a collared shirt and khakis are the standard for men. It’s southern tradition. It’s the SEC.  It has been said that the best football in the country is played down south and with the success that the Southeastern Conference has had in the last ten years, it would be hard to disagree. A team from the SEC won the natty for seven consecutive years just before the end of the BCS era. There was even a four year stretch from 2009 through 2012 when the BCS national championship didn’t leave the borders of the state of Alabama. Regardless of the team you affiliate yourself with, that’s impressive. The beginning of the SEC’s dominance in college football is usually associated with the arrival of a certain head coach at the University of Florida, which caused the rest of the league to up their game. That coach goes by the name of Urban Meyer.

Luckily, Urban coaches at Ohio State now,  and there is no doubt that he took OSU, from a very good team to legendary status in the last four years. Yet, the perception still remains that the SEC is premier powerhouse conference in college football, which is evident now with 10 of the top 25 teams in the AP poll coming from the conference.

Buuuut let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The polls won’t stay this way. Teams will lose and drop out of the top 25. Therfore, the SEC bias that we hear so much about isn’t much of a worry for teams like Ohio State that are in a great position to win out this regular season. The blue chip teams in the SEC are the only teams from the conference that OSU will realistically have to worry about in the postseason; teams like Bama and Auburn.  So how does Ohio State match up against the best of the Southeastern Conference?

Ohio State vs Alabama

Clearly, OSU was the better team last year when they crushed the Crimson Tide’s in New Orleans; but if the two teams should meet again this year in the postseason….I expect the same result. Lane Kiffin obviously  took detailed notes during his little meeting with Tom Herman this summer. I mean, we were already seeing some of OSU’s offensive plays in week 1 of Bama’s game against wisky. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and if anyone will know the weaknesses of Urb’s read option, it’s Urb. Different year, same result.

Ohio State vs Auburn

The one team from the SEC who could give the silver bullets fits is Auburn. They are the only team in the country that I could imagine being able to go series for series with Ohio State at the end of the year. They are fast. They score A LOT and they have great coaches. But guess what OSU is also fast and they score a lot too! Not to mention Urb’s coaching staff is the best around. Which means at the end of the day, while it would be a great game, Ohio State is their own toughest opponent and I  don’t see them losing to AU.

The south is all about God, family, football and sweet tea in that order. It’s down home, it’s warm weather,  its momma’s cookin’.  It’s charming, laidback and endearing. People love the south. So when the SEC gets a lot of love in the media and in the polls over the next four months, don’t fret. If Ohio State takes care of business, the natty trophy is their’s to lose at the end of the year.

By: Phil Schoch, Twitter me @osuphil95

Each week in this spot, we analyze college football’s desert numerology and make other-worldly predictions (erratic guesses and hunches) for each B1G match-up as well as a few national spotlight games.

In week one, Pick ‘em & Tidbits sputtered to an uninspiring record of 7-10 versus the spread and 14-3 straight up. I did hit pay dirt with my PM Stukenborg Fearless Prediction of BYU (+7) winning outright against Nebraska. I was 0-4 against the spread in embarrassments featuring a B1G school versus an FCS school.

In case you missed last week’s disclaimer, I will display it again and beg you to not use my picks to bet any form of legal or fantasy tender (bitcoin’ers).

Disclaimer: I am not an oracle, soothsayer or remote viewer. I am not a gamester or gambler. I am not wired into the degenerate underworld lairs of Vegas, Brent Musburger or slicksters promising Triple Platinum Locks of the Week. I pay attention to the numbers and matchups. I examine team motivation factors. BUT PLEASE, DO NOT search out your old freshman dorm pal, Louie the Book, or log into a remote island website to wager your personal assets based on anything written in this weekly post.

Around the B1G…

Saturday, September 12

UW looked rather Badgery against Alabama last week. Solid enough to be in the favorite in the B1G West, but not dynamic enough to inspire hopes of a run to the Chosen Four.

Pick ’em says… Badgers, 45-10.

The Terps dressed up in their medieval clown suits and beat up an FCS school last week. Yawn.

Pick ’em says… More atrocious uni’s and a win over a decent MAC squad, 34-28. 

IF I HAVE A FAITH THAT CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS, BUT A LINE THAT CAN NOT RUN BLOCK- I HAVE NOTHING.

Pick ’em says… Why are you fearful? O ye of over-inflated faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the media and the pundits; and there was a great calm-ing victory over the Beavers. M, 27-17. 

Temple?! 10 sacks?! BWAAAHAHAHA!!! Is James Franklin the answer or simply a hype-man?

Pick ’em says… A little bounce back – PSU, 27-13.

Purd’oh! Purdue was +7 vs Marshall last week. With two minutes and change remaining, the Boilers were up 4. Two minutes later the Boilers were down 10 and all of the betting change flipped to Marshall. D’oh!

Pick ’em says… Boilers showed signs of a competent running game and an okay defense – progress, I guess. Boilers win this crapfest, 24-13.

You’re Illinois. You’re good once every ten years. Then you bottom out. Fire the crap coach. Hire a crap coach. Rebuild and repeat. Tepper, Turner, Zook, Beckman. Now Bill Cubit is your interim HC. Who are you going after? Your updated and expanded stadium is half-empty and your program has zero buzz. But, you play in the B1G West – you can win this! You have piles of B1G $$$ – now go be somebody! How about Tom Herman, Bob Stoops (not his nutjob brother), Justin Fuente or Steve Addazio?  Hmmm… My consulting fees are quite reasonable, give me a call Chief Illiniwek.

Pick ’em says… Fightin’ Cubits, 48-17.

What the hell is going on, people?! Can’t we just go back to the days of wearing a dark suit and fedora to the ballgame?

Pick ’em says… Better bring your best filler material BTN crew. Bucks, 63-17.

Washington State was the biggest  loser in week one. The Cougs were -28 versus a non-ranked FCS opponent, Portland State, and lost by 7. Mike Leach will likely walk the plank before the end of October. Rutgers is a mess. Coach attempting to influence a professor. Player arrests and dismissals. The police and AD are hanging around practices. Kyle Flood will likely wash up along the Arthur Kill any day now.

Pick ’em says… I fell asleep on the couch watching this late-nighter last year and missed Rutgers 41-38 come-from-behind victory. I will not make the same mistake this time. Jersey Boys, 45-38.

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… Gophers lack the play makers at QB and WR to keep pace with the high scoring Rams. The ghost of P.M. speaks to me in my sleep – CSU, 34-24.

Shame on you – Chicago’s B1G Team! Home opener + ranked opponent = 1/2 empty stadium? Keep studying Wildcats, I guess. Apparently youall’ve found something more important in your lives than football. Me? It’s all football and making up words, like the compound contraction – youall’ve.

Pick ’em says… Dyche Stadium will be packed with empty seats. Cats, 38-13.

The CyHawk Trophy used to be an old school classic trophy. Then someone couldn’t leave well enough alone and went and invented a new trophy with an old farmer offering a single mother a bushel of corn for her 8 year old son. Although it was a common practice, seeing their corn-4-child bartering system cast in pewter made Iowans a bit uncomfortable. So they invented another new trophy.

Pick ’em says… Either Paul Rhoads cries about being proud of his team or the Kirk Ferentz for B1G Coach of the Year talk heats up? This is a tough one, but I’ve got to go with the coach who pawned-off his lousy quarterback on Harbaugh. Hawks, 24-20.

This game is going to take forever. I know I’m going to fall asleep watching it. I just hope I wake up in time for the fourth quarter. I think both of these squads are currently ranked too high. Please win, Sparty! Otherwise it will be two straight months of – The Big Ten is weak! Look at Ohio State’s schedule! Please Sparty?

Pick ’em says… Go Green! Go White! Pleeeeease! 45-38.

Pittbull vs Henry Lee Summer: There are no winners here.

Pick ’em says… I wish I had a girl who walked like that! IU, 38-31.

Say, is that a corncob in your pocket? Or are you just- ok, good, that is a corncob in your pocket.

Pick ’em says… Huskers, 45-17.

National spotlight games…

General consensus is that Oklahoma is trending down and Tennessee is on the rise. Whose rise or demise has been greatly exaggerated?

Pick ’em says… Vols at home, 38-31.

How ugly will this game be? Just look – that ugly. Although ESPN will try to make you believe it’s phenomenal defense.

Pick ’em says…  Don’t watch! Don’t allow yourself to be brainwashed! LSU, 20-13.