I mean, Ohio State is good offensively and probably best in the big 10 but unfortunately, the big 10 is terrible again. But, I don't think Ohio State could beat the big boys.

^They could beat any team in the nation.  But I think their front seven on defense is too 'green' for them to survive an SEC-type schedule undefeated.  That said, while the front seven is young and inexperienced, it is incredibly talented.... probably as talented as it has been in a long time.  It will help when their best all-around d-lineman, Cincy's own Adolphus Washington, gets back on the field.  Unfortunately, while all those guys will be seasoned next year, we will have to replace 4 starters on the O-line.

 

I'll tell you this - I am glad we are not scheduled to play Cal when their true freshman QB (Groff) is an upperclassmen.  That kid is gonna be special.

 

Speaking of special, two true freshmen of our own, RB Wilson and DL Bosa, are really flashing some enormous potential in their young careers.

 

The B10 did no favors to OSU's computer points yesterday.  An awful showing.  Michigan nearly loses to Akron.... probably should have lost that game, in fact.  Penn State gets knocked off by UCF.  Wisconsin, Illinois, and Nebraska lost in their own PAC10 matchups.  Nebraska got pushed around by UCLA in Lincoln.  Illinois got handled by Washington.  To be fair, UCLA and Washington are two up and coming teams.  Wisconsin lost to ASU in one of the weirdest endings I have seen in a long time, with the clock running out after intentional downing the ball between the hashes to set up a field goal.  Some will say they got robbed by the refs.  Many thought that a win over Wisconsin was one of our two best chances to stack up some computer points. 

As exciting as it is to watch Kenny Guitton running the offense, I'm worried that Braxton Miller is missing out on critical reps in these "warmup" games.  As great as it is to have a guy like KG who can step in & win, we need Braxton to be sharp and making good decisions.  Now that KG has played so well the last 2 games, I'm wondering what the decision making process might be if Braxton comes out & struggles in a game.  Will the coaches stick with him & risk a loss, or yank him in favor of KG?  Reminds me of the old saying that "if you have 2 QB's, you really don't even have one"

I doubt any opposing defensive coordinator would rather face Braxton over KG....When picking your poison, you probably want the one that kills you in your sleep, not the one that shoots you in the face with 80-yard touchdown runs.

OSU beats the point spread against FAMU.  Doesn't sound impressive?  OSU was a 50-point favorite and won 76-0.

 

Braxton Miller didn't play for the second straight week.  Kenny Guiton only played one series after halftime and still threw 6 TD passes.

Take that computer!

I was listening to this one on the radio after watching the first quarter on TV.  (I had to drive.)  I didn't realize that this game was only scheduled because Vanderbilt backed out of a previous commitment.  That makes me feel a little better, I guess--not that the game got played, but at least OSU didn't seek this particular pancake out.

Gene Smith wanted to schedule Grambling but it didn't happen. So they talked to some other HBCs and Florida A&M got scheduled.

LeBron will be on the sidelines tonight..... along with 50 of the best HS recruits from around the country.  Not a bad pitch man

Tonight's game will definately be better than last week's noon snoozer over an overmatched opponent.  #23 Wisconsin would be undefeated if not for that loss at Arizona State where the ASU defense and referees prevented the Badgers from kicking a game-winning field goal.  Braxton Miller may (or may not) start.  Urban Meyer hasn't said for sure - but he'll probably start.  And it's gonna be another "Scarlet Out The Shoe" night:

 

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/092413aah.html

Bucks will be wearing their Nike 'Rivalry' uniforms

Pretty good 31-24 win over Wisconsin last night.  Pollsters probably would have been more impressed if the Buckeyes had held the 10 or 17 point leads they had in the second half.  But the victory takes OSU's and Urban Meyer's unbeaten streak to 17 games.

There was a touching scene after last Saturday's win over Wisconsin.  The current dean of local sports, Dom Tiberi - who is sports director at WBNS-TV and has been with them since 1981 - suffered a personal tragedy when his 21-year-old daughter died in a car crash on Sept. 17.  The team held a moment of silence before the FAMU game on Sept. 21.  Last Saturday was Tiberi's first time in Ohio Stadium after his daughter's death.

 

As Tiberi was setting up for his post-game report, the OSU football team hugs Tiberi one by one as they are leaving the field.  Deadspin has the below WBNS YouTube video of it and more at http://deadspin.com/entire-osu-team-lines-up-to-hug-reporter-after-his-daug-1428252946.

 

Big game for the Buckeyes tonight at Northwestern.  Even bigger game for Northwestern.  The Wildcats are no longer the doormat of the Big Ten.  They've seen steady improvement over the past decade and have been a top-tier, bowl-bound team in recent years.  Now they are ranked #15 by USA Today, #16 in the AP, have ESPN's College GameDay broadcasting from Evanston today plus a prime-time nationally televised ESPN game tonight at 8PM.

 

Ohio State lost starting senior safety Christian Bryant to a broken ankle with 26 seconds left in last week's Wisconsin win.  Northwestern returns a starting RB who missed the last three games with a leg injury.  Northwestern is coming off a bye-week and so had a extra week to prepare for this game.  Severe weather might roll thru Chicagoland during the game.  You would think that if Northwestern is going to pull off a big upset over OSU, that this might be their time.  The bettors might give OSU a 7 point edge - but I'm still a bit nervous about tonight's game.

OSU was a 7 pt favorite last night.  I would've loved being in the room for that last play with someone who bet that game either way

Ha, I thought that final TD would be kind of a moot point, but in that case it's not!

Nationally, some will probably write off last night's win as an unnecessary close call, but Northwestern is legit and only going to get better as long as FitzGerald is coaching them.  And Ohio State could see them again in Indianapolis in December.

OSU was a 7 pt favorite last night.  I would've loved being in the room for that last play with someone who bet that game either way

 

I was thinking the same thing when that happened.  Wonder how many millions changed hands because of that one play?

Nationally, some will probably write off last night's win as an unnecessary close call, but Northwestern is legit and only going to get better as long as FitzGerald is coaching them.  And Ohio State could see them again in Indianapolis in December.

 

That's why I was worried about this game.  Northwestern was set up for a big win last night.  The Buckeyes did well to escape with the win. 

 

Especially with Braxton Miller having a sub-par game.  I think he gave up 3 turnovers in the first 37 minutes.  After his last fumble at the NW 7, Kenny Guiton started warming up on the sideline.  Miller finally settled down though and played a good 4th quarter.  Carlos Hyde was the big MVP.  26 carries for 168 yards (208 yds total offense) with 3 rushing TD's - none bigger than "The Reach".

This really was a game of inches, especially Hyde's touchdown and our fourth-down stand on the final Northwestern drive.

 

That said, we could have won this by a lot more if Braxton had taken better care of the ball.  He really didn't torch Northwestern all that much with his legs and it's a good thing that Hyde was having a decent game.  Given the plays we were running (and that their defense was running), it actually might have been better to have Guiton in the game.

 

I also tip my hat to the Northwestern pass defense.  Yes, Braxton had some embarrassingly inaccurate throws even when receivers got open, but the Northwestern pass D looked better than ours did.  Bradley Roby has been a disappointment in the Big Ten so far.  Wisconsin's Abradderis absolutely humiliated him and Northwestern was able to get some big plays against him both with Venric Mark and Rashad Lawrence.

I don't know if it is the added weight or the knee injury still lingering, but Braxton does not seem to be the same dynamic scrambler he once was

OSU was a 7 pt favorite last night.  I would've loved being in the room for that last play with someone who bet that game either way

 

I was thinking the same thing when that happened.  Wonder how many millions changed hands because of that one play?

 

This morning, a CD 102.5 DJ said it was between $3-4 million.

It was around 100 million. 

 

 

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/10/ohio-state-northwestern-gambling-100-million-musburger/

 

Wow, that's the kind of stuff that gets people poisoned. Better hire a food taster.

The call on that final play by Mussberger and Herbsteit was PRICELESS.  They went nuts but it seemed like they couldn't quite say why.  I don't think the NCAA would look too kindly on them making betting line references during the broadcast.  They were just making loose references like "that DIDN'T just happen", etc.  Wouldn't suprise me if the two of them had some money on the game in a friendly wager.  Mussberger is an NU alum and Herby played at OSU.

The call on that final play by Mussberger and Herbsteit was PRICELESS.  They went nuts but it seemed like they couldn't quite say why.  I don't think the NCAA would look too kindly on them making betting line references during the broadcast.  They were just making loose references like "that DIDN'T just happen", etc.  Wouldn't suprise me if the two of them had some money on the game in a friendly wager.  Mussberger is an NU alum and Herby played at OSU.

 

Musburger is a notorious gambler.  He mentions something about the lines in just about EVERY game he announces.  He lost more than a friendly bet to Herby. 

The call on that final play by Mussberger and Herbsteit was PRICELESS.  They went nuts but it seemed like they couldn't quite say why.  I don't think the NCAA would look too kindly on them making betting line references during the broadcast.  They were just making loose references like "that DIDN'T just happen", etc.  Wouldn't suprise me if the two of them had some money on the game in a friendly wager.  Mussberger is an NU alum and Herby played at OSU.

 

Musburger is a notorious gambler.  He mentions something about the lines in just about EVERY game he announces.  He lost more than a friendly bet to Herby. 

 

Mentioning the lines doesn't make one a gambler, but I've heard that too.  From similar sources to the ones that said Marv Albert was "really strange" and that being an iconic weatherman and loving vodka a lot are not mutually exclusive in this area....

I wouldn't say that about someone if I didn't know it to be true.

Before yesterday I didn't know Musburger was a NW grad.  I did know that there were multiple sportwriters who are featured regularly on ESPN.  And I'm always amazed at the graciousness of these NW grads after a tough loss like Saturday's.  The most high profile NW grad (and Chicago supporter) on ESPN is Michael Wilbon.  The opening bit for his PTI program yesterday with Tony Kornheiser made light of the game:

 

Michael: Tony. My Nortwestern Wildcats lost to Ohio State on Saturday.  Say something to take my mind off it.

Tony: Okay. Your Bears lost on Sunday.

Rachel Nichols is another NW grad.  Their communications/journalism program is top tier.

OSU trails Iowa 17-10 at halftime.  Turns it on in the second half to win 34-24.

This team may run the table getting to 13-0 because the Big Ten is mediocre even by recent standards, but I will have a hard time being convinced that if they don't play for a national title that it'll be a snub.

Depends on who else is in front of us.  If we have multiple unbeatens and Alabama, Florida State, and/or Oregon run the table, given the way those three have been demolishing people, I'd unfortunately have to understand if we ran the table and didn't get the nod.  Shame that we don't have the playoff in place this year, though.

 

If they take a one-loss team above us (other than maybe Alabama, if it loses once during the regular season but somehow still manages to win the SEC championship against a then-undefeated Missouri), then I'll consider that a snub.  But everyone has to acknowledge that we have the lightest schedule among the current unbeatens.  (The only reason I think our schedule is harder than the polls--human or computer--will admit is that I still think Wisconsin got robbed at Arizona State, so I think Wisky should have been undefeated when we played them.)

The Buckeyes are in much better position today.

 

It started Thursday night with UCF’s upset over undefeated Louisville and continued Saturday with losses by Clemson, LSU, Texas A&M, UCLA, South Carolina and Georgia. All of them were top 15 teams heading into the day, and all of them were essentially eliminated from national title contention this week.

 

The fact Clemson was demolished by Florida State helped the Seminoles leapfrog Ohio State in the standings, but it eliminated Clemson from what has become, essentially, a four-team race. Missouri, Baylor and Miami may all have something to say before the end of the year, but Ohio State is right there with FSU, Oregon and Alabama in the race for the crystal football. Because of their schedule, the Buckeyes probably need two of those other teams to lose if they’re going to play for all the marbles this season.

 

 

It's a four-team race, perhaps, but we don't control our own destiny.  As you note, we need at least two of those other teams to lose, and we might need Alabama to lose twice.

 

If Oregon wins out, it will mean they beat Stanford, UCLA, Oregon State, and maybe UCLA again in the Pac-12 title game.  There's no way we can overtake them even if we annihilate every other opponent remaining on our schedule.

 

Florida State has already made their statement with a win over Clemson and they've got another potential statement--but of course, a potential pitfall--against #7 Miami on Nov. 2.  They'll also have the ACC title game, most likely against the Virginia Tech-Miami winner.  And, of course, Miami is undefeated and if they somehow manage to make a huge statement against Florida State (potentially twice), they could leapfrog us.  Likewise if Missouri somehow cleans Alabama's clock in the SEC title game.

One thing that OSU has working against them that I don't see get much play is that, while the Big 10 schedule is certainly easier than several of the other major conferences, the OSU game is the 'Super Bowl' of the season for nearly every one of our opponents.  Teams come in with their best gameplan against us.  You saw that in the last three games.... certainly the Northwestern and Iowa games.  They 'look ahead' to us when the schedule is released and it makes it more difficult for us to blow teams out.

 

I see a lot of similarities between this season and the national championship season.  We were not considered in the same league as Miami, and we survived several close calls on our way to an undefeated season.

OHIO STATE 63

PENN STATE 14

 

That's domination, holmes!

 

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=332990194

Buckeyes looked great yesterday, dominant on both sides of the ball, D-line was getting great pressure on the QB with 4 man rush...  offense scored so fast it made PSU one-dimensional...  Carlos Hyde seems to be getting more dominant as the season goes on.  He's showing that really special blend of burst through the hole, power to break tackles, great vision & break-away speed...  excellent play calling on offense too

As I Facebooked/Tweeted during the game, I wonder if a Penn State parent will call in a "bullying" complaint.

More than 400 yards rushing.

 

Unfortunately, everyone else above us in the BCS standings annihilated their competition, too (including a convincing win by Oregon over #12 UCLA), though South Carolina took Missouri off our tail.

 

Also, getting points isn't going to be easy for us over the next few games.  Our next three opponents (Purdue, Illinois, and Indiana) are all below .500, meaning that each game has more downside (potential loss) than upside (potential point gain) for us.  We're going to be overwhelming favorites in each of them, but we're also going to be getting the best shot each of those teams have.  We *are* the title game for Purdue, Illinois, and Indiana.

OHIO STATE 63

PENN STATE 14

 

That's domination, holmes!

 

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=332990194

 

As most recall by now, the Nittany Kittens took TTUN to overtime.

OHIO STATE 63

PENN STATE 14

 

That's domination, holmes!

 

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=332990194

 

As most recall by now, the Nittany Kittens took TTUN to overtime.

 

Um, you missed the most important part ... they beat TTUN in overtime.

LOL true.  I brainlocked with respect to the Wisconsin-ASU game.

More than 400 yards rushing.

 

Unfortunately, everyone else above us in the BCS standings annihilated their competition, too (including a convincing win by Oregon over #12 UCLA), though South Carolina took Missouri off our tail.

 

Also, getting points isn't going to be easy for us over the next few games.  Our next three opponents (Purdue, Illinois, and Indiana) are all below .500, meaning that each game has more downside (potential loss) than upside (potential point gain) for us.  We're going to be overwhelming favorites in each of them, but we're also going to be getting the best shot each of those teams have.  We *are* the title game for Purdue, Illinois, and Indiana.

 

So long as OSU wins out, I"m not worried about making the national title game.  Alabama & Oregon both have tough games ahead of them.  If OSU wins out & beats MSU handily in the Big Ten title game, we'll be about 25-0.  No way will they be left out of the title game.

I'm not really worried yet ... and to the extent I'm worried, I'm more worried about us taking care of business than what happens to anyone else (which I'm sure is the right way to look at things anyway).  Notwithstanding the dominant performance this past Saturday and the quality of the next few opponents, remember that we have played down to the level of at least some of our competition this year.

 

That said, while I understand that the Buckeyes still need to take care of business at 1-6 Purdue, this is going to be an amazing week of football elsewhere:

 

Thursday 7:30: #10 Oklahoma at #6 Baylor

Thursday 9:00: #2 Oregon at #5 Stanford

Saturday 8:00: #7 Miami at #3 Florida State

 

Basically, the only way that our game becomes national news is if we lose it.  Otherwise, all the attention will definitely be elsewhere.

one other thing that gives OSU an edge is they've already faced a lot of adversity...  from Guitton playing so well when Braxton was injured, other RB's filling in while Carlos Hyde was suspended, defensive secondary stepping up when Roby was suspended & Christian Bryant injured (still out)...  I think the defense continues to develop talent

 

Florida State will destroy Miami, bet the house on that one.

 

Stanford/Oregon should be a fun game to watch

 

I haven't watched Oklahoma or Baylor much yet

FYI, both of those big Thursday night games are actually on November 7th.

I think it's going to take a miracle for Ohio State to end up in the national title game.  I just don't see any of the three teams ahead of them slipping up.

I think it's going to take a miracle for Ohio State to end up in the national title game.  I just don't see any of the three teams ahead of them slipping up.

 

Seriously?  Alabama has had some slow starts & still has to play an SEC title game.  If OSU wins out, they will be 25-0.  No way will they be held out of a title game.  Think about it, OSU has one of the biggest fan bases in the country.  Sponsors drool at the idea of that sort of tv draw

FYI, both of those big Thursday night games are actually on November 7th.

 

Dangit, they were both showing on my feed as the upcoming games.  I got the dates confused in my own mind, too: I even saw the 11/7 date and thought that was this Thursday.  I seem to have lost a week somewhere.  If you find it, PM me and let me know where I can pick it up.