Yeah I don't know any OSU fans that are feeling confident.  I think there's a chance they could win but it would have to be a pitiful game by Michigan and OSU capitalizes on turnovers, penalties, etc

 

I did listen to ESPN radio quite a bit on Saturday late and the comment was that most are expecting a low scoring game next week with Michigan but it will probably be the opposite.  Michigan has a good defense but hasn't faced an offense like OSU.  Meanwhile, Michigan's offense is becoming more explosive -they have more designed QB runs and are spreading the ball out more.  Looks like it could be a track meet

 

Is Urban going to be able to survive another nail biter?  He was about to pass out this past week...

Greg Schiano has overseen 3 of the 4 worst defensive games (in terms of points allowed) since 1950.  Iowa (55), Purdue (49), and Maryland (51).  Dude is literally re-writing the history book.

pretty quiet thread this week with UM game a few days away.  I'm wondering perhaps if the team comes out & plays inspired football on Meyer's last Michigan matchup.  If it is his last, I sure hope they send him off a winner.  The symbolism would be amazing as he was a grad assistant when Earl Bruce was carried off the field almost 40 yrs ago after beating Michigan.

 

I also saw a stat somewhere that Meyer is absolutely perfect/has never lost as an underdog.

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2018/11/23/18102008/michigan-ohio-state-preview-2018

 

Above is well-balanced preview of the 2018 version of "The Game".  In it, they look at three big Ohio State weaknesses that clash with things Michigan does well.  They also note that "If Jim Harbaugh can’t do it this year, can he ever?"  And it sure feels that way going into tomorrow's game.  The betting line also agrees, with OSU being a 4-point underdog, despite playing in the Shoe.

 

Michigan is currently in an historic bad stretch for them in this series.  If you look at the games since Tressel took over in 2001 and then Urban Meyer took over in 2012 - the Buckeyes have won 15 of the last 17 games.  And one of those two losses came in the suspension year of 2011 when Luke Fickell was the interim head coach.

 

 

 

This current era of Ohio State dominance does come after the infamous 2-10-1 Cooper-coached era from 1988 to 2000 - so any run can end at any time.  And with the way both Ohio State and Michigan are playing, it certainly feels like this is Michigan's year.  But it also feels like Harbaugh and Michigan have a crushing weight of expectation on their shoulders.  If Ohio State comes out strong or if Michigan makes some early mistakes, I wouldn't be surprised if Meyer goes 4-0 over Harbaugh.

GAME #12: OHIO STATE 62 - MICHIGAN 39

http://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=401012895

 

WOW!!!

 

Michigan's offense started off pretty well.  But their first two scoring drives ended with FG's and they were down 7-6 to the Buckeyes.  After that, two Haskins TD passes gave OSU an 21-6 lead.  Michigan got back the momentum going into halftime on a late TD drive and then a muffed kickoff catch that turned into a gift TD to Michigan.  At 24-19 at halftime, it looked like it was either team's game to win in the second half.  It would be Ohio State that did.

 

On the strength of a 17-0 third quarter, the buckeyes led 41-19 to start the fourth - and they piled on the points to finish out the victory.  62 points was the highest winning point total in the OSU-UM series (the previous record was 50 by OSU in 1961 and 1968).  Dwayne Haskins broke the Big Ten season records for passing yardage and passing TD's during this game.  And the Buckeyes broke the #1 ranked defense in the nation with their offensive onslaught!

This team lost to Purdue.

 

How the everliving Hayes did this team lose to Purdue?

 

Notwithstanding what will likely be an eternal inability to answer that question, I had an incredible amount of fun watching this.

They lost to Purdue because they're not that good. You can still have great games when that is the case.

Michigan was overrated coming into this game.  Harbaugh still lacks a signature win.  Yes he beat MSU but they are terrible this year.  They beat Penn State but McSorley was injured and didn't play half the game.  Michigan had close games against Northwestern and Indiana.  So they are good but not scary good.  Certainly not "#1 defense in the country" good...

 

And OSU showed up.  Finally.  I think they were outplayed by Purdue and others that kept it closer than it should've been like Maryland but perhaps this team just came together later than it should've.  Possibly because of Meyer's initial 3 game suspension.  Who knows.  But they came together.

 

And I think they'll get in the playoff.  Just based on the eye test, they are a better team than Oklahoma, assuming there are no upsets this weekend.  I'd love to see OSU some how face off against Notre Dame but that's not likely - if we get in, it'll be as #4 seed and we'll face Alabama

OSU needs some help to get in the playoff.  I don't see them jumping Oklahoma if both teams win out especially since Oklahoma gets to play a Texas team that is much more highly regarded than Northwestern.  Alabama will beat Georgia, Oklahoma will probably beat Texas, and OSU will beat Northwestern.  OSU ends up 5th in that scenario.  

 

As a Michigan fan I was bitterly disappointed in my teams performance on Saturday and the final score was embarrassing.  We can mock the "#1 defense in the country" label all we want, but those were simply the statistics.  Michigan didn't give themselves that label.  They have, over the course of the season, been incredibly good against the pass and their defensive line was outstanding at stopping the run and pressuring opposing quarterbacks.  They didn't do any of those things on Saturday.  They looked completely lost and outmatched on the defensive side of the ball.  Every Michigan fan knew that our defense was vulnerable to crossing patterns and screens and OSU took advantage of that weakness and ran the Michigan defense into the ground.  

 

On the offensive side of the ball Michigan did just about what I expected them to do, but I was surprised that Michigan's offensive line didn't perform better against the beleaguered OSU defensive line.

 

I'm still holding out hope for Michigan to revive this rivalry within the next couple of years, but it's feeling more and more hopeless.  OSU's program is an absolute machine that is unmatched in the Big Ten.  Sometimes I wonder if you guys realize how good you have it.  

6 minutes ago, Hootenany said:

 

As a Michigan fan I was bitterly disappointed

 Isn't that the famous Harbaugh quote from 2 years ago that he was "bitterly disappointed" with the officiating?

 

I expected to see Patterson run the ball in designed plays a few more times.  He's a good runner and makes nice moves in the open field.  Once they were down by multiple scores, they didn't open up the play book the way I expected.

Edited November 26, 20186 yr by gottaplan

Yeah, I don't see how this team gets in without help from one Tom Herman (head coach at Texas).  The polls and likely the Committee rank OU ahead of Ohio State.  And OU has a slightly "tougher" conference title game.  A real wrench in the plans is if Georgia pulls off the upset of Alabama.  We're likely looking at Clemson, ND, Georgia, and Bama if that were to happen and the OU v. OSU debate wouldn't matter at all.

 

That said, here's an interesting exercise...ranking OU's games vs. Ohio State's in order from "best to worst."

 

1) Ohio State 62-39 over Michigan > Oklahoma 59-56 over West Virginia - Pretty easy here, Ohio State with a much better "best win."

2) Ohio State 27-26 over Penn State > Oklahoma 37-27 over Iowa State - Not as big of a gap as the best win, but OSU defeated a better team on the road than Oklahoma.

3) Ohio State 40-28 over TCU ~= Oklahoma 52-27 over TCU - OU's margin of victory is more, but neither game really in doubt by the 4th quarter.

4) Ohio State 26-6 over Michigan State ~= or > Oklahoma 28-21 in OT over Army - I guess Army was good this year?  But how do you rank an OT game vs a 20-point win over MSU?

5) Ohio State 30-14 over Minnesota ~= or < Oklahoma 66-33 over Baylor.  Do you like points or defense in this comparison?

6) Ohio State 49-6 over Tulane ~=< Oklahoma 48-47 over Oklahoma State - Ohio State dominates a bowl eligible opponent, while Oklahoma struggles with a P5 bowl-eligible rival.

7) Ohio State 52-51 over Maryland < Oklahoma 51-14 over Kansas State - Oklahoma polishes off a 5-7 conference opponent while OSU struggles.

8 ) Ohio State 49-26 over Indiana > Oklahoma 51-46 over Texas Tech.  Oklahoma couldn't put away a 5-7 conference opponent as easily as Ohio State.

9) Ohio State 36-31 over Nebraska ~< Oklahoma 63-14 over Florida Atlantic.  Frankly, no reason for Ohio State to be this close to a 4-8 Nebraska.

10) Ohio State 77-31 over Oregon State ~= or < Oklahoma 49-21 over UCLA.  Two bad Pac-12 teams...UCLA was slightly, just slightly, better than Oregon State but OSU rolled bigger.

11) Ohio State 52-3 over Rutgers > Oklahoma 55-40 over Kansas.  Kansas lost to Nicholls State and got housed by Central Michigan - what is Oklahoma doing giving up 40 to the Jayhawks?

12) Ohio State 49-20 loss to Purdue <<< Oklahoma 48-45 loss to Texas.  A closer loss to a better opponent.  Oklahoma with a pretty big edge here.

 

These are both inconsistent teams with huge problems on defense, often masked by hyper-powered offenses.  Apparently OU can boast about more "top 25 wins" courtesy of Army being ranked (who knew?).  OU also has a more palatable loss to Texas vs. Ohio State's 29-point deficit to Purdue.  You could point to Ohio State's two best wins being better than Oklahoma's, but the case kind of falls off from there.

Notre Dame has punched their ticket. Period. 

 

Clemson will be dependent on a victory in the ACC title game. 

 

I know Alabama looks unbeatable at the moment, but let's assume something crazy happens and Georgia wins. If that's the case, I think we see two SEC teams in the playoff - that makes SEC (2) Independent (1) and one spot left for the Big12, Pac12, and Big10. This would be a wild scenario. 

 

I think it's going to come down to style points between OU and OSU though. Look for both of these teams to run it up if they get a comfortable lead this week. 

 

I'm trying to imagine what would happen if Bama wins, Clemson loses, Oklahoma loses, and Ohio State loses - all very unlikely, of course.

 

1) Bama

2) ND

3)….404 file not found  I guess UCF??? Too bad about their QB, though.

4) Pick between Texas and Georgia?

 

EDIT - Fwiw, on 538's predictor, if you play out the likely scenarios happening - Bama, Clemson, OSU, and OU winning, they basically have ND, Oklahoma, and OSU all around ~70% chance of making it.  Of course, only two would.

Edited November 26, 20186 yr by DarkandStormy

I don't know how ND could be excluded at this point.

If OSU dominates Northwestern, that's two common opponents with ND and OSU would have "better" wins against them.  "Conference champion" is also a factor they consider - though how much they weight that no one knows.

Edited November 26, 20186 yr by DarkandStormy

If OSU dominates NW, they are in.  Take that to the bank.  Forget about what happened a month ago in Purdue.  It's who is playing the best right now - OSU will be in.  Oklahoma is putting up big numbers but the college football pundits are all sick of them already for their inability to play even a hint of defense.  Football is about more than just scoring faster than your opponent.  They basically play 2 hand touch

1 hour ago, DarkandStormy said:

If OSU dominates Northwestern, that's two common opponents with ND and OSU would have "better" wins against them.  "Conference champion" is also a factor they consider - though how much they weight that no one knows.

 

Lol, y'all need to stop. Notre Dame is in. Etch it in cement. 

Of course they are (and so is Bama unless they somehow lose 70-0 on Saturday) - I was just playing around with the simulator here - https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2018-college-football-predictions/?ex_cid=rrpromo

Edited November 26, 20186 yr by DarkandStormy

Great analysis by Dark & Stormy on comparing best & worst games for OSU & Oklahoma.  I guess the CFP committee saw it the same way.  Assuming both teams win this weekend, I don't see OSU jumping Oklahoma anymore.  Bummer that ND is done, sitting back with no more games to play. 

 

I think there's a number of outcomes for the SEC title game this weekend though - Alabama wins big, wins a close one, Georgia wins, etc.  However, none of them probably result in OSU getting in.  If Georgia defeats Alabama in a close game, it might mean 2 SEC teams in the final four...

In other words, we're back to what YABO said on 11/12:

 

On 11/12/2018 at 11:31 AM, YABO713 said:

Okay cool. Hook em?

Edited November 28, 20186 yr by Gramarye
(And also, Roll Tide.)

Roll Tide

Hook em

Go Bucks

 

Ohio State in if those three prevail.  You can also throw in a Go Panthers for good measure.

^agreed.  Seems like a long request but I think history has proven that there's usually at least 1 upset on weekends like this

Yes, but for one of those, we're cheering against the upset!

1 hour ago, gottaplan said:

^agreed.  Seems like a long request but I think history has proven that there's usually at least 1 upset on weekends like this

 

I don't remember last year all that well in terms of game by game, but didn't OSU need one upset last year to get in and got none?  It also hurt them that Bama lost to Auburn, letting Auburn go on to lose to Georgia in the SEC title game.  If Bama would have won out, OSU would have been in as well.

Damn. I don't know what I want here. I want OSU to win, but I am not sure I want OSU to somehow pass Oklahoma and get into the #4 spot-likely facing (ugh) Alabama. Maybe the Rose Bowl and a win there would be ok? 

 

It would take Clemson winning, Alabama destroying Georgia, and either Oklahoma losing and us winning, or Oklahoma with a very ugly win and us with a fantastic win to get us in. I don't think all of those things are going to fall in line perfectly for us-and that may not be the worst fate for us. I am not really sure we belong in the top four anyhow to be honest.

It really just takes OSU winning and either Oklahoma losing OR Clemson losing (never sleep on the Pitt upset).  I think even if Oklahoma wins ugly, they would "avenge" their only loss of the season - to a team much better than Purdue.

 

Bama and Notre Dame are locks, imo.  Clemson is obviously in if they win, but *probably* out if they lose (depending on the rest of the games).  So it's a narrow chance, but I think there's still a realistic shot Ohio State gets in.  Really just need Texas or Pitt to do the thing.

https://www.landgrantholyland.com/2018/11/30/18119825/ohio-state-football-news-ryan-day-reportedly-staying-raise-unofficial-succession-plan?utm_campaign=landgrantholyland&amp;utm_content=chorus&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter

 

This is from "Football Scoop" so read it skeptically, but supposedly Ryan Day is line for a raise next season and will stick around.  He's also supposedly agreed - either formally or informally - to be Urban's predecessor.  Meyer supposedly is uncertain on his coaching future, going so far as to say next season would be his last.  Again, all speculation right now.

My college football viewing for a rainy Saturday:

 

-- Noon: Oklahoma vs. Texas (hook em horns)

-- 4PM:  Alabama vs. Georgia (roll tide)

-- 8PM:  Ohio State vs. Northwestern (go bucks)

B1G CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:  OHIO STATE 45 - NORTHWESTERN 24

http://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=401056702

 

Good quality victory over the Wildcats to win the Big Ten Championship.  Big game for Haskins going 34 of 41 with 499 passing yards.

 

Was it good enough to pass Oklahoma for a place in the CFB Final Four?  Probably not.  But after Oklahoma's more-than-decent win over Texas earlier in the day, there may not have been enough "style points" available for the Buckeyes to vault ahead of the Sooners.  Looks like the Buckeyes will be Rose Bowl bound instead.

Such a shame we waste the best QB in Big Ten history and the best offense in school history (or close to it) because of a historically bad defense.

Urban Meyer is retiring after the Rose Bowl.  Ryan Day will take over as head coach.  Presser coming at 2:00.

1 hour ago, DarkandStormy said:

Urban Meyer is retiring after the Rose Bowl.  Ryan Day will take over as head coach.  Presser coming at 2:00.

 

And here I thought that today's biggest OSU Football news would be Haskins being named one of the three Heisman finalists and discussing whether he would declare for next year's NFL draft!

Wow.  Apparently there was speculation about this but I completely missed it or at least missed that they were talking about retirement this year.  I figured he was going to be here for a long while yet.

At the end of October, Meyer met with a group of reporters to disclose his health issue:  https://forum.urbanohio.com/topic/1091-the-ohio-state-university-buckeyes-football-discussion/?do=findComment&amp;comment=862295

 

The cyst in his brain is something that he has had since 1998. It's not life-threatening, but it does cause migraine-like headaches at times.  Meyer disclosed he had brain surgery for it in 2014 and has been taking medication for it since.

 

OSU fans have noted that Meyer will bend over, put both hands on his knees and appear to be in agony many times on the sidelines during games.  Until his brain cyst disclosure, we just assumed it was from the normal stress of coaching and this was something he did to cope with that.  But apparently, this was Meyer's way of coping with the migraine-like headaches when they flared up.  One of the reasons for his late October disclosure was that during the previous game against Indiana, Meyer actually fell to the ground on the sidelines because of a severe flareup.  He disclosed that the medication he had been taking to alleviate these flareups seemed to be getting less effective lately.

 

A semi-comprehensive listing of Eleven Warriors articles about Urban Meyer's retirement and Ryan Day being named as the next head coach of the Buckeyes:

 

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018/12/100250/urban-meyer-announces-retirement-following-rose-bowl-ryan-day-to-take-over-as-ohio-states-next-head-coach

 

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018/12/100295/ryan-day-to-make-45-million-per-year-on-five-year-contract

 

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018/12/100255/mickey-marotti-mark-pantoni-ryan-stamper-and-brian-voltolini-expected-to-remain-under-ryan-day-per-report

 

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018/12/100293/presser-bullets-urban-meyer-announces-retirement-ryan-day-named-ohio-states-next-head-coach

 

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018/12/100298/urban-meyer-hopes-to-remain-in-columbus-and-stay-involved-with-ohio-state-even-after-his-retirement-as-head-coach

 

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018/12/100306/urban-meyers-decision-to-retire-from-ohio-state-after-this-season-was-more-than-a-year-in-the-making

 

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/urban-meyer-retires/2018/12/100326/hiring-ryan-day-means-maintaining-what-urban-meyer-built

 

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018/12/100323/becoming-ohio-states-head-coach-is-a-dream-come-true-for-ryan-day

http://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/401032085

 

The Ohio State 2018 season came to a conclusion yesterday with Urban Meyer retiring with a Rose Bowl victory.  The game seemed to embody the entire season (and really, the last 3-4 years of the Urban era) - for 3 quarters fans were probably thinking, "How did this team lose to ANYBODY?" as the Bucks were up 28-3 headed to the final frame.  Then, the wheels seemed to fall off as the Huskies roared back with 20 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to at least make the final score interesting (and fans were probably thinking, "How did this team only lose one game this season?").

 

Dwayne Haskins threw his 50th TD pass of the season - just the 6th quarterback in FBS history to reach that mark in a season.  He says he is "50/50" on his NFL decision.

 

Ryan Day took over as the 25th head coach in Ohio State history after the game.  There are already some coaching changes underway - primarily hiring a new OC/QB coach and looking for a LB coach replacement.

Edited January 2, 20196 yr by DarkandStormy

^^ Fortunately the Georgia/Texas game came right after ours and took the limelight off of our not so hot second quarter, with Texas pulling the upset while also struggling a bit in the second quarter, and Georgia losing after running their mouths(way worse than OSU fans)about how they should have been in the top four. Our win will just be remembered as a nice Rose Bowl win. 

 

Thanks, Texas and Georgia! lol.

On 1/2/2019 at 10:18 AM, DarkandStormy said:

http://www.espn.com/college-football/game/_/gameId/401032085

 

The Ohio State 2018 season came to a conclusion yesterday with Urban Meyer retiring with a Rose Bowl victory.  The game seemed to embody the entire season (and really, the last 3-4 years of the Urban era) - for 3 quarters fans were probably thinking, "How did this team lose to ANYBODY?" as the Bucks were up 28-3 headed to the final frame.  Then, the wheels seemed to fall off as the Huskies roared back with 20 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to at least make the final score interesting (and fans were probably thinking, "How did this team only lose one game this season?").

 

Dwayne Haskins threw his 50th TD pass of the season - just the 6th quarterback in FBS history to reach that mark in a season.  He says he is "50/50" on his NFL decision.

 

Ryan Day took over as the 25th head coach in Ohio State history after the game.  There are already some coaching changes underway - primarily hiring a new OC/QB coach and looking for a LB coach replacement.

 

Thanks for that Rose Bowl recap.  I saw the game (and enjoyed the win) but got waylaid by a big-time head & sinus cold the next morning.  Have been hopped up on cough syrup and sinus meds until today!

 

This seven-year run that Urban Meyer had at Ohio State was amazing (and something we will likely appreciate more after the fact).  Meyer's teams went 83-9 during those seven years with one national championship.  Only Alabama's Nick Saban can exceed this seven-year stretch from 2012 to 2018 with a 91-8 record and three national championships.  And only Clemson's Dabo Swinney can match Meyer's 2012-18 run with a 86-11 record and one national championship (going into Monday's National Title Game).

espn signing day rankings:

 

michigan A

penn state A-

 

Ohio State Buckeyes

Grade: B+ | National rank: 16

New head coach Ryan Day kept a top-20 class together and added to finish with the second-best class in the conference. It is not a big class, but more than half of the signees rank in the ESPN 300. Five-star DE Zach Harrison was a massive win over Michigan on the first day of the early signing period. Harry Miller is the No. 2 center in the class, and there are two top-25 OTs in the class in signing day win Enokk Vimahi and in-state prospect Ryan Jacoby. Garrett Wilson is the No. 2 receiver in the 2019 cycle, while Ronnie Hickman is a four-star wide receiver out of New Jersey. The Show Me State's Jameson Williams is a third ESPN 300 WR who signed an LOI. The Buckeyes also have an ESPN 300 running back prospect signed in Steele Chambers, who could end up at outside linebacker long-term. A second RB in the class is Marcus Crowley, who flipped from Miami. Cade Stover is a terrific linebacker win from inside state lines.

Yesterday was the final day of signings for the recruiting class of 2019.  On the early signing date in December, the Buckeyes were ranked 12th by 247sports composite rating.  They signed two more players on yesterday's final signing date, but dropped to 14th in the same 247sports rating (linked below).

 

https://247sports.com/Season/2019-Football/CompositeTeamRankings/

 

Now, a #14 ranking is lower than Buckeye fans have been used to under Urban Meyer in recent years - typically they've been Top 10 or Top 5.  But considering the naming of a new head coach in Ryan Day just prior to that December early signing date - its not bad at all.  The Buckeyes had two decommits in December - one a QB that signed at Georgia (more on that later) - and one OL decommited yesterday to sign at Virginia Tech.  Plus the Buckeyes were bumping up to the 85-player scholarship limit because of a smaller than usual senior class last season.

 

As a result, the Buckeyes had one of the smallest recruiting classes for 2019.  The Buckeyes finished with 17 recruits, whereas all the classes above OSU in the rankings had 21 to 29.  And all those team recruiting ratings total up the rating of every player in the recruiting class to get the final team recruiting rankings.  So if a team had a greater number of high-rated recruits, they'll get the higher team ranking.

 

Only having 17 total recruits hurts the Buckeyes in the final team rankings.  But the quality of the Buckeye recruits was very high.  The Buckeyes got three 5-star players, nine 4-star players, and five 3-star players.  The three 5-star players number was only matched by #1 Alabama, #5 LSU, #6 Oklahoma and only exceeded by #2 Georgia (who had five 5-star players).  This quality over quantity analysis looks even better for OSU when you rank teams based on rating per prospect - in that analysis the Buckeyes trail only Alabama and Georgia.  So all things considered, another excellent recruiting class:

 

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2019/02/102244/report-card-revisiting-the-misses-and-grading-ohio-states-2019-recruiting-class

 

https://www.buckeyextra.com/sports/20190206/ohio-state-football--on-second-signing-day-ryan-day-lands-two-offensive-linemen

I mentioned in the previous post that OSU had QB decommit in December to sign at Georgia.  That decommitment/signing set off a QB chain reaction for both teams.

 

Dwayne Haskins declared for the NFL Draft after only one full season as the Buckeyes starting QB - setting OSU & B1G passing records last season.  Last season's backup QB - Tate Martell - who will be a redshirt sophomore next season - was the heir apparent to be the 2019 starting QB.  But all that changed when Georgia snagged that QB once committed to OSU.

 

Georgia's 5-star QB recruit from last year - Justin Fields - then announced his intention to transfer from Georgia.  Fields didn't gain the starting QB spot as a freshman in 2018 from their incumbent upperclassman QB.  Since it didn't look like he would be starting in Georgia next season, and with another highly rating QB coming in behind him, he made the move to transfer.

 

Fields eventually decided to transfer to Ohio State - where he will be a sophomore next season.  That decision prompted Martell to announce he would transfer from Ohio State (he eventually decided to go to Miami(FL).

 

To understand just how highly rated Justin Fields was in 2018 - consider that he was ranked on a par with Clemson's Trevor Lawrence.  As a freshman, Lawrence took over the starting QB in Clemson from an upperclassman (who then transferred!) and led Clemson to a 15-0 season and the National Championship!  I say "on a par" with Clemson's Lawrence because I've seen Fields both listed as the #1 QB recruit for 2018 and the #2 QB recruit behind Lawrence.

 

Apparently, Justin Fields is a QB talent equaling that of Dwayne Haskins - at least on paper and film.  Hopefully, Fields can equal Haskins on the field:  https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2019/01/101544/comparing-justin-fields-to-dwayne-haskins-and-other-past-ohio-state-quarterbacks

 

---

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2018/12/100830/georgia-quarterback-justin-fields-announces-he-will-transfer-to-ohio-state

 

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2019/01/101567/ohio-state-quarterback-tate-martell-in-ncaa-transfer-portal-per-reports

 

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2019/01/101638/tate-martell-transferring-to-miami-fl

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2019/02/102313/ohio-state-quarterback-justin-fields-receives-waiver-for-immediate-eligibility-from-ncaa

 

OHIO STATE QUARTERBACK JUSTIN FIELDS RECEIVES WAIVER FOR IMMEDIATE ELIGIBILITY FROM NCAA

(aka Justin Fields is now eligible to play QB for the Buckeyes in the upcoming 2019 season)

 

Fields' top competition for the 2019 starting quarterback job will come from redshirt freshman Matthew Baldwin (who was recruited by current head coach Ryan Day and sat out 2018 rehabbing a knee injury), while graduate transfer Chris Chugunov is the only other scholarship quarterback currently on the roster.  Fields will be a sophomore for the 2019 season.

 

 

The OSU Spring Game was a couple weekends ago - but there wasn't much to write about.  It was more of a coached scrimmage/practice than an actual game.  Arguably the best play in the spring game occurred when punter Drue Chrisman proposed to his girlfriend during halftime!

 

https://www.buckeyextra.com/news/20190413/ohio-states-drue-chrisman-proposes-to-girlfriend-during-spring-game

 

 

Also, the utility of watching the spring game to figure out who will be the starting QB took a hit last year.  In the 2018 Spring Game, we were told that Dwayne Haskins was in a three-way fight with Joe Burrow and Tate Martell for the starting job.  Then Burrow transfers out, Haskins sets OSU and B1G passing records, and Martell is only used in goal-line situations.  So the 2019 question of "Will it be Justin Fields or Matthew Baldwin at QB" didn't seem like it would get answered during the spring game.

 

And it turned out that it wasn't.  After the 2019 Spring Game, redshirt freshman QB Matthew Baldwin announced he would be transferring from OSU.  Leaving Justin Fields - the highly-rated transfer from Georgia - as the clear starting QB for 2019:

 

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2019/04/103761/justin-fields-becomes-ohio-states-clear-cut-starting-quarterback-with-minimal-depth-behind-him-as-matthew-baldwin

 

With the NCAA's recent loosening up of transfer rules - the days of stockpiling QB's like Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones on the same roster appear to be over.  Now, if a highly recruited QB doesn't get the starting job, he can transfer and get a starting job somewhere else, without having to sit out one year.  OSU, Clemson and Georgia have all had this happen to them.  But its been fascinating to watch all the QB turnover in the past two years at OSU:

 

2018 SEASON:

-- Dwayne Haskins (starter)

-- Joe Burrow (transfers and starts at LSU)

-- Tate Martell (backup)

-- Chris Chugunov (fourth-year junior transferred in from West Virginia)

-- Matthew Baldwin (red-shirt freshman on IR)

 

2018-2019 OFF-SEASON:

-- Dwayne Haskins (declares for the NFL draft)

-- Justin Fields (sophomore transferred in from Georgia)

-- Tate Martell (transfers to Miami(FL) before the spring game)

-- Matthew Baldwin (announces he will transfer after the spring game)

 

2019 SEASON:

-- Justin Fields (starter)

-- Chris Chugunov (fifth-year senior and now primary backup)

-- Looking for another transfer for QB depth - led possibly by Gunnar Hoak at Kentucky, a red-shirt junior who was born in Columbus, attended Dublin Coffman and whose father, uncle and cousin all played football for the Buckeyes:  https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2019/04/103760/transfer-quarterbacks-ohio-state-could-consider-targeting-to-add-depth-behind-justin-fields

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2019/04/103750/nfl-mock-draft-roundup-nick-bosa-viewed-as-consensus-no-2-overall-pick-but-projections-vary-for-dwayne-haskins

 

Tonight is the first-round of the NFL Draft - and two former Buckeyes are expected to be drafted: Dwayne Haskins and Nick Bosa.  Eight other former Buckeyes are expected to be drafted in rounds 2 thru 7 over the next few days.  Here's a rundown of these 10 OSU players are where they are expected to go:

• NICK BOSA, DE -- Bosa was a #1 overall pick in many mock drafts, until Oklahoma's Kyler Murray shot up to the #1 pick for Arizona.  Now Bosa is a consensus #2 overall pick for the 49ers.

• DWAYNE HASKINS, QB -- Haskins was a early consensus at #6 overall to the New York Giants.  But recently, he's been all over the first round if the Giants don't take him at #6.  The Bengals might grab him at #11.  The Dolphins might take him at #13.  Or Washington might take him with their #15 pick, or trade up to pick him (as has been rumored).

• TERRY MCLAURIN, WR -- The stand-out receiver is ranked as high as sneaking into the first-round with the #26 overall pick of Indianapolis (so sez Mel Kiper) or as low as the 3rd or 4th round according to three other mock drafts.

• PARRIS CAMPBELL, WR -- Most of the mock drafts have Campbell going in either the 2nd or 3rd round - with the 2nd-round, #46-overall pick of Washington being a semi-consensus spot (and maybe more likely if they also pick Haskins at QB).

• DRE’MONT JONES, DT -- All the mock drafts have Jones going in the latter half of the 2nd round (#48 to #60).

• MICHAEL JORDAN, G/C -- Jordan, who started at left guard in his first two seasons before moving to center for 2018, is projected as a late 3rd round pick.  Jordan is expected to move back to guard in the NFL.

• KENDALL SHEFFIELD, CB -- Projected for rounds 4 thru 6.

• MIKE WEBER, RB -- Projected for rounds 4 thru 7.

• ISAIAH PRINCE, OT -- Projected for rounds 5 thru 7.

• JOHNNIE DIXON, WR -- On the fringe of being drafted in the 7th round or going undrafted (and then signing as an undrafted free-agent)

I don't understand the rumors on Haskins - literally no concrete quotes or evidence (i.e. bad pro day, bad interviews, etc.), just random "anonymous sources" saying he's dropping.  Maybe it's all being spun by the Giants to make sure no other team trades up ahead of them or maybe there is truth to it, it's just bizarre to see so many people saying he's dropping and not citing any particular reason why.

1 hour ago, DarkandStormy said:

I don't understand the rumors on Haskins - literally no concrete quotes or evidence (i.e. bad pro day, bad interviews, etc.), just random "anonymous sources" saying he's dropping.  Maybe it's all being spun by the Giants to make sure no other team trades up ahead of them or maybe there is truth to it, it's just bizarre to see so many people saying he's dropping and not citing any particular reason why.

 

The Giants floating rumors to get another team to vastly overpay for the #6 pick is one of the few things that makes sense.  Haskins is a classic NFL proto-type QB and he's got all the goods, passing-wise.  If the Giants pass on Haskins at #6, they'd be fools.  But then the Giants also could have parted ways with an ineffective over-the-hill Eli Manning and they've been sticking with him - so maybe they are fools!

Confirmed:  The NY Giants are fools!

-- The Giants Entered This Draft as an NFL Punch Line. Then They Took Daniel Jones -- https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/4/26/18517982/daniel-jones-new-york-giants-dave-gettleman-draft-picks

-- Daniel Jones Is the Crown Jewel of the Giants’ Disastrous Offseason -- https://www.theringer.com/nfl-draft/2019/4/25/18517275/new-york-giants-daniel-jones

 

Nick Bosa went at #2 to the 49ers as expected.  And then the Giants picked their QB at the #6 spot - but it wasn't Dwayne Haskins(!)  The Giants passed on Haskins at #6 and drafted a QB from Duke who wasn't even considered to be a first-round prospect by draft analysts(!)

 

Haskins eventually went to Washington at #15.  This might turn out to be a great spot for Haskins.  He is from the DC area, and they've got a couple of veterans QB's that could play this year while they ease Haskins into being their starting QB.  More bad news for the Giants, Haskins seemed royally P.O.ed that they chose another QB over him - and he'll get to face the Giants two times every year!

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2019/04/103946/ohio-state-finishes-second-among-all-schools-with-nine-players-selected-in-2019-nfl-draft

 

Nine OSU players were selected in this week’s 2019 NFL draft, ranking the Buckeyes second among all schools in total draft selections - behind only Alabama, which had 10.  The draft started off in a big way for the Buckeyes, as the 49ers selected Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa with the #2 overall pick and Washington drafted quarterback Dwayne Haskins with the #15 overall pick.  It was the fourth straight year and the fifth time in six years that Ohio State had at least two first-round picks in the NFL draft.  Bosa and Haskins became the 80th and 81st first-round picks in Ohio State history – tying the Buckeyes with the USC Trojans for the most first-round picks in NFL draft history.

• NICK BOSA, DE -- 1st-round, #2 overall pick to the 49ers

• DWAYNE HASKINS, QB -- 1st-round, #15 overall pick to Washington

• PARRIS CAMPBELL, WR -- 2nd-round, #59 overall pick to the Indianapolis Colts

• DRE’MONT JONES, DT -- 3rd-round, #71 overall pick to the Denver Broncos

• TERRY MCLAURIN, WR -- 3rd-round, #76 overall pick to Washington

• KENDALL SHEFFIELD, CB -- 4th-round, #111 overall pick to Atlanta

• MICHAEL JORDAN, G/C -- 4th-round, #136 overall pick to the Cincinnati Bengals

• ISAIAH PRINCE, OT -- 6th-round, #202 overall pick to the Miami Dolphins

• MIKE WEBER, RB -- 7th-round, #218 overall pick to the Dallas Cowboys

• Undrafted free-agent signings:  WR-Johnnie Dixon to Houston;  LB-Dante Booker to Arizona;  OL-Malcolm Pridgeon to Houston; OL-Demetrius Knox to Seattle

OHIO STATE'S DRAFT PICKS SINCE 2016:  https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2019/04/103804/ohio-state-set-to-build-upon-storied-history-recent-success-with-2019-nfl-draft-picks

https://www.buckeyextra.com/sports/20190428/ohio-state-football--ryan-day-reloads-after-getting-caught-up-in-qb-carousel

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2019/04/103944/graduate-transfer-gunnar-hoak-gives-ohio-state-a-much-needed-second-option-at-quarterback

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football-recruiting/2019/04/103914/three-star-california-quarterback-jp-andrade-commits-to-ohio-state-as-preferred-walk-on

 

The OSU QB depth issues have been addressed for 2019 with a couple of additions over the weekend.  Redshirt junior Gunnar Hoak made a graduate transfer from Kentucky to Ohio State.  Three-star recruit J.P. Andrade from California will also join the 2019 roster as a preferred walk-on.  So the 2019 QB depth chart looks like it will shake out as follows:

• Starter:  Justin Fields - 6-3, 223 sophomore who transferred in from Georgia

• Primary Backup 1:  Chris Chugunov - 6-0, 208 redshirt senior who transferred in from West Virginia in 2018

• Primary Backup 2:  Gunnar Hoak - 6-4, 212 redshirt junior who transferred in from Kentucky

• Depth Backup 1:  J.P. Andrade - 6-3, 205 preferred walk-on freshman

• Depth Backup 2:  Danny Vanatsky - 6-1, 205 walk-on sophomore