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Post by rubalamp on May 12, 2010 15:06:35 GMT -5
OSU has a lot to figure out before I would rank them this high!
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Post by incognitoman on May 12, 2010 15:12:09 GMT -5
Look at what an overhaul did for UK this past year or what the Thad 5 did for OSU a few years ago. Not to mention Durant and Augustin for Texas that same year. And OSU isn't really having an overhaul. Yes, they are losing Turner, which hurts, but he is the only player (BESIDES MARK TITUS!!!) they are losing. Then, they add on one of the top recruiting classes with a daggone good coach, and I don't see how 6th (and 3rd in conference) is too high. All the accounts I've heard/read have said Sullinger might not be the best pro player, but he will make the most impact in college and be the best college player out of this recruiting class.
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Post by Mark Richard on May 12, 2010 18:09:02 GMT -5
I don't know where they were ranked this past season but it was worse than 6 wasn't it? How do you lose the POY and improve your ranking? Even with the good recruiting class I think losing Turner outweighs bringing in unproven players
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Post by incognitoman on May 12, 2010 18:30:34 GMT -5
They finished ranked 5th in the AP poll. You do realize other teams lost other talent as well, right? Like I said earlier, you can't replace Turner. However, you improve the team when you have absolutely zero depth to having potentially one of the most lethal benches in the nation.
*disclaimer: this is not an 'official' poll. This is one person's, Andy Katz, poll.*
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Post by incognitoman on May 17, 2010 9:50:45 GMT -5
Scout did an article about OSU's schedule. Pretty good read...
The Ohio State Schedule from an Historical Perspective
Ohio State’s 2010 schedule follows a template now fully established that allows for maximum dollars, exposure, credibility, and wins to be obtained. Taking advantage of college football’s permanent 12th game, Ohio State has no reason to venture outside of Columbus and the revenue that 105,000 fans provide. All four nonconference games are in Ohio Stadium with three (Marshall, Ohio, and Eastern Michigan) serving as relative warm-ups. The Buckeyes do, however, tend to struggle against weaker nonconference opponents, a cautionary tale to a team whose offense is devoid of senior leadership.
The last time Ohio State played Marshall (2004), the Buckeyes required a 55 yard field goal, as time expired, to win 24-21. Just two seasons ago Ohio University led OSU into the fourth quarter before succumbing 26-14 in the penultimate game in which Todd Boeckman started. Still, it’s been two decades since Ohio State lost to a non-current member of a BCS conference (the 1990 Liberty Bowl vs. Air Force), and not since 1957 have the Buckeyes lost to such a team during the regular season, against TCU. With a national championship in the balance, there is no reason to believe this current team will fail where other teams have (often barely) succeeded.
Before last season, Ohio State had gone 54 games before losing to a team that didn’t play in a BCS bowl game, making it highly unlikely they lose at Illinois, home vs. Indiana, home vs. Purdue, or at Minnesota. It stands to reason, though, that Ohio State will lose at some point in the season. In 120 years of football, only five times has Ohio State survived undefeated and untied. Winning a national championship is arduous enough. Having an undefeated season is even more difficult in the modern age of college football. This team will assuredly begin the season in the top three, and should be one of the five best teams in the country. But this isn’t one of the greatest OSU teams of all time, nor is it the best team of Jim Tressel’s tenure. Ohio State will be favored in every game of the season, but probability concedes they will lose once to either Wisconsin in Madison, Penn State in Columbus, or Iowa in Iowa City.
Penn State should be a worthy opponent that spends considerable time in the top 25. But Penn State, who is 6-11 vs. Ohio State since joining the Big Ten, typically beats the Buckeyes in Big Ten or national title contending seasons. Since 1993, Penn State has beaten Ohio State in years the Nittany Lions went 12-0, 11-2, 11-1, 5-6, 10-3, and 9-3. 2001, in which Tressel had his first and worst season, is the only anomaly, having lost to Penn State in a season it went 5-6, and in a game Joe Paterno broke Bear Bryant’s all-time wins record. This is a good, but not great Penn State team. With two weeks to prepare, the Buckeye defensive line and linebackers, in Columbus, will be too much for Penn State’s inexperienced quarterback and offensive line.
Most prognosticators will point to Iowa as the team likely to beat Ohio State. The Hawkeyes will begin the season in the top 15, if not the top 10, and feature a great leader at quarterback and perhaps the best defensive line in the country. A week before playing Michigan, many will argue the Buckeyes, on the road, will be vulnerable against revenge seeking Iowa. Perhaps. But Jim Tressel teams play better in November, winning .866 percent of their games compared to .800 in all others. Ohio State has also played historically well in the game preceding Michigan (a .785 winning percentage compared to .723 in all other contests). Iowa, who is 1-6 vs. Ohio State under Kirk Ferentz, has historically played better when expectations are subsided, and when it can rely on a spectacular offensive line. So it’s difficult to believe Iowa being special when it has to replace four starters upfront. The last time Iowa defeated the Buckeyes when the Hawkeyes weren’t a 10 win team, and when the Buckeyes weren’t a four loss team or worse, was 1983 when both finished 9-3. In fact, the last time a lower win Iowa team defeated Ohio State was 1962. The Hawkeyes rarely beat OSU, and when they do, it’s a special year for Iowa, and a mediocre one for Ohio State. Iowa should be very good, but so will the Buckeyes whose front seven on defense will be too much for Iowa in a tight, defensive battle. Ohio State must also deal with a superior defensive line, but will counter with its best offensive line in years, and more talent at the skill positions than the Hawkeyes.
That leaves Wisconsin as the likely loss for Ohio State. With 10 starters returning on offense, and six on defense, from a team that finished 10-3, expect Wisconsin to be Ohio State’s only blemish of the regular season if the Buckeyes do lose a game. Ohio State was largely outplayed by Wisconsin last season, scoring only 10 points on offense, needing to rely on two interceptions returned for a touchdown and a kickoff return for a touchdown. Ohio State has often had trouble beating the Badgers in the early or middle part of the season when its offense has yet to fully gel. Ohio State is only 14-10-1 against Wisconsin in their last 25 meetings, and until defeating the Badgers last season, Wisconsin was the only Big Ten team Tressel didn’t have a winning record against. In truth, Ohio State should win this game, regardless if it is a night game in Madison. The Buckeyes are just as experienced as the Badgers, more talented, and will have more to play for. Upsets, however, tend to forget such things, and the probability of an upset occurring during a season is greater than its likelihood in any specific game.
That is why no fan should assume victory in rivalries, especially the likes of Ohio State-Michigan. It’s difficult to foresee, however, Michigan breaking the Buckeye spell. At some point Ohio State will again lose to Michigan and lose advantage in the rivalry, but while rivalries can shift unexpectedly like in 2001, there typically has to be evidence that the tide is turning. This current tide, at a cursory glance, appears weak and benign.
Tressel’s winning percentage in November is evidence to his ability to motivate and see his teams improve. Rodriguez in the same time period at West Virginia and Michigan has a less stellar .606 winning percentage in November compared to .720 in non-November games. While Tressel is 8-1 vs. Michigan, Rodriguez is 0-2 vs. Ohio State, 0-2 vs. Michigan State, 1-1 vs. Notre Dame, and a good, but not great 4-3 vs. Pittsburgh. Six times Rodriguez has faced a rival that would finish the season with a better overall record than one of his teams, and only once has his team won (last year against 6-6 Notre Dame). Tressel has twice faced a better Michigan team, winning each time. What this suggests is that all things would have to at least be even for Michigan to realistically beat Ohio State. All things, mind you, do not appear to be even.
This season’s game is in Columbus where Tressel has never lost to Michigan. Both teams return the same number of starters, but Ohio State returns more impact players. The Wolverines have a burgeoning quarterback controversy while Ohio State has a Heisman candidate behind center. And while Michigan should at least be bowl game good, Ohio State should be national championship good.
The true benchmark for Ohio State may be its game vs. the Miami Hurricanes in early September. Miami, who was largely erratic last season, has to overcome key injuries to Jacory Harris and Graig Cooper, and likely won’t begin in the preseason top 10. Miami may or may not be the Buckeyes’ toughest opponent, but given the plot lines and sure to be media attention, this could be their toughest game to win. Ohio State has lost key early season battles against Texas (2005) and USC (2008, 2009), and has not fully restored its national reputation as an elite team despite its impressive Rose Bowl victory. This is the first meeting between the two programs since what was arguably the greatest college football game of all time.
Perhaps more interesting is the juncture at which each team finds itself. Ohio State has competed for national championships and Big Ten accolades in all but one season since 2002 while Miami has been surprisingly mediocre, losing 23 games in the last four seasons. These were similar circumstances when they last met in the regular season in 1999. Ohio State had been nearly dominant since 1993, with an array of talent featuring Eddie George, Orlando Pace, David Boston, Joey Galloway, Terry Glenn, Andy Katzenmoyer, Mike Vrable, Antoine Winfield, and Shawn Springs. This was Ohio State’s renaissance after a shocking decade and a half of irrelevance. During this period of relative obscurity, Miami grew into the most successful program in college football. But as NCAA sanctions crippled the Hurricanes following their last dominant season in 1992, the program fell just as Ohio State started to rise. When they met in the 1999 Kickoff Classic, there was little reason to believe another seismic shift would occur. But following Miami’s upset of a top 10 Buckeye team, Ohio State fell to 6-6, as well as 8-4 and 7-5 in subsequent seasons. Miami, however, used their victory to launch a comeback which culminated in the 2001 national championship. So in 2002, when Ohio State won its first national championship since 1968, both programs not only came full-circle from their 1999 meeting, they once again began a journey to opposite ends.
Will this year’s matchup again prove prophetic? Probably not. Miami is neither Texas of 2005 or 2006, nor is it USC of 2008. It’s not even yet clear if Miami is better than USC of last season, making this a game Ohio State has to win. Not only would a victory grant instant credibility to the Buckeyes in their bid for a national championship, but the victory could be the most easily obtained against a big name opponent in recent memory. While Ohio State was young, inexperienced, and overconfident in 1999, this year’s unit is filled with juniors and select seniors who know this is a legacy game. Home-field advantage, then, should prove more prophetic than the history of their previous meetings. After all, the last time the Buckeyes played Miami in Ohio Stadium, the Scarlet and Gray prevailed.
Of course, it is worth mentioning that Woody Hayes would be fired the following season, ending the most important era in Ohio State history, just as Miami’s was about to begin. As Mark Twain once suggested, history may not repeat itself, but it does surely rhyme.
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Post by incognitoman on May 17, 2010 10:12:43 GMT -5
From ESPN: ESPNU 150 Watch List OG Michael Bennett of Ohio, who is being recruited as a DT, his position of preference, is down to his home-state Buckeyes and Northwestern. ESPN.com's Bill Kurelic posted on ESPN affiliate Bucknuts.com: "I will be surprised if Bennett does not end up playing for the Bucks." However, the site also reports that Bennett is a great student (advantage: Northwestern) who wants to be a doctor (advantage: Ohio State, though don't tell that to former OSU RB Robert Smith). The Wildcats' have a trump card, though: Bennett's girlfriend reportedly wants to attend Northwestern. She is still a junior and hasn't even applied yet, but NU is her first choice. What a huge get for the Wildcats if Bennett follows his heart, so to speak. Young man needs to dump that girl and make his own path. I think he'll find one of the benefits of playing football at OSU is the power to forget about your ex girlfriends all together. Well, Bennett took your advice (about schools, not girlfriends) and chose Ohio State over the weekend. Bennett is expected to replace senior Justin Boren after he goes in the first two rounds of the 2011 draft, if they choose to keep Bennett at the OL.
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Post by incognitoman on May 19, 2010 13:56:38 GMT -5
From ESPN rumors:
Not sure that I agree that the Bucks need a splash at LB, as that is one of our deepest positions this year...
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Post by incognitoman on May 21, 2010 18:57:41 GMT -5
Michael Brewster has been named to the Spring Watch List for the Rimington Award, which is given to the nation's best center.
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Post by ronartest on May 21, 2010 23:09:27 GMT -5
Soooo ready for OSU football baby! Ready for that Miami of Flordia game.
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Post by incognitoman on May 26, 2010 14:58:45 GMT -5
ESPNU 150 Watch List QB Braxton Miller of Ohio tells the folks at ESPN affiliate Bucknuts.com that he has already decided where he will play in college -- but he's not ready make an announcement until sometime in early June.
All signs still point toward his picking the Buckeyes, who have not offered another QB while awaiting Miller's decision. Bucknuts reports that Miller's father is a big Ohio State fan and believes that the Buckeyes' offense is perfect for his son and that their QB situation sets up well for him. (Miller could apprentice under Terrelle Pryor for the 2011 season and then start for the following three.)
Bucknuts also says that despite the temptation of Alabama, Watch List LB Trey DePriest was so chummy with Miller during a photo shoot -- the two grew up together before going to different high schools -- that their relationship may play a bigger role in DePriest's decision than he is letting on.
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Post by Axman on Jun 1, 2010 15:57:56 GMT -5
The Miller announcement to come Thursday.
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Post by huisrealgood on Jun 3, 2010 12:49:18 GMT -5
Miller to Ohio State. Not a shocker.
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Post by Axman on Jun 3, 2010 14:04:10 GMT -5
Miller to Ohio State. Not a shocker. I'm thinking he made his decision before today...
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Post by huisrealgood on Jun 3, 2010 14:17:57 GMT -5
Haha... yeah. That's a big commitment to make to a program. I mean what if he goes there and for whatever reason things don't work out and he transfers? Will he get a tatoo of his next school on his right shoulder?
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