The Rest of the Big Ten
After one week of Big Ten play, we know a lot more than we knew a week ago. A couple key points I took notice of, which have an impact on our remaining games:
Purdue kinda got smoked by Notre Dame. There hasn't been a single game all year (until this one) where ND has looked solid. Seeing how this game played out made me less worried about Purdue, but a little more worried about MSU, since they essentially shut down ND.
MSU had trouble with Indiana. This takes a little away from their performance against ND, since I really don't think Indiana's offense is that good. However, when they needed to, MSU took care of busines, and road games can be tricky against anyone. Ask USC. MSU might be one of our hardest remaining games, behind OSU and PSU.
Northwesten won again, they are 5-0, but they have only played mediocre (at best) teams, and have snuck by. They should be solid, but not threatening.
Beanie Wells is back, and OSU pretty much stuck it to Minny, nothing substantial learned here.
Penn State and Illinios was the best Big Ten game, outside of ours. Juice Williams is dangerous, Derick Williams is REALLY dangerous. Illinois is a beatable team, but far from a push-over. Penn State didn't impress me as much as I thought they would; I expected PSU to nearly dominate at home, and the game was up in the air till the end.
What does everyone else think? This conference is as up in the air from top to bottom as any in the country. There is not a clear best nor worst team. I think that bodes well for us.
September 29th, 2008 at 6:39 PM ^
....in two weeks.
Is UM for real, can they provide an encore vs Illini?
Can they Illini and Wisco get off the mat playing big time foes?
Can MSU avoid the "Sparty No" moment?
Basically, Wisco hosts OSU and PSU the next two Saturdays. For me, the face of the race down the stretch will be set by those games.
September 29th, 2008 at 8:53 PM ^
My hope is that we don't give a complete encore to the wisconsin game... This next game is very interesting to me, because I feel like both teams could come out jacked from what happened last game, but then both teams could be down for the very same reason. I'm excited to see what the defense will do around Juice.
I just have a feeling that Ringer is going to get knicked up and something is going to happen. State is good but without him it hasn't been shown what they can do and who they are.
The game I'm most excited for though has got to be PSU @ OSU.
September 29th, 2008 at 6:46 PM ^
September 29th, 2008 at 11:10 PM ^
September 30th, 2008 at 9:16 AM ^
September 29th, 2008 at 7:09 PM ^
....I agree. OSU remains the strong favorite in my eyes. I think they beat PSU in Columbus.
But, this is huge in Mad-Town on Saturday. A Wisco win jumbles the race more than it looks now. Wisco has been a historic thorn in OSU's side and I will be very impressed if they get out of there with a win.
September 29th, 2008 at 7:27 PM ^
Not so much a historic thorn in our side - the overall series record is 51-17-5 OSU - but a thorn in Tressel's side, certainly. His record stands at 2-3 against the Badgers. His only wins were in '02 and '07, and '07 would have been a loss had Beanie not grown to three times his size and tossed Jonathan Casillas into the third row of Ohio Stadium merely by blinking. I've always thought Wisky was an interesting match-up for Tressel because it's a team that really shares his offensive philosophy: bubble-butt running backs breaking unreal amounts of tackles shepherded along by average-to-mediocre "game manager" (I hate that term) QBs who contribute to a passing game ranked no higher than 60th in the country.
For what it's worth, nothing I have seen from OSU this year suggests a win in Madison unless Allan Evridge is truly as incompetent as most of the Michigan and Fresno games suggest.
September 29th, 2008 at 8:41 PM ^
September 29th, 2008 at 10:11 PM ^
Pryor is a freshman. As encouraged as I am by his performance against USC in a hostile environment (7/9, 52 yds passing, 40 yds rushing), he's a frosh, and he's going to make a boneheaded mistake or three as a starter in a big game. He's already shown he'd prefer to suffer a huge sack rather than throw the ball out of bounds against Troy and Youngstown St (yes, we gave up sack(s) to Youngstown). I'm excited for the Pryor era, but wary of the learning curve.
I must admit though, I'm at a loss as to why Tressel always defers to pocket passers like Boeckman and Zwick when his offense is clearly at its best (or most "efficient", when it comes to '02) when he has a reasonably limber dual threat (Smith, Pryor, Krenzel to a much lesser extent) to make up for broken plays. I'm glad Tressel has made the change, but it really is out of necessity rather than a need to spice up the offense (10th in the B11 last I saw). The offensive line, as you may have noticed, has been atrocious for a group with three senior starters. Pocket passers are useless when they have no pocket, and Pryor can make up for what is, in my mind, our team's biggest weakness. Wells and Pryor will make this line look good... later on, against Michigan State and Northwestern. Against Wisconsin, in Pryor's third start, I'm only slightly confident in Pryor and Wells behind this O-line, Dual Threet 58-yd run notwithstanding. Considering Pryor's ugly delivery, I wouldn't mind busting out the 'Bone (Party in the Backfield!) against the Badgers if the downfield passing game struggles again. I should mention I'm notoriously pessimistic according to my fellow Buckeye fans, so take it as you will.
September 29th, 2008 at 11:27 PM ^
Barry Alvarez' predecessor, Dave McClain (sp?) was coach back in the '80's (IIRC, he died of a heart attack during the off-season). OSU's record against Wisconsin is 11-8-1 in the past 20 games (since 1984). Hardly dominating.
Quite the difference from the overall record of 51-17-5 overall.
Be worried Poguemahone, be very worried.
September 29th, 2008 at 11:52 PM ^
September 29th, 2008 at 11:58 PM ^
you don't have to tell that to Michigan fans. Haven't won a road game out there since Bo's '70's teams, I think.
At least you guys have the guts to schedule real opponents on the road on occasion. Can really bite you on the ass though, can't it.
Well, at least you guys have the brains not to schedule D-1AA teams.
September 30th, 2008 at 12:23 AM ^
I'll never forget the highs and lows of the 2001 season - we lost to a "meh" UCLA team, beat you guys when John Navarre just didn't feel like winning the football game, and then lost to South Carolina - SOUTH CAROLINA WITH A WHITE RUNNING BACK FROM OHIO - in the bowl game. I honestly was shocked I didn't hear many rumblings of "fire Tressel" in these parts.
We did beat a team on the West Coast last year in Washington, but uh, as you may have noticed, the UW Athletic Dept was like "Hey we're going to be awful now, enjoy people saying you have a weak schedule when you play our former powerhouse" a few years back when they hired Token Willingham.
I'm iffy about these gigantic home-and-homes right now. I don't have any confidence we'll beat USC in a "rebuilding year" next year. These things are a double edged sword - you win, ESPN anoints you the national title winner like they did when we beat Texas in '06 and the weight of the world is on your shoulders. You lose, you never deserve to be in the BCS conversation forever and ever amen you dastardly underperforming slow unathletic bastards. Not logical, but it's the ABCSPNDisneyCthulucorp, and trying to reason with it will only end in resignation, tears and ruminations on whether or not Mark May salts Pete Carroll's balls or if he just waits.
So I dunno if I prefer having the chance of being anointed the greatest team of all time after one win over a top ten team or beating up on four variations on the same theme of "Southwestern Missouri Delta State Technical Institute for the Blind and Infirm". The home-and-homes are kinda "meh" after USC and Miami the next three years: Va Tech, Cal (who may or may not have dropped out of the H+H, I'm not sure) before revving up again with Okie and Tennessee over the course of four straight years.
September 30th, 2008 at 9:11 AM ^
OSU already has all of those home-and-home scheduled? I think we just have Notre Dame. But come on, you must be a little jacked to see OU and UT coming to the shoe.
About losses in these series, the loser just has to avoid getting killed in order to keep the
Regarding Tressels loss to South Carolina in his first season, he was just continuing the tradition that Cooper started a few years before. How many times did OSU come into a second-rate bowl game favored by a ton of points, only to lose to like, Air Force?
September 30th, 2008 at 6:16 PM ^
but when it comes to Southern Cal next year, if we've got the same offensive and defensive coordinator and Tress is still calling plays, you'll get the same result, perhaps even worse given that Beanie will be a sad professional soul in St. Louis or Cincinnati next year. I'm not optimistic, to say the least. Miami (that Miami) appears to be more than just "getting there" as of this year, so in a few years I think it'll be a Saturday Night on ABC event rather than a ho-hum how-many-times-can-Miami -(that-Miami)-turn-the-ball-over-without-breaking-some-laws-of-physics affair. That too will be a good game, but not one that might split the world straight down the center like the thunder of Zeus as the USC series has been hyped up to be. Top that off with the bitterness still felt in Miami about '02, and it might end up being better - certainly more competitive - than the USC series might turn out to be.
But I was referring to relatively meh Va Tech and Cal when saying that after these two series, those won't be quite as exciting. Of course I'm amped to play Okie any time, and any game in SEC country against an SEC team - as you might imagine - is ample chance for redemption. Hopefully we won't still be needing that redemption by that time, nearly ten years from now. Those games I'm even more excited about because this coaching staff will likely be wholly remade if Tressel is still here (doubtful), and brand spankin' new if he isn't. Either way, early in their careers the new head coach/coordinators they'll have the opportunity to get a signature win for themselves and the program.
As far as the Cooper tradition, Cooper was Mr. Underperformance starting against you guys and then continuing on into bowl games. Perhaps I'm a perfectionist, but outside of '97 ASU I was never blown away by one of his bowl wins. Even then it took a basketful of miracles to pull it out. Tressel may be buying into that mentality lately, but I'm willing to wait and see.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:59 PM ^
with Pryor running the show. I suspect it will be very reminiscent of that adequate QB Troy Smith guy you all had a few years back, only with higher upside (I dunno how you have a higher upside over a Heisman, but its it could be possible). There will be no resemblance between this years' game and next years.
Cooper's greatest bowl win was as Arizona State's coach against Bo in the Rose Bowl. Got him the OSU job. It was all down hill from there.
Regarding ole 9-3 Earle (Bruce) which you mentioned earlier, I also thought he shouldn't have gotten fired. He was fired after losing the game before Michigan, against Iowa, which OSU lost (5-5-1 record at the time). The AD fired him right before (!) the Michigan game!
The game was in Ann Arbor and Michigan (7-3 prior to the game) was having a poor year as well. My parents traveled from NJ to attend the game and stayed in the only hotel in the area, and that was in Plymouth. My younger brother, who was attending OSU at the time, came up for it as well. In the morning, we drove to the hotel, and there were all of these OSU buses in outside of the main entrance. Cheerleaders meandering about. In a room off of the lobby, there is OSU's AD Rick Bayh (sp?) IIRC, doing an interview with someone for ABC, it may have been Musberger, I can't recall (sometimers). Bayh later took the AD job at Minnesota, I think.
While waiting for my mother, my brother, father and I watched what was going on around us. From down the hall comes Earle Bruce with the rest of the coaching staff. His wife and daugher, in tears, are waiting for him at the main entrance, hug him and wish him luck. Bruce was also clearly upset.
Absolute coldest game I have ever attended. Had to have been about 20 degrees with a 10-15 mph wind. Michigan led at half 13-7 but lost to a much more inspired team in the second half, 23-20.
Given all of the circumstances, that was one loss to OSU that bothered me the least by far.
September 29th, 2008 at 10:11 PM ^
....few thoughts:
I like your analysis of the current state of the wisco-osu series. Its spot on.
I thought Beanie's 2ndH vs Wisco last year was more show stopping than his 200+ yard game vs Michigan. It was an awesome sight.
Since 1981, OSU is only 13-10-1 against Wisconsin. I'd be willing to bet that only one other team in college football has beaten the Buckeyes more often in that span. Wonder who that is? Getting back to Wisco:
They snared some pretty huge upsets vs OSU in the early to mid 1980s. Losses in 1981 and 1982 (a 6-0 barn burner) cost them Rose Bowl berths despite wins over Michigan in those years. The Badgers famously downed the Bucks in 1985, a week after OSU beat top-ranked Iowa. There was discussion in the week leading up to that game that OSU should be #1. I can remember the arguments and then the Badgers dumped them 12-7. What can I say, Dave McClain owned Earle Bruce.
The good times kept rolling with wins in 1987 and 1992, the latter being Barry Alvarez's first big time win in league play. A classic tie followed and then the Badgers played the powerful 1995 and 1996 Buckeye squads better than anyone else (well, almost better than anyone else), albeit they lost in close contests.
42-17 in the Shoe in 1999. Was this the game that OSU scored the first 17 points? I think it was. Then another home loss in 2001, 20-17, blew another early lead. And, then just 2-2 in the four matchups since.
I am sticking with my thorn in their historical side argument.
Wisco just has their number of sorts. Michigan's equivalent during this time frame is Iowa. But dont get me started on those motherfuckers.
September 29th, 2008 at 11:56 PM ^
I have no need of your so-called "facts" and "reasoned analysis".
I will say this: OSU was down - big time - in the 80's. Under Earle Bruce, the talent level slipped considerably, and that's with all-timers like Chris Spielman and Keith Byars lining up. Remember: Earle Bruce was always good for three losses a year until OSU (stupidly, in my mind) fired him. So the thorn in our side history isn't a mirage if you keep it contained to the last twenty or so years - which, of course, is reasonable, because that's the timeframe in which Wisconsins was, ya know, good. Or even serviceable. But all time it's not close. That's all I was trying to say - I didn't intend to demean the competitiveness of the series of late.
If Barry Alvarez was still coaching I'm firmly convinced he would own Jim Tressel like a little puppy dog. His teams were downright mean, something sorely lacking from Bielema's teams - not lacking so much, however, that they won't give OSU fits most of the time.
As far as Iowa, I don't think you'll need to worry about them for a while. If I were a "Big 10 fan" in the vein of the disturbingly real "SEC fan" I'd want them to be good and hire Dave Christensen or something, but since they beat us by 26 in 2004, screw 'em right in their big ol' corn-fed asses. Yes they deserve to die, and I hope they burn in hell.
September 30th, 2008 at 10:47 AM ^