Last night, the Buckeyes made an Ohio STATEment with a 59-0 clobbering of the Wisconsin Badgers to win the 2014 Big Ten Championship.
The Buckeyes did it without the quarterback that they originally thought would be starting the season, a player who was considered a Heisman Trophy front runner: Braxton Miller. They did it without their second string quarterback, who became a Heisman Trophy candidate and broke Big Ten and Ohio State records throughout the season: JT Barrett.
So then who did they do it with? Their third string quarterback, Cardale Jones, who was the MVP of the Big Ten Championship Game after tossing three TD passes.
I guess the Buckeyes just stockpile talented quarterbacks.
Ezekiel Elliot ran for a Big Ten Championship Game record 220 yards and added another couple of touchdowns.
They did all of this against the #2 defense in college football. They put up a brick wall against the NCAA's leading rusher, Melvin Gordon, who they held to 76 yards on 26 carries and no touchdowns. Gordon had seven consecutive 100 yard games coming into this one. On top of that, as mentioned before, Elliot broke the record for most rush yards in a Big Ten Championship Game...a record that was held by Gordon. I think it's safe to say that Gordon has a really bad night.
Urban Meyer won his first Big Ten Championship as Ohio State head coach. This was the type of game everyone expected Meyer's teams to put up.
Now the question is, was it enough to put the Buckeyes in the one of the four College Football Playoff spots?
The three teams that are definetly in: SEC Champion Alabama, Pac-12 Champion Oregon, and ACC Champion Florida State,
The battle for the fourth spot is between Big 12 Co-Champions TCU and Baylor, and Big Ten Champion Ohio State.
It's been said that conference championships are going to play a big role in choosing the four teams to make the Playoff. And if that's the case, I don't see how you can leave Ohio State out. They have a conference championship, the Big 12 doesn't have a conference champion, they have co-champions. You can't put two teams in one playoff spot.
If the College Football Playoff committee wants to put the best four teams in college football right now in the Playoff, then I don't see how you leave Ohio State out, especially with what they just did to Wisconsin.
It's obvious the committee doesn't respect Baylor's head-to-head win against TCU, seeing how they've had the Horned Frogs ahead of the Bears and even put them in the top four last week.
So if that's the case. how can you hold Ohio State's week two loss against Virginia Tech against them? This is a completely different Ohio State team than back in week two, literally and figuratively.
If they leave Ohio State out, I think they will have failed at putting the four best teams in college football in the playoff. If they put them in, I still think they should expand the College Football Playoff to eight teams.
Showing posts with label Badgers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Badgers. Show all posts
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Buckeyes beat *ichigan, but suffer a big loss
On Saturday, the 29th of November 2014, the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the *ichigan Wolverines 42-28....but also suffered a big loss.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Quarterback J.T. Barrett took off running and was tackled awkwardly, his right leg crumpling underneath him. He was carted off the field, leg in an air cast. It was announced later in the evening, the redshirt freshman sensation who was a candidate to win the Heisman Trophy, broke his ankle and would miss the Big Ten Championship Game and any bowl game(s) the Buckeyes would play in.
Before the injury, Barrett threw for one touchdown and ran for two more scores. That gives him an Ohio State record of 34 touchdown passes in a single season, and when you add the 11 rushing touchdowns a Big Ten record of 44 touchdowns responsible for in a single season (former record holder: Drew Brees, Purdue).
Cardale Jones replaces Barrett, and lead the Buckeyes to a TD on a long run by Ezekiel Elliot. The defense also returned a fumble for a touchdown to give you the final Buckeyes total.
It was Meyer's third consecutive win against That Team Up North, still undefeated in The Game.
Jones is now the QB for the remainder of the season, and nobody knows what to expect from him. He doesn't have a lot of experience, this year he is 10/17 for 118 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions. Last season he was 1/2 for 3 yards, 0 touchdowns and interceptions, he did have a rushing touchdown last season.
Coach Meyer says that Cardale Jones can throw it and throw it well, and he can run too. A lot of people expected Jones to replace Braxton Miller, mostly because many in Ohio knew who he was in part because he played at Glenville High School in Cleveland...the same school that gave the Buckeyes players like Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., and Donte Whitner.
Jones knows the playbook and has been practicing. Nobody knew what to expect from Barrett and many people thought this would be a 3-4 loss season without Miller on the field. Instead, Barrett would have been in New York for the Heisman Trophy Presentation and was likely going to lead the Buckeyes into the inaugural College Football Playoff.
The Buckeyes take on the Wisconsin Badgers next week in the Big Ten Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Buckeyes win this game, they win an outright Big Ten Championship and with that, should be in the College Football Playoff with Mississippi State losing to Ole Miss yesterday. They might not be in the top four this week, but they should be no worse than 5th with TCU in as the fourth team. But an outright conference championship, especially if the offense stays hot with Jones at QB, should give them the edge over TCU to make the final four in the final CFP standings.
Honestly, all the Buckeyes have to do to get into that final four is just....win!
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Quarterback J.T. Barrett took off running and was tackled awkwardly, his right leg crumpling underneath him. He was carted off the field, leg in an air cast. It was announced later in the evening, the redshirt freshman sensation who was a candidate to win the Heisman Trophy, broke his ankle and would miss the Big Ten Championship Game and any bowl game(s) the Buckeyes would play in.
Before the injury, Barrett threw for one touchdown and ran for two more scores. That gives him an Ohio State record of 34 touchdown passes in a single season, and when you add the 11 rushing touchdowns a Big Ten record of 44 touchdowns responsible for in a single season (former record holder: Drew Brees, Purdue).
Cardale Jones replaces Barrett, and lead the Buckeyes to a TD on a long run by Ezekiel Elliot. The defense also returned a fumble for a touchdown to give you the final Buckeyes total.
It was Meyer's third consecutive win against That Team Up North, still undefeated in The Game.
Jones is now the QB for the remainder of the season, and nobody knows what to expect from him. He doesn't have a lot of experience, this year he is 10/17 for 118 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions. Last season he was 1/2 for 3 yards, 0 touchdowns and interceptions, he did have a rushing touchdown last season.
Coach Meyer says that Cardale Jones can throw it and throw it well, and he can run too. A lot of people expected Jones to replace Braxton Miller, mostly because many in Ohio knew who he was in part because he played at Glenville High School in Cleveland...the same school that gave the Buckeyes players like Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr., and Donte Whitner.
Jones knows the playbook and has been practicing. Nobody knew what to expect from Barrett and many people thought this would be a 3-4 loss season without Miller on the field. Instead, Barrett would have been in New York for the Heisman Trophy Presentation and was likely going to lead the Buckeyes into the inaugural College Football Playoff.
The Buckeyes take on the Wisconsin Badgers next week in the Big Ten Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Buckeyes win this game, they win an outright Big Ten Championship and with that, should be in the College Football Playoff with Mississippi State losing to Ole Miss yesterday. They might not be in the top four this week, but they should be no worse than 5th with TCU in as the fourth team. But an outright conference championship, especially if the offense stays hot with Jones at QB, should give them the edge over TCU to make the final four in the final CFP standings.
Honestly, all the Buckeyes have to do to get into that final four is just....win!
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Moves Will Be Made in the Polls This Week
The Buckeyes were off this week, but that doesn't mean they won't be moving in the polls after the #5 Stanford Cardinal beat the #3 Oregon Ducks on Thursday night.
So the question is, where do the Buckeyes go?
Before this week of college football, it looked like this:
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
2. Florida State Seminoles
3. Oregon Ducks
4. Ohio State Buckeyes
5. Stanford Cardinal
Now you would think that with the Ducks losing, the Buckeyes would move up to #3. However, Florida State recently jumped the Buckeyes to get into the Top Three, leaving the Buckeyes at #4.
Stanford is 8-1 while the Buckeyes are 9-0. Stanford lost to a 4-5 Utah Utes team, the Buckeyes have lost to nobody since they lost to Florida in the 2012 Gator Bowl.
However, the Buckeyes started at #2 this season, hasn't lost a game, and has slipped to #4 in the rankings. So I wouldn't he shocked if Stanford were to move ahead of the Buckeyes, leaving them at #4 and a one-loss team moves ahead of them, because that's the team that beat the Ducks.
Should the Buckeyes move up to #3? That depends on who you ask. Personally, I think they should have never been removed from the #2 spot without a loss. But a lot of people look at Ohio State's schedule and well, they laugh.
However, the Buckeyes did have an SEC foe on the schedule originally, they had the Vanderbilt Commodores scheduled. Yes, they aren't Alabama or LSU, but those teams aren't big on leaving the SEC footprint for Out-of-Conference games. Vandy is 5-4 with wins over Georgia and Florida in the SEC. They are probably a second tier SEC team.
But they cancelled at the last possible minute, and the Buckeyes had to scramble to find a team to replace them. By this time, you can't get a big time school. Most teams have their schedules set. So the Buckeyes ended up playing Florida A&M, a team that they ended up beating by a score of 76-0. And people blame Ohio State for scheduling such a weak school. Did the Buckeyes want to schedule such a weak opponent? I doubt it. But they had to fill the void in the schedule, and this was the school that would agree to come to Columbus. The Buckeyes were painted into a corner on this one, and the scheduled who was available.
The Buckeyes also cannot help their conference schedule. They don't choose who or where they play these teams. Everyone says every single one of the Buckeyes "hard games" are home games this year. However, the Buckeyes played Cal in California last year, the Golden Bears were playing their road game in the home-and-home agreement. Last year, the Buckeyes played Wisconsin in Madison, per B1G scheduling, the Badgers played in Columbus this year. And Northwestern, probably the most difficult game for them so for, was played on the road.
Ohio State still plays Michigan on the road, and even though That Team Up North isn't as good as people expected this year, you throw the records out when these two teams meet. There is a true dislike there, and these teams live to beat each other. With Michigan looking at a second tier bowl game this year, they'd love nothing more than to end the Buckeyes undefeated streak, especially with the game being in Ann Arbor.
And then you have the B1G Championship Game, held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Buckeyes will likely be facing Michigan State, who will be in their second B1G Championship Game in three years. They have one of the best defenses in college football, and they have an offense that is tough and focused on controlling the clock. And their quarterback, he seems to make big plays when they are needed. This will be the toughest game Ohio State plays before their bowl.
However in the end, they'll likely be on the outside looking in at the National Championship as long as Alabama and Florida State don't lose a game. But the Buckeyes have the longest win streak in the nation. They'll likely go two straight seasons without a loss. The Buckeyes would have likely been playing Notre Dame for the National Championship last season if not for a bowl ban handed down by the NCAA.
So it's looking like the Rose Bowl for the Buckeyes. Where they will end this season without a loss. In the last year of the BCS, will the AP once again split the National Championship and give theirs to Ohio State? Looks like we will have to wait to find out.
So the question is, where do the Buckeyes go?
Before this week of college football, it looked like this:
1. Alabama Crimson Tide
2. Florida State Seminoles
3. Oregon Ducks
4. Ohio State Buckeyes
5. Stanford Cardinal
Now you would think that with the Ducks losing, the Buckeyes would move up to #3. However, Florida State recently jumped the Buckeyes to get into the Top Three, leaving the Buckeyes at #4.
Stanford is 8-1 while the Buckeyes are 9-0. Stanford lost to a 4-5 Utah Utes team, the Buckeyes have lost to nobody since they lost to Florida in the 2012 Gator Bowl.
However, the Buckeyes started at #2 this season, hasn't lost a game, and has slipped to #4 in the rankings. So I wouldn't he shocked if Stanford were to move ahead of the Buckeyes, leaving them at #4 and a one-loss team moves ahead of them, because that's the team that beat the Ducks.
Should the Buckeyes move up to #3? That depends on who you ask. Personally, I think they should have never been removed from the #2 spot without a loss. But a lot of people look at Ohio State's schedule and well, they laugh.
However, the Buckeyes did have an SEC foe on the schedule originally, they had the Vanderbilt Commodores scheduled. Yes, they aren't Alabama or LSU, but those teams aren't big on leaving the SEC footprint for Out-of-Conference games. Vandy is 5-4 with wins over Georgia and Florida in the SEC. They are probably a second tier SEC team.
But they cancelled at the last possible minute, and the Buckeyes had to scramble to find a team to replace them. By this time, you can't get a big time school. Most teams have their schedules set. So the Buckeyes ended up playing Florida A&M, a team that they ended up beating by a score of 76-0. And people blame Ohio State for scheduling such a weak school. Did the Buckeyes want to schedule such a weak opponent? I doubt it. But they had to fill the void in the schedule, and this was the school that would agree to come to Columbus. The Buckeyes were painted into a corner on this one, and the scheduled who was available.
The Buckeyes also cannot help their conference schedule. They don't choose who or where they play these teams. Everyone says every single one of the Buckeyes "hard games" are home games this year. However, the Buckeyes played Cal in California last year, the Golden Bears were playing their road game in the home-and-home agreement. Last year, the Buckeyes played Wisconsin in Madison, per B1G scheduling, the Badgers played in Columbus this year. And Northwestern, probably the most difficult game for them so for, was played on the road.
Ohio State still plays Michigan on the road, and even though That Team Up North isn't as good as people expected this year, you throw the records out when these two teams meet. There is a true dislike there, and these teams live to beat each other. With Michigan looking at a second tier bowl game this year, they'd love nothing more than to end the Buckeyes undefeated streak, especially with the game being in Ann Arbor.
And then you have the B1G Championship Game, held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Buckeyes will likely be facing Michigan State, who will be in their second B1G Championship Game in three years. They have one of the best defenses in college football, and they have an offense that is tough and focused on controlling the clock. And their quarterback, he seems to make big plays when they are needed. This will be the toughest game Ohio State plays before their bowl.
However in the end, they'll likely be on the outside looking in at the National Championship as long as Alabama and Florida State don't lose a game. But the Buckeyes have the longest win streak in the nation. They'll likely go two straight seasons without a loss. The Buckeyes would have likely been playing Notre Dame for the National Championship last season if not for a bowl ban handed down by the NCAA.
So it's looking like the Rose Bowl for the Buckeyes. Where they will end this season without a loss. In the last year of the BCS, will the AP once again split the National Championship and give theirs to Ohio State? Looks like we will have to wait to find out.
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