Good article on Laurinaitis & Jenkins

Found this article on bucknuts.com and thought it said a lot about the senior class that is leaving Ohio State, especially James Laurinaitis and Malcolm Jenkins. Go Bucks!

THE GAME: Can Ohio State Make It Five In A Row?

Game Twelve: Ohio State vs Michigan

Location: Ohio Stadium (Columbus, OH) 12pm EST on ABC

Head Coach: Rich Rodriguez

Michigan Players Who Were Recruited By Ohio State: CB Donovan Warren, WR Greg Mathews, WR Junior Hemingway, TE Mike Massey, TE Kevin Koger, and OT Patrick Omameh. RB Sam McGuffie, OL Elliott Mealer, and TE Brandon Moore were on Ohio State's recruiting radar but were not offered scholarships by Ohio State. This is a big point that I will address in the Intangibles section below.

Michigan Rushing Offense vs Ohio State Defense: Rich Rodriguez's teams at West Virginia were always fearsome at running the ball with its spread option attack. Considering how Rodriguez inherited an offensive line that lacks depth, as well as the overall personnel style to run this offense effectively, it should not be a surprise that Michigan ranks 8th in The Big Ten in rushing offense. Throw in relatively immobile quarterbacks (Steven Threet, Nick Sheridan), which are essential for this offense to work, and you'll see why Michigan is struggling offensively. I would not be surprised if Rodriguez inserts true freshman QB Justin Feagin liberally in this game - considering that Feagin is the most mobile of the quarterbacks on the roster, and that Michigan's season ends on Saturday afternoon, what does he have to lose? RBs Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown have had their moments this season, and both have battled injuries. Both have been relegated behind true freshmen RBs Sam McGuffie and Michael Shaw this season. McGuffie may not play this game, and Shaw has had turnover issues. McGuffie has good speed and is tough, but is also small for an every-down Big Ten back. Both Minor and Brown are more of the traditional Michigan backs Ohio State has faced in this rivalry. Ohio State has struggled with spread option teams in the past, but Michigan's struggling offensive line personnel this season, combined with Ohio State's defensive successes against other spread offenses this year, make this an easy call. Ohio State's run defense ranks 3rd in The Big Ten.

Edge: Ohio State

Michigan Passing Offense vs Ohio State Defense: Michigan's pass offense ranks 10th in The Big Ten, while Ohio State's pass defense ranks 2nd. Michigan's best passer is QB Steven Threet, who probably will not play due to injury. Nick Sheridan will probably get the start against Ohio State, and cannot play much worse than he did last week against Northwestern ~ 8 of 29 for 61 yards. Again, I look for Rodriguez to play Justin Feagin a lot against Ohio State. Feagin is a good running threat, but has not attempted a pass yet - again, what does Rodriguez have to lose by giving him a shot? WRs Martavious Odoms and Greg Mathews and TE Kevin Koger are good weapons, but if the Michigan quarterback cannot get the ball to them downfield, their effect on the game is tremendously minimized.

Big Edge: Ohio State

Ohio State Rushing Offense vs Michigan Defense: Ohio State's rushing offense ranks 3rd in The Big Ten, while Michigan's run defense ranks 6th. Just like last year, I look for Coach Tressel to emphasize the run game with RB Chris Wells against the Wolverines. While Michigan's defensive line, especially DE Brandon Graham, has played well this season, I also believe that the defensive line gets worn out from being out on the field so frequently. With QB Terrelle Pryor a threat on option runs, and RB Boom Herron playing well in a backup role to Chris Wells, here is another edge for the Buckeyes.

Slight Edge: Ohio State

Ohio State Passing Offense vs Michigan Defense: Ohio State's passing offense ranks last in The Big Ten, while Michigan's pass defense ranks 10th. As stated above, Michigan's defense plays well, but can only sustain the effort for so long before the defensive front runs out of gas and the secondary is torched. Even with Terrelle Pryor's inexperience, Ohio State should be able to pass on Michigan's defense in this game. Pryor is leading The Big Ten in passing efficiency.

Edge: Ohio State

Special Teams: Ohio State leads The Big Ten in punt returns, while Michigan P Zoltan Mesko is leading The Big Ten in punting. Will Ray Small get an opportunity to play against Michigan, in what is possibly his last appearance in Ohio Stadium as a Buckeye? Ohio State ranks 2nd in field goals; Michigan is 9th. Ohio State ranks 2nd in kickoff coverage; Michigan is ranked 8th. Considering the premium Coach Tressel places on special teams, I will give this edge to Ohio State in this area as well.

Slight Edge: Ohio State

Intangibles: A positive for Michigan ~ the last six coaches have won their first game against Ohio State. A negative for Michigan? No Michigan team with a losing record has defeated Ohio State since 1959.

Most Michigan fans discuss the 1969 epic upset of Ohio State that denied Ohio State another national championship, and hope fervently that this year's team has the heart and desire to inflict another crushing defeat to Ohio State. Two quick points along those lines ~ 1) that Michigan team was 7-2 and playing for The Big Ten championship, and 2) that team had 27 Ohio players recruited by Bo Schembechler.

In my humble estimation, a critical reason why Ohio State has become dominant in this rivalry is because Coach Tressel emphasizes keeping the best in-state talent to play for Ohio State. When is the last time you can remember an Ohio player such as John Kolesar, Ricky Powers, Desmond Howard, or Charles Woodson making a strong contribution for Michigan against Ohio State? Throw in the fact that Rich Rodriguez has even begun losing in-state talent to Michigan State, and you'll see the challenge Rodriguez and his staff have in this rivalry.

Ohio State has a chance to win their fifth straight victory, and earn a share of The Big Ten championship with a victory. Throw in the last game in Ohio Stadium for seniors such as James Laurinaitis, Malcolm Jenkins, and Alex Boone, and you'll see why the intangibles favor Ohio State.

Big Edge: Ohio State

Prediction: This is the worst Michigan team in history. Never before has Michigan lost eight games in a season. Before some Michigan fan tries to throw it in my face or any other Ohio State fan's face about Ohio State's worst record? The last Ohio State to lose seven games was back in 1897, when a man by the name of William McKinley was living in The White House. Talk about Rich Rodriguez driving the car off the cliff - it's more like he drove the car off the cliff, then set it on fire for good measure.

I believe the hiring of Rich Rodriguez will eventually prove to be a great move by Michigan, but as I predicted back in July, this team's personnel simply is not capable of running the type of offense Rodriguez implemented. Next year, Michigan will be better and in a bowl - but will not be Big Ten championship-caliber.

Given Coach Tressel's style of playing conservative when the weather can become a factor, Ohio State's inconsistent offensive output this season, and Tressel's overall style of not running up the score, I look for this game to be close until the beginning of the 4th quarter. I am going to go with Ohio State 28, Michigan 10.

PS - I am more fearful of the wolverine below than the current squad. Go Bucks!

2006: "Legends Are Made In This Game..."

#1 Ohio State versus # 2 Michigan. Both undefeated, with Ohio State claiming the outright Big Ten championship and a berth in The BCS Championship Game.



The game that clinched The Heisman Trophy for Troy Smith. Simply awesome.



Ohio State 42, Michigan 39.

As I submit this...only 2 days, 16 hours, and 4 minutes till kickoff for THE GAME...

2004: "Troy Smith, emerging as the Buckeye leader..."

We can skip over the aberration that was the 2003 Ohio State/Michigan game - even a broken clock is right twice a day, right? I would like to think back to my second Ohio State/Michigan game I attended, courtesy of my cousin John (thanks again for those great tickets!). The lovely Mrs. Minnich and I attended the game on an unusually mild November 20th, and watched Ohio State defeat Michigan 37-21. Mrs. Minnich was not as enthusiastic about the victory as I was; she was content to rest her head on my shoulder as she slept off the effects of the early-morning tailgating festivities...

What was so noteworthy about this game?

• This was the first of what would be three straight Troy Smith-led victories over Michigan.
• This was the first of what would be four straight losses by Chad Henne and Mike Hart to Ohio State.

As I write this...only 3 days, 15 hours, and 3 minutes until kickoff for THE GAME...

2004: Ohio State 37, Michigan 21

2002 - "Let's Party, Columbus!"

So were the words of Brent Musberger upon Will Allen's interception to seal Ohio State's 14-9 victory over Michigan in 2002. Not only was this game special because it was my first Ohio State/Michigan game in Ohio Stadium, not only was it special because it sent Ohio State on to The BCS Championship Game...It was special because the last play of the game happened literally right in front of my seat.

As John Navarre dropped back on the 30 yard line, I sat about ten rows back. I literally watched Navarre drop back, step into the throw, and followed the ball through the air into Will Allen's interception. What an amazing event to personally attend.

As I write this...only 4 days, 15 hours, and 28 minutes until kickoff for THE GAME.

2002: Ohio State 14, Michigan 9

The 2001 Ohio State/Michigan Game: Tressel's Odyssey

From the moment Jim Tressel was hired on January 18, 2001, Tressel made a point of emphasizing the importance of "THE GAME". Upon his introduction to Ohio State fans at an Ohio State basketball game, Tressel forever endeared himself to Ohio State fans with the immortal words of, "You will be proud of our young people in the classroom, in the community, and most especially, in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the football field...". At that moment, Ohio State fans knew they finally had a coach who got it.

As I write this - only 5 days, 15 hours, and 16 minutes till kickoff for THE GAME.

2001 Ohio State/Michigan highlights

Article on Charlie Weis and Terrelle Pryor

Found this article regarding the arrogance of Notre Dame's Charlie Weis and how he tried to recruit Terrelle Pryor as a wide receiver. Hope you find it as enjoyable as I did.

Game Eleven: Ohio State @ Illinois

Game Eleven: Illinois Fighting Illini

Location: Memorial Stadium (Champaign, IL) 12PM EST, ESPN

Head Coach: Ron Zook

Illinois Players Who Were Recruited By Ohio State: LB Martez Wilson, QB Juice Williams, WR Arrelious Benn, WR Cordale Scott, and DL Josh Brent. WR Jeff Cumberland was on Ohio State's radar but was not cleared academically by Ohio State. WR Brian Gamble, LB Justin Staples, and DL Antonio James were all on Ohio State's recruiting radar for a time but were not offered scholarships.

Illinois Rushing Offense vs Ohio State Defense: Illinois' rushing game is a committee effort, led by QB Juice Williams and RB Daniel Dufrene. Illinois does not have a back the caliber of RB Rashard Mendenhall on the roster any longer. Considering how poorly Ohio State played last year against Juice Williams, how Ohio State has traditionally struggled against spread offense quarterbacks/mobile quarterbacks, and how Ohio State had an opportunity to play against Northwestern's Mike Kafka last weekend, this will be THE KEY to the game for Ohio State. If Juice Williams is able to keep drives going, Ohio State may be in for a long day. Considering Ohio State's historical struggles in this area, I give the edge to Illinois. Illinois' rushing offense ranks 6th in The Big Ten, while Ohio State's rushing defense ranks 2nd. Even so, ...

Slight Edge: Illinois

Illinois Passing Offense vs Ohio State Defense: Juice Williams has dramatically improved his passing, leading The Big Ten in passing efficiency. WR Arrelious Benn is the primary weapon for Illinois, with 60 receptions; the next player on Illinois has 21 receptions (Will Judson). Look for Ohio State to match up CB Malcolm Jenkins on WR Arrelious Benn to try and slow Benn down. If Ohio State can negate Benn in the passing game, that will allow Ohio State to focus on QB Juice Williams (see above). Ohio State needs to watch out for TE Jeff Cumberland. Cumberland could present match-up problems for Ohio State's linebackers. Cumberland had a big game against Michigan earlier in the year. Illinois' passing offense ranks 1st in The Big Ten; Ohio State's pass defense ranks 1st in The Big Ten. Something has to give here.

Edge: Even

Ohio State Rushing Offense vs Illinois Defense: Ohio State's rushing offense depends on RB Chris Wells. Even though Ohio State tries to spell Chris Wells with other running backs such as Boom Herron or Maurice Wells, Chris Wells is the key to Ohio State's offense. QB Terrelle Pryor will help with designed quarterback keepers and bootlegs, but Ohio State does not rely on Pryor's rushing as much as Illinois does with Juice Williams. Ohio State will need to be patient with the rushing game, as I look for Illinois to crowd the line of scrimmage to shut down Chris Wells. Ohio State's rushing offense ranks 4th in The Big Ten; Illinois' rushing defense ranks 7th in The Big Ten.

Slight Edge: Ohio State

Ohio State Passing Offense vs Illinois Defense: QB Terrelle Pryor had arguably his best game as a Buckeye last weekend against Northwestern, with three touchdown passes. Pryor's mobility can keep drives alive for Ohio State, and Pryor's confidence with the offense with each week. Pryor is starting to involve TEs such as Rory Nicol, Jake Ballard, and Brandon Smith as outlet receivers, while continuing to go downfield to WRs Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline. Illinois has not been as effective defensively as they were last season, despite the presence of DB Vontae Davis, who will be a 1st round draft choice in the 2009 NFL Draft. I look for Davis to be isolated on WR Brian Robiskie, so Pryor will need to spread the ball around in the passing game. Illinois' pass defense ranks 7th in The Big Ten, while Ohio State's passing offense is last in The Big Ten. Neither team are particularly strong in these areas. Illinois leads The Big Ten in sacks, so Pryor will need to be careful with ball security and not stay too long in the pocket.

Edge: Even

Special Teams: Ohio State will need to be cautious with Illinois on kickoffs, as Illinois ranks 2nd in The Big Ten in kickoff returns. Ohio State is 3rd in The Big Ten with field goals, so it is important for Ohio State to come away with points whenever they are in the red zone.

Edge: Ohio State

Intangibles: Ohio State should be ready for this game, considering how Illinois came into Ohio Stadium last November and upset the then #1 ranked team in the country. Ohio State's upperclassmen, especially RB Chris Wells, can also remember how Illinois nearly beat them in 2006, in Illinois.

Illinois is reeling from its loss to Western Michigan and needs this game just to gain bowl eligibility. Nothing would be better for Illinois to spoil Ohio State's season again, as Ohio State clings to hopes of sharing The Big Ten title and a faint shot at a Rose Bowl berth.

Considering how Ohio State struggled the last time at Illinois, how Ohio State has struggled with mobile quarterbacks such as Juice Williams, how Illinois needs this game, and how the weather forecast for Champaign should be cold and wet, I give the edge to Illinois in this big area.

Edge: Illinois

Prediction: This game will epitomize Big Ten football - gray skies, cold, and hard-hitting. Ohio State needs to come out ready to play, as Illinois will for its last home game of the 2008 season. Even with the intangibles favoring Illinois, and QB Juice Williams' talents at running and throwing, I look for Ohio State to win a close one against The Fighting Illini.

Ohio State 21, Illinois 17

Game Ten: Ohio State @ Northwestern

Game Ten: Northwestern Wildcats

Location: Ryan Field (Evanston, IL) 12PM EST, ESPN2

Head Coach: Pat Fitzgerald

Northwestern Players Who Were Recruited By Ohio State: N/A. Northwestern CB Jordan Mabin was on Ohio State's radar, but was not offered a scholarship.

Northwestern Rushing Offense vs Ohio State Defense: Northwestern's rushing offense was largely centered around RB Tyrell Sutton, who is out for the year with an injury. Backup RB Omar Conteh is also out for this game, leaving the starting RB to Stephen Simmons. Backup QB Mike Kafka started last week against Minnesota and ran for over 200 yards in that victory, and Kafka will see playing time today against Ohio State. Northwestern's rushing offense ranks 7th in The Big Ten, while Ohio State's rushing defense is ranked 3rd. Considering how Ohio State's defense has been improving over the last few weeks, and Northwestern's injury woes, I will give the edge to Ohio State here in this area.

Edge: Ohio State

Northwestern Passing Offense vs Ohio State Defense: Northwestern QB C.J. Bacher will return to play against Ohio State, but backup QB Mike Kafka will also play today. Northwestern's passing offense ranks 6th in The Big Ten, while Ohio State's pass defense ranks 1st.

Edge: Ohio State

Ohio State Rushing Offense vs Northwestern Defense: Ohio State's rushing offense ranks 6th in The Big Ten, while Northwestern's rushing defense ranks 4th. Considering how Penn State truly limited Ohio State's Chris Wells last game, and Ohio State having a week to refine its struggling offense, I look for Ohio State to concentrate on running the ball against a determined Northwestern defense, wearing them down and controlling the clock. This should be the primary focus of the game for both sides - if Ohio State has success, Northwestern is in trouble. If Ohio State struggles, this could be a low-scoring affair.

Slight Edge: Ohio State

Ohio State Passing Offense vs Northwestern Defense: Another interesting area to see is if Ohio State has improved its passing game with its bye week. Ohio State ranks 10th in The Big Ten in passing offense, while Northwestern ranks 9th in pass defense. Considering Ohio State will be without WR Ray Small due to suspension, it should be interesting to see if Ohio State tries to incorporate other WRs such as DeVier Posey or Lamaar Thomas more into the mix today.

Slight Edge: Ohio State

Special Teams: Again, the suspension of Ray Small will be noted during this game. This is the type of game Ohio State can use to prepare Lamaar Thomas as a kickoff and punt returner.

Edge: Ohio State

Intangibles: Since Northwestern's 33-27 overtime victory over then-No. 7 Ohio State in 2004, the Buckeyes have outscored the Wildcats 160-24 in three straight wins, including 112-17 in Pat Fitzgerald's first two games in the series. Ohio State has a 56-14-1 lead in the series, and is 25-6-1 in Evanston. Last week's victory by Northwestern over Minnesota was its first over a ranked opponent since defeating Michigan State back in 2005.

Edge: Ohio State

Prediction: Considering has had a week off to rest and retool its offense, Northwestern's injury woes offensively, and Ohio State has usually come out to play against Northwestern since the 2004 upset, I look for Ohio State to come out fired up against the Wildcats.

Ohio State 35, Northwestern 7

First Order Of Business For President-Elect Obama? College Football Playoffs!

The secret to President-Elect Obama's victory on Election Day? All of the undecided voters broke to Obama as a result of this interview with Chris Berman on Monday Night Football. Sounds perfectly plausible to me.

While there is considerable speculation as to the first order of business for the new administration come January 20th, I believe the arguments for a college football system should be near the top. And once they have come to the conclusion that college football needs a playoff system, the administration will have a working framework that will pretty much ensure a second term in office, due to 1) the financial windfall generated from such a system, and 2) how completely easy it was on everyone involved to get behind it.

President-Elect Obama won't have to look too far for other college coaches to support a playoff system. USC Coach Pete Carroll and Penn State Coach Joe Paterno are long-time playoff advocates - Coach Carroll was quoted as saying the current system "stinks". I think ALL college football fans, including President-Elect Obama, would have to concur with that description.

Mr. President-Elect, please give us a playoff system for college football!

Article on Michigan's 2008 season

This article from The Detroit News sounds like Rich Rodriguez better figure it out up in Ann Arbor quickly. To compound the issue, which this article does not address, Rodriguez and his staff are not concentrating on keeping the top in-state talent at home; Michigan State under Coach Mark Dantonio is going to be the beneficiary of this puzzling decision.

Again, I am not surprised with the struggles Michigan has had this season, as I wrote back in July. The only difference with what I wrote in July to now is I believed Michigan would lose to Wisconsin and defeat Toledo; other than those two games, the season has transpired as I believed it would.

Article on Ohio State bowl game possibilities

Good morning and hopes that all had an enjoyable Halloween. In today's Columbus Dispatch, there is an article discussing Ohio State's possible bowl game destinations. Enjoy.

Only 21 days till THE GAME...