Ohio State Looks To Silence Quacking Of Oregon & Critics

Game Thirteen: Oregon Ducks

Location: The Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA) 5pm EST, ABC

Head Coach: Chip Kelly

Oregon Players Who Were Recruited By Ohio State: N/A.

When Oregon Is On Offense VS Ohio State's Defense ~ This is where the game will be won, or lost, by Ohio State. Can Ohio State slow down Oregon's zone-read option offense?

Oregon is led by QB Jeremiah Masoli, who is equally dangerous running or throwing the ball. Masoli is most effective when outside the pocket, so Ohio State's interior defensive line will need to do their best to contain Masoli inside.

RB LaMichael James is listed at 5'9", 180 lbs, and is capable of going the distance if able to find a seam in the defense. RB LaGarrette Blount served a suspension for most of the season, only to come back late in the season against Oregon State. Blount is more of a pounding type back versus James' style as a scatback. I believe James will get the bulk of the carries, as James emerged as the primary offensive ball carrier for Oregon this season. Again, Ohio State's interior defensive line will need to clog the running lanes to slow down LaMichael James.

A big match-up concern for Ohio State will be Oregon TE Ed Dickson. At 6'5", 243 lbs, Dickson can serve as an extra offensive lineman blocking but showed he was an especially effective receiver this season as well. It will be worth watching to see if Ohio State tries to cover Dickson with a linebacker such as Ross Homan or shades a safety like Jermale Hines to cover Dickson.

Edge: Even. As explosive as Oregon is offensively, I do not believe Oregon has faced as stout a rush defense as Ohio State's all season. Ohio State's interior defensive line, led by Doug Worthington and Cameron Heyward, will be the area I will concentrate upon while watching this game. This is the type of game where LB Brian Rolle may emerge as one of Ohio State's defensive playmakers.

When Ohio State Is On Offense VS Oregon's Defense ~ Another key aspect of this match-up is Ohio State being able to possibly control the clock against Oregon with its strong running game. Ohio State has seemingly found its rhythm offensively running the ball in the last few games of the season, rushing for over 200 yards against teams such as Penn State, Iowa, and Michigan.

While neither RB Brandon Saine or RB Daniel "Boom" Herron are the traditional Ohio State power backs such as Keith Byars or Chris Wells, both have had solid seasons and should get many carries against Oregon.

QB Terrelle Pryor has also become more of the traditional Jim Tressel caretaker QB in the latter part of the season, ever since the Purdue loss on October 17th. Pryor suffered an ankle injury against New Mexico State, and recently disclosed that he has been playing with a torn PCL this season as well. It will be interesting to see how effective Pryor will be against Oregon running the ball.

WRs Dane Sanzenbacher and DeVier Posey are both having solid seasons as Pryor's go-to receivers. While Sanzenbacher is more of a possession receiver, Posey can serve as both an intermediate and deep threat catching the ball. With the suspensions of WRs Ray Small and Duron Carter, I believe Ohio State will use TE Jake Ballard more on short to intermediate routes as Ballard presents match-up challenges similar to Oregon's Ed Dickson.

Slight Edge: Ohio State. Having seen Ohio State become a team Woody Hayes would have loved, while also seeing Oregon struggle to slow down running teams such as Stanford, Arizona, and Oregon State, I believe Ohio State has the edge going into this game. Oregon players have tried to paint Stanford's success due solely to RB Toby Gerhart. Keep in mind - Ohio State has players such as Brandon Saine and Daniel "Boom" Herron, plus reserves Jordan Hall and Jermil Martin. That is not even considering the threat Terrelle Pryor can be as a ball carrier.

If Ohio State can control the clock, keeping Oregon on the sidelines while tiring the Oregon defense, Ohio State wins this game.

Special Teams: Ohio State is handicapped going into this game, with the suspension of Ray Small plus the loss of PK Aaron Pettrey due to injury. P Jon Thoma has not been nearly as effective as he was earlier this season, so I believe Oregon gets the nod going into The Rose Bowl.

Edge: Oregon

Intangibles: Oregon is the logical favorite going into this game, considering their explosive offense and Ohio State's bowl troubles ever since the 2007 BCS Championship Game. While the media tends to drone on and on about Jim Tressel's boring style, I believe they are also helping Ohio State psychologically by dismissing Ohio State's chances in this game.

Slight Edge: Ohio State

Prediction: While Oregon may have the flash, I believe "Tressel Ball" shows up in Pasadena and shows that controlling the clock and playing solid defense are a winning formula to start off 2010. I am going to say Ohio State 28, Oregon 24.

Move Over, Ray Small ~ Duron Carter Will Now Be In Tressel's Doghouse

Over the last week, rumors circulated that freshman WR Duron Carter, son of former Ohio State and NFL standout Cris Carter, would be declared academically ineligible to play in the 2010 Rose Bowl against Oregon. While Ohio State did not confirm the nature of his absence, Ohio State confirmed Duron Carter will not be playing in the Rose Bowl in an official release.

Statistically, Carter had 13 receptions this season for 176 yards and 1 touchdown. Carter served as Ohio State's fourth wide receiver, behind teammates DeVier Posey, Dane Sanzenbacher, and Ray Small.

While Ohio State will not be tremendously handicapped in the Rose Bowl due to Carter's ineligibility, it is still a disappointment when any player is unable to play. The perception that Carter's ineligibility is academically related, plus the fact that Carter is arguably one of Ohio State's top freshmen players, just compounds the disappointment.

Ray Small will be concluding his often-rocky Ohio State career in the Rose Bowl. Recently, Jim Tressel praised Small's leadership contributions, as Small reportedly told his teammates, "You don't want to do some of the things I did.". Perhaps one of Ray Small's final acts as a Buckeye will be to reinforce that message to Duron Carter.

Ohio State Football: How ND's Brian Kelly May Impact Recruiting

Notre Dame ushered in the Brian Kelly era yesterday afternoon, as Kelly described his hiring as the new head coach of The Fighting Irish as a realization of a dream. Kelly also talked about wanting "tough gentlemen" suiting up for Notre Dame.

One of the aspects that will directly affect Ohio State as Kelly builds his program will be the battle for Ohio talent, specifically talent within Ohio parochial programs.

Jim Tressel has been able to keep most of the top talent in Ohio at home to play for the Buckeyes, but has never been able to truly lock down the Cincinnati area for top players. Among the top high school programs in the state are teams such as Cincinnati St. Xavier, Cincinnati Moeller, and Cincinnati Elder. Each of these teams earned berths in the Ohio high school playoff system this past season.

Throw in the fact that Kelly has had developed relationships with coaches in the state of Ohio from his tenure at Cincinnati, and Ohio State fans should be able to see that Jim Tressel's vice grip on Ohio high school talent may have been loosened with Brian Kelly's hiring. The battle for "tough gentlemen" from the state of Ohio may be one to keep an eye on going forward as it relates to Ohio State and Notre Dame.

James Carville's thoughts on the BCS

I found this article on cnnsi.com and enjoyed it. I especially enjoyed his analogy of Lyndon Johnson and the BCS, which you will find near the bottom of the article. Enjoy.

Andy Staples of CNNSI article on Congress & The BCS

I especially enjoyed Staples' comments regarding BCS spokesman Bill Hancock near the bottom of the article. Who thinks Hancock regrets making his statement yesterday about Congress' interest in the BCS?

"Texas Rep. Joe Barton's BCS-busting bill made its way out of subcommittee Wednesday.
That's a small victory for a noble -- and ultimately doomed -- piece of legislation that may or may not have a higher pork content than Spam.

Now the bill, which would forbid the BCS from marketing its big enchilada as a "championship game" or "title game" just has to pass the full Energy and Commerce Committee, then the House, then the Senate and get signed by the president. Obviously, that's not going to happen. But the fact that this little scrap of bacon fat still sits on the plate is meaningful.

When Barton hauled representatives of the BCS before his subcommittee in May, I wrote that the political pressure for a change in the way major college football determines its national champion wouldn't go away. Some people laughed. Well, it's not going away. And this pork dumpling is just the appetizer.

The BCS recently hired a firm run by former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer to help spin its message to the masses. Why? Because BCS and bowl officials know the public hates their system, and they know the politicians -- at a time of great woe on other fronts -- need all the goodwill they can get. If this keeps up, forcing a college football playoff may be the most meaningful thing some incumbent can give his constituents.

This is one issue Republicans and Democrats can agree upon. Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Republican, hates the BCS. So does Utah Rep. Jim Matheson, a Democrat. Wednesday, Matheson called the TCU-Boise State Fiesta Bowl matchup "the Kids' Table Bowl," according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

More important, the BCS needs all the public goodwill it can get in case the government agency with real power to force change comes calling. As anyone from American Telephone and Telegraph will tell you, it's not pleasant to be a heavy-handed monopoly when the Department of Justice comes calling.

Hatch already has called for a DOJ investigation into the BCS. So far, that hasn't materialized, but the BCS should probably tread carefully. With anti-BCS legislation still floating around Washington, enough people will be researching how the system works to realize that it's a cartel that isn't all that different from OPEC. BCS officials and their lawyers have sworn for years that the system was designed to withstand any antitrust challenge, but it's doubtful they want DOJ to call their bluff.

I would explain why, but I'm not a lawyer. Alan Fishel, however, is an attorney. "A group of competitors has come together and collectively agreed that they are going to use market constraints to get the vast majority of the revenues in this market," Fishel said Tuesday. "In any other context, that's a clear antitrust violation."

Fishel has a dog in this hunt. His Washington-based firm, Arent Fox, represents the Mountain West Conference and Boise State, two entities that have been wronged multiple times by a system that denies undefeated teams a chance to play for a national title. "It's the only system," Fishel said, "where perfection isn't good enough."

Fishel is giving his own opinion, but his is an opinion valued by the leaders of the Mountain West and Boise State. He also knows BCS sympathizers will argue that the presidents in the Mountain West and at Boise State voluntarily signed on earlier this year to be part of the BCS through 2014. It's a legitimate question. Why tacitly endorse a system they consider unfair?

"They have no other option," Fishel said. "That 'completely voluntary' argument has absolutely no merit whatsoever. ... If you want to play major college football, you have no choice but to be a part of this."

Fishel argues that cartels throughout history have claimed that if an entity outside the power structure doesn't want to play by their rules, then they're free to go into business on their own or pursue an entirely different industry. In the U.S., such behavior is illegal under the Sherman Act.

Fishel and conference officials have argued that they want access to a championship. They also want money -- or, more specifically, an equal distribution of it. The facts the DOJ would find most interesting are spelled out clearly on the BCS Web site. Last year, the Big East put one team in a BCS bowl (Cincinnati) and received about $17.8 million. The Mountain West put one team in a BCS bowl (Utah) and received $9.8 million. In what universe is that an equitable distribution of revenue?

The longer politicians need anti-BCS sentiment to unify their constituents, the more facts like these will get highlighted. That will not go well for BCS officials, who look worse every time they have to defend their system. That's probably why BCS executive director Bill Hancock -- a truly nice guy with an impossible job -- didn't even bother to argue his system's merits Wednesday after the bill passed the subcommittee. He opted for pure misdirection.

"With all the serious matters facing our country, surely Congress has more important issues than spending taxpayer money to dictate how college football is played," Hancock said. "The consensus among the presidents, athletics directors, coaches and faculty from the 120 major universities is that the current system is the best."

Next time Hancock gets pulled over for going 82 in a 70, he should ask the cop why he's spending taxpayer dollars to catch speeders when he should be out looking for murderers. He probably won't like the result.

So laugh -- or cry -- all you want that your elected officials are spending their time on football, but get used to it. It's either going to be the Congress, the Department of Justice or one of the aggrieved conferences finally getting fed up and filing suit, but as long as the economy is in the tank and no one can agree on healthcare, this bipartisan pork project won't go away until the BCS embraces a more equitable system."

Anyone Still Think Congress Will Not Get Involved In College Football?

Today there was news of a bill that would force college football to adopt a playoff system. This bill is being introduced by Joe Barton, the same individual who had hearings last summer regarding the BCS and has been angling for a playoff system since last season.

And I agree with those of you who say Congress has far more important issues than a college football playoff. You know what else I believe - that a college football playoff system is not only possible, but long overdue.

To those of you who want to maintain the status quo, I offer you the wisdom of Confucius ~ "They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom."

College Football: It Is Time For My Annual Airing Of Grievances

Every college football season, it is the same thing again and again - top ranked college football teams, who more than likely have been ranked high due to preseason conjecture, wind up in bowl games that leave the majority of football fans believing that their respective teams have been unjustly denied a shot at the title, leaving these fans clamoring for a playoff system. And every year, the powers that be within college football lie through their teeth and say that a college football playoff system would destroy the precious college bowl system. This time of year equates to my airing of grievances as it relates to my favorite sport, college football.

To those of you who say a college football playoff system would destroy the bowl system, I quote the venerable Ebeneezer Scrooge: "Humbug!"

To those of you who are like me, who know in your heart and soul that a college football playoff is possible, please read below and let me know what you think - good, bad, or ugly.

Under my system, every conference champion (the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, all the way to the non-BCS conferences such as Conference USA, the Sun Belt Conference, etc) would get a berth in the tournament. For those who traditionally oppose a playoff system by saying it would render the regular season meaningless, I am rewarding those teams who have won their conferences. The conference champions would make up eleven teams in the tournament.

The remaining five would be at-large berths determined by the computer polls used by the BCS currently. Growing up and living in Ohio, and being a football fanatic for all levels, I have always enjoyed and respected how Ohio high school football teams are selected for the postseason. High school football teams in Ohio are based exclusively on computer points, with no biases or voting involved. Does the local media have polls ranking area high school teams? Absolutely - but they have NO say in determining if a team will be in the state football playoffs. It is purely a strength of schedule type system that rewards teams that play demanding schedules, while potentially penalizing those teams that do not play any tough opponents. It is not uncommon for teams to have a 6-4 or 7-3 regular season record and be selected for the Ohio high school playoffs over a 10-0 team that played weaker teams.

Using the computer rankings, the following five teams would be in the 16-team playoff ~ Florida, Iowa, Virginia Tech, LSU, and Penn State. Again, this scenario is rewarding one-loss teams such as Florida, who were undefeated and played in arguably the toughest conference in college football.

Seedings would be determined exclusively on the computer rankings. I have averaged these rankings used by the BCS for the purpose of this article. The first round of the playoff system would have games at the home field of the higher seeded team. By doing so, it could open up scenarios where warm-weather teams could go into a cold-weather site and see how well they could do.

Here is how the playoff seedings would look under my system:

First Round (December 12th)

# 1 Alabama (SEC champion) vs # 16 Troy (Sun Belt Conference champion)

# 2 Texas (Big XII champion) vs # 15 East Carolina (Conference USA champion)

# 3 Florida (At-Large seed 1) vs # 14 Central Michigan (MAC champion)

# 4 Cincinnati (Big East champion) vs # 13 Penn State (At-Large seed 5)

# 5 Texas Christian (Mountain West champion) vs # 12 Ohio State (Big Ten champion)

# 6 Oregon (Pacific 10 champion) vs # 11 Virginia Tech (At-Large seed 3)

# 7 Boise State (WAC champion) vs # 10 Iowa (At-Large seed 2)

# 8 Georgia Tech (ACC champion) vs # 9 LSU (At-Large seed 4)

If the higher seeded ranked teams won the first round, the New Year's Day bowl games could look like this:

Second Round (January 1st)

# 1 Alabama vs # 8 Georgia Tech (Sugar Bowl)

# 2 Texas vs # 7 Boise State (Cotton Bowl)

# 3 Florida vs # 6 Oregon (Orange Bowl)

# 4 Cincinnati vs # 5 Texas Christian (Fiesta Bowl)

As The Rose Bowl is serving as the site of the national championship game, it would serve as both the semi-finals as well as the championship game.

Semi-Finals (January 8th)

Game 1: Alabama vs Cincinnati

Game 2: Texas vs Florida

The BCS Championship Game (January 15)

Alabama vs Texas

***

For those who think what a foolish idea, let me propose an alternative to you - suppose the NFL were to tell its fans that the Super Bowl was going to be played by the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints, as they currently have the top records in their respective conferences? Is there a football fan out there who truly believes voting on a championship game is a logical turn of events?

Yes, I know there would be blowouts in some of the early games. For those talented teams such as Alabama or Texas, playing at home against a lowly team such as Troy or East Carolina should be no concern, right?

And under my system - every conference champion gets a shot at the title. No worries about anyone being left out of the big picture, as we have seen over the years. No worries about needing Congress to get involved. And for those of you who salivate over The New Mexico Bowl, rest easy - I am leaving all of those bowls alone, kind of like college basketball's NIT version to go with the NCAA tournament.

A very smart man once said that insanity was doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. College football does this, year after year, and the results have not changed. Until changes are made to allow for a playoff system, consider this lengthy diatribe my annual airing of grievances on the sport that I love more than any other.