The 2014 OSU Seniors’ Theme? “Redemption Song”

It was tremendous attending the celebration in Ohio Stadium on January 24th, 2015, with approximately 45,000-50,000 other Ohio State fans. Yes, it was cold; about 27 degrees. It was not as cold as the other national championship celebration I attended in January 2003; that celebration had more snow and was several degrees below zero. Yes, the players did join in a singing of “Carmen Ohio” at the conclusion; there was no Cie Grant moment in this celebration.

While I sat with my friend Bob during the celebration, my mind could not help but think of the senior class who signed letters of intent with Ohio State in February 2011. Twenty-four players signed with Ohio State in February 2011, yet only seventeen remained by January 2015. Fortunately for Ohio State fans, a few of these individuals have eligibility remaining to play for Ohio State in 2015 (Chase Farris, Joel Hale, Bryce Haynes, Cardale Jones, Braxton Miller, Ron Tanner, and Nick Vannett).

While “Carmen Ohio” was naturally performed at the national championship celebration, another song has crossed my mind as I reflect upon the careers of the players who signed in 2011 ~ Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”.

“But my hand was made strong
By the ‘and of the Almighty.
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly…”

Big thanks to @JimTressel5 for recruiting these seniors and to @CoachFick for keeping the program afloat when it was under siege. #GoBucks
— Chip Minnich (@ChipMinnich) January 13, 2015

My first experience watching Braxton Miller as an Ohio State Buckeye was in the 2011 Ohio State Spring Game. Enrolled as a true freshman, there were questions as to whether Miller would be the quarterback during the first five games, as returning starter Terrelle Pryor served a five game suspension, along with Ohio State Head Coach Jim Tressel. Little did anyone know that the 2011 Spring Game would be the last time Coach Tressel would coach Miller in any capacity.

Memorial Day 2011 dawned with the bombshell that Coach Tressel, under siege by the national media and members of the university power struggle, resigned as head coach. Former Ohio State defensive lineman and longtime Ohio State assistant coach Luke Fickell was promoted to head coach for the 2011 season, and possibly beyond.

While 2011 was a disappointing season for Ohio State and Coach Fickell, optimism for these players came into Columbus with the hiring of Urban Meyer as head football coach on November 28, 2011. In less than one full year, many of these players had experienced signing to play for one head coach, suffering through a losing season under an interim coach, and now were going to play for a coach that had not recruited the majority of them (Coach Meyer had recruited Braxton Miller while Coach Meyer was at Florida, if you recall). Even with this optimistic turn of events related to Coach Meyer’s arrival, it was only natural that a few of the players decided to look elsewhere to continue their football and educational careers.

“Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our minds…”

The 2012 season under Coach Meyer resulted in a perfect 12-0 season, yet no rewards were possible as the program was under a bowl ban. The 2013 season began in tremendous fashion, yet collapsed down the stretch with a loss to Michigan State in The 2013 B1G Championship Game, and followed up with a loss to Clemson in the 2014 Orange Bowl. The 2014 season, after three years, would prove to be the last opportunity to leave a positive legacy in the archives of Ohio State football for several of these players who began in 2011.



“Won’t you help to sing
These songs of freedom? –
‘Cause all I ever have:
Redemption songs”

Yes, “Carmen Ohio” was on my mind, along with 45,000-50,000 other members of the Buckeye faithful on January 24th, 2015, in Ohio Stadium. But I will admit this other tune will also be on my mind and in my heart as I will fondly think back to the magical season of 2014, and to several of the Buckeyes who helped to make it that way, beginning back in February 2011.

OSU’s Greatest Victory In 2014? Denialism

As promised in my last post, I am devoting time and effort to effectively and loudly sing the praises of the 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes, the undisputed national champions of college football. I especially take great joy in writing the words “undisputed”, as I have long been a critic of the traditional NCAA method of voting on a national champion after the college football bowl season has concluded. For the first time in Division 1 college football history, or FBS level football history, or however one may wish to classify it, the national champion was decided by the results on the field. The way it should be. The way it should have always been.

As I reflect upon the many victories the Buckeyes earned on the field, I truly cannot say one was more important than the other. After all, it was because of each victory earned on the field that made the next victory that much more important. One could follow the string of games as they played out, one after the other. The Big Ten Championship victory over Wisconsin led to The Sugar Bowl opportunity versus Alabama in the playoffs. The Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama led to The National Championship against Oregon.

Of course, after the confetti had fallen, and the pictures of Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer holding the national championship trophy had been taken, one final victory had been secured over an opponent that had long tormented Ohio State’s coaches, players, and fans…

Denialism.

Denialism had taken a very vocal and persistent approach towards Ohio State football since the fateful evening of January 8, 2007. Aided by individuals within the national media such as Paul Finebaum, Pat Forde, David Pollack, Mark May, Gary Danielson, Clay Travis, Tony Barnhart, and Tom Luginbill, Ohio State fans were continually forced to defend not only the performance of the Buckeyes, but the entire Big Ten for a period of eight years. Eight years of being told the Buckeyes were not worthy of national championship contention. Eight years of refusal to contemplate Ohio State as being one of the best football programs in the country.

January 1, 2015 happened to confront Denialism in The Sugar Bowl. And even after Ohio State handed Alabama a 42-35 defeat that should not have been that close, Denialism was not going to go down without a fight…







To give credit, Mark Schlabach of ESPN, a long-time critic, offered a mea culpa. Lo and behold how surprised I was to read this on Twitter…

What Urban Meyer did this season is the finest coaching job I've ever seen in college football.
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) January 13, 2015

Mark May has seemingly gone into hiding after Ohio State won the national championship. I believe this Buckeye fan is asking a legitimate question…

Does anyone have the correct address in which to send Mark May this box of poop?
— Buckeye Legion (@BuckeyeLegion) January 13, 2015

Even after Ohio State had defeated Alabama, essentially in their back yard, and had defeated Oregon in The National Championship, Clay Travis was bound and determined to go down with the ship on this sad devotion to Denialism…

this is gold RT @FOXSportsLive: If you hate on @ClayTravisBGID and think the SEC is overrated, click play and enjoy! http://t.co/kdUwW5jPUe
— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) January 13, 2015

I have to agree with the following tweet wholeheartedly…

FOX Sports needs to have a long conversation with itself about what it believes it's accomplishing by having Clay Travis on its roster.
— Vico (@ourhonordefend) January 13, 2015

And this...

Nothing is more hysterically pathetic like SEC fan finding ways to criticize Urban Meyer and hoist Saban. Pure comedy.
— Colin Cowherd (@ESPN_Colin) January 15, 2015

Has Denialism been completely eliminated? Sadly, I must state that Denialism is still alive and well. After all, ESPN has an entire off-season to prepare to discuss how the 2014 season must have been an aberration, and how the mighty SEC will come back with a vengeance for the 2015 season. In the meantime, I will content myself to all of the members of the Denialism camp with some wisdom, courtesy of Eddie Murphy, circa 1987…

For @mark_may, @finebaum, @YahooForde, @ClayTravisBGID, and ALL of the Buckeye haters...Eddie Murphy sums it up http://t.co/nXDsqNsZQW
— Chip Minnich (@ChipMinnich) January 13, 2015

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The NFL...

Before going any further, congratulations to Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer and the 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes. I am still basking in the happiness of winning the national championship, and will have posts in the future to best articulate my feelings on this accomplishment. Needless to say, I wanted to make sure I added my congratulations to the many that have been directed to Coach Meyer and the 2014 Ohio State coaches and players on this outstanding achievement.
**
The popular and probable consensus opinion regarding Cardale Jones and his announcement was that Jones was going to declare for the NFL. Over the previous days, many people asked me for my opinion, and now is as good as any for me to articulate why I believed Jones was going to the NFL ~
Cardale Jones and Braxton Miller were recruited by former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel in the 2011 recruiting class. To shore up his grades, and provide some separation from Miller, Jones agreed to enroll at Fork Union Military Academy in 2011.

Upon returning to Columbus in 2012, Jones was faced with the following realities – the head coach who recruited him was gone, and replaced with someone who neither recruited him, nor wanted him. Braxton Miller had completed a freshman season in 2011 that had captivated the fanbase, as well as the incoming coaching staff. As someone who attended the 2012 Ohio State spring game, the fact that Jones did not garner a single snap in an intrasquad scrimmage spoke volumes about where Jones stood in the eyes of the coaching staff.

And then during the 2012 season, Jones decided to tweet…THIS.

Yes, I guess you could say I was fairly certain Cardale Jones was eventually going to leave Columbus, and probably not in a positive fashion in the eyes of Coach Meyer or any of the other Ohio State coaches.

Jones played sparingly in 2013, and was beaten out for the starting quarterback position by J.T. Barrett in the 2014 fall camp after Miller went down with a season-ending injury. Again, there was speculation that Jones would transfer after losing the job to Barrett, especially after being the starting quarterback throughout all of the 2014 spring practices.

Flash forward to November 29th, 2014. Ohio State is in a dogfight with That Team Up North, and J.T. Barrett is knocked out for the season. Anyone who has listened to me throughout this past season on any of the Men of the Scarlet and Gray podcasts can recall how I often lamented how infrequently Jones played, especially when Ohio State had substantial leads. I actually tweeted after Barrett went down about this…

For all of you who have wondered why I kept pushing for Cardale Jones to play more than he has, OSU fans are about to see if he is ready
— Chip Minnich (@ChipMinnich) November 29, 2014

We all know how gloriously it turned out. I believe @JeffSvoboda articulated it well…

No matter how this Cardale story ends... what a ride, man. Like, imagine someone telling you how this would play out at Thanksgiving dinner
— Jeff Svoboda (@JeffSvoboda) January 15, 2015

When I think about being 22 years old, with a child to provide for…I can honestly say that I probably would have taken the money. Quite honestly, even without a child, turning down the money at 22 years old would have been probably impossible, as I reflect upon it.

Reminder: if anyone offered you $400k+/year to leave college early, you would have left a cartoon-style hole in the wall on the way out.
— Tom Orr (@TomOrr4) January 15, 2015

If #Seinfeld were still on TV, and George Steinbrenner could comment on Cardale Jones' decision http://t.co/ju3YG2EFUu via @YouTube
— Chip Minnich (@ChipMinnich) January 15, 2015

No matter how it turns out in 2015, Cardale Jones has secured his place in the hearts and minds of Ohio State fans going forward. 

Not sure what was more impressive -- Cardale Jones' championship run or his presser to stay in school. Wow.
— Tony Grossi (@TonyGrossi) January 15, 2015

Will Jones be the Ohio State starter at quarterback next season?  It is certainly possible, but if Ohio State fans have learned anything this past season, anything is possible, especially at the quarterback position.  Jones does have one advantage going into the 2015 season...

Urban says the starters win their positions in the spring. Who is the only 1 of the 3 practicing?
— Matt Finkes (@MattFinkes) January 15, 2015

No matter how this all turns out, at least Ohio State fans can count upon Tyvis Powell to keep Cardale Jones in line throughout the 2015 season...

Whether 12 go or stay, Rent is still due on the 1st and I'm gone have my half!
— Tyvis Powell (@1Tyvis) January 15, 2015

2014 National Champions [Photo from Nike]

Ohio State 2015 National Championship Hype Video [Grant Kincaid of YouTube]

Ohio State vs Oregon [official hype video]

It's Deja Vu All Over Again For Ohio State

Ohio State suffers through a costly loss to an opponent, despite being heavily favored. The quarterback is under tremendous scrutiny. And Ohio State is to face an Oregon team that is supposedly too fast for Ohio State to be able to keep pace.

Yes, I know. We’re all eagerly awaiting to see how Ohio State plays against Oregon in The College Football Playoff National Championship Presented By AT&T (say that one ten times fast).

Actually, I am talking about the 2010 Rose Bowl.

A quick stroll down memory lane is in order – in 2009, Ohio State opened up against Navy, and had to escape with a close win (Ohio State 31, Navy 27). Despite a close loss to USC in week two, Ohio State fans were optimistic for the season…until losing at Purdue (Purdue 26, Ohio State 18). Ohio State won the remainder of its games to claim The Big Ten championship, only to be faced with an Oregon team that was loaded with speed in The 2010 Rose Bowl. Ohio State won, 26-17.

While impressive remembering the similarities between The 2010 Rose Bowl and this game, I believe the strategies used by Ohio State to slow down Oregon are possibly going to be used once again, this time by Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer.

#OhioState Jim Tressel on playing Oregon, then and now. http://t.co/QiV0BpiJVL
— Bill Livingston (@Livy70) January 6, 2015

Below are three critical areas I will be paying close attention to when Ohio State and Oregon kick off at 8:30pm EST on ESPN…

1. Will Ohio State Create A Collapsing Pocket Against Marcus Mariota? – Mariota is tremendously accurate as a passer and also blessed with exceptional speed. Instead of allowing Mariota to get to the outside of the pocket, will Ohio State try to contain Mariota within the pocket, and win the game as a pure pocket passer?

2. Ohio State Must Wrap Up Against Oregon – Defensively, Ohio State will be under tremendous physical scrutiny, with Oregon attempting to run plays every sixteen seconds. The defensive line and linebackers will not be able to substitute frequently, nor will the secondary players. A critical area against an Oregon team that has so much offensive speed will be to wrap up and tackle, thus negating the big plays that have been a staple of the Oregon offense.

3. Will Ohio State Control The Clock Against Oregon? – While I respect Coach Meyer’s more aggressive approach on offense, it will be so important for Ohio State to be content to use the clock fully when on offense. Running the ball with Ezekiel Elliott, Curtis Samuel, and yes, Cardale Jones, will help keep the Ohio State defense off the field, and also help to throw a wrench into Oregon’s plans to play at their typical fast-break pace.

As Yogi Berra once stated, “It’s deja vu all over again.”. At some point on Monday night, Ohio State fans will hopefully agree with Mr. Berra’s wise statement.

Ohio State vs Oregon [hype video] ~ Ode To The Hobbit

Listen to the audio, and you'll understand why I wrote that about The Hobbit

January 3, 2003

Twelve years ago tonight.  #GoBucks

Why UM's Hiring Of Harbaugh = Harbinger Of B1G Positives

Best wishes to everyone for a Happy New Year. In the interest of full disclosure, this article is being written on New Year’s Eve, with a publish date of January 2, 2015. I anticipate being up late watching The 2015 Sugar Bowl with hopes of celebrating into the wee hours of the morning…

The news that the University of Michigan hired Jim Harbaugh to be its new head football coach has been largely viewed as a positive on a national scale and by former Ohio State players, but not by all Ohio State fans. An example Twitter dialogue between my esteemed colleague Jeremiah and myself will give you an idea as to what I mean…

Every time someone says something is "good for the B1G" that is code for.... Bad for Ohio State.
— Jeremiah (@SYRmotsag) December 30, 2014

Jeremiah’s concerns and viewpoints are understandable. After all, Ohio State has had its way with “The Team Up North” since January 18, 2001, when this speech was made on the day Jim Tressel was announced as the new head football coach at Ohio State…



Winning every game but two in a span since 2001-2014 is very rewarding and satisfying. It has allowed for a full generation of Ohio State fans to forget what it was like to suffer through the agonizing defeats to “The Team Up North”.

I want to emphasize this point – I never want to lose to “The Team Up North”. Let me make that abundantly clear.

However…I have enjoyed winning THE GAME much more so when “The Team Up North” was good, and not bad or mediocre.

Allow me to elaborate. The speech up above by Coach Tressel merely amplified the anticipation for THE GAME on November 24, 2001. The 26-20 victory in Ann Arbor was the first by Ohio State since 1987, and helped to eliminate “The Team Up North” from The B1G championship. In 2002, I was in attendance when “The Team Up North” was ranked twelfth as they entered Ohio Stadium with designs on eliminating Ohio State from the national championship game; Ohio State won on a nailbiter interception by Will Allen…



 I was in attendance in Ohio Stadium when arguably the most mediocre Ohio State team of the Jim Tressel era defeated the last "Team Up North" to win The B1G in 2004.  Who can forget "The Catch"that helped propel Ohio State over the seventeenth-ranked TTUN to a BCS bowl game in 2005?

THE GAME, and B1G football, has not stood as tall since November 18, 2006.  Ranked number one and number two, for the right to go on to play for The BCS Championship.  Who did not relish that victory over "The Team Up North" when the stakes were so high?

Yes, in 2007, Ohio State won in Ann Arbor to clinch The B1G and deny "The Team Up North" a trip to The Rose Bowl, but it was not the same.  After 2006, the quality of "The Team Up North" has been one of steady decline, and helping to contribute to a national perception that B1G football was not something to be respected, and certainly not feared.

Jim Harbaugh's hiring helps to change that perception.  Look at how @finebaum, noted troller of all things north of the Mason-Dixon line, tweeted about the hiring...

Jim Harbaugh to Michigan easily ranks with Saban to Alabama and Meyer to Ohio State recently in terms of Mount Rushmore hires.
— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) December 28, 2014

Think about the coaches in The SEC West - Nick Saban (Alabama), Dan Mullen (Miss St), Hugh Freeze (Ole Miss), Gus Malzahn (Auburn), Les Miles (LSU), Kevin Sumlin (Texas A&M), and Bret Bielema (Arkansas).  While not all are impressive, Saban, Miles, and Malzahn have had teams compete for the national championship over the past few seasons.

Now compare that to what The B1G East will have to offer - Urban Meyer (Ohio State), Mark Dantonio (Michigan State), Jim Harbaugh ("The Team Up North"), and James Franklin (Penn State).  While Meyer is the only one with national championship credentials, all of those men are truly well-respected for their recruiting prowess and abilities to develop teams into championship caliber units.  The B1G East's teams and reputation will be able to compete against any team from anywhere.

To put it another way, The B1G used to have men such as these roaming the sidelines thirty years ago (1985 season) - Earle Bruce.  Bo Schembechler.  Hayden Fry.  Lou Holtz.  All of those men are in the College Football Hall of Fame.  The Harbaugh hiring helps to bring B1G football status back to its historical perspective.

Again - I NEVER want to lose to "The Team Up North".  However, I welcome the idea of going into Ann Arbor on November 28, 2015, with a highly ranked opponent in Ann Arbor, helping to propel Ohio State back into its second year of The College Football Playoff, thanks to the return of an old adversary.

Can't get here soon enough. #presentedbyhatred pic.twitter.com/iq3u5DWR15
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) December 30, 2014

Jim Harbaugh just declined to guarantee success against UM's rivals.  Jim Tressel had no qualms doing that with his 310 days speech in 2001.
— Chip Minnich (@ChipMinnich) December 30, 2014