Buckeyes "Gopher" Win Against Minnesota In First TCF Bank Stadium Visit

Game Nine: Minnesota Golden Gophers

Location: TCF Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, MN) 8pm EST, ABC

Interim Head Coach: Jeff Horton

Minnesota Players Recruited By Ohio State: WR MarQueis Gray, LB Brendan Beal, DE Ra'shede Hageman. Gray was recruited as a QB but chose Minnesota as Ohio State was also recruiting Terrelle Pryor. Beal originally signed with Florida, but transferred to Minnesota. Hageman was recruited by Ohio State as a TE and signed with Minnesota. OL D.J. Burris was on Ohio State's recruiting radar, but not offered a scholarship by Ohio State.

Minnesota Offense vs Ohio State Defense: Minnesota ranks near the bottom of the conference at around 387 yards/game, while Ohio State is leading the conference in defense at allowing around 234 yards/game.

Minnesota QB Adam Weber will start his fourth time against Ohio State, having played as a redshirt freshman in 2007. Weber has two solid receivers in Gray and Da'Jon McKnight, so Ohio State may try to shade safeties Jermale Hines and Orhian Johnson to assist Chimdi Chekwa and Devon Torrence. McKnight had a good game last week against Penn State with three touchdown receptions.

For all of the years under Glen Mason, Minnesota was used to a power running game. DeLeon Eskridge and Duane Bennett are good running backs, but not the caliber of former Gopher standouts such as Laurence Maroney or Marion Barber. Ohio State's run defense was able to shut down Purdue last week, and will try to force Minnesota to beat them through the air.

Edge: Ohio State. Even though Wisconsin was able to run right at Ohio State, I do not believe Minnesota has the personnel to beat Ohio State with the same strategy. If Ohio State can effectively pressure Weber when he passes, it could be a long night for Gopher fans.

Ohio State Offense vs Minnesota Defense: While Minnesota has been somewhat respectable on the offensive side of the ball, Minnesota's defense ranks tenth in the conference in total defense. Conversely, Ohio State ranks second in the conference in total offense.

Ohio State exploded for over 400 yards of offense in the first half last week against Purdue. Pryor threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns, while Ohio State's rushing game was able to gain almost 200 yards on the ground with multiple ball carriers.

For a team like Ohio State, that is seemingly trying to establish its running game going into the November stretch run, this looks like a game where the Buckeyes will try to wear down Minnesota by pounding the ball. With the Minnesota defense giving up nearly 200 yards a game, this one could go fast as Ohio State pounds the ball and drains the clock.

Edge: Ohio State. This might be the game where RB Daniel "Boom" Herron finally cracks the 100 yard game threshold.

Intangibles: Here is the area where Minnesota will have the decided edge over Ohio State. Minnesota has nothing to lose with its head coach already fired and its season over within a few weeks. Why not try anything and everything to ruin Ohio State's season?

The game will not kickoff until 8pm EST, so the Minnesota fans will have plenty of time to enjoy themselves on what should be a chilly but beautiful evening in TCF Bank Stadium.

Edge: Minnesota

Prediction: Quick soapbox moment. I wrote this over two years ago, and I will again point to Joni Mitchell's song "Big Yellow Taxi" ~ "Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got till it's gone...". Why, oh why, did Minnesota fire Glen Mason, to hire an unproven commodity like Tim Brewster? Were you still that peeved that Mason wanted the Ohio State job back in 2001, when Tressel was hired over him?

All Mason did was take Minnesota to seven bowl games in eight years, and actually defeated Ohio State back in 2000 soundly.

Yes, I understand Minnesota fans would like to compete for the Rose Bowl. All I am saying is you had a coach who had your program competitive within the conference against your biggest rivals (Wisconsin, Iowa), and you completely disregarded what you had.

I will get off the soapbox now. Ohio State knows it needs to keep winning in order to have any chance of another Big Ten title. Minnesota may be a wounded animal, but Ohio State has too much talent on both sides of the ball. Ohio State will try to run the ball, and get into their bye week intent on getting healthy for the Penn State game in two weeks. Ohio State 42, Minnesota 14.

Random Thoughts From The Mind Of Minnich

It was brought to my attention by my cousin John that some people (named Stef up in Grand Rapids, MI) would prefer that my blog be more of my own thoughts, versus the occasional posting of good college football articles. I will try to remember this Stef - by the way, I will see you next month at THE GAME, I believe.

Here are some quick, random thoughts on the state of affairs at Ohio State currently ~

• I have never been a fan of the BCS and never will be. I am curious for any ardent Ohio State fan to be able to tell me how to defend a system like the BCS when Wisconsin, who soundly defeated Ohio State head-to-head, will possibly wind up behind Ohio State in the BCS standings at the end of the season if they both win out. And believe me, I am a big proponent of using computers for rankings, but there should be some type of head-to-head equation in there that rewards teams for those games, and not just a strength of schedule component as is supposedly the case with Wisconsin and Ohio State.
  

• Just like I wrote last week, and I will write again when I write up a preview of the Ohio State/Minnesota game later this week, all Ohio State fans need to cheer for the Iowa Hawkeyes against Michigan State this weekend. This is Michigan State's last big challenge ~ yes, I know Michigan State is going to Penn State the last week of the season, but I believe Michigan State will defeat the Nittany Lions in that game. Ohio State fans' best chance of a share of the title with Michigan State is probably this weekend with the Iowa/Michigan State game.

• If Michigan State runs the table, they will probably wind up in the Rose Bowl. Considering the BCS Championship Game is going to be in Glendale this year, I believe the Fiesta Bowl will wind up with the last selection of the at-large teams. The Fiesta Bowl gets the Big XII champion if the team is not one of the top two, and it appears highly unlikely that will be the case. If Ohio State runs the table as all Buckeye fans hope, could Ohio State wind up playing against future Big Ten member Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl?

• Besides watching Michigan State and Iowa this weekend, another key game to at least keep an eye on (or be looking for the scrolling scoreboard at the bottom of the TV) will be Oregon and USC. USC is ineligible for a bowl game, and is two last-second field goals from being undefeated. Last year, Oregon completely embarrassed USC. This game against Oregon is arguably USC's bowl game. People in the Midwest will get to watch Ohio State/Minnesota on ABC, but I am hoping ABC will do a good job of keeping me in the loop on that one, as I believe it could be a shootout.

• John, thank you again for the great tickets and hospitality last weekend.

Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com ~ Big Ten race update: Week 9

I found this on ESPN.com, courtesy of Adam Rittenberg.  Considering how tough it will be for Ohio State in November, here are some key things to keep in mind as Ohio State approaches the final month of the season…

**

 

The 2010 Big Ten title race could be absolutely fascinating in the month of November. The Michigan State Spartans, of course, can make things rather boring by continuing to win games. Mark Dantonio's team is the Big Ten's only unbeaten squad -- both overall and in conference play -- and controls its own destiny with four regular-season games left. And if the Spartans survive this week at Iowa, they'll be strong favorites to run the table and possibly reach the BCS title game. If the Spartans lose once, things get interesting. Before going any further, since many of you have asked, here's the rule of thumb regarding the Big Ten's tiebreaker for the automatic BCS berth: the BCS standings matter. It doesn't matter which team last went to the Rose Bowl -- that ship sailed long ago. And if ties can't be broken by head-to-head matchups or overall records, it goes to the BCS standings, period. Everyone wants to know what will happen if there's a three-team tie atop the Big Ten at 7-1. Here's how it breaks down: If Michigan State/Wisconsin/Ohio State tie at 7-1: All three teams would have the same overall record (11-1), and Michigan State and Ohio State don't play. The team with the highest ranking in the final BCS standings would get the Big Ten's automatic berth. In my view, that team would be Ohio State. If Michigan State/Wisconsin/Iowa tie at 7-1: This presumes that both Iowa and Wisconsin win out. Each team has a win against the other. Iowa would be eliminated because of its inferior overall record (10-2 vs. 11-1). Michigan State holds the head-to-head advantage against Wisconsin and would gain the automatic BCS berth. Also, since Michigan State and Ohio State don't play ... If Michigan State and Ohio State tie at 7-1: Since both teams would have the same overall record (11-1), the team ranked higher in the BCS standings would get the automatic berth. I believe that team would be Ohio State. All the other 7-1 tiebreakers can be determined on head-to-head basis. Enjoy the ride.

View article...

Buckeyes Look To "Boiler" Over Frustrations Against Purdue

Game Eight: Purdue Boilermakers

Head Coach: Danny Hope

Location: Ohio Stadium (Columbus, OH) 12pm EST, The Big Ten Network

Purdue Players Who Were Recruited By Ohio State: N/A. DL Ryan Kerrigan was not offered a scholarship by Ohio State, despite attending their summer camp. WR Justin Siller was also on Ohio State's recruiting radar for a time, but was not offered a scholarship by Ohio State.

Purdue's Offense Versus Ohio State's Defense: Ohio State's defense was pounded last week against Wisconsin, giving up 184 yards rushing. Purdue comes into this game averaging 202 yards per game, so it will be interesting to see what adjustments Ohio State has made for the Boilermakers.

Ohio State will be without senior LB Ross Homan and Star Christian Bryant for this game. Sophomore LB Jonathan Newsome will play in Homan's spot, and senior S Jermale Hines will play the Star position. Senior S Aaron Gant will probably play Hines' position while Bryant is out.

Purdue is without starting QB Robert Marve, RB Ralph Bolden, and WR Keith Smart this season, so it is not as though the Boilermakers have not had to overcome injury issues of their own. QB Rob Henry has been thrust into the role of a game manager, and has been playing well for Purdue so far in conference play as a complimentary player in Purdue's rushing attack.

Edge: Ohio State. Purdue has scaled back on its passing attack for Henry, and Ohio State will try to shut down Purdue's running game. More importantly, after Ohio State was physically dominated by Wisconsin, I look for Ohio State to come out with something to prove against Purdue on the defensive side of the ball.

Ohio State's Offense Versus Purdue's Defense: Ohio State has transitioned to using RB "Boom" Herron as its primary ball carrier, while deploying RB Brandon Saine as a receiver out of the backfield. QB Terrelle Pryor is still a threat to run the ball, but it seem as though Pryor will run when the Ohio State passing game requires him to do so, versus using designed quarterback runs.

Ohio State used the pistol and wildcat formations last week against Wisconsin, and it would not surprise me if Ohio State tried to establish its running game against Purdue, which is giving up nearly 125 yards per game on the ground. Purdue's secondary ranks near the bottom of the conference in pass defense, so a possible Ohio State strategy could be to establish a lead through its passing game, then control the clock in the second half with its running game.

Purdue DE Ryan Kerrigan had a tremendous game last year against Ohio State, continually harassing Terrelle Pryor. It will be interesting to see how OLT Mike Adams handles Kerrigan, or if Adams can handle Kerrigan.

Edge: Ohio State. Similar to Ohio State's defense, Ohio State will look to come out with something to prove against Purdue after last year's defeat by the Boilermakers. I am actually more concerned that Pryor may come out and try to do too much, rather than playing a level-headed game.

Prediction: Beware the wounded animal. Purdue handled Ohio State last season, Ohio State is coming off a humbling defeat by Wisconsin, and this is homecoming weekend at Ohio State.

I look for Ohio State ready to come out with revenge on their minds and a quest for redemption in the minds of the pollsters. This one could be over by halftime if Ohio State plays with the intensity that they displayed earlier this season. I am going to predict Ohio State 42, Purdue 7.

Two Good Posts, Courtesy Of The OZone.net

Brandon Castel wrote up 10 Things We Learned The Hard Way on Saturday night, and what Ohio State needs to do this season. And Tony Gerdeman has a cartoon detailing The Five Stages Of Buckeye Grief. Enjoy both.

Ohio State Needs To Regroup For 2010

Saturday night has come and gone, and Wisconsin's dominance of Ohio State is in the past. Coaches often talk about enjoying a win for a few hours; consequently, coaches need to move past difficult losses as other challenges await them in future contests.

What can Ohio State do in the short term after this disappointing loss? Here are some quick thoughts...

1. Special Teams Needs A Major Overhaul ~ I know that losing players such as Tyler Moeller and Donnie Evege have hurt depth, but Ohio State needs to reevaluate its personnel on special teams, as they have been a disaster all season. Fans have been concerned since the opener against Marshall, and analysts such as Chris Spielman have been saying that special teams would come back to bite them at some point, and everyone saw it in the opening seconds of the game at Wisconsin. One can only hope that this is a major emphasis in practice this week and in subsequent weeks, with five games remaining in conference play.

2. Ohio State Needs To Commit To The Running Game ~ Despite QB Terrelle Pryor's proclamations that his quadricep injury is fine, it was evident during the Wisconsin game that Pryor is not able to run at full speed. With five games remaining, and the possibility of inclement weather in any/all of those contests, Ohio State needs to be able to run the ball to control the clock. RB Boom Herron had a good game against Wisconsin, but other players such as Jordan Hall, Jaamal Berry, and Carlos Hyde should become more incorporated into the game plan in upcoming contests.

3. Ohio State Needs To Establish Its Third Wide Receiver ~ WR Dane Sanzenbacher is having a good senior season, but WR DeVier Posey seems to have fallen off in recent weeks. With TE Jake Stoneburner slow to recover from his injury, Ohio State needs to determine who will be their third option at receiver. RB Brandon Saine had only one reception against Wisconsin, despite his solid game against Indiana the week before.

4. Ohio State Needs To Shore Up Its Defensive Line ~ Wisconsin ran at will against Ohio State, providing a blueprint to future opponents on how to attack Ohio State. Fortunately for Ohio State, none of these teams have the type of personnel on the offensive line that Wisconsin has, but Ohio State still needs to figure out what went wrong on the defensive side of the ball. Perhaps true freshman DT Johnathan Hankins, who is heavier than 320 lbs., should rotate into the defensive line even more than he has this season?

5. Ohio State Needs To Win Its Remaining Games ~ Ohio State's loss to Wisconsin means Ohio State no longer controls its destiny. Michigan State is undefeated and is currently in the driver's seat to win The Big Ten and earn the conference's Rose Bowl berth.

Ohio State fans should become big Iowa fans between now and November 20th. Iowa can hand Wisconsin its second conference loss this coming weekend, and plays Michigan State on October 30th.

If Ohio State wins out, going 11-1, it would more than likely earn a bid to a BCS bowl such as the Orange, Sugar, or Fiesta, as Ohio State traditionally travels well to its bowl destinations, something of importance to any bowl game representative. If Ohio State stumbles anywhere along the way, look for Ohio State to still play on New Year's Day, but a bowl game such as the Capital One Bowl.

Bucknuts.com: The Massacre In Madison

First, congratulations to Wisconsin. All week, and all season, Chris Spielman kept saying how worried he was about this game, and his fears were realized by Ohio State (Wisconsin's dominant offensive line, Ohio State's lack of a running game). Wisconsin deserved to win this game, and did so.

Steve Helwagen has a good write-up of the game.

The Massacre In Madison

The Columbus Dispatch - Blogging The Buckeyes - OSU says NCAA will not investigate agent allegations

The Ohio State athletics department just released a statement regarding the Sports Illustrated story earlier this week, in which former agent Josh Luchs said he met with former OSU receiver Santonio Holmes in 2005 and Holmes told Luchs he had been taking money from an agent. "During an interview on Wednesday, Holmes stated he never received money or benefits from an agent," the statement said. "(OSU) has contacted the Agents, Gambling and Amateurism staff at the NCAA, and the NCAA has stated it does not intend to investigate anything further related to the allegations in the Sports Illustrated article based on the information that has been reported. "The Ohio State University considers this matter closed."

 

SI.com article: Confessions of former NFL agent Josh Luchs - SI.com - Magazine

Below is the link to the article in the current Sports Illustrated of the agent named Josh Luchs who admitted paying college football players. Among the players he identified was former Ohio State WR Santonio Holmes, who has denied taking money. Lengthy but good read.

Confessions of former NFL agent Josh Luchs - SI.com - Magazine

Ohio State Looks To "Jump Around" Wisconsin In Big Ten Showdown

Game Seven: Wisconsin Badgers

Location: Camp Randall Stadium (Madison, Wisconsin) 7pm EST, ESPN

Head Coach: Bret Bielema

Wisconsin Players Who Were Recruited By Ohio State: RB John Clay, OL Josh Oglesby, DE Pat Muldoon. Lesser Extent - OL Bill Nagy, WR Kyle Jefferson.

Wisconsin's Offense vs Ohio State's defense: Wisconsin is going to pound the ball with big RB John Clay and speedy RB James White, behind a traditionally massive offensive line. Both Clay and White are averaging better than six yards a carry. For those old-school football fans who yearn to see Woody Hayes' traditional "three yards and a cloud of dust", here you go. Wisconsin averages about 241 yards per game on the ground, while Ohio State's defense allows around 79 yards per game. Something has to give here.

QB Scott Tolzien had two interceptions returned for touchdowns last year, but has nearly a 70% completion percentage this year and is a very effective passer. TE Lance Kendricks creates a match-up problem for Ohio State, and will be a popular target for Tolzien on play-action passes.

Ohio State will play a traditional 4-3 set, with LB Andrew Sweat playing in place of Star Christian Bryant (the Star position is usually in for nickel packages, or against spread option or predominantly passing offenses). I will be curious to see how Ohio State tries to take Kendricks out of the game - will it be with LB Ross Homan, or will they try to cover him with S Jermale Hines?

Edge: I am going to lean towards Wisconsin here. Ohio State's defense is stout, but they have not played a team as physically imposing as Wisconsin in their previous contests. Ohio State's defensive line, led by Cameron Heyward and Nathan Williams, needs to control the line of scrimmage, or this could be a long night for Ohio State.

Ohio State's offense vs Wisconsin's defense: For better or for worse, this is the Terrelle Pryor show. Ohio State has become completely dependent on Pryor not only for its passing attack, but Pryor is arguably also Ohio State's lead rusher. When Pryor went down for a period against Illinois, the entire team's morale visibly suffered until Pryor returned. For Ohio State to win, Pryor will need to run when the opportunity presents itself, as Ohio State's rushing attack has not materialized so far this season.

RB "Boom" Herron has emerged as the leading tailback, but fans are anxious to see RBs Jordan Hall and Jaamal Berry get an opportunity to see what they can do. In a game of this magnitude, I wonder if Coach Jim Tressel will allow his young ball carriers to carry the ball in crucial situations.

WR Dane Sanzenbacher is a clutch performer who will go over the middle and make tough catches in traffic. WR DeVier Posey may be Pryor's favorite target, but Sanzenbacher bears watching in this contest. Also, TE Jake Stoneburner is expected to return, and like his counterpart Lance Kendricks, can create match-up problems for the Wisconsin defense.

Wisconsin's defense ranks 4th currently in the Big Ten, and is solid at defending the run and the pass. I am guessing Ohio State will try to spread Wisconsin out with mulitple wide receivers, or send RB Brandon Saine in motion as a receiver out of the backfield, allowing Pryor to find open receivers or take off for positive rushing yardage. It should be an interesting chess match.

Edge: Ohio State. Even with Pryor's injury, Pryor has matured in his passing skills and should be able to find the open receiver if given enough time. Keep in mind - Wisconsin is leading the conference in sacks. If Wisconsin drops too many people back into coverage, this will allow Pryor to break into the open field.

Special Teams: Ohio State's special teams have been improving since the opening game debacles, but Wisconsin is usually very good in this area. Returners Jaamal Berry and Jordan Hall have come close to breaking one for a touchdown; could this be the game for a kickoff return for a touchdown?

Edge: Wisconsin

Intangibles: Bret Bielema has not beaten Ohio State in three previous attempts, and is clearly aching for the chance to do so. The Wisconsin fans will have all day to turn Camp Randall into their favorite House Of Pain, complete with "Jump Around" blaring at the beginning of the 4th quarter. Wisconsin has won 13 of its last 14 at home.

In contrast, Coach Jim Tressel had his seniors read Lone Survivor, a book about Navy SEALs and a 2005 mission in Afghanistan, to give them an idea on how to prepare and survive in hostile enemy territory. In his career at Ohio State, Tressel is 4-3 against Wisconsin, having won the last three contests.

Edge: Wisconsin. Ohio State will want to go up quickly and big on Wisconsin, to take the crowd out of it. Traditionally, this game is usually hard-fought until the end.

Prediction: Wisconsin looks primed for the upset with this one. Chris Spielman, who in my opinion is vastly underrated as a college football analyst, has been saying all week that this is going to be a dogfight on his weekly radio show, and I believe him.

Before the season began, I ranked this as Ohio State's toughest game. Nothing has changed in the six games so far this season to make me back off my earlier prediction.

There are a lot of Ohio State fans who are concerned about Ohio State and its current BCS standings. Here is the simple truth - Ohio State cannot control the BCS standings. What Ohio State can control is its own destiny, and that is winning all of its games. With Michigan State not on the schedule, having already played and defeated Wisconsin, and also undefeated, Ohio State needs to win out in order to clinch a Rose Bowl berth, plain and simple. If Ohio State qualifies for the BCS Championship Game, that is entirely another matter that will not be settled this week.

My head is telling me to pick the Badgers, but I am going to go with Ohio State pulling out a squeaker, similar to what the EA Sports simulation of the game says, but a little closer. I am going to say Ohio State 24, Wisconsin 21.

Bucknuts.com article ~ OSU Fifth In BCS? How Can That Be?

Well-written article by Steve Helwagen of Bucknuts.com regarding Ohio State’s current BCS ranking.  And I agree wholeheartedly with what he writes at the end – Ohio State needs to win out in order to play for the national championship, something I have been saying all along.

**

How can that be?

Ohio State is No. 1 in all of the human polls – the AP poll, USA Today coaches poll and the Harris poll – but the Buckeyes are being told they are a distant fifth in what would be the BCS rankings if they were produced today.

How can that be?

Well, there are some simple explanations, really.

While the human polls are in strong like – or tepid love – with the Buckeyes, the computer polls that are averaged to fill one-third of the BCS formula are not quite as convinced.

OSU’s best computer ranking is the Billingsley Index, which has OSU sixth nationally. The others include Colley (eighth), Anderson-Hester (ninth), Massey (19^th) and Sagarin (22^nd). The BCS factors out the low and high rankings, but OSU’s computer average is still just 10^th-best.

So although OSU is No. 1 in the two human poll components (coaches poll and Harris poll), the low computer ranking drops the Buckeyes to fifth in the current BCS projections.

The first “official” BCS rankings will be released this Sunday night on ESPN (8:15 p.m.). The top two teams in the final rankings on Dec. 5 will play in the BCS national title game Jan. 10 in Glendale, Ariz.

Our friend Jerry Palm at collegebcs.com has crunched the available numbers, though. Here is a look at the top 10 in the BCS rankings right now:

1. Boise State (5-0), third in Harris and coaches polls, second in computer ranking average.

2. Oregon (6-0), second in Harris and coaches polls, seventh in computer rankings average.

3. TCU (6-0), fourth in Harris poll, fifth in coaches poll, fourth in computer rankings average.

4. Oklahoma (5-0), sixth in Harris and coaches polls, second in computer rankings average.

5. Ohio State (6-0), first in Harris and coaches polls, 10^th in computer rankings average.

6. LSU (6-0), ninth in Harris and coaches polls, first in computer rankings average.

7. Nebraska (5-0), fifth in Harris poll, fourth in coaches poll, ninth in computer rankings average.

8. Auburn (6-0), seventh in Harris and coaches polls, sixth in computer rankings average.

9. Michigan State (6-0), 12^th in Harris poll, 11^th in coaches poll, fifth in computer rankings average.

10. Alabama (5-1), eighth in Harris and coaches polls, 12^th in computer rankings average.

So How Can That Be?

The biggest explanation is that the teams Ohio State has beaten so far this year have not distinguished themselves (translation: OSU hasn’t really beaten anyone of consequence).

The six teams Ohio State has beaten have exactly one win over a I-A team with a winning record. That's Illinois with a win over Northern Illinois (4-2).

Here's who OSU's opponents have beaten:

Marshall (1-4): Beat OU (3-3, and this is a wash since OSU also played OU and it counts as a loss for OSU just as it counts for a win).

Miami (Fla.) (3-2): Beat Florida A&M (I-AA), Pittsburgh (2-3) and Clemson (2-3). Granted the Pitt and Clemson wins were on the road. But a win over Florida State (now 5-1) would have helped.

Ohio U (3-3): Beat Wofford (I-AA), Eastern Michigan (0-6, and like above this is canceled out because OSU also played EMU and it counts as a loss as well for OSU's opponents) and Bowling Green (1-5).

Eastern Michigan (0-6): Haven't beaten anybody and probably won't.

Illinois (3-2): Beat Southern Illinois (I-AA), Northern Illinois (4-2) and Penn State (3-3).

Indiana (3-2): This really hurts. They beat Towson (I-AA), Western Kentucky (0-5) and Akron (0-6).

OK, OSU's opponents have a combined record of 13-19, although six of those losses were to OSU so they are 13-13 otherwise. Deduct four of those victories because they are I-AA wins and you're down to nine I-A wins for OSU's opponents.

The combined record of the nine I-A teams OSU's opponents have beaten: 15-36

Voila, you have your explanation for why OSU's computer ranking is so low. None of their opponents have a win over a BCS conference team with a winning record. And, moreover, most of their opponents’ opponents wins are over non-BCS teams with losing records.

Heck, even a win at Wisconsin (5-1) on Saturday may not be the cure to all of OSU's ails. One of UW's wins was over I-AA Austin Peay. The rest are UNLV (1-5), San Jose State (1-5), Arizona State (3-3) and Minnesota (1-5). Their loss was to Michigan State (6-0).

The combined record of the four I-A teams the Badgers have beaten is 6-18. What is Arizona State's best win? Washington (2-3).

Comparing Apples To Oranges?

If the season ended today, it looks like Boise State would be the clear No. 1. Oregon would edge out TCU, Oklahoma and Ohio State by percentage points for the No. 2 spot.

Since the difference is in the computer rankings, let’s look at the top three schools in the computer rankings average to see what the difference is.

LSU is tops in the computer rankings average. So far the Tigers have played all six of their games against BCS conference opponents. They have wins over four I-A teams with winning records in North Carolina (3-2), Mississippi State (4-2), West Virginia (4-1) and Florida (4-2). Their opponents’ combined record is 19-14. Deducting the six losses to LSU, those opponents are 19-8 against other teams.

Of those 19 wins, LSU’s opponents have a combined six wins over I-A teams with winning records. (North Carolina has beaten Rutgers and East Carolina, Vanderbilt beat Mississippi, Mississippi State beat Houston, West Virginia beat Maryland and Florida beat South Florida).

LSU’s opponents also have three wins over I-AA opponents, meaning they have 16 wins over I-A opponents to OSU’s opponents’ nine.

Oh, and LSU still has to play at Auburn (6-0), at home against Alabama (5-1)and at Arkansas (4-1). (Egads.)

Are you starting to understand why OSU’s body of work so far is deficient in the eyes of the computers? (Remember, OSU’s opponents are 13-13 in their other games, have nine I-A wins and have just one win over a I-A team with a winning record.)

The other two notables at the top of the computer rankings are Boise State and Oklahoma, which each come in with an average computer rank of No. 2.

Boise State has two of its five wins against I-A teams with winning records in Virginia Tech (4-2) and Oregon State (3-2). Their opponents’ combined record is 13-15. Deducting the five losses to Boise State, those opponents are 13-10 against other teams.

Of those 13 wins, Boise State’s opponents have a combined five wins over I-A teams with winning records. (Virginia Tech beat East Carolina and N.C. State, Oregon State beat Louisville and Arizona and Toledo beat Purdue).

Boise State’s opponents have a 1-1 record against I-AA opponents, meaning they have 12 wins over I-A opponents to OSU’s opponents’ nine.

Now Boise State is by no means invincible where the computers are concerned. In fact, my guess is as they get into the meat of their WAC schedule and play the likes of San Jose State (1-5) and Utah State and Louisiana Tech (both 2-4), some things will catch up to them and their computer ranking will start to fall.

Oklahoma has three of its five wins over I-A teams with winning records in Florida State (5-1), Air Force (5-1) and Texas (3-2). Their opponents’ combined record is 17-11. Deducting the five losses to Oklahoma, those opponents are 17-6 against other teams.

Of those 17 wins, Oklahoma’s opponents have three wins over I-A teams with winning records. (Florida State beat Miami, Air Force beat Navy and Texas beat Texas Tech).

Oklahoma’s opponents also have four wins over I-AA opponents, meaning they have 13 wins over I-A opponents to OSU’s opponents’ nine.

OK, nine of the 13 remaining unbeaten teams currently have better computer ranking averages than Ohio State. (The three unbeatens below OSU in the computers are Nevada, Utah and Oklahoma State.)

Any way you chalk it up, OSU’s schedule does not match up to any of the schools above them – at least to date – and that’s why the Buckeyes are lagging behind in the computer rankings.

Possible Remedies For OSU

The operative words in the last paragraph are probably “at least to date.”

Short of an act of Congress enacting a college football playoff for this season, it looks like the Buckeyes probably need to win out and get some help in their quest to play for a national title.

Here are my keys to Ohio State getting to the promised land at that gigantic spaceship-like stadium in the desert (University of Phoenix Stadium) on Jan. 10:

* Win Out – This one is obvious. The competition for the spots in this year’s title game seems as fierce as ever. In six of the first 12 years of the BCS format, the title game has matched unbeaten teams. We are down to 13 unbeatens through the first six weeks of the season. There are still eight more weeks until the BCS pairings will be announced. A one-loss team like Alabama would have to be extremely impressive the rest of the way to steal a bid from an unbeaten team.

There were five unbeaten teams last year with Alabama playing Texas for the title, while Cincinnati, Boise State and TCU were all on the outside looking in.

Moreover, Cincinnati was just the second BCS conference school to finish the year unbeaten but not qualify for the title game, joining Auburn in 2004. The AP’s No. 1-ranked team has been excluded from the title game only once before when USC missed it in 2003.

I like Ohio State’s chances if the Buckeyes can get to 12-0.

* Look Good Doing It – The Buckeyes can actually improve their standing in the human polls by commanding more first-place votes.

The Buckeyes have 49 of the 59 first-place votes in the coaches poll. That means they can still improve by gaining the other 10 first-place votes in that poll.

There is even more room for improvement in the Harris poll, where OSU has 79 of the 114 first-place votes.

How do the Buckeyes garner more support from the voters? Look good doing it (translation: Win by large margins and don’t play any close games. Show no weakness, take no pity.)

Jim Tressel has never been known as a coach to run up the score. But this has become a beauty contest. Margin-of-victory means nothing in the computer rankings. (That is nowhere more apparent than in the Sagarin rankings, where OSU is 15^th when victory margin is factored in but 22^nd when it’s not.)

But big margin-of-victory wins can cloud the judgment of the human poll voters.

* Hope The Teams They Play Win Some Games – The Buckeyes obviously have no control over this one. It hurts that Michigan State and Northwestern each figure to win three to five more games and those will all be against teams OSU is playing (well, except when they play each other). That hurts since the Buckeyes don’t play those two schools this year.

But this is where OSU desperately needs Marshall to do well in Conference USA, Miami to get some things going in the ACC and Ohio U. to keep it rolling in the MAC. (Eastern Michigan is beyond a lost cause.)

* Hope The Teams Ahead Of Them In The Computers Lose – This is an inevitability since there are upsets every weekend in college football.

In the eight weeks that remain, there are no fewer than 11 games scheduled that match teams in the current top 16 in the BCS rankings. That list includes: Utah-TCU, South Carolina-Arkansas, Auburn-Arkansas, Auburn-Alabama, Oklahoma-Missouri, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, Nebraska-Oklahoma State, Nebraska-Missouri, LSU-Arkansas, LSU-Auburn and LSU-Alabama.

Plus, there are potential conference title game match-ups with Oklahoma-Nebraska in the Big 12 and South Carolina against whoever survives the rough-and-tumble SEC West.

So the top 16 in the BCS rankings will look a lot different two months from now.

Ohio State’s three toughest remaining games? At Iowa (19^th in BCS), at Wisconsin (21^st) and at home against Michigan (24^th).

* One Last Thought -- After all of this analysis of the numbers, if the Buckeyes can even move up one spot from 10^th to ninth in the computer rankings average then the Buckeyes would have enough points to move past Oregon and into the No. 2 spot in the overall BCS rankings.

So that will tell you the difference between second and fifth in the current standings is oh-so-close. So just win, baby.

 

ESPN College GameDay: Sweater Vest video

Watch ESPN College Gameday's Sweater Vest Commercial Spot - The Ohio State Buckeyes Official Athletics Site - OhioStateBuckeyes.com

The OZone.net ~ 10/11/2010 Michigan Monday article

I always enjoy Tony Gerdeman of The OZone.net's articles. His "Michigan Monday" columns are humorous, and help me to keep an eye on what That Team Up North is doing throughout the season, leading up to THE GAME.

This article reviews the Michigan/Michigan State game, and points out some alarming but true facts as they relate to That Team Up North. Enjoy...

Michigan Monday

The OZone.net article, 10/10/2010~ BCS rankings

BCS rankings