Chip's Annual Airing Of Grievances

Out of all the episodes of Seinfeld, one episode ranks as my all-time favorite. "The Strike", which popularized the idea of Festivus, The Airing Of Grievances, and The Feats Of Strength make that episode stand out more than any other in the series. Accordingly, I conduct my own "Airing of Grievances", particularly with respect to college football's future post season.

Every beginning of December, I must air my grievances with regards to the lack of a true playoff system. Oh yes, I know, a 4-team playoff will begin after the 2014 season, and I am happy for this small step towards progress.

Let me ask any of you – do any of you truly believe a 4-team playoff will make everything perfect? Do any of believe this will truly solve all of the challenges associated with finding a true college football national champion?

The solution, I believe, is very simple. Why not take every conference champion, and give them an automatic shot at the title?

And to spice it up? How about five at-large berths, for teams who did not win their conference, but are probably even more deserving than some of the lesser conferences?

Just hear me out on this. For years, a traditional argument against a playoff is that it would cheapen the regular season. Valid point.

But, if a team knew that it would be eligible to play in the playoff tournament by winning its conference, wouldn't that spice up every conference contest? Wouldn't that keep the interest in the regular season high?

Another argument against a playoff like this is that it would be too stacked towards the power conferences, a la the SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12, etc.

But, if every conference champion received an automatic berth, wouldn't that be fair to the smaller conferences? The Sun Belt, the MAC, the Mountain West...no more complaints about unfair access, like the current BCS (and very likely the forthcoming four team playoff model).

For those teams who played a tough schedule, but did not win their conference? The possibility of an at-large berth. How would those be determined? Strength of schedule. That goes back to the first argument of making every regular season count. Do you think teams would beef up those schedules, thinking that it could help to play quality opponents in non-conference play, versus the traditional creampuff approach most teams currently take?

Below is a rudimentary idea as to how this could work:

You may have noticed I placed the Sagarin Ratings next to the team. I have never met or spoken to Mr. Sagarin, and I am sure there are other computer rankings that could be incorporated into this system. For the ease of use, I included them for this little exercise.

Sixteen teams, beginning this weekend. The higher seeded team would be the home team. The second round could be held at the home team of the higher seed for December 15-16. Same for the third round, December 22-23. The national championship game could be held on January 7th, as scheduled currently, in Miami.

Now be honest  ~ who wouldn't want to watch every one of these games this weekend? Who wouldn't be curious to see if a great upset could occur, like maybe Northern Illinois defeating Kansas State, or Utah State taking out Texas A&M? How about Boise State having to go down to The Swamp to take on the Florida Gators? How good of a game would Stanford and Florida State be?

Would Alabama throttle Tulsa? Probably. Same for Oregon with Arkansas State...Oh yeah, I forgot that they played earlier in the season. Maybe Arkansas State's Gus Malzahn would have figured them out by now.

My point is, instead of voting on this, instead of arbitrary decisions as to how many tickets this team could sell, this would settle the championship on the field. Isn't that what all true competitors truly yearn for in this game?

Like I wrote up above, it's my annual Airing Of Grievances. Will it happen? No, not for the foreseeable future. The 4-team playoff will have to cut it.

Hey, if a man can wake up, with the possibilities of a unicorn lair in North Korea, why not dream of a 16-team playoff?

Undefeated Poster...

Courtesy of www.elevenwarriors.com.  Enjoy!

http://11w.s3.amazonaws.com/artwork/game-posters/2012/201213-game-poster.pdf

"How Dumb Is Chip?!?"

Tonight Ohio State will honor the 2012 football team for its undefeated record.  The event is sold out, and I will be anxious to see if this will have a positive effect on the many recruits in attendance.

Facebook posted a picture from about ten years ago, after Ohio State won the national championship.  Ohio State sponsored an outdoor event in Ohio Stadium on January 18, 2013, honoring the team.

My cousin John and I were among the many attendees who braved the bitter cold.  As the picture states, it was below zero.

A humorous anecdote from the event...

John lives in the Columbus area, and was talking to a friend about how he was going to attend this event, back in January 2003.  Knowing how cold the event was going to be, John's friend said something to the effect that John had to be dumb to go to sit outside for such an event.

John then proceeded to tell his friend, "Well, my cousin Chip lives up in the Cleveland area, and he is driving down to Columbus for this.  If I am dumb to go to this, then how dumb is Chip?!?"

Very valid question.

Hope everyone has a great weekend...

Will Carlos Hyde "Take The Money and Run" to the NFL?

At the conclusion of every college football season, it is pretty much the same story. Fans wonder if some of their favorite players will skip their senior season to seek the riches of the National Football League.

It kind of reminds me of one of my favorite greatest hits compilations. Greatest Hits 1974-78 by The Steve Miller Band ranks as one of the best-selling albums in history, and I am partial to the song, "Take The Money And Run".

Ohio State fans are all curious as to whether defensive lineman Johnathan Hankins and/or cornerback Bradley Roby will be leaving early. Speculation about both players leaving for the NFL has been fairly consistent throughout the 2012 season.

While I have not heard much about this next player, the more I think about it, the more I wonder...
Will Carlos Hyde leave Ohio State for the NFL?

Before I continue, I want to emphasize that I do not believe Carlos Hyde should leave for the NFL. Hyde was truly instrumental in Ohio State's perfect season in 2012. Hyde will certainly enter into 2013 spring football as the starting running back.

Carlos Hyde carried the football 185 times for 970 yards, averaged 5.2 yards per carry, with sixteen touchdowns on the ground. Hyde also added 8 receptions for 51 yards, with one touchdown through the air. These accomplishments helped land Carlos Hyde on the 2nd-team All-Big Ten team for 2012.

Why would Hyde leave Ohio State, after such a great season as a junior? Carlos Hyde just came within thirty yards of a 1000 yard rushing season, and that was with missing 2.5 games with a sprained MCL during the Central Florida game in September. Hyde demonstrated how a power runner could truly carry Coach Urban Meyer's during the crucial Big Ten run in October and November.

Who else on the roster could fulfill Carlos Hyde's role as a power runner, if needed in 2013? Look at the depth chart for 2013, and think this through.

How about Rod Smith, who surprisingly emerged as an alternative this season? Rod Smith will be a redshirt junior next season, and at a listed 6'3", 228 pounds, could be a possibility. Yes, I know Rod Smith has had fumbling issues in the past, but perhaps with another Coach Meyer offseason, will finally take strides towards becoming the player Ohio State fans envisioned when Rod Smith signed with the Buckeyes in 2010.

How about Bri'onte Dunn? Dunn played sparingly as a true freshman in 2012, but is listed at 6'1", 210 pounds. Dunn could also fulfill a power runner role for the Buckeyes.

How about Warren Ball? Ball redshirted in 2012, after suffering an injury in preseason fall camp. Ball is listed at 6'1", 215 pounds on Ohio State's website.

I want to emphasize – I do not want Carlos Hyde to leave for the NFL. I am merely speculating on how Carlos Hyde may be comparing his situation with that of Wisconsin's Montee Ball.

Montee Ball has had a tremendous career with Wisconsin. Ball recently set the NCAA career touchdown record with 79 touchdowns, and has rushed for nearly 5000 yards in four seasons.

Will Montee Ball play in the NFL? Absolutely. Will he play for long in the NFL? That is completely uncertain.

Montee Ball has already carried the ball a lot during his college career. And there is a belief that running backs only have so many carries in their bodies. Perhaps Carlos Hyde will think to himself that if he is going to carry the ball, he should get paid for it by an NFL team.

Will Carlos Hyde decide to "Take The Money And Run" to the NFL? I am hoping the answer is no, but only Carlos Hyde knows for certain (and it could depend on how he's graded by the league's NFL Draft advisory board; no early projections have him as a first or second day pick).

Carlos Hyde will not need to make a decision until the beginning of January 2013. Ohio State fans may have to be prepared to bid adieu to a major reason for the successful 2012 season at that time.

Ohio State's (Inexact) Science Of Recruiting

Ohio State's 2012 season concluded with the 26-21 victory over That Team Up North.  Ohio State invited many of its already verbally committed 2013 recruits, as well as other 2013 recruits that are still being actively sought by the Buckeyes.

Under Coach Urban Meyer, Ohio State has already begun the process of evaluating players for its 2014 class. Taking that into consideration, these are players who have just concluded, or are in the process of concluding, their respective junior years of high school football competition.
I enjoy football recruiting as much as the next college football fan. I will merely offer some words of caution and restraint, from past experiences.

In 1995, I was a volunteer recruiting assistant for Ohio State. The opportunity to scout high school players within the Columbus area, for then-Ohio State recruiting coordinator Bill Conley, led me to a scouting internship with the NFL's Washington Redskins in the summer of 1996.

When I helped Ohio State back in 1995 as a recruiting volunteer for Coach Conley, the Internet was not a factor. I can honestly tell you that "the board" Ohio State used was just that – a board. I remember Ohio State's top quarterbacks were Mark Garcia out of a California junior college, who then-Ohio State quarterback Coach Walt Harris loved and wanted, Tim Couch, and Rashard Casey.

Coach Harris scouted Tim Couch at one of his Kentucky high school games, and loved him. Couch never truly considered Ohio State before signing with Kentucky. I sometimes wonder how Couch's career may have turned out if he had been coached by a true guru of the West Coast offense, like Coach Harris, instead of the offense Tim Couch eventually played in at Kentucky under Hal Mumme.

Rashard Casey of New Jersey signed with Penn State. Casey eventually started for Penn State as a dual-threat quarterback from 1998 through 2000.

For those who remember in 1996, Ohio State's Bobby Hoying had concluded his Ohio State career. Stanley Jackson was returning, as well as some other quarterback named Joe Germaine, whom the coaches did not really seem excited or enthusiastic about heading into spring football in 1996.

Ohio State signed Mark Garcia, and he hardly played. For all of the recruiting hype and excitement the Ohio State coaches had for Mark Garcia, Garcia could not beat out either Stanley Jackson or Joe Germaine at quarterback.

Flash forward to the fall of 2001. Mike D'Andrea was rated as one of the top linebackers in the nation. D'Andrea was signed in the same linebacker class as A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter, and Stan White, and was more highly-touted than his classmates.

Mike D'Andrea never developed into the dominant player recruiting analysts predicted. Injuries ended D'Andrea's career, which was unfortunate, but honestly, how many big plays was he involved in at Ohio State as a middle linebacker?

Now with Curtis Grant, it seems as though Ohio State has missed the boat again on a highly-touted middle linebacker. Curtis Grant was beaten out at middle linebacker by Zach Boren, a former high school linebacker, and Storm Klein. For what it is worth, Curtis Grant was ranked the second-best prospect in the country for the 2011 recruiting class.

Not Ohio State's recruiting class. The entire country, in 2011.

My point? Sometimes it seems as though Ohio State fans jump up and down about how so-and-so is rated as a 4 star player or 5 star player commits to Ohio State, and the guy just does not seem to measure up. And the reality is recruiting analysts who rate them are not football coaches, whose livelihoods are dependent on making accurate assessments.

Am I suggesting that Ohio State is the only team to have recruited players not turn out as expected? Not at all.

Between now and February, players will commit to Ohio State. Players will turn Ohio State down. And I will maintain my strong faith in Coach Meyer and the Ohio State coaching staff on their collective evaluations of the players who decide to become Buckeyes.

No matter who finishes up Ohio State's 2013 recruiting class, my biggest concern is not how many recruiting analysts' stars will be next to the player's name, but how that player will wind up contributing as a Buckeye.

THE GAME 2012 in pictures

Pre-game with Tim Tallaksen (taking the picture), Jay Kimball, Eric Nettle, and myself at Todd's tailgate by St. John Arena pre-game.

Some .gif files, courtesy of Land-Grant Holy Land, a blog I occasionally contribute to and highly recommend...

Coach Tressel being lifted onto shoulders by his 2002 national championship team in between the first and second quarter.

Coach Meyer naturally irked at the atrocious officiating...

Ohio State's Braxton Miller on a long run near the end of the 3rd quarter...

Coach Meyer showered with Gatorade in the closing seconds of the 26-21 victory over That Team Up North

And the view of victory from the perspective of Tim Tallaksen and Jay Kimball

Script Ohio

So awesome to see in person at THE GAME...