Category: Buckeyes Wire

WATCH: Kerry Coombs has epic and noble response to changes on the defense

If you haven’t seen this, it’s one of those videos and quotes that you’ll want to show as a learning lesson on how to handle adversity!

There simply isn’t any room for error at a place like Ohio State. When the offense or defense isn’t clicking — and most specifically — when a loss surfaces, the natives get more restless than a bug at an exterminator convention.

We got a glimpse of that early this season when the Buckeyes’ struggled mightily on the defensive end, and defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs became the enemy of the people. There were blown assignments, bad technique, and puzzling personnel and playcalling according to many. Then, after the loss to Oregon and the less-than-stellar showing against Tulsa, it all came to a head.

Head coach Ryan Day vowed to make whatever changes needed to get the defense playing much better, and that went as far as having tough conversations with staff members, including Coombs. It even got to the point of changing defensive playcalling duties from Coombs to secondary coach Matt Barnes.

And so it went.

Since then, we’ve seen improvement on defense, and an improvement with the overall productivity of the team. But we had yet to really know what Coombs thought about it all. Was he bitter? Was there a longing to move on from the program? We’ve seen it many times before, but rarely do we see something like this at Ohio State.

It turns out, Coombs is a pretty legit guy. He met with the media this week and was asked about all the changes and how he felt about his role being changed. If you haven’t watched it, it’s definitely something that you’re going to want to save somewhere and have it ready to pull up because it’s a great teaching moment for youngsters and people set in their ways alike. Especially in a world that is becoming ever-increasingly about the individual and less about others.

It’s exactly the type of approach and words you want to hear from a person that isn’t looking for something to just be handed to him.

I have to say, Kerry Coombs has always had a great reputation as a person with whomever he has worked around and with, but it just went to a new level with how that type of response.

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C.J. Stroud rises in USA TODAY’s latest quarterback rankings

Where does Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY rank C.J. Stroud this week among all college football quarterbacks?

Ohio State freshman quarterback C.J. Stroud is beginning to turn heads across the country. The first few games of the season may have been a little slow and inconsistent, but the last couple of contests have shown a quarterback that seems to be brimming with confidence and making more decisive and accurate throws.

He’s now elbowed his way right into the thick of the Heisman race, and with it, other accolades have followed — not only from the Midwestern media — but from the national media as well.

Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY ranks the quarterbacks in college football each week, and Stroud has moved on up the list to close to the top. He’s not the king of the hill just yet, but he’s making moves quickly.

So, where does Myerberg have Stroud this week?

NEXT … Paul Myerberg ranks C.J. Stroud among all quarterbacks

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Thayer Munford named Lombardi Award semifinalist

Thayer Munford one of 12 semifinalists for the Lombardi Award. #GoBucks

Ohio State left guard Thayer Munford has been named one of 12 semifinalists for the Lombardi Award, an honor that goes to college football’s top offensive or defensive lineman annually.

Munford has a ton of experience and is a team captain for 2021. He has a total of 51 games in the scarlet and gray under his belt, 38 of those as a starter. He took advantage of the extra year of eligibility as a “super senior” afforded college athletes due to the COVID-19 pandemic and graduated in August.

On the field, Munford has helped anchor an offensive line that has given up only eight sacks on the year and has helped an OSU offense that ranks as No. 1 in total offense (563.2 yards/game), No. 3 in scoring (48.5 points/game), and No. 3 in rushing offense in yards per attempt (6.2).

Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Thayer Munford (75) is taken off the field after an injury in the first quarter during an NCAA Division I football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Out of Cincinnati, Munford was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and the media in 2020, and was the second-ever recipient of the “Block-0” jersey given in recognition of Bill Willis.

The list will be paired down to four finalists by the Rotary Club of Houston on Nov. 9, and the winner at an awards dinner on Dec. 8.

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C.J. Stroud starting to get serious traction in Heisman odds

C.J. Stroud is getting himself right into the Heisman conversation with his improved play. #GoBucks

Even when it wasn’t going great, it was still going good for Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud. The Buckeyes lost a game to Oregon and all the calls for a new quarterback got louder, but all the freshman did was take home the Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on a routine basis. Sure, there were a few overthrows, but the kid is a freshman learning how to play on the big stage.

Stroud threw for 294 yards in game one against Minnesota, backed that up with almost 500 yards through the air against Oregon, fell back a bit against Tulsa as the running game got going, then threw for 330 and 406 yards against Rutgers and Maryland. Needless to say, he’s on a torrid pace.

And most recently, Stroud has hit another level after sitting out the game against Akron to rest an ailing shoulder. In fact, over the last two games, Stroud has completed 73 percent of his passes (41-of-56) for 736 yards with 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions.

And people are starting to notice, so much so that he’s now beginning to figure into some of the shortlist conversations with the Heisman. According to the online sportsbook Tipico, Stroud now has the third-best odds at taking home the bronze statue at +700. Right in front of the OSU signal-caller is a pair of other quarterbacks, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (+150) and Matt Corral (+200) of Ole Miss.

All Betting Lines are Courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) talk during a timeout in the third quarter of a NCAA Division I football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021 at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Stroud has yet to have a statement game in front of a national audience and will likely need it to continue to make a move, but he should get ample opportunity with games against Penn State, Michigan State, and Michigan still to go. He may also get a shot to play in Indy for the Big Ten Championship game.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Stroud and Ohio State have to travel to Indiana for a road contest against the Hoosiers first in a nighttime affair next weekend first. As a side note, TreVeyon Henderson is also starting to get some buzz, and tied for the sixt-best odds.

Here’s the rest of the top ten according to Tipico’s Heisman odds:

NEXT … Top Ten Heisman odds according to Tipico

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Big Ten football Week 7 television schedule, key facts

We bring you the where and how to watch every Big Ten game this weekend!

Week 6 of the college football season is in the books and the Ohio State Buckeyes are coming off of another impressive victory against another Big Ten opponent in the Maryland Terrapins, 66-17. Ohio State is entering its bye week along with a few other Big Ten teams and looking to use the time to rest and get healthy, but we wanted to provide the details of the upcoming week in Big Ten football.

The league had a pretty incredible game between Iowa and Penn State last week, but this one is a little more ho-hum, though there are still some pretty good games to watch. After all, it’s football, so, we’re game no matter what.

Let’s dive into this week’s schedule

Updated ESPN game-by-game predictions for Ohio State football’s remaining schedule

How have things moved with ESPN’s game-by-game predictions for the rest of Ohio State’s schedule? Which game are you the most worried about? #GoBucks

Relax Ohio State football fans. The Buckeyes are officially on a bye-week and do so after looking a whole lot better than what we saw during the first few weeks.

Each week, even during a week off, we like to check in with the Football Power Index from ESPN to see what it predicts for the remainder of the games on OSU’s schedule. It’s been an up and down look, with the percentage probability of winning each game going through ebbs and flows as Ohio State started to show some warts, with a bit of a rebound over the last couple of weeks. There was even a point in which Michigan was favored to beat the Buckeyes according to the model.

But where are we now? Michigan and Michigan State both won again to remain undefeated, but Penn State dropped a close one when quarterback Sean Clifford got injured and couldn’t return in a top-five matchup with the Iowa Hawkeyes.

It all has changed what ESPN’s FPI thinks will happen with each of the six remaining games in 2021, so let’s see which way things have moved.

Big Ten bowl projections, College Football Playoff predictions after Week 6

A look at where we believe all the Big Ten teams will go bowling, and an added prediction of what teams will make the playoff. #GoBucks

The Big Ten has a rich, rich history in bowl games, and the expectations are that it will continue in 2021, or so we think.

Here at Buckeyes Wire, we keep the tradition going and give you a look at where we think all the teams in the conference will end up when the dust settles on the season, one that is hopefully COVID-19 drama-free.

We re-evaluate after each week with games and projects based on what we have seen. Week 6 offered some more drama that changed things significantly, and we’re doing our best to adjust. It won’t be the last fly in the ointment.

Keep in mind these scenarios are very complicated with bowl-tie-ins and contractual preferences for teams that have not been involved in certain matches, so we do our best to track it all.

Here’s a look at the bowl projections after Week 6 of the college football season.

What does FiveThirtyEight have Ohio State’s chances of making the College Football Playoff?

What do the folks at FiveThirtyEight think about Ohio State’s playoff chances? What do you think of its chances? #GoBucks

The Ohio State football team has begun to show signs of life after starting the 2021 season slowly. But, now that the coaching staff has a better idea of where some of the young talent should be plugged in on this team and the best scheme and style to make it all work together, we’ve seen the Buckeyes look more like the Buckeyes of recent years past.

So much so that after being a bit of an afterthought in the College Football Playoff race after the loss to Oregon, OSU is now back in the thick of things. But how much it is in the mix varies on who you’re talking to, or what you are reading.

If you’ve been around for a while, we’re sure you are aware of the folks at FiveThirtyEight, a website built on analytics and probabilities used to predict a wide array of things, including sports — most notably in our sweet spot — the College Football Playoff. ESPN likes to lean heavily on their model, and we even check in on it from time to time as well.

Now that we’re halfway through the season, it seems fitting to see what FiveThirtyEight has to say about the chances of Ohio State getting into the College Football Playoff. We know that OSU is ranked No. 6 in both the Associated Press and USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll, but what are its chances taking into account the remaining schedule and all the other teams that are out there when you take all the metrics upon metrics mix it up in a can and dump it out?

Well, according to FiveThirtyEight, Ohio State has the sixth-best chances in the country to make the College Football Playoff. OSU currently has a 27 percent chance of making the final four teams behind Georgia (72 percent), Oklahoma (48 percent), Alabama (40 percent), Iowa (38 percent), and Cincinnati (27 percent).

Now, while that doesn’t seem like great news, the model does allow for a couple of variables that you can check off. One of them is the possibility that the Buckeyes win out. In that case, Ohio State has a greater than 99 percent chance of making the CFP if it wins out according to whatever formula goes into how the sausage is made. That would most likely include a win over potentially Iowa in the Big Ten Championship game.

So, while FiveThirtyEight has OSU with just the sixth-best shot at making the playoff, the model clearly thinks it controls its own destiny.

These percentages and predictions will all change by week with new rankings and new results, so we’ll continue to check up on what’s going on over there. In the meantime, enjoy the bye-week and get ready for what we hope is one whale of a second half of the season.

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Buckeyes in the NFL: Notable former Ohio State football player Week 5 NFL defensive performances

How did these former #Buckeyes play in the NFL this week on the defensive side of the ball?

The Ohio State football team dismantled the Maryland Terrapins 66-17, and has moved up in both the AP and the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches polls. It appears the Buckeyes are starting to hit their stride on both offense and defense, and I could not be more excited. It appears Ohio State is back to controlling its College Football Playoff prospects.

Despite the excitement for the Buckeyes being at an all-time high, it’s time to dive into some of the most notable NFL performances for the week. We all love to watch a little scarlet and gray on Sundays, and we bring you what you crave to follow your former OSU players that are on NFL rosters littered across the league.

What the top ten of the College Football Playoff might have looked like after Week 6

What might the College Football Playoff Rankings have looked like if released after Week 6?

For all intents and purposes, the college football season is halfway over. That means we’re getting closer and closer to the first release of the College Football Playoff Rankings on November 2. By then, we’ll have a much better idea of who stacks up where because Ohio State will have played Penn State, Michigan will have done battle against Michigan State, and other key matchups across the country will have taken place.

But we’re not waiting until then to speculate, because well — that’s one of the things we do best in throwing caution to the wind. There’s still a lot that will transpire in the next few weeks during this zainey college football season, but here’s what we think the top ten of the College Football Playoff rankings could have been if released after Week 6.