Category: Buckeyes Wire

WATCH: Ryan Day 2019 debrief press conference

Ryan Day met with the media in Columbus to discuss and reflect on the 2019 season today. Watch what he said.

By now Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has had some time to decompress from the tough loss in the desert at the Fiesta Bowl and really digest the remarkable season he just guided the Buckeyes to. There’s no doubt that it still feels like an opportunity lost, but in retrospect, what the team achieved — a Big Ten Championship, undefeated regular-season, and appearance in the College Football Playoff — is a great season even by Ohio State standards.

Day had a chance to meet with the media today to reflect in a 2019 debrief press conference. In case you didn’t get a chance to catch all of his comments, you can get them all here courtesy of the official website of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

During the extensive session, Day touched on the past season, how his team is trying to move on from a tough loss against Clemson, where he sees the team going, and more.

Where did Ohio State football finish in USA TODAY’s final re-rank of college football teams?

USA TODAY finished up its final college football re-rank that it has done throughout the season. Where did Ohio State end up?

There are polls, and then there are opinions. Count the USA TODAY weekly re-rank by Paul Myerberg as the latter, but we followed it all season because it seemed to make more sense of the actual results on the field. Myerberg often had Ohio State at No. 1 because all the metrics and on-field results justified the means. It wasn’t simply a preseason expectation rolled through the assembly line.

So, now that the season is over and LSU has been crowned king of the college football world, where did Myerberg put Ohio State in his last and final re-rank? Probably about where you, your significant other, and cousin all expect. The Buckeyes finish the season at No. 3 behind LSU and Clemson (DISCLAIMER: No officials were harmed in the making of this article).

So which teams round out the top ten? Georgia somehow ended up at No. 4 (SighEC), Oregon checked in at No. 5, while the rest went Oklahoma (6), Alabama (7), Penn State (8), Baylor (9), and Florida (10).

So, there you have it. It’s becoming increasingly clear that Ohio State is the consensus No. 3 team in the country whether it be the traditional polls or by way of some of the opinion-makers out there. And it makes sense. Although I’ll go to my grave believing the Buckeyes were better than Clemson, they still lost. And yeah, LSU looked fantastic against those Tigers that beat the Buckeyes.

Now, let’s go get it done next year eh OSU?

Justin Fields favorite to win Heisman in 2020 according to FanDuel

FanDuel has installed Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields as the early favorite to win the Heisman Trophy in 2020.

By all accounts and measures, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields surpassed the expectations of a new starter in Columbus. Just when you thought the next Buckeye quarterback couldn’t come close to what Dwayne Haskins did in 2018, Fields elbowed his way to New York as a Heisman Finalist.

We all knew at that point it was nothing more than an all-expenses paid trip to watch LSU quarterback Joe Burrow win the bronze statue, but it was still an experience for him and fellow OSU star Chase Young.

It may have also set him up for 2020.

In fact, according to the Sportsbook Fan Duel, Fields is your odds on favorite to win the Heisman Trophy in 2020 at +175. Right behind him is Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence at +430. Past those top two are Nebraska’s Adrian Martinez and Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler at +1200, followed by transfer-to-be D’Eriq King, and Wake Forest quarterback Jamie Newman, both with odds of +1600.

There are multiple media outlets predicting success for the Ohio State football team in 2020, and if it ultimately breaks down some of those thoughts, Fields will have a lot to do with it.

Ohio State with 3rd best odds to win national title in 2020 according to BetOnline

BetOnline has come out with its national title odds for the 2020 college football season, and Ohio State has the 3rd best odds.

Ohio State came achingly close to traveling to New Orleans to play in the national title in 2019. As the No. 2 seed, it outplayed the Clemson Tigers but didn’t take advantage of opportunities in the red zone, and got a slew of breaks and calls go against it. So, the Buckeyes sat on the couch and watched LSU dismantle Dabo Swinney and his crew.

Now — as is the case with every college football season — there are defections and losses due to graduation, early NFL declarations, and transfer portal shenanigans to deal with. Ohio State must replace and reload the talent it lost at key positions.

But there’s a lot back to like as well. A healthy Justin Fields will be slinging the ball around the field to some highly touted wide-receivers, the offensive line has a ton of talent and experience back, and the front seven on defense is deep and talented again.

It’s enough to think Ohio State could make another run at this thing. And we’re not the only ones that think so. The wise-guys in Vegas also believe OSU is going to be one of those teams that have a great shot at making it to Miami next year to have a shot at winning one on South Beach.

According to BetOnline in fact, the Buckeyes have the third-best odds to win the national championship for the 2020 season. Ohio State (+450) is just behind Clemson (+225) and Alabama (+350), and ahead of LSU and Georgia. Sounds like some usual suspects in there again.

Now, before you celebrate or throw vitriol the way of BetOnline (depending on which way you think), we must remind you that LSU was an afterthought in these sorts of things around this time last year. The Tigers were barely inside the top ten, but that was before a kid from southeast Ohio became the gunslinger he is today.

Seven months and counting …

LOOK: Ohio State basketball’s win over Nebraska in stunning photos

Ohio State put an end to its losing streak, controlling the game against Nebraska throughout. Here are some stunning images of the action.

The Ohio State basketball team finally got its first win of the new year, taking it to the Nebraska Cornhuskers from start to finish in an 80-68 win Tuesday night. It was a much better showing for a Buckeye team that had fallen on hard times.

The action was more decisive, intent, and purposeful for Ohio State and we’ve captured a lot of some of the memorable moments from Tuesday night in the Schott in stunning photos.

Take a scroll down through sixteen high-resolution images that capture the night Ohio State got back on the winning track. Hopefully we’ll be able to encapsulate more images of winning moments in the near future.

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Four teams given better grades than Ohio State by USA TODAY for 2019 college football season

Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY graded all 130 college football FBS teams. What grade did he hand out to Ohio State?

The college football season is over. We’ll pause for a moment and let the tears stop flowing.  Okay, we must move onward, so we will.

It’s now time to reflect on the season that was, and Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY has done so by dishing out grades for all 130 FBS teams from 2019. It must be noted that teams are graded on a curve based on expectations. For example, Minnesota’s season is graded differently than Alabama, who failed to make the College Football Playoff for the first time.

So where is Ohio State? The Buckeyes weren’t thought to be a threat to the College Football Playoff by many because of a year of transition. One that saw the loss of head coach Urban Meyer and quarterback Dwayne Haskins, among several other significant unknowns.

But instead of taking a slide back, the Buckeyes and new head coach Ryan Day went undefeated in the regular season and made the College Football Playoff. It ultimately ended in frustration and despair with a loss to Clemson that felt like highway robbery in the desert, but still — it was a fantastic season.

Myerberg gave Ohio State an A, but failed to peg it with an A+, probably largely because of the historical expectations heaped on the program. There were only four teams graded out with an A+. Those teams were LSU, Clemson, Baylor, and Minnesota.

There were six other teams he gave an A to. Those include Air Force, Appalachian State, Florida, Memphis, Navy, and SMU.

It’s fun being a fan of a program like Ohio State, but it sure makes it tough to blast through such high expectations. This is one example. Of course the Buckeyes could have beaten Clemson and won a national title, but with what Ryan Day was dealing with, it’s hard to think of a better coaching job in America aside from what LSU’s Ed Orgeron did down in Baton Rouge.

By the way, Michigan received a B-. Who’s got it better than them?

Where is Ohio State football on USA TODAY’s early top 25 for 2020?

USA TODAY has come out with its early college football top 25 for 2020. Where is Ohio State? Reactions will probably vary.

Ohio State has to find a way to deal with some key departures from its 2019 team. Guys like Chase Young and J.K. Dobbins are off to bigger and better things at the next level, but for the team coming back in 2020, it’s time to turn the page and look ahead.

For all the key members moving on, there’s still a lot to like. Namely, Ryan Day is still pulling the strings with quarterback Justin Fields coming back to lead what should be an explosive offense.

Now that LSU has capped off one of the best seasons in college football memory, there are several folks dissecting what 2020 might look like in the fall across the entire landscape of the college football universe.

One of those is our friend Paul Myerberg at our mother-ship USA TODAY. He has come out with his early top 25 for next year and Ohio State is high up on the list.

According to Myerberg, he has the Buckeyes at No. 3, just behind Clemson (1) and Alabama (2) once again. Here’s what he says about Ohio State.

There are going to be several key holes to fill, notably with the departures of stars Chase Young, J.K. Dobbins and Jeff Okudah. But the Buckeyes are in steady hands in second-year coach Ryan Day and quarterback Justin Fields, and very likely motivated to leave no doubt after feeling robbed by officiating during the Fiesta Bowl loss to Clemson.

We’ve already argued that Ohio State could get a look at N0. 1. It’ll probably be compared most closely with Clemson since both have their starting quarterback returning, as opposed to teams like Alabama that must replace a starter under center.

Either way, you’re really splitting hairs with teams like Clemson, Ohio State, and Alabama. The Buckeyes should be dynamic and be in the running for the College Football Playoff again in 2020.

 

WATCH: Head coach Chris Holtmann Nebraska postgame press conference

Ohio State rolled Nebraska Tuesday night to put a stop to a 4-game losing streak. Here are four things we learned.

Ohio State got the monkey off its back. Finally, after a four-game losing streak that dated back to the West Virginia game on December 29, the Buckeyes got back into the win column — its first since the turn of the new year.

OSU did it by shooting the ball much better, making better passes, and by not turning the ball over as much. Head coach Chris Holtmann was in a much better mood when he met with the media following the game Tuesday night, and thanks to the Columbus Dispatch’s YouTube channel, you can listen to his entire comments below.

Click and listen to Holtmann discuss the status of the suspension of Luther Muhammad and Duane Washington, his team’s better offensive performance, the challenge of playing against Nebraska, and more.

Ohio State’s next game is Saturday against Penn State. It’ll be a challenge. They all are in the Big Ten.

Ohio State basketball beats Nebraska. Three things we learned.

Ohio State basketball got back in the winning column Tuesday night as it rolled over Nebraska at home. Here are 3 things we learned.

The Ohio State basketball team finally experienced the sweet taste of victory in 2020. It had lost four games in a row and looked like a shell of itself against West Virginia and once the Big Ten teams started elbowing their way into the schedule.

What’s a bit ironic is that the Buckeyes did it as a shell of itself — with two starting guards missing from the lineup. Both Luther Muhammad and Duane Washington, Jr, were suspended prior to the game for “failure to meet program standards and expectations.”

The team responded and hit the Cornhuskers on the chin with the Buckeyes separating early and rolling the rest of the way through the remainder of the game. It all led to an impressive 80-68 win in front of the home crowd.

Here are three things we learned.

Next … Better shooting

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Big Ten Bowl Impact: Michigan vs Alabama

We look back on the Citrus Bowl game between Michigan and Alabama and see how it impacted both the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

With the 2019 college football season officially in the books, it’s time to look back on how the Big Ten did in bowl games.

As we go through all the bowls, in no particular order, we will focus on two main things:

1. How did the bowl performance end the 2019 season? Was it a fitting end or a poor performance, etc.
2. What impact, if any, will it have on the 2020 season.

2020 Citrus Bowl: Michigan vs Alabama

The matchup

Michigan came into the Citrus Bowl as an underdog against Alabama. The Crimson Tide were coming off their worst season in almost a decade, but they were still a Top 10 team in both major polls. Alabama had a dominant offense and receiving corps, though the lack of injured quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was a concern. Still, the matchup was obviously in Alabama’s favor. The Crimson Tide had more expected NFL players, better strength in the trenches, better skill position players (except maybe at quarterback), and a much stronger rushing attack. Honestly, it was a surprise that the line before the game was only one score.

What went right

I know this is an Ohio State site, but for the purposes of this series, I’m talking from the Big Ten’s conference perspective. So as a Buckeye fan, you might want to swap this section with the following one.

Basically, this game was a tale of two halves for Michigan. And it was the first half that went right for the Wolverines. Michigan clearly came in with a game plan on both sides of the ball that was meant to neutralize Alabama’s advantages. And while some Alabama receivers did get free, Michigan managed to keep all but Jerry Jeudy mostly in check throughout the game. Jeudy, though, was just unguardable. If Mac Jones had targeted him more in the first half, this game may not have been as close as it was.

What went wrong

Michigan carried a lead into halftime, but it went away from its offensive gameplan in the second half. The running game was all-but abandoned. The offense only managed one semi-successful drive in the whole half. And as the offense got more desperate due to lack of success and trailing in the game, it just got less and less effective. The defense still stood up and didn’t give up too much, but there was no guarding Jeudy, and that was enough for Alabama to keep the game out of reach.

Next… 2019 wrap-up and 2020 impact

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