Category: Buckeyes Wire

Week 13 Ohio State football rooting interests

What should Ohio State football fans root for this weekend? Let’s break it all down, from the SEC to the Pac 12.

Before we get into our third-to-last Rooting Interests of the season, we have to point out exactly what scenarios we are dealing with. With so few weeks left in the season, we can be more precise about the scenarios we’re pinning down. For example, Ohio State has no reason to care if it loses the Michigan game (unless the Buckeyes also lose a second game). Go 12-1 with a Big Ten title and a loss to Michigan, and the Buckeyes are in. So there’s no need to discuss that. Therefore, when looking an Ohio State’s potential rooting interests this week, recognize that we’re looking at what keeps the Buckeyes in the Playoff if they lose to either Penn State, or against Minnesota or Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game.

So, with that conversation out of the way, let’s look at the games. Miami of Ohio’s win over Akron was awful, and probably hurt Ohio State in some of the fancier SOS metrics. That shouldn’t matter much. Nor should Georgia Tech’s win over N.C. State, though it does make Clemson’s weak resume even worse.

As we get to the weekend, don’t bother looking at the SEC games. This is the penultimate week of the regular season, which is now officially called SEC Cupcake Week (trademark pending). The SEC West teams face opponents like Western Carolina, Samford, Abilene Christian, and Arkansas. Texas A&M beating Georgia won’t hurt the Buckeyes, but it does also help Alabama’s resume a bit. Missouri taking out Tennessee won’t mean much, but it would lock Alabama into beating a maximum of two P5 teams with winning records.

If Ohio State wants to stay ahead of Oklahoma (or Baylor, but I think that’s locked in already), root for the Big 12’s overall profile to look weaker. That means West Virginia upsetting Oklahoma State, and Kansas taking out Iowa State if possible. Kansas State losing to Texas Tech probably helps as well. And, of course, either Oklahoma or Baylor losing would go a long way to making this conversation moot; both losing would end the Big 12’s Playoff hopes.

In the ACC, it’s better if Pitt beats Virginia Tech, because that would strengthen Penn State’s overall profile. Virginia losing to Liberty seems unlikely, but would further weaken Clemson’s resume if Virginia reaches the ACC Championship Game by winning next week. Syracuse beating Louisville and Duke beating Wake Forest would also hurt Clemson’s resume. Any gain that Alabama might get from a Duke win is easily offset by what Clemson loses. Then again, Clemson is very likely going 13-0, so it might be too late to root against its resume.

And, of course, there is the Pac 12 to discuss. Washington and USC losing will wipe at any chance of multiple ranked wins by the Pac 12 champion, but at this point it looks like the Buckeyes might need a loss by either Utah or Oregon (or both) to feel safe about staying in front of a Pac 12 champion.

At night, Cincinnati gets a national spotlight against Temple. The Bearcats have really struggled the past few weeks, and they need to impress if they want their ranking to move back up. Also in the AAC, it’s probably a little better if SMU beats Navy, but that doesn’t matter too much. Lastly, keep an eye on Conference-USA. FAU should have no trouble with UTSA, but if the Buckeyes want three nonconference opponents that win their conferences (or divisions), Marshall has to lose a game. That means either this week at Charlotte or next week at home against FIU. Neither of those upsets is impossible, but they are upsets.

Next… Who to root for in Big Ten games

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Week 13 College Football Bowl Projections

Want to know where your team is likely to go bowling? Here are my current projections for all 39 FBS bowl games, including the CFP.

Welcome to the first of three sets of bowl projections that I will be providing. Make sure not to miss Phil Harrison’s projections. Every week, Phil projects to the end of the season and gives you where he thinks the Big Ten teams will end up.

I, however, will not be predicting who will win games. Instead, these projections are based on where every team sits now. Meaning, if the season ended today, where would every team be heading to bowl games? That way, readers can know what their team needs to do to move up or down in bowl selection order.

Now, I do have to admit that a small bit of prognosticating is necessary. There are currently only 66 bowl-eligible teams, but there are 39 bowl games. So, only for the purposes of determining who will reach bowl eligibility, I am forced to predict some games. To avoid bias as much as possible in the process, I will assume that the favored team wins each remaining game, and I will use FPI, SP+, Sagarin, and a few others to determine who is “favored.” As of today, these projections say there will be 80 bowl-eligible teams. That number includes Missouri. The Tigers will be left out of these projections as they are currently appealing a bowl ban before the NCAA, and no final decision has been made.

Also, remember that nowadays, bowl projections are more of an art than a science. Most conferences no longer allow the bowls to select teams in order, but instead provide “pools” of teams for certain tiers of bowls. The conferences then work with the bowls to determine which team goes where. Anything can be the cause for this–geography, fan interests, whether the conference thinks its team is more likely to win, or any other reason. Therefore, at the end of this article, I will provide a list of which conference pools would be tied to which bowl. That way, you have as much information as possible when figuring out where your team could be headed.

Finally, keep in mind that these are based on what would happen if the season ends today. The season does not end today, though, so things will change between now and Selection Sunday. However, this is where each team stands right now. (As we approach Selection Sunday, we will be able to hear rumors and whispers as to which team is headed where. I do my best to keep track, and my projections the morning of Selection Sunday will be based mostly on those. For now, though, all we know is that BYU has accepted an invitation to the Hawaii Bowl.)

So, without further ado, here are this week’s bowl projections:

College Football Playoff

Fiesta Bowl Sat, Dec 28, 4:00 PM LSU vs Georgia
Peach Bowl Sat, Dec 28, 8:00 PM Ohio State vs Clemson

 

This is simple enough. No. 1 plays No. 4, and No. 2 plays No. 3. The committee will ensure that the No. 1 team is not given a geographic disadvantage, so LSU will not be forced to play Georgia in Atlanta.

The times for these matchups are flexible and not yet set, but given that Ohio State vs Clemson will be the far bigger draw, I expect that to be the game given primetime billing.

Next… NY6 and other Big Ten bowls

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J.K. Dobbins semifinalist for Doak Walker, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Awards

Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins has been named a semifinalist for the Doak Walker and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Awards.

We’re getting into the season where many of the annual college football awards are starting to cull their lists down. We’ve already gotten good news on the Ohio State front with the Bronco Nagurski and Walter Camp Awards, and now we’ve got some from the folks at Southern Methodist University that hand out the Doak Walker Award.

The semifinalists for the award that goes to the best college running back annually were announced Thursday, and Buckeye running back J.K. Dobbins was among the ten names that made the cut.

Looking ahead, three finalists will be announced on December 2, with the winner being announced during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN Thursday, December 12.

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Dobbins, a native of LaGrange, Texas was also announced as one of eleven semifinalists for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award that goes to the best college football player from the state of Texas.

It has been a fantastic year for Ohio State, and the individual accolades that multiple players are still alive for only buoy that fact.

Ohio State with three players named as Walter Camp semifinalists

The Walter Camp Award announced its twenty semifinalists Thursday and Ohio State has three players that made the cut.

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The Walter Camp Award narrowed its list down to twenty semifinalists Thursday. The award, similar to the Heisman and Maxwell, honors the best college football player annually and has been handed out since 1967.

Ohio State has some great representation, joining just Clemson with three players listed in the twenty announced today by the Walter Camp Foundation.

The three that made the cut are players you can probably guess. Quarterback Justin Fields, running back J.K. Dobbins, and defensive end Chase Young are all moving on with a shot at taking the hardware home.

Five finalists will be named on Dec. 5, and the winner will be announced on ESPN SportsCenter on Thursday, December 12.

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The only other Ohio State players to win the award were Archie Griffin in 1974 and ’75, Eddie George in 1995, and Troy Smith in 2006.

Ohio State vs. Penn State: 5 reasons the Buckeyes win

Ohio State and Penn State are set to square off in a top ten college football matchup in the Big Ten. Here’s why we think the Buckeyes win.

We’ve said this before, but now we really mean it. Everything up until now has been pointing to this very game. It’s No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Penn State and there’s a slew of things on the line. If the Buckeyes win, they clinch the outright Big Ten East title and an all-expenses paid trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game.

If Penn State wins, it will most likely get at least a share of the Big Ten East title because it plays a Rutgers team next week that’s still trying to figure out how to play American football. Couple that with owning the head-to-head tiebreaker over OSU, and it would be off to Indy even if the Buckeyes beat the Wolverines a week later.

Both keep a shot at the College Football Playoff alive with a win. Penn State would more or less be eliminated with a loss, and Ohio State would have to have some things break the right way for it to still be out front in the mix.

So who’s going to win this titanic struggle between lions and nuts? Here’s five reasons we believe the Buckeyes will walk out of the ‘Shoe victorious Saturday evening when all the shouting and athletic feats of endeavors end.

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Next … Downright offensive

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Ohio State football DE commit Jack Sawyer now No. 1 ESPN prospect for 2021

Ohio State 2021 defensive end commit is now rated as the number one overall recruit for the class according to ESPN recruiting rankings.

Recruiting would drop off they said. There’s no way new Ohio State head coach Ryan Day could keep up the ferocious pace of four and five-star recruits former Buckeye head coach Urban Meyer was on.

So far, it looks like “they” were wrong.

Yeah, the uneducated folks point to last year’s No. 14 recruiting ranking as evidence that things have and will slide without Meyer, but there were never going to be that many spots to fill for the 2019 recruiting cycle. In fact, the per commit rating was still one of the top three in the country.

Since then, we’ve seen big-time recruit after big-time recruit give their verbal to Ryan Day and staff, and it’s not just for the immediate, but out a couple of years.

One of those verbal commitments is five-star Columbus area Pickerington North defensive end commit Jack Sawyer. He gave his verbal to Ohio State back in early February and was already high up all the recruiting services rankings at the time.

And now this.

ESPN has updated its ESPN 100 recruiting rankings and now has the 6-5, 220 pounder as the top overall recruit in the class. If you’re keeping track, that means not only do the Buckeyes have the No. 1 recruit for the 2020 class in wide-receiver Julian Fleming, but now the top prospect for 2021 as well.

And they said Day couldn’t pull all of this off. Eat your heart out Michigan and Penn State.

WATCH: Former Ohio State QB JT Barret discusses Justin Fields’ Heisman chances

Former Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett sat down with CampusLore and discussed the chances of Justin Fields still winning the Heisman.

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There’s not too many former Ohio State players that bleed scarlet and gray more than former quarterback J.T. Barrett. He’s still an all-time favorite of many Buckeye fans, and despite an NFL career that’s yet to come to much fruition, he was about as tough and fiery as they come when he played in Columbus.

In fact, there are a handful of players that had — and still do — a special relationship with Urban Meyer, and he’s one of them.

So, when Barret speaks on all things Ohio State, most of Buckeye nation like to listen to what he has to say. In that case, we’ve got something to point to.

While being interviewed by former Georgia Quarterback Aaron Murray, now with CampusLore, Barrett was asked about the Heisman chances of current Ohio Stat quarterback Justin Fields. Barrett acknowledges that LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is the likely favorite right now, but compliments Fields and believes he’s right there to make a late push if Burrow were to falter.

“I think his ability to just throw the football on time, the things they have set up, the plays they have involved, a great group of receivers they have, said Barrett. “It’s been really great for them. Attacking defenses, whether it be his legs, or like I said throwing the football on time. So, it’s been very tough for defenses to stop him. I think you’re right with saying that I think Joe Burrow right now is the Heisman guy, but then Justin Fields if he continues doing what he’s been doing, he’ll be that next guy up.”

If you remember, Barrett himself flirted with the Heisman Trophy back in 2014 and might have won the thing if not for an injury against Michigan that took him out of the magical run towards a national championship.

For now, any kind of Heisman campaign will live and die by what happens against Penn State on Saturday for Fields. But Barrett and others still believe it’s possible. Just win and the rest will take care of itself.

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Ohio State vs. Penn State Enemy Territory preview. Get to know the Nittany Lions

Ohio State is set to do battle with a top ten Nittany Lion squad. We’ve got all you need to know about Penn State.

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Before every game, we provide a preview of Ohio State football’s opponent for the upcoming week. It’s a twelve game slate to the regular season, so there’s plenty to talk about, and plenty of opponents to get up to speed on.

Of course, some you’ll know better than others.

So, if you want to impress your friends while watching the game, we’ve got your cheat code right here. We do the research, you drop nuggets. You win on Saturdays. It’s as simple as that.

Ohio State’s eleventh game of the year is against a Nittany Lion team that’s still looking to do some pretty big things in 2019. It still controls its own destiny towards an East Division crown and Big Ten title, but it absolutely has to win Saturday in the ‘Shoe.

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Next … Penn State all-time vitals

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WATCH: Ohio State hype video for Penn State

Ohio State is all set to host the Penn State Nitanny Lions Saturday in a titanic matchup. Watch the hype video and get pumped up here.

The Ohio State creative team has just dropped the latest hype video for Ohio State’s next game, and like always, it is epic.

It doesn’t get much bigger than the matchup between Penn State and Ohio State, and if you needed anything else to get you amped up, this trailer will more than do the job.

Click on the below shared by the official Twitter feed of Ohio State Football and watch as the music takes you through scenes of many of the games so far this year, last year’s memorable comeback against the Nittany Lions, and some of the coaches’ motivational speeches heading into Saturday.

Trust us, you’re not going to want to miss it. Live the brotherhood.

Ohio State and Penn State are set to square off at Noon on FOX Saturday. Mark your calendar and DVRs.

WATCH: Urban Meyer corrects BTN on Penn State being more important than Michigan

BTN’s Dave Revsine tried to say the Penn State game was bigger than Michigan for Ohio State. Urban Meyer would have none of it.

Some on the outside will just never understand.

There is no doubt the game against Penn State this weekend is a contest with some significant implications. The winner is likely the winner of the Big Ten East, and still alive in the College Football Playoff chase. So yeah, it’s big.

But don’t tell former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer that the game against the Nittany Lions is bigger than The Game the week after. No, no. Dave Revsine of the Big Ten Network made that mistake and was quickly corrected by Meyer.

When asked about the gravity of what the Ohio State vs. Penn State matchup has been over the last few years, Meyer stopped short of calling it a rivalry. There’s only one big rivalry in his eyes.

Watch as Revsine tries to point to the Penn State game as being more important on the schedule this year. Then watch Meyer correct him on two separate occasions.

Classic. Also note the usage of the word “we” Meyer still uses when discussing Ohio State. Once a Buckeye …