Tag: Ohio State football news

Former Georgia, Ohio State QB Justin Fields predicts rookie Madden rating

Former Georgia football and Ohio State Buckeyes QB Justin Fields, now with the Chicago Bears, predicted his rookie rating in Madden 22.

All football players dream of one day seeing themselves featured in a video game. More specifically, EA Sports’ popular game, Madden.

This year’s rookie class will soon get that chance, with the next edition of Madden set to be released in August, just in time for the 2021 season.

The Checkdown recently posted a video of a handful of rookie quarterbacks predicting what their rating will be when the game is released.

Typically, rookie quarterbacks selected in the first round of the NFL draft tend to find themselves rated in the mid-70s.

Out of the quarterbacks that The Checkdown interviewed, former Georgia and Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields was the only one to predict a realistic rating for himself.

“To be honest, I think my Madden rating is going to be like a 78 through 81, of course, just because … rookies,” Fields said.

The Chicago Bears selected Fields with No. 11 pick in the first round of the draft.

 

Kirk Herbstreit releases top six rankings: Ohio State enters the mix

ESPN College Football analyst Kirk Herbstreit has released his latest rankings which now feature Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson, and more.

ESPN College Football analyst Kirk Herbstreit has released his latest rankings of the top teams in college football. Herbstreit’s rankings now include the Big Ten conference, which opened up play this weekend.

In the Big Ten, Ohio State had an impressive victory over Nebraska. Former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Justin Fields was the star of the game in a 52-17 win.

Additionally in Big Ten action, Indiana upset Penn State, who many thought would be the second best team in the conference. Penn State faces Ohio State this weekend. Michigan was impressive in a blowout win at Minnesota. Wisconsin is anticipated to be the best team in their division and handily defeated Illinois in their opener.

In the SEC, Alabama dominated Tennessee as expected. The Vols are reeling and Alabama is rolling, but the Crimson Tide suffered a key loss when electric wide receiver Jaylen Waddle suffered a season-ending ankle injury. The LSU Tigers looked formidable against South Carolina as well. The Georgia Bulldogs and Florida Gators had the week off.

Clemson blew out Syracuse at home. Oklahoma State remains the Big 12’s best hope at making the College Football Playoff. The Cowboys knocked off Iowa State 24-21.

Here’s who Kirk Herbstreit rated as the top six teams in the country:

Herbstreit’s ratings look pretty good. Notre Dame proved themselves to an extent in a 45-3 win against Pittsburgh. Oklahoma State is more battle tested than teams like Wisconsin and Michigan.

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The Big Ten shifts – decides to play football this fall, kickoff scheduled for Oct. 24

What will Big Ten football look like this fall and how will it compare to the SEC and ACC? Details and analysis here.

The Big Ten made news in early August when league officials decided to cancel all fall sports – including of course, schools’ biggest money-maker, football.

Now, in an official statement Wednesday, the conference announced that they are restarting the fall football season and will return to kickoff set for the weekend of Aug. 23rd.

They have scheduled an 8-game, conference-only season in eight weeks, two games fewer than the SEC’s 2020 slate, with no bye-weeks.

Per the Big Ten:

“The Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) adopted significant medical protocols including daily antigen testing, enhanced cardiac screening and an enhanced data-driven approach when making decisions about practice/competition. The COP/C voted unanimously to resume the football season starting the weekend of October 23-24, 2020.”

It seems that the league office gave-in to the immense pressures to reconsider their decision to cancel football from coaches, players and their families.

There are currently over 300,000 signatures on the We Want To Play movement’s petition to the Big Ten’s original decision, popularized mostly by former Georgia quarterback, now Ohio State Buckeye Heisman hopeful Justin Fields

The real question is now, what will Big Ten football look like compared to that of the SEC? They start a month later and, as mentioned earlier,  have an eight-game lineup in eight weeks with no byes.

Plus, the Big Ten’s policy for an athlete testing positive for Covid-19 is a minimum quarantine of 21 days. So, one outbreak and your season is thrown way off the rails.

Per the Big Ten:

“The earliest a student-athlete can return to game competition is 21 days following a COVID-19 positive diagnosis.”

Add the lay off after the season cancellation and Big Ten teams start at a disadvantage. However, Ohio State should have a straight shot to the playoff because of opt-outs from athletes of programs like Maryland and Michigan State.

Truly an unprecedented time for everyone right now. Check back for more updates as more news regarding the Big Ten’s decision rolls in.

 

 

 

 

UGA Twitter reacts to Justin Fields’ visit to Athens

Here is what Twitter had to say when Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields showed up to UGA’s preseason scrimmage Saturday.

Ohio State quaterback Justin Fields’ made the news Saturday, when the former Georgia signal caller visited the Bulldogs in Athens for their first preseason scrimmage.

According to Dawgnation, the Kennesaw, Georgia native was in the stands, not on the sideline.

Here are some Georgia football Twitter reactions to Fields visit:

Texas Tech limits home games to 25% capacity, will require face coverings. Will Georgia follow?

Texas Tech becomes the 4th school to reportedly plan to limit stadium capacity. Could UGA eventually release a similar plan for Sanford?

Per college football insider Brett McMurphy, Texas Tech University will limit its football stadium’s capacity to maximum of 25%, as well as institute a face covering requirement to both fans and staff at all home football games.

Texas, Ohio State and LSU have all reportedly planned to limit the capacity of their iconic football stadiums due to the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, now Texas Tech follows suit.

Sad thoughts, of course, to Ohio State with the Big Ten’s plan to postpone until spring.

But the real question is, with four major Power Five school’s already releasing a plan to limit stadium capacity – how long before more SEC schools, or specifically the University of Georgia follows with a similar plan?

UGA plans to have face-to-face classes starting Aug 20 – until late November when classes move online – and in early July, UGA listed a limited capacity ‘option‘ in a plan release by a UGA athletics group: Plans for a Phased Return to Full Operations.

Things said, I could definitely see Georgia doing something with Stanford Stadium this year that is similar to the schools who have college towns similar to Athens.

Athens is definitely one of those historic places at risk with so many small business in one place and, without students or fans, I suspect it wouldn’t be the city DawgNation knows and loves before long.

Big Ten postpones football and fall sports, 2020 CFB looking unlikely

The Big Ten announced its decision to cancel fall sports according to their official website

Georgia’s 2020 college football season may end before it even begins. With the possible upcoming season cancellation or postponement (into spring of 2021).

The Big Ten announced its decision to cancel fall sports according to their official website. The Big Ten is the first Power Five conference to do so.

The Big Ten Conference announced the postponement of the 2020-21 fall sports season, including all regular-season contests and Big Ten Championships and Tournaments, due to ongoing health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vast amounts of students are returning to campus and COVID cases remain high in the United States. College football would be excessively difficult and expensive to put in a bubble, so the risk for athletes and coaches would be too high for the Big Ten to justify a season.

The news came out yesterday, but it wasn’t official. Numerous notable players and coaches are protesting the decision.

It’s a depressing day for college football fans across the nation. Fans should anticipate other Power Five conferences joining in. The Pac-12 should be the next domino to fall.

The SEC is expected to be most resistant to cancelling or postponing the season. Without the Big Ten, it is tough to imagine that there will be a football season this year.

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Apr 13, 2019; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Justin Fields and coach Corey Dennis during the first half of the Spring Game at Ohio Stadium. Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

College Football News releases 2020 bowl projection for Georgia Bulldogs

College Football News released bowl projections for Georgia in the 2020 season.

Kirby Smart has transformed the Georgia program into one that’s consistently in the College Football Playoff conversation each preseason.

Smart guided the Dawgs to the playoff during the 2017 season and came so close to doing it again in both 2018 and 2019.

Could 2020 be the year that Smart gets the Dawgs back into the playoff? Pete Fiutak of College Football News thinks it’s a good possibility.

In his SEC bowl projections, Fiutak has Georgia sliding in and facing off against Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.

Yep, you read that correctly.

Georgia vs Ohio State, or as the media would read it come December: Georgia vs Justin Fields.

Could you imagine? Bulldogs vs Buckeyes in the Grandaddy of Them All, where replays of Sony Michel’s walk-off touchdown are still playing clearly in the brain of DawgNation.

Fiutak also recently projected Georgia’s win total for 2020, predicting 10 regular season wins for the Bulldogs next season.

With that in mind, it sounds like Fiutak has the Dawgs sneaking into and winning the SEC Championship Game with two regular season losses. In this scenario, that win in Atlanta would impress the committee enough to let a two-loss Georgia team, that played a very difficult regular season schedule, into the playoff.

I asked Fiutak for some more information on what led to this projection:

“Without spring ball to go on, just projecting talent – and Georgia has it. Here’s the deal. If the Dawgs split the Bama and Florida games, can they avoid a South Carolina loss like last year? They have to beat Auburn, too, but that’s at home. It’s still April – going with the call now that they win two of those three, and FINALLY pull off the SEC Championship. These things always change and adapt as we go … let’s see how these teams actually look, first.”

Fiutak also has Alabama and Clemson squaring off in the Sugar Bowl. Sadly, he predicts Ohio State and Alabama both advance past the semifinals and meet each other in Miami for the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Your complete college football bowl game, playoff schedule

A complete list of the college football bowl game schedule for this year.

From Nassau, Bahamas to Hawaii, the 2019  college football bowl schedule features some intriguing matchups, a few newcomers and some teams in unexpected territory.

LSU, Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma round out the College Football Playoff. LSU makes its first appearance in the playoff while Clemson is in its fifth straight playoff. Ohio State, in the playoff for the third time, is hoping for a better performance after its beat down by Clemson in 2016. Oklahoma is in the field for its fourth playoff and third straight.

The state of Florida has the most teams in bowl games with six, followed by Michigan and Ohio with five teams each. California, Texas, Lousiana and North Carolina each have four representatives.

The states of Florida and Texas have the most bowl games, with seven each. Including the National Championship game, Louisiana is hosting four bowl games.

Ten ACC teams made a bowl this season. The SEC has nine teams going bowling, including three (Georgia, Florida and LSU) in New Year’s and CFP bowls.

Dec. 20 — Bahamas Bowl: Charlotte vs. Buffalo, ESPN, 2 p.m.

Dec. 20 — Frisco Bowl: Kent State vs. Utah State, ESPN2, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — New Mexico Bowl: Central Michigan vs. San Diego State, ESPN, 2 p.m.

Dec. 21 — Cure Bowl: Liberty vs. Georgia Southern, CBSSN, 2:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — Boca Raton Bowl: Florida Atlantic vs. SMU, ABC, 3:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — Camellia Bowl: Florida International vs. Arkansas State, ESPN, 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. Washington, ABC, 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 21 — New Orleans Bowl: Alabama-Birmingham vs. Appalachian State, ESPN, 9 p.m.

Dec. 23 — Gasparilla Bowl: Marshall vs. Central Florida, ESPN, 2:30 p.m.

Dec. 24 — Hawaii Bowl: BYU vs. Hawaii, ESPN, 8 p.m.

Dec. 26 — Independence Bowl: Miami (Fla.) vs. Louisiana Tech, ESPN, 4 p.m

Dec. 26 — Quick Lane Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs. Pittsburgh, ESPN, 8 p.m.

Dec. 27 — Military Bowl: North Carolina vs. Temple, ESPN, noon

Dec. 27 — Pinstripe Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Michigan State, ESPN, 3:20 p.m.

Dec. 27 — Texas Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M, ESPN, 6:45 p.m.

Dec. 27 — Holiday Bowl: Iowa vs. Southern California, FS1, 8 p.m.

Dec. 27 — Cheez-It Bowl: Air Force vs. Washington State, ESPN, 10:15 p.m.

Dec. 28 — Camping World Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Iowa State, ABC, noon

Dec. 28 — Cotton Bowl: Penn State vs. Memphis, ESPN, noon

Dec. 28 — Peach Bowl: LSU vs. Oklahoma, ESPN, 4 p.m.

Dec. 28 — Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State vs. Clemson, ESPN, 8 p.m.

Dec. 30 — First Responder Bowl: Western Michigan vs. Western Kentucky, ESPN, 12:30 p.m.

Dec. 30 — Redbox Bowl: Illinois vs. California, Fox, 4 p.m.

Dec. 30 — Music City Bowl: Louisville vs. Mississippi State, ESPN, 4 p.m.

Dec. 30 — Orange Bowl: Virginia vs. Florida, ESPN, 8 p.m.

Dec. 31 — Belk Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Kentucky, ESPN, noon

Dec. 31 — Sun Bowl: Florida State vs. Arizona State, CBS, 2 p.m.

Dec. 31 — Liberty Bowl: Kansas State vs. Navy, ESPN, 3:45 p.m.

Dec. 31 — Arizona Bowl: Wyoming vs. Georgia State, CBSSN, 4:30 p.m.

Dec. 31 — Alamo Bowl: Utah vs. Texas, ESPN, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 1 — Citrus Bowl: Alabama vs. Michigan, ABC, 1 p.m.

Jan. 1 — Outback Bowl: Minnesota vs. Auburn, ESPN, 1 p.m.

Jan. 1 — Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Oregon, ESPN, 5 p.m.

Jan. 1 — Sugar Bowl: Baylor vs. Georgia, ESPN, 8:45 p.m.

Jan. 2 — Birmingham Bowl: Boston College vs. Cincinnati, ESPN, 3 p.m.

Jan. 2 — Gator Bowl: Indiana vs. Tennessee, ESPN, 7 p.m.

Jan. 3 — Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio vs. Nevada, ESPN, 3:30 p.m.

Jan. 4 — Armed Forces Bowl: Southern Mississippi vs. Tulane, ESPN, 11:30 a.m.

Jan. 6 — Mobile Bowl: Miami (Ohio) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette, ESPN, 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 13 — College Football Playoff title game: Semifinal winners, ESPN, 8 p.m.