Tag: Ohio State Football

College Football Playoff projection: Alabama’s chances still high after LSU loss

The Crimson Tide still have a ridiculously high chance to make the playoff.

If you thought Alabama’s Week 11 loss to LSU on Saturday would severely damage the Crimson Tide’s chance of making the College Football Playoff this year, we have some bad news.

Although it did take a sizable hit, Alabama still has a 40 percent chance to make the playoff but only a nine percent chance to win it all, according to ESPN’s Playoff Predictor. Those numbers plunged from last week, when the team had a 72 and 22 percent chance, respectively, but the Crimson Tide are still No. 4 on this list.

Unlike the weekly College Football Playoff rankings, ESPN’s Playoff Predictor is an algorithm that considers factors like strength of schedule, losses, eventual conference championships, the Football Power Index and the selection committee’s past behavior to determine the top teams’ playoff chances. That last one seems like it’s having a notably impact on these numbers because Alabama has been invited to the playoff previously without winning the SEC championship game, which it won’t play in this year thanks to LSU.

These numbers are assuming the Crimson Tide win out just like they’re expected to. The FPI gives them a 56.4 percent chance to win out as they close the regular season with games against Mississippi State, Western Carolina and Auburn. Alabama does not have a win against a currently ranked team, but with a 64.8 percent chance to beat Auburn at the end of the month, the Playoff Predictor anticipates a win there being enough for a strong playoff push.

With that key win over Alabama, LSU’s chances have obviously skyrocketed. The Tigers’ chance to make the playoff is up to 87 percent from 56 percent last week, while their title chance increased to 17 percent from 10 percent. Still seems a little low, right? That’s probably because the Playoff Predictor is hugely favoring Ohio State.

The Buckeyes still have the best chance to do everything. Their shot to make the playoff keeps getting closer and closer to 100 percent and is up to 89 percent from 85 last week. Their chance to win the national championship is also up four points to 40 percent this week. With Penn State’s loss to Minnesota this week, the Nittany Lions are clearly beatable, so Ohio State is favored to beat them in a couple weeks (and win the Big Ten) even more now.

And don’t forget about Clemson. The defending national champs are No. 3 with an 82 percent chance to make the playoff and a 23 percent chance to win it all again — a number second to only Ohio State. They had a 74 percent chance to make the playoff and a 19 percent chance to have back-to-back titles following Week 10. The Tigers have a significantly lower strength of schedule than the other teams in the top six, but they’re also massively favored to win out and finish another season undefeated.

As the regular season winds down, there’s almost no room for error for these top-4 teams (or room for another one for Alabama) because Oregon and Georgia are just waiting to make a move if they keep winning. Here’s a look at ESPN’s Playoff Predictor list going into Week 12.

1. Ohio State (9-0)

Playoff: 89 percent
Win championship: 40 percent

2. LSU (9-0)

Playoff: 87 percent
Win championship: 17 percent

3. Clemson (10-0)

Playoff: 82 percent
Win championship: 23 percent

4. Alabama (8-1)

Playoff: 40 percent
Win championship: 9 percent

5. Oregon (8-1)

Playoff: 32 percent
Win championship: 3 percent

6. Georgia (8-1)

Playoff: 25 percent
Win championship: 3 percent

7. Oklahoma (8-1)

Playoff: 11 percent
Win championship: 1 percent

8. Penn State (8-1)

Playoff: 11 percent
Win championship: 2 percent

9. Utah (8-1)

Playoff: 7 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

10. Auburn (7-2)

Playoff: 5 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

11. Baylor (9-0)

Playoff: 5 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

12. Minnesota (9-0)

Playoff: 4 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

13. Florida (7-2)

Playoff: 2 percent
Win championship: Less than 1 percent

The remaining teams on the Playoff Predictor list, including Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Cincinnati and Michigan, all have a less than one percent chance to make the playoff. See the full list here.

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Dwayne Haskins named Redskins’ starter for remainder of season

Former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins has officially been named the Washington Redskins starter for the remainder fo the season.

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Former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins is getting the shot he’s been dreaming of. That’s because he was named the starting quarterback for the Washington Redskins for the remainder of the season Monday by interim head coach Bill Calahan.

Haskins had already been given the starting nod when Case Keenum went into concussion protocol, but it was thought to be a cup of coffee until he was back and fully healthy. However, the firing of head coach Jay Gruden may have thrown a bit of a wrench into things and precipitated the desire to get the rookie quarterback the experience needed to evaluate and move his development forward.

So, after starting two-straight weeks, Haskins is now the guy through the rest of the season.

The Dwyane Haskins era in Washington has officially started. Let’s see how this kid slings it around the last seven games of the year. The Redskins face the New York Jets Sunday.

Should Ohio State still be ranked at the top of the CFP Rankings this week?

Both Ohio State and LSU will have a case to make when it comes to being ranked No. 1 in the next College Football Playoff Rankings.

After totally dismantling Maryland this past week in a 73-14 win, does it still warrant Ohio State being ranked No. 1 this week in the College Football Playoff rankings? On Saturday Ohio State put up the most points against any Big Ten team since 1950. That — in itself — is quite impressive.

But the Buckeyes weren’t the only team that put on an impressive showing.

With the huge win against Alabama and four top 25 wins, LSU has a good argument to be number one when the rankings come out Tuesday night. The Tigers’ resume that includes high caliber wins  is tough to argue, but it poses the question of what the committee values the most? Pure dominance or wins against ranked opponents? In other words, is it best resume, or most dominant and impressive team via the eye test and metrics?

We digress and discuss …

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Next … LSU’s case

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Ohio State vs. Rutgers 2019 football Preview And Prediction

Ohio State hits the road to take on a Rutgers team that isn’t good at football. Here’s a preview and prediction. It’s gonna be ugly.

Records

Ohio State (9-0), Rutgers (2-7)

Broadcast, TV, Game Time

Date: Saturday, November 16
Game Time: 3:30 ET
Network: Big Ten Network
Venue: SHI Stadium, Piscataway, NJ – Capacity: 52,454
All-Time Series: Ohio State leads 5-0
Last Meeting: Ohio State defeated Rutgers 52-3 in 2018

No Chase Young? No problem. Well, at least not against Maryland.

Rutgers won’t pose much more of a problem than a small speed bump on the way to a final stretch of games that will determine the Buckeye’s CFP fate. Coaches can tell you not to look ahead and to take each opponent seriously, but if Rutgers were to find someway to be competitive, let alone beat Ohio State, it would certainly go down as one of the biggest upsets in college football history.

Seriously. There’s simply no way this thing is close. But … there’s still a game to play and an all-expenses trip to take to the garden state, so off we go on this journey.

Win and you’re in… it’s that simple. Before we start looking ahead to the big ones, the Bucks need to take care of business in Piscataway.

Next … The game plan

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How will the Saints respond to Marshon Lattimore’s hamstring injury?

The New Orleans Saints lost CB Marshon Lattimore to a hamstring injury against the Atlanta Falcons, and he’ll reportedly be out a few weeks.

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The New Orleans Saints secondary took a big hit on Sunday, in addition to the passes Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan sent soaring over their heads. Per a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, top cornerback Marshon Lattimore strained his hamstring and is recovering with treatment from the team’s athletic staff. He’s considered “week-to-week,” so his availability is in doubt at least for the near future.

Hamstring injuries plagued Lattimore in college at Ohio State, though he’s managed them very well since the Saints drafted him. This would be his first extended absence since his 2017 rookie year when he missed three games with a concussion and ankle injury.

In his place, the Saints promoted slot corner P.J. Williams to Lattimore’s spot on the boundary and brought rookie defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson back onto the field to fill in for Williams. Williams did well in the pinch-hitting role, helping limit Falcons star receiver Julio Jones to three receptions on nine targets — though one of those catches was the biggest play of the game, a 54-yard grab-and-go in which a late tackle by free safety Marcus Williams stopped what would have been a touchdown.

With Lattimore sidelined, the Saints are going to stress the definition of “bend but don’t break” defense. He’s their most impactful defender, able to shift the entire defense schematically when playing at his best. But New Orleans can’t assume he’ll be ready for next week’s game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and their talented receiving duo of Chris Godwin and Mike Evans.

So expect the Saints to sign a veteran cornerback. Backup Ken Crawley was waived two weeks ago, opening the door for several experienced tryouts including Kayvon Webster (who spent the summer on New Orleans’ 90-man roster), Captain Munnerlyn, and Johnson Bademosi. Bademosi’s experience on special teams gave him the edge, and he’s already played 33 snaps on the punt and kickoff coverage units in two games.

The Saints need added depth at the position with Lattimore out, even if they don’t expect to start any new faces. Williams, Gardner-Johnson, and Eli Apple should remain the starting rotation, though backup Patrick Robinson could get on the field once he’s recovered from his own hamstring injury. They were fortunate that this wasn’t a season-threatening injury for Lattimore, and fans should have some optimism that he’ll return to the lineup sooner rather than later.

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Kirk Herbstreit now puts LSU over Ohio State in his weekly rankings

Kirk Herbstreit puts out a weekly opinion of the top teams in college football. This week, he’s elevated LSU over Ohio State as No. 1.

It’s amazing what a win over Alabama will do. Heck, even a close loss against the Tide seems to get you credit these days (right 2018 Georgia).

Count Kirk Herbstreit among the believers now in LSU football. After the Tigers went to Bryant Denny Stadium and knocked off undefeated Alabama, he’s now leap-frogged LSU over his Alma-Mater for the top team in college football.

He still has Ohio State No. 2 after it put 73 points on the board without Chase Young, but its clear he and the rest of the college football media universe is now elevating the Bayou Tigers to the top spot based on the number of resume boosting wins it has in pocket now.

That’s despite all the metrics still believing the Buckeyes are far and away the best team in the country this year to date.

Here’s a look at Herbstreit’s top six. After LSU and Ohio State, he has Clemson at No. 3, and Georgia back in the mix at No. 4. Just outside of the coveted (albeit unofficial opinion based) top four spots are Alabama and undefeated Minnesota.

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It might be disappointing for some Buckeye fans to see one of their own drop Ohio State after it looked absolutely dominant against Maryland. But it’s hard to argue with the wins LSU has strung together this year.

Never fret, it’ll all sort itself out in the upcoming weeks, and clearly if Ohio State keeps winning, it’ll be a part of all the fun in the end and still has a great shot at the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

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NFF Super 16 poll is out. Ohio State loses first place votes to LSU

The latest NFF Super 16 College Football Poll is out. Ohio State moved up, but it lost almost all of its first place votes to LSU.

The new NFF Super 16 College Football Poll is out and Ohio State has risen one more spot, and now sits just one place below the top at No. 2.

As with most other polls, LSU has secured the overall No. 1 ranking by way of its win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa over the weekend. The Tigers have put together more top-end wins than anyone else in the country, and it has been enough to be an almost unanimous choice across the major polls.

Also of note, Ohio State has lost almost all of its first place votes to LSU. It has gone from receiving 11 in the last release to just 3 in this one. Again, it’s hard to argue why, but all the metrics seem to feel Ohio State is still the clear No. 1 team in the country. It’s all really about the resume for LSU.

But, it is a good one, and it’ll all sort itself out as the last few games of the year take place. If you’re Ohio State, all you need to do is keep winning and finish in the top four of the College Football Playoff Rankings.

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The next release of the CFP Rankings comes out Tuesday. Don’t be surprised if the Buckeyes fall from No. 1 to No. 2 in that one because of same reason.