Tag: ohio state

Badgers are No. 11 in pre-bowl Amway Coaches’ Poll

The Wisconsin Badgers finish 11th in the Amway Coaches’ Poll.

Following a hard-fought loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game, the Wisconsin Badgers finished at No. 11 in the final pre-bowl edition of the Amway Coaches’ Poll, just barely losing the top-10 spot they had last week.

The Amway Coaches’ Poll does not determine the bowl placements, but it is certainly interesting to use the coaches’ rankings as a guide for what the playoff committee will do. As you can see, the LSU ranking at No. 1 in the Amway Coaches’ Poll was agreed with by the playoff committee, which put LSU as the No. 1 seed against No. 4 Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl. Ohio State’s win over Wisconsin did not lift the Buckeyes to the top spot. OSU is seeded second and will face No. 3 Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl, the other playoff semifinal.

Overall, the Badgers (10-3, 7-2 Big Ten) have to be unhappy with the result against Ohio State. Yet, their level of play in the first half was the best we saw all season long, especially when measured against the caliber of opposition.

The No. 11 ranking is not a scandal in and of itself. Wisconsin wasn’t going to rise in the rankings with a loss. However, it seems dubious at best to think that several of the teams placed ahead of Wisconsin deserve to be ranked higher than the Badgers.

Baylor is No. 8. Yes, the Bears played Oklahoma really tough on two occasions, but the Bears lost both times. Where is Baylor’s big win, comparable to Wisconsin’s win at Minnesota and the Badgers’ other quality win over Michigan? There is no comparison. Wisconsin should clearly be ranked higher than Baylor.

Alabama is No. 9. The Crimson Tide got this spot based on reputation, not on quality wins. The Tide didn’t beat any of the other top teams in the SEC. Alabama lost to LSU and Auburn. It didn’t play Georgia or Florida.

Utah is No. 10. The Utes didn’t beat a single team with eight or more wins this year. Yet, the Utes finished ahead of the Badgers. Wisconsin fans can laugh at Baylor, Bama, and Utah finishing ahead of the Badgers in the final pre-bowl coaches’ poll of 2019.

Wisconsin is still one of an impressive six Big Ten teams in the Amway Coaches’ Poll. The Big Ten conference has proven yet again to be one of the toughest football conferences in the country, with six Big Ten teams just inside the top 20 of the poll. Penn State was one spot behind Wisconsin at No. 12. Minnesota was 16th, Michigan 17th, and Iowa 19th.

College Football Playoff: Who is In?

After a long college football season, the College Football Playoff is finally here. Who got into the playoff on the sixth Selection Sunday?

The college football regular season is over and the moment everyone has been waiting for is finally here. Usually, Selection Sunday is full of drama and debate. This year, the four teams were known and the only thing to debate was in which order to put them in.

Clemson (13-0), LSU (13-0), Ohio State (13-0), and Oklahoma (12-1) were the only Power 5 teams to either be undefeated or have one loss. All four were conference champions, with all but Oklahoma having convincing victories on Saturday.

Oklahoma came in at No. 4, beating Baylor in overtime in the Big 12 Championship, 30-23. At No. 3, Clemson has won eight straight games by 30+ points, including a 62-17 win against Virginia in the ACC Championship.

The debate of the day was who the committee was going to put at No. 1. The ranking is significant as facing Oklahoma is seen as an easier task than Clemson in the semi-final matchup. Ohio State was put at No. 2, as they needed a comeback win against Wisconsin to win the Big 10 Championship, 34-21. LSU comes in at No. 1, destroying Georgia 37-10 in the SEC Championship.

Texas joins Texas A&M as the only other team in the country to play two playoff teams this season. Texas faced LSU and Oklahoma, while Texas A&M faced Clemson and LSU.

No. 1 LSU will face No. 4 Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl, while No. 2 Ohio State will face No. 3 Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl. Both games will take place on Saturday, Dec. 28 on ESPN.

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Wisconsin lost the Big Ten title on one third-quarter drive

When and where the Wisconsin Badgers lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes: a third-quarter drive.

The sky was not falling — not yet — for the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten Championship Game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Wisconsin’s botched punt in its own third of the field did not lead to an OSU touchdown, to the surprise of many. Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields missed an easy throw, denying the Buckeyes a tying score. Wisconsin still led, 21-17, in the third quarter. The roof had not caved in. The Badgers still had a decent chance to win and had to feel good about where they were — not GREAT, but still good, after OSU failed to score seven points and forge a 21-21 tie.

Things looked really good when the Badgers converted a third and five and then drove to the Ohio State 20. A field goal? Piece of cake, with Zach Hintze on the job after his 62-yard field goal against Purdue a few weeks earlier. Being at the OSU 20, Wisconsin was in range for a kick just under 40 yards. No problem. The Badgers were going to get at least a seven-point lead and restore a sense of order. Ohio State was going to have a tough climb after blowing that touchdown opportunity in the red zone a few moments earlier, following the botched Badger punt.

And then it happened. Then came the sequence which — more than any other — ruined Wisconsin’s night.

Holding. Sack. Missed 48-yard field goal. Yes, many other plays and sequences hurt the Badgers, but remember: Ohio State had just faltered. The Buckeyes squandered a chance to score a touchdown. We have all seen hundreds of games in our lifetimes in which a team making a comeback suddenly stubs its toes, and the team with the lead responds with a big drive to blunt the rally. Wisconsin was about to blunt Ohio State’s rally… until it wasn’t. When Wisconsin came away with nothing on that drive, to stop OSU’s run and score its first points of the second half, that’s when a sense of dread was impossible to ignore or hold at bay.

Sure enough, THEN the dam broke. Then Ohio State scored touchdowns on its next possessions for a 31-21 lead. Wisconsin never did score a point in the second half. Ballgame.

If you think the 3rd and 18 failure by the defense was a bigger play, that’s a fair point. It’s a perfectly valid argument. However, Ohio State was already leading at that time, and the Buckeyes were going to get another chance to take the lead or add to their lead later in the fourth quarter. The Wisconsin third-quarter drive which sputtered after reaching the OSU 20 occurred when the Badgers still had a lead and still had the expectation they could control the game’s tempo and contours.

Yes, you can say that the 3rd and 18 breakdown was a bigger moment, and I won’t spend time fighting that argument. However, for my money, a third-quarter drive which was about to restore Wisconsin’s upper hand — until it didn’t — was the real moment this Big Ten Championship Game slipped away.

Alas, a loss. That first half deserved a better outcome. Wisconsin simply couldn’t finish what it started against Ohio State.

Amway Coaches Poll: Notre Dame Holds Still

Stack resumes and you can easily make the case that Notre Dame is worthy of a top-10, perhaps top-seven spot.

The final regular season Amway Coaches Poll Powered by USA Today is out and if it offers any hint of how the College Playoff Committee will see things, they’ll fall exactly in line with what we thought they’d be last night.

Here is the latest Amway Coaches Poll Powered by USA Today:

1. LSU

2. Ohio State

3. Clemson

4. Oklahoma

5. Georgia

6. Oregon

7. Florida

8. Baylor

9. Alabama

10. Utah

11. Wisconsin

12. Penn State

13. Auburn

14. Notre Dame

15. Memphis

16. Minnesota

17. Michigan

18. Boise State

19. Iowa

20. Appalachian State

21. Navy

22. Cincinnati

23. USC

24. Air Force

25. Virginia

Stack resumes and you can easily make the case that Notre Dame is worthy of a top-10, perhaps top-seven spot.

However you could also make a case (not saying it’d be correct) that they could be a few slots lower as well.

Jack Coan’s first half and final drive leave a lasting memory

Praising Jack Coan for his performance against Ohio State.

Jack Coan of the Wisconsin Badgers ended the 2019 college football regular season in a very different place, and in a very different way, compared to his worst moments in the second half of October.

Coan wasn’t particularly consistent. He wasn’t especially precise. He certainly couldn’t have been viewed as a dynamic, equation-changing quarterback in the latter half of October, when Wisconsin was ambushed by Illinois and couldn’t muster much of anything against Ohio State in Columbus. Was Coan going to recede into memory as a forgettable quarterback with modest talent and unremarkable performances in big games, or was he going to grow and not give up on his team, his season, or — most of all — himself?

Jack Coan clearly answered those questions against Minnesota, but just in case anyone doubted that he could play equally well (actually, even BETTER) against the big, bad Buckeyes of Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game, Coan offered his response: YES, I can and I will be better.

His first half on Saturday night in Lucas Oil Stadium was his best half of football as a Wisconsin Badger. He hit all the right notes. He made all the right decisions. He showed a new level of elusiveness and athleticism in the pocket. He made Ohio State look slow. How many quarterbacks do that?

Coan stood at the center of a brilliant first half. If Quintez Cephus had made a few more catches, Wisconsin might have scored even more than 21 first-half points against the Buckeyes. As it was, Coan threw down a standard of performance which gave his team a chance to win. Yes, Coan was a little less precise in the second half, but for the most part, the players around him stopped making the routine plays which had put UW ahead by 14 points. If a punt isn’t botched, if a field goal had been made, and if a 3rd and 18 had been stopped, this game would have come down to the wire. Coan didn’t get the chance to lead UW on a game-winning drive.

The final drive he actually led, though, was symbolic of his performance: resolute, tough, fearless.

If you are an older football fan, this next video will be familiar. If you are a younger fan, you should watch it because of its cinematic brilliance. NFL Films created such a large and towering mythology surrounding professional football as the Super Bowl became a cultural phenomenon in the 1970s. Videos like this next one show why.

Go to the 19:45 mark of this video. You will find these words when Roger Staubach and the Dallas Cowboys were desperately trying to come back against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIII:

“As they drove down the field again, it was an appropriate occasion to summon up the old cliches which salute gallant losers who play on for pride and self-respect when all hope of victory has vanished. But NO. This was a team that truly believed it still could win.”

– John Facenda, NFL Films

“Battle of Champions” – Super Bowl XIII documentary

January 1979

That, folks, was Jack Coan on the final drive, heaving the ball into traffic because he had to, and couldn’t play it safe. That was Jack Coan on the final play of the game, running furiously toward the end zone, willing himself toward the goal line with all his might, trying to notch another touchdown which might have been the difference between the Badgers getting the Rose Bowl and falling short.

Jack Coan spilled his guts. He gave his body and soul to Wisconsin and his teammates. He played like a champion and showed the heart of a warrior.

Is this hyperbolic embellishment? It sounds like it… but when you think about the man who played very ordinary football against Illinois and Ohio State in October, and you then consider what Jack Coan has become — and how he comported himself these last two weeks against Minnesota and Ohio State — this transformation into a bold leader of the Wisconsin offense makes Coan a Badger we won’t forget. This 2019 season has had many heroes, but Coan’s ability to step up in the two biggest games of the season will not soon be forgotten by Wisconsin fans.

Jack Coan did not fade into the mists of obscurity. He gained a lasting place in the hearts of Badger fans everywhere.

Fans vote who should be No. 1 seed for College Football Playoff

The No. 2 LSU Tigers and No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes both took care of business on Saturday to finish the season undefeated heading into the College Football Playoff. While both the Tigers and Buckeyes have solid cases for the top seed in this year’s …

The No. 2 LSU Tigers and No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes both took care of business on Saturday to finish the season undefeated heading into the College Football Playoff.

While both the Tigers and Buckeyes have solid cases for the top seed in this year’s bracket, we’re not going to debate on that just yet.

First, we’re going to show you who America thinks deserves the top spot ahead of Selection Sunday.

As of 3:40 am, America has LSU earning 69% of votes for the No. 1 seed, while Ohio State has 31% of the poll. (Nice)

Will the Tigers leapfrog the three-time defending Big Ten Champions Sunday? Time will tell.

CFP: How To Seed LSU, Ohio St and Clemson

They have to choose between three incredibly worthy teams to give the number-one seed to.
Ohio State, LSU and Clemson all entered the week unbeaten and ranked 1-3.

It’s obvious after the last two days who your four teams in the College Football Playoff will be.

Utah eliminating themselves Friday night took a lot of the drama out of Saturday, as did each game involving a playoff team not offering anything compelling in the fourth quarter, besides the Big XII.

Oklahoma battled to an overtime win against Baylor despite owning them in total yardage all afternoon.

That will be good enough to launch the Sooners to number four and there will be no debate whatsoever that they should be any spot else.

That’s the good news for the committee.

The bad?

They have to choose between three incredibly worthy teams to give the number-one seed to.

Ohio State, LSU and Clemson all entered the week unbeaten and ranked 1-3.

Ohio State overcame a slow start to dominate the third quarter over Wisconsin. It wasn’t a complete 60 minutes but they were dominant when they needed to be against a top-ten team.

LSU sent Georgia into orbit, dominating the suffocating Bulldogs on both sides of the ball as they win their first SEC title since 2011. It’s hard to be more impressive in a conference title game than LSU was against a top-five squad today.

Finally it was Clemson in a laugher over Virginia for the ACC crown. How compelling was this one? Dabo Swinney’s kid was putting Clemson on his back in the fourth quarter to get the Tigers down the field to crack 60.

How will 1-4 look?

1. LSU – I don’t see how you can look at their resume and not say it’s the best in the country. Four wins over top-ten teams? If LSU isn’t No. 1 then there is no point of ever saying the words “strength of schedule” again.

2. Ohio State – They were number one a week ago and all they did was outscore their top-ten opponent 27-0 in the second half Saturday. However, as impressive as they’ve been all year long they were the least-impressive of the Big-three Saturday and I think they fall.

3. Clemson – They launch on Virginia early and often, finishing 13-0 and playing one compelling game all season. Those who claim the Tigers aren’t quite there this year simply haven’t watched. They’re loaded, scary and dominant. The three is only because of their schedule that saw nobody special all year. The defending champs are unbeaten, beating everyone by 40+ and are headed to the three seed. Let that set in for a moment.

4. Oklahoma- An exciting win over Baylor gets the Sooners to yet another CFP and they’re 100% deserving. I just don’t like the team barely snuck by Iowa State, TCU or Texas while also losing at Kansas State.

Instead of the case to avoid Clemson in round one is intriguing as all get up, a round robin between LSU, Ohio State and Clemson and guaranteeing all three play each other would be better than what we’ll get.

Big Ten title slips away for Wisconsin after a brilliant start

Wisconsin – Ohio State reaction

The Wisconsin Badgers played a near-perfect defensive first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Oct. 26 in Columbus. Saturday night in Indianapolis, in the 2019 Big Ten Championship Game, the Badgers played a near-perfect half, period.

Whereas the Wisconsin defense played brilliantly in the first 30 minutes against Ohio State in late October, the whole Wisconsin TEAM played an excellent first 30 minutes in Lucas Oil Stadium. The Badgers’ first Big Ten title in seven years seemed very close and attainable. Up 21-7 at the intermission, Wisconsin had created a cushion to the extent that the Badgers didn’t need to be PERFECT in the second half. They needed to be good, and make the routine plays they had made in the first half.

Uh-oh. That’s where the Badgers lost hold of this game.

Yes, Ohio State dominated the second half in Indianapolis, much as it dominated the second half of the game in Columbus, but that first game was a game in which Ohio State never trailed. Wisconsin’s outlook was bleak at halftime. That gray day was always an uphill battle. Jack Coan didn’t have his fastball, and he wasn’t throwing strikes.

This game was not that game. Coan was outstanding in the first half, and while he lost a measure of accuracy midway through the second half, he kept making impressive throws until the very end of the game, when he was stopped by a hard hit at the Ohio State 3-yard line. Coan’s performance was good enough to beat Ohio State. Coan’s development late in the season was hugely impressive and a testament to the good work this coaching staff has done in 2019.

All Coan needed was some help, and some of those routine plays from his teammates on both sides of the ball. He didn’t get them.

In a game Ohio State ultimately won by 13 points, imagine a second half in which Wisconsin didn’t botch a punt; was able to make a field goal; and stopped Ohio State’s 3rd and 18 play on a 14-yard out route which easily should have been contained to force a Buckeye punt. We can go on and on with all the plays Wisconsin didn’t make in the second half, but let’s simply take those three.

Just three plays, folks. Three plays. If you take them away — no botched punt, a made field goal instead of a miss, and a 3rd-and-18 stop to force an OSU punt — that’s a 13-point shift. Wisconsin scores 24. Ohio State scores 24.

We’re still playing. Heck, we might have had the second overtime of the day, after Oklahoma beat Baylor in OT in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Would Wisconsin have beaten Ohio State in the event that those three plays had gone the other way? We don’t know… but that’s the point: Wisconsin would have had a chance to win, and that’s why this game — this Big Ten title — slipped away in Indianapolis.

WATCH: Ohio State’s Jeremy Ruckert makes one-handed touchdown catch

The Ohio State Buckeyes kicked off the second half with a bang as Jeremy Ruckert pulled down a game-changing one-handed touchdown.

The Ohio State Buckeyes kicked off the second half with a bang as Jeremy Ruckert pulled down a game-changing one-handed touchdown.

He did it just when Ohio State was in need of a huge play as well. Ruckert, a seldom-used option for a dynamic offense, found himself wide open down the middle of the field.

Fields, who had missed a couple similar throws on the day, threw it a bit high, but it was catchable. And catch Ruckert did just that as he hauled down arguably one of the best catches of the year.

Here’s a look at Buckeyes’ second touchdown of the game.

Ruckert came into the game with just 12 catches and 120 yards on the season. This one will be one for the highlight reels for years to come if Ohio State can come back in this one and hoist a the Big Ten Championship trophy.

WATCH: Ohio State makes gutsy fake punt call in own half

Ohio State made a ridiculously gutsy fake punt call in their own territory down 14-0, but it worked out.

Ohio State made a ridiculously risky call on fourth down in their own territory. However, it panned out. A fake punt turned into a first down, and it helped give Ohio State some momentum.

Day is playing gutsy.

On 4th & 9, he opted to attempt a fake punt deep in his own territory, something most coaches wouldn’t even consider in a game of this magnitude. Punter Drue Chrisman rewarded him though.

He made a quality 21-yard completion. This all started by a stuffed J.K. Dobbins run then a sack on Fields. The Buckeyes were in a pinch, but they thankfully caught the Badgers off guard.

Ohio State, with two more 20-plus yard gains, was able to get 1st and goal. That didn’t matter though as a fumble gave it back to the Badgers, down 14-0, Ohio State’s largest deficit of the season.

So far Wisconsin has come in with a great game plan and is making Ohio State work very hard to move the ball. It may take some more gusty play calling to get this game in the win column for the Buckeyes.