Guest Panel-Week 14 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well.

Standings:
1. Hudy Delights (52-25) (6-0 last week)
2. Batman (51-26) (5-1 last week)
3. Nostrapigskinus (50-27) (4-2 last week)
4. Spam Sandwichsan (49-28) (3-3 last week)
5. Old Bag of Man (48-29) (4-2 last week)
6. Dr. Funkenstein (47-30) (5-1 last week)
7. Pat Head (45-32) (5-1 last week)
8. Buckeye Cock (43-34) (4-2 last week)
9. Mr. Potayta Head (42-35) (4-2 last week)
10. Philly Cheese (41-36) (3-3 last week)
11. Team Big Dog (39-38) (3-3 last week)

Games for this week:
1. Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State
2. Oregon vs. Oregon State
3. Bowling Green vs. Toledo
4. West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh
5. Vanderbilt vs. Wake Forest
And the oddball game this week is:
6. New Mexico State vs. Utah State

SCOREBOARD!

OSU Beats Michigan...again

Photos from the Columbus Dispatch

What to Expect

Ohio State enters the game with one of the more comfortable point spreads in recent history of The Game. However, Michigan is very hungry and wanting to play the role of spoiler, as it did in the 90's with Cooper at the helm at Ohio State. Speaking of Cooper, some of the comments by Rodriguez reminded me of Cooper, as Rod was downplaying the game this week, saying there are more important matters, including the economy. Yes Rod, there are bigger issues, but this is Michigan week, you can't tell your fans that there are more important matters. One columnist in Detroit said it well when he asked how a coach making millions could bring up the issue of the economy to defray attention. I was also surprised by the comments by Michigan players, basically saying that if things go well they could maybe win. That is not a very convincing statement.

I think for Michigan it will be simple, they need to run well to stay in the game. The spread offense under Rodriguez works best when there is a run threat, as seen with Pat White at WV. OSU has typically done well against the run, but Illinois had success running the ball last week. Look for Beanie to have a big day, 150-200 yards. If we have success throwing the ball, this could be high scoring game with 30-40 points. I don't expect it to be close, but with The Game you can never count out the rival team.

Trouble at Michigan

Nothing has gone well since Michigan started its search for a new head coach. First they did not get Les Miles, whose pro offense would have been a better fit for the current personnel at Michigan. Then the hiring of Rodriguez did not go smoothly. Rodriguez was still under contract, and he tried to get out by saying West Virginia had not fulfilled promises it had made. Even with my limited contract law experience I knew he had a losing argument. Rodriguez was fighting not only his previous employer, but it was also his alma mater and essentially the entire state, since the WV football program dominates the sports scene in the state. Michigan had to be concerned at how Rodriguez handled himself in that matter. The Michigan athletic department eventually gave up and paid the buyout. The next trouble for the team involved the star recruit of Terrelle Pryor. Rodriguez saw Pryor as an integral part of his spread option offense, but Pryor instead chose Ohio State. The troubles continued as players left the program, most notably OL Justin Boren, who was highly critical of the culture under Rodriguez. Not only did Boren leave, but he we went to Ohio State, which is a big deal in the rivalry, especially considering his dad played for Bo. Rodriguez was also accused of recruiting players that had already been verbally committed to other Big Ten schools, and Tressel called him out saying that there was a gentleman's agreement regarding players that were already verbally committed, but that the agreement was only between gentleman.

So, as you can guess, Rodriguez was ready to play some football and get those troubles behind him. Unfortunately the season has not gone well, as the team has lost a record eight games. Gone are the records for consecutive winning seasons and bowl appearances. The one main record that Rodriguez will try to continue is the success of the last six Michigan coaches against Ohio State in the first season. Everyone knew the process of implementing the offense at Michigan would be painful, but I think few expected things to go this poorly. Rodriguez recently criticized fans that had been critical of the program, saying they should get a life. That hardly seems like a way to win over your own fans in your first year, especially considering all of the problems that have surfaced.

Scouting the Wolverines

Offense
QB Steven Threet is doubtful for the game on Saturday with a shoulder injury. QB Nick Sheridan is expected to make his third consecutive start. He has completed 55 of 113 for 526 yards and two touchdowns. He led the team to victory in the Minnesota game with 203 yards. The team lost with him as QB against Northwestern last week, as he only completed 8 of 29 for 61 yards. At RB Brandon Minor is expected to return after missing some playing time with injuries. So far this year Minor has 466 yards. RB Carlos Brown will likely get some quality minutes after running for 115 against Northwestern last week. Freshman RB Sam McGuffie should also get some minutes, despite the fact that he attended a family funeral this week. At receiver, the team is led by by freshman Martavious Odoms with 44 receptions for 406 yards. Odoms also does kick and punt returns. Also making catches for the Wolverines is Greg Mathews with 35 receptions for 409 yards.

This Season
It has been a disappointing season for Michigan, with a loss in the opener to Utah and then loses to Notre Dame, Illinois, Toledo, Penn State, Michigan State, Purdue, and Northwestern. The team appeared to be turning a corner with a win against #9 Wisconsin in the fourth week, but they lost five games after that. As expected with a losing record, Michigan gives up 27.7 points/game on defense and scores 21.5 points/game on offense. The defense allows more yards than the offense gains in total and in passing, but the defense holds teams to 128 yards/game while the offense has 150 yards/game.

The Coaches

Jim Tressel
In his eighth season at OSU, he has a record of 82-18. In his 23rd year of his coaching career, including time at YSU, he is 217-75-2. He has guided OSU to one national championship.












Rich Rodriguez
In his first season at Michigan he is 3-8. In his 16th season as a head coach, he is 108-70-2. He was the head coach at West Virginia for seven years. Prior to West Virginia he was an assistant at Clemson and Tulane. Before his work as an assistant he was the head coach at the NAIA division II schools of Salem and Glenville State. Rodriguez was a walk-on and eventually a scholarship player at West Virginia as a defensive back.

The Series

This will be the 105th game in what is considered the greatest rivalry in college football. The two teams first met in 1897 and have played every year since 1918. Since 1935 the game has been the last conference game of the season. Michigan leads the series 57-41-6, and leads 27-22-2 in games played in Columbus and 21-21-1 in games played at Ohio Stadium. As I have said in past previews, I think it is worth looking at the record since Woody Hayes first season at OSU. Since 1951, OSU leads the series 29-26-2. Before Woody Hayes Ohio State was considered the "graveyard of coaches." Starting with Woody Hayes, Ohio State took its rightful place in college football.

Ohio State has won the last four games over Michigan, including last year 14-3. The last time Michigan came to Columbus, #1 Ohio State beat #2 Michigan, 42-39. Michigan's last win was a 35-21 victory in 2003, in Ann Arbor. Jim Tressel is 6-1 against Michigan.

OSU Beats Michigan 2002

Michigan Still Sucks

Michigan Sucks

Rod-"Seriously, have you seen us play this season?"

Important Press Release

(Click image to enlarge)

SCOREBOARD!

Guest Panel-Week 13 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well.

Standings:
1. Hudy Delights (46-25) (3-3 last week)
1. Spam Sandwichsan (46-25) (4-2 last week)
1. Batman (46-25) (4-2 last week)
1. Nostrapigskinus (46-25) (5-1 last week)
5. Old Bag of Man (44-27) (4-2 last week)
6. Dr. Funkenstein (42-29) (3-3 last week)
7. Pat Head (40-31) (4-2 last week)
8. Buckeye Cock (39-32) (4-2 last week)
9. Mr. Potayta Head (38-33) (2-4 last week)
9. Philly Cheese (38-33) (4-2 last week)
11. Team Big Dog (36-35) (3-3 last week)

Games for this week:
1. Michigan vs. Ohio State
2. Michigan State vs. Penn State
3. Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma
4. Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati
5. BYU vs. Utah
And the oddball game this week is:
6. Washington vs. Washington State

The Illibuck Trophy

The game against Illinois is the only trophy game for the Buckeyes. The original Illibuck was a live turtle representing the long life expectancy of the rivalry between the two teams. However, when the turtle died just two short years later, a wooden replica was created. The Illibuck is the second oldest trophy in the Big Ten.

What to Expect

OSU looks to avenge the loss last year in Columbus. Illinois ran down the clock, and at the time crushed OSU's dreams of making the National Championship game. However, as we all found out, last year was a strange year, with two loss LSU making it to the Championship game, and the Heisman winner not even getting his team to the conference championship game.

This year, Illinois is not surprising anyone, and key losses at RB and LB have exposed weaknesses on this team. Juice leads the Big Ten in yards thrown, but he also has fourteen interceptions. The running game is missing first round pick Mendenhall, which allowed Illinois to create some open passes, as teams would load up the box. The defense has really brought down this team, and it is clear the graduation of LB Lehman has made a big impact on this unit. Illinois may score 31.4 points/game, but they also give up 26.2 points/game, so there is not a lot of room for error.

Illinois tends to play well against OSU, most recently the loss by #1 OSU last year, the squeaker by OSU two years ago, and the overtime victory of Ohio State at Champagne during the 2002-2003 National Championship season. Despite the scoreboard last week, the OSU offense is still not running on all cylinders. The O-line does a good impression of swiss cheese, and the team is scoring only because Pryor and Beanie can evade defensive players. Hopefully another week of practice will allow the O-line to work together. Look for Pryor to have big day, throwing over 200 yards and getting 50 on the ground. Beanie will get 130-160 yards on the ground. Illinois will likely lose by 2-3 touchdowns, unless they can bring back some of the magic from previous OSU-IL matches.

The Coaches

Jim Tressel
In his eighth season at OSU, he has a record of 81-18. In his 23rd year of his coaching career, including time at YSU, he is 216-75-2. He has guided OSU to one national championship.











Ron Zook
In his fourth season at Illinois, Zook is 18-28. He is 41-42 at Illinois and Florida. After taking Illinois to the Rose Bowl last year, Zook is 5-5 overall and 3-3 in the Big 10 this season. Zook was a defensive back assistant coach under Cooper from 1988-1990 at Ohio State. He is from Loudonville, Ohio. Zook was a defensive back at Miami (not Florida) and the team went 32-1-1 while he was there.

The Series

The series dates back to 1902. Between 1914 and 2002 the two teams met every year. Ohio State leads the series 60-30-4 and 32-12 in Champaign. Last year Illinois got the best of Ohio State beating them 28-21 in Columbus temporarily delaying the Buckeyes’ championship hopes. The Buckeyes were victorious in their last trip to Champaign in 2006 winning 17-10.

Guest Panel-Week 12 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well.

Standings:
1. Hudy Delights (43-22) (5-1 last week)
2. Spam Sandwichsan (42-23) (5-1 last week)
2. Batman (42-23) (6-0 last week)
4. Nostrapigskinus (41-24) (5-1 last week)
5. Old Bag of Man (40-25) (4-2 last week)
6. Dr. Funkenstein (39-26) (5-1 last week)
7. Mr. Potayta Head (36-29) (4-2 last week)
7. Pat Head (36-29) (5-1 last week)
9. Buckeye Cock (35-30) (4-2 last week)
10. Philly Cheese (34-31) (4-2 last week)
11. Team Big Dog (33-32) (5-1 last week)

Games for this week:
1. Ohio State vs. Illinois
2. Minnesota vs. Wisconsin
3. Notre Dame vs. Navy
4. Boston College vs. Florida State
5. California vs. Oregon State
And the oddball game this week is:
6. UAB vs. Tulane

What to Expect

There are two pieces of recent history to consider, Tressel is 1-4 in games after a bye weekend and OSU has outscored NW 160-24 in the last three games. The two teams have comparable statistics with OSU averaging 24.6 points/game and NW averaging 26.2 points/game, OSU averaging 318.3 total yards/game and NW averages 377.1 yards/game, and OSU averages 168.7 rushing yards/game and NW averages 165.1 yards/game. NW averages 212 passing yards/game and OSU averages 149.7 yards/game. The teams have both played Ohio (OSU won 26-14 and NW won 16-8), Michigan State (OSU won 45-7 and NW lost 37-20), Purdue (OSU won 16-3 and NW won 48-26), and Minnesota (OSU won 34-21 and NW won 24-17.) In those games the main comparison to draw would be that OSU dominated Michigan State, while Nortwestern lost to MSU. OSU benefited off a 5-0 turnover margin, while NW likely lost due to a 0-3 turnover margin. OSU limited the potent rushing attack of MSU to 52 yards, while NW allowed 128 yards.

This game will likely come down to the running game, mostly due the cold rain which is expected. OSU has a huge advantage in this category with a scrambling Pryor and the power rushing of Beanie. NW will struggle to run the ball as they are essentially on their third team RB, and if QB Bacher plays, he will not be 100% and his running will be limited. Backup QB Kafka could be put in during running situations. Both teams limit teams to close to 100 yards/game on the ground.

Look for Pryor to limit his throws, and instead hand off the ball or tuck it and run. Beanie will not face the same type of D as seen in the PSU game, which shut him down. The PSU game was one of the few times I have seen Beanie struggle in a big game. OSU should be ok in this game, but don't expect a typical blow out, as NW is a different team and the weather will limit the offense. I think OSU will win by 14-17 points.

Scouting the Wildcats

Offense
QB Mike Kafka stepped in for CJ Bacher in the Indiana game, and he fumbled the ball twice and Indiana recovered the second fumble and ran out the clock for the win. Kafka had a better game against Minnesota as he ran for 217 yards and threw for 143 yards and two touchdowns. If Bacher is healthy he will start and Kafka will get some snaps. So far this season Bacher has 1700 yards and ten touchdowns. The running game is limited with Sutton out for the season, as he had 776 yards. Second in rushing yards is QB Bacher with 244 yards. RB Omar Conteh took Sutton's spot, but he will be out of this game due to a knee injury in practice this week. Sophomore Stephen Simmons will make his first career start at RB. This is the same player that returned a 99-yard kickoff for a touchdown against OSU last year. The two leading receivers are Ross Lane and Rasheed Ward with over 300 yards each.

This Season
Northwestern is having a great season, cracking into the top-25 with only two losses to Michigan State and Indiana. The biggest win of the season was last week with a big interception return for a touchdown at Minnesota. This team has to deal with injuries at the positions of QB, RB (two players), LB, DE, TE, DE, and CB.

The Coaches

Jim Tressel
In his eighth season at OSU, he has a record of 80-18. In his 23rd year of his coaching career, including time at YSU, he is 215-75-2. He has guided OSU to one national championship.












Pat Fitzgerald
In his third season as a head coach he is 17-16. He took over after the sudden death of Randy Walker in 2006. He played at Northwestern and has been on the coaching staff since 2001. He played on two Big Ten Champion teams, including the 1995 squad that went 8-0 in the Big Ten and played in the Rose Bowl.

The Series

This will be the 74th game between the schools with OSU leading 56-14-1 in the series and 25-6-1 in Evanston. OSU has won the last three games.

Ray Small Update

Today Ray Small's dad said his son was suspended for two games. Small's dad said it was due to a missed class. He believe Small was being singled out, and that the coaches were intentionally trying to ruin his career. Small was in trouble during the spring for being late to some classes and lost his #4 jersey and was given #82, and he missed most of the spring practices. In the spring the Small family asked Tressel to release Small from his scholarship, but Tressel said there was not a problem with Small. He stayed at OSU and had a good start to the season, but he missed most of the Troy game due to being late to a team meeting and has seen limited time since then.

During today's press conference, Tressel was asked a lot of questions about Small. He said that it was only a one game suspension. Tressel was obviously disturbed by the number of questions regarding Small and lack of questions regarding the Northwestern game, as he remarked, "OK guys, thanks, I appreciate it. I thought we were going to talk about Northwestern. Thanks" before ending the conference early as he walked out of the room.

Guest Panel-Week 11 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well.

Standings:
1. Hudy Delights (38-21) (4-2 last week)
2. Spam Sandwichsan (37-22) (4-2 last week)
3. Old Bag of Man (36-23) (2-4 last week)
3. Batman (36-23) (3-3 last week)
3. Nostrapigskinus (36-23) (4-2 last week)
6. Dr. Funkenstein (34-25) (4-2 last week)
7. Mr. Potayta Head (32-27) (3-3 last week)
8. Buckeye Cock (31-28) (2-4 last week)
8. Pat Head (31-28) (4-2 last week)
10. Philly Cheese (30-29) (2-4 last week)
11. Team Big Dog (28-31) (3-3 last week)

Games for this week:
1. Ohio State vs. Northwestern
2. TCU vs. Utah (Thursday Night game)
3. Oklahoma St. vs. Texas Tech
4. California vs. USC
5. Georgia Tech vs. North Carolina
And the oddball game this week is:
6. Southern Miss vs. UCF