OSU Basketball

Congrats to the OSU Buckeyes on both quality wins over two ranked teams on the road. OSU had to come back from 14 points down at halftime to beat Miami on the road. The Buckeyes did their part in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, but unfortunately the Big Ten lost again... The Big Ten has not won the competition yet. OSU looked solid in Indy against a very good Big East Notre Dame team. Turner is really developing into a leader on the team, collecting double-doubles on points and rebounds in two of the last three games. He had a career game with 28 points against Notre Dame. The Buckeyes are ranked 21st in both polls, the first time in the polls since Oden and Conley had OSU ranked #1 two years ago.

Guest Panel-Bowl Games

The Guest Panel starts a new competition with the slate clean. Check back on December 18 for the picks/comments for all 34 bowl games.

NOTE-Panelists, please number your picks in the order in this post.

TIEBREAKER-Please list the total number of points scored for the Fiesta Bowl (OSU vs. Texas.) In the event of a tie for first place, I will look to the tiebreaker and the panelist closest to the total number of points, above or below, will break the tie and win. I will only use the tiebreaker for first place.

1. EagleBank Bowl
Wake Forest vs. Navy
Dec. 20, 11 a.m.
ESPN

2. New Mexico
Colorado State vs. Fresno State
Dec. 20, 2:30 p.m.
ESPN

3. magicJack St. Petersburg
Memphis vs. South Florida
Dec. 20, 4:30 p.m.
ESPN2

4. Pioneer Las Vegas
BYU vs. Arizona
Dec. 20, 8 p.m.
ESPN

5. R+L Carriers New Orleans
Southern Miss vs. Troy
Dec. 21, 8:15 p.m.
ESPN

6. San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia
Boise State vs. TCU
Dec. 23, 8 p.m.
ESPN

7. Sheraton Hawaii
Hawaii vs. Notre Dame
Dec. 24, 8 p.m.
ESPN

8. Motor City
Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan
Dec. 26, 8 p.m.
ESPN

9. Meineke Car Care
West Virginia vs. North Carolina
Dec. 27, 1 p.m.
ESPN

10. Champs Sports
Wisconsin vs. Florida State
Dec. 27, 4:30 p.m.
ESPN

11. Emerald
Miami (Fla.) vs. California
Dec. 27, 8 p.m.
ESPN

12. Independence
Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech
Dec. 28, 8:15 p.m.
ESPN

13. Papajohns.com
NC State vs. Rutgers
Dec. 29, 3 p.m.
ESPN

14. Valero Alamo
Missouri vs. Northwestern
Dec. 29, 8 p.m.
ESPN

15. Roady's Humanitarian
Maryland vs. Nevada
Dec. 30, 4:30 p.m.
ESPN

16. Texas
Rice vs. Western Michigan
Dec. 30, 8 p.m.
NFL Network

17. Pacific Life Holiday
Oklahoma State vs. Oregon
Dec. 30, 8 p.m.
ESPN

18. Bell Helicopter Armed Forces
Houston vs. Air Force
Dec. 31, Noon
ESPN

19. Brut Sun
Oregon State vs. Pittsburgh
Dec. 31, 2 p.m.
CBS

20. Gaylord Hotels Music City
Boston College vs. Vanderbilt
Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m.
ESPN

21. Insight
Kansas vs. Minnesota
Dec. 31, 5:30 p.m.
NFL Network

22. Chick-fil-A
LSU vs. Georgia Tech
Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m.
ESPN

23. Outback
South Carolina vs. Iowa
Jan. 1, 2009, 11 a.m.
ESPN

24. Capital One
Georgia vs. Michigan State
Jan. 1, 2009, 1 p.m.
ABC

25. Konica Minolta Gator
Clemson vs. Nebraska
Jan. 1, 2009, 1 p.m.
CBS

26. Rose Bowl Game Presented by Citi
Penn State vs. USC
Jan. 1, 2009, 4:30 p.m.
ABC

27. FedEx Orange
Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech
Jan. 1, 2009, 8:30 p.m.
FOX

28. AT&T Cotton
Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech
Jan. 2, 2009, 2 p.m.
FOX

29. AutoZone Liberty
Kentucky vs. East Carolina
Jan. 2, 2009, 5 p.m.
ESPN

30. Allstate Sugar
Utah vs. Alabama
Jan. 2, 2009, 8 p.m.
FOX

31. International
Buffalo vs. Connecticut
Jan. 3, 2009, Noon
ESPN2

32. Tostitos Fiesta
Ohio State vs. Texas
TIEBREAKER-LIST TOTAL NUMBER OF POINTS SCORED
Jan. 5, 2009, 8 p.m.
FOX

33. GMAC
Tulsa vs. Ball State
Jan. 6, 2009, 8 p.m.
ESPN

34. FedEx BCS National Championship Game
Florida vs. Oklahoma
Jan. 8, 2009, 8 p.m.
FOX

Guest Panel-Regular Season Final Standings

Congrats to Hudy Delights, a new panelist and a new champion. He will receive a certificate and an Ohio State t-shirt. Thanks to the entire guest panel for another great season of picks and funny commentary.

Remember the guest panel will now start the bowl season with a 0-0 record, and the panelist who best predicts the entire bowl season will be crowned the champion of the separate competition.

Standings:
1. Hudy Delights (62-27) (5-1 last week)
2. Batman (59-30) (4-2 last week)
3. Nostrapigskinus (58-31) (5-1 last week)
3. Spam Sandwichsan (58-31) (5-1 last week)
3. Old Bag of Man (58-31) (6-0 last week)
6. Dr. Funkenstein (53-36) (2-4 last week)
6. Buckeye Cock (53-36) (6-0 last week)
8. Pat Head (52-37) (4-2 last week)
9. Mr. Potayta Head (50-39) (4-2 last week)
10. Philly Cheese (49-40) (4-2 last week)
11. Team Big Dog (45-44) (2-4 last week)

OSU Basketball Update

Just a few notes on the basketball team...

OSU tied a record allowing only 22 points against Samford. This week OSU faces its first ranked team of the season, in fact OSU will play two ranked teams this week with Miami (7 PM) on Tuesday and Notre Dame (4 PM) on Saturday. The game versus Miami is part of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

Dallas Lauderdale is looking good so far, as he has 16 blocks in three games, and he is hitting shots he would not have attempted last season. Evan Turner is scoring and rebounding, but he is also turning the ball over with 11 in three games. It is early in the season but the players with the most minutes so far are Diebler, Turner, Lighty, Simmons, and Lauderdale. Jeremie Simmons is a 6'2" guard junior college transfer, who spent the last two years at NJCAA team Mott Community College, where he was national player of the year averaging 21 points and five assist per game.

The Dispatch explained the altercation between BJ Mullens and Samford guard Bermudez. Evidently during an inbound Bermudez threw the ball and hit the crotch of Mullens. Then Bermudez faked another throw at the midsection of Mullens and the referee had a talk with Bermudez. Sixteen seconds later on the same possession Mullens had a physical block, which put Bermudez on the floor. Griffin, another guard for Sampson, reacted by pushing Mullens. OSU guard Simmons came to the defense of Mullens and pushed Griffen. Bermudez sat on the ground clapping as he expected a technical foul on Mullens. The refs called a personal foul on Mullens for the block, a technical on Samford player Griffen, and a technical on OSU player Simmons. It seems like Bermudez should have had a technical foul called. Those of us watching on the Big Ten Network missed the inbounds event, as the camera was following David Lighty as he walked to the bench.

Guest Panel-Week 15 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 (57-26) (5-1 last week)
2. Batman (55-28) (4-2 last week)
3. Nostrapigskinus (53-30) (3-3 last week)
3. Spam Sandwichsan (53-30) (4-2 last week)
5. Old Bag of Man (52-31) (4-2 last week)
6. Dr. Funkenstein (51-32) (4-2 last week)
7. Pat Head (48-35) (3-3 last week)
8. Buckeye Cock (47-36) (4-2 last week)
9. Mr. Potayta Head (46-37) (4-2 last week)
10. Philly Cheese (45-38) (4-2 last week)
11. Team Big Dog (43-40) (4-2 last week)

THIS IS THE LAST WEEK FOR THE REGULAR SEASON

Games for this week:
1. Boston College vs. Virginia Tech
2. Navy vs. Army
3. Alabama vs. Florida
4. Missouri vs. Oklahoma
5. South Florida vs. West Virginia
And the oddball game this week is:
6. Western Kentucky vs. Florida International (Tie Breaker-Total points scored)

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

Guest Panel-Week 10 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 (34-19) (2-4 last week)
1. Old Bag of Man (34-19) (3-3 last week)
3. Batman (33-20) (3-3 last week)
3. Spam Sandwichsan (33-20) (5-1 last week)
5. Nostrapigskinus (32-21) (2-4 last week)
6. Dr. Funkenstein (30-23) (1-5 last week)
7. Buckeye Cock (29-24) (3-3 last week)
7. Mr. Potayta Head (29-24) (3-3 last week)
9. Philly Cheese (28-25) (2-4 last week)
10. Pat Head (27-26) (2-4 last week)
11. Team Big Dog (25-28) (3-3 last week)

Games for this week:
1. Ohio State vs. Michigan (Hockey on Saturday Night)
2. Texas vs. Texas Tech
3. Florida vs. Georgia
4. Northwestern vs. Minnesota
5. Wofford vs. Appalachian St. (Friday Night)
And the oddball game this week is:
6. Michigan vs. Purdue

What to Expect

Last week it looked like the OSU/PSU game would be wet, but it looks like the rain should make its way through today and be clear from the night game on Saturday. Let's now take a look at the 10-day forecast...oh wait I mean let's look at the game.

I will start out by saying that Penn State has exceeded expectations, in fact JoePa may get another contract. It seems that whenever the critics back JoePa back into a corner in recent years, saying he is too old or that the game has left him, he fights back by winning games and he continues to lead coaches in career victories. It is sad to consider that JoePa does not have a contract for next season, and the parties are not supposed to discuss the matter until the end of the season.

Yes, Penn State is undefeated, but I am not convinced that this team will finish the season undefeated, as they have games left against OSU, Iowa, and Michigan State. Sorry Indiana, you did not make the cut for consideration in this post. I honestly think Iowa could give them a game, as that team is running the ball well and the defense is doing well. Michigan State will also give Penn State a good game. As I said in the previous post, the non-conference games were not very revealing for PSU, even the Oregon State game. Penn State did dominate Wisconsin, while OSU struggled, but I think it is fair to say OSU's close win deflated Wisconsin at Madison, which may have helped PSU the following week at Madison.

I also question if Penn State knows how to deal with adversity. Last night on the Big Ten Network a Penn State radio personality said Penn State has had to deal with adversity to come back in games against Illinois and Michigan, and I had to laugh. Illinois was up 14-7 for less than a quarter against PSU, in the first quarter, after that PSU was just fine. Michigan did score first and was up 10-7 at the end of the first quarter and did lead 17-14 at the half, but PSU went on to score 32 unanswered points in the second half. I don't exactly think this team has experienced adversity, and they will Saturday against OSU. How will PSU respond when they are losing in the fourth quarter, which is unchartered water for this team? In comparison OSU has dealt with adversity in games against Ohio, USC, Troy, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Purdue. In the Ohio game, OSU had to score in the fourth quarter to come from behind to win the game. OSU lost to USC big time in a high profile game, and they know how that tastes, so they are not very likely to repeat such a performance. In the Troy game, OSU was only up 4 in the fourth quarter, and scored two touchdowns to have a more respectable victory. OSU had to hold off a Minnesota team that would not give up as the Golden Gophers scored fifteen points in the fourth quarter. It took a drive with 1:08 left in the fourth with a true freshman QB to take the lead and win at Wisconsin. OSU only led by 10 against Purdue in the fourth quarter, before hitting a FG. OSU has had the close games, OSU has come from behind late in the game, OSU has had critical drives in the fourth quarter, OSU has had a defense make the necessary stops in the fourth quarter, and OSU has experienced a loss.

Chekwa may be limited in his minutes at corner this week, but replacing him at starter is returning starter Donald Washington, which is not a bad deal for OSU. Jenkins and Chekwa/Washington will keep two of the receivers in check, while the rest of the secondary and LBs will keep the other one to two receivers in this HD spread attack in check, as the receivers for PSU may be quick but they are not big. Just a reminder, Jenkins at corner for OSU is 6-1, taller than the three main PSU receivers, oh and Chekwa and Washington are both 6-0. The two OSU safeties check in at 5-11 and 6-0. Butler is 5-10, Norwood is 5-11, and Williams is 6-0. So by comparison the receivers are as tall or shorter than the OSU secondary, which may not appear to be a big deal but consider that the secondaries of the previous opponents of PSU likely do not have corners at or over 6-0.

I see OSU winning this one, and by at least ten points, which is a bit higher than what I have seen other folks predict, I think the last line I saw was PSU by 2-3 points. Pryor and Beanie will tear up the running game, with Pryor getting 80-110 on the ground and Beanie getting 150-175. Penn State will get 100-150 on the ground total. The OSU running game will open the passing game, although I still think Pryor will only throw 15-20 times for less than 200 yards. Look for the defense to continue to force turnovers and will likely score on one in this game. The only HD that will work Saturday night will be the cameras at the game and the TVs of the fans watching from home.

Scouting the Nittany Lions

QB
The offense is led by first year starter, junior Daryll Clark, with the spread HD (high definition) offense. He played in eight games behind Anthony Morelli last year, with 47 snaps, 31 passing yards, and 80 rushing yards. This season he has completed 63% for 1531 yards, eleven touchdowns, and two interceptions. His best game was against Wisconsin with 244 yards.

Running game
Leading the running game is third year sophomore Evan Royster with 893 yards and ten touchdowns. He had 174 yards against Michigan last week and over 100 also against Oregon State, Syracuse, Illinois, and Purdue. Royster's numbers would probably be higher if he didn't share time with red-shirt freshman Stephfon Green. Green is smaller and faster than Royster, so his game complements Royster quite well. Green has 411 yards and four touchdowns, and he had over 100 yards against Temple, and he has only topped 50 yards in four games. QB Clark also runs the ball and has 190 yards and eight touchdowns. He typically has between five and ten carries in a game, only getting 50 or more yards in two games, with a season high of 61 against Oregon State.

O-Line
This O-Line bullies opponents to allow the team to average 234 rushing yards/game. Leading the effort is AQ Shipley at center. He has started the last 34 games at center and has played in every game for the last three years.

Receivers
There is a lot of experience at reciver with Deon Butler leading the way with 486 yards and three touchdowns, Jordan Norwood with 405 yards and five touchdowns, and Derrick Williams with 282 yards and one touchdown. As a key element in the spread HD offense, the speedy RB Green has 142 yards and one touchdown. Both Butler and Norwood are Bilentikoff Award candidates. Butler averages 16.2 yards/catch, is only six catches away from becoming the all-time PSU receptions leader, second in all time PSU yardage. Norwood would have even higher states if he hadn't missed the Illinois and Purdue games due to a hamstring injury, but he has been healthy for the two recent games.

Defense
Linebacker University lost a key player when All-American LB Sean Lee tore his ACL in spring practices. The LB unit has less experience than normal, but LB Navorro Bowman leads the team in tackles with 71, including 40 solo. He had three sacks versus Temple. The D-Line is solid with defensive end Aaron Maybin second in the nation with 10 sacks and third in tha nation with 14.5 tackles for loss. He has forced three fumbles so far this season.

Special Teams
Receiver Williams leads the team in kick returns, with three kicks returned for TDs this year and averages 33.2 yards/kickoff. He has five career kick returns for TDs. Place kicker Kevin Kelly is 12 of 14 with a long of 52 and he has also hit a 50 yarder. He is 43 of 43 on PATs. He is the Big Ten all-time kick scoring leader with 378 points.

This Season
The non-conference games for Penn State were not very revealing, in particular Coastal Carolina, Syracuse (Sorry Ari), and Temple. The Oregon State game was not interesting at the time, but after USC fell to them, the win by Penn State looked pretty good, although I still don't think it is fair to compare. Oregon State has been up and down this season, and they played at Penn State and hosted USC, with USC having collapsed at Oregon State two years ago as well. Within the conference the wins over Illinois and Wisconsin stand out, although both teams have had disappointing seasons. In the Illinois game Penn State took control of the game with a returned kick for a TD early in the fourth quarter. PSU dominated Wisconsin, scoring 21 in the second quarter and 17 in the third quarter, with a final score of 41-17. It is fair to draw comparisons to the OSU victory in Madison, which came down to a fourth quarter drive by OSU. Penn State played a far superior game to OSU in Madison.

The Coaches

Jim Tressel
In his eighth season at OSU, he has a record of 80-17. In his 23rd year of his coaching career, including time at YSU, he is 215-74-2. He has guided OSU to one national championship.











Joe Paterno
In his 43rd season as a head coach, all at Penn State, he is 380-125-3 (75.1%.) He currently leads the all-time victories among major college coaches. Paterno is also the longest serving head coach at one school in major football history. He has led the school to two national championships in 1982 and 1986. He was an assistant at Penn State for 16 years prior to his time as head coach. He is already in the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

The Series

OSU leads the series 12-11, and has won the last two games. In the game last year OSU won 37-17. Two years ago in Columbus, OSU won 28-6. OSU leads the series in Columbus 8-5. Since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993 OSU is 10-5.

Guest Panel-Week 9 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 (32-15) (5-1 last week)
2. Old Bag of Man (31-16) (5-1 last week)
3. Nostrapigskinus (30-17) (4-2 last week)
3. Batman (30-17) (4-2 last week)
5. Dr. Funkenstein (29-18) (2-4 last week)
6. Spam Sandwichsan (28-19) (4-2 last week)
7. Philly Cheese (26-21) (3-3 last week)
7. Buckeye Cock (26-21) (3-3 last week)
7. Mr. Potayta Head (26-21) (4-2 last week)
10. Pat Head (25-22) (4-2 last week)
11. Team Big Dog (22-25) (3-3 last week)

Games for this week:
1. Penn State vs. Ohio State
2. Oklahoma State vs. Texas
3. Georgia vs. LSU
4. Virginia Tech vs. Florida State
5. Illinois vs. Wisconsin
And the oddball game this week is:
6. Kent State vs. Miami (not Florida)

What to Expect

The OSU offense continues to develop, but last week it almost looked like the offense took a step backwards, as they did not score a touchdown, passes were dropped, the o-line was beat up, Pryor was sacked three times, the passing game was under 100 yards, Beanie was under 100 yards (although he had the flu all week), and the team was 4-14 on third down conversions. Look for Beanie to get 125-150 yards on the ground, and Pryor will improve his passing game. The O-Line is still a point of concern, especially with the season ending injuries of the two promising freshmen Adams and Shugarts. If you don't think a true freshman can make an impact on the O-line look who is at center, yeah Brewster since the Troy game, even after Cordle recovered from his injury. Cordle is back on the line, but Brewster has not given up the spot at center. Herron will miss another game, but Sanzenbacher is back. I am still upset about the hit Herron took that gave him the concusion, dirty football at Wisconsin, no surprise. I think OSU will keep Ringer in check, although he will still get close to 100 yards.. He averages two touchdowns a game in seven games, which is good by any standards, but if you take out the five touchdowns in the Eastern Michigan game he has 1.1 touchdowns/game in six games, which is less impressive, especially considering how many touches he gets. In the Iowa game, one of the few games against a "quality defense" he only had 91 yards and no touchdowns. OSU has struggled to defend the middle of the field, but I see them holding Ringer in check, in fact I think Beanie will have a better game. If the game is close MSU has a dependable kicker. Despite the growing pains of Pryor, he is winning, and it will take a crisis situation for a two QB system, unless Tressel can work out the problems that were evident in the USC game two QB strategy. Boeckman will get minutes, but not within the same series. OSU wins this one and moves one step closer to a showdown against Penn State.

Scouting the Spartans

Offense
Leading the offense is Brian Hoyer, who has 1314 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. In his career he has 5,069 yards. He had 321 yards against California, but he only had one touchdown pass and the team lost. In the Florida Atlantic game he only had 88 yards and no touchdown passes. The star on this offense is running back Javon Ringer 1112 yards already this season, with two games of over 200 yards. In his career he has 3873 yards. Ringer is in the talks for the Heisman. Leading in receptions is Mark Dell with 443 and two touchdowns.

Special Teams
Brett Swenson is perfect on PATS and is 15 of 16 for FGs. He has a long of 48 yards.

The Season
The Spartans are 6-1 and undefeated in the Big Ten, although it is questionable if this team has defeated a quality opponent. The best team MSU has played so far, California, beat them in the season opener. Next on the list would likely be Notre Dame, but Notre Dame has two loses and almost lost to Stanford. The conference games were against Indiana, Iowa, and Northwestern. MSU does well with the run, averaging 176 yards/game and the passing game is ok at 192 yards/game. The defense allow 134 yards/game on the ground, but they give up 227 yards/game in the air.

The Coaches

Jim Tressel
In his eighth season at OSU, he has a record of 79-17. In his 23rd year of his coaching career, including time at YSU, he is 214-74-2. He has guided OSU to one national championship.










Mark Dantonio
In his second season at Michigan State he is 13-7 and he is 31-24 in his career which includes three years at Cincinnati. Dantonio was the defensive coordinator at Ohio State for three years, including the 2002 National Championship season. Dantonio moved to OSU with Tressel, after spending five years as a secondary and defensive coordinator at Youngstown.

Mike Tressel, nephew of Jim Tressel, is the linebackers/special teams coach. He was a graduate assistant at OSU in 2002-2003. Mike is the son of Dick Tressel, the OSU running backs coach, and older brother of Jim.

The Series

OSU leads the series 26-12 and is 12-5 in East Lansing. OSU has won the last seven games in the series, but there have been some close games including last year, 24-17.

Wilson out for rest of season...again

As you may recall, last season Lawrence Wilson broke his leg in the season opening game against YSU, causing him to miss the rest of the season. The return of Wilson was highly anticipated this year, but unfortunately a torn ACL injury in the Purdue game last weekend has ended his season. As was the case last year Heyward or Rose will play in his absence.

Guest Panel-Week 8 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 (27-14) (2-4 last week)
1. Dr. Funkenstein (27-14) (3-3 last week)
3. Nostrapigskinus (26-15) (2-4 last week)
3. Old Bag of Man (26-15) (3-3 last week)
3. Batman (26-15) (4-2 last week)
6. Spam Sandwichsan (24-17) (3-3 last week)
7. Philly Cheese (23-18) (2-4 last week)
7. Buckeye Cock (23-18) (2-4 last week)
9. Mr. Potayta Head (22-19) (3-3 last week)
10. Pat Head (21-20) (2-4 last week)
11. Team Big Dog (19-22) (3-3 last week)

Games for this week:
1. OSU vs. Michigan State
2. Vanderbilt vs. Georgia
3. Missouri vs. Texas
4. Kansas vs. Oklahoma
5. California vs. Arizona
And the oddball game this week is:
6. Florida Atlantic vs. Western Kentucky

What to Expect

Look for OSU to run the ball well against the Purdue defense. I think we will continue to see Pryor pick up some yards on the ground, along with Beanie. OSU will continue to work on the passing game, and we should see some deep balls. Look for Boeckman to get some quality minutes in the second half, possibly in the second quarter. Purdue always has the ability to put up some passing yards, and could beat many teams in the conference, but they usually fall victim to their own mistakes, either turnovers or ineffective red zone offense. Purdue will turn around the season, as they want to send Coach Tiller off on a good note, but I don't expect this to be a turn around game for them.

Scouting the Boilermakers

Offense
In his fifth year Matt Painter leads the offense. He took over as QB in the middle of the 2005 season. He has 9,988 yards and 59 touchdowns so far in his career. He has topped four hundred yards in two games so far in his career. His highs and low this season are 359 yards against Notre Dame and 112 in the air against Penn State last week, both games were loses. He has 1225 yards this season and five touchdowns. The team averages 117 yards/game on the ground with Kory Sheets leading the team with 498 yards. At receiver are Desmond Tardy with 393 yards and Greg Orton with 330 yards.

This Season
The team is averaging an impressive 261 yards/game in the air, but they only score 26 points/game. Games against Oregon and Notre Dame are prime examples of Purdue racking up the yards and not scoring effectively. Against Oregon, Purdue came out fast, scoring 20 points in the first two quarters, but after that they only hit a FG in the fourth quarter and the first overtime. In the Notre Dame game Purdue had 462 yards, including 359 yards in the air, yet they only scored three touchdowns. The defense hasn't helped, as they give up 435 yards/game with a ridiculous 196 yards/game on the ground. The team has not beaten a quality opponent, having won games against Northern Colorado and Central Michigan and lost games against Oregon, Notre Dame, and Penn State.

The Coaches

Jim Tressel
In his eighth season at OSU, he has a record of 78-17. In his 23rd year of his coaching career, including time at YSU, he is 213-74-2. He has guided OSU to one national championship.












Joe Tiller
In his 12th and final season at Purdue he is 85-57. His career record is 124-87-1 in 18 seasons with time at Wyoming. At the end of the season he will step down and Eastern Kentucky head coach Danny Hope will take over. Tiller is from Toledo and he played at Montana State as an offensive lineman.

The Series

OSU leads the series 36-12-2 and leads 24-5-2 in Columbus. The teams met last year in West Lafayette and OSU won 23-7. The last game in Columbus, OSU won in overtime in 2003, 16-13. In the night game last year against Purdue, OSU limited Purdue to 4 rushing yards and kept QB Painter in check, allowing most of the passing yards and the only touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Guest Panel-Week 7 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 (25-10) (4-2 last week)
2. Dr. Funkenstein (24-11) (3-3 last week)
2. Nostrapigskinus (24-11) (5-1 last week)
4. Old Bag of Man (23-12) (4-2 last week)
5. Batman (22-13) (4-2 last week)
6. Philly Cheese (21-14) (3-3 last week)
6. Spam Sandwichsan (21-14) (4-2 last week)
6. Buckeye Cock (21-14) (4-2 last week)
9. Mr. Potayta Head (19-16) (2-4 last week)
9. Pat Head (19-16) (3-3 last week)
11. Team Big Dog (16-19) (2-4 last week)

Games for this week:
1. Purdue vs. OSU
2. LSU vs. Florida
3. Texas vs. Oklahoma
4. Oklahoma State vs. Missouri
5. Penn State vs. Wisconsin

And the oddball games this week are:
6. Eastern Michigan vs. Army

Herron, Sanzenbacher, and Nicol Out for Saturday

Boom Herron who took a hit to the chin by the helmet of Wisconsin defensive back Jay Valai will not be playing in the game Saturday. Tressel has asked the Big Ten to review the footage to determine why a flag was not thrown for the hit, as the conference said such hits would not be tolerated this season. "As you watched the film, it certainly (was a collision of) two head gears," Tressel said. "Actually in Boom's case it was a head gear and a chin, and the jaw creates some of the worst concussions. But again, that game is happening fast and I'm not sitting here saying the officials need to be perfect because the game happens fast. And you've got to make split-second decisions, and sometimes they get them and sometimes they don't."

Receiver Dane Sanzenbacher also left the Wisconsin game with a concussion, and he will not play Saturday as well. Tight end Rory Nicol will miss another game because of his ankle sprain. Backups LB Austin Spitler and tackle JB Shugarts will also miss the game.

What to Expect

The OSU offense still needs to smooth out some edges, but the Pryor-Beanie combo is giving defensive coordinators nightmares. With the power running of Beanie, the option, spread offense, etc OSU will be hard to predict. Pryor is still working out the timing with receivers, but so far his throwing has been good enough. Based on how poor the Wisconsin defense has been against the pass (almost 200 yards/game), in particular the spread attack, look for Pryor to have a bigger passing game this week. The OSU defense is still not playing up to pre-season expectations, allowing almost 100 yards/game on the ground and almost 160 yards/games in the air. In this game, the OSU defense will likely give up 100-150 yards on the ground, but it should be able to hold the Badgers in the redzone. In other words, the OSU defense will bend but not break. Luckily the Badgers do not throw the ball for a lot of yards, but with a healthy TE Beckum they will have the short pass available. The Badgers are tough at home, winning 27 of the last 28 games in Madison, 16 straight at home, and Bielema has not lost at home. Look for OSU to win this slugfest, Pryor to improve his passing game, and OSU to avenge the 2003 loss in Madison.

Scouting the Badgers

Quarterback
After transferring from Kansas State and sitting out a year, senior Allan Evridge got minutes in seven games last year. This season he is 57% for 752 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions.

Runningbacks
Junior running back PJ Hill is seventh in school history with 3230 career rushing yards. He averages 115.4 yards/game. He had this second 200-yard career game this season against Akron. This season he has 449 yards and four touchdowns. Also getting time at RB are John Clay and Zach Brown.

O-Line
Ok so I usually don't discuss the O-Line for the opposing team, but this one is pretty impressive with the five starting lineman having 124 combined starts between them and they average 6' 6" and 319 lbs., yes I said average. The shortest is 6'4" and the lightest is 301 lbs.

Receivers
Graham and Gilreath lead the team in receptions with 154 yards and 139 yards respectively. Graham has three touchdowns and Gilreath has one touchdown. Graham has had more playing time with the senior tight end Travis Beckum injured. Beckum is expected to healthy for this game.

Defense
Wisconsin only allowed 268 yards versus Michigan, but 247 were in the second half. Two of the impact players on the defense are linebackers DeAndre Levy and Jaevery McFadden. Junior safety Shane Carter already has two interceptions this season, and has nine in his career.

This Season
Wisconsin had high expectations this season, rising up to #9 before their collapse last week at Michigan. The team looked solid in wins against Akron and Marshall, but at #21 Fresno State the offense could not get started only scoring one touchdown at the end of the first quarter, and adding two field goals in the second and third quarters. Fresno State missed three missed field goals Wisconsin ran the clock out to end the game. At Michigan, Wisconsin led 19-0 at halftime, and it appeared Michigan was on its way to another loss under Coach Rod, but Michigan scored 27 in the second half and benefited off a failed two point conversion by Wisconsin. It was a big upset for Michigan, in fact it was the biggest comeback in Michigan Stadium history.

The Coaches

Jim Tressel
In his eighth season at OSU, he has a record of 77-17. In his 23rd year of his coaching career, including time at YSU, he is 212-74-2. He has guided OSU to one national championship.












Bret Bielema
In his third season as a head coach, all at Wisconsin, he is 24-6. After his second season he was 21-5, and was only the third coach in Big Ten history with that many victories in two seasons. The other two coaches being Michigan's Fielding Yost with 22 and Tressel with 21. He is the fourth youngest coach in the NCAA at age 38, with Northwestern Coach Pat Fitzgerald the youngest at 33. After playing at Iowa he worked as a graduate assistant and then a Linebackers assistant coach at his alma mater. For two years he was an assistant defensive coordinator at Kansas State. Bielema joined wisconsin as a defensive coordinator for two years prior to being named head coach.

The Series

OSU leads the series 51-17-5 in a series that started in 1913. OSU is 23-10-2 in games in Madison. The series has been close since 1980 with OSU leading 6-5-1. OSU won the game last year 38-17, but they lost the last game in Madison 17-10 in 2003. That game broke a 19-game winning streak, which included the 2002-2003 14-0 National Championship season. Wisconsin is the only Big Ten team with a winning record against Tressel OSU 3-2.

Guest Panel-Week 6 Games and Standings

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

Standings:
1. Dr. Funkenstein (21-8) (3-3 last week)
1. Hudy Delights (21-8) (4-2 last week)
3. Nostrapigskinus (19-10) (4-2 last week)
3. Old Bag of Man (19-10) (5-1 last week)
5. Philly Cheese (18-11) (4-2 last week)
5. Batman (18-11) (5-1 last week)
7. Spam Sandwichsan (17-12) (3-3 last week)
7. Mr. Potayta Head (17-12) (4-2 last week)
7. Buckeye Cock (17-12) (4-2 last week)
10. Pat Head (16-13) (4-2 last week)
11. Team Big Dog (14-15) (3-3 last week)

Games for this week:
1. OSU vs. Wisconsin
2. Auburn vs. Vanderbilt

And the oddball games this week are:
3. Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Louisiana-Monroe
4. Temple vs. Miami (Not Florida)
5. Southern Methodist vs. UCF
6. Florida International vs. North Texas

What to Expect

Some people have said this could be a game OSU looks past as they prepare for Wisconsin, but I don't buy that argument. This team has already had wake up calls against Ohio and USC, and possibly against Troy. Ohio State still has many things to work out on the offensive end, breaking in a new quarterback, adapting new plays for the new QB style, and plugging in Beanie. That being said, OSU is in a good position to win the conference and return to a BCS game. The loss by USC last night is an indication of what to expect this season, with other highly ranked teams getting upset. Hopefully OSU will benefit by those upsets, and not be one of the victims.

In regards to Minnesota, they are not that far removed from an 1-11 season, and many of those same parts are in place. Coach Brewster had a great recruitment class, and some of those players are on the depth chart, but look for them to make an impact in the coming years. The defense is still struggling, having allowed non-conference schools to move the ball, and the offense can be stopped by shutting down receiver Eric Decker, who has almost half of the reception yards for the entire team. Look for Jenkins to match up against him, and Decker only has an inch in height advantage over Jenkins. Beanie is back, but it is not clear how much he will play. Regardless, look for OSU to run the ball quite a bit. Minnesota could keep this close with turnovers, as they are #4 in the nation in turnover margin, but I don't think they will win the turnover margin in this game. Minnesota will score, but OSU should have this game in control mid-way into the second quarter.

Scouting the Golden Gophers, Updated

Quarterback
Sophomore Adam Weber returns to the QB spot after throwing 57.5% for 2895 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions as a red-shirt freshman. So far this season he is a much improved throwing 71.8% for 967 yards, 7 touchdowns, and one interception. His big game this season was against Bowling Green, throwing 84% for 233 yards and three touchdowns.

Runningbacks
The running game is lead by DeLeon Eskridge, one of the highly touted freshman, with 204 yards and 5 touchdowns. Returning starter sophomore Duane Bennett has 140 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bennett is often compared to Lawrence Maroney, not only because he wears #22 but based on his running style.
UPDATE-I failed to mention that Bennett is out for the season with a knee injury from the BGSU game.

Receivers
Junior Eric Decker leads the team with 454 yards and one touchdown. Outside of playing baseball as an outfielder at Minnesota, last year in football he had 909 yards and 9 touchdowns. Second in receiving is RB Bennett with 140 yards.

Defense
This unit was not very good last year, in fact Minnesota would be 0-12 if Miami would have hit a 33-yard field goal. Over the summer Coach Brewster dismissed three defensive players, but based on the stats last year they won't be missed. So far this season they are still struggling allowing 354 yards/game with 109/game on the ground and 245/game in the air.

This Season
Some quick stats about Minnesota, #4 in nation in turnover margin at +2.75/game, 4-0 for first time since 2005, #11 in pass efficiency at 164.83, and #17 in kickoff returns at 25.86 yards/return. That being said, the defense was still pretty bad against non-conference games, which isn't comforting for them going into conference play. Minnesota was able to avenge the loss to Florida Atlantic, which is good because the loss last year was the first victory for a Sun Belt Conference team over a Big Ten team. Otherwise they have beat Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, and Montana State.

The Coaches

Jim Tressel
In his eighth season at OSU, he has a record of 76-17. In his 23rd year of his coaching career, including time at YSU, he is 211-74-2. He has guided OSU to one national championship.


Tim Brewster
In his second season as a head coach Brewster is 5-11, with four of those victories this season. For the first time in a long time there is some excitement at Minnesota as Brewster signed a top 25 recruiting class and the new football stadium will open next year. Brewster was an assistant for over 20 years, with time at the San Diego Chargers, University of Texas, and North Carolina. Brewster was a tight end at Illinois, a part of the 1984 Rose Bowl team.

The Series

It is surprising that there is no trophy in this game, especially considering Minnesota has four trophy/rival games, including the always impressive Paul Bunyon's Axe. OSU leads the series 40-7, including a 20-3 record in Columbus. OSU won the game last year 30-7. The last win by Minnesota was the 29-17 upset of then #6 OSU in Columbus. I rememer the game distinctly because the Minnesota coach, former OSU player, Glen Mason spoke with the press after game, expressing his love of Ohio State in what appeared to be an early job interview for the spot that would soon be vacated by Cooper. Obviously Tressel got the job over Mason, which turned out quite well because Mason now does TV work for the Big Ten Network and we know what Tressel has done.

Guest Panel-Week 5 Games and Standings

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

Standings:
1. Dr. Funkenstein (18-5) (6-0 last week)
2. Hudy Delights (17-6) (2-4 last week)
3. Nostrapigskinus (15-8) (3-3 last week)
4. Old Bag of Man (14-9) (4-2 last week)
4. Philly Cheese (14-9) (5-1 last week)
4. Spam Sandwichsan (14-9) (3-3 last week)
7. Mr. Potayta Head (13-10) (1-5 last week)
7. Buckeye Cock (13-10) (4-2 last week)
7. Batman (13-10) (2-4 last week)
10. Pat Head (12-11) (2-4 last week)
11. Team Big Dog (11-12) (3-3 last week)

Games for this week:
1. Minnesota vs. OSU
2. Alabama vs. Georgia
3. Illinois vs. Penn State
4. Purdue vs. Notre Dame
5. Colorado State vs. California
And the oddball game this week is:
6. Idaho vs. San Diego State

What to Expect

After the tough trip last weekend and all the power outages in the state this week, OSU could use an easy game this weekend, but I don't Troy is what the doctor ordered. Troy will score some points, and might keep things interesting past halftime, but I see OSU coming out with the win, but it may be a bit close for comfort. I rank this team as the second best team OSU will see in the first four games so far this season, and we all know how OSU did against USC and Ohio. Now, if OSU gets motivated and plays a great game this could be over in the first quarter. Look for Pryor to finally get quality playing time and make his case for the starting position. Honestly I never thought I would be seeing Pryor as a starter this season, but Boeckman is struggling, and Pryor has looked good. I'm hoping Tressel settles on a running back during this game.

Concerns about OSU

I won't even begin to talk about the horrendous display from last week, as that game has been analyzed by enough people. Honestly, nothing went right, so there are a lot things to improve upon. The biggest question marks that remain for this team are, what is going with Boeckman, how much more will Pryor play, when is Beanie returning, who will step up while Beanie is out, what the heck is going on with the O-line, is Pretorius going to hit the critical FGs down the road, and why are the receivers struggling to catch balls and separate themselves from defenders. Some folks may also throw in some questions about the coaching staff, but I really feel like the players aren't playing well, so it is tough to blame the coaches yet... I think Boeckman is struggling because OSU is not establishing a running game, his passes are short (due to his choice, the receivers not getting open deep, or the play called by the coaches), and the line is not giving him sufficient time. It is not clear who will start this week, but Boeckman may be playing himself out of the starting position, as Pryor had over 60% of the snaps in practice this week. Until the O-line wakes up, Pryor may be the solution as he can move. I really do not think we will see Beanie until the second half of the season. He is for sure out this weekend and likely out for Minnesota. Unless he starts to heal faster, he will likely miss Wisconsin and possibly Purdue. I am not sure who will step up in Beanie's absence, but I would guess Boom Herron. Tressel needs to find a back and stick with him, as the running by committee is screwing up the flow. The O-line is one of the biggest mysteries to me, as this unit is highly experienced and supposedly 1-3 of them will have high paying jobs in the NFL. To me they look slow, letting the opposing D-line get the first hit, and they let more guys through that line than Chipotle on a free burrito day. I was concerned last year when Pretorius won the job from the injured Pettrey. After Pettrey healed, I really hoped he would take the job back, as he did and continues to have a stronger leg. Pretorius concerns me because his angle last year was very low, which led to some blocks. This year the angle doesn't seem to be as bad, but he hasn't lived up to the Tressel special teams standard, missing a PAT and two FGs so far this season. He has hit a 50 yarder, but I just hope he can hit the big ones down the road. So why are the receivers struggling? I have three answers, one being that OSU is not getting enough yards on first and second downs, which leads to obvious pass situations that are easier to defend. The second possible answer is that the passes are short, which allows the defense to pack in around the receiver. The last answer is that the receivers are not spacing themselves out and when they do get the ball they can't seem to keep the ball in their hands. OSU better get some answers quick.

Scouting the Trojans

Quarterback
Jamie Hampton leads the offense, with an impressive 66% for 459, 5 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions in two games. Last year he was a backup, starting one game, throwing 54.5% for 45 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

Runningbacks
The running game is split between DuJuan Harris and Maurice Greer. Harris has 187 yards and three touchdowns. As a backup last year Harris had 372 yards and no touchdowns. Greer has 114 yards and one touchdown, and is a junior college transfer.

Receivers
At the H spot is Jerrel Jernigan, Y is Cornelius Williams, X is Kennard Burton, and Z is Mykeal Terry. Burton and Terry are returning starters. Jernigan leads the team with 137 years and one touchdown.

Defense
The D-line returns a lot of experience with Kenny Mainor, Brandon Lang, Steve McLendon, and Cameron Sheffield returning as starters. Returning at linebacker are Borris Lee and Terrence Moore. Lee has started 23 straight games. In the secondary Sherrod Martin and Tavares Wiliams return as starters. Williams has started 26 straight games.

This Season
Troy is undefeated going 2-0, with the LSU game postponed in week two. Troy beat Middle Tennessee 31-17 and Alcorn State 65-0. Alcorn State is a nobody, but Middle Tennessee beat Maryland and lost to Kentucky after a tackle at the one yard line at the end of the game.

Coaches

Jim Tressel
In his eighth season at OSU, he has a record of 75-17. In his 23rd year of his coaching career, including time at YSU, he is 210-74-2. He has guided OSU to one national championship.


Larry Blakeney
In his 18th season as a head coach and at Troy he is 138-68-1. He is the winningest coach in school history, with the record previously only 44 wins. His success has allowed Troy to move from Division II to Division I-AA and now Division I-A. He played football at Auburn, which is where he was an assistant coach and from there he moved to the head coach position at Troy.

The Series

What series? Ohio State has not played Troy or any team from the Sun Belt Conference. Under Tressel OSU is 22-1 versus non-conference teams at Ohio Stadium, with the only loss being to Texas in 2005.

Guest Panel-Week 4 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 (15-2) (6-0 last week)
2. Mr. Potayta Head (12-5) (3-3 last week)
2. Nostrapigskinus (12-5) (5-1 last week)
2. Dr. Funkenstein (12-5) (4-2 last week)
5. Spam Sandwichsan (11-6) (4-2 last week)
5. Batman (11-6) (4-2 last week)
7. Pat Head (10-7) (4-2 last week)
7. Old Bag of Man (10-7) (3-3 last week)
9. Philly Cheese (9-8) (2-4 last week)
9. Buckeye Cock (9-8) (2-4 last week)
11. Team Big Dog (8-9) (2-4 last week)

Games for this week:
1. Troy vs. OSU
2. LSU vs. Auburn
3. Wake Forest vs. Florida State
4. Virginia Tech vs. North Carolina
5. Vanderbilt vs. Mississippi
And the oddball game this week is:
6. New Mexico State vs. UTEP