What to Expect

A State of Inconsistency
Michigan State has been inconsistent on offense with a season high 269 rushing yards last week against Eastern Michigan and a season low 50 rushing yards against Notre Dame. The passing game had 248 yards against Boise State and 322 passing yards against Central Michigan, but only 159 yards against Eastern Michigan. The inconsistency can be attributed to a first year starting quarterback and the lack of a playmaker at receiver. The leading receiver is the tight end, although he is a converted receiver. Last week the team was unable to pass consistently against Eastern Michigan, and it needed three field goals to overcome the troubles on offense.

What to Expect
Michigan State will have some success on the ground, but as shown last week, the running game cannot carry the team on its own. Last week Bell had 253 yards on the ground, but only one rushing touchdown. OSU might allow Michigan State to rush for 175 yards and 200 passing yards. Don't expect big touchdown plays, as Michigan State typically gets into the redzone and then Bell runs in for a touchdown or Conroy kicks a field goal. The longest touchdown play is a 20-yard touchdown reception by the tight-end Sims against Central Michigan. Ohio State will rush for 175 yards and pass for 200 yards. The predicted offensive numbers for both teams are identical, as this will be a defensive struggle. Both teams have capable place kickers, so expect to see some stalled drives finished with a field goal. Ohio State will escape with the win, taking the lead in the fourth quarter, with a final score of 20-13.

Things to Watch

Injury Update
Defensive lineman Michael Bennett is expected to travel with the team and possibly play after missing multiple games due to a groin injury. Running back Carlos Hyde is expected to play this week. Cornerback Bradley Roby should play after missing last week, but he may not start. A decision has not been made on whether safety C.J. Barnett will play.

Gameday on Campus
ESPN's program Gameday will be at East Lansing for its broadcast on Saturday morning at 10AM (9AM on ESPNU). This popular program dates back to the 1980's, but the live campus broadcast was adopted in 1993. Ohio State first appeared on the program in 1996, a win at Notre Dame. The overall record for OSU games covered by Gameday is 19-10, with a 10-3 record in Columbus, 6-5 record on the road, and 3-2 at neutral sites. The Buckeye's last appearance on Gameday was the 2011 Sugar Bowl victory over Arkansas. There were two additional appearances on Gameday in 2010, the October 16, 2010 loss at Wisconsin and the November 13, 2010 victory over Penn State.

Michigan State is 2-3 in games where Gameday visits East Lansing, with the most recent visit being the victory over Wisconsin last season.

Scouting the Spartans

This Season
Michigan State is 3-1 with wins against Boise State (17-13), Central Michigan (41-7), and Eastern Michigan (23-7). The Spartans lost at home against Notre Dame (3-20). Michigan State averages 176 rushing yards and 229 passing yards. The Spartan defense has allowed 69 rushing yards and 164 passing yards per game. The rushing defense is 10th in the nation, while the overall defense is 6th in the nation. The offense averages 21 points/game while the defense allows 11.8 points/game.

Offense
Junior quarterback Andrew Maxwell averages 217 passing yards/game. At running back is the star of the offense, junior Le'Veon Bell. Bell leads the Big Ten and is 3rd in the Big Ten with an average of 152 rushing yards/game. Bell had 253 yards last week against Eastern Michigan. The receivers are Tony Lippett, Bennie Fowler, and Keith Mumphery.  Lippett has played on defense and offense, but will focus on receiver this season. Lippett has 119 yards in receptions this season. Fowler is a fourth year starter with 349 yards and two touchdowns. At tight-end is Dion Sims, who had 112 receiving yards against Eastern Michigan. He is in first season as a tight-end, after two previous seasons at receiver. For the season he has 277 yards in receptions, which leads the team.

Defense
William Gholston leads the defensive line. In his third year Gholston has 97 career tackles including 20 for losses. The linebackers are experienced with Denicos Allen, Max Bullough, and Chris Norman. Allen has 17 tackles this season, including a sack and forced fumble. Bullough leads the team with 26 tackles. The secondary has three veterans with Johnny Adams, Darqueze Dennard, and Isaiah Lewis. Adams has nine career interceptions including one this season. Lewis returned an interception 40 yards against Central Michigan.

OSU Last Week

In a game where Ohio State was favored by 37-points, the Buckeyes struggled to score and keep UAB off the field. In the first half UAB blocked a punt and returned it 20 yards for its only touchdown of the day. On that block, the UAB defenders outnumbered Ohio State and got to the ball before it touched Buchanan's foot. Braxton Miller was 12 of 20 for the day for 143 and rushed for 64 yards. Recently coming back from injury, Jordan Hall had a career high 105 rushing yards. In the second quarter UAB hit its first of three field goals. In the next possession Ohio State drove the ball 75 yards capped off with a touchdown run by Rod Smith. UAB made another long field goal to hold the lead 12-7. Miller ran in a touchdown late in the second quarter, which gave OSU the lead 14-12. In the next possession UAB receiver Kennard Backman was hit hard and fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Doran Grant. Zach Boren rushed for a touchdown three plays later, and Ohio State led 21-12 at halftime.

Neither team scored in the third quarter. Early in the fourth quarter UAB made yet another field goal. Miller led one more successful drive, ending with a touchdown run by Miller.  OSU converted the two-point with a run by Miller. Doran Grant caused another turnover with an interception during UAB's last drive. Ohio State won 29-15. UAB outgained Ohio State 403-347 yards.

The Series

This will be the 41st game between these two schools, with Ohio State leading the series 27-13. OSU leads 13-5 for games played in East Lansing, but OSU has not played their since 2008. Michigan State's last win against OSU in East Lansing was 1999.

Last Time
OSU lost last year in Columbus against Michigan State, with a score of 10-7. Michigan State used a blitz heavy defense and as a result OSU only had 178 yards. The running game struggled all night, and 39 attempts resulted in a net of 35 yards, which takes into account the multiple negative yardage runs and the nine sacks of the OSU QBs. Miller was 5 of 10 and Bauserman was 7 of 14 for a combined 143 passing yards, with 33 of those yards on the only touchdown pass by OSU, in the last ten seconds of the game. Michigan State scored its only touchdown on a first quarter drive. In the second quarter, MSU QB Kirk Cousins fumbled the ball and Jonathan "Big" Hank recovered the ball. Early in the fourth quarter, Michigan State threw an interception in the endzone, but Ohio State was unable to score on its possession after the turnover. Michigan State extended the lead to 10-0 with a 50 yard field goal. Later in the fourth quarter cornerback Bradley Roby intercepted Kirk Cousins, but again Ohio State did not score. OSU avoided the shutout with a late fourth quarter pass from Bauserman to Evan Spencer, making the score 10-7. Drew Basil had an excellent attempt at an onside kick, and two Ohio State players appeared to grab the ball, but Michigan State recovered the kickoff and ran out the clock. It was a costly attempt at an onside kick, with OSU receiver Verlon Reed tearing his ACL from a hit placed by a tight end on the MSU special teams. The OSU defense limited Michigan State to 71 rushing yards and 250 passing yards.

The Coaches

Urban Meyer
In the 11th season of his coaching career his record is 108-23. He is 4-0 at Ohio State in his first season. After being a two-sport star in high school, he briefly played baseball for the Atlanta Braves farm system before he attended the University of Cincinnati. He earned his graduate degree from Ohio State and worked with the team as a graduate assistant under Earle Bruce from 1986-1987. He was an assistant coach at Illinois State under former OSU defensive coordinator Jim Heacock. He later re-joined Earle Bruce at Colorado St. In 1996 he was hired as an assistant coach under Lou Holtz at Notre Dame, and he remained with Notre Dame through 2000. In 2001 he started his head coaching career at Bowling Green and in two years he had a record of 17-6. He was hired at Utah in 2003. In his first year Utah won its bowl game, and during the second year the team was undefeated and won the Fiesta Bowl. He was 22-2 in two years at Utah. In 2005 he took the helm at Florida and immediately guided them to a 9-3 record and an Outback Bowl victory. In his second year he had a 13-1 record and a BCS National Championship victory over Ohio State. In his remaining four years he lost one bowl game, and also added another BCS National Championship and victories in the Sugar and Outback Bowl. He had a record of 65-15 during his six years at Florida.

Mark Dantonio
In his sixth season at Michigan State he is 47-23 and he is 65-40 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 Jim Tressel, after spending five years as a secondary and defensive coordinator at Youngstown.

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. Mel Kiper is still in first, but he is joined by Philly Cheese. Philly Cheese was 6-0 and was one of only three panelists to correctly pick Rutgers. There was limited movement for the rest of the Guest Panel.

 

Standings:

1. Mel Kiper's Hair (18-6)  (5-1 last week)
1. Philly Cheese (18-6)  (6-0 last week)
3. Funtik the Hog (16-8)  (4-2 last week)

3. SPAM (16-8)  (4-2 last week)
5. Old Bag of Man (15-9)  (3-3 last week)
5. Batman (15-9)  (4-2 last week)
5. Black Widow (15-9)  (4-2 last week)
5. Dr. Funkenstein (15-9)  (5-1 last week)

9. Bowl Ban (14-10)  (4-2 last week)
10. Hudy the Dark Knight (13-11)  (3-3 last week)
10. Corso (13-11)  (3-3 last week)

10. Big Dog (13-11)  (4-2 last week)
 

Games for this week:

1. Ohio State vs. Michigan State

2. Penn State vs. Illinois

3. Texas vs. Oklahoma St.

4. Baylor vs. West Virginia

5. Wisconsin vs. Nebraska

And the oddball game this week is:

6. UTEP vs. East Carolina

What to Expect

UAB is in its 22nd season as a football team, while Ohio State is playing its 123rd season. UAB has been a division I-A team since 1996 and has won less than 50% of its games. This should not be a close game, and assuming Ohio State can control the turnovers and penalties, it should have 250 rushing yards and at least 250 passing yards. The young UAB defense will struggle, especially in the second half. UAB has the ability to pass the ball, but the offense was stifled at South Carolina. Look for the OSU defense to limit UAB to 260 passing yards and 75 rushing yards. OSU will continue to put pressure on the QB and should come away with at least five sacks. Ohio State will win 52-13.

Things to Watch

Injury Update
Defensive lineman Nathan Williams was able to play last week, and is expected to play this week after missing the second game. Fellow defensive lineman Michael Bennett will miss another game due to a groin injury. John Simon, another defensive lineman played with a hurt shoulder last week, and he is expected to play against UAB. Running back Carlos Hyde will not play this week. Safety C.J. Barnett is dealing with an ankle injury, so he may be limited on Saturday. Cornerback Bradley Roby has a shoulder injury and his status is not clear.

Alumni Band
The highlight of this Saturday's game will likely be the quadruple Script Ohio done by the Alumni band. This will be best part of the game, so don't head to the concession stand at halftime. The Big Ten Network may show clips of the band, so the TV audience may be able to see part of the halftime show.

Scouting the Blazers

This Season
UAB has played two games and has lost them both. In the first game UAB lost to rival Troy 39-29. After a bye in week two, UAB lost 49-6 at South Carolina. UAB actually led South Carolina in yardage at halftime, but was behind 21-6, with two field goals. UAB didn't score again and South Carolina had four more touchdowns in the second half. For the season UAB has averaged 17.5 points on offense, while allowing 44 points/game. The offense has averaged 80 rushing yards and 282 passing yards. The defense allows 220 rushing yards and 256 passing yards.

Offense
At quarterback is Johnathan Perry who has completed 52% for 536 yards and two touchdowns and one interception. In his career Perry has 2,578 passing yards. The receiver position has the most experience of all the positions on the offense. Leading the team at receiver are Jackie Williams and Patrick Hearn with 11 receptions so far this season. Williams has at least one reception in all 25 games he has played. At running back is Greg Franklin, and he has three other running backs available to back him up.

Defense
The defense only returned four starters this season and has struggled in the first two games against the run and pass. Leading the team in tackles are linebackers Marvin Burdette and Greg Irvin. In his junior year, Burdette has 266 career tackles. Irvin had 12 tackles in the Troy game. 

OSU Last Week

Ohio State had a close game last weekend against California. The first quarter had three back-to-back touchdown drives. Braxton Miller ran 55-yards for a touchdown after the defense forced a turnover. Unfortunately Drew Basil missed the point after attempt, so the score was 6-0. In the next possession California scored off a 19-yard touchdown reception. In the next possession Ohio State reached the endzone with a 25-yard pass from Miller to Devin Smith. In Ohio State's first possession of the second quarter, Jake Stoneburner caught a one yard pass for a touchdown. Ohio State led 20-7 at halftime.

Early in the third quarter California running back Brendan Bigelow ran 81-yards for a touchdown. His run was the longest run by an opponent in Ohio Stadium history. California took the lead in the fourth quarter with a one yard quarterback run, with a score of 21-20. Ohio State responded in the next possession with a touchdown drive completed by a 3-yard pass to Stoneburner. Miller successfully ran in for a two-point conversion, putting Ohio State up by a seven points. Less than 30 seconds went off the clock as California running back Bigelow ran it 59-yards, for a touchdown to tie the score at 28-28. California missed its third field goal attempt, after a successful drive. Miller was able to trick the defense and as a result Devin Smith was wide open for a 72-yard touchdown reception. Christian Bryant assured the victory with his first career interception, and Ohio State ran out the clock for the 35-28 victory.

The Coaches

Urban Meyer
In the 11th season of his coaching career his record is 107-23. He is 3-0 at Ohio State in his first season. After being a two-sport star in high school, he briefly played baseball for the Atlanta Braves farm system before he attended the University of Cincinnati. He earned his graduate degree from Ohio State and worked with the team as a graduate assistant under Earle Bruce from 1986-1987. He was an assistant coach at Illinois State under former OSU defensive coordinator Jim Heacock. He later re-joined Earle Bruce at Colorado St. In 1996 he was hired as an assistant coach under Lou Holtz at Notre Dame, and he remained with Notre Dame through 2000. In 2001 he started his head coaching career at Bowling Green and in two years he had a record of 17-6. He was hired at Utah in 2003. In his first year Utah won its bowl game, and during the second year the team was undefeated and won the Fiesta Bowl. He was 22-2 in two years at Utah. In 2005 he took the helm at Florida and immediately guided them to a 9-3 record and an Outback Bowl victory. In his second year he had a 13-1 record and a BCS National Championship victory over Ohio State. In his remaining four years he lost one bowl game, and also added another BCS National Championship and victories in the Sugar and Outback Bowl. He had a record of 65-15 during his six years at Florida.

Garrick McGee
In his first year as a head coach, he is 0-2. McGee is an Oklahoma graduate, where he played quarterback. He has been an assistant at Langston, Northern Iowa, Jacksonville Jaguars, Toledo, UNLV, and Northwestern. Most recently he was the assistant coach on offense at Arkansas for four seasons.

The Series

This is the first game between Ohio State and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Ohio State is 12-1-1 against current members of Conference USA, including a win two weeks ago against the University of Central Florida. UAB is 0-1 against the Big Ten with a loss to Michigan State in 2007.

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. Mel Kiper takes the lead after predicting five correct games last week, while most of the panel predicted three or four correct. Mel Kiper and Bowl Ban were the only panelists to predict Stanford's victory over USC. The large group at second place last week is now broken up into second, sixth, and eighth place.

 

Standings:

1. Mel Kiper's Hair (13-5)  (5-1 last week)
2. Funtik the Hog (12-6)  (3-3 last week)

2. SPAM (12-6)  (4-2 last week)
2. Old Bag of Man (12-6)  (4-2 last week)
2. Philly Cheese (12-6)  (4-2 last week)
6. Batman (11-7)  (3-3 last week)
6. Black Widow (11-7)  (3-3 last week)
8. Dr. Funkenstein (10-8)  (2-4 last week)

8. Hudy the Dark Knight (10-8)  (3-3 last week)
8. Corso (10-8)  (3-3 last week)

8. Bowl Ban (10-8)  (4-2 last week)

12. Big Dog (9-9)  (1-5 last week)
 

Games for this week:

1. UAB vs. Ohio State

2. Missouri vs. South Carolina

3. Clemson vs. Florida St.

4. Rutgers vs. Arkansas

5. Michigan vs. Notre Dame

And the oddball game this week is:

6. Troy vs. North Texas

What to Expect

The Pac 12 beat up the Big Ten last week, so Ohio State needs to win for the conference this week. Ok so maybe that is a bit strong, but it was an ugly weekend for the conference. California will line its safeties up closer to the line, so Ohio State will likely take advantage and look for open receivers. There might often be single coverage by the California defense. As a result of California's defense, Miller will be limited in his rushing, unless he can hit some open passes and make California adjust its defense. Look for Ohio State to get 300 passing yards and 200 rushing yards.

California has a fairly balanced offense, but Coach Jeff Tedford is known for his quarterbacks. Be sure to watch the half brothers combo of QB Zach Maynard and receiver Keenan Allen as they will combine for a number of receptions. Receiver Allen is projected as a first round draft pick next year. California will have its most success in the air and may get 250 passing yards, but the running game will be limited to 125 yards.

OSU will win the game 45-25.

Things to Watch

Injury Update
Running back Carlos Hyde left the UCF game with a sprained knee and will miss at least one game. Jordan Hall is not likely to start, but he will play. Defensive lineman Nathan Williams was not able to play last week. He had extensive minutes in the Miami game after recovering from microfracture knee surgery in the offseason. He is expected to play on Saturday, but not start. Cornerback Travis Howard missed some minutes in the UCF game due to a stinger in his neck, but he is expected to play Saturday. Defensive tackle Michael Bennett is expected to miss another game.

Leaders Division?
Unfortunately the Big Ten Leaders Division took another couple blows to its creditability on Saturday with the losses by Wisconsin, Penn State, and Illinois. The Penn State loss was not as shocking as the Wisconsin game in which the Badgers were unable to effectively run against Oregon State. The concern with Penn State is that it was the second consecutive loss for a program trying to find its footing with a new coach and sanctions. Illinois has some key injuries and a new coach, but that doesn't justify the loss to Arizona St. The Legends Division didn't exactly outshine the Leaders, as Michigan struggled at home with Air Force, Nebraska lost at UCLA, and Iowa lost to Iowa State.

Scouting the Golden Bears

This Season
California is 1-1 this season with a win last week against Southern Utah (50-31) and a loss the first week to Nevada (31-14). The Southern Utah game score is deceiving as California scored over half its points in the fourth quarter. The team is weak against the pass, allowing 261 yards/game. The rushing defense is slightly better, allowing 149 yards/game. California allows 31 points/game while averaging 37 points.

Offense
Zach Maynard is in his third year as the starting quarterback. Maynard was 17 of 30 for 245 yards and two touchdowns against Nevada. Maynard was 17 of 23 for 229 yards and one touchdown against Southern Utah. Maynard will scramble, but his career high for a game is only 52 yards. At receiver are Keenan Allen and Chris Harper. Allen will also return punts and he is fourth in the nation with 22 yards/return, including a punt return for a touchdown against Southern Utah. Harper leads California with 151 reception yards. Running back duties are shared by seniors Isi Sofele and C.J. Anderson. Sofele rushed for 104 yards against Nevada.

Defense
Linebacker Robert Mullins leads the team with 20 tackles in two games. Last week defensive back Marc Anthony had his fourth career interception, running it back 61 yards for a touchdown. Lineman J.P. Hurrell had three sacks against Southern Utah.

OSU Last Week

Braxton Miller continues to lead Ohio State and the conference in rushing with 151 rushing yards/game on a total of 44 carries. He was the first quarterback in over thirty years to score three rushing touchdowns in one game. Braxton scored his first rushing touchdown on the team's first possession, rushing for 37 yards. Miller hit his first seven passes. Late in the first quarter UCF made a 28-yard field goal. Ohio State responded with its own field goal early in the second quarter. UCF tied the game in the next possession with a drive that included a 48-yard run by backup running back Storm Johnson. The Buckeyes regained the lead before halftime after Miller rushed for his second touchdown with 15 second left in the half. The scoring drive started with an interception by Travis Howard, his third for the season. Ohio State led 17-10 at halftime.

In the third quarter OSU drove down the field and scored on a touchdown pass from Miller to Jake Stoneburner. Later in the third quarter, Miller ran for his third touchdown, making the score 31-10. UCF scored late in the third quarter, but freshman Adolphus Washington blocked the point after attempt. Ohio State won 31-16.

Ohio State forced three turnovers including three interceptions. Unfortunately the Buckeye offense also had three turnovers.

The Coaches

Urban Meyer
In the 11th season of his coaching career his record is 106-23. He is 2-0 at Ohio State in his first season. After being a two-sport star in high school, he briefly played baseball for the Atlanta Braves farm system before he attended the University of Cincinnati. He earned his graduate degree from Ohio State and worked with the team as a graduate assistant under Earle Bruce from 1986-1987. He was an assistant coach at Illinois State under former OSU defensive coordinator Jim Heacock. He later re-joined Earle Bruce at Colorado St. In 1996 he was hired as an assistant coach under Lou Holtz at Notre Dame, and he remained with Notre Dame through 2000. In 2001 he started his head coaching career at Bowling Green and in two years he had a record of 17-6. He was hired at Utah in 2003. In his first year Utah won its bowl game, and during the second year the team was undefeated and won the Fiesta Bowl. He was 22-2 in two years at Utah. In 2005 he took the helm at Florida and immediately guided them to a 9-3 record and an Outback Bowl victory. In his second year he had a 13-1 record and a BCS National Championship victory over Ohio State. In his remaining four years he lost one bowl game, and also added another BCS National Championship and victories in the Sugar and Outback Bowl. He had a record of 65-15 during his six years at Florida.

Jeff Tedford
In his 11th season as a head coach, all at California, he is 80-49. He is a 1983 graduate of Fresno State, where he played quarterback. Early in his coaching career he was an offensive assistant at Fresno State. He was the offensive coordinator at Oregon in the years 1998-2001. He accepted his first head coaching position with California in 2002. At California he has guided the team to eight bowl games in eleven seasons. Last season California lost to Texas in the Holiday Bowl.

The Series

OSU leads this series 5-1, but the teams have not met in forty years. California won the first matchup in 1921 with a score of 28-0 in the Rose Bowl, but lost the remaining games in 1950 (Rose Bowl), 1953, 1954, 1971, and 1972. The Buckeyes are 56-26-2 in games against current members of the Pac-12.

Guest Panel-Week 3 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below  are the standings as well.
Funtik takes a one game lead at first, despite his busy schedule last week.  There is a large group tied for second with an 8-4 record. Philly Cheese and Mel Kiper had big jumps due to 4-2 records. Both Philly Cheese, Mel Kiper, and SPAM were the only panelists to predict Northwestern's victory. The Iowa State victory was not predicted by most of the panel. The Nebraska loss was ugly for many reasons, and unfortunately it was a big zero for the entire panel.

Standings:

1. Funtik the Hog (9-3)  (3-3 last week)

2. SPAM (8-4)  (2-4 last week)

2. Batman (8-4)  (3-3 last week)
2. Black Widow (8-4)  (3-3 last week)
2. Big Dog (8-4)  (3-3 last week)
2. Dr. Funkenstein (8-4)  (3-3 last week)
2. Old Bag of Man (8-4)  (3-3 last week)

2. Philly Cheese (8-4)  (4-2 last week)

2. Mel Kiper's Hair (8-4)  (4-2 last week)
10. Hudy the Dark Knight (7-5)  (2-4 last week)
10. Corso (7-5)  (3-3 last week)

12. Bowl Ban (6-6)  (2-4 last week)

 

Games for this week:

1. California vs. Ohio State

2. USC vs. Stanford

3. Notre Dame vs. Michigan St.

4. Florida vs. Tennessee

5. Bowling Green vs. Toledo

And the oddball game this week is:

6. Liberty vs. Montana

What to Expect

If you haven't heard already, you will be told many times on Saturday that both teams are under postseason bans. UCF received news of the postseason ban right before fall practice, due to recruitment violations in basketball and football. UCF is currently appealing the sanction, and it is possible it could be reversed in time for postseason play.

 

Both defenses appear prepared to stop the run, but both teams allowed over 250 passing yards in the first game of the season. The first game is a small sample set and it can be misleading, but statistics from last year seem to confirm that both teams have a strong run defense. I don't expect to see Miller run for more than 100 yards, but he should pass for over 200 yards. Between Hyde and Dunn there should be 125 rushing yards. UCF will be limited to 125 rushing yards and 150 passing yards. OSU will win 45-17.

Things to Watch

Injury Update
Defensive lineman Michael Bennett missed a start in the Miami game due to an aggravated groin muscle strain he was dealing with during preseason. His status is unclear for the UCF game. Running back Jordan Hall is out for at least another week, but he hopefully will play next week against Akron.

Win Division?
Evidently the Big Ten discussed the scenario of OSU or PSU winning the Leaders division, and came to the conclusion that both schools are eligible to win the division and receive a trophy. Neither school is eligible for the Big Ten Championship game, or a bowl game.

Scouting the Knights

This Season

UCF is 1-0 so far this season and 1-0 against teams from Ohio with the victory last Saturday in Akron. Like Ohio State, UCF had a scoring surge in the second quarter with 28 points. UCF had 204 rushing yards and scored four rushing touchdowns in the game. The UCF defense forced four turnovers.

 

Offense

Sophomore quarterback Blake Bortles was 13 of 16 for 168 yards in his first career start last week. The team had four passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns. At running back is Miami (Fl) transfer Storm Johnson, who had two of the rushing TDs last week. At receiver Rannell Hall had two touchdowns on four receptions, which matches his receptions total from all of last season.

 

Defense

UCF can defend the run, and it showed last week as Akron was limited to 69 yards on 27 carries. Last season six teams could not reach 100 yards rushing against UCF.  The defense also had three sacks last week.

OSU Last Game

OSU fell behind in the first quarter, as Miami led 3-0 at the end of the quarter. The first four OSU possessions resulted in punts. Braxton Miller only completed one of his first seven passes and Miami had 172 offensive yards in the first quarter. Early in the second half OSU took the lead with an incredible one-hand touchdown catch by Devin Smith. In OSU's next possession Miller connected with Corey "Philly" Brown for a touchdown pass. Later in the quarter Carlos Hyde scored with a four yard run. OSU had one more shot at the endzone at the end of the quarter. Evan Spencer had a 44-yard reception, but Carlos Hyde was unable to make it into the endzone from the one-yard line. At halftime the score was 21-3.

 

On the first play of the second half Braxton Miller ran down the left side and with a juke he avoided a tackle and ran in for a 65-yard touchdown. Miami was unable to move the ball on the next possession, and Bradley Roby jumped on the ball in the endzone after a bad snap to the punter, resulting in another OSU touchdown. Miami finally scored a touchdown late in the third quarter with a 44-yard pass. Braxton Miller experienced some muscle cramps and Kenny Guiton took over at QB. Three different players had rushing touchdowns for the Buckeyes in the fourth quarter, Carlos Hyde, Zach Boren, and Bri'onte Dunn. For Boren and Dunn, it was their first career touchdown. The defense limited Miami to a net of -1 rushing yards, but Miami did have 313 passing yards. Miller set a record with 161 rushing yards. Ohio State won 56-10.

The Series

This is the first game between these two schools. UCF has played six Big Ten schools, and is 0-6 in those games.

The Coaches

Urban Meyer
In the 11th season of his coaching career his record is 105-23. He is 1-0 at Ohio State in his first season. After being a two-sport star in high school, he briefly played baseball for the Atlanta Braves farm system before he attended the University of Cincinnati. He earned his graduate degree from Ohio State and worked with the team as a graduate assistant under Earle Bruce from 1986-1987. He was an assistant coach at Illinois State under former OSU defensive coordinator Jim Heacock. He later re-joined Earle Bruce at Colorado St. In 1996 he was hired as an assistant coach under Lou Holtz at Notre Dame, and he remained with Notre Dame through 2000. In 2001 he started his head coaching career at Bowling Green and in two years he had a record of 17-6. He was hired at Utah in 2003. In his first year Utah won its bowl game, and during the second year the team was undefeated and won the Fiesta Bowl. He was 22-2 in two years at Utah. In 2005 he took the helm at Florida and immediately guided them to a 9-3 record and an Outback Bowl victory. In his second year he had a 13-1 record and a BCS National Championship victory over Ohio State. In his remaining four years he lost one bowl game, and also added another BCS National Championship and victories in the Sugar and Outback Bowl. He had a record of 65-15 during his six years at Florida.

George O'Leary
In his 17th season as a coach, he is 103-84. He is 51-51 in his 9th season at UCF. He graduated from New Hampshire, but he did not play football while at school (this is an important point.) Prior to being a head coach O'Leary was an assistant at Syracuse, Georgia Tech, and the San Diego Chargers. O'Leary was the head coach at Georgia Tech from 1994-2001. O'Leary was briefly the coach at Notre Dame, but a few discrepancies were found on his resume. He had listed a master's degree from NYU-Stony Brook, a school that does not exist. He also claimed to have earned three football varsity letters at New Hampshire, but he did not play football as a student. After the brief stay Notre Dame, he spent one year as a defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings.

Guest Panel-Week 2 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well. Funtik and SPAM have a one game lead after the first week of picks. The standings remain close as the majority of the panel picked five or four games correctly.

Standings:

1. Funtik the Hog (6-0 last week)

1. SPAM (6-0 last week)
3. Hudy the Dark Knight (5-1 last week)

3. Batman (5-1 last week)
3. Black Widow (5-1 last week)
3. Big Dog (5-1 last week)
3. Dr. Funkenstein (5-1 last week)
3. Old Bag of Man (5-1 last week)
9. Bowl Ban (4-2 last week)

9. Philly Cheese (4-2 last week)

9. Mel Kiper's Hair (4-2 last week)

9. Corso (4-2 last week)

Games for this week:

1. UCF vs. Ohio St.

2. Vanderbilt vs. Northwestern

3. Iowa vs. Iowa St.

4. Georgia vs. Missouri

5. Nebraska vs. UCLA

And the oddball game this week is:

6. Louisiana Tech vs. Houston