What to Expect

Alabama relies on its passing game, and in all but two games this season it has had more receiving yards than rushing yards. It had a high of 288 rushing yards against West Virginia and a low of 66 against Arkansas. T.J. Yeldon has been dealing with ankle and hamstring injuries, so he may be limited in this game. In the passing game Alabama had a high of 430 against Florida Atlantic and a low of 161 against Arkansas. Cooper can be defended and in the Arkansas game he only had two receptions for 22 yards, and Alabama was fortunate to win the game. In the loss to Ole Miss he had 91 yards, but none of the receptions resulted in a touchdown. Ohio State can allow Cooper to catch the ball, but he can't reach the endzone. Look for Alabama to have 150 rushing yards and 200 passing yards.

Alabama has a strong rushing defense, but the passing defense has struggled at times. The rushing defense limited Texas A&M to 31 rushing yards, although A&M is not known for its rushing offense. Alabama never allowed a team to run for over 183 yards, and it only allowed over 150 yards in three games. This season it has only allowed three rushing touchdowns. The pass defense is a different story, with nine teams passing for over 200 yards, including 365 yards by West Virginia and 456 yards by Auburn. Look for Ohio State to have 200 rushing yards and 250 passing yards. Ohio State will win with a final score of 31-24.

Things to Watch

College Football Playoff

Oregon and Florida State will play on January 1 at 4:30 PM in the Rose Bowl, which is the first semifinal in the playoff. Ohio State and Alabama will play at 8:30 PM in the Sugar Bowl. The Championship game will occur on January 12 at Reliant Stadium (Jerry World) in Arlington, Texas.

Sugar Bowl

This is the 81st Sugar Bowl Classic, with Alabama making its 15th appearance, most recently the 2014 game against Oklahoma. This will be Ohio State's fifth appearance and the official record is 1-2 with the 2010 victory over Arkansas vacated. Ohio State lost to LSU in the BCS national championship which also occurred in the Superdome in 2007.

Scouting the Crimson Tide

Alabama finished the season with a record of 12-1 (7-1 SEC) with victories over West Virginia, Florida Atlantic, Southern Miss, Florida, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi St., Western Carolina, Auburn, and Missouri. The lone loss was on the road at Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide averages 209 rushing yards/game, 281 passing yards, and 37 points. Alabama has limited teams to 88 rushing yards/game, 223 passing yards, and 16 points.

Offense

Blake Sims has completed 64% of his passes for 3250 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. He has also rushed for 321 yards and six touchdowns. At running back is T.J. Yeldon who has 932 yards and ten touchdowns. Yeldon has been limited this season with hamstring and ankle injuries. Also splitting time at running back is Derick Henry with 895 yards and ten touchdowns. Both running backs have a limited role in the passing game. At receiver is Amari Cooper, winner of the Biletnikoff award as the nation's outstanding receiver. Cooper has carried the load for the team with 1656 reception yards and 14 touchdowns, which is almost half the yards and touchdowns the team has in receptions. Behind Cooper are DeAndrew White, Christion Jones, and O.J. Howard. Jones also returns kicks. White is the senior leader in the receiving team, but he was limited this season with a shoulder injury and a tight hamstring.

Defense

Landon Collins leads the team with three interceptions and 91 tackles. Xzavier Dickson has eight sacks for 37 yards. Geno Smith starts at free safety but his playing time may be limited to obvious passing situations. Also at safety is Nick Perry who had twelve tackles against Mississippi St. Jarran Reed is a junior college transfer and he has made an immediate impact on the defensive live. Reggie Ragland is a first year starter at linebacker and he was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award and was first team All-SEC.

OSU Last Game

Cardale Jones had a career day in his first start as quarterback at Ohio State. He was 12 of 17 for 257 yards and three touchdowns. Ohio State stunned Wisconsin with a shutout score of 59-0.Ezekiel Elliott contributed a carer high 220 rushing yards. Devin Smith also had a big day with four receptions for 137 yards and three touchdowns. The defense was stout against Heisman candidate and the nation's leading rusher Melvin Gordon, limiting him to 26 rushes for 76 yards. The victory propelled Ohio State into the College Football Playoff.

The Coaches

Urban Meyer
In the 12th season of his coaching career Urban Meyer's record is 140-26. Meyer is 36-3 at Ohio State, after going 12-0 in his first season. 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. He had a record of 65-15 during his six years at Florida, including two BCS National Championships.

Nick Saban

In his 8th season at Alabama Nick Saban has a record of 86-16 and his career record is 177-58 in 19 seasons. He graduated from Kent State where he played defensive back. He started his coaching career in 1972 as a graduate assistance at Kent State. He was an assistant coach on defense at Kent State, Syracuse, West Virginia, Ohio State, Navy, Michigan State, Houston Oilers (NFL), Toledo, and the Cleveland Browns (NFL). Saban started his head coaching career at Michigan State in 1995, then he he coached at LSU from 2000-2004 which includes the 2003 national championship. He briefly coached in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins and he returned to the college level at Alabama in 2006, where he has three national championships.

The Series

Alabama leads this series 3-0 with victories in the 1978 Sugar Bowl, 1986 Kickoff Classic, and the 1995 Citrus Bowl.

Guest Panel-Regular Season Final Standings

Congrats to W.T. for his victory in the Buckeye Pregame Guest Panel Regular Season Competition! He will receive an OSU shirt and a certificate. There wasn't much movement in the final standings. W.T. has held first place since week 13. Funtik moved into to a tie with Philly Cheese at second place.

Thanks to the entire guest panel for another great season of picks and funny and insightful commentary.

The bowl games are around the corner, and the games will soon be posted. Everyone will have a clean slate for the bowl game competition, which will have its own champion.

Final Standings:

1. W.T. (60-30) (4-2 last week)
2. Philly Cheese (59-31) (4-2 last week)
2. Funtik the Hog (59-31) (5-1 last week)
4. Corso (58-32) (4-2 last week)
5. SPAM (57-33) (5-1 last week)

6. Old Bag of Man (56-34) (5-1 last week)
7. Hudy (54-36) (3-3 last week)

7. Big Dog (54-36) (4-2 last week)
9. Cliff Diving Raoul (52-38) (2-4 last week)
9. Mel Kiper's Hair (52-38) (4-2 last week)

11. Academic Fraud (51-39) (4-2 last week)
12. Ice Bucket (48-42) (2-4 last week)

What to Expect

Wisconsin is close to be undefeated, as it lead 24-7 against LSU early in the third quarter but it lost by four points, and Melvin Gordon ran for 259 rushing yards in the six point loss to Northwestern. Wisconsin will run the ball and Melvin Gordon has dominated virtually every defense. He had a season low of 38 yards against Western Illinois but otherwise he has exceeded 122 yards in every game with a high of 408 against Nebraska. Wisconsin will not rely on the passing game as it has only had over 200 passing yards in three games and the team only has 13 touchdown receptions. Look for Wisconsin to have 275 rushing yards and 130 passing yards.

Wisconsin has defended well against the run and pass. The Badgers kept six teams under 100 rushing yards and only one exceeded 200 yards. Wisconsin only allowed over 200 yards three times, but that does include 311 passing yards by Iowa. Look for Ohio State to have 250 rushing yards and 120 passing yards. This will be a close game, but Ohio State will come out victorious 31-28.

Scouting the Badgers

Wisconsin's record is 10-2 (7-1 B1G) with victories over Western Illinois, Bowling Green, South Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Rutgers, Purdue, Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota. The Badgers lost at LSU and at Northwestern. Wisconsin averages 334 rushing yards/game, 147 passing yards, and 37 points. The defense limits teams to 103 rushing yards/game, 156 passing yards, and 16 points.

Offense

Quarterback Joel Stave has started seven straight games and has won all seven. Stave has completed 58% of his passes for 1042 yards, 8 touchdowns, and four interceptions. Wisconsin uses two quarterbacks and Tanner McEvoy has run for 288 yards with four touchdowns. McEvoy started the first five games, which included two losses. Running back Melvin Gordon leads the nation with an average of 188 yards/game and he has a B1G single season record 2,260 yards, which is fourth-most in NCAA history. He has 29 touchdowns, second-most in B1G history. At receiver are Alex Erickson, Kenzel Doe, Reggie Love, and tight ends Same Arneson and Austin Traylor.

Defense

Michael Caputo leads the team with 93 tackles and four fumble recoveries. Derick Ladisch leads the team with 8 sacks. Peniel Jean leads the team with two interceptions.

Things to Watch

College Football Playoffs

With the injury to Barrett it is possible Ohio State may miss the playoffs, even with a victory on Saturday but I still think it could jump a Big 12 team. If Ohio State wins, I predict Florida St., Oregon, Alabama, and Ohio State. If Ohio State loses, look for the Big 12 to take one spot and Baylor could jump TCU. If Florida State stumbles then the Big 12 will take a second spot. Ohio State could use the assistance of a loss by Florida State or Oregon, and both look vulnerable this weekend. If Alabama loses, the SEC will be shutout of the first edition of the playoffs.

Attendance

Ohio State ended the season as the highest home attendance with an average of 106,296, which includes a stadium record of 108,610 last week against Michigan. The second highest school was Texas A&M with an average of 105,123 and Michigan was at third with an average of 104,909.

The Coaches

Urban Meyer
In the 12th season of his coaching career Urban Meyer's record is 139-26. Meyer is 35-3 at Ohio State, after going 12-0 in his first season. 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. He had a record of 65-15 during his six years at Florida, including two BCS National Championships.

Gary Andersen
In his second year at Wisconsin Gary Andersen has a record of 19-6 and in his seventh year as a head coach his record is 49-37. Prior to his time at Wisconsin, Andersen was the head coach at Utah State and Southern Utah. He was an assistant coach under Urban Meyer at Utah in 2004. He also held assistant coaching positions at Southern Utah, Northern Arizona, Idaho State, and Ricks College. He was an offensive lineman at Ricks College and Utah.

The Series

OSU leads 56-18-5 in this series that dates back to 1913. Ohio State has won the last three meetings.

Last Time
Ohio State won the game last year with a final score of 31-24. In a much anticipated night game in Columbus Braxton Miller threw for four touchdowns in the first half of the game. Wisconsin strayed away from its running game and Joel Stave threw for 295 yards. Receiver Jared Abbrederis made Bradley Roby work hard as he racked up 207 receiving yards and one touchdown pass. In the Buckeyes first series, Miller connected with Evan Spencer for a 25-yard touchdown. Wisconsin responded with a 36-yard touchdown pass. Ohio State scored again with Miller throwing a 26-yard pass to Devin Smith. Drew Basil kicked a 45-yard field goal in the second quarter, and Wisconsin scored on the next drive but it left enough time on the clock for Ohio State to take possession. Braxton Miller was almost intercepted but the in the next play he found Philly Brown for a 40-yard touchdown with one second left in the half. Ohio State led 24-14 at halftime. Ohio State only scored once more a short pass to Philly Brown late in the third quarter. Wisconsin scored an additional ten points to get within one touchdown but there were not enough minutes left in the game.

OSU Last Week

Ohio State beat its rival Michigan with a final score of 42-28, but it lost its starting quarterback and Heisman candidate J.T. Barrett to a season ending injury. Early in the fourth quarter Barrett broke his ankle and he will miss the rest of the season. Before his injury he led four touchdown drives which included a touchdown pass to Nick Vannett, two touchdown runs by Barrett, and a touchdown run by Ezekiel Elliott. Cardale Jones took over early in the fourth quarter and Elliott scored with a 44-yard touchdown run. Michigan had four touchdowns, with one in each quarter. The Buckeye defense limited Michigan to 121 rushing yards and 251 passing yards and Ohio State forced two turnovers.

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. There were no changes in the top three spots as the four panelists all had 5-1 records. Only W.T. and Ice Bucket correctly predicted the Ole Miss victory and Ice Bucket was the only panelist with a 6-0 record. The competition is close in the final week, who will separate themselves from the pack?

TIEBREAKER-Please list the total number of points scored for the Big Ten Championship Game. 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.

This is the last week for the regular season competition. The Guest Panel will return with a clean slate for the bowl games.

Standings:

1. W.T. (56-28) (5-1 last week)
2. Philly Cheese (55-29) (5-1 last week)
3. Funtik the Hog (54-30) (5-1 last week)
3. Corso (54-30) (5-1 last week)
5. SPAM (52-32) (5-1 last week)

6. Hudy (51-33) (3-3 last week)
6. Old Bag of Man (51-33) (4-2 last week)

8. Big Dog (50-34) (3-3 last week)
8. Cliff Diving Raoul (50-34) (5-1 last week)
10. Mel Kiper's Hair (48-36) (5-1 last week)

10. Academic Fraud (47-37) (4-2 last week)
12. Ice Bucket (46-38) (6-0 last week)


Games for this week:

1. Wisconsin vs. Ohio State

2. Arizona vs. Oregon (Friday)

3. Alabama vs. Missouri

4. Florida St. vs. Georgia Tech

5. Kansas St. vs. Baylor
And the oddball game this week is:

6. SMU vs. Connecticut

What to Expect

The Michigan offense never quite developed as originally hoped under new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier who was hired away from Alabama. The team had its most productive offense in the first week against Appalachian State with 560 yards, including 350 rushing yards and 210 passing yards. Since that date the team has not eclipsed 500 yards and it only has topped 400 yards twice. The Wolverine offense really struggled against Minnesota with only 83 rushing yards and 88 passing yards. Look for Michigan to have 130 rushing yards and 175 passing yards.

The Michigan defense has defended the run well this season, but it has allowed over 140 yards five times. Minnesota had 206 rushing yards, while Northwestern had -9 rushing yards. The Wolverine's pass defense has been effective with a couple exceptions including the 402 yards allowed in the Rutgers game and the 273 yards allowed against Northwestern. Look for Ohio State to have 200 rushing yards and 300 passing yards. Ohio State will win with a final score of 40-17.

Things to Watch

Troy Smith #10

At halftime Buckeye great quarterback Troy Smith will be honored by having #10 placed permanently along the stadium along with other legends Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz, Hopalong Cassady, Archie Griffin, Eddie George, Chic Harley, and Bill Willis. In his career Smith completed 62% of his passes for 5720 yards, 54 touchdowns, and a passing efficiency of 157. Smith was the overwhelming selection for the Heisman Trophy in 2006 and he led the Buckeyes to an undefeated season and to the National Championship game, which it lost to Florida. Ohio State no longer retires numbers, but it will have a display with his name and uniform number inside the stadium.

College Football Playoffs

My predictions is the same for the third week in a row, I predict one team from the ACC (Florida St.), Pac-12, SEC, and B1G being selected for the playoffs. If Ohio State loses a game, look for the Big 12 to take one spot. If Florida State stumbles then the SEC or Pac-12 will take a second spot.

B1G Conference Standings

Ohio State has secured the B1G East and the B1G West will be decided this weekend with the match-up of Minnesota at Wisconsin. The winner of that game will play Ohio State on December 6.

Scouting the Wolverines

Michigan has a record of 5-6 with victories over Appalachian St., Miami (OH), Penn St., Indiana, and Northwestern. Michigan has losses to Notre Dame, Utah, Minnesota, Rutgers, Michigan St., and Maryland. Michigan averages 166 rushing yards/game, 162 passing yards, and 20 points. The Wolverine defense allows 107 rushing yards/game, 194 passing yards, and 20 points.

Offense

Senior quarterback Gardner has completed 60% of his passes this season for 1663 yards, eight touchdowns, and thirteen interceptions. He still runs the ball, but his numbers are down from last year. So far this season he has 237 running yards. At receiver are Devin Funchess, Jehu Chesson, Deniss Norfleet, and tight end Jake Butt. Funchess has 625 yards and four touchdowns, and he has at least one reception in 24 straight games. Norfleet also returns kicks and averages 23 yards/return. Running back Derrick Green was injured in the sixth game and he will miss the rest of the season. The running back position is now shared by De'Veon Smith, Justice Hayes, and Drake Johnson. Smith has rushed for 515 yards and six touchdowns this season.

Defense

The leading tackler for Michigan is linebacker Jake Ryan with 104 tackles. Ryan is a Butkus finalist and he attended St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland. Brennen Beyer has 5.5 sacks. Jourdan Lewis has two interceptions.

OSU Last Week

Ohio State scored first with a 65-yard run by Ezekiel Elliott on its first possession. Indiana was forced to punt on its next possession and Ohio State followed with a  touchdown drive capped off with a touchdown pass to Jeff Heuerman. Indiana finally scored with a drive that had four runs including a 53-yard run by the quarterback. In the next drive Ohio State committed its first turnover with a fumble by receiver Michael Thomas. Indiana moved the ball 18 yards, but it was forced to kick a field goal, which was good for 30-yards. Ohio State turned it over once more with a interception by J.T. Barrett. Indiana was unable to score, but on the next possession Barrett threw his second  interception of the game which led to another Indiana fieldgoal. The two teams traded punts to close out the half. Ohio State led 14-13 at halftime. The teams both punted early in the second half, but Indiana broke through with a 90-yard touchdown run by Tevin Coleman to take the lead.  Late in the third quarter Jalin Marshall returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown. Jalin Marshall had all three of Ohio State's touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including a 6 yard touchdown catch, 15-yard catch, and a 54-yard catch. Indiana only scored one additional time off a 52-yard touchdown run by Coleman. Ohio State won with a score of 42-24 and Barret threw for over 300 yards, while Elliott had over 100 yards rushing.

The Series

This will be the 111th game in what is considered the greatest rivalry in all of sports. The two teams first met in 1897 and have played every year since 1918, a streak of 97 straight years. Since 1935 the game has been the last conference game of the season. Michigan leads the series 58-45-6. Ohio State had a streak broken in 2011 of six straight wins (2010 vacated). Ohio State has won 10 of the last 12 games. OSU leads the series 33-27-2 since Woody Hayes' first season at OSU in 1951. Before Woody Hayes, Ohio State was considered the "graveyard of coaches." Starting with Woody Hayes, Ohio State took its rightful place in college football and in the series with Michigan.

The Coaches
The recent Ohio State coaches have the following records against Michigan: Woody Hayes was 16-11-1; Earle Bruce was 5-4; John Cooper was 2-10-1; Jim Tressel was 8-1 (2010 vacated); Luke Fickell was 0-1; and Urban Meyer is 2-0. The recent Michigan coaches have the following records against Ohio State: Bo Schembechler was 11-9-1; Gary Moeller was 3-1-1; Lloyd Carr was 6-7; Rich Rodriguez was 0-3; and Brady Hoke is 1-2.

Last Year
Ohio State won an exciting game with a final score of 42-41. The game was closer than expected as Michigan was able to move the ball with ease and had 603 yards of offense, which includes 451 yards passing. Michigan struck first with a drive capped off by a running touchdown by QB Devin Gardner. The two teams continued to trade touchdowns in the first quarter with a 53-yard touchdown pass between Braxton Miller and Devin Smith, a four yard touchdown run by Michigan, and a 53-yard touchdown run by Braxton Miller. Michigan scored early in the second quarter with a touchdown pass between Gardner and Jeremy Gallon. Ohio State scored in the closing minutes of the first half. The score was tied 21-21 at halftime. The Buckeye defense kept Michigan out of the endzone and scored two additional touchdowns with a run by Miller and a touchdown catch by Jeff Heuerman. Going into the fourth quarter Ohio State led 35-21. That lead was erased halfway through the fourth quarter after two touchdown passes by Michigan. Ohio State scored with two minutes remaining in the game, but Michigan had sufficient time to score a touchdown, with a score of 42-41. Michigan made the decision to attempt a two-point conversion, which failed when Tyvis Powell intercepted the pass. Ohio State secured the win with the recovery of the onside kick. Carlos Hyde had 226 rushing yards and Miller had 153 rushing yards. It was the first time both teams scored at least 41 points in the history of the rivalry.

The Coaches

Urban Meyer
In the 12th season of his coaching career Urban Meyer's record is 138-26. Meyer is 34-3 at Ohio State, after going 12-0 in his first season. 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. He had a record of 65-15 during his six years at Florida, including two BCS National Championships.

Brady Hoke
In his fourth year at Michigan he is 31-19 and has a career record of 78-69 in twelve years as a head coach. Hoke grew up in Kettering, Ohio and played at Ball State. He was an assistant at Grand Valley State, Western Michigan, Toledo, Oregon St., and Michigan (1995-2002). He took his first head coaching position at his alma mater Ball State and was there from 2003 until 2008. He then coached at San Diego State for two seasons, leading the Aztecs to a bowl game in 2010.

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. W.T. charged to sole possession of first place with a 5-1 record. Philly Cheese separated himself at second place while Funtik and Corso are sharing third place. None of the panel predicted the victory by Arkansas. The competition will continue through the conference championship games next week.

 

Standings:

1. W.T. (51-27) (5-1 last week)
2. Philly Cheese (50-28) (4-2 last week)
3. Funtik the Hog (49-29) (3-3 last week)
3. Corso (49-29) (3-3 last week)
5. Hudy (48-30) (4-2 last week)
6. Big Dog (47-31) (2-4 last week)
6. SPAM (47-31) (3-3 last week)
6. Old Bag of Man (47-31) (3-3 last week)
9. Cliff Diving Raoul (45-33) (3-3 last week)
10. Academic Fraud (43-35) (3-3 last week)
10. Mel Kiper's Hair (43-35) (5-1 last week)
12. Ice Bucket (40-38) (3-3 last week)


Games for this week:

1. Michigan vs. Ohio State

2. Auburn vs. Alabama

3. Mississippi St. vs. Ole Miss

4. Minnesota vs. Wisconsin

5. Oregon vs. Oregon St.
And the oddball game this week is:

6. UAB vs. Southern Miss.

What to Expect

It should not surprise anyone that Indiana will attempt to run the ball against Ohio State. Indiana is on its third quarterback and he has struggled to effectively run a passing offense. Diamont only had 11 passing yards against Michigan State, 24 against Michigan, 68 against Penn State, but he did have 179 yards against Rutgers. Indiana is led by one of the best running backs in the country. Tevin Coleman had 307 rushing yards last week against Rutgers. Look for Indiana to have 125 passing yards and 250 rushing yards.

Ohio State should move the ball with ease through the air against the soft pass defense of Indiana which allowed 395 yards against Bowling Green, 331 against Missouri, 336 against Maryland and 332 against Michigan State. The rushing defense has been better on average but it did allow 330 yards in the Michigan State game and 316 to Iowa. Ohio State will have 300 passing yards and 300 rushing yards. Ezekiel Elliott will eclipse 1000 rushing yards in this game. Ohio State will win with a final score of 63-21. 

Things to Watch

College Football Playoffs

My predictions from last week remain the same, I predict one team from the ACC (Florida St.), Pac-12, SEC, and B1G being selected for the playoffs. If Ohio State loses a game, look for the Big 12 to take one spot. If Florida State stumbles then the SEC or Pac-12 will take a second spot. The committee appears to be devaluing the Big 12, as I have done all season, and without a conference championship game TCU and Baylor have a limited ability to impress the committee. The Big Ten continues to gain respect with Ohio State and Michigan State ranked highly with Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Minnesota also in the top-25. Minnesota did not drop after its loss to Ohio State. If Ohio State wins out, it should be in the top-four.

B1G Conference Standings
Wisconsin ran over Nebraska and it appears to be the favored team to win the B1G West, but don't tell that to Minnesota. Minnesota's schedule is back loaded with remaining games against Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Minnesota could come out of that stretch with two additional losses or as the B1G West representative in the conference championship game. Nebraska was humbled in the Wisconsin loss, but it still has a shot at the conference championship. Iowa is also a long shot, but there are scenarios in which it could represent the B1G West.

Scouting the Hoosiers

The Hoosiers have a record of 2-7 with victories over Indiana State and Missouri. The team lost to Bowling Green, Maryland, North Texas, Iowa, Michigan State, Michigan, Penn State and Rutgers. Indiana averages 264 rushing yards/game, 146 passing yards, and 25 points. The Indiana defense allows 173 rushing yards/game and 258 passing yards along with 33 points.

Offense

Indiana is without the services of quarterback Nate Sudfield who had lead the team with 1151 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions prior to getting injured in the Iowa game. Chris Covington replaced Sudfeld but he tore his ACL in the Iowa game as well. Freshman Zander Diamont has been the starter since the Michigan State game in mid-October.  Diamont has completed 45% of his passes for 282 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. At running back is Tevin Coleman who is second nationally with 1678 rushing yards. He also has 12 touchdowns and he averages 7.84 rushing yards/carry. Also running the ball is D'Angelo Roberts with 460 yards and six touchdowns. The main receiver is Shane Wynn with 568 yards and three touchdowns.

Defense
Leading the team in tackles are linebacker T.J. Simmons with 58 tackles and Safety Antonio Allen who also has 58 tackles. Simmons has 4.5 tackles for loss while Allen has 2.5 tackles for loss. Defensive lineman Bobby Richardson has 5.5 sacks. 

OSU Last Week

Ohio State defeated Minnesota with a final score of 31-24. The Buckeyes scored the first two touchdowns with two big plays, a 86 touchdown run by J.T. Barrett and a 57-yard touchdown reception by Jalin Marshall.  Minnesota responded back with two touchdown runs in the second quarter. Ohio State closed out the first half with a field goal to take a 17-14 lead. The first half included an interception by Barrett. Ohio State finally started to separate with two touchdown passes in the third and fourth quarter to Michael Thomas and Evan Spencer. Unfortunately Minnesota was not done as it completed a touchdown pass halfway through the fourth quarter and kicked a field goal late in the game. Minnesota was unsuccessful in recovering the onside kick and Ohio State ran out the final minute of the game. Special teams struggled with two fumbles which lead to two of Minnesota's three touchdowns. Barrett had a big game with 200 passing yards and a record 189 rushing yards.

The Series

OSU leads 69-12-5 all-time against Indiana, in a series that dates back to 1908. OSU has won the last 18 straight games, with the last loss in 1988 in Bloomington and a score of 41-7.

Last Year
Ohio State beat Indiana on a snowy, cold, and windy day with a final score of 42-14. The victory secured a spot for Ohio State in the conference championship game. Ohio State shut out Indiana in the first half with four touchdowns, all runs by Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller. The shutout extended into fourth quarter with two touchdown passes between Miller and Dontre Wilson and one between Miller and Devin Smith. Indiana finally scored two touchdowns in the final six minutes to avoid the shutout. Miller completed 11 of 17 for 160 yards in the less than ideal conditions. Braxton Miller ran for 144 yards and Carlos Hyde had 117 yards. Hyde eclipsed the 1000 yard mark during the Indiana game, the first running back at OSU since 2008 and the first to do so in Urban Meyer's career. Ohio State has defeated Indiana 19 straight times since 1990.

The Coaches

Urban Meyer
In the 12th season of his coaching career Urban Meyer's record is 137-26. Meyer is 33-3 at Ohio State, after going 12-0 in his first season. 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. He had a record of 65-15 during his six years at Florida, including two BCS National Championships.

Kevin Wilson
In his third year as a head coach his record is 13-33 all at Indiana. Wilson was the co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Oklahoma from 2002-2005, the offensive coordinator and tight ends and fullbacks coach from 2006-2010. Prior to Oklahoma he was an assistant coach at Northwestern ('99-'00), Miami OH ('90-'98), a North Carolina H.S. as head coach ('89), N.C. AT&T ('88), Winston Salem St. ('87), North Carolina as graduate assistant ('84-'86). He played at North Carolina as a walk-on and eventually under scholarship as a offensive lineman in the early 1980's.

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. There was much movement in the standings and the end result is a four-way tie at first place. Both Corso and W.T. moved up due to 5-1 records last week. There are three weeks remaining in the Guest Panel season, since the season includes the conference championship games.

 

Standings:

1. Philly Cheese (46-26) (2-4 last week)
1. Funtik the Hog (46-26) (4-2 last week)
1. Corso (46-26) (5-1 last week)
1. W.T. (46-26) (5-1 last week)
5. Big Dog (45-27) (4-2 last week)
6. Hudy (44-28) (3-3 last week)
6. SPAM (44-28) (4-2 last week)
6. Old Bag of Man (44-28) (4-2 last week)
9. Cliff Diving Raoul (43-29) (3-3 last week)
10. Academic Fraud (40-32) (3-3 last week)
11. Mel Kiper's Hair (38-34) (4-2 last week)
12. Ice Bucket (37-35) (3-3 last week)


Games for this week:

1. Indiana vs. Ohio State

2. Minnesota vs. Nebraska

3. Wisconsin vs. Iowa

4. Arizona vs. Utah

5. Ole Miss vs. Arkansas

And the oddball game this week is:

6. Louisiana-Monroe vs. New Mexico St.

What to Expect

I don't expect Ohio State to be caught off guard by Minnesota, based on its high score victory over Iowa last week and Minnesota's recent jump into the CFP rankings. Minnesota had a great game last weekend at Iowa, throwing for four touchdowns on only 138 passing yards while running for almost 300 yards and three rushing touchdowns. It was easily the most potent offensive display by Minnesota this season and it appears the team has recovered from the disappointing loss to Illinois. Prior to the Illinois loss, Minnesota only had lost to TCU, one of the teams in the top ten fighting for a spot in the playoffs.

Minnesota moves the ball most effectively with the running game averaging 47 carries/game, but it completes only an average of 9 passes/game. The Gophers only had 99 rushing yards against TCU and it had a season high 380 against San Jose State. Minnesota has only eclipsed 200 passing yards in one game, the loss to Illinois. Look for the Gophers to have 175 rushing yards and 150 passing yards.

Minnesota has had success stopping the run, limiting four teams to less than 100 yards, but Purdue did have 298 rushing yards. Minnesota has struggled to stop the pass as four teams have had over 200 yards and Eastern Illinois had 310 passing yards. Ohio State will have 250 rushing yards and 275 passing yards. Ohio State will win 42-24.

Things to Watch

Big Ten Championship Game

Ohio State controls its own destiny with a one game lead over Michigan State in the Big Ten East. Minnesota is in a tie for first place in the Big Ten West with Nebraska and Wisconsin, who are both playing each other this weekend.

College Football Playoffs

It is a bit premature to discuss the playoffs, but don't tell that to the talking heads on the sports networks. Ohio State has three regular season games, and most likely one additional game with the conference championship game on December 6. Ohio State moved up to 8th in the CFP rankings released Tuesday night. The Buckeyes are behind three teams which also have one loss. Ohio State has 3-4 games in which to gain ground in the rankings, and Ohio State can impress voters with a victory over ranked Minnesota this weekend. It would further help Ohio State if its opponents continue to win games, most notably Minnesota and Michigan State. All three of the leaders in the Big Ten West are ranked in the CFP rankings, and a Big Ten Championship matchup with a one-loss Nebraska would be the best scenario for Ohio State. Big 12 teams will not have the benefit of a conference championship game. The SEC will continue to knock its own teams out of the playoff picture during the season and in the conference championship game. As things currently stand I predict one team from the ACC (Florida St.), Pac-12, SEC, and B1G being selected for the playoffs. If the B1G does not have a one-loss team available, look for the Big 12 to take one spot. If Florida State stumbles then the SEC or Pac-12 will take a second spot.

Scouting the Golden Gophers

Minnesota has a record of 7-2 (4-1 B1G) with victories over Eastern Illinois, Middle Tennessee, San Jose State, Michigan, Northwestern, Purdue, and Iowa. The Gophers have loses to TCU and Illinois. Minnesota's offense averages 224 rushing yards, 140 passing yards, and 30 points. The defense allows an average of 137 rushing yards, 197 passing yards, and 21 points.

Offense

Mitch Leidner leads the team at QB, but Chris Streveler is available and he started the San Jose State game after the loss to TCU. Since that game Leidner has started every game. Leidner has 13 career touchdown runs. Streveler can also run at the QB position and he had 161 yards against San Jose State. Running the ball for the Gophers is senior David Cobb who averages 133 yards/game, and he had a career high 220 against Middle Tennessee. The main target at receiver is tight end Maxx Williams who has 326 yards this season with seven touchdowns.

Defense

The defense is second in the conference with 12 interceptions and has a turnover margin of +8. Damien Wilson leads the team with 88 tackles, which is second in the conference. This season Wilson has 8 tackles for loss, two sacks, and one interception. Defensive Backs Antonio Johnson returns kickoffs and he averages 28 yards/return. Defensive Back Jalen Myrick had a pick-six in the Middle Tennessee game and a 100-yard kickoff return in the Northwestern game.

OSU Last Week

It was a game which lived up to the preseason and season-long hype. The top two teams in the conference showed the nation in a primetime game that the Big Ten can compete at a high level. With a final score of 49-37 Ohio State came home with a victory over a top-ten conference team. Ohio State overcame a missed field goal, a muffed punt, and a fumbled kickoff return to hold a 28-21 lead at halftime. In the second quarter Michigan State had an opportunity to increase its lead to 10 points, but instead it missed a field goal and allowed Ohio State to score two touchdowns in the last four minutes of the first half. Michigan State had a long drive to start the second half, but it only resulted in a field goal. Ohio State followed it with a time consuming drive that included some critical runs by J.T. Barrett and Ezekiel Elliott, while Dontre Wilson was able to put his first half fumble behind him with a first down catch. That drive ended with a touchdown run by Elliott, giving Ohio State a 35-24 lead. Michigan State had a promising drive stall in the third quarter, when it failed to convert a fourth down. Dontre Wilson added a touchdown reception in the next drive which put Ohio State up 42-24. Michigan State responded with a touchdown, but Ohio State then scored behind four runs by Barrett and Elliott including a 55-yard run by Barrett. Ohio State again was up by 18 points and Michigan State scored on its next possession but missed the two-point conversion. Ohio State burnt almost five minutes off the clock with a series of running plays and one pass. Michigan State was unable to reach the endzone in its last possession as Ohio State only left thirty seconds on the game clock. Barrett completed 16 passes for 300 yards which included a 79 touchdown pass to Michael Thomas. Elliott had 154 yards of rushing while Barrett ran for 86 yards.

The Coaches

Urban Meyer
In the 12th season of his coaching career Urban Meyer's record is 136-26. Meyer is 32-3 at Ohio State, after going 12-0 in his first season. 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. He had a record of 65-15 during his six years at Florida, including two BCS National Championships.

Jerry Kill

In his 21st season as a head coach he has a record of 151-96, which includes a 24-23 record in four years at Minnesota. Kill took over at Minnesota in 2010 after coaching at Northern Illinois for three seasons. He also has head coaching experience at Southern Illinois, Emporia State (KS), and Saginaw Valley St. (MI).  Prior to being a head coach he was an assistant at Pittsburgh State (KS) and Webb City High School (MO). Kill played linebacker at Southern (KS).

The Series

OSU leads the series 42-7. OSU has won 23 of the last 24 games (2010 game vacated), with the last loss taking place in Columbus in 2000 in the last year of the Coach Cooper era.

Last Time
In 2010 Ohio State dominated the Golden Gophers in a visit to Minnesota, with a final score of 52-10, a victory which Ohio State vacated from the records. Terrelle Pryor threw for 222 yards and two touchdowns, going 18 of 22. Pryor had 55 rushing yards, while Dan "Boom" Herron had 114 yards for his first career 100-yard game. The offense had a total of 507 yards. The defense shut down QB Adam Weber after he directed a TD drive in the first quarter. The OSU defense sacked Weber five times and intercepted him once. The defensive pressure also caused him to fumble the ball twice including a fumble returned for a touchdown by OSU DL John Simon. Weber was 9 of 20 for 162 yards. Special teams had some highlights including a 70-yard punt return by Jordan Hall and a blocked punt.

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. Philly Cheese extended his lead to two games at first place due to a 5-1 record. Funtik holds second place by himself and there are four panelists tied at third place.

 

Standings:

1. Philly Cheese (44-22) (5-1 last week)
2. Funtik the Hog (42-24) (4-2 last week)
3. Hudy (41-25) (3-3 last week)
3. Corso (41-25) (3-3 last week)
3. W.T. (41-25) (4-2 last week)
3. Big Dog (41-25) (6-0 last week)
7. Cliff Diving Raoul (40-26) (3-3 last week)
7. SPAM (40-26) (4-2 last week)
7. Old Bag of Man (40-26) (5-1 last week)
10. Academic Fraud (37-29) (3-3 last week)
11. Mel Kiper's Hair (34-32) (2-4 last week)
11. Ice Bucket (34-32) (4-2 last week)


Games for this week:

1. Ohio State vs. Minnesota

2. Florida St. vs. Miami (FL)

3. Mississippi St. vs. Alabama

4. Nebraska vs. Wisconsin

5. Arizona St. vs. Oregon St.

And the oddball game this week is:

6. Troy vs. Idaho

What to Expect

Ohio State will have a difficult time finding a weakness in the Michigan State offense which is very balanced. Connor definitely favors Lippett at receiver, but the Oregon game shows that even a big game from Lippett may not be sufficient for Michigan State. In that game Lippett had 133 yards, but he only had one touchdown reception. Oregon also allowed Michigan State to pass for 343 yards, but Cook only threw a total of two touchdown passes. Oregon was able to pressure Michigan State at the line and limit the running game to 123 yards and force Cook to throw two interceptions. Joey Bosa and the OSU defense should apply a similar strategy of limiting the rushing game, while forcing Cook to make some mistakes. Look for Michigan State to have 110 rushing yards and 250 passing yards.

Michigan State has similar stats to Ohio State on defense, which means Ohio State will struggle to consistently run the ball. Nebraska only had 47 rushing yards while Oregon had 173. It is a bit surprising that Indiana had 213 rushing yards. Ohio State should have more success passing the ball based on the fact that Oregon had 318 passing yards and Nebraska had 282. Look for Ohio State to have 175 rushing yards and 250 passing yards. Ohio State will win this close game 31-28.

Scouting the Spartans

The Spartans have a record of 7-1 (4-0 B1G). Michigan State has wins over Jacksonville State, Eastern Michigan, Wyoming, Nebraska, Purdue, Indiana, and Michigan. The Spartans have one lose to Oregon. Michigan State's offense averages 254 rushing yards/game, 260 passing yards, and 45 points. The defense allows 95 rushing yards/game, 184 passing yards, and 20 points.

Offense

The offense is very balanced, averaging over 250 yards of rushing and passing each game. Junior quarterback Connor Cook is second in the Big Ten with 233 passing yards/game. He has passed for 1868 yards, 17 touchdowns, and five interceptions. At running back is senior Jeremy Langford with 841 yards and ten touchdowns. The main receiver is by far senior Tony Lippett who averages 111 yards/game and this season has nine touchdowns. Also at receiver are Josiah Price with 258 yards and five other receivers with over 100 yards and at least one touchdown this season.

Defense

The Spartans lead the Big Ten with a +12 turnover margin, due to the defense forcing 22 turnovers. Leading the team in tackles is safety Kurtis Drummond with 39. Linebacker Ed Davis has 10 tackles for loss this season, which includes six sacks. Defensive end Shilique Calhoun also has six sacks this season.

Things to Watch

ESPN GameDay in East Lansing

This will be the 33rd time ESPN has hosted the show for a game involving Ohio State. In those games Ohio State is 21-11, including an 8-5 record on the road. Ohio State's first appearance on GameDay was the Notre Dame game in 1996. Ohio State has hosted GameDay an all-time high 13 times in Columbus.

Winning Streaks

Ohio State has won twenty straight Big Ten regular season games, and Michigan has won thirteen straight conference games. Both teams have won six straight games coming into this game. Michigan State is unbeaten at home, with a 5-0 record this season and a 12-0 streak at Spartan Stadium stretching back to last season. Ohio State has won 11 consecutive road games. Obviously some of these streaks will end after Saturday night.

OSU Last Week

Ohio State won the game with a score of 55-14. The Buckeyes controlled this game from the start with 31 points in the first half, including two touchdown runs by Curtis Samuel, a field goal, and two touchdown receptions by Devin Smith. The scoring didn't stop in the third quarter as Ohio State rattled off 17 more points behind backup quarterback Cardale Jones. Illinois broke the scoring drought late in the third quarter and scored again in the fourth quarter. Ohio State scored early in the fourth quarter with another touchdown pass by Jones. J.T. Barrett was limited to the first half and completed 15 of 24 passes for 167 yards and two touchdown passes. The defense held Illinois to 106 rushing yards and 137 passing yards. The defense also intercepted Illinois twice.

The Coaches

Urban Meyer
In the 12th season of his coaching career Urban Meyer's record is 135-26. Meyer is 31-3 at Ohio State, after going 12-0 in his first season. 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. He had a record of 65-15 during his six years at Florida, including two BCS National Championships.

Mark Dantonio
In his eighth season at Michigan State he is 62-29 and he is 89-47 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.

The Series

This will be the 43rd game between these two schools, with Ohio State leading the series 28-14. Ohio State has won eight of the last ten games.

Last year Ohio State won the leaders division and played Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game. Ohio State's winning streak ended at 24 games as Ohio State lost 34-24 to the Spartans. Michigan State had control early scoring the first 17 points. Ohio State finally scored halfway through the second quarter with a touchdown pass between Braxton Miller and Corey Brown. The Buckeyes had a 28-yard field goal to close the half trailing the Spartans 17-10. Ohio State tied the game early in the second half with a eight yard run by Miller. Ohio State took the lead halfway through the third quarter with six yard run by Miller. In its next possession Michigan State completed a 44-yard field goal. Michigan State kept Ohio State off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter and scored fourteen points to seal the victory. Miller and Carlos Hyde both ran over 100-yards and Michigan State running back Jeremy Langford ran for over 100 yards against Ohio State.

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. Philly Cheese moved from third to sole possession of first place with a 5-1 record. Most of the panel did not pick UCLA to win on Saturday.

 

Standings:

1. Philly Cheese (39-21) (5-1 last week)
2. Funtik the Hog (38-22) (3-3 last week)
2. Hudy (38-22) (3-3 last week)
2. Corso (38-22) (4-2 last week)
5. W.T. (37-23) (4-2 last week)
5. Cliff Diving Raoul (37-23) (4-2 last week)
7. SPAM (36-24) (4-2 last week)
8. Old Bag of Man (35-25) (2-4 last week)
8. Big Dog (35-25) (3-3 last week)
10. Academic Fraud (34-26) (3-3 last week)
11. Mel Kiper's Hair (32-28) (3-3 last week)
12. Ice Bucket (30-30) (2-4 last week)


Games for this week:

1. Ohio State vs. Michigan St.

2. Baylor vs. Oklahoma

3. Oregon vs. Utah

4. Kansas St. vs. TCU

5. Alabama vs. LSU

And the oddball game this week is:

6. FIU vs. Old Dominion

What to Expect

The injury at the quarterback position has literally taken the legs out of Illinois' offense. The passing game has been anemic in the past two games, as it hasn't even eclipsed 150 yards. The rushing game has never been strong, outside of the Texas State game, but it did eclipse 100 yards in the last two games. Look for Illinois to have 95 rushing yards and 210 passing yards. Illinois has not been able to stop the run, allowing an average of 258 rushing yards/game which includes 458 yards for Nebraska, 349 yards for Purdue, and 401 for Wisconsin. Illinois is slightly better against the passing game, but it did allow 336 passing yards in the Texas State game. Look for Ohio State to have 350 rushing yards and 275 passing yards. J.T. Barrett will be limited in action, and I don't expect him to run but he will hand it off to the running backs and he should have a good day of passing. Cardale Jones will play most of the second half. Elliott should have a 150+ yard day, but he will have the support of other running backs. Rod Smith would have had a large number of carries this week if not for his departure from the team due a rules violation. Ohio State will win 48-17.

OSU Last Week

Ohio State had a strong first half and held a 17-0 lead at halftime with touchdowns by Ezekiel Elliott and Jeff Heuerman along with a 49-yard field goal by Sean Nuermberger. Penn State kept Ohio State out of the endzone for the entire second half while it scored 17 points to tie the game with nine seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. In the overtime both teams had touchdown runs, but a costly penalty on the PAT by Penn State put Ohio State in favorable field position in the second overtime. J.T. Barrett had his second touchdown in the second overtime. The Buckeye defense prevented Penn State from scoring and ended the game with an impressive sack by Joey Bosa. Ohio State escaped with a final score of 31-24.

Scouting the Fighting Ilini

Illinois started the season with a 3-1 record in non-conference play, but it has a 1-3 record in the B1G, for a season record of 4-4. Illinois has victories against Youngstown State, Western Kentucky, Texas St., and Minnesota. The Fighting Illini lost to Washington, Nebraska, Purdue, and Wisconsin. The Illini offense averages  284 passing yards, 106 rushing yards, and 28 points. The defense allows 216 passing yards, 258 rushing yards, and 34 points.

Offense

Sophomore quarterback Wes Lunt started the season and he was successful on the field in September completing an average 66% of his passes for an average of 313 passing yards/game. Lunt fractured his fibula in the Purdue game and he will miss 4-6 weeks. Taking Lunt's place is senior Reilly O'Toole who is an Oklahoma State transfer. In the Minnesota win O'Toole had 59 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown and he completed 14 of 21 for 118 passing yards and one touchdown pass. At running back are both Josh Ferguson and Donovonn Young who collectively have 719 this season with ten touchdowns. Both running backs have a combined 384 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Also at receiver are Mike Dudek, Geronimo Allison, and Josh Freguson.

Defense

The defensve has 59 tackles for loss, which is 21st in the nation, and 14 of those tackles were in the Texas State game. Linebacker T.J. Neal Jr. had 12 tackles against Minnesota last week.

Things to Watch

The Illibuck Trophy
There are many trophy games in the Big Ten, and OSU has the Illibuck with Illinois. The game against Illinois is the only trophy game for the Buckeyes. The Illibuck is the second oldest trophy in the Big Ten. Starting in 1925 these two schools passed a real turtle to the winner of the game. The live turtle represented the long life expectancy of the rivalry between the two teams. However in 1927 the turtle died and was replaced by a wooden replica. At halftime of the game, members of honorary societies from both schools meet to pass the the trophy to the winner of the game from the previous year. In the past the ceremony included the smoking of a peace pipe. OSU leads the Illibuck series 61-23-2.

The Coaches

Urban Meyer
In the 12th season of his coaching career Urban Meyer's record is 134-26. Meyer is 30-3 at Ohio State, after going 12-0 in his first season. 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. He had a record of 65-15 during his six years at Florida, including two BCS National Championships.

Tim Beckman
In his fifth season as a head coach he is 31-38, with a 10-22 record at Illinois. Beckman graduated from the University of Findlay, where he played defensive back. His coaching career started at Auburn as a graduate assistant, and he also was an defensive assistant at Western Carolina and Elon. From 1998-2004 he was an assistant under Urban Meyer at Bowling Green. He was an assistant coach at Ohio State under Jim Tressel in 2005-2006. After Ohio State he was the defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State. Tim Beckman's first head coaching position was at Toledo, where he coached for three seasons, and led the team to two bowl games. Beckman is 0-4 against Ohio State which includes two losses as the coach of Toledo in 2009 and 2011. 

The Series

This will be the 101st meeting of these two teams, and OSU leads the series 65-30-4. There have a been some streaks in the series with OSU having a 15-game streak from 1968-1982 and Illinois had a five game streak from 1988-1992. The series is the second oldest for Ohio State, behind the Michigan rivalry. The series ran uninterrupted from 1914 until 2003, when the teams did not play for two years due to the Big Ten rotating schedule. Illinois last beat OSU 28-21 in 2007, when Ohio State was ranked #1.

Last Year
In last year's game Ohio State took an early 28-0 lead, but Illinois outscored the Buckeyes 21-7 through the middle of the third quarter. Ohio State's first four touchdowns included some exciting plays like a 70-yard touchdown run by Braxton Miller and a 63-yard interception return by Bradley Roby. The game seemed to turn in the third quarter when Ohio State forced a safety, which could have easily been a touchdown for Ohio State. In the next drive Carlos Hyde scored his second touchdown. Early in the fourth quarter Ohio State lost some momentum when Illinois moved the ball with ease and scored on a short touchdown run by quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase which was followed by a successful two point conversion pass. Ohio State was limited to a field goal in its next possession. Illinois moved the ball yet again on the next possession and scored but failed on the two point conversion. Carlos Hyde put the game out of reach with two 50+ yard touchdown runs. Hyde had a career day with 248 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Miller struggled in the passing game with the typical Illinois wind conditions, completing only 13 of 29 for 150 yards. Miller had more success on the ground with 184 rushing yards. Ohio State won the game with a score of 60-35.

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. There wasn't much movement in the rankings, as Funtik and Hudy are still in a tie at first place. Philly Cheese moved into a tie at third place with Corso due to a 5-1 record. Only one panelist picked Illinois as a winner on Saturday.

 

Standings:

1. Funtik the Hog (35-19) (4-2 last week)
1. Hudy (35-19) (4-2 last week)
3. Corso (34-20) (4-2 last week)
3. Philly Cheese (34-20) (5-1 last week)
5. Old Bag of Man (33-21) (4-2 last week)
5. W.T. (33-21) (5-1 last week)
5. Cliff Diving Raoul (33-21) (5-1 last week)
8. Big Dog (32-22) (4-2 last week)
8. SPAM (32-22) (4-2 last week)
10. Academic Fraud (31-23) (5-1 last week)
11. Mel Kiper's Hair (29-25) (4-2 last week)
12. Ice Bucket (28-26) (5-1 last week)


Games for this week:

1. Illinois vs. Ohio State

2. Arizona vs. UCLA

3. Utah vs. Arizona St.

4. Air Force vs. Army

5. Auburn vs. Ole Miss

And the oddball game this week is:

6. New Mexico vs. UNLV

What to Expect

Quarterback Christian Hackenberg leads the conference with 272 passing yards/game, but that statistic is inflated a bit due to the 454 yards against UCF and in Big Ten action he only averages 228 passing yards/game. Despite all of those yards against UCF he only threw one touchdown and had 2 interceptions. Overall he only has thrown for five touchdowns, which includes one in the last four games. This season Hackberg has seven interceptions. The running game for Penn State has not quite developed under Coach James Franklin, in fact Belton, the leading running back has not had over 65 rushing yards in one game yet this season. Look for Penn State to have 75 rushing yards and 230 passing yards.

Penn State brings in the nations #1 rushing defense, which limits teams to 60.8 rushing yards/game. However Penn State has not faced a strong running team, and statistically Michigan is the best of Penn State's opponents so far this season with its average of 164 yards/game. Ohio State presents a challenge to Penn State as it averages 259 rushing yards/game. Penn State has not defended the passing game well this season, and both UMass and Northwestern had over 250 passing yards. Look for Ohio State to have 175 rushing yards and 300 passing yards. Ohio State will win the game with a final score of 42-20.

Things to Watch

Current Streaks

Dating back to the Kent State game, Ohio State has had four consecutive 50-point games, which is a school record. Last week Ohio State tied a school record with its fourth consecutive game with at least 500 yards of total offense.

OSU-PSU at Night

Penn State has indicated that the game Saturday is a sell-out and the home crowd will attempt a "White Out" with the fans all wearing white in an effort to intimidate the Buckeyes. This is the sixth night game dating back to 2005 between Ohio State and Penn State. The Ohio State records indicate that each team has won two night games, with Ohio State vacating the 2010 game.

Scouting the Nittany Lions

Penn State has a record of 4-2 (1-2 B1G) with victories over UCF, Akron, Rutgers, and UMASS. The Nittany Lions have lost the last two games against Northwestern and Michigan. Penn State averages 93 rushing yards, 282 passing yards, and 21 points while the defense allows 60 rushing yards, 222 passing yards, and 15 points.

Offense

Quarterback Christian Hackenberg was the 2013 conference freshman of the year and this season he leads the B1G with 272 passing yards. The top receiver at Penn State is DaeSean Hamilton with 93 yards/game for a total of 560 yards. The other receivers with touchdowns this season are Eugene Lewis, Jesse James, and running back Bill Belton. At running back are Bill Belton and Akeel Lynch with 287 and 153 yards each. Belton has three touchdowns. Running back Zach Zwinak has three touchdowns as well.

Defense

Linebacker Mike Hull is second in the conference with 10.7 tackles/game with a total of 64 tackles. Deion Barnes and defensive tackle Anthony Zettel both have 3 sacks. Cornerback Trevor Williams and Safety Adrian Amos both have two interceptions. Amos leads the team with 31 consecutive starts.

OSU Last Week

Ohio State won its homecoming game over Rutgers with a final score of 56-17. Ohio State scored twice in the first quarter with a touchdown pass to Nick Vannett and touchdown run by Ezekiel Elliott. Rutgers scored once in the first quarter, a touchdown run. Ohio State controlled the second quarter with three touchdowns, Nick Vannett had one touchdown reception, Eli Apple recovered a fumble and ran it four yards for a touchdown, and Rod Smith had a touchdown run. Ohio State led at halftime with a score of 35-7. Ohio State continued its dominance into the third quarter with two touchdown runs by J.T. Barrett. Rutgers finally had a 42-yard field goal halfway through the third quarter. Ohio State scored its last touchdown with a touchdown pass to Evan Spencer. Rutgers scored the last points of the game early in the fourth quarter with a touchdown run. Ohio State ran the ball for 324 yards, including 107 yards by Barrett. Ohio State passed for 261 yards and three touchdowns.

The Coaches

Urban Meyer
In the 12th season of his coaching career Urban Meyer's record is 133-26. Meyer is 29-3 at Ohio State, after going 12-0 in his first season. 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. He had a record of 65-15 during his six years at Florida, including two BCS National Championships.

James Franklin

In his fourth year as a head coach he has a record of 28-17. In his first season at Penn State his record is 4-2. Franklin is a 1995 graduate of East Stroudsburg (PA) where he played quarterback. Franklin was an assistant coach at Kutztown, East Stroudsburg, James Madison, Washington St., Idaho St., Maryland, Green Bay Packers, Kansas St., and Maryland. Prior to Penn State Franklin was the head coach at Vanderbilt during the years 2011-2013.

The Series

OSU leads 15-13 in a series that dates to 1912. OSU is13-7 since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993. Penn State last defeated Ohio State in 2011.

Last Time
Ohio State dominated Penn State last year with a final score of 63-14. Ohio State scored 42 points in the first half while Penn State scored seven. Braxton Miller was 18 of 24 for 252 passing yards with three touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns. Carlos Hyde ran for 147 yards and two touchdowns. Kenny Guiton had two rushing touchdowns. The defense intercepted two passes from freshman quarterback Christian Hackenberg.

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. Hudy has moved into a tie at first place with Funtik, but there wasn't much movement otherwise in the standings. Most of the panel struggled to pick Kansas St. as a winner on Saturday.

 

Standings:

1. Funtik the Hog (31-17) (3-3 last week)
1. Hudy (31-17) (4-2 last week)
3. Corso (30-18) (5-1 last week)
4. Philly Cheese (29-19) (4-2 last week)
4. Old Bag of Man (29-19) (4-2 last week)
6. W.T. (28-20) (4-2 last week)
6. Big Dog (28-20) (4-2 last week)
6. SPAM (28-20) (4-2 last week)
6. Cliff Diving Raoul (28-20) (5-1 last week)
10. Academic Fraud (26-22) (4-2 last week)
11. Mel Kiper's Hair (25-33) (3-3 last week)
12. Ice Bucket (25-25) (4-2 last week)


Games for this week:

1. Ohio State vs. Penn St.

2. Maryland vs. Wisconsin

3. Rutgers vs. Nebraska

4. Michigan vs. Michigan St.

5. Minnesota vs. Illinois

And the oddball game this week is:

6. Texas St. vs. Louisiana-Monroe

What to Expect

Rutgers has a decent quarterback, but the offense has some weaknesses. The Scarlet Knight offense lost its running attack with the injury to Paul James and the receiving yards are not evenly distributed between the receivers. The Ohio State defense should prepare for the run, but it really can focus on putting pressure on the QB and limiting passes to Caroo. Rutgers has struggled to run the ball in Big Ten games, with only 102 yards against Penn State and 74 against Michigan, but there has not been a similar decline in the passing yards in conference games. Look for Rutgers to have 70 rushing yards and 285 passing yards. Despite the strong defensive line of Rutgers, teams have had some luck passing the ball against the Scarlet Knights, including two teams which passed for over 300 yards. The Rutgers rushing defense has been pretty solid with only one team eclipsing 200 rushing yards. Look for Ohio State to have 200 rushing yards and 300 passing yards. Ohio State will win 45-21.

Things to Watch

No More Bye-Weeks

Ohio State has already exhausted its two bye-weeks and it will paly seven straight games, starting Saturday and going through the Michigan game on November 29. Ohio State published the bye-weeks for 2015-2019 and those dates are October 31, 2015, September 24, 2016, October 21, 2017, October 27, 2018, October 12, 2019, and November 2, 2019. You will notice that it is unusual to have two bye-weeks and it only occurs again in 2019.

OSU after Bye-Weeks

Ohio State has a record 17-9 after bye-weeks, which includes six consecutive wins after open weeks. Ohio State's last home loss after a bye-week was in 1990 against Illinois. Ohio State's last road loss after a bye-week was at Penn State in 2005.

Homecoming Weekend

This is the 102nd homecoming weekend and 93rd homecoming football game. Ohio State has a record 67-19-5 in homecoming games. The homecoming parade is Friday night at 6PM and it will start at Ohio Stadium and end at the Ohio Union. A pep rally will occur at the Ohio Union after the conclusion of the parade.

Scouting the Scarlet Knights

This season Rutgers is 5-1 with victories against Washington St., Howard, Navy, Tulane, and Michigan. Rutgers lost to Penn State. On offense Rutgers averages 159 rushing yards, 267 passing yards, and 29 points. The Scarlet Knight defense limits teams to 135 rushing yards, 261 passing yards, and 21 points.

Offense

At quarterback is junior Gary Nova has had a good season which included 404 passing yards and three touchdowns last week against Michigan. He did struggle against Penn State by throwing five interceptions. So far Nova is completing 62% for 1601 yards, 13 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. The running back position is now held by sophomores Desmon Peoples and Justin Goodwin after the injury to Paul James earlier this season. Peoples has 326 yards and Goodwin has 197 yards and one touchdown. Leading the receivers is junior Leonte Caroo with 91.3 yards/game and five touchdown receptions. No other receiver comes close to Caroo's 548 reception yards. Jonarion Grant, John Tsimis, Tyler Kroft have a combined amount of 403 yards in receptions.

Defense

The defensive line is a strength of this team, and it has 24 sacks so far this season, which is third in the country and first in the Big Ten. Kemoko Turay has 5.5 of those sacks. The team has 42 tackles for loss. Linebackers Steve Longa and Quentin Gause lead the team with 41 and 34 tackles respectively.

OSU Last Game

Ohio State went on the road and came home with a 52-24 victory. Ohio State scored twice in the first quarter with a touchdown run by Rod Smith and a touchdown reception by Jalin Marshall. Maryland scored mid-way through the first quarter with a 57-yard field goal. Ohio State dominated the second quarter with two touchdowns and one field goal, while limiting Maryland to one touchdown. The score at halftime was 31-10. Ohio State scored three more times in the second half with a 30-yard pass to Devin Smith, a touchdown run by J.T. Barrett, and a returned interception by Raekwon McMillan. Maryland had two touchdowns in the second half. Ohio State's defense had four interceptions, and limited Maryland to 66 rushing yards. J.T. Barrett continues to be efficient with the ball, and at Maryland he completed 78% of his passes for 267 yards, with three touchdown passes and no interceptions. Ezekiel Elliott had another 100+ yard game with 139 yards. Backup quarterback Cardale Jones had one of the highlights when he hurdled over a defender during a run.

The Coaches

Urban Meyer
In the 12th season of his coaching career Urban Meyer's record is 132-26. Meyer is 28-3 at Ohio State, after going 12-0 in his first season. 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. He had a record of 65-15 during his six years at Florida, including two BCS National Championships.

Kyle Flood

In his third season as a head coach all at Rutgers Kyle Flood has a record of 20-12. He is a graduate of Iona where he was a varsity lineman. After coaching at a high school he started coaching at the college level at C.W. Post in 1995. He also was an assistant at Hofstra and Delaware. He first joined the Rutgers staff as an assistant coach in 2005 and he was named the head coach in 2012.