BuckeyePlanet

1. In the battle of scarlets, the number-one ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0; 4-0) defeated the never-ranked Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-4; 1-3) by the score of 49 to 7, and the game wasn't really even that close. Ohio State was held scoreless for the first 14:50 and then the Buckeyes coasted for the final 13:42 of the game, scoring no points and giving up a garbage time touchdown to lose the shutout; in between they put up seven touchdowns on nine drives (one drive consisting of kneel downs at the end of the first half). Ohio State dominated in total yards (528 to 293), first downs (27 to 12), time of possession (32:40 to 27:20), and of course on the scoreboard; however, Rutgers did lead in punts (7 to 1) and penalties (7 to 0). Ezekiel Elliott rushed 19 times for 142 yards and 2 TDs, his 13th straight game with 100+ yards on the ground. Michael Thomas had his second career 100-yard game, with 3 receptions for 103 yards...

1. Ezekiel Elliott had 19 carries for 142 yards and 2 TDs. Elliott entered yesterday's game averaging 141.1 yards per game, which means that he was right on his average.

2. On the season, Zeke now has 1,130 yards rushing. He becomes just the 8th Buckeye running back to break the 1,000-yard mark two or more times in his career. The complete list is: Archie Griffin (1973, 1974, 1975); Tim Spencer (1981, 1982); Keith Byars (1983, 1984); Eddie George (1994, 1995); Antonio Pittman (2005, 2006); Chris Wells (2007, 2008); Braxton Miller (2012, 2013); and Ezekiel Elliott (2014, 2015).

3. For his career, Zeke now has 3,270 yards rushing, which is good for 5th place in Buckeye history. Yesterday, Zeke surpassed Carlos Hyde (3,198 yards), Keith Byars (3,200 yards), and his own teammate Braxton Miller (3,261 yards).

4. Elliott had a 55-yard touchdown run, his 8th touchdown run of 50+ yards in his career, which set a new Buckeye record. Braxton Miller has 7 touchdown runs of 50+ yards.

5...

Hi again frends its poobert. I did not espect to be riting on heer again but I hav to tel evrybuddy wuts ben going on around heer lately. Josh likes to come on heer and act like Im the dum one. He is the dum one and heers why. He has ben gone a lot lately. Even after he got bak from lost vegas he hasn’t ben around much. He says he has to work late. He hardly even pets me anymore, and we dont sit together in our favorit spot. Hes always pissed off and shitty like Maya when he gets home. A couple days ago I tried to spend time with him before he left in the morning. I rubbed up against his leg and showed him my tummy but I cudnt get him to pet me. After a wile I just gave up and got out of his way. He always complanes about me getting in his way. A few minuts go by and before I no it hes leeving and shutting me inside his bedroom! I wuz stuk there all day. Let me tell you its boring in there. I cudnt see out of any of the windows there are no toys and nothing to do. I got lonly and I...

After seven weeks, the college football playoff picture is starting to become clearer. A few weeks ago, pretenders like Georgia (5-2), Ole Miss (5-2), Northwestern (5-2), UCLA (4-2), and USC (3-3) all looked like contenders, while teams like Iowa (7-0) and Florida (6-1) were not even in consideration for contender status. Only ten Power5 teams remain undefeated, and all but two of those teams (Utah, LSU) face another currently undefeated team before the playoffs.

Big Ten

#1 Ohio State and #7 Michigan State remain undefeated in the East Division. The Buckeyes and Spartans meet on November 21st, and both could realistically enter the game a perfect 11-0. If the Buckeyes win, they must still face a dangerous Michigan squad in the regular season finale, while Sparty closes with a Penn State team that looks like a paper lion despite a 5-2 record. In the West Division, #12...

Week 7 brought us a slate of games that was more interesting and impactful than any we've seen so far this year. The Buckeyes rolled out the black carpet for a big game of their own. After the dust settled, what did we learn about the national picture? How do the Buckeyes fit in?

What We Learned About the Buckeyes:

First, let's get this part out of the way: the black jerseys were special. The Buckeyes have done this alternate jersey thing before. Every time it has come off as a cheap gimmick to sell a few extra shirts. The alternate jerseys have seldom looked good and hardly look like they belong to the Buckeyes. This time was different though. The fans were asked to be involved beyond just getting out their wallets. Over 108,000 people, the largest crowd in the storied venue's history, all wearing black. Other schools have done this kind of thing, but Ohio State's size and history and mystique has a way of making an unoriginal idea like this one feel a bit...

1. With Ohio State's 38-10 rout of Penn State, the Buckeyes now hold an 18-13 advantage in the series, and a 16-7 edge in Big Ten play.

2. Ohio State has now outscored Penn State 681 to 548 overall (22.0 ppg to 17.7 ppg), and 620 to 401 in Big Ten play (27.0 to 17.4).

3. Ohio State has now beaten Penn State four times in a row (2012-2015). It is the first time that the Buckeyes have won four in a row in the series.

4. Ezekiel Elliott had 27 rushes for 153 yards and a touchdown. It was Elliot's 12th straight game with 100+ yards rushing. Zeke has 988 yards (3rd in FBS) and 11 TDs (6th in FBS) for the season.

5. Elliott is averaging 141.1 yards per game rushing, which is 5th in FBS. LSU's Leonard Fournette leads the way with 200.2 yards per game.

6. Zeke now has 3,128 yards for his career, good for 8th best in Ohio State history. Yesterday, Zeke passed Carlos Snow (2,999 yards) and Pepe Pearson (3,076 yards).

7. Braxton Miller added to his Ohio State total touchdown record with...

1. Ohio State holds a 17-13 overall record against Penn State. The Nittany Lions won the first four contests (1912, 1956, 1963, and 1964), and six of the first eight (lost 1975 and 1976; won 1978 and 1980).

In the thirty contests between the two teams, Ohio State has outscored Penn State 643 to 538, for an average score of 21.4 ppg to 17.9 ppg.

2. Since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993, Ohio State holds a 15-7 lead in the series. The teams have played every season since 1993, and being in the same division, they will play every year going forward unless the Big Ten has further expansion or realignment.

In the twenty-two Big Ten contests between the two teams, Ohio State has outscored Penn State 582 to 391, for an average score of 26.5 ppg to 17.8 ppg.

3. Ohio State has won the last three contests against Penn State. Ohio State has never beaten Penn State more than three times in a row. Ohio State also won three in a row from 2002 to 2004.

4. Penn State has shut out Ohio...

1. Ezekiel Elliott has 2,975 career rushing yards, good for 10th best at Ohio State. Zeke needs 25 yards to pass Carlos Snow (2,999 yards) for 9th place; 102 yards to pass Pepe Pearson (3,076 yards) for 8th place; 224 yards to pass Carlos Hyde (3,198 yards) for 7th place; 226 yards to pass Keith Byars (3,200 yards) for 6th place; and 241 yards to pass Braxton Miller (3,215 yards) for 5th place (assuming that Miller gains no yards rushing against Penn State).

...

Buckeye Player	Ranking	-Yards Rushing-	Yards to Surpass
Braxton Miller	5th	3,215	241
Keith Byars	6th	3,200	226
Carlos Hyde	7th	3,198	224
Pepe Pearson	8th	3,076	102
Carlos Snow	9th	2,999	25

Hey all, I'm back. Sorry about last week - I was out of town and left this column to Poobert while I attended to some important business in Las Vegas. As he mentioned, while I was there I put some real money on some of last weeks key games in lieu of doing our normal picks. Poobert said we'd find out who the real Fuck Face is. It turns out, it's both of us. In the grand Vegas tradition, we lost our asses. Poobert only won one of his five bets. I only won two.

The best thing we can do about is change the subject and never speak of that shameful performance again. So, let's talk about rivalries instead. It seems to be an appropriate topic now that Ohio State's rival has re-discovered football and is beginning to run their mouths a bit...

1. Ohio State 49, Maryland 28. The Buckeyes did what the Buckeyes do: Gain a lot of yards, score a lot of points, commit a few huge inexplicable mistakes that turns a rout into a competitive game. This time the offense was very good, but the defense allowed Maryland's reserve QB Perry Hills to rush for 170 yards and 2 TDs, including a long run of 75 yards, and throw a 52-yard TD pass. This game was actually tied at 21 early in the third quarter before the Buckeyes woke up and ran off 28 straight points. Ohio State is still probably the class of the Big Ten, but they really haven't played like it so far.

2. Michigan 38, Northwestern 0. The Wolverines' offense was hardly impressive (380 total yards), but the defense simply smothered the Wildcats, who managed just 168 yards (2.9 yards/play), 2/13 on third down, 22:55 time of possession, and of course zero points. The shutout was Michigan's third in a row, quite a feat in this day and age of offensive...

1. Yesterday's win over Maryland reminded me a lot of last year's win over Cincinnati. The scores were almost identical (50-28 over UC; 49-28 over UM); the offenses performed almost flawlessly; and the defenses were generally solid but had egregious lapses of execution. If you remember, Cincinnati WR Chris Moore burned Ohio State's defense for three long touchdown receptions of 60, 78, and 83 yards. Yesterday, it was Maryland QB Perry Hills who unexpectedly had a huge game, with 25 rushes for 170 yards and 2 TDs with a long run of 75 yards; he also had a 52-yard TD pass to D.J. Moore (no relation to Chris). In each game, the defense broke down at critical moments and allowed game-changing plays. Eliminate those few errors, and each game is a 40-point blow out.

2. Ezekiel Elliott had a good but not great game yesterday: 21 carries for 106 yards (5.05 ypc) and 2 TDs. It was Zeke's 11th straight game with 100+ yards rushing. Zeke also had 6 receptions for 47 yards.

3. On the season...

Hi friends its Poobert. Josh is gone this week so he sed hed let me rite about college football. He said he was going to Lost Vegas. He sed it was for “work”. I do not beleev him. I no wut kind of stuff goes on there. Ive been around the litter box a time or too.

Ive become pritty gud at this college football thing. Ive seen how many peeple Im beeeting in pickem. I keep heering evry week that Im doing a gud job so I told Josh that if he wuz going to dich me to go on a trip that he shud make himself useful. I gave him sum munny to put on this weeks games. Hes said hes going to put sum munny down too, but on difrent games. We will see hoo wins the most.

The last few weeks wer practis. Now its on for reel. Now we will see who the reel fukface is!

My picks:

Game	Pick
Oklahoma (-17.0) vs Texas
Wisconsin (+1.5) at...

1. The Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0; 1-0; #1 AP; #1 CP) remained undefeated with a 34-27 win over the Indiana Hoosiers (4-1; 0-1) that literally came down to the last play of the game. The star of the afternoon was Ohio State's Ezekiel Elliott who had 23 carries for 274 yards and 3 touchdowns (runs of 55, 65, and 75 yards), and another 12 yards on a pair of receptions. The rest of the Buckeye offense combined for 231 yards and 3 turnovers. The Buckeye defense was generally solid (10 punts, 9 three-and-outs), but could not force any turnovers and allowed Indiana's back-up quarterback Zander Diamont to run for a 79-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. At the end of the game, Indiana had the ball at the Ohio State 9-yard line with the chance to tie the score, but Diamont's final pass attempt fell incomplete in the end zone.

2. The Michigan State Spartans (5-0; 1-0; #4 AP; #3 CP) had a surprisingly difficult time with the lowly Purdue Boilermakers (1-4; 0-1), barely holding on with a...

1. Teams like to come up with a slogan for the season: All In (Cavaliers) ... What If? (Indians) ... Send in the Clowns (Browns). For this year's Buckeye team, the slogan should be A Win Is a Win Is a Win, because all this team needs to do is keep on winning no matter how narrow or ugly those victories might be. If the Buckeyes end up with a 13-0 record and a second-straight Big Ten championship, then they will be invited to the playoffs regardless of what anyone else does.

2. Okay, I'll say the un-sayable: Ezekiel Elliott is the best running back ever to play for Ohio State. Archie has the gaudy numbers and those two Heisman Trophies. Eddie posted the best single season in Buckeye history and has a Heisman of his own. MoC had a special combination of speed, power, balance, and vision, and led the 2002 team to a national championship. Robert Smith was so smooth and fluid and just plain fast. And then there's Hopalong and Beanie and El Guapo and Keith...

Ohio State - The Buckeyes (4-0; #1 AP; #1 CP) have played sloppy ball (10 turnovers) and relied on big plays (9 offensive TDs of 20+ yards; 3 defensive TDs) to score points. Their schedule has been mediocre at best (opponents' combined record is 7-9). But they are still the defending champions and until someone actually knocks them off they are still CONTENDERS.

Michigan State - The Spartans' (4-0; #2 AP; #2 CP) reputation is based on their seemingly big win over Oregon (31-28) at home in week two. That win has since been tainted by Utah, who destroyed Oregon (62-20) at Autzen Stadium. The rest of the Spartans' resume' consists of closer than expected wins over Western Michigan (37-24), Central Michigan (30-10), and Air Force (35-21). Michigan State's vaunted defense ranks 46th in scoring (20.8 ppg) and 77th in yards (395.8 ypg). Despite the lofty poll rankings, this MSU team has taken a step back from its...

Poobert had it very rough before we found him. He was a stray kitten, starving and struggling to survive in a big, scary world. To this day it shapes who he is. Most cats are independent, aloof and adventurous. He is none of those things. He's needy and friendly, but most of all, timid. Open the front door for him, and he'll act like he's interested in what lies beyond the threshold before retreating. Don't give him enough attention, and he'll cry until you pet him for at least five minutes.

The first time we turned on a ceiling fan in our house...

I didn't watch this game live. I elected to go to a party where the game wasn't being shown. I drank copious amounts of the finest craft beer the midwest has to offer, then came home and watched the game on the DVR. I'm reacting to what took place today on an alternate timeline from nearly everybody else. Now, still half-drunk off Dark Lord and B.O.R.I.S. (yes, I'm a name dropper) I'm going to attempt to make sense of what we all saw today.

The Buckeyes did what they failed to do in either of the last two weeks and won comfortably against an inferior opponent. The scoreline perhaps didn't reflect most homers' wet dreams from last night, but it was an easy win where the Buckeyes mostly did what they wanted.

It was a comprehensive performance. They ran the ball efficiently. They passed the ball decently. Cardale Jones looked more confident and made wiser decisions than last week. The offense made explosive plays. The defense did too. Special teams contributed with a...

After week two's results, Poobert was super excited about week three. He came up to the bedroom at 8:45 and got me out of bed so he could watch Gameday. He kept saying, "Come on, Josh. THEY'RE COMING TO OUR CITAY!"

I got up, got dressed, went downstairs, turned on the TV for him, and he promptly crawled into one of his beds and went to sleep. What a butthole!

He must have known what was coming though, because the noon games all sucked and made me wish I had taken a nap too. After that, the Buckeyes played like they were half-asleep and made me want to close my eyes for most of the time throughout. The late games all delivered though. Close contests, crazy plays, upsets and intrigue were taking place everywhere, and it lasted until nearly 2 AM when BYU's attempts at a third straight Hail Mary win came up short. I should have followed Poobert's lead - maybe then I wouldn't have been dragging ass all day Sunday.

Neither Poobert nor I did well with our picks last week. I...

WTF????

I MEAN SERIOUSLY - WTF!!!

Three quarterbacks my ass. Have they changed the Heisman odds in Vegas yet? Did we even try to recruit Golson? Is Michigan open to a trade for Rudock?

3/4 front or 4/3 front - who gives a shit! Just run the damn ball and block somebody!

Four possession that started in NIU territory - and we scored 10 points. They gave us the ball on the 35 on EVERY kickoff! And why the hell is NIU kicking off four times to begin with?

17 possessions and one drive longer than 44 yards?

Have we broken the record for average points in a season? Or are we still working on that?

Five possessions that ended in turnovers and 5 three and outs?

And just why were both Taylor Decker and Pat Elflein on the list for having made tackles yesterday? Did we move them to special teams to take advantage of their blistering speed? Or are we having a bit of a problem taking care of the ball.

14 turnovers in five games. 3.5 turnovers per game if you...