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LGHL B1G Thoughts: You can blame this on Jim Harbaugh!
- News
- 0 Replies
B1G Thoughts: You can blame this on Jim Harbaugh!
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Michigan won a national championship, but at what cost? Plus other thoughts from a wild Week 2!
Every week after the Big Ten games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and more. With the Big Ten expanding from 14 teams to 18 teams in 2024 we will have a bunch of storylines to follow.
Ryan Day and Ohio State are all in for the 2024 season. Is Oregon a national championship contender or will they stumble in their first Big Ten season? How do the former members of the Big Ten West fair in the new divisionless format? We track all these storylines and more as the Big Ten hopes to win back-to-back national championships.
Check out the I-80 Football Show for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.
#BlameHarbaugh, but also kind of Sherrone Mooore and partially Warde Manuel. In reality, blame everyone at Michigan — including Conor Stallions — for the state of the Wolverine program. You won a national championship, but at what cost?
Now, I’m sure there are a lot of Michigan fans who are fine with the cost of winning a title, but I can promise you it did not need to get this bad. After a beatdown from Texas and back-to-back weeks where their defense didn’t look dominant, the offensive line looked bad, and the quarterback looked unplayable, Michigan is at an all-time low. You can have the best defense in the country, but without a complementary offense, it means nothing — just ask Iowa.
This is where this is Harbaugh’s fault. For the last three to four years Harbaugh has openly flirted with the NFL every offseason, leading to lackluster recruiting classes specifically at quarterback and offensive line. One of the best things Michigan did the last few years was identify key portal pieces on the line to go with their seniors. It worked, but now after having essentially their two deep drafted it’s clear the lack of snaps for younger players has created a problem.
The biggest blame that falls on Harbaugh, until the program gets potentially heavy sanctions from the NCAA, is that he left the program late while waiting on the NFL, and during that time he did nothing to support the future of the team. Either Harbaugh knew he was getting an NFL job or he was leaving no matter, what because they did not attempt to build up their roster in the December transfer window, and by the time he was in the NFL and Moore hired his staff it was too late to find good players at key positions.
This is a lost season for Michigan. Their best-case scenario is 8-4, but after Illinois upset Kanas and Northwestern continues to show life under David Braun, those games aren’t the easy wins they were expected to be either. At least they won a national championship, right?
I won’t get fooled again. Oregon is not a national championship contender until proven otherwise. You do not get the benefit of the doubt after going deep into the fourth quarter in back-to-back weeks against Idaho and Boise State.
Oregon is going to have nightmares about the state of Idaho — don’t remind them where their potatoes come from. Oregon beat Boise State by pure luck. Two special teams touchdowns in the same game is luck. There’s a reason it’s not a common occurrence, just ask Ohio State, who hasn’t had one in what feels like a decade. It took two plays so unlikely you can’t consistently do them in a video game for Oregon to win, and Boise still could’ve won with better play-calling in the fourth quarter.
Oregon may figure it out. Their whole season is in front of them, but the Oregon we’ve seen for the past two weeks is not a national championship contender, and doesn’t scare any good team in the Big Ten. They have some serious issues to figure out, starting with their offensive line, or this season could turn on them quickly.
After two rough weeks their outlook isn’t any better, as they have to face an angry Oregon State team looking for a win over their rival who left them in college football purgatory. All this before their first nine-game Big Ten conference schedule. Dan Lanning and the Ducks have some work to do if they still want to reach their goals this season.
There’s a common theme in this week’s B1G Thoughts. Outside of Ohio State, the teams expected to contend for the conference title and make a run in the playoffs have looked uninspiring so far this season.
After beating West Virginia in Week 1, Penn State was riding high, convincing fans and national media alike that they had a new offense to go with one of the best defenses in the country. That feeling lasted exactly seven days, as Penn State was in a legitimate fight with Bowling Green.
A lot of times when these close games happen we find ourselves saying, “I never thought they were going to lose,” but that is not true for me in this game. If Bowling Green had a better quarterback they absolutely could’ve won this game, but after playing a stellar first half, Connor Bazelak reverted and handed the Nittany Lions two interceptions to seal the game.
I tried to give Penn State the benefit of the doubt, but they have not earned that offensively, and now there may be questions about their defense under Tom Allen’s leadership. It could be worse though... they could be Notre Dame! A clunker isn’t fun, but a win is a win.
Heading into the weekend I can’t imagine many people had watching Michigan State and Maryland high on their list, and yet it turned out to be one of the best games of the weekend.
After a tough first game as a Spartan, Aidan Chiles bounced back in a big way, leading Michigan State past Maryland by scoring 10 points in the final four minutes of the game. Chiles still has some room to improve after throwing three interceptions, but Michigan State doesn’t have any expectations this year, so they should view this as a learning experience and hope that he will start to make better decisions with more experience.
It helps when you have a freshman who might just be a stud after wide receiver Nick Marsh had eight receptions for 194 yards and a touchdown. It might be a tough year in East Lansing, but they can find joy if Chiles and Marsh can continue to connect all season.
Nebraska said they thought they could dominate Colorado, and they did with a suffocating defense that sacked Sheduer Sanders six times and baited him into throwing a pick-six. Nebraska is far from a finished product, evidenced by the fact they scored no points in the second half after scoring 28 points before halftime, but they proved to be mentally and physically tough despite not clicking on offense the whole game.
After two games, the most important thing for them, outside of being 2-0, may be that their quarterback hasn’t committed a turnover yet. Nebraska is building towards something. It’s impossible to know their ceiling in 2024, but they should be bowl-eligible by the end of October and that is a major step in the right direction for this program.
Nebraska being good is fun. Shoutout to Matt Rhule for opening the windows, buying the smell goods, and getting the Scott Frost stench out of the building.
Follow The I-80 Football Show on YouTube: @JordanW330.
Subscribe to the podcast: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
Connect with me on Twitter: @JordanW330
Follow I-80 Football Show on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
Continue reading...
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Michigan won a national championship, but at what cost? Plus other thoughts from a wild Week 2!
Every week after the Big Ten games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and more. With the Big Ten expanding from 14 teams to 18 teams in 2024 we will have a bunch of storylines to follow.
Ryan Day and Ohio State are all in for the 2024 season. Is Oregon a national championship contender or will they stumble in their first Big Ten season? How do the former members of the Big Ten West fair in the new divisionless format? We track all these storylines and more as the Big Ten hopes to win back-to-back national championships.
Check out the I-80 Football Show for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.
#BlameHarbaugh
#BlameHarbaugh, but also kind of Sherrone Mooore and partially Warde Manuel. In reality, blame everyone at Michigan — including Conor Stallions — for the state of the Wolverine program. You won a national championship, but at what cost?
Now, I’m sure there are a lot of Michigan fans who are fine with the cost of winning a title, but I can promise you it did not need to get this bad. After a beatdown from Texas and back-to-back weeks where their defense didn’t look dominant, the offensive line looked bad, and the quarterback looked unplayable, Michigan is at an all-time low. You can have the best defense in the country, but without a complementary offense, it means nothing — just ask Iowa.
This is where this is Harbaugh’s fault. For the last three to four years Harbaugh has openly flirted with the NFL every offseason, leading to lackluster recruiting classes specifically at quarterback and offensive line. One of the best things Michigan did the last few years was identify key portal pieces on the line to go with their seniors. It worked, but now after having essentially their two deep drafted it’s clear the lack of snaps for younger players has created a problem.
The biggest blame that falls on Harbaugh, until the program gets potentially heavy sanctions from the NCAA, is that he left the program late while waiting on the NFL, and during that time he did nothing to support the future of the team. Either Harbaugh knew he was getting an NFL job or he was leaving no matter, what because they did not attempt to build up their roster in the December transfer window, and by the time he was in the NFL and Moore hired his staff it was too late to find good players at key positions.
This is a lost season for Michigan. Their best-case scenario is 8-4, but after Illinois upset Kanas and Northwestern continues to show life under David Braun, those games aren’t the easy wins they were expected to be either. At least they won a national championship, right?
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me
I won’t get fooled again. Oregon is not a national championship contender until proven otherwise. You do not get the benefit of the doubt after going deep into the fourth quarter in back-to-back weeks against Idaho and Boise State.
Oregon is going to have nightmares about the state of Idaho — don’t remind them where their potatoes come from. Oregon beat Boise State by pure luck. Two special teams touchdowns in the same game is luck. There’s a reason it’s not a common occurrence, just ask Ohio State, who hasn’t had one in what feels like a decade. It took two plays so unlikely you can’t consistently do them in a video game for Oregon to win, and Boise still could’ve won with better play-calling in the fourth quarter.
Oregon may figure it out. Their whole season is in front of them, but the Oregon we’ve seen for the past two weeks is not a national championship contender, and doesn’t scare any good team in the Big Ten. They have some serious issues to figure out, starting with their offensive line, or this season could turn on them quickly.
After two rough weeks their outlook isn’t any better, as they have to face an angry Oregon State team looking for a win over their rival who left them in college football purgatory. All this before their first nine-game Big Ten conference schedule. Dan Lanning and the Ducks have some work to do if they still want to reach their goals this season.
Penn Stank, anyone?
There’s a common theme in this week’s B1G Thoughts. Outside of Ohio State, the teams expected to contend for the conference title and make a run in the playoffs have looked uninspiring so far this season.
After beating West Virginia in Week 1, Penn State was riding high, convincing fans and national media alike that they had a new offense to go with one of the best defenses in the country. That feeling lasted exactly seven days, as Penn State was in a legitimate fight with Bowling Green.
A lot of times when these close games happen we find ourselves saying, “I never thought they were going to lose,” but that is not true for me in this game. If Bowling Green had a better quarterback they absolutely could’ve won this game, but after playing a stellar first half, Connor Bazelak reverted and handed the Nittany Lions two interceptions to seal the game.
I tried to give Penn State the benefit of the doubt, but they have not earned that offensively, and now there may be questions about their defense under Tom Allen’s leadership. It could be worse though... they could be Notre Dame! A clunker isn’t fun, but a win is a win.
Well, that’s a surprise!
Heading into the weekend I can’t imagine many people had watching Michigan State and Maryland high on their list, and yet it turned out to be one of the best games of the weekend.
After a tough first game as a Spartan, Aidan Chiles bounced back in a big way, leading Michigan State past Maryland by scoring 10 points in the final four minutes of the game. Chiles still has some room to improve after throwing three interceptions, but Michigan State doesn’t have any expectations this year, so they should view this as a learning experience and hope that he will start to make better decisions with more experience.
It helps when you have a freshman who might just be a stud after wide receiver Nick Marsh had eight receptions for 194 yards and a touchdown. It might be a tough year in East Lansing, but they can find joy if Chiles and Marsh can continue to connect all season.
Nebraska Rhules. #GBR
Nebraska said they thought they could dominate Colorado, and they did with a suffocating defense that sacked Sheduer Sanders six times and baited him into throwing a pick-six. Nebraska is far from a finished product, evidenced by the fact they scored no points in the second half after scoring 28 points before halftime, but they proved to be mentally and physically tough despite not clicking on offense the whole game.
After two games, the most important thing for them, outside of being 2-0, may be that their quarterback hasn’t committed a turnover yet. Nebraska is building towards something. It’s impossible to know their ceiling in 2024, but they should be bowl-eligible by the end of October and that is a major step in the right direction for this program.
Nebraska being good is fun. Shoutout to Matt Rhule for opening the windows, buying the smell goods, and getting the Scott Frost stench out of the building.
Follow The I-80 Football Show on YouTube: @JordanW330.
Subscribe to the podcast: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
Connect with me on Twitter: @JordanW330
Follow I-80 Football Show on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
Continue reading...
1922 Club Ohio Stadium
- By ScriptOhio
- Tickets and Travel
- 3 Replies
1922 Club
As an enduring symbol of tradition, pride, and unity, Ohio Stadium serves as the sacred ground where Buckeye spirit comes alive. Constructed in 1922, the 'house that Harley built' became more than a house, it became a home to the Ohio State Buckeyes and THE community of Buckeye faithful who cheer them on.
As we embark on the next centennial, we invite you to step into an era where the echoes of the past mingle with the vibrant pulse of the present. Nestled on the east side of the stadium, the 1922 Club is a speakeasy style venue that transports guests to a bygone era that pays homage to our illustrious history. Amidst the flickering glow of vintage lighting and first class amenities, enhance your game day experience and access to exclusive events throughout the year.
With a goal of opening in 2026, the 1922 Club will provide a game day experience that is defined by its spacious lounge-like atmosphere for only the most exclusive members. This all-inclusive space will have limited memberships and will provide an upscale food and beverage option on game days. Whether you are with clients or enjoying the company of friends, the 1922 Club will allow you to enjoy the climate-controlled space while experiencing an elite game day experience.
On non-game days, this space will transform into the 1922 Club Restaurant. This members-only restaurant will be available via reservations only Tuesday–Saturday from 4 p.m.–11 p.m (excluding gamedays). As you sit inside this elegant space, enriched with the historic culture of Ohio State, you will be treated to the finest hospitality, food, and beverage the city has to offer.
This private club is a testament to our commitment to fostering community, camaraderie, and undying passion for the Buckeyes. Discover a haven where the essence of Ohio State pride comes to life in every corner. Join us as we embark on this exciting journey together, celebrating our shared love for the scarlet and gray like never before.
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LGHL Ohio State men’s basketball player preview: Colin White
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio State men’s basketball player preview: Colin White
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
White joins John Mobley Jr. as the two freshman coming into the program for this season.
Even though it is September, and fans are locked into college football, the fall also means that college basketball is right around the corner.
From now until the start of the hoops season in early November, we will be doing player previews and team previews for all the players on the Ohio State men’s basketball team and the new-look Big Ten Conference.
Name: Colin White
Position: Forward
Class: Freshman
High School: Ottawa-Glandorf High School
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Weight: 205
Height: 6’6
After the Buckeyes brought in two big recruiting classes in 2022 and 2023, the 2024 recruiting class was always going to be a small one. At the end of the cycle, the Buckeyes signed two new players, Colin White and John Mobley Jr.
Mobley Jr. was the higher-ranked recruit, but White is also a player who can contribute immediately this season in Columbus.
White was a Top 125 recruit in the 2024 class and named the 2024 Ohio Mr. Basketball. He also earned First-team all-state honors as a junior and senior and led Ottawa-Glandorf to back-to-back state championship game appearances in 2022 and 2023
He joined LeBron James (you might have heard of him) as the only high school player in Ohio to start on a state final-four team for four consecutive seasons
He was also the first player in Ottawa-Glandorf history to score over 2,000 career points and averaged 25.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.6 steals per game as a senior.
He was named the Division-III Northwest Ohio Player of the Year as a junior after averaging 20.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists and competed on the AAU circuit for Indiana Elite
White helped Indiana Elite to a 39-3 record in 2024, averaging 14.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 49.7 percent from the field.
Something that specifically caught my eye about White was his numbers against elite competition. High school aside, White excelled in his time with the Indiana Elite on the AAU circuit, showing that his game can elevate. He also played great in the Kingdom Summer League in Columbus this past summer, so he has shown his abilities against the top competition at every opportunity.
His role on the 2024-25 Buckeye team is interesting because he is good enough to play immediately, but the Buckeyes' forward depth is strong. Micah Parrish and Sean Stewart will likely start, with Devin Royal and Evan Mahaffey coming off the bench and providing valuable minutes.
Royal is the key one that the coaches will want to play a significant amount off the bench, so White’s role could be limited in his first season.
If he does play, I would expect to see him 5-10 minutes per game and likely fall out of the rotation towards the end of the season as the rotation shrinks. However, White is incredibly talented and will be able to provide some depth this season, barring any unexpected things happening.
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
White joins John Mobley Jr. as the two freshman coming into the program for this season.
Even though it is September, and fans are locked into college football, the fall also means that college basketball is right around the corner.
From now until the start of the hoops season in early November, we will be doing player previews and team previews for all the players on the Ohio State men’s basketball team and the new-look Big Ten Conference.
The Colin White File
Name: Colin White
Position: Forward
Class: Freshman
High School: Ottawa-Glandorf High School
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Weight: 205
Height: 6’6
Breakdown
After the Buckeyes brought in two big recruiting classes in 2022 and 2023, the 2024 recruiting class was always going to be a small one. At the end of the cycle, the Buckeyes signed two new players, Colin White and John Mobley Jr.
Mobley Jr. was the higher-ranked recruit, but White is also a player who can contribute immediately this season in Columbus.
White was a Top 125 recruit in the 2024 class and named the 2024 Ohio Mr. Basketball. He also earned First-team all-state honors as a junior and senior and led Ottawa-Glandorf to back-to-back state championship game appearances in 2022 and 2023
He joined LeBron James (you might have heard of him) as the only high school player in Ohio to start on a state final-four team for four consecutive seasons
He was also the first player in Ottawa-Glandorf history to score over 2,000 career points and averaged 25.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.6 steals per game as a senior.
He was named the Division-III Northwest Ohio Player of the Year as a junior after averaging 20.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists and competed on the AAU circuit for Indiana Elite
White helped Indiana Elite to a 39-3 record in 2024, averaging 14.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 49.7 percent from the field.
Something that specifically caught my eye about White was his numbers against elite competition. High school aside, White excelled in his time with the Indiana Elite on the AAU circuit, showing that his game can elevate. He also played great in the Kingdom Summer League in Columbus this past summer, so he has shown his abilities against the top competition at every opportunity.
Expected role
His role on the 2024-25 Buckeye team is interesting because he is good enough to play immediately, but the Buckeyes' forward depth is strong. Micah Parrish and Sean Stewart will likely start, with Devin Royal and Evan Mahaffey coming off the bench and providing valuable minutes.
Royal is the key one that the coaches will want to play a significant amount off the bench, so White’s role could be limited in his first season.
If he does play, I would expect to see him 5-10 minutes per game and likely fall out of the rotation towards the end of the season as the rotation shrinks. However, White is incredibly talented and will be able to provide some depth this season, barring any unexpected things happening.
Continue reading...
2027 OH OL Reed Gerken
- By brodybuck21
- Football Recruiting
- 6 Replies
LGHL An entirely-too-early reassessment of the Big Ten’s top teams
- News
- 0 Replies
An entirely-too-early reassessment of the Big Ten’s top teams
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
Two weeks of football is enough to predict the playoffs perfectly, right?
Heading into this year’s college football season, the Big Ten’s pecking order seemed pretty clear-cut. There seemed to be an obvious divide between the top four teams (Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, and Michigan) and everyone else, though Iowa and USC both earned themselves preseason rankings and the analytical discussions that accompany them.
Football analysts, writers, bloggers, and fans debated the order in which those six teams would finish, but it was never really a question that those would be the teams at the top.
Now, a mere two weeks into the college football season, almost everything we thought we knew about the Big Ten has been blown to smithereens, and conference play hasn’t really even begun in earnest.
Heading into the season, I flip-flopped a bit on the order of finish I expected of the Big Ten’s ranked teams. It was never a question in my mind that Ohio State would win the Big Ten Championship, but I felt pretty strongly they would lose to Oregon during the regular season, leading to an Ohio State-Oregon rematch in the championship game to determine the ultimate winner.
Behind them, I felt Michigan was a better team than Penn State but had a harder schedule, so I ranked Penn State higher while feeling Michigan was still not a team to write off. This Michigan team isn’t the national championship team of just one year ago, with plenty of unknowns, plus no Harbaugh, no Blake Corum, and no real quarterback to speak of. As such, I never felt Michigan would beat the Buckeyes, but I did think the Wolverines would take down Oregon (I actually still think that), forcing a three-way tiebreaker.
It felt like there was a substantial chasm here, a split between the top teams and the second bananas, with teams like Iowa and USC, plus dark horse Rutgers, making nice sleeper hits but ultimately falling outside of my playoff predictions.
Sweet, naive angel that I was. It seems, just two weeks later, that my list was completely wrong (and as I am never wrong, this is difficult for me to admit. Please clap).
So while it is still very early in the season, it seems like a good time to reassess what we thought we knew: Who are the top teams in the Big Ten and where does the chasm fall now that we’ve played some football?
I’m sorry I ever doubted them. No Buckeye team in recent memory seems to be having this much fun — with this much talent to boot, and as the season has started to unfold, it’s looking like they are just as good as everyone predicted they’d be. Add to that the fact that in many regards, their competition has kinks to work out (to put it nicely), and it’s clear the Buckeyes are alone at the top here. Now, before we get ahead of ourselves, they have yet to play a conference game or a ranked matchup, and a game like that will tell us how far they can go, but in two weeks of football, they haven’t let a single person on the opposing side even get in the endzone, so dominance isn’t out of the realm of possibility for this team.
In their first year with the Big Ten and their first season without star quarterback Caleb Williams since he went to the NFL, the Trojans have been a pleasant surprise. No one doubted that they would be good, but without Williams, it was unclear what their ceiling would be. It seems they haven’t skipped a beat. They opened the season with a win over a then-No. 13 LSU team before completely dominating Utah State, 48-0, this past weekend and jumping to No. 11 in the AP Poll. The Trojan defense has looked exceptional, and junior quarterback Miller Moss has taken the reins beautifully, putting up 607 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions while leading his team to a 2-0 start. They’ll face Michigan this weekend, their next test against a ranked opponent, and all signs point to a 1-2 start for the Wolverines, whose quarterback play hasn’t looked like a matchup for USC’s defense so far this year.
Despite being down at halftime to Bowling Green, in no small part due to one of the worst halves of football in years for Penn State’s defense, the Nittany Lions rallied beautifully in the second half. Do they have some issues they need to regroup on internally? Yeah, absolutely. But isn’t that also what those early games are for? They don’t seem infallible by any means, but they’ve already proven they can dig deep when they need to and rally to get the job done—that’s an intangible quality that can take you far if you let it, and I still think with Drew Allar at quarterback and the arsenal this team has, they can go far. Aside from the Buckeyes, they’re pretty much the only unchanged thing about my rankings after the first two weeks.
Look, Nebraska hasn’t played anyone yet who really tells us what they will or won’t do this season, but they did look exceptional—particularly on defense—against their old rival Colorado this weekend, and I don’t take rivalry games lightly. People show up to play those games like they’re the Super Bowl. Heck, Quinn Ewers, the quarterback at Texas who is a former Buckeye, showed up to Saturday’s matchup against the Wolverines saying he still holds a personal grudge against the Maize & Blue after his short stint in Columbus. Rivalries fuel people. And Nebraska had all the fuel it needed. Shedeur Sanders, who just a week prior was being discussed among Heisman contenders, got sacked five times, and Matt Rhule’s Huskers accomplished exactly what he wanted them to: Total Dominance. They don’t have a truly tough challenge until they face Rutgers in October, so they could very well be 7-0 by the time they face the Buckeyes later this year. If they keep doing it at this level, they could certainly be in playoff contention by season’s end.
The Oregon team I was worried might beat the Buckeyes in October? Sure, they’ve started 2-0, but barely. Their record is deceptive in that they very nearly lost both games—to two teams out of Idaho (Idaho and Boise State, albeit this is a very good Boise State team). Their narrow wins over teams they should have beaten handily tell us they have quite a few issues they’ll need to figure out, and fast if they want to stay in playoff contention. With two wins that felt more like survival than victory, their offense has looked off-kilter, Dillon Gabriel—who had been among many people’s Heisman top contenders—has been underwhelming,
Sitting just outside the top five is Michigan, whose game against No. 2 Texas made them look unnerved and amateurish but who, quite frankly, could still get things together with enough time to play Oregon, for example. Iowa, for their part, has fallen out of my top team considerations completely after falling to Iowa State in the Cy-Hawk Trophy game. Heading into the season, Iowa felt like a team that could easily sneak its way into playoff contention with a few key wins, and instead, they’ve shown that while the talent is there, they haven’t quite gotten their gameplay there yet.
Look, I know it’s far too early to be reassessing these things in general. Probably in three weeks, I’d be able to write another one of these. We’re also entering an era of college football where, like it or not, teams are going to lose games and still make the playoffs. If a team like Iowa starts taking down ranked opponents, for example, they could easily climb back up into people’s minds. But for now, with what we know so far, these are my very correct, definitely not-going-to-change top five teams in the Big Ten to keep your eye on as the season unfolds.
Continue reading...
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
Two weeks of football is enough to predict the playoffs perfectly, right?
Heading into this year’s college football season, the Big Ten’s pecking order seemed pretty clear-cut. There seemed to be an obvious divide between the top four teams (Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, and Michigan) and everyone else, though Iowa and USC both earned themselves preseason rankings and the analytical discussions that accompany them.
Football analysts, writers, bloggers, and fans debated the order in which those six teams would finish, but it was never really a question that those would be the teams at the top.
Now, a mere two weeks into the college football season, almost everything we thought we knew about the Big Ten has been blown to smithereens, and conference play hasn’t really even begun in earnest.
Heading into the season, I flip-flopped a bit on the order of finish I expected of the Big Ten’s ranked teams. It was never a question in my mind that Ohio State would win the Big Ten Championship, but I felt pretty strongly they would lose to Oregon during the regular season, leading to an Ohio State-Oregon rematch in the championship game to determine the ultimate winner.
Behind them, I felt Michigan was a better team than Penn State but had a harder schedule, so I ranked Penn State higher while feeling Michigan was still not a team to write off. This Michigan team isn’t the national championship team of just one year ago, with plenty of unknowns, plus no Harbaugh, no Blake Corum, and no real quarterback to speak of. As such, I never felt Michigan would beat the Buckeyes, but I did think the Wolverines would take down Oregon (I actually still think that), forcing a three-way tiebreaker.
It felt like there was a substantial chasm here, a split between the top teams and the second bananas, with teams like Iowa and USC, plus dark horse Rutgers, making nice sleeper hits but ultimately falling outside of my playoff predictions.
Sweet, naive angel that I was. It seems, just two weeks later, that my list was completely wrong (and as I am never wrong, this is difficult for me to admit. Please clap).
So while it is still very early in the season, it seems like a good time to reassess what we thought we knew: Who are the top teams in the Big Ten and where does the chasm fall now that we’ve played some football?
1. Ohio State
I’m sorry I ever doubted them. No Buckeye team in recent memory seems to be having this much fun — with this much talent to boot, and as the season has started to unfold, it’s looking like they are just as good as everyone predicted they’d be. Add to that the fact that in many regards, their competition has kinks to work out (to put it nicely), and it’s clear the Buckeyes are alone at the top here. Now, before we get ahead of ourselves, they have yet to play a conference game or a ranked matchup, and a game like that will tell us how far they can go, but in two weeks of football, they haven’t let a single person on the opposing side even get in the endzone, so dominance isn’t out of the realm of possibility for this team.
2. USC
In their first year with the Big Ten and their first season without star quarterback Caleb Williams since he went to the NFL, the Trojans have been a pleasant surprise. No one doubted that they would be good, but without Williams, it was unclear what their ceiling would be. It seems they haven’t skipped a beat. They opened the season with a win over a then-No. 13 LSU team before completely dominating Utah State, 48-0, this past weekend and jumping to No. 11 in the AP Poll. The Trojan defense has looked exceptional, and junior quarterback Miller Moss has taken the reins beautifully, putting up 607 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions while leading his team to a 2-0 start. They’ll face Michigan this weekend, their next test against a ranked opponent, and all signs point to a 1-2 start for the Wolverines, whose quarterback play hasn’t looked like a matchup for USC’s defense so far this year.
3. Penn State
Despite being down at halftime to Bowling Green, in no small part due to one of the worst halves of football in years for Penn State’s defense, the Nittany Lions rallied beautifully in the second half. Do they have some issues they need to regroup on internally? Yeah, absolutely. But isn’t that also what those early games are for? They don’t seem infallible by any means, but they’ve already proven they can dig deep when they need to and rally to get the job done—that’s an intangible quality that can take you far if you let it, and I still think with Drew Allar at quarterback and the arsenal this team has, they can go far. Aside from the Buckeyes, they’re pretty much the only unchanged thing about my rankings after the first two weeks.
4. Nebraska
Look, Nebraska hasn’t played anyone yet who really tells us what they will or won’t do this season, but they did look exceptional—particularly on defense—against their old rival Colorado this weekend, and I don’t take rivalry games lightly. People show up to play those games like they’re the Super Bowl. Heck, Quinn Ewers, the quarterback at Texas who is a former Buckeye, showed up to Saturday’s matchup against the Wolverines saying he still holds a personal grudge against the Maize & Blue after his short stint in Columbus. Rivalries fuel people. And Nebraska had all the fuel it needed. Shedeur Sanders, who just a week prior was being discussed among Heisman contenders, got sacked five times, and Matt Rhule’s Huskers accomplished exactly what he wanted them to: Total Dominance. They don’t have a truly tough challenge until they face Rutgers in October, so they could very well be 7-0 by the time they face the Buckeyes later this year. If they keep doing it at this level, they could certainly be in playoff contention by season’s end.
5. Oregon
The Oregon team I was worried might beat the Buckeyes in October? Sure, they’ve started 2-0, but barely. Their record is deceptive in that they very nearly lost both games—to two teams out of Idaho (Idaho and Boise State, albeit this is a very good Boise State team). Their narrow wins over teams they should have beaten handily tell us they have quite a few issues they’ll need to figure out, and fast if they want to stay in playoff contention. With two wins that felt more like survival than victory, their offense has looked off-kilter, Dillon Gabriel—who had been among many people’s Heisman top contenders—has been underwhelming,
The Rest
Sitting just outside the top five is Michigan, whose game against No. 2 Texas made them look unnerved and amateurish but who, quite frankly, could still get things together with enough time to play Oregon, for example. Iowa, for their part, has fallen out of my top team considerations completely after falling to Iowa State in the Cy-Hawk Trophy game. Heading into the season, Iowa felt like a team that could easily sneak its way into playoff contention with a few key wins, and instead, they’ve shown that while the talent is there, they haven’t quite gotten their gameplay there yet.
Look, I know it’s far too early to be reassessing these things in general. Probably in three weeks, I’d be able to write another one of these. We’re also entering an era of college football where, like it or not, teams are going to lose games and still make the playoffs. If a team like Iowa starts taking down ranked opponents, for example, they could easily climb back up into people’s minds. But for now, with what we know so far, these are my very correct, definitely not-going-to-change top five teams in the Big Ten to keep your eye on as the season unfolds.
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LGHL Grumpy Old Buckeye: Nit-picking Ohio State’s 56-0 win over Western Michigan
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Grumpy Old Buckeye: Nit-picking Ohio State’s 56-0 win over Western Michigan
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes made life difficult for the Broncos and this column.
Sometimes the Buckeyes just make my job difficult. It’s not easy to find the dark clouds around the silver linings when Ohio State beats a team as comprehensively as the 56-0 destruction of Western Michigan Saturday night. The defense didn’t even give up 100 yards of offense, and the Buckeye offense went for nearly 700 yards as Ohio State wiped the Horseshoe turf with the Broncos all night.
Still, finding the bad to go with the exceptionally good is what I do, so let’s do this. Here are the things that had me spittin’ mad from Ohio State putting the Broncos on full blast.
After opening the game with a sack, Cody Simon had some issues on the second WMU drive. Simon had a chance to give the Ohio State defense its second consecutive three-and-out, but the veteran linebacker couldn’t make a play in space and allowed a 16-yard gain for a first down on third-and-10.
That led to another first down and rhythm for the Bronco offense, as the visitors quickly got into field goal range on a long completion against Davison Igbinosun. Simon had a chance to make amends for the missed tackle with an interception later in the drive, but he couldn’t hang on.
That allowed Western Michigan a chance to answer the Buckeyes’ first score immediately, but the Broncos’ backup kicker could not convert the 42-yard attempt.
Austin Siereveld committed a holding infraction on the second OSU drive on a play in which Will Howard got tripped up for what would have been a sack anyway. While Siereveld isn’t the starter, the Buckeyes’ next-man-up mentality means he’s got to be ready to compete every week. That entails dominating against lesser competition and holding his own against better teams.
Also, if you hold and your quarterback still goes down behind the line of scrimmage, shame on you. Get better at holding.
In a year when officials have been lenient across the board with contact downfield from defensive backs, Igbinosun somehow got a pass interference penalty late in the first quarter. The receiver clearly pushed off as he broke on the ball, and although Igbinosun momentarily grabbed the receiver, that has been a clear no-call through the college football season thus far in games from virtually every conference (disclaimer: I haven’t seen a game called by a Mountain West crew yet in 2024).
If you’re going to call the grab, call the push-off and let’s have a do-over.
In the first half, Denzel Burke, who clearly did not lead with the crown of his helmet, was thrown out of the game for leading with the crown of his helmet, which is a thing I distinctly saw him not do, and which Dean Blandino, the officiating expert for the Big Ten Network, also said he did not do.
Nevertheless, the officiating crew tossed Ohio State’s best cornerback for an infraction that never happened in the final minute of the first quarter. The side of Burke’s helmet made contact with the side of the running back’s helmet, so how that call got made is perplexing.
A holding penalty called against backup wide receiver Bryson Rodgers negated an 80-yard Quinshon Judkins touchdown run. It didn’t even look like it was on Rodgers on the replay. It appeared to be someone (whose number I didn’t quite catch) who wasn’t as far downfield as Rodgers. At any rate, it wasn’t necessary, because Judkins was going to blast past that defender anyway.
It wrecked a fun play and that always boils my peanuts. The drive ended up stalling due to a Howard underthrow to Jeremiah Smith (with an uncalled defensive pass interference on the play).
Look, that’s really all I’ve got for you this week. Everything below is pretty much forced mock outrage to levels never previously reached. The Buckeyes simply dominated.
If I wanted to pile on, I could point out how Ohio State had to take a timeout in the third quarter after forcing a punt, which kept the Buckeyes from having one for the last drive of the half. I could mention the offensive line allowing pressure on back-to-back plays on the final OSU drive of the half.
I could also be harsh and criticize:
I should, however, call attention to a fourth-quarter drive that featured bonehead mistakes on consecutive plays.
Zen Michalski’s obvious hold put Ohio State in a first-and-20 situation. On the next play, Devin Brown couldn’t find a receiver downfield, so he rolled right and then ran out of bounds, taking an unnecessary self-sack, when he could easily have legally thrown the ball away for no loss. That pushed the Buckeyes out of field-goal range.
A loss on a screen pass to James Peoples made it third-and-more-than-a-quarter-of-the-field. Brown then took a sack on the next play. It was a ridiculous sequence and the first two plays set that up. It also prevented Ohio State from easily eclipsing 700 yards of total offense.
Obviously this was a game where mock outrage has to be the only outrage.
The Buckeyes were never challenged on either side of the ball. Smith continues to show he could become the best wide receiver in Ohio State history since the last best receiver in Ohio State history. Kayden McDonald flashed bigtime on defense, as did Caleb Downs (and many others). Judkins and Henderson ran through the Broncos like they weren’t there. Howard built on his first game as a Buckeye, and the offensive line did almost exclusively good things!
Next week, the Buckeyes are off, so the only thing I get to be grumpy about is the lack of an Ohio State game. The Buckeyes host Marshall on Sept. 21 in their next time out, and if they keep improving, perhaps the only thing I’ll get to be grumpy about that day is a lack of things to be grumpy about.
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Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes made life difficult for the Broncos and this column.
Sometimes the Buckeyes just make my job difficult. It’s not easy to find the dark clouds around the silver linings when Ohio State beats a team as comprehensively as the 56-0 destruction of Western Michigan Saturday night. The defense didn’t even give up 100 yards of offense, and the Buckeye offense went for nearly 700 yards as Ohio State wiped the Horseshoe turf with the Broncos all night.
Still, finding the bad to go with the exceptionally good is what I do, so let’s do this. Here are the things that had me spittin’ mad from Ohio State putting the Broncos on full blast.
Mixed Results
After opening the game with a sack, Cody Simon had some issues on the second WMU drive. Simon had a chance to give the Ohio State defense its second consecutive three-and-out, but the veteran linebacker couldn’t make a play in space and allowed a 16-yard gain for a first down on third-and-10.
That led to another first down and rhythm for the Bronco offense, as the visitors quickly got into field goal range on a long completion against Davison Igbinosun. Simon had a chance to make amends for the missed tackle with an interception later in the drive, but he couldn’t hang on.
That allowed Western Michigan a chance to answer the Buckeyes’ first score immediately, but the Broncos’ backup kicker could not convert the 42-yard attempt.
Don’t Hold Back
Austin Siereveld committed a holding infraction on the second OSU drive on a play in which Will Howard got tripped up for what would have been a sack anyway. While Siereveld isn’t the starter, the Buckeyes’ next-man-up mentality means he’s got to be ready to compete every week. That entails dominating against lesser competition and holding his own against better teams.
Also, if you hold and your quarterback still goes down behind the line of scrimmage, shame on you. Get better at holding.
Igbi-No, Son
In a year when officials have been lenient across the board with contact downfield from defensive backs, Igbinosun somehow got a pass interference penalty late in the first quarter. The receiver clearly pushed off as he broke on the ball, and although Igbinosun momentarily grabbed the receiver, that has been a clear no-call through the college football season thus far in games from virtually every conference (disclaimer: I haven’t seen a game called by a Mountain West crew yet in 2024).
If you’re going to call the grab, call the push-off and let’s have a do-over.
Targeting Remains Stupid and Subjective and Will Forever Be Thus
In the first half, Denzel Burke, who clearly did not lead with the crown of his helmet, was thrown out of the game for leading with the crown of his helmet, which is a thing I distinctly saw him not do, and which Dean Blandino, the officiating expert for the Big Ten Network, also said he did not do.
Nevertheless, the officiating crew tossed Ohio State’s best cornerback for an infraction that never happened in the final minute of the first quarter. The side of Burke’s helmet made contact with the side of the running back’s helmet, so how that call got made is perplexing.
Spoiling the Fun
A holding penalty called against backup wide receiver Bryson Rodgers negated an 80-yard Quinshon Judkins touchdown run. It didn’t even look like it was on Rodgers on the replay. It appeared to be someone (whose number I didn’t quite catch) who wasn’t as far downfield as Rodgers. At any rate, it wasn’t necessary, because Judkins was going to blast past that defender anyway.
It wrecked a fun play and that always boils my peanuts. The drive ended up stalling due to a Howard underthrow to Jeremiah Smith (with an uncalled defensive pass interference on the play).
Look, that’s really all I’ve got for you this week. Everything below is pretty much forced mock outrage to levels never previously reached. The Buckeyes simply dominated.
If I wanted to pile on, I could point out how Ohio State had to take a timeout in the third quarter after forcing a punt, which kept the Buckeyes from having one for the last drive of the half. I could mention the offensive line allowing pressure on back-to-back plays on the final OSU drive of the half.
I could also be harsh and criticize:
- Jayden Ballard fair catching the second-half kickoff on one hop.
- Josh Fryar somehow being downfield on a first down throw to Smith.
- The play call of a tight end screen on third-and-1 that got blown up on a missed block by Emeka Egbuka after a poor spot prevented a first down on the previous Judkins run.
- Kojo Antwi’s drop on an easy first-down throw from Howard.
I should, however, call attention to a fourth-quarter drive that featured bonehead mistakes on consecutive plays.
Zen Michalski’s obvious hold put Ohio State in a first-and-20 situation. On the next play, Devin Brown couldn’t find a receiver downfield, so he rolled right and then ran out of bounds, taking an unnecessary self-sack, when he could easily have legally thrown the ball away for no loss. That pushed the Buckeyes out of field-goal range.
A loss on a screen pass to James Peoples made it third-and-more-than-a-quarter-of-the-field. Brown then took a sack on the next play. It was a ridiculous sequence and the first two plays set that up. It also prevented Ohio State from easily eclipsing 700 yards of total offense.
Obviously this was a game where mock outrage has to be the only outrage.
The Buckeyes were never challenged on either side of the ball. Smith continues to show he could become the best wide receiver in Ohio State history since the last best receiver in Ohio State history. Kayden McDonald flashed bigtime on defense, as did Caleb Downs (and many others). Judkins and Henderson ran through the Broncos like they weren’t there. Howard built on his first game as a Buckeye, and the offensive line did almost exclusively good things!
Next week, the Buckeyes are off, so the only thing I get to be grumpy about is the lack of an Ohio State game. The Buckeyes host Marshall on Sept. 21 in their next time out, and if they keep improving, perhaps the only thing I’ll get to be grumpy about that day is a lack of things to be grumpy about.
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LGHL You’re Nuts: Most interesting Big Ten result of Week 2
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You’re Nuts: Most interesting Big Ten result of Week 2
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images
The Buckeyes’ 56-0 win over Western Michigan, while great, wasn’t one of the most surprising results of the weekend.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
Week 2 of the college football season featured a slate of games that proved to be much more exciting and interesting in real life than it initially appeared on paper. At least in this guy’s eye(s).
Texas @ Michigan was the obvious marquee matchup of the week, but only one other game pitted two ranked teams against each other, that being Tennessee @ NC State. And if you watched the Wolfpack struggle with Western Carolina during Week 1, then you likely knew or assumed that the Vols would go into Charlotte and have their way with Grayson McCall and Co.
But that is neither here nor there, because the mighty Big Ten – and Notre Dame – stepped up to fill in the entertainment gap. Ohio State provided fireworks, Michigan cosplayed as a top-10 team for about 10 minutes, Illinois pulled off an upset while Penn State narrowly avoided a major one, Nebraska humbled and quieted Colorado (temporarily, I assume), Oregon helped out Ashton Jeanty’s Heisman campaign, and Iowa gave us all a good laugh.
All of which inspired Gene and I to further discuss and highlight college football’s preeminent conference. It was tough to choose just one, but my partner and I decided to pick a favorite/most entertaining/most interesting game – featuring a B1G team – from this past weekend and share accordingly. And since I am a petty “hater”, that means there were plenty of options from which to choose.
After careful and deliberate consideration, I arrived at the conclusion that Nebraska’s win over Colorado was my favorite Big Ten result of the weekend... Other than Ohio State’s beautiful blowout of Western Michigan, of course.
Why, you ask? Why do I care about Nebraska football? Well, the truth of the matter is that I don’t. At all. However, I do like to keep an eye on teams that OSU is scheduled to or could play during the course of conference competition. Especially if the team(s) features a former Buckeye commit at quarterback, coached by a guy who has a proven track record of turning struggling programs around quickly.
Enter Nebraska, Dylan Raiola, and Matt Rhule.
Now admittedly, Colorado @ Nebraska was not the most aesthetically pleasing game ever played. The Cornhuskers sort of stumbled into 28 points and then took the air out of the ball in the second half. But to Rhule and Co.’s credit, that’s the perfect game plan when going up against a team that features Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, among others. Limit the explosives, shorten the game, and let your big fellas impose their will on both sides.
Which is exactly what Nebraska did. Sanders was held to 244 yards passing, with only one touchdown and one interception. The Cornhuskers also sacked him six times, held the Buffs to 16 yards rushing (sacks included), possessed the ball for 35 minutes, and kept Hunter relatively contained.
The latter totaled 10 receptions for 110 yards but failed to find the endzone and/or produce a gain of more than 28 yards. Which may not sound very “contained” until one considers that Hunter put up 132 yards and 3 TDs in Week 1. Nebraska also put handcuffs on Jimmy Horn Jr., who went off for 198 yards in Colorado’s season opener.
What I found most impressive about the Cornhuskers’ victory was the way in which they went about their business. Rhule’s team dominated the trenches, ran the ball even when they were not getting chunk yardage, and called pass plays that would instill confidence in Raiola without creating unnecessary risk(s). Well, besides the short pass he threw directly to a Colorado defensive back, that defied physics and somehow traveled through the latter’s hands, into the waiting arms of a Nebraska running back. But other than that, the true freshman played solid ball.
All that being said, I would be burying the lead if I did not admit that more than anything, I simply took joy in Deion Sanders’ team getting routed. Call me petty, call me a hater, call me jealous... Just don’t call me a Colorado fan.
From the outside looking in, it seems like that program is hell-bent on one thing and one thing only, which is raising the profile of Sanders (x2) and Hunter. There seems to be little-to-no interest in recruiting, development, and/or team-building, and I’m just sick of seeing the Buffs on my TV every weekend. How about they win something of significant before we glorify the culture that the eldest Sanders has built in Boulder?
So yeah, that’s where I landed. I probably didn’t enjoy Nebraska’s win for the right reasons, but it’s my joy to experience, damnit. Let me live.
Week 2 provided a great slate of football for haters nationwide, but especially those that reside in Columbus. Ohio State fans got to watch Michigan get dogwalked on their home field by Texas, Notre Dame lose in stunning fashion to Northern Illinois, and several other top teams like Alabama, Oregon and Penn State all struggle against lesser opponents. At the same time, the Buckeyes handled business in a 56-0 rout of Western Michigan.
A lot of Big Ten teams outside the Ducks and Nittany Lions thoroughly handled business. Minnesota, Indiana, Rutgers, and USC all won by at least 30 points. Washington and Wisconsin were never in any real danger of losing in wins over Eastern Michigan and South Dakota, respectively, and Nebraska manhandled Colorado. Michigan State pulled off an upset in a B1G win over Maryland on the road.
On the flip side, Northwestern lost a double overtime game against Duke on Friday night, and Iowa lost in heartbreaking fashion as they dropped their rivalry game against Iowa State on a last-second 54-yard field goal.
However, none of those games qualified for what I though was most interesting among Big Ten teams this past weekend. For me, I am most intrigued by what happened in Champaign, IL.
The Fighting Illini welcomed the 19th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks to town on Saturday, with the home team entering the game as around a five-point underdog. Lance Leipold’s group featured a lot of the star power, led by quarterback Jalon Daniels and running back Devin Neal. Illinois was not phased, however, as the Illini defense and a fourth quarter rally paved the way for a 23-17 win — the program’s first victory over a ranked non-conference opponent since 2011.
Trailing 17-13 at the start of the fourth quarter, Illinois staged an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to take a 20-17 lead. Kansas was unable to move the ball on its ensuing drive, resulting in a quick three-and-out, and the Illini added a field goal after running nearly seven minutes off the clock to make it 23-17 with under a minute to go. The Jayhawks would move the ball past the 50-yard line on their final drive, but a sack fumble as time expired was a fitting close to an impressive win for Illinois.
The Illini defense forced four turnovers, including that sack fumble in addition to three interceptions. Quarterback Luke Altmyer completed 16-of-25 passes for 192 yards, and UTSA/Ole Miss transfer receiver Zakhari Franklin hauled in nine catches for 99 yards. Illinois’ offense didn’t play spectacularly, but they were able to do enough to get the job done late, including that long field goal drive to bleed the clock which featured three conversions on third-and-long.
Illinois now gets a chance to tune things up a bit against Central Michigan in Week 3 before a tough two-game road trip against Nebraska and Penn State. The Illini aren’t a team expected to compete for a Big Ten title, but they have shown tremendous growth under Bret Bielema. After going 17-39 over five seasons under Lovie Smith, the win over Kansas moves Illinois to 20-19 under Bielema, and they now have a 2-0 start to begin the 2024 campaign with a ranked (at the time) win under their belt.
Continue reading...
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images
The Buckeyes’ 56-0 win over Western Michigan, while great, wasn’t one of the most surprising results of the weekend.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
This week’s topic: Most interesting Big Ten result of Week 2
Josh’s Take
Week 2 of the college football season featured a slate of games that proved to be much more exciting and interesting in real life than it initially appeared on paper. At least in this guy’s eye(s).
Texas @ Michigan was the obvious marquee matchup of the week, but only one other game pitted two ranked teams against each other, that being Tennessee @ NC State. And if you watched the Wolfpack struggle with Western Carolina during Week 1, then you likely knew or assumed that the Vols would go into Charlotte and have their way with Grayson McCall and Co.
But that is neither here nor there, because the mighty Big Ten – and Notre Dame – stepped up to fill in the entertainment gap. Ohio State provided fireworks, Michigan cosplayed as a top-10 team for about 10 minutes, Illinois pulled off an upset while Penn State narrowly avoided a major one, Nebraska humbled and quieted Colorado (temporarily, I assume), Oregon helped out Ashton Jeanty’s Heisman campaign, and Iowa gave us all a good laugh.
All of which inspired Gene and I to further discuss and highlight college football’s preeminent conference. It was tough to choose just one, but my partner and I decided to pick a favorite/most entertaining/most interesting game – featuring a B1G team – from this past weekend and share accordingly. And since I am a petty “hater”, that means there were plenty of options from which to choose.
After careful and deliberate consideration, I arrived at the conclusion that Nebraska’s win over Colorado was my favorite Big Ten result of the weekend... Other than Ohio State’s beautiful blowout of Western Michigan, of course.
Why, you ask? Why do I care about Nebraska football? Well, the truth of the matter is that I don’t. At all. However, I do like to keep an eye on teams that OSU is scheduled to or could play during the course of conference competition. Especially if the team(s) features a former Buckeye commit at quarterback, coached by a guy who has a proven track record of turning struggling programs around quickly.
Enter Nebraska, Dylan Raiola, and Matt Rhule.
Now admittedly, Colorado @ Nebraska was not the most aesthetically pleasing game ever played. The Cornhuskers sort of stumbled into 28 points and then took the air out of the ball in the second half. But to Rhule and Co.’s credit, that’s the perfect game plan when going up against a team that features Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, among others. Limit the explosives, shorten the game, and let your big fellas impose their will on both sides.
Which is exactly what Nebraska did. Sanders was held to 244 yards passing, with only one touchdown and one interception. The Cornhuskers also sacked him six times, held the Buffs to 16 yards rushing (sacks included), possessed the ball for 35 minutes, and kept Hunter relatively contained.
The latter totaled 10 receptions for 110 yards but failed to find the endzone and/or produce a gain of more than 28 yards. Which may not sound very “contained” until one considers that Hunter put up 132 yards and 3 TDs in Week 1. Nebraska also put handcuffs on Jimmy Horn Jr., who went off for 198 yards in Colorado’s season opener.
What I found most impressive about the Cornhuskers’ victory was the way in which they went about their business. Rhule’s team dominated the trenches, ran the ball even when they were not getting chunk yardage, and called pass plays that would instill confidence in Raiola without creating unnecessary risk(s). Well, besides the short pass he threw directly to a Colorado defensive back, that defied physics and somehow traveled through the latter’s hands, into the waiting arms of a Nebraska running back. But other than that, the true freshman played solid ball.
All that being said, I would be burying the lead if I did not admit that more than anything, I simply took joy in Deion Sanders’ team getting routed. Call me petty, call me a hater, call me jealous... Just don’t call me a Colorado fan.
From the outside looking in, it seems like that program is hell-bent on one thing and one thing only, which is raising the profile of Sanders (x2) and Hunter. There seems to be little-to-no interest in recruiting, development, and/or team-building, and I’m just sick of seeing the Buffs on my TV every weekend. How about they win something of significant before we glorify the culture that the eldest Sanders has built in Boulder?
So yeah, that’s where I landed. I probably didn’t enjoy Nebraska’s win for the right reasons, but it’s my joy to experience, damnit. Let me live.
Gene’s Take
Week 2 provided a great slate of football for haters nationwide, but especially those that reside in Columbus. Ohio State fans got to watch Michigan get dogwalked on their home field by Texas, Notre Dame lose in stunning fashion to Northern Illinois, and several other top teams like Alabama, Oregon and Penn State all struggle against lesser opponents. At the same time, the Buckeyes handled business in a 56-0 rout of Western Michigan.
A lot of Big Ten teams outside the Ducks and Nittany Lions thoroughly handled business. Minnesota, Indiana, Rutgers, and USC all won by at least 30 points. Washington and Wisconsin were never in any real danger of losing in wins over Eastern Michigan and South Dakota, respectively, and Nebraska manhandled Colorado. Michigan State pulled off an upset in a B1G win over Maryland on the road.
On the flip side, Northwestern lost a double overtime game against Duke on Friday night, and Iowa lost in heartbreaking fashion as they dropped their rivalry game against Iowa State on a last-second 54-yard field goal.
However, none of those games qualified for what I though was most interesting among Big Ten teams this past weekend. For me, I am most intrigued by what happened in Champaign, IL.
The Fighting Illini welcomed the 19th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks to town on Saturday, with the home team entering the game as around a five-point underdog. Lance Leipold’s group featured a lot of the star power, led by quarterback Jalon Daniels and running back Devin Neal. Illinois was not phased, however, as the Illini defense and a fourth quarter rally paved the way for a 23-17 win — the program’s first victory over a ranked non-conference opponent since 2011.
Trailing 17-13 at the start of the fourth quarter, Illinois staged an eight-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to take a 20-17 lead. Kansas was unable to move the ball on its ensuing drive, resulting in a quick three-and-out, and the Illini added a field goal after running nearly seven minutes off the clock to make it 23-17 with under a minute to go. The Jayhawks would move the ball past the 50-yard line on their final drive, but a sack fumble as time expired was a fitting close to an impressive win for Illinois.
The Illini defense forced four turnovers, including that sack fumble in addition to three interceptions. Quarterback Luke Altmyer completed 16-of-25 passes for 192 yards, and UTSA/Ole Miss transfer receiver Zakhari Franklin hauled in nine catches for 99 yards. Illinois’ offense didn’t play spectacularly, but they were able to do enough to get the job done late, including that long field goal drive to bleed the clock which featured three conversions on third-and-long.
Illinois now gets a chance to tune things up a bit against Central Michigan in Week 3 before a tough two-game road trip against Nebraska and Penn State. The Illini aren’t a team expected to compete for a Big Ten title, but they have shown tremendous growth under Bret Bielema. After going 17-39 over five seasons under Lovie Smith, the win over Kansas moves Illinois to 20-19 under Bielema, and they now have a 2-0 start to begin the 2024 campaign with a ranked (at the time) win under their belt.
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LGHL Marshall kickoff time, Players of the Game, and more Ohio State news
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Marshall kickoff time, Players of the Game, and more Ohio State news
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.
Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.
Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.
You’re welcome!
Subscribe to the Land-Grant Podcast Network for all of your Ohio State needs
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio
Kickoff time set for Ohio State-Marshall football game
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State names three players of the game from Western Michigan win
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
OSU’s aggression and precision are bringing the fun back to Buckeye football
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land
J.K. speaking truth.
Upon Further Review: Buckeyes improve, diversify the offense vs. Western Michigan (paywall)
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Snap Counts: Austin Siereveld Leads Buckeyes in Total Snaps for Second Straight Game, Ohio State Plays Deep Into Bench in 56-0 Rout of Western Michigan
Dan Hope and Matt Gutridge, Eleven Warriors
Grumpy Old Buckeye: Nit-picking Ohio State’s 56-0 win over Western Michigan
Michael Citro, Land-Grant Holy Land
FPI is dumb, but I like its dumbness.
Early off date shifts Buckeyes practice focus to Improvement Week (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Setting the table: Buckeyes enter ‘Improvement Week’ after pair of tune-up wins (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Analysis: Buckeyes enter early off week looking in midseason form
Bill Rabinowitz, The Columbus Dispatch
What do you want to see Ohio State improve during ‘Improvement Week’?
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land
That’s good, right?
Cris Carter on Jeremiah Smith: ‘I pray he smashes all my records’
Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch
Ryan Day Calls Ty Hamilton “Disruptive,” Praises Buckeyes’ Effort Against Western Michigan
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors
You’re Nuts: Most interesting Big Ten result of Week 2
Josh Dooley and Gene Ross, Land-Grant Holy Land
Absolutely hate to see this. Sending the best to Cam.
Back from injury, Madison Greene to bring leadership to Ohio State women this season
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Baseball: Haire Completes Staff with Addition of Parrill and Mohr
Ohio State Athletics
Women’s Golf: Buckeyes, Choi in Second Place After First Round of Folds of Honor Collegiate
Ohio State Athletics
This is not normal or healthy. Toxic Daddy Ball of the highest order.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.
Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.
Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.
You’re welcome!
For your Earholes...
Subscribe to the Land-Grant Podcast Network for all of your Ohio State needs
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio
On the Gridiron
Kickoff time set for Ohio State-Marshall football game
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State names three players of the game from Western Michigan win
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
OSU’s aggression and precision are bringing the fun back to Buckeye football
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land
J.K. speaking truth.
Upon Further Review: Buckeyes improve, diversify the offense vs. Western Michigan (paywall)
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Snap Counts: Austin Siereveld Leads Buckeyes in Total Snaps for Second Straight Game, Ohio State Plays Deep Into Bench in 56-0 Rout of Western Michigan
Dan Hope and Matt Gutridge, Eleven Warriors
Grumpy Old Buckeye: Nit-picking Ohio State’s 56-0 win over Western Michigan
Michael Citro, Land-Grant Holy Land
FPI is dumb, but I like its dumbness.
Early off date shifts Buckeyes practice focus to Improvement Week (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Setting the table: Buckeyes enter ‘Improvement Week’ after pair of tune-up wins (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Analysis: Buckeyes enter early off week looking in midseason form
Bill Rabinowitz, The Columbus Dispatch
What do you want to see Ohio State improve during ‘Improvement Week’?
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land
That’s good, right?
National Leader in Yards Allowed per Play, @OhioStateFBpic.twitter.com/bepACCr8T4
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 9, 2024
Cris Carter on Jeremiah Smith: ‘I pray he smashes all my records’
Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch
Ryan Day Calls Ty Hamilton “Disruptive,” Praises Buckeyes’ Effort Against Western Michigan
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors
You’re Nuts: Most interesting Big Ten result of Week 2
Josh Dooley and Gene Ross, Land-Grant Holy Land
Absolutely hate to see this. Sending the best to Cam.
On the Hardwood
Back from injury, Madison Greene to bring leadership to Ohio State women this season
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Outside the Shoe and Schott
Baseball: Haire Completes Staff with Addition of Parrill and Mohr
Ohio State Athletics
Women’s Golf: Buckeyes, Choi in Second Place After First Round of Folds of Honor Collegiate
Ohio State Athletics
And now for something completely different...
This is not normal or healthy. Toxic Daddy Ball of the highest order.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State four-star OT target on campus for Buckeyes’ win over Western Michigan
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Ohio State four-star OT target on campus for Buckeyes’ win over Western Michigan
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2026 four-star OT Sam Greer | via Mark Brennan-Lions, 247Sports
Ohio State had a 2026 high-priority OT on campus last weekend for the impressive showing against the Broncos.
Ohio State is now 2-0 after an impressive 56-0 victory Saturday against Western Michigan. After a sluggish start against Akron in the Buckeyes home opener, Saturday’s victory was something all of Buckeye Nation was hoping to see.
Buckeye Nation was not alone in their desire for an impressive showing, as Ohio State was also playing host to key offensive tackle target Same Greer (Akron, OH / Archbishop Hoban).
Greer is one of the Buckeyes most important targets early in the 2026 recruiting cycle. In the 2025 class, Ohio State has been able to earn commitment from four-star OT Carter Lowe. The Buckeyes also have commitments from three-star offensive linemen Jake Cook and Jayvon McFadden. However, the Buckeyes were unable to add a marquee name alongside this group.
After falling short at the position in the 2025 class, it is easy to see why offensive tackle is one of the bigger priority positions for the Buckeyes in the 2026 class. Additionally, Ryan Day and Ohio State have made recruiting in-state talents’ an important factor in the Buckeyes recruiting methods. This all points to Greer being one of the Buckeyes top targets at the position.
Thankfully, Greer was able to see the Buckeyes at their best as the team was impressive from start to finish on the field. Ohio State also had another recruiting tool in their arsenal for Saturday as the game was the first night game of the season, and Ohio Stadium was at its most impressive.
While Greer is an Ohio native and the Buckeyes should be contenders in his recruitment if not just for this, the Buckeyes do have some stiff competition for Greeer. Tennessee has been increasing its contact with him and has been making him feel like a priority recruit for them as well.
Greer took an unofficial visit with the Vols late in the summer, and the visit went very well. Greer will likely visit Tennessee later this season for an in-game experience, and the Buckeyes will likely try to get him to make a return visit. Additionally, he is also being recruited by Penn State, Boston College, Duke, Oregon, Missouri, West Virginia, Miami, Michigan, Miami, etc.
Greer is the No. 13 OT in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 173 overall prospect. He is also the No. 6 recruit out of Ohio.
However, in the end it was the home-state school that won — at least for now.
Thompson is the No. 8 SF in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and he is the No. 22 overall prospect. He is also the No. 2 recruit out of Ohio.
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Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2026 four-star OT Sam Greer | via Mark Brennan-Lions, 247Sports
Ohio State had a 2026 high-priority OT on campus last weekend for the impressive showing against the Broncos.
Ohio State is now 2-0 after an impressive 56-0 victory Saturday against Western Michigan. After a sluggish start against Akron in the Buckeyes home opener, Saturday’s victory was something all of Buckeye Nation was hoping to see.
Buckeye Nation was not alone in their desire for an impressive showing, as Ohio State was also playing host to key offensive tackle target Same Greer (Akron, OH / Archbishop Hoban).
Greer is one of the Buckeyes most important targets early in the 2026 recruiting cycle. In the 2025 class, Ohio State has been able to earn commitment from four-star OT Carter Lowe. The Buckeyes also have commitments from three-star offensive linemen Jake Cook and Jayvon McFadden. However, the Buckeyes were unable to add a marquee name alongside this group.
After falling short at the position in the 2025 class, it is easy to see why offensive tackle is one of the bigger priority positions for the Buckeyes in the 2026 class. Additionally, Ryan Day and Ohio State have made recruiting in-state talents’ an important factor in the Buckeyes recruiting methods. This all points to Greer being one of the Buckeyes top targets at the position.
Thankfully, Greer was able to see the Buckeyes at their best as the team was impressive from start to finish on the field. Ohio State also had another recruiting tool in their arsenal for Saturday as the game was the first night game of the season, and Ohio Stadium was at its most impressive.
While Greer is an Ohio native and the Buckeyes should be contenders in his recruitment if not just for this, the Buckeyes do have some stiff competition for Greeer. Tennessee has been increasing its contact with him and has been making him feel like a priority recruit for them as well.
Greer took an unofficial visit with the Vols late in the summer, and the visit went very well. Greer will likely visit Tennessee later this season for an in-game experience, and the Buckeyes will likely try to get him to make a return visit. Additionally, he is also being recruited by Penn State, Boston College, Duke, Oregon, Missouri, West Virginia, Miami, Michigan, Miami, etc.
Greer is the No. 13 OT in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 173 overall prospect. He is also the No. 6 recruit out of Ohio.
Quick Hits
- Ohio State saw 2026 four-star defensive edge target Zavion Griffin-Haynes choose to commit to North Carolina last weekend. Griffen-Haynes chose to commit to the Tarheels after visiting with them over the weekend. What comes as a surprise for the Buckeyes in his recruitment is that he recently visited with Ohio State and said they were his top school.
However, in the end it was the home-state school that won — at least for now.
- With all the talk around the football team lately, it could be easy to miss the Ohio State men’s basketball team and coach Jake Diebler making recruiting headlines of their own. The Buckeyes recently visited with five-star power forward Anthony Thompson (Hudson, OH / Western Reserve Academy) who is one of the top prospects in Ohio.
Thompson is the No. 8 SF in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and he is the No. 22 overall prospect. He is also the No. 2 recruit out of Ohio.
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LGHL No Fall Weddings: Is Jeremiah Smith already better than Marvin Harrison Jr.?
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- 0 Replies
No Fall Weddings: Is Jeremiah Smith already better than Marvin Harrison Jr.?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ok, that’s absurd, but he’s put up insane numbers through his first two games.
Every week during the college football season, Matt Tamanini and Jami Jurich will be getting into all things Ohio State, previewing the weekend’s slate, unveiling their individual CFP rankings, and picking Heisman contenders on “No Fall Weddings.”
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
On this episode of the Land-Grant Podcast Network’s “No Fall Weddings,” Jami Jurich and Matt Tamanini entertain a potentially blasphemous question about Ohio State’s true freshman wide receiver phenom Jeremiah Smith and discuss why this year’s Buckeye team is more fun to watch and why it feels like it has gotten its intangible issues figured out.
They also re-rank their top 12 teams following another week of college football action, debate a new crop of Heisman Trophy finalist candidates, and pick games to watch in every window of the college football weekend. Then they close out the show by recommending their favorite James Earl Jones movie to watch in his honor.
Connect with Jami Jurich:
Twitter: @JamiJurich
Connect with Matt Tamanini:
Online Portfolio: https://authory.com/MattTamanini
Theme music provided by audiio.com
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ok, that’s absurd, but he’s put up insane numbers through his first two games.
Every week during the college football season, Matt Tamanini and Jami Jurich will be getting into all things Ohio State, previewing the weekend’s slate, unveiling their individual CFP rankings, and picking Heisman contenders on “No Fall Weddings.”
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio
On this episode of the Land-Grant Podcast Network’s “No Fall Weddings,” Jami Jurich and Matt Tamanini entertain a potentially blasphemous question about Ohio State’s true freshman wide receiver phenom Jeremiah Smith and discuss why this year’s Buckeye team is more fun to watch and why it feels like it has gotten its intangible issues figured out.
They also re-rank their top 12 teams following another week of college football action, debate a new crop of Heisman Trophy finalist candidates, and pick games to watch in every window of the college football weekend. Then they close out the show by recommending their favorite James Earl Jones movie to watch in his honor.
Connect with Jami Jurich:
Twitter: @JamiJurich
Connect with Matt Tamanini:
Online Portfolio: https://authory.com/MattTamanini
Theme music provided by audiio.com
Continue reading...
