• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

LGHL You’re Nuts: Aside from Ohio State, which Big Ten team are you most interested to watch this season?

You’re Nuts: Aside from Ohio State, which Big Ten team are you most interested to watch this season?
Brett Ludwiczak
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Guaranteed Rate Bowl - Wisconsin v Oklahoma State

Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images

Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.

From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about checking in on Ohio State’s opponents. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Behind Enemy Line” articles here.



Even though Ohio State gets most of the attention in the Big Ten, there are still other teams in the conference that we have to keep tabs on. Obviously the first one that comes to mind is Michigan, followed by Penn State since they give the Buckeyes a tough test almost every year. Next year things will get even crazier in the conference with USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten.

Before we welcome the Trojans and the Bruins to the Big Ten, we are going to focus on this year in the conference. With it being “Behind Enemy Lines” week, we want to focus on some of the other teams in the Big Ten. What we want to know today is which Big Ten team you are most interested to watch this season. It doesn’t matter if the team you pick plays Ohio State this year or not, since even if they aren’t on the schedule they could end up meeting the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game if things go right for both teams.

Your pick for today doesn’t even necessarily have to do with a team being successful on the field. Maybe you want to see just how bad Northwestern can be this season. Or maybe you want to see if Brian Ferentz fails to meet the objectives that were set for him at Iowa so the school has to make a tough decision about what to do with the coach’s son. What is interesting to one person might differ for what is interesting to someone else.

Today’s question: Aside from Ohio State, what Big Ten team are you most interested to watch this season?

We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.


Brett’s answer: Wisconsin


For a while the Badgers were the top team in the Big Ten West, but things have changed over the last few years. Between 2011-19, Wisconsin made the Big Ten Championship Game six times, winning in 2011 and 2012 before losing their next four trips to Indianapolis, with three of those losses coming to Ohio State. In the three years since, the Badgers have gone just 20-13, and even though they have won the three bowl games they have appeared in, those bowls weren’t of the caliber that they had frequented in the 10 years prior.

Despite recent results, there is reason to be excited in Madison after the hiring of Luke Fickell. The former Ohio State player and assistant coach did a great job in his first true head coaching job at Cincinnati, where he posted a 57-18 record over six years. Fickell not only cleaned up a mess left by noted coaching idiot Tommy Tuberville, he led the Bearcats to the first appearance in the College Football Playoff by a team outside the Power 5 conferences.

As if bringing in Fickell wasn’t a big enough move for Wisconsin, the Badgers will also return one of the best running backs in the country. The junior has rushed for at least 1,200 yards in each of his first two seasons in Madison, and rushed for 23 total touchdowns during that span. Along with Allen, Fickell was also able to secure the transfer of SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai, who tossed 72 touchdowns and threw for over 7,000 yards over the last two seasons. After dealing with inconsistent quarterback play for quite some time, Wisconsin will finally have some stability at quarterback this season.

The Badgers do have a great chance at making some noise in Fickell’s first year in Madison. Wisconsin has a pretty easy schedule, with their toughest non-conference game being a trip out to Pullman to take on Washington State. Even the Big Ten slate for the Badgers isn’t too bad, with their toughest game being against Ohio State at Camp Randall Stadium. Road games at Purdue, Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota won’t scare Fickell and company, which could lead to Wisconsin heading to Indianapolis in early December.


Matt’s answer: Northwestern


I mean, from a purely drama-focused perspective, Northwestern has to be the answer, right? I am a college football fan, so on fall Saturdays, I will have three TVs going in my living room from 12 noon to 12 midnight ET, so I’m gonna watch a lot of Big Ten football, but am I really going to be invested enough in any time other than the Buckeyes to seek them out for pure football entertainment purposes? Probably not.

So, if you ask what B1G squad I’m most interested in following, it’s going to be the messiest, most dysfunctional, potentially train-wreckable team in the league, and that is obviously the Wildcats. There has rarely ever been a team that I have had more questions about in my time covering college football.

If you’re reading this, you likely know all about the investigation and findings that led to the university finally firing head coach Pat Fitzgerald; but, if you don’t, check out our friends over Inside NU who have done an incredible job of covering the horrifying ordeal.

The question now is what happens next? Who is going to lead the Wildcats this season? Will players enter the transfer portal? They were already going to be pretty awful this year, so just how bad can it get?

There’s no way that NU can promote from within, can they? With an entire program is as toxic as it appears Northwestern’s is, how is replacing the head coach with one of his assistants going to change anything? Then again, fall camp starts in two and a half weeks, how are you going to find a competent head coach — let alone an entire staff — in time to kick things off in September?

Does that mean that Northwestern is essentially going to have to punt (pun intended) on this season? I am fairly confident that most college football fans and journalists are going to write the Wildcats off this year, and understandably so. But, that program has been an underdog for its entire existence, and often in cases like these — when players have something to rally around, something to prove, something to fight for — they find a way to shock the world.

Do I think that Northwestern is going to stun the college football establishment and represent the B1G West in the conference title game? No, I do not. But, whether the season proves to be a dumpster fire or a plucky underdog story, it will almost certainly be entertaining.

Continue reading...

LGHL Behind Enemy Lines: When it comes to Notre Dame, Ohio State is hoping history repeats itself

Behind Enemy Lines: When it comes to Notre Dame, Ohio State is hoping history repeats itself
Michael Citro
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State v Notre Dame


The mid-1990s Ohio State teams were the last to have a home-and-home against the Irish and they were up to the task.

From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about checking in on Ohio State’s opponents. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Behind Enemy Lines” articles here.



On Sept. 23, the Buckeyes of Ohio State University will travel to South Bend, Indiana to complete a home-and-home series against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish that began last year. The Buckeyes will be looking to repeat what John Cooper’s Ohio State teams did in the 1990s — complete the two-game sweep across two seasons. The Buckeyes handled No. 18 Notre Dame 21-10 to kick off the 2022 season, so they’re halfway there.

These two schools don’t play each other often. The Buckeyes lead the all-time series, 5-2-0. The most recent two meetings prior to last year were both in the Fiesta Bowl, in 2016 and 2006. Ohio State won both. In fact, the Buckeyes are on a five-game winning streak in the series after falling in a home-and-home regular season series back in 1935 and 1936. Those were the first two times the Buckeyes and Irish played. Ohio State has won each of the last five by double digits.

The last time these two storied programs met in the regular season prior to last year was in the mid-1990s, and it was a two-year series to remember. With this being ‘Behind Enemy Lines’ week, it seems like the perfect time to look back at those two matches.

There was a ton of hype when the Fighting Irish visited Ohio Stadium in 1995. Ohio State hadn’t met Notre Dame on the football field in nearly 60 years. Both teams were ranked, with the Buckeyes at No. 7 and the Fighting Irish at No. 15.

Lou Holtz’s Notre Dame team entered the game at 3-1. The Irish had lost a strange, 17-15 game at home against a once-in-a-generation Northwestern team that went on to win a conference title for the first time since 1936 — and it was the first Wildcats side to ever win double-digit games. Notre Dame rebounded from that loss with wins over Purdue, Vanderbilt, and No. 13 Texas.

Cooper’s Buckeyes were 3-0, with wins over No. 22 Boston College, No. 18 Washington, and Pittsburgh — hanging 54 points on the Panthers at Pitt Stadium the week before the Notre Dame game.

Ohio State Eddie George...


After a scoreless first quarter, Notre Dame jumped out to a two-score lead in the second. Kevin Kopka kicked a short field goal and Randy Kinder scored a rushing touchdown from three yards out as the Irish went up, 10-0. Bobby Hoying then found Terry Glenn for a 10-yard touchdown on a post route to get the Buckeyes on the board.

Kinder scored from seven yards out on a draw play to restore Notre Dame’s two-score lead, but the Buckeyes struck last in the first half when Hoying found Dimitrious Stanley in the corner of the end zone down the right sideline to cut the deficit to 17-14 at the break.

The second half was much more fun for the Ohio Stadium faithful. Eddie George and the big offensive line started to wear down the Notre Dame defense. George went on to finish the day with 207 yards rushing.

Kopka added another short field goal in the third quarter as the OSU defense bent but didn’t break. However, the Buckeyes finally took the lead when tight end Rickey Dudley caught a 15-yard scoring pass from Hoying. Josh Jackson’s extra point put Ohio State on top, 21-20. The go-ahead drive was set up by a muffed punt that the Buckeyes recovered in Notre Dame territory.

Momentum shifted for good when Shawn Springs intercepted Ron Powlus and then Hoying hit Glenn on a slant pass, and the speedy receiver split two defenders and raced down the field for an 82-yard touchdown. The Buckeyes carried a 28-20 lead into the fourth quarter and then poured it on. George scored two touchdowns in the final frame to offset another Kinder touchdown, and Jackson tacked on a late field goal to put the finishing touch on a 45-26 beating.

Fans — full disclosure: including me — rushed the field. Attempts were made to tear down the goal posts, but they wouldn’t come down. Lessons had apparently been learned from the 1985 Iowa game.

The Irish were hungry for revenge in 1996 when the Buckeyes visited Notre Dame Stadium — the most recent time Ohio State has visited South Bend. It was a matchup of Top 5 teams, as No. 4 Ohio State came in 2-0 after hanging 70 points on consecutive opponents. The first was a 70-7 win over Rice, and the Buckeyes followed that with a 72-7 dismantling of Pitt at the Horseshoe. Notre Dame was the first OSU road trip of the season.

No. 5 Notre Dame was 3-0 — once again having played one more game than the Buckeyes. The Irish opened with an uninspiring 14-7 win at Vanderbilt before throttling Purdue, 35-0, and beating No. 6 Texas on the road, 27-24.

Ohio State had a lot of turnover at the skill positions. George was in the NFL and Pepe Pearson took his spot at tailback. Hoying was replaced by the two-headed quarterback monster of Stanley Jackson and Joe Germaine.

Ohio State v Notre Dame


Dimitrious Stanley was still on the team, however, and he returned the opening kickoff all the way to the Notre Dame 13-yard line to set up the first score. Pearson took a handoff to the left side, broke a tackle, and ran it in from three yards out to give the Buckeyes the advantage. However, a high snap on the extra point left the lead at 6-0.

Notre Dame answered a couple of series’ later when the right-handed Jackson threw a ridiculously ill-advised pass while running to his left and had it deflected and then picked off. The Irish capitalized on the turnover with a Powlus two-yard pass to fullback Marc Edwards to put the hosts ahead with the extra point.

Cooper must have liked the play call on the Notre Dame touchdown because the next time Ohio State got close to the goal line, he called the same play. Jackson threw a short touchdown pass to fullback Matt Calhoun. The try for two points was unsuccessful and Ohio State took an unconventional 12-7 lead into the second quarter on the road.

The Buckeyes took control in the second period. After having a long field goal partially blocked, Ohio State took the ball away with an interception and set up Josh Jackson with a much shorter kick, which he made. Pearson added a touchdown from a yard out just before the half. It was only fair for Pearson to get the final yard of the drive, because he made multiple big plays on the ground and catching the ball out of the backfield to help get his team into scoring position.

Ohio State was in great shape with a 22-7 lead at halftime. Pearson was outstanding in the game, finishing with 173 rushing yards and 42 more yards receiving.

Jim Sanson kicked a short field goal from 26 yards out for Notre Dame early in the third quarter to cut the lead to 12 points, but Ohio State closed the third quarter strong. Jackson found tight end D.J. Jones on the left, and he dragged his defender into the end zone to make it 29-10 with 1:44 left to play in the third. The Buckeyes began the fourth quarter in complete control.

Edwards added a cosmetic touchdown for Notre Dame midway through the fourth period, but Ohio State blocked the PAT and held on the rest of the way for a 29-16 victory, giving Cooper back-to-back wins over Holtz and the Irish. The Buckeyes held Notre Dame to just 126 yards rushing and 154 passing yards in their own stadium. Linebacker Greg Bellisari led the way with 14 total tackles, three tackles for loss, and a sack.



The home-and-home sweep of Notre Dame in the 1990s came from two dominant performances. While the 2022 Buckeyes didn’t exactly dominate the Irish a year ago at the Shoe, there are some comparisons with the 1995 game. In both, Ohio State started sluggishly and had to come from behind, playing a strong second half.

If the Buckeyes can get a good performance out of a new quarterback on the road in South Bend again, they just might repeat what the mid-1990s Ohio State teams did against the Irish.

Continue reading...

LGHL Behind Enemy Lines: Each Big Ten East school’s biggest addition from the transfer portal

Behind Enemy Lines: Each Big Ten East school’s biggest addition from the transfer portal
Brett Ludwiczak
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


COLLEGE FOOTBALL: SEP 03 Kent State at Washington

Photo by Jesse Beals/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The most interesting player all of the non-Ohio State teams in the division brought in.

From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about checking in on Ohio State’s opponents. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Behind Enemy Line” articles here.



We have seen the college football landscape change dramatically over the last decade. One of the biggest changes recently has been the introduction of the transfer portal. Student athletes were previously allowed to transfer to another school, but in most cases they had to sit out a year before they were allowed to play at the school they were transferring to. Now in most cases, student athletes are allowed to transfer without having to sit out a year.

Even though the friendlier transfer portal has been only available to student athletes for a short time, we have already seen how big of a difference it can make for players and schools.

Shortly after taking the head coaching job at Michigan State, Mel Tucker used the transfer portal to overhaul the roster, and earn a huge contract extension after the Spartans went 11-2 in 2021. Last year’s Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams entered the transfer portal following the 2021 season to follow Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley to USC after Riley accepted the same position with the Trojans. Along with Williams, USC brought in Pitt wide receiver Jordan Addison, who won the Biletnikoff Award with the Panthers.

Sometimes the transfer portal can make it hard to keep up with who is playing where. With the season around a month and a half away. we’re going to give you a bit of a “Cliffs Notes” version of what has gone on with the transfer portal so far this offseason, and let you know which incoming transfer could make the biggest impact at their new school.

Today we’ll tackle the other teams in the Big Ten East outside of Ohio State, and later in the week we’ll move over to the Big Ten West.


Indiana: Tayven Jackson - Quarterback


I was tempted to give this spot to defensive lineman Andre Carter, who transferred from Western Michigan, since the Hoosiers pass rush was so bad last season. An even bigger problem for Indiana last year is they had no stability at quarterback. Connor Bazelak threw over 400 passes last season, but he transferred to Bowling Green in the offseason. Backup quarterback Jack Tuttle also hit the transfer portal, moving to Michigan.

Coming out of high school in Indiana, Jackson was a top-20 ranked quarterback. The brother of former Indiana basketball player Trayce Jackson-Davis committed to Tennessee, appearing briefly in three games before deciding to return to his home state. Now a redshirt freshman, Jackson has the chance to win the starting quarterback job in Bloomington.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: DEC 30 Capital One Orange Bowl
Photo by Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The key for Jackson if he is able to be named the starter out of preseason camp is to not get too down after the first game of the season, since Indiana plays Ohio State — a game Jackson will likely struggle in. Jackson does have an established target in Cam Camper, who caught 46 passes for 569 yards before tearing his ACL in October. If the Hoosiers give Jackson a chance to grow into the job, they could have an answer at quarterback for a few years.


Maryland: Tyrese Chambers & Kaden Prather - Wide Receivers


Since Maryland lost a lot from their receiving corps from 2022, I decided to go with a duo of transfer receivers to make an impact for the Terrapins this year. Gone from last year’s team are receivers Rakim Jarrett, Jacob Copeland, and tight end CJ Dippre. Even though quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa has receiver Jeshaun Jones and tight end Corey Dyches coming back, it was pretty obvious Tagovailoa was going to need more help this season if the Terrapins want to make a bowl game for the third-straight year.

Enter Tyrese Chambers from Florida International and West Virginia transfer Kaden Prather. Chambers is more of a speed receiver, while Prather has some size and is more of a possession receiver. Last year was a bit of a disappointment for Chambers, as he averaged just 10.7 yards per catch and hauled in four touchdowns, which fell way short of his 23.9 yards per catch average and the nine scores he recorded in 2021. Prather’s 52 catches in 2022 ranked second on the team at West Virginia.

Michigan: Ernest Hausmann - Linebacker


While Josaiah Stewart from Coastal Carolina could also make an impact at the EDGE position for the Wolverines, even more intriguing is Ernest Hausmann, who transferred to Ann Arbor from Nebraska. Hausmann appeared in 12 games as a freshman, recording 54 tackles and a sack for the Cornhuskers. Having already seen so much time on the field for a Big Ten team, the future is bright for Hausmann.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 15 Nebraska at Purdue
Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

What makes Hausmann an even more intriguing player to watch this year is while the Wolverines have Junior Colson and Michael Barrett at linebacker, the Nebraska transfer will still have plenty of opportunities to get on the field. It also doesn’t hurt that the Wolverines have a pretty easy schedule early on, which will allow the team to ease Hausmann into the rotation and get an even better feel for how he can help the team on the field.


Michigan State: Tunmise Adeleye - Defensive Lineman


Mel Tucker may be trying to find his next Kenneth Walker III with UConn running back Nathan Carter coming to East Lansing from UConn, but the best player the Spartans brought in from the transfer portal this year is Texas A&M defensive lineman Tunmise Adeleye. The reason I went with Adeleye over Carter is Michigan State already has running back Jalen Berger, who should see the majority of the carries this season.

The addition of Adeleye should help a defense that gave up over 400 yards per game last season, with nearly 180 yards per game coming on the ground. Adeleye was named an Under Armour All-American in high school in Texas, and regarded as one of the best defensive line prospects in the country. If he is a name you recognize, it is because he was at one point committed to Ohio State.

After committing to Texas A&M, Adeleye had a hard time finding the field, getting lost amongst the large number of talented defensive lineman that Jimbo Fisher had brought in. With more of an opportunity to get on the field at Michigan State, Adeleye should be able to remind people of why he was near the top of the prospect rankings coming out of high school.


Penn State: Dante Cephas - Wide Receiver


After Sean Clifford started at quarterback for the last 36 years for Penn State, the Nittany Lions will finally have a new starter this year behind center, as Drew Allar will take over from Clifford, who finally exhausted his college eligibility. Along with Clifford, Penn State also will be without their two leading receivers from last year, Mitchell Tinsley and Parker Washington, who also are now in the NFL.

Enter Kent State transfer Dante Cephas. The Kent State transfer earned First Team All-MAC honors the last two seasons for the Golden Flashes. Cephas caught 82 passes for 1,240 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021, and last season hauled in 48 passes for 744 yards and three scores. Even though Cephas played at a Group of Five school, Kent State loaded their non-conference schedule with tough Power Five opponents the last two years, so moving to the Big Ten shouldn’t be a challenge for Cephas. Expect to hear Allar finding Cephas early and often this season.


Rutgers: Michael Dixon - Defensive Back


Let’s be honest, nobody really makes a big impact at Rutgers. Even though Ole Miss defensive end transfer Isaiah Iton could be an interesting pickup after not seeing much playing time for the Rebels, I’ll take Minnesota transfer “Flip” Dixon to be an impact player for the Scarlet Knights this year. Not only does Dixon already have some knowledge of who he’ll be lining up against after playing at Minnesota, he will be reuniting with Rutgers defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak, who held the same position in Minneapolis for two years.

Continue reading...

LGHL 2026 QB includes Ohio State among top schools, 2024 defensive target set to announce commitment

2026 QB includes Ohio State among top schools, 2024 defensive target set to announce commitment
Caleb Houser
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


11788502.0.jpg


The Buckeyes will continue to find themselves in the mix for elite QB talent as long as Ryan Day is in Columbus.

When people think of Ohio State and Ryan Day, quarterbacks are the theme of the program. The most important position on the field, the quarterback position under Day has flourished every season he’s been at the helm. It helps to bring in elite recruiting targets, but the development as well is off the chart, and a big reason as to why the recruiting success in each cycle continues on. The track record is repeating itself because of the work Day and position coach Corey Dennis do at this position.

Looking at the 2024 class, the Buckeyes currently have five-star Air Noland in the fold, and in 2025 already have the leader of the class thanks to in-state signal caller Tavien St. Clair. Further proof to their success continuing on recruiting the QB spot, Day and his crew find themselves in solid position already for another top QB, but this time in the 2026 class.

With plenty of time to go before the 2026 cycle is the priority, Day and staff have no trouble getting in on the top talents early and often as they try to build lasting relationships with the players highest on their board. Knowing how important it is to land a quarterback in each class, Ohio State being in the mix for top guys this early is exactly what you want to see, and on Wednesday that was the case when Julian Lewis took to Twitter to announce the latest in his recruitment.

A 6-foot-1, 175 pound athlete out of Georgia, Lewis is only a high school sophomore come this fall, but with nearly 40 offers to his name, he’s clearly already one of the top players in the country regardless of position. Schools such as Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, USC, Florida, Notre Dame, and several more jump out as just some of his impressive interests, but Lewis has narrowed it down to just eight schools still in the mix for his services.

Making the cut, Lewis is now deciding between Alabama, Georgia, USC, LSU, Oregon, Florida State, Texas A&M, and Ohio State. While eight isn’t the smallest number, it’s much different than nearly 40, proving that though there’s plenty of time left in this game, Lewis is at least trying his best to narrow it down early on. Ohio State remains in it, and with Day calling the shots, the Buckeyes will be a threat for the long haul in this one as they tend to do.

Quick Hits


The IMG Academy product is deciding between Florida, Miami, Oklahoma, Texas, and Ohio State. Without a 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction submitted, there’s not a ton of scuttlebutt on who is the clear leader in this recruitment, but other outlets such as Rivals have Oklahoma winning out in the end.

The safe assumption here is that Jackson does not end up in Columbus, but while any commitment away from Ohio State can be taken as a loss, it’s important to remember the staff is in great position with multiple top defensive linemen in this class, and have a chance at some major BOOMs in the near future.

Continue reading...

Filter

Back
Top