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LGHL Bold Predictions: The B1G will earn five College Football Playoff spots in 2025
- News
- 0 Replies
Bold Predictions: The B1G will earn five College Football Playoff spots in 2025
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Columbus Dispatch-Imagn Images
We’re placing a lot of trust in the CFP committee to put some respect on the B1G here.
As preseason camp begins this month, Land-Grant Holy Land is diving into its final theme every week of the off-season. This week is all about making predictions that may or may not be reasonable, in fact, some might say they are bold. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Bold Predictions” articles here.
In 2024, the first season with a 12-team College Football Playoff, both the SEC and B1G managed to get four teams into the playoffs. The remaining four spots went to independent Notre Dame and one team each from the ACC, Big 12, and Mountain West conferences.
Though the years of watching seemingly the same four teams occupy the four available playoff spots each year are, thankfully, over, the B1G and SEC continue to be the most dominant conferences, so it’s likely that at least for the foreseeable future, we’ll continue to see similar playoff makeups to last season, with the majority of the teams coming from one of those two conferences.
Though there will be changes to how teams are seeded this season after pushback from last year’s bye weeks, we are still guaranteed to see at least five conferences represented, with one team automatically qualifying from each. The other seven spots? Up for grabs.
And while the SEC will continue to be a dominant conference this season, I’m boldly predicting we’ll see the same conference representation in the CFP, with one slight change: The B1G will take one of the SEC’s four spots to land five teams in the playoffs.
In looking at each of the teams I believe will make it and their schedules, there are two different ways I see this happening. Let’s break it down:
Given Oregon’s schedule this season, I anticipate them finishing the regular season either undefeated or with one loss. In this first scenario, they finish the season undefeated, defeating Penn State and Indiana back-to-back, both in close games. This gives Penn State and Indiana each one loss.
Penn State is likely to field its best team in years, with Drew Allar returning as the starting quarterback, a top-tier offensive arsenal of weapons that includes returning running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, and the acquisition of former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to run their defense. So, as much as this Buckeye fan hates to say it, in both of my two scenarios, Penn State won’t lose again, defeating Ohio State for the first time since 2016.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26055038/2193184284.jpg "Capital One Orange Bowl - Penn State v Notre Dame")
Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images
This leaves Oregon undefeated, Penn State with one loss, and Ohio State with one loss, with Penn State winning the tie-break over OSU to make it to the B1G Championship game, given the head-to-head record. Penn State wins the B1G Championship narrowly over Oregon, handing them each one loss, to each other, heading into the playoffs.
Ohio State has the opportunity to further boost its rankings even without a conference title game berth in its season opener against Texas and its regular season finale on the road against Michigan, both games I expect the Buckeyes to win.
But what if that’s Michigan’s only loss on the season? That leaves the Wolverines with one loss. If they’re a one-loss team, however, it means they won road games against Oklahoma and USC, so if they keep it close with the Buckeyes, one loss becomes easy to overlook.
So, how does a fifth team get in there? In this scenario, Indiana comes in as a two-loss team, with close losses to Oregon and Penn State but dominant marquee wins against Indiana and Iowa, both of whom should be good enough to be ranked this season. While two losses might seem like a lot, seven two-loss teams earned bids in 2024, including Georgia, whose two losses included an 18-point loss to then-No.16 Ole Miss, a team that didn’t make the playoffs, and Tennessee, whose two losses included a loss to unranked Arkansas. Indiana, then, can make a strong case for itself with blowout wins over presumably ranked Iowa and Illinois and keeping it close with the top two teams in the conference.
This brings us to our second scenario, bolder in some ways, tamer in others.
In this instance, all five teams finish the regular season with one loss.
Oregon beats Penn State but loses the following week to Indiana. Penn State loses to Oregon but beats Ohio State and Indiana. Ohio State loses to Penn State but beats Michigan. Michigan only loses the OSU game. Indiana only loses the Penn State game.
Suffice it to say, this throws the B1G Championship down a rabbit hole of tiebreakers, but ultimately, leaves us with four one-loss teams and one two-loss team whose second loss is the conference championship.
The most likely scenario here is that the Committee would weigh strength of schedule and head-to-head results heavily in determining which teams would advance to the playoffs, but if all five teams have better records than the teams from the SEC and other conferences that are on the cusp, it’s hard not to argue for all five to make it.
Certainly, there are a lot of hypotheticals involved that would need to play out perfectly to set this scenario up, and the prediction feels even bolder when you consider how much of an edge the CFP seems to give the SEC for its perceived strength of schedule. Is it improbable that five B1G teams will make the playoffs? Sure. Is it impossible? Not this year.
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
Columbus Dispatch-Imagn Images
We’re placing a lot of trust in the CFP committee to put some respect on the B1G here.
As preseason camp begins this month, Land-Grant Holy Land is diving into its final theme every week of the off-season. This week is all about making predictions that may or may not be reasonable, in fact, some might say they are bold. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Bold Predictions” articles here.
In 2024, the first season with a 12-team College Football Playoff, both the SEC and B1G managed to get four teams into the playoffs. The remaining four spots went to independent Notre Dame and one team each from the ACC, Big 12, and Mountain West conferences.
Though the years of watching seemingly the same four teams occupy the four available playoff spots each year are, thankfully, over, the B1G and SEC continue to be the most dominant conferences, so it’s likely that at least for the foreseeable future, we’ll continue to see similar playoff makeups to last season, with the majority of the teams coming from one of those two conferences.
Though there will be changes to how teams are seeded this season after pushback from last year’s bye weeks, we are still guaranteed to see at least five conferences represented, with one team automatically qualifying from each. The other seven spots? Up for grabs.
And while the SEC will continue to be a dominant conference this season, I’m boldly predicting we’ll see the same conference representation in the CFP, with one slight change: The B1G will take one of the SEC’s four spots to land five teams in the playoffs.
In looking at each of the teams I believe will make it and their schedules, there are two different ways I see this happening. Let’s break it down:
Scenario No. 1:
Given Oregon’s schedule this season, I anticipate them finishing the regular season either undefeated or with one loss. In this first scenario, they finish the season undefeated, defeating Penn State and Indiana back-to-back, both in close games. This gives Penn State and Indiana each one loss.
Penn State is likely to field its best team in years, with Drew Allar returning as the starting quarterback, a top-tier offensive arsenal of weapons that includes returning running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, and the acquisition of former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to run their defense. So, as much as this Buckeye fan hates to say it, in both of my two scenarios, Penn State won’t lose again, defeating Ohio State for the first time since 2016.
This leaves Oregon undefeated, Penn State with one loss, and Ohio State with one loss, with Penn State winning the tie-break over OSU to make it to the B1G Championship game, given the head-to-head record. Penn State wins the B1G Championship narrowly over Oregon, handing them each one loss, to each other, heading into the playoffs.
Ohio State has the opportunity to further boost its rankings even without a conference title game berth in its season opener against Texas and its regular season finale on the road against Michigan, both games I expect the Buckeyes to win.
But what if that’s Michigan’s only loss on the season? That leaves the Wolverines with one loss. If they’re a one-loss team, however, it means they won road games against Oklahoma and USC, so if they keep it close with the Buckeyes, one loss becomes easy to overlook.
So, how does a fifth team get in there? In this scenario, Indiana comes in as a two-loss team, with close losses to Oregon and Penn State but dominant marquee wins against Indiana and Iowa, both of whom should be good enough to be ranked this season. While two losses might seem like a lot, seven two-loss teams earned bids in 2024, including Georgia, whose two losses included an 18-point loss to then-No.16 Ole Miss, a team that didn’t make the playoffs, and Tennessee, whose two losses included a loss to unranked Arkansas. Indiana, then, can make a strong case for itself with blowout wins over presumably ranked Iowa and Illinois and keeping it close with the top two teams in the conference.
This brings us to our second scenario, bolder in some ways, tamer in others.
Scenario No. 2:
In this instance, all five teams finish the regular season with one loss.
Oregon beats Penn State but loses the following week to Indiana. Penn State loses to Oregon but beats Ohio State and Indiana. Ohio State loses to Penn State but beats Michigan. Michigan only loses the OSU game. Indiana only loses the Penn State game.
Suffice it to say, this throws the B1G Championship down a rabbit hole of tiebreakers, but ultimately, leaves us with four one-loss teams and one two-loss team whose second loss is the conference championship.
The most likely scenario here is that the Committee would weigh strength of schedule and head-to-head results heavily in determining which teams would advance to the playoffs, but if all five teams have better records than the teams from the SEC and other conferences that are on the cusp, it’s hard not to argue for all five to make it.
Certainly, there are a lot of hypotheticals involved that would need to play out perfectly to set this scenario up, and the prediction feels even bolder when you consider how much of an edge the CFP seems to give the SEC for its perceived strength of schedule. Is it improbable that five B1G teams will make the playoffs? Sure. Is it impossible? Not this year.
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Earle Bruce (OSU HOF, CFB HOF, R.I.P.)
- By ScriptOhio
- Buckeye Alumni
- 162 Replies
Eleven Warriors Mailbag: A Big Ten Dark Horse, Dream 4th-and-Goal Playcall and College Football's New Revenue Sharing and NIL Structure
Dialing up a dream gotta-have-it play from the 5-yard line, breaking down the new complexities of NIL in the revenue-sharing era and selecting a dark horse Big Ten contender.
Which TOSU head football coach was the sharpest dresser?
Few men have ever looked sharper in a fedora than Earle Bruce. Especially when dotting the 'i' at 85 years old.
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LGHL Ohio State fans boldly predict a Jeremiah Smith Heisman Trophy
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- 0 Replies
Ohio State fans boldly predict a Jeremiah Smith Heisman Trophy
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
As preseason camp begins this week, Land-Grant Holy Land is diving into its final theme every week of the off-season. This week is all about making predictions that may or may not be reasonable, in fact, some might say they are bold. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Bold Predictions” articles here.
Today is the last day of Bold Predictions Week here at Land-Grant Holy Land, so we are going to take a look at just how bold Buckeye Nation believes this season could get for the Ohio State football team. Earlier this week, we asked OSU fans two questions in our weekly fan survey, and now we’ve got the results.
Take a look at the results for each question below, and if you have strong feelings one way or the other about what your fellow fans had to say, head to the comments at the bottom of the page and let us know.
If you are feeling especially confident in your bold predicting, head over to the FanDuel SportsBook to put your money where your prognosticating is, as they generously sponsored this article.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26054819/OhioState_1_71025.png)
The options that we included in this one were all pretty bold, so it is fun to see that fans were fairly equally dispersed in terms of which one they thought was most possible. However, the option that pulled slightly ahead was Jeremiah Smith winning the Heisman Trophy.
That one is bold for a lot of reasons. First, I am not quite sure if non-quarterbacks are still legally allowed to win the award. Obviously, I’m kidding, but for a sophomore wide receiver to win the most prestigious individual award in all of sports, that would be surprising. However, it is certainly not out of the realm of possibilities. Smith is one of, if not the, most dynamic player in the game, and he already has the buzz and name recognition that are required to mount a serious Heisman campaign.
So, when it comes to bold, but possible, this certainly qualifies.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/26054821/OhioState_2_71025.png)
Now this one is really fun, because I, for one, am not really sure what to expect from the Buckeye defensive line this season. Having to replace all four starters from last year’s championship team is daunting enough, but when you throw in the defensive coordinator shift and some exciting, but unproven guys waiting for their turn, you’ve got a whole lot of potential, but not a lot of certainty.
So, the fact that we got a tie featuring two players who (presumably) are going to be backup defensive ends is interesting. Caden Curry has undoubtedly had moments where he has looked like he could assume a starting role for the squad over the years, but with the transfer addition of Beau Atkinson, it appears, at least for now, that he is the third man in the rotation.
Then, you’ve got C.J. Hicks, a former five-star linebacker prospect who just hasn’t ever found his footing on the field. It’s believed that he has made the move to edge rusher, and the fans and coaching staff are hoping that his impressive athleticism will finally be able to be utilized.
Both guys are excellent candidates in this category, so hopefully Buckeye Nation nails it on them both.
Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. This survey was brought to you by FanDuel.
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
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
As preseason camp begins this week, Land-Grant Holy Land is diving into its final theme every week of the off-season. This week is all about making predictions that may or may not be reasonable, in fact, some might say they are bold. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Bold Predictions” articles here.
Today is the last day of Bold Predictions Week here at Land-Grant Holy Land, so we are going to take a look at just how bold Buckeye Nation believes this season could get for the Ohio State football team. Earlier this week, we asked OSU fans two questions in our weekly fan survey, and now we’ve got the results.
Take a look at the results for each question below, and if you have strong feelings one way or the other about what your fellow fans had to say, head to the comments at the bottom of the page and let us know.
If you are feeling especially confident in your bold predicting, head over to the FanDuel SportsBook to put your money where your prognosticating is, as they generously sponsored this article.
Question 1: Which bold prediction do you think is most likely to happen?
The options that we included in this one were all pretty bold, so it is fun to see that fans were fairly equally dispersed in terms of which one they thought was most possible. However, the option that pulled slightly ahead was Jeremiah Smith winning the Heisman Trophy.
That one is bold for a lot of reasons. First, I am not quite sure if non-quarterbacks are still legally allowed to win the award. Obviously, I’m kidding, but for a sophomore wide receiver to win the most prestigious individual award in all of sports, that would be surprising. However, it is certainly not out of the realm of possibilities. Smith is one of, if not the, most dynamic player in the game, and he already has the buzz and name recognition that are required to mount a serious Heisman campaign.
So, when it comes to bold, but possible, this certainly qualifies.
Question 2: Which under-the-radar Buckeye do you boldly predict will have a huge season?
Now this one is really fun, because I, for one, am not really sure what to expect from the Buckeye defensive line this season. Having to replace all four starters from last year’s championship team is daunting enough, but when you throw in the defensive coordinator shift and some exciting, but unproven guys waiting for their turn, you’ve got a whole lot of potential, but not a lot of certainty.
So, the fact that we got a tie featuring two players who (presumably) are going to be backup defensive ends is interesting. Caden Curry has undoubtedly had moments where he has looked like he could assume a starting role for the squad over the years, but with the transfer addition of Beau Atkinson, it appears, at least for now, that he is the third man in the rotation.
Then, you’ve got C.J. Hicks, a former five-star linebacker prospect who just hasn’t ever found his footing on the field. It’s believed that he has made the move to edge rusher, and the fans and coaching staff are hoping that his impressive athleticism will finally be able to be utilized.
Both guys are excellent candidates in this category, so hopefully Buckeye Nation nails it on them both.
Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. This survey was brought to you by FanDuel.
Continue reading...
2025 Countdown Thread
- Buckeye Football
- 93 Replies
2x Academic All Big Ten
2x Academic All American
NFF and CFBHoF Scholarship Winner
Captain
Brian Baschnagel
Overshadowed by the enormous talent of his teammates, Brian is one of those underrated Buckeyes who touch the ball seldom while in college but still go on to multi-year careers in the NFL.
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A plane crash
- By Zippercat
- Open Discussion (Work-safe)
- 70 Replies
Just sayin': If you get the Smithsonian Channel or Paramount+ they have a great series titled Air Disasters.
"Air Disasters" is the general term for a popular documentary series that investigates major aircraft accidents, their causes, and the subsequent changes implemented to improve aviation safety.
Agree it’s a very interesting program. Also included through Disney+ and National Geographic.
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