I just stumbled across this thread looking for stripe dimensions. I have a cnc router if you would like anything engraved, I'm happy to do it.

I was trying to upload a picture of Woody Hayes that I engraved but the size is too large (tried rescaling)...anyhow, I can basically engrave any picture, design or anything else you can find on the net. I can also do anything custom you might think of.

TFF: Buckeyes extend lead over BG in second half, 42-10 - ABC6OnYourSide.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


TFF: Buckeyes extend lead over BG in second half, 42-10
ABC6OnYourSide.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX/WTTE) -- The sixth-ranked Buckeyes open their season against in-state rivals Bowling Green. GAME SUMMARY. 1ST QUARTER. 12:19 TD BGSU - Brandon Harris 63-yard interception return. Extra point is good. Bowling Green ...

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Watch this great throw and catch between J.T. Barrett and Noah Brown
Luke Zimmermann via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Wow!

J.T. Barrett’s going to have some options this fall.

Having found 10 (!) different Ohio State wide receivers during the first quarter alone, Barrett and Buckeye co-offensive coordinators Ed Warinner and Tim Beck continued to spread the love in the second.

After finding James Clark for a near highlight real big gain earlier and breaking in a couple other fresh faces (including K.J. Hill), Barrett went to another relative newcomer in Noah Brown, one of last season’s most hyped players who went down with a brutally unfair injury just before the season started.

The throw was great and the adjustment to make the catch was even better:


Upon yet another review — the OSU-Bowling Green games seemed to feature a half dozen and we’re not even to halftime yet — the call stood.

We could see a lot more of this connection throughout the 2016 football season.

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Watch Malik Hooker make the most amazing interception you’ll see today
Matt Brown via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


WHAT?!? HOW!?!

It’s pretty early on college football Saturday, so sure, it’s technically possible somebody is going to pull off an interception more impressive and amazing than Ohio State’s midway through the second quarter, but we doubt it.

Malik Hooker picked up his first career interception on this play, and while we feel good about his chances of picking up several more during his Ohio State career, he probably won’t get one as impressive or athletic as thing one.

I mean ... what ... how ... whoa.


Couldn’t have come at a better time too, as Ohio State has a chance to extend a 28-10 lead before halftime and push this game even farther out of reach. Now we can all see why Ohio State likes this guy so much.

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Ohio State’s James Clark had the best non-catch of the young season
Luke Zimmermann via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Why you hating, ref?

James Clark’s had one hell of a journey to seeing action in Ohio State’s season opener against Bowling Green.

Between injuries, rumors of a possible medical disqualification ending his college career, and about as much adversity as a redshirt junior could possibly undergo, it was no sure thing Clark would ever make an impact on the field for the Buckeyes.

He got his shot during Saturday during the second quarter:


While catch would ultimately be overturned upon further review, it’s still great to see Clark getting a chance after everything he’s been through.

Here’s hoping this is the first of many more highlight reel plays for No. 82. Hopefully the next couple aren’t overturned by replay too.

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Ohio State starting DT Tracy Sprinkle sidelined with knee injury
Matt Brown via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Hopefully it isn’t as serious as it looked.

In early season games, you hope for two things. You want young players to step up and get important experience, and you hope everybody stays healthy. Basically, you want to avoid a scene like the Buckeyes experience late in the first quarter against Bowling Green.

Defensive lineman Tracy Sprinkle appeared to injure his knee, and had to be helped off of the field, where he was immediately taken to the locker room. The Big Ten Network's Lisa Byington said she was told by Ohio State's training staff that Sprinkle suffered a knee injury and that it took "maybe a minute" to rule him out.

A junior, Sprinkle figured to play an important part in Ohio State’s deep defensive tackle rotation, providing leadership and experience in a unit that will boast several young players.

Linebacker Dante Booker has also been on the sideline with walk-on Joe Burger in his stead, though the severity of his injury at least anecdotally seemed less.

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Ohio State’s Curtis Samuel turned on the jets for 6 against Bowling Green
Luke Zimmermann via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


He’s fast!

If you put the ball in Ohio State’s Curtis Samuel’s hands in space, something explosive’s bound to happen.

While the junior hasn’t made a huge impact in his short Buckeyes football career, that looks set to change this season.

With seemingly every coach glowing about the kind of impact he’s going to have on the OSU offensive, the first quarter of the Bucks’ season opener against Bowling Green allowed him to showcase just that.

Watch Samuel catch the ball and then do what he does best en route to six points for the home team:


Sneaky underrated aspect of the sequence: J.T. Barrett stood in the pocket like a champ while he threw a perfect strike.

This could be a long season for opposing defenders hoping to slow the lightning quick New York native down. Good luck to them.

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Watch the first touchdown of the Ohio State season here again and again
Matt Brown via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


What a toss.

So, maybe the first game of the season didn’t start exactly how Ohio State wanted it. Despite some early advantageous field position, J.T. Barrett tossed a pick-six, giving Bowling Green an early lead, and taking some of the air out of the Horseshoe. It would be critical for a young team to come out swinging on their next drive, to reestablish exactly who Ohio State is, before the Falcons could get any ideas.

And did they ever.

KJ Hill, a former four-star recruit who has flown under the radar a little bit thanks to a crowded depth chart for Ohio State, hauled in this perfect strike to tie the game up for the Buckeyes, and become the first wideout with a touchdown catch on Ohio State’s roster.




Some tough running from Mike Weber set up the drive, so it looks like Ohio State’s youngsters on offense are looking pretty good so far.

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Buckeyes outgunned by Pilots in 2-0 loss - OSU - The Lantern
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes outgunned by Pilots in 2-0 loss
OSU - The Lantern
By the time the night came to an end, the Buckeyes would still be searching. The Buckeyes fell 2-0 to the Portland Pilots, dropping to 0-3 on the season. Portland looked to be in control of the game right out of the gate, and the Ohio State defense ...

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WTF!!??? All my damn clocks seem to have stopped!

Ohio State football opens 2016 season vs. Bowling Green: Buckeye Breakfast Gameday - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State football opens 2016 season vs. Bowling Green: Buckeye Breakfast Gameday
cleveland.com
When we write four reasons Bowling Green will win, it's not picking the Falcons to win as much as it is picking out things are actual concerns for the Buckeyes and something you should watch for. Don't take it too seriously, until the Buckeyes play ...
Gameday+ | Recruiting watch: Buckeyes' 2017 class set to be a ...Columbus Dispatch
MAC Power Bowling Green Will Try to 'Shock' BuckeyesABC News
Pat Elflein believes in Ohio State Buckeyes' talentWKYC-TV
UPI.com -Land-Grant Holy Land -Eleven Warriors
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Arguing with Ohio State football about truly rotating players ... - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Arguing with Ohio State football about truly rotating players ...
cleveland.com
Cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs says he has a plan to rotate, but the Buckeyes haven't done it before.

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View From the Fan: Bowling Green
Ben van Ooyen via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


(This article originally appeared at ohiostate.scout.com)

BuckeyeSports.com subscriber Ben van Ooyen’s weekly column “View From The Fan” begins with a preview of Ohio State’s matchup with Bowling Green.


It’s that time of year again – when Ohio State football takes the field, and millions of fans across the world tune in to watch the Buckeyes battle it out on the gridiron. This offseason we saw 12 Buckeyes drafted and a top-five recruiting class signed, but the spring and summer are behind us. Fall is coming, and with it brings Saturdays filled with hopes for undefeated glory ending in another national championship.

As a fan of the Buckeyes, this will be a fun team to watch. There will be some growing pains, sure, and undoubtedly some struggles, but there will also be a lot of excitement and talent on the field every Saturday. Buckle in and get ready to ride the roller coaster of emotion with me and Buckeye fans across the nation as we see what Urban Meyer and Co. have put together.

Both sides of the ball are going to look vastly different than last year.

The Offense


J.T. Barrett – no quarterback drama this year, folks! – returns as a redshirt junior. The stalwart offensive line lost three starters after last season, so veterans Pat Elflein and Billy Price will have to shore up the foundation with a lot of new pieces. Now that Ezekiel Elliott is gone, the backfield will be a running back by committee made up of Mike Weber, Dontre Wilson, and Curtis Samuel. The wide receivers may be the most fresh-faced group of the bunch with only 15 catches last season among them. The Buckeyes will rely heavily on guys like Corey Smith and Noah Brown, and maybe even some freshmen like K.J. Hill and Austin Mack, to get the job done.

The Defense


On the defensive side of the ball, there are some returning starters in Raekwon McMillan, Gareon Conley and Tyquan Lewis. The rest of the defense is another inexperienced bunch. Expect Michael Hill, Tracy Sprinkle, Dante Booker, Malik Hooker and a host of other young athletes to get a lot of playing time this year to prove their worth.

The Opponent


Let’s move on to Bowling Green, shall we? The first game of the season is like waking up on Christmas morning and knowing you have a nice, big gift to unwrap. Every year, Santa brings Saturdays where I spend three to four hours nervously sitting on my couch – or in the ‘Shoe, if I’m lucky – watching my alma mater play football. I don’t care who the opponent is, or care about pretty much anything else that’s going on, just Ohio State football. After the somewhat disappointing 2015 season (i.e. the Michigan State game), I’m excited to see what the 2016 version of the Buckeyes brings.

For this game, I expect there to be a lot of offense on both sides. Bowling Green can certainly move the ball up and down the field. The Falcons come in with head coach Mike Jinks, a former assistant under Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech – who we all know threw the ball around 50 times a game.

The Game


I think the Buckeyes will try to get the ground game going early so Weber can settle in; Samuel and Wilson will probably tote the rock as well. Look for Barrett to distribute the ball to his new wide receiver targets to get them comfortable as well. I expect the defense to have the biggest struggle, but with McMillan and Conley leading the charge, I don’t see the Buckeyes breaking too often.

It’s the first game of the season. Mistakes will be made. Things will look messy. Regardless, the Buckeyes have too much talent to let first-game misfires get in the way. Bowling Green will score, and the game might even be close for a while, but I expect the Buckeyes to pull away once they get their feet under them. I predict the Buckeyes start the 2016 season off with a 52-17 victory and move their focus on to Tulsa next week.

The Season


Many others have said this too, but the youth and inexperience of this team reminds me of the 2014 squad, and we all know how that season ended. Do I think we’ll get to another National Championship again this season? It’s certainly possible, but I don’t think it’s very likely. A tough season with an early game at Oklahoma, back-to-back road games against Wisconsin and Penn State at night, culminating in games against Michigan State and Michigan will be too much – in my opinion – for the young Buckeyes to overcome. I see at 10-2 regular season and a New Year’s Six bowl game for the Buckeyes, and I’ll consider that a good season. Meyer is bringing in some serious talent, so the next few years should be a pretty special time to be a Buckeye fan.

A Fan’s Preseason Playoff Predictions

• Clemson – With Heisman favorite Deshaun Watson and most of his offensive weapons back, there’s no reason to think the Tigers won’t win the ACC. They have a key game against Florida State, but the rest of their schedule should be winnable.
• Alabama – I hesitate to put Alabama in here because their QB situation is still up in the air, but results don’t lie. Nick Saban has done a remarkable job no matter who’s throwing the ball, and I expect them to win the SEC again and make their third consecutive playoff appearance
• Houston – Call me crazy, but I think the Cougars are going to surprise a lot of people this season. I say they take down Oklahoma early and then run the table the rest of the way to make it to the CFP. With Greg Ward returning at QB, I don’t see much drop-off from where they were last year.
• Stanford – Three big games early against USC, UCLA, and Washington will tell the tale on the Cardinal. I like David Shaw as a head coach, and I think he’ll have them ready to compete and win the Pac-12 in their first season without Kevin Hogan running the offense. Heisman-hopeful Christian McCaffrey will be the workhorse on this team again this season.

A Fan’s Preseason Heisman Ballot

• Watson – He had a claim to the award last year, but came in third behind Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey. Henry is off to the NFL, so Watson will resume his battle against McCaffrey for the trophy. I expect big numbers out of Watson again, but the defining game will be against FSU.
• Christian McCaffrey – Mr. Does-It-All is back for his junior season, and Stanford will rely heavily on him for the majority of their offense. Under the direction of a new quarterback, McCaffrey should get quite a few carries, as well as receptions. If Stanford ends up in the playoff, expect last year’s runner-up to lay claim to the trophy.
• Barrett – Two years ago he finished fifth after missing the second half of the last game of the season and the Big Ten Championship. This season, he leads an even younger team into battle with unproven weapons at running back and wide receiver. His calm demeanor and leadership prove he has what it takes to lead the Buckeyes, and I expect him to put up similar numbers to his 2014 campaign.
• Leonard Fournette – I don’t see LSU making the playoff this year, but that doesn’t mean Fournette can’t make a big splash with his eye-popping numbers over the course of the season. Early tests against Wisconsin and Auburn and the late-season showdown with Alabama will be key in how voters see Fournette. He’ll run over mediocre teams like he did last year, but his performance in those big games will count the most.

The post View From the Fan: Bowling Green appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Ohio State vs. Bowling Green 2016: Start time, live stream, TV schedule, and Game Thread
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes open their season at noon Saturday on BTN.

It’s back. It’s finally back. The Ohio State Buckeyes open the 2016 season ranked sixth nationally in the AP Poll, and will face off against the Bowling Green Falcons, who are coming off their second MAC Championship in three years.

For Ohio State, despite the loss of a dozen players to the NFL, expectations are high entering week one, owing to outstanding recruiting by Urban Meyer, who has led the conference in recruiting class rankings since he arrived in Columbus. Plus, it’s hard not to have high expectations with Meyer at the helm.

In four years as head coach, Meyer has amassed a 50-4 record, and has an 85 percent career win percentage which all started with two seasons at Bowling Green, where Meyer went 17-6 overall. Bowling Green is coming off a 10-4 season, but will be directed by a new head coach in Mike Jinks, who is replacing Dino Babers following the latter’s departure for Syracuse.

The big question for the Buckeyes heading into the season revolves around experience--or lack thereof. Of 85 scholarship players, 44 have never even been able to play in a Division I game, owing to the fact that they are either true or redshirt freshmen or transfers. While Bowling Green is no slouch, today’s noon kickoff should be a good opportunity for the young Buckeyes to gain valuable experience on the field.

When is the game and how can I watch?


Game Date/Time: Saturday, Sept. 3, 12 p.m.

Location: Ohio Stadium

TV: Big Ten Network

Online: BTN2Go

Radio: 97.1 FM/1460 AM

Where is GameDay this weekend?


As Lee Corso enters his 20th (!) season making headgear picks with College Gameday, the crew will open the season with a Big Ten-SEC matchup as they head to Lambeau Field to watch No. 5 LSU take on Wisconsin at 3:30. With two top-10 recruiting classes in the last two years, expectations are high for Les Miles and the Tigers, who are expected to contend with Alabama for the SEC West crown. Wisconsin, meanwhile, is coming off a 10-3 season in 2015, including a win over USC in the Holiday Bowl, but faces questions as they break in a new starting quarterback.

What’s the rest of the Big Ten slate look like?


With wins already by Indiana, Minnesota and Michigan State, the remaining 11 Big Ten teams are in action today, headlined by the LSU-Wisconsin matchup. No. 7 Michigan will face Hawaii at noon, and No. 17 Iowa has Miami (OH) following. Rutgers is taking on a ranked team, facing No. 14 Washington on the road at 2:00. Fresno State will also head to Lincoln to face Nebraska in the conference’s only week one night game at 8:00.

Join the conversation


Below is your Ohio State-Bowling Green GameThread. Be respectful, be kind and as always, keep it classy. If you like GIFs, lay ‘em on us. In all, be good fans, cheer for your teams, be cool to each other (even if somebody else isn’t) and everyone wins. Let’s start the season off strong. Go Bucks.

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Kurelic: Buckeyes go hard for Gaoteote, Allen and Ruckert - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Kurelic: Buckeyes go hard for Gaoteote, Allen and Ruckert
247Sports
What's next for the Buckeyes? Make sure you're in the loop -- take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Buckeyes newsletter now! “We are a 2A school and they're a 6A, but we were very confident in our game plan,” Jones told Bucknuts.com. “We went out ...

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Gameday+ | Recruiting watch: Buckeyes' 2017 class set to be a ... - Columbus Dispatch
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Gameday+ | Recruiting watch: Buckeyes' 2017 class set to be a ...
Columbus Dispatch
Five months remain until 2017's national signing day, and it is shaping up to be another bonanza for Ohio State's future. It has been that way every year since ...

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Preview: Ohio State v. Bowling Green
Richard Tongohan via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



Here we are a day prior to the start of the 2016 season and with Bowling Green on deck we look ahead to seeing our Buckeyes in action. With the mass exodus that occurred after last season, Coach Meyer will be looking to replace the plethora of talent that he lost to the NFL Draft this season. Meyer has retained the services of 6 players that have returned for at least one more season at Ohio State and this will be by far his most challenging task while at the helm at Ohio State. Unfortunately for the rest of the country, Coach Meyer and his staff have to look no further than their depth chart at the talent that they have stockpiled throughout the years. They are secretly being developed while they wait patiently for their opportunity to take the reins from the upperclassmen that have left for the NLF or that have moved on after graduation. So in reality, the Buckeyes should be just fine, but with the influx of inexperienced and unproven players it will take some time for them to adjust.

Impact Players:

J.T. Barrett:

Quarterback J.T. Barrett will return for his Redshirt Junior season and he will lead the charge for the Buckeyes. He will act as the key cog in the offense and he will usher in the new stable of starters across the offensive side of the ball. Barrett brings experience and leadership to the offense and Meyer and company will depend on him throughout the season. Barrett provides problems for opposing defenses with his innate ability to hit targets in stride, his ability to scramble, and his instincts when plays break down. He will not have the same weapons on offense from the previous two seasons, but Barrett will find ways to maximize and improve the talent around him. He will continue to make others around him better and provide leadership that is crucial to this season because during week 3 the Buckeyes will have a date at Norman and J.T. needs to use the first two weeks to fine tune his offense for the huge showdown with Oklahoma.



Mike Weber:

With all the drama during his recruitment, Mike Weber’s future with the Buckeyes remained in question for the remainder of his recruitment, but now two years after the fact he has secured the role as starter for Coach Meyer’s “Cadillac Position”. Weber will be the starter this year and after a great showing during this years spring game, I think he will become the next great Running Back that Ohio State will produce. Weber is a workhorse. He was the speed to blow past defenders and he has the power to run them over as well. He learned and developed under one of the greatest backs at Ohio State, Ezekiel Elliott. I look for Weber to come in with that lunch pail mentality and continue the legacy and tradition at Ohio State. For now, he will be an unproven commodity at Running Back and he will look to carve out his own path during his tenure at Ohio State.

Curtis Samuel:

Samuel was singled out by Urban Meyer during the offseason and he stated that Curtis Samuel is his best playmaker on offense. That comes with high praise considering what the Buckeyes lost after last season. Samuel will split time at multiple positions. He will be tasked to play in the Slot, some Running Back and he will be the starter at the H-Back position. Needless to say, we will get a huge dosage of Curtis Samuel and we can only hope that he will become that go-t0 player for Urban Meyer’s new look offense.

Pat Elflein:

One of two returning starters on the offensive line, Pat Elflein will shift from Guard to Center and he will look to guide and mentor the three new slobs that had earned starting spots alongside himself and Right Guard, Billy Price. Elflein will provide leadership and stability for Michael Jordan, Jamarco Jones and Isaiah Prince. He will ensure they are up to standard for the new look offensive line. It also helps that J.T. Barrett sees a familiar face along that young offensive line. With the move to Center, Elflein will be involved in every facet of the game. He will call out and adjust the protection as needed and he will be snapping the rock to Barrett. New challenges will arise and he will be all for it.

Raekwon McMillan:

The proud tradition of Middle Linebackers continues as McMillan returns for what most assume will be his final season at Ohio State. Once again, McMillan will be the Quarterback of the defense and he will provide experience and stability to the unit. With Daron Lee and Joshua Perry moving onto the NFL, he looks to lead new starters, Chris Worley and Dante Booker. Remember the term reload? Yeah Worley and Booker have different traits that make them lethal and McMillan will help them along the way and similar to the offense, it will take some time. McMillan would never let the Silver Bullets mantra and tradition slip away, so we will all have to be patient with the lack of experience. He along with the coaching staff will prepare them for the grind of yet another season.

The Opposition:

Bowling Green seems to always have a potent, if not lethal offense. With Senior signal caller, James Knapke, they will look to utilize Senior Wide Receiver Ronnie Moore in every possible way they can. It’ll be a tough task to do, but with the lack of experience on Ohio States defense, who knows. I for one see them putting up at least two touchdowns during this contest, but Ohio State will be looking to unleash hell on the hapless Falcons. With a lot to prove, I can see both scenarios play out, but this is why I love College Football. Hell, we almost witnessed Tennessee get wrecked and upset at home this week, so why not right?

On defense, Bowling Green boasts a pair of playmaking linebackers that will lead this years unit. Austin Valdez, a Middle Linebacker who had earned 1st Team All-Mac honors and Trenton Greene, an Outside Linebacker who had earned 2nd Team All-MAC honors look to stop the Buckeyes dead in their tracks. It will take a ton of effort from both of these players, but it might be possible. The Buckeyes have three new starters on the offensive line and they are young and inexperienced. They have a new Cadillac Back and new playmakers starting at the Wide Receiver.

Prediction:

After considering everything, I see this game getting ugly before halftime. Ohio State will be playing at home and Buckeye Nation will come in full force. The noise levels will be insane throughout the game. The Buckeyes will start slow, but they will piece together, a blow out to start the season on the right foot. I am not taking away from the Falcons, but it’s hard to see Ohio State losing this early in the season. Couple that, Urban Meyer being the Head Coach and the 4-0 All-Time record against Bowling Green and you have this: 44-17 Ohio State over Bowling Green






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Friday Night Slight's: Buckeyes Expectations, Big 12 Expansion, Buckeyes in Norman - The Buckeye Battle Cry
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Friday Night Slight's: Buckeyes Expectations, Big 12 Expansion, Buckeyes in Norman
The Buckeye Battle Cry
Bowling Green should be a great scrimmage for the good guys and Tulsa should test our defensive growth. Then in Norman, I am calling for the Buckeyes to win (not a blow out) and show the nation that doubting us is a sin hating us is appreciated. The ...


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Buckeyes make 'DB U' pitch to top 50 prospect - Ohio State Football - 247Sports
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Buckeyes make 'DB U' pitch to top 50 prospect - Ohio State Football
247Sports
Ohio State was one of many schools to contact top 50 prospect Houston Griffith on Thursday.

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So I need to make other arrangements for tomorrow. Anyone have good advice for quick arrival and departures? I have something before and after the game that is limiting my window for travel.

I was thinking about trying the Crosswoods park and ride system. Anyone have any feedback on that route?

Friday Night Slight’s: Buckeyes Expectations, Big 12 Expansion, Buckeyes in Norman
WVaBuckeye via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


We live in a world where tomorrow is truly uncertain to a lot of human beings. The nice thing about having the freedom to say what you want and cut loose on some of these topics is that it is good for the soul! Huge shout-out to those not afraid to express their fears and also to those who help take care of those who cannot care for themselves. We can always count on @Kirk_Barton to lead us off each week!





Staff Slights


MDotySr – The Ohio State Buckeye Football Team. In the polls, in the media and the overall general public thinking that this team is not up to playoff caliber. Urban will have these kids ready, willing and able. Bowling Green should be a great scrimmage for the good guys and Tulsa should test our defensive growth. Then in Norman, I am calling for the Buckeyes to win (not a blow out) and show the nation that doubting us is a sin hating us is appreciated. The only love that matters is from Buckeye Nation!







Scott – To everyone picking OSU to get thumped in Norman … Just wait. Urban Meyer said this year’s team is the most talented he’s ever had. And SpongeBob Bowl Flop always finds a way to inexplicable lose a game. See: Texas.



WVa – I have to revisit something from earlier in the week. My favorite team and person to slight is TTUN and their head moron Jim Harbaugh. Again thank you to @BuckeyeVideos for the video!







Joe D. -Hey Big 12, I get that expansion is the the hot topic of the summer and you’ve been raiding the mall like a kid looking for a spiked collar and Marilyn Manson poster to hang up in the room.

But don’t you get the sense that the material product is below standard and you probably shouldn’t be popping spiked collars on the first day of school?

I get it, Houston and Connecticut could really expand your reach. UCF has a beautiful new facility that everyone is lockjaw about.

How dare you sell college football fans though that Tulsa, SMU, Tulane and Memphis are worthy of a power five slot in a major conference.

One of the major issues in college football is worrying about institution numbers and how to expand to better your brand.

For the Big 12, the best thing for branding and the future of the conference, is to stay in your lane.





Ben v. – September 1st. The first day coaches can contact recruits in their Junior year of High School. It is about to get insane for these kids with the amount of phone calls they will be receiving from coaching staffs all across the nation. You have to remember that these kids are HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS. When I was a Junior in High School all I cared about was girls, parties, and girls. Sure I wasn’t a Division I caliber athlete, but I am sure that the majority of these guys have the same thoughts. Sure these kids want to attend a top notch college and potentially make it to the NFL, and it all starts with this, but at the same time they want to be kids and enjoy what little freedom they have left before their life becomes 100% about football. As much as I love recruiting, these kids deserve to have their time to enjoy doing what they want and not pestered by college coaches constantly.

Brandon – Let’s talk about you California versus Hawaii. First off, who had the bright idea to send you to schmucks down under to represent the game of college football? I mean was there a group of people who sat around and said “Let’s look to really expand our footprint to Australia, I say we send Hawaii and California over to show them how great we are!”… A room full of people then stand up and cheer…supporting the idiot in charge.



Now on to you two fine footballing universities…what the hell was that? Did absolutely no one tell you it was okay to play defense, tackle players, or have any general idea of what was going on? You guys each gave up over 45o yards of offense to your opponent…how is that even possible without setting out to try to not play defense? Your offenses combined to throw the ball 77 times…how the heck were there only two sacks???? The Hawaii defense I can give a pass to you, I lived there for awhile…I will just assume the defensive side was stuck in traffic most practice days. But Cal…come on guys! Guess how many times Hawaii had over 450 yards of offense last year? ONCE the entire season and that was against UC-Davis…I guess maybe it’s a northern California thing. My problem really comes down to this NCAA…what did Australia do to you? Our three ambassadors to the sport of college football this year were Jim Harbaugh, California, and Hawaii….

JC – I have to go with the rush to count the visit to Norman as a loss. I have strong suspicions that the Buckeyes will pull this “baby” out. I look forward to this game more than anything on their schedule in at least a few years (minus any TTUN game – naturally). Also I need to feed my thoughts on Jimbo and the “crazy” logic that TTUN and the press appears to have because the circus that arrived in Ann Arbor last year equates to a change of fortune. “Whacked” Jimbo will keep them in the press – but eventually his act will wear on his talent. Just watch and see!

Mike Meals – My Friday Night Slight is for everyone who has already found Gibson guilty and wants his head on a stake. If he did what he is accused of, he deserves the punishment. But unless we woke up in Nazi Germany today, hold off on passing judgment until the facts come out. And trust that both the athletic department and the administration are doing exactly what they feel is right and warranted.





Fan’s Slights











The post Friday Night Slight’s: Buckeyes Expectations, Big 12 Expansion, Buckeyes in Norman appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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GameFinder: Jump inside to find your Week 1 BTN football game
BTN.com staff via Big Ten Network

Welcome to Week 1. The first Saturday of the season features a handful of Big Ten football games on BTN/BTN2Go. Our opening-week slate includes the Big Ten’s highest-ranked team in the preseason polls (No. 5/6 Ohio State), a pair of coaching debuts (Illinois’ Lovie Smith & Maryland’s DJ Durkin) and a primetime game (Fresno State at Nebraska). Which noon and 3:30 p.m. ET games will you get? Enter your zip code and TV service provider above to find out. View the full Week 1 BTN schedule: noon ET Howard at Maryland BTN2GO | VIDEO PREVIEW | SCOREBOARD Bowling Green at

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Ohio State is one of the 5 more talented teams in the country
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


When the team is loaded with talent, this tends to happen

“When Alabama meets USC this weekend in Dallas, the two most talented teams in the country will be butting heads. Not surprisingly Alabama is the most talented program in America after six straight No. 1 recruiting classes. USC has underachieved with its roster but there is no shortage of talent. This game will be an NFL scout's dream.”

– Barton Simmons, 247sports


Even though Ohio State has been considered a football magnet since, essentially, the dawn of time, Alabama leads the pack as this year’s most star studded program.

247sports broke down their total team composite scores for this year, and the Buckeyes ended up at No.5. The score was created by calculating the recruiting caliber (e.g. amount of five-stars, four-stars, etc.) of each program, and then coming up with a final number. Urban Meyer’s squad enters the year with two five-stars, 52 four-stars, 22 three-stars and two two-stars – good enough to give the Buckeyes a final score of 908.16

Looking over at what Nick Saban is doing, his Alabama program boasts a staggering 17 five-star recruits and 44 four-star recruits. The Crimson Tide were by far the best team with a composite score of 985.82. The second best program: USC. The Trojans collected 10 five-stars and 43 four-stars en route to earning a score of 944.80. We’ll see which team is really the best, as Bama and USC square off this weekend.

While the recruiting ranking is important, it’s how the coaching staff teaches the player. Meyer’s staff has done extraordinary well with that – just look at the talent that went to the draft this past spring.

“It’s pretty amazing. It’s really…it’s really humbling. You know, to be in a stadium with 105,000 seats or whatever it is and to to know that all those seats will be filled, but there’s always going to be one here right in front of the ROTC in the heart of the student section that will remain empty.”

– Beth Del Ponte’s story on the POW-MIA seat installment at Ohio Stadium (NBC4 Columbus),


No matter how packed The Shoe will be for football games, there will always be a seat left open for the military members that didn’t make it back home.

On Thursday, a POW-MIA seat was dedicated; the seat is located in the front row of the North endzone – and is just to the right of where the marching band comes out for their pregame entrance.

The connection to military service and OSU runs deep, as an estimated 2,300 students are in some way connected to the armed forces, according to the article by NBC4 Columbus.

If you want to see the story NBC4 did, you can see it below.

“They didn't play freshmen last year -- 21 of 25 redshirted. They are reluctant to take starters off the field even in blowouts. Watch what happens if they get a big lead on Bowling Green on Saturday. You'll see the top guys out there longer than necessary, which again is fine. The best players earn the right to play.”

– Doug Lesmerises (cleveland.com)


On the eve of Ohio State’s first game of the season, there is speculation for what exactly Meyer and company are going to do with a huge cast of freshman. Are they going to rotate players? How much playing time will freshman actually get?

The first part of the question was asked by Doug Lesmerises of cleveland.com during one of the media’s opportunities to talk to coaches at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Kerry Coombs was able to answer the question on rotating players, and knowing if they are ready or not to play.

The video of the interaction is seen below.

Stick to Sports


• If you thought Tennessee’s near loss to Appalachian State seemed all too familiar to Michigan’s loss, look no further than who was on the sidelines.

• Bear fights man, but the man knows karate.

• Man declared dead, but was actually kidnapped to teach English to North Korea’s leader.

• FDA puts the kibosh on antibacterials in soap.

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Scarlet and Gray Drive Time Re-Wind: WWWW, Non-Revenue, Guest writer says Rest Easy
WVaBuckeye via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Welcome to the daily rewind of the previous days or weekends articles here on the Buckeye Battle Cry with some commentary and links to the author’s twitter account!


Brandon Zimmerman takes us on a ride with this week’s What Would Woody Watch



Charles has returned with a good article about non-revenue sports at Ohio State



Kenny Galvin jumps in with both feet as he tries out for our team!



WVaBuckeye has a nice sit down with Parris’ Campbell’s mom, Shelly Woodruff



The post Scarlet and Gray Drive Time Re-Wind: WWWW, Non-Revenue, Guest writer says Rest Easy appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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A closer look at Ohio State’s recent struggles with G5 opponents
Max Littman via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Not every cupcake game turns out that way.

Ohio State is about to open the season against Bowling Green, a proud member of the MAC. Based on recruiting rankings, facilities, program resources, or whatever other metric you want to think of, Ohio State should win comfortably. But that doesn’t always happen.

Over the years Ohio State has seemed to struggle at times when taking on mid-major opponents, even ones where they’ve been very heavy favorites. With close games in the past few years against Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, Navy, Cincinnati, Buffalo and UAB, all of whom are Group of 5 (Mid-Major) teams, there have been plenty of scares for the Scarlett and Gray, even if the final box score tells a different story.

With consecutive games coming up against G5 competition in Bowling Green this week and Tulsa next week, the Buckeyes may be tested more than expected.

It seems as if the Buckeyes always manage to squeak out the victory, but how does a team that only beat Navy by 17 points in the same season win a national championship by 22 over Oregon?

This trend has been going back for years. In 2004, it took a last second Mike Nugent 55 yard field goal to beat Marshall 24-21. Although the team struggled that year, finishing 8-4, almost losing to Marshall is inexplicable. OSU has always dominated the MAC, with an incredible 32-1-0 record against them (the only loss coming against Akron in an 1894 thriller), but multiple teams have come close to pulling off the unimaginable.

Just last season, the high powered and top-rated Buckeyes barely got past Northern Illinois, winning just 20-13. With just one offensive touchdown in the game and an insane five turnovers, the Buckeyes were on the brink of actually losing.

One of the main problems for the Buckeyes is the timing, since out-of-conference games almost always come at the beginning of the season. In years like 2014, where there was a freshman quarterback unexpectedly starting, running an offense can be difficult. And this year, the Buckeyes will certainly be breaking in a lot of new faces.

Another leading factor is the expectations. Ohio State isn’t expected to have close games with small schools, the fans and team expects to win every game every year. High expectations can lead to mini-letdowns.

Although the team hasn’t lost to a non (current) power conference school since losing to Air Force in the 1990 Liberty Bowl, they’ve certainly come close a few times. With expectations sky high for another year, the question is, could it happen this season?

There’s no reason to suggest that Bowling Green will have a similar or better performance against Ohio State than say, Northern Illinois did, (BGSU is breaking in a ton of new faces themselves), but this is a weird sport. It’s the biggest game of their regular season and comes against a former coach, and emotions should be high for at least one of the teams playing.

Ohio State needs to be fully prepared to encounter teams that will be playing their hearts out in their biggest game.

They’re going to have the talent advantage, but they had talent advantages over Northern Illinois and Marshall too. They have a coaching advantage, but they had one over UAB and Ohio too. Will that be enough this weekend? At the end of the day, almost certainly, but that doesn’t mean the Falcons can’t make the Buckeyes sweat an awful lot over the course of the game.

It’s certainly happened before.

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