Column: Biggest surprises in CFB (including Ohio State) at midseason
meganhusslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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College football is wild every year, but I have a feeling this is the year we will finally have a shakeup in the final four.

This has been a year in college football unlike any other. This past Saturday’s slate of games was one of the craziest I’ve seen in a while. Bama LOST, which therefore means Tennessee WON, TTUN might actually be good, Illinois is legit... and obviously Ohio State is (arguably, I guess) the best team in the nation. Pure anarchy — I love it.

Could THIS be the year Bama misses the CFB Playoff?

Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

This year’s Crimson Tide simply isn’t the same dominant force that we are used to seeing. It’s not really making sense, either. They did lose seven players to the draft, with one of them being WR Jameson Williams, but besides that, there weren’t any major losses. Plus, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner is still their quarterback.

Clearly, defense is a huge issue for the Tide. They gave up 52 points to the Vols, their most points allowed since 1907. Between the struggling defense and not having a great receiver (their team leader has 302 yards, in comparison to Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka, who has 655 and Marvin Harrison Jr., who has 536), it seems like Bama is going to have to shape up quick if they want to be a title contender.

Now with one loss under their belt, they still have to go through No. 7 Ole Miss and No. 24 Mississippi State. If they win both of those, they will most likely have to face Georgia in the SEC Championship, and I don’t see them winning that game with the way they are playing right now. Therefore, it’s going to be a very tough road for Bama to make the playoff.

Big Ten showing up

Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

How about Illinois?! I, for one, did not expect Bret Bielema to turn around the program this quickly after being hired in 2020. I mean, they’re sitting at the top of the Big Ten West with a 6-1 record! They have two solid wins over Wisconsin and Minnesota, two formidable conference foes. The Fighting Illini are the real deal.

Another team, as much as I hate to admit it, is actually good. TTUN really proved themselves with a win over Penn State Saturday. I can’t lie, I was very skeptical of the Wolverines up until this game. I know they’re undefeated, but the scores are a bit of a misnomer. They’re definitely a second half team, as the Nittany Lions, along with Maryland and Indiana, kept it close in the first halves.

Solidifying J.J. McCarthy as QB1 and Blake Corum emerging as one of the best backs in country has propelled the Wolverines’ offense tremendously. Good thing Ohio State’s defense has skyrocketed, too. However, I must say, I think TTUN might actually deserve their current No. 4 ranking. Ugh.

Buckeyes surprises

Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Honestly, there aren’t a ton of big surprises on offense. I would classify them as little, exciting surprises. One of them being Xavier Johnson. What a unexpected talent who has proven to be critical this season. Another would be how much Miyan Williams has improved. We all knew how good he was last season, but he has taken his play to another level this year. Five touchdowns in one game? Enough said.

Stroud is running a little more (sorta), Egbuka, Marv and Julian Fleming all look amazing (not really a surprise) and TreVeyon Henderson is still a beast. Personally, I am a bit surprised at how well the offense is performing without Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Obviously the WR room is loaded, but you would think there would be even a little bit of a drop-off with the best player out. Nope!

The best surprise on the team is clearly the defense. Although the secondary could still use some improvement, the defensive line and linebacker play has been outstanding. Steele Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg have been playing lights out. The Buckeyes are fifth in the nation in yards per game allowed, compared to being 53rd in team defense in the country in 2021. I’d say that’s the greatest surprise of all.

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‘Ball Hell Broke Loose: Tennessee leads the college football chaos in Week 7
JamiJurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images

Anarchy in Knoxville and what it means for the Buckeyes.

Though the Buckeyes didn’t play this week, there was plenty of chaos for us to feast on across the NCAA.

In the case of No. 20 Utah, we saw a great upset win over (formerly) No. 7 USC, whose defense decided they were on vacation. Michigan had a dominant win over No. 10 Penn State, proving that the Buckeyes and our nemesis are once again the big dogs in the Big Ten.

But no chaos remotely compared to what went down in Knoxville, Tennessee yesterday, where what we saw wasn’t chaos – it was complete anarchy. We’re not even going to bother rounding up the rest of the NCAA’s child’s play when the Volunteers delivered the second-best gift OSU fans could get on a Bye Week — a Bama loss (the first would be a Michigan loss, duh).

It was the kind of game that people will rewatch on ESPN Classics in 10 years. It was the stuff college football dreams are made of. And though it didn’t involve the Buckeyes or the Big Ten in any way, it still has indirect ramifications for us.

The Third Saturday in October is to Knoxville what the Last Week of the Regular Season is to Columbus and Ann Arbor, but as Michigan fans could tell you – rivalries aren’t quite as fun when they’re lopsided. (Yes, I know Michigan won last year – we have to throw them a bone once in awhile).

Yesterday, for the first time in 15 years, the Vols went into the game with a fighting chance against a No. 1 Alabama team whose coach had never lost to Tennessee. Alabama’s star quarterback Bryce Young (last year’s Heisman winner) decided to grace us all with his presence after a few weeks out from an injury.

What was possible was yet another Alabama blowout, the likes of which we’ve seen time and time again in the last decade and a half. But this Tennessee team is the real deal, so what we got was a full 60 minutes of football.

And thanks to Young’s return, there’s no asterisk next to Tennessee’s win, no one saying “If only we’d had our quarterback.” No, this win was sweat, blood, and tears, and the Vols earned every bit of it. The game went back and forth quite a bit, with Tennessee pulling ahead to a 21-7 lead early, Alabama taking the lead, Tennessee taking it back. Alabama’s defense was sleepy at best, sloppy at worst. Their special teams unit made a MAJOR error that resulted in a Tennessee touchdown. Alabama had a record number of flags. But still, it all boiled down to a Tennessee field goal kick with 0:01 on the game clock, and it would be the kick heard round the world.

Nothing brings me quite as much joy as a cranky Nick Saban (ok, MAYBE a crying Clayton Kershaw). And yesterday, while the Buckeyes had their much-deserved nap time, Tennessee delivered as much for us (and any other fan base who collectively hates the Crimson Tide) as for themselves and their own loyal fans.

Cigar smoke filled Neyland Stadium (Tennessee is a tobacco-free campus, but something tells me no one was going to be disrespectful enough to enforce that yesterday). And then down came the goal posts.

This, my friends, is the sweet chaos I desire at all times where college football is concerned. Do you know how hard it is to have hope when your team lets you down and causes you physical and emotional pain year after year? I’m a Chicago Cubs fan, so I sure do. Tennessee fans deserved a night of anarchy (which, compared to couch-burning and car-flipping, which I do not advise, was still relatively harmless).


As fans stormed the field at Neyland after their last-second win, the goal post came down. Fans rode it like a bull and then paraded it through the streets, taking it for a whirl at the bars before finally, finally drowning it – along with years of sorrow – in the Tennessee River, where it will now live permanently.


But what does it all mean for the Buckeyes? Alabama dropped out of the No. 1 spot, but they still control their own destiny in the SEC. Tennessee, on the other hand, has to face the now-No. 1 Georgia team in 3 weeks for a shot at a rematch with Bama in the SEC championship.

OSU still has to play the Wolverines, so nothing is set in stone, but assuming we win out, this little three-way battle for the top spot in the SEC does have playoff ramifications for us. On one hand, Georgia is the least-scary team of the three to me, so I’d love to face them in the playoffs. On the other, my heart wants Tennessee fans to have a moment of glory (and Lord knows the playoffs need some fresh blood).

But the real question that came out of yesterday for the Buckeyes is what this means for CJ Stroud and his shot at the Heisman. Until yesterday, he seemed like a sure thing if he continues on the track he’s been on. But Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker might be known as Hendon Heisman come the end of this season after his performance yesterday. If he manages to pull off something comparable against Georgia in three weeks, Stroud’s Heisman hopes might be in trouble.

Now listen, I’m thrilled for the Vols (my brother graduated last spring and was in Knoxville for the game yesterday. One of my oldest, dearest friends is a lifelong Vols fan who grew up in Tennessee). I wept at the end because I knew what it meant to every single person who puts on their orange jersey and sings “Rocky Top” every week. Nothing – and I mean NOTHING – would bring me more joy than a Tennessee-OSU playoff showdown.

But I do need them to back off of our man CJ. Hendon Hooker is a spectacular quarterback, and he certainly deserves to be in New York, but this is one of those cases where the Heisman committee are simps for the SEC, and as a Buckeye fan who would lie in traffic for CJ Stroud, that is where I draw the line.

So may chaos reign, may both goalposts and sorrows drown, may Rocky Top always be home sweet home to those who like that sort of thing. But with all the love in my heart and just a bit of vaguely threatening energy, get your man Hendon to back up off my man CJ, or I might make some chaos of my own!

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BASKET-BOOM! 2024 four-star point guard John Mobley Jr. commits to Ohio State
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Buckeyes are already working on stacking up their next great recruiting class.

It’s early, but Ohio State has already began filling what will likely be a smaller recruiting class for the 2024 cycle — starting with a big BOOM on Sunday afternoon. At halftime of today’s 3:00 ESPN2 Top Flight Invite, John Mobley Jr. — a four-star point guard from Bishop Gorman HS in Las Vegas — announced he’ll be moving back home to Columbus for college to play for Chris Holtmann and the Ohio State Buckeyes.


Mobley is the No. 44 player in the class of 2024, the No. 6 point guard in the nation, and the second-highest ranked player in the state of Nevada, according to 247Sports. He’ll don the scarlet and gray starting the fall of 2024 — two seasons from now. Mobley is just the third top-50 player in the 2024 class to make his college decision (Jason Asemota committed to Baylor and Mercy Miller committed to Houston), and he’ll return to Columbus where he lived for 11 years.

As Ohio State fans on Twitter were so quick to notice, Mobley has “Columbus, OH” as his location on his Twitter page, rather than Las Vegas, where he goes to school. This was not a hint or trick pointing to where he’d land for college. On the contrary, Mobley is originally from central Ohio, but left to play basketball at Bishop Gorman.



Mobley, a junior, stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 150 pounds. He is one of the most polished shooters in the country already, and is considered the best shooter in the nation by many. He models his game after Trae Young and Steph Curry, and has the potential to end up as the best outside shooter at Ohio State since Jon Diebler.

While at first glance it may seem like the Buckeyes are already heavy on guards, by the fall of 2024 this may not be the case. In the age of immediate transfer rules, roster changes are unpredictable. That also ignores the possibility that Taison Chatman, Roddy Gayle, or Bruce Thornton could be NBA-bound by the time Mobley even steps on campus. With the way rosters are constantly in flux, it’s never a bad idea to pick up a solid point guard who also may wind up being the best shooter in the class.

Mobley isn’t the biggest guard at just 150 pounds, but he told Prospective Insight in June that he thinks he’ll grow a few inches before college — possibly getting to 6-foot-3 or 6-foot-4. If he can also add 20-30 pounds over the next two seasons, he could quickly increase his pro potential and NBA draft stock. Regardless, Chris Holtmann and his staff will certainly spend time working on the other parts of his game — aside from shooting — once he gets on campus.

Mobley held offers from Ohio State, Creighton, Arizona State, LSU, St. John’s, Toledo, UNLV, USC, and Xavier. He cut down a final list by simply removing Toledo, UNLV, and St. John’s two weeks ago. Ohio State and Creighton were the only two schools that he went on official visits to, and were considered the two favorites.

The Buckeyes offered Mobley a scholarship in June, and also had Mobley’s final official visit on October 1, when he visited and attended the Ohio State-Rutgers with his family and the Ohio State coaching staff. Mobley is the first member of Ohio State’s 2024 recruiting class. With a combined nine players in the 2022 and 2023 classes, this class may only have one more player after Mobley.



Check out some recent video of John’s game below:


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maximumblitz said:

As always, BYE was brutal. I speculate that TSUN will jump THE in the polls, and stay there after THE beats pedstate. Tennessee will jump THE. And I speculate that a one loss Bama, Tennessee, or Georgia would beat a (hypothetical) one loss tOSU into the play offs.

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Class: 2024
Position: IOL
School: Aiea (HI) Aiea
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 315lbs

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chornii said:

done for the game only

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Thanks! I appreciate it!

Whoever led you to believe that was wrong. Ha!

BUCKDUBBS007 said:

View attachment 27723

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thanks

What's with these Harrisons?

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As always, added to my seedbox. Thanks @BUCKDUBBS007

Scoreboard
Advantage: Ohio State

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Class: 2024
Position: RB
School: McKinney(TX) McKinney
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 210lbs

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Class: 2024
School: Lancaster (TX) Lancaster
Position: RB
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 190lbs

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Class: 2024
School: Tampa(FL) Carrollwood Day
Position: RB
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 191lbs

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Not sure how much in this race we are, but we're in his top 12. And he is rumored to be Alford's top RB on his list

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charlohiottean said:

View attachment 33239

So you’re a Wichita Lineman?

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no.
i just grabbed an ice chest from warehouse at work.

never been to Wichita and damn sure ain’t a lineman.

Pipeliner from South Louisiana.

Will the best kids ever recruited end up at these “football academies” in NIL stares?

Rewatched the game and I'll just keep it brief. No need to even tout Meatball and his performance, hell of a game. Stroud seemed a little off but the run game was going and many of his throwaways were smart decisions, plus Rutgers was just trying to hold our WRs every play and hope the refs didn't call many PI's (can't say I blame them). Another great game for the defense, love the aggressive play calling and Chambers played out of his mind, his closing speed is unreal. Harrison also had an amazing game, glad to see him show up.

On Day and Schiano, my initial reaction was fuck off Schiano. But after rewatching, I don't really have a problem with it. Was part of it Schiano being pissed at a fake punt with the score being what it was? I'm sure that was a part of it. But he came over (I think) at first to get his players away from our bench and then got into it with Day in the middle of the scrum. Then Schiano lit into his players for the whole thing. Not saying the guy is a saint in the whole process, but not going to say I lost any respect for him all things considered. I know almost everyone will disagree with me on that one, but whatever. Day on the other hand only gained more respect after that exchange, he's done with the whole being soft perception and he didn't go over the top with it, but he definitely isn't taking other people's shit this year. Kudos.

Overall pretty happy with the win and another good defensive performance. Now on to 6-0, Go Bucks!

DEFENSIVE TACKLES
Mike Hall: 40
Taron Vincent: 36
Jerron Cage: 14
Jaden McKenzie: 10
Ty Hamilton: 7
Tyleik Williams: 6
Hero Kanu: 2
Bryce Prater: 1

Prater played his first snap of the season on the final play of the game.

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...ity-of-playing-time-in-49-10-win-over-rutgers

twister55 said:

hope to find arst at ohio st .still seeding norte dame -ohio st game

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Did you still need a copy of Arkansas State?

#1 Alabama/Georgia
#2 Georgia/Alabama
#3 Tennessee is back
#4 Texas is back
#5 Rutgers (7-0 vs Ohio State… SCOREBOARD!)
#6 Ohio State (ugly win at home vs Rutgers.. who was leading Ohio State to start the game)