After a playoff win, is 4-star QB Tate Martell the Ohio State commit of the week again?
Charles Doss via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Which future Buckeye will grab your vote?

After locking up 28% of your votes, Ohio State class of 2017 quarterback pledge Tate Martell was once again named the Land-Grant Holy Land MVP of the Week.

Barely winning the award, Martell was your player of the week over Brendon White (27%), Josh Myers (18%), Wyatt Davis (15%), and Haskell Garrett (11%).

Setting their squads up one step closer to a state championship title, which future Buckeye will grab your vote this go around? The polls are now open. Let your voice be heard and vote:

Here are your five MVP nominees for this week:

Tate Martell


Another game, another win for Bishop Gorman (NV). Leading the undefeated Gaels past Palo Verde (NV), 59-0, the four-star rated quarterback once again showed off his athletic ability threw the air and on the ground.

Completing 5 of his 11 passing attempts, Martell accounted for 92 yards and a touchdown while doing most of damage with his legs. Carrying the ball 12 times, the future Buckeye signal caller rushed for 220 yards and three more scores in the runaway win over the Panthers.

Haskell Garrett


The Bishop Gorman defense came to play and the future OSU defensive tackle was definitely a force in the Gaels shutout win over Palo Verde.

In short duty, Garrett finished with three total tackles (1.5 for a loss) and a quarterback hurry.

Brendon White


White has shined at a matter of positions on the field this season for Olentangy Liberty, and that sure didn’t change on Friday evening.

Seeing time all over, White, who will more than likely end up the defensive side of the ball for the Buckeyes, racked up 212 total yards from scrimmage and scored four receiving and one rushing touchdown to help the Patriots pick up the win over Medina, 45-27.

Shaun Wade


Wade showed why he’s rated a five-star prospect against Taylor County (FL). On consecutive Taylor County drives, the cornerback came away with defensive touchdowns for Trinity Christian.

Snatching up a botched pitch, Wade rumbled 22 yards to the endzone to only moments later come away with an interception, which he returned 29 yards to pay dirt.

While seven total tackles and two scores looks pretty decent in the stat book, Wade’s night wasn’t done there. The longtime OSU pledge also scored on a two point conversion in Trinity Christian’s 64-16 blow out victory over Taylor County on Friday night.

Brian Snead


Missing some games earlier this season due to injury, Snead looked great on Friday for Armwood High School (FL).

Taking on a decent Auburndale (FL) squad, Snead and Armwood made easy work out of the Bloodhounds. Carrying the ball 29 times, the junior running back rushed for 146 yards and four touchdowns in the 41-20 Hawks win.


Poll
Which Ohio State commit is your MVP of the week?

• Tate Martell
• Haskell Garrett
• Brendon White
• Shaun Wade
• Brian Snead

0 votes | Results

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Saturday's Matchup Between the Buckeyes and Spartans Set to Air on ESPN at Noon - Eleven Warriors
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Saturday's Matchup Between the Buckeyes and Spartans Set to Air on ESPN at Noon
Eleven Warriors
The Buckeyes will travel to Spartan Stadium looking to avenge last season's loss in Columbus. The last time Ohio State made the trip to East Lansing, the Buckeyes left down with a 49-37 victory over a Spartan squad that was ranked No. 8 in the country.
Wolverines, Buckeyes try to stay on courseCheboygan Daily Tribune

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Buckeyes, Louisville big winners as polls shift - Fox 28
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes, Louisville big winners as polls shift
Fox 28
On Sunday, Alabama was a unanimous No. 1 for the first time this season, receiving all 61 votes. Ohio State is No. 2, a season best for the Buckeyes, and Louisville is No. 3, matching its best ranking ever. No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 Clemson each dropped ...

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Future Buckeyes shine: White one of many super performers - 247Sports
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Future Buckeyes shine: White one of many super performers
247Sports
Every Sunday during football season Bucknuts' wraps up the weekend that was in high school football in Ohio and elsewhere, focusing on those who will continue their careers playing for the Buckeyes. Over the weekend a number of future Buckeyes played ...


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Ohio State, Louisville move up behind Alabama in AP poll - ESPN
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Ohio State, Louisville move up behind Alabama in AP poll
ESPN
On Sunday, Alabama was a unanimous No. 1 for the first time this season, receiving all 61 votes. Ohio State is No. 2, a season best for the Buckeyes, and Louisville is No. 3, matching its best ranking ever. No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 Clemson each dropped ...

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No. 2 Ohio State leads Big Ten in latest AP & Coaches polls
BTN.com staff via Big Ten Network

After a couple weeks of Michigan leading the Big Ten in the AP & Coaches polls, it's Ohio State's turn again. View both polls inside.

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Ohio State football | Buckeyes leap to No. 2 in coaches poll - Columbus Dispatch
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Ohio State football | Buckeyes leap to No. 2 in coaches poll
Columbus Dispatch
The Buckeyes (9-1), coming off a second straight 62-3 victory, this time at Maryland, today leaped to No. 2 in the USA Today Amway coaches poll behind unbeaten and unanimous No. 1 Alabama. The reason for Ohio State's upward mobility was what ...
What We Learned: Ohio State can make CFP without winning its divisionCBS sports.com (blog)
Week 12 AP college football poll: Bill Landis ballotcleveland.com
College Football Playoff Picture Week 11: Chaos Reigns, But to What End?HERO Sports (blog)
247Sports
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Ohio State was about as dominant as possible in their win over Maryland
Chad Peltier via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes were dominant for a second-straight week, beating Nebraska and Maryland by identical 59-point margins.

November has been good to the Buckeyes so far, at least on the field.

Last week's win was a dominant performance over a good opponent; this was an even more dominant performance against a pretty bad opponent. As you can see in the table below, the Buckeyes were even more efficient and explosive on a per-play basis. Through two games, the offense has only had one inefficient drive in non-garbage time play (i.e., a drive that didn't end with a scoring opportunity). The defense has only allowed a total of four explosive plays in that time span.

Ohio St Maryland
Rushing SR 70% 14%
Rushing exp plays 6 (20%) 0 (0%)
Passing SR 64% 37%
Passing exp plays 4 (14%) 1 (4%)
Red zone TDs 75% 0%
Scoring opps efficiency 5.5 3
Drive efficiency 91% (1) 10% (4)
Pts off turnovers 13(4) 0


In the table above, scoring opportunity efficiency looks at the average points scored per scoring opportunity -- drives with a first down past the opponents' 40 yard line. Drive efficiency looks at the percentage of drives that were scoring opportunities. The number in parentheses is the number of three-and-outs the offense had. The number in parentheses in the Pts off turnovers row is the number of turnover opportunities the Ohio State offense had to score and includes turnovers on downs. These stats only include stats up to the first two drives of the second half.

In the advanced stats preview we noted that three advanced stats would matter most:

• 
  
  • Offensive rushing success rate: The Buckeyes should have a lot of success on the ground since Maryland fields one of the worst run defenses in the country.

  • Offensive adjusted sack rate: The one area that Maryland might be able to find some success on defense is by creating negative plays in obvious passing situations. The limitation is that the Buckeyes may not be put in too many obvious passing situations.

  • Defense rushing IsoPPP: Maryland's path to the upset is by creating explosive runs with two stellar running backs. The Buckeye defense will likely work on containing Harrison and Johnson and creating negative plays.

  • Defensive finishing drives: The Buckeyes should have advantages creating negative plays, making the Terps drive the full length of the field, and preventing scoring opportunities from becoming touchdowns.

Cure for the common run game


It was clear from the beginning of the game that although the Buckeyes could run as much as they would've liked against this Maryland defense, the goal for the offense was to get the passing game some work.

The advanced rushing stats are honestly absurd, especially considering that this was a conference opponent: 70% rushing success rate and a 14% explosive rushing rate for the non-garbage time period I tracked (which was until J.T. got pulled). Mike Weber had a 58% success rate and four runs of 11+ yards, while Samuel had a 100% success rate, two explosive runs, and two rushing touchdowns on his four carries. That's absurd.

With that kind of efficiency, the offensive coaching staff could work on the trouble areas for more difficult matchups. And the passing game delivered with a performance that was slightly more efficient and definitely more explosive than last week's. Six different receivers had an explosive catch against Maryland.

We also noted the potential for Maryland's defensive front to get in Ohio State's backfield a few times -- they created two sacks and three tackles for loss, but J.T. had a ton of time in the pocket for most of the game.

The defense shut down all of Maryland's explosive ability


The Maryland run game has been surprisingly effective this season. But after leading rusher freshman Lorenzo Harrison was suspended for the game it was clear that Maryland would be fighting an extremely uphill battle to produce enough explosive runs to keep the game close.

As a result, the Terps had four three-and-outs through two and a half quarters and a dismal 14% rushing success rate. They didn't even have a single explosive run, with the longest on the day being just one 11-yard run.

Maryland also only had a single scoring opportunity, but the defense finished that drive as well, stopping Maryland after a first-and-goal at the Ohio State three yard line. That one scoring opportunity followed Maryland's sole explosive play, a 37-yard pass. That's a completely dominant defensive performance for the second-straight week.

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Ohio State moves up to No. 2 in the latest Coaches Poll
Harry Lyles Jr. via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Losses in front of them and a big win helped the Bucks rise.

In what many expected to be a bad week in college football, ended up being one of the more exciting weeks we’ve had all season. The No. 2, 3, and 4th ranked teams in the nation all fell, and the Buckeyes raced past Maryland for a 62-3 win.

With that, the Buckeyes come in this week ranked No. 2 in the latest Amway Coaches Poll. The Bucks would have benefitted from a Michigan victory over Iowa in terms of Big Ten tiebreakers, but they still have a path to the playoff.

It looks like we could be in for one of the more unpredictable seasons we’ve seen since the College Football Playoff was implemented, but with a few more weeks of football, things could get clear pretty fast.

The entire Coaches Poll will be posted below shortly.

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What could get OSU into playoff or keep Buckeyes out after Michigan's 'L' - Dayton Daily News
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


What could get OSU into playoff or keep Buckeyes out after Michigan's 'L'
Dayton Daily News
The Wolverines and Buckeyes both stumbled on the road at night despite their opponent arguably not really playing all that well. Of course, Penn State and Iowa were able to be very disruptive on defense, but that's only half the battle. And crucial ...
Big Ten Week 11 Power Rankings: Buckeyes back on topESPN (blog)
The curious case of Ohio State: Buckeyes are Big Ten's best, future No. 2, but could miss out on conference title gameComcast SportsNet Chicago
Can Ohio State still make the College Football Playoff without winning the Big Ten?cleveland.com
SB Nation -Eleven Warriors -NBC Sports - Misc. (blog)
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Big Ten Week 11 Power Rankings: Buckeyes back on top - ESPN (blog)
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Big Ten Week 11 Power Rankings: Buckeyes back on top
ESPN (blog)
The Buckeyes are back on top. Ohio State has found its offensive groove again while posting back-to-back, dominant 62-3 wins the past two weeks. Meanwhile, Michigan's first loss of the season gave Urban Meyer's team the boost it needed to also regain ...
What could get OSU into playoff or keep Buckeyes out after Michigan's 'L'Hamilton Journal News
The curious case of Ohio State: Buckeyes are Big Ten's best, future No. 2, but could miss out on conference title gameComcast SportsNet Chicago
Can Ohio State still make the College Football Playoff without winning the Big Ten?cleveland.com
SB Nation -Eleven Warriors
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The curious case of Ohio State: Buckeyes are Big Ten's best, future No. 2, but could miss out on conference title game - Comcast SportsNet Chicago
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


The curious case of Ohio State: Buckeyes are Big Ten's best, future No. 2, but could miss out on conference title game
Comcast SportsNet Chicago
The Buckeyes entered the weekend as the No. 5 team in the College Football Playoff rankings, the first team to move into the much-desired top four in case one of those top-four teams tripped up some time in the regular season's final three weeks.
Can Ohio State still make the College Football Playoff without winning the Big Ten?cleveland.com
Big Ten tiebreakers mean Michigan and Penn State have better shots than Ohio StateSB Nation
What could get OSU into playoff or keep Buckeyes out after Michigan's 'L'Dayton Daily News
Eleven Warriors -Landof10.com -Centre Daily Times
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Buckeyes move up in Amway Coaches Poll - NBC4i.com
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Buckeyes move up in Amway Coaches Poll
NBC4i.com
Ohio State's Terry McLaurin (83) gestures after tackling Maryland punt returner Teldrick Morgan in the first half of an NCAA college football game in College Park, Md., Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky). COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Ohio State ...


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What's Ohio State's new path to the playoff? Final observations from the Buckeyes' win vs. Maryland - Landof10.com
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What's Ohio State's new path to the playoff? Final observations from the Buckeyes' win vs. Maryland
Landof10.com
That's the position the Buckeyes now find themselves in following Michigan's 14-13 loss to Iowa on Saturday night. Beating Michigan will now no longer be enough for Ohio State to win the Big Ten East. The Buckeyes now need Penn State to also suffer a ...
J.T. Barrett record confusion, more Ohio State interceptions: Buckeyes notes, quotes and nuggetscleveland.com
Ohio State 62, Maryland 3 | Road rompColumbus Dispatch
Ohio State Buckeyes rout Maryland TerrapinsDayton Daily News
Chronicle Telegram -BuckeyeGrove.com (subscription) -fox8.com
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Big Ten Power Rankings: Ohio State returns to top of the list
Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer via Big Ten Network

Michigan’s stunning 14-13 loss at Iowa means there is a new king in the Big Ten. It's a familiar one, at that, in Ohio State, which spent most of the season atop the list before losing at Penn State.

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Ohio State showed no quarter in a 62-3 shellacking of Maryland
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


32 first downs combined with Terp turnovers led the Buckeyes to a smashing victory in College Park.

Maryland is a fascinating place that’s rich with history. Its nickname is the Old Line State, which comes from the Revolutionary War and the Maryland soldiers holding the line in the fight for American independence. Additionally, Maryland was a focal point in the War of 1812, a war that was partially caused by the British clowning around and blocking the ports for the colonies. In 1813, the Brits started anchoring ships off the coast of Annapolis in order to stifle the American trade via blockade.

In both cases, Maryland – as well as the original colonies – were never gonna give up, never gonna let the people down, never gonna run around and desert the cause. As history will tell you, both cases ended with the colonies dunking on the British and handing the tea drinkers two Ls to take back across the Atlantic.

Maryland has done more than help gain America’s independence. They’ve been at the forefront of putting Old Bay seasoning on just about everything. From blue crabs to potato chips, Old Bay seasoning is practically on the business card for the state.


Maryland also is the home of hero turned villain Kevin Durant and comedic funnyman Dave Chappelle. (We’ll count D.C. as practically being in Maryland).

But don’t let all these things distract you from the fact that Ohio State laid the smackdown on Maryland, 62-3, in a chilly afternoon/evening in College Park, Md.

Let’s take a look at the power ranking:

1. Picking up first downs


Ohio State racked up an astounding 32 first downs against the Terrapins. That’s an impressive number; what makes it even more impressive is the fact that the Buckeyes only ran a total of 79 plays to get to that mark. Roughly 40 percent of the OSU plays resulted in the chains getting moved.

A big reason behind the Buckeyes being able to move down the field was because of a) an offense that clicked, again, and b) UMD’s defense just being outmatched. Running back Mike Weber picked up 93 total yards, while Demario McCall busted onto the scene with 53 yards and a touchdown. Redshirt junior quarterback J.T. Barrett did J.T. Barrett things, like running for a couple scores and passing over 253 yards (while also picking up two TDs in the air).

Once all the stats were placed on the ledger, Maryland’s defense was responsible for giving up 581 yards.

In comparison, Maryland picked up 10 first downs on 67 plays – which comes out to about 15 percent of plays resulting in a fresh set of downs – and ended the game with 176 total yards.

At least the Maryland jerseys looked cool.

2. The Defense


The vaunted Buckeye defense has been known to force turnovers. It’s just a matter of time before the opposition commits a mistake and the Scarlet and Gray takes advantage.

Against the Terps, defenseman Marshon Lattimore picked off an errant pass and Raekwon McMillan forced a fumble.

It’s another week in which the Buckeyes have caused havoc on offenses. So far this season, the Buckeye defense has created 21 turnovers, and churned those TOs into 96 points.

If the defense isn’t causing turnovers, then they are being absolute headaches to the opposing offense. Ohio State registered 12 tackle for losses (TFLs) – which includes five sacks – in their visit to Maryland.

3. A hurdle


Yeah, it happened again to Maryland: someone hurdled over one of their defenders. Two years ago, quarterback (or human tank, whichever you prefer) Cardale Jones hurdled over a defender in Maryland’s house en route to a Buckeye victory.

It happened again as Marcus Baugh took a page out of the Jones’ book and leaped over defensive back JC Jackson.

4. Whatever you can do, I can better


Ohio State and Michigan have been pummeling opponents in almost identical fashion. Earlier this season, Ohio State destroyed the armor off the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a 58-0 victory. A week later, Michigan and the fighting Harbaugh’s were figuratively foaming at the mouth and ripped what little bit of armor Rutgers had left in a 78-0 pummeling at the birthplace of college football.

Last week, Maryland went into the Wolverines den, and suffered a loss margin of 56. Like the Scarlet Knights, the Terps felt the wrath in the second wave as the Buckeyes won by 59.

We’ll see if the Buckeyes can match (or surpass) the Wolverines 9-point win against Michigan State next week. The Wolverines face Indiana next Saturday – a team OSU defeated by 21.

Either way, a collision course is set for Michigan and Ohio State on Nov. 26.

5. Numbers Don’t Lie


Last week, ESPN made a tweet saying there was a 97 percent chance that one of the top four teams were eventually going to catch their first loss of the season.


Who would it be? Would Bama slip up first, or Washington? What about Michigan?

After a week where stats and polls were completely turned upside down in the political world, that 97 percent chance of a loss came fast at Clemson.

With an eight point lead late into the fourth quarter, Clemson allowed the Pittsburgh Panthers to claw back into the game, which ultimately led to Pitt having a chance to take the lead with six seconds left on a 48-yard field goal.

Photo by Tyler Smith/Getty Images
Don’t Let the Name Fool You: Chris Blewitt’s game-winning FG that brought down No. 2 Clemson

Chris Blewitt delivered the red-herring of the night by connecting on the go-ahead FG. Pitt took down the No. 2 in the land – potentially leaving a seat for a newcomer in the top four of the college football playoff ranking.

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For the second week in a row, Ohio State beat an opponent by the score of 62-3. While last week's blow-out victory over Nebraska might have been somewhat of a surprise, most Ohio State fans expected the Buckeyes to shellack the lowly Terrapins.

1. For the season, Ohio State now has four wins of 50+ points: Bowling Green (77-10); Nebraska (62-3); Maryland (62-3); and Rutgers (58-0).

2. Yesterday was the fifth time on the season that the Buckeye defense held an opponent out of the end zone. In addition to the four games listed above, Ohio State also beat Tulsa 48-3. Note: Bowling Green scored 10 points against Ohio State, but their lone touchdown came by way of a pick six.

3. When Curtis Samuel gets the football, good things happen. Yesterday, Samuel had 4 rushes for 38 yards and a pair of touchdowns, 5 receptions for 74 yards and a 36-yard touchdown, and one punt return for 11 yards.

4. On the season, Samuel leads Ohio State in receptions (57); receiving yards (750); and touchdowns (13); and he has the three longest plays from scrimmage (74-yard run; 75-yard reception; 79-yard reception). Samuel is also second on the team in rushing with 637 yards, trailing only starting tailback Mike Weber who has 935 yards.

5. With a 36-yard touchdown reception against Maryland, Samuel now has 16 plays from scrimmage of 20+ yards this season (7 rushes, 9 receptions).

6. Curtis Samuel has often been compared to former Florida H-back Percy Harvin. Below are Harvin's stats from his three seasons at Florida (2006-2008) compared to Samuel's stats for the 2016 season:

Player	Season	Game	Rush	Yards	Avg	TDs	Recs	Yards	Avg	TDs	Plays	Yards	Avg	TDs
Percy Harvin	2006	13	41	428	10.4	3	34	427	12.6	2	75	855	11.4	5
Percy Harvin	2007	11	83	764	9.2	6	59	858	14.5	4	142	1,622	11.4	10
Percy Harvin	2008	12	70	660	9.4	10	40	644	16.1	7	110	1,304	11.9	17
Curtis Samuel	2016	10	80	637	8.0	7	57	750	13.2	6	137	1,387	10.1	13

Samuel was underused during his first two seasons at Ohio State due to the wealth of NFL talent at the offensive skill positions (Ezekiel Elliott, Braxton Miller, Michael Thomas, Jalin Marshall, Devin Smith), but he still has 1,152 yards rushing, 1,134 yards receiving, and 22 total touchdowns for his career. By way of comparison, Percy Harvin had 1,852 yards rushing, 1,929 yards receiving, and 32 total touchdowns for his three-year college career.

7. Quarterback J.T. Barrett had an even 300 total yards (253 passing, 47 rushing) and 4 total touchdowns (2 passing, 2 rushing). For his Buckeye career, Barrett now has 8,281 total yards, which is third at Ohio State behind Art Schlichter (8,850 yards) and Braxton Miller (8,609 yards); and 98 total touchdowns (an Ohio State record).

8. Barrett has 6,044 passing yards for his Buckeye career, which is fifth behind Art Schlichter (7,547 yards); Bobby Hoying (7,232 yards); Joe Germaine (6,370 yards); and Greg Frey (6,316 yards).

9. Barrett has 2,237 rushing yards for his Buckeye career, which is 20th in Ohio State history.

10. Freshman running back Mike Weber has quietly had an excellent season, with 152 rushes for 935 yards (6.2 average) and 7 touchdowns. Weber has a very good chance to break Ohio State's freshman rushing record of 1,237 yards set by Maurice Clarett in 2002.

11. Freshman K.J. Hill is beginning to separate himself from the pack at the wide receiver position. Yesterday he had a team-high 5 receptions for 62 yards. For the season, Hill now has 14 receptions (6th best on team) for 230 yards (4th best on team).

12. True freshman wide receiver Binjimen Victor had his first career touchdown reception, a 25-yard strike from freshman quarterback Joe Burrow.

13. Place kicker Tyler Durbin was two for two on field goal attempts, including his career long from 45 yards out.

14. Middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan had an All American performance against Maryland, with 10 tackles, 2 TFLs, a sack, and a forced fumble. The defense as a whole had 12 TFLs, 5 sacks, and forced two turnovers (fumble, interception), while holding Maryland to 176 total yards, 10 first downs, and 1/15 on third down conversions.

15. Which players on Maryland stood out yesterday? Well, the whole team really, with their blood red uniforms from helmet to cleat. At least the Terps were dressed appropriately for a slaughter.

Buckeyes roll to 62-3 win at Maryland - Toledo Blade
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes roll to 62-3 win at Maryland
Toledo Blade
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — No. 6 Ohio State improved to 9-1 with an easy 62-3 victory against Maryland today at Maryland Stadium. The Buckeyes led by double-digits for more than 54 of the game's 60 minutes and scored all seven times they entered ...


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Here's what Ohio State needs to still make the College Football Playoff
Luke Zimmermann via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes control what they control. Beat Michigan, and let the chips fall where they may.

Jim Harbaugh may have the best Michigan team in a generation, but the Wolverines will not finish the 2016 season undefeated. After falling from the ranks of the unbeaten on a field goal as time expired in Iowa, Michigan will now look to try to rebound from the loss next week against a plucky Indiana team.

Speaking of the Hoosiers, Kevin Wilson and co. were again unable to find their signature win, coming up short against Penn State, 45-31. In doing so, coupled with Michigan’s loss, Ohio State finds themselves in a somewhat precarious situation.

Despite continuing to shake off a midseason funk that saw them blow a should’ve-won game at Penn State, Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes no longer control their Big Ten destiny. If Ohio State wins out and Penn State wins out – the Nittany Lions travel to Rutgers then finish the season hosting Michigan State — James Franklin and the Nittany Lions (and not OSU) would be the Big Ten East Division champions.

This is certainly less than ideal for Ohio State’s playoff aspirations. No non-conference champion has ever made the College Football Playoff in all two years of its existence.

On the other hand, if Ohio State doesn’t handle their business against Michigan State and Michigan in each of the next two weeks, what difference does any of it make?

Assuming that the Buckeyes’ momentum continues the way it’s been going the last two weeks and Michigan’s exposed some sort of flaw in the Death Star during their loss to Iowa, here’s what we need to be mindful of as we continue forward towards the college football regular season’s climax:

Penn State losing would make everything easier for everyone


It doesn’t even have to be at Rutgers and/or versus Michigan State. Wisconsin, currently in cruise control in the Big Ten West — the Badgers have just a road trip to Purdue and a date with Minnesota to go — is more than capable of beating PSU on a neutral field.

While an 11-2 Badgers team with a win over LSU would be impressive in its own right, it seems pretty unlikely the College Football Playoff selection committee would so rigidly cling to a but two-year old tradition that they’d put Wisconsin in over an ostensibly 11-1 team that already beat them.

If anything, both teams could get in with enough chaos.

It’s almost impossible to claim to know definitively how the committee would handle an 11-2 Penn State against an 11-1 Ohio State


Precedent remains a bit of a bad word here. The College Football Playoff selection committee has never done a lot of things until they do. The committee could very conceivably take a more impressive total body of work of a one-loss team non-conference champion over a two-loss champion who beat them heads up.

Is this that edge case? It’s tough to say.

Based on all the talking points we heard from former committee chair Jeff Long, conference championships when all other things are equal are huge. But Long’s two years on the committee have come and gone. And how equal those other things are remains paramount in this particular case.

Alabama seems like a mortal lock. But who else are fighting for the other 3 playoff spots?


As mentioned re: the Wisconsin-Big-Ten-champs scenario, it’s not out of the question that two Big Ten teams could get in.

In terms of the field’s current potential makeup, Alabama is a virtual lock. After their de facto bye week against FCS Chattanooga, ‘Bama could lose any game between now and the committee’s final picks and still probably be in.

Even with an upset loss to Pitt earlier today, Clemson just needs to beat Wake Forest next Saturday to clinch a berth in the ACC title game. A loss would send one-loss Louisville to Orlando, where they would likely face Virginia Tech, who is in pole position in the coastal division.

Washington remains the lone other potential one-loss conference champion, though after losing their first to USC at home Saturday while feeling the impact of a string of bad injury luck, it remains to be seen if they can stay healthy enough to win out. UW still has a game against Arizona State, a road trip to face rivals Washington State, and a possible Pac-12 championship game yet to come.

If the Pac-12 winds up functionally eliminating itself from consideration, you could see one-loss Louisville under consideration against a one-loss Ohio State, two-loss Big Ten champ Penn State, and perhaps even two-loss Big 12 champion Oklahoma.

Numbers never lie?


Nate Silver’s statistical analysis vertical FiveThirtyEight took its fair share of lumps for joining everyone else in missing predicting this most recent presidential election, but it did have one model that was closer than just about all of its peers.

The site also missed correctly projecting the Cubs to end a hundred and eight years of futility en route to a World Series title at the start of the baseball playoffs. So while your mileage may vary, here’s how their calculations have the College Football Playoff potentially shaking out:



The math would seem to point towards a final four of Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, and Washington with Louisville, Penn State, and Oklahoma just on the outside looking in.

The human element makes predicting voter behavior challenging at best, and with the prospects of an Ohio State-vs-Wisconsin-2014-title-game like performance from any of the contenders, projections can only go so far until we have complete data.

So just how nervous as an Ohio State fan should I be that the Buckeyes will win out yet somehow be left out in the cold?


You should recognize that the possibility exists, but you should also not listen to any Chicken Little reporters or bloggers whose lack of imagination has them inclined to think you should spend the next three weeks praying for a rigorous parlay of losses.

FiveThirtyEight’s “80%” seems Pollyannaish, but saying Ohio State fans should feel about 60, 65% confident about their playoff chances should the Buckeyes win out regardless of everything else doesn’t seem wrong.

If everything comes to pass—Ohio State beats Michigan again, but Penn State does enough reputation restoration to somehow keep the Buckeyes out of the playoff—OSU has no one to blame but themselves. At the very least, Ohio State faithful will be able to take pleasure in Jim Harbaugh having never finished better than third in his own division in two years at the helm at his alma mater. And a win over Michigan would be a pretty decent consolation prize when everything’s said and done.

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Ohio State is finally using Curtis Samuel the right way, and everyone else should be terrified
Chuck McKeever via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


No. 4 is looking like the most dynamic player in CFB not named Lamar Jackson.

What on paper seemed to be a relatively unexciting Saturday of college football erupted into something much more volatile and interesting as the day wore on. The crown jewel of the unexpected spasms of excitement came early in the evening, as the Pitt Panthers sealed an upset win over the No. 2 Clemson Tigers. No. 4 Washington faced its toughest test of the season against the No. 20 USC Trojans, and followed the Tigers’ suit by coming up empty-handed. To cap off the evening, the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines lost on a last-second field goal to the Fightin’ Contract Extensions of Iowa. Power, the novelist David Mitchell once wrote, mocks all its illustrious favorites as they lay dying. So it is in bizarre British literature; so it is in college football.

The Ohio State Buckeyes—no one’s idea of a favored power for a good many weeks—had a slightly different day taking on the Maryland Terrapins. For the second consecutive game, Urban Meyer’s team walked off the field on the right side of a 62-3 boat race. There’s an awful lot of praise to be handed out here, with the Buckeyes once again looking like the team we all thought they might be after the Oklahoma game. Let’s dive in.

Blue chip stocks


Curtis Samuel, H-back: The most obvious fix for Ohio State’s midseason woes has finally been implemented. After unconscionably leaving the shifty playmaker out of the game plan for several ugly weeks, the Buckeyes have completely shifted their offensive focus to Samuel. It’s paying dividends. Samuel is the only player in college football with more than 500 rushing and 500 receiving yards this season; that his increase in touches has matched Ohio State’s return to form is no accident.

Against the Terrapins, Samuel rushed four times for 38 yards and two touchdowns. He led the Buckeyes in receiving, reeling in five catches for another 74 yards and a touchdown. If Ohio State wants to beat Michigan in two weeks, they’re going to need a huge day from Samuel (and a complete abandonment of the ultra-conservative offense that Urban Meyer tends to default to in tight games when the script isn’t working).

Raekwon McMillan, LB: McMillan, like Samuel, simultaneously makes this column an easy one to write (because he wrecks fools so consistently) and a difficult one to write (because one runs out of new adjectives to describe the same person’s excellence after 10 consecutive weeks). McMillan is a force on Ohio State’s defense, the kind of player who leads by example and seems to be involved in every single tackle.

Against a hopelessly outgunned Maryland offense, Raekwon cooked. He was in on 10 total tackles (recording six on his own), including a sack and two tackles for loss. He killed a Terrapin drive on his own by punching the ball out from Wes Brown’s hands. He is, was, and will continue to be a monster on defense. This is what Wilton Speight’s nightmares look like.

Jerome Baker, LB: Baker provides a lightning complement to the steady, thunderous rumble of McMillan. The speedy outside linebacker came to play on Saturday, getting in on seven tackles, including a sack. Singling out individual defensive excellence is tough when the entire 11-man squad is playing so lights-out that they’ve given up six total points across the last two weeks, but without Baker—who made things miserable for the rotating cast of QBs and backs that Maryland trotted out—that line might look a little different.

Solid investments


J.T. Barrett, QB: “J.T. Barrett, pocket passer” is a development that not many saw coming heading into this season, and one that would’ve been unthinkable just a few weeks ago. But that’s precisely who Barrett has been in the past two weeks. The coaches should be lauded for modifying the Buckeye game plan away from the vanilla read-option and instead trying to open things up downfield. Barrett, who’s had more time to throw in the last two weeks than he could’ve dreamed of against Penn State or Northwestern, has made the most of his chances. He’s not perfect, but it’s a reinvigorated offense with him going through his progressions and hitting guys beyond ten yards.

Against Maryland, Barrett was excellent through the air, going 18-of-27 for 253 yards and a brace of touchdowns. One of those scores was among the prettiest throws of Barrett’s career, as he put the ball where only Curtis Samuel could get it as No, 4 streaked into the end zone. He didn’t abandon the run entirely, either, adding another two TDs on 11 carries for 47 yards. At his best, Barrett seems to play the game at a different speed than everyone else. This felt like one of those times.

Demario McCall, RB: There’s an embarrassment of riches on Ohio State’s bench. More on the rest of them in a minute—let’s talk about No. 30, Demario McCall. McCall, who has mostly seen touches in garbage time this season, got involved earlier than usual in this game despite Mike Weber’s efficacy (12 carries, 93 yards) on the ground. McCall made the most of his looks, going for 53 yards and a score on 13 carries. He’s not as powerful as Weber, but dang, McCall can really run, and he showed that off against the Terrapins.

Junk bonds


Missed opportunities: For the second consecutive week, the Buckeyes came up seven points short of setting the internet aflame with jokes. A shame.

Buy/Sell:


BUY: Ohio State’s playoff chances. With Michigan’s loss, the Buckeyes now need Penn State to drop another game if they want to play in the Big Ten championship. The Nittany Lions have to go on the road into the birthplace of college football probably won’t lose to Rutgers next week, which means Michigan State is the only real hope for this scenario to unfold. Still, if the Buckeyes beat Michigan, there’s a great chance they still go to the playoff even if they don’t play for the conference championship, given today’s shakeups. There’s no precedent for this yet in the playoff system, but this could be the year it finally happens.

SELL: D.J. Durkin’s Tom Thibodeau mask. For the fourth time this season, starting Maryland quarterback Perry Hills left a game with an injury. He’s been plagued by problems with his throwing shoulder all year, yet not only did he start for the Terrapins, he was also called on to execute a few designed runs. On one of those, he took the hit that sidelined him for the rest of the game. Maryland has a few of the more seasoned backup QBs in the Big Ten—why a) start a banged-up Hills and b) then call plays that increase his likelihood of aggravating an injury? Not the most sensible thing in the world.

BUY: Ohio State’s run defense. Look at these stupid numbers. (via ESPN.com)




BUY: Ohio State’s bench. Joe Burrow, Demario McCall, Binjimen Victor, K.J. Hill...the list of Buckeye backups who balled out on Saturday night is a long one. The future looks bright.

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Buckeyes celebrate with fans on the road - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes celebrate with fans on the road
247Sports
Buckeye fans travel well, that's an undisputed fact. For years Ohio State fans have taken over opposing stadiums and watched their team dominate on the road. Saturday in College Park was no different. The Scarlet and Gray defeated Maryland 62-3 (the ...

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Ohio State hockey ties UConn, 3-3
Matt Torino via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes dominated the Huskies, but couldn’t put them away.

Ohio State University enjoyed running roughshod over eastern seaboard schools today. The football team toyed with Maryland and won by 59. The hockey team dominated every facet of the game versus UConn except the scoreboard.

Ohio State hockey officially tied with UConn, 3-3, and lost in and exhibition shootout held after the overtime period ended, 2-1 in five rounds. The final score and shootout would have you think this was an even tilt that could’ve gone either way. That was hardly the case.

UConn was outshot 49-17 over the three periods plus overtime. The first period the shots were just eight apiece, with the Huskies scoring two to OSU’s one and taking that lead into the first intermission. So the onslaught didn’t start right away. Tage Thompson scored both UConn goals, both on separate powerplays, at 2:30 and 9:45 respectively.

Mason Jobst got one back for the Buckeyes at 12:11 with his third of the year. Nick Schilkey had the lone assist. Maybe Christian Frey was shaking off the rust still from his return this weekend. His save percentage has been far from fantastic this season, but Ohio State doesn’t really have any other viable options in net at this point, so they had to keep riding the Texan.

He’d be solid the rest of the game, but wouldn’t really face much. In fact, he’d only face two shots in the second period total. Ohio State had 25 of their own. Yes, Ohio State outshot UConn 25-2 in the second period. That’s the kind of thing I’d imagine would happen to Rutgers if they ever formed a D1 hockey team.

Unfortunately for the Bucks, only one goal would find its way past UConn netminder Rob Nichols. Schilkey scored his tenth of the season from Luke Stork and Matthew Weis at 4:36, but that’d be it for the period. Despite playing probably the best period they’re ever going to play in their collegiate careers, the Buckeyes couldn’t pull ahead.

They would get that go ahead goal just 1:11 into the third, however. David Gust kept his hot streak going one night after his hat trick, with his eighth of the year, on the powerplay. Dakota Joshua and Jobst had the assists.

UConn only had six shots in the third, and yet still one found its way in. Brian Morgan’s third of the year at 10:20 tied the game up once again and for good. OSU would outshoot UConn 14-6 in that third period and still not be able to get another in to take a win they more than earned.

Poor goaltending will only get you so far even if you completely run another team off the ice, and saving 14/17 shots is not going to get you to becoming a competitive top tier Big Ten team. Frey has to be better or Matt Tomkins will get every chance to take the job, and he’s had yet to seize it in his years of opportunity.

Ugliness between the pipes aside, the Buckeyes dominated possession and would win this game going away 99 out of 100 times. They only had two shots on goal in overtime to UConn’s one and lost the exhibition shootout, but the latter’s barely hockey anyway. There’s probably just as much value in watching Tyler Durbin kick field goals into a net and comparing that to his normal on field kicks, for reference. It’s useless.

The Buckeyes should have gotten a sweep, but they’ll have to settle for the 1-0-1 weekend against a middling Hockey East team. It could have been worse — just look at last weekend’s debacle against Robert Morris. OSU will get the chance to avenge these mediocre results with two games at Rensselaer next weekend before opening Big Ten play on December 2 at Minnesota.

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Can Ohio State still make the College Football Playoff without winning the Big Ten? - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Can Ohio State still make the College Football Playoff without winning the Big Ten?
cleveland.com
Ohio State tight end Marcus Baugh leaping over a defender in the Buckeyes blowout of Maryland on Saturday. (Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer). Print Email · Ari Wasserman, cleveland.com By Ari Wasserman, cleveland.com The Plain Dealer Email the author ...
Big Ten tiebreakers mean Michigan and Penn State have better shots than Ohio StateSB Nation
Buckeyes blast Terps, accrue style points in blowout winComcast SportsNet Chicago
Can Ohio State Make The College Football Playoff Without Playing for The Big Ten Championship?Eleven Warriors
Toledo Blade -isportsweb.com (blog) -Landof10.com
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Big Ten tiebreakers mean Michigan and Penn State have better shots than Ohio State - SB Nation
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Big Ten tiebreakers mean Michigan and Penn State have better shots than Ohio State
SB Nation
The Buckeyes could still win the division. If Penn State loses one of its last two games and Ohio State beats both MSU and Michigan, the Buckeyes will finish 8-1 and advance to Indianapolis. But that's not likely, obviously. If Ohio State wins its last ...
Can Ohio State Make The College Football Playoff Without Playing ...Eleven Warriors
Wolverines, Buckeyes try to stay on course - Cheboygan Daily TribuneCheboygan Daily Tribune
How much did Ohio State and Michigan crush Maryland and Rutgers this season?cleveland.com
Sporting Alert (blog)
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Ohio State vs. Maryland | The Bottom Line - Columbus Dispatch
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State vs. Maryland | The Bottom Line
Columbus Dispatch
Ohio State and Michigan keep circling and suspiciously eyeing one other like sumo wrestlers while they flatten anything in their collective massive wake. A week after catching a full dose of the Wolverines, Maryland turned to see the Buckeyes bearing ...
November 11, 2016 | College hoops: Buckeye basketball is backAmico Hoops (press release) (registration) (blog)

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