The Big Ten's (big?) college football footprint in Beaufort County - Island Packet
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


The Big Ten's (big?) college football footprint in Beaufort County
Island Packet
On Saturdays in the fall, Mangiamo's changes from an Italian eatery to a Buckeyes bar. The decor is all Ohio State, and the school's local alumni chapter lists the restaurant as its official “game watch location.” Bambeck expects about 200 scarlet-and ...


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Heat Check: New Buckeye Targets Emerge After A Pair of the Nation's Top Receivers Make the Call in August - Eleven Warriors
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Heat Check: New Buckeye Targets Emerge After A Pair of the Nation's Top Receivers Make the Call in August
Eleven Warriors
The Buckeyes are now up to 18 commitments in what is expected to be a relatively small class. The removal of two priority targets brings some new names to the forefront as Urban Meyer and Co. extended two big new offers in August. *The board will be ...
BM5: Could Dobbins, Akers both be on the run?247Sports

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Ohio State's new starting secondary will have a good test from Bowling Green's Air Raid
Chad Peltier via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Even with a new quarterback and a new receiving corps, the Bowling Green offense should be productive

Ohio State opens 2016 with relatively lower expectations. SBNation's own Bill C. puts the Buckeyes below Michigan in the Big Ten East. With the lowest returning production of any Power-5 school, that seems reasonable -- no matter what the AP voters think.

But 2014 comparisons are also appropriate. From the outside, Ohio State's lack of nationally-known star power, young team overall, and high team talent base suggest that the team is a year away from playoff contention. And just like in 2014, it's fair to say that another national championship is definitely under this team's ceiling.

Bowling Green presents a formidable offensive challenge in week one. In many ways they're an ideal week one opponent -- in state and running a similar offense to their next two opponents.

When Ohio State has the ball


Bowling Green under Dino Babers wasn't known for playing elite defense, but it would be wrong to think that the defense is on the same level as an Indiana or Texas Tech. On Bowling Green's side, a few things stand out:

1. The defense as a whole plays much worse in the fourth quarter, going from an average of 62nd in overall defensive S&P+ in the first three quarters to 101st in the fourth quarter. This suggests that defensive depth becomes an issue later and later in to games. For Ohio State, you should expect Mike Weber to get increased carries and explosive runs in the fourth quarter, relative to his performance and workload the rest of the game.
2. They are fairly bend-don't-break, ranking 56th in IsoPPP+ (limiting explosive plays) and 86th in success rate+. So look for big plays, probably on the ground, to be fairly limited relative to the consistent success Weber, Samuel, and especially Barrett will have running the ball.
3. Bowling Green has significant trouble on passing downs (111th) compared to both standard downs (36th) and regular passing S&P+ (62nd). This suggests that big plays are likely to come on third downs, even if they're not necessarily passes. We could see a high percentage of runs on passing downs against Bowling Green.

To me, this all adds up for a consistent day for the ground game, with likely distributed between Samuel, Barrett, and Weber as the coaching staff finds their rhythm with playcalling.

Bowling Green wasn't particularly havoc-creating, ranking 61st in adjusted sack rate and under the national average in havoc rate, but it's the first game of the season for a Buckeye offensive line with three new starters.

There shouldn't be too much question that the Ohio State offense can have success against Bowling Green's defense, but the real areas to watch should be: 1. The new offensive line's sack rate 2. Weber's efficiency/explosiveness as a new starter 3. Distribution of carries between Barrett, Weber, Samuel, and anyone else 4. Passing game efficiency/which receivers emerge

When Bowling Green has the ball


Dino Babers made the Bowling Green offense something to worry about. It operates extremely fast with an adjusted pace faster than 94.4% of college football, and it's heavily air-based, with a standard downs run rate 13 points below the national average. Here are the major takeaways:

1. Just because it's an Air Raid offense doesn't mean that they have trouble running the ball. They rank third in overall rushing S&P+ due to solid efficiency. Leading rusher Travis Greene is gone, but his replacement, Fred Coppet, was a nearly identical match in efficiency and explosiveness.
2. The big change from last year is obviously that nearly-5,000 yard passer Matt Johnson is gone. But if James Knape is the primary quarterback, he at least was a capable fill-in for Johnson last season, if on limited snaps. The system, and Knape's time in it, should produce similar results.
3. Bowling Green also lost four of their top five leading receivers, which is a huge blow. The quarterbacks are fairly plug-and-play, but returning receiving experience seems to be highlight correlated with the effectiveness of the offense.
4. The offensive line is fairly experienced, but was just 64th in adjusted sack rate despite the system. Expect a decent amount of pressure from Schiano, depending on how comfortable he feels with his three new defensive backs.

This is the major concern for the Buckeyes -- can they limit the effectiveness of what was a prolific passing attack last season? That Bowling Green passing attack had huge attrition -- nearly every notable player from last year's passing game except for leading returning receiver Ronnie Moore is gone -- but it's fair to expect similar effectiveness despite the new faces.

It's also a big concern that returning secondary experience is highly correlated with overall defensive S&P+. Can Malik Hooker, Webb, Ward, and Lattimore handle the amount of work they're going to get in opening week? We don't have a lot of data to go on for this group, other than the reassuring fact that these players have at least been in the program for a long time.

The real areas to watch are: 1. How effective the pass rush is -- can Hubbard, Lewis, and Holmes generate a similar pass rush with Washington and Bosa gone? 2. How efficient will Bowling Green be against the rebuilt secondary, and in particular, will they create explosive plays too?

The 3 most critical stats

1. Bowling Green's passing IsoPPP+ -- the number of big passing plays against the rebuilt Ohio State secondary
2. Ohio State's rushing success rate -- can Weber and Samuel do what Elliott did on his own last year?
3. J.T. Barrett's passing success rate -- which receivers emerge as reliable targets

Picks


Me: OSU 45, BGSU 21

S&P+: OSU 40, BGSU 20

F/+: OSU by 19

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OPINION: Ohio State Will Rest Easy This Year…I Promise
Ken Galvin via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


We are honored to introduce you to Ken Galvin who is interested in becoming a writer for The Buckeye Battle Cry. Follow Ken on Twitter (@KennyGalvin). Please give Ken some feedback and let us know what you think.

With this being my first article I figured I would talk about how The Ohio State Buckeyes have out-shined the team up north this off season. Outside of one, and I literally mean one off-season recruiting move, *ichigan has not done anything that should warrant the type of reception they have received this year. Its not like Ohio State was just hiding under a rock during the off-season; they were out there recruiting better talent and reloading for the upcoming year.

First off I have to say in his first full season of recruiting for *ichigan, coach khaki did pretty well. He pulled in the nation’s fifth best class but Coach Meyer did better by collecting the nation’s fourth best class. Coach khaki did get the number one recruit in the nation, Rashan Gary, but he’s a defensive tackle who’s more than likely going to just get swallowed up in the interior most of the time. Coach Meyer on the other hand went out and got the baby bear, Nick Bosa, who is bigger and faster than his brother Joey was as a freshman. In the years to come, I can all but guarantee that you will be hearing Nick Bosa’s name earlier and more often than Rashan Gary.

Most college football fans are probably looking at The Ohio State Buckeyes and thinking that with the exception of the QB position this is going to be a rebuilding year. What they may not know is many of those key spots have already been filled with some great players. I think Sam Hubbard, Joey Bosa’s replacement, is going to be a player to watch this year. His best performance last year came on the biggest stage in the Fiesta Bowl where he had 3 solo tackles and a sack.

The team up north only lost seven total starters from last year. With arguably their biggest loss being QB Jake Ruddock, *ichigan did nothing last year to replace him. Due to this, they are forced to start sophomore Wilton Speight, with Senior John O’Korn as his backup. Since the most important position on the field is being held by a place holding QB, it’s going to put a lot of pressure on Senior De’Von Smith and the running game, a back field that only rushed for a team total of 57 yards last year against the Buckeyes.

Let’s not forget that Coach Meyer has also assembled the best recruiting class in history. The 2017 Buckeye recruiting class includes six 5-star, and ten 4-star recruits. How is the team up north doing, you ask? They have the tenth best class in the nation with zero 5-stars, and ten 4-star recruits. I think it’s safe to say that the future of our program is in good hands.

And I find myself sitting here, wondering how anyone could think that the team up north could be Ohio State’s nightmare this year.

I’m positive Coach Meyer will be sleeping comfortably in December, with four pairs of gold pants hanging around his neck.

The post OPINION: Ohio State Will Rest Easy This Year…I Promise appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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The 3 most important Ohio State Buckeyes for 2016
Christopher Jason via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The offensive backfield will have a lot to say about whether Ohio State can compete this year

When looking at the 2016 depth chart compared to the 2015 depth chart, there are noticeable holes and questions regarding inexperience, due to the mass exodus of NFL departures and graduation. Using key departures, spotlighting players at important positions, leadership qualities and players switching positions, we came up with the 10 most important players on the team. They may not be the most heralded players, or even the best players, but they will be vital to this team’s on-field success.

Here is the third and final installment (here is 10-7 and 6-4) of the most important players for the 2016 Ohio State Buckeyes:

3. Pat Elflein


Why? Elflein was immediately named captain for the 2016 season following the Fiesta Bowl victory over Notre Dame and he was more than deserving of the accolade. The fifth-year senior is making a change to center after starting the prior two seasons at guard and has been rated as college football’s most NFL-ready interior offensive lineman. With the move to center, he now becomes the de-facto quarterback of the offensive line and will need to call out the Mike linebacker, recognize the defensive front and get the rest of the offensive line on the same page. The 6’3”, 300 lb offensive lineman is a road grader and has been one of the most consistent and dominant run blockers in college football over the past two seasons.

Elflein was an integral part of an offensive line that paved the way for the top-two yards per carry averages in school history with 6.8 yards per carry in 2013 and 5.7 yards per carry in 2014. Elflein and Billy Price are the only two returning starters and although Price was recently named a captain, Elflein is the leader and the most talented of the group.

2015 performance: Elflein started all 13 games and was named second-team All American by the Associated Press and SI.com. He was also named first-team all Big Ten for the second straight year. The Buckeyes averaged 245.2 rushing yards per game; including 360 rushing yards at Virginia Tech and then 369 yards at Michigan.

Question marks: J.T. Barrett’s new center is about as rock-solid as a player can be. The only possible question mark would be his transition to a new position, but if anyone can make it a seamless transition, it would be the three-year starter.

Conclusion: For most spread teams, the offensive line is not as important because they are predicated on quick reads and quick throws that slow down opposing defensive lines. But at Ohio State, where they feature a pro-style, run-first spread offense, the offense lives and dies by the offensive line (remember 2014 Virginia Tech, anyone?). Although they only return two linemen, they will be tough and experienced at center with the return of Elflein, who checks in at No. 3 on the most important Buckeyes list.

2. Mike Weber


Why? Ever hear of Ezekiel Elliott? Our reigning “most important player” of last season was chosen by the Dallas Cowboys with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. The Buckeyes will look to redshirt freshman Mike Weber to replace Elliott’s 3,961 yards (6.7 yards per carry) and 44 total touchdowns. Pretty big shoes to fill, huh?

It would be unfair to Weber to expect him to replicate those numbers, but the power run game is the staple of Urban Meyer’s system, and from a measurable and skillset standpoint, Weber fits the bill. Standing at 5’10”, 210 lbs, Weber is a powerful bowling ball who might remind fans of Carlos Hyde (his nickname is actually ‘Baby Los’), due to his size and physical running style. With the departure of Bri’onte Dunn, it’s Weber’s backfield now and he’s going to be counted on to take the brunt of the load at halfback. Sure, Curtis Samuel will do everything out of the H-Back, running back and wide receiver positions, but Meyer likes a physical runner to wear down opposing defenses; which is exactly what Weber brings to the table.

2015 performance: First, Weber’s recruitment did not go as planned in 2013-2014, as he had formed a special bond with former RB coach Stan Drayton, who then left for the Chicago Bears soon after his commitment. Weber’s dissatisfaction with Ohio State also initiated Jim Harbaugh’s first subtweet directed at the Buckeyes. The last time Weber played a competitive season of football was in 2014, when he rushed for 2,268 yards and 29 touchdowns as a senior, despite missing three games. His head coach at Cass Tech (MI.) thought very highly of his running back, calling him “the best back in the Detroit Public School League in the last 30 years.” The four-star recruit redshirted his freshman year at Ohio State, and he wasn’t too happy with it.

Question marks: There are two major questions: First, can Weber handle the heavy load of 210-220 carries? And can he handle the pressure that comes with being the starting running back at Ohio State?

Weber will be facing a barrage of tough defenses in 2016; which include Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan State, Michigan and possibly Iowa. He’s definitely built for it, but he hasn’t played in an actual game since high school and has never played against a gauntlet of physical defenses that he will play against in 2016.

In 2014, Elliott was named the starting running back after Carlos Hyde became the first 1,000 yard (RB) rusher in Urban Meyer’s coaching career. Elliott had some big shoes to fill. He started off that season extremely slow, rushing for only 44 yards (vs Navy), 32 yards (vs Virginia Tech) and 65 yards (vs Kent State) in his first three games as the starter. There was scrutiny from fans saying he could not replace Hyde, before he went on a tear for the rest of the season. He finished with 1,878 yards and 18 touchdowns, en-route to a national title. If Weber struggles early, will he be able to handle the pressure from the rabid fan base and the media?

Time will tell.

Conclusion: A solid running game is what makes Urban Meyer’s offense work, and a successful running game is what makes Urban Meyer’s offense nearly unstoppable. If the offensive line can do its job, it’ll be up to Weber to make ‘Zeke-like plays on the second level. We know he has the talent and the measurables to do it, now it’s his time to establish a legacy for himself and become the next great Ohio State tailback.

1. J.T. Barrett


Why? Make no mistake about it, Barrett is the most important player of 2016, and it’s not very close. As we know, the Buckeyes lost a lot of skill guys. But there is no better way to negate the losses on the perimeter and in the backfield than a two-time captain and veteran at quarterback. When the offense is running on all cylinders, it begins with the power run game, which is then complimented with the play-action pass game. Barrett’s masterful reads as the decision maker in the read option will make life much easier for Elliott’s successor, which then gives confidence to the young offensive line. In order for the Buckeyes to succeed in 2016, J.T. Barrett needs to be the leader and the quarterback that he had shown he could be in 2014.

2015 performance: 2014 was a roller coaster ride for the native Texan. As we know, Barrett was named the emergency starter right before Week 1, then went on to become the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, before breaking his ankle. He entered the 2015 preseason neck-and-neck with Cardale Jones, who led the playoff run, but lost the battle to Jones right before Week 1. From there on out, it was a quarterback carousel and it was not pretty to watch. Barrett appeared in 11 games, but there was no consistency by the coaching staff. One would throw a pick and then get benched. The other would throw an incomplete pass and be tempted to look over his shoulder. Then one would get hot and then get switched out due to the other one being better at that certain down-and-distance. It was complete disaster.

Barrett went from a 34:10 TD:INT ratio as a freshman to a 11:4 TD:INT ratio as a sophomore. His completion percentage stayed roughly the same, but his passing yards per attempt dropped two full yards, from 9.0 to 6.7. One could argue that was due to his unwillingness to take shots downfield, to limit a mistake and a possible benching.

Question marks: As we just noted, Barrett’s confidence seemed shot as a passer in 2015. Can he get back to his 2014 form with the new and talented weapons on the perimeter and better playcalling? He no longer needs to look over his shoulder if he makes a mistake, which should allow him to play more freely and make fans forget about his 2015 season.

Conclusion: For most programs and especially one that has lost as much as the Buckeyes did, the defense will typically be ahead of the offense early in the season. That’s the primary reason why there are no defenders mentioned in the top three of this list. J.T. Barrett’s pristine decision making in both the run and pass game should allow this offense to click earlier than they should, and allow them to compete at a high level in Norman, Oklahoma. However, if he reverts back to his sporadic 2015 play, this team could go from a potential playoff team to a three-plus loss team.

There you have it. J.T. Barrett is the most important player of the 2016 Ohio State football team.

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The 3 most important Ohio State Buckeyes for 2016 - Land-Grant Holy Land
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


The 3 most important Ohio State Buckeyes for 2016
Land-Grant Holy Land
When looking at the 2016 depth chart compared to the 2015 depth chart, there are noticeable holes and questions regarding inexperience, due to the mass exodus of NFL departures and graduation. Using key departures, spotlighting players at important ...


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Open Beta is out right now, I've had some fun with it when I could connect. Any thoughts?

USC-Alabama and Ole Miss-Florida State headline Week 1’s college football bets, odds
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


College football returns with a stellar opening weekend schedule.

For yet another year Money, Cash, & Joes to make all the important college football picks for the week (for entertainment purposes only). Thursdays will consist of the big national game picks for the weeks. This week has a couple Big Ten picks included since two games kick tonight. Fridays will have all the Big Ten games for the weekend. Last year’s record was right around .500, so hopefully this year can see the win percentage improve a bit.

Last year ATS: 108-105-4 (51-48-3 National, 57-57-1 B1G)

National games: (All games Saturday unless otherwise noted)


Kansas State v. No. 8 Stanford (-14) - Friday 9:00 PM EST - Fox Sports 1

Stanford will be looking to avoid losing their second straight season opener to a team clad in purple when they take on Kansas State on Friday night. Last year the Cardinal dropped their opener to Northwestern, and the loss was a big reason why Stanford was left out of the College Football Playoff.

All eyes in Palo Alto will be on Christian McCaffery, who last year broke Barry Sanders’ NCAA record for all-purpose yards in a season, and ended up finishing second in the Heisman Trophy voting. The Cardinal will lean heavily on McCaffery after they lost quarterback Kevin Hogan to graduation and a few of their top receiving targets from last year.

Lightning won’t strike twice and see Stanford fall victim to purple power in their season opener again, but Kansas State should be able to give the Cardinal a little bit of a game. This feels like one of those point spreads that Bill Snyder teams always find a way to cover. Stanford wins but the margin of victory is inside two touchdowns.

Stanford 31, Kansas State 20

No. 3 Oklahoma (-11.5) v. No. 15 Houston - 12:00 PM EST - ABC

Oklahoma may be hosting Ohio State in a couple weeks but they have to be careful to not look past Houston. Tom Herman made a statement in his first year as head coach of the Cougars, ending the season with authority by leading his team to a 38-24 win over Florida State in the Peach Bowl.

The quarterbacks will be the stars of the show in Houston on Saturday. Baker Mayfield threw for 3,700 yards and 36 touchdowns, helping Oklahoma make the College Football Playoff. Greg Ward Jr. was the only quarterback aside from Deshaun Watson to throw for over 2,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards.

If the Cougars can be as opportunistic on defense as they were last year, where they topped the FBS by forcing 35 turnovers, they have a shot at the upset. Even if they can’t, I still like Houston to keep things tight with the Sooners.

Oklahoma 37, Houston 30

No. 16 UCLA v. Texas A&M (-3) - 3:30 PM EST - CBS

Will Texas A&M start the season 5-0 again and then fall on their faces to the tune of a 3-5 finish for the third straight year? This year’s flavor at quarterback for the Aggies is Trevor Knight. Remember him? The graduate transfer from Oklahoma led the Sooners to a win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl but hasn’t done much since.

Jim Mora will see a familiar face across the sidelines in Texas A&M offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, who was UCLA’s offensive coordinator for the previous four seasons. Mazzone’s familiarity with the UCLA offense could give the Texas A&M defense a little to work with in terms of trying to stop sophomore QB Josh Rosen, who passed for 3,670 yards and 23 touchdowns last year. Another big part of the plan to stop Rosen is with stud defensive lineman Myles Garrett, who registered 12.5 sacks last year.

There are plenty of questions for both teams heading into the season, but here I have to side with the home team. Rosen has never seen a crowd as big and as loud as he’ll see on Saturday and he’ll show some nerves. The Aggies win a back-and-forth affair in College Station.

Texas A&M 41, UCLA 34

No. 18 Georgia (-3) v. No. 22 North Carolina - 5:30 PM EST - ESPN

It felt like decades that Mark Richt was at Georgia but in reality in was only 15 years. Following last season the school decided they had enough and fired Richt and hired Kirby Smart, who had been Alabama’s defensive coordinator since 2008. At least Smart’s job will get a little easier with the return of Nick Chubb from a knee injury he suffered last year. Sony Michel is a game-time decision as he recovers from a broken arm he suffered earlier in the summer.

This contest is the biggest toss-up for me of the opening weekend games. Both teams have question marks, and while I should take the points in this one, I just feel like Chubb (and possibly Michel) will be a little too much for the Tar Heels. Also, North Carolina won’t have Mack Hollins, last year’s FBS leader in yards per catch, for the first half after he was ejected in the bowl game against Baylor for targeting.

Georgia 27, North Carolina 17

No. 20 USC v. No. 1 Alabama (-12) - 8:00 PM EST - ABC

Something has to give at the Jerrydome on Saturday night. Alabama has won their last 14 season openers while USC has won their last 17 season openers. Oh yeah, don’t forgot about Lane Kiffin coaching against his former team. What a juicy start to the college football season.

Alabama is Alabama. We know they are going to crush skulls each year, but this year they do have to replace Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry, as well as find a new quarterback. Whoever the quarterback is will have the luxury of throwing to Calvin Ridley, who caught 89 passes for 1,045 yards in his freshman season.

USC has their own standout wide receiver in JuJu Smith-Schuster, who also caught 89 passes last season. Add in Ronald Jones II, who ran for a USC freshman record 987 yards last year, and it’ll help take the pressure off of Cody Kessler’s replacement, junior quarterback Max Browne.

On a neutral field I do like the points with USC here. The Trojans certainly have the talent to keep pace with the Crimson Tide, I just don’t know if they have the coaching staff to pull off the victory. With all the turnover on their roster I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Crimson Tide come out of the gate slow but turn it on towards the end.

Alabama 24, USC 20

No. 2 Clemson (-8) v. Auburn - 9:00 PM EST - ESPN

After nearly taking down Alabama in the title game last year, Clemson will start their 2016 campaign with another foe from Alabama. There are some questions about how Clemson’s defense will respond after losing seven starters, but there are certainly no questions about the offense with Deshaun Watson at the helm. Last year Watson became the first FBS quarterback to pass for at least 4,000 yards in a season and rush for 1,000 yards.

Auburn doesn’t have quite the same punch that Clemson does on offense. Sean White was named the starter, but he didn’t impress much in the time he was on the field last year, tossing four interceptions and just one touchdown. Jeremy Johnson (remember last year when people were talking about him for Heisman?!?) and John Franklin II could see time.

I’m not thrilled about laying over a touchdown on the road but I think Clemson wins this by double digits. Auburn may keep it close for a while, but Clemson pulls away late.

Clemson 41, Auburn 28

No. 10 Notre Dame (-3.5) v. Texas - Sunday 7:30 PM - ABC

At this point Notre Dame has to be hoping to make it to Sunday without having to suspend anyone else. The good news for the Irish is they get Malik Zaire back after he was injured early last year. DeShone Kizer held his own at quarterback after Zaire was injured, taking the Fighting Irish to the Fiesta Bowl. Both will see time behind center on Sunday.

This is a make-or-break year for Charlie Strong. If Texas struggles again it’s hard to see Strong making it to next year. Freshman quarterback Shane Beuchele is being thrown into the fire in his first start, having to take on this tough Notre Dame defense.

With as much turmoil as the Notre Dame has been going through lately it’s hard for me to back them. This has the feel of a game where Texas finds a way to pull the upset. Longhorns win by a field goal.

Texas 23, Notre Dame 20

No. 11 Ole Miss v. No. 4 Florida State (-4.5) - Monday 8:00 PM - ESPN

What a game to cap off the first full weekend of college football this year! The game may technically be called a “neutral site” game but in all reality it’s essentially a home game for the Seminoles since it’s in Orlando.

Ole Miss has Chad Kelly back but he’ll be working with some new wide receivers and also some new offensive linemen. With the talent the Seminoles have on defense it might be hard for Kelly to find his feet early.

While Florida State will have Deondre Francois making his first start, they’ll have Dalvin Cook to lean on and it’ll be the difference here. Ole Miss may have a strong season this year, but I like the Seminoles and the short line here.

Florida State 33, Ole Miss 23

B1G Games:


Indiana (-10.5) v. Florida International - Thursday 7:30 PM EST - ESPNU

Indiana was so close to a winning season last year and then they remembered they were Indiana and lost to Duke 44-41 in overtime in the Pinstripe Bowl. Nate Sudfeld and Jordan Howard are gone, but Indiana will likely continue to point up points. At least they’ll have to if they want to finally get a winning season since their defense is always awful.

Florida International has three-year starter Alex McGough at quarterback so they might not be terrible this year (even though all Ron Turner teams are terrible). Just too many points for the Hoosiers to lay on the road here.

Indiana 45, Florida International 38

Oregon State v. Minnesota (-13) - Thursday 9:00 PM EST - Big Ten Network

Mitch Leidner is entering his 74th season as starting quarterback for Minnesota, but it’ll be his first full season with Tracy Claeys as head coach. Leidner needs two rushing touchdowns to tie for most rushing touchdowns in school history.

Gary Andersen will have a familiar face at quarterback when the Beavers taken the field. Darrell Garretson transferred from Utah State, where Andersen originally recruited him. The Beavers are young but they should have a decent team coming back and at least be able to keep it within two touchdowns of a Minnesota defense that lost a lot.

Minnesota 28, Oregon State 17

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Ohio State's elite recruiting is why 2016 could be a big season
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 built a talent base in that two-year run so that there shouldn't be a rebuilding year

In a recent episode of his podcast Revisionist History, Malcolm Gladwell applied Chris Anderson and David Sally’s argument about weak and strong links to the US education system. Their original argument was about soccer teams — essentially, they argue that improving the quality of the worst players on a soccer team is more important than getting superstar players. Another way, it’s better to raise a team’s floor players than to raise the team’s ceiling players.

Their argument doesn’t apply to all sports — in fact, basketball is almost the opposite from soccer. A single elite player, like LeBron on the Cavs for instance, can completely change the team because he is able to control so much about the game. In soccer, an elite player simply has fewer touches per game, meaning that weak link players have more opportunities to make critical mistakes.

If we were thinking about this in terms of college football, is it more important to improve the weakest positions on the team or stockpile elite talent? Is it better to go after five-star recruits or limit the number of three-stars?

There’s reason to think that football might be more similar to soccer than basketball in terms of the relative importance of weak vs. strong links. First, football has the same number of players on the field as soccer, meaning more opportunities for weak links to affect the entire team’s play. It doesn’t matter if four of five linemen are five-star pass-blockers -- it only takes one turnstile to lead to a sack.

Second, there’s been a good amount of research suggesting that NFL teams significantly over-value high NFL Draft picks. Given a limited amount of financial resources, it would be better to address a team’s personnel weaknesses by stockpiling pretty-good players with later picks than to chase the incredibly expensive and overvalued front end of the first round.

Eventually I’d love to get a ton of data and fully test the weak vs. strong link theory in college football, but for now I just wanted to look at Ohio State’s recruiting classes since Urban came to Columbus. I’m guessing that the theory applies more to weaknesses on the field than to weaknesses in a recruiting class — i.e., if you’re a recruiting coordinator, is it better to chase two four-star recruits in a position of critical need or go after a five-star, top-5 overall recruit at a position of relative strength?

But that’s not exactly what I look at here — instead, I looked at the top and bottom ends of six recruiting classes. Usually, in the 247 Composite team rankings, we only see either the overall total team score or the average rating of all players in that class. But the class average can be significantly swayed by clusters of player ratings. For example, a recruiting class average could be four stars, but that class could either be all four-star recruits or half five-stars and half three-stars. So I separated the top 25% and bottom 25% of the last six Ohio State recruiting classes by year:


And here's that data in chart form:


OSU Avg recruiting rankings

I excluded specialists from the classes in the data above because the kickers and long snappers were significant low outliers, and only a few classes actually included a scholarship specialist.

There are a couple takeaways for me. First, strong link recruiting has been consistent throughout Meyer's tenure. The Buckeyes typically get a similar number of elite recruits per recruiting class. In the past six years, the percentage of players above .9 in the 247 Composite has gone from 52%, 56%, 78%, 73%, 48%, and 56%. There are two really elite classes, but mostly hovering just above half of the class.

In contrast, the average of the lower 25% has steadily declined since the highs of that 2013 class -- that is, the lowest-ranked 25% has gotten worse since 2013. The overall class average has been varied, however. Finally, this data only goes back to the beginning of Urban's tenure -- if I had data going back further, I think we'd see a decent uptick in both the top 25% and bottom 25% from the Tressel/Fickell era.

I also looked at year-to-year changes in the average recruiting rankings, and the results show a good amount of variance:


OSU Recruiting

So in the chart, the 2013 class average was an average of .032 points better than the 2012 class. Here, it's easy to see the impact of just how good the 2013 class was -- the 2014 and 2015 classes were both great, but had a marked decline relative to 2013.

It's not until the last class in 2016 that the ratings of the top 25% of the class improved over the previous year. Going back to the first chart, the average rating of the top 25% of the 2016 class -- which is equivalent to roughly the top six players -- was the fourth-best in Meyer's tenure at Ohio State.

The bottom 25% of each class since 2013 has gotten steadily worse since the 2013 class, but the rate of decline has also slowed each year. The thing is that the worst six players in each recruiting class could end up being stars. For instance, the lowest 25% in the 2012 class included Cardale Jones, Jacoby Boren, Mike Thomas, and Pat Elflein, while the 2013 lowest-rated recruits included Darron Lee, Chris Worley, and Tyquan Lewis. Malik Hooker is in the bottom 25% for 2014, and Damon Arnette, who's challenging for playing time at corner, is in the 2015 class.

It's possible that, even though the bottom 25% of each recruiting class appears to be getting steadily worse each year, the coaching staff is just especially adept at identifying and developing diamonds in the rough. We won't really know for sure until the later classes -- like 2014 and 2015 weak link recruits -- become upperclassmen.

Finally, I took a look at the middle 50% of each recruiting class -- the group that's not weak link or strong link:



The important line here is the middle orange one for the middle 50% of the class -- and specifically the middle years, in 2013 and 2014. While the upper tier of each recruiting class has stayed fairly constant year-to-year, and the bottom 25% has steadily declined in average recruiting rating, the middle 50% had a definite bump in 2013 and 2014. That means that the top 75% of each recruiting class in 2013 and 2014 was incredibly strong -- and the middle 50% especially strong relative to Meyer's first two years in Columbus.

That's particularly encouraging for 2016 and beyond, because those players are now upperclassmen. Even if you (very wrongly) assumed that the bottom 25% of each recruiting class never play a down at Ohio State, the overall talent base of the program grew significantly in 2013 and 2014, and then grew again with a stellar 2016 class. 2015 was a relative decline for the lower 75%, but it was still an impressive, seventh-ranked class in the 247 Composite team rankings. Nearly 75% of three of the last four recruiting classes were rated .92 or higher.

Overall it's difficult to see whether the Anderson/Sally theory really applies to Urban's recruiting strategy just yet. It would be better to follow up and look at weak links in the actual two deep, and see if on-field weak links lead to a shift in recruiting strategy in the following recruiting class.

But if nothing else, this data is another way of showing just how well Ohio State and Urban Meyer have recruited as of late, and that should bring positive things for 2016, and beyond.

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OSU Non-Rev: Off to a Hot Start
Charles via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


While the Ohio State football team opens there season, a couple Buckeye teams opened their season last week. Even as students were still settling into their dorm rooms and trying to figure out where their classes were, the OSU teams were getting the fall off to an exciting start on the court and the field.

Women’s Volleyball

After advancing to the Sweet 16 last year where they narrowly fell to top overall ranked Washington in five sets, the Ohio State women’s volleyball team opened this season ranked 15th in the country. The Buckeyes are led by senior middle blocker Taylor Sandbothe who was a first team All-American and All-Big Ten selection last season and a preseason All-Big Ten selection this year.


Senior Taylor Sandothe was named Big Ten Player of the Week in women’s volleyball.


The Buckeyes got their season underway with a trip to the Lone Star State where they took part in the North Texas Challenge. OSU opened the tournament on Friday by cruising to a 3 sets to none victory over Texas State (25-16, 25-15, 25-14). The first set saw an early 3-3 tie and the second set saw OSU briefly trail 4-3 but other than those brief moments, the match wasn’t even close as the Buckeyes attacked at an excellent 0.413 rate compared to Texas State’s 0.088. The one point of criticism for the scarlet and grey was that they had 9 service errors on 73 serves to 8 service aces.

After a few hour break, Ohio State returned to the court Friday night to take on host North Texas and once again the Buckeyes came away with a victory in straight sets (25-23, 25-17, 25-19). The first set was a tight, back-and-forth affair that saw 14 ties and 4 lead changes. The set was tied 23-23 late and looked like it could go either way but the Buckeyes scored two straight kills from Taylor Sandbothe and sophomore Audra Appold to take the set. OSU jumped out to an early lead in set two but North Texas came back to tie it at 9. The Buckeyes responded with five straight points to start a 12 to 2 run that put the set out of reach. The third set was another close one featuring 13 ties and 6 lead changes. The set was tied at 16 before OSU went on a 6 to 1 run that gave them some breathing room as they cruised the rest of the way to the victory. Ohio State’s attack returned to more normal numbers with a 0.271% rate though they attacked at 0.407 rate in the third set. Errors once again were a problem for the Buckeyes as they had 9 service errors in the match and 7 of North Texas’s 19 third set points came from OSU errors in one form or another.

Saturday saw Ohio State take on 16th ranked Texas A&M in the defacto title match of the challenge. The match got off to a poor start for the Buckeyes as the Aggies led the whole way to a 25-21 set win. Set two was a thriller that had 16 ties and 4 lead changes. The Buckeyes led late and had several chances to put the set away but the Aggies fended off seven set-points chances before OSU was finally able to score two straight to get the 32-30 win. An ugly third set that saw numerous errors by both teams went to Texas A&M 25-21 but OSU tied the match up again with a 25-18 win in the fourth set. Ohio State jumped out to an early 7-3 lead in the final set but Texas A&M came back and stayed close but could never pull ahead as the Buckeyes won 15-13 to take the match 3-2. The win was an exciting one and showed that this OSU team has grit and can battle against good teams. Taylor Sandbothe led the way with a career-high 26 kills and 32 points; Sandbothe was named the tournament’s MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament team by two other Buckeyes, sophomore Taylor Hughes and senior Veleria Leon. Sandbothe’s honors weren’t done there as she was named Big Ten Player of the Week.

Ohio State will host the D.C. Koehl Classic this weekend featuring BYU, Wyoming, and LIU Brooklyn. The tournament will take place in Nationwide Arena to help the arena prepare for hosting the NCAA Volleyball Championship this December.

Women’s Soccer


The OSU women’s soccer team celebrate their season opening victory.


The Ohio State women’s soccer team actually got their season underway two weeks ago with a 3-0 win over Kent State. Last Tuesday the Buckeyes showed even more offensive fireworks in a 4-2 victory over Wright State. OSU jumped out to a quick lead, scoring two goals in the first nine minutes. After a scoreless rest of the half, the second half opened as almost a mirror image of the first with Wright State scoring two goals in the first thirteen minutes to tie the game. Ohio State responded quickly, scoring two minutes later to go back on top, a lead they would hang onto this time.

The Buckeyes hit the road for the first time last Friday with a trip to Coral Gables, Florida to take on Miami. OSU once again scored quickly, going up 1-0 eleven minutes in. Miami tied things up two minutes into the second half but couldn’t hang onto the lead as the Buckeyes went back on top two minutes later. Neither team would score again and OSU would escape with a 2-1 lead.

On Sunday OSU played their second game in the Sunshine State as they took on Florida Gulf Coast. The game was scoreless in regulation and the first overtime period before Ohio State finally scored the game winner in the 108th minute to push the Buckeyes to 4-0-0 on the season.

Ohio State has gotten off to fast starts in most of their games this season but then has let up a bit, allowing their last two opponents to not only get back into the game but to actually tie it up. The Buckeyes need to work on keeping their foot on the gas if they want to keep up their undefeated streak as they travel to Blacksburg to take on 16th ranked Virginia Tech tonight in a game that can be seen on ESPN3.

The post OSU Non-Rev: Off to a Hot Start appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Urban Meyer says Parris Campell will start at wide receiver with Noah Brown
Alexis Chassen via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


“It’s that time, man.”

Ohio State football is just a few days away and as is tradition, Urban Meyer stopped by 97.1 The Fan to talk about Bowling Green and answer fans questions for the first time this 2016 season.

Meyer is “very excited to watch [the young players] play”. He expects nerves, but there are a bunch of young players getting ready to go.

On the game plan against Bowling Green


On offense, the plan is to keep things fairly simple — noting the first two series of the game are the most critical. There are a lot of young guys getting their first taste of 100,000-plus fans cheering in the stands; Meyer jokingly admitted there may be a bit of hyperventilating by some of the 17-year-old players — but the head coach is ready.

One of the young players that will see their first collegiate snap on Saturday is tailback Mike Weber — who Meyer said has the mannerisms of Carlos Hyde. Other starters include Parris Campbell, Noah Brown, Marcus Baugh, Curtis Samuel and Dontre Wilson. Terry McLaurin, Austin Mack, James Clark and K.J. Hill will all see playing time as well. With this kind of depth on offense, Meyer is hoping for a 30-play rotation this season.

Luckily, the offense will be lead by the stable hands of quarterback J.T. Barrett and center Pat Elflein. On Barrett, Meyer had nothing but high praise, “He’s outstanding.” He continued about how it’s been Barrett’s show all summer and during camp, and that “he’s as good as they get.” On Elflein, Meyer double down on a statement he’s said before, “best center in college football.”

Meyer noted that defensively, it’s difficult trying to figure out what Bowling Green is going to do, which makes preparation limited. He is expecting a four-down 4-3 defense, but with some injuries plaguing the team, they might switch to 3-4 ahead of the game.

On his time at Bowling Green


Meyer was asked about his time as head coach for Bowling Green, where he finished with a 17-6 record. The head coach relived talking to Earl Bruce and Lou Holtz who got him an interview and encouraged him to take the job. After initially turning it down, Bruce called and cussed out Meyer, followed by a call from Holtz who asked his former assistant why he didn’t want the job. Meyer noted that it just wasn’t a great position, to which Holtz replied, “Of course it’s not. If it was a great job they wouldn’t give it to you.”

Meyer still talks about his time at Bowling Green with a bit of excitement and a load of respect. He recalled when he started, game day attendance was so bad he and his staff spent three months meeting with every single student organization in order to garner support for the team -- even teaching students their school song and the significance behind the school’s colors.

The head coach was asked to reiterate the story about practice gear and facilities that he told earlier in the week at his press conference. Meyer spoke on how everyone was wearing different t-shirts and shoes, and how there was no cohesion. After some fundraising and making some calls to Adidas, the team was set with matching shoes — blue and white/grey, not brown and orange.

On positional depth


Meyer noted that this is the first time since he’s been at Ohio State that they are able to have a rotation at defensive end. He said, they just didn’t trust the backups the past few seasons, but this year they are stacked — especially with some older guys improving a lot this offseason, like Tracy Sprinkle.

One of the captains that surprised fans a bit was Joe Burger. Meyer notes that he’s the kind of kid who could do anything after college. He’s been offered a job at J.P. Morgan Chase — with a degree in engineering — and Meyer is trying to talk him in to being a coach. Burger will be involved in kick-offs, returns and some defense. Meyer noted that the impact of players like Burger, who don’t have a set starting role, on those around them is critical.

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Here’s what you need to know about Michigan State before Ohio State plays them
Matt Brown via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


#DISRESPEKT

The Ohio State football season will be here before you know it, and even if you’ve only been paying semi-close attention this offseason, you’re probably aware of the major storylines with the program. This is going to be an exceptionally young, but talented and athletic team. There’s a lack of proven production at wideout, running back, and defensive back. They return the best QB in the conference, and should at least compete for a Big Ten title.

But you may not know a lot about the specific teams on Ohio State’s schedule. We’ll get into a lot more detail before the actual games, but you may want a primer so you can sound smart at the bar, or at the barbecue, or in the grocery store checkout line.

So take a look at Ohio State’s opponents this year. Next up, the defending Big Ten champs, the Michigan State Spartans.

So, what was the deal with Michigan State last year?


You can be forgiven if you’ve just decided to block this out of your memory, but the Spartans did win the Big Ten last season. Not Ohio State. Not Michigan. And certainly not Iowa (lol). The Spartans may have benefited from Michigan’s tragic inability to punt, and good fortune in other places, but what conference champion doesn’t get a few breaks? Even if they didn’t win on style points, they scored enough point-points to finish with a 12-1 record somehow before the playoffs, a win at Ohio State, and a Big Ten title, en route to a playoff bid. The Spartans were good.

And then they got completely embarrassed by Alabama in the first round of the playoffs. But hey, can’t win ‘em all.

But that was last year. What’s Michigan State’s offense going to be like this year?


Well, it certainly won’t be last year’s unit. Quarterback Connor Cook, one of the very best in school history, is gone. Aaron Burbridge, who had a monster season at wideout last year, is gone. Jack Allen and Jack Conklin, two All-Americans on the offensive line, are gone, along with right guard Donavon Clark. Those are a lot of important parts for an offense that was only okay in S&P+ (58), and doesn’t have loads of elite prospects waiting in the wings to replace them. Some regression, especially given how well Michigan State performed on passing downs last season, seems likely.

But “some regression is likely” doesn’t mean “bad”, or “absent of any weapons”. New Michigan State quarterback Tyler O'Connor certainly showed he can be efficient to win a huge game last season. They also return their top three running backs, including potential star LJ Scott, who was one of the heroes of the Big Ten championship game. There could be some true freshmen who contribute at wideout, and after last year’s recruiting class, Michigan State has no shortage of options, including Donnie Corley, who Ohio State wanted.

This is a unit that will probably be a little short on explosive plays, and won’t be a efficient as last year, but #DISRESPEKT them at your own peril.

What about their defense?


That’s been the calling card for Michigan State football over these last few seasons, and for good reason. But quite a few of the biggest names are no longer on the roster. Shilique Calhoun, a truly terrifying defensive end, is gone. So far four other top defensive linemen. Linebacker Darien Harris is gone. Corner Arjen Colquhoun is gone. That’s a lot of big time production.

But you know who who is still there? Some really dang good players. Malik McDowell might be one of the only returning names on the defensive line, but he’s All-American quality and might be the single best defensive lineman Ohio State faces this year. Riley Bullough is a tackling machine who can clean up a lot of messes left by a young defensive line. Plus the Spartans return three solid safeties from last year’s team.

This year’s team will require young players on the defensive line to step up alongside McDowell, along with new corners to quickly establish themselves, lest the Spartans struggle giving up big plays again. But there’s enough talent here, and a few stars, to ensure that this should be a very solid defense, even if it isn’t quite top 15-ish quality again.

What’s the all-time Ohio State-Michigan State series like?


Ohio State owns a 29-15 lead in the all-time series, but in recent history, it’s been much more competitive. The Spartans are the only team to beat Urban Meyer twice at Ohio State. The teams have split their last six meetings as well.

Is Michigan State going to be good this year?


Almost certainly.

I mean, are they going to make the playoffs again? Probably not, since Ohio State and Michigan are both more talented across the board. Notre Dame will likely prove to be a very difficult game too, but Ohio State and Michigan were more talented last year, and well, we remember what happened.

This team lost a lot of very good players last year. But outside of Bill Snyder, and maybe Kyle Whittingham, nobody has been better at proverbial “coaching up” of three-star type kids than Dantonio at Michigan State, and now they even have a few blue chips, albeit young ones, to play with. Even if they’re not winning a division title, this is still going to be a quite solid football team.

How worried should Ohio State fans be about this game?


Ohio State fans should be concerned about the Michigan State game every season until further notice, especially since it’s not in Columbus this year.

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Dienhart: 10 things I think I know entering Week 1
Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer via Big Ten Network

The Big Ten season kicks off tonight, with Indiana traveling to Florida International and Minnesota hosting Oregon State (9 ET, BTN/BTN2Go). Here are 10 things BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart thinks he knows about this opening week.

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Ohio State's J.T. Barrett: What kind of season will the Buckeyes QB have in 2016? - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State's J.T. Barrett: What kind of season will the Buckeyes QB have in 2016?
cleveland.com
The idea for this discussion came from a disagreement that Doug Lesmerises and I had during an episode of our Buckeye Talk podcast. If you haven't listened to our podcast yet, here's the most recent episode. But you can listen to the snippet here to ...


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Barrett ready to lead next wave of Buckeyes into battle - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Barrett ready to lead next wave of Buckeyes into battle
247Sports
And that can only be considered a good thing for Ohio State as it enters the 2016 season by hosting Bowling Green Saturday (noon, Big Ten Network). “He's outstanding,” OSU coach Urban Meyer said of Barrett Wednesday night. “He's on top of his game, I'm ...


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Introducing Bowling Green’s new head coach, Mike Jinks
Christopher Jason via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Falcons’ new hire has shot up the ranks rather quickly.

If you look at the best coaches in college football, you will typically see a lengthy collegiate resume.

Most start as a graduate assistant (GA) cutting tape all hours of the day. Then they transition to a couple of positional coaching jobs. Then get hooked up by a colleague above them who got hired as a head coach at another school and become a coordinator. After 10-to-15 years of grinding through long hours at an array of different schools — it took both Urban Meyer 16 years to become the head coach at Bowling Green — they’ll get a crack at a head coaching job at a smaller school before going big time.

Don’t tell that to Bowling Green’s new head coach Mike Jinks, who is taking over for Dino Babers, who ran an electrifying offense before moving onto Syracuse in the offseason. It took Babers 28 years — yes 28 years — to get his first head coaching job at Eastern Illinois in 2012.

The 2013-2014 season was actually Jinks’ first season in college football. He was named the first ever head coach at Steele High School (TX) in 2005 and quickly turned that school into a state of Texas power, going 76-18 during tenure. He also coached the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in 2013, was a National Coach of the Year finalist, and a Texas high school state champion.

Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury was so impressed by Jinks that he offered him a job to coach running backs coach in 2013, before quickly promoting him to associate head coach in 2015. Jinks’ greatest achievement at Texas Tech was developing DeAndre Washington (now with the Raiders) in 2014 and turning him into Tech’s first 1,000 yard rusher since 1998. Typically known for their aerial attack, the Red Raiders averaged 204.8 rushing yards per game, along with 34 rushing touchdowns in 2015. Washington also led the Big 12 in rushing yards that season under Jinks’ tutelage.

The last time a coach jumped from major high school success to coaching running backs at Texas Tech and then to a mid-major head coaching job before heading to a power-five conference was Art Briles, who coincidentally taught Babers his scheme at Baylor. These kind of things always seems to tie together in college football.

Once Babers accepted the job at Syracuse, Bowling Green quickly named Jinks their new head coach. And just like that, after only three years in college football, Jinks was an FBS head coach.

Tempo, tempo and more tempo


If there is one thing that both Texas Tech and Bowling Green have in common, it would be their ability to score points, and score points fast. Both ran up-tempo systems and both finished top-5 in scoring in 2015. Do not expect things to change in 2016.

Jinks is going to want to move the ball quickly — Texas Tech had 33 touchdown drives in under two minutes in 2015 — and keep the opposing defense on their heels. Both teams also averaged over 80 plays-per-game last season. Jinks even went on to say that, “90 snaps a game is realistic in 2016.”

“We’re still going to be up tempo and score a lot of points, but the conditioning to run 82, 83, 84 plays a game has got to be in the ballpark,” said Bowling Green athletic director Chris Kingston. “They’re ready for what Mike Jinks brings.”
The playmakers


Jinks is going to have to coach up the playmakers in his offense and coach them up quickly. Bowling Green lost QB Matt Johnson (46 TD, 8 INT), RB Travis Greene (1,299 yards, 15 TD) and their top two receivers, Gehrig Dieter (transferred to Alabama) and Roger Lewis (NFL), who combined for 178 catches, 2,577 yards and 26 touchdowns.

On the bright side, they return four-of-five offensive line starters, receiver Ronnie Moore — who is a big play waiting to happen and Pro Football Focus’ No. 3 returning receiver in the MAC — and running back Fred Coppet, who averaged the same amount of yards per carry as Greene last season and is being coached by Jinks, the running backs guru.

Moore, who caught 72 balls for 954 yards and 6 touchdowns as the Falcons’ third receiver option last season, will be the player that the Buckeye defense will key on.

Moore is another smallish guy whose strength numbers wow you. He can bench-press 315 pounds, squat 505 pounds and hang clean 240 pounds. Moore doesn't have elite speed -- he runs in the high 4.4s -- but he has excellent quickness and can stop and start on a dime.- Mike Huguenin, NFL.com

In 2015, Bowling Green used Moore similarly to how Ohio State uses their H-Backs. He typically lines up in the slot and they use creative ways to get him the ball.

They’ll run Moore in jet motion and utilize the tap pass to him for an end around:


They’ll also use Moore in the screen game and watch him make plays after the catch:


Or, they’ll hit him in the short game, sit back and watch him make plays. Moore is excellent after the catch; he can break a defender’s ankles or even use his strength and bounce off a would-be-tackler:


Since Ohio State runs Cover 4 (Quarters) and Moore typically runs out of the slot, stopping Moore will primarily be up to the linebackers in the short to intermediate game, and the safeties if they try to hit him deep in the seam.

Overall, the first year coach will bring an uptempo offense to the ‘Shoe on Saturday, which will feature a well-coached run game and a legitimate playmaker on the perimeter.

It will be a good test to see where the Buckeye defense is at from a conditioning and tackling standpoint, as Jinks’ offense will hope to run plays as quickly as he shot up the coaching ranks.

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Five Ohio State Buckeyes Poised for a Breakout Campaign in 2016 - Fox News
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Five Ohio State Buckeyes Poised for a Breakout Campaign in 2016
Fox News
Apr 16, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer leads the Scarlet and Gray teams onto the field prior to the spring game at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports ...


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Ohio State Buckeyes coming off best four-year football run in school history; see rankings: Buckeye Numbers - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State Buckeyes coming off best four-year football run in school history; see rankings: Buckeye Numbers
cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Urban Meyer on Saturday begins his fifth season as Ohio State's football coach having already led the Buckeyes to the winningest four-year stretch in school history. Meyer's first four teams - a combined 50-4 - have both the most wins ...


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Big Ten Network unveils all-new BTN2Go
BTN Communications via Big Ten Network

BTN today announced the launch of an all-new BTN2Go, the number one sports destination for Big Ten fans and alumni, featuring immense user personalization, new school-specific video content, improved social features and integrated tools such as school emojis to enhance the fan experience. With the new and improved BTN2Go, users can now enjoy a hyper-personalized experience where they’ll always be in the know on the latest and greatest with their favorite school. With BTN2Go, fans will now have instant access to original video content direct from both their favorite athletic department and BTN, curated key social content and quick access

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Eleven Warriors, Land-Grant and other websites shaking up Buckeyes football coverage - Columbus Business First
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Eleven Warriors, Land-Grant and other websites shaking up Buckeyes football coverage
Columbus Business First
Coverage of Ohio State University sports – especially football – has long been the domain of the Columbus Dispatch, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the state's other daily newspapers. But their stranglehold on Buckeyes coverage has been slipping thanks ...


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“The Edge” – 2016 Team Anthem by Mekka Don
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


2016’s team mantra has been deemed “The Edge” by Head Coach Urban Meyer, and now it comes to us in a new song by rapper and Buckeye fan Mekka Don.

Check out the new video/song below and give Mekka Don a follow on Twitter @MekkaDonMusic


The post “The Edge” – 2016 Team Anthem by Mekka Don appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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What Would Woody Watch: Week One
Brandon Zimmerman via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Week one of the college football season is finally upon us! The Ohio State Buckeyes take on the pesky Falcons of Bowling Green on Saturday at noon. Be sure to check out my preview for that game. Outside of our Buckeyes, there are a ton of great games going on around the nation…but let’s be real it could be California vs Hawaii in Australia and we’d be stoked to watch it!

Come…sit down…and let’s take a look at what the great Coach Woody Hayes would be watching this weekend!

(3) Oklahoma at (15) Houston, Saturday, Noon

This one is tough because it has to be playing at the same time as our beloved Buckeyes. If you aren’t at your nearest Buckeye Watch location, make sure you DVR this game and go back and watch it. If you don’t, no worries as I will watch it for you and give you a complete breakdown prior to Ohio State traveling to Norman.

The Sooners are led offensively by juniors Baker Mayfield (QB) and Samaje Perine (RB). In 2016, Mayfield threw for 3,700 yards with 36 touchdowns. Additionally, he added another 405 yards with seven touchdowns on the ground. Perine ran for 1,349 yards and 16 touchdowns during his sophomore campaign. In his two years as starter, Perine has accumulated 3,277 yards from scrimmage and 38 touchdowns.

The Cougars come into this game riding high from their 2015 campaign when they finished the year 13-1 with a bowl victory over Florida State. Led by some guy named Tom Herman, the Cougars look to continue their upward trend where they have national attention and expectations…which that hasn’t been said since David Klingler was slinging the ball around and completely oblivious to the fact the Bengals would soon ruin him. The biggest key to Houston’s success continuing this year is senior Greg Ward Jr. who is perfect for the Herman/Meyer style of offense. Last year, Ward had 3,941 total yards (2,827 pass/1,114 rush) and 38 touchdowns.

This one should really peak your interest, it is a Meyer protégé who runs the Buckeyes offense facing off against the Buckeyes big opponent in two weeks. I enjoyed the Houston success last year and I think Herman is an awesome coach…but I really think this will end bad for Houston. On offense they are replacing their top wide receiver, top running back, and multiple offensive linemen. On defense they are replacing three defensive backs including Bengals first rounder William Jackson III. Let’s not pretend like Herman has been there recruiting four and five stars for years just to provide a narrative heading into week one. The Sooners have holes on defense which Ward will exploit but I think Mayfield and Perine will have no problem moving the ball on Houston. The Sooner hype train will be in full-force in two weeks ladies and gentlemen.

Prediction: 49-17, Oklahoma

(20) Southern California vs (1) Alabama, Saturday, 8 pm (in Dallas, Texas)

USC will be turning to junior Max Browne to take over as the big-man on campus at USC after Cody Kessler was drafted by the Brownines (ahead of Cardale). His reward for this prestigious honor is to have his first start be against Alabama. Lucky for Browne, he has a very talented bunch surrounding him on offense. The most talented of the bunch is junior wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster who has racked up 143 catches, 2,178 yards, and 15 touchdowns in his first two years on campus. Like the Buckeyes, Bama has a very young and inexperienced defense…week one is the time to hurt them and the Trojans have the firepower to do it.

Just like USC, Bama will be breaking in a new quarterback…we just don’t know who it will be yet. The depth chart lists junior Cooper Bateman at the top but he is followed by two that dreadful “Or”. At running back, the Tide will be turning to sophomore Bo Scarbrough who was able to hold off heralded former top recruit Damien Harris for the job. Scarbrough rushed for 108 yards in 2016 as the third string tailback. On defense the Tide must replace seven players, including three linebackers.

I’m sure 99% of America looks at this game and thinks it is going to be a walk in the park for the Tide but I just have too much faith in the Trojan offense to think this will be a blowout. If this game was a few weeks down the road, I would trust the Bama defense a lot more but with it being week one and so many new starters I just think they will struggle. I know I shouldn’t but I have a feeling in my gut that the first major upset happens here.

Prediction: 31-24, USC

(10) Notre Dame at Texas, Sunday, 7:30 pm

The awesome thing about opening week in college football is there is no NFL to compete with. Due to this we get to sit back on a Sunday night and watch some enjoyable football! Notre Dame comes to Austin with a lot of uncertainty after the arrest of five players. Of those five, it appears only one will not be playing as starting safety Max Redfield was kicked off the team. Notre Dame has decided to go with the two-quarterback look, learning nothing from the 2015 Buckeyes. They will split duties with DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire. Kizer played in 13 games last season, combining for 3,305 total yards and 31 touchdowns. Zaire was the starter heading into the 2015 campaign but was injured in week two. In his first two games, he had accumulated 531 yards of offense and four touchdowns.

On the Texas sideline, this is a big season for coach Charlie Strong as his job may be in the balance. He is entering his third year as head coach and riding high off of a convincing victory against Baylor at the end of last season. The Longhorns appear poised to move on from senior quarterback Tyrone Swoopes and turn the reigns over to Shane Buechele who looked great all spring and fall. Much like Meyer did early, Strong has spent a lot of time recruiting DL depth in an effort to turn this program around in his first two years on campus. They have an abundant amount of talent and depth but it is very young. The strength of the Longhorns defense lies in their defensive backfield and at linebacker with star Malik Jefferson.

This is going to be a tough game for both teams. While Notre Dame comes in with a number ten next to their name, I just don’t see them as one of the top ten teams in the nation. Texas has a chip on their shoulder coming into the season and looks to return to the Texas we all are used to seeing. In the end, it won’t be as bad as last year but I think Notre Dame pulls it out.

Prediction: 20-17, Notre Dame

(11) Mississippi at (4) Florida State, Monday, 8 pm

Ole Miss will start their life without two of the best offensive players in college football after Laquon Treadwell and Laremy Tunsil left for the NFL. The Ole Miss offense will need to rely on starting senior running back Akeem Judd who rushed for 425 yards last season. If he is able to move the chains, it will keep pressure off of senior quarterback Chad Kelly who threw for 4,042 yards last season and 31 touchdowns.

Florida State comes into the 2016 season as my preseason pick to be champion IF they can get some decent quarterback play. On offense they return their entire two-deep on the offensive line which will be blocking for probably the second best running back in the nation, Dalvin Cook. As a sophomore behind this same line, Cook ran for 1,691 yards (7.4 avg) and 19 touchdowns. All they will need is for redshirt freshman quarterback Deondre Francois is to put on his best Craig Krenzel impersonation to lead this offense to huge numbers. Oh did I mention they return their ENTIRE receiving corps too? On defense, the Seminoles will be led by senior defensive end DeMarcus Walker who registered 15.5 tackles-for-loss and 10.5 sack last season and sophomore strong safety Derwin James who had 71.5 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Their weakness on defense will be at linebacker where they lack any major experience.

As for the game and hype, I’m honestly tired of hearing about Ole Miss and them being ranked so high. Let me give you a list of their out of conference wins since 2010:

Tennessee-Martin

Louisiana-Lafayette x2

Texas

Fresno State x3

Memphis

Idaho

New Mexico State

Presbyterian

Troy

Oklahoma State

SE Missouri State

Georgia Tech

Boise State

Central Arkansas

UTEP

Tulane x2

Southern Illinois




How about their losses:

TCU

Texas

BYU

Louisiana Tech

Jacksonville State




Last year was the first year they have won 10 games since 2003. They’ve gone 40-36 since 2010…they are barely a .500 team over the past six years. Let’s stop making them a top-15 program every year because of their conference. Ole Miss gets it handed to them and probably moves up in the rankings….



Prediction: 42-20, FSU

The post What Would Woody Watch: Week One appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Buckeyes look to continue good start - Athens Messenger (registration)
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes look to continue good start
Athens Messenger (registration)
The Buckeyes will get the opportunity to fix those mistakes against a Green Wave squad that was a playoff qualifier a season ago. Most observers anticipate the Buckeyes to make a turnaround from last season. A 2-0 start against Trimble and Newark ...


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2019 WR gets an offer from Ohio State
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes go to SEC country to make an offer

Only two days separate us and the kickoff to the 2016 Ohio State football season. While Urban Meyer, staff and team are solely focusing on the Bowling Green Falcons, the rest of the football program still has recruiting on their minds. Last night, at midnight, 2018 recruits were able to be contacted by college coaches and staff members. While 2017 is still the class receiving the most attention right now, and rightfully so, there's no hesitation for the Buckeyes to get a leg up for 2018 and continue their recruiting dominance.

UT commit receives OSU offer


Ohio State is absolutely loving their current receivers situation in the 2017 recruiting class. With last week's double the pleasure commitments from Tyjon Lindsey and Trevon Grimes, Urban Meyer and Zach Smith have to (and do) feel great about their future at the wide receiver position. However, if one thing is true, it's that Ohio State is never content with the present as it stays working toward the future.

Yesterday, via his Twitter, Kendrell Scurry (Thompson's Station, TN / Independence) let it be known that his latest offer was from none other than The Ohio State Buckeyes.


A current Tennessee commit, the 2019 receiver has a long ways to go in his recruiting process, but the 6-foot-3, 185-pound youngster certainly has a head start. With three seasons still to be played in his prep career, Scurry already boasts offers from two major programs in Tennessee and Ohio State that will surely have others following suit in the near future. The 4-star has a clear leader in his home team commitment, but there's plenty of time for Ohio State to become a true threat in this race.

Woodbey struggles to see OSU


One of the more popular names in the 2018 class for Ohio State fans has been Jaiden Woodbey. The St. John Bosco (CA) 5-star safety has been linked mostly with Southern Cal and Ohio State so far in his recruitment, but the Buckeyes keep coming up short in their efforts to get Woodbey on campus. Due to nothing but the distance factor, Woodbey has tried over and over to get to Columbus and see what Ohio State is all about. One of the recent tries would have been this past weekend when his high school team traveled all of the way from California to Cincinnati, Ohio to take on St. Xavier in a highly anticipated prep showdown.

With Woodbey being within a short drive north to Columbus, his goal was to stop by after his contest and check out Ohio State. However, once again the potential visit stalled and will have to be made another time. Woodbey told elevenwarriors.com that this visit was unable to happen this weekend, unfortunately.

It remains to be seen when the nation's No.3 2018 safety will finally get to visit Ohio State, but the interest between the two is certainly not going anywhere. If the visit for the two parties does happen in the near future, look for Urban Meyer to be a serious threat to land yet another top national recruit.

5-star DT loves OSU


Normally when you read an SEC conference recruiting article, it's pro-SEC football – as it should be. However, in a recent article with seccountry.com, Ohio State was able to get some love. Coming from Taron Vincent, a 5-star defensive tackle out of IMG Academy for 2018, he has nothing but love for the Buckeyes. The nation's No.1 defensive tackle prospect told seccountry.com that "Larry Johnson, the atmosphere, the school, just everything about the school," is why he's leaning towards Ohio State as of right now in his recruitment.

With such lofty praise from a top national recruit, you have to take notice and begin to wonder if it will be an early pledge for Vincent to Ohio State's 2018 class. Urban Meyer and staff would clearly love to add this monster to an already solid starting 2018 class, but no time table has been set for Taron's final decision. The 6-foot-3, 285-pound stud looks to have Ohio State penciled in all of the way to the finish. If things were to end now, the Buckeyes would be the one receiving the good news, according to the 247sports crystal ball prediction.

Let's hope it stays that way in the coming months.

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I've upgraded the forum, search engine, and all of our modifications.

@MD Buckeye -- HUDL should be working again

I'm going through and cleaning a few things up here and there. There ARE new features, I'll let you discover them on your own as things that will be valuable to you will present themselves as you go about the site.

One that I will point out is that we now support user-to-user bets through the SportsBook. Put your points on the line and call it the way you see it. Click on Sportsbook in the menu, and then Bet Exchange in the menu there. Or click below to try my test bet:

https://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/betting-exchange/bet-exchange-bet.1/