Game Thread 2015 Sugar Bowl: (1) Alabama vs. (4) Ohio State, Jan 1st @ 8:30p ET, ESPN (civilized thread)

[kujirakira]

OSU is ranked 50th in passing offense and Ala is no.2 in the nation in rush defense. Besides MSU and WI, did you guys play a ranked team?
Alabama played Ole Miss, MS, AR, LSU, and Auburn, all ranked teams. And for the record, I think Aub has a better offense than tOSU....but you guys have the better D. I may have to eat my words but I don't see tOSU putting up a lot of points on the no. 4 scoring defense in the country.

We've played 4 top-20 rush defenses in the country -- all 4 of whom have faced better RBs than Alabama.

 

[Gcashwell]

Arkansas

But Arkansas has an sec win. That counts as 9 wins in any other conference. Arkansas is now ranked number 11 in the nation because of this.

 

[Gcashwell]

The coaches aren't going to be studying stats too much. They are going to be looking for match ups to exploit. Which match ups are most important?

 

[Enduro R]

Actually, you clearly misunderstand. There were 450,000 members in the OSU Alumni Association when the new model was implemented. Most were lifetime members who took advantage of the discount offer at graduation. They did not disappear. There are now more than 500,000, so possibly 50,000 new basic members max.







I don't think you are posting as a troll or a blind homer.

That said, I think we move forward if you clarify the point you wish to make and consider another point first.

First, the other point. Ohio State, unlike Alabama, has not traditionally pulled scholarship offers from players. What is it in the SEC, especially with Saban, about 10% of each class? So, even if we accept that the small amount spent on academic is going to scholarships (and not things like tutors), isn't it possible that more money might be going into scholarships for players cut from the team, as Alabama repeatedly recruits over the limit far more than Ohio State?

Second, isn't it more realistic to argue that people donating to the Athletics Department are more likely to contribute also to academic departments? Those correlated donations apparently would not be reflected in the documents you linked (which I have not really read).

To your point about the SEC AND Saban, that's a little unfair and based on assumptions as well as rumor. The first few years he cleaned house. He had to. There were athletes that were on the roster and yet never medically cleared to play. You kept them on scholarship but moved them off the roster. Some transferred and others were told that they could either transfer or get the scholly pulled. This happened with players that were not doing what they needed to do academically. Once the first few years were over, he has teams with excellent graduation rates. He runs a tight ship. There have been a few that were gray shirted, but according to the people that know, those recruits knew from the beginning that a gray shirt was a possibility. We have limits on recruits. We all do in the SEC. The Big 10 has their rules and we have ours. What would fix it all is an early signing period. They can't get enough on board to agree to it at the national level. And don't act like Urban has held on to the Big 10 gentlemens agreement on recruiting. He hasn't. He still tries to flip recruits from other schools.
Our academic standards are not as high as yours so it's easier for athletes to get in. But that's your choice. Let's not kid ourselves. The vast majority of athletes in CFB want a ticket to the NFL. There are very few geniuses out there on the field of play.

 

[Steve19]

I wasn't referring to you, kujirakira. We have had such excellent interactions with fans of opposing teams over the years. One of them became a moderator here. This year, I am personally a bit disappointed. I agree wholeheartedly with your last comment.

Our new friends from Alabama need to understand that we welcome them but that this is an Ohio State board and we don't buy the ESPiN SEC propaganda. They have an excellent football team and their team are the favorites in this game. They do not have a superior love of the game or tradition and their fan base and academic quality of programs fall far short of Ohio State. These are facts that have been easily demonstrated. The outcome of the game will be determined on the field.

Please, everyone, keep this thread to a more civilized discussion of football and the game.

 

[Onebuckfan]

Its tOSU versus Alabama..Auburn Miss. St Michigan State Va Tech Wisconsin..tell us little about the match up between the tide and BUCKEYES. This was always the Hurricanes agrgument in 2002 and our argument in 2006 it didn't transfer then and won't in 2014.

 

[jwinslow]

The post you replied to was mine. I said Mississippi state, auburn, and Arkansas all were good running teams. You said Robinson wasn't very good. How was I supposed to guess what team you were talking about?

I am very careful, knowing I am an outsider, to fact check my stats and claims. It's disappointing that when something isn't clear, I am called out as not a good fan or not very smart (which may be true). That is not welcoming.

Anyway, what are specific match ups you guys think you might be able to exploit on bama?

Devin Smith on Geno Smith is an obvious one. Who would be assigned to track EzE out of the backfield on passing plays or late releases ?

 

[Gcashwell]

Devin Smith on Geno Smith is an obvious one. Who would be assigned to track EzE out of the backfield on passing plays or late releases ?

Man, I don't know. Depriest would be the one to track Elliott, but depriest's speed is a liability. He's really slow. They might try to use landon Collins if jones has a rough day. Cyrus jones and Brad sylve or eddie jackson will be on your two best receivers. I'm not entirely sure what scheme bama will run.

 

[osugrad21]

depriest's speed is a liability. He's really slow.

Well he is from Ohio...of course he is slow.

 

[Gcashwell]

Well he is from Ohio...of course he is slow.

Yeah. You have to be born in sec country to have 4.4 speed or better. Anybody from Ohio who says they are that fast is a liar.

 

[Gcashwell]

It's

Its tOSU versus Alabama..Auburn Miss. St Michigan State Va Tech Wisconsin..tell us little about the match up between the tide and BUCKEYES. This was always the Hurricanes agrgument in 2002 and our argument in 2006 it didn't transfer then and won't in 2014.

its just tough when there aren't any common opponents. I try to find a team we played who "looked" like you. I know it's not perfect, but neither is anything else.

But I see your point. That's why I asked about match ups. That's really the key to who wins a game. It's what the coaches look at and what we should too if we want real clues.

 

[SloopyHangOn]

Man, I don't know. Depriest would be the one to track Elliott, but depriest's speed is a liability. He's really slow. They might try to use landon Collins if jones has a rough day. Cyrus jones and Brad sylve or eddie jackson will be on your two best receivers. I'm not entirely sure what scheme bama will run.

From what I hear Depriest is losing weight for this game, do you think that's going to have a significant impact on his speed?

 

[osugrad21]

It's

its just tough when there aren't any common opponents. I try to find a team we played who "looked" like you. I know it's not perfect, but neither is anything else.

But I see your point. That's why I asked about match ups. That's really the key to who wins a game. It's what the coaches look at and what we should too if we want real clues.

I don't see tOSU having a problem scoring 24-28 points on Bama...but I do see tOSU having a problem stopping Bama. I'm hoping the defense that showed up against Wisky shows up vs. Bama. If not, the Tide will gut the Buckeyes in the second half.

 

[Gcashwell]

I don't see tOSU having a problem scoring 24-28 points on Bama...but I do see tOSU having a problem stopping Bama. I'm hoping the defense that showed up against Wisky shows up vs. Bama. If not, the Tide will gut the Buckeyes in the second half.

I think 24-28 seems reasonable too. It's what most of the computer sims say. I think they have bama winning 30-25 on average about 60% of the time.

The OSU defense is an enigma to me. I know you have 2 great d linemen, but many people aren't pleased with the d line as a whole. Does the rest of the line suck? What gives? You would think two great players on the line would be able to wreak havoc with sims. But I get the feeling you guys aren't expecting that. Or, am I incorrect?

 

[kujirakira]

I think 24-28 seems reasonable too. It's what most of the computer sims say. I think they have bama winning 30-25 on average about 60% of the time.

The OSU defense is an enigma to me. I know you have 2 great d linemen, but many people aren't pleased with the d line as a whole. Does the rest of the line suck? What gives? You would think two great players on the line would be able to wreak havoc with sims. But I get the feeling you guys aren't expecting that. Or, am I incorrect?

The defense is an enigma to everyone =/
DLine has a lot of talent, but a tendency to get a little too aggressive and go away from their assignment at times, which has carry-on effects for the LBs and Safeties in the run game.
Hopefully the Wisconsin game was the return of silver bullets after a couple years, but no telling until game time.