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B1G Thoughts: Is Ohio State’s Season Already Over or Can They Bounce Back?
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The last time the vibes around Ohio State were this bad they laid an egg, can they right the ship in time for the Tennessee game? Plus first-round playoff predictions.
Every week after the Big Ten games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and more. With the Big Ten expanding from 14 teams to 18 teams in 2024 we will have a bunch of storylines to follow.
Ryan Day and Ohio State are all in for the 2024 season. Is Oregon a national championship contender or will they stumble in their first Big Ten season? How do the former members of the Big Ten West fair in the new divisionless format? We will track all these storylines and more as the Big Ten hopes to win back-to-back national championships.
Check out the I-80 Football Show for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.
Recently Ohio State’s head coach Ryan Day sat down for an interview that has been making its rounds on social media and has made fans upset. In said interview, Day lays out a list of reasons — or excuses, depending on who you ask — explaining why the Buckeyes didn’t reach their goals in 2024, including the conference changing and injuries.
Day also goes on to say multiple times that the goal of this season was to make the 12-team playoff, which is simply not true. For years, including this entire offseason, Day has preached that the Buckeyes have three goals: Beat That Team Up North, win the Big Ten Conference, and compete for a National Championship. For the fourth year in a row under Day, the Buckeyes have failed to complete the first two of their goals, and unless there is a miraculous turnaround, they won’t compete for a national championship either.
The last time the vibes were this bad around the Buckeyes, they went out and lost 14-3 to Mizzou in their bowl game. This time they still have an arguably overrated SEC team in front of them, but it’s a home playoff game instead of a meaningless bowl game.
For most fans it’s been a brutal couple of weeks, with losing to Michigan, getting out-recruited by Oregon both on the large scale and with individual recruiting battles, and the lack of transfer portal commitments despite the portal being open for eight days already. The one hope that fans have is that this team will bounce back and play well on the field, as they have for most of Day’s tenure and at least 10 of their 12 games this year outside Michigan and Nebraska.
The stakes of this game should be low enough after the athletic director doubled down on his commitment to Day being the head coach next season that Day should have his team ready to play. Yet, if that interview is any indication of where this program and its head coach are right now, then we may have a problem.
The clips of the interview feel like Day is trying to convince himself that there is more to play for, and it’s hard to believe that even he has faith in his own words. Right now Ohio State feels like a juiceless program, and we can only hope that they come out on Saturday with an edge and wash this nasty taste out of the mouths of the fanbase.
After a largely stellar season for the conference, the Big Ten landed four teams — Oregon, Penn State, Ohio, State, and Indiana — in the College Football Playoff. Oregon has the No. 1 seed and first-round bye, while Penn State and Ohio State are both hosting playoff games. Indiana is the only program going on the road, but they have a short trip after landing in-state foe Notre Dame.
Heading into Saturday, the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are expected to make it to the second round of the playoffs, as Ohio State is a 7.5-point favorite over Tennesse and Penn State is an 8.5-point favorite over SMU. Indiana is a 7.5-point underdog to Notre Dame, but if I was a betting man I might put money on that. I’m not sure Notre Dame is a better team than the Hoosiers.
This is not betting advice, but you can check out my predictions below.
Notre Dame is on a heater, winning 10-straight games after their shocking upset loss to Northern Illinois. Since then, the Fighting Irish has played a weak schedule headlined by Louisville, Army, and Navy. Army and Navy are fake wins, as service academies rarely compete against teams with superior talent. Notre Dame is a beatable team when it faces a talented team, and even sometimes when it doesn’t.
Indiana on the other hand has only struggled twice this season, including a blowout loss to Ohio State. In 12 games, Indiana has looked unstoppable unless their opponent has a team that can physically dominate their offensive line. If they can keep Kurtis Rourke upright, their offense is going to move the ball. While Notre Dame is physical on offense, I’m not sure if they’ll bully Indiana on defense.
Prediction: Indiana 24-21
Since the playoff bracket has dropped, many media pundits and fans alike have claimed that Penn State has the easiest path in the College Football Playoff by getting to face SMU in the first round and a date with Boise State if they win. Penn State should be wary of overlooking the Mustangs, who rank sixth in scoring offense and 27th in scoring defense.
SMU struggled under the pressure of their first ACC playoff game, but found a way to overcome and tied the game late in the fourth quarter only to lose on a 56-yard field goal. If SMU could hang with Clemson, they can hang with Penn State. James Franklin and Co. are going to need to play like they did in the Big Ten Championship Game, as this match-up has shootout potential.
Prediction: Penn State 38-34
On paper, Ohio State should win this game. Tennesse has the fourth-ranked defense and the eighth-ranked offense, but those numbers are inflated by four blowout wins against Chattanooga, NC State, Kent State, and UTEP. In their other eight games, the Volunteers have only scored 30 points twice, including being held to 14 and 17 points against Arkansas and Georgia.
Ohio State’s defense has played at a special level all season, and should be able to shut down Tennessee’s hot and cold passing game. The problem is which team will show up on offense. Specifically, which coaches will show up.
Under Ryan Day, Ohio State tends to forget its talent and try to play a bruising style of football that it’s not designed to play. When Ohio State gets its athletes in space and throws to their bevy of first-round wide receivers, they’re almost impossible to stop. As soon as you try to focus on the passing game, Quinshon Judkins or TreVeyon Henderson can break off big runs to steal momentum.
The problem with the Buckeyes is whether they will choose to play this way or not. Tennesse has one of the better defensive lines in the country, and Ohio State has some injuries on the offensive line. With three weeks off to prepare the Buckeyes should be able to manage. If Day and Chip Kelly press the right buttons, they should get a win.
Prediction: Ohio State 31-20
Follow The I-80 Football Show on YouTube: @GetDefensiveSportsNetwork.
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JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images
The last time the vibes around Ohio State were this bad they laid an egg, can they right the ship in time for the Tennessee game? Plus first-round playoff predictions.
Every week after the Big Ten games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and more. With the Big Ten expanding from 14 teams to 18 teams in 2024 we will have a bunch of storylines to follow.
Ryan Day and Ohio State are all in for the 2024 season. Is Oregon a national championship contender or will they stumble in their first Big Ten season? How do the former members of the Big Ten West fair in the new divisionless format? We will track all these storylines and more as the Big Ten hopes to win back-to-back national championships.
Check out the I-80 Football Show for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.
In a sport dominated by vibes, the Buckeyes’ vibes are awful
Recently Ohio State’s head coach Ryan Day sat down for an interview that has been making its rounds on social media and has made fans upset. In said interview, Day lays out a list of reasons — or excuses, depending on who you ask — explaining why the Buckeyes didn’t reach their goals in 2024, including the conference changing and injuries.
Day also goes on to say multiple times that the goal of this season was to make the 12-team playoff, which is simply not true. For years, including this entire offseason, Day has preached that the Buckeyes have three goals: Beat That Team Up North, win the Big Ten Conference, and compete for a National Championship. For the fourth year in a row under Day, the Buckeyes have failed to complete the first two of their goals, and unless there is a miraculous turnaround, they won’t compete for a national championship either.
The last time the vibes were this bad around the Buckeyes, they went out and lost 14-3 to Mizzou in their bowl game. This time they still have an arguably overrated SEC team in front of them, but it’s a home playoff game instead of a meaningless bowl game.
For most fans it’s been a brutal couple of weeks, with losing to Michigan, getting out-recruited by Oregon both on the large scale and with individual recruiting battles, and the lack of transfer portal commitments despite the portal being open for eight days already. The one hope that fans have is that this team will bounce back and play well on the field, as they have for most of Day’s tenure and at least 10 of their 12 games this year outside Michigan and Nebraska.
The stakes of this game should be low enough after the athletic director doubled down on his commitment to Day being the head coach next season that Day should have his team ready to play. Yet, if that interview is any indication of where this program and its head coach are right now, then we may have a problem.
The clips of the interview feel like Day is trying to convince himself that there is more to play for, and it’s hard to believe that even he has faith in his own words. Right now Ohio State feels like a juiceless program, and we can only hope that they come out on Saturday with an edge and wash this nasty taste out of the mouths of the fanbase.
️B (@Buckeye_Mob) First round playoff prediction! - Big Ten edition
After a largely stellar season for the conference, the Big Ten landed four teams — Oregon, Penn State, Ohio, State, and Indiana — in the College Football Playoff. Oregon has the No. 1 seed and first-round bye, while Penn State and Ohio State are both hosting playoff games. Indiana is the only program going on the road, but they have a short trip after landing in-state foe Notre Dame.
Heading into Saturday, the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions are expected to make it to the second round of the playoffs, as Ohio State is a 7.5-point favorite over Tennesse and Penn State is an 8.5-point favorite over SMU. Indiana is a 7.5-point underdog to Notre Dame, but if I was a betting man I might put money on that. I’m not sure Notre Dame is a better team than the Hoosiers.
This is not betting advice, but you can check out my predictions below.
Indiana vs. Notre Dame - Friday, Dec. 20 - 8:00 p.m. ET
Notre Dame is on a heater, winning 10-straight games after their shocking upset loss to Northern Illinois. Since then, the Fighting Irish has played a weak schedule headlined by Louisville, Army, and Navy. Army and Navy are fake wins, as service academies rarely compete against teams with superior talent. Notre Dame is a beatable team when it faces a talented team, and even sometimes when it doesn’t.
Indiana on the other hand has only struggled twice this season, including a blowout loss to Ohio State. In 12 games, Indiana has looked unstoppable unless their opponent has a team that can physically dominate their offensive line. If they can keep Kurtis Rourke upright, their offense is going to move the ball. While Notre Dame is physical on offense, I’m not sure if they’ll bully Indiana on defense.
Prediction: Indiana 24-21
SMU vs. Penn State - Saturday, Dec. 21 - Noon ET
Since the playoff bracket has dropped, many media pundits and fans alike have claimed that Penn State has the easiest path in the College Football Playoff by getting to face SMU in the first round and a date with Boise State if they win. Penn State should be wary of overlooking the Mustangs, who rank sixth in scoring offense and 27th in scoring defense.
SMU struggled under the pressure of their first ACC playoff game, but found a way to overcome and tied the game late in the fourth quarter only to lose on a 56-yard field goal. If SMU could hang with Clemson, they can hang with Penn State. James Franklin and Co. are going to need to play like they did in the Big Ten Championship Game, as this match-up has shootout potential.
Prediction: Penn State 38-34
Tennesse vs. Ohio State - Saturday, December 22nd, 8 pm.
On paper, Ohio State should win this game. Tennesse has the fourth-ranked defense and the eighth-ranked offense, but those numbers are inflated by four blowout wins against Chattanooga, NC State, Kent State, and UTEP. In their other eight games, the Volunteers have only scored 30 points twice, including being held to 14 and 17 points against Arkansas and Georgia.
Ohio State’s defense has played at a special level all season, and should be able to shut down Tennessee’s hot and cold passing game. The problem is which team will show up on offense. Specifically, which coaches will show up.
Under Ryan Day, Ohio State tends to forget its talent and try to play a bruising style of football that it’s not designed to play. When Ohio State gets its athletes in space and throws to their bevy of first-round wide receivers, they’re almost impossible to stop. As soon as you try to focus on the passing game, Quinshon Judkins or TreVeyon Henderson can break off big runs to steal momentum.
The problem with the Buckeyes is whether they will choose to play this way or not. Tennesse has one of the better defensive lines in the country, and Ohio State has some injuries on the offensive line. With three weeks off to prepare the Buckeyes should be able to manage. If Day and Chip Kelly press the right buttons, they should get a win.
Prediction: Ohio State 31-20
Follow The I-80 Football Show on YouTube: @GetDefensiveSportsNetwork.
Subscribe to the podcast: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
Connect with me on Twitter: @JordanW330
Follow I-80 Football Show on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
Continue reading...