Matt Tamanini
Guest
Do you think Jeremiah Smith is already Ohio State’s GOAT wide receiver?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
Throughout the Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.
I admit that I have a tendency to be a bit of a prisoner of the moment. I get excited about things as I see them and inflate their importance in my own mind to the detriment of the things that were once overblown in my mind.
Now that I have admitted that about myself, I am here to tell you that Jeremiah Smith is already the best wide receiver in Ohio State history. Now before you start yelling at me and saying that he’s only played four games, he can’t possibly equal the careers of Marvin Harrison Jr., David Boston, or Cris Carter, I agree with you.
As I said in a column over the weekend, I think that there is a distinct difference in sports conversations between “best” and “greatest.” I’m not going to get into that again, but I bring it up only to point out that I have gone all-in; I have drunk the Kool-Aid.
I completely respect and understand fans who have a more cautious, wait-and-see perspective on a player’s all-time status that prevents them from making declarative statements like that one-third of the way through his first regular season. But, as you vote, I just want you to know exactly where my heart (and vote) lies.
The biggest test of Ohio State’s 2024 season thus far takes place on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET in The Horseshoe when the Iowa Hawkeyes come to town. When the FanDuel SportsBook opened betting on the game, the Buckeyes were just about a three-touchdown favorite. That has come down to 19.5 points as of publishing time. The gold standard college football analytics model SP+ has the Buckeyes pegged to win 29-12.
Since Kirk Ferentz became Iowa’s head coach in the 1999 season, the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes have played just 11 times, with OSU owning a 9-2 record in that stretch. OSU has outscored Iowa during that time by an average score of 30.27 to 19.72. Kirk Ferentz has never won a game in Ohio Stadium.
But, keep in mind that these two teams have only played twice in the past decade. In a 54-10 Buckeye win in 2022 and in that horrific game in 2017 whose score I will not even mention. That makes it tough to draw super-helpful information from recent matchups.
I will reveal my score prediction on out “Tailgate” podcast and in our experts’ predictions article, both of which come out on Saturday morning. In the meantime, let us know what you think in the survey just on the other side of the line and text below.
Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
Throughout the Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.
Question 1: Which statement more closely aligns with your thoughts on Jeremiah Smith?
I admit that I have a tendency to be a bit of a prisoner of the moment. I get excited about things as I see them and inflate their importance in my own mind to the detriment of the things that were once overblown in my mind.
Now that I have admitted that about myself, I am here to tell you that Jeremiah Smith is already the best wide receiver in Ohio State history. Now before you start yelling at me and saying that he’s only played four games, he can’t possibly equal the careers of Marvin Harrison Jr., David Boston, or Cris Carter, I agree with you.
As I said in a column over the weekend, I think that there is a distinct difference in sports conversations between “best” and “greatest.” I’m not going to get into that again, but I bring it up only to point out that I have gone all-in; I have drunk the Kool-Aid.
I completely respect and understand fans who have a more cautious, wait-and-see perspective on a player’s all-time status that prevents them from making declarative statements like that one-third of the way through his first regular season. But, as you vote, I just want you to know exactly where my heart (and vote) lies.
Question 2: What will the margin of victory be in Saturday’s game against Iowa?
The biggest test of Ohio State’s 2024 season thus far takes place on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET in The Horseshoe when the Iowa Hawkeyes come to town. When the FanDuel SportsBook opened betting on the game, the Buckeyes were just about a three-touchdown favorite. That has come down to 19.5 points as of publishing time. The gold standard college football analytics model SP+ has the Buckeyes pegged to win 29-12.
Since Kirk Ferentz became Iowa’s head coach in the 1999 season, the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes have played just 11 times, with OSU owning a 9-2 record in that stretch. OSU has outscored Iowa during that time by an average score of 30.27 to 19.72. Kirk Ferentz has never won a game in Ohio Stadium.
But, keep in mind that these two teams have only played twice in the past decade. In a 54-10 Buckeye win in 2022 and in that horrific game in 2017 whose score I will not even mention. That makes it tough to draw super-helpful information from recent matchups.
I will reveal my score prediction on out “Tailgate” podcast and in our experts’ predictions article, both of which come out on Saturday morning. In the meantime, let us know what you think in the survey just on the other side of the line and text below.
Share your thoughts here:
Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
Continue reading...