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ESPN - 2014 Position U (Ohio State LB U, DB U, K U)

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Buckeye86

Buckeye86

I do not choose to discuss it
ESPN - 2014 Position U

I am shocked that ESPN came up with something that doesn't totally suck. I think that's because they created a points system which took their ability to be unmitigated douchebags out of it. It's also put together by their blogger network, which in my extremely limited experience seems to be significantly higher quality material than their television stuff.

Ohio State is Linebacker U, Defensive Back U, and Kicker U and is only outside of the top 15 for (unsurprisingly) Tight Ends.

Points (since 2000):
College football award winners:
10 points
Consensus All-Americans:
Eight points
NFL first-round draft picks:
Eight points
Coaches' first-team all-conference picks: Six points
NFL draft picks, Rounds 2-4:
Four points
NFL draft picks, Rounds 5-7:
Two points
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Linebacker U
1. Ohio State (222 points)

Move over Penn State. Ohio State is the new “Linebacker U” -- and the Buckeyes claimed the title in a blowout. In many of these positional rankings, only a handful of points separate first and second place. At linebacker, the Buckeyes finished nearly 50 points ahead of second-place Alabama. But when your players stockpile national awards and All-America honors and then many more go on to become NFL draft picks, you put your program in position to rank at the top of this list. Players such as A.J. Hawk, James Laurinaitis and most recently Ryan Shazier have done that in Columbus.
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2. Alabama (174)
2. Oklahoma (174)
4. Southern Cal (146)
5. Miami (140)
6. Penn State (134)
7. Georgia (110)
8. Texas (108)
9. Maryland (100)
9. Notre Dame (100)

Defensive Back U
1. Ohio State (238 points)
It didn’t hammer the field in the secondary like it did at linebacker, but more than a decade of consistency helped Ohio State claim the “Defensive Back U” title, too. When your school seems to always be in the thick of the championship chase, there’s a good chance that it will rank highly on these positional lists. Think Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU, USC, Texas. We keep seeing their names, which makes perfect sense if you think of how many wins they accumulated in the 2000s -- and in the case of Ohio State at defensive back, a lengthy tradition from Mike Doss, Will Allen and Chris Gamble to Malcolm Jenkins to Bradley Roby helped the Buckeyes outpace contenders like LSU, Oklahoma and Miami to proclaim itself “DBU.”
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2. Oklahoma (220)
3. LSU (218)
4. Miami (202)
5. Texas (194)
6. Alabama (166)
7. Florida (136)
8. Florida State (134)
9. Georgia (126)
10. Virginia Tech (124)

Kicker U
1. Ohio State (80 points): The Buckeyes placed first among place-kickers and tied for ninth at punter thanks to an award winner in each category. The high-point man who helped Ohio State win the “Kicker U” label was Mike Nugent, who won the Lou Groza Award, was a two-time All-American and All-Big Ten pick and was picked in the second round of the 2005 draft. Punter B.J. Sander won the Ray Guy Award and was drafted in the third round before enjoying a short career with the Green Bay Packers.
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2. UCLA (72)
3. Michigan State (62)
4. Baylor (56)
4. Oklahoma State (56)
6. Colorado (54)
6. Florida State (54)
8. Georgia (52)
8. Miami (52)
10. Florida (48)

Defensive Line U
1. LSU (200)
2. Texas (196)
3. Georgia (182)
4. Oklahoma (174)
4. Southern Cal (174)
6. TCU (158)
7. Penn State (152)
8. Florida State (148)
9. Clemson (138)
9. North Carolina (138)
...
12. Ohio State, Nebraska (126)

Offensive Line U
1. Alabama (242)
2. Michigan (238)
3. Wisconsin (192)
4. Oklahoma (186)
5. Southern Cal (182)
6. Florida State (166)
7. Miami (158)
8. Texas (150)
9. Iowa (144)
T-9. Ohio State (144 points): With 13 draft picks -- but just one first-rounder, Nick Mangold -- and 14 all-conference picks, Ohio State built a solid résumé for offensive linemen in the 2000s. Center LeCharles Bentley, a Rimington Trophy winner, is the only All-American, but the Buckeyes have turned out plenty of outstanding players along the line.
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Tight End U
1. Miami (84)
2. Iowa (66)
3. Missouri (64)
3. Wisconsin (64)
5. Georgia (62)
6. BYU (56)
7. Virginia (54)
8. Stanford (48)
9. Colorado (46)
9. UCLA (46)
...
35. Ohio State, Michigan, Arizona, Nebraska (14)

Wide Receivers U
1. Southern Cal (134)
2. LSU (124)
3. Pitt (120)
4. Oklahoma State (112)
5. Michigan (96)
6. Oregon State (92)
7. Clemson (82)
7. Oklahoma (82)
9. Texas Tech (80)
10. Ohio State (76 points)

Four first-round draft picks -– Michael Jenkins, Santonio Holmes, Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez –- and a total of 11 drafted receivers helped Ohio State crack the top 10 despite not having any national award winners or All-Americans. As one of the most successful college programs of the 2000s, the Buckeyes are a fixture in these positional rankings, so it’s no surprise they made the top 10 here.
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Running Back U
1. Arkansas (104)
2. Oklahoma (102)
3. Alabama (100)
4. Auburn (86)
4. Wisconsin (86)
6. Oregon (82)
7. Southern Cal (78)
8. Penn State (72)
9. Oklahoma State (70)
10. Cal (66)
10. Virginia Tech (66)
...
13. Ohio State, Michigan (60)

Quarterback U
1. Oklahoma (142)
2. Southern Cal (134)
3. Texas (122)
4. Florida State (102)
5. Florida (100)
6. Auburn (76)
7. Ohio State (70 points)
Troy Smith's standout 2006 season produced more than two-thirds of the points that helped the Buckeyes claim seventh place in the quarterback rankings. He claimed three major awards, including the Heisman, and won All-America and all-conference honors that season. Braxton Miller has already been named to the All-Big Ten first team twice and has a good chance to make it a three-peat this fall.
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8. Louisville (62)
9. Texas A&M (60)
10. Stanford (56)
 
The wide receiver U ranking is a little low. The 05 squad alone had three 1st round draft picks, one which would go on to become a Super Bowl MVP. Top it off with a 4th rounder in Hartline that became a 1000 yard NFL receiver. Roy Hall as a 7th rounder and Robo a 2nd round pick. Then you have Micheal Jenkins, Rambo, Germany and Posey who was an All Conference player.

Of course, I don't think tOSU needs ESPN to validate the status of a premier WR school.
 
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Buckeneye said:
The wide receiver U ranking is a little low. The 05 squad alone had three 1st round draft picks, one which would go on to become a Super Bowl MVP. Top it off with a 4th rounder in Hartline that became a 1000 yard NFL receiver. Roy Hall as a 7th rounder and Robo a 2nd round pick. Then you have Micheal Jenkins, Rambo, Germany and Posey who was an All Conference player.

Of course, I don't think tOSU needs ESPN to validate the status of a premier WR school.
Click to expand...
The rankings were based entirely off their point system. As mentioned in the write up, the lack of national award winners or All-Americans is what dropped Ohio State down despite a stellar resume of placing players in the NFL.
 
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I thought we were boycotting ESPN?

Gotta be truthful. I watch CFB Live everyday like a heroin junkie goes to their dealer. Got to have a fix - especially during the summer.
 
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