Brett Ludwiczak
Guest
Looking back at the handful of September bye weeks for Ohio State football
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
There has been seven times in the past 25 years the Buckeyes have been off for a week in September.
You are probably wondering what to do with your time this weekend since Ohio State was on a bye week. Not that we haven’t had weekends in the fall over the years where the Buckeyes didn’t play, we just aren’t used to Ohio State having a week off after just two games.
It is something we’ll have to get used to going forward, since with the expansion of the College Football Playoff, teams will now regularly have two byes during the regular season. More often than not, one of those byes for Ohio State is going to come in September.
Just three years ago on the weekend of the third game of the season for the Buckeyes, I took my mom and step-dad to the game against Tulsa as they came down from Western New York to visit me in Columbus for the first time since I moved down here. Actually, a few months ago, my mom was talking about coming back down to Columbus this weekend and attending another game, but I had to tell her there wasn’t going to be a game since the Buckeyes were going to be on a bye.
Since 1999, there have only been a handful of occasions where Ohio State has had an off week during September. Even though the college football landscape has changed dramatically over the last 25 years, now seems like a good time to take a look at how the Buckeyes have handled some of their early bye weeks, and how their seasons have gone after.
Will how Ohio State has done with an earlier bye in the season tell the whole story of how the rest of their season will go this year? Not at allm, because the Buckeyes have another bye following the Oregon game next month. Plus, Ohio State could be playing two or three more games than normal if they make a deep run in the College Football Playoff.
But, since the Buckeyes are off this week, we need something to write about and this felt like an interesting angle to look at!
1999
Ohio State had a bye after their first game of the season in 1999, as they played the Miami Hurricanes in the Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium, losing to the Hurricanes 23-12 in New Jersey. The week off following their first game allowed the Buckeyes to return home and refocus, leading to a 42-20 win over UCLA in Columbus.
Ohio State would go on to follow the win over the Bruins up with victories over Cincinnati and Ohio before losing to Wisconsin 42-17 in Columbus.
1999 was head coach John Cooper’s second-to-last season as head coach of the Buckeyes. After the three-game winning streak following the loss to Miami, not much went right for Ohio State, as they would lose to Penn State in the middle of October, and closed out their season on a three-game losing streak, falling to Michigan State, Illinois, and Michigan. This season marked the first time Ohio State didn’t play in a bowl game since 1988.
2000
The following season the Buckeyes also had a bye in September, this time coming near the end of the month after their fourth game of the season. Unlike in 1999, Ohio State started off the season strong, winning their first four games of the season, with the bye falling after a 45-6 blowout of Penn State in Columbus. The Buckeyes would put their bye week to good use, beating Wisconsin 23-7 in Madison.
Unfortunately for Cooper and Ohio State, there wouldn’t be much to feel good about the rest of the season. The Buckeyes lost to Minnesota after the win against Wisconsin, with the loss being the first of three during the regular season. Drew Brees was able to lead Purdue to a win over Ohio State, and in the final game of the regular season Cooper would lose for a final time to Michigan.
Cooper’s final game as Buckeye head coach would see his team lose to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl.
2001
The schedule makers eased Jim Tressel into life at Ohio State in 2001, giving the Buckeyes a bye following their first game of the season, which was a 28-14 win over Akron. Like 1999, Ohio State faced UCLA following their bye week, this time taking on the Bruins at the Rose Bowl.
UCLA would go on to beat the Buckeyes 13-6. The close loss would be a theme of Tressel’s first season as head coach of the Buckeyes, with four of their five losses coming by seven points or less.
2002
Much like the start of the 1999 season, Ohio State played in a “classic” game in their first game. One big difference in 2002 was the Buckeyes hosted Texas Tech instead of having to hit the road. Maurice Clarett stole the show in his first collegiate game, scoring three touchdowns in the 45-21 victory. Because they played in what we now know as “Week 0”, Ohio State had a week off before hosting Kent State.
The Buckeyes would play 13 regular season games in 2002, winning them all to setup the battle with Miami for the national title. Even though there are some who likely would have loved the bye a little later in the season, especially to get a week off from some of the tight games Ohio State played that season, there is no questioning the end result of the season, which saw Tressel and the Buckeyes become national champions.
2014
The next time Ohio State would have a bye in September was in a season where they desperately needed it. Even though the Buckeyes had defeated Kent State 66-0 in their third game of the season, there were still questions about the offense following the 35-21 loss to Virginia Tech the previous season. The win over the Golden Flashes was J.T. Barrett’s third start at quarterback after it was announced prior to the season Braxton Miller wouldn’t play in 2014 due to a shoulder injury.
Things looked like they started to click for Barrett in the win over Kent State, so a week off ahead of the game against Cincinnati was good for the redshirt freshman because it would allow things to sink in. Barrett was outstanding the rest of the season before he was injured against Michigan, putting the Buckeyes in position to be in the mix for a spot in the first College Football Playoff after many had written them off following the loss to the Hokies.
2016
Two years later Ohio State played three games before having a week off near the end of September. While Barrett was returning as starting quarterback, there were positions all over the field for the Buckeyes that had new starters since there were so many players from the 2015 team taken in the 2016 NFL Draft. Luckily at Ohio State, it’s more like reloading and not rebuilding.
Prior to the bye, Ohio State went on the road and won in a tough environment at Oklahoma, beating the Sooners in 45-24 in a game that was delayed in starting because of inclement weather. The Buckeyes would continue their hot start to the season following the bye week with a 58-0 drubbing of Rutgers.
The season hit a snag in late October with an overtime loss to Penn State, but Urban Meyer’s team still made the CFP, losing to Clemson 31-0 in the semifinals.
2023
Last year the Buckeyes also had a bye in the first month of the season, with this one coming after four games at the very end of September. Much like in 2016, Ohio State entered the bye coming off an emotional win in a big game on the road. This time it was a 17-14 win at Notre Dame. The bye came at a perfect time, because it allowed the Buckeyes some time to celebrate the win, as well as recover from the physical game.
The bye at the end of September really helped Ohio State since Kyle McCord had only been starting quarterback for a handful of games. It was obvious following the bye that McCord was a little more comfortable at quarterback, as he improved up until the Michigan game when we saw some regression from him.
Things fell apart against the Wolverines, as well as in the Cotton Bowl, but the latter was more from players sitting out the bowl game or hitting the transfer portal.
The September bye is going to be something we’ll have to become a little more used to, since there has to be two bye weeks during the regular season if you are expecting some teams to go on to play 16 or 17 games in a season with the expanded playoff.
Usually over the years Ohio State has done a great job at coming out of the bye week prepared, so it will look to continue that trend in the future. Hopefully going forward the bye falls after Ohio State completes their non-conference schedule, since it feels a little odd where it’s at this year with the game against Marshall coming after the bye before Big Ten play begins for the Buckeyes.
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
There has been seven times in the past 25 years the Buckeyes have been off for a week in September.
You are probably wondering what to do with your time this weekend since Ohio State was on a bye week. Not that we haven’t had weekends in the fall over the years where the Buckeyes didn’t play, we just aren’t used to Ohio State having a week off after just two games.
It is something we’ll have to get used to going forward, since with the expansion of the College Football Playoff, teams will now regularly have two byes during the regular season. More often than not, one of those byes for Ohio State is going to come in September.
Just three years ago on the weekend of the third game of the season for the Buckeyes, I took my mom and step-dad to the game against Tulsa as they came down from Western New York to visit me in Columbus for the first time since I moved down here. Actually, a few months ago, my mom was talking about coming back down to Columbus this weekend and attending another game, but I had to tell her there wasn’t going to be a game since the Buckeyes were going to be on a bye.
Since 1999, there have only been a handful of occasions where Ohio State has had an off week during September. Even though the college football landscape has changed dramatically over the last 25 years, now seems like a good time to take a look at how the Buckeyes have handled some of their early bye weeks, and how their seasons have gone after.
Will how Ohio State has done with an earlier bye in the season tell the whole story of how the rest of their season will go this year? Not at allm, because the Buckeyes have another bye following the Oregon game next month. Plus, Ohio State could be playing two or three more games than normal if they make a deep run in the College Football Playoff.
But, since the Buckeyes are off this week, we need something to write about and this felt like an interesting angle to look at!
1999
Ohio State had a bye after their first game of the season in 1999, as they played the Miami Hurricanes in the Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium, losing to the Hurricanes 23-12 in New Jersey. The week off following their first game allowed the Buckeyes to return home and refocus, leading to a 42-20 win over UCLA in Columbus.
Ohio State would go on to follow the win over the Bruins up with victories over Cincinnati and Ohio before losing to Wisconsin 42-17 in Columbus.
1999 was head coach John Cooper’s second-to-last season as head coach of the Buckeyes. After the three-game winning streak following the loss to Miami, not much went right for Ohio State, as they would lose to Penn State in the middle of October, and closed out their season on a three-game losing streak, falling to Michigan State, Illinois, and Michigan. This season marked the first time Ohio State didn’t play in a bowl game since 1988.
2000
The following season the Buckeyes also had a bye in September, this time coming near the end of the month after their fourth game of the season. Unlike in 1999, Ohio State started off the season strong, winning their first four games of the season, with the bye falling after a 45-6 blowout of Penn State in Columbus. The Buckeyes would put their bye week to good use, beating Wisconsin 23-7 in Madison.
Unfortunately for Cooper and Ohio State, there wouldn’t be much to feel good about the rest of the season. The Buckeyes lost to Minnesota after the win against Wisconsin, with the loss being the first of three during the regular season. Drew Brees was able to lead Purdue to a win over Ohio State, and in the final game of the regular season Cooper would lose for a final time to Michigan.
Cooper’s final game as Buckeye head coach would see his team lose to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl.
2001
The schedule makers eased Jim Tressel into life at Ohio State in 2001, giving the Buckeyes a bye following their first game of the season, which was a 28-14 win over Akron. Like 1999, Ohio State faced UCLA following their bye week, this time taking on the Bruins at the Rose Bowl.
UCLA would go on to beat the Buckeyes 13-6. The close loss would be a theme of Tressel’s first season as head coach of the Buckeyes, with four of their five losses coming by seven points or less.
2002
Much like the start of the 1999 season, Ohio State played in a “classic” game in their first game. One big difference in 2002 was the Buckeyes hosted Texas Tech instead of having to hit the road. Maurice Clarett stole the show in his first collegiate game, scoring three touchdowns in the 45-21 victory. Because they played in what we now know as “Week 0”, Ohio State had a week off before hosting Kent State.
The Buckeyes would play 13 regular season games in 2002, winning them all to setup the battle with Miami for the national title. Even though there are some who likely would have loved the bye a little later in the season, especially to get a week off from some of the tight games Ohio State played that season, there is no questioning the end result of the season, which saw Tressel and the Buckeyes become national champions.
2014
The next time Ohio State would have a bye in September was in a season where they desperately needed it. Even though the Buckeyes had defeated Kent State 66-0 in their third game of the season, there were still questions about the offense following the 35-21 loss to Virginia Tech the previous season. The win over the Golden Flashes was J.T. Barrett’s third start at quarterback after it was announced prior to the season Braxton Miller wouldn’t play in 2014 due to a shoulder injury.
Things looked like they started to click for Barrett in the win over Kent State, so a week off ahead of the game against Cincinnati was good for the redshirt freshman because it would allow things to sink in. Barrett was outstanding the rest of the season before he was injured against Michigan, putting the Buckeyes in position to be in the mix for a spot in the first College Football Playoff after many had written them off following the loss to the Hokies.
2016
Two years later Ohio State played three games before having a week off near the end of September. While Barrett was returning as starting quarterback, there were positions all over the field for the Buckeyes that had new starters since there were so many players from the 2015 team taken in the 2016 NFL Draft. Luckily at Ohio State, it’s more like reloading and not rebuilding.
Prior to the bye, Ohio State went on the road and won in a tough environment at Oklahoma, beating the Sooners in 45-24 in a game that was delayed in starting because of inclement weather. The Buckeyes would continue their hot start to the season following the bye week with a 58-0 drubbing of Rutgers.
The season hit a snag in late October with an overtime loss to Penn State, but Urban Meyer’s team still made the CFP, losing to Clemson 31-0 in the semifinals.
2023
Last year the Buckeyes also had a bye in the first month of the season, with this one coming after four games at the very end of September. Much like in 2016, Ohio State entered the bye coming off an emotional win in a big game on the road. This time it was a 17-14 win at Notre Dame. The bye came at a perfect time, because it allowed the Buckeyes some time to celebrate the win, as well as recover from the physical game.
The bye at the end of September really helped Ohio State since Kyle McCord had only been starting quarterback for a handful of games. It was obvious following the bye that McCord was a little more comfortable at quarterback, as he improved up until the Michigan game when we saw some regression from him.
Things fell apart against the Wolverines, as well as in the Cotton Bowl, but the latter was more from players sitting out the bowl game or hitting the transfer portal.
The September bye is going to be something we’ll have to become a little more used to, since there has to be two bye weeks during the regular season if you are expecting some teams to go on to play 16 or 17 games in a season with the expanded playoff.
Usually over the years Ohio State has done a great job at coming out of the bye week prepared, so it will look to continue that trend in the future. Hopefully going forward the bye falls after Ohio State completes their non-conference schedule, since it feels a little odd where it’s at this year with the game against Marshall coming after the bye before Big Ten play begins for the Buckeyes.
Continue reading...