Matt Tamanini
Guest
Of the pre-Michigan games, Buckeye Nation is most nervous about Wisconsin
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
Also, three players most impressed Ohio State fans against Penn State.
Believe it or not, but the college football season is now in the home stretch. The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes are 7-0, which means that there are just five regular season games remaining. Obviously, we know what Game No. 12 is, so that leaves four more contests for our beloved Bucks to navigate before The Game. So, we wanted to check in with Ohio State fans in order to see what they were thinking about Wisconsin, Rutgers, Michigan State, and Minnesota.
So, earlier this week in our fan survey, we asked two questions. One was about which pre-Michigan game they were most nervous about, and the other was looking back at last week’s marquee win over Penn State. We wanted to know which player they were most impressed by.
Take a look at the results below and if you have any other thoughts, let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page.
Check out DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.
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I think this is a perfect encapsulation of last week’s 20-12 victory over Penn State. That was a hard-fought team effort that required players from both sides of the ball to have outstanding games in order for the Buckeyes to emerge victorious. I personally would have voted for Jermaine Mathews Jr., simply because he is a true freshman who stepped up and had a fantastic game in his first career start, but I can’t find fault in Marvin Harrison Jr. or J.T. Tuimoloau’s inclusion either.
With three significant starters out in Denzel Burke, Emeka Egbuka, and TreVeyon Henderson, guys were called upon to carry a heavier load than normal, and nearly without exception, they did that. I came out of last week’s game feeling very good about the Buckeyes’ chances the rest of the way; in fact, in our postgame press conference, I said that I thought it was time to acknowledge that Ohio State should be the No. 1 team in the country, and not only do I stand by that, but I think they are the College Football Playoff favorites at this point.
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I think this is the obvious answer for many reasons: The Badgers have a much stronger pedigree than the other teams on the Buckeyes’s schedule, playing at Camp Randall at night is always a tricky proposition, going up against Luke Fickell in his first game as a Big Ten head coach against his alma mater; all of that adds into the anxiousness surrounding this game.
However. as I discussed in this morning’s “Land-Grant Tailgate Podcast,” the Badgers are starting a quarterback who has made only one start before and who struggled to beat Illinois last weekend. So, with all due respect to Braedyn Locke, I just am not too nervous about what he brings to the table. Yes, Braelon Allen is a legitimate horse in the backfield, but the Buckeyes have always had a way to shut down Badger running backs, so I’ll take my chances.
Honestly, I’m not super worried about any of these teams, but keep an eye on the Fighting Greg Schianos next weekend. I don’t expect Rutgers to beat the Buckeyes, but their defense is only giving up 15.8 points and 276.8 yards per game. If Ryan Day, Kyle McCord, and company can’t get things figured out, things could get a little wonky for the offense in Piscataway.
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
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
Also, three players most impressed Ohio State fans against Penn State.
Believe it or not, but the college football season is now in the home stretch. The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes are 7-0, which means that there are just five regular season games remaining. Obviously, we know what Game No. 12 is, so that leaves four more contests for our beloved Bucks to navigate before The Game. So, we wanted to check in with Ohio State fans in order to see what they were thinking about Wisconsin, Rutgers, Michigan State, and Minnesota.
So, earlier this week in our fan survey, we asked two questions. One was about which pre-Michigan game they were most nervous about, and the other was looking back at last week’s marquee win over Penn State. We wanted to know which player they were most impressed by.
Take a look at the results below and if you have any other thoughts, let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page.
Check out DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.
Question 1: Whose performance were you most impressed by in Saturday’s win over Penn State?
I think this is a perfect encapsulation of last week’s 20-12 victory over Penn State. That was a hard-fought team effort that required players from both sides of the ball to have outstanding games in order for the Buckeyes to emerge victorious. I personally would have voted for Jermaine Mathews Jr., simply because he is a true freshman who stepped up and had a fantastic game in his first career start, but I can’t find fault in Marvin Harrison Jr. or J.T. Tuimoloau’s inclusion either.
With three significant starters out in Denzel Burke, Emeka Egbuka, and TreVeyon Henderson, guys were called upon to carry a heavier load than normal, and nearly without exception, they did that. I came out of last week’s game feeling very good about the Buckeyes’ chances the rest of the way; in fact, in our postgame press conference, I said that I thought it was time to acknowledge that Ohio State should be the No. 1 team in the country, and not only do I stand by that, but I think they are the College Football Playoff favorites at this point.
Editor’s Note: Yes, the graphic misspelled Jermaine’s last name, we didn’t make it, but we apologize anyway.
Question 2: What game are you most nervous about before the Michigan regular-season finale?
I think this is the obvious answer for many reasons: The Badgers have a much stronger pedigree than the other teams on the Buckeyes’s schedule, playing at Camp Randall at night is always a tricky proposition, going up against Luke Fickell in his first game as a Big Ten head coach against his alma mater; all of that adds into the anxiousness surrounding this game.
However. as I discussed in this morning’s “Land-Grant Tailgate Podcast,” the Badgers are starting a quarterback who has made only one start before and who struggled to beat Illinois last weekend. So, with all due respect to Braedyn Locke, I just am not too nervous about what he brings to the table. Yes, Braelon Allen is a legitimate horse in the backfield, but the Buckeyes have always had a way to shut down Badger running backs, so I’ll take my chances.
Honestly, I’m not super worried about any of these teams, but keep an eye on the Fighting Greg Schianos next weekend. I don’t expect Rutgers to beat the Buckeyes, but their defense is only giving up 15.8 points and 276.8 yards per game. If Ryan Day, Kyle McCord, and company can’t get things figured out, things could get a little wonky for the offense in Piscataway.
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...