justingolba
Guest
Stock Market Report: Ohio State survives its trip to Madison, remains undefeated
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ohio State is 8-0, and is one of the five P5 teams left with a zero in the loss column.
Seven more wins and the Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0) are national champions. It is not truly that simple, but the sentence remains true. After the Buckeye's trip to Madison resulted in a 24-10 win over Wisconsin (5-3) and the fighting Luke Fickell’s, the Buckeyes will turn their attention to Rutgers and the 6-2 Scarlet Knights.
Let’s take a look at who helped and who and what hurt their stock this past weekend.
Surviving and advancing: In my world, late October into November means two things in college football: The College Football Playoff rankings have been announced, and the season now truly becomes real (because who cares about the AP Poll). Because of this, it is survive and advance season. The Buckeyes have a target on their backs as the No. 1 team in the country.
It does not matter if they win each game by one point or 100 points. If they win out, they are in the college football playoff. Al Davis said it best, just win, baby win.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25048190/usa_today_21764921.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Camp Randall at night: There is a reason a lot of Ohio State fans were nervous about the game Saturday night, and none of it had to do with the players on the field. There is just something about Camp Randall Stadium under the lights.
Whether it is the sea of red or Jump Around to enter the fourth quarter, Wisconsin is one of the toughest places to play at night in the conference, and Ohio State has had its troubles there in the past. Personally, I love watching those games. A good night atmosphere is what makes college football special.
TreVeyon Henderson: There has been a lot of talk about the running back room, and with the season-ending injury to Miyan Williams and the Buckeyes’ desire to redshirt Dallan Hayden, the room has got a little smaller recently. However, as long as he is healthy, Henderson is the star of the backfield.
Henderson came back from injury against Wisconsin and recorded 207 total yards and a touchdown, and really provided a huge spark to the running game for Ohio State. Henderson has looked great every time he has been able to play, and hopefully he stays healthy so he can continue to produce at a high level.
Strength of Schedule: Look, let’s be honest, it very likely does not matter. As long as the Buckeyes win all their games, they are going to the College Football Playoff. But what was once a pretty tough schedule is starting to take a real hit.
First, Notre Dame has since lost to Louisville and almost lost to Duke, Maryland has not won a game since they lost to Ohio State and went on to lose to Illinois and Northwestern, and Penn State was in real trouble at home against Indiana. Thankfully, Penn State hung on, but they did not look great in the process.
Again, it doesn’t really matter, but it is worth pointing out.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25048196/usa_today_21764824.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Buy: Marvin Harrison Jr.’s Heisman chances. I have not been convinced that Marvin Harrison Jr. could win the Heisman Trophy until the Penn State game, and now after the Wisconsin game, I really do believe he can win it.
This doubt had nothing to do with Harrison Jr. himself. But normally, it is so hard for a receiver to win the Heisman because they have to put up insane numbers and they have to share votes with their quarterback. Harrison won’t have to do that, and it is clear he is the difference maker on his team that could go undefeated. He has a real chance.
Buy: Defense wins championships. Is it a cliche statement? Of Course. Do I still think it is correct? Yes, I do. Ohio State fans are living in a weird reality right now. We are so used to the offense leading the way and hoping the defense can catch up, and now it is the reverse. But that is not necessarily a bad thing.
Even with the amazing offenses the Buckeyes have had over the last two or three years, they really haven’t won anything. They have not won a Big Ten Championship since 2021, they are 0-2 against Michigan in the last two seasons and have won one playoff game. Now, they have an elite defense and a good but not a dominant offense. We will see what that may bring.
Sell: Zero targets for Cade Stover. Throughout the entire game on Saturday night, I was asking myself one question: Where is Cade Stover? He was blocking all night (sometimes), but he was not targeted once in the passing game. It was odd to see because, normally, he is a solid and dependable option for Kyle McCord, especially with Emeka Egbuka on the sideline and Julian Fleming missing the second half.
This was clearly the Marvin Harrison Jr. and TreVeyon Henderson show, but it will be interesting to see if they get Stover back in the mix against Rutgers. I hope they do, because Stover brings versatility to the offense that is really hard for defenses to match.
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ohio State is 8-0, and is one of the five P5 teams left with a zero in the loss column.
Seven more wins and the Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0) are national champions. It is not truly that simple, but the sentence remains true. After the Buckeye's trip to Madison resulted in a 24-10 win over Wisconsin (5-3) and the fighting Luke Fickell’s, the Buckeyes will turn their attention to Rutgers and the 6-2 Scarlet Knights.
Let’s take a look at who helped and who and what hurt their stock this past weekend.
Blue Chip
Surviving and advancing: In my world, late October into November means two things in college football: The College Football Playoff rankings have been announced, and the season now truly becomes real (because who cares about the AP Poll). Because of this, it is survive and advance season. The Buckeyes have a target on their backs as the No. 1 team in the country.
It does not matter if they win each game by one point or 100 points. If they win out, they are in the college football playoff. Al Davis said it best, just win, baby win.
Solid Investments
Camp Randall at night: There is a reason a lot of Ohio State fans were nervous about the game Saturday night, and none of it had to do with the players on the field. There is just something about Camp Randall Stadium under the lights.
Whether it is the sea of red or Jump Around to enter the fourth quarter, Wisconsin is one of the toughest places to play at night in the conference, and Ohio State has had its troubles there in the past. Personally, I love watching those games. A good night atmosphere is what makes college football special.
TreVeyon Henderson: There has been a lot of talk about the running back room, and with the season-ending injury to Miyan Williams and the Buckeyes’ desire to redshirt Dallan Hayden, the room has got a little smaller recently. However, as long as he is healthy, Henderson is the star of the backfield.
Henderson came back from injury against Wisconsin and recorded 207 total yards and a touchdown, and really provided a huge spark to the running game for Ohio State. Henderson has looked great every time he has been able to play, and hopefully he stays healthy so he can continue to produce at a high level.
Junk Bonds
Strength of Schedule: Look, let’s be honest, it very likely does not matter. As long as the Buckeyes win all their games, they are going to the College Football Playoff. But what was once a pretty tough schedule is starting to take a real hit.
First, Notre Dame has since lost to Louisville and almost lost to Duke, Maryland has not won a game since they lost to Ohio State and went on to lose to Illinois and Northwestern, and Penn State was in real trouble at home against Indiana. Thankfully, Penn State hung on, but they did not look great in the process.
Again, it doesn’t really matter, but it is worth pointing out.
Buy/Sell
Buy: Marvin Harrison Jr.’s Heisman chances. I have not been convinced that Marvin Harrison Jr. could win the Heisman Trophy until the Penn State game, and now after the Wisconsin game, I really do believe he can win it.
This doubt had nothing to do with Harrison Jr. himself. But normally, it is so hard for a receiver to win the Heisman because they have to put up insane numbers and they have to share votes with their quarterback. Harrison won’t have to do that, and it is clear he is the difference maker on his team that could go undefeated. He has a real chance.
Buy: Defense wins championships. Is it a cliche statement? Of Course. Do I still think it is correct? Yes, I do. Ohio State fans are living in a weird reality right now. We are so used to the offense leading the way and hoping the defense can catch up, and now it is the reverse. But that is not necessarily a bad thing.
Even with the amazing offenses the Buckeyes have had over the last two or three years, they really haven’t won anything. They have not won a Big Ten Championship since 2021, they are 0-2 against Michigan in the last two seasons and have won one playoff game. Now, they have an elite defense and a good but not a dominant offense. We will see what that may bring.
Sell: Zero targets for Cade Stover. Throughout the entire game on Saturday night, I was asking myself one question: Where is Cade Stover? He was blocking all night (sometimes), but he was not targeted once in the passing game. It was odd to see because, normally, he is a solid and dependable option for Kyle McCord, especially with Emeka Egbuka on the sideline and Julian Fleming missing the second half.
This was clearly the Marvin Harrison Jr. and TreVeyon Henderson show, but it will be interesting to see if they get Stover back in the mix against Rutgers. I hope they do, because Stover brings versatility to the offense that is really hard for defenses to match.
Continue reading...