We are not out yet!! (Okay, now we are....)

[Jake]

I doubt tOSU ends up in the Rose bowl, no matter how loud the chants. Loser of the B1G CCG is most likely headed to Pasadena. I'd love to see a Fiesta bowl rematch to stomp the Irish again. Or to watch tOSU stomp Florida

I was referring to the chants of the past, pointing out that the Rose Bowl should never be seen as a lowly consolation prize. That said, yes I do believe the loser of the B1GCG will go to Pasadena. I just hope wherever we go we don't play someone like Houston - give me ND or the SEC - if we're not in the CFP.

 

[Jake]

So, if they lose a non-playoff bowl, it's because they didn't really want to be there?

Why not? That excuse worked when Alabama lost the Sugar to Utah and Oklahoma.

 

[Jaxbuck]

I was referring to the chants of the past, pointing out that the Rose Bowl should never be seen as a lowly consolation prize. That said, yes I do believe the loser of the B1GCG will go to Pasadena. I just hope wherever we go we don't play someone like Houston - give me ND or the SEC - if we're not in the CFP.

Didn't the Rose Bowl guy come out and say they'd take highest ranked B1G team?

That isn't going to be the loser of the B1G CG

 

[pnuts34]

Didn't the Rose Bowl guy come out and say they'd take highest ranked B1G team?

That isn't going to be the loser of the B1G CG

Good point

 

[pnuts34]

And yet, we rarely saw it this season.

I think most of the team played with fire this season(Zeke, Thomas and the entire defense), and yet you never heard Urban come out and make an excuse. And I agree wholeheartedly with your second post. I'd take the SEC CCG loser in Arizona in a heartbeat. Give Houston to the loser of the ACC CCG or have them play OK St

 

[ScriptOhio]

DESPITE BEING ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN, OHIO STATE STILL FEELS IT'S ONE OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S FOUR BEST TEAMS

J.T. Barrett stood silent briefly, then took a deep breath. Ohio State’s quarterback had to collect his thoughts for a few seconds before delivering his answer.

Barrett was asked Wednesday if he was going to root for some chaos this weekend in college football. After all, a couple of upsets — North Carolina over Clemson or Florida over Alabama — would help bring his Buckeyes into the conversation for one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff.

After the momentary pause, Barrett gave his response.

“Yes,” he said. “I guess I’d be lying if I said no.”

Ohio State’s redshirt sophomore quarterback said he doesn’t have rooting interests when he watches other football games. He roots for some of his friends on other teams — Barrett said he’s buddies with Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and USC quarterback Cody Kessler — but doesn’t cheer for or against any specific teams.

Except, of course, when it benefits his own team.

Barrett was one of several Ohio State players who spoke to the media Wednesday about Ohio State’s chances at a berth in the College Football Playoff. None of them hid their feelings toward the Buckeyes’ current situation: They’re all rooting for chaos. They'd be lying if they said they didn't want to make the Final Four.

But Ohio State also knows it is on the outside looking in this season. The Buckeyes don’t have a conference championship on their resume and don’t have another opportunity to impress the committee before it meets Sunday — OSU's last performance was a 42-13 blowout of Michigan.

So, Ohio State is stuck in campaign mode as the Big Ten, Pac-12, ACC and SEC decide their conference champions this weekend. The Buckeyes' campaign slogan? Well, that’s simple: Ohio State believes it belongs in the College Football Playoff because it feels it is one of the four best teams in the country.

“I do think we should be in the Playoff,” Barrett said. “I just feel like we’re one of the top teams in the country, one of the top-four teams for sure.”

Entire article: http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-...tate-still-feels-its-one-of-college-footballs

 

[buckeyesin07]

The players are right--according to Vegas, OSU is basically in a dead heat with Alabama for being the best team in the nation.

 

[ScriptOhio]

Buckeyes Want to End the Season on a Positive Note No Matter Where They Play

The Buckeyes want to sing Carmen Ohio one last time no matter where they play

Ohio State can’t control what will happen this weekend and therefore the Buckeyes have no say in where they will end up this postseason.

There’s still a slim chance OSU could sneak into the College Football Playoff, but that would require some more chaos. If Saturday follows suit and the Scarlet and Gray are left out of the top four, the Buckeyes will still be in one of the New Year’s Six bowl games.

“Hopefully we get a chance,” junior guard Pat Elflein said on Wednesday. “If not, we’re happy with a New Year’s Six bowl because that’s the hand we’re dealt.”

Obviously Ohio State wants to return to the College Football Playoff and have a chance to defend last year’s national title, but that may not happen. Regardless of where the Buckeyes end up, the importance of ending the season on the right note is not lost on the veterans.

“It’s very important,” senior linebacker Joshua Perry said of closing the year out positively. “And to me, a lot of that is legacy of this group of leaders that we’ve had. Coach Meyer classifies us towards the top of some of the leaders that he’s had, but that’s all for naught if we don’t come out there and perform.”

The goal all season for Ohio State was to return to the Big Ten Championship Game and be in position for the Playoff when the season concludes. With those possibilities likely gone, the OSU players have to prepare for the prospect of another bowl game with less on the line.

It’s easy for the team to get juiced up for the Playoff, but if the Scarlet and Gray end up in the Rose Bowl or the Fiesta Bowl, these leaders may be needed to get the team motivated.

“It’s pretty much everything because whatever game we get into, we’re going to play a really good team. I do know that,” senior left tackle Taylor Decker said. “After playing Michigan State and bouncing back and having a huge game, I think it’s importance for us to keep that momentum going. Not just to end my career here, but to go into the offseason with a big win. It’s definitely important.”

Of course the team wants to send the seniors out with a victory in their final game, but a win would mean more than that. As Decker said, carrying momentum into the offseason can be important for a team heading into next year.

“When I first got here, we had just lost to Clemson in the Orange Bowl, and it was a lot of negative energy that we had to get out of our system,” sophomore middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan recounted. “So I think if we can get these last couple of wins, if we make it to the Playoff, or if we don’t, we’ve just got to finish strong and get this positive energy rolling into next year.”
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“Right now, we just need to focus on keeping our conditioning and keeping up our execution of techniques and things like that,” Decker said. “Because regardless of who we play, we’re going to go win that game.”

Entire article: http://theozone.net/Ohio-State/Foot...-on-a-Positive-Note-No-Matter-Where-They-Play

 

[SEREbuckeye]

While some don't like Colin Cowherd (for various reasons), I do like his sentiment on Ohio State and Alabama right now. He has said that Ohio State should be in based on the strength of record. That Alabama's best win is equal to that of Ohio State's. That it comes down to the fact that Alabama is playing in a CCG with a worse loss than Ohio State. I might add that the team they are playing against is hapless on offense and surrounded in a ball of confusion right now, no different than the Pac 12 championship.

 

[grnvllbuck]

I think the bowl game situation works out this way:
Iowa beats MSU: MSU to the Rose Bowl, and Buckeyes to Fiesta
MSU beats Iowa impressively: Buckeyes to Rose Bowl
MSU beats Iowa in a close one: Iowa to Rose Bowl, Buckeyes to Fiesta

*but I've been wrong before!

 

[UpNorth_Buckeye]

For me, I don't think OSU deserves to get in over the current top four. OSU has played two good opponents, and were only able to go 1-1. I can see an argument for OSU currently being over Bama, but if they beat Florida they would deserve to be ahead anyways. While our two good opponents and our bottom 3 OOC opponents are better than any of theirs, their schedule was better throughout for the rest. And they'll have an extra game and be conference champions. Oklahoma also has a better resume. Best loss is a factor, but it's not the end all be all. They had a better OOC victory than osu did (tenn vs VT), and play 9 conference games not 8. And are conference champions.

As for potential teams jumping OSU, I think UNC needs to take Clemson to the woodshed to jump OSU, but stanford actually has a solid resume. I wouldn't go up in arms if they jumped osu to be honest.

 

[OhioState001]

For me, I don't think OSU deserves to get in over the current top four. OSU has played two good opponents, and were only able to go 1-1. I can see an argument for OSU currently being over Bama, but if they beat Florida they would deserve to be ahead anyways. While our two good opponents and our bottom 3 OOC opponents are better than any of theirs, their schedule was better throughout for the rest. And they'll have an extra game and be conference champions. Oklahoma also has a better resume. Best loss is a factor, but it's not the end all be all. They had a better OOC victory than osu did (tenn vs VT), and play 9 conference games not 8. And are conference champions.

As for potential teams jumping OSU, I think UNC needs to take Clemson to the woodshed to jump OSU, but stanford actually has a solid resume. I wouldn't go up in arms if they jumped osu to be honest.

Stanford has two losses. We have one. Their two losses were to NW and Oregon which are both weaker than MSU. The best team they beat is ND which may be slightly better than TTUN. We deserve to be in over them.

 

[buckeyesin07]

Stanford has two losses. We have one. Their two losses were to NW and Oregon which are both weaker than MSU. The best team they beat is ND which may be slightly better than TTUN. We deserve to be in over them.

Agreed. And I'll add that that Northwestern loss is not in any respect a good loss. Northwestern is 10-2, but

- lost to Michigan by 38 points
- lost to Iowa by 30 points
- should have lost to Nebraska (won by two, with Nebraska failing on a game-tying two-point conversion late in the 4th)
- should have lost to Penn State (PSU had the ball 3rd and 1, and failed to convert where doing so would have let them run out the clock; on the ensuing, game-winning drive for Northwestern, a PSU player dropped an easy INT that would've sealed the game)
- should have lost to Wisconsin (UW had two game-winning TDs overturned in the last minute of the game)
- beat Purdue, who finished the season 2-10, by 7 points, and the game was at Northwestern
- beat Ball State, a team that plays in the MAC and finished the season 3-9, by 5 points, and the game was at Northwestern

...and this team beat Stanford by 10. I honestly think if OSU played Northwestern on a neutral field, OSU would be favored by 24 points.

 

[UpNorth_Buckeye]

Stanford has two losses. We have one. Their two losses were to NW and Oregon which are both weaker than MSU. The best team they beat is ND which may be slightly better than TTUN. We deserve to be in over them.

They'll have played 10 conference games, and of their 3 OOC, they had @ #15 NW and vs #8 ND. IMO our best win and best loss are better than theirs. Everything else goes towards them. I would put stanford in over osu if they beat usc.

 

[pianobuck46]

DESPITE BEING ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN, OHIO STATE STILL FEELS IT'S ONE OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S FOUR BEST TEAMS

J.T. Barrett stood silent briefly, then took a deep breath. Ohio State’s quarterback had to collect his thoughts for a few seconds before delivering his answer.

Barrett was asked Wednesday if he was going to root for some chaos this weekend in college football. After all, a couple of upsets — North Carolina over Clemson or Florida over Alabama — would help bring his Buckeyes into the conversation for one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff.

After the momentary pause, Barrett gave his response.

“Yes,” he said. “I guess I’d be lying if I said no.”

Ohio State’s redshirt sophomore quarterback said he doesn’t have rooting interests when he watches other football games. He roots for some of his friends on other teams — Barrett said he’s buddies with Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and USC quarterback Cody Kessler — but doesn’t cheer for or against any specific teams.

Except, of course, when it benefits his own team.

Barrett was one of several Ohio State players who spoke to the media Wednesday about Ohio State’s chances at a berth in the College Football Playoff. None of them hid their feelings toward the Buckeyes’ current situation: They’re all rooting for chaos. They'd be lying if they said they didn't want to make the Final Four.

But Ohio State also knows it is on the outside looking in this season. The Buckeyes don’t have a conference championship on their resume and don’t have another opportunity to impress the committee before it meets Sunday — OSU's last performance was a 42-13 blowout of Michigan.

So, Ohio State is stuck in campaign mode as the Big Ten, Pac-12, ACC and SEC decide their conference champions this weekend. The Buckeyes' campaign slogan? Well, that’s simple: Ohio State believes it belongs in the College Football Playoff because it feels it is one of the four best teams in the country.

“I do think we should be in the Playoff,” Barrett said. “I just feel like we’re one of the top teams in the country, one of the top-four teams for sure.”

Entire article: http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-...tate-still-feels-its-one-of-college-footballs

Great post.......thanks!