Josh Dooley
Guest
You’re Nuts: How far will Ohio State make it in the College Football Playoff?
Josh Dooley 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
The wounds are still fresh from a baffling loss to Michigan, but there are still games to be played.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
After an inexplicable and woefully painful loss in The Game this past weekend – the program’s fourth straight – Ohio State’s football season is... That’s right, not over. Potentially by a long shot. Whether it’s just a formality at this point is up for debate; something which Gene and I are about to embrace.
But it certainly feels like the Buckeyes’ season should be over, doesn’t it? I mean, two losses, one of which came at home to a 6-5 football team missing its best player(s) on both sides of the ball — and OSU is still going to be rewarded with a playoff spot? Honestly, it feels gross. And I say that as someone who bleeds Scarlet and Gray.
On the other hand, I’m happy that the players will have an opportunity to go and do something special. For some of them, the College Football Playoff will be their last opportunity to do so. And after Saturday’s debacle, I feel that many of them deserve another shot.
Because for the most part, it was coaching that determined the Buckeyes’ fate against the Wolverines. It was coaching that let the players down, arguably for the fourth consecutive year against TTUN. But with the latter out of the equation and not participating – because damnit, that team stinks out loud – perhaps Ryan Day and Co. will be able to focus clearly and, ya know, put players in a position to win with their overwhelming talent.
So getting back to that debate I mentioned: Where do things go from here? How will the rest of Ohio State’s season play out?
Well obviously, we do not yet know the seeding of the inaugural 12-team CFP. Which means that Gene and I will need to work in hypotheticals. But we are nothing if not creative, so here goes nothin’...
I believe that OSU will eventually get the 9-seed and a matchup with 8-seed Tennessee in Knoxville. There, Jim Knowles will devise a solid gameplan that confuses young UT quarterback Nico Iamaleava, resulting in two interceptions for/from the latter.
Then, weeks removed from their awkward triple date with the boogeyman, Ryan Day and Chip Kelly will remove their heads from their... and scheme up an offense that plays to the strengths of their team’s weapons. Will Howard will right the ship, Jeremiah Smith will be fed until he’s ready to burst, and the Buckeyes will defeat the Vols 28-24.
In the next round, Ohio State will face top-seeded Oregon in a rematch from earlier in the season. And this time around, Day and his staff will actually punch up for a change.
They will account for the fact that Dillon Gabriel can both run and throw the ball further than 10 yards, as well as the possibility of Oregon’s defensive line being really, really good and blowing up the interior of OSU’s offensive line. This will lead to another big game from Howard, and a narrow 31-28 victory for the Buckeyes, capped off by a Jayden Fielding field goal!
In the semis, I have Ohio State facing 12-seed South Carolina in yet another rematch, this one from Jan. 1, 2002. Beamer Ball helped the Gamecocks upset both Penn State and Boise State in this scenario, setting up the Bucks against the Cocks for a spot in the CFP championship game.
I think this would be the Orange Bowl, but don’t hold me to that... Anyway, in this game, OSU’s defense sells out to stop SC’s run game, limiting Shane Beamer’s team to just 10 points. Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart combine for six sacks of Howard, but the latter finds Emeka Egbuka for two TDs, resulting in a 14-10 victory for the Buckeyes.
And finally, in the National Championship Game, Day gets his vengeance... Against Georgia. I don’t know how they get there, but the Bulldogs come out of the other side of the bracket, giving Day the ultimate shot at redemption. He takes it and doesn’t miss.
With a natty on the line, Ohio State’s special teams rise to the occasion. Caleb Downs returns another punt for a TD, Fielding bangs home a 50-yarder, and Caden Curry blocks a punt that C.J. Hicks recovers in the endzone. Ohio State only scores one offensive touchdown – via TreVeyon Henderson – but 24 points in enough, as the Buckeyes’ defense intercepts Carson Beck twice and holds the Dawgs to 17.
There ya have it, folks; a redemption story in four parts. Now, do I really believe this? Maybe, maybe not. But that’s for me to know and Gene to likely argue with.
While I appreciate Josh’s fan fiction redemption arc for Ohio State and Ryan Day, I am all the way out on this team. It isn’t the fault of the players, as I do think on paper the Buckeyes are one of the best groups in the country. Unfortunately, their coaching staff has let them down, and there is no reason to think they won’t continue to do so in the College Football Playoff.
I’ve already said my piece on the head coach. I’ve been pounding the table for Ohio State to move on from Day since the 2022 loss to Michigan. Two years later, here we are with the same exact result and very little has changed aside from the players wearing the uniforms. There is no conceivable world in which I can believe in this man to lead the Buckeyes over any talent-equated team, and after losing to one of the worst Michigan teams of the last decade, he can’t ever be trusted again.
Under the current regime, Ohio State has played scared and lost against basically every above-average team it has faced. Day’s only notable win during his six-year tenure in Columbus was the 2020 Sugar Bowl win over Clemson, which came in a COVID-shortened season and was immediately followed up by a complete pants shitting against Alabama in the national title game. Outside of that and a few nail-biter wins against a Penn State team that has lost 12 of 13 to the Buckeyes, Day has done nothing but fail on the biggest stage.
Day has seemingly gone out of his way to lose the few games each year that Ohio State has even a realistic chance of losing, and that extended beyond the realm of possibilities with the loss to a 6-5 Michigan team without its two best players. The Buckeyes easily could have aired it out against an overmatched secondary, which they did one time and scored immediately. Instead, Day had to prove his team was tough by running directly into the Wolverines’ only advantage in the game without ever deviating.
Ohio State has one of the best rosters in the country — that much is indisputable. Guys like Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs are truly generational talents. Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins are all studs at the skill positions, and Will Howard is a veteran leader capable of getting the ball to those weapons more often than not. The defense ranks No. 1 in the country, and allowed only one touchdown against the Wolverines on a drive that started at the Buckeyes’ 2-yard line.
None of that matters, because the man in charge is incapable of getting the job done.
It seems likely that Ohio State will matchup against Tennessee in the College Football Playoff, whether on the road or at home based on the seeding. The Buckeyes are a better football team than Tennessee, ranking No. 3 in the 247Sports talent composite compared to No. 17 for the Volunteers. Tennessee lost to a 6-6 Arkansas and a down Georgia, and its only decent win this season came against a three-loss Alabama. They played the 68th-ranked strength of schedule, compared to Ohio State’s 25th-ranked SOS.
Again, none of it matters.
Whether in Columbus or Knoxville, more than likely Ohio State will lose a close game almost exclusively because its head coach is too scared to compete. The Buckeyes’ season will end in the first round of the College Football Playoff with a roster of guys more than good enough to win a national title, and maybe then it will finally be enough for a change to be made.
Continue reading...
Josh Dooley 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
The wounds are still fresh from a baffling loss to Michigan, but there are still games to be played.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
This week’s topic: How far will Ohio State make it in the College Football Playoff?
Josh’s Take
After an inexplicable and woefully painful loss in The Game this past weekend – the program’s fourth straight – Ohio State’s football season is... That’s right, not over. Potentially by a long shot. Whether it’s just a formality at this point is up for debate; something which Gene and I are about to embrace.
But it certainly feels like the Buckeyes’ season should be over, doesn’t it? I mean, two losses, one of which came at home to a 6-5 football team missing its best player(s) on both sides of the ball — and OSU is still going to be rewarded with a playoff spot? Honestly, it feels gross. And I say that as someone who bleeds Scarlet and Gray.
On the other hand, I’m happy that the players will have an opportunity to go and do something special. For some of them, the College Football Playoff will be their last opportunity to do so. And after Saturday’s debacle, I feel that many of them deserve another shot.
Because for the most part, it was coaching that determined the Buckeyes’ fate against the Wolverines. It was coaching that let the players down, arguably for the fourth consecutive year against TTUN. But with the latter out of the equation and not participating – because damnit, that team stinks out loud – perhaps Ryan Day and Co. will be able to focus clearly and, ya know, put players in a position to win with their overwhelming talent.
So getting back to that debate I mentioned: Where do things go from here? How will the rest of Ohio State’s season play out?
Well obviously, we do not yet know the seeding of the inaugural 12-team CFP. Which means that Gene and I will need to work in hypotheticals. But we are nothing if not creative, so here goes nothin’...
I believe that OSU will eventually get the 9-seed and a matchup with 8-seed Tennessee in Knoxville. There, Jim Knowles will devise a solid gameplan that confuses young UT quarterback Nico Iamaleava, resulting in two interceptions for/from the latter.
Then, weeks removed from their awkward triple date with the boogeyman, Ryan Day and Chip Kelly will remove their heads from their... and scheme up an offense that plays to the strengths of their team’s weapons. Will Howard will right the ship, Jeremiah Smith will be fed until he’s ready to burst, and the Buckeyes will defeat the Vols 28-24.
In the next round, Ohio State will face top-seeded Oregon in a rematch from earlier in the season. And this time around, Day and his staff will actually punch up for a change.
They will account for the fact that Dillon Gabriel can both run and throw the ball further than 10 yards, as well as the possibility of Oregon’s defensive line being really, really good and blowing up the interior of OSU’s offensive line. This will lead to another big game from Howard, and a narrow 31-28 victory for the Buckeyes, capped off by a Jayden Fielding field goal!
In the semis, I have Ohio State facing 12-seed South Carolina in yet another rematch, this one from Jan. 1, 2002. Beamer Ball helped the Gamecocks upset both Penn State and Boise State in this scenario, setting up the Bucks against the Cocks for a spot in the CFP championship game.
I think this would be the Orange Bowl, but don’t hold me to that... Anyway, in this game, OSU’s defense sells out to stop SC’s run game, limiting Shane Beamer’s team to just 10 points. Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart combine for six sacks of Howard, but the latter finds Emeka Egbuka for two TDs, resulting in a 14-10 victory for the Buckeyes.
And finally, in the National Championship Game, Day gets his vengeance... Against Georgia. I don’t know how they get there, but the Bulldogs come out of the other side of the bracket, giving Day the ultimate shot at redemption. He takes it and doesn’t miss.
With a natty on the line, Ohio State’s special teams rise to the occasion. Caleb Downs returns another punt for a TD, Fielding bangs home a 50-yarder, and Caden Curry blocks a punt that C.J. Hicks recovers in the endzone. Ohio State only scores one offensive touchdown – via TreVeyon Henderson – but 24 points in enough, as the Buckeyes’ defense intercepts Carson Beck twice and holds the Dawgs to 17.
There ya have it, folks; a redemption story in four parts. Now, do I really believe this? Maybe, maybe not. But that’s for me to know and Gene to likely argue with.
Gene’s Take
While I appreciate Josh’s fan fiction redemption arc for Ohio State and Ryan Day, I am all the way out on this team. It isn’t the fault of the players, as I do think on paper the Buckeyes are one of the best groups in the country. Unfortunately, their coaching staff has let them down, and there is no reason to think they won’t continue to do so in the College Football Playoff.
I’ve already said my piece on the head coach. I’ve been pounding the table for Ohio State to move on from Day since the 2022 loss to Michigan. Two years later, here we are with the same exact result and very little has changed aside from the players wearing the uniforms. There is no conceivable world in which I can believe in this man to lead the Buckeyes over any talent-equated team, and after losing to one of the worst Michigan teams of the last decade, he can’t ever be trusted again.
Under the current regime, Ohio State has played scared and lost against basically every above-average team it has faced. Day’s only notable win during his six-year tenure in Columbus was the 2020 Sugar Bowl win over Clemson, which came in a COVID-shortened season and was immediately followed up by a complete pants shitting against Alabama in the national title game. Outside of that and a few nail-biter wins against a Penn State team that has lost 12 of 13 to the Buckeyes, Day has done nothing but fail on the biggest stage.
Day has seemingly gone out of his way to lose the few games each year that Ohio State has even a realistic chance of losing, and that extended beyond the realm of possibilities with the loss to a 6-5 Michigan team without its two best players. The Buckeyes easily could have aired it out against an overmatched secondary, which they did one time and scored immediately. Instead, Day had to prove his team was tough by running directly into the Wolverines’ only advantage in the game without ever deviating.
Ohio State has one of the best rosters in the country — that much is indisputable. Guys like Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs are truly generational talents. Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins are all studs at the skill positions, and Will Howard is a veteran leader capable of getting the ball to those weapons more often than not. The defense ranks No. 1 in the country, and allowed only one touchdown against the Wolverines on a drive that started at the Buckeyes’ 2-yard line.
None of that matters, because the man in charge is incapable of getting the job done.
It seems likely that Ohio State will matchup against Tennessee in the College Football Playoff, whether on the road or at home based on the seeding. The Buckeyes are a better football team than Tennessee, ranking No. 3 in the 247Sports talent composite compared to No. 17 for the Volunteers. Tennessee lost to a 6-6 Arkansas and a down Georgia, and its only decent win this season came against a three-loss Alabama. They played the 68th-ranked strength of schedule, compared to Ohio State’s 25th-ranked SOS.
Again, none of it matters.
Whether in Columbus or Knoxville, more than likely Ohio State will lose a close game almost exclusively because its head coach is too scared to compete. The Buckeyes’ season will end in the first round of the College Football Playoff with a roster of guys more than good enough to win a national title, and maybe then it will finally be enough for a change to be made.
Continue reading...