The Buckeye Blog

With six of the top ten teams getting beat, Ohio State is once again in the race for the BCS championship. Today’s AP poll moves them to #4 and LSU jumps ahead of USC to take the number one spot.

Yes folks, LSU’s big win over Tulane was enough to move them ahead of USC. Not that I’m complaining or anything. USC struggled against against a Washington team that we beat without much difficulty. A little bit better play on the part of Washington and we would be looking at Ohio State ranked #3 with USC falling by the wayside like the rest.

It’s about time the AP voters recognize that USC has weaknesses and needs to prove themselves before giving them a cakewalk into the BCS championship game.

At this point, I don’t think that Cal looks like a top five team. They struggled against Oregon and even though they had a big early win against Tenn., I don’t think they have it in them to run the season.

If LSU is going to jump over USC, you have to give some credit to Ohio State and possibly even move them up to #3. And why not? Together with LSU, they are top unbeaten team that hasn’t struggled yet this year. The Buckeyes continue to improve and the Buckeye defense looked amazing yesterday. The commentators couldn’t stop talking about the “speed” of the Ohio State D. When we’ve got ESPN commentators talking about Big Ten “speed” we might just be on to something.

Cal and USC will sort themselves out in a few weeks–if both make it that far, and one of them will be dropping back. LSU will have a tough game against Florida next week. A solid win will solidify their position. A loss however…I’ll leave that to another post.

Ohio State’s biggest challenge will probably be against #4 Wisconsin. At this point, Wisconsin hasn’t really proven themselves but if they hold their ranking until we travel to Madison, a solid win will give some much needed credibility to the OSU schedule. Michigan State also has the potential to come into The Shoe looking good, same with Illinois and if Michigan can somehow keep it together, another gold old fashioned Michigan pounding should launch us into a very good position for a BCS championship shot.

I’ll talk more about their opponent in another post but I have a good prediction there also.

Ahh, Minnesota…the land of snow, the artist formerly known but now known as Prince, and glorious defeats deftly snatched from the jaws of victory. Today’s game should provide a good practice for the Buckeye offense as Minnesota ranks as one of the worst passing defense in college football.

The Buckeye passing game has needed some work and today’s game will give Beokman the chance to build confidence and continue the improvement we have seen from this offensive line.

And while the Gopher defense may be laking, they do have the ability to put together an offense. This is also good as it will give the Defense a chance to work out and face a little challenge before next week’s game against Purdue.

Basically, this game should be a good practice for the Buckeyes. Unfortunatly, three deep quarterback Antonio Henton won’t be seeing the playing time like he did against Northwestern. Do to a fondness for…well, I’ll just leave that one hanging…he isn’t making the trip to Minnesota.

So yeah, this is pretty much a high pace practice without the red jerseys and a somewhat lackluster away crowd in the stands.

Don’t expect the big comeback’s that so often make the Minnesota games so much fun to watch. The Bucks will get out early, and even though a 27 point spread is a little much, I think I will still take the Buckeyes to beat the spread. Northwestern couldn’t slow them down and when you add in Minnesota’s penchant for turnovers, neither will the Gophers.

Other Big Ten Games of interest:

Wisconsin vs Michigan State:

This is probably one of the toughest games to call this weekend. We all heard how good Wisconsin was going to be but so far, they have done nothing to prove it. I was thinking that there was a team deep in there waiting to wake up but at this point, I’m not so sure.

Meanwhile, Michigan State is on something of a ground swell. A win this weekend would put them at 5-0 and seeing as they go up against Northwestern and Indiana in the next two weeks. While they are still something of a question mark, I think Michigan State Mark Dantonio may surprise the Big Ten. He is a great defensive coach and the MSU defense should give the Wisconsin offense, an offense that hasn’t shown us much so far, a real run for their money.

This looks to be a classic Big Ten matchup. Big linemen facing big linemen and plenty of “three yards and a cloud” type plays. I not sure that MSU will win this one but I think they will keep it close staying within the 7 point spread.

Purdue vs. Notre Dame

I like this game for all the wrong reasons. Purdue has a great offense and will have no problems putting points on the board. Unfortunately, Notre Dame has no offense and has trouble putting points on the board. However, against the Purdue defense, which seems to enjoy letting other teams put points on the board, Notre Dame may actually get the chance to put up some numbers.

Did you get all that?

Notre dame has scored one touchdown this season. There is something of an in state rivalry here but it won’t help. Expect Purdue to put up big points. I think they will beat the 21 point spread. If Notre Dame had any sort of an offense, this would be a great over/under game but at 54, it may be a little much. Purdue may just score 54 points alone though.

Michigan at Northwestern

Can you say spead offense? This game has the potential to bring back all the nightmares of the first two weeks for Michigan.

Northwestern runs something that resembles a spread offense and as everyone in the NCAA knows, Michigan can’t handle the spread offense. And unless LLLLLLoyd Carr has found some sort of miracle and has figured out how to defend against the spread, Northwestern could provide the upset we’ve would all love to see putting the nail in the Wolverines season once and for all.

Bring back quarterback Chad Henne, who will probably play today, and it looks like Appalachian State all over again. Michigan has an 18 point spread and I’m going with Northwestern against the spread.

For the gambler, Northwestern has an over under team spread of 17 pts. I’m thinking the NU over doesn’t look so bad.

It’s a long shot but not out of the question.

(Didn’t think I’d get that Henne link in did you–now with more than 122,000 views on youtube)

WAAIIIITTTTT….STOP THE PRESSES!!!

I just realized that Northwestern’s quarterback is injured. Do they even have a backup quarterback? Heck with it, I’m staying with Northwestern. Why…

Because MICHIGAN STILL SUCKS!!

Penn State vs Illinois

This game should give us a chance to see if there is anything to Penn State or not. After getting their asses handed to them last week, the air has been pretty much knocked out of their bubble. Meanwhile, Illinois has shown potential.

Vegas is only giving Penn State four points on this one but I thought they would destroy the three point favorite they had last weekend against Michigan. If Penn State brings a blowout, it could say more about Michigan than Penn State.

Indiana vs. Iowa

Indiana is coming on, Iowa is flailing. Both teams have a lot to prove. Iowa losing to Indiana would be yet another humiliation in an already sad season. A win for Indiana would put them at 4-1 and help rectify last weekend’s loss to Illinois, a game theHoosier’s see as a fluke.

Iowa gets 10 a ten point spread on this game and I’m taking Indiana.

What is the University of Minnesota’s academic forte? It’s not Engineering or Logistics. If it was they would know how to build a stadium on campus instead of 30 miles away so the largest student body in the United States can attend football games. Pretty novel idea. Maybe that’s why they average 47,000 fans per game and are 9th out of 11 in the Big Ten for attendance

Sure, it’s a big state and has 1,000 lakes that make getting to a football game difficult. They have snow too that can impede travel, hence the dome. It is kind of un-American in ritual. Look at Green Bay. The cheeseheads understand the prime mortal nature of football and will sit through a game shirtless in a blizzard – whereas these fat lemmings can’t make it to the game.

I recant. That’s not fair to call Gophers lemmings. At least lemmings travel en masse “somewhere” when it’s time to be somewhere – at game time. Who’s smarter now? Tough call.
Think of the mascot, the Golden Gopher. I know it’s not original, like a poisonous nut only squirrels can eat. There’s an identity problem here though. What is a Gopher, Groundhog, Woodchuck or whatever the heck you want to call it? Below, the many definitions:
gopher

noun
1. a zealously energetic person (especially a salesman) [syn: goffer]

2. a native or resident of Minnesota [syn: Minnesotan]

3. any of various terrestrial burrowing rodents of Old and New Worlds; often destroy crops [syn: ground squirrel]

4. burrowing rodent of the family Geomyidae having large external cheek pouches; of Central America and southwestern North America

5. burrowing edible land tortoise of southeastern North America [syn: gopher tortoise]

See where the confusion comes in? I know a gopher as a cute, fuzzy, dumb animal that we count by the roadside sunning themselves as trucks run them over. Awww. The weatherman gopher, Punxsatawney Phil has his own web site
.
Farmers as golf greens keepers despise them and are viewed as a “burrowing” menace that is unendingly annoying, like the guest that wouldn’t leave your digs — the slovenly stoner that camps in your beanbag chair, watches your TV and eats everything in your frig including the condiments – not someone especially “energetic.” Quite the opposite.

Go to the web and Google “Gopher” and you’ll find 1,067 ways to eradicate these varmints. Try poison pellets, smoke, high frequency, drowning, electrocution, firearms. Name it. The worse part is that they have few predators and breed like rabbits. They’re not really that cute either like Floppsy, Mopsy, Peter – oh, and Fat-ass!

The little bastards took over Port Columbus and were chewing all the wiring for aviation telecommunications and were tunneling under million-dollar runways. The little cherubs had the Columbus City Council stymied.

To make matters worse, some people with pony-tails, pop-bottle glasses and fanny packs called the media and the scene was teaming with newsmen. Seems the rednecks that City Council hired to dispose of the gophers were being inhumane. Apparently, travelers on planes could look out their windows to witness the Earp brothers’ unloading their shotguns at will.

After much debate, Columbus found their Pied Piper of Hamlin, a snake oil salesman named Mr. Haney. His solution was to use a leaf truck where he would insert the 10-inch diameter vacuum nozzle down a hole, turn it on and a jillion pounds per square inch sucked them out like a dust mite out of your carpet. That vacuum contraption was Dr. Suess-like, brilliantly obvious and diabolical and almost as unsportsmanlike as fishing with hand grenades or hunting deer with LAWs rockets.

Council considered this humane. Sure, they took the leaf grinder off the back, but can you imagine the “Suuuuuuck.. vooooop… thud” as they hit pay dirt – or the steel wall of the truck traveling at a jillion miles per hour? When asked why he had the gopher removal business, Mr. Haney’s reply was, “Good pay and all you can eat.”(see recipe).

What might be even more inhumane will be our thrashing of the Gophers tomorrow winning 49 to 10. Speed kills on astro-turf and the Buckeyes have plenty of it.

Gopher Pie

1 Gopher, skinned and cleaned
1/4 cup onion
1/4 cup green pepper
1/2 tbsp minced parsley
1 tbsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 1/2 tbsp. flour
3 cups broth

Cut Gopher into 2 or 3 pieces. Boil for 1 hour. Remove meat from bones in large pieces. Add onion, green pepper, parsley, salt, pepper, and flour to the broth and stir until it thickens. If the broth does not measure 3 cups, add water. Add the meat to the broth mixture and stir thoroughly. Pour into baking dish. Roll only enough to make it fit the dish. Place dough on top of meat, put in a hot oven (400 degrees F.) and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until dough is browned. Serves 6-8.

This week’s round table is hosted by Northwestern blogger, Lake the Posts (LTP). If you haven’t seen his site, check out the history behind the name of the blog. Apparently, back in the old days when Northwestern one a big game, they would tear down the goal post and toss it into Lake Michigan–hence the name, Lake the Posts.

Let’s hope that Northwestern gets the chance to bring back an old tradition as they take on Michigan this weekend at home.

LTP didn’t waste any time writing the wrap up and apparently, since I didn’t get my post up yesterday, I missed it. Maybe he’ll give me an update.

And Awayyy we go:

1. Michigan turned to Russell Crowe (successfully). ND went with Regis (unsuccessfully). Imagine your team is in desperate need of a pregame pep talk (no imagination needed at NU). You can bring in anyone in the world. Who do you turn to and why?

Since we all know Woody is always with us, I would defiantly go with Kenneth Bragnagh in Henry V. The St. Crispin speech is good but personally, I like Act III Scene iiior Act III scene i. I remember watching it and thinking…”If only Cooper could say something like that.”

I couldn’t find video’s of either of Bragnagh’s versions from outside the gates of Harfleur but I did find this. I can’t believe this speech wouldn’t do something for a bunch of 18-22 year old football players:

2. What perception about your program is perpetuated to the point where it is your pet peeve? Why does it bother you so much (no, the answer does not have to be an alliteration)?

As a Buckeye, after a point you begin to realize that those on the outside just don’t understand. We know where we stand and there is no need to defend. I get a kick out of the Michigan fans fear of coming to an Ohio State game. I also get annoyed with the idea that we are somehow filled with criminals and cheaters. If anything, that is a pet peeve for the rest of the country. No matter how hard they try, since Clarette, there has been almost no negativity about this program. It drives everyone else nuts but it’s true. And even though we’ve had a bad week, we have fewer problems in a year than some teams have in a week.

3. It is only week 5 of the season, but you’ve been asked to create your team’s highlight reel for the season. You get to choose one song. What is it and why?

I would guess that a certain song by Queen would be a little obvious here?

How about the Automic Fireballs, Man with a Hex. While it is still early in the season to focus on one player, the song has potential. The opening would go great with a kickoff return for a touchdown.

My Rhapsody Playlist

Picture says it all.

As you probably know by know, three deep Buckeye quarterback Antonio Henton was arrested Monday evening for soliciting prostitution. According to the Columbus Dispatch, Henton agreed to pay an undercover police officer $20 to have intercourse, at around 8:30 in the evening.

Let’s get the stupidity factor out of the way here and now:

1. He’s an Ohio State quarterback and he’s paying for sex?!

2. Only $20?

3. At 8:30 on a Monday night? Sure, it’s a Monday and the bars are slow but at 8:30 he hasn’t even given it a chance. Not too mention, most respectable college students aren’t drunk until closer to 10:00 at the earliest. He is a freshman I guess.

Now that we got that out of the way, it is a pretty sad situation. It looked like Henton has a lot of potential with a long Ohio State career ahead of him. Northwestern sure couldn’t slow him down during the second half last Saturday. If convicted Henton could face up to six months in jail even though it is a misdemeanor charge.

This is the first time an Ohio State player has been in trouble since April of 2006. No matter what the talking heads, blogs, those who hate Ohio State have to say, Tressel runs a clean program. With Gorden Gee at the helm as university President, he had better.

I also like the way Tressel handled the situation. He opened yesterday’s press conference addressing the it head on. And instead of avoiding, hedging, covering, excusing, whatever, Tressel expressed first and foremost his disapointment but he also expressed his concern for Henton saying that we need to make sure that he is “well cared for.”

Tressel also noted that even though Henton will be suspended indefinitely and won’t travel to Minnesota this weekend, he would still maintain all academic privileges. The basic tone of Tressel’s comments were that the team would need to pull together to work through and there was a sense of concern for Henton’s well being.

While a difficult situation for all involved, the response does show a sense of character that is lacking in so many college football programs.

As Michigan fans gloat and their players celebrate by dancing the worm at mid field, at least one Penn State fan has the clarity to admit what most of suspected all along, “Penn State might not be very good.”

While Michigan fans rejoice the dawn of a new morning and discuss growing pains, Penn State blogger Run up the Score sums up what I think we all knew:

“Penn State might not be very good. Or not good. At all.”

We saw two mediocre teams face off yesterday. It’s a tough admission for a Penn State fan. One I’m afraid we will never see from Michigan.

(The Mac T stayed up late for this one and it’s worth every minute.)

Why is it that I’m sleepless at 3:26AM? Could it be the fear that the Northwestern Mildats are going to soil an OSU home opener? Am I troubled of the thought that some other post-game Philistine is going to beat me to the dumpster burning behind the Seven Eleven on the corner 12th and High? Could it be that I can’t fathom the idea that a some green-card havin, four-point GPA getting wonk who doesn’t know how to play football is going to rag on me?

Indulge me. Pretend with me. Close your eyes, but read this first or it won’t work. It’s snowing lightly. Imagine that you’re in a half-vacant, sub-zero, windswept stadium sitting on aluminum seating that your butt’s frozen to — and recite the Northwestern cheer with me with a Mandarin accent:

“That’s alright (are light)
That’s okay
You’re going to work for (fall) us
Some day,
Rah!” (Lah!)

It’s highly unlikely that a bunch of purple panty-waists are going to keep anyone up tonight, errrr, this morning (See Craig’s Eggs Installment #3 referring to teams that wear purple and about nice guys finishing last)… Woody intentionally scheduled Northwestern for homecoming and season openers to pump the team to ramp up the Big Ten season. OSU didn’t have as many games scheduled in those days, nor would Woody allow injuring any of his players by playing non-conference teams for cash and TV ratings — especially the five quarterbacks that that he benched so teams like Northwestern could not have them. Har de har har. Wait. That was until some smart-ass (probably from Northwestern) reduced Division One football scholarships for parity in the 90s. Stay with me.

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The House that Harley Built hosts its 500th Ohio State game today against Northwestern. It’s been a great run, here’s to 500 more.

The warm up is over and Saturday, the season starts for real. I don’t care what anybody says, I think the Big Ten is looking good. I think when you stack up the leagues, the Buckeyes are easily the second best league and I only say that because I am blinded by the SEC hype that pervades every waking moment of college football coverage.

But now for the important stuff. The Buckeye Blog’s Big Ten predictions:

Let’s start with the game of the week–Penn State at Michigan (Penn -3)

At first look, I would say this game is a blowout for Penn State. However, I am having a hard time committing to Penn State. While they look good both on the field and on paper, we just don’t know. Believe it or not, this is one series that LLLLLLoyd Carr does own. Penn State hasn’t beat Michigan in the last 11 years and they play Michigan in the Big House.

Michigan still has everything to play for. For them, the season starts tomorrow. If they can run the Big Ten (which they won’t), they can still get to a BCS game and although it won’t be the BCS Championship, it might be enough to get Chad Henne to come out of the locker room.

While Michigan wants this game, Penn State wants it more. If Penn State can hit hard and hit early, all the memories of the first two games will come flooding back into both the players and the fans. Michigan fans may not even find the will to shake their keys and we all know that nobody on the Michigan team can rally them mentally.

The three point spread keeps pulling me back but Penn State beats the spread with ease.

Northwestern at Ohio State (OSU -22)

The Buckeye defense should have no problem against Northwestern. The Buckeye D has shown steady improvement and even with the Northwestern spread, chaos, whatever it is that they play, won’t be much challenge for the Bucks.

The Ohio State offense finally woke up during the second half against Washington. Now that they have a little confidence under their belt, this could turn into a blowout.

If they were playing in Evanston, I would play the spread and take NW but at home, the fans won’t be happy unless the Buckeyes win and win big. I’m taking the Bucks even with the 22 points.
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