Dr. Pomade

About to cut out of work. Nerves getting to me. Bring on the Captain's and Ciroc and Stella and alcoholism.

The Bammers are #7 on the list.

More good news/praise for Ohio State (which means more jinxing them for tonight's game!): http://www.wsj.com/articles/whats-your-college-team-worth-1421081367 Cliffs: -Ohio State football program most valuable in nation at $1.2 billion -Michigan #2 -Texas (who was #1) is #3

The 2006 Ohio State team would get beat about the same by this year's Ohio State team as they did by Florida's 2006 team. This Ohio State team is essentially Florida's 2006 team, only with a better running back.

No, no, no - I'm definitely not saying they are in the same category of those teams. Not even close to them, really. Rather, I was just talking about the confidence that those teams have and how that translated into them being really good (or it being reflective of how good they were). Meaning, sometimes when teams act confident and loose it's because they are good and know it and don't have a problem showing it.

Troy Smith wasn't loose, he was comatose/nonexistent/fat from too many donuts and strip clubs and the Heisman circuit. I get what you're saying. In retrospect, Ohio State was waaaaay overconfident after the Michigan win in 2006 and before the Florida game. They were literally popping champagne and smoking cigars after the Michigan win. That tells you all you need to know what their mindset was. I haven't seen any of that type of stuff from current players. Of course, our hindsight is always going to be 20/20: after the game, either we'll "know" they were overconfident or were just knowledgeable about their ability to whip ass.

I was trolling. You're insightful in picking up that it didn't sound like me. My prediction is this: either this game will be a lot lower in scoring than people think (like 24-14) or it will be a blow out. I am picking Ohio State to win, straight up. My honest prediction: Ohio State 49, Oregon 17

People are predicting a shoot out. When shoot outs are predicted, it usually ends up being a low scoring affair. I can see this game being like 24-14 or something just absurd like that. Josh, I feel you on the media overemphasis. I'm with you - I usually like my team to fly beneath the radar, come in as underdogs with a clear chip on their shoulder, and then bushwhack the opponent. However, there's another approach I like too. It's the confidence approach. This is when things are the way they seem: confident teams are confident because everyone can see they are superior. Think Miami of the 80s, Florida State in the early 1990s, Nebraska in mid-1990s, USC in early 2000s, and Alabama in late 2000s - teams that could walk the walk as much as they could talk the talk. Hopefully - HOPEFULLY - this is what we are seeing out of Ohio State. Put it this way, after tonight we are likely to be saying: 1. Holy fuck, we were way too overconfident and that was kind of dumb to not be more focused; or 2. Holy fuck, we have one of the best teams ever at Ohio State, this team could play with anyone and beat just about anyone, we have swag for days, and we might be on the verge of some kind of run here.

56 - 24 Oregon

Meh, he still found ways of getting his digs in, like saying it would be "surprising" for us to win the NC. Uh, we were ranked preseason top 10. Any team that is ranked that high preseason and then goes on to play for the NC is almost by definition not surprising. Also, Forde is a TCU apologist and, in general, a Ohio State hater. Fuck that guy.

Mark May has been playing the ESPN equivalent of the Iron Sheik since about 2001. Trev Alberts did it before him. Both of them trolled Ohio State back during their title run in 2002. He's a total heel.

OT: why can't I see any smilies? I just typed a troll face (:gabe:) but it's not showing up. And i can't see the smilies that were posted earlier. I just switched to Firefox (from IE), if that matters. HALP

And you know how you beat a really good red zone defensive team? Make all your scores come from beyond the red zone. :gabe:

Agreed. And I hope Herman's up to the task. I think we have a good thing going: we can zip and dish the ball off to our speedy guys (Marshall and Wilson - if he's back?) for intermediate gains (and allow them to work in space) and then just pound them with the rushing attack. It's just a matter of keeping drives going, gashing them when we can, and not making dumb mistakes (stupid penalties, turnovers) when we're on offense.

I think Oregon sells out to stop the run and makes Jones beat them. That's how I'd do it if I were calling it for Oregon. Third string guy can beat our first string guys? If so, then I shake his hand and say well done. But I at least take away one of their options if I'm Oregon.

I finally ended up getting to watch the rest of this year's Rose Bowl. Oregon is definitely lethal, and I'm afraid what might happen if the floodgates open. However, it's clear that Florida State imploded and killed themselves. They turned the ball over like 3 times in the span of what seemed like 2 minutes and every one of the turnovers led to a TD. Also, I think Florida State and Oregon was the perfect storm for Florida State: they characteristically fucked around all year long, played sloppy, and lived on the edge, and then they happened to play that way against a very lethal Oregon team that was hitting on all cylinders. The result? 59-20. It was definitely a game in the first half. And, like I said before, Florida State was gashing Oregon for huge chunks of yardage on run plays. I think the keys for Ohio State will be: 1. Establish a run game or some kind of ball control that keeps Oregon's offense off the field, the Oregon offense out of rhythm, and Ohio State's defense rested. 2. Ohio State must control the line of scrimmage defensively and, more importantly, contain Mariotta. That dude is lethal when he scrambles. 3. Ohio State's secondary has to play controlled and smart and not give up the big plays. I think it's okay to allow Oregon to gain yardage - stopping them completely seems a bit farfetched - but making them work for all the yardage and scores that they get will be key. Ohio State has a tendency to kind of "give up" after momentum shifting plays - like when Elliot fumbled against Alabama and they next play was an easy run by Henry for a touchdown. The defense has to keep its head in the game the whole game. 4. A relatively mistake free game by Jones. He doesn't have to win the game for us, but he must not lose it for us.

Well, gentlemen, today's the day. For Ohio State fans, you can't ask for anything more than this: one win away from the ultimate prize. True to form, I will be on the verge of an emotional meltdown later today. I welcome it, as it fits will all of my silly superstitiousness: for Ohio State to win, I must be on the verge of panic come kickoff. Also, in keeping with the superstitious theme, I will be sitting at the exact same spot and wearing the exact same outfit that I was when Ohio State beat Alabama. Of course, my hair will look the same because, well, it always looks great. Thus, if we lose, then no one can say I didn't do my part.

Agreed. Also, I was disappointed to see the lack of an in-car perspective. I'd like to know how quickly the Ferrari walked out and how much the Veyron reeled it back in.

LOL thread is now WTF thread

LOL, what the fuck completely lost

Aren't Gallardo's AWD?

Just posting that the hand thing is still probably the greatest thing ever on the Internet I can't quit doing the hand thing what is it

Well, they certainly seem loose. And I like that. I like when a team is genuine. If they are feeling confident, then I think it's appropriate to act confident. Not disrespectful - there's never any reason to do that (at least unprovoked) - but confident is fine. Not feeling confident? Okay, don't try to fake it. Just go about your business. I like how this team's personality has evolved, which, I think, is directly related to Meyer. Ohio State truly has taken on the form of a mid-to-late 2000's SEC team: athletic, fast, lethal, deep at various positions that matter, and confident in their abilities to play with anyone, anywhere.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh186/tilley614/tony-stark.jpg