College Football Thread v3.0

[Brandon]

That 06 defense was really, really good. You have to think they went against the #2 teams in the country twice in the regular season and still only gave up 10.4 points a game...This current Ohio State team hasn't faced anyone even close to those Texas/Michigan teams and that's def not debatable.

 

They also had Lil Animal, Malcolm Jenkins and Vernon Gholston who all ended up in the NFL, 2 of the 3 are still there making a decent name for themselves. I think I would take the 06 defense at this point in time, talk to me next year and my answer may change depending on who stays/leaves.

 

Add back in Bryant, and its closer. As is... the 06 defense had some serious athletic talent.

 

Everyone wants to believe the players are "so much better,faster" now then it was with Tress. I would argue its similar, Tress did not recruit duds...We were slow on the offensive lines more so back in his time, although even then those guys with any coach but Bollman likely could have been better.

 

This defense is getting there. But they have to ALL get it in the same game.

 

Roby now needs to up the stock, better start hustling, and no more Abracaderis games.

Doran Grant needs to keep up the solid work he is putting in, we dont need a world beater here, but we need to continue to feel good 1v1 man coverage, he is going okay.

 

C. Brown. - average...average...average...he is just out there and a target to pick on

 

CJ Barnett - shows some good times and bone head times... His cover 2 needs cleaned up, late at making decisions at times. BUT if he focus's well he isnt a liability.

 

Perry - Come on son hurry up...You have the paper stats, now learn to be a linebacker...Its coming, slowly but surely (I know that was not his position in HS), which is "nice" but we need more development, faster. His speed is helpful on the egdes and containment he is better at, needs better gap control though and some zone work will come with game time.

 

Shazier - Play like Indiana every game, like a Bauce. "played like it was his last home game"...

 

Grant,Williams, whoever - Grant poor guy, for being the best Linebacker recruit in the country, his brain is too scrambled. Just didnt make it. Williams shows promise, but again young and you need a little more. This is a hole right now for the defense...not a good hole to have.

 

The D-line ; I feel like they are starting to get it, Bosa is a man child, and I cant wait to have his brother as well. Spence knows his roll and is playing better and better, washington if he can keep healthy is just gaining momentum, Bennett is a workhorse, grinder, hard working and doing well, Hale and Schutt are plugging the run games up, they are okay. This is obviously the strongest part of our defense

 

Overall - the d line when they are motivated can be everything we want to them to be... Linebacking is really Shaizer...this is obviously a weak spot...Secondary I dont feel overly bad about on the edges, but the safety play is average...

[LJ]

That 06 defense was really, really good. You have to think they went against the #2 teams in the country twice in the regular season and still only gave up 10.4 points a game...This current Ohio State team hasn't faced anyone even close to those Texas/Michigan teams and that's def not debatable.

 

They played 3 #2 teams and gave up an average of 29 points and an average of 22 points to the 5 ranked teams they played. They were a very sound cohesive unit. 2002, 2005 and 2009 were all better units at the end of the year. 2006 D is very comparable to the 2011 D.

 

They also had Lil Animal, Malcolm Jenkins and Vernon Gholston who all ended up in the NFL, 2 of the 3 are still there making a decent name for themselves. I think I would take the 06 defense at this point in time, talk to me next year and my answer may change depending on who stays/leaves.

I think this current defense has at least 6 NFL contributors on it. Shazier, Roby, D Grant, Bosa, Spence and Bennett. Diesel and Perry may get drafted (I really like Perry's athleticism). Barnett may make a roster. Like I said, this defense has athleticism that the 2006 D could only dream of. I Dont think this years D will ever be as sound as that 2006 D was though.

[DaddyBuiltRacing]

I was trying to forget the beatdown in Arizona thank you haha. While this one may/may not be more athletic I am not sure athletic wins you championships. Would anyone here say that the 02 defense was "athletic", outside of Gamble they didn't really have anyone that wows you as an athlete did they? I wouldn't even say Doss was an elite athlete, he was a very good player though. It's funny to talk about how athletic or not these guys are, they are all athletic as shit or else they wouldn't be playing D1 football

[LJ]

Add back in Bryant, and its closer. As is... the 06 defense had some serious athletic talent.

 

Everyone wants to believe the players are "so much better,faster" now then it was with Tress. I would argue its similar, Tress did not recruit duds...

 

No he didn't as everyone in the back 7 in a base defense is a Tressel (or Fickell with Josh Perry, who's natural position is OLB, not sure where that came from as they ran a 4-2-5 with no Mike last weekend) recruit. The HUGE difference is the athleticism of the D-line. Spence, Diesel and Boss are all freaks. Tress never had 3 lineman like that at once.

[Orion]

Interesting...

 

http://www.chatsports.com/michigan-wolverines/a/Breaking-Michigan-football-player-Coach-Hoke-has-lost-the-team-10-2-4592

 

probably bullshit, but that it's even out there is telling.

[Brandon]

No he didn't as everyone in the back 7 in a base defense is a Tressel (or Fickell with Josh Perry, who's natural position is OLB, not sure where that came from as they ran a 4-2-5 with no Mike last weekend) recruit. The HUGE difference is the athleticism of the D-line. Spence, Diesel and Boss are all freaks. Tress never had 3 lineman like that at once.

 

I would argue this group below has three guys just as comparable...Less Spences "speed" which is the only think amongst this group that blows away the stat line. Bosa is great especially for his age, and "rumors" are little brother is better (scary), Spence is getting better he still needs to hone that raw talent, Washington reminds me of nathan williams to this point (again to this point, lots of potential yet injuries hampering him) ,

 

Defensive End – Cameron Heyward, Nathan Williams, Solomon Thomas, Melvin Fellows, Daryl Baldwin, David Durham, J.T. Moore

Defensive Tackle – John Simon, Dexter Larimore, Adam Bellamy, Jonathan Hankins, Garrett Goebel, Evan Blankenship

[LJ]

I would argue this group below has three guys just as comparable...Less Spences "speed" which is the only think amongst this group that blows away the stat line. Bosa is great especially for his age, and "rumors" are little brother is better (scary), Spence is getting better he still needs to hone that raw talent, Washington reminds me of nathan williams to this point (again to this point, lots of potential yet injuries hampering him) ,

 

Defensive End – Cameron Heyward, Nathan Williams, Solomon Thomas, Melvin Fellows, Daryl Baldwin, David Durham, J.T. Moore

Defensive Tackle – John Simon, Dexter Larimore, Adam Bellamy, Jonathan Hankins, Garrett Goebel, Evan Blankenship

 

Heyward is comparable to Bennett. That's about it. Bosa is a mixture of Williams speed and Simons ethic and strength

[DaddyBuiltRacing]

LOL, the pic Zack posted is even better in real time footage

[DaddyBuiltRacing]

Not sure what ESPN is up to...

 

Does Ohio State have a beef?

Buckeyes are on the outside looking in, so far. Plus, rising prospects

Updated: November 25, 2013, 11:23 AM ET

By Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay | ESPN Insider

 

Urban Meyer Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images It's hard to knock FSU and Alabama. But Urban Meyer has a pretty good point.

Each week during the college football season, Mel Kiper and Todd McShay kick off the week by settling a debate, and then look at emerging NFL prospects and peek ahead to next week.

Does Ohio State have a beef?

 

Mel Kiper: It has been 693 days since Ohio State lost a football game. They've been discounted by the polls as a true threat to either Alabama or Florida State in large part because of the questions about competition, and by an extension of that, the degree with which they dominate that competition.

 

But there's a point where you have to step back and consider the enormity of what it means to just never lose football games, especially when it's so common to see really good teams beaten on the road in conference. Ask Stanford; ask Oregon; ask Florida State last year; ask Alabama last year; ask Baylor this week.

 

And when Urban Meyer takes issue with the BCS, instead of pointing out the flaws in his team, you may want to put yourself in his shoes. He's in a major conference, he keeps winning games in mostly dominating fashion, and yet he's essentially left to defend his team. What do you have to defend about never losing, and beating opponents by 30-plus points on average? Well, plenty, it seems. And while I have Florida State and Alabama just ahead of Ohio State right now in terms of where I'd rank them, there are a few reasons OSU has legit beef with being left out of all the title projections so far:

 

1. They've dealt with some adversity in terms of personnel. Carlos Hyde was out at the beginning of the season. Braxton Miller missed time, and even when he came back, he was clearly limited. If you saw Miller play at Northwestern -- a game critics will point to as a night where OSU wasn't dominant enough -- it's clear you weren't seeing him at 100 percent. Meyer probably feels his team is just starting to reach its potential.

 

2. The defense is young and could get better. The Buckeyes have gotten big contributions from true freshman Joey Bosa, sophomore linemen Noah Spence and Adolphus Washington, sophomore LB Joshua Perry and even freshman DB Tyvis Powell. Defense had been an issue earlier this season, something you could expect after losing seven starters from last season, but it's a unit that has gotten better, and I'm sure Meyer would relish the chance to work with them for another month-plus to see where they could be by the time they played a Bama or FSU.

 

3. Strength of schedule isn't something you can completely control. How could OSU have assumed the Big Ten would do them no favors at all? When you play in a good conference, with a conference title game at the end, going out of your way to schedule out of conference wouldn't seem necessary. OSU has been unlucky with Cal being so bad, Penn State being down and now with Michigan clearly in a tailspin. We like to knock schedules, but when you play in the Big Ten, it's pretty hard to assume you'd have so few opportunities to show off against good competition.

 

I'm not saying Ohio State is clearly at the same level of FSU or Bama right now. But it's hard to blame them for wanting a shot to prove it. After all, the last time they were big underdogs in a BCS title game, they won it.

 

Todd McShay: I do think that Meyer and Ohio State have a legitimate beef, at least when it comes to the seemingly agreed-upon assumption that Alabama and Florida State are the clear Nos. 1 and 2 and a lock to play in the national championship game. I do think that the Crimson Tide are clearly the most deserving team of a BCS title shot, but in my opinion the gap between the Seminoles and Buckeyes is closer than the national perception.

 

OSU had some early-season struggles, which is when FSU separated itself with a series of impressive wins, but the Buckeyes are now peaking at the right time. Miller is playing a lot more naturally in his second year in Meyer's system; he knows where to go with the ball and what reads he has to make. He's also back to being healthy after the early-season injury, and is his usual dangerous self as a runner. Having Hyde back up to full speed at running back has been huge for the offense as well, after he missed the start of the season because of suspension. He is a bully of an inside runner. Even though the schedule hasn't been great, it's pretty clear that this offense has improved throughout the season.

 

And while this is by no means a great defense, it is a competitive unit that is continuing to improve. The Buckeyes are playing with more discipline in coverage, and cornerback Bradley Roby is gambling less and cutting down on his mistakes. And Ryan Shazier has always been a great player. He played out of his mind against Indiana, recording 20 tackles as the Buckeyes held a good Hoosiers offense to zero points outside of garbage time.

 

However, even with all of those factors working in the Buckeyes' favor, I still believe FSU has a slight edge over them for the No. 2 spot in the BCS standings, in terms of which team is more deserving. Not only do the Noles stack up favorably in the subjective part of the equation -- they are a very talented team that has put together some impressive wins this season -- but the numbers favor them as well. They rank No. 2 behind Alabama in ESPN's new Championship Drive Rating, while Ohio State ranks fifth, and their strength of schedule is slightly better than the Buckeyes' (81st nationally versus 86th).

 

Even though I think an undefeated FSU should get the nod over an undefeated OSU, I would never fault Meyer or any head coach for doing any politicking surrounding the BCS standings. He's the one charged with telling a locker room full of 100-plus players who have gone out and won every game and laid it on the line for him and his coaching staff that a 13-0 record (if they win out) isn't good enough, so he has every right to try to campaign for his team. Thankfully we have only one year left of this awful system for deciding a national championship matchup, but for this season, what else is Meyer supposed to do?

[bicranium]

They rank No. 2 behind Alabama in ESPN's new Championship Drive Rating, while Ohio State ranks fifth, and their strength of schedule is slightly better than the Buckeyes' (81st nationally versus 86th).

 

DAFUQ IS DIS SHIT?

[DaddyBuiltRacing]

LOL apparently it's another stat made up of stuff that really doesn't exist.

[Dr. Pomade]

DJ, yeah, those quotes from the anonymous "player" seem contrived to me, like someone just wanting to fuck with us. I'm not buying it.

[bicranium]

http://i.imgur.com/zVY3swy.jpg

[DaddyBuiltRacing]

One looks to be trending upwards, while the other is heading down. I was on Michigan's scout page and man that is a depleted fan base. I never thought I would see the day where this rivalry is damn near dead. As an Ohio State fan I never want to see the Buckeeys lose, but as a fan of the rivalry in general, it needs to happen in the next 2-3 years or this becomes just another game that no one really cares about outside of Ohio.

[DKilbourne]

One looks to be trending upwards, while the other is heading down. I was on Michigan's scout page and man that is a depleted fan base. I never thought I would see the day where this rivalry is damn near dead. As an Ohio State fan I never want to see the Buckeeys lose, but as a fan of the rivalry in general, it needs to happen in the next 2-3 years or this becomes just another game that no one really cares about outside of Ohio.

 

I still cared when Cooper was coach and OSU didn't win much then. Fuck them and they can lose to us for the next 50 years

[SinisterSS]

One looks to be trending upwards, while the other is heading down. I was on Michigan's scout page and man that is a depleted fan base. I never thought I would see the day where this rivalry is damn near dead. As an Ohio State fan I never want to see the Buckeeys lose, but as a fan of the rivalry in general, it needs to happen in the next 2-3 years or this becomes just another game that no one really cares about outside of Ohio.

 

I could care less, I want OSU to win "the game" forever! I wanna see Ohio State take the overall series record, right now it's in favor of Michigan 58-44-6

[DaddyBuiltRacing]

I guess...

 

I remember the Cooper years as well and yeah they were hell.

 

It will no longer be a rivalry at that point, maybe in the minds of OSU fans. It can't be considered a rivalry if only 1 side cares, can it? Hell most Michigan fans today will tell you that MSU is their rival, I think this is because MSU hasn't kicked their ass almost every year for the last 11 years. Give it a few more years and they'll have to find another unless they beat Michigan State in the next couple years as well. Right now I believe MSU has won 5 of the last 6 or something like that

[DaddyBuiltRacing]

Looks like Winston won't be charged until next week, if at all...

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/no-decision-expected-this-week-on-potential-charges-in-jameis-winston-investigation-112613

 

 

Also found this interesting

 

The following was posted on the Wisconsin board:

 

Pertaining to ASU vs. Wisc, here is the relevant part from 1 of the computers (Colley):

 

"The Colley Matrix computer rankings let you add/remove hypothetical results, and flipping the Wisconsin-ASU game has some interesting results:

Arizona State would drop from #6 to #14

Wisconsin would move from #16 to #6

Clemson and NIU would jump Stanford

Duke and TAMU would jump UCLA

Ohio State would move from #3 to #2 (ahead of Alabama), and within 5 thousandths of FSU for #1

Long story short, there is a very real chance that the Arizona State-Wisconsin debacle might actually have set into action a series of dominoes in the computer rankings that could cost OSU a shot at the title. Yikes."

 

 

One more:

Jake Ballard getting into a twitter battle and owning the dude

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=145&f=3154&t=12388303

[Orion]

I guess...

 

I remember the Cooper years as well and yeah they were hell.

 

It will no longer be a rivalry at that point, maybe in the minds of OSU fans. It can't be considered a rivalry if only 1 side cares, can it? Hell most Michigan fans today will tell you that MSU is their rival, I think this is because MSU hasn't kicked their ass almost every year for the last 11 years. Give it a few more years and they'll have to find another unless they beat Michigan State in the next couple years as well. Right now I believe MSU has won 5 of the last 6 or something like that

 

Yeah, they were spouting that bullshit when they were whooping our ass during the Cooper years as well. Truth is, rivalries suck when one team is dominant. Funny how alive the rivalry was in 2007 when we played them as 1 vs. 2....

[BrendanB]

Looks like Winston won't be charged until next week, if at all...

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefootball/story/no-decision-expected-this-week-on-potential-charges-in-jameis-winston-investigation-112613

 

 

Also found this interesting

 

The following was posted on the Wisconsin board:

 

Pertaining to ASU vs. Wisc, here is the relevant part from 1 of the computers (Colley):

 

"The Colley Matrix computer rankings let you add/remove hypothetical results, and flipping the Wisconsin-ASU game has some interesting results:

Arizona State would drop from #6 to #14

Wisconsin would move from #16 to #6

Clemson and NIU would jump Stanford

Duke and TAMU would jump UCLA

Ohio State would move from #3 to #2 (ahead of Alabama), and within 5 thousandths of FSU for #1

Long story short, there is a very real chance that the Arizona State-Wisconsin debacle might actually have set into action a series of dominoes in the computer rankings that could cost OSU a shot at the title. Yikes."

 

 

One more:

Jake Ballard getting into a twitter battle and owning the dude

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=145&f=3154&t=12388303

 

 

Damn Wisconsin screwing us over...

[DaddyBuiltRacing]

Yeah, they were spouting that bullshit when they were whooping our ass during the Cooper years as well. Truth is, rivalries suck when one team is dominant. Funny how alive the rivalry was in 2006 when we played them as 1 vs. 2....

 

Fixed. I would love to see 1 vs 2 every year. Right now though, it doesn't even feel like "Michigan Week", just Thanksgiving week for me. There isn't any buzz about this game, nor has there been since 2006 for that matter really. It's dying and unless they win a game against OSU in the next 2-3 years, it will become about as big of rivalry as OSU/Illinois.

[RedRocket1647545505]

 

"The Colley Matrix computer rankings let you add/remove hypothetical results, and flipping the Wisconsin-ASU game has some interesting results:

Arizona State would drop from #6 to #14

Wisconsin would move from #16 to #6

Clemson and NIU would jump Stanford

Duke and TAMU would jump UCLA

Ohio State would move from #3 to #2 (ahead of Alabama), and within 5 thousandths of FSU for #1

Long story short, there is a very real chance that the Arizona State-Wisconsin debacle might actually have set into action a series of dominoes in the computer rankings that could cost OSU a shot at the title. Yikes."

 

Well that sucks.

[DaddyBuiltRacing]

Michigan is 3-10 since 2000 vs Ohio State. Against Michigan State, from 02-07 they went 6-0, since then they have gone 1-5. Total they are 7-5. That looks more like a rivalry than 3-10, hell if you want to take away OSU/Michigan before 02, it's still 2-9.

[BStowers023]

Damn refs screwing us over...

 

Fixed for ya

[bicranium]

I was mad enough watching that Wisconsin game live when the refs completely robbed Wisconsin of the chance to win the game. But yeah, people have been posting the Colley Matrix stuff on reddit for a few weeks now and it doesn't exactly cheer me up.