The Brand That Will Never Die, Figuratively and Literally

As each day ends, we become further away from the Inaugural College Football Playoff and another bowl season. Now we step into recruiting and preseason predictions. The Big Ten did very well and the SEC West..... not so much. The media has yet to get over their love affair known as the SEC. Pundits, analysts, and the like love to say, next year's Title Game will be Ohio State and Alabama. The reason being, Saban does not stay down for long and he'll be hungry for another championship. I'm sure he felt that way after Oklahoma last Sugar Bowl. Burn!

I'm so tired of hearing about SEC recruiting classes when no one in that conference finished with a perfect season, nor with a bowl win (except the East). I've come to the conclusion that when seasons end for "that conference down there," and it wasn't successful, the spotlight is put on their recruiting. Good for them, they're still not champions.

My prediction for next year's Finals will be #1 Ohio State (of course), #2 Alabama, #3  TCU, #4 Oregon. Ohio State for obvious reasons. Alabama will not be held out of the rankings because of their divisions and coaches reputation. College football would lose its mind if "that conference down there" didn't make it into the playoffs. The Sugar Bowl proved to be as great as everyone thought it would be. The only better matchup would be Ohio State and Alabama for the Title. TCU will come back with a chip on their shoulder. The only problem here is that an undefeated conference championship team could beat them out if they don't go undefeated. So, perfect season for TCU is a must. Oregon will struggle but make it. Rich Rod in Arizona is good, but not great, so he'll win his division, but that's about it. 

Is The B1G Back?

NoThis past season brought a sense of accomplishment back into the Big Ten. Victories from Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan State, and Ohio State brought to the fore front something we always knew would happen, the Big Ten is dominate. This season is surely no indication of what next season could bring, but this years accomplishments could be preface for what's to come.

Wisconsin was destroyed in the Big Ten Championship by Ohio State. Wisconsin was thought to be overrated, but then proved their rate when they best Auburn. Baylor was crying the blues because they were left outside of the Final 4, only to lose to a Michigan State team. James Franklin began his era with a decent season capped off by a bowl win. Urban Meyer, against all odd, took on the best, then became the best. With the addage of Harbaugh to Michigan it's only a matter of time before the Big Ten is up a running.

The toughness of the SEC West was simply outran and out coached. The PAC 12 was proven once again to be a finesse league and the Big 12 was shown once again why the need a conference championship. This all is not news, but what it is, is a warning to the rest of college football, that "we are back."

Ohio State showed all of college football that recruiting class rankings are only a small piece of the puzzle. Great coaching and players who believe in themselves make up the other half of the equation. No longer can Alabama or the SEC claim that both rankings and coaching lay the ground work for champions, but instead players in general. Michigan State is notorious for not having highly ranked classes, but still they have beaten Stanford and Baylor in their last two bowl games.

How many teams know who their second and third string QBs are? How many of those second and third guys could step in and win a championship. Florida State had to do that for one game and nearly lost it. Oregon's came in after having a 4 TD lead on Florida St. Blake Sims and Coker were the men for Saban. My point is this, while everyone talked about the Virgina Tech effect, Ohio State was improving itself. There's no other way to describe it.

Harbaugh, Meyer, Dantanio, Franklin, Chryst, and Riley will become the magnificent 6 of college football. College football never heard of Hugh Freeze or Dan Mullen until this year. Which makes the point, the Big Ten has the coaches, all we need are the wins and Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nebraska are not far behind. The Big Ten is not far from dominance.

What 2015 Season Looks Like

The 2014 Season brought about a state of ease in an uneasy time. Braxton went down, JT stepped up, JT went down, and Cardale stepped up. Fans believed in this team, even with all odds suggesting this year would be a bust. We did not know it, but this is exactly what we needed. This team came together when the entire country was against them. This team became the most dominant in football when the players realized their potential far exceeded the best of any individual player on the opposing team. We showed Wisconsin, Alabama, and Oregon that the best team is not centered around the best quarterback or individual person, but best individual groups around a sufficient quarterback. This year brought about the maturation of individuals. Our offensive line began working together and making no excuses for their youth. Our receiving corp. began doing more than just running down the field, but also blocking and running decoy routes. Our running backs became confident in their offensive line, blockers, and themselves. Our team began realizing who scores is not what is important, but instead scoring in general.

If we thought this team was dangerous, next years will be lethal. Just think, teams had to defend against one quarterback, then every skill set. Next season, with the addage of Braxton and JT, this team will be an absolute nightmare. This is what I see happening.

- Not as many blitzes because three different quarterbacks provide two different threats. Braxton and JT can run away from you and juke you out of your socks. Cardale will just bull doze you. All three quarterbacks can read defenses and make smart choices. All three quarterbacks have great arms and the ability to extend plays.

- With the graduation of Evan Spencer and Devin Smith, Corey Smith, Michael Thomas will become the go to receivers. Dontre Wilson and Jalin Marshall will fill perform double duties being the hybrid backs, and receivers. The speed and versatility of Braxton Miller will make him able to act as a hybrid or receiver as well. Needless to say though, the speed and danger this unit will possess will be second to none.

- Curtis Samuel and Ezekiel Elliott will become the double threat that is our running game. Running games keep defenses on the field, and open the field to wide receivers and tight ends. They ware down defenses and end games quicker.

- Although our defense will lose key personnel (C. Grant, D. Grant, A. Reeves, Bennett, and maybe one or two more) what Larry Johnson, Chris Ash, and Luke Fickell accomplished this year is nothing short of amazing.

- I think that we go undefeated, bring it all back to Columbus once more. Urban Meyer, this coaching staff, and players will act as if they lost the championship this year. This will allow them to stay focused on each game and not get caught up in the media hype that will follow being defending National Champions.

- Our recruiting classes will stay in the top 5 because Freshman watched this years games and saw the success of Freshman on this team. Very few sat on the bench, with most playing significant amounts of time and contributing to the Championship. This years Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors will provide for excellent mentors to the incoming personnel.

- Opposing defenses will have a rough time defending our offense. You stop the running game for a couple series, we will move down the field throwing. You get pressure on our quarterback and stop our throwing game, we have great hybrids and running backs, plus running quarterbacks. Opposing offenses will have their hands full with the reinvented Silver Bullets.

- We are back Buckeye Nation!

Consequences of The Committee

There will always be a team that feels left out, that feels as though their schedule or wins were more impressive then those that made it. Case in point, Baylor's Head Coach is once again claiming that his team was left out by a narrow vote. This what I have to say to that....GET OVER IT! The Committee does not care what college football nation thinks of it. That evidence is quite clear with the one week ranking of TCU at #3, than shortly afterwards dropping to #6.

When Ohio State won the Title and became champions, what they really did was cement the belief that the Committee's train of thought was correct. Although Virginia Tech recked havoc on the Buckeyes all season long, they weathered the storm by winning. They annihilated the Badgers and dominated The Tide and Ducks. Not one person can say with credibility, that if Baylor or TCU would have made the top 4, that they outcome would have been the same. If there is one person that needs to look at the Playoff this year and take drastic measures towards getting into the Playoff, the Big 12 Commissioner is the man to be. For him to say, adding more teams to the Big 12 won't solve anything is arrogant and ignorant. Arrogant in that, he truly believes there is nothing wrong with his conference the way it is constructed. Ignorant in the aspect that, the conference does not need to change to become credible within the conversation near the end of the season.

The Committee has shown that conference championships matter. Ohio State's blueprint for the playoff is relatively simple: one loss or less, division and conference champion. In my opinion the only way for the Big 12 to enter into the Playoff is for the ACC to have a two loss conference championship. Otherwise, Ohio State is cementing itself as the school in the Big Ten, Alabama in the SEC, Oregon in the PAC 12, and TCU in the Big 12. There is no clear cut king of the hill in the ACC.

The End and The Beginning

For those of us that listen to sports radio shows and national media outlets, the Oregon Ducks enter this game as favorites. This feeds right into the mantra that helps fuel Ohio State and this run they are currently on. Ohio State entered this season full of hopes and aspirations. The second week of the season seemed too devastating for the Big Ten to recover from. The rest of the season became a mixture of relentless efforts, the creation of a brotherhood, and an "Us Against The World Mentality." This mixture has propelled the Buckeyes past all the doubters and into the Final against Oregon. The most unlikely of duo, considering only the faithful of the two thought this game would take place.

There were many games circled on this years schedule, which brought us to our knees last year. Michigan is always a test, but Michigan State was circled because of last years Big Ten Championship. We traveled to East Lansing and walked into a stadium that was supposed to give us a loss. We won our Eastern division and walked into Indianapolis against Wisconsin being told, yet again that we were going to lose. We would not be able to stop Melvin Gordon and the Badgers. We were given the ranking of #4 and told that we would face Alabama and that would be it. The unbeatable Crimson Tide would prove once more, that the Big Ten could not hang with the big boys. Ohio State is set to face Oregon Jan. 12, and the infamous Marcus Mariota. An almost unbeatable duo.

The media and college football seem to have a short memory though. We beat Michigan State; We blew out Wisconsin and held Melvin Gordon to 74 yards; We beat Alabama and held Amari Cooper to under 100 yards of receiving. Yet we are still not seen as equals to Oregon. What more do we have to do, not to be underdogs, not to be told our third string quarterback has been getting lucky, not to be told Oregon is too fast for us. Is it not ridiculous that we have the resume we do and yet Oregon is still considered better.

Ohio State wins this game because we have been told all year long that we are not good enough, we have been told all year long that because our conference is weak we are weak, we have been told our 3rd String Quarterback cannot possible compete with just two starts under his belt. These players believe in one another to the extent that they would not be able to look each other in the face if they did not give relentless effort. Our Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshman understand that this game will be the last for the seniors, putting on the Buckeye uniform. These seniors will graduate with a title to their name.

The one thing that can never be taken from this team is to be the Champion of the First College Football Playoff. That title will never be had again.

My Prediction: Ohio State 49 Oregon 24

O-H!

New Stuff on Here!

Ohio State is now in Dallas, Texas taking their final steps towards their destiny. This journey has taken this team and nation (by nation, I mean Buckeye Nation) through quite a path. All season we have been fighting ourselves and the media. The National Title Game is where our destiny begins and our season ends. In November, we walked into East Lansing, Michigan being told we were going to lose against a superior team and we handled our business. In December, we faced a Wisconsin team that said we could not stop their running back and we did. January 1, we entered into a game with the King of the SEC, a complete team, and walked away winners.

Why would Oregon be any different? From one Buckeye fan to another enjoy this video.

The Masterpiece That Is Ohio State

Is there a masterpiece in the making? This masterpiece is not just Ohio State vs. Oregon, or The Sugar Bowl, but also the restructuring of the college football landscape. What do I mean, you may say? Ohio State vs. Oregon is a tail of two programs that everyone talked about but never thought of us national championship material. Ohio State was seen as the King of the Big Ten, but nothing else and certainly not worthy of the Playoffs. Oregon was seen as the King of the Pac12 with the best player in college football, but certainly not worthy of beating the Seminoles or Crimson Tide. This National Title Game was supposed to be Florida State vs. Crimson Tide or Oregon vs. Crimson Tide. The perception of the SEC supercedes what is actually happening in college football, there are better teams outside the SEC.

The Sugar Bowl was supposed to be a brutal beating of the Big Ten by a superior conference, but instead the exact opposite took place. Does this effect recruiting? It could in the long run, maybe not now though. Urban Meyer put Ohio State with an Alabama defeat, which sent the SEC West into questioning the dominance of their existence. The Crimson Tide walked into the SuperDome with the entire force of the SEC behind them, and it still was not enough. However, the landscape changed in the manner of national perception. The entire ESPN network is one of the most televised sporting channels in the world. That being said, their facts and opinions mean the world to their viewers, for the most part. In an earlier post I mentioned that while ESPN and other media giants have a stake in the success of the SEC, their anchors and hosts may not. There are instances where hosts are homers, but it does not eally matter. Anyways, every person associated with ESPN chose Alabama as their
Sugar Bowl victor. We have a population that lead busy lives and therefore, depend on their news channels to provide ethical and factual information. Now, does everyone believe ESPN and the media, no, but do the majority? Probably. That being said, the Friday afterwards and the following days became a mixture of tucking their tail between their legs, and being respectful of the fact that Alabama was not the better team. This loss marked the second consevutive year, where the myth of the SEC was just that, a myth with the whole world watching.

I heard the debate today about who the best coach is, with an objective answer. From an objective stand point, Nick Saban is still that, but only because of his recent success. You cannot erase his National Titles because his record shows more than just flukes, but instead consistency and consistency gives birth to dynasties. Alabama is defined by their yearly championship runs, but since their short comings have begun to multiply the college football world is shaking their heads in disbelief. The best coach in the last seven years has been Nick Saban. However, the best coach the past 3 years has been Urban Meyer. How many coaches has lost 3 games in 3 years. How many coaches and coaching staffs could make three quarterbacks into game changing starters? Granted Braxton needed a little fine tuning, but J.T. Barrett and Cardale are lottery winning tickers. If Urban Meyer takes Ohio State to the Title Game every year, then he will than be a better coach over the long run, not short, which is more important.

Ohio State meets Oregon in Texas and the talk has began the same way it always has. Oregon is too fast for Ohio State to win. Oregon will run circles around Ohio State and tire them out. They are simply too much too handle. National punditary is already singing the praises of Oregon over Ohio State. Is this surprising? Ohio State can win this game. Do you really think Urban Meyer, Tom Herman, and the rest of the Ohio State coaching staff will not head into this game with a great plan in mind?

O-H!

Ohio State and Oregon - Can It Be Done?

The best two teams in the Nations, that nobody thought would get there and boy, were they wrong. Ohio State beat the SEC West in their own back yard. Oregon destroyed Florida State. The problem with Alabama was that their success was half talent, half hype. "Expert and anaylsts" said that Ohio State is most like Auburn and they beat them last year and came close this year. Alabama is too much of everything for Ohio State to compete. We saw how that played out. Florida State played poker like a millionaire. They played like they had no purpose until they realized that teams were giving them their best and it still wasn't enough, so they kicked into another gear and beat their opponent. Florida State gave the ball away with the understanding that their team was better then the other. Oregon proved that they were better then Florida State and basically the whole ACC.

The turnovers the Florida State committed showed their lack of dedication to the fundamentals. After all, Jameis basically through the ball to Oregon after falling down. How obvious could that have been? Oregon was stripping the ball and downright playing like a team that Florida State could not match up with. Ohio State gifted Alabama two touchdowns, and still won. When does that happen?

I believe Ohio State can win this game doing basically what Oregon did to Florida State. Up tempo offense running the ball, combined with short passing plays and quarterback options. Florida State did not know what hit them. Ohio State can win this game basically doing that. Cardale Jones is an absolute beast win running. He does not try to run around, but over. He likes to hit you. Elliott is a back that likes to hit you, bounce off tackles, then run for 230 yards in a game. I believe that Oregon is a physical team, but they have not faced an Urban Meyer Ohio State yet. A Jimbo Florida State is nothing compared to that. Under Jim Tressel, Ohio State stopped a high flying Masoli-Chip Kelly team. Why can't we do the same with another Hall of Fame coach? In the end, I see this game playing out for Ohio State. I see Ohio State putting up 42+ points on Oregon, while Oregon puts up 21.

The Buckeyes will be playing their hearts out. Not only have we stopped one Heisman contender, we stopped two! We were supposed to lose to Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Alabama, but won all three. Now we are supposed to lose to Oregon. Granted, Oregon has Mariota, but Alabama had Cooper, and Wisconsin has Gordon. I see our defense bringing to life the meaning of the silver bullets. Every time a team double teams Bosa, they allow the other 3 defensive linemen through, quite a trade off. Coupled with the play of our linebackers and their offensive line is going to have it tough. Oregon came into the Rose Bowl with Tressel and used a spread option. Tressel's defense played smart. Urban's defense will be the same. Our secondary proved worthy against one of the greatest wide recievers. Make no mistake, this game will be great and hard fought, I just feel Ohio State will win.

What Was The Purpose of Autonomy?

It is easy to get caught up in the glamour of having your team in the semi final and final, but the consequences of this entire system is the cost of it all. Parents, whom children attend a college begin to save money for certain bowl games their children play in. Can you imagine the feeling of watching your child play in a nationally televised bowl game? Can you image the feeling of being the parent of Ezekiel Elliot, Cardale Jones, Joey Bosa or even Darron Lee? The sight of your son sacking Alabama's quarterback or running for 230 yards in an upset win would have been amazing!

This year the NCAA granted leeway for Universities to act in their own manners in certain situations. But NCAA regulations only allow Universities to provide a certain amount of reimbursment towards families durin Bowl Season. What a crock of shit!? I am, by no means saying coaches or Universities should shoulder the cost all themselves, but the conferences and NCAA should step in as well. What would be wrong with television deals totally in the billions, being evenly dispersed within the conferences that make it into the playoffs? I can guarantee that if parents were told they need to pay half the cost of two, if not three bowl games, there would be little argument.

Gene Smith, Athletic Director for Ohio State, has introduced legislation to the NCAA concerning this issue, unfortunately though, any resolution is not guaranteed to pass and even then won't come into full swing until next year. Here is my point, Universities depend on their sports to raise revenue for their athletic department. That means salaries, equipment, and everything else. In turn, the Universities and NCAA become partners in the selling merchandise and anything else with both logos on it. You can simply not tell me the NCAA and Big Ten cannot take on the cost of a great cause. I can understand Ohio State picking up a small portion considering everything they have to fund and maintain, but for the Big Ten and NCAA, which benefits not only from the teams in their conference, but the entire sport itself is to call BULLSHIT! If anything, the NCAA and conferences could easily call hotels and food services in the area and make a deal to house and feed players, parents, coaching staffs. It's not like no one is benefitting from the bowls. If nothing is done, the governing members of the Big Ten and NCAA are nothing but a joke that no one is laughing at.

A Couple Questions For The Media........

I would love to ask the media a few questions, even though I will give my own answer. So here we go...
1.) Is there a such thing as SEC speed considering Ohio State brutalized Alabama's defense in the name of Ezekiel Elliott for 230 yards? (Elliott, by the way is from St. Louis, not the South)
   
Yes, there is a such thing as SEC speed still. Ohio States win was a fluke and means nothing. The SEC will be back in the playoffs next year. Roll Tide, Go Tigers, blah, blah, blah!

2.)Even with the speed and quickness of Darron Lee, also not from the south, but actually from Ohio, there is still a difference between SEC speed and the rest of the country?

Yes, like I said, Ohio State's win was a fluke and means nothing. The SEC will be back in the playoffs next year. Roll Tide, Geaux Tigers, blah, blah, blah!

3.)What do you think helped the Buckeyes win the game?

Yes, like I said, Ohio State's win was a fluke and means nothing. The SEC will be back in the playoffs next year. Roll Tide... Wait what? Hmmmm I don't know. Nick Saban does not lose...And he was coaching that evening..... Kirby Smart does not lose..... it's all Lane Kiffin's fault! Yeah, that's it. It's Kiffin's fault. Roll Tide????

4.)If SEC speed exists, then why was Ohio State faster than Alabama?

Urban Meyer and their coaches kidnap players from the south and bring them to the North....damn Yankees! Saban Tide? No wait, Roll Tide right?

5.)Who do you think wins the Title?

Alabama of course.

6.)Alabama's not playing, it's Ohio State and Oregon.

No its not.

7.)Final question before I lose my mind. Are you smarter than a 5th Grader?

I don't know, but I have watched the show.

*I have heard very few annoucers actually say that Ohio State and it's coaches deserve credit. The Tide after all were had on both sides of the ball. Ohio State physically and mentally beat the Tide in every sense.

O-H!

Oh Please!!!!!!

 

 

We've all seen the movies where parents pin their kids against each other in terms of who can be more successful. One child has been given all the tools, the other has been told to make your own tools.

 

Alabama post game interviews and press conferences were hilarious! The players and coaches talked about over coming adversity. Oh please! The only adversity they had to overcome was what happened within the team. They didn't have to worry about the pressure of college football itself or the media. The SEC has been riding on the shoulders of media giants because of their success. They are automatically favored in every game, highly ranked at the beginning of every season, usually have the most teams in the top 10, if not 15 every year. Their adversity is a joke. Their adversity comes from the locker room, not outside.

 

The whole year Ohio State has dealt with more than almost any other team and still won. Could Alabama win with a third string quarterback? Could any one? Could any one turn their second string QB into a Heisman candidate? Our players are vastly underrated, our coaches are mocked and ridiculed, and our team as a whole is constantly criticized around the nation. Ohio State loses one game, granted it was a bad loss, to Virginia Tech in week two and we're done. Alabama loses in week four to Ole Miss, and the SEC is just that talented. Ole Miss is destroyed by TCU and nothing is said. However, Virginia Tech is constantly brought up.

 

Alabama loses to Ole Miss, but beats Auburn, Miss St., and LSU in close games, and the SEC is "tough." We hear all year long how tough the conference play is, therefore, their OOC (which is decisively easier) play is overlooked. Bowl season comes upon us and OOC teams come in and beat them all! Ole Miss is destroyed, Auburn is ran all over and loses to an AD set to retire. Miss St. loses to a Georgia Tech triple option, and LSU loses to a dilapidated Notre Dame. Is this a joke? Miss St. beats Auburn and LSU and all the sudden deserves #1. This season has proven that rankings mean nothing until The Committee starts ranking teams, otherwise, this is nothing more than comedy Central roast.

 

I think Bama fans may need some anti depressants now. I read countless times how Urban Meyer was going to need them after this game. Ohio State was lucky against Wisconsin. That same Wisconsin that beat Auburn? Cardale Jones was going to get knocked around and beat up. Didn't Cardale take out a few defensive line men himself after running for countless first downs? Ohio State can't run on #2 rushing defense, there's no way! There's something called the perimeter, you know the part of the field near the side line. Yeah, well that's where Elliott destroyed the Tide by running 230 yards. Their defense is too physical. Our offense doesn't care!

 

If Alabama or the SEC West had to deal with the constant barrage of criticism that Ohio State does, would they still be successful? Make no mistake, Alabama is a good team, but they're not great. Our media is a joke. Every single person who picked Bama to win is now understanding why Ohio State won. Isn't that funny? Instead of pairing SEC with winning, why not actually analyze the two teams, because once you do, you actually realize the teams were very much even.

 

Furthermore, and I love this fact. How many times did we punt the ball and Bama score? Three times? How many times did Bama score off of turnover? Twice. If Ohio State doesn't turn over the ball. Alabama loses by 3 touchdowns! Isn't that amazing!? This top notch, best in the nation team should have lost by 21 points! Wow! To a "Big Ten Is So Weak" team! This is not miraculous, this was earned. The main point of this article is that the amount of adversity Alabama went through is not even close to Ohio State and that the SEC, while still a good conference is not the most dominant and that's not even taking into account this year. Alabama is on a 0-2 losing streak at the Sugar Bowl! Who is reporting that? I guess that it doesn't matter at this point, but it does matter that Ohio State was 0- whatever towards SEC teams until Jan. 1!? You have got to be kidding. If you are going to judge Ohio State, than judge Alabama under the same lense.

 

On to Texas we go! O-H!

What Just Happened... Oh Wait We Won!!!!!

Well, well, well, a few points I feel the need to hit on and explain. First and foremost, our Buckeyes wanted this win more than the Tide, no question about that. Secondly, Alabama may be down, but they are not out. Urban Meyer, his coaching staff, and his players ran onto the field with a sense of purpose more important than winning the game. They ran onto that field with pride and dignity, they ran onto that field with a sense of purpose far beyond lifting a trophy above their heads. Ever since Ohio State was announced as the #4 seed, the onslaught of drama was kicked into high gear. It was relentless and easy to be consumed. This team has been smacked in the face this entire season. From Braxton Miller going down, to Virginia Tech, to relentless media doubters, to J.T. Barrett going down, to being told this defense will give up points. The icing on the cake was when the body of Kosta was found. We can say all of these events brought the team together, but when a comrade's life is taken way too early in life, a win is no longer a win, it's a sense of meaning. That win signified to a Nation, to their opponent, to themselves, and to their fallen comrade, that we are here and we are here to stay. This win was not by accident, it was from a relentless amount of hardwork and personal pressure. That pressure comes from within, meaning each player pushed themselves to leave the field a better player than what they came on. This team may never achieve perfection, but they'll be the closest thing to it.

The Tide are 0-2 in the last two Sugar Bowls. The SEC West did not fair well this bowl season. This does not mean the division is somehow weak or the most dominant, but it does mean that this year, they are down. The most consistent title contenders are those in the SEC West, which cannot be denied. What can be denied though, is their effectiveness. In 7 of 8 National Titles Games, the SEC has been the Champion. However, Florida State broke the cycle against Auburn, and the streak was over. Likewise, Oklahoma beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. This year a different kind of streak has started. Texas A&M and Arkansas won in their bowls, but Ole Miss, Miss St., LSU, Auburn, and Alabama all lost. My point is, college football and sports in general do not define winners and losers before the clock starts, they are defined after the final quarter ends. Therefore, when 99% of the season is over, is when 100% of the season is defined.

Something to think about, if I must. I entered into this game hoping and praying that Ohio State won with memories of Tressel and Cooper stuck in the back of my head. I have watched hundreds of games with the expectation of winning the match, only for the game to slip away, therefore; games that I once thought were already won, where not. With this in mind, I watched this game with sheer amazement. In an earlier post, I said Alabama was a mole hill that became a mountain because of the media. Ohio State proved that Thursday night. The biggest difference between what Alabama prepared for and what they got was Urban Meyer and Tom Herman. Alabama revealed that they watched Gators film in 2006 and 2008, then also Gus Malzhan, and Dan Mullen, which is perfectly fine except for one simple fact. None of those coaches are in the present state of mind of Urban Meyer.

This game was won before the Buckeyes stepped on the field. The post game press conference were the most entertaining. Nick Saban shouldered all the blame for the loss, than proceeded to mock the importance of a win, something he is accustomed to achieving. He stated that even though they lost, there were plenty of winners in his locker room. That a trophy does not signify a winner, but instead their effort. What a load of crap! What Ohio State did was beat his team at their best, and as a result they were awarded a trophy and a spot in the Title game. This game was not luck, it was psychological preparation.

My Game Plan

I am an Ohio State fan through and through. Instead of giving you my prediction, I will give you my game plan. As much as I want to say Ohio State will win, which I will, there are allot of variables to the victory. First and foremost, the defensive line has to show up and not like they did against Wisconsin, but better, and in some sense perfect. Secondly, as much as Cardale and the coaches have voiced their supreme confidence in his second start, that confidence has to translate into instinctual plays and runs in this game. Alabama is nothing like Wisconsin and with that being said, his time in the pocket will most likely consist of moving the pocket after a couple reads, to make his final reads because Alabama is not going to let him sit in the pocket all day and our offensive line cannot be expected to hold their defense all day. Third, our receivers, tight ends, running backs, and hybrids have to make plays whether they are open or covered, there is no excuse. There can be no dropped balls. Fourth, our defense has to b smart. Meaning, our line has to get penetration, and our linebackers have to play with discipline. They have to recognize run and passing plays, then apply pressure as necessary. Alabama has way too many weapons to account for, for the Buckeyes to leave anyone open for more than a second.

So here we go...... What I would do.......

Jalin Marshall and Cardale have to be on the field at all times. What this does is put in the back of Alabama's mind that there are two possible quarterbacks on the field. If Jalin touches the ball behind the line of scrimmage, there is a possibility of him running the ball or throwing it which puts pressure on their entire defensive line. For Cardale, he's got his arm and his legs. His height and weight can make it hard to bring him down with one person, and his arm could pose a threat to their secondary. Cardale has to throw the long bowl far to allow our receivers to run underneath it or throw it early enough to allow the receiver to turn around and have the ball be there already. Their secondary may be weak, but that does not mean they won't be opportunitistic if the ball is under thrown.

Secondly, I would rotate between Elliot and Samuel. Fresh legs is always a good thing especially if they are getting success at the perimeter, which in turn may result in inside run success. Alabama's defense is disciplined, but not extremely fast, which bodes well for our offense.

Third, I would never question the strategy of the best offensive coaches in college football. There is no reason why Urban did not win Big Ten Coach of the Year or NCAA Football of the Year. However, Ed Warriner and Tom Herman did and they are both offensive coaches here. Larry Johnson, Luke Fickell, and Chris Ash put together a defense that destroyed ranked opponents. Michigan State and Wisconsin were not match for us, and it showed. Saban and Kiffin will game plan for blitzes from the linebackers and cornerbacks, but our defense will have other plans.

This game is all about keeping the same game plan, but bringing it in a different manner. We will throw the kitchen sink at Alabama, the only question is how and how often.

Ohio State is up against more than just a team, but also the media in general. I sit here and watch Michigan State and Baylor, and I cannot help but think about the game tonight. I mean, it is obvious the significance of this game. It is obvious the Titans will be on the sideline, as much as they will be on the field. Everyone is saying Ohio State has no chance. What they do not understand is that all we want is a chance. That chance is coming in the form of the Nokia Sugar Bowl.

This game reminds me of the movie 300. The Spartan warriors faced Armies ten times the size of their own unit, but overcame unsurmountable odds in the name of an idea. That idea for Ohio State is not the freedom of a nation or people, but instead the silence their doubters. This team will be ready. I wish that was all that needs to be said, but it's not. For 60 minutes, Ohio State has to be dominant because Alabama will never go away. Here is to the Buckeyes!

O - H!