Ohio State vs Michigan State Prediction

The Night Before Christmas and all through the House, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse......

The night before one of five important games are to be played and I must say I have a thousand things running through my head. Therefore, my predictions for Brutus and Sparty are as follows....

(1) This game will be the first of many games where our total offense totals 400+ yards. The three headed monster that is the Buckeyes offense will find consistency and a rhythm that Sparty cannot match.

(2) JT Barrett, Ezekiel Elliott, and our WR will open the Spartans defense up like no other. JT's ability to read the defensive line and Elliott speed to the edge will cause the Spartans defense to run after Buckeyes more then anything else. With Elliott being effective, JT will have more time to find WR wide open in the once, no fly zone. Between Thomas and Braxton, our downfield threats will become self evident rather quickly. Jalin and Vannette will find space behind the defense for quick throws and big gains. JT will find space to scramble, and will need to at the beginning of the game, but once the offense is established the scrambling will become much less.

(3) This game, the offense will find click

(4) Our defense will knock Cook out of the game. As much of a tough guy that he is, Bosa, Lee, Lewis, Hubbard, and Washington will find their way to him. Cook will have to make quick throws to keep the defense at bay, which will cause WR and TE to either get open early or incomplete passes will be had.

(5) Ultimately, Ohio State will run Elliott as much as possible to kill the clock and break the back of the Spartans.

Ohio State 42 Michigan State 21

Braxton is Still the Key

The Ohio State Buckeyes of last year have gone into a sleep walk. We have the majority of last years team on this years team, yet we have not performed to standards. Why? Are there a combination of reasons or does it all boil down to one thing? In my opinion, our performance this season is as a result of personnel use, coaching, and fear. 

Last year, defenses knew they could only stop one part of our offense and they had to hope to stop they other without any extra man power. The only problem this year is that defenses have had a year to better equip themselves to stop our offense. The only problem with the opponents ability to stop our offense is that they never faced Braxton Miller. Last year, he was not around, and defenses did not have to worry about him. This year though, they have to take him into account. So far, Braxton has not been used to his capacity. In my opinion, his skill set is being underestimated. 

Braxton Miller, more often then not, has been used more as a direct snap players, rather then a wide receiver, which is supposedly what Urban has been training him for and he is full time. Urban should turn Braxton into a young Devin Smith. Urban has to make teams fear Braxton instead of Elliot, Thomas, and Barrett. How do you do that? Braxton should be lining up where Devin Smith used to running down the field every single time. Braxton has to draw the attention of the safety and cornerbacks every single time. Everyone knows that Braxton is one of the most prolific offensive players in history. We need that to come to life. When defenses fear Braxton they must choose which receivers to cover and so must the safety. When a CB or safety must choose between Thomas, Marshall, Braxton and whomever else no one on the defense wins. When the receivers draw attention and are feared, linebackers are pushed off the line of scrimmage and defensive lines do not get the support they need if the offensive creates holes to rush through. On the flip side, if a blitz is ever ordered or one on one coverage is called for, at least one of the three will be wide open, able to catch, and score the touchdown. It is that simple. 

With Braxton being considered a one man wrecking crew, the field opens up for Elliot, Thomas, and Barrett because there is only so many opponents that have the ability to guard someone one on one. I believe a plan like this will have to take place because I see the success of the next 5 games being in jeopardy if we don't.

Ohio State vs. Maryland Prediction

Normally this prediction would be quite confident and somewhat outlandish, but here it goes......

*If Hawaii, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Northern Illinois, and Indiana can stop our passing game then Maryland can too. I do not see Urban letting Cardale lose for this game. If he hasn't done it yet, why would he do it now? Maryland will stack the line of scrimmage and Cardale will fail to see open receivers down the field. Cardale may throw the ball, but his arm strength won't be seen.

*Elliot will have to put this team on his back once again. Elliot mentioned that his focus coming into the 2nd half was running through tackles and arm tackles in general. Not only did he do that, but he ran for over 200 yards in the second half alone.

*Hot passes and Jet Sweeps will be few and far between because they won't amount too much in gained yardage. Without a passing game defenses will stack the line of scrimmage. Defenses are now focusing on staying disciplined at the line of scrimmage meaning they are following the ball more then they are rushing into the back field.

*Marshall is not soon talented that his fumbles do not outweigh how lethal he is with the ball. He should be sat for at least a quarter, giving others the opportunity to play.

*Our defense will make the difference. Urban likes to say we are an offensive driven team, but that is not true. We can't run the read option effectively, we can't run the QB sneak effectively, and defenses know this. Our defense will have to win us this game.

*My prediction:
Cardale will play himself out of the starting position and JT will be given the ball for the remainder of the season. Elliot will break some major runs and our defense will show up. Ineffective perimeter runs by our WR will be hampered by balls that are thrown too late, too low, or over their heads. I do not want Cardale to fail, I want to see him succeed, but I think he succeeded last year because the team rose up around him. I don't see that same magic happening again.

Ohio State 42 Maryland 30

*I think that Urban will have his last chance to change the QBs after the result of this game. If he waits too long and Cardale is still struggling he isn't giving JT enough time to get warmed up for Penn State. It is not fair for JT to be expected to save the day given one game. Last year he did it in two games, this year he should have at least that much.

Over 99,000 Reasons to Repeat

I am so very proud of being one of the 99,000 plus in attendance of the spring game. It brought a sense of accomplishment to my mind, but also a struggle as to how I saw the team. Collier did not look good during the game, making me wonder Urbans plan for him especially with the abundance of QBs on there way to Ohio State in the coming years. Cardale looked okay, but not as good as I thought he should, but than again most of the starting line was not playing.

I look at our Buckeyes and I see an accomplished team that has to act as though they have accomplished nothing. I think last years team will do a great job of showing the rookies, so to speak, that you can control your own destiny regardless of what outside sources say. I read the transcripts of post game interviews and couldn't help but see men (Cardale and Urban) that understand Champions are won by those who are never happy with what they see, never. Urban sees individual improvement, but not team, which to me is him saying, the potential is there it just hasn't been achieved yet. This is common to me considering our Navy and Virginia Tech team wouldn't have won at Penn State, Michigan State or Michigan. The critics would have been correct and Braxton was the key to our success. However, they were not correct because the potential was there given the right coaching and motivation, something this team is rich in. I don't see much of a QB competition to be honest. I think Cardale will win the job simply because he deserves it at this point, he's the healthiest, and at this point, not prone to any injury unlike Barrett and Miller. I feel as though every team that sees Barrett or Miller come onto the field will be aiming for their injuries.

All it will take is the perfect hit to either player and we are down to two QB's. Last year, after the Virginia Tech game, I felt that the ultimate match up would occur, that the Titans would collide in the First Ever College Football playoff, that the Rose Bowl would matter only so much to see who the winner of the Sugar Bowl would face. Something I saw in this team made me think they would win it all. This year, I see more of the same, we will have blow outs and close games. We will have games where we shake our heads, and games where the game will be boring before the second half starts. I honestly think we repeat and defend our title. You can call me bias all you want, but that's what I think and here's why.

(1) Having 3 dangerous QBs means every opponent has to prepare for three different threats. Barrett is accurate but can't throw as far. Miller is deadly on his feet, has a rocket of an arm, and hopefully more accurate. Cardale is a big man with a big arm. All three QBs make you respect the running game, all the while beating you down the field or in short passing plays. (2) If Braxton is the QB, he wants his ring and championship. It has eluded him since he came to Ohio State. (3) Urban is a tightly wound man and you can easily see it. You don't have know him to know he demands effort and perfection. He wants to defend and build a dynasty in Columbus, after all he'll be here til at least 2020. (4) As much as our opponents want to take us out, we still want to take out even more. There is no shortage of motivation on this team, and the thought of being knocked out of the title game before even getting there is a tremendous amount of motivation.

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.