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.

Football and College

Early today Buckeye Nation found out about JT's and his troubles. I have read hundreds of social media postings about how Urban is too soft, that JT won't be punished like he should, Ohio State is full of criminals, and many other nonsense comments. I think we, Buckeye Nation, get caught up in a very simple idea of what college is to the majority of attendees. JT is a college student, a football player, a human being, a son, and a teammate. He is not a rapist, murderer, or any other criminal title that is given out. High school students are told throughout high school that a college degree is what makes or breaks careers, regardless of whether you are an athlete or not. A college degree will always come in handy. There are many aspects of college football that I do not agree with, none more prominent then the amount of pressure put on young adults. Sometimes that pressure is overwhelming and down right crushing.

JT Barrett is more than just a quarterback for The Ohio State Buckeyes, he is the face of the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes are the #1 team in the Nation, the defending champions of the first ever College Football Playoffs, the most targeted team in the nation, and most criticized players and coaches of all time. I am not side stepping the fact that JT is underage, but what I am saying is that the amount of pressure and responsibility one takes on can be more than a college student can handle.  I do not blame JT for drinking underage, I blame college football for turning college football into a beauty pageant. College life is filled with girls/guys, classes, and no supervision. If you are an athlete,  you have to worry about all of the above, plus what is expected of you as an athlete. To expect athletes to not screw up or at least not get caught doing it, is to expect to win the lottery. The only difference between Ohio State and 95% of college football is the name and accomplishments. Lets not be hard on JT, his consequences are only beginning. First, he is suspended for one game, which is punishment enough especially since the Buckeyes have done nothing but struggle under CJ this year.

In my opinion, the job is not up for grabs, Cardale is simply filling in as a back up that just happened to win three straight championship games. I will be shocked if JT doesn't start the last three games of the regular season. We all need to relax and root on CJ as he takes on Minnesota.

Predictions for Ohio State vs. Penn State

I think that the Penn State-Ohio State game is going to be a game of domination. I think Urban saw two separate teams vs. Maryland and he liked only one of them. The team Cardale has is constantly hit or miss meaning, there is no fluidity to the game. With JT on the field, the offense moved and moved well. Defenses know that Urban has no confidence in their deep passing game and that Cardale cannot scramble, nor can he run the option to save his life. Therefore, they crowd the line of scrimmage and blitz as often as possible. Under JT defenses must respect our offense. JT has the ability to scramble and extend a play which opens up the pass and run game.

Even if Cardale starts the game, I think JT gets time. To be clear though, I think JT should start. In this game, I will be looking for the following weaknesses to be strengths:

- I think Braxton should be used like Devin Smith was last year. With Braxton's speed and agility he can spread the opponent down the field. Even if the ball is not thrown to him his presence down field will draw the attention of the secondary, which will keep safeties from coming to the line of scrimmage. The first few times Braxton goes down field the defense may put extra bodies on him, but the one time they don't the QB can launch the ball and let him run underneath it.

- JT Barrett brings something to the table that Cardale does not, agility. With Barrett defenses try not to crowd the line of scrimmage because they know that JT can scramble and take advantage of the space. They also know that JT can run the option, which makes defenses risk targeting one person who may not have the ball. With JT at the helm, defenses can not immediately rush the line of scrimmage because they must see who has the ball, JT or Elliot.

- I would use Marshall as a WR only.

- Dontre Wilson needs to line up as an HB/WR. Much like Marshall last year. When Marshall went in motion in the backfield defenses had to account for the possibility of him getting the ball. Wilson needs to be that person. With Wilson going in motion and Elliot and JT in the backfield, defenses will have to sell out on one play leaving the other wide open.

- Parris Campball, Michael Thomas, Braxton Miller, and Marshall going down the field every time is a dangerous combination considering the arm of both QBs. Add into the mix Vannett being in the middle of the field and defenses won't know what to do.

I see the Penn State game being one of domination. Being at home and at night, the Buckeyes will come out swinging. The real question is at the end of the season. Michigan and Michigan State is the calm before the storm for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State 49 Penn State 14

This Question is Stupid

Ever since Ohio State has started their season every person that has an interest in college football or calls themselves an analysts keeps saying Ohio State does not deserve to be #1. That is simply a lie and here is why; Ohio State has not lost a game since week 2 of last year, rankings at this point in the season do not mean a damn thing, Ohio State is a second half team, and putting a number next to a team does not mean everyone above them or below is better or worse. Ohio State being ranked #1 again puts them in a category that Alabama or any overrated SEC team is not even close to them on, #1 in the AP Poll. Eat your heart out analysts! One thing that I must point out though is TTUN. As much as I do not like to admit it, they are improving week to week and that is great news for the Big Ten. The Big Ten needs as many teams as possible ranked and winning. At the moment the Big Ten and SEC have the same number of teams ranked.

Regardless of how many points are scored in a game the highest score at the end is what matters. The road leading to the Championship is never easy and this year is no different. Urban and the rest of the offense may be a bit confused as to who should be the quarterback in the game, but we are still undefeated. You can compare us to Florida State all you want, but we still have not lost and that accounts for much more then margin of victory.

Ohio State is #1 but it does not matter right now. Last year Alabama was given #1 at the end of the year and they lost in the Sugar Bowl to the #4 Ohio State Buckeyes! Even though we are half way through the season many of the ranked teams still have not played season defining games yet, they have not made it into the Conference Championships, nor have they won a Championship. Until the next bowl season comes upon us, Ohio State has done all of the above. TCU and Baylor are flying high right now, but that ship is getting ready to land and only one of them will be taking off again. Utah will not remain undefeated and it is only a matter of time. There is always a team from the PAC 12 or Big 12 that brings the analysts to their feet for a time every year. Right now, Utah is that team that everyone is being paid to observe. Ohio State is old news and frankly, boring to watch. As long as Ohio State goes undefeated into the Conference Championship and win they will get into the Playoffs, it is that simple.

During the season last year college football was convinced Ohio State did not have what it took to compete and win against anyone outside of their conference, yet we saw different. Ohio State is a second half team. While other teams start the year off quickly they struggle to finish strong. Ohio State walked into the Big Ten Championship and blanked Wisconsin, then dominated Alabama and Oregon.

In comparison to other conferences, the Big Ten is back. Alabama lost to Ole Miss, Ole Miss lost to Florida, Oklahoma lost to Texas, TCU has no defense and haven't played anyone that has either. Baylor is peaking in their performance at the moment and everyone is talking about how awesome the ACC and Big 12 are. Word to the wise, the season is half over. What will all the analysts say when Ohio State is still undefeated and #1 going into the Playoffs or have been dropped from #1 and are still in the Playoffs? I understand that the majority of the people on TV and radio have no clue what they are saying and are doing so to piss people off, but that is all they do.

Ohio State will find their way through the season.

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.

Cardale is Our Man

Urban chose Cardale for a reason. I think Cardale is the right QB because he's got an arm that kills secondaries, he's tough to bring down, and his arm creates a great running. JT set Cardale up for success, Cardale set himself up for success by playing the way he did. 

During Cardales play last year he threw the ball as far as he could and the receivers ran underneath and caught the ball, often times running past the secondary. Last year it was Devin Smith but this year it's Mashall, Wilson, Smith, and Miller along with other receivers we don't know about. We have the WRs that can run for days and Cardale has the arm to make the journey. 

Cardale weighs 250 lb and is 6' 5" and is extremely hard to bring down. He may not be shifty but he can bull doze any defensive linemen. Last year during Alabama and Oregon, Cardale ran over seasoned and NFL lineman without batting an eye. 

Cardale became successful because he trusted his wide receivers. Cardale threw the ball down the field and his receivers caught them all. Because of that, defenses could not stack the line of scrimmage with anything more than linebackers and defensive lineman causing Elliot to run through holes and down teams throats.

I believe Cardales issue is trust. He doesn't trust his receivers. I don't think Braxton, Jalin, or Wilson should ever be a Wildcat this season. When anyone of these guys take the snap they know what the play is and they crowd the line of scrimmage. We win games by letting these guys run down the field and get open. We showed last year that was half of our success, the other half was Elliott. We desimated Wisconsin, Alabama, and Oregon without doing a lot of trick plays. We need to return to that. 

The Beauty of Social Media

For purposes of understanding where I get ideas for my posts, I have multiple apps downloaded on my phone, a twitter account, and listen to sports radio shows, I was on Twitter and saw a conversation between Tyvis Powell and a Virginia Tech fan. Tyvis had tweeted something about the team grinding hard so that they don't lose the same again. The fan responded they have been grinding too and that Lane Stadium is ready for us, we better be ready for it. The last part really annoyed me.

In terms of crowd noise Ohio State has been through the worst of the worst and still hoisted a trophy above their heads. The Big Ten Championship was the perfect mesh of Ohio State and Wisconsin. The Sugar Bowl was basically in Alabama's back yard. The Title Game was more Ohio State fans, but than again, Ohio State travel extremely well. What I would love to say to Virginia Tech fans is this: While you beat us last year for multiple reasons, those reasons do not exists anymore. For some reason, preparing the triple option one week and playing a totally different team the next is one of the toughest schedules a team can have. JT Barrett was still new on the scene and our team was not quite a team yet. It was literally the perfect storm for Virginia Tech.

This year the perfect storm will be anything but for Virginia Tech. We have an experienced defensive and offensive line, highly potent offensive in general, and a defense hell bent on creating havoc for any offense. I do not forsee this game being close at all, I do not care how much time there is to prepare. We will be walking into that stadium with revenge on our mind and the last time that happened we dominated our opponent. Right now, this team has forgotten all about the glory of the National Title because it no longer exists. What exists is the countdown to the first game of the season.

National Signing Day

There is a subtle satisfaction in being a part of the Big Ten. I know that everyone and their brothers like to raise the point, that it is very difficult for the Big Ten to be ranked highly in the recruiting classes, with the exception of Ohio State and Penn State this year (so far). I think that last nights Super Bowl win was actually a good thing for the Big Ten, as it showed a cold weather team achieving a great accomplishment. When is the last time a team from anywhere in the south won a Super Bowl? Who's the last team from the south to win a championship in college football? My point is this, the rhetoric surrounding the south is nearly impenetrably. It just cannot be done. However, the proof is written on the wall. The south has the players, but the north has the talent and skill. Urban Meyer beat three Heisman winners on his way to his third title, beating out the King of the SEC, Oregon, and Wisconsin.

It's not hard to justify the notion that the Big Ten is back. However, one look at recruiting news and it's littered with SEC teams finishing the year with top recruiting classes. But does it really matter. While it's too soon to say the SEC is done and over with, what is safe to say is that the ground has leveled off. No longer is Alabama or anyone in "that conference down there," the deepest, most dominant conference in the nation. The Big Ten is back. Just look at Harbaugh at Michigan. He was successful at Stanford, then became successful in the NFL. What other coach can say he was successful at both levels? Nick Saban? Not even he can claim that. Give Michigan a couple recruiting classes, and the focus will shift. The Big Ten may not litter the top 10 with recruits but their trophy rooms will be littered with Championship trophies, which is what counts.