Nebraska at Ohio State prediction

   The Huskers proved a lot against Wisconsin, but still, Ohio State is just a bad matchup for Nebraska. The Buckeyes’ defense is a little worse than the Badgers’, but don’t expect Nebraska to miraculously move the ball better against Ohio State. On the other side of the ball, Ohio State’s offense has the edge on Nebraska’s defense. The Blackshirtsich played very well Saturday, but J.T. Barrett is much better than the combination of Alex Hornibrook and Bart Houston. If Nebraska wants to have any chance of winning, Armstrong is going to need to outplay Barrett. I don’t see that happening. Overall, Ohio State, which ranks No. 10 in scoring offense and No. 6 in scoring defense nationwide, has too much talent for Nebraska to win this game on the road.
   I believe that its going to be a good game especially until late in the game. I expect to see Ohio State come out victorious and find their offense in the process. My prediction is a 34-17 victory Ohio State favor. This will be the turning point for the offense and prove to the rest of the country Ohio State belongs in the playoffs.

http://www.dailynebraskan.com/sports/football-score-predictions-nebraska-at-ohio-state/article_6859030a-9f22-11e6-b6a2-5fae16c87044.html

References

DN staff. (2016). Football score predictions: Nebraska at Ohio State . The Daily Nebraskan, 1.

Ohio State vs. Northwestern recap

   The No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes looked shaky again Saturday against the Northwestern Wildcats, but they pulled out a 24-20 win. Quarterback J.T. Barrett was given more time than last week to throw, and the run game had decent chunk gains. The run defense continued to look unstoppable. The Ohio State offensive line struggled to open holes between the tackles, but the Buckeyes did a decent job running the ball despite only having 210 yards on the ground. Mike Weber had a 23-yard touchdown run early in the game that was fueled by a gorgeous lead block on the outside by Pat Elflein. Curtis Samuel didn’t have many carries, but his runs were effective. Samuel had seven carries for 31 yards and a touchdown. Barrett and the Ohio State offense looked a little better than last week, but that isn’t saying a lot. Barrett was 20-of-29 passing for 207 yards. Nine different Buckeyes caught passes, but the majority were hauled in by Samuel and Noah Brown. Samuel had a respectable day catching the ball with seven receptions for 68 yards. Brown caught five passes for 51 yards.

   Watching Ohio State win was good as we couldn't afford a second lost especially to a Northwestern squad we were favored to beat in the first place. Its discouraging to see the team struggle after coming out strong to open the season. All hope is not lost but against a good Nebraska team we are going to need to play way better to be victorious next week. Its going to be a big game so I'm hoping it sparks the Offense and gives us that much needed momentum that I have been waiting to see return. Barrett will have to lead the offense more effectively if we plan on bringing the trophy home this season.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2672741-ohio-state-game-grades-vs-northwestern/page/3

References

Holbrook, S. (2016). Ohio State Game Grades vs. Northwestern. Bleecher Report, 7.

Ohio State falls to No. 6 in AP college football poll

   Ohio State was going to fall in the Associated Press college football poll after losing to Penn State on Saturday night. The question was how far? Four spots. The Buckeyes fell from No. 2 to No. 6 this week. Michigan is now the No. 2 team in the country behind No. 1 Alabama. The Big Ten has three teams in the top 10 with Ohio State, Michigan and No. 7 Nebraska. The Buckeyes host Nebraska at Ohio Stadium in two weeks. Penn State made its first appearance in the top 25 after beating the Buckeyes.

   Its painful to see Michigan ranked higher than Ohio State this week but that was to be expected for the moment. Ohio State will be presented with multiple opportunities to redeem themselves this season. I expect to see Ohio State fully rebound and make their way into the playoffs. The offense will find its way very soon and be hitting on all cylinders as we will need to see that high powered offense at full strength to finish the season.

http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2016/10/ohio_state_ranked_ap_college_f.html#incart_river_index#incart_big-photo

References

Landis, Bill. "Ohio State falls to No. 6 in AP college football poll, Michigan jumps up to No. 2." Cleveland.com (2016).

Penn State Topples Ohio State After Blocked Field-Goal Attempt

   

   Grant Haley returned a blocked field goal 60 yards for a touchdown with 4 minutes 27 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and host Penn State upset No. 2 Ohio State, 24-21, on Saturday night for the Nittany Lions’ biggest win in the post-Joe Paterno era. Penn State (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) took its first lead when Marcus Allen leapt high to block Tyler Durbin’s 45-yard field-goal attempt and Haley scooped it up and sprinted to the end zone. A crowd of 107,280 at Beaver Stadium roared, and Penn State’s defense closed out the Nittany Lions’ first victory over the Buckeyes since 2011 with two sacks of quarterback J. T. Barrett. The Buckeyes (6-1, 4-1 Big Ten) had won 20 straight road games.

   It was heartbreaking to see Ohio State lose a game especially to a team like Penn State. Coming off of a previous night game back to back weeks with both Wisconsin and Penn State having a week off prior to us was a challenge that was tougher than what meets the eyes on paper. I still believe Ohio State still can and will make the playoffs although it may require a little assistance but over the past two seasons after a lost we come out the gates fired up. I mean lets be real now Alabama can't be the only team every year to lose one game and still be the 1 seed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/23/sports/ncaafootball/penn-state-topples-ohio-state-after-blocked-field-goal-attempt.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FOhio%20State%20University&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection&_r=0

References

The Associated Press. "Penn State Topples Ohio State After Blocked Field-Goal Attempt." The New York Times (2016).

Ohio State vs. Penn State Game Preview

   Ohio State passed its first true sign of adversity with flying colors. Not only did the Buckeyes go on the road to Wisconsin and beat the Badgers, they did so overcoming a 10-point halftime deficit, not scoring their first touchdown until less than three minutes remained in the third quarter and making a huge stop in overtime to secure the victory. Ohio State now gets a chance to improve to 21-0 in true road games under coach Urban Meyer this coming Saturday night. Penn State likely won’t be able to stop that from happening. It’s had an extra week to prepare for the Buckeyes and will have the home crowd behind it under the lights, but how the Big Ten’s 12th-ranked rushing defense is going to stop an Ohio State running game that averages 300 yards per game is a mystery.
   You should never underestimate an opponent that has the tradition of winning that Penn State has had over its history. Rivalry games are always tough to win especially on a night game in your opponents stadium after they've had an extra week to prepare. My prediction is that Ohio State will win 34-16 as they as just too talented and too motivated to be stopped by Penn State. 

https://campusinsiders.com/news/ohio-state-vs-penn-state-prediction-game-preview-10-17-2016/

References

Bartl, Jeff. "Ohio State vs. Penn State Game Preview." Campus Insider (2016).

J.T. Barrett, Ohio State keep playoff path intact with OT win over Wisconsin

   Saturday night’s clash between the Buckeyes and Badgers lived up to the hype. Thanks to J.T. Barrett’s escape artistry, OSU emerged from Camp Randall with a hard-fought win. It was clear that Ohio State would not have an easy night when its head coach meandered too close to a sideline official, who promptly whacked him in the head while signaling for the clock to wind. And for this, Urban Meyer got tagged with a 15-yard sideline interference penalty, a slap in the face after the slap in the face. It was clear that Wisconsin was juiced to the gills for this showdown, perhaps best reflected by a Camp Randall Stadium press box that was swaying with fans dancing. 

   Wisconsin truly was a worthy opponent coming off wins against big opponents like LSU and Michigan State. After losing there last top ten mashup against Michigan there was no doubt that the Badgers would be fired up for a night game against OSU. Anytime you give a team of that stature a week in advance to prepare you can expect one heck of a game. J.T Barrett definitely came up in the clutch win a tremendous second half and Noah Brown catch in the end-zone in OT was another milestone in his list of accomplishments this season.

http://www.si.com/college-football/2016/10/16/ohio-state-buckeyes-beat-wisconsin-badgers-overtime

References

HAMILTON, BRIAN. "J.T. Barrett, Ohio State keep playoff path intact with OT win over Wisconsin." Sports Illustrated (2016).

Ohio State vs. Wisconsin Game Preview

The beginning of Wisconsin’s Big Ten slate couldn’t be any more difficult. At Michigan State, at Michigan, Ohio State, at Iowa, Nebraska. After splitting the first two, they had a week off to prepare for the Buckeyes, who are big favorites to remain unbeaten. Barrett showed his dual-threat skills by rushing for 137 yards to help the Buckeyes win vs Indiana, 38-17. He’s going to test a solid Wisconsin defense, and the weapons he possesses offensively could be the difference in this one. The Buckeyes are 5-0 with their smallest margin of victory being 21 points. Barrett is a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender and Curtis Samuel is making a quiet case as well. Ohio State’s defense stands as one of the best in the country having held majority of opponents to under 300 yards of total offense all but one time this season.
For me I believe that Ohio State will have little to no problem pulling away from Wisconsin by the 4th quarter. My prediction is that Ohio State will win 42-21 and Barrett will throw for two touchdown passes and run for one. The defense will produce multiple turnovers and we will leave no doubt to the rest of the country that the Buckeyes are for real.

https://campusinsiders.com/news/ohio-state-vs-wisconsin-prediction-game-preview-10-09-2016/

References

Bartl, Jeff. "Ohio State vs. Wisconsin Prediction, Game Preview ." CampusInsider (2016).

J.T. Barrett secures top spot with another win

The candidates for the best players in the Big Ten have become fairly well established as we near the halfway pole. There is sure to be some movement throughout the rest of October and November, but it's safe to say a couple of these mainstays have earned a permanent spot on these lists as long as they remain active for the remainder of the season. Barret currently sits atop the Graham-George Offensive Player Of The Year award thus far and that is well deserved. The Buckeyes offense didn't throw much against Indiana, but Barrett still found a way to be a game-changer with the ball in his hands. He ran 26 times for a team-high 137 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown run in the final minute of the first half. He's the most dynamic quarterback on the league's most dynamic offense, so he stands alone at the top of this list right now.
Personally if it wasn't for the play of Lamar Jackson and the return of runner up Deshaun Watson I would say Barret would be first up for the Heisman. Its great to see Barret bounce back this season with a strong 2016 campaign so for after a rather disappointing 2015 performance. He has accepted the role of leader and his team feeds off of his energy. He is guiding Ohio State towards something special that I'm positive will end in a playoff appearance and championship trophy at the end of the season.

http://www.espn.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/137430/b1g-awards-race-tracker-barrett-secures-his-top-spot-with-another-buckeye-win

References

Murphy, Dan. ESPN. 2016. october 2016.

Ohio State’s domination of Rutgers shows why recruiting is so dang important

   It isn’t uncommon for teams, even highly talented, well-regarded teams, to come out flat on a noon kick, even when facing overmatched opponents. Any concerns that group would include Ohio State were summarily dismissed by the mid-second quarter. Ohio State didn’t just beat Rutgers. They crushed them. They held the hapless Scarlet Knights to three completed passes. Three. They rung up over 660 total yards, and rushed for over 400. There was barely a damn thing Rutgers did well over the course of the game, even though cosmetically, it didn’t even look they played that poorly, or at least, not until it was far too late. Urban Meyer showed about as much mercy on former pupil Chris Ash as the NPR News Team did during the Anchorman fight scene. None.
   When it comes to difference in talent there's no doubt having a team full of 4-5 stars helps at the college level. Urban Meyer has developed a culture that will continue to keep Ohio State in the running for years to come. Competition doesn't allow for starters to become comfortable to where they overlook an opponent because they must be on their A game to hold on to their starting job. Talent plus excellent coaching equals the success that replicates in a few lopsided victories but we don't apologize for being great!

http://www.landgrantholyland.com/2016/10/2/13134570/ohio-state-football-rutgers-power-rankings-urban-meyer

References

Brown, Matt. "Ohio State’s domination of Rutgers shows why recruiting is so dang important." SB Nation (2016).

Ohio State Buckeyes remain No. 2 in AP college football poll, pick up more first-place votes

The Buckeyes received six first-place votes this week, two more than last week. But Alabama, once again the No. 1 team in the poll, received 53 first-place votes. The gap between the Crimson Tide and the Buckeyes actually widened this week. Clemson, Michigan and Washington make up the rest of the top five. Wisconsin came in at No. 11 after losing to Michigan, and Nebraska is No. 12 -- giving the Big Ten four teams in the top 12. Louisville, which received six first-place votes last week, fell to No. 7 after losing to Clemson on Saturday night. Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Michigan and Houston were the top five teams in the Amway coaches poll this week.

Personally I think Alabama is ranked over Ohio State only because the voters are always so high on Bama. Yes they are a powerhouse but Ohio State arguably has had the bigger win of the two and according to my eye test they are a better team. It seems as if everyone wants to overlook how the Big Ten has so many highly competitive teams in the conference and they the SEC is getting softer as we all know that outside of Bama there really isn't another team contenting for a title (sorry Bulldog fans). In my opinion at the end of the season Ohio State will be crowned champs. Then next year they will vote Bama #1 again..

http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2016/10/ohio_state_football_ranked_ap_1.html

References

Landis, Bill. "Ohio State Buckeyes remain No. 2 in AP college football poll, pick up more first-place votes." Cleveland.com (2016).