Yes, I know the whole 'Baby!' thing is from Dickie V. and that he is a basketball announcer, but how he feels about basketball is how I feel about the upcoming NCAA football season. Ohio State kicks off in 12 days against Miami (OH) University. Now, I'm no where near as informed about sports as Woody is, but here's my take on the upcoming season:
Ohio state is ranked 6th in the AP top 25 poll, 9th in the USA Today poll, and 9th in the Coaches poll. This makes me happy. They are ranked high enough to be competative in the National picture and low enough that they won't be too cocky. They have a pretty good schedule, having 7 out of 11 games at home, including huge games against Texas (#2) and Iowa (#10). Their big away games this year are at Penn State (unranked, but always dangerous) and Michigan (#4). Two team that I am glad that OSU is not playing this year are Purdue (#15) and Wisconsin (unranked, but always a tough game for the bucks). I have a feeling that if Ohio State can get past the first tough game against Texas, we should be well off until we meet up with the Team Up North. The Buckeyes are returning a huge supply of talent this year and I think that the momentum that we had at the end of last season (wins against Michigan and a Bowl Game victory always take the sting out of a rough season) will carry over this year. Now, I don't know stats and I don't have the roster memorized, but I do know that we have one of the toughest linebacking corps in the country and one of the most dangerous recievers/kick returners in the country. If the O-line can give the quarterback (either Zwick or Smith) time and open a few holes for a running game, the offense could be just as dangerous at the defense. The one thing that worries me is the loss of Nugent. He was a garunteed 3 points anywhere within 50 yards. With the way Ohio State gets into tight games, we need a good kicker.
I was watching Sports Center the other day and they arepredicting USC in the title game (big suprise). It is more than probable that the Trojans with vie for a chance to three-pete this year since they are returning a Heisman winning QB and a great tail back. The interesting part of the spot was when the analysts picked the top three teams they expected to meet the Trojans in the Rose Bowl. First was Texas, not a huge suprise, but it irritated me that the guy said they needed to get past Oklahoma if they want to compete for the title. Hello!!! McFly!!! What about the night game in the 'Shoe on September 10th???!!! They say that the Texas A & M field is tough to play in, but I think that the Horse Shoe with 100000+ screaming their heads off could be a bit of a shocker for the Long Horns. Anyway, the second team they perdicted is Miami (FL) who are top ten in all of the polls. A good pick, but with Tennesee and Oklahoma in there, it could go to any of them. The last pick was a Big Ten team, Purdue. Purdue??? They are top 25 in the polls, but the highest ranking that they have right now is 13 in the ESPN poll. True, they do not play OSU or Michigan this year, but they have a 10:00 pm game at Arizona, a home game vs. Notre Dame, and home vs Iowa. Five gets you ten that one of those games won't turn out well for the Boilermakers. Plus, throw Penn State and Wisconsin into the mix, and you have a rough schedule. Yes, OSU has a tough scedule too, but if you want to read an impartial commentary, you've come to the wrong place.
I think that the Buckeyes going to the title game comes down to one thing: The game in Ann Arbor. I think that the defense will keep the Texas game close and a special teams TD from Ted Ginn Jr will seal the deal for the Bucks. I also think that they will be able to get past the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley and the Hawkeyes at home. The Game is going to be the decider. Michigan is returning a lot of talent this year, and when you go up to that shit hole they call a stadium (biased, remember) it's tough to win. The bright side is that Tressel is not intimidated by the Maize and Blue and has won three of his four games against the Team up North. That, and they lost Brailen Edwards, who was really their only effective weapon against the Buckeyes last year. (I feel strange cheering for him as a Browns fan, but he did catch the wining touchdown Saturday vs. Detroit) My (extremely biased) opinion is that OSU will have some tight games, but will run the tables and smell the roses this year. After they get there, if they have to play USC I would be scared, but I was scared at the idea of playing Miami a few years ago and that turned out OK. The two things that scare me about the season are the running game, which has been poor lately, and the kicking game. If those aspects are taken care of, I think that we will have a great season and possibly another Nation Title.
4 comments:
Eric, Texas can lose that game at OSU and still get to the national title game. Under the current system, early losses can be forgiven. But if Texas loses to Oklahoma yet again, no voter worth their salt is gonna think the Longhorns are worth going to the Rose Bowl.
Granted. However, my thinking included Ohio State running the tables, in which case, they would be ranked higher than Texas. I should have been more specific.
Gotcha. Overall, good OSU summary. Nice use of picture. If you learn how to put in weblinks, you'll be a regular webmaster. :)
Keep the OSU analyzations coming all season since I'll miss most of the games this year, and probably won't get to see any part of them on TV! I want first-hand accounts of all the games from real fans, not just ESPN.com.
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