Happy Saturday dudes and dudettes! I hope everyone’s Friday went swimmingly, I know mine did. Here’s something to chomp on: are there ever days when you wake up, yawn, stretch your arms to the sky and remember the coach of your favorite football team is Urban Meyer while the talented QB running the show is a mere sophomore?
That very instance happened to me just a few sunrises ago and I’ve got to tell you, it felt the opposite of terrible. Urban on the sideline STILL feels too good to be true and because last year’s offseason/season felt 25 years long, it sometimes seems Braxton should be prepping to graduate. But my friends I'm here to tell you that is simply not the case, and I couldn’t be happier!
TRENCH WARFARE. Tom Dienhart continued his "Unit Rankings" series, recently analyzing the Big Ten’s 2012 defensive lines. Coming in at No. 1 was your Ohio State Buckeyes. As expected, Dienhart calls out Simon, Hankins, and Bellamy as difference makers heading into the season. He also mentions Garrett Goebel who the coaches believe is ready to have a breakout year.
Am I the only one who thinks this defensive line could be one of the most talented we’ve seen in years? All of the players mentioned above should dial it into beast mode, but what gets lost in the hoopla is the Buckeyes have a ton of talent knocking on the door. Adolphus Washington and Noah Spence could make an immediate impact, adding depth to an already stacked line. Throw in Nathan Williams who will be coming back from his 2011 knee injury and 2012 has all the makings for a rip-roaring good time in the opponent’s backfield.
Rounding out Dienhart’s top five were Michigan State, Purdue, Nebraska and Penn State. (Michigan came in at No. 7).
YOU KIDS AND YOUR VIDEO GAMES. If you were anything like me as a kid/teenager, (you were, trust me) every year you were willing to part with 50+ clam shells of whatever meager pittance you earned/begged for to purchase the newest version of EA Sports NCAA Football. You knew not much had changed in the game since last year's iteration, but there was NO WAY you were running the Ohio State offense with outdated player ratings. You knew the current center’s agility had risen a few points year over year and you’d be damned if you had to play without the undeniable rise in the current QB’s pocket awareness. It simply wasn't the American way.
Pain...unlocked.What am I talking about video games for? Well, leaked NCAA Football ‘13 screen shots via Brandon Castel recently hit the interwebs! The Buckeye’s offense is rated at 89 overall, and the defense received a rating of 95. EA Sports bestowed a 95 overall rating upon The Scarlet and Gray putting them behind only Michigan (97 overall) and Wisconsin (99 overall) in the conference.
A few other highlights include Braxton Miller NOT being listed as a top 10 player on Ohio State’s roster. Ummmmm….ok? Also, as a reward for checking out the game’s demo you can unlock none other than Archie Griffin to use in the full retail version. If Archie’s ratings are anything less that 99 in every department, up to and including the little known “afro swag” metric, I’m calling foul.
LEMME UPGRADE YA. Buckeyextra recently reported work is under way on Ohio Stadium’s new scoreboard. This from the Dispatch:
"The new high-definition scoreboard will measure 42 feet by 124 feet, replacing one that is 30 by 90. The board will be flanked by clusters of 25 speakers on each side, which the school says will dramatically improve the sound."
The 11-year-old screen will be replaced by said behemoth at a single "I-can't-believe-it's-so-low" price of $7 million. With plans to attend the Nebraska game, I can’t wait to see how the new screen and sound system perform on what is sure to be an electric evening.
It’s hard to imagine the Shoe getting any louder, but 50 brand spankin' new speakers might do the trick. Here’s to the third down bells ringing clearer (and more often) than ever.
WHO YOU CALLIN' DOG? Tony Gerdeman wrote an interesting piece yesterday highlighting a few point spreads recently projected by BeyondTheBets.com.
The Buckeyes are listed as underdogs in only two of their 12 upcoming games. The site has Ohio State as a four-point dog against the Badgers and a 1.5 point loser in the MSU matchup.
Both of these projections make sense as the two contests will be played away from Columbus against a stout Michigan State defense and a bruising Wisconsin offensive line. Personally I believe the Buckeyes find a way to win in East Lansing, but Camp Randall could be another story.
This from Gerdeman:
“The Buckeyes have won three straight in East Lansing by an average score of 38-11, and six of the last seven…recent history at Camp Randall is quite different. The Badgers have taken two of the last three in Madison, including the 2010 matchup that saw a #18 Badger team take down the #1 Buckeyes.”
Projections for other notable games on the schedule have OSU favored by five against Nebraska, by 14 over Cal, and by six over Penn State.
Oh yeah…Beyond the Bets also has Ohio State favored by four over Michigan (take that EA Sports). In addition, the site has Alabama favored by 13 in their matchup against UM, slightly differing from my own projection of Alabama -49.5.
LINK(COLN) LOGS. Texts from dogs are funnier than texts from humans...and that's a fact. Oh what's that? You said you wanted more dogs? How's this? No words can describe this, just watch and appreciate greatness. The power of Pine Sol is terrifying. I watched this three or four times and then had to step outside to make sure I was still on Earth.
