Greetings, Buckeye fans! We now have a new annual reminder that football is just around the corner: Classes begin today at Ohio State, about a month before we're used to them starting.
So, I want to wish all the students out there good luck this quarter semester, and welcome freshmen1, to a whole lot of this.
In case you are without ESPNU and missed the All-Access series last week, ESPN original flavor is airing an hour-long special tonight at 7. Although my cable guide tells me that it's a rerun, we probably shouldn't take Comcast completely at its word. In all likelihood, it's mostly recycled footage with a couple of new bits sprinkled in.
Count me in, though, especially if the only additional clips involve Stan Drayton giving the players ridiculous nicknames.
WASHINGTON, D.T. Speaking of both freshmen and awesome nicknames, Adolphus "Diesel" Washington is one of several newcomers on the DL earning rave reviews in practice. BuckeyeNation's Austin Ward wrote about how Washington's weight gain prompted a move inside from defensive end to defensive tackle.
This wasn't just an example of the freshman 15 50, however; Washington didn't go all Brady Hoke at Golden Corral or anything. Like most teenagers, he wasn't done growing and because size runs in his family, he came to Ohio State weighing 295 pounds, up from the 245 he was listed at when he signed his LOI.
Now, thanks to regular workouts with Mickey Marotti, he's down a little to 289, but the switch to DT seems to benefit everyone:
"I made the position change, but it works better for the team, and I actually like it. I'm not sure if that's what they had wanted to do, but as long as I'm bettering the team, I'm all for it."
And similar to Big Hank, who praised his fellow tackle's pass-rushing abilities yesterday, Washington carries the weight well, and despite the additional pounds, his speed hasn't diminished. If his play in practice translates to actual games, then his will be an entertaining freshman campaign to watch.
A PLACE TO HYDE. Ever since Urban Meyer was hired, a much-discussed topic has been the way he uses running backs in his system and how that would work at Ohio State, where large and in charge RBs are part of the Scarlet and Gray tradition.
As Doug Lesmerises pointed out, Carlos Hyde's size is comparable to a certain alliteratively named QB who receives more media attention than the presidential race2. Urban is just dealing with a different, rather than a completely foreign, concept:
"At Florida we had a scatback with a big quarterback. Here we have a scat quarterback [in Braxton Miller] with a big back," Meyer said. "So there are ways to do it and it's looking decent right now."
By all accounts, Hyde has raised his game and could be poised for a breakout year. When Jordan Hall is cleared to play, Hyde won't simply be a forgotten man like last season. Instead, Hall's particular set of skills at the hybrid position should complement Hyde's so that, as Tom Herman mentioned, both backs will be used at the same time.
The Washington MonumentI'M JUST SOOTHSAYING. In the past week, several publications have made predictions on how they think the Big Ten will unfold this season.
SI's Andy Staples must be feeling a sense of deja vu because he picked Wisconsin to beat Michigan State in the B1G Championship Game and for Montee Ball to be named the offensive MVP. Somewhat surprisingly, he went with Spartan linebacker Denicos Allen as the defensive MVP, citing his sack of Joe Bauserman last season as proof of what a dominating player Allen is.
Look, the MSU defense should be stout and Allen is no slouch, but he's not even the best defender on his own team. Jumping over Jordan Hall and tackling Bauserman isn't exactly a unique talent; I'm sure most of us, and our grandmothers, could do the same.
As for Ohio State, Staples chose Michael Thomas as his impact freshman in the Big Ten and listed The Game, obviously, as one of three key conference matchups. He also reminds us that Urban's teams tend to make their leap in his second year.
Over at Yahoo! Sports, Mike Huguenin sees Wisconsin and Michigan facing off in Indianapolis. He, too, thinks Ball will be the top offensive player in the league, but he opted for a different Spartan on the defensive side: DE William Gholston. While Huguenin gave the OSU coaching staff—particularly OC Tom Herman—kudos, he wasn't as bullish on Braxton Miller, labeling him as the "offensive player on the spot":
Miller will be dangerous on the option, but he still has to prove he can throw the ball downfield with consistency. If he does, Ohio State can win nine games.
Everyone knows Miller's passing has to improve and expectations are certainly high, but I object to the idea of him basically putting a sophomore on the hot seat. It's not like Braxton was terrible last season; he was honored as the B1G Freshman of the Year, after all.
Although I'm sure there will be bumps along the way for both the QB and the team, I don't think nine games is the ceiling, either. Considering my gut instinct record-wise has been 9-3 for a while, I find that to be a perfectly reasonable guess. However, if Braxton progresses at a high rate, it's not outrageous to believe that Buckeyes could finish the season with more than nine wins.
And finally, CFN's Pete Fiutak offers his take on the Big Ten, which can be summed up in a brief sentence: The conference is not very strong, but hey, Ohio State's DL is looking good.
TROUBLE SPOTS. Bruce Feldman took a look at the weakest positions for some of the nation's top teams and how it could factor into the national championship race.
For example, Urban most likely wouldn't advise anyone to put money on USC, Michigan, or Oklahoma winning the BCS title, due to the question marks on their defensive lines3.
He singles out the quarterback spot for LSU, which I wouldn't worry about if I were a Tiger fan. I mean, knowing the wackiness that goes on when Les Miles is around, LSU would probably lose more games if they actually had a competent QB.
Michigan State's wide receivers also make Feldman's list, and like Ohio State's unit, there's potential at the position, but the receivers are largely unproven. At least the Buckeyes don't have to deal with breaking in a new QB on top of that.
THERE'S SO MUCH LESS TO THIS THAN YOU LINK. The Ohio State women's BB team will take on UConn in 2013... The merciless AIRBHG has many victims... The NCAA denied Jeremy Cash's appeal for eligibility this season... To put it simply: Wright Thompson is a good writer and this is a sad story... Tobias Funke is an albino black man and other Arrested Development jokes you may have missed... Women have owned this year in TV (except on Newsroom)... Jesse Pinkman's Seinfeld spinoff... Best job ever?
