Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Well, unless you happen to be a Green Bay fan. Then you're probably still all Rage Guy over last night's MNF game.
Speaking of, it only seems appropriate that this is Michigan State week because that Green Bay-Seattle contest was the most Sparty game that Michigan State never played.
While the Buckeyes get ready for their trip to East Lansing1, I will also be making the trek to the game on Saturday, where I hope to watch the exact opposite of the 2011 version of this matchup.
Supposedly, this will be the healthiest the team has been collectively. Although the latest depth chart lists Rod Smith as Jordan Hall's backup and not Carlos Hyde, it'd be surprising if Hyde didn't play. Of course, the depth chart isn't always gospel; JT Moore remains the starter, but Nathan Williams, and maybe even Michael Bennett, should get plenty of playing time.
MILLER UP. Unlike last year, Michigan State will be facing a more experienced, albeit still a work in progress, Braxton Miller. So far this season, he's shown the ability to step up and make a play when needed.
Braxton continues to be mentioned in the Heisman conversation—Chris Huston currently has him ranked sixth in his Heisman Watch—but it still might take some people aback to hear former Ohio State OL Jim Lachey compare him to Heisman royalty Archie Grffin:
"I remember Archie always had that lateral, crab-like speed," Lachey said. "Braxton's a little bit quicker. He can really get it going, to the point that I've seen him [by slowing down] mess with people. He almost dares them to catch him."
I don't think Archie or any other Ohio State fan would object if Braxton wanted to go ahead and win two Heismans of his own.
If you're wondering what Michigan State players think about the OSU quarterback, it looks like you'll have to wait until postgame interviews because Mark Dantonio is not making any of them available to the media this week. I guess it worked for him last season.
STATEGORIES. As expected, the Michigan State defense has been stout while their offense is "Le'Veon or die." Less expected is this:
That's what happens when your offense, for good or bad reasons, doesn't stay on the field long and when your defense continues to allow big yardage plays and third-down conversions.
More scatologically important to Everett Withers is how the Ohio State defense stacks up in the scoring defense category. On average, they're giving up 17.2 points/game, which ranks them as fifth in the Big Ten. The Spartans, with an 11.8 average, lead the conference.
Offensively, the Buckeyes are rated better than Sparty, but both of them rely heavily on one player. It should be interesting to see which team can put together a more complete game this Saturday.
PLACE YOUR BETS. Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports doesn't really know how the contest will unfold either, but he seems to give the edge to Ohio State, who's a three-point underdog right now:
This game is not easy to figure out at all. While Mark Dantonio's record against the Big Ten is impressive -- particularly that 7-2 mark last season -- this year's Michigan State offense just looks terrible outside of Le'Veon Bell. While Ohio State has a secondary that can be beat, I just don't think the Spartans have the tools to do it.
None of this on Saturday, pleaseThe over/under for the game is 43.5 and wisely, I think—remember, they combined for 17 points (barely) last season—he's taking the under. However, if we're talking total penalties, I'd take the over.
The matchup is just a tad different from another on Saturday, the West Virginia-Baylor showdown. The O/U for that one is 81.5, which actually seems pretty low for those two teams. Then again, college football has ways of throwing us a curve. But if that particular outcome doesn't resemble the 132 total points in the 2010 triple OT game between Michigan and Illinois, I'll be surprised2.
B1G TOP. Now that we're moving on to Big Ten action, Tom Dienhart compiled a list of the B1G's best during the nonconference part of the season.
Yeah, yeah, it hasn't been a banner year for the conference so far, but that doesn't mean there aren't performances to single out.
After a month, Dienhart named Braxton as the Big Ten's best player and even if somewhat by default, Ohio State as his best team.
With Minnesota at 4-0, Jerry Kill was his pick for best coaching job while he considered the best surprise to be Northwestern, also 4-0 with three wins over AQ schools.
Interestingly, he's sticking with a Michigan State-Wisconsin rematch in the title game. At this point, I don't think anyone has a clue who will be playing in Indianapolis, but the next couple of weeks should give us a better idea.
CITY SITES. USA Today's Erick Smith confirmed that six cities are in contention for hosting the national championship game in the 2014 season. In case anyone has forgotten, that will be inaugural year of college football's playoff system.
So where will the Ohio State Buckeyes, led by senior QB Braxton Miller, be headed? The four cities already home to BCS bowls—Glendale, Miami, New Orleans, and Pasadena—will battle Atlanta and Arlington, Texas. Those six will rotate as sites for the semifinals and title game.
There was no mention of when the decision will be reached, so Braxton and company will just have to wait patiently.
JEDI MIND CLICK. One more look at the MNF ending... Pete Carroll be trolling... Andy Katzenmoyer is bringing a USFL team to Columbus... Who's crazier: Harvey Updyke or John L. Smith?... Ohio State grad R.L. Stine is a fan of the em dash... Cats acting out movie scenes... There are two kinds of people in this world... This dog is on a roll.
