Greetings, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the first of the month. I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Halloween, whether you went out, handed out candy, or stayed inside with the lights off in order to avoid trick-or-treaters.
Because I've been on the East Coast this week, yesterday was the first time in two days that I had been outside, and I was immediately greeted with hordes of sugar-happy children, so if you did happen to sit at home in the dark by choice1, believe me, there's no judgment on my end.
And now, it's somehow November. Don't get me wrong—I love this month. There's the start of college basketball, Thanksgiving, The Game, and every year without fail, college football going HAM on us.
Consider this:
Of course this season won't turn out the same way it did a decade ago. Still, Ohio State wasn't viewed as an overwhelming favorite to make it the national championship game, let alone win it, so that's merely one of the many examples of how unpredictable November can be in our beloved sport.
But my god, didn't this season just start yesterday?!
LET DOWN AND HANGING AROUND. Okay, think of a statistical category—offensive, defensive, doesn't matter. Chances are, whichever one you thought of Illinois is probably ranked last, or near last, in the Big Ten2. The Buckeyes, maintaining their reputation as the conference's top team, are coming off their best overall game and are nearly four-touchdown favorites. Presumably, Saturday should be a breeze for the Scarlet and Gray.
And yet, it won't necessarily be that easy, lest we forget Purdue, UAB, or Illinois almost every time they visit the Horseshoe. The Morning Journal's John Kampf outlined why the Illini could provide more of a challenge than expected.
One of his reasons why this could be a letdown game for Ohio State is because it will be hard for them to play with the same level of intensity as last Saturday against Penn State, especially since they'll then welcome a bye week before facing Wisconsin and Michigan.
Ohio State's biggest problem could be their inconsistency. Like many of us, Kampf has noticed this particular trait:
Let’s be honest here, Ohio State has had a penchant for playing to the level of its opponent this season. For every rise-to-the-occasion moment — i.e. Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State — there has been a what-just-happened moment against lesser foes — i.e. California, Alabama-Birmingham, Purdue and Indiana. This isn’t necessarily about close scores in the latter three games, but rather the manner in which Ohio State played.
However, he still predicted Ohio State will keep the Illibuck Trophy and win, 44-17, because despite all of that, the Buckeyes are a much, much better team.
STEELEY MAN. That score isn't far off from Phil Steele's forecast of Ohio State, 41-10. Even though he's in need of an editor, Steele points out a few interesting tidbits:
QB Scheelhaase (140, 61%, 4-5) has struggled behind a banged up OL which has allowed 30 sacks (#117 FBS). The Illini has actually allowed 24 fewer ypg than OSU but has been put in bad spots by the offense which has coughed the ball up 20 times this year.
With 15 turnovers gained this season (compared to 14 lost), Ohio State is middle of the pack in that category, but most of the turnovers they've forced have been through the air. The Buckeyes have only recovered three fumbles so far while Illinois has lost 10.
Feeling inspired by Steele, I'm going to call my shot: I predict Big Hank will recover a fumble this week.
There are several intriguing matchups on Saturday, and Steele foresees that all of the unbeaten teams will remain as such, even if by the hair of their chin. His prognostications: Alabama over LSU, 17-16; Oregon over USC, 49-42; Kansas State over Oklahoma State, 27-24; Notre Dame over Pitt, 27-10; and Louisville over Temple, 38-21.
Not the Illibuck, but it should beWE MET SOME TIME AGO WHEN WE WERE SO YOUNG. Illinois coach Tim Beckman has some familiarity with the Ohio State sideline. Not only was he the cornerbacks coach there in 2005-06, but he's also known Urban Meyer for years. They first met through mutual friend Bill Davis, now the linebackers coach for the Browns, and when Meyer was hired as the Bowling Green head coach in 2001, he inherited Beckman as his defensive coordinator.
For family reasons, Beckman decided to stay in Ohio when Meyer left for Utah, though the two remain friends and Urban claims "he'll get that thing turned" at Illinois.
Nevertheless, considering he said earlier this week that it's "not difficult at all" to coach against a friend, I don't think that Urban will take it easy on Beckman.
FOUR THE DEFENSE. We're all blissfully aware of how great of a defender Aaron Craft is, but it's always nice for national publications to agree.
ESPN's Myron Metcalf put together a list of the scariest defenders in college basketball, and I don't even have to tell you who was #1, though I will anyway:
It's simple. Craft, the Big Ten’s reigning defensive player of the year, is America's best on-the-ball defender. Save the arguments. The 6-foot-2 guard's ability to stick elite perimeter players every night justifies that distinction for the young man who had 16 steals in five NCAA tournament games last season. He's also credible off the ball. He's active on every defensive possession regardless of position. Plus, he's effective in transition situations. He displayed that versatility throughout Ohio State’s run to the Final Four, and he wasn't completely healthy. Craft had offseason surgery to remove bone spurs in his ankle. Now that’s he's healed, the havoc will continue. Be afraid.
Backing him up is an anonymous coach, who told CBSSports.com the following:
"He's the best defender in college basketball. He understands how much of an impact he causes on the defensive end, in making plays, and he takes pride in it. He disrupts the opponents offense in every way and raises all of his teammates level of play. He's the honey badger of college basketball."
As much as the phrase "honey badger" needs to go the way of the dodo, that kind of praise makes me want to clap, Aaron Craft-style3.
PREVIEW FINDER. In his Ohio State season preview, Grantland's Shane Ryan was—blasphemously—kind of a Craft hater, out of annoyance more than anything. He still gave Craft credit on defense, saying his hands possessed "ninja speed."
Ryan was high on the defense, calling it the nation's best, and predicted Ohio State will once again hammer Duke in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, handle Michigan, beat Indiana in Columbus, and finish second in the conference.
Some fans weren't feeling very enthused after Tuesday night, and in case you might have missed it last night, Chris wrote an in-depth blog post about his observations from the exhibition game. I encourage you to read it because he provided quite a bit of insight on different players and his overall thoughts about the team. One point he makes that I especially think should be reiterated is that while Ohio State has the makings of a good team, they're somewhat raw. We might have to be a little patient with them, but if the players keep progressing, this team could be, like Ryan suggested, rather formidable.
And even if Craft and Matta weren't thrilled with the defensive performance against Walsh, that should be one of their strengths. Hopefully some of the younger players, particularly LaQuinton Ross, follow Craft's lead on D.
Speaking of Ross, most fans are excited to see him emerge this season as a scoring complement to Deshaun Thomas, as he was Tuesday. BTN's Brent Yarina put him in the spotlight as a player Ohio State needs production from.
SWIZZLE CLICKS. Former Buckeyes have a chat... The Big Ten's research on concussions... The B1G is not only a basketball powerhouse but a wrestling one too... Jim Foster's thoughts on the women's hoops team and Apple products... How to trade Halloween candy... How to burn off calories from Halloween candy... Offbeat holidays to celebrate this month... Movies should always follow this rule.
- 1 And if it wasn't by choice, here's hoping you get your power restored soon. ↑
- 2 Except punting! ↑
- 3 A proposal: a clap-off that pits Craft against Braxton Miller. ↑
