The 11W Football Mailbag is the only stop you need for answers to your most pressing questions about Ohio State's next matchup. Have a question? Ask it, and if we can, we'll answer it.
So, ummm, do we make the Playoff? — Gratefulbuck
Thought I might as well get this out of the way first. I cannot answer definitively yes or no because the sample size is small and in the two years of the College Football Playoff, every team involved won its conference. Plus, what I say could be completely irrelevant if more chaos happens this weekend.
However, that's not why you're here, is it? My answer is that though the committee has an extremely difficult decision to make in a few weeks, it is certainly open to putting two teams from one conference in the final four. That is evident by Ohio State being No. 2 on Tuesday and this quote from selection committee head Kirby Hocutt:
“It's based upon each particular team's résumé,” Hocutt said. “The selection committee has the flexibility if we believe two of the four best teams are from the same conference. If two teams are clearly in the top-4 of the country.”
“Clearly in the top-4 of the country” is subjective but in my opinion, the Buckeyes look like one of the four best teams in college football right now. The committee obviously agrees with its latest set of rankings and even though it claims margin of victory does not matter, it is hard to not be impressed with back-to-back 62-3 victories.
Hocutt said that on Tuesday. But he also added that the committee has not spent any time discussing the idea of two teams from the same conference in the Playoff.
They don't have to until Dec. 4. But if the Buckeyes take care of two difficult games and look good doing it, it is going to be very hard to keep them out. Different schools of thought arise if Penn State wins the Big Ten as opposed to Wisconsin and vice versa. Lotta ball left. Houston dumping Louisville on Thursday certainly helps Ohio State's chances.
WE SHALL SEE.
Will Ohio State win 62-3 again this week? Is Urban Meyer afraid to score 69 points? — DWeinz and Bucknut1994
Nah. I would be very surprised if Ohio State broke the 60-point, let alone the 50-point, barrier the rest of the season. Don't @ me.
And it is curious that Ohio State had plenty of time to get a #nice score in two straight games but didn't do it. It is a tad upsetting but maybe that is Meyer's way of calling off the dogs.
Is Sparty "back" after handling Rutgers the way they did (similarly to TTUN and OSU score-wise)? Or is Rutgers just that bad? — Avail31678
Did you watch when Ohio State played Rutgers? The Scarlet Knights are **Barkley voice** TURRIBLE. Winning a conference game 49-0 is significant regardless the level of football but the Scarlet Knights are not good. At all.
I wouldn't call Michigan State "back" because of it. But it doesn't hurt things, I guess.
How much will the expected cold/wet weather play havoc with the offensive playcalling this week? Will we see another OSU v. Penn State type of game due to the field conditions? — 1MechEng
I think Ohio State is a much different team than when it played Penn State but agree with where your head is at in terms of how that game played out on a grass field. Spartan Stadium is also grass, and the wind and rain will certainly affect the way both offenses try to move the ball. However, Ohio State's offensive line is playing brilliantly in recent weeks and Michigan State is very depleted up front.
The Buckeyes are going to try to the throw the ball but do not rule out Meyer just giving J.T. Barrett the ball on quarterback runs and telling him to go win a game for him. That probably makes fans cringe because it failed to work against Michigan State last season but this Spartan squad doesn't have the NFL talent on defense like last year's did. The one big player on defense they do have is Malik McDowell and he might not play because of an ankle injury.
Ed Warinner is orchestrating play calls with Meyer and Tim Beck at a very high level right now. There is no reason to believe that should not continue regardless the weather unless something drastic changes on game day that we don't foresee coming.
Were you rooting for Iowa or Michigan Saturday night? — Barfolomew
Neither. I don't get paid to root for college football teams unfortunately. Though I did find it absolutely hysterical when I woke up in lethargic state on Sunday morning that Kirk Ferentz is 1-0 lifetime against Jim Harbaugh. Take a second and let that sink in.
It's really funny, isn't it?
How do you spell the M...igan State HC's last name (asking for a friend)? — Hovenaut
Mark. Dantonio. Don't let DJ fool you with his constant use of Mike D'Antoni in Skull Sessions and elsewhere. It is pretty hilarious how he consistently does that and I'm sure lurkers on the site are actually buying into it.
If given the opportunity, will we run up the score? (knowing full well that MSU's next game is against PSU) — Elfkrieg
I don't think the opportunity will arise—something about Ohio State-Michigan State games always being close that makes me think that way. After all, the combined score the last four seasons is 104-104. But if there comes a chance where Meyer sees he could impose his will and win by a few scores, then sure it could happen.
What one player you hoped OSU was able to persuade to Columbus that decided to attend MSU? L.J. Scott, Malik McDowell, Donnie Corley, etc. — Gwolkoff5
Since you mentioned Scott I'll go with him. Always been a fan of his game even in high school when he trucked kids up at Hubbard High School. Still wild to me that he only had nine reported scholarship offers out of high school.
Will the Buckeyes generate more than 4.0 yards per carry against Sparty? Will we hold Sparty under 280 yards total offense? — MercyTex
Yes and no. Michigan State's front seven isn't what it used to be no matter how much Ohio State wants to sell it and the Buckeyes are running the ball very well right now (more than 5.0 yards per carry average over the last three games).
And something tells me the Spartans will get 300 yards of total offense but not much more. I don't know why. They just always seem to figure out how to move the chains against Ohio State. I think it is the Mark Dantonio voodoo and the fact he knows the program so well from having coached there.
When the playoffs became reality the talk was that this would force schools to upgrade the non-conference portion of the schedule. Playing a tough game and losing didn't do the damage it once did in the BCS era. What are the odds that Oklahoma could make the playoffs with 2 losses as a conference champion and Ohio State be left out with only 1 loss and no conference championship? Would that event cause schools to schedule more like Baylor on the non-conference portion? Is a conference championship a tie breaker among equal loss teams? Or has it become larger than life? — ATLBuckeye92
Because Ohio State owns a tiebreaker over Oklahoma in the form of head-to-head victory I really don't see the Buckeyes getting jumped by the Sooners. In fact, it is that game that makes me say Ohio State fans should want the Sooners to win the Big 12. If West Virginia does with only one loss, different story. Just another thing for the committee to chew on while it ponders putting a potential 1-loss Ohio State team without a conference title into the Playoff.
The ACC Champion (probably Clemson) and Pac-12 Champion (if it is Washington) should cause more concern for Ohio State's chances because those teams will have 1-loss just like them in addition to a trophy. Here is what Kirby Hocutt said Tuesday night with regarding criteria and metrics the committee applies when determining comparable teams: conference champions, strength of schedule, head-to-head matchups and comparable outcomes against common opponents.
“Those four metrics are not weighted. They're in no particular order,” Hocutt said. “So it's up to the 12 individuals that make up the College Football Playoff Selection Committee as to what they see value in.”
Make sense?
Alabama is going to make the Playoff. Clemson probably will too as long as it doesn't lose again. But what will the committee do with a 2-loss Big Ten Champion and an 11-1 Ohio State, if things play out the way we think they will?
Yes, this has all become larger than life. But that is why it is fun. Right?
So far during the Meyer era, MSU has been more successful against OSU than any other B1G school. Given that MSU is having a down year what do you expect to see from this game? Will OSU get some revenge and win big or does D'Antonio find a way to counter and slow the Buckeyes down again keeping it closer? This all seems too easy. Shouldn't we expect a Michigan State team similar to teams we faced the last two seasons as opposed to what we've seen from them so far? — BuckeyeCWRU and LouBuck35
I think Michigan State will find a way to keep it close, at least for a while. Ohio State is by far the better team but we thought that last year too and know what happened. For whatever reason, Dantonio always makes Meyer overthink things or screw up the simplest details that cost Ohio State a game.
The only time that didn't happen was in 2014 when J.T. Barrett played out of his mind. Barrett is playing extremely well right now too so a repeat of 2014 in terms of scoring could be on tap. But with the weather, the fact Michigan State has nothing else to play for this season and is a team full of Ohio kids spurned by Ohio State makes me think it will stay close.
Always expect a close game between Ohio State and Michigan State as long as Urban meyer and Mark Dantonio coach at the two schools. It is just how it goes.
Rain. Wind. It's a recipe for a run-heavy game. Is Mike Weber healthy enough to shoulder a heavy workload this Saturday? I anticipate Curtis Samuel to contribute in the running game as well. Will Demario McCall get snaps outside of garbage time given that Meyer specifically called out ball security as something to work on in his game? — Byaaaahhh
Nice pun. I love puns. Meyer sounded confident this week that Weber will be in a good place in terms of his health come Saturday. It probably helps that he only ran the ball 12 times against Maryland before yielding to McCall. Meyer knows what he was doing.
“Mike's a little beat up but he could have went more,” Meyer said after the game. “He should be close to 100 percent this week.”
Weber is a pretty tough runner and the guy and is about to play in his first game in the state of Michigan since, as a Detroit native, electing to come to Ohio State. It's going to take a lot more than a sore shoulder to keep him off the field on Saturday.
Samuel will feature largely into the running game but I don't think McCall will other than garbage time. It is clear Meyer is impressed with what McCall has done in the last month when it comes to his development but this is big boy football. He needs to add some more weight and prove to his head coach he can take care of the ball well enough before he gets carries in non-mop-up duty.
Do you get the sense that this is a revenge game when you're around the team, since MSU was the only team to beat OSU last year? I know that Ohio State will have a super emotional test in two weeks, but I was wondering if there is a little extra motivation for MSU this year given what happened last year. — AJW_16
I'm sure there is but the players and coaches don't talk about it being that way.
“I don’t believe so. Later on in the week we’ll have conversations about that,” Meyer said on Tuesday. “Our guys are all about game prep. The reason I like this team is that those conversations don't come up.”
Most of the players that lost to Michigan State last season are now in the NFL or elsewhere too but everyone on the roster understands how big of a game it is just because of the recent string of history between the two programs. That should be motivation enough.
Will someone other than Samuel catch a ball more than 15 yards down the field again this year? — Kid Buckeye
Yes. Top choices: K.J. Hill and Parris Campbell.
Do you think that the CFP is meant for the four best conference champions or is it for the four best teams in the nation? After the offensive explosions over the past two weeks, did we overreact to lack of production from our WR corps? Specifically the lack of a clear No. 2 option? What's going on there in general? — Smartone29
The Playoff claims it is meant for the four best teams in the nation but in the extremely small sample size we have to work with, it is clear the committee has rolled with the four best conference champions. I think the committee will be tested much more this year than the first two.
Ohio State fans overreacting about something? That never happens.
Sorry, that is out of my system. I think the reaction to the lack of production was certainly merited because that group of players really was not playing very well in October. The lack of a clear No. 2 option is still there in terms of true wide receivers but it is obvious the best wide receivers on Ohio State's team are Curtis Samuel and Noah Brown. Samuel just does so much more than play wide receiver, which makes him that much more explosive and terrific.
Terry McLaurin and Parris Campbell are blocking at a very high level right now. K.J. Hill is too. And I love Hill's game as a receiver. He has great hands, runs excellent routes and makes people miss. The youth *should* take a giant step forward this offseason.
What's with Nick Bosa not getting as much PT the last 2 weeks? — SFlaBuckeye13
I think Larry Johnson was trying to get some of his backups and third-string guys on the defensive line more reps. The Buckeyes were way ahead in both of those games too, so starters were pulled in the third quarter.
Bosa is going to be an integral part of Ohio State's program for at least two more seasons. It seems pretty silly to leave him out there in a game where the Buckeyes own a seven-touchdown lead to risk injury.
I was reminded of Iowa's pink locker room during their game with Michigan this past week. It got me thinking, how does Ohio State's visiting locker room stack up against others in the conference? I'd imagine we treat out guests well. — BuckeyeGrownFloridaLiving
This is a great question and one that I do not have an answer to because I have never been in the visiting locker room at Ohio Stadium. Of course, I've never been in the home locker room either but imagine it is pretty slick.
However, I've never heard of anything suggesting the visiting locker room is ugly, lacking comfortability or anything else. Plus, what Ohio State did for the Nebraska game with Sam Foltz's number posted on a decal on the ramp from the locker room should tell you plenty about its hospitality.
Jim Bollman vs Larry Johnson in a cage match. Who you got? — BuckeyeIn NY
LJ. That man is a gentle soul, doesn't swear and is a dude I'd love to sit and talk football with for hours on end. But if he's pissed off and gets on a mean streak, I have a feeling he wouldn't think twice about wrecking the Walrus.
Which MSU team shows up? The one that lost to Maryland or the one that blanked Rutgers last week? — EnonBuck79
Probably the one that blanked Rutgers last week because that game was also in East Lansing. But as we've already discussed (and seen with our own eyes) Rutgers is awful. Chris Ash elected to punt from the Michigan State 30 in that game. #sadtrombone
Injuries and poor quarterback play have caused Michigan State's season to be turned on its head. It is really weird to see personnel on a team coached by Mark Dantonio not step up and make crucial plays to win football games. But it could happen on Saturday. Who knows?
If Malik McDowell is truly out, does this change anything in our offensive approach? — KBonay
It should if Ohio State knows what it good for it. McDowell is a monster and will be a high draft pick in the spring. You can't replace a guy like that but Michigan State is trying with freshmen and other guys who have yet to play significant snaps in their careers.
I look at it this way—Ohio State's offensive line is playing terrific right now. Against Michigan last season, Ed Warinner, Tim Beck and Urban Meyer knew the Wolverines were short some defensive tackles and linebackers because of injuries. The response? The Buckeyes ran the ball 54 times and J.T. Barrett only threw it 15. Could something like that happen this weekend? It is possible, and I have a feeling Mike Weber is going to want the ball a ton considering he grew up in Detroit and this is his first collegiate game in his home state.
The last two weeks the Buckeyes have gained more yards passing than rushing. Do you expect that recent trend to continue this Saturday? Many fans believe that if the passing offense had been better last year, the outcome of that game may have been a little different - in spite of the weather. The early forecasts for this Saturday are calling for cold, rainy and windy conditions - so obviously, that could be a factor. But if the weather is not that bad - what do you think? — Buckeye Phi
No, I don't. I think Ohio State will finish the day with more yards on the ground than through the air due to the weather. The Buckeyes will definitely try to throw the ball early because of the talent they have on the outside but games against Michigan State are won and lost at the line of scrimmage.
The Spartans are hurting in that area. Ohio State is rising in that area. With rain, sleet, wind and even snow forecasted, the running game should get ample opportunities to impose its will. Meyer said as much on Wednesday when asked about how weather affects game planning.
“It has a major impact on game-planning,” he said.
If the weather isn't as bad as they are predicting, Ohio State will look to throw the ball. It likely still will because that is the trend we have seen the last few games but make no mistake—crappy weather will have some sort of affect on the game.
How motivated will the 24+ players on the MSU roster be to play against their home state school and will that type of "motivation" be a factor since the majority of those kids never got offered by tOSU? — WezBuck28
They will certainly be motivated but I think the fact that Ohio State still has plenty to play for will be on their mind more than if the Buckeyes didn't offer them a scholarship. Michigan State isn't going to play in the postseason. This game is their Super Bowl.
I am positive there will be high school teammates and friends on opposite sidelines this Saturday. All kinds of motivation is there for this one.
Will our tempo offensively play a huge factor in deciding the final score? What is the status of McDowell?? As always - what's your game prediction?? — Seattle Linga
Yes, tempo should play a factor for Ohio State, especially if the weather does not allow teams many chances to throw the ball down the field. I could see the Buckeyes trying to use it if they feel they can get a solid push from the offensive line.
Mark Dantonio held a radio show on Thursday night. Michigan State beat writer for MLive Kyle Austin asked a former colleague who now hosts the show to bring up the status of McDowell's ankle to the head coach. This is what happened:
Update: Joe mentioned my request but declined to ask the question. Dantonio: "That's probably best." https://t.co/491YjsoDHT
— Kyle Austin (@kylebaustin) November 18, 2016
Sounds like the writers that cover the team are in the dark as much as we are with regard to McDowell. My take: He doesn't play on Saturday.
I picked Ohio State 42-10. The Buckeyes should be able to run well and score in the second half. But I wouldn't be surprised if it was 14-7 at halftime or something.
How much in advance did you have your article regarding the Playoff Rankings Show prepared? And how much did you have to change/edit after the rankings came out? — Daniel
I write the post every Tuesday morning when I wake up and predict where I think Ohio State will be as I do it. So this past Tuesday I thought the committee would slot the Buckeyes 2nd. I was right. Last week I had them at 6th and the committee put them 5th. So a frantic change of the headline, the URL on the story, social blurb (what you see on Facebook and Twitter) and story blurb (what you see when you hover over a story at the top of the site) has to happen in a span of 10 seconds so I can publish. I better be right too, otherwise you all will let me know about it.
Then I have the table with the top 25 in another window on my second monitor. Once the basic parts in the story are posted and correct, I turn my attention to that but almost always have a mistake or two either in a team's record, what conference it is a part of or what key games are left on its schedule. I then frantically copy that source code and throw it at the bottom of the body of the story while double and triple checking my work. Because if I'm wrong, commenters love to tell me so.
Which assistant do you see not being back next year? And who is a possible replacement? — MoneyMike
I've said it before but I don't think Greg Schiano coaches at Ohio State in 2017. The only way he does is if he doesn't see a head coaching job available that he absolutely wants. Schiano's past experience and work with the secondary this season will allow him to handpick his choice.
In terms of a replacement, though, I honestly have no idea. This is a long shot but maybe Charlie Strong? He and Meyer have ties from their time together at Florida and I really can't see Texas keeping him on the payroll after another meh season.
Is Jurgen Klinsmann fired? — Zimmy07
I do not follow soccer and pretty much the only time I watch it is when the World Cup or Euro Cup is on the television during the summer. I guess this makes me a bad American.
But I am friends with enough soccer buffs that tell me Klinsmann should be fired. A 2-1 defeat to Mexico in Columbus is unacceptable and then a 4-0 skunking at the hands of Costa Rica only makes matters worse. At least that is what I'm saying as a non-soccer fan sitting on my couch in sweatpants.
Thanks as always for your questions. If you're heading to East Lansing on Saturday, stay dry and dress warm. See you next week.
