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Ohio State blows out Indiana, 38-15. Now, it's time to do the same to That Team Up North.
Pray for the men's basketball team. It plays Kentucky at 3:30 on CBS, and I fear a nationally televised execution of the local team could be at hand.
College football > college basketball but I'll be in front of a TV at 3:30 ready to take my beating. I'll leave my phone, wallet and keys at home so the only valuables they can take are my teeth, tongue, eyes, digits, limbs or kidney. As a Browns fan, it will be like any other stroll through a dimly lit and crack vial-laden alleyway.
| TIME (ET) | BOWL | MATCHUP | FAVORITE | TELEVISION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2:00 | NEW MEXICO BOWL | ARIZONA vs. NEW MEXICO | ZONA (-8) | ESPN |
| 3:30 | LAS VEGAS BOWL | BYU vs. No. 22 UTAH | UTES (-3) | ABC |
| 5:30 | CAMELIA BOWL | OHIO vs. APPALACHIAN STATE | ASU (-7½) | ESPN |
| 7:00 | CURE BOWL | SAN JOSÉ STATE vs. GEORGIA STATE | GSU (-1) | CBSSN |
| 9:00 | NEW ORLEANS BOWL | ARKANSAS STATE vs. LOUISIANA STECH | TECH (-2) | ESPN |
Welp, that deescalated quickly.
Torn on the Camelia Bowl. Athens and Boone are kindred cities. I'll always dock Athens points though because Quailman and Dog the Bounty Hunter lifted an amp from my unlocked Jeep during Halloween 2008. Touché them, but it's costing the Bobcats my fealty. Beer we go Mountaineers.
Can't get too worked up about the rest. Go Utes, maybe? I'm too busy wondering where the last four months went, because this ain't right.
ICYMI:
- Pat Elflein will return for his final season in Columbus.
- The NCAA declared freshman Basketbuck forward Mickey Mitchell eligible. He's available against Kentucky.
BON VOYAGE, VONN BELL. Urban Meyer told five-star recruit Vonn Bell the Buckeyes were on a collision course with Nick Saban's Alabama, and Bell might as well ride with him.
The pitch worked, and Bell chose Ohio State over Alabama and Tennessee. That matchup came and it ended with Bell hoisting a College Football Trophy.
This year won't end the same way, but it doesn't mean Bell's labors were without fruits.
From cleveland.com:
A good education, a chance to compete for a national title, the opportunity to win personal accolades and the environment to develop into a top NFL draft pick.
That's how it got Vonn Bell.
And the Buckeyes made good on their promise.
"I feel like I've done it all," Bell said Thursday. "I finally got my tree in Buckeye Grove."
Sounds like a guy who is out the door, but I offer one small correction: Bell has yet to beat Notre Dame, which is an iconic badge of achievement that glistens on any Ohio State jacket.
Some GMs will question his size as if it's 1998 or 6'5" safeties are normal, and their teams will be worse for it.
Tilt of the cap to Vonn Bell—a man who came, saw, and conquered.
ASH SWOOPS MAROTTI DISCIPLE. When Urban Meyer decided to take the Ohio State job his first call was to strength coach Mickey Marotti.
Ash's first hire wasn't a strength coach, but the way he stresses the importance of the position shows he took some notes under Meyer.
From nj.com:
When Chris Ash got hired as Rutgers' head coach on Dec. 5, he knew immediately whom he wanted as the program's strength and conditioning coach. Ash got his man on Friday, hiring Ohio State assistant strength and conditioning coach Kenny Parker as Rutgers' head strength and conditioning coach.
"It's as important as anything," Ash said of the strength coach in an interview with NJ Advance Media on Thursday. "If I got a head coaching job, I knew right away what I was going to do with the strength coach. There wasn't a lot of discussion about it. We came to a pretty quick agreement."
Ash puts the strength coach on the same level as the offensive and defensive coordinators in terms of leadership positions for the program. In some ways, the strength coach is even more valuable because he is allowed more access to players than any other coach. NCAA rules limit the amount of time the head coach and nine on-field assistants get with players, particularly in the offseason.
Ohio State breezed through Rutgers in October, so Parker better be ready to put in some work.
Rutgers opens next season at Washington, a trip a team that aren't cupcakes. Quite the opportunity for Ash to introduce himself to the country.
I'm not ready to live in a world where Rutgers is not only competent, but good. Assuming Penn State replaces James Franklin with a coach who can coach, the Big Ten East will be a proper murderer's row in a couple years.
THE #HARBAUGHEFFECT. It happened. Michigan took Ohio State's attendance crown. The silver lining is knowing its average was helped by the ~70,000 Buckeye fans who sacked Ann Arbor.
From cbssports.com:
| RANK | SCHOOL | 2015 AVERAGE | DIFFERANCE FROM 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MICHIGAN | 110,168 | +5% |
| 2 | OHIO STATE | 107,244 | +1% |
| 3 | TEXAS A&M | 103,622 | -1% |
| 4 | ALABAMA | 101,112 | LESS THAN -1% |
| 5 | TENNESSEE | 100,584 | +1% |
| 6 | PENN STATE | 99,799 | -2% |
| 7 | LOUISIANA STATE | 93,441 | -8% |
| 8 | GEORGIA | 92,746 | 0% |
| 9 | FLORIDA | 90,065 | +5% |
| 10 | TEXAS | 90,035 | -4% |
Houston (33,928, +20%) was only beaten in attendance boost by Temple (44,149, +89%) and Memphis (43,802, +29%).
THE BEST OF TIMES, THE WORST OF TIMES. Overall the Fiesta Bowl is kind to the Buckeyes:
A look at @OhioStAthletics bowl media guide cover designs for 6 trips to the valley of the sun in 14 years #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/NPnGn1jrpe
— Kyle McKee (@K_MC_Kee) December 18, 2015
When I was little I thought the year 2000 would bring about insane technological advances and/or space tourism. Instead the 2000s brought Zooted Jim Tressel and A.J. Hawk's skullet.
My imagination sold the future short.
GRANDSTAFF THANKS BUCKEYES FOR THAT ONE SEMESTER. We hardly knew ye, friend:
— Austin Grandstaff (@AustinGstaff_3) December 18, 2015
THOSE WMDs. Fat Dave is a big fish in federal gambling case... The story of Utah punter Tom Hackett's stolen Subaru... Cat running for mayor of Barnaul, Serbia... How Santa ended up on the U.S. military's radar... Kentucky couple indicted in copper wire thefts on highways.
