Greetings Buckeye fans and a happy Hump Day to you all. By now I assume you're all in a food coma from taking Johnny's advice and running with it to check out the world's greatest food deal in City BBQ's 11 Bones for $11. If you haven't, I suggest you get off your rear end today and hop on over to the nearest City BBQ to take advantage of this sweet deal while it lasts.
In other worlds, while most of you are reading this, I am likely on a plane en route from Newark International Airport in New Jersey to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. No, I didn't book a flight a week late for the B1G Media Days, but rather I will be enjoying myself a bit more than Jason, Chris, and the Buckeye beat team did last week.
During my trip to the Windy City I will be visiting two buddies from OSU where we will take part in debaucherous activity in between eating all of the deep dish pizza (Giordano's is my choice) and hot dogs (from The Wiener Circle of course) that we possibly can. Headlining my trip are two events which include seeing my beloved Yankees take on the White Sox at US Cellular Field, as well as an all-day affair at the ever famous Lollapalooza.
We got a sweet deal via Groupon for the game which includes a lower level seat and all you can eat/drink 2 hours before the game all for $65, which I'm extremely pumped about. As for Lolla, I have to admit I am a first timer and welcome all advice you may have regarding the event. Throw whatever you got at me, not only for Lollapalooza, but Chicago in general, as I want to maximize my experience during my five day trip.
Anyway, back to reality. Please feel free to join me after the jump for your Wednesday Skull Session.
Brady Hoke's favorite school can party. We all know Brady Hoke loves Ohio University, but we weren't sure exactly why. Now we know, as our friends down in Athens were named the country's #1 party school according to the Princeton Review which came out with their new rankings on Monday.
OSU did not make the cut on the list (I call BS), but some Big Ten schools did. Included from the conference was Iowa at #4, Penn State at #7, Illinois at #11, Wisconsin at #14, and Indiana at #16. I'm not sure how legit these rankings are as I've been to all of those schools sans Iowa and the way I would rank them would be: Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, and then Penn State. For those that have been, how do you see it?
Keyboard James is still ours. There were rumors circulating yesterday that James Louis had asked and been granted his release from OSU, causing some near heart attacks around 11W headquarters. Word was there were some family issues and he was looking to transfer closer to home, to either USF or Florida. We still can't confirm or deny if these are true or not, but what we can do is go directly to the source. When a Buckeye fan asked Louis on Twitter if he was transferring, this is what he had to say:
So if you believe Keyboard James, he has no clue what anyone is talking about in terms of transfer rumors and will be with OSU when players report to camp next week. Louis is likely to start the season behind DeVier Posey (after 5 games), Philly Brown, Verlon Reed, TY Williams, and Chris Fields, so a transfer wouldn't be surprising (especially with Devin Smith and Evan Spencer reportedly looking good), but he seems to really enjoy being in Columbus.
We also couldn't let him transfer because that would mean losing another epic member of the OSU Twitterverse after @JNEW55 left earlier this week for Ball State. Please stay James!
Warts By Brooks is back. But this time he actually could be on to something. It has been reported over the last couple of weeks by everyone but the mainstream publishers that there have been some shady dealings going on in Tuscaloosa with local store T-Town Menswear getting some publicity brought their way due to their association with Alabama football players and coach Nick Saban.
Not only have players and the coach made appearances at the store, but they have signed autographs and memorabilia on store premises (some that are still hanging), which is in clear violation of NCAA rules as Brooks points out. Now we don't want to give too much credit to our friend Brooks, as anyone could have done the junior investigating he did to find the NCAA bylaws and get the pictures featured in the article, but there is something to be said about what has been floating around the internet the last few weeks.
You can bet the NCAA is looking into this and while ESPN and company may not be reporting on this anytime soon, I wouldn't be surprised to see 'Bama as the next team to feel the wrath of violations, further adding to the ongoing issues taking place in collegiate athletics today.
Persa 4 Heisman begins. Yes you read that right, we're talking about Dan Persa, quarterback of the Northwestern Wildcats. That sound you just heard was everyone else in the country laughing, but some folks that aren't laughing are the NU officials who paid for two billboards to be put up supporting Persa's Heisman campaign in his 2011 season. The billboards, which will be built in Chicago and Bristol, Connecticut (yes, the home of ESPN), will be up for pasers-by to see starting next week.
Don't get me wrong, Persa is a real solid player, but do you really see him as a Heisman candidate? For me, one of the big things is that either the player has to be on one of the top teams in the country or simply put up ridiculous Ty Detmer/Timmy Chang/Colt Brennan/Case Keenum type numbers that far outweigh all other candidates' seasons. Last I checked, NU will be pretty solid, but not one of the country's best, so you can through option one out the window. As for option two, he did have very impressive stats in an injury-shortened 2010 season (2,581 yards and 15 TDs in the air/519 yards and 9 TDs on the ground in just 10 games), but he'd likely have to double those numbers to even get consideration for New York. Plus, he plays in a bit of a gimmicky system that will pad stats which is always a consideration for voters (see: Keenum).
Am I way off base here? Do you feel Persa is a legitimate Heisman candidate? Who is your favorite heading into the season?
Krenzel breaks down QB battle. Nobody may be better suited to break down Ohio State's quarterback battle than a former OSU signal caller, especially one that won a national championship while in Columbus. That's why friend of the blog and Toledo Blade Buckeye beat writer, Matt Markey, caught up with Craig Krenzel to discuss the upcoming position battle that is sure to draw plenty of attention when camp opens next week.
Like many of us, Krenzel seemed skeptical that Joe Bauserman could do the job, thinks Kenny Guiton is a freak athlete but has no arm, feels Taylor Graham has all the tools but may lack the leadership (and ability to move out of the pocket), and finally, believes Braxton is the total package but questions if he is a ready for the big time. It seems Krenzel wanted to lean towards naming Graham and Miller as the favorites, which is consistent with what we've heard thus far, but thinks it's wise if the team chooses to go with only one style (pocket passer or more athletic) of quarterback for the sake of the rest of the offense.
I couldn't agree more with Krenzel, as the offensive line depth is thin and having to learn one style of play will be extremely beneficial. Also, it is important for the wide receivers to be able to get in tune with one passer and style of play and ditto for the running backs who will want to build a rapport with whoever is behind center. I'm personally on Team Braxton but am willing to start whoever gives us the best chance to win.
