It's times like these I think of Han Solo's most famous line from The Empire Strikes Back: "Give me a 16-team playoff or give me death." (It was pretty messed up that Jabba the Hutt, the Paul Finebaum of his era, froze Han Solo in carbonite for his insubordination.)
People might say, "but a committee of old people selecting four playoff teams from a pool consisting of more teams than they could possibly watch is what makes college football good," but I'd go as far as to say it's what makes it bad.
Anyway, here's the full poll if you missed it. It's almost meaningless, but aren't they all? So, instead of outrage, I'll concentrate on my favorite team, The Ohio State Battlin' Buckeyes, and their quest to bully their way into the final four.
JUGS MACHINE NOT JUST FOR RECEIVERS. Vonn Bell and Tyvis Powell have been working out with a JUGS machine every Thursday night, and it's paid dividends for their hands during games. Each of them have two interceptions, and each of them registered an interception against Penn State (although Bell's was, uh, questionable).
From Austin Ward of ESPN:
"We need to do some ball drills for some people, that's what we need to do," Powell said. "Obviously not everybody has it all together, so I'm pretty sure we're going to get on that JUGS machine. That's usually what me and Vonn do after Thursday practice, catch a couple balls. As you can see for me and him, it came into effect."
Bell's snag came with some controversy and might not have stood up had the all the video angles been available to a replay official, but Powell's was a textbook catch that clearly showed he has been devoting time and attention to that part of his game.
By contrast, cornerback Armani Reeves might have nightmares about a throw from Christian Hackenberg that seemed gift-wrapped for a game-clinching interception that he muffed. The Buckeyes had a couple other chances to put the victory away during regulation that were still on their minds when they went back to the practice field on Monday.
True story: on Tuesday night, when coming back from the corner store, I saw one of my neighbors. In talking with her and her sons, she asked me if I heard somebody screaming "bloody murder" late Saturday night. "Yeah," her son added, "I thought somebody was getting killed."
(Eli Apple dropping the pick I conjured with blood magic almost killed this young sorcerer.)
"Nah," I bluffed. "I must've been asleep."
LOOKING FOR THE REAL J.T. BARRETT. Is J.T. Barrett good or is J.T. Barret bad? Is J.T. Barrett elite or is he a bum? Judges?
From Bleacher Report's Ben Axelrod:
COLUMBUS, Ohio — To paraphrase Eminem, will the real J.T. Barrett please stand up? Of course, with a sprained MCL, that may be easier said than done for the Ohio State quarterback.
Nevertheless, that's become the most popular question in Columbus over the past three days, after Barrett struggled in the Buckeyes' 31-24 double-overtime win over Penn State in Happy Valley on Saturday. After entering the Heisman Trophy discussion following video game-like performances against Kent State, Cincinnati, Maryland and Rutgers, the redshirt freshman posted just 74 passing yards against the Nittany Lions, also tossing two interceptions and one touchdown.
Those numbers are a far cry from the 292.5 passing yards and 4.25 touchdowns per game that he averaged in his previous four outings, although he did do enough on the ground (75 yards, two overtime touchdowns) to escape State College with a win. It is also worth noting that he sprained his MCL at some point in the first half, an injury that has previously cost Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde significant playing time for the Buckeyes.
For better or worse, Ohio State's season hinges on the redshirt freshman quarterback. I think J.T. has shown flashes of greatness — like overtime in Happy Valley when he rolled out on a sprained MCL — but there's no denying he hasn't played well in the face of the two legit defenses he's played.
The sad part is, the Illinois game won't tell us anything. He won't bomb, but at this point, another Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week performance won't mean much either. It's not fair to J.T. Barrett, but those are the facts of the case.
The only good thing about playing Illinois is it's the closest thing Ohio State could get to a bye in Big Ten play without having an actual bye. The players might not be looking ahead, but the coaches should be.
VALUE OF OSU DEGREE GOING UP. My mom's college roommate always said she found her Ohio State degree was more valuable the farther she was from Columbus, but it looks like that's about to change.
Here's a list of the "smartest" public schools, from Jonathan Wai of Business Insider:
| RANK | SCHOOL | AVG. SAT SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia Institute of Technology | 1385 |
| 2 | University of California-Berkeley | 1375 |
| 3 | College of William and Mary | 1365 |
| 4 | United States Air Force Academy | 1360 |
| 5 | University of Virginia | 1355 |
| 6 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 1340 |
| 6 | Colorado School of Mines | 1340 |
| 8 | University of California-Los Angeles | 1320 |
| 9 | University of Maryland-College Park | 1310 |
| 10 | University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill | 1305 |
| 11 | The Ohio State University-Columbus | 1300 |
| 12 | Binghamton University-SUNY | 1294 |
| 13 | University of California-San Diego | 1290 |
| 14 | University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign | 1285 |
| 14 | New College of Florida | 1285 |
| 16 | United States Military Academy | 1283 |
SEC AIN'T WINNING NO NATIONAL TITLE HERE, FOLKS. It's also good news if you already have an Ohio State degree.
Hats off to all those at Ohio State who had a hand in the academic uptick at Ohio State. (I was not one of those people.)
THE SCARLET HOKIE. I said last week the Virginia Tech loss gets more infuriating by the week. That's even more true today, as it appears it's a black mark on Ohio State's resumé:
From Doug Lesmerises of Cleveland.com:
"I wouldn't call it an albatross, but it was not a good loss for them," Long said.
It appears that the committee is not giving the Buckeyes any kind of pass for losing quarterback Braxton Miller late in the preseason and having J.T. Barrett behind center for just his second career start that game. Long said the Buckeyes have chances on their schedule to play their way up the rankings, like all teams do. For the moment, the fact that Ohio State's best win is over either Penn State or Maryland obviously didn't go very far.
Only Notre Dame, with a four-spot difference, was lower in the committee poll than the AP poll by larger margin than the Buckeyes.
How did Virginia Tech beat Ohio State at home? (You might say, "Braxton Miller's injury bro," but I won't hear it.) SERIOUSLY, HOW DID IT HAPPEN?
Sometimes sports are the worst.
A BUNCH OF PEOPLE SAYING MEAN THINGS TO THE MAN WHO HIRED BERT. One of the best features of Twitter (in my opinion) is it allows the unwashed unfiltered contact with powerful people. This sometime manifests in #brand interactions gone wrong, but other times it manifests in random people saying mean things to those in power.
Let's take a quick jaunt through the mentions of Jeff Long, Arkansas' athletic director and head of the playoff committee, moments after the committee released its first poll.
@jefflongUA go eat arsenic.
— Yankee10570 (@Yankee10570) October 28, 2014
@jefflongUA go to hell you bastard. You hate Ohio St and you want as many SEC teams in as possible
— Michael Smith (@CWGBuckeyes35) October 29, 2014
@jefflongUA how drunk were you guys? Notre dame #10 ole miss #4 ??
— Ryan pierce (@thaatguyry) October 29, 2014
@jefflongUA Resign your position as head chairman. Just because they all whipped Arkansas doesn't mean they deserve playoff a spot.
— Opie Wilson (@OPW45) October 28, 2014
@jefflongUA #SECheat.....so blatant. Disgusting really.
— Dennis Mennis (@DabbaDoo71) October 28, 2014
And yes, Harvey Updyke, the Alabama Tree Poisoner, had some rational takes as well:
What has happened tonight, is a TRAGEDY!!
— Harvey Updyke (@Harveyrolltide) October 29, 2014
BEER BEER I NEED A DAMN BEER THIS IS A TRAVESTY!! ABSOLUTE ABOMINATION!!! ABSOLUTE DISCRIMINATION!!
— Harvey Updyke (@Harveyrolltide) October 29, 2014
MAYBE IF BLAKE SIMS RAPED SOMEONE BAMA WOULD BE IN THE TOP 4
— Harvey Updyke (@Harveyrolltide) October 29, 2014
I apologize for NOTHING I have said tonight. NOTHING
— Harvey Updyke (@Harveyrolltide) October 29, 2014
Fair enough, Harvey, and Roll Damn Tide.
Bert Bielema, you haven't won an SEC game since arriving in Fayetteville. Would you like to use this meaningless poll to spin that?
Top 6 in #CFBPlayoff looks like half of an Arkansas Razorback schedule card. Grinding everyday to help us get there as well. #WoooPig #SEC
— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) October 29, 2014
Have fun at the kids table, Bert.
THOSE WMDs. My Grandma the Poisoner... MARVEL reveals movie releases through 2018... When I go, give me a funeral like Oscar Taveras... /salute to Moses Jamison, a Columbusite worked 58 years with no sick days... Tony Dungy does not think the Jets are haunted by the dogs Mike Vick killed.
