No. 6! No. 6! No doubt in my mind Ohio State will be in the playoffs as long as it handles the damn business.
Requisite:
Oh, and the Basketbucks are a lot better than last year's team.
BRAXTON NOT EYEING TRANSFER (FOR NOW). Braxton Miller said he'd be back, and Tom Herman said he "absolutely" expects his star pupil to return, but the performance of redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett has raised the possibility of Miller playing elsewhere in 2015.
But that's a scenario Ohio State fans won't have to worry about... for now, anyway.
From Chase Goodbread of NFL.com (emphasis mine):
As freshman J.T. Barrett continues to lead Ohio State just as capably as Miller, and with a College Football Playoff berth within reach for the Buckeyes, speculation is swelling that Miller is considering a post-graduate transfer. Two sources close to Miller, however, say the quarterback's plan for now is to remain at Ohio State and lead the Buckeyes in 2015, according to NFL Media's Albert Breer.
Breer is an alumnus of Ohio State, so it stands to reason he'd have some connects in Ohio's capital city, but I'm always weary of the veracity of reports that include ass-covering language. But that's a discussion for another day.
The shame is Braxton — unless he returns and leads Ohio State to next year's title — will always be hellaciously underrated by fans. That will get upgraded to "criminally underrated" should Braxton turn pro or transfer after this year.
For me, Braxton will always be defined to staying true and coming to Ohio State during one of the most tumultuous hours in the program's history; I'll always respect him for performing admirably in what was almost a literal baptism by fire in 2011.
But, I don't see Braxton returning to Ohio State in 2015. If he's playing a new position, he's going to get paid to do so.
Consider my vote cast on this issue.
THE TASK AT HAND: DEFEATING INDIANA. Indiana, unfortunately, is still on the schedule this weekend. OHIO STATE MUST NOT FORGET IT PLAYS INDIANA THIS WEEKEND.
From Bill Rabinowitz of The Columbus Dispatch:
For Ohio State (9-1, 6-0) to stake its claim, it can’t merely win the next two weeks. It must win impressively. The College Football Playoff selection committee ranked the Buckeyes eighth last week, and they likely will get only a modest bump when the new rankings are released tonight.
Buckeye fans might obsess over the CFP standings, but the team cannot look beyond the task at hand, which is defeating Indiana. A victory would make Ohio State the East Division representative in the Big Ten championship game on Dec. 6 in Indianapolis.
The CFP is an issue for another day.
... Ohio State's overall goals are directly tied to its performance against Indiana. It's impossible for Ohio State to overlook Indiana.
BALL SECURITY: FIXABLE. Jalin Marshall was spotted yesterday outside the Les Wexner Football Complex at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center practicing fielding punts in the snow. Apparently that was on his own intuition and not forced work by the coaching staff:
From Patrick Murphy of The OZone:
While the fumbles were certainly an issue in the cold of the Twin Cities – Barrett had one as well but recovered it – Smith doesn’t believe it is something he needs to emphasize any more with his players, rather they will continue to work on ball security as they always do.
“There really hasn't there's been an increased emphasis I'd say as a whole,” Smith explained. “But that's something that's emphasized week in, week out. I coached no different on Sunday at practice that I have any other practice, and that is ball security is the utmost emphasis with my guys because if they're going to touch the ball, they need to secure it, obviously.”
What has made Marshall – who finished the game with over 100 total yards and one touchdown – a dangerous player in his first year playing for the Buckeyes has been his aggressive nature. This is something the coaches like about Marshall and don’t want to take away; they just need to balance it with ball control.
If I were coach, I'd just do the Charlie Strong Jedi Mind Trick©: "The problem is," I'd say while chewing on a massive dipper lodged between my gum and cheek and smoking a Newport (thus to gain the respect of my #teen charges). "Y'all think fumbling is good. But in fact, fumbling is bad."
"We want to fumble more," some walk-on idiot would say.
But he wouldn't be a walk-on; he'd be a plant of mine who just earned $10 to walk into my zinger: "I wish you'd fumble less."
And then my team would go do that. (Urban, for a small fee, I'd bring this kind of inspiration to your team on a daily basis.)
NEW OSU #TEEN VERY POWERFUL. No, I do not know why newest 2015 commit/four-star OL prospect Matthew Burrell is wearing a World War I-era gas mask while working out¹, but good lord this #teen's powers are astounding:
That's Corey Lindseyesque explosion from the young fellah:
BOVADA RELEASES UPDATED CHAMPIONSHIP & HEISMAN ODDS. Ohio State is making moves in the dark; this okie dokie is going to be painful for Mississippi State, Baylor, and TCU fans.
THOSE WMDs. Dave Chappelle is Back: a rare Q&A... Jim Brown was right: Trent Richardson is average... What happens when you hit a jackpot in a Japanese arcade... How data trashed pop music... Glad I didn't grow up rich... John Hodgman DWYs Uber... Not legal, PayPal engineer.
¹ Yes, I know it's one of those pseudo-science'd "elevation masks."
