One more week until game week, folks. One. More. Week.
ICYMI:
- Ohio State's Kyle Snyder is coming back from Rio as the youngest gold medalist in US Wrestling history.
- The Associated Press ranked Ohio State No. 6 in its first pol of the season.
- Ohio State will wear its Chic Harley alternates against Nebraska.
Also, 2017 five-star WR Tyjon Lindsey will announce his commitment via video at 11 a.m. ET. I expect good news for the local team we all love to know. Good thing too, because a stable of four and five-star recruits can never have too many five-star recruits.
WILLIAMS CHOOSES WISELY. Ohio State freshman running back Antonio Williams originally committed to Wisconsin, which is a sensible choice for any talented running back. But Ohio State hired Tony Alford in February 2015, and Alford put the full-court press on the Badgers commit.
Originally hesitant to listen to the calls, Alford's persistence paid off.
From cleveland.com:
"I was solid to Wisconsin for 10 months, and nothing really caused me to waver until Coach Alford (got involved)," Williams told cleveland.com. "Coach Alford called me about five different times while I was committed to Wisconsin, and I just kept telling him, 'No, no. I'm not very interested in Ohio State.'
[...]
"I just felt like at Wisconsin I wouldn't reach my full potential for what I want to be overall," Williams said. "I want to be that Ezekiel Elliott type player. Zeke will catch it out of the backfield, he'll block, he'll line up at receiver and run routes, and he'll obviously run the ball tremendously.
"At the same time, at Wisconsin, it's more, 'Here, take the ball and go.' I looked further into that, and the psychology department, which was my major, and I saw at Ohio State it was ranked higher. I just put a lot of thought in and weighed the pros and cons for both situations, and it wouldn't have made sense for me to go to Wisconsin."
Wisconsin fans won't like that quote, but they can't argue with Meyer's track record at Ohio State. He coached a fat backup running back into a second-round talent. He chose Ezekiel Elliott over Derrick Green, the No. 1 running back in 2013, and turned Elliott into a No. 3 overall draft pick.
Add in the psychology rankings, and Williams is right—It wouldn't have made sense for him to attend Wisconsin.
I don't think he'll regret his decision either. Again, Wisconsin is a fine school (and a great place to visit!) but it's not like the Badgers are making the playoffs anytime soon.
RUSHING ATTACKS EN ROUTE. Ohio State's interior defensive line is unproven entering the season. Tracy Sprinkle (insert mandatory Grown & Sexy Lounge "joke" here) and Michael Hill will be fine, but I'm not expecting an impenetrable duo from the rip.
Thankfully, Ohio State won't face many dynamic rushing attacks in 2016. Though the defensive line will be tested on the ground early in the season.
From landgrantholyland.com:
The Buckeyes face five top-40 rushing attacks this season: Bowling Green (?!), Oklahoma, Indiana, Nebraska, and Maryland.
[...]
However, [Oklahoma's] danger comes from explosiveness. Perine and Mixon average 6.3 and 7 highlight yards per opportunity, so if they do reach the five yard marker, they often turn that run in to an explosive play. That's the big concern for Ohio State -- keeping the pair from hitting big running plays.
[...]
[Nebraska's 2015 offensive success] was mostly due to a great offensive line that was 29th in adjusted line yards and 12th in adjusted sack rate -- but unfortunately for Huskers fans, they lose three starters along that line. The Buckeye defensive line, on the other hand, will likely have its rotation down by the time they face the Huskers in the last third of the season.
I would not have guessed Bowling Green had the highest-rated rushing attack, but here we are. I suspect the Falcons will throw an unorthodox attack at Ohio State's superiorly talented defense, which makes them a perfect opening-round sparring partner.
No clue what to expect in Norman. Oklahoma's game against Houston will provide further insight.
A loss or win doesn't matter in Oklahoma, though. Ohio State's 2016 fortunes ride on Big Ten play. Larry Johnson will lengthen his rotations. Not to mention, Greg Schiano should be settled by then as the new co-defensive coordinator.
MICHIGAN BALKS AT THE GAUNTLET. Thanks to a Big Ten scheduling quirk, Michigan plays both Ohio State and Michigan State on the road in 2016, which isn't ideal.
But given the program is led by Jim Harbaugh, a guy whose diet consists of whole milk and steak, I thought they'd weather this storm. Alas.
From mlive.com:
That means, of course, that the Wolverines will play their two biggest rivals, Michigan State and Ohio State, both on the road.
That's the quirk of the new Big Ten schedule, which the last three years has had UM playing MSU and OSU either both at home or both on the road.
"I'm always having conversations (with the Big Ten) about what's in the best interest of the University of Michigan and our football program," athletic director Warde Manuel said Saturday, while walking the golf course at Oakland Hills Country Club for Michigan golfer Nick Carlson's semifinal match in the U.S. Amateur. "Leave it at that."
I don't see Michigan's beef. Both series are played home and away, and getting your rivals at home every other year is a helluva payoff.
SURE, BUTCHIE. Out of the Associated Press' Top 10 teams, my five dollars are on Tennessee to go bust.
Butch Jones says Tennessee's going to "stay in the shadows" this season ... while he's live on ESPN.
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) August 21, 2016
Hey, maybe he meant it in the "shadows of unranked teams" sense. I'm going to miss Jones when Tennessee inevitably fires him after another six-loss season.
JAMARCO DISHES CORRECT HOT TAKE. A lot of my friends in college went home for the summer. I stayed in Columbus, because campus' summer population dip was amazing. It made it easier to find parking, walk across campus, and bars went from crowded sweatboxes to sparely populated sweatboxes.
It's too many people on campus now
— Jamarco Jones (@jjones_74) August 21, 2016
Use those lance-like arms, Jamarco, and move these sorry-ass plebes out of your way!
THOSE WMDs. NIST's new password rules... Eight writers on facing writer's block... Three years of nights... How Boyz in the Hood beat the odds and got made... Did I kill Gawker?
