Clemson snuffed Ohio State's national title hopes last Saturday, but the state of Ohio is never truly defeated on the football field.
Today, our great state puts its hopes in Bo Pelini, a native son, in returning Youngstown State to the glory it enjoyed during Jim Tressel's reign of terror in the late 90s.
Fun fact: I planned to take my prodigious academic talents to Wright State or Youngstown State before an ESPN2 broadcast of the Montana–James Madison 2004 FCS championship game made me say, "Well, Montana sounds more fun than Youngstown."
| TIME (ET) | MATCHUP | LOCATION | FAVORITE | TELEVISION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| noon | JAMES MADISON vs. YOUNGSTOWN STATE | FRISCO, TX | JMU (-8) | ESPN2 |
| 1:00 | US ARMY ALL-AMERICAN BOWL | SAN ANTONIO, TX | — | NBC |
Another option: Future Buckeyes will play in the US Army All-American Bowl (full preview over here). Jeffrey Okudah should join the team, but we'll also see what Darnay Holmes has up his sleeve.
We could also see an additional #boom from five-star JUCO cornerback Kendall Sheffield. Despite what the haters claim, it's still a great time to be a Buckeye.
HOPE IT GOES BETTER THAN LAST TIME. Here's an interesting thing to ponder: Since Troy Smith's Heisman season... which occurred over a decade ago... the senior season for Ohio State quarterbacks hasn't gone to plan.
From daytondailynews.com:
Three times since Troy Smith won the Heisman Trophy in 2006, Ohio State has had a senior set to return as a starter, and three times someone else has finished the season at the helm of the Buckeyes offense.
First came Smith’s successor, Todd Boeckman. The St. Henry native was benched early in his senior season (2008) in favor of five-star freshman Terrelle Pryor, who helped the Buckeyes beat Michigan and win a share of the Big Ten championship.
Pryor started the next two years, but his senior season was nixed by an NCAA investigation that led him to enter the supplemental NFL draft in the summer of 2011.
J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones supplanted Braxton Miller.
I highly doubt Barrett gets worse next year, and it stands to reason his supporting cast will get better. It's not set in stone, but I'm feeling already feeling better about Barrett returning to form than I would've had Urban Meyer retained everyone involved from last season.
HAPPY JAMARCO. Jamarco Jones spoke of returning in the aftermath of the Fiesta Bowl, but the prospect NFL money can change a man's mind. I've penciled Jones back to the Buckeyes, but I'm awaiting official word.
Your eyes did not deceive you about his performance this year:
Ohio State LT Jamarco Jones finished the season with just 2 QB pressures allowed over his final five games.
— CFB Film Room (@CFBFilmRoom) January 4, 2017
If he and Curtis Samuel return the offense should be alright next year.
LET'S GO, TREVON. It's tough to crack the field as a true freshman at Ohio State. But five-star wide receiver Trevon Grimes may be able to do it if he returns to form after injury because he offers something sorely lacking from Ohio State's offense.
From cleveland.com:
"People had been saying all year that Ohio State needed a deep threat, and that's basically what I specialize in and what I feel like I can bring to the table," Grimes told cleveland.com.
BUY YOUR #BRAND BACK. P.J. Fleck will either crash in flames at Minnesota or upset Jim Harbaugh at Michigan en route to winning 10 games his first year and parlaying it into a better job.
While the "row the boat in the land of 10,000 lakes" japes write themselves, it's Western Michigan that trademarked the coach's slogan.
The next Broncos coach probably won't use it, so if Fleck wants to continue that mantra in Minneapolis, he'll have to pay a tax on it.
From detroitnews.com:
Western Michigan's Board of Regents owns the trademark and licensing rights to Fleck's uplifting, never-give-up mantra, and has since 2013, his first year on the job.
It's since turned into a sensational marketing tool — not just for Western Michigan and the city of Kalamazoo, but for Fleck. And if Fleck and Minnesota want it, they're going to have to pay.
"I do expect conversations to come up," Beauregard said Friday.
Fleck should save the money, but he noted Friday he "wanted to bring it with him" during his opening remarks.
THAT'S FREAKY, CREAN. Please enjoy this batshit insane story about Tom Crean demanding a bat for a pregame speech, as told by former Ohio State basketball walk-on (and Indiana native) Mark Titus:
On today's Pardon My Take, the time Indiana coach Tom Crean tried to procure a live bat for motivation. Full show https://t.co/vM9rHJ0FEw pic.twitter.com/jUoefhbfvH
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 6, 2017
Now all I can envision is Crean, enraged by blood-lust, biting off the bat's head like Ozzie 10 minutes before Indiana tips off against a four-loss Purdue.
THOSE WMDs. The code to selling about anything... Detective of northern oddities... The School... USA's $6.7 billion weed habit, mapped... County seeks to silence parents with lawsuit.
