Civil war broke out last night in the 11W chat.
Heath Bar loyalists woke up in a ditch—as they should've.
ICYMI:
- 11W Exclusive: First look at OSU alternates vs. Penn State.
- Snap Counts: Maryland.
- Scouting report: Nebraska.
- Film Study: Attacking the edges.
- Come to the 11W Friday Night Banger on Oct. 27.
- Help put a life-size statue of Woody Hayes in his hometown of Newcomerstown, Ohio.
Word of the Day: Filigree.
CANCEL THE SEASON. The "pundits" don't consider Ohio Stat to be the best team in the country. Perhaps they should wake up and sniff bath salts, because a hipster computer ranking says the local team is the best in the country.
Sounds good to me.
From footballoutsiders.com:
| Team | Rec. |
2ndO Wins (Diff) |
S&P+ (Percentile) |
S&P+ (Margin) |
Rk | Off. S&P+ | Rk | Def. S&P+ | Rk | ST S&P+ | Rk | Prev. Wk Rk | Chg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State | 5-1 | 5.1 (0.1) | 99.4% | 28.8 | 1 | 42.6 | 3 | 14.3 | 6 | 0.4 | 38 | 2 | 1 |
| Alabama | 6-0 | 5.6 (-0.4) | 99.2% | 27.6 | 2 | 38.8 | 7 | 11.6 | 1 | 0.3 | 43 | 1 | -1 |
| Washington | 6-0 | 5.8 (-0.2) | 97.7% | 23.3 | 3 | 37.8 | 13 | 14.2 | 5 | -0.4 | 94 | 7 | 4 |
| Penn State | 6-0 | 5.5 (-0.5) | 96.5% | 21.2 | 4 | 37.6 | 14 | 16.1 | 9 | -0.3 | 88 | 8 | 4 |
| Georgia | 6-0 | 5.7 (-0.3) | 96.4% | 21.1 | 5 | 34.1 | 35 | 13.8 | 4 | 0.8 | 1 | 10 | 5 |
| Clemson | 6-0 | 5.7 (-0.3) | 96.2% | 20.8 | 6 | 34.5 | 30 | 12.8 | 2 | -0.8 | 124 | 5 | -1 |
| Wisconsin | 5-0 | 4.8 (-0.2) | 96.0% | 20.5 | 7 | 36.2 | 22 | 15.7 | 8 | 0.0 | 66 | 4 | -3 |
| Oklahoma | 4-1 | 4.4 (0.4) | 95.8% | 20.3 | 8 | 48.8 | 1 | 27.8 | 64 | -0.8 | 117 | 3 | -5 |
| Auburn | 5-1 | 5.0 (0.0) | 94.9% | 19.3 | 9 | 33.2 | 36 | 14.4 | 7 | 0.6 | 23 | 12 | 3 |
If this came out the Monday after Ohio State dumped Penn State, I'd believe it. Until then, I have to restrain myself from believing in this equation I couldn't do without a calculator.
GUESS THAT DID HAPPEN. Despie Ohio State being an "offensive-line driven program," the Slobs have been thin under Urban Meyer outside of that magical run in 2014.
That hot streak ended Saturday when the Buckeyes lost Branden Bowen for the year. It threw the enitre offensive line rotation into flux.
From James Grega of Eleven Warriors:
Bowen, a first-year starter, beat out the likes of Matthew Burrell, Demetrius Knox and Malcolm Pridgeon for the starting right guard spot out of fall camp. He was also a backup tackle for the Buckeyes, filling in for Jamarco Jones for a drive against Indiana in which Burrell moved to right guard.
With Bowen out, Burrell got the first reps and finished the game with both the first- and second-team offensive lines. That said, Urban Meyer did not rule out the possibility of a competition for reps at right guard moving forward.
"Next man up right now looks like Matt Burrell. And we'll see if there's any competition at that spot," Meyer said. "That's alarming, but Matt played OK. So we'll see what happens there."
This was a devastating blow.
Last year, Demtrius Knox was the first man off the bench. It ended in calamity. This year, it was Matt Burrell.
Burrell didn't perform up to Hall of Fame status, but at least he wasn't thrust into a CFP semifinal like Demtrius Knox last year.
BUCKEYES ON THE RISE. We knew the Buckeyes had talent entering this year. But half way through (I didn't believe it either), where do local prospects stand en route to the 2018 NFL Draft?
From Matt Miller of bleacherreport.com:
| PICK | TEAM | PLAYER | COMMENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | DALLAS | DRE'MONT JONES | "Dre'Mont Jones is a prototypical athlete with exceptional first-step quickness and the pursuit speed to be an asset in the run and pass game. " |
| 15 | TAMPA BAY | DENZEL WARD | "Denzel Ward and Vernon Hargreaves III are similar players, with Ward being a little more physical, but both are good at the line of scrimmage in press situations and excel breaking back on the ball in man or zone coverage." |
| 26 | NEW ENGLAND | SAM HUBBARD | "Hubbard has legit pass-rushing skills but is stout enough against the run to win favor with Belichick and Co. as the type of defender the outside of this defense can be built around." |
| 27 | DENVER | BILLY PRICE | "Price, who has played center and guard, has the tools and football IQ to step right into a lineup at either position." |
Surprising to see that list lacking Jerome Baker, though he could easily play his way into first-round status between Nebraska and Michigan.
DEAD BUTCH WALKING. I thought the FDA outlawed illicit FourLokos?
Butch: You dont have to get a physical rep to get a rep. You can get a leadership rep.#LeadershipRep
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) October 9, 2017
It's hilarious Tennessee fans considered Butch Jones their savior.
NOW THATS WHAT WE CALL HUBRIS. Harbaugh is about to learn a painful lesson as to why you don't pick asinine wars with the press:
Jim Harbaugh: Were not frustrated.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) October 9, 2017
Ann Arbor aint ready for nuclear winter, folks. But it's en route.
THOSE WMDs. Cops identify online predators and drug dealers... Howe Island Stick Insect survived extinction... California today: Homeless camps, with official blessing... The Rock Test: A hack for men who don't want to be accused of sexual harassment... Y.A. Tittle's final trip home.
