Welcome to college football Saturday, folks.
Unfortunately, the local team doesn't play this week. They've earned the reprieve. Let's just hope they call a cab to retire at 8:30 p.m. after a night of drinking two (2) Crown and cokes. It ain't like Rutgers is on the docket next week.
As for this week, I demand chaos. I hope Butch Jones hits Nick Saban with a Stone Cold Stunner after dumping Alabama by 35 points in Tuscaloosa. I hope USC kicks Brian Kelly's ass all the way back to Grand Valley State.
I hope Maryland befuddles Paul Chryst and leaves with a victory after a shanked field goal in triple overtime. I hope Florida State and Louisville both lose and fire their coaches.
I only require order in three games:
- Michigan at Penn State. Let's hope State College police mace at least 500 unruly Michigan Men as the Wolverines trail by 30 in the fourth while I drink between one and 800 glasses of Ohio wine.
- Oklahoma State at Texas. I am enjoying the humbling of Tom Herman, the founder of MENSA, the organization of geniuses, too much to hop off the hate train now. Let's hope it continues at the hands of an Oklahoman wearing a mullet.
- USC at Notre Dame. The one time a year when it switches and the Trojans become good. Love to remember the Bush Push.
The silver lining, of course, is I won't shed any emotion should those games not go my way. Bless the off week.
| TIME (ET) | GAME | FAVORITE | TV CHANNEL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 | MARYLAND at #5 WISCONSIN | UW (-24½) | FOX |
| 12:00 | #10 OKLAHOMA STATE at TEXAS | OSU (-7) | ABC |
| 12:00 | LOUISVILLE at FLORIDA STATE | FSU (-7) | ESPN |
| 3:30 | TENNESSEE at #1 ALABAMA | BAMA (-36½) | CBS |
| 3:30 | SYARACUSE at #8 MIAMI | CANES (-17) | ESPN |
| 3:30 | NORTH CAROLINA at #14 VIRGINIA TECH | TECH (-21) | ESPN2 |
| 3:30 | INDIANA at #18 MICHIGAN STATE | MSU (-6½) | ABC |
| 7:15 | #24 LSU at MISSISSIPPI | LSU (-7) | ESPN |
| 7:30 | #19 MICHIGAN at #2 PENN STATE | PSU (-9½) | ABC |
| 7:30 | #11 USC at #13 NOTRE DAME | ND (-3½) | NBC |
| 7:30 | #21 AUBURN at ARKANSAS | AUB (-16) | SEC |
| 8:00 | KANSAS at #4 TEXAS CHRISTIAN | TCU (-38½) | FOX |
| 10:45 | COLORADO at #15 WASHINGTON STATE | WSU (-10) | ESPN |
ICYMI:
- Alternate helmets vs. Penn State revealed.
- Off week facts.
- Roundtable, featuring Ramzy, Vico, and Jimmy.
- 11W hoodies debuted in Dry Goods.
- 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: Cognoscenti.
WE ARE? Urban Meyer said on the call-in show he "couldn't imagine cheering for our rivals."
I only cheer for the Wolverines when they play Notre Dame. But my second favorite feeling behind "Ohio State undisputed championship" is "Michigan misery." It's a much more abundant and cheaper high.
That's why I'll be roaring with every first down tonight. I want Michigan's season broken by mid-October. My logic follows Nick Bosa's.
From theozone.net:
“I’m excited. I want Penn State to win,” said sophomore defensive end Nick Bosa. “I want them coming in nice and on their high horse coming in here, so I’m excited to watch that. I hope they win and come in here number two in the country.”
Hear, hear, Smaller Bear!
Nittany Lions go up early and don't look back. As Michigan State proved, you only need to go up double digits on Michigan. Their offense ain't scoring, let alone in a hurry.
RELIVING THE PURDUE ESCAPE. Five years ago Friday, I watched a drunken mob corner and mob a forlorn Greg Oden in Little Bar as Kenny Guiton resuscitated Ohio State's undefeated season against Purdue of all teams.
Or as our good friend Doug remembers it:
Oh, the game I missed for my brother-in-law's wedding? Good times. #banfallweddings @ramzy https://t.co/To2gEevJTs
— Doug Jenkins (@DougfromRadio) October 20, 2017
Poor Doug missed a banger.
Still sends a chill down my spine. It had a similar effect on Meyer's first team in Columbus.
From Doug Lesmerisies of cleveland.com's oral history of Kenny Guiton touching the heavens:
[Evan] Spencer: You're elated. You went from the lows to the extreme highs of winning in spectacular fashion. So you are excited, but you also know that film the next day is probably going to be miserable.
[Zach] Boren: You're frustrated knowing that you went overtime against Purdue. But at the same time, it was a win. But that game kind of summed up our entire season. It was that team everyone thought wasn't going to be good. Everyone thought we didn't have any athletes other than Braxton Miller. Carlos Hyde hadn't really become anything at that point. (Ryan) Shazier and (Bradley) Roby weren't who they were yet. Everyone kind of doubted us that year, everyone thought we were going through the motions with us being bowl banned.
But we were just fighters. We were blue collar fighters. And we might not have been the most talented guys on the field, but no one would have wanted to go into an alley and start a fight with us because I guarantee you they would have gotten their butt beat.
[Urban] Meyer: You walk in our locker room, there's a picture of Kenny Guiton for competitive excellence. That means you practice so hard, when your number's called, you're ready. And this is the greatest example of competitive excellence that I've ever witnessed.
He's the ultimate example of competitive excellence here at Ohio State.
Who knows how that season would have shaken out without the heroics of Game-Ready Kenny Guiton. Let's hope Dwayne Haskins and Joe Burrow prepare with a similar mentality.
DIIIINOOOOOO. Sparty running back L.J. Scott got pinched this week for driving without a license... his seventh such charge in the last year.
Somehow, he absolved that case and will play against Indiana.
From lansingstatejournal.com:
EAST LANSING – Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio issued a statement Friday that running back LJ Scott will play Saturday against Indiana.
Scott was arrested Wednesday for his seventh driving infraction since 2016.
“In what has been a lengthy process, LJ Scott now has a valid driver’s license, free of any restrictions,” Dantonio said in a statement. “He has resolved the matter completely, and has paid a price, both financially and publicly. His status will be affected for Saturday’s game, but he will play.”
It was not immediately clear how the matter was resolved.
Say what you want about the great Dantonio, but he's not exactly a case study when it comes to disciplining players. (Those Tressel teaching run deep...)
SIGN THIS MAN. Ohio State must identify and sign what I assume to be the must powerful place kicker in the country:
Most savage kicker in the game. @PatMcAfeeShow pic.twitter.com/VmQsN9E152
— Brandon Saho (@BrandonSaho) October 20, 2017
We'll nickname him, "All the way through!"
THOSE WMDs. Yasiel Puig's harrowing escape from Cuba... Blood and beauty on a Texas exotic-game ranch... Marc Gasol: NBA's consistent gardner... The Google vs. Oracle judge that taught himself how to code... Suspect loses bet, turns himself in—with donuts.
