The Rivalry never sleeps, it just moves to recruiting graphics in June.
From Michigan linebackers coach Al Washington on Wednesday, with his focus more than likely on 2019 five-star defensive end Zach Harrison:
To Be Yourself In A World That Is Constantly Trying To ake You Something Else Is The Greatest Accomplishent. - Ralph Waldo Emerson #DoYou #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/yPi69s3CUS
— Al Washington (@CoachWash56) June 28, 2018
Ohio State wasted little time in responding. From Larry Johnson yesterday:
Long Live the Brotherhood # Rushmen pic.twitter.com/DRDAWoCtCZ
— Larry A. Johnson (@R2X_Rushmen1) June 28, 2018
One side is pitching an NFL pipeline. The other is trying to sell Jordan Kovacs as a legend. Hard to see which school will win this battle.
ICYMI:
- 2020 five-star Cincinnati Xavier OT Paris Johnson Jr. committed to Ohio State.
- In Johnson, the Buckeyes landed a man sculpted to play offensive tackle.
- 2019 five-star Michigan State OT Devontae Dobbs blasted Ohio State, Michigan, and USC for their recruiting efforts.
- Kyle Snyder became the first repeat Big Ten Athlete of the Year in conference history.
- Ohio State finished No. 3 in 2016-17 revenue with $185.4 million. (Pay 'em.)
- Have a tailgate recipe the world needs to know about? Submit it to the Official 11W Tailgate Cookbook. The author of the highest-voted recipe receives a $50 gift certificate to Eleven Warriors Dry Goods.
Word of the Day: Barmecidal.
NIKE NEVER SLEEPS. Nike's The Opening Finals kick off tomorrow in Frisco, Texas at the Dallas Cowboys' training facility, The Star. Not everyone here cares about summer circuits featuring prep stars that haven't signed any papers, but it's almost July and the offseason is dark and hot.
From Eleven Warriors Director of Recruiting, Andrew Lind, whom you should follow on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates from the combine:
- THE OPENING FINALS
- SATURDAY, JUNE 30 - TUESDAY, JULY 3
- THE FORD CENTER AT THE STAR - FRISCO, TX
- FREE ADMISSION (SELECT EVENTS)
Players earned invitations to the event, which takes place June 30-July 3, at a series of regional events throughout the country. That includes a stop at Massillon Washington in early May, though it was inauspiciously named the Canton Regional.
Ohio State has been among the most-represented programs at The Opening Finals, sending a record 11 commits to Oregon in 2017 and eight more last July. Only three pledges were invited this time around, but several of the staff’s top targets will be in attendance. Once pen hits paper during the Early Signing Period or on National Signing Day, there’s no doubt we’ll look back at the event and see that number pushing double digits.
| NAME | STARS | POSITION | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| GARRETT WILSON | ★★★★★ | WR | HYPE |
| HARRY MILLER | ★★★★ | C | HYPE |
| DOUG NESTER | ★★★★ | OT | HYPE |
| NAME | STARS | POSITION | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| DARNELL WRIGHT | ★★★★★ | OT | ELITE |
| ZACH HARRISON | ★★★★★ | DE | DYNAMITE |
| NOAH CAIN | ★★★★ | RB | IMPACT |
| JAYLEN ELLIS | ★★★★ | WR | OVERDRIVE |
| ELIJAH HIGGINS | ★★★★ | WR | ELITE |
| MARCUS WASHINGTON | ★★★★ | WR | DYNAMITE |
| JAMESON WILLIAMS | ★★★★ | WR | DYNAMITE |
| RIAN DAVIS | ★★★★ | LB | ELITE |
| JORDAN BATTLE | ★★★★ | CB | IMPACT |
| KAIIR ELAM | ★★★★ | CB | HYPE |
| WOODI WASHINGTON | ★★★★ | CB | BOOMIN' |
| BRENDAN GANT | ★★★★ | S | ELITE |
| JALANI WILLIAMS | ★★★★ | S | DYNAMITE |
| ZACHARY EVANS* | ★★★★★ | RB | IMPACT |
| CHRIS TYREE* | ★★★★★ | RB | DYNAMITE |
| BRYAN BRESEE* | ★★★★★ | DE | DYNAMITE |
| JUSTIN FLOWE JR.* | ★★★★★ | LB | IMPACT |
| MEKHAIL SHERMAN* | ★★★★★ | LB | HYPE |
For the full breakdown, be sure to visit Lind's The Opening Finals primer.
BETTING B1G. Millions of Americans are working this summer before criminal syndicates wring them dry on college football betting before legalization sweeps the country.
Don't be a sucker! Do your research now! That way you won't have to abandon your family and move to Guatemala because you thought Purdue (-6) vs. Minnesota was "the lock of the century."
From Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports.com, who researched betting trends back to 2007:
No 1. Ohio State
74-56-2 (.569) – Ohio State's overall record ATS is skewed by three seasons. In 2009, 2010 and 2014 the Buckeyes went 30-10-1 ATS. Some quick math informs you that they're 44-46-1 in the other seven seasons since 2008. Even so, there's still a clear trend when it comes to betting the Buckeyes: take them on the road. Whether in a true road game or at a neutral site, Ohio State is 39-21-1 ATS since 2008, and it's just as successful against non-conference foes as Big Ten opponents.
Ohio State (+/- whatever) at Penn State will be the lock of the century. If my bookie, who is definitely not an imaginary construct created to make me seem cooler than I am, flees to Guatemala he'd be wise to remember Central America isn't far enough to escape the wrath of The Starcat.
No. 2 Wisconsin:
72-60-2 (.545) —Avoid Wisconsin in neutral site games. They're 6-11 ATS on such occasions.
If I lose everything on a bad beat in Happy Valley, I'm pawning everything I own and putting it on the East representative in the Big Ten championship game.
No. 6 Penn State:
65-58-5 (.528) – When it comes to Penn State, location doesn't mean much of anything. It performs just as well ATS at home as it does on the road or at a neutral site. The situation in which the Nittany Lions genuinely shine is when they're favored in a Big Ten game. They're 32-22-2 ATS when favored against conference opponents since 2008. The bigger the spread, the better as they're 11-6 when favored by 14 points or more.
Still not scared of Penn State (-3) in Happy Valley. (Do not save this tweet—especially the IRS!)
No. 13 Michigan:
54-71-2 (.432) — This is a perfect example of what happens when a team has a huge, loyal fanbase that continues to support it through a decade that's been rougher than usual. They do horribly against the spread. Unfortunately for bettors, no real trend emerges to fade for profitably. Things have been a steady decline on a yearly basis, meaning the juice is going to kill you if you try to fade. Well, that is until we look at totals. The Over has gone 48-34 in Michigan's Big Ten games since 2008, including a record of 26-15 when Michigan is hosting a Big Ten foe.
If you're having a bad day, sit back and think about all the tears shed by Michigan Men who can't stop pumping money into their subpar program. Like this guy after Michigan's punter fumbled away a win against Michigan State in 2015:
Sports. pic.twitter.com/cG5GyMdG6t
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) October 18, 2015
That's the sound of a Michigan Man's life collapsing into itself like a dying star. There is no finer music.
JIMBO FLOCKS WEST. Texas A&M and its oil-slicked boosters passed the five-gallon hat and raised $75 million for Kevin Sumlin's replacement.
Aggie AD Scott Woodward's reaction was to give it to the fourth-best coach off the top of his head.
From Sports Illustrated:
Aggies athletic director Scott Woodward waited. Whether it happened Friday or Saturday or Sunday, Woodward needed Fisher to get on a plane and fly to College Station. The offer had been delivered to Fisher’s agent. Ten years. $75 million. Fully guaranteed. What would happen back in Aggieland if Fisher didn’t get on that plane? Woodward had a list of candidates that would completely underwhelm a fan base desperate for a national title contender. He needed what he called a Rare Air coach—someone who already knew how it felt to hoist a national championship trophy. But Nick Saban wasn’t leaving Alabama. And Urban Meyer wasn’t leaving Ohio State. And Dabo Swinney wasn’t leaving Clemson. Only one other working head coach had breathed that air, and on this Friday morning that guy was dealing with a busted Christmas tree.
Well, at least he was smart enough to realize $75 million wasn't enough to lure Urban Meyer to a dirtscape like College Station.
Why hire a coach who let a dumpster fire turn into a forest fire? Because it's hilarious to watch Jimbo pretend he wasn't dead-set on grabbing that bag as soon as his agent told him the number.
Go out and find the next Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, or Dabo Swinney. It's not like they're going to be the last three elite college football coaches in the history of the game. You have $75 million!
Perhaps more importantly, I was unaware the Aggies once tried to poach Bo Schembechler from Michigan before hiring a guy who had a bull castrated as a pregame ritual.
After an Independence Bowl win against Oklahoma State capped Texas A&M’s 1981 season, Alan Cannon drove west on Interstate 20 from Shreveport to his hometown of Dallas. Cannon, an A&M junior who assisted in the school’s sports information department, planned to spend a few days of January 1982 unwinding before he headed back to College Station. That changed when Cannon got a call from Spec Gammon, the Aggies’ sports information director.
Get back to campus, Gammon told him. We’re hiring Bo Schembechler.
Cannon drove south to Gammon’s house. When he arrived, Gammon had more news. Schembechler said no. Now the Aggies were hiring Jackie Sherrill.
I'm not joking about that bull castration. It happened when Sherrill coached Mississippi State, which tells you everything you need to know about how his A&M tenure ended.
From The New York Times in 1992:
Coach JACKIE SHERRILL apologized yesterday for allowing the castration of a bull in front of his Mississippi State football team, and the school's president promised that such an incident would not occur again.
"Even though I was not involved in the procedure that took place, I take responsibility," Sherrill told his weekly news conference. "If this incident was in any way not perceived as proper by those who love Mississippi State, then I apologize."
The bull was castrated in front of the team on a practice field before Mississippi State defeated the Texas Longhorns, 28-10, on Sept. 5. Later, Sherrill said he allowed the procedure because it was educational and motivational.
Clarifying he personally did not castrate that bull is one of the greatest uses of passive voice in college football history. There are definitely some former players carrying trauma from witnessing that. But hey, they beat the Horns, baby!
TWO-BILLION FANTASY FACTORY. It looks like some billionaires want to mash together a menagerie of leisure sports activities and industrial conference retreat facilities in Sunbury.
The price tag is $2 billion.
From dispatch.com:
A world-class skate park, a BMX racing facility, a wellness retreat and a man-made saltwater lake with sand beach are just some of the elements of a $2 billion, 350-acre development planned for a site near the intersection of I-71 and Routes 36/37 in Delaware County.
The site is adjacent to the Tanger Outlet Mall on the east side of I-71, in the Sunbury area.
…
Among the sports and recreational offering planned include go-kart racing; indoor skydiving, rock climbing and a water park; two hotels; and multiple restaurants.
A December 2018 start date is projected for the first phase, with the initial portion expected to open about a year later. Other elements will be built out over the following couple of years.
Indoor skydiving is an oxymoron but I'd try it. Editors don't pack parachutes, though I only have a facile knowledge of what they do.
THOSE WMDs. Sketches that reduce complicated financial concepts to the size of a napkin... Air pollution affects millions of Ohioans... A dementia patient's daughter begins to question her own grip on reality... Heading a soccer ball may be bad for young brains.
