I know we should probably just be glad the Buckeyes are getting the love they deserve, but ain't this beautiful?
— CFB Playoff Edits (@8_TeamPlayoff) November 6, 2019
I mean, I'm down. Let's play.
ICYMI
- Ohio State is No. 1 in the initial college football playoff rankings.
- This is Ohio State's best-ever position in the playoff race.
- The Buckeyes are focused on winning, not rankings.
- Games that will shape the college football playoff race.
Word of the Day: Obsequious.
GET DUMPED THEN, CINCINNATI. I understand it's decidedly football time, but that doesn't mean there ain't room for the occasional mid-week hoops banger, and we've got Cincinnati on tap tonight.
The Journey Begins #Team121 pic.twitter.com/FH2T9skDhd
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) November 6, 2019
The Bearcats were already little-brother'd on the gridiron just a few weeks ago, and nothing is going to bring me greater joy than flaying their ass on the hardwood as well.
The good news for Cincinnati's hoops squad is that the football team set the bar just so damn low in September. In fact, if they score one (1) point today, they'll already be outdoing their football counterparts.
But hey, Bearcats, just know that there's absolutely no shame in losing to a far superior athletic program that you haven't beaten in football or basketball in over 50 years. After all, somebody has to be second-best.
COACHES' CFP #TAKES. It's officially College Football Playoff conjecture season. It's that delightful time of year where the only thing that seemingly unifies us is that the system ain't perfect.
It's frustrating as hell for fans, who are totally powerless to change anything about it, but I think one thing that's easy to forget is that the coaches also live powerlessly in the same system. And they've certainly got #takes too.
Heather Dinich of ESPN spoke to a hearty collection of college football head coaches and got quite a few rather candid comments (even including an entire, remarkably complex playoff system designed by Jim Harbaugh).
My personal favorite section was when Heather asked the coaches whether they understood how teams were chosen and most said "no." Mind you, we're FIVE YEARS into this thing and more than half the coaches still don't even know what they have to do to make the playoff.
The Big Ten had the highest percentage (57%) of coaches who said they didn't understand the ranking system.
Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern: No. I do not. I thought I knew, and I don't believe I know now.
...
James Franklin, Penn State: No, nobody does. Each year it looks like there are different variables that are going to factor in because there are different people sitting in the room. That's going to happen. One person is going to have a bias toward one thing. It's natural. Somebody will have a bias toward another, and some people are going to feel like this is a more important metric.
This was another absolutely incredible (and completely on-brand!) collection of responses:
For reference, the SEC and ACC are the only Power Five conferences that don't currently play a nine game conference slate allowing the SEC to tuck that ever important FCS opponent in there in late November for that extra bye week.
Never change, y'all.
THE BIGGER RIVALRY. Ever since he arrived in Baton Rouge, Joe Burrow's been understandably asked to compare Ohio State to LSU and the Big Ten to the SEC.
Whats a bigger rivalry @OhioStateFB v. @UMichFootball or @LSUfootball v. @AlabamaFTBL? pic.twitter.com/5jHNZAoxBQ
— Marty Smith (@MartySmithESPN) November 4, 2019
"I will wait until I am no longer enrolled in this school and after this game before I tell you that Ohio State and Michigan is quite clearly the bigger rivalry," is basically what we have with that response. And I respect it.
His answer was impressively diplomatic, but...
If you're still calling Michigan "the team up north" into your second season away from Ohio State, I think that answers your question right there. https://t.co/XlZrwt4l9G
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) November 5, 2019
I mean, his former head coach is also paid money to talk about said northern team on television and still has yet to refer to them by name. This isn't hard.
STEALING 'CROOTS? In its quest to add another quarterback to the 2020 class, Ohio State recently offered Washington State quarterback commit Jayden de Laura, and the ever-entertaining Mike Leach is giving himself credit for uncovering him and tipping the Buckeyes off to his existence.
From Jackson Gardner of 247 Sports:
Leach isn’t allowed to comment on specific recruits per NCAA rules, but he certainly had some thoughts on his recruiting efforts setting the trend. It is not unusual for another school to swoop in and offer a WSU verbal as NLI Day gets nearer, and that is precisely what's happened with WSU’s 2020 QB pledge Jayden de Laura out of St. Louis High in Honolulu, with USC and Ohio State offering.
“Yeah, they think we know what we’re doing, I guess. Yeah, that's happened some,” Leach said.
He pointed out the paradox of recruiting by adding: “If you don’t offer a guy you’re not going to get him. But if you do offer a guy you’ll end up with a ton of competition.”
Yes, Mike. Ohio State is leaning heavily on your superior eye for talent before swooping in and snagging all the players you've keyed in on. You better hold those 11 commitments from nationally unranked players tight – Ryan Day is coming from you.
MOMMA! I think that an Ohio State player should be mic'd up for every single NFL game because there has not been a single one so far that I did not thoroughly enjoy.
We had Joey Bosa last week, and now we've got us some Jerome Baker, who was desperately looking for his momma the entire game.
Momma!!!! https://t.co/9EulIHeONK
— Jerome Baker Jr. (@Lastname_Baker) November 6, 2019
Baker helped lead his team to their first victory of the season on Sunday. And yes, he found his momma.
NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. Man who said he saw Yogi Bear in Yellowstone gets 15 years for 8 pounds of meth in spare tire... Woman quits her job to eat McDonald's and Chinese takeout on YouTube... A mom claims she sold drugs to buy farm and put child through college... The selfie that revealed I was a stolen baby...
