I've been doing everything I can to give Michigan the benefit of the doubt and believe that sincerely could not play in Saturday's game. But man, they are doing nothing at all to help themselves out on that front.
In a Zoom call with reporters, Jim Harbaugh says Michigan had a spirited practice Sunday. The Wolverines were supposed to play Saturday at Ohio State, a game UM canceled because of COVID-19 concerns.
— Kyle Rowland (@KyleRowland) December 14, 2020
Stuff like this, coupled with a team like LSU playing (and *winning*!) a game against a top-10 team with a comparable number of positive tests is just fodder for the majority of Ohio State fans who sincerely believe Michigan ducked the Buckeyes this year.
At this point, it doesn't even matter what the actual truth is. Michigan's lost this information war.
Word of the Day: Eminent.
CREATE YOUR OWN BOWL GAME. In one of the most 2020 turn of events imaginable, the NCAA is basically just going to allow teams to make up their own bowl games this year.
With bowls being cancelled and conferences losing tie-ins, NCAA is going to allow teams to make up their own game to play after Dec. 19. pic.twitter.com/zC7uR2a52F
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) December 14, 2020
You can go ahead and tack this onto the massive (and still growing!) list of things that would have been incomprehensible 12 months ago.
There are limitations, of course, but I pray that some team embraces this and has some fun with it. I want to see someone straight-up invent a bowl game with a name, logo, mascot, etc. Hell, make it some marketing class' capstone project.
DYNAMIC DUO. An underrated part about having the best quarterback in the country is also having the best wide receiving combo in the country.
Ohio State: Only power five team with two 75+ graded WRs
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 14, 2020
Garrett Wilson
Chris Olave pic.twitter.com/KEBtUgs4mH
It's looking like last season will be the last time for the foreseeable future that Ohio State *didn't* have the best receiving corps in the country, and to go along with it, the Buckeyes just went ahead and landed a commit from the highest-rated quarterback commit ever.
Good luck, everyone else.
GETTING GOOD LOOKS. I have absolutely no idea how you would measure this or put numbers to it, but according to this metric I have just learned exists, the Ohio State offense is doing good things, with the Buckeyes rank in the top-10 in terms of shot quality.
10 teams leading in offensive shot quality in the country.
— ShotQuality (@Shot_Quality) December 14, 2020
Manufacturing the best overall shots!! pic.twitter.com/hApg6tNl0H
That's the good news! The bad news is, they still rank 157th in 2-point shooting percentage and 116th in 3-point shooting percentage, and this metric only makes those numbers look worse.
Maybe they should try not getting good looks for a change of pace, and see if it somehow helps their field goal percentage. It works for JR Smith.
SHALIEVE. Ryan Shazier was one of the best linebackers I've ever personally seen in a Buckeye uniform, but he's by all accounts an even more impressive human being off of it.
Outside of just having one of the most inspiring sports-related stories I've ever heard, he's now doing everything he can to help people suffering from similar injuries with his new Ryan Shazier Fund for Spinal Rehabilitation.
But his kindness is much simpler than that, too, as Ohio State wrestling coach Tom Ryan shares.
This man is special. I have a friend whos son has Alopecia. He was getting picked on in school. @RyanShazier went to all of his classes with him. Walked the hallways with him and told the kids he had it too. He spoke about inclusion and love. He gave a full day to a 4th grader! https://t.co/VRZVUNqp5J
— Thomas Ryan (@Buckeye158) December 14, 2020
The older I get, the more I realize that time and inconvenience – more than any amount of money or any charity – is the most important, significant and valuable thing you could possibly give somebody. And Ryan took an entire day to make sure a fourth-grader he'd never met felt better about himself.
Ryan is brave, courageous, inspirational, and heroic. But above any of that, he is exceptionally and uncannily kind.
That is a rare trait in humanity that I never forget when I see it.
SONG OF THE DAY. "The Christmas Song" by Michael Bublé.
NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. A family doctor used his sperm to father hundreds of babies with patients over 4 decades – sometimes without their knowledge... The veteran spyplane too valuable to replace... How a homeless high school dropout became the CEO of a $1 Billion company... The uncanny allure of our unlived lives...
