Ohio State may have lost three straight, but bracket-knower Joe Lunardi still has the Buckeyes as the top No. 2 seed with a game against the lowest No. 1 seed looming.
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) March 1, 2021
All is not lost! And there's still a chance to dump Michigan in the postseason.
Word of the Day: Incontrovertible.
“EVERYBODY'S DREAM.” Urban Meyer may be heading to the NFL with Ohio State doing just fine without him, but that doesn't mean the Hall of Fame head coach doesn't still love the program or get warm fuzzies thinking about his time in Columbus.
“You find the right guy, which I did with Ryan Day, and you know the program is in healthy shape with recruiting and talent,” Meyer said. “And he has such an incredible support staff, I think the best staff infrastructure in college sports. I just thought with the pain I was feeling, I have the right guy (in Day), if we can somehow find a way to beat that team up north, maybe that’s it.”
...
Meyer had his sailing-off-to-the-sunset moment with a Rose Bowl win over Washington and then literally took his coaching whistle and put it around Day’s neck in the locker room.
“I was blessed to have seven great years and hand it off to a guy that I have so much confidence in,” he said.
...
“If everybody could write their story, I imagine they would write a chapter like that,” he said. “You go back to your home state, your home school, you win a national title and never lose to your rivals and put a period at the end of it. That’s everybody’s dream.”
Honestly, even from a fan perspective, it's hard to script a better turn of events.
We the hall of fame coach, but also totally avoided anything like the late Bobby Bowden years at Florida State or Mack Brown's later seasons at Texas. Instead, Meyer passed the sticks before even losing more than two games in a season and rode off into the sunset after winning the Rose Bowl.
Nobody really talks about it, but knowing when to walk away is an underrated part of a coach's legacy. He may not have aced it at Florida, but Meyer gets a near-perfect score at Ohio State.
TENNIS BALL THERAPY. Ryan Day's been a very vocal advocate for mental health since taking the reins in Columbus, and now he's got some practical advice for anyone looking for an outlet to help manage stress – hit the living hell out of tennis balls.
“The tennis coach here, Ty Tucker, has been unbelievable. He allows me to go over to the tennis courts a couple times a week and I try to hit the tennis ball as hard as I can,” Day said. “It doesn’t go in play very much, but I try to hit it as hard as I can and after 45 minutes, I feel a lot better.”
For Day, it’s less about aspirations for a new athletic career and more about managing his physical and mental well-being.
“You sweat, hit the ball, scream and yell and maybe curse at the ball. You come out feeling better about yourself and you can go on with your day. I think those things really help in having an outlet,” he said.
Funny thing is, when I was in school, I used to use Ty Tucker's facilities for stress relief too. I'd regularly go watch tennis matches by myself on Sunday afternoons as a way to unwind and get ready for the week.
But I must admit, Ryan Day's method sounds a hell of a lot more fun. I had no idea that was an option!
HOLTMANN WANTS CRAFT. As fans and professional sports discussers, we play this game a lot, but someone finally got the coaches in on it. And Chris Holtmann is rolling with... Aaron Craft.
A fun hypothetical - which former player would you want most on your current @B1GMBball squad?
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) March 1, 2021
We asked some of our coaches which players from the past they'd want to coach most. pic.twitter.com/CWF4Vur30K
On one hand, choosing Craft over guys like Jerry Lucas, Jim Jackson, Mike Conley, Greg Oden, Jared Sullinger, Evan Turner, etc., etc., etc. is pretty mind-melting – no offense to the guy who is pretty much grittiness personified.
On the other hand, it's tough to watch this year's team attempt to play defense and fault Holtmann for pining after this:
Or maybe he just has a thing for rosy cheeks. Either way, I can't hate.
THIS SOUNDS FAMILIAR! Dabo Swinney is out here sharing a REVOLUTIONARY plan of putting one of his most dynamic and versatile wide receivers in the slot – a move that I'm not sure I've ever seen in college football before.
Dabo said Justyn Ross is going to transition to slot/5-man and hopefully start there in the fall. Alright then.
— Anna Hickey (@AnnaH247) March 1, 2021
Oh, wait, no. That's exactly what Ohio State did with Garrett Wilson last year. I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
SONG OF THE DAY. "Heart of the City" by JAY-Z.
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