The bad news is, it's Monday. The good news is, Christmas is less than a week. Get jolly!
Word of the Day: Pusillanimous.
HEISMAN HOPEFUL. Due to pretty much nothing of his own doing, C.J. Stroud finished in a rather distant fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting this year, but he'll for sure enter this season as one of the frontrunners, opening with the second-best odds.
- Bryce Young (Alabama) +325
- C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) +500
- Spencer Rattler (South Carolina) +700
- Caleb Williams (Oklahoma) +1200
- Tyler Van Dyke (Miami) +1200
- Kenneth Walker III (Uh, the NFL?) +1400
- TreVeyon Henderson (Ohio State) +1600
- Bijan Robinson (Texas) +1800
- JT Daniels (Georgia) +1800
- DJ Uiagalelei (Clemson) +2200
- Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama) +2500
- Quinn Ewers (Texas) +2800
And after all the events' uh... festivities, he's got his sights set.
This is how villains are made #4thplace #humblebeast pic.twitter.com/vCHtdDOVkT
— C7 (@CJ7STROUD) December 19, 2021
TreVeyon Henderson also checks in as the running back with the best Heisman odds, but hilariously, the guy who might be the team's best offensive weapon (Jaxon Smith-Njigba) ain't even on the board. I've got a sneaky suspicion that's not going to last. Our good pal Quinn Ewers also cracks the list.
Also, pour one out for the people who lit money on fire betting on Kenneth Walker III, who is still on the board, for some reason.
TRESSEL'S LEGACY. Stan Drayton worked as a position coach under Jim Tressel for like five months in the offseason a decade ago, but that was apparently plenty of time for Tressel to leave a lasting impact as Drayton still brought him him up in his introductory press conference after becoming the head coach at Temple.
Question: You mentioned learning from Jim Tressel how he protected his players, what did you mean by that?
Drayton: “Because he got in trouble for that, right? But the one thing about Jim Tressel is he’s never going to let any outside source, whether it be media or anything, whether the kid was right or wrong in his actions, he’s going to do everything in his power to protect his integrity, protect his character, protect his reputation. Because he always thought that, hey, kids will make mistakes, but they still have a future to live. And there are so many times where in this business that we’re in, a kid gets bad press, a kid gets a bad rep, and then their future, the growth gets stunted in that respect. So Jim Tressel did a phenomenal job of making sure that, hey, if a mistake is made, we’re going to learn from our mistakes, but I want you to know I still have your back, I still will support you in all good, bad, whatever it may be that you experience. While you’re here with me, I’ve got your back. And I really respect that about Jim Tressel.”
If every person on the planet treated people like Jim Tressel treats people, the world would be a damn-near perfect place. And I say that almost without hyperbole.
GRANDDADDY OF THEM ALL. Ohio State's not playing in the College Football Playoff, but Parris Campbell is here to tell you why you that the Rose Bowl is still an extremely big deal.
"This is a very historic bowl, and it's an honor to play in that game."@PCampbell21 starred in @OhioStateFB's 2019 @rosebowlgame win.
— Ohio State on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) December 19, 2021
The WR offers his advice to the current team about playing in . pic.twitter.com/EwLtAHDL8g
It's worth noting that Parris could certainly have opted out of the 2018 Rose Bowl, but he decided to suit up one last time and become a 1,000-yard receiver in the process – which is oddly familiar territory for a certain someone.
CLEARING THE AIR. Marcus Freeman ruffled a few feathers earlier this month when he recalled that he chose Ohio State over Notre Dame once and said "thank God that I didn’t make the wrong decision twice."
It would seem that he's uh... sorry?
“I wanted to address one more thing before we go open up for questions. My feelings on Ohio State. I want to make sure to be very clear that the relationships, the time that I spent in Columbus have impacted me and had relationships that I built that will be with me for the rest of my life. I’m very passionate about being the head coach here, but in no way do I want to diminish my time in Columbus and the impact that time has made on me. So, I want to make sure I’m clear about that.”
It's very kind and good of him to address this, I guess, but he also didn't really even walk back the quote or suggest that he misspoke. Nor did he say "I'm still glad I went to Ohio State, actually" or anything like that. So I'm really not even sure what's being accomplished here.
He very intentionally said what he said – he wrote it in a published piece he had plenty of time to think about AND said it in a separate interview – and he's given no indication that he didn't mean what he said, even if he did enjoy his time at Ohio State on some level.
I have a strong hunch this clarification isn't going to change his reception in Ohio Stadium next year.
SONG OF THE DAY. 10 Hours of "Jingle Bell Rock" by Bobby Helms.
NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. The Afghan brothers who have spent nine years trying to kill each other... A man sues R. Kelly for ruining his marriage... A professor hid a cash prize on campus and all students had to do was read the syllabus... All the reasons why there is a cream cheese shortage... Horseshoe crabs are in danger because everyone wants their blood... The clown whisperer...
