2020 Team Discussion Thread

[billmac91]

We’ve only played 3 games. Other conferences are going into games 7 or 8.

To be fair, in practices where guys aren’t getting true live reps (because of risk avoidance for injury and Covid) games are where they’re getting actual practice.

I don’t think our secondary will look nearly as good as last year, but it will improve with more game experience and time.

There isn’t a team P5 team in the country that hasn’t shown a glaring weakness.

I like where we are at personally. Still tons of teachable moments and room to grow. If we were steamrolling everyone, I’d be more fearful of a massive letdown due to overconfidence.

 

[Onebuckfan]

We’ve only played 3 games. Other conferences are going into games 7 or 8.

To be fair, in practices where guys aren’t getting true live reps (because of risk avoidance for injury and Covid) games are where they’re getting actual practice.

I don’t think our secondary will look nearly as good as last year, but it will improve with more game experience and time.

There isn’t a team P5 team in the country that hasn’t shown a glaring weakness.

I like where we are at personally. Still tons of teachable moments and room to grow. If we were steamrolling everyone, I’d be more fearful of a massive letdown due to overconfidence.

We won’t see much of the backups till Day is comfortable.

 

[ScriptOhio]

Down goes Clemson and Boise State...

 

[ScriptOhio]

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

This is my concern, Dudes. If we get another game canceled before The Game then--depending on the conference wide average games played--tsun could keep us out of the championship game by claiming the COVID and getting The Game canceled. Would they do it? Who knows. Could they do it? Absolutely.

 

[billmac91]

This is my concern, Dudes. If we get another game canceled before The Game then--depending on the conference wide average games played--tsun could keep us out of the championship game by claiming the COVID and getting The Game canceled. Would they do it? Who knows. Could they do it? Absolutely.

And ESPN and the CFP would still sneak us into playoff.....they need tOSU and their ratings worse than ever before.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

The rule is that you have to be within 2 games of the average number that everyone else has played. But it is unlikely to have everyone average an integer number of games. So do you have to play within 2.0 of the games averaged by everyone else and if it's 2.01 you're out of luck, or do they round to the nearest integer?

IF they require you have to be strictly within 2 of the average; AND if Ohio State loses 3 games because other teams can't be bothered to be disciplined; THEN the Buckeyes would only need 5 other games to be cancelled due to COVID to be within 2 of everyone else.

The reason is that for every game cancelled, two teams have lost a game. So for the 3 the Buckeyes will have lost, 3 other teams will have lost a game. Then for the 5 other cancelled games, 2 teams lost a game each time so that is the loss of 10 participations. Combined with the 3 from the games the Buckeyes will have lost, that's 13 game participations lost, which is equal to the number of teams not named Ohio State in the B1G, so on average they each lost one game and we will be within 2.

The good news is that Wisconsin's 2 lost games mean that only 3 other games need to be lost for the Buckeyes to still play in Indi. And if Ohio State loses 3, it seems likely that 3 other games would be lost.

The (potentially) better news is that if they allow you to round to the nearest integer for the number of games played by everyone else, then you only need 7 participations to be lost by other teams. Three of those come from the games that you lose. Four come from the two Wisconsin games that were cancelled. So if they allow rounding, then the Buckeyes are already still eligible if they lost 3 games to COVID.

Either way, it seems that the most likely way for COVID to keep Ohio State out of Indi is for the B1G to pull the plug on the season entirely. If the Buckeyes manage to lose the same number of games as the rest of the league combined going forward, they're fine.

 

[ScriptOhio]

Looks like there might have been a dodgeball game Friday.

 

[ScriptOhio]

 

[BB73]

The rule is that you have to be within 2 games of the average number that everyone else has played. But it is unlikely to have everyone average an integer number of games. So do you have to play within 2.0 of the games averaged by everyone else and if it's 2.01 you're out of luck, or do they round to the nearest integer?

IF they require you have to be strictly within 2 of the average; AND if Ohio State loses 3 games because other teams can't be bothered to be disciplined; THEN the Buckeyes would only need 5 other games to be cancelled due to COVID to be within 2 of everyone else.

The reason is that for every game cancelled, two teams have lost a game. So for the 3 the Buckeyes will have lost, 3 other teams will have lost a game. Then for the 5 other cancelled games, 2 teams lost a game each time so that is the loss of 10 participations. Combined with the 3 from the games the Buckeyes will have lost, that's 13 game participations lost, which is equal to the number of teams not named Ohio State in the B1G, so on average they each lost one game and we will be within 2.

The good news is that Wisconsin's 2 lost games mean that only 3 other games need to be lost for the Buckeyes to still play in Indi. And if Ohio State loses 3, it seems likely that 3 other games would be lost.

The (potentially) better news is that if they allow you to round to the nearest integer for the number of games played by everyone else, then you only need 7 participations to be lost by other teams. Three of those come from the games that you lose. Four come from the two Wisconsin games that were cancelled. So if they allow rounding, then the Buckeyes are already still eligible if they lost 3 games to COVID.

Either way, it seems that the most likely way for COVID to keep Ohio State out of Indi is for the B1G to pull the plug on the season entirely. If the Buckeyes manage to lose the same number of games as the rest of the league combined going forward, they're fine.

That’s a lot of numbers. I think it’s simpler to say that if the Buckeyes are 5-0, they’ll be eligible as long as the other teams have not participated in at least 13 combined games, which makes the non-Buckeye average 7.0 or fewer. The Buckeyes’ games would yield 3, the 2 Wiscy games already yield 4 more, so it would take 3 more non-tOSU games to be cancelled for a 5-0 tOSU to be eligible (3+4+6 =13). Which I think you said somewhere in there.

 

[ShowMeBuck]

I feel like the secondary is far and away the biggest question mark on the team. The DTs were a concern, but have actually been a strength and they have caused some havoc.

Considering our suspect secondary all the attention for me right now is on the DEs stepping up and getting to the QB. They haven’t done that so far to the level we are used to and it will really help the secondary if those guys can start becoming a factor.

 

[ScriptOhio]

 

[Jaxbuck]

Here is where I think I am at with the 2020 team overall;

First and foremost remember this is the point in the season where they are usually just now coming out of the tomato can portion and the youth/inexperience/drop off hasn't been tested/exposed to the same level that conference opponents will test/expose it.

Second, the 2019 team was generationally loaded and to expect "next man up" to happen was/is unrealistic. Yeah you can replace Chase Young with a talented player but that guy isn't Chase Young yet even if he has the talent to some day be Chase Young.

Lastly, you don't always have the next Chase Young/Jeff Okudah/JK Dobbins. The new guys may all be very good players someday but they aren't anywhere near as good as the guys they replaced at this stage of their development. This is the overarching theme of 2020 to me. It's true at DB, DE, RB, OG and even K imo. 2020 doesn't have 2019's ceiling. Few teams in OSU history ever will but with the COVID shortened season, they aren't going to get enough games in to hit their particular ceiling (which I think could have been quite good).

All in all though, let's keep some perspective. This team is 4-0, has the inside track for all their goals, win The Game, win the B1G and go to the CFP. Let's see what development happens between now and then (if there even is a "then") and let the chips fall where they may.

 

[OHSportsFan]

Can we start talking about the absolute weirdness of this season? Especially as it relates to playing these games in empty 100,000 seat stadiums? We get to sit and home and the games *look* normal. They even try to add some fake fan noise to the broadcast. But these kids are playing in what I can only imagine feels like a glorified scrimmage.

You think about these 28-7 and 35-7 leads. It’s dead silent except for any juice the sideline can bring. Yesterday didn’t even have the family/friends. That’s freaking weird.

It may sound like an excuse. I’m not trying to blow any smoke up our asses as fans- Woody knows Ohio State fans are already self-important enough. But it matters. You can’t judge Ohio State the way you do these southern teams or even Notre Dame with their 15-20,000+ fans.

I’m frustrated, but trying to keep some perspective. Being in the Shoe has to be really odd on gameday.

Bucks are 4-0 in a messed up year. They’ve played some damn good halves. Also have had some braindead moments. But 4-0. I’ll be happy to watch them win what’s in front of them and enjoy it.

This year more than any is just survive and advance.

 

[Jaxbuck]

Can we start talking about the absolute weirdness of this season? Especially as it relates to playing these games in empty 100,000 seat stadiums? We get to sit and home and the games *look* normal. They even try to add some fake fan noise to the broadcast. But these kids are playing in what I can only imagine feels like a glorified scrimmage.

You think about these 28-7 and 35-7 leads. It’s dead silent except for any juice the sideline can bring. Yesterday didn’t even have the family/friends. That’s freaking weird.

It may sound like an excuse. I’m not trying to blow any smoke up our asses as fans- Woody knows Ohio State fans are already self-important enough. But it matters. You can’t judge Ohio State the way you do these southern teams or even Notre Dame with their 15-20,000+ fans.

I’m frustrated, but trying to keep some perspective. Being in the Shoe has to be really odd on gameday.

Bucks are 4-0 in a messed up year. They’ve played some damn good halves. Also have had some braindead moments. But 4-0. I’ll be happy to watch them win what’s in front of them and enjoy it.

This year more than any is just survive and advance.

If anyone needs something to help them feel better about the CFP scene, go look at what Ole Miss did to Bama's defense. It was worse than what we just saw. A LOT worse. Difference is Bama has had a lot more game reps to fix it.