This is my first stab at this, but I want to make this a regular item for the future. This will be a sort of Larry King/Pete Fiutak ripoff-type column, which will focus on Ohio State football, but will also touch on the greater world of college football as the need arises. Leave your comments and let me know what I did that sucked and how I can fix it. On with the show!
...Ohio State looks shaky right now. They're losing the turnover battle, the running game was bad against Marshall, and they lost field position yards due to bad punting. Think about it though. Even if Jay-Z is still turning the ball over 2-3 times a game for the rest of the year (which he will not), you can bet that the Buckeye "D" will not still be stuck on zero. Also, the running game and punting will improve, or there will be new guys on the field. I know Tressel loves his seniors, but in both of these cases, there are seniors waiting in the wings (read: Hall, Joe, and Huston) to take over should the current starters falter. I'm certainly not calling for any heads to roll, just pointing out reason for optimism. Just imagine how good this team will be when they're winning turnovers and field position and controlling the game on the ground. It's scary.
...Tackling is horrible right now, and it's not just in Columbus. In every game I watched this weekend, defenders seemed to be wrapping up the ball instead of the man. It's as if they were trying to tackle the ball, and if the ballcarrier just happened to follow the ball to the ground, so be it. We all know that forcing turnovers is important to being successful, but at what price? I can't even count how many times I saw teams this weekend give up first downs just on the second effort yards they gave up trying to strip the ball instead of wrapping up and dropping the anchor.
...Regardless of how I feel about how it affects Ohio State's ranking, Free Shoes University remaining in the AP Top 10 is a crime. They played as horribly as any of the worst games I've seen Tressel's teams get berated for, and the in-game decisions by Bowden and his staff were horrible to boot. Not to mention that at least when the Buckeyes play that horribly, they at least come away with the win. Not so for the boys from Tallahassee, who despite all their ineptitude still had to give the game away. In my opinion, #8 may have been a fitting ranking if they had won. Since they lost, they don't even deserve a sniff of the Top 10. No matter how bad Notre Dame may be, there's no way that Free Shoes deserves to be ranked ahead of a scUM team that lost on the road without their starting QB and RB.
...Speaking of scUM, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
...People say that the depleted Big East doesn't deserve an automatic BCS bid, but outside of the team from Norman, OK, couldn't we say the same for the Big 12? I'd say the rest of that conference may match up well with both the Big East and MAC right now.
...As a fan of an elite program, I'm probably biased on this one, but I'm tired of announcers rooting for the 'dog from the booth. Note to Mike Tirico and pals: no matter how much you wish for it, you're not gonna witness a gridiron version of the Miracle on Ice, and you're not gonna become immortal like Al Michaels. Just call the game, enjoy yourself, and let the rest of us do the same.
...MAC-supporters like to characterize their struggle as the Haves (BCS teams) vs. Have-Nots (non-BCS teams). They're right. We have Santonio Holmes and Mike Nugent, and they do not.
...Also, people call Ohio State's win lucky, but perhaps they should ask Bobby Bowden if being able to nail a clutch field goal whenever you need it is luck or skill. I think we all know what his answer would be. If you want a lucky field goal, just imagine Andre Tyree trotting out and nailing the game-winner. THAT would be lucky.
...I hope that Mike Nugent is savoring every moment of this season. Right now, he's the Mark McGwire of placekicking. He's the best in college football, and fans hang on every kick, even his warm-ups. While other kickers may have the misfortune of not having as phonetically convenient a name, there have to be very few if any other places that do anything like the "NUUUUUUGE!" before every PAT and FG. He is a rock star right now, and I hope he is having fun with it because it won't be like that next year in The League.
...The only thing I ask of my readers right now is that you make my column famous enough quickly enough that when the Holmes for Heisman machine gets rollin', that I get a free Santonio bobblehead, or whatever gizmos they decide to hand out.
...Where in the hell was Ryan Hamby? Did Jay-Z forget he was on the team?
...Am I the only one who's sick of seeing features about how Matt Leinart was cross-eyed as a kid? So what! Save that kind of junk for the Olympics where it belongs.
...Mark May is driving the Freson State bandwagon. What can I say, sometimes even blind squirrels stumble upon an acorn.
...I have said this many times already, but it still rings true - the see-thru pants that Miami was wearing HAVE GOT TO GO!!!!!
...I wish I had a good way to end this thing. If anyone has suggestions, let me know. I will make you as famous as I possibly can, and maybe even hook you up with an extra bobblehead from the imminent Holmes for Heisman World Tour. Go Bucks!!!!! Beat the Wolfpack!!!!!
...Ohio State looks shaky right now. They're losing the turnover battle, the running game was bad against Marshall, and they lost field position yards due to bad punting. Think about it though. Even if Jay-Z is still turning the ball over 2-3 times a game for the rest of the year (which he will not), you can bet that the Buckeye "D" will not still be stuck on zero. Also, the running game and punting will improve, or there will be new guys on the field. I know Tressel loves his seniors, but in both of these cases, there are seniors waiting in the wings (read: Hall, Joe, and Huston) to take over should the current starters falter. I'm certainly not calling for any heads to roll, just pointing out reason for optimism. Just imagine how good this team will be when they're winning turnovers and field position and controlling the game on the ground. It's scary.
...Tackling is horrible right now, and it's not just in Columbus. In every game I watched this weekend, defenders seemed to be wrapping up the ball instead of the man. It's as if they were trying to tackle the ball, and if the ballcarrier just happened to follow the ball to the ground, so be it. We all know that forcing turnovers is important to being successful, but at what price? I can't even count how many times I saw teams this weekend give up first downs just on the second effort yards they gave up trying to strip the ball instead of wrapping up and dropping the anchor.
...Regardless of how I feel about how it affects Ohio State's ranking, Free Shoes University remaining in the AP Top 10 is a crime. They played as horribly as any of the worst games I've seen Tressel's teams get berated for, and the in-game decisions by Bowden and his staff were horrible to boot. Not to mention that at least when the Buckeyes play that horribly, they at least come away with the win. Not so for the boys from Tallahassee, who despite all their ineptitude still had to give the game away. In my opinion, #8 may have been a fitting ranking if they had won. Since they lost, they don't even deserve a sniff of the Top 10. No matter how bad Notre Dame may be, there's no way that Free Shoes deserves to be ranked ahead of a scUM team that lost on the road without their starting QB and RB.
...Speaking of scUM, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
...People say that the depleted Big East doesn't deserve an automatic BCS bid, but outside of the team from Norman, OK, couldn't we say the same for the Big 12? I'd say the rest of that conference may match up well with both the Big East and MAC right now.
...As a fan of an elite program, I'm probably biased on this one, but I'm tired of announcers rooting for the 'dog from the booth. Note to Mike Tirico and pals: no matter how much you wish for it, you're not gonna witness a gridiron version of the Miracle on Ice, and you're not gonna become immortal like Al Michaels. Just call the game, enjoy yourself, and let the rest of us do the same.
...MAC-supporters like to characterize their struggle as the Haves (BCS teams) vs. Have-Nots (non-BCS teams). They're right. We have Santonio Holmes and Mike Nugent, and they do not.
...Also, people call Ohio State's win lucky, but perhaps they should ask Bobby Bowden if being able to nail a clutch field goal whenever you need it is luck or skill. I think we all know what his answer would be. If you want a lucky field goal, just imagine Andre Tyree trotting out and nailing the game-winner. THAT would be lucky.
...I hope that Mike Nugent is savoring every moment of this season. Right now, he's the Mark McGwire of placekicking. He's the best in college football, and fans hang on every kick, even his warm-ups. While other kickers may have the misfortune of not having as phonetically convenient a name, there have to be very few if any other places that do anything like the "NUUUUUUGE!" before every PAT and FG. He is a rock star right now, and I hope he is having fun with it because it won't be like that next year in The League.
...The only thing I ask of my readers right now is that you make my column famous enough quickly enough that when the Holmes for Heisman machine gets rollin', that I get a free Santonio bobblehead, or whatever gizmos they decide to hand out.
...Where in the hell was Ryan Hamby? Did Jay-Z forget he was on the team?
...Am I the only one who's sick of seeing features about how Matt Leinart was cross-eyed as a kid? So what! Save that kind of junk for the Olympics where it belongs.
...Mark May is driving the Freson State bandwagon. What can I say, sometimes even blind squirrels stumble upon an acorn.
...I have said this many times already, but it still rings true - the see-thru pants that Miami was wearing HAVE GOT TO GO!!!!!
...I wish I had a good way to end this thing. If anyone has suggestions, let me know. I will make you as famous as I possibly can, and maybe even hook you up with an extra bobblehead from the imminent Holmes for Heisman World Tour. Go Bucks!!!!! Beat the Wolfpack!!!!!
