That seems badIt's the binary world of football for a helmet team... CFP, or shithole.
Yup. The Rose Bowl is still a big deal for teams who don't normally sniff the MNC.
It's ok though. 12 other B1G teams would have been happy to make it to "just" the Rose Bowl.
It's the binary world of football for a helmet team... CFP, or shithole.tOSU has nothing to apologize for as far as fan support.It's a tall order going to many games with the virus still grousing about and ridiculous prices still rising
It's ok though. 12 other B1G teams would have been happy to make it to "just" the Rose Bowl.
Yup. The Rose Bowl is still a big deal for teams who don't normally sniff the MNC.should have sent one of the other teams
Yeah maybe we should draw names from a hat or somethingif you're not excited about the opportunity, just say so and allow someone else the chance
if you're not excited about the opportunity, just say so and allow someone else the chanceAgree. So obviously they are excited. Despite what gibberish gets published on a random forum.
folks have turned down bowl games in the past, not a big deal
So when I saw ticket prices go down, I texted my buddy seeing if he wanted to go to the Rose bowl.one word response
One word response 'omnicron'
No Garrett Wilson for the BuckeyesFirst round pick! Can’t blame him. Why I get hurt in an exhibition game
It's the binary world of football for a helmet team... CFP, or shithole.This is true. I personally am a HUGE CFB fan/historian and even I have trouble getting excited about this game. There is a part of me that remembers that getting to the RoseBowl is all we cared about a couple decades ago but the other part of me knows that it was different back then because the RoseBowl WAS the top destination back then. It isn't now. This is a consolation prize now. My team has been to the CFP half of the years that the CFP has been in existence so it is hard to get excited about anything short of that.
It's ok though. 12 other B1G teams would have been happy to make it to "just" the Rose Bowl.
I think the Rose Bowl still means a lot to the other 13 teams, give or take a Michigan, but I do think by and large there is a little bit more reluctance when you lose your way in. If Ohio State had suffered a second loss earlier in the season, to Nebraska or something, but then beat Michigan and won the CCG, to get in, I think you might see somewhat more interestThis is also true. If Ohio State had opened up with the loss to Oregon then also lost to Minnesota and finished on a big winning streak they'd likely* still be in the RoseBowl but I'd be excited about it.
Also no Haskell Garrett, Chris Olave, or Nicholas Petite-FrereThat's 4 of their top tier players, not playing.
time for bowl game checks for playersSeems like an obvious move. Also paid autograph sessions with the big names
Also no Haskell Garrett, Chris Olave, or Nicholas Petite-FrereI'm almost happy about this.
I'm almost happy about this.The older I get and the more CFB I watch, the less convinced I am of the efficacy of this. I mean, I'm sure there's a non-zero bit of preparation, but I'm not sure it's enough to be notable.
I feel like mid-1990's tOSU student me is cursing me for saying this but I'd rather prepare for 2022 than win the RoseBowl. Some say it is still "The Rose Bowl" but it isn't. In the 1990's the Rose Bowl was the highest aspiration for a Big11Ten team. Now it is just the best consolation prize for an also-ran. Who cares whether or not the Buckeyes win it?
Seriously, if you (any tOSU fan) had a choice between the following:
- All current players play in the Rose Bowl and tOSU blows out Utah but loses to Notre Dame in Columbus on September 3, 2022, or
- A bunch of Seniors opt out of the Rose Bowl and tOSU loses but beats Notre Dame in Columbus on September 3, 2002.
Which would you choose?
*NOTE: I'm not saying that tOSU WOULD win the RB with all players playing or that they would/wouldn't beat ND based on whether or not they did, it is purely a hypothetical. My point, however, is that the more seniors that opt out of the RB the more the game will help to prepare the 2022 team.
That's 4 of their top tier players, not playing.Ya so the rest of them bale - ask Jake Butt or Jaylon Smith if they'd take one for the team again and lose their 1st round windfall
Time to expand the playoff to 12 teams imo.
The older I get and the more CFB I watch, the less convinced I am of the efficacy of this. I mean, I'm sure there's a non-zero bit of preparation, but I'm not sure it's enough to be notable.You know the nice thing about a "we're just trying to kick the tires for next year" approach?
It's a pretty common belief across CFB and sports that talent+PT=down the road success, with more PT at whatever stage more quickly moving someone along that curve.
There's probably a selection bias in my memory, but it seems like the number of "played early, was rough, ended up benefitting in a notable way down the line" stories isn't all that long, and the number of "played early, team took lumps with him, plateaued at just OK/decent" stories feels much longer. And plenty of successful guys are going in either when they earn the time or when the chance simply opens up. (I think Florida sold last year's bowl as "the start of next season" and ...)
And the "play the exciting guy now, it'll payoff" narrative seems really, really appealing. The thing you want now (seeing the player that inspires hope) is also going to lead to a longterm hope payout. It's something fans basically everywhere ask for. Now, with OSU, it's not a choice, and it's unknown, so there's no right or wrong. But I guess this is a long way of saying I'm skeptical that losing young this week means anything more than the slightest better chance of winning in the future (though I think OSU is gonna run ND regardless of if all those guys were there and played like they were supposed to).
EDIT: I didn't even answer the question. I think winning matters. Do the thing that makes the most sense to win the game in front of you. That approach will likely lead to more wins down the road.
if it's all about NFL $$$, then Aidan Hutchinson should be done with college football"the game" may have catapulted him to #1 overall pick. B1G title on the line as well. he wasn't going to sit out. who would?
probably shouldn't have played in "the game"
You know the nice thing about a "we're just trying to kick the tires for next year" approach?It isn't like I, or even Ryan Day for that matter, have much of a choice. The guys chose to opt out. Ok, what we are left with is essentially next years' team so lets "kick the tires" and see how it looks. I have no idea if Utah has anyone opting out but assuming they don't then you basically have 2021 Utah with tons of experience against 2022 Ohio State with none and if Ohio State wins that, that looks REALLY good for 2022.
It's a preemptive defense mechanism for when Utah beats you by three scores :57:
Kinda like SEC teams who just aren't motivated...
The older I get and the more CFB I watch, the less convinced I am of the efficacy of this. I mean, I'm sure there's a non-zero bit of preparation, but I'm not sure it's enough to be notable.As you noted it isn't like I have a choice. For that matter, Ryan Day doesn't have a choice so maybe I'm just making the best of it.
It's a pretty common belief across CFB and sports that talent+PT=down the road success, with more PT at whatever stage more quickly moving someone along that curve.
There's probably a selection bias in my memory, but it seems like the number of "played early, was rough, ended up benefitting in a notable way down the line" stories isn't all that long, and the number of "played early, team took lumps with him, plateaued at just OK/decent" stories feels much longer. And plenty of successful guys are going in either when they earn the time or when the chance simply opens up. (I think Florida sold last year's bowl as "the start of next season" and ...)
And the "play the exciting guy now, it'll payoff" narrative seems really, really appealing. The thing you want now (seeing the player that inspires hope) is also going to lead to a longterm hope payout. It's something fans basically everywhere ask for. Now, with OSU, it's not a choice, and it's unknown, so there's no right or wrong. But I guess this is a long way of saying I'm skeptical that losing young this week means anything more than the slightest better chance of winning in the future (though I think OSU is gonna run ND regardless of if all those guys were there and played like they were supposed to).
EDIT: I didn't even answer the question. I think winning matters. Do the thing that makes the most sense to win the game in front of you. That approach will likely lead to more wins down the road.
As you noted it isn't like I have a choice. For that matter, Ryan Day doesn't have a choice so maybe I'm just making the best of it.That's fair. Some recent UW QB things really stand out in the genre.
That's fair. Some recent UW QB things really stand out in the genre.I thought about it some more and came up with two more potential advantages of this:
They're at four multi-year starters in a row where going in early was supposed to get things more secure down the line. And to this point, there hasn't been a real down the road payout. Graham Mertz is heading into Year 4, and getting throw to the wolves in Year 2 didn't make this year any better. The guy before him, Jack Coan, went from decidedly bad in Year 2 or highly competent in Year 3, but he was about to start a fourth year where it was all but assumed he'd have calls for his benching with a four-star behind him (he instead got hurt and ended up transferring).
Nick Bosa?He at least had an injury he wasn't coming back from
He at least had an injury he wasn't coming back fromI think he could've returned in late November or so, but decided to just call it.
| ROSE BOWL |
| #6 Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2) vs. #11 Utah Utes (10-3) |
| Saturday @ 5:00 - Pasadena, CA - ESPN |
| Kyle Whittingham doesn't need to dig that deep into the film vault to see what he needs to see the recipe for his Utes. C.J. Stroud lit Michigan up for nearly 400 yards, and Michigan still won by two touchdowns, thanks to a massive gap in the run game. The Wolverines finished with nearly 300 yards on over 7 ypc, while Ohio State mustered just 2.1 ypc for 64 yards. Here come the Utes, third in the nation in ypc this season, and really starting to lean heavily into that strength. Over their last three games, they've run the ball 66.7% of the time. Only Minnesota ran the ball a higher percentage of the time among Power 5 teams. The Buckeyes running game cannot afford a repeat of that, with the absence of their top two receivers, and best pass blocker. C.J. Stroud will get his yards, but he got his yards in their losses too. When Ohio State can't run, they don't win. I am interested to see how Jaxon Smith-Njigba looks as THE guy. He was fantastic this year, but when teams have to also worry about a pair of guys who will be Day 1 starters in NFL next season, and the former #1 overall recruit in the country in your position room, it's a little easier to find room to operate. This will be a great look at how this offense will look next year, but is still plenty good this year. Speaking of that former #1 overall recruit, it's time for Julian Fleming to show it. He's been fine, and it's not like the other Buckeye receivers have given him an opening to take advantage of. But he has tantalizing talent, and this could be his coming out party. There's been a lot of discussion about how much Ohio State wants to be here. But it's not like this is the first time they've missed the playoff in the CFP era. They've missed it half the time, and the previous three times they had to "settle" for a New Years Six, non-CFP bowl, they won. That includes a 28-25 win over Washington in the 2018 Rose Bowl. The slight difference here is that in those previous circumstances, their opponent was in a similar boat. This is a program validating appearance for Utah, against a program that had to return roughly 1/3 of their ticket allotment. Granted it would have cost the conference a CFP appearance, but if Iowa had upset Michigan, it would have given us a REAL Rose Bowl between two programs that would give anything to be there. If Ohio State takes the way Michigan ran over them personally, they still have more talent, even with the opt outs. If not, Utah will shorten the game, and give Ohio State a game that looks a lot like their last one. |
| UTAH 31, OHIO STATE 27 |
This is so backwards.....OSU loses the big game and gets to play in the RB. We live in a bizarro world.Yeah. Georgia loses the big game and gets to play in the Orange bowl. Bizzaro
Man I miss the SKycam view from last night - now I have to be subjected to HerbstreitYou can find it, but only nat sound.
You can find it, but only nat sound.What channel?
Yeah. Georgia loses the big game and gets to play in the Orange bowl. BizzaroThis isn't a corollary in any way. Ugh.
Hmmmph.Well put your tampon back in. You’re allowed to travel with 84 and Ohio State brought 62. One has been horribly ejected by terrible roughing by SEC refs and the other with a broken leg. And yet they’re still hanging in there
A team who lost it's season's goals in its last game of the season is playing poorly vs an inferior opponent. Who would have thought?
All I'm gonna ask is this: would Utah have 35 points in the first half if this was a playoff game?
I'm not even sure what this debate is about. In any event, the Buckeye defense is bad and should feel bad.Yeah not great for sure but when you consider that five out of 11 starters never took the field, it’s not much of a surprise
Smith-Njigba remains ridiculousI said it after the Michigan game- he's the best WR they have- and he was the #3 guy and the youngest guy. Crazy.
What channel?Sorry, ducked away. ESPN app, which you can then cast to a tv or play on a smart TV.
Smith-Njigba has 13 catches for 326 yards and three touchdownsthat's like the stats for Michigan's leading receiver. add 20 catches or so.
Hmmmph.This style of supposition is always dumb, and it reminds me of a guy on an old Badger board. He hated one QB and liked the backup. Every game the starter one the backup definitely would've won. Every game the starter lost, the backup also would have won. (The next year, the backup stated
A team who lost it's season's goals in its last game of the season is playing poorly vs an inferior opponent. Who would have thought?
All I'm gonna ask is this: would Utah have 35 points in the first half if this was a playoff game?
Utah shoulda gone for it.Well look at that.
I mean, it won't matter because OSU is gonna score here, but they still should've.
Left too much time on the clock considering OSU can't kick offsquib it
Game was over when Cam Rising went down but it was fun to watchHeh the backup got in the end zone.
squib itNever squib.
Hellava twelving game. Congrats OSU!They were alabamming in fine form no doubt.
Heh the backup got in the end zone.Lulz if you think that Ute offense was anywhere near the same after the starting qb went down. But congrats anyway any win is a good win.
They were alabamming in fine form no doubt.Well after he went down they only had two possessions and they were successful in one of them and not in the other. And the second half prior to the injury they were not successful in any of the first stringers possessions.
Well after he went down they only had two possessions and they were successful in one of them and not in the other. And the second half prior to the injury they were not successful in any of the first stringers possessions.You convinced me. Losing their starter was good for them.
Lulz if you think that Ute offense was anywhere near the same after the starting qb went down. But congrats anyway any win is a good win.The man played one full possession and they scored a touchdown on it.
Lulz if you think that Ute offense was anywhere near the same after the starting qb went down. But congrats anyway any win is a good win.I mean they scored more points in 1.5 drives with the backup QB than they did in the rest of the half with the starter. It's not like the Utah offense did jack after halftime prior to the injury.
The man played one full possession and they scored a touchdown on it.Obviously their starting QB would have scored two TDs on that drive considering he led...checks notes...zero TD drives in the half
I mean they scored more points in 1.5 drives with the backup QB than they did in the rest of the half with the starter. It's not like the Utah offense did jack after halftime prior to the injury.They were explaining that they were in cover-2 and it's like, really?
The problem was their entire defensive strategy was hoping OSU turned the ball over in the red zone.
I mean they scored more points in 1.5 drives with the backup QB than they did in the rest of the half with the starter. It's not like the Utah offense did jack after halftime prior to the injury.It was 28-14 when i left in the 2Qtr and 35-21 in a whole 8 minute drive over to a friends.Fun game to watch and Utah had 10 pts in the 2nd half.I missed it but the Buckeyes evidently lost a fumble in the end zone.Stroud also threw a pick in the red zone after that.Entertaining, UTAH was a tough out they remind me of MSU.Well where the hell did the season go can't wait for next season
The problem was their entire defensive strategy was hoping OSU turned the ball over in the red zone.
I guess HCs everywhere should start putting in their backup QBs late in gamesObviously nobody is saying that. But he played one full drive, and scored Utah's lone touchdown of the second half. They literally could not have done anything more if their starter had stayed in the game.
Their backup QB was a walk on from a town so small that their players have to play both ways, offense and defense. Pretty big step up in competition.HS has like 200 kids and at least looks pretty remote on the map. Honestly, they have pretty solid roster numbers considering that, though who knows how deep that goes. (As a dorky aside, kids going both ways is more common than one might think at bigger schools)
Reading one boardThis is basically true.
one poster said:Stroud had 570 yds without Olave and Wilson
another said :So instead of one guy with 327 yards you would have three guys each with 110 yards. It’s not like they would gain any more total yards since the end zone kept getting in their way.
This is basically true.Interesting,Just curious where did you go to fetch that stat? Anyways win/lose it was a fun contest to watch.Good Luck to Utah many happy returns.Lost in the hoopla surrounding JSN-Stroud Marvin Harrison Jr had 3 TDs
Discounting the one end of half drive, they gained 72.5 percent of the possible yards.
Yeah, two way playing not a rare sight in HS even bigger schools. I did a little two way, though my Def participation was in scheme situations.True, most HSs play their best players both ways.
Our center was our NG. FB was MLB, TEs we played safety etc.
I noticed a fair amount of 2 way in a local game I attended this fall.
Interesting,Just curious where did you go to fetch that stat? Anyways win/lose it was a fun contest to watch.Good Luck to Utah many happy returns.Lost in the hoopla surrounding JSN-Stroud Marvin Harrison Jr had 3 TDsI know someone somewhere tracks it. But I just calculated that one by hand.
Lulz if you think that Ute offense was anywhere near the same after the starting qb went down. But congrats anyway any win is a good win.Lulz. Utah only had 2 processions with back up QB. The 1st was 2 runs and a punt. The 2nd was an SEC ref manufacturer touchdown.
this was probably discussed, but why not go for two after your frosh QB gets that TD with a couple minutes left?I actually wondered the same thing and not just because the QB was out. The second half had been an abject disaster for Utah.
probably didn't matter because the Bucks scored easily, but why prolong a game when you're star QB is on the bench?
So, WOW! What a Game. What a Game.Great Post and I agree,moving forward hope Stroud grows with the snaps and steadies himself in tight spots.Hartline has positioned himself for a huge raise either in C-Bus or with a head set on some other sideline.Hopefully we get at least one/two more recruiting cycles out of him.And also best wishes in the New Year!!!
For the record: My complaint with Stroud has been how much worse he becomes when under duress. (I'm making up numbers here, but other "good" QB's pass 75% with a clean pocket, and 55% under duress; while Stroud passes 90% with a clean pocket and only 12% under duress.) The formula to beat OSU was easy; run block, and fluster Stroud. Then OSU offense became inert, TTUN did that to a "T". Stroud did much better on Saturday when under duress. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was super-human, we knew he was great, but we didn't know how he would perform as "the man". Hartline has done an amazing with the wide receiver group.
Go Bucks, and hope you all enjoy the off season.
So, WOW! What a Game. What a Game.Extremely entertaining game. Two good teams going at it.
Congrats to Utah and their faithful, they came out guns a blazing, scoring at will, flying around on defense, and I was thinking; "oh great TTUN part 2." They definitely deserved to be at the Rose Bowl and totally played like it was the most important game. Way to go Utah.
I was part of the camp that thought Stroud's numbers was inflated due to the dynamic receivers at his disposal. I was very worried about having Olave and Wilson sit out. And I did not expect record breaking days out of JSN and Stroud.
For the record: My complaint with Stroud has been how much worse he becomes when under duress. (I'm making up numbers here, but other "good" QB's pass 75% with a clean pocket, and 55% under duress; while Stroud passes 90% with a clean pocket and only 12% under duress.) The formula to beat OSU was easy; run block, and fluster Stroud. Then OSU offense became inert, TTUN did that to a "T". Stroud did much better on Saturday when under duress. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was super-human, we knew he was great, but we didn't know how he would perform as "the man". Hartline has done an amazing with the wide receiver group.
Can I complain about the Refs for a bit? I guess I don't know what holding is any more, but both D Lines, every play the Linemen were pulling their Jersey's back on because they were being held! But nothing was being called! For Utah's punt return OSU's 13 got blown up from behind. why wasn't that called back? And what was up with the phantom pass interference to extend Utah's last drive?!?! (Not the correct pass interference in the end zone the earlier one.) Also in the first half there was a call not made against Utah where the DB initiated contact and held OSU receiver. But on the very next possession, and even less egregious foul was called against OSU, where the Utah receiver initiated contact, held OSU's DB, and the DB didn't hold back, but a foul was still called against him. We also had a PI not called where the DB rode the wide receiver's jersey for 15 yards, slowing him up and everyone yelling for the PI but the refs was like "what???"
Injuries: It was good to see Utah's QB up and walking around after the game, I hope it was just concussion protocol that kept him out. So, wow Ransom's injury was nasty. I'm reading it's a fracture, and he should be able to fully recover, but will prolly miss spring ball.
Overall, I guess it's better to win this game than lose it, but the Buckeye Defense looked confused most of the 1st half, not sure what changed in the locker room, but they totally came out the 2nd half and played better. (I also think Utah got more conservative with a 2 score lead.) I was also impressed with Harrison Jr. Did Fleming really dislocated his shoulder and come back in?
Go Bucks, and hope you all enjoy the off season.
As far as the officiating, I thought it was actually decent for an SEC crew. I thought the pass interference calls were legitimate. The one that bothered me was the phantom holding that they did call Egbuka had that 75 yard kick return called back.Refs got the wrong number of the player holding, but there was a blatant hold and the correct call.
Refs got the wrong number of the player holding, but there was a blatant hold and the correct call.
Refs got the wrong number of the player holding, but there was a blatant hold and the correct call.Yes- that’s what the announcers were speculating.
The ejection of Jack Sawyer was tough pill to swallow because even though it was correct call it might be the first time I’ve ever seen somebody chasing somebody from behind get called for targeting.I noticed the same thing. At first I thought it was a bad call because I didn't think it was possible to commit a targeting infraction when overtaking someone from behind but when they showed the replay I saw what they meant. Strange call but looked correct by the letter of the rule.