Bleacher Report - Articles by HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation

Ohio State-Oregon: Rose Bowl Preview, History Lesson, And Prediction

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:01:31 -0500

Preview

It is official—the stage is set.

Oregon outlasted Oregon State in "The Civil War" and will now face the REAL OSU.

That's right—The Big Ten champion vs. the Pac-10 champion in the granddaddy of them all.

The No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2) will face the No. 7 Oregon Ducks (10-2) on Jan. 1, 2010 in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl presented by Citi.

The Ducks are a very talented offensive team and to this point have proven they can score plenty of points to win games, especially in the clutch.

The Buckeyes aren't quite as flashy, preferring to pound their opponents with their unrelenting and very successful running game while boasting one of the top defensive units in the nation, yielding less than 11 points per game.

Will the experience and leadership of junior quarterback Jeremiah Masoli be the difference in leading the Ducks to victory and another big-stage loss for Ohio State, or will youth win out as sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor looks for the first bowl win of his Buckeye career after a narrow, near-miss loss to Texas a year ago?

One thing is certain: When these two teams meet in Pasadena, something must, and will give.

They say defense wins championships and Ohio State gets the edge on that side of the ball—but it remains to be seen if defense, or offense, will ultimately win the 2010 Rose Bowl.

Oregon—By The Numbers

Jeremiah Masoli has 2,066 passing yards, 659 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 15 passing touchdowns, five interceptions, and a QB Rating of 138.

Masoli, LaMichael James, and Kenjon Barner have combined for 2,437 yards on the ground and 29 rushing touchdowns. That's an average of 203 yards and 2.4 touchdowns per game.

After missing 10 games due to suspension, LeGarette Blount is also back in the mix and may have an impact against the Buckeyes for the Ducks.

Oregon's top receivers are Jeff Maehl (52 receptions, 686 yards, six touchdowns), Ed Dickson (42 receptions, 551 yards, six touchdowns), D.J. Davis (22 receptions, 230 yards, two touchdowns), and Jamere Holland (13 receptions, 199 yards, two touchdowns).

Ohio State—By The Numbers

Terrelle Pryor has 1,825 passing yards, 707 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, 16 passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a QB Rating of 128.

Pryor, Brandon Saine, Boom Herron, and Jordan Hall have combined for 2,207 yards on the ground and 19 rushing touchdowns. That's an average of 184 yards and 1.6 touchdowns per game.

Ohio State's top receivers are DeVier Posey (52 receptions, 727 yards, seven touchdowns, plus one passing touchdown), Dane Sanzenbacher (27 receptions, 506 yards, six touchdowns), Duron Carter (13 receptions, 176 yards, one touchdown), Ray Small (15 receptions, 175 yards), and Brandon Saine (15 receptions, 165 yards, one touchdown).

Small is also a solid contributor as a punt returner.

1/01/2010—Game 13—4:30PM EST—TV: ABC

Vs.

History Lesson
Ohio State—Oregon Tidbits

• This will be the eighth meeting between Ohio State and Oregon.

• Ohio State leads the all-time series 7-0 (1958, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1983, 1987).

• Ohio State is 6-6 all-time in the Rose Bowl.

• This will be Ohio State's first Rose Bowl appearance since their 1997 win over Arizona State.

• The first ever meeting between the two schools was in the 1958 Rose Bowl, a 10-7 Ohio State victory.

• This will be the first meeting in which Ohio State and Oregon are both ranked in the top 10.

• Oregon is 1-3 all-time in the Rose Bowl.

• Oregon's last Rose Bowl appearance was a 38-20 loss to Penn State in 1995.

I seriously doubt that Ohio State's defense, as good as it is, will hold Oregon to less than 11 points.

That being said, I do not believe Oregon's defense will be able to contain the Buckeye's running game, nor will they be able to keep the Bucks from scoring.

Clearly, Masoli has better statistics and would be considered the better QB of the two right now, but I do believe Terrelle Pryor will have more success vs. the Oregon defense than Jeremiah Masoli will have against the Buckeye defense when it comes to scrambling away from pressure, and finding open receivers down the field.

Much like the 2009 Fiesta Bowl (Texas-Ohio State), I fully expect this game to be one of the best, and most entertaining bowls of the season, and also like that game, this one could come down to the final seconds as well.

Call me a homer if you want, but the Buckeyes are due for a big-stage bowl game win, and the Big Ten rep finally gets to play a game in Pasadena in which its opponent is not essentially playing at home 10 minutes from campus (cough, USC, cough).

Prediction

Ohio State 24
Oregon 17

Click For Block Nation Front Page

A Buckeye Thanksgiving: 10 Things I'm Thankful For

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:24:51 -0500

Thanksgiving can mean so many different things to different people.

For me, it is a time to reflect upon, and appreciate, the people, and things in my life that I care for and cherish the most like my parents, my child, my wife, my closest friends, etc....

If you're a sports fan, it also can be applied to the teams you love, or those you love to hate.

Here are the 10 things to be thankful for this year—Buckeye Football Edition.

No. 10—I was not born in TSUN.

No. 9—I am not a fan of a certain hated, and currently God-awful team from TSUN.

No. 8—Now 2,194 days and counting, and another year, another (BCS) bowl game for my team. (Sorry TTUN fans.....not really).

No. 7—For the third straight year, the OSU seniors finished their careers 4-0 vs. TTUN, and have four of these:

No. 6—For the sixth year in a row, and eight out of the last 10...SCOREBOARD, SCOREBOARD, SCOREBOARD...

No. 5—Having an amazing athlete and rising star in Terrelle Pryor as my teams' quarterback. I can't wait for year three!

No. 4—Having seven of these, and still the only two-time winner, unless of course eSECpn rigs and/or buys another one for the undeserving Messiah of Florida.

No. 3—Having seven, and 34 of these respectively, and looking forward to the real possibility of numbers eight and maybe even nine, and numbers 35 and 36 possibly coming in the next two seasons, given our amazing recruiting, and assuming Terrelle progresses as expected like Troy did in 2006.

No. 2—Having been to no less than 10 Ohio State games with my Dad, and having that time with him in the greatest venue in all of sports, Ohio Stadium. It is a true National Treasure and I still get chills every time I walk through the gates. There really is nothing like a Saturday in The Shoe.

No. 1—This was a very easy choice for the top slot:

Having this guy...

instead of this guy...

leading our football program.

It's not always pretty, and Tress certainly isn't flashy, but a 93-21 record in nine seasons, six conference championships, seven 10+ win seasons, nine bowl games in nine years with a 4-4 record, including the 2002 BCS Championship speaks volumes.

I could go on, but the point here is that Coach Tressel is a winner, and so too are we, the fans, and also the young men that suit up and proudly wear the Scarlet and Gray under Tressel.

The 2009 season has flown by and I'm not thankful for that, but I am thankful for the opportunity to see the Buckeyes play one more game on Jan. 1 in the Rose Bowl, and for the visions I don't want to get out of my head of more Heisman, and National Championship trophies that could each end up in Columbus in the very near future.

Happy Thanksgiving to the entire Buckeye Nation.

Click For Block Nation Front Page

The Top 10 Winningest College Football Programs of All Time

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:44:12 -0500

Teams such as Florida and LSU may have found recent success in the BCS Era, but neither of those programs has had the prestige and historical significance of the teams that comprise the all-time Top 10.

In the "what have you done or me lately?" world of college football, we sometimes forget the great teams, players, coaches, and programs that came before our time—but to the LSU's and the Florida's of the world, I say: You have a long way to go to try to catch up with these Top 10 schools.

(Team Win/Loss/Tie records are current through November 19, 2009. )

No. 10—USC Trojans (772-306-54)

38 Pac-10 Conference Titles

7 Heisman Trophy winners

11 National Championships

A few names you know: OJ Simpson, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer

===================================

No. 9—Tennessee Volunteers (781-332-55)

16 SEC Titles

0 Heisman Trophy winners

6 National Championships

A few names you know: Peyton Manning, Reggie White

===================================

No. 8—Oklahoma Sooners (794-304-53)

42 Big 12 Conference Titles

5 Heisman Trophy winners

7 National Championships

A few names you know: Billy Sims, Adrian Peterson, Sam Bradford

===================================

No. 7—Alabama Crimson Tide (809-316-43)

22 SEC Titles

0 Heisman Trophy winners

12 National Championships

A few names you know: Joe Namath, Derrick Thomas, Shaun Alexander

===================================

No. 6—Penn State Nittany Lions (810-351-43)

3 Big Ten Conference Titles

1 Heisman Trophy winner

2 National Championships

A few names you know: Kerry Collins, LaVar Arrington, Larry Johnson

===================================

No. 5—Ohio State Buckeyes (817-308-53)

34 Big 10 Conference Titles

7 Heisman Trophy winners

7 National Championships

A few names you know: Archie Griffin, Eddie George, Santonio Holmes, Troy Smith

===================================

No. 4—Notre Dame Fighting Irish (833-289-42)

0 Conference Titles (Independent)

7 Heisman Trophy winners

11 National Championships

A few names you know: Joe Theismann, Joe Montana, Tim Brown, Brady Quinn

===================================

No. 3—Nebraska Cornhuskers (834-340-41)

46 Big 12 Conference Titles

3 Heisman Trophy winners

5 National Championships

A few names you know: Trev Alberts, Tommie Frazier, Ahman Green

===================================

No. 2—Texas Longhorns (842-320-34)

29 Big 12 Conference Titles

2 Heisman Trophy winners

4 National Championships

A few names you know: Earl Campbell, Ricky Williams, Cedric Benson, Vince Young

===================================

No. 1—Michigan Wolverines (877-303-38)

42 Big 10 Conference Titles

3 Heisman Trophy winners

11 National Championships

A few names you know: Jim Harbaugh, Desmond Howard, Charles Woodson, Tom Brady

Click For Block Nation Front Page

Ohio State-TTUN: Preview, Free History Lesson, And Prediction Included

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:37:29 -0500

Preface

For those who may not know, we Buckeye fans do not speak "their name" during HATE WEEK, so whenever you see TTUN, it refers to M*c*g*n. TTUN stands for The Team Up North, and TSUN stands for The State Up North.

Outsiders might not see this as a big game when No. 8 Ohio State (9-2, 6-1) visits Ann Arbor this weekend to take on TTUN (5-6, 1-6).

Astute college fans nationwide know that's not the case. The records don't matter—the rankings don't matter—the hype doesn't matter when the Buckeyes and TTUN meet.

Even with TTUN rebuilding, the hate and utter disdain between these two programs, fan bases, and neighboring states absolutely matters.

That is why this rivalry has always, and will always, rank as the best rivalry in all of sports, period.

HBO's Ohio State TTUN The Rivalry Documentary

Ohio State already has a share of the Big Ten title and a trip to the the Rose Bowl (their first since 1997) locked up, but they want to win the title outright with a win over their hated rival from TSUN (that state up North).

TTUN, under then-first year coach Rich Rodriguez, missed going to a bowl game in 2008 for the first time in over 30 years, and are in danger of missing out on the post season yet again in 2009.

The hot seat is getting hotter and hotter for Rodriguez , and it might just explode with another bowl season absence and embarrassing loss to the Buckeyes, a la 2008.

You can bet when toe meets leather at Noon this Saturday, that both teams will be ramped-up and ready for this one—The 106th edition of THE GAME.

TTUN—By The Numbers

Tate Forcier has 1,824 passing yards, 230 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 12 passing touchdowns, six interceptions, and a QB Rating of 133.

Denard Robinson has 185 passing yards, 320 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns, two passing touchdowns, four interceptions, and a QB Rating of 97.

Forcier, Robinson, Brandon Minor, Carlos Brown, Vincent Smith, Michael Shaw, Michael Cox, and Kevin Grady have combined for 2,147 yards on the ground and 26 rushing touchdowns. That's an average of 195 yards and 2.4 touchdowns per game.

TTUN's top receivers are Roy Roundtree (23 receptions, 318 yards, three touchdowns), Greg Mathews (23 receptions, 285 yards, one touchdown), Martavious Odoms (22 receptions, 272 yards, one touchdown), Junior Hemingway (15 receptions, 263 yards, two touchdowns, and Kevin Koger (16 receptions, 220 yards, two touchdowns).

Ohio State—By The Numbers

Terrelle Pryor has 1,761 passing yards, 633 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns, 15 passing touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a QB Rating of 131.

Pryor, Brandon Saine, Boom Herron, Jordan Hall, and Jermil Martin have combined for 2,037 yards on the ground and 19 rushing touchdowns. That's an average of 185 yards and 1.7 touchdowns per game.

Ohio State's top receivers are DeVier Posey (47 receptions, 689 yards, seven touchdowns plus one passing touchdown), Dane Sanzenbacher (26 receptions, 495 yards, six touchdowns), Duron Carter (13 receptions, 176 yards, one touchdown), and Ray Small (15 receptions, 175 yards). Small is also a solid contributor as a punt returner.

11/21/2009—Game 12—Noon Kickoff
TV: ABC

VS.

Ohio State—TTUN History and Tidbits

• This will be the 106th meeting between Ohio State and TTUN.

• Ohio State trails in the all-time series, 42-57-6.

• From 1897-1918 OSU played TTUN 15 times, losing 14 times and playing to a 3-3 tie in 1910.

• Since 1919, Ohio State is 42-43-5 head to head against TTUN.

• In what is widely considered the modern era of college football (1950-present day), Ohio State is 30-27-2 vs. TTUN.

• Ohio State is 3-7 in the last 10 road meetings vs. TTUN ( six of those losses were by John Cooper pre-2001).

• Ohio State is 9-10-1 in the last 20 meetings overall vs. TTUN, dating back to 1989.

• Ohio State's last road loss to TTUN was in 2003 by a score of 35-21 (that year, OSU was 11-2, TTUN was 10-3).

• Ohio State's last road win at TTUN was a 14-3 victory in 2007.

• Jim Tressel is 7-1 overall (4-0 at home, 3-1 on the road) vs. TTUN.

• Ohio State will play in their eighth BCS bowl game this postseason, the most BCS appearances by any school.

• Ohio State has won 34 Big Ten titles—having now won or shared five in a row, including 2009.

• Ohio State claims seven national championships and has had six Heisman winners (seven trophies).

• The Ohio State football program began in 1890 and all-time, they currently have an overall record of 817-308-53.

• This is Head Coach Rich Rodriguez's second season at TTUN (8-15).

• The TTUN football program is the all-time leader in wins, currently with 877.

• TTUN claims 11 national titles, the last being a split title in 1997. Prior to that, TTUN's last title was in 1948.

• TTUN has won 42 Big Ten titles, the last being a co-championship in 2004 (Iowa).

• The TTUN football program began play in 1879 and currently has an overall record of 877-300-36.

Game Notes

As you may already know, Ohio State will wear throwback uniforms this week to pay tribute to the 1954 national championship team. Here's the full uniform:

The Bottom Line

On paper, TTUN appears to be able to move the ball and score, but when I look at their schedule, I can't ignore the weak out-of-conference opponents that a lot of their stats came against, plus their poor showing in-conference.

They have a horrendous defense, while the Buckeyes have one of the best in the Big Ten, and the nation.

I don't expect a 42-7 blowout like last season's game in Columbus (I won't be upset if I'm wrong though), but a comfortable win is in order, even though a bowl bid is riding on this one for TTUN, and in spite of "Tressel-ball."

Sorry, but you're just not my boy Blue...

Final Score Prediction

Ohio State 34, TTUN 16

Click For Block Nation Front Page

Michigan Rumor Mill: Is the Honeymoon Over Already For Tater Tot?

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:13:21 -0500

From over-hyped incoming freshmen, to the savior of Michigan football, to Heisman candidate , to bench warmer, to playing football somewhere else in 2010?

It looks like my Michigan Football: Cloudy Forecast With a Chance of Failure and Michigan's Tate Forcier: Lofty Expectations Will Lead to Major Letdown articles weren't that far off after all.

Don't adjust your eyes. You read all that correctly, including the possibility of Tate transferring.

There's a rumor that Denard Robinson will be starting for UM this weekend at Wisconsin, and the Tater isn't too happy about it.

In fact, Robinson apparently is starting. The rumor I was referring to, is that Forcier might be looking to transfer elsewhere as a result.

I read about this today on BuckNuts.com and it appears it was posted by a Michigan State fan by the name of MichState04 , who lives in Detroit.

Basically he said he was listening to a sports-talk radio show on WDFN-Detriot and this is what he heard from host and usual Michigan homer Ryan Ermanni:

Quote

1. Denard is starting on Saturday.

2. Tate is not happy about this.

3. Tate put some interesting comments on his Facebook profile yesterday regarding this issue (this has been verified by a number of people).

4. Tate's dad is urging him to transfer, and he is apparently considering it.

Obviously all this is third hand to MGoBlog , but I figured if the guy who is a UM homer was saying this on the radio, maybe its slightly more reliable than your average internet report. Anyway I have no way of actually deducing the reliability of this radio guy's source, but thought I would put it out there so people could make their own opinion. -- end quote.

It is not verified as of this post, but I thought it would be worthwhile to spark some discussion and see if anyone else has info to share.

I would not be surprised to find there is some truth to it, especially considering RichRod doesn't seem to be the most popular guy in Ann Arbor right about now, potential NCAA investigations withstanding.

I will update this when and if any new info emerges—Stay tuned.

Click For Block Nation Frontpage

Terrelle Pryor Isn't the Next Vince Young, He's the Next Terrelle Pryor

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:11:48 -0500

The comparisons were inevitable, but physical attributes and sick, almost freakish athletic ability aside, I believe that Terrelle Pryor and Vince Young could both go down as two of the best quarterbacks college football has ever seen.

Of course, Young is already in that club. Pryor's reservation is pending.

Young's 2005 season was statistically outstanding, and capping it off by nearly single-handedly beating USC to win the BCS Championship turned him into a college football legend.

While Pryor is not a legend as of yet, he could very well be on his way to achieving such status.

If you disagree, or aren't sure one way or the other, perhaps comparing the two will help with your conundrum.

Young started 25 games for Texas in his second and third years in the program as a redshirt sophomore and junior in 2004-05.

Pryor to date has made 19 career starts at Ohio State—nine as a true freshman in 2008, and 10 so far in this, his sophomore season.

Texas went an amazing 24-1 with Young at quarterback, including the 13-0 title season of 2005. Pryor is 16-3 as a starter for the Buckeyes.

I get the feeling that not everyone believes that Pryor's stats measure up to Young's. I'm not sure if it's just bias against Pryor and Ohio State, or if they are just forming their opinion without the facts.

Fact finding can be a time-consuming, and sometimes bothersome chore, so allow me to do the work and make it simple for you.

Vince Young

Year      Comp/Att/%         Pass Yards/TD/INT  Rating  Rush Yards/TDs
====     ============        =================  ======  ===============
2004     148/250/59.2           1,849/12/11     128.4       1079/14
2005     212/325/65.2           3,036/26/10     163.9       1050/12

Terrelle Pryor

Year      Comp/Att/%         Pass Yards/TD/INT  Rating  Rush Yards/TDs
====     ============        =================  ======  ===============
2008     100/165/60.6           1,311/12/4      146.5        631/6
2009     121/224/54.0           1,668/15/9      130.6        604/7

Obviously, you can see Young rushed and passed for more yards, but their QB ratings are similar when compared, and Pryor has a better touchdown to interception ratio than Young (2.07/1 to 1.81/1).

Pryor still has three games left this season too, so he will close those gaps heading into year three.

I'm not saying that right now Pryor is as good as Young was—he's not, and it's not even close at the moment.

I am saying given the fact that Young had an extra year in the program at Texas to learn the system, and settle into college life without the pressure of being the guy before taking over has helped him immensely.

The hype and expectations surrounding Pryor did not afford him that same luxury.

Three games into 2008, Boeckman was struggling, the O-line stunk, and the fans wanted Pryor, so he was shoved into the deep end to sink or swim. Overall, he's been able to tread water, but now the time is rapidly approaching for him to prove that he can swim.

Next year for Pryor could, and hopefully will, look a lot like Young's 2005 campaign—BCS title preferably included.

Maybe he even does something Young didn't do in 2005, like win the Heisman.

Stats can only take you so far, though. I don't care if Pryor ever puts up huge numbers like Young did in his third year.

If he can lead the Buckeyes to a BCS title in 2010 or 2011 (as I believe he can and will), he won't be the next Vince Young. He will be Terrelle Pryor—quarterback; leader; champion.

His legacy at Ohio State will forever be secure, and his career as a Buckeye—absolutely legendary.

Click For Block Nation Frontpage

Ohio State-Iowa Preview: Free History Lesson and Prediction Included

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:49:39 -0500

The Big Ten will hold its annual conference championship game this weekend as the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes (9-1, 5-1) visit Columbus to take on the No. 11 Ohio State Buckeyes (8-2, 5-1).

Unlike the SEC, Big East, Big 12, and ACC, the Big Ten regular season means something. The best team during the season wins the title, period.

Critics of a playoff system for college football say it will decrease the importance of the regular season. Conference championship games held after the season already do that, and they are only held for one reason—money. It's like playing a bowl game, before your bowl game...

I like my football Big Ten style, and conference titles should be won—or lost—on the field during the season.

Now, on to the preview and history lesson.

Iowa—By The Numbers

Starting Quarterback Out: Check.

Starting Runningback Out: Check.

Backup Runningback Out: Check.

Iowa's magical season and BCS hopes came crashing down last week as the Northwestern Wildcats handed the Hawkeyes their first loss of the season.

Adding injury to insult, starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi injured his ankle and had to have surgery. He will miss the final two games of the season.

The numbers aren't going to look very pretty, but nevertheless, here they are.

Stanzi will be replaced by freshman James Vandenberg. Prior to last weekend, he had attempted just three passes. For the season, he is 11/30 passing for 120 yards with no touchdowns, one interception, a 36.7 completion percentage, and a quarterback Rating of 63.6.

As mentioned, Jewel Hampton was supposed to take over for NFL-departed Shonn Greene at running back, but has been out the entire season. His replacement, Adam Robinson, was having a solid season until he was injured and now will miss the rest of the year as well. That means Brandon Wegher will take over as the starter the rest of the way.

Wegher had shared carries with Robinson so there shouldn't be much of a drop off. On the year, he has 502 rushing yards and six touchdowns, and has caught 13 balls for 112 yards.

The leading receivers for Iowa are Darrell Johnson-Koulianos (31 receptions, 553 yards, two touchdowns), Marvin McNutt (21 receptions, 547 yards, five touchdowns), Trey Stross (25 receptions, 368 yards, one touchdown), and Tony Moeaki (23 receptions, 274 yards, four touchdowns).

Iowa also boasts one of the best defensive units in the Big Ten and the nation. They've built that reputation against some solid teams, such as Arizona and Penn State. The Buckeyes o-line will have their hands full on Saturday.

Ohio State—By The Numbers

Terrelle Pryor has 1668 passing yards, 604 rushing yards, with seven rushing touchdowns, 15 passing touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 130.6.

Pryor, Brandon Saine, Boom Herron, Jordan Hall, and Jermil Martin have combined for 1808 yards on the ground and 22 rushing touchdowns. That's nearly 180 yards and 2.2 touchdowns rushing per game.

Ohio State's top receivers are DeVier Posey (45 receptions, 672 yards, seven touchdowns plus one passing touchdown), Dane Sanzenbacher (24 receptions, 482 yards, six touchdowns), Duron Carter (12 receptions, 164 yards, one touchdown), and Ray Small (12 receptions, 153 yards). Small is also a huge contributor as a punt returner.

The Buckeye defense held Penn State to a season low seven points and only 201 total yards in Beaver Stadium last Saturday. Daryll Clark had one of the worst games of his career, while Pryor played mistake free as the Buckeyes rolled to a 24-7 win.

11/7/2009—Game 11—3:30PM Kickoff
TV: ABC

VS.

Ohio State—Iowa History and Tidbits

• This will be the 62nd meeting between Ohio State and Iowa.

• Ohio State leads the all-time series, 44-14-3.

• Ohio State is 15-4-1 in the last 20 meetings vs. Iowa (dating back to 1983).

• Ohio State is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings vs. Iowa in Columbus.

• Ohio State's last loss at home to Iowa was in 1991 by a score of 16-9 (that year, OSU was 8-4, Iowa was 10-1-1).

• Ohio State's last home win vs. Iowa was a 31-6 victory in 2005.

• Because of the Big Ten rotating schedule, this is the first meeting since 2006.

• Jim Tressel is 3-1 overall (2-0 at home, 1-1 on the road) vs. Iowa.

• The Ohio State football program began in 1890 and all-time, they have an overall record of 816-308-53.

• This is Iowa Head Coach Kirk Ferentz's 11th season at Iowa (79-53).

• Iowa is 1-5 vs. Ohio State under Ferentz, whose only win was a 33-7 blowout over the Buckeyes in Iowa City in 2004.

• Iowa has won or shared 11 Big Ten titles, their last being a co-championship in 2004.

• The last time Iowa finished ranked ahead of Ohio State in the final AP poll was 2004 (Iowa #8, OSU #20).

• The Iowa football program began play in 1889 and all-time, they have an overall record of 577-509-39.

Even though both teams are ranked, the season appears to be slipping away from Iowa, while Ohio State seems to be peaking at the right time.

This game could still be a fairly low scoring game, as both teams are solid on defense, but without all those experienced weapons, I just can't convince myself that Iowa can score more than once or twice.

If the Buckeyes, and specifically Terrelle Pryor, can play like they did against the Nittany Lions, they may win in a bigger rout than I am predicting.

Final score prediction

Ohio State 30, Iowa 6

Click For Block Nation Frontpage

Heisman Quandry: If Tim Tebow Is a Contender, So Is Terrelle Pryor

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:54:27 -0500

Can someone please tell me how Tim Tebow is a legitimate Heisman contender?

I could care less that his team is 9-0, or that his team is ranked No. 1, or that he's the best player on his team.

The only explanation is the ESPN love-fest with Tebow and the SEC in general.

Setting aside the $3 billion TV contract deal with the SEC, ESPN has got to stop pushing the Tebow Heisman campaign nonsense. He is not even top-three, yet the network constantly hypes him as the Heisman front-runner.

He's far from it. If he's a top contender, then so is Terrelle Pryor, and here's why.

Florida's schedule is easily one of the weakest in the country, especially out of conference, but within the SEC as well. It's not the popular thing to say, but the SEC is overrated once you get past Florida, Alabama and LSU.

Even with all these middle-of-the-road opponents, Tebow's stats are far from impressive, and therein lies my problem with the whole Tebow-for-Heisman bologna.

Let's compare the numbers, shall we?

Tim Tebow

1,531 passing yards, 65.9 completion percent, 11 touchdowns, four interceptions, 578 rushing yards, 3.7 yards-per-carry, nine rushing touchdowns, 156.6 quarterback rating.

Terrelle Pryor

1,668 passing yards, 54.0 completion percent, 15 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 604 rushing yards, 5.3 yards-per-carry, seven rushing touchdowns, 130.6 quarterback rating.

Before you say anything, yes, some Buckeye fans (myself included) entertained the idea in the preseason that Terrelle Pryor might be a potential Heisman candidate, but we have come back to reality. TP is NOT a Heisman contender this season, nor should he be.

That's not a knock on Pryor. He's had a pretty good year. The bottom line here is that there are others more noteworthy, so we'll wait for next year when Pryor will very likely be in the running.

Is it really too much to expect the preseason Heisman hype and ESPN propaganda machine for Tebow to simmer down now that we see his production this year is not even as good as Pryor's, let alone those of deserving candidates like Houston's Case Keenum, Alabama's Mark Ingram, or Texas' Colt McCoy?

Florida is a very good team, perhaps even great, and they could absolutely win another BCS title this year. But the Heisman is an individual award meant for college football's most outstanding player.

So let's not let team accomplishments or BCS rankings cloud our judgment in awarding the 2009 Heisman Trophy to the most meritorious player.

I hope you're listening, Heisman voters!

Click For Block Nation Frontpage

Penn State Fans: Sorry, but MOST of You Deserve This

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:37:46 -0500

Especially if you are a member of the Penn State blog, BlackShoeDiaries.

Honestly, I don't usually rub it in to the opposing fans after the Buckeyes win, but a large majority of the PSU fan base deserves it after the comments and overload of venomous trash talk they spewed leading up to this game.

Now, don't me wrong—I'm all for trash talk—but it's a two-way street. Someone forgot to tell the posters or staff at BSD that though. They can name call and cuss all they want, but if you reply similarly, you get the "ban hammer."

At least I can take solace in knowing that "all three of my readers" can join in with me in saying, "We told you so!"

PSU fans are worse than Michigan fans, if you can believe that. At least UM fans have some historical ground to stand on. PSU fans have very little in comparison, but that doesn't stop them from talking the talk, sans actually walking the walk.

Read the comments I mentioned above that they posted on BlockONation and on BSD.com before the game and you will agree.

And here I thought PSU was going to win easy, guaranteed !

Another priceless thread after the game: Joe MUST go!

I just have to ask....Is it No. 1 or No. 2?

One last gem of a thread: PSU is Pryor's nightmare / Pryor sucks / He's a choke artist, etc...

They sure are sore losers, too.

I read one postgame comment on BSD that said "Now Ohio State will go and embarrass the Big Ten in another BCS bowl."

Better luck next year State Penn, er...PUS, er...ummm...Joe-Poop-U.

I know it stings, but that's what you get when your big mouths wrote checks that your over-matched team couldn't cash.

YES, YOU'VE BEEN PsuWNED BY THIS SO-CALLED, FIFTH-GRADE-LEVEL WRITER!

If you don't like the "We Are 0-2" motto, try this one:

WE ARE...COMPLETELY OVERRATED!

P.S...Have fun at the Outback Bowl!

P.S.S...TP outplayed Clark and nearly outgained PSU by himself!

I feel like singing some James Brown:

"I feel good, nah nah nah nah nah nah nah, I knew that I would..."

Bring on the Hawkeyes!

Click For Block Nation Frontpage

Ohio State-Penn State: Week 10 Preview, Free History Lesson Included

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:41:22 -0500

No. 16 Ohio State (7-2) travels to State College this week to take on the No. 11 Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1) in Happy Valley. Kickoff is set for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in Beaver Stadium.

The Nittany Lions are currently tied with Ohio State for second place in the Big Ten standings, both with one loss.

PSU lost at home to undefeated Iowa, while the Buckeyes dropped a shocker on the road at Purdue.

Ohio State controls its own destiny and can win its fifth consecutive Big Ten Championship by winning their final three games.

For Penn State to claim at least a share of the title, they have to win out and get help (in the form of a win over Iowa) from either Northwestern, Ohio State, or Minnesota.

Penn State—By The Numbers

Quarterback Daryll Clark and running back Evan Royster are the top offensive players for PSU.

Clark has 2158 passing yards, 148 yards rushing, with five rushing touchdowns, and 18 passing touchdowns to only seven interceptions. He boasts a QB rating of 149.30. Royster has 145 carries for 859 yards and five scores. He also has 11 receptions for 145 yards and a touchdown.

The leading receivers for Penn State are Derek Moye (39 receptions, 648 yards, five touchdowns), Chaz Powell (26 receptions, 355 yards, three touchdowns), Graham Zug (30 receptions, 350 yards, five touchdowns), and Andrew Quarless (25 receptions, 340 yards, one touchdown).

Statistically, PSU has the top defense in the Big Ten, but that "D" will be tested this week as Ohio State might just be a little tougher than Akron, Temple, Syracuse, Eastern Illinois, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, or Northwestern.

Ohio State—By The Numbers

Terrelle Pryor has 1543 passing yards, 554 yards rushing, six rushing touchdowns, 13 passing touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a QB Rating of 129.

With injuries to Boom Herron and Brandon Saine, freshmen backs Jordan Hall and Jermil Martin have both earned playing time and may continue to see the field as a result of their play.

Pryor, Saine, Herron, Hall, and Martin have combined for 1612 yards on the ground and 15 rushing touchdowns. That's nearly 180 rush yards and 1.7 touchdowns per game.

Ohio State's top receivers are DeVier Posey (43 receptions, 595 yards, six touchdowns, plus one passing touchdown), Dane Sanzenbacher (23 receptions, 460 yards, six touchdowns), Duron Carter (12 receptions, 164 yards, one touchdown), and Ray Small (12 receptions, 153 yards).

In shutting out the New Mexico State Aggies last week, the Buckeye defense held NMST to 62 total yards. On offense, the Buckeyes piled up 559 yards and had seven players amass more individual yards than the Aggies did as a team in 45 plays.

Ohio State—Penn State History and Tidbits

• This will be the 25th meeting between Ohio State and Penn State.

• The all-time series is currently tied 12-12-0 (the first meeting was in 1912).

• Ohio State is 5-2 in the last seven meetings vs. Penn State.

• Ohio State's last loss in Happy Valley was a 17-10 defeat in 2005.

• Ohio State's last win in Happy Valley was a 37-17 victory in 2007.

• Jim Tressel is 5-3 overall (3-1 at home, 2-2 on the road) vs. Penn State.

• Penn State is 5-4 all-time vs. Ohio State at home.

• Penn State was 6-2 vs. Ohio State before joining the Big Ten in 1993.

• Penn State has one outright and two shared Big Ten titles: 1994, 2005, and 2008.

• This is Joe Paterno's 44th season as Penn State head coach.

After a missed field goal and a punt in a scoreless first quarter of last week's game against the Aggies of New Mexico State, Terrelle Pryor and crew exploded for 28 points in the second quarter and never looked back.

In fact, most of the starters, Pryor included, did not play at all in the second half. Many second, third, and fourth stringers on both sides of the ball saw considerable action as the Buckeyes cruised to the 45-0 blowout win and their third shutout of the year.

That will not be the case against Penn State. The Buckeyes will surely need every minute and every last ounce of 100 percent effort they can muster from all 22 of their starters if they are to earn a revenge game victory over a very good Nittany Lions football team.

A year ago, the teams met under somewhat similar circumstances at Ohio Stadium with both perfect in league play. The Buckeyes led 6-3 in the fourth quarter when Pryor fumbled on a third-down play. The Nittany Lions, with Pat Devlin taking over for an injured Clark, drove 38 yards and scored on a one-yard touchdown run.

Ohio State had two more possessions, but had to punt after the first. Devlin then guided the Lions to a field goal for a 13-6 lead. Pryor's deep throw with 27 seconds left was picked off by Lydell Sargeant to seal the game.

I hope we see some of the wrinkles Tressel called against NMST (i.e. the onside kick, or double-reverse-pass by Posey), but I won't hold my breath.

After all, J.T. only goes for those kinds of plays against teams he still expects to thump if the risks do not pay off.

This game could go either way and it will probably be low-scoring and close.

But since it's a revenge game and because of that, I think the OSU defensive front can and will break through PSU's o-line and pressure Clark into mistakes, I'm going with the Scarlet and Gray.

No matter the outcome, I hope PSU fans will show some class and respect for the visiting Ohio State fans and vice-versa. Let's please not see another scene like this.

Final score prediction

Ohio State 20, Penn State 16

Click For Block Nation Frontpage

Stating His Case: Keenum On Top of Heisman Leaderboard?

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:37:53 -0500

Case Keenum is having a monster year for the No. 18 Houston Cougars, but if you use the Worldwide Leader in Sports (ESPN) to get your college football info, you may not even have a clue who Case Keenum is, let alone how good he is.

I am growing so tired of hearing week after week that the preseason usual suspects like Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy are still the top contenders for the 2009 Heisman Trophy.

I mainly blame ESPN, especially for the Tebow hype.

I guess when you have a three billion dollar television deal with the SEC, it's in your own best interest to do whatever you can to keep players from said conference in the mix, even when they don't belong.

Conflict of interest anyone? I digress.

Don't get me wrong—Tebow has been a great player over his four years at Florida, but this year, he has been anything but a Heisman Trophy front-runner—yet, last I knew, ESPN had him listed as one of the top two players for the award.

Although he is having a much better year than Tebow, the same thing can be said for McCoy. If the Heisman were awarded right now, Keenum would be my winner, and here's why.

First of all, it is an individual award for the best player in the country—Not the best known player who happens to play on one of the highest ranked teams.

Houston (7-1) has played three teams from the consensus top two BCS conferences—Oklahoma State and Texas Tech from the Big 12, and Mississippi State from the SEC—and they have defeated them all.

Their only loss was a conference road game at UTEP and while it was a bad loss, Houston's poor defensive effort was solely to blame. Keenum went 51/76 for 536 yards and tossed five touchdown passes.

It makes no sense to me that team wins and losses are somehow part of the equation that determines who could or should win an award meant for the best individual player in college football.

Now if Keenum had only thrown for 80 yards and had thrown five interceptions in the UTEP loss, then it would make more sense to hold that against him, but as I noted above, he had a huge game statistically.

As far as strength of schedule, to this point in the season, I don't believe that Florida or Texas have played a schedule much better than Houston's, so that isn't a factor at all for me.

So basically, it comes down to the individual stats and that is where, right now, Keenum rises to the top over Tebow, McCoy, and everyone else.

The only player who is close to Keenum statistically is Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen, but even his overall numbers aren't as good, and like the others, Notre Dame hasn't exactly played tough schedule either.

Stats through week nine:

As you can see above, Keenum clearly has been the best quarterback in the nation. To be fair, I must also mention Alabama's Mark Ingram and Oregon State's JacQuizz Rodgers as contenders for this years Heisman, as they both are in the running.

Unfortunately for them, they are running backs, and the Heisman has almost exclusively become an award for quarterbacks, so I'm not sure either of them have a real shot, but they are definitely worth noting.

I don't know if Case Keenum will ultimately win because I don't have a say in that matter, and ESPN sure seems to have their agenda and propaganda machine running on all cylinders for Tebow...

But if I did have a say, Keenum would be in New York this December, and depending on how he plays in the final four games, he could end up as Houston's second Heisman Trophy winner.

This article was orginally published on BlockONation.

Click For Block Nation Frontpage

Iowa, Don't Count Your Hawkeyes Before They Hatch

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:52:17 -0400

The Big Ten still belongs to Ohio State, and it's a really simple formula for the Buckeyes the rest of the way.

Win out and go to the Rose Bowl as Big Ten Champions.

That's right—The Buckeyes completely control their own destiny, much to the chagrin of the rest of the conference, and the nation.

A lot of fans and so-called experts believe that the Hawkeyes (8-0, 4-0) are going to win the rest of their games—which includes a trip to Columbus to face the Buckeyes (6-2, 4-1) on November 14th—and thus win the Big Ten.

Personal bias aside, I honestly believe the Buckeyes are every bit as good as Iowa, if not better. That will certainly be settled on the field soon enough, but here are the stats and facts that support my position for you to ponder in the interim.

Wins, Losses, and Close Calls

As I already noted, Iowa does not have any losses yet but they have had close calls against Northern Iowa, Arkansas State, and Michigan (all at home) and on the road against Michigan State.

Against FCS cupcake Northern Iowa (5-3), the Hawkeyes blocked not one, but two field goals in the final seconds to survive by a slim one-point margin, 17-16.

Arkansas State (2-4) of the Sun Belt Conference, which has only been an FBS program since 2001, pulled within three points of Iowa in the closing minutes only to run out of time in their 24-21 loss.

Michigan (5-3, 1-3) trailed Iowa by only two-points with just under a minute to go. They were driving toward a possible game-winning field goal or touchdown when true freshmen quarterback Denard Robinson made an ill-advised pass that was picked off, and Iowa just barely eked out a 30-28 win.

Last week, Iowa trailed Michigan State 6-3 entering the fourth quarter and hardly resembled a 7-0, top ten team. After kicking two field goals to take a 9-6 lead with 2:56 remaining in the game, the Hawkeyes short-lived lead disappeared with 1:37 left when Kirk Cousins connected with Blair White for a 30-yard touchdown.

Trailing 13-9, Iowa managed to quickly get down the field versus a very vanilla prevent defense by the Spartans, and with less than 20 seconds left, had the ball 1st and goal just a few yards inside the 10.

After passes on first, second, and third down were all incomplete, Iowa had time for one final play. As luck would have it, Ricky Stanzi connected with Marvin McNutt on a quick slant for a seven-yard touchdown as time expired and Houdini escaped once again.

The Buckeyes only close call came against Navy (6-2) in week one in their 31-27 win. I won't make excuses but I will mention that Navy is a good team and they are an FBS program, but Ohio State was never in danger of being behind and the game really was never in doubt despite the late comeback and closer-than-expected final score.

The Buckeyes 18-15 loss to USC could have, and probably would have been a win if Coach Tressel was not the most conservative play-caller to have ever lived.

As for the Purdue debacle, that was a clear case of the players and coaches not being prepared and completely taking a win over the Boilermakers for granted. Line them up nine more times and Ohio State wins all nine, guaranteed.

But wait, there's more!

Offensive Statistics

Everyone has been ripping on Ohio State, and specifically quarterback Terrelle Pryor and Jim Tressel, for how "bad" the Buckeye offense has been this season.

Iowa is averaging 23.6 points per game and 342 total yards.

Ohio State is averaging 29.3 points per game and 353 total yards.

That's not a misprint or typo. It's close, but Iowa's offensive numbers aren't quite as good as Ohio State's, but for some reason, nobody else has seemed to notice.

Defensive Statistics

Iowa did hold Penn State, who had been averaging 30 points per game, to 10 points, but let's be honest here. The Nittany Lions put up those points against Akron, Syracuse, and Temple—not exactly a who's who list of powerhouses.

Iowa has given up an average of 297 total yards per game and 14.8 points.

Ohio State has given up an average of 285 total yards per game and 13.1 points.

Again, the numbers are close, but the slight edge goes to Ohio State, and I for one do not believe Iowa would have held USC to 18 points, nor would they have beaten them either. Sorry Hawkeye fans, I'd be surprised if USC didn't beat Iowa by at least 14 or more points.

Common Opponent: Wisconsin

Iowa outgained the Badgers in total yardage (283 to 230) and won by a final of 20-10 after entering the fourth quarter tied 10-10.

Ohio State was outgained by the Badgers in total yardage (368-184) as the defense certainly bent, but never broke. The Buckeyes pulled away in the third quarter, and went on to a fairly comfortable 31-13 win.

Like I said, all of this may mean something, or possibly nothing, when the teams meet up in Ohio Stadium in a little over two weeks.

Ricky Stanzi isn't a bad quarterback by any means but overall, Terrelle Pryor has better stats , is absolutely a better athlete, and has more talent around him than does Stanzi.

And now that the Hawkeyes leading rusher, Adam Robinson is out for the year, I feel even more confident that the Buckeyes can beat the Hawkeyes.

But I suppose I better not count my Buckeyes before they fall from the tree, since the last time I did that , we lost to Purdue...

So for now, let's take it one game at a time.

Go Bucks—Beat New Mexico State!

This article was originally posted on BlockONation

Click For Block O Nation Frontpage

Ohio State-New Mexico State Preview: Free History Lesson Included

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:10:44 -0400

No. 17 Ohio State (6-2) finishes up their 2009 OOC schedule this week as they host the New Mexico State Aggies (3-5, 1-3) of the Western Athletic Conference. Kickoff is Saturday at 12:00PM in Ohio Stadium.

The Aggies are currently seventh in the WAC standings. They have beaten Prairie View A&M, New Mexico, and Utah State, and have lost to Idaho, UTEP, San Diego State, Louisiana Tech, and Fresno State.

New Mexico State—By The Numbers

Quarterbacks Jeff Fleming (pictured at top) and Trevor Walls have combined for 831 passing yards, 101 rushing yards, with four passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns, but also 11 interceptions.

Starting tailback Seth Smith has 162 carries for 703 yards and two scores.

The Aggies leading receivers are Todd Lee (18 receptions, 208 yards, one touchdown), Marcus Allen (18 receptions, 195 yards), and Marcus Anderson (18 receptions, 178 yards one touchdown).

Ohio State—By The Numbers

Terrelle Pryor bounced back nicely last week against Minnesota and this week SHOULD be more of the same. He has completed 55 percent of his passes for 1408 yards and 12 touchdowns to nine interceptions, and his QB rating is up from 128 to 132.

OSU's top receiver is true sophomore DeVier Posey who had eight catches and two touchdowns last week to bring his season totals up to 38 catches, 516 yards, and six scores.

The Buckeyes top three rushers, Pryor, Brandon Saine, and Dan Herron have combined for 1138 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Dan Herron and Brandon Saine are both nursing injuries, so don't be surprised to see the trio of freshmen backs—Jordan Hall, Jermil Martin, and Jaamal Berry—in this game.

Ohio State's offense looked much better last week, but it was against a bad Minnesota defense. New Mexico State's "D" is likely even more pathetic so the half-century plateau is possible this week, even with the ultra-conservative Jim Tressel calling the plays.

10/31/2009—Game Nine—12:00PM Kickoff
TV: Big Ten Network

VS.

Ohio State—New Mexico State History and Tidbits:

• This will be the first ever meeting between Ohio State and New Mexico State in football.

• Ohio State is 46-2 in their last 48 home games vs. OOC opponents.

• Ohio State is 37-0 at home vs. non-BCS conference opponents, since 1990.

• Ohio State is 3-0 all-time vs. WAC opponents (SJSU once, Fresno State twice).

• The last Ohio State loss to a non-BCS opponent came in the 1990 Liberty Bowl (Memphis, Tennessee) against Air Force by a score of 23-11.

• New Mexico State's football program began in 1894.

• The Aggies have only played against two Big Ten teams all-time, losing both times to Wisconsin in Madison in 1962 by a score of 69-13, and to Iowa in Iowa City in 1995 by a score of 59-21.

• This is DeWayne Walker's first year as New Mexico State Head Coach after serving the past three seasons as UCLA's defensive coordinator.

• New Mexico State's last conference championship came in 1978 when the Aggies were members of the Missouri Valley Conference.

• New Mexico State has lost 12 straight to ranked opponents since a 35-7 win at No. 22 Arizona State back in 1999.

I usually post some keys to the game and/or recap the article at this point, but there's really not much else to say here except that anything less than a blowout will be a letdown for the Buckeyes.

Just to give everyone a baseline, New Mexico State lost its' last two WAC games, falling at home last week to 4-3 Fresno State by a score of 34-3, and on the road the week before to 3-4 La Tech by a score of 45-7.

Generally, the transitive property doesn't apply when it comes to college football, but if Fresno State can put up 34 in a 31-point win, and La Tech can put up 45 in a 38-point win, Ohio State better be able to put up 50+, despite how bad the Buckeye offense has looked at times this season.

Final score prediction:

Ohio State 55, New Mexico State 0

This article was originally published on BlockONation

Click For the Block Nation Frontpage

Ohio State-Minnesota: Week Eight Preview, Free History Lesson Included

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:09:00 -0400

No. 19 Ohio State (5-2) returns home after an unexpected and disappointing upset loss a week ago to Big Ten cellar dweller Purdue.

This week the Buckeyes will take on the 4-3 Minnesota Golden Gophers Saturday at 12 p.m. in Ohio Stadium.

The Gophers have one of the best wide receivers in the Big Ten in Eric Decker. Through seven games, Decker has 47 catches for 731 yards and five touchdowns.

Quarterback Adam Weber has not lived up to expectations so far this year. He has only completed 55.8 percent of his pass attempts for 1325 yards and has only six touchdown passes to nine interceptions. His QB rating is 115.

Gopher running backs Duane Bennett, DeLeon Eskridge, and Keven Whaley have combined for 628 rush yards and nine touchdowns.

Terrelle Pryor has taken much criticism recently, but his numbers are slightly better than Weber's. He has completed 56 percent of his passes for 1169 yards and 10 touchdowns to eight interceptions. His QB rating sits at 128.

OSU's top receiver is true sophomore DeVier Posey, who has 30 catches for 355 yards and four scores.

The Buckeyes top three rushers—Brandon Saine, Pryor, and Dan Herron—have combined for 989 yards and nine touchdowns.

In the past Minnesota has been a team the Buckeyes could count on for a win and to right the ship. Call me crazy (since I thought the same thing about Purdue last week), but I expect that trend to continue this week.

I said it last week and I'll say it again since it fell upon deaf ears:

It's no secret that Ohio State's offense has sputtered and looked rather anemic the bulk of the season. Coach Tressel and the staff have to make calls more conducive to Pryor's capabilities and subsequently, Pryor must make better, and faster decisions, protect the ball, and play within himself.

10/24/2009—Game Eight—12:00PM Kickoff
TV/Online: ESPN / ESPN360.com

VS.

Ohio State-Minnesota History and Tidbits:

• Ohio State leads the all-time head-to-head series (41-7-0).

• Ohio State is 19-1 vs. Minnesota in the last 20 meetings (dating back to 1985).

• Ohio State is 9-1 vs. Minnesota in the last 10 meetings at home (dating back to 1986).

• The last Ohio State loss to Minnesota at home was in 2000 by a score of 29-17 (That year, Minnesota was 6-6 and Ohio State was 8-4).

• Jim Tressel is 6-0 overall (3-0 at home, 3-0 on the road) vs. Minnesota, outscoring the Golden Gophers 218-90, or by an average game score of 36-15.

• This is Tim Brewster's third year as Minnesota Head Coach—He is 0-2 versus Ohio State.

• Minnesota's last Big Ten title was in 1967.

All eyes are on Terrelle Pryor this week, and rightfully so. He must perform well to redeem himself if he wishes to quiet his critics that suggest he is not a capable quarterback.

If he is less tentative, runs a bit more, and plays smart and confidently, Ohio State should be able to win comfortably, and all will be right in Buckeye Nation, for now.

Next week, the Bucks host New Mexico State which shouldn't pose much of a challenge, but after that, three games loom large to wrap up the 2009 regular season—at Penn State, home vs. Iowa, and the season finale at Michigan.

Those final three games will truly show us what Terrelle Pryor, and this team are made of.

Final score prediction:

Ohio State 41, Minnesota 17

Dead Men Walking: Buckeyes Still Alive in the BCS Championship Game Hunt?

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:55:32 -0400

In a word, ABSOLUTELY.

At 5-1, Ohio State still has their fair share of detractors that believe they shouldn't be ranked in the top 10, let alone be in line to play in another BCS bowl game, or Heaven forbid, the BCS title game.

"Who wants to watch the Buckeyes embarrass themselves again in another big game on the national stage," they say.

It's true that close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, but recent history clearly suggests that the Buckeyes are on the cusp of breaking through on the national stage.

Take for example the respective three point losses in the final minutes against USC this season, and to Texas in the 2008-2009 Fiesta bowl. Ohio State played stride for stride with then-No.3 USC, and then-No. 3 Texas and held late leads, only to lose to each on the final drives.

It appears that those who are not fans of Ohio State prefer to ignore those games and the fact that OSU nearly won them both.

Instead they prefer to live a bit further in the past and dwell on the 2006 and 2007 BCS title games that Ohio State lost to Florida and LSU, or the 2008 regular season loss at USC.

That's no real surprise though since the Texas and USC games from 2009 are more of an indicator of where the Buckeyes truly rate among other elites nationally.

Contrary to the popular belief of so many of these ill-informed Ohio State haters, and much to their dismay, the Buckeyes can still make a run at the 2009 BCS Championship.

Here's how.

First, and most importantly to the BCS powers that be, and the BCS conference presidents, the BCS bowls are about one thing—money. To make as much money as possible, the bowl games need to sell tickets.

Ohio State is the largest public university in the country and they have more Alumni, and fans nationwide than any other school.

That means, unless they lose at least three games, or lose in the last week or two of the season, they are going to get a BCS invite.

Look at the Orange bowl last season. Cincinnati and Virginia Tech played in front of a crowd that resembled that of an NAIA football game. Like it or not, this is the system we have for now, and the Buckeye put bodies in seats.

Secondly, with the season being half over, the Buckeyes could lose another game and still receive a BCS bid, but will need to win out to secure a possible chance at the BCS title game.

The first BCS standings will be released on October 18. As of right now, Florida, Alabama, Texas, Virginia Tech, USC, and Boise State are the teams ranked ahead of Ohio State.

Even if Boise State wins out and ends up 12-0, their strength of schedule will be their downfall, and Ohio State among others can, and will jump ahead of them. The Broncos should be a BCS at-large bowl team, but they have zero chance at the BCS NC game.

USC beat Ohio State 18-15 in week two. That makes jumping them slightly more difficult, but not impossible. USC lost in week three to Washington so they are essentially only ranked ahead of OSU by a measly three point win.

Another loss, or a couple of unimpressive and/or close wins for USC would allow the Buckeyes to sneak ahead of the Trojans by season's end. I believe USC will lose one, if not two more games, so there's the open door for the Buckeyes to step on through.

Virginia Tech has upcoming games with Georgia Tech, North Carolina, NC State and possibly the ACC Championship game. At least one loss is not out of the question. I personally feel it could come this week at Georgia Tech. That would move the Buckeyes up to No. 4.

The Longhorns have not looked like a top three team and they haven't even played a decent team yet. Call me crazy, but I believe Texas will lose to Oklahoma and either Missouri or Oklahoma State. One loss might be enough for Ohio State to move ahead of Texas. Two will be enough for sure.

That leaves Alabama and Florida. It looks like Florida will likely go 12-0 and play in the SEC title game. Alabama has to play South Carolina and LSU so a loss is possible but I wouldn't bet big on it happening.

So, it looks as if these two teams are on a collision course for the SEC title game which means one of them will lose in the final week of the season.

Which means, whichever team loses is OUT of the BCS NCG, and will drop down to at least third, or even farther in the BCS standings if they are blown out.

Which means, you guessed it, Ohio State slides up to No. 2 in the final BCS standings, and if you're not a Buckeye fan, your nightmare will have come true.

In the 2007 Ohio State-LSU BCS Championship game I mentioned earlier, LSU was ranked No. 7 going in to that final week of the season. Several upsets later, the Tigers found themselves jumping from No. 7 all the way up to No. 2. Ohio State is currently No. 7 with six games to go.

No, I'm not making any guarantees or promises here. I'm simply letting all college football fans that read this know how and why Ohio State is not out of the 2009 BCS title chase just yet...

CLICK HERE for more from
BlockONation ::: Buckeye Football Lives Here

Ohio State-Purdue: Week Seven Preview, Free History Lesson Included

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:19:00 -0400

No. 7 Ohio State (5-1) travels to West Lafayette, Indiana to face the Purdue Boilermakers (1-5) Saturday at 12 noon in Ross-Ade Stadium.

Offensively, Purdue hasn't been terrible. They actually have a decent QB in Joey Elliot and a very good RB in Ralph Bolden, yet they are still 1-5.

The blame has to fall squarely on their lackluster defensive efforts.

Purdue's defense has given up nearly 400 yards per game (164 rush, 233 pass) and has allowed close to 30 points per contest.

Conversely, Ohio State's defense has been absolutely spectacular since week two, but at times, their offense has sputtered and looked rather anemic.

Coach Tressel and the staff have to make calls more conducive to Pryor's capabilities. And subsequently, Pryor must make better and faster decisions, protect the ball, and play within himself.

Sometimes it is as though he is trying to force a pass and is locked in on his receivers rather than tucking the ball and running.

Last season, Pryor seemed to be more willing to run. This season, he seems to be more focused on becoming a pocket passer, which is okay. But he cannot, and should not abandon the skills and abilities that got him here.

This Purdue defense, much like Toledo and Illinois, should be the cure for what ails the Buckeyes on offense. In fact, over the next three weeks they should be able to tune up the offense quite well. After Purdue, the Buckeyes will face Minnesota and New Mexico State.

10/17/2009—Game Seven—12 Noon Kickoff
TV: Big Ten Network

VS.

Ohio State-Purdue History and Tidbits

• Ohio State leads the all-time head-to-head series (37-12-2).

• Ohio State is 16-4 vs. Purdue in the last 20 meetings (dating back to 1983).

• Ohio State is 7-3 vs. Purdue in the last 10 meetings in West Lafayette (dating back to 1984).

• The last Ohio State loss at Purdue was in 2004 by a score of 24-17 (That year, Purdue was 7-5 and Ohio State was 8-4).

• Jim Tressel is 5-1 overall (2-1 on the road) vs. Purdue, outscoring the Boilermakers 117-62, or by an average game score of 20-10.

• This is Danny Hope's first year as Purdue head coach.

• Purdue's last Big Ten title was in 2000 (Co-Champions with Michigan and Northwestern).

The Buckeye defense should focus on stopping RB Bolden first, but must also defend the play-action pass. I really do not expect stopping and containing Purdue to be much of a challenge.

The Buckeye offense should find little resistance moving the ball and scoring often.

I actually thought Purdue would have Indiana's W/L record and vice-versa, but I do believe the Boilermakers are better than their record, and probably better than Indiana, after seeing Virginia crush the Hoosiers last Saturday.

Final Score Prediction

Ohio State 40, Purdue 9

Flash Forward: A Look Into the Future For Ohio State

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:40:58 -0400

If you haven't seen ABC's new show, Flash Forward, you are missing out. It is very good, so far.

To borrow the premise of the show, let's look ahead past the next three games/wins, and take a peek into the future, thus you having to blackout for two minutes and seventeen seconds.

Ohio State, barring Hell freezing over, and pigs flying, should all but be guaranteed victories in its next three games—at Purdue in West Lafayette on Oct. 17, then back home vs. Minnesota on Oct. 24, and New Mexico State on Oct. 31.

Some of you might not think it's a good idea to overlook these potential "trap" games, but I'm not a coach or player. I'm a fan with a blog, so those "do not look ahead rules" don't apply to me, so that's exactly what I'm going to do.

A year ago, Terrelle Pryor made two key freshman mistakes and gift-wrapped Penn State's first win in Columbus in 30 years.

Flash Forward to November 7, 2009

Ohio State will be 8-1, and in Happy Valley to face Penn State, which should also be 8-1 by then, unless it slips up in Ann Arbor on Oct. 24—in which case PSU will be 7-2.

Pryor and the Buckeyes will expose Penn State. The Buckeye defense will once again dominate the Nittany Lions, just as they did in 2008.

Pryor will connect with DeVier Posey, Duron Carter, and Dane Sanzenbacher for a total of three passing touchdowns, and look for Pryor and Dan Herron to also add a rushing touchdown apiece. Aaron Pettrey will also add a 38-yard field goal.

The defense will hold PSU to less than 20 points, and the Buckeyes spit in the face of the "white out" with the victory.

Final score in my Flash Forward

Ohio State 38
Penn State 17

Flash Forward to November 14, 2009

Ohio State will be 9-1, and back home to face the Iowa Hawkeyes in Ohio Stadium. Iowa will be 10-0, or 9-1 by then.

The only game they may be at risk of losing will be in Madison, Wisc. against the Badgers on Oct. 17. The rest of the schedule looks to be smooth sailing up until the game in Columbus.

Both teams are solid defensively and this game will be low-scoring because of the stellar defensive play by each team.

Protecting the ball and playing the field position game will be the keys. Therefore, this is actually one time when fans will come to appreciate Tressel-ball, as the Buckeyes win the field position battle, and turnover margin, and ultimately the game.

Aaron Pettrey will end up being the MVP on this day as he boots five field goals. The defense will hold Iowa to less than 17 points, and the Buckeyes will prevail, but close.

Final score in my Flash Forward

Ohio State 23
Iowa 16

Flash Forward to November 21, 2009

Ohio State will be 10-1, and in Ann Arbor for THE GAME vs. TTUN, aka, TSUN, aka, Meatchicken, aka Meeechigan, aka scUM, etc ...

Michigan will be 7-4 or 8-3. I'm going to go with 7-4 as I expect them to drop two more games before the season finale with Ohio State—Oct. 24 vs. Penn State, and Nov. 14 at Wisconsin will both be losses for UM.

The Wolverines started the year with four home games versus three cupcakes and an OK, but not great Notre Dame team. They went 4-0 over that stretch. Then reality set in.

Tate Forcier came back down to Earth, as UM fans realized he was not Superman. His play was shaky at times in UM's first two road games, and losses, to Michigan State and Iowa.

Losing by two points in Iowa City against a very good Hawkeyes team is nothing to be ashamed of, but the loss to the 1-3 Spartans, aka little brother as UM fans call them, was absolutely something to be embarrassed about.

So now we know Tate is good for a true freshman, but he's not great or perfect. We also know that UM's defense is not very good at all.

Ohio State's top-tier defense will force Michigan into many three-and-outs, and turnovers. I don't see UM scoring more than two or three times against the stout Buckeye "D".

Conversely, I do see the Buckeyes being able to move the ball, and score often.
Look for Pryor to have two or three passing touchdowns and one or two scores on the ground. Herron and Saine may get in on the act as well, and it will be Deja Vu all over again for the Wolverines.

Final score in my Flash Forward

Ohio State 48
Michigan 17

In the TV show, the characters that had ominous visions of their futures believe that having this flash forward glimpse may help them change what they saw.

To the players and coaches at Penn State, Iowa, and Michigan, and to the fans of each team respectively, it's just a TV show for crying out loud.

You have no chance of avoiding or changing the fact that you will all lose to the Buckeyes in the coming weeks.

Face it, it is your destiny.

CLICK HERE for more from
BlockONation ::: Buckeye Football Lives Here

My Team's OOC Schedule Can Beat Up Your Team's OOC Schedule

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:05:46 -0400

So I'm guessing you figured out the title of this piece is a play-on-words taken from the old "My Dad can beat up your Dad," argument.

I know in the past, the Buckeyes have, and still continue to work hard at scheduling out of conference games verses other quality BCS teams.

And sure, they also have played some cupcakes along the way—But who hasn't?

The bottom line however here is that I dare any fan of any other program to provide me with evidence that would suggest that their team has scheduled, and played in as many big-time OOC games as my team, The Ohio State Buckeyes.

Here is every OOC game Ohio State has played since 2000, as well as the OOC games from 2009 and those that have been scheduled so far, all the way through 2019. That's a span of 20 years.

Bowl game opponents (**) are also noted, and included.

2000—Fresno State, Arizona, Miami (OH), **South Carolina

2001—Akron, UCLA, San Diego State, **South Carolina

2002—Texas Tech, Washington State, Cincinnati, San Jose State, **Miami (FL)

2003—Washington, San Diego State, NC State, BGSU, **Kansas State

2004—Cincinnati, Marshall, NC State, **Oklahoma State

2005—Miami (OH), Texas, San Diego State, **Notre Dame

2006—Northern Illinois, Texas, Cincinnati, BGSU, **Florida

2007—YSU, Akron, Washington, Kent State, **LSU

2008—YSU, Ohio, USC, Troy, **Texas

2009—Navy, USC, Toledo, New Mexico State, **TBD

2010—Marshall, Miami (FL), Ohio, Eastern Michigan

2011—Akron, Toledo, Miami (FL), fourth OOC game still TBD

2012—Miami (OH), Cincinnati, California, UAB

2013—California, three OOC games still TBD

2014—Navy, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, Kent State

2015—Virginia Tech, three OOC games still TBD

2016—Oklahoma, three OOC games still TBD

2017—Oklahoma, three OOC games still TBD

2018—Tennessee, three OOC games still TBD

2019—Tennessee, three OOC games still TBD

Now, I know Ohio State hasn't won every one of these OOC games, nor will they win all of those yet to be played.

That is not the point here. The point is they are scheduling big games verses top notch opponents like no other school in the country and have been for a very long time.

There have been rumors the Ohio State has been trying to schedule home and home two-game series with other SEC opponents such as Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and LSU but I have no confirmation as of yet.

I had actually heard that the home and home in 2018 and 2019 with Tennessee was supposed to be Georgia, but UGA didn't want to play in Columbus.

If you wish to dispute me on this, that's fine, but you better bring an arsenal of knowledge with you and plenty of big time OOC games for any team you claim is doing a better job at going out and playing other top-level teams.

CLICK HERE for more from
BlockONation ::: Buckeye Football Lives Here

Big Ten Conference Call: Week Six Analysis and Final Score Predictions

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:09:19 -0400

These are my Big Ten predictions for week six. In the end, they may not all be right, but they are nonetheless fearless...

Miami (OH) @ Northwestern

Miami is 0-5, and the Wildcats will drop them to 0-6. NW's QB Mike Kafka is undervalued.

NW 38 - Miami (OH) 10

Eastern Illinois @ Penn State

It has to be embarrassing to be a PSU fan during OOC games. PSU should win by 35-plus.

Penn State 48 - E.Illinois 6

Purdue @ Minnesota

The Boilermakers have a decent QB in Joey Elliot and a very good RB in Ralph Bolden, but they continue to find ways to lose. This one could be close, but I'll take Minnesota, and QB Adam Weber and his favorite target Eric Decker at home.

Minnesota 27 - Purdue 20

Michigan State @ Illinois

To say the Spartans have been hot and cold is true, which must mean the under-achieving Illini have been freezer burnt. Juice Williams had not scored a single touchdown until last week, and coach Ron Zook's seat is heating up fast.

Unless Sparty suffers from a letdown after last weeks overtime thriller and win over then No. 22 Michigan, I see more misery and an even hotter seat for the Zooker.

Michigan State 28 - Illinois 20

Indiana @ Virginia

IU nearly upset Michigan two weeks ago and they weren't completely horrible against Ohio State, but for no other reason than the fact that William and Mary beat Virginia at home, I have to pick Indiana in this game.

Indiana 24 - Virginia 20

Michigan @ Iowa

Michigan has won six of seven in Iowa City and the Hawkeyes have not looked great at home against the likes of Northern Illinois and Arkansas State.

I hate to ever pick Michigan, but I think their loss last week to the Spartans was unfortunate for Iowa, because UM will come out fired up, and they actually have a decent offense led by Tate Forcier and Carlos Brown.

I just hope their "D" doesn't keep stinking it up, or my prediction will be shot down like a squirrel in Alabama.

Michigan 34 - Iowa 31

Wisconsin @ Ohio State

Many, myself included, believe Wisconsin's perfect record is a result of a weak schedule, rather than them being a quality team.

That being said, this week will prove one way or another if the Badgers really are a good team, or if their opponents just have really been that bad, regardless of my personal opinion.

Will Terrelle get to play hero again this year?

I wrote an in-depth, and historical article on the Buckeyes game vs. the Badgers this week, including my score prediction. The entire article can be read here.

CLICK HERE for more from
BlockONation ::: Buckeye Football Lives Here

Tate Forcier vs. Terrelle Pryor: Which Touted Big Ten QB Is Better Right Now?

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:46:21 -0400

This is where we separate the boys from the MEN.

After Michigan started the season 4-0 and Ohio State began 3-1, the media and UM fans wanted us to buy what they were selling—That UM was back, and that UM freshman QB Tate Forcier was "the man".

What a difference one game can make.

I've heard and read UM fans referring to Michigan State as their little brother. It must really sting now that "little bro" has won the last two meetings, especially after this past weeks loss.

Every Michigan fan on the planet would have guaranteed a win and a 5-0 start before that game.

Forcier looked bad for all but the last six minutes of the fourth quarter, and UM lost in overtime, 26-20.

Whoops...

[/rant]

Ok, now as for comparing Forcier and Pryor to this point, we don't have much to go on, but there are two things we do have that we can use to measure them against each other.

First is their individual performances against a common opponent (Indiana).

Second is their individual performances in the game that each has lost, as both teams are now 4-1.

(For the record, I am doing this because without much ground to stand on, UM fans would have you believe that Forcier is the better QB and a Heisman winner in-the-making, while Pryor, a player they all coveted in 2008, until he chose Ohio State over UM, "crumbles under pressure" and "can't throw" to save his life.)

vs. Indiana

Tate's numbers at home in Ann Arbor:

11/21 passing, 199 total yards (184 passing, 15 rushing) and three total touchdowns (two pass, one rush) with one interception.

Terrelle's numbers on the road in Bloomington:

16/27 passing, 222 total yards (159 passing, 63 rushing) and four total touchdowns (three pass, one rush) with one interception.

Michigan's loss to Michigan State

Tate's numbers on the road in East Lansing:

17/32 passing, 250 total yards (223 passing, 27 rushing) and two passing touchdowns with one interception.

Ohio State's loss to Southern Cal

Terrelle's numbers at home in Columbus:

11/25 passing, 213 total yards (177 passing, 36 rushing) and 0 touchdowns with one interception.

Clearly Tate played better in UM's loss to Michigan State than did Pryor in Ohio State's loss to USC. But we know USC has one of the top defenses in the nation, while MSU is one of, if not the worst in the Big Ten.

So that tells us that Tate can play better against a bad "D" than Terrelle can vs. a very good "D", or in other words, not much.

Therefore, the best gauge we have as of right now are their individual performances against Indiana.

Pryor had slightly fewer passing yards, but more overall total yards (222 to 199) and more touchdowns. Pryor also played Indiana on the road, and the Buckeyes cruised to victory, while Michigan squeaked by MSU in Ann Arbor.

With it being a free country and all, you can make up your own minds, but I know who I'm picking and I don't even have to say his name, do I?

Here's a hint though in case you need it:

He's 12-3 as a starter and Tate only has five career starts....

While I do not claim this to be a scientifically proven and infallible method for comparing the two, it absolutely does provide some insight for now, and provides a jumping off point to spark the debate and add fuel to the rivalry fire.

It will ultimately be settled on the field on November 21, 2009 in Ann Arbor.

CLICK HERE for more from
BlockONation ::: Buckeye Football Lives Here

Ohio State-Wisconsin: Week Six Preview—Free History Lesson Included

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 07:17:00 -0400

No. 8 Ohio State (4-1) hosts No. 25 Wisconsin (5-0) Saturday at 3:30 in the Shoe.

Many, myself included, believe Wisconsin's perfect record is a result of a weak schedule, rather than them being a quality team.

That being said, this week will prove one way or another if the Badgers really are a good team, or if their opponents just have really been that bad, regardless of my personal opinion.

Will TP be the hero again this year?

Oct. 10, 2009—Game Six—3:30PM Kickoff

TV: ABC

VS.

Here is the recent and all-time history between Ohio State and Wisconsin:

• Ohio State leads the all-time head-to-head series (52-17-5).

• Ohio State is 12-7-1 vs. Wisconsin in the last 20 meetings (dating back to 1985).

• The last Ohio State loss at home to Wisconsin was in 2004 by a score of 24-13 (that year, Wisconsin was 9-3 and Ohio State was 8-4).

• Jim Tressel is 3-3 (1-2 at home) vs. Wisconsin, outscoring them 117-109, or an average game score of 20-18.

• Bret Bielema is 0-2 vs. Ohio State since taking over the Badgers in 2006.

• Wisconsin's last Big Ten title was in 1999.

Keys to the game

The Buckeye defense will need to contain RB John Clay and force QB Scott Tolzien into mistakes. If Wisconsin is forced to try to win throwing the ball, the Buckeyes should prevail. If Clay breaks through and has a big day, the Bucks could be in trouble.

Ultimately, I expect the Buckeyes to win, but the game could be low-scoring and close most of the way.

I did not expect Wisconsin to be 5-0, but again, looking at their schedule, it isn't exactly a shock either. If UW had played OSU's schedule, I'm pretty confident that they'd be 3-2 or 2-3 instead of 5-0, but that's just an opinionated, educated, semi-unbiased guess.

Final score prediction

Ohio State 27
Wisconsin 17

CLICK HERE for more from
BlockONation ::: Buckeye Football Lives Here

Michigan Reality Check: Wolverines Lose First Road Game Of The Year To Sparty

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:39:00 -0400

Close, but no cigar.....

Little, tiny Tate Forcier looked pretty average until the final few minutes of the fourth quarter for Coach Rodriguez and the Wolverines today as UM came back down to Earth after escaping losses two of the last three weeks.

The third time WAS NOT a charm.

The Spartans (2-3) handed formerly No. 22 ranked Michigan (4-1) their first loss of the year, in their first road game of the season.

Michigan State's horrible defense, and Tressel-ball-like offensive ineptitude (Dantonio is a Tressel disciple) late in the game allowed UM back into the game, but in the end, it was not enough as the Spartans pulled off the 26-20 upset.

Forcier forced an ill-advised pass into the end zone on the first possession of overtime, and the Spartans made him pay, intercepting the pass, and ultimately sealing UM's fate. Three plays later, MSU's Larry Caper ran in for the game-winning 24-yard touchdown.

It looks as though last weeks close call at home vs. Indiana was a clear indicator that UM was overrated, and today's loss all but confirmed that suspicion. Heck just going into OT with a 1-3 team is practically enough to confirm that UM is not back just yet.

Hospital ER's across the Michigan region are preparing for the influx of broken ankles expected today and over the next couple of days as fans scramble to jump off the Tate Forcier and even-more-so the Coach Rod, and the 2009 Michigan bandwagon.

NEW ARTICLE UPDATE:

Week Five Fallout: Tate Forcier vs. Terrelle Pryor—Who's Better Right Now?

CLICK HERE for more from
BlockONation ::: Buckeye Football Lives Here

Ranking the Big Ten Quarterbacks Top To Bottom Heading Into Week Five

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 03:36:00 -0400

There has been much debate so far this season as to which QB is the best in the Big Ten.

Is it Big Ten preseason POY Terrelle Pryor of Ohio State? Or could it be true freshmen Tate Forcier from Michigan? Or veteran Daryll Clark from Penn State?

How about less-heralded guys like Adam Weber from Minnesota, Ricky Stanzi from Iowa, Mike Kafka from Northwestern, or Ben Chappell from Indiana?

I'm going to rank them 1-11, using two different methods.

Method No. 1—Statistically (ranked 1-11 by stats/QB Rating)

1. Scott Tolzien—Wisconsin

67 percent pass completion, 884 pass yards, 8 pass TD, 2 INT, 164 QB Rating

2. Tate Forcier—Michigan

62 percent pass completion, 671 pass yards, 127 rush yards, 7 pass TD, 2 rush TD, 2 INT, 149 QB Rating

3. Kirk Cousins—Michigan State

61 percent pass completion, 850 pass yards, 7 pass TD, 2 INT, 148 QB Rating

4. Mike Kafka—Northwestern

72 percent pass completion, 1049 pass yards, 5 pass TD, 1 rush TD, 3 INT, 146 QB Rating

5. Daryll Clark—Penn State

60 percent pass completion, 958 pass yards, 9 pass TD, 6 INT, 136 QB Rating

6. Terrelle Pryor—Ohio State

58 percent pass completion, 695 pass yards, 235 rush yards, 5 pass TD, 2 rush TD, 4 INT, 134 QB Rating

7. Joey Elliot—Purdue

60 percent pass completion, 963 pass yards, 74 rush yards, 7 pass TD, 2 rush TD, 2 INT, 127 QB Rating

8. Ben Chappell—Indiana

65 percent pass completion, 944 pass yards, 3 pass TD, 1 rush TD, 4 INT, 127 QB Rating

9. Adam Weber—Minnesota

58 percent pass completion, 879 pass yards, 5 pass TD, 5 INT, 120 QB Rating

10. Ricky Stanzi—Iowa

56 percent pass completion, 779 pass yards, 5 pass TD, 5 INT, 113 QB Rating

11. Juice Williams—Illinois

59 percent pass completion, 256 pass yards, 94 rush yards, 0 pass TD, 0 rush TD, 3 INT, 88 QB Rating

Statistics can be misleading however, especially given the level of competition some of these QB's have faced, so here's my other (possibly more reliable) angle.

Method No. 2—Realistically (based on stats and my personal s.o.s. per team through week four)

1. Kirk Cousins

2. Terrelle Pryor

3. Daryll Clark

4. Joey Elliot

5. Tate Forcier

6. Mike Kafka

7. Adam Weber

8. Scott Tolzien

9. Ricky Stanzi

10. Ben Chappell

11. Juice Williams

I won't claim that these "realistically" rankings are perfect, as much as they are subjective, but if I had these 11 quarterbacks to choose from to start my own team, this is the order I'd pick them in, as of right now.

Ultimately, these rankings are definitely very fluid. A week or two from now, they could be drastically different, or they could be unchanged. Feel free to post your own thoughts.

CLICK HERE for more from
BlockONation ::: Buckeye Football Lives Here

BlockO Asks, You Answer: Is Terrelle Pryor Afraid to Run?

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:33:00 -0400

Sure, sometimes he runs, and he makes a lot of big plays when doing so.

But then there are other times, more often than not recently, when it seems that Terrelle just doesn't want to run—almost as if he is afraid to get hit.

If so, he needs to go the the school of taking hits, Craig Krenzel-style. If Krenzel had the athleticism of Pryor, he would have been one of the greatest QBs in college football.

How many times did we see Krenzel sacrifice his body for a pass, run, or score. That guy took some of the worst hits in OSU football history.

Pryor needs to play with this same attitude and heart. He also needs to make his on-the-field decisions much faster, instead of dancing around with happy feet, before eventually getting sacked.

We've all seen him stiff-arm defenders to the ground, so, why doesn't TP run more?

Is he afraid of taking a hit?

Or does he want to become an NFL-prototype pocket passing QB, who refuses to run until it's too late?

Now, please post a comment, or comments, and let me know why you think TP is so hesitant to run, or why sometimes, he doesn't run at all.

CLICK HERE for more from
BlockONation ::: Buckeye Football Lives Here

Ohio State-Indiana Week Five Preview: Free History Lesson Included

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:50:33 -0400

In the words of Eminem's song Slim Shady, "Will the real Indiana (and Michigan for that matter) please stand up?

The untested Michigan Wolverines are now 4-0 while the surprising Indiana Hoosiers are 3-1, their only loss coming to the Wolverines, but more on that in a bit.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are 3-1, and probably should be 4-0, but we won't dwell on the past mistakes that led to the loss against USC, but rather, we will look ahead.

Ohio State won easily vs. Illinois as I predicted. I specifically said I was not expecting another shutout, but definitely a win. My prediction was 38-13. The actual final score was 30-0.

Meh, close enough.

This Buckeye "D" is much better than I imagined, and I already thought they were very good.

This week, Ohio State will play their first true road game of the season (the Toledo Rockets were the home team in Cleveland two weeks ago) as they will travel to Bloomington, Indiana, to take on the Hoosiers.

Last week, Indiana nearly pulled out a win vs. Michigan in the Big House.

Unfortunately for them, the officials gave the game away on a terrible call when there clearly appeared to be a simultaneous catch and possession by an IU receiver and a UM defensive back, but the officials ruled it an interception.

After a home cooked booth review, the call was upheld (how convenient) and UM escaped with a shady 36-33 "win".

IU coach Bill Lynch was livid, and rightfully so.

While I don't mean to totally disrespect Indiana, they really aren't a good football program (their three wins were all pretty close over FCS or small FBS foes Eastern Kentucky, Western Michigan, and Akron), the closeness of this game shows me the Wolverines are vastly overrated, and that Ohio State "should" win over IU by a minimum of three to four scores this week.

10/03/2009—Game Five—7PM
TV: Big Ten Network

@

Here is the recent and all-time history between OSU and IU:

• Ohio State leads the all-time head-to-head series (65-12-5)

• Ohio State is 17-2-1 vs. IU last 20 meetings (dating back to 1985).

• The last Ohio State loss at IU was in 1988 by a score of 41-7 (That year, IU went 8-3-1 and OSU went 4-6-1).

• Since 1991, Ohio State is 16-0 vs. IU.

• Tressel is 6-0 vs. IU, outscoring them 222-57, or an average game score of 37-10.

A third straight shutout win could become a reality, but either way, I fully expect the Buckeyes to win, and win big.

Maybe Indiana will prove me wrong.

Maybe they are far better than I believe they are, and they actually keep it close against the Bucks—Or even pull off the huge upset win...?

NAH...I'm not a crackhead.

Final score prediction:

Ohio State 44
Indiana 16

CLICK HERE for more from
BlockONation ::: Buckeye Football Lives Here

Ohio State-Illinois Set To Open Big Ten Play: Week Four Game Preview

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:32:00 -0400

Last week, Ohio State traveled to Cleveland to take on the Toledo Rockets and there were concerns the Buckeyes may suffer from a hangover due to their close heartbreaking loss in week two vs. USC.

No such luck for Toledo, as the Buckeyes came out firing en route to a 38-0 thrashing.

Quarterback Terrelle Pryor had a career day, passing for 262 yards and three touchdowns, as well as rushing for 110 yards and a score.

Wideout Dane Sanzenbacher also had a career day, catching five balls for 125 yards and two scores.

Toledo, and QB Aaron Opelt, who had individually led the nation in total yardage, could never get in rhythm against an overbearing Buckeye defense that continues to gel and improve week to week.

That was then. This is now.

VS.

The Buckeyes (2-1) are set to open Big Ten Conference play this week as they play host to the Fighting Illini (1-1) from Illinois. The game is on ABC at 3:30 EST.

Starting at 3:00PM, there will be a LIVE, in-game chat on BlockONation, so come join us, just before and during the game (link below article).

Illinois began the season losing in an unexpected blowout to rebuilding Missouri before bouncing back vs. FCS foe Illinois State.

Star QB Juice Williams has zero touchdown passes, an interception, and only 179 yards thus far, and star receiver Arrelious Benn has been injured and only has one catch for nine yards. To say the least, Illinois has been a major disappointment so far.

That being said, the Buckeyes know they cannot take any conference opponent for granted (see USC vs. Washington last week), especially Illinois in Columbus. Under Tressel, the Buckeyes have averaged 25.5 points per game and given up 18.3 points per game in the series.

Since Tressel took over in 2001, Ohio State is 4-2 vs. the Illini, but only 1-2 in games played in Ohio Stadium. In 2007, Illinois defeated the Buckeyes 28-21 in Columbus, nearly derailing then No. 1 Ohio State's BCS title game hopes.

Ultimately, a series of late-season upsets allowed the Buckeyes to move back up to No. 1 in the final BCS standings, only to lose in New Orleans (a "neutral" site) to LSU anyway.

Overall, Ohio State leads the all-time head-to-head series 61-30-4, and since 1967, OSU is 13-7 vs. Illinois at home.

I expect the Buckeyes to play much like they did last week against Toledo on both sides of the ball vs. Ron Zook and his Illini team. I am not expecting a shutout, but I am going to call for a Buckeye victory.

My final score prediction:

Ohio State 38
Illinois 13

CLICK HERE for more from
BlockONation ::: Buckeye Football Lives Here

BlockONation TBDPITL Ballot: My Week Three Top 25 Rankings

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:16:24 -0400

Week three of the college football season was exciting and brought with it a few surprises and unexpected pleasantries, i.e., the blowout loss by BYU and the USC loss to Washington.

There are four new teams in my rankings this week and I also have a new No. 1 team for the first time this season.

I fully expect UF fans to email me and/or post hateful angry comments below.

Get over it, Gator faithful. You know your team did nothing to impress anybody with that measly 10 point win over Kiffin's average Vol team.

Without further ado, I'm about to bring the pain.

No. 1--Texas

I finally dropped UF from No. 1 after their not-so-great performance vs. Tennessee. They finally played a BCS team, and not a very good one, and I was not impressed. Texas gets the slight nod over the Gators this week after mostly containing a highly explosive Texas Tech offense.

No. 2--Florida

See Texas above. Pounding cupcakes, then barely beating an average BCS team will bite you in the ass every time.

No. 3--California

Jahvid Best is absolutely my Heisman front-runner until further notice. The Gophers have a decent team, but Best carried the Bears to the road win with 100+ yards and five touchdowns and carried his team to the top three of my ballot.

No. 4--Alabama

Running back Mark Ingram and quarterback Greg McElroy have Tide fans sold, that once again, this is their year. I know they beat Va Tech in Week One, but these last two pushover games have shown me very little. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now, but I'm still not 100 percent sold on these elephants.

No. 5--Penn State

Ho hum, the Nits won their third game of the year vs. their third high school caliber opponent. I really feel when Penn State plays a real team, they are going to crash and burn, but I'll keep them here for now so I can laugh harder when it happens.

No. 6--LSU

The Tigers went out and beat the Washington Huskies in Week One, something USC failed to do, so I moved them up three spots this week even though their last two wins were over Vandy and a directional Louisiana team. I still don't know who to truly believe in from the SEC West...

No. 7--Boise State

The Broncos are 3-0 and look to be the new flavor of the week for the mid-majors after BYU's blowout loss to unranked Florida State. Quarterback Kellen Moore and running backs Jeremy Avery and DJ Harper could all start for many BCS schools. Other than maybe at Tulsa on Oct. 14, Boise State's remaining games are all pretty much guaranteed wins. I don't see them going anywhere from here but up.

No. 8--Mississippi

The Rebels are 2-0 after drilling Southeastern Louisiana 52-6. Their other win was over Memphis, so this ranking is somewhat a leap of faith at this point, mainly because I'm on the Jevan Snead bandwagon. This Thursday, they play at South Carolina, then at Vanderbilt the following week, and on Oct. 10, they will host No. 3 Alabama. The next two games are very winnable, likely setting up a potential top five showdown with the Tide in three weeks.

No. 9--Ohio State

What a difference a week and more aggressive play-calling make. Albeit it, Tressel wasn't as afraid of making costly mistakes vs. the Rockets as he was against the Trojans. Terrelle Pryor wasn't perfect, but he was very good overall, accounting for over 300 total yards and four touchdowns in just over three quarters. Unless I'm on crack, look for more of the same next week as the Buckeyes open Big Ten play when they will host what seems to be a previously over-valued Illinois team.

No. 10--Cincinnati

After starting outside of the top 25 this preseason, the Bearcats have steadily clawed their way into my top 10. They traveled to Corvalis and came away with a 28-18 victory. That is no easy task to win there. Just ask USC. Brian Kelly can coach and Tony Pike can play quarterback. In fact, Pike is absolutely a (darkhorse) Heisman candidate as of right now. If Cincy keeps winning and if Pike keeps playing this way, the Bearcats and Pike may once again find themselves in a BCS bowl and Pike could be in New York at the Downtown Athletic Club come December.

No. 11--Miami (Fl.)

Hurricane quarterback Jacory Harris just might be better than Robert Griffin and Terrelle Pryor. He hasn't gotten the hype and the headlines until now, but that hasn't stopped him from leading the Canes to two huge wins over then No. 25 FSU and then No. 8 Georgia Tech. The Canes might be back or at least close to being back. Their games the next two weeks will be telltale as they travel to No. 13 Va Tech before hosting No. 12 Oklahoma. Before the season, the experts thought "The U" would be 0-4 to start the season. As it looks right now, 4-0 is a definite possibility.

No. 12--Oklahoma

Freshman QB Landry Jones has made leaps and bounds in his first two career starts. Jones set a Sooners record by tossing six touchdowns in the 45-0 rout of Tulsa on Saturday. OU now has a bye week and an extra week to prepare for their now big-time showdown in Miami vs. the No. 11 Canes in two weeks. This game sure isn't going to be the easy win many thought it would be just a few short weeks ago. It could end up being one of the best games of the year.

No.13--Virginia Tech

The Hokies have bounced back from their Week One loss to Alabama and have found another star running back in Ryan Williams. Nebraska, then No. 15, came to Blacksburg with plans to upset the Hokies, but Va Tech came from behind and held on for a 16-15 win. Next week, surprising No. 11 Miami and rising star Jacory Harris come to town in what could be the game of the week. Don't miss it.

No. 14--Houston

The Cougars had a Week Three bye, but will get back at it this week as they host Taylor Potts and the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Texas Tech hung in for a while vs. Texas Saturday night in Austin, but in the end, Colt McCoy and the Texas "D" were too much. Houston has already pulled the upset of the year over the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Week Two and quarterback Case Keenum is a big reason why Houston is ranked where they are. If they win over the Red Raiders this week, they are almost a lock to go undefeated and should have a great shot at a BCS bowl.

No. 15--Southern California

A lot of people want to make excuses for USC when they lose a game they aren't supposed to against an inferior Pac-10 opponent. I'm not one of those people. Who cares that Barkley didn't play? Corp was already the starter for USC until he was injured just before the start of the season. Others say you can't drop USC below a team they already beat (i.e. Ohio State), to which that I say, tOSU looks to have learned from their mistakes vs. USC and improved over the past week, while USC regressed and looked like they didn't belong on the field vs. Washington. BYU beat Oklahoma head to head, but you'll notice they aren't in the top 25 this week, while OU is. USC may have been questionably better than the Buckeyes last week in the Shoe, but this week, most definitely not.

No. 16--Oklahoma State

Zac Robinson and Dez Bryant showed this week that the Cowboys do belong and that their loss to Houston may have been the result of a letdown and a fluke after their big Week One win over Georgia. Their next two games are against Grambling State and Texas A&M. The Cowboys should win each of those games before a somewhat brutal stretch to close out October when they host Missouri, travel to Waco to face the Baylor Bears, then host the Longhorns on Oct. 31. If their defense plays like it did against Houston, October won't be kind to the Cowpokes and my rankings will ultimately reflect that.

No. 17--TCU

The Frogs jumped a few spots this week after a few upsets, but they still need a signature win to solidify their ranking. That could come this week as they will travel to South Carolina to take on the (2-1) Clemson Tigers. Clemson running back CJ Spiller has been great out of the backfield and as a return man, so for TCU to have a chance to win and hold onto their top 15 ranking, they must contain Spiller and move the ball offensively against a Tiger defense that last week held Boston College to just seven points.

No. 18--Kansas

The good news for the Jayhawks (3-0) is they are averaging 42 points per game on offense, led by QB Todd Reesing and running backs Jake Sharp and Toben Opurum. The bad news is we still don't know if they're really any good or not. Nor will we know before Oct. 24, when they host Oklahoma. Their next three games are all extremely winnable, meaning Kansas will likely start 6-0. In their final six, at least five are possible losses. I guess all I can say to Kansas fans is enjoy it while you can.

No. 19--Nebraska

Nebraska led at halftime and practically the entire second half of the game at Va Tech until when it mattered most. Tyrod Taylor threw the game-winning TD with just 21 seconds left on the clock to shock the Huskers. Nebraska had not one, but two touchdowns taken off the board: one by penalty and one because the receiver fumbled the ball when he hit the ground. It was a valiant effort and Nebraska still hangs in the top 20 on my ballot this week.

No. 20--Michigan

I guess I really can't justify putting UM lower than 20 for now, so by default, the Wolverines crack the top 20, even though they still have not beaten anyone good. The lucky win over Notre Dame looks much less impressive when you consider that MSU, who lost to Central Michigan of the MAC last week, gave the game away to Notre Dame in the final minutes over the weekend in South Bend. Michigan fans are getting way carried away and even touting Tater as a Heisman candidate—in 2012 in small print, but still. Right now, he's their hero and savior, and at least 1000 times better than Pryor, McCoy, or Tebow among others—but he will choke when UM finally plays a good team and when he does, then we'll see just how much UM fans really love him.

No. 21--Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech has really disappointed the last two weeks. A close win barely holding on at home vs. Clemson a week ago and now a blowout loss to Miami has the Yellow Jackets out of the top 20 on my ballot. Jonathan Dwyer has underperformed in the last two games and if he and Josh Nesbitt can't get back on track, GT won't be in my top 25 much longer.

No. 22--Missouri

Take away QB Chase Daniel, TE Chase Coffman, and WR Jeremy Maclin and what do you have? A Missouri Tigers team that looks almost as good as when those three were still suiting up. This year's Tigers (3-0) are led by QB Blaine Gabbert. Sure, they've beaten up on two weak teams the last two weeks, but they did open the year with a 37-9 beat down of Illinois on a neutral site. The next four games (at Nevada, vs. Nebraska, at Oklahoma State, vs. Texas) will truly measure how good these 2009 Tigers are.

No. 23--Pittsburgh

Pitt was my pick to win the Big East, followed by West Virginia, then Cincy. RB Dion Lewis has been outstanding taking over at RB for Shady McCoy. I still believe Pitt could challenge the Bearcats for the conference crown, and fittingly, they play each other in the final game of the season. The Panthers handled the Navy Triple option much better than the Buckeyes did, but that was Week One, when OSU opened with the Midshipmen, and to be fair, Pitt plays NC State next week, not USC, so there's really no reason for them to look ahead.

No. 24--Florida State

I suppose they could prove me wrong, but I still do not like this Seminoles team and I don't think FSU will win more than seven or eight games this year. That being said, they just whipped BYU in Provo and everyone remembers that BYU beat Oklahoma on a "neutral" site, so I have no choice but to move them back onto my ballot, but I trust it won't be for long. (Sorry FSUTampaGuy).

No. 25--Iowa

Iowa dropped out of my top 25 after the miracle win when they blocked two FGs vs. Northern Iowa in Week One. The Hawkeyes (3-0) are now back after two wins over BCS teams. Now, Iowa State is a Big 12 doormat, so that win did not sway me and Iowa did not move up last week, but Arizona is a pretty decent team from the Pac-10, so I do now believe Iowa is worthy of of the No. 25 slot. This coming Saturday, the Hawkeyes travel to Happy Valley for a game I am greatly anticipating. Penn State has yet to be tested and I'd love nothing more than to see an instant classic and an Iowa victory. The game is the 8 p.m. Saturday night ABC game—Don't miss it!

Dropped out:

BYU, Oregon State, Texas Tech, Utah.

Newcomers:

Missouri, Pitt, Florida State, Iowa.

Almost in:

Washington, UCLA, Auburn, North Carolina, BYU, South Florida, Georgia.

CLICK HERE for more from
BlockONation ::: Buckeye Football Lives Here

USC Fallout: Is This Jim Tressel's Rich Rodriguez Moment?

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:21:44 -0400

A year ago, after many fans of the University of Michigan were questioning whether or not Rich Rod was the right man to lead their program, as they suffered loss after loss on their way to a 3-9 season—the worst ever in UM history—Rodriguez was quoted as saying to those critics, "Get a life."

Fast forward to September 12, 2009.

Michigan is 2-0, "they call me" Tater (salad) Forcier is the next Tom Brady, Rich Rod is a coaching God, and UM fans are regaining their cocky attitudes.

Meanwhile, the Buckeyes are now 1-1, Pryor sucks and is overrated, Tressel is a bum, and OSU fans are PISSED after this most recent setback, an 18-15 loss to USC in Ohio Stadium to a team that lost eight defensive starters from a year ago, and came to Columbus with a true freshman QB at the helm.

This Buckeye team played great, specifically on defense, but in the end, it was the ridiculously conservative hand-cuffing of the offense that led to the final result...

Another loss, on the national stage by Ohio State—in a game that most Ohio State fans truly believe the Buckeyes should have won and would have won, if Jim Tressel was not ultra-conservative—has critics coming out of the woodwork, more than ever, and has seemingly turned up the heat on Tressel.

Tressel is well aware that the hot seat is getting warmer, at least in the fans' eyes.

Tressel said he has received critical e-mails, but said the fans' poison makes him feel sorry for them.

"When I read some of them I feel terrible for them because there's no way they're happy," he said. "They've got to be some of the most unhappy people in the world, and I feel bad because we just made them less happy, and I hate to be a part of making someone less happy. I mean, they're already miserable."

Did he really just say that? That critical OSU fans are some of the most unhappy and miserable people in the world?

To say that takes some balls.

Too bad Tressel has shown no sign of having a pair when it comes to his play-calling on the field.

Bob Hunter, a columnist for The Columbus Dispatch, wrote that angry Ohio State fans may want a new coach but no-one talks about who that might be. He also brought up the subject of buying out Tressel's contract, which would pay Tressel more than $12 million through January 2013.

Tongue in cheek, Hunter proposed those wanting to get rid of Tressel might want to circulate petitions to build a casino or two on campus so the coach and his biggest boosters, athletic director Gene Smith and Ohio State president Gordon Gee, all could be fired.

With the Buckeyes preparing to play Toledo at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Saturday, the glow of that 2002 national championship game seems light years away.

It's true, many fans are calling for his termination, which is extreme if you ask me. Others are demanding that he relinquish his play-calling duties and hire a real offensive coordinator—possibly a young guru, with some fresh ideas on how to jump start the stagnant, dull, and sputtering offense we've seen for the past several seasons in Columbus—one who will put Tressel-ball out of its misery for good.

I love the Buckeyes and Jim Tressel has been an amazing coach. I'm in what I believe to be the majority that wants Tressel to stay, but would also like to see him give up play-calling.

The problem with keeping Tressel is, he doesn't want to do that. So, if he won't make some much needed changes with the coaching staff, and he won't give up calling the plays on offense, there's only one option left...

Maybe in just a few short years, Tressel really has went from a top five coach, to outdated and washed up.

I can't stress this enough: I still want Tressel as our coach, but I think he has to find and hire an offensive minded coordinator to give the play-calling duties to.

Nothing lasts forever and if he really is not willing to make these few changes, then I think it could be time for Tress to head back to Youngstown State, or just an early retirement from coaching altogether at the end of the season.

If he finds a way to lose to Toledo on Saturday at Cleveland Browns Stadium, he'll be less popular than Kanye West at the CMA's.

Maybe he can go on Leno and apologize to Buckeye Nation, and announce he's going to "take a break" from coaching—likely a permanent one.

CLICK HERE for more from
BlockONation ::: Buckeye Football Lives Here

BlockONation TBDPITL Ballot: My Week Two Top 25 Rankings

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:12:16 -0400

I am a voter for TBDPITL (The Best Damn Poll In The Land), which is located here. You can go there to view the overall poll. There are around 100 total voters. All ballots from each voter are public and can be viewed each week on the site. This is my week two top 25 ballot. Feel free to agree or disagree with me in the comments section below, but please keep it respectful. Thanks. Now, here we go.

Begin Slideshow

Ohio State-USC: The Top 10 College Gameday Signs I Hope to See

HD Handshoe - Block-O-Nation — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:46:28 -0400

ESPN's College Gameday is coming to Columbus Saturday morning in preparation for the 8PM showdown between No. 3 USC and No. 8 Ohio State.

The signs that fans bring to CGD have become part of the tradition and there are always some that took a lot of imagination and a great sense of humor.

Here are the top 10 (sign ideas) that I hope to see there so if you're going, feel free to use any of these!

Drumroll please...........and here we go:

No. 10—Joe Wilson says, "Matt Barkley, you a liar!"

No. 9—Vika Mick (probably not the first time Vicodin and Mick Jagger have tango'd)

No. 8—Go Bucks, BLOUNT the Trojans!

No. 7—Hey, Matt...Can you hear me now!?

No. 6—Traveler is a GELDING

No. 5—You can't Spell lack of institutional Control without "USC"

No. 4—Brutus uses Trojans!

No. 3—U$C : Where it Really Does Pay to Play

No. 2—Southern feCal

No. 1—O.J. MURDERED my other sign!

CLICK HERE for more from
BlockONation ::: Buckeye Football Lives Here