Week Fourteen BlogPoll

I missed a lot taking my Thanksgiving vacation. There were several things that I wanted to talk about, but that's no longer timely, so I'm just moving on. BlogPoll!

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	--
2	Southern Cal	1
3	Michigan	1
4	Florida	2
5	LSU	3
6	Wisconsin	1
7	Rutgers	2
8	Louisville	2
9	Auburn	5
10	Oklahoma	5
11	Boise State	2
12	Arkansas	8
13	Virginia Tech	7
14	California	2
15	West Virginia	4
16	Texas	4
17	Nebraska	4
18	Notre Dame	13
19	Wake Forest	3
20	Tennessee	1
21	Penn State	2
22	Brigham Young	2
23	Oregon State	3
24	Georgia Tech	7
25	Texas A&M	1

Dropped Out: Boston College (#18), Maryland (#25).

Notes

• I feel dirty for moving USC above Michigan. I kinda think Michigan's better than USC, but USC has played a tougher schedule. Basically I rank them this way because I don't want a rematch for the national championship game, but USC is the only team I feel is good enough to warrant getting in over Michigan. Brian lays out the argument for ranking USC above Michigan, and it's pretty compelling. At least he makes an argument using actual information and working within the framework of the BCS, instead of forming a weak argument claiming that Michigan is more deserving, failing to back it up in any meaningful way, then closing with a half-assed plea for a playoff. You'd have to be pretty stupid to do that.
• LSU vaults over Wisconsin and Rutgers, mostly because "LSU, top five team" doesn't sound as silly as "Wisconsin/Rutgers, top five team."
• Auburn moves up, because someone has to, and the BCS computers like Auburn. When I have to pick sides, I prefer to pick the side made up of things that lack the ability to say "style points."
• Oklahoma moves up because I've decided to remove the loss to Oregon from consideration, seeing as it wasn't really a loss. So it moves to a notch below "unimpressive win," and they're a one-loss team in a kinda weak conference. That's top ten-worthy.
• Big drop for Arkansas as it turns out their best quarterback is their running back. Smaller drops for Texas and West Virginia, as they also need quarterbacks, but their QB problems are either due to injury or something we already knew about.
• Huge drop for Notre Dame. Perhaps too big, but how do we know they're any better than the teams around them? They've played two very good teams and gotten crushed, which suggests they aren't top-10 material. They needed dramatic comebacks to beat UCLA and Michigan State, which suggests they probably aren't top-15 material. I don't entirely blame them for the weak schedule, but the fact remains - they haven't proven anything this season.
• Another Georgia Tech loss, another Calvin Johnson disappearing act. The question is no longer "Why don't they throw to Calvin?" The question has become "Why doesn't he perform in big games?"
  

Week Thirteen BlogPoll

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	--
2	Michigan	--
3	Southern Cal	--
4	Arkansas	--
5	Notre Dame	1
6	Florida	1
7	Wisconsin	2
8	LSU	--
9	Rutgers	4
10	Louisville	1
11	West Virginia	2
12	Texas	--
13	Boise State	1
14	Auburn	1
15	Oklahoma	2
16	California	6
17	Georgia Tech	2
18	Boston College	3
19	Tennessee	1
20	Virginia Tech	2
21	Nebraska	2
22	Wake Forest	6
23	Penn State	3
24	Brigham Young	1
25	Maryland	7

Dropped Out: Oregon (#24).

I'm in the midst of an annual tradition that, while less beloved than most associated with the Buckeyes, is nevertheless a regular part of my football season activities: the post-Michigan illness. Jumping in an ice-cold lake teeming with all sorts of little bugs, screaming for three hours at a game, and getting zero sleep inevitably leads to me getting sick. So no post yesterday. But anyone, on to the bullet points:

• I didn't drop Michigan after The Game, because I do honestly think they're the second best team in America. Plus, as losses to OSU's go, a loss to Ohio State looks a lot better than a loss to Oregon State.
• However, that doesn't mean that I'm in favor of a rematch. If Michigan had lost to OSU early in the season, that would be one thing. But if they lost in their last game, why give them another shot? If we're going to make the argument that the regular season means anything, there shouldn't be a rematch.
  
  However, if we're going to make the argument that the BCS should give us the best two teams in the national championship game, there should be a rematch. And I understand that logic, and I generally agree with it. But not in this case. Michigan had their chance, they lost. Give someone else a shot at it.
• Florida won big, but against a 1-AA team. That's the equivalent of a bye week to me. The way I feel about playing a 1-AA team is that it cannot help you in my rankings, it can only hurt you.
• Rutgers is only that high because I can't see dropping them below a team they just beat. But a loss to Cincinnati is a bad loss. I might change my mind on their ranking. I may just wait, however, since I think the wheels are about to fall off of Rutgers.
• Penn State's back in the rankings, almost entirely because I like the Big Ten. Sure, you could argue that a team whose three losses all came to top-5 teams might not be that bad, but I won't make the argument. I'll just acknowledge my bias and move on.

Woooooo!

Wow. Buckeye fans were all hoping for a win, many even expected one, but I don't think anyone expected it would come like this, in a 42-39 win. The Game certainly didn't play out the way I expected:

• Two of the top scoring defenses in the country gave up a combined 81 points.
  
• Michigan's vaunted run defense gave up 187 yards to the Buckeyes.
• Ohio State's turnover machine of a defense did not force any turnovers (though I don't think that interception should have been overturned. Big Ten officials use a screwy definition of "indisputable video evidence"). On a related note, Chad Henne actually looked pretty good most of the game.

I expected a defensive struggle, a battle of field position. I got a shootout. It doesn't matter to me, I'll take the wins as they come. Some more thoughts:

• From what I can gather, both sides feel ripped off by the refs, so I guess they didn't do too bad of a job (or, alternatively, they were bad, but at least the bad calls evened out).
• Speaking of the refs, don't let anyone tell you that personal foul call late in the game was controversial. You aren't allowed to lead with your helmet or hit with the top of your helmet. Easy call, and a correct one.
• One thing that did go as planned: the performance of Troy Smith. One of those fumbles was his fault, and he probably shouldn't have thrown that pass that got picked off (but he makes those plays often enough that I won't argue against his decision too much). Other than that, he was fantastic. I agree with those that say he locked up the Heisman with that game. He's definitely given the best performance of any OSU quarterback against Michigan, and I'd argue that he's the best quarterback we've had.
• Mike Hart also had an excellent performance. He doesn't make the exciting runs like a Steve Slaton, but he cannot be tackled by one man. I know our rush defense isn't exactly fantastic, but still, watching him shed tackles time and time again was impressive.
• That's not to say that our running backs weren't good. Antonio Pittman did better than anyone has against the Michigan defense. And is it just me, or did his long touchdown run look a little familiar?
  
  
• Beanie's touchdown run was even more impressive. A spin to get out of the backfield, splitting a couple defenders, then hitting the afterburners. It was great to watch
  
• Oh, and the field? Not very good. If they're confident they can get it up to par by the start of next season, great. But if there's any doubt, just go with FieldTurf. Grass is great, but crappy grass sucks.
  

So that's it. A lot of offense, not a lot of defense. Not that I'm complaining. We beat Michigan, and that's enough. But that's not all. We're going to Glendale!

T Minus 20 Hours

As you are probably aware, Bo Schembechler died this morning at the age of 77 (ESPN story here). Honestly, there isn't all that much I can say about him. I knew he was the face of Michigan football, that he means as much to them as Woody means to us. But honestly, while I appreciate his contribution to the sport I love, and while I know he was a great person, there's really nothing I can write about him. He didn't impact my life in the way he did the lives of all those Michigan players and fans. So, for some thoughts on Bo and the game tomorrow from a Michigan fan, I point you toward Brian's excellent post here at mgoblog.

However, the game goes on, as I imagine Bo would want it. Hearts will be heavy tomorrow on the Michigan sideline, but the team will play on, as they should. Bo and Woody made this rivalry what it is: a game that is bigger than any one single person. Michigan will be playing for Bo tomorrow, certainly, but not just for him. They're also playing for Fielding Yost, Fritz Crisler, Tom Harmon, Desmond Howard, Charles Woodson, and hundreds of players and coaches over the years.

And of course, for our Buckeyes, it isn't just about Jim Tressel's record against Lloyd Carr, or Troy Smith's Heisman hopes, or even a berth in the national championship. They're playing for the glory of a program that has been headed by Paul Brown and Woody Hayes, two of the greatest coaches in football history, a program that has produced five Heisman Trophy winners: Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz, Hopalong Cassady, Archie Griffin (twice, of course), and Eddie George. Hundreds of players over the years have had their success or failure judged by their record against Michigan, and this team is no different.

Since 1935, this game has decided the Big Ten Championship twenty times. Twice before this have both teams come into the game undefeated. This, however, is the only time the teams have been ranked #1 and #2. The winner will play for the national championship. In short, the game could not be bigger.

But you know as well as I do that the records don't matter. This game would be the most important on the schedule regardless of record. Whether the teams have everything to play for or nothing, this is the game the players and the fans want to win the most.

That's it for me until after the game. Here's hoping for a good, hard-fought game, and a Buckeye victory. Enjoy the game, and go Bucks!

The Ancient Society of Mirror Lake Jumper Inners

Later tonight I, along with thousands of other students, will participate in one of the biggest traditions of Michigan Week: jumping into Mirror Lake. It looks like it won't be as bad as years past; we're looking at a temperature around forty degrees. But regardless of the temperature, the turnout is always huge, and it's always fun.

Rather than describe the scene, I'll show it to you:


This is Mirror Lake on a normal day. Scenic and calm.



This is Mirror Lake on the night of the jump. Crazy, loud, and fun.


And here's some video, set to a crappy rap mashup, that gives you a sense of the scene.

It's yet another example of activities that are considered normal in college, yet clear examples of insanity out in the real world. I'm looking forward to it.

Thursday Links

First, a Men of the Scarlet and Gray extravaganza! They're up against Maize and Brew in the CSTV.com Battle of the Blogs, discussing the biggest battle of the game: the OSU offense versus the Michigan defense. I'll leave it up to you to decide who wins the debate, but since you're reading a Buckeye blog, I have a guess who you're picking.

MotSaG isn't done, though. They also brought back Tressnac the Magnificent to display psychic powers both astonishing and humorous. My favorite line of the whole post: "May you return to your office to discover John L. Smith measuring for drapes." If only there was an opportunity to break that one out in normal conversation.

Next up, there's some love for Troy Smith from the big boys. Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel interviews him, with predictable results. Troy says nothing interesting, and no non-Buckeye fan has any real incentive to read it. Buckeye fans will eat it up, though, because it's Troy freakin' Smith. Pat Forde also checks in on ESPN.com with talk of Troy's dominance of Michigan the past two years. Again, nothing you didn't already know, but still worth a read.

Mandel's up again with an article about Michigan's defensive coordinator, Ron English. Replacing Jim Hermann with Ron English is probably the best move Lloyd Carr's made in years. I was sorry to see Hermann go, and now that I know his replacement is actually competent, I miss Jimbo even more. Though I am glad the mini-movement to call the Michigan defense "the English Majors" never got going. That would have gotten really old really quick.

Even More Links!

Once again, I'm linking to CSTV.com's Battle of the Blogs, in part to make sure you don't see some of OSU and Michigan's best bloggers duking it out, and partly because I'm up again in it. As I mentioned, we apparently have a slacker in our midst on the Buckeye side, and for once I'm not talking about myself. Since this unnamed blogger didn't get his article submitted, I got the chance to take over for him, arguing that the dotting of the "i" is better than Michigan's fight song. I think I did a credible job with it, though it certainly took me a lot of words to do. But there is a misconception about Script Ohio, as explained by my opponent, Frank of UMTailgate.com, that I would like to correct. Frank writes:

But fortunately for Michigan, this debate is win-win. Because not only did Michigan Marching Band invent "The Victors," they also were the first to perform "Script Ohio." That’s right. We invented your march Buckeyes. Performed by the Michigan marching band in 1932, the Ohio State marching band copied it starting in 1936.

Not exactly. It is true, the Michigan band did perform a script Ohio in 1932, four years before Ohio State first did Script Ohio. But Michigan just put together a formation that spelled "Ohio" in script. Starting in a Block O, marching that mimics actually writing "Ohio," setting it to "Le Regiment de Sambre et Meuse," the performance culminating in the dotting of the "i," basically everything that makes Script Ohio what it is - that all came from the OSU marching band. Saying Michigan invented Script Ohio is like saying the Wright brothers invented the stealth bomber. For more details on the whole thing, the OSU library has a nice page on the "controversy."

Moving on, the Dispatch briefly discusses the new field here. In short, it's supposed to be good to go. They say it took hold nicely, the seams are gone, and it's not going to impact the game. I certainly hope they're right, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Last up, John Porentas has an article at the Ozone about Tressel. Well, it's more an ode to Tressel. Check it:

Tressel's leadership is really characterized by three qualities. He is a rare mix of an individual who has a clear understanding and firm grasp of the big picture and is yet obsessively immersed in every detail of his undertaking. Those two qualities almost never coexist in people. That's why we have CEOs (big picture people) and accountants (detail people). Tressel, however, is both for his football team. He provides clear-cut big picture goals, but can call the parents and siblings of every player on his team by first name. He knows everyone's major, where every picture is hung in the WHAC, who every football alumnus is, the name of every team manager and trainer.

Listen, I love Tressel as much as the next rabid Buckeye fan. But I do not buy that he could identify a walk-on's sister by name, talk to her about her brother's major, then point her in the direction of some random picture of Archie Griffin. But then, I've been wrong before.

Regardless, it's an interesting article, especially the part about how players basically repeat what Tressel says in interviews. I've noticed the same thing. The younger players will occasionally say something interesting in interviews, but by the time they're seniors, it's all but a waste of time to interview them, because they're just going to spout the same old cliches. Not that that's entirely a bad thing. When's the last time an Ohio State player provided bulletin board material for the other team?

Light Posting today

If I make it through today, I can coast through the rest of Beat Michigan Week, school-wise. But I have to get stuff done tonight, so it's a light day of posting.

Basically, I just wanted to point you in the direction of the Battle of the Blogs at CSTV.com again, because my debate is up there right now. I'm up against Kenny of Westsider Rider on the topic of the Ohio State defense versus the Michigan offense. I finally won the battle of post length for our side, in a hard-fought struggle. We both make some good points and throw some numbers at each other. I'll leave it up to you to decide who wins the debate (subliminal hint: memememememememe).

I may be up there again tomorrow, as one of our bloggers has apparently gone missing, likely kidnapped by that diabolical Bo Schembechler. A man who will walk away from Woody Hayes and the Buckeyes for Michigan is capable of perpetrating any sort of evil. Continue to stay tuned.

In other news, Every Day Should Be Sunday has a report on the anarchy reigning in Columbus (side note: how can anarchy reign? Isn't that a little oxymoronic?). All I have to say is that everything they say in that post is completely and absolutely true. A snippet:

Armed gunmen announcing themselves as “the Loyal People’s Army of UzBuckistan” deposed Columbus mayor Michael B. Coleman in rush through the city hall early Tuesday morning, and announced the declaration of new statehood for what they are calling “the Republic of UzBuckistan.” Mobs control the streets, and have prevented entry into the city at all points. Many appear to be intoxicated.

“Death to Michigan, and death to all who oppose us,” said a masked figure identifying himself only as “Subcommandate Wayne” in a television broadcast Tuesday morning. “We have taken that which is ours, the pure nut at the core of this rotten fruit we call Ohio, and made it a perfect paradise for all who love and obey the Buckeye. We have everything, and need nothing–except beer, which we’re almost out of. ”

It's a fair and accurate representation. We have taken control. We shall be victorious. All glory unto our leader, the wise and noble Tressel. Viva la revolucion!

A Couple Links

As you may have seen elsewhere, CSTV.com is running a battle of the blogs between OSU and Michigan blogs this week. Buckeye Commentary handled Sunday's topic, arguing that OSU has a better gameday atmosphere than Michigan. Ryan of Pfef's Sports Blog took Monday's topic, arguing for the Horseshoe's superiority over the Big House. Both had the easier side of the debate, I think: OSU wins the atmosphere battle by default (jangling keys and tailgating on a golf course do not an atmosphere create), and the Horseshoe is superior to any hole in the ground, even if 107,500 people can fit in it. Nevertheless, the Buckeye bloggers did an excellent job in the debate, demonstrating clear superiority both rhetorical and moral. Plus, Michigan bloggers have poor hygiene and they enjoy clubbing seals.

I'm just kidding. Most Michigan bloggers shower regularly, and their representatives did a fine, if very verbose, job in the battle of blogs. However, there is no evidence that they don't not club seals.

I'm up on Wednesday in the Battle, incidentally. So stay tuned.

Next up, we have the depth chart (pdf file) for The Game. No stunning changes, but here's some notables:

• Tim Schafer is still listed as the starter at left tackle. Alex Boone is second string. It would seem that whatever injury he has is still bothering him a bit. I'm not too worried though. As someone (Chris Spielman, I'm thinking, but I'm not sure) once said, injuries have a way of disappearing for the Michigan game. I'm guessing Boone will be magically healed a couple of series in.
• The starter at right tackle is listed as Kirk Barton or Jon Skinner. I'm guessing this is a reward for Skinner playing well filling in along the line, but I'm not really sure. Can anyone shed any light?
• The Buckeyes intend to come out in a 4-3 for a change, playing Marcus Freeman, James Laurinaitis, and John Kerr. Makes sense, seeing as Michigan's not exactly running a spread offense. I haven't really seen enough of John Kerr lately to evaluate if he's made any progress, but Ross Homan looked good against Northwestern. I'm guessing both guys will play quite a bit on Saturday.
  

Week Twelve BlogPoll

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	--
2	Michigan	--
3	Southern Cal	6
4	Arkansas	6
5	Rutgers	8
6	Notre Dame	1
7	Florida	1
8	LSU	3
9	Wisconsin	7
10	California	6
11	Louisville	3
12	Texas	9
13	West Virginia	1
14	Boise State	1
15	Auburn	10
16	Wake Forest	3
17	Oklahoma	--
18	Maryland	7
19	Georgia Tech	4
20	Tennessee	8
21	Boston College	1
22	Virginia Tech	4
23	Nebraska	1
24	Oregon	3
25	Brigham Young	1

Dropped Out: Clemson (#22).

I got the poll done early, mostly to avoid studying for an accounting exam. Thoughts:

• There's two ways to look at the college football landscape this season: everyone's good, or everyone sucks. It's either "wow, look at all those teams that have a chance to win," or "wow, look at all those teams that apparently don't want to win." I'm kinda looking at things the second way. I feel like teams three though ten are all overrated, but who else is there?
• OSU and Michigan stay on top. There's no question there. The question will be how far to drop the loser of The Game. And I don't have an answer to that yet.
• USC has played well since their loss, and if they get through the rest of their schedule, they will have earned this ranking, so I stuck them there.
• I think I've figured out the SEC: it's like one of those post-apocalyptic pseudo-paradise civilizations you see in books and movies (I'm thinking The Island, but only because I saw it recently and Scarlett Johansson is nice to think about. You're welcome to think Logan's Run if you prefer). Apparently some teams have realized the truth: that if you actually win the SEC, you don't get a trophy; you get killed! And Arkansas is the idiotic guy who hasn't figured it out yet. So he's thrilled about the possibility of winning, while Tennessee and Auburn are running through the vents, trying to escape. On paper, Arkansas is probably the fifth best team in the SEC, but they're the only ones that actually seem interested in winning it on a week to week basis.
• Rutgers moves up because I've adjusted my thinking on the quality of the conferences. That isn't to say that I've decided the Big East isn't so bad after all; I've just decided everyone else is worse. I mean, is there any real difference between the Big 12, ACC, and Big East in terms of quality? The best team in the Big 12 just lost to Kansas State (!), and Wake Forest has become the best team in the ACC. With that much absurdity elsewhere in the country, I don't think the Big East looks that bad by comparison.
• Notre Dame has looked impressive in their quest to win the Commander in Chief's Trophy. With a win over Army, they will have beaten all the service academies. If this was 1945, I'd be impressed. However, it's 2006, and the service academies aren't any good. However, Notre Dame deserves credit for simply not screwing up, something most of college football has trouble with.
  
• Florida needed two blocked kicks to beat South Carolina. So you could either be impressed that they dug deep and made the big plays, or unimpressed with the fact that this game was that close. I'm just amused that they run their short-yardage plays out of the shotgun. When your best short-yardage back is a backup quarterback, you have a problem.
• JaMarcus Russell has exceeded my expectations in the last few big games for LSU, managing to avoid the backbreaking interceptions I'd come to expect from him. When he plays well, they win. And lately, he's played well.
• I don't think Wisconsin is a top ten team, but who else is there? And being a one-loss team in the Big Ten counts for something, so I stuck them at number nine.
• Cal's loss against Arizona was all kinds of bad. However, there's still plenty of talent on this team, and they still look like the second best team in the Pac 10.
• So, apparently that defensive secondary for Texas is really really bad. Nobody should give up that many points to this Kansas State team.
• I have West Virginia at 13, but I expect them to beat the #5 team. If the BlogPoll is supposed to rank teams based on who would win heads up, I'm sure doing a crappy job of it (it is, and I am, incidentally).
• I'm not sure what caused my enthusiasm for Maryland. They played well against Miami, but beating Miami isn't so impressive. I think I just wanted to move another ACC team ahead of Georgia Tech to punish them for not getting Calvin Johnson more involved. Listen, Reggie Ball: unless there is nobody within ten yards of another receiver, you throw to Calvin Johnson. Always. No exceptions. Alright?
• I'm really unexcited about those last five teams. But who else is there?