Time for the hump day look around the world of college sports, with a soundtrack from a reunited legend. We look at playoffs, SEC controversy, NCAA hypocrisy, and other items this week.

There's Your Problem

Buckeye 411

• Props- No, not the side bets before the Super Bowl, the recognition of two Buckeyes who are now World (excluding everyone outside of the USA) champions as the NY Giants defeated the Evil Tom Bradys.  Great photos abound, but check out Jake Ballard at the parade, Jim Cordle with the key to the city, and the Jake holding the trophy. Ohio State, where tight ends go to catch as many passes in their career as the NFL will have them catch in a season… we help them build slowly.
• Crutches- Speaking of Ballard, the unfortunate word is that his exit from the game was not so he could get Madonna’s number (thank God), but due to a torn ACL. Thoughts and prayers, big man.

Playoffs?

• Seeing Reason-  The news this week was about the B1G looking at options for a four team playoff at the end of the NCAA season, with the possibility of higher ranked teams hosting home games in the first round.  This would be a huge win across the board, since it means that a) We’d finally get to have a playoff, b) Northern schools might actually have a home game, c) It may also keep the Rose Bowl tie in (unless a B1G or PAC team is in the MNCG, they could play in Pasadena). While some were quick to point out that this might not be an automatic “come play in the cold!!!” win for the B1G, it should be noted that it’s better than the possibility that the conference has had over the past 14 years. Things to be worked out- if there are 5/6 power conferences, who gets the 4 spots?  It’s got to be “conference champions only”, right? Anyone really excited about a four team playoff with four teams from the ACC or another conference?
• Not So Fast- Lots of folks pointed at the Giants win over the Patriots as being an argument against playoffs, since the GMen worked hard and got hot at the right time rather than being the best all season long. Team Speed Kills shot holes in this argument, and gave us our SBP discussion question of the day:
• In the comments, give us your thoughts: Is “champion” a team who is the “best” over a season, or the team who wins a prescribed end of season event?  You probably know my thoughts on this- “champion” is an arbitrary designation, and as such should be acknowledged that delineation as such is valid no matter the circumstances or criterion.

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Tags: Alabama, Big East, ESPN, Gene Smith, Jake Ballard, Jerry Sandusky, Jim Cordle, Lane Kiffin, Memphis, NCAA Investigations, ParagonSC, Playoffs, SBP, South Carolina, Super Bowl, Trent Richardson, UConn
Categories: College Football, Conference Expansion, Humor, NCAA Investigations

Step One- Get Hot At The Right Time

Buckeye 411

• Injury Update: Lots of things to report today- Jordan Hall is recovering nicely from the sprained ankle he suffered against Wisconsin, and practiced with the team today. Boom Herron also has an ankle related injury from the Badger game, but has been playing through it and healing as well. At tackle, there was no word on JB Shugarts’ situation; he’s “unlikely” for Saturday, and today’s practice saw with Antonio Underwood at right tackle most of the time, with Mewhort and Marcus Hall filling in as well.
• Fickell Speaks: Actually, he doesn’t speak- specifically about the Penn State situation, he said that he hadn’t been following the specifics and had no comment.
• Boiler Up- Coach Fickell spoke about how Purdue has always been a tough matchup, and that this year should be no different. While they’ve dropped their last two, they’re also 4-1 at home. He talked about how he can name every single issue from the 2009 game, and how he hopes that the focus they’ve gotten recently carries over.
• Passing? Fancy. According to today’s press conference, the passing expectations that receivers are expected to learn at Ohio State is pretty complex, which might explain some of the challenges that this young group has had thus far. Interesting that they don’t simplify the system, it seems… although I’m sure they didn’t expect to have so many veterans on the sidelines either.
• Getting Defensive- Coach had several things to say about the defensive efforts of his team thus far, including the need for more turnovers if they are going to be successful. In regards to the concerns about some lack of focus late in recent games, Coach Fickell said,

We got to finish. We know defensively we talk about it. It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. It’s about us first playing four quarters. I don’t know that you can pinpoint any one specific thing that we could say is anything different. To me it really comes down the thing against Wisconsin is being able to overcome giving up one of those things, giving up one of those big plays that you can just go to the next play and not still dwell upon those things of the past and move forward. I think that’s probably, from the start of the season to right now, where we’ve got to get a lot better defensively.

We’ve had those expectations. We don’t want anybody to ever score. All of a sudden something happens. It’s like there’s a letdown. We want to keep those same expectations, but we have to know the most important play is the next play, move on, correct those things within a game. Read More

Tags: JB Shugarts, Joe Paterno, Jordan Hall, Luke Fickell, Notre Dame, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Uniforms
Categories: College Football, Conference Expansion, Humor, NCAA Investigations, Ohio State Football

Time for the wrap up of college football news, updates from Coach Fickell’s Tuesday press conference and other notes from college football

Southern Indiana Is Beautiful This Time Of Year

Buckeye 411

• Captain, My Captain- Since it’s been a year of mystery in this department, why not make things even more interesting by not naming captains thus far in the week. As far as we’re concerned, we’re going with Brewster and Boom, Simon and Sweat.
• Fickell Speaks- Coach opened up by discussing the atmosphere at the ‘Shoe, and gave credit where credit was due,

I wasn’t sure if it was my heart that was pounding or the screams from the crowd, but it was an unbelievable atmosphere, unbelievable experience, just to be a part of something obviously a game like that. But that’s what Ohio State football’s all about.

And I just want to say thank you to all the fans, the students, everybody that made that such a special night.

• Injury Update- No news is good news, as was the news today that Philly Brown is doing much better and continues to rehab his ankle.
• Youth Movement- Coach Fickell discussed playing so many freshman, and said that it didn’t make sense to try to “save” student athletes for the future, and pointed to this week’s pregame speaker as someone who had redshirted and left after their junior year.
• Learning Opportunity- There was discussion of the possibility of looking past Indiana, and of wanting to rest on the successes of the win against Wisconsin. Coach Fickell was very honest that there were still a lot of mistakes, particularly in the last minutes of the game on the defensive side of the ball.
• For Instance- Philly Brown mentioned after practice that there was confusion about the play call during Braxton’s TD toss, and that they were running “playground routes”.
• Spring In Their Step- We discovered the message and tenor of Buckeye alum Shawn Springs’ message to the team prior to the game- “You’re Ohio State, it’s time to start acting like it… bring back the swagger.” Read More

Tags: Big 12, Big lEast, Carlos Hyde, Cincinnati, Daniel Herron, ESPN, Indiana, Kevin Durant, Luke Fickell, Philly Brown, SBP, Script Ohio, Shawn Springs, TBDBITL, UCF, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Categories: College Football, Conference Expansion, Humor, Ohio State Football

Tuesday’s update from the Ohio State press conference and the rest of college football news…

Don't Need No Stinking Badgers

Buckeye 411

• Getting Deep- Interesting notes from the depth chart this week: Boom is #1 with Hall/Hyde behind him. Miller is QB1, with Guiton OR Bauserman, although Fickell said that Kenny G has been getting more of the snaps in practice. Curtis Grant is now in the 2 deep at LB; there’s speculation that Ohio State will be running more of the traditional 4-3 look due to Wisconsin’s running attack
• Fickell Speaks-Historically, Ohio State has struggled the week after a bye. Coach addressed this,

Yeah, I think we did. We got a lot of work done. Our guys did a heck of a job on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. You look back in the years past, ask around how people handled their bye week, you still have to look at your team and figure out what you guys need as opposed to how everybody else does it. I think we did a very good job with the attitudes and getting the work done we needed to get done.

• Captain, My Captain- Brewster, Sweat, and Simon.  I think we’ve found our permanent captains, folks.
• On Wisconsin- Coach Fickell spoke about the big upset in East Lansing, and confessed that he’d gone to bed before the game went final. He spoke at length about the impact that Russell Wilson has had on the Badgers, and how he’s fit into the system from early on. Of course, Wisconsin’s success starts up front, and their line play dictates every aspect of their offensive game plan.
• The Future- As usual, Luke Fickell said that he focuses on the things he can control, and hasn’t given much thought to the pending NCAA sanctions or what benchmarks he might need to meet to be given another year at the helm of the Buckeyes. Interesting that he was asked these questions with Gene Smith in the room; others in attendance said that Smith didn’t flinch during this line of questioning at all.
• Fickell Funnies- When he wasn’t talking about slinging the ball around with his kids, he joked regarding his “to do” list to keep his job for the 2012 season, saying, Read More

Tags: Andrew Sweat, Braxton Miller, Carlos Hyde, Curtis Grant, Dominic Clarke, Eddie George, Jamaal Berry, John Simon, Kenny Guiton, Luke Fickell, Mike Brewster, Missouri, NCAA, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Rich Rodriguez, SEC, Southern Cal, Tyvis Powell, Uniforms, West Virginia, Wisconsin
Categories: College Football, Conference Expansion, Humor, Michigan Football, NCAA Investigations, Ohio State Football

For once, SBP could serve as a public service announcement, particularly for the folks in the Zanesville area.

No afternoon presser today, so here’s all the non-exotic animal related news… unless you count John Simon as his own overly evolved species of critter.

Buckeye 411

• Injury update: Again, nothing huge, but Coach Fickell said today that Travis Howard was running without problems, and that Braxton also looked pain free in the Buckeye’s 45 minute practice.
• Can’t Bye Me Love: Coach Fickell was adamant that he’s not a “bye week” kind of guy, and that this week gives them the opportunity to get healthy and work on some of the things that they’ve struggled with. “Getting better”, “men of action”, and so forth.
• That Being Said: Zach Boren seemed excited for the break, and mentioned that he played around 50 plays against Illinois on Saturday. Defensively, Johnathan Hankins also got in about 60 snaps or so; these guys have more than earned a little break of sorts.
• Captain, My Captain: No captain announcement du jour, but major kudos to tBBC favorite John “Sandman” Simon for being named the B1G defensive player of the week. Hankins called him the perfect teammate, and said he’s “not a normal guy”. See earlier comments. Read More

Tags: Big East, Big Integer, Braxton Miller, Carlos Hyde, Conference USA, John Simon, Mike Adams, Missouri, MWC, Nike, Rod Smith, SBP, Time and Change Clothiers, Travis Howard, Uniforms, Zach Boren
Categories: College Football, Conference Expansion, Humor, Michigan Football, Ohio State Football

Notes from Tuesday’s Ohio State press conference and around the realm of college sports. No soundtrack today, but we’re totally shopping for a El Camino.

More Prestigious?

Buckeye 411

• Injury update: Braxton practiced, and by all reports looked “fine”, although he took it easy after the initial burst. Coaches will continue to monitor, but according to the depth chart, he’s the starter. Not as good news for Nathan Williams, who will need another surgery for microfracture issues and will miss the season. HOWEVER- there is the possibility that he can take a medical redshirt and be back for 2012. *crossesfingers*
• Captain, My Captain: Brewster (4th time), Sweat (3rd), and Stoneburner for this week’s tilt against the Illini.
• Fickell Speak:Lots of talk about disappointment, obviously, and some reflection on the difference between being an assistant and the man in charge (almost sounds like he misses the former): Read More

Tags: Andrew Sweat, Big lEast, Bradly Roby, Braxton Miller, Chris Spielman, Daniel Herron, ESPN, Illinois, Jake Stoneburner, Jamaal Berry, Jim Bollman, Kenny Guiton, Luke Fickell, Michael Brewster, Mike Adams, Mike Stoops, Nathan Williams, NCAA, Nebraska, SBP, SISU, TCU, Uniforms
Categories: College Football, Conference Expansion, Humor, NCAA Investigations, Ohio State Football

Weekly update from Coach Fickell’s press conference as well as notes from around the world of college football.

B1G Game, Big Ammo

Buckeye 411

• Injury Update: No news today on Philly Brown or Nathan Williams; it’s speculated that Brown may be back sooner of the two. Coach made no comments on some of the other guys dinged up- (Melvin Fellows, etc.)
• Fickell Speaks: In preparing for Michigan State, coach Fickell will be facing one of his mentors in former colleague and current Spartan Mark Dantonio.  When asked about this, he said-

Just the three years Coach Dantonio was here with him, probably the one guy that I stay most in contact with since he’s been gone. Just probably because we’re more similar people in general, family oriented guys, a lot of those kind of things. That’s very important for him, how you handle these situations, what’s really important, don’t forget about those kinds of things. We have a good relationship. If there’s one person I’ve talked to as much as anybody, it would be him.

I’ve said before, if I was playing my brother, I’d want to beat him as bad as I want to beat anybody. I don’t think that changes or factors into it.

• Captain, My Captain: This weeks’ “Leader-go-round” lands on Nate Ebner (his second tour of duty), Nate Oliver, and Jordan Hall.  First time in Buckeye History that there’ve been two “Nates” as captains. Read More

Tags: 2011 Season, Alabama, BCS, Jordan Hall, Luke Fickell, Michigan State, Mike Gundy, NCAA, SbB, SBP, Tennessee, ThuJone, Will Lyles, Yahoo!
Categories: College Football, Conference Expansion, Humor, NCAA Investigations, Ohio State Football

Dabo and his Tigers are HUNGRY....

It’s week four of the college football season, and you weaklings are gaining strength. No, it’s not from our expert prespective… Yeah, no. This week, us college football fans get our inspiration for top notch picks by pumping ice water in our veins!

We might be in Death Valley, but it’s our time to choose greatness! Are you going to be the next greatest tBBC College Challenge Champion? Are you going to put the ! in Yahoo!??? Week three is in the books, and another slate of games is in front of us. Are you going to eat rock like Dabo?? Or are you going to eat crow like Brady Hoke?

It’s time to step up your game like OSU Silver Bullet, Buffalobuckeye, The Silver Bullets, BWCGF3, and Culp’s Freaking Hill. tBBC is here to help you with your picks. We’re just not sure if we’re helping you jump up the standings or jump off the face of the earth.

Week 3 Review:

Everyone but yours truly finished .500 or better in week three, with the experts receiving a week off.  The staff swept the board with Southern Idaho State, Nebraska and LSU.  Only Joe L  had the cajones to pick Notre Dame  against Michigan State.  He  and Jime were also smart enough not to dip their picks into the Miami (OH) Butter.  Here’s a look at last week’s standings.

Mali 6-4 – Eric 6-4 -Jim 8-2 – Experts **BYE – Joe L – 7-3  Joe D 4-6 – Computer – 5-5

Oh Boy. As you can see, the picks get harder as we get closer to conference play…. Or maybe I’m just destined to finish worse than a machine. Here is a look at the current standings heading into week 4.

Mali 20-9 – Eric 21-8 -Jim 20-9 – Experts – 14-5* – Joe L – 17-12 Joe D 14-15 – Computer – 13-16

Week Four Analysis:

There are some big games this week, but there are also some ugly ones. Helping us break down some of the better ones is Kyle Kensing of Saturday Blitz. We talk expansion, Alabama/Arkansas, Oklahoma State/Texas A&M, Florida State/Clemson as well as scUM vs. SDSU.  Kyle also breaks down our Week 4 games in writing this week.

Picks For The Weak: Week 4 by The Buckeye Battle Cry

Now to the games!

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Tags: Akron, Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Georgia Tech, LSU, Michigan, Picks for the Weak, SDSU, TBPU, Texas A&M, UNC, VMI, Week 4, West Virginia
Categories: College Football, Conference Expansion, Football Analysis, Miscellaneous