The offseason brings us another variation from the format of your midweek news and notes, as a couple of big stories have dominated the college sports landscape. That being said, it’s not like I’m going to deprive you of your Wednesday motivational tunes.

Might As Well Get Comfy

Lack Of Institutional Control

For those of you waiting for the other shoe to drop in the Hurricane Situation, you can breathe a bit now.  Kinda.

On Tuesday, the NCAA finally sent their Notice of Allegations to the Hurricanes, after a week  that saw the folks from Indianapolis as the well focused center of national ridicule. We’d be wondering what was taking so long in this process, given that the NCAA had been “involved” in the investigation for over two years- turns out that the time in question had been spent violating the NCAA’s own principals and going against the advice of their legal counsel in their conversations with Nevin Shapiro.

In addition to paying the attorney who was questioning Shapiro as a part of his financial issues, the folks at the NCAA also provided him with a “burner” cell phone to contact them and financial resources to his prison account. Again, not the best idea for an organization who prides themselves on holding people accountable because the “should have known” what to do and dings them for not doing it.

The fallout was immediate- NCAA folks terminated or “resigned”, and folks calling for NCAA president Mark Emmert’s head, which, given the recent friends that he’s made across the nation, completely seems within reason.

The news of the “injustice” done by the NCAA to the fine folks in Miami ended up finding many fans in an interesting place- turning to Da’ U as their white knight in the fight against the evils of Emmert’s staff. Tuesday’s official response by University President Donna Shalala continued to create the dissonance- she is right that the NCAA has overstepped themselves extensively, but seems to forget that the University’s representatives were involved things that led them to receiving what many say is the “lack of institutional control” label in their Notice. Read More

Tags: 'Da U, Johnny Manziel, Mark Emmert, Miami Hurricanes, Michigan, NCAA, Nevin Shapiro, North Carolina, Oversigning, SBP, TBPU
Categories: College Football, Conference Expansion, NCAA Investigations

Don't worry, Be Happy

And then there were 4! While I love to sit here and talk about the Syracuse Orangemen falling from the ranks of the unbeatens, Christmas came a week early for me. Three teams lost their first game of the season - Syracuse, Illinois, and (No….I do not have my shocked face on at this one) New Mexico.  In addition to these upsets, several other ranked teams lost at least one game this week.  Some teams lost in surprising games and others to fellow ranked squads (I thought the madness was in March).  Wichita State fell from the Top 25, as expected, and made room for Butler after their amazing win over Indiana.  This week many teams take a very light schedule to spend time with their families and gear up for their conference runs.  So, without further delay, let’s see what happened this week.

Here’s a look at the Top 25 Week Ahead and Week in Review.

1.       Duke (11-0) Previous Rank: 2

Past Week:  12/19 Cornell, W 88-47 & 12/20 Elon, W 76-54

Upcoming:  12/29 Santa Clara

Duke spent their first week at Number One with easy wins over Cornell and Elon.  Santa Clara visits Cameron Indoor this week but Duke should win this one easily. Read More

Tags: buckeyes, North Carolina, Ohio State, Orangemen, Syracuse, Tar Heels, Top 25 Review
Categories: Analysis, College Basketball, Ohio State Basketball

Despite a nice comeback Ohio State came up short against North Carolina.

After opening the season with a tough game against #5 Notre Dame that they came up short in, the #15 Ohio State women’s basketball team has won four in a row at home.  While the wins are nice, they have come against substandard competition that didn’t really provide a test.  The same could not be said about today’s game as the Buckeyes visited #22 North Carolina as part of the Big Ten-ACC challenge.  The Tarheels are not only a talented team but they present a contrast in styles, preferring a more up-tempo game.  The Buckeyes can run, not as much as they did last year of course, but when forced into their half-court game they prefer to be more methodical and generate good shots off of ball movement.

North Carolina won the tip and immediately hit a basket to start the game but Ohio State scored off of an Amber Stokes jumper on their first trip down the floor to set the tone for what would be a back-and-forth first half.  After an Ashley Adams jumper gave OSU a 4-2 lead, UNC ran off 5 straight points to take a 7-4 lead two and a half minutes into the game.  The two teams traded baskets for the next seven minutes before the Buckeyes went on a 7 to 0 run to take a 15-11 lead at the midpoint of the half.  The Tarheels came right back with five straight to retake the lead only to lose it again a few minutes later as OSU went up 25-22 with four minutes left until the break.  The Buckeye offense stalled at this point though and North Carolina closed out the half with seven straight points to go into the locker room up 29-25.

Read more

Tags: Ameryst Alston, Ashley Adams, Jim Foster, North Carolina, Tayler Hill, Women's Basketball
Categories: Basketball Analysis, College Basketball, Ohio State Basketball

Prepared?

Time for Wednesday’s wander through the wonderment of college sports, brought to you by music appropriate for this week

Buckeye 411

• Injury Updates- According to sources, Braxton practiced Tuesday with no major issues other than being sore. We haven’t heard word about Philly Brown or Hankins, other than that they’re fine and will play on Saturday. Monday, though, Coach Meyer confirmed that yet another member of the piranhas has been lost for the season; Devan Bogard will miss time due to a knee injury suffered against Purdue.
• Rivals? In case you forgot, this weekend is Penn State’s Super Bowl; they have invited 100 recruits for the game against Ohio State, and are planning yet another one of their wonderful “white outs”. The seniors, who have come together under significantly challenging circumstances this season, identify this game as the biggest of their careers, and point to the Buckeyes as their number one rival. As if Happy Valley wasn’t difficult enough at night, this will be the first time all season that the Lions have a capacity crowd.
• Clap On… Clap Off- In addition, the well lubricated fans in Beaver Stadium will have the opportunity to practice their rhythm, as rumors abound that they’re planning something to throw off the Ohio State offensive snap count and so forth.
• 

  @SammySilv, Excellent As Always

  O’Brien The Lion- In today’s B1G conference call, coach O’Brien commented that they are preparing for Braxton to be healthy and leading the Ohio State offense.  He spoke highly of his senior quarterback, Matt McGloin, calling him smart and tough and the reason that they’ve been so successful this season. Penn State’s “NASCAR” offense, which has been averaging 90 plays a game in conference play, is reliant on execution and communication, and O’Brien believes that his senior leadership has bought in totally- no “doom and gloom” in what could be a very dour locker-room, considering the off season events and team transfers.

• Meyer’s Musings- One comment from the B1G presser that should be both refreshing and obvious to Ohio State fans is that the Buckeyes will not have a problem with overconfidence this weekend against Penn State. Coach Meyer talked about both the circumstances of the win against Purdue and the fact that Beaver Stadium is one of the loudest in the conference as factors that the team will have to take into consideration. Ohio State, he also said, is not creating any matchup problems for other teams due to the inconsistency that they’ve shown this season on offense and on defense. Saturday is sure to be a struggle.
• Fuel To The Fire- If that wasn’t enough, PSU’s Michael Mauti may have inadvertently given some “bulletin board” material to the Buckeyes, commenting that the sanctions facing Penn State had nothing to do with players’ actions. While true that current Ohio State athletes Jordan Hall, Corey Brown, and Travis Howard were all involved in the circumstances which led to a bowl-less post season in Columbus this year, it may not be a great idea to go throwing stones for either team or fanbase this game.  As I commented on twitter earlier- it will be nice to have a game that focuses on football and not on stupid comments from the other side about off field events.  Nope, we’ll have to trust in the four letter network for that brilliance.

Scheduling News

• Scheduling, Part One- Well, the Rose Bowl was so much fun back in 2010, Ohio State has decided to go Duck hunting once again. It was announced on Tuesday that the Buckeyes have added a trip to Eugene to their 2020 schedule, with Oregon returning to Columbus the following year. As you know, Ohio State holds an 8-0 all time record against the Ducks, although it’s only 1-0 since they had a fanbase that actually noticed their team. In the announcement, Gene Smith commented

“Oregon has developed into one of the premier football programs in the FBS.We are excited to add them to our future slate of games.”

Unspoken, but inferred- “Plus, we’ve sold our soul to Nike anyway with our ‘one time tribute’ jerseys and such that this move only makes sense.” Read More

Tags: Bill O'Brien, Braxton Miller, Central Michigan, Corey Brown, Jonathan Hankins, Mack Brown, Mike Mauti, Mizzou, North Carolina, Oregon, Penn State, San Diego State, SBP, Tulsa
Categories: College Football, Humor, NCAA Investigations, Ohio State Football

Ah, fall… the wind turns brisk and in Los Angeles the birds turn colors and fall from the trees (ht: David Letterman). We talked last week about “pumpkinitis” that’s sweeping the country… some people are taking it seriously. Instead of subjecting yourself to such a task, take time to kick back with some new tunes and enjoy a great weekend in college sports.

In case you haven’t noticed (and if you haven’t, please PLEASE let me know how you’re managing to pull that off), it’s election season. And you thought the BCS was complicated and overwrought… three more weeks, people. You can do it.

“But Mali- there’s never been politics on tBBC… what gives?”

Theological Disagreement

That’s a fine point, but it’s the only way I could think of to lead into this week’s “marquee” matchup. Given how much they like football, I’m sure that there was some tension on the Romney/Ryan campaign bus when Notre Dame and BYU squared off in South Bend.  (See, ’cause one candidate is a Mormon and the other is a Catholic… oh, nevermind.)  Yup, The Golden Domers met the People of the Golden Plates, with the former looking to continue their undefeated season.  The Cougars managed to do something that was pretty rare this season, and scored an offensive touchdown against a resurgent Irish defense, led by Heisman (?) candidate linebacker Manti Te’o. It wasn’t enough, though, as they fell to .500 in a 17-14 loss to Brian Kelly’s team, who was led by backup quarterback Tommy Rees’ and his one completed pass after halftime. So, yeah- that Notre Dame fan in your office has yet another week to be a bit boisterous regarding his fifth ranked favorite squadron.

In order to make sure I cover both sides of the 2012 election, here. Ok, I’m done talking religion and politics… you can come back now.

On the topic of mistakes that I’ve made recently, I’m more than willing to acknowledge that my purchasing the hype regarding West Virginia was misguided. They still seem to be a Big lEast team of sorts, where defense is even more optional than it has been in the B12 lately. This isn’t to take anything away from the October Heisman frontrunner; Colin Klein has rightfully taken the crown from Mr. September, particularly in their “head to head” contest on Saturday.  The Wildcats now sit at 7-0 , and even managed to jump Oregon in the BCS rankings this week, all the way up to #3. While I won’t argue with the BCS… At least Oregon beat a team this week that had a defensive pulse. We’ve not seen that from West Virginia, so it’s hard to assess Kansas State’s victory fully. Hooray subjectivity!

Ah, Eugene...

Although this is traditionally a “Saturday” wrap up, the truth of the matter is that Thursday’s game between the Ducks and Arizona State was pretty freaking impressive. After an initial ASU score, Oregon cranked up it’s offensive game and scored 43 points before there was even ten minutes left in the second quarter. Mercifully, they pulled back the horses at that point- although, they certainly could have kept rolling if they chose to… when a team scores on a two point conversion this easily, you’ve got to know that they are only stopping themselves for the rest of the game.  If you didn’t know any better, you’d think that Chip Kelly was pissed that his team was only ranked third in last week’s BCS- since they actually fell one slot this week, I’m afraid to see what happens to this week’s victim opponent. Read More

Tags: 'Da U, 2012 Season, Baylor, BYU, Colin Klein, Duke, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kirk Ferentz, KSU, Matt Barkley, Michigan, Michigan State, Mount Union, Nebraska, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, SEC, South Carolina, Southern Cal, TBDBITL, TBPU, Texas, TWTW, Uniforms, West Virginia, Will Muschamp
Categories: College Football, Humor

Oooooh! A Summit!

If you think the “Final Verdict” segments of College Gameday are amazing places for rhetoric and logic, you’re probably excited for the beginning of the Presidential Debates tonight.  Me? I’d rather argue about college sports… compared to politics, the BCS makes sense.

Buckeye 411

• Clothing, Part One- Never ones to miss the obvious, the Athletic Department has declared that this week’s game will be a “Scarlet Out”, similar to last year’s homecoming event.  Although it’s nice to do one of these “all color events” on nights where the opposing fanbase will unwillingly be assisting (looking at you, Indiana), I’ve got to wonder if this might take a bit of the “home field” advantage away and inadvertently help a team known as “Big Red”.
• “And So Forth”- I wonder if I can get WKYC on my cable provider, just so I can enjoy the wisdom and wit that will be the “Off The Vest Show” starring former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel.  As someone who was regularly lauded for his ability to say nothing for twenty minutes, it will be interesting to see what he comes up with as a part of this opportunity. Seriously, though- I’m really looking forward to seeing these segments, even if it’s only on the YouTubes.
• Clothing, Part Two- An article in this week’s Dispatch pointed out that sales of Ohio State jerseys were again on the rise, after faltering last season.  The article talks specifically about certain numbers being more popular than others… but it’s not about the “amateur” players who won’t see a penny of that revenue, right?

Courtesy SammySilv Designs

• Getting Ready For Nebraska- In the B1G presser today, Coach Meyer talked a little about what they might see against the Huskers, particularly from the Blackshirt Defense.  He spoke about Coach Pelini’s “pattern match” secondary philosophy, and how that will create problems for the still developing Ohio State passing game.  Coach Pelini addressed the obvious, and said that Braxton will get his yardage, but they’ve got to minimize the scoring opportunities.
• Important Reminder- If you’re looking for a way to get involved in Jason Winrow’s memorial, more details were made public about the fund that has been established by Raymont Harris to help his wife and children.
• Brotherhood- Former Buckeye Santonio Holmes is likely done for the season, but a touching moment from his injury was captured in photography this weekend. After getting hurt and fumbling, the 49ers recovered the loose ball and were in the process of taking it back for a TD… all of them, that is, except for Donte Whitner, who stayed behind to make sure his former teammate in Columbus was OK.
• Clothing, Part Three- Buckeye Nation was abuzz this morning with rumors of the 2012 “Pro Combat” design, which was soon debunked as a mock-up from 2009 and a helmet idea that had been on the internet for the entire summer.
• Little Sister, Hits The Stage- The real news today was the announcement that Ohio State and Texas Christian have agreed to a home and away series beginning in 2018.  The initial game is scheduled for Ft. Worth, but don’t be surprised to see it moved to Dallas and “Jerryworld”- TCU’s stadium holds about 45k in it’s current configuration.  Of course, President Gee’s “Little Sisters Of The Poor” comments were dredged up by lots of lazy journalists, who fail to realize that TCU will have been in the B12 for 5 seasons by the time this series begins. If you didn’t think that Gene Smith’s comments about bolstering the schedule were serious, here’s what you can look forward to in the near future: 2013- Vanderbilt, Cal; 2014- Navy, VaTech, Cincy; 2015- VaTech, North Carolina; 2016- Tulsa, Oklahoma; 2017-  North Carolina, Oklahoma; 2018- TCU, Cincy; 2019- TCU Read More

Tags: 'Da U, Academics, Alabama, Bo Pelini, BYU, Donte Whitner, Jason Winrow, Jim Tressel, Mark Dantonio, Mike McQueary, Nebraska, Nike, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Penn State, Santonio Holmes, SBP, SEC, TCT, Texas Christian, The Horseshoe, Uniforms, Urban Meyer, William Gholston
Categories: College Football, Humor, NCAA Investigations, Ohio State Football

Gotta have the right ammo

If you’re reading this, you’ve survived Bloody Tuesday… don’t you just hate corporate bonding retreats?  Here’s some happy music to get you through the day.

Buckeye 411

• Seeking Hyde- Tuesday, Coach Meyer indicated that all signs pointed to Carlos Hyde being cleared to play this weekend against Michigan State, but admitted that they’d know more after Tuesday/Wednesday’s practices.  We’ll keep you updated, but I’m excited to see some of the personnel groupings if Carlos can go- Hall at “Flex” back? Multiple TEs?  The mind, it is boggled.
• Things That Go Bump In The Night- I’m not the only one excited about what weapons abound for the Buckeyes; in Tuesday’s B1G teleconference, Coach Dantonio stated that the weapons and playmakers that Ohio State had frightened him.
• Getting Defensive- Also in the teleconference, Coach Meyer said that Ohio State’s distinction as the last team in the conference defensively was something that needed to change in a hurry.  If you would have told me in August that OSU would be last in defense at the beginning of conference play and that Wisconsin would be at the bottom offensively, I would have asked you to reevaluate your medicinal regimen.
• Running Silent-  As they did last year prior to the OSU game, Michigan State’s assistant coaches and players have been declared “off limits” for the media this week. Interestingly, though, this is also the week that Gameday will be on campus, doing pre-game interviews and all that.  You’ve got to wonder, given what Ohio State’s local media experienced this summer, if ESPN has asked the school to give them an “exclusive” of sorts.
• Saying Goodbye- There’s a great article at NJ.Com about our friend Jason Winrow- well worth the read. Also, the memorial service is Thursday at 4:00 pm in the Fawcett Center on campus.  Additionally, Dom Tiberi reported this evening that a fund has been established in Jason’s honor in order to assist his wife and kids; donations can be made to the Jason Winrow Memorial Fund at any Chase Bank.
• The Dark Meyer Rises: Tuesday’s “What in the heck just happened?” internet moment that I’ve watched waaay too many times now: Read More

Tags: 'Da U, 2012 Season, Academics, ACC, Andy Katzenmoyer, B1G, BCS, Carlos Hyde, Duke, ESPN Gameday, Jason Winrow, LSUFreek, Mark Dantonio, Michigan, Michigan State, NCAA failures, Nevin Shapiro, North Carolina, Notre Dame, SBP, TBDBITL, Urban Meyer
Categories: College Football, Humor, Ohio State Football

Win/Win Scenario?

Yup, it’s that week again- we find ourselves looking to the skies and hoping for an astronomical event to head toward… let’s see… this year the game is in South Bend, so that will do just fine. Just think, if Notre Dame’s previous coach was still on the sidelines, there just might be enough gravitational pull between the two head men to facilitate this.

Buckeye 411

• Injury Update- Not much new on this front this week: We know that Carlos Hyde won’t be participating this Saturday, and there’s been no update on John Simon’s shoulder. That’s not totally true: the best thing to come out of Coach Meyer’s Monday press conference was commentary that Simon’s shoulder was a long way from his heart… meaning that he could work though the pain. Meyer then went on to comment that Michael Bennett was still injured, and that “He’s got to play some time. So I don’t know how far that groin is away from the heart.” If you needed proof that Urban Meyer understands the Ohio State legacy- his paraphrase of Woody Hayes’ famous quote regarding what his ’74 class should use to think with should seal the deal.
• Bombs Away- One thing that Coach Meyer is concerned with against the Blazers of UAB is the deep ball. Several times over the past week, he’s talked about the strength of quarterback Jonathan Perry’s arm. This has to be a point of emphasis for the Buckeye secondary, who have given up their share of big passing plays during the first two games of the season thus far.
• Good Hands, People- When the season started, Ohio State was looking for “playmakers”, and it seems that they’ve found a few. Corey Brown has shown flashes as a dependable “pivot” player in the new offense, and receiver Devin Smith continues to shine as a reliable option for the big play.  Wonder how long it is until he earns Cris Carter’s moniker of “only catching touchdowns”.
• Bloody Tuesday- From what we’re hearing, Tuesday’s emphasis for the defense was… you guessed it… “Tackling”. And not just on the field, but in the weight room and film room as well.  In talking with a couple of folks, and in looking at the game again, the “chicken and egg” argument of “was it poor scheme or poor execution?” on Saturday is answered by “Yes”, although there are a number of clearly missed assignments on the big touchdowns that made everyone’s nightmare list Saturday afternoon. So, in at least the big play categories, it seems to be execution that was at issue.
• On To The Next One- If you’re not following Samuel Silverman on twitter, you’re missing out on great Ohio State graphics- like this one: Read More

Tags: 2012 Season, Academics, Corey Brown, Devin Smith, Duron Carter, Economics, ESPN, John Calipari, John L Smith, John Simon, Kentucky Wildcats, Michael Bennett, NCAA failures, North Carolina, Oregon, SBP, Schott, SEC, Texas Tech, UAB Blazers, Urban Meyer
Categories: Analysis, College Football, Humor, Michigan Football, Ohio State Football