tOSU @ USC thread

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Let me say this about OH St. Might get spanked but I'm gonna put that ML in a few throwaway parlays, that will increase your ROI dramatically.

Last week classic case of the lookahead. ----I DON'T THINK either of these teams are great USC or OSU teams. USC is not same class as last year LSU or UF two years ago. I mean they might but I'm not sold on their lines, Virginia sucks balls and that game, combined with Ohio game, is giving GREAT value. Two deceiving games is why this line is where it is.

IMO OH State's only chance is to RUN the football ala 02, dominant defense. MAX protect. Boeckman, these wr's are not the answer. Todd gets happy feet under pressure, wr's not classic OSU explosive. We've seen in big games when Tressel goes pass bad things happen. Todd especially is the perfect qb to pressure. Pass HAS GOT TO BE set up off of run, and thats these receivers strength, possession.

I don't think this OLine is in Penn State's, LSU's or Oklahoma's class and is overrated IMO esp. tackle Boone vs. great edge rushers. RT Browning is replacing Barton and he is worst of bunch on protection.

---IMO OSU defense improved this year to last due to pressure on the quarterback. Sanchez, when he has time, shows why he was #1 qb guru's ever seen out of high school. Showed to struggle vs. rush last year. OSU completely understands this fact and tested some new blitzes out vs. the Bobcats. Thad Gibson, remember this name is complete stud and will bring Will Smith type speed off the edge. Will see him in a hyprid DE/linebacker role, they will play Tyler Moeller often as a LEO STAR role in nickel, another hyprid linebacker/safety and give USC plenty of looks.

Against the pass I really like OSU. Laurinatis and Freeman best in country as linebackers against the pass (run ?), Dwash, Jenkins, Chekwa at corner and Russel, Coleman at safety -- more pass safeties than run support players. I want to add Homan, the third linebacker is a beast. You won't find more athletic linebackers.

With all this said they will, and anyone will, still get burnt if no pressure on Sanchez.

Can OSU stop run and get pressure. Dtackles were really inexp and weak last year. Two players are really really good on this DLine. Cameron Heyward, and Lawrence Wilson (IMO better than Gholston but inj LY). On passing downs you might see Wilson, Heyward, and Gibson in a three man rush.

Run game defense still unproven.

---This game is going to be so tough for OSU because look at Pete in big games and what SC NEVER FAILS TO DO, stuff the run, make you one dimensional, blitz, dominate. It's gonna be a clash of Beanie on the ground vs. that rush defense. And OSU has to stick with it if they avg. 2 yards a carry like certain games in 02. But mix in deep balls.

Let me say this, IF USC is as good as LSU was last year, (we will see over time), OH State loses. But I do not think USC is that good. This is not Leinart, Bush, every OL and DL in NFL team. Yes, they have remained great despite attrition but I'm the first to tell you they have taken a step back due to attrition. Yes they get 5 stars from every state, but the hardest thing to do is to maintain SUCH a high level over the years and Pete will be the first to tell you this.

I'd say alot favors USC in this game and I think history says you have to take USC. Offensivley OSU less talented and the speed of the dline is the one area in both title games I agree OSU less talented and this shows up in passing situations. We've seen this with Mich going out west in the Rose Bowl vs. SC

I would also say LSU game experience very important. Haven't had any of those battles in the Big Ten where you learn how to fight and get over the hump. I saw Ohio State fight like hell in that game vs. LSU but was just overmatched on the lines and had costly mistakes. In that 3rd quarter you could really see a new resolve and fight and if they play like that I like their chances.

OSU is going to be the same on offense as last year and a little or maybe alot better defensively.

The story of this game is how good is USC. What caliber of SC team is this.

The other story is how improved is this buckeye defense. Because this OSU offense is not spectacular and this game has to be won a certain way, IF this defense is in silver bullet form, the caliber of SC team will have to be damn good.
 
Long time buckeye here. My thoughts

Completely pissed about the showing last week against OU. No need to go into it because its over and every aspect was bad, period.

On to this week:

After watching this team the last 2 years I believe they have two major weaknesses that will probably cost them the w this week at SC. First on offense, they struggle on the outside. Boekman is a decent QB but is hindered mainly by his options at wideout. Robiskie and hartline are not athletic enough to get any seperation down the field. They would both be great at filling a #3 posession receiver role but OSU doesn't have a guy to stretch the field so they are forced to occupy the spots on the outside. I have not seen a ball thrown down field to a reciever without a db attached to his hip since Ginn and Gonzo were here. USC should be able to play man on the outside and free up the linebackers to bring an aggressive blitz package.
Second is on the defensive side of the ball. Jim Heacock, the d cordinator, imposes a soft zone scheme that sucks. How many 3rd and 6s, & 7s did Florida convert in the 06 NC game? A ton. Didn't matter, they stayed in it the whole game and never got off the field on third down. More of the same has happened over the last two years. In the games the defense struggled they couldn't get off the field on third down. In 02, when Dantonio was here, OSU really mixed up their schemes and brought a lot of pressure. I also believe that OSUs D has lived off the reputation of that defense since 02 when they haven't been nearly as good as advertised. Its mostly been masked by inept big 10 offenses.

All that being said, I do believe that OSU matches up fairly well with USC up front on both sides of the ball. I think it will be a relatively low scoring, tight game with SC winning by a late TD largely because by the time the 4th quarter rolls around and OSU will be unable to make the necessary in game adjustments on both sides to pull out a win. Nor will they be able to make many big plays to mount a late drive for the win. Just like the last couple of big games they've played
 
ANALYSIS FROM A USC FAN----Great read off of scout I copied and pasted, agree on all counts although I give the safeties a little more credit. My last addition to this thread is that USC doesn't run a spread, their traditional offense is built more to OSU's defense liking.

USCFlash from scout
well, i don't think the Ohio game is indicative of tOSU as a football team overall, but there are some pesky problems tOSU has that won't go away, regardless of who they play.

It is fair to say they were bored and disinterested during the YSU and Ohio games...but why? These guys should be excited as hell to be out there...they are Ohio State, they are playing front of 100,000+ Buckeye fans, they are experienced and have what 20 returning starters...

being bored and disinterested or lackadaisical is completely unacceptable when you play for Ohio State...(or any other top team) if you are bored or disinterested in playing D1A football, go join the badminton team...

anyway, the problem tOSU has, that lingers despite any talk of looking ahead, or being flat, or disinterested, is a set of problems that they have been having and are not really relevant to being flat, but are relevant because they are legit problems...

they are serious, and it is the kind of problems, that detract from the overall talent of the team...everyone knows tOSU produces great NFL players...Hawk, Holmes, Ginn, Gholston, Gonzalez, Jenkins and Wells soon enough, Mangold etc...

talent is not their problem, strategy as well as lack of athleticism on the offense is.

They have not adequately replaced Ginn and Gonzalez and Smith, who were big time players, and very athletic...

Boeckman Robiskie and Hartline? NO comparison in terms of production, talent and athleticism...none at all, not even close.

Ginn and Gonzo are starting in the NFL, and if Troy Smith was about 3 inches taller, he probably would too... Robiskie and Hartline are going to be lucky to get drafted on Day 1 and Boeckman will be lucky to be a free agent.

the offense has been carried by Wells for over a year now, without a single other big play threat...Wells' job is even harder considering the OL's outdated blocking schemes and poor athleticism....they are big, fat, strong and slow, trying to fit into a scheme they are not suited for.

Boeckman is a poor quarterback who will likely not even be drafted. He has a good arm, but makes poor decisions, never checks down past the second read, and always seems out of sync with his receivers, either by their fault or sometimes his.

the offense as about as vanilla as it comes...that is not necessarily a bad thing, if you have the explosive personnel to do it...but this offense does not have that personnel.

Whoever their offensive co-ordinator is, he should be fired. All they have is the running game and to put that much weight on Wells' shoulders is totally unfair for such a great player.

There is undoubtedly talent on defense, but they are held back by bad coaching IMO, and the same tactical intelligence that Dantonio brought is not there with Heacock, even when he has had great personnel.

they do not attack all that much considering their personnel, but usually tend to sit back...they don't pin their ears back as much these days as they did in 2005, when they had some serious talent at all three sections (DL, LB, DB)...that 05 defense had so much talent it was ridiculous...

1st rounders
Hawk
Carpenter
Whitner
+ Gholston and Malcolm Jenkins were frosh

3rd rounders
Pitcock
Youboty
Schlegel

4th rounders
Salley

5th rounders
Richardson


that is a ton of talent...this defense does not have nearly the same level of talent, and as such, they cannot attack with the same force and abandon that unit did...


from what i have seen in the past year, I have become progressively less sold on Laurinaitis...of course he is a very good player, but i do not think he is anywhere near as good as former Buckeye superstar LB's like Hawk, Katzenmoyer, Spielman etc...

He and Freeman are clearly good players...Freeman is very good in space as well...I venture to say that i think Freeman will surpass Laurinaitis as their best LB by the end of the season....aside from that, in the front seven, i only see two other players with any real potential, Wilson and Gibson, both very fast DE's...I like their speed alot, but so far, i have only seen them blow by overmatched OT's from Ohio and YSU...

I think they both have a ton of potential, but it is nowhere near fully realized yet...Wilson especially has loads of potential, and i think he definitely has the chance to be a first rounder in 2009...Rose and Heyward are decent and have potential, but neither on the scale of Wilson IMO.

I am not impressed by any of their DT's...Worthington is not all that impressive, neither is Denlinger or Abdallah from what i have seen

and their secondary, is perhaps the least impressive tOSU defensive secondary in the last few years...

Jenkins is great...not only is he a terrific athlete, he is an incredibly smart player, who understands every facet of the CB position...he is as good as they get...

but the other CB's and safeties, simply do not seem to be up to the caliber of the great tOSU db's of the past, and i do not know why that is.

Donald Washington seems like a quality player, but not Jenkins' level...(very few are)

he has enough talent to be a 1st day pick, but he is one of those players whose off-field issues need to be got under control.

Anderson Russell and Kurt Coleman are hardly going to be mistaken for Donte Whitner...I think they will be lucky to be 2nd day picks (hardly something to sneeze at, i just do not think they are "elite")



my worry in this game will not be our defense vs. their offense...hell, Illinois' offense from last year was better than this offense.

my one area of concern will be seeing how our offense deals with their defense. this is the same defense as last year, it is experienced and tough, which is an advantage...but if LSU can score 38 points on them, and Illinois can score 28 points on them, i have to believe we can reasonably score the average of those two offenses (33 points average.) however i will revise downwards, to the lower end and say 31 points.

I think offensively, we can reasonably score 31 points on tOSU in the Coliseum.
I think defensively, we can reasonably hold their offense to 17 points.

On special teams, i think they have an edge on returns, but not much....
things are about even in terms of possible punt blocks or defensive TD's...

allowing for each team to make one big special teams or defensive TD, i add a TD each...i also add a 3 point home field edge to USC

i come up with

Ohio State - 24
USC - 41


and that is a very very very rough estimate.

without the two defensive/special teams TD's i predict it as

Ohio State - 17
USC - 34

with only one defensive/or special teams TD's either

Ohio State -24
USC - 34

or

Ohio State -17
USC - 41



of course those are completely random predictions, based on some very average scenarios and not at all what may happen.

I think OSU can beat us, definitely, if they play their best, capitalize on our mistakes, force mistakes etc...

but i likely believe that even with BEanie Wells back ( i expect he will be 80-90%, but if he does not practice alot this week, it will be very difficult for him to go in cold to the game so to speak, and considering it is the toe or the foot, there is always a chance for a re-injury...if it happens before the game, that is bad...but if it happens during the game, it could be very demoralizing...frankly i hope neither happens and that he plays the whole game)

they will still experience serious trouble on the OLine...neither Boone, Rehring, Person or Browning can handle speed, i have seen it over and over...the center Cordle can handle it pretty well, but he is not Nick MAngold (few are)

if they experience the same kind of trouble on the OL that they have in the past against speed, everything will happen all over again...that is simply the natural progression when an OL fails badly...considering they have a tough enough time passing as is, and with Wells not 100%, that OL has got to step up...if they play like they did against UF or LSU on the OL, Boeckman is going to make a ton of mistakes, and we will be able to load the box.

aside from my "averaged predictions" above, my final, personal gut feeling prediction is:

OSU - 20
USC - 34
 
Fellas, fellas, fellas. Last week is that, last week. A win is that, a win. Let's try not and look too deep into this whole close game bullshit, because it isn't worth it. This is a big game. Period. Ohio State looked like crap last week, yada yada yada...whatever. Whether you guys believe it or not, Jimmy did a helluva job playing down to Ohio's level in prep for USC. Is that a good thing? Probably not...but there isn't a little astrick next to each "W" or each "L" in the record column that says "These guys played bad here...too many turnovers." No, its football. tOSU has been notorious these last five years for doing exactly what they did last week...playing to the competition's level--at least once a year. Do you think there is any negativity or heads hanging in these guy's lockerroom because of last week? Hell no...they chalked it up as an "OK" day and since Saturday night they are looking at every possible aspect of this USC team.

Do not get me wrong here, I couldn't agree more that the Bucks DID PLAY POORLY against Ohio last Saturday. I'm a firm believer it was more by design than by them struggling. Do I think they planned to be down in the 4th to the MAC team...of course not but you know what...that's sports. There was never, EVER--and I am absolutely positive of this--a worried face on that sideline and just taking a look at the man in a sweatervest last Saturday would have proved one disagreeing wrong.

This game Saturday night is going to be all its hyped up to be. Both teams are going to be ready to play, regardless of what they've done prior to this week. I refuse to sit here and say OSU will manhandle, win or even outplay the Troj's because I'll be the first to admit they are damn good. There is just way, way too much talk around the whole last week's performance thing and Mr. Wells #1 not being himself. There is a reason that 95% of the public doesn't know the status of Beanie...because Tress is among the best of keeping things in his team's lockerroom. Beanie and the crew will be ready to COMPETE. They will COMPETE because both of these programs have wayyyyyy too much class, pride and dignity to do otherwise.
 
O-State said:
ANALYSIS FROM A USC FAN----Great read off of scout I copied and pasted, agree on all counts although I give the safeties a little more credit. My last addition to this thread is that USC doesn't run a spread, their traditional offense is built more to OSU's defense liking.

USCFlash from scout
well, i don't think the Ohio game is indicative of tOSU as a football team overall, but there are some pesky problems tOSU has that won't go away, regardless of who they play.

It is fair to say they were bored and disinterested during the YSU and Ohio games...but why? These guys should be excited as hell to be out there...they are Ohio State, they are playing front of 100,000+ Buckeye fans, they are experienced and have what 20 returning starters...

being bored and disinterested or lackadaisical is completely unacceptable when you play for Ohio State...(or any other top team) if you are bored or disinterested in playing D1A football, go join the badminton team...

anyway, the problem tOSU has, that lingers despite any talk of looking ahead, or being flat, or disinterested, is a set of problems that they have been having and are not really relevant to being flat, but are relevant because they are legit problems...

they are serious, and it is the kind of problems, that detract from the overall talent of the team...everyone knows tOSU produces great NFL players...Hawk, Holmes, Ginn, Gholston, Gonzalez, Jenkins and Wells soon enough, Mangold etc...

talent is not their problem, strategy as well as lack of athleticism on the offense is.

They have not adequately replaced Ginn and Gonzalez and Smith, who were big time players, and very athletic...

Boeckman Robiskie and Hartline? NO comparison in terms of production, talent and athleticism...none at all, not even close.

Ginn and Gonzo are starting in the NFL, and if Troy Smith was about 3 inches taller, he probably would too... Robiskie and Hartline are going to be lucky to get drafted on Day 1 and Boeckman will be lucky to be a free agent.

the offense has been carried by Wells for over a year now, without a single other big play threat...Wells' job is even harder considering the OL's outdated blocking schemes and poor athleticism....they are big, fat, strong and slow, trying to fit into a scheme they are not suited for.

Boeckman is a poor quarterback who will likely not even be drafted. He has a good arm, but makes poor decisions, never checks down past the second read, and always seems out of sync with his receivers, either by their fault or sometimes his.

the offense as about as vanilla as it comes...that is not necessarily a bad thing, if you have the explosive personnel to do it...but this offense does not have that personnel.

Whoever their offensive co-ordinator is, he should be fired. All they have is the running game and to put that much weight on Wells' shoulders is totally unfair for such a great player.

There is undoubtedly talent on defense, but they are held back by bad coaching IMO, and the same tactical intelligence that Dantonio brought is not there with Heacock, even when he has had great personnel.

they do not attack all that much considering their personnel, but usually tend to sit back...they don't pin their ears back as much these days as they did in 2005, when they had some serious talent at all three sections (DL, LB, DB)...that 05 defense had so much talent it was ridiculous...

1st rounders
Hawk
Carpenter
Whitner
+ Gholston and Malcolm Jenkins were frosh

3rd rounders
Pitcock
Youboty
Schlegel

4th rounders
Salley

5th rounders
Richardson


that is a ton of talent...this defense does not have nearly the same level of talent, and as such, they cannot attack with the same force and abandon that unit did...


from what i have seen in the past year, I have become progressively less sold on Laurinaitis...of course he is a very good player, but i do not think he is anywhere near as good as former Buckeye superstar LB's like Hawk, Katzenmoyer, Spielman etc...

He and Freeman are clearly good players...Freeman is very good in space as well...I venture to say that i think Freeman will surpass Laurinaitis as their best LB by the end of the season....aside from that, in the front seven, i only see two other players with any real potential, Wilson and Gibson, both very fast DE's...I like their speed alot, but so far, i have only seen them blow by overmatched OT's from Ohio and YSU...

I think they both have a ton of potential, but it is nowhere near fully realized yet...Wilson especially has loads of potential, and i think he definitely has the chance to be a first rounder in 2009...Rose and Heyward are decent and have potential, but neither on the scale of Wilson IMO.

I am not impressed by any of their DT's...Worthington is not all that impressive, neither is Denlinger or Abdallah from what i have seen

and their secondary, is perhaps the least impressive tOSU defensive secondary in the last few years...

Jenkins is great...not only is he a terrific athlete, he is an incredibly smart player, who understands every facet of the CB position...he is as good as they get...

but the other CB's and safeties, simply do not seem to be up to the caliber of the great tOSU db's of the past, and i do not know why that is.

Donald Washington seems like a quality player, but not Jenkins' level...(very few are)

he has enough talent to be a 1st day pick, but he is one of those players whose off-field issues need to be got under control.

Anderson Russell and Kurt Coleman are hardly going to be mistaken for Donte Whitner...I think they will be lucky to be 2nd day picks (hardly something to sneeze at, i just do not think they are "elite")



my worry in this game will not be our defense vs. their offense...hell, Illinois' offense from last year was better than this offense.

my one area of concern will be seeing how our offense deals with their defense. this is the same defense as last year, it is experienced and tough, which is an advantage...but if LSU can score 38 points on them, and Illinois can score 28 points on them, i have to believe we can reasonably score the average of those two offenses (33 points average.) however i will revise downwards, to the lower end and say 31 points.

I think offensively, we can reasonably score 31 points on tOSU in the Coliseum.
I think defensively, we can reasonably hold their offense to 17 points.

On special teams, i think they have an edge on returns, but not much....
things are about even in terms of possible punt blocks or defensive TD's...

allowing for each team to make one big special teams or defensive TD, i add a TD each...i also add a 3 point home field edge to USC

i come up with

Ohio State - 24
USC - 41


and that is a very very very rough estimate.

without the two defensive/special teams TD's i predict it as

Ohio State - 17
USC - 34

with only one defensive/or special teams TD's either

Ohio State -24
USC - 34

or

Ohio State -17
USC - 41



of course those are completely random predictions, based on some very average scenarios and not at all what may happen.

I think OSU can beat us, definitely, if they play their best, capitalize on our mistakes, force mistakes etc...

but i likely believe that even with BEanie Wells back ( i expect he will be 80-90%, but if he does not practice alot this week, it will be very difficult for him to go in cold to the game so to speak, and considering it is the toe or the foot, there is always a chance for a re-injury...if it happens before the game, that is bad...but if it happens during the game, it could be very demoralizing...frankly i hope neither happens and that he plays the whole game)

they will still experience serious trouble on the OLine...neither Boone, Rehring, Person or Browning can handle speed, i have seen it over and over...the center Cordle can handle it pretty well, but he is not Nick MAngold (few are)

if they experience the same kind of trouble on the OL that they have in the past against speed, everything will happen all over again...that is simply the natural progression when an OL fails badly...considering they have a tough enough time passing as is, and with Wells not 100%, that OL has got to step up...if they play like they did against UF or LSU on the OL, Boeckman is going to make a ton of mistakes, and we will be able to load the box.

aside from my "averaged predictions" above, my final, personal gut feeling prediction is:

OSU - 20
USC - 34
Click to expand...

Just like I said, only more in depth. Totally agree about laurunitis also. Almost never makes a tackle in the hole or in the backfield, always 3 to four yards down field
 
RJ Esq said:
A bad showing against Ohio, including a poor rush defense, and 2 straight ass whoopings by SEC teams will do that.
Click to expand...

anybody with a pulse knew that the 35 pts was ridiculous with the spot they were in...people have to keep in mind that during the past few years' "ass whoopings by the SEC", they've still been one of the best teams in the country against the number, which is why we're all here despite how you feel about them. it's this type of overreaction that has led to their success against the number, and the same overreaction that basically gives bettors 4 extra points when nothing has changed except a banged up beanie that is projected to play. i mean, they played the worst game they have in years with the most vanilla gameplan, trying to keep players healthy, the biggest lookeahead of the season for any team, and they still had a double digit win against a team that is made up of buckeyes fans and have waited their whole lives to play in the shoe, and prob should have won straight up as 14 pt dogs the week before (so apparently substantially underrated thus far). it's not like they lost straight up as 41 pt underdogs here...

i think on the other side, there's a lot of people that don't realize how bad virginia is...this is a team that could lose to quite a few MAC teams. just because they're a more recognizable name in a "bcs conference" doesn't mean they're a good team. i have a feeling that there are going to be a lot of pissed off people come saturday night that are so eager now to lay double digits in this game
 
Let me start by saying that I will not be betting this game, I just want to add to the conversation. I want to like Ohio St catching ten on the road, but I do not. As smart as I would feel by taking double digits with a team that returns 19 starters, I see the same match-up disparities I saw in Ohio St's games against Florida and LSU (both games made me money). USC owns the edge in speed and strength.

For all Ohio St backers, I have one question: what is different in this match-up than the match-ups Ohio St faced in Florida and LSU?
 
Blue_Chip said:
Let me start by saying that I will not be betting this game, I just want to add to the conversation. I want to like Ohio St catching ten on the road, but I do not. As smart as I would feel by taking double digits with a team that returns 19 starters, I see the same match-up disparities I saw in Ohio St's games against Florida and LSU (both games made me money). USC owns the edge in speed and strength.

For all Ohio St backers, I have one question: what is different in this match-up than the match-ups Ohio St faced in Florida and LSU?
Click to expand...

Don't lump the florida and lsu games together.

There were matchup problems in the LSU game without a doubt, but I still believe OSU was the best team in 06. There weren't matchup problems with the Gators, osu had just as much and I would argue more talent on the field than florida. There were scheme problems and most importantly there was an attitude problem with the players and the coaches. It was the classic, all we have to do is show up with our heisman trophy winner and our perfect record and we will win. Florida had the eye of the tiger, OSU thought they won it when they beat Michigan, after all it was The Game of the Century, right? Florida gets a lead, OSU makes no adjustments, panics, and they abandon their running game to try and catch up. Florida pins their ears back and come after Smith with no doubt he will be in the pocket on every play. Ball game. Emotion and attitude play a huge role in college sports, and it will this weekend.
 
blue chip, honestly i don't see many similarities. different systems, different experience levels, different talent, different levels of competition..entirely different matchups. florida had a huge speed edge and a better gameplan...i don't think lsu/osu was a physical mismatch, florida was and it will always be coupled with that game, but they were very different. and that was with a buckeyes team that was supposed to be rebuilding and had little big game experience. you take a look at the box score and tell me how they were dominated...only significant advantage was turnovers and 3rd down efficiency. i could go on about it if you'd like, and lsu was certainly the better team, but not as superior as a lot of the people paint the picture. if not for the florida game it wouldn't have been considered as dominating of a performance. clearcut win, yes...but not dominating

in the florida game, obviously the bucks ran a completely different system with a completely different type of personnel that didn't fit with the way they usually recruit. and they faced a completely different system that they are not nearly as equipped to face because of the way they recruit. i see a slight speed advantage on the trojans side overall, but tell me which specific matchup they will exploit using speed. i don't think they have the strength advantage either. i don't know, maybe i'm way off here and being a homer, but i can usually see my team pretty clearly and i honestly don't see many similarities between the national championships and this game...think they're just so stereotyped in their inability to stop speed, but i think it's more gameplan/system that they're not equipped to stop, not actual personnel, and usc's system is something they're more familiar with...
 
Entirely, ENTIRELY different spot BC. Whether you believe it or not, we're quicker all around this year. All around "better"...eh, that's sort of an opinion. Like Joe said above, a little bit of a different style/set up/system. I won't sit here and argue that we're a different, much better team...cuz its hard to tell after a couple weeks...but I just feel it IS a different spot for sure.
 
sharpie said:
Don't lump the florida and lsu games together.

There were matchup problems in the LSU game without a doubt, but I still believe OSU was the best team in 06. There weren't matchup problems with the Gators, osu had just as much and I would argue more talent on the field than florida. There were scheme problems and most importantly there was an attitude problem with the players and the coaches. It was the classic, all we have to do is show up with our heisman trophy winner and our perfect record and we will win. Florida had the eye of the tiger, OSU thought they won it when they beat Michigan, after all it was The Game of the Century, right? Florida gets a lead, OSU makes no adjustments, panics, and they abandon their running game to try and catch up. Florida pins their ears back and come after Smith with no doubt he will be in the pocket on every play. Ball game. Emotion and attitude play a huge role in college sports, and it will this weekend.
Click to expand...

We agree that emotion and attitude play a huge role in college sports, but we disagree with the talent assessment in 2006. I assume that we agree LSU had the talent edge in 2007. In 2006 I think the 41-14 result was a matter of surprise. Ohio St was surprised by the speed and strength of a SEC team because they faced nothing like it during the season. Could they have adjusted? Maybe, but why were they panicked to begin with? I think it was the element of shock. And I while I don't think Ohio St will be shocked by USC's speed and strength, I think the disparity is there.
 
STEED said:
Entirely, ENTIRELY different spot BC. Whether you believe it or not, we're quicker all around this year. All around "better"...eh, that's sort of an opinion.
Click to expand...

Same personnel, so how are you quicker?

Better? Maybe, you do have more experience and that is not arguable.

I'm like the conversation we have going here, gents. Generating plenty of thoughts.
 
Not that it necessarily made a difference in 2006 as to the final outcome but the loss of Ginn was pretty significant as far as ohio state doing what they wanted to do that year. It was also a major blow to the confidence and morale of the team.

Virginia could very well be a terrible team , not sure yet but as far as performance goes , usc has clearly looked like one of the two best teams in the nation ( oklahoma ). What they did to virginia in a west coast - to -east - coast scenario was amazing.

USC does have a speed advantage and probably a condifence advantage as well. Rare case for both teams where there is not a major coaching advantage. The question i hae is whether that speed advantage is enough to warrant a ten point line.

In the preseason i thought for sure that i was going to bet ohio state in this spot , and it is always dangerous to let a few weeks change an opinion so much that you won't take 4 or 5 points the better of the GOY lines. but i am just going to watch this puppy.
 
Blue_Chip said:
Same personnel, so how are you quicker?

Better? Maybe, you do have more experience and that is not arguable.

I'm like the conversation we have going here, gents. Generating plenty of thoughts.
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First on the bold...totally agree. Good stuff.

Second, not really the "same" personnel. A lot of adjustments have been made, and defensively too (as you can see with James' performance as of late :hang:). Experience for sure...but I'm not convinced that that as is big this time of year as other things.
 
vegaskyle said:
Not that it necessarily made a difference in 2006 as to the final outcome but the loss of Ginn was pretty significant as far as ohio state doing what they wanted to do that year. It was also a major blow to the confidence and morale of the team.

Virginia could very well be a terrible team , not sure yet but as far as performance goes , usc has clearly looked like one of the two best teams in the nation ( oklahoma ). What they did to virginia in a west coast - to -east - coast scenario was amazing.

USC does have a speed advantage and probably a condifence advantage as well. Rare case for both teams where there is not a major coaching advantage. The question i hae is whether that speed advantage is enough to warrant a ten point line.

In the preseason i thought for sure that i was going to bet ohio state in this spot , and it is always dangerous to let a few weeks change an opinion so much that you won't take 4 or 5 points the better of the GOY lines. but i am just going to watch this puppy.
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Some good and very true stuff there, vk...

:shake:
 
no question vk about the performance in week one; i wasn't trying to undermine that, but pointing out my opinions on virginia for the purposes of the reasons why i think we have a line that is off. you're absolutely right that oklahoma and usc look like the best teams in the country (i'm really high on oklahoma btw)

my major concern as a probable buckeye backer is the bye week that petey has to prepare for this game, as well as some of the unsettling beanie rumors that i've heard from pretty credible sources that his injury is more severe than the bucks are leading on, but by monday's reports these rumors appear to be just that, and it looks like he'll be good to go.
 
broadwayjoe said:
no question vk about the performance in week one; i wasn't trying to undermine that, but pointing out my opinions on virginia for the purposes of the reasons why i think we have a line that is off. you're absolutely right that oklahoma and usc look like the best teams in the country (i'm really high on oklahoma btw)

my major concern as a probable buckeye backer is the bye week that petey has to prepare for this game, as well as some of the unsettling beanie rumors that i've heard from pretty credible sources that his injury is more severe than the bucks are leading on, but by monday's reports these rumors appear to be just that, and it looks like he'll be good to go.
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I wouldnt worry too much about the bye week as i dont think it is as applicable in this spot. Both of these coaches/teams have been preparing for one another all off-season. I doubt tosu spent too much time on ohio and certainly went pretty vanilla there so i dont think usc learns a ton of new info from tosu having an extra game of film to watch. tosu seems like a nice defense to start out a game with 10-11 points on the scoreboard before the first kickoff.

probably jsut watching it ,,,,, value has to be tosu though dont it ?
 
Another thought

Taking into account much of the analysis already presented. Another thing to consider is USC's dominance over elite backs. Over the past few years they have faced most of the best RBs in the nation and consistently shut them down.

Adrian Peterson
Darren McFadden
Marshawn Lynch
Julius Jones
Ronnie Brown
Cadillac Williams
Rashard Mendehall (Long TD run aside, late and non applicable)

The list goes on to lesser backs, but when teams depend on a RB as their playmaker USC has had I would say unparalleled success in shutting down the RB and making the team try and beat them elsewhere. Many of these backs were shut down with far less talented Ds then USC has this year. Where especially the front 7 is loaded, with probably 3+ first round draft picks in next years draft (Cushing, Malaluga, and Moala) to go along with some heavy underclass talent.

The game is going to come down to Boeckman and the Recievers abillity to stay patient and move the ball with quick three step drop routes. If they try the standard OSU 5 step fades and skinny posts they are going to result in sacks and turnovers. The other Xfactor is just what they do with Pryor USC has had a problem with mobile QBs but this is generally when they are truely dualthreat (Dennis Dixon, Vince Young), right now Pryor is more of a run only option QB.

10+ seems like too much to give up in a game like this to me, but on the other hand if OSU isn't willing to adapt their scheme or able to execute it for lack of practice, it could turn into a blow out. Hence why I'm not touching it.
 
dbcooper said:
Taking into account much of the analysis already presented. Another thing to consider is USC's dominance over elite backs. Over the past few years they have faced most of the best RBs in the nation and consistently shut them down.

Adrian Peterson
Darren McFadden
Marshawn Lynch
Julius Jones
Ronnie Brown
Cadillac Williams
Rashard Mendehall (Long TD run aside, late and non applicable)

The list goes on to lesser backs, but when teams depend on a RB as their playmaker USC has had I would say unparalleled success in shutting down the RB and making the team try and beat them elsewhere. Many of these backs were shut down with far less talented Ds then USC has this year. Where especially the front 7 is loaded, with probably 3+ first round draft picks in next years draft (Cushing, Malaluga, and Moala) to go along with some heavy underclass talent.

The game is going to come down to Boeckman and the Recievers abillity to stay patient and move the ball with quick three step drop routes. If they try the standard OSU 5 step fades and skinny posts they are going to result in sacks and turnovers. The other Xfactor is just what they do with Pryor USC has had a problem with mobile QBs but this is generally when they are truely dualthreat (Dennis Dixon, Vince Young), right now Pryor is more of a run only option QB.

10+ seems like too much to give up in a game like this to me, but on the other hand if OSU isn't willing to adapt their scheme or able to execute it for lack of practice, it could turn into a blow out. Hence why I'm not touching it.
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Good info bro...welcome to the site too!
 
A few thoughts.

It seems as if MOST think USC will blow out THE. In a big game things usually don't go according to plan.

Drawing comparisons to when I played in college (hockey). If we played a team in a lower division our coach would rotate lines 1 through 4 and we'd play a more finesse game knowing we'd be facing a top team in our division in a couple days. We'd win all the time....something like 6-2 instead of the 12-2 we'd normally win if we approached the game different.

Not saying that's what THE did but when you play Youngstown and Ohio and you know you have the biggest game of the year the following week I'm guessing you're going to go through the motions and just get the win.

My guess is THE is very sharp next weekend.
 
I don't like to be a square, and I don't like to overreact to what I've already seen, but I just don't see Ohio St getting it done on offense here. Sometimes as gamblers we try to go against convention, and it bites us in the ass. I'll lay the points and treat this as just another play, even though I'm getting this itch to unload here.

I like betting against one dimensional offenses facing a strong defense, and that's how I see Ohio St currently. If they cover this game it will be late, and they will need to take chances to do it (kind of like the Vikings last night). If Boeckman can backdoor me here than so be it.

One last thought - there are two coaches in college football that I think have no concern with running it up on other teams given the opportunity, and they are Bob Stoops and that little leprechaun at the University of Spoiled Children. I have a feeling that this one gets ugly.
 
i don't see the bucks' offense as one dimensional at all...maybe it appears that way thus far in the year, and yes, todd has certainly blown it with some bad throws in big games, but as a first year starter he was putting up numbers for a lot of the year that matched troy smith's without the same talent as troy smith had. bucks have 3 solid receivers and a returning qb who got to the bcs last year with 25 tds and completed 64% of his passes..he just has to keep his ints down, and i think a lot of that will come with a year of experience under his belt. he played horribly in the illinois game and played horribly in the lsu game (5 of his 14 picks in those 2)...which were big reasons why they lost those two games; but those were really the only games he played poorly in. the next best defense besides michigan (which was a big mud puddle) were penn state and wisc, and he played well in those games. i'm not his biggest fan, but i wouldn't call their offense one dimensional...especially when you add pryor to the mix. buckeyes have plenty of concerns this week, but i don't think a one dimensional offense is one of them.
 
broadwayjoe said:
i don't see the bucks' offense as one dimensional at all...maybe it appears that way thus far in the year, and yes, todd has certainly blown it with some bad throws in big games, but as a first year starter he was putting up numbers for a lot of the year that matched troy smith's without the same talent as troy smith had. bucks have 3 solid receivers and a returning qb who got to the bcs last year with 25 tds and completed 64% of his passes..he just has to keep his ints down, and i think a lot of that will come with a year of experience under his belt. he played horribly in the illinois game and played horribly in the lsu game (5 of his 14 picks in those 2)...which were big reasons why they lost those two games; but those were really the only games he played poorly in. the next best defense besides michigan (which was a big mud puddle) were penn state and wisc, and he played well in those games. i'm not his biggest fan, but i wouldn't call their offense one dimensional...especially when you add pryor to the mix. buckeyes have plenty of concerns this week, but i don't think a one dimensional offense is one of them.
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They will be one dimensional this week. I will say again, THEY DON'T HAVE THE ATHLETES ON THE OUTSIDE. The only guy that I see that could be a threat down the field is Ray Small and he has definitely not lived up to the expectations. He's the guy Ted Ginn Sr. said was the best athlete he's ever coached. Hopefully, he steps up this week and proves me wrong.
:popcorn:
 
^i agree, small has to step up, and saine/herron have to make some plays too in beanie relief...just hope we see a lot of pryor...such an unbelievable asset to have in a game like this
 
don't post much but thought i would jump in here with a couple thoughts...

i live in columbus and the climate is a bit odd. typically when there is a big game you can almost feel the excitement and passion in the air. people are talking about if everywhere (almost with a sense of arrogance). i don't feel that now (and i didn't with lsu or fla). you here a muttering here and there but really doesn't seem to be the big game excitement we are accustomed to.
not allot of osu/usc partys etc.
the number is a bit odd as well, sitting at 10.5 and 11 at the moment. this is screaming for osu $. i don't think it's a response to the ohio or virgina games as much as it is the oddsmakers stating (what i don't want to hear!) that this SHOULD be a usc beatdown. i was hoping this would settle back down below -10 but i may take the -10.5. (vomiting from my buckeye mouth now).
my sense is usc covers the number or osu wins. if the trojans get a rythm , coach will not let up and this historically is not often stopped. the momentum of the usc team when they put up a couple scores back to back just begins to snowball. i do not see us methodically controling the game or keeping pace with a shootout. i think trojans roll. matchups all over that favor the trojans, and no way they don't get exploited.
 
i think it HAS to be screaming for OSU $ scraps...USC homeline is usually inflated (2-4 last year ATS) because of all the trojan action they get, whereas OSU 5-1 ATS on the road, and everybody hates them and loves to bet against them, thinks they're slow, overrated, undeserving, etc. this line should be -6, which is what it opened at...the shot up has everything to do with the ohio and virginia performances and the questionable beanie imo. those are the only things that have changed. i'm seeing 88% trojan bets on most sites...i've heard espn analysts saying that the trojans only problem is that they're overconfident. overconfident? if i lost to stanford at home to screw my bcs hopes i wouldn't be the slightest bit overconfident. i hear all this talk about obvious matchup problems, yet i don't see them. where are they? osu's defensive numbers going into last year's game vs lsu were staggering. mind-blowing...and i don't care who they were playing. every big name school had cupcakes on their schedules and none of the numbers were even close. and i'm up in cleveland...all people have been talking about is the bucks. every water cooler, every break, every bar, every party; i haven't had a conversation since july that doesn't involve this game...i have several friends going...i don't know man i just don't get that part of it at all....they aren't as jacked or more jacked down in columbus? find that hard to believe
 
i don't see or hear jacked at all. in fact everyone i have talked this game through with believes we will be blown out. from betters to casual fans to hardcore football geeks...i have not heard any love for my bucks. "i'll watch the first half at eddie georges grill and be drunk enough by the half to stomach the blowout"...from a conversation yesterday.
mismatches...osu recievers are inconsistant and don't have the speed to compete with usc secondary/lbackers...usc dline and linebackers advantage...qb advantage...don't trust our running game either (although i don't believe wells's foot is an issue...i would give coaching a slight edge to tressel.
the ats stats you listed are skewed and oddsmakers know it. that has more to do with strength of schedule and i think bettors love to pour money on the bucks as much as usc. i am certain nationaly there are at least as many osu fans (and casual bettors).
you have to consider who they were playing to accumulate those numbers joe. the pac10 is loaded and has been and we get to dance in the big10. fla and lsu, as much as i hate to bring it up, are pure indicators. please understand...i think we are a very talented and welll coached team but not as much as in recent years. i think usc however is as good.
 
I'll respond ot the comments in here which is a great thread btw, but here's a pic of Beanie on Saturday..

Pretty sure it was just a scare during YSU game, nothing much else:

wells.jpg
 
scraps, that first part is pretty disappointing. different feeling here in cleveland for sure. as far as the matchups, i absolutely agree that it will be challenging getting openings on the outside and that will depend on the degree of success from the running game. the usc defense is very good, no doubt, but i wouldn't call that side of the ball "exploiting matchups"; i'd call it being able to stop and stifle the buckeyes' offense...i think you have to exploit matchups on the offensive side of the ball, and i really think the buckeyes have more experience on that side and will have as good of a chance to do so....although it will be difficult for either team. i don't think they have all of these offensive advantages over the bucks' defense like a lot of people do. i don't think any qb advantage has been proven at all, although there could end up being a talent gap. i mean, this is the biggest game of sanchez's life so far, and boeckman has been in several games of this magnitude. i agree that both defenses matchup pretty well to the opposing offenses (which is why i lean under), but i also think special teams are even, and usc is as prone or more prone to turnovers because of the experience factor. in a defensive stalemate, the pressure is put on the team with less experience. if we can create a defensive stalemate i think we can win the game. on the offensive side of the ball...you're leader in the heisman race -- here's where you prove it; you're a cohesive oline with experience -- here's where you prove it; you're the highest touted recruit in the country -- here's where you prove it; you're going to talk shit before the game (small) -- here's where you back it up; you're going to prove you don't flop in every big game (boeckman) -- here's where. i think there are plenty of opportunities on this offense despite how good usc's defense is...and we'll see if they can take advantage of those opportunities.

i respectfully disagree with you about as much money. 1) usc fans and bettors are all over the las vegas area because of the close proximity 2) the hatred for the bucks is second to maybe only notre dame...i don't think nearly as many people bet on them than against them in spite

i also have to disagree that the numbers are skewed. the spread takes strength of schedule, injuries, everything into account. it is the single best meausure of overrated and underrated. if you have a gauntlet of tough games vs tougher opponents you have a lesser number to cover, and it is built in the most efficient way known to man, at least in my opinion. if you're playing lesser competition, you have to cover a higher number. it's EXPECTED results versus ACTUAL results...and usc has come up short at home as favorites and osu has one of the best ATS records over the last couple of years, especially as a dog. one wildcard is obviously public perception, and the above opinions go into how a line can be skewed a little bit, but even then you're measuring PERCEIVED EXPECTED results with ACTUAL results...it's apples to apples. and it's the only apples to apples comparison we really have available. one could argue common opponents but i'd disagree because different teams matchup differently. there's obviously countless examples of this
 
as far as the coaching edge, i would not give it to tressel. i'd either score it as dead even or give petey a slight advantage...i guess we're on different pages scraps, but hopin for same results. go bucks!
 
The one aspect of the game for osu that will be different this week is mentally. You wont see many mental mistakes and you definitley wont see the lack of emotion we saw this past weekend. The fact is the ohio state players whether they admit it or not did not come to play and did not focus properly for this game. I know for a fact that its nearly impossible to flip the switch on once the game has started if you arent mentally into the game from the getgo and during warmups.. Ive done it myself from playing at akron when we played some of the terrible teams in the mac where a lot of us screwed around friday night and then saturday morning and during warmups because we thought offensively we were superior to the other team only to be in a battle with a team we should have beaten by 20+. No matter how hard you try to refocus or flip the switch if you will to get your head back into the game it just doesnt work that easily.. and then come the 4th quarter instead of being up 20 you are kicking yourself because you have played terribly and its all due to lack of emotion and proper focus.. The same thing can be said for the ohio game.. whether those guys admit it or not.. they were looking ahead and they didnt take OU serious enough and got themselves into a dog fight against an average team who came to play.. you can damn well bet it wont happen again saturday.

Osu mentally will be in the game and ready to play.. now whether usc or osu has more talent.. I really dont know.. Do we see todd boeckman run an efficient passing game and will his recievers run good routes to get open.. Or will we see boeckman force the game and try to hit the deep ball constantly like he has a tendency to try and do instead of just allowing the game to flow smoothly and hit the open receiver.

Both defenses are going to make it a nightmare to score a lot of points and turnovers will absolutely play a key role in this game.. I think both teams will keep each others special teams at bay.

As far as the excitement level in columbus, I personally thnk its the worst its been in this town for a big game in quite some time. Michigan week thats all anyone talks about from sunday morning on.. and even the year we played texas at home.. the media and the town was buzzing.. The game saturday definitley put a buzz kill on everyones spirits.. But Im guessing come thursday and friday it should pick up quite a bit
 
Any numbers against the spread for USC over the last two years should be thrown out....As the biggest change, improvement, etc from then till now is Sanchez replacing JDB..JDB is/was a nightmare for covering spreads...
 
broadwayjoe said:
scraps, that first part is pretty disappointing. different feeling here in cleveland for sure. as far as the matchups, i absolutely agree that it will be challenging getting openings on the outside and that will depend on the degree of success from the running game. the usc defense is very good, no doubt, but i wouldn't call that side of the ball "exploiting matchups"; i'd call it being able to stop and stifle the buckeyes' offense...i think you have to exploit matchups on the offensive side of the ball, and i really think the buckeyes have more experience on that side and will have as good of a chance to do so....although it will be difficult for either team. i don't think they have all of these offensive advantages over the bucks' defense like a lot of people do. i don't think any qb advantage has been proven at all, although there could end up being a talent gap. i mean, this is the biggest game of sanchez's life so far, and boeckman has been in several games of this magnitude. i agree that both defenses matchup pretty well to the opposing offenses (which is why i lean under), but i also think special teams are even, and usc is as prone or more prone to turnovers because of the experience factor. in a defensive stalemate, the pressure is put on the team with less experience. if we can create a defensive stalemate i think we can win the game. on the offensive side of the ball...you're leader in the heisman race -- here's where you prove it; you're a cohesive oline with experience -- here's where you prove it; you're the highest touted recruit in the country -- here's where you prove it; you're going to talk shit before the game (small) -- here's where you back it up; you're going to prove you don't flop in every big game (boeckman) -- here's where. i think there are plenty of opportunities on this offense despite how good usc's defense is...and we'll see if they can take advantage of those opportunities.

i respectfully disagree with you about as much money. 1) usc fans and bettors are all over the las vegas area because of the close proximity 2) the hatred for the bucks is second to maybe only notre dame...i don't think nearly as many people bet on them than against them in spite

i also have to disagree that the numbers are skewed. the spread takes strength of schedule, injuries, everything into account. it is the single best meausure of overrated and underrated. if you have a gauntlet of tough games vs tougher opponents you have a lesser number to cover, and it is built in the most efficient way known to man, at least in my opinion. if you're playing lesser competition, you have to cover a higher number. it's EXPECTED results versus ACTUAL results...and usc has come up short at home as favorites and osu has one of the best ATS records over the last couple of years, especially as a dog. one wildcard is obviously public perception, and the above opinions go into how a line can be skewed a little bit, but even then you're measuring PERCEIVED EXPECTED results with ACTUAL results...it's apples to apples. and it's the only apples to apples comparison we really have available. one could argue common opponents but i'd disagree because different teams matchup differently. there's obviously countless examples of this
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great thoughts joe. i don't agree with the comments related to ats results however. i think an illustration of how the oddsmakers struggle with talent gaps can be seen in the success of bettors early in the college season. if you take a look at the posters on this site and others you will see quite a few 10-2, 11-3 etc in the first few weeks. those wins are often taking advantage of games where there is a clear talent gap that will be a struggle to quantify with lines. the more talented team is typically going to over perform vs the less overperforming. as you and i know...as the season moves forward and conference play brings the gap closer those same bettors begin to show 5-5, 4-10 etc. i always look to this time of year as a strong opportunity. i do however agree that it is the truest measure, more accurate than wall street for certain.

boeckman has not fared well in games of this magnitude, especially outside of the shoe (with the exception of mich and i commend him for that). i supose i am projecting a personal assessment of sanchez rather than going on data. i see him as good as or better than lienart, palmer and booty. our stud pryor is way too young for this stage. i do not believe he will be a factor from what i have seen. in the future i think we will have something special but not in this show. not sure how beanie became a hiesman frontrunner although i do think he is a talented back.

the reason i gave the coaching edge to osu is really about jt's experience at yst as much as osu. it amazes me how he has consistently put championship caliber teams on the field his whole career...and most often sealed the deal. he does it with a discipline and class that is very very special. i have tremendous respect for pete carroll and believe he is in an elite group. the edge is a slight one imo.

again joe, great thoughts and i am just responding to a few. appreciate the discussion...:shake:
 
Zipstar81 said:
The one aspect of the game for osu that will be different this week is mentally. You wont see many mental mistakes and you definitley wont see the lack of emotion we saw this past weekend. The fact is the ohio state players whether they admit it or not did not come to play and did not focus properly for this game. I know for a fact that its nearly impossible to flip the switch on once the game has started if you arent mentally into the game from the getgo and during warmups.. Ive done it myself from playing at akron when we played some of the terrible teams in the mac where a lot of us screwed around friday night and then saturday morning and during warmups because we thought offensively we were superior to the other team only to be in a battle with a team we should have beaten by 20+. No matter how hard you try to refocus or flip the switch if you will to get your head back into the game it just doesnt work that easily.. and then come the 4th quarter instead of being up 20 you are kicking yourself because you have played terribly and its all due to lack of emotion and proper focus.. The same thing can be said for the ohio game.. whether those guys admit it or not.. they were looking ahead and they didnt take OU serious enough and got themselves into a dog fight against an average team who came to play.. you can damn well bet it wont happen again saturday.

Osu mentally will be in the game and ready to play.. now whether usc or osu has more talent.. I really dont know.. Do we see todd boeckman run an efficient passing game and will his recievers run good routes to get open.. Or will we see boeckman force the game and try to hit the deep ball constantly like he has a tendency to try and do instead of just allowing the game to flow smoothly and hit the open receiver.

Both defenses are going to make it a nightmare to score a lot of points and turnovers will absolutely play a key role in this game.. I think both teams will keep each others special teams at bay.

As far as the excitement level in columbus, I personally thnk its the worst its been in this town for a big game in quite some time. Michigan week thats all anyone talks about from sunday morning on.. and even the year we played texas at home.. the media and the town was buzzing.. The game saturday definitley put a buzz kill on everyones spirits.. But Im guessing come thursday and friday it should pick up quite a bit
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yeah, but.... OSU came out in the NC game last year with this mentality and the result was they were way too jacked up. multiple personal fouls, special teams mistakes, turnovers.... makes my head hurt just thinking about it....

The one thing I do want to bring up and Im surprised no one has yet, is do we really know how good USC is? I mean, is Virginia enough to base it on? SC was only up something like 24-7 starting the 4th quarter to a team that steam rolled their cupcake last week 16-6. :36_11_6:

I think OSU will be able to give them problems up front on both sides of the ball. If so, and we play with controlled emotion, we have a shot. But, if USC is legit, and they have successfully replaced the guys up front that they lost from last years team, defensively they shoud be able to play us man to man on the outside and stuff the box to neutralize Wells. Offensively, if they can stop our pressure, they should be able to score enough points for a dd win. I just don't think that their win over a bottom team in the worst major conference in football, is enough to crown SC as the jugernaut they were 2-3 years ago like most are.
 
sharpie said:
yeah, but.... OSU came out in the NC game last year with this mentality and the result was they were way too jacked up. multiple personal fouls, special teams mistakes, turnovers.... makes my head hurt just thinking about it....

The one thing I do want to bring up and Im surprised no one has yet, is do we really know how good USC is? I mean, is Virginia enough to base it on? SC was only up something like 24-7 starting the 4th quarter to a team that steam rolled their cupcake last week 16-6. :36_11_6:

I think OSU will be able to give them problems up front on both sides of the ball. If so, and we play with controlled emotion, we have a shot. But, if USC is legit, and they have successfully replaced the guys up front that they lost from last years team, defensively they shoud be able to play us man to man on the outside and stuff the box to neutralize Wells. Offensively, if they can stop our pressure, they should be able to score enough points for a dd win. I just don't think that their win over a bottom team in the worst major conference in football, is enough to crown SC as the jugernaut they were 2-3 years ago like most are.
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Right on.. but one has to think the coaching staff and those players have learned from that LSU game as well.

And we really dont know how good usc really is..Virginia is not a good football team by any means.. and has mark sanchez faced this good of a defense yet?
 
Suprised that Herbstreit said hes not suprised at all at what a big dog OSU came out to be
 
Interesting Thoughts from Pat Forde

Myth: The Buckeyes have the edge at quarterback because Todd Boeckman (5) is more experienced than Mark Sanchez (6).


The 24-year-old Boeckman has thrown nearly 200 more career passes than Sanchez, but in this what-have-you-done-for-The-Dash-lately world, he has not performed well against quality competition. Discounting Ohio State's opening victory over FCS Youngstown State, Boeckman's last four quarterback ratings going back to 2007 are brutal: 71 against Ohio, 77.1 against LSU, 30.9 against Michigan and 37.9 against Illinois. His yards per attempt: 4.2 against Ohio, 8 against LSU, 3.8 against Michigan, 6.8 against Illinois. In those four games he's thrown two touchdowns and six interceptions. Ohio State has averaged just 21.3 points in those games -- and lost half of them.
Sanchez will be facing the toughest defense of his callow career and probably won't be up to taking over the game -- but neither will Boeckman. Which could make change-of-pace QB Terrelle Pryor (7) even more important, although Ohio State coach Jim Tressel seemed unwilling to throw Pryor into the fire against Ohio last Saturday. And if Pryor wasn't ready for extensive duty against the Bobcats, is he ready for the Trojans?
 
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