Week 12 Contemplation

[donovan]

1. Boise State: No one cares. (Hedrick 265 yards and 3 TD’s, Wyoming not a bad team)
2. The Week: Pretty dull match-ups this week.
3. UCLA: The freshman running back Myles gives the Bruins some future hope.
4. Washington: You cannot blame Willingham forever.
5. Northern Illinois: This is the case where a win will set them back. Sophomoric System.
6. Ohio State: See number 4. Illinois won’t be allowed to score any points in voters mindlessness. Juvenile Sophomoric System.
7. Illinois: Coaches fighting and giving up 600 yards; maybe Kiffin can apply.
8. West Virginia: Ugh..11 consecutive bowl year, now maybe zip…and to Charles Weis.
9. Boston College: Everyone knows William will run the ball and still he keeps on running.
10. Central Florida: And the AAC..and they have an automatic bid because??? And don’t want to hear about the defunct Big East.
11. Auburn: All we need is one more SEC highlight for the next 47 years.
12. Auburn: Gus Malzahn, what more is there to be said, other than…see 12
13. Arkansas: Like Washington and Willingham, you can’t blame Nutt forever and why did you let Malzahn escape?
14. Oklahoma State: Texas, no one cares. Baylor will be the test.
15. Miami: Cane, dang it…your team just has to want to win. Maybe this is basketball payback.
16. Big Ten Legends: A rose by any other name may not be a rose.
17. Florida State: Is 60 points taboo? Fisher is one of the better media spokesperson, or he has a good writer. Winston 19 for 21…amazing. I hear Idaho has an outstanding pass defense…or maybe I didn’t hear that, I forget. Pack your bags, Mr. Billybud, you’re heading West.
18. Oregon: You can win in ugly uniforms. Oregon’s best win this week, USC over Stanford.
19. Baylor: Baylor’s best win, USC over Stanford. They just need Idaho to beat FSU.
20. Alabama: Unlike every other team in the nation, Alabama win ugly against a struggling team and still come out smelling Roses.
21. USC: Spence is right, if USC does not delete the interim part of Orgeron’s title he will be scooped up in about 37 seconds by somebody.
22. Oregon State: See number 14.
23. Fresno State and Northern Illinois: No pizazz, No BCS buster this year.

[Spence]

I don't think anyone is blaming coach Tressel for the defense. He actually left it in better shape than it is now. Most of Ohio State's defensive problems come from lack of linebacker depth. The defensive line is good. The secondary is mediocre. Ohio State had two linebackers out the whole game. Bosa, one of the starting DE's was out after the third quarter. There isn't the depth there that you would like and Illinois made the defense look silly from the second quarter to the end. The defense isn't probably going to get better. At this point they are what they are and they aren't very good as a complete unit.

The offense stalled after the left tackle went out of the game. Meyer was going to give him the day off when he went out in the 2nd quarter, but it turned out that he had to have him after the offense stalled in the 3rd quarter. Once he was back in, the offense went back to their high flying selves. Ohio State's offensive line is among the nations best. The skill players on that side of the ball are very good. They took the middle 2 quarters off yesterday and still scored 60.

When Ohio State meets a complete team they will get beat. The defense just can't be called on to get a stop if they need one. I don't see anything that can be done about that at this point in the season.

[donovan]

You have met complete teams. OSU is a good ball club, better than I think you espouse. I read some pundit, who, I do not remember, saying that OSU is not getting the credit because of the stigma, nonsense. I would defer to your opinion. If Ohio State and Oregon meet in the Rose Bowl, which Eric says they will, I think that has the potential of being a good game. I like it because that is they way it should be.

[Spence]

I'm not saying the aren't a good team. Ohio State is a good team. They just aren't the great team we expected this year. I think Oregon - Ohio State will be a great game. They are alot the same team. Oregon has faster receivers, Ohio State can pound the rock or go high tempo. Ohio State has a better defensive line, Oregon is better in the back field. But they basically have the same basic strengths and weaknesses.

By the bowl game Ohio State has a chance to have Christian Bryant back, that should help the backfield. Yesterday Ohio State played without two starting linebackers. We had a walk on playing linebacker - a walk on. That shouldn't happen at Ohio State. The only thing that the former staff may be responsible for is recruiting hybrid linebacker/safeties. Instead of getting the best of both worlds, they have gotten the worst. They have small linebackers that aren't fast enough to cover on passing downs and not big enough to take on big backs. Meyer should have addressed this, but he didn't get the linebackers he needed to fill the depth charts. There are too many guys that have redshirts on this year. Ohio State only traveled with 62 guys. There are only 71 players that are eligible to play because of redshirts and the scholarship losses. Meyer and company didn't take into account the impact a few injuries in the secondary and LB corps would have and that was a mistake. Now it is too late to take the redshirt off them. The Buckeyes likey can't improve on their current position in the BCS and honestly, they can't beat the teams in front of them right now.

I don't mean to sound like Ohio State isn't a top 10 team. Maybe even a top 5 team when you look at the field. We were just hoping for a little more. You would think a team that just won their 22nd game in a row would be celebrating, but they weren't celebrating last night. They, to a man, knew they didn't play like championship contenders. When the players know, there is no sense in the fans making excuses. Ohio State shouldn't have let Illinois score 35. Ohio State was never in doubt of losing. Illinois never got closer than 15 points. That isn't the point. Having to have the starting defense and offense in the whole game speaks volumes about Ohio State's troubles yesterday.

[donovan]

Your comments, I think, address the issues so many teams have. In fact all of the contenders have. The only ones that don't have them are those out of contention. It is this, and we have discussed this so many times. A contending team takes the field and they are instructed overtly or covertly to win, win by a large margin, keeping the opponents offense to as close to zero as possible. Get early leads so we can play substitutes which will not count against us. Any school that has to use their starters the whole game can not be that good....and it goes on and on as coaches read what the pundit voters wants and try to coach so their kids can go to a great bowl. Those out of contention are told to go and win. In the end, you will move up the ladder and that is all that is necessary.

So the Northern Illinois and Fresno States have to perform by the above mention criteria in greater measure because they get no slack.

I am not sure who better this year, the SEC West or the Pac 12 North. But they are close, I think. There are schools like OSU who are a very big fish, this year, in a pond with not so big fishes. That makes it tough under the current system. It doesn't need to be, but it is what we have and is only going to get worse. next year.

[billybud]

FSU has become a monster..

Had 28 points up before Syracuse had 28 yards (really). And while Cuse isn't good, they are not that bad either and held their last two opponents to three points.

Winston has sat out the 2nd halfs of the last two games...still both were 59-3. Note: The last time a national team had consecutive wins of at least 59 points while holding an opponent to 3 or less was the 1988 FSU team.

FSU has been setting the 1s and 2s the second half and developing the 3s-4s.

I don't know how the season will turn out, but this is a very good Seminole team this year with Winston at QB...if he doesn't play? Not quite as good.

[donovan]

FSU never seems to lose their poise. That's coaching. Alabama gets it done, but somehow it never seems with the fluidity of the Noles. Some of the other teams lose it to their demise, I think of Stanford, Oregon, Georgia, Miami. They seem to have the guns to win, maybe not all, but they just don't have the smooth, don't get ruffled composure that FSU seems to display.

[billybud]

Amazing stat..lack of clock control...

FSU had the ball for 18 minutes...Syracuse 42 minutes.

Syracuse won the battle of the clock.

[Spence]

Your comments, I think, address the issues so many teams have. In fact all of the contenders have. The only ones that don't have them are those out of contention. It is this, and we have discussed this so many times. A contending team takes the field and they are instructed overtly or covertly to win, win by a large margin, keeping the opponents offense to as close to zero as possible. Get early leads so we can play substitutes which will not count against us. Any school that has to use their starters the whole game can not be that good....and it goes on and on as coaches read what the pundit voters wants and try to coach so their kids can go to a great bowl. Those out of contention are told to go and win. In the end, you will move up the ladder and that is all that is necessary.

So the Northern Illinois and Fresno States have to perform by the above mention criteria in greater measure because they get no slack.

I am not sure who better this year, the SEC West or the Pac 12 North. But they are close, I think. There are schools like OSU who are a very big fish, this year, in a pond with not so big fishes. That makes it tough under the current system. It doesn't need to be, but it is what we have and is only going to get worse. next year.

I think if Ohio State didn't have so many warts on defense they would be a contender. I think, though, when you play such a soft schedule you have to not show the warts. Florida State doesn't show the warts. They don't play a great schedule either, but they look good doing it. I don't think you have to win 60-0 to make a good showing. I think 40-16 with the second team players in for the second half would be ok. I look at Florida State and I see a team that is going to be tough to beat. They are fast to the line, fast to the ball and they play smooth (for lack of a better word). I think Alabama is a more complete team than anyone. I think Florida State can beat them, but I think they will have to take it away from them. Alabama isn't going to go away quietly. Alabama can play so many different ways. Basically the only thing they can't do is execute the read option; which I don't think will hurt them.

I just was hoping for a better team by the end of the year. We have regressed on the defensive line. We have three good linebackers, one decent backup, and then we go to a walk on. Never a good thing. When you have an offense like we have - and they can score against anyone - it's really discouraging that the defense can't come around. Can't progress into a cohesive unit. Even if they weren't going to make the championship game I would rather believe they could win. I just don't.

[RazorHawk]

11. Auburn: All we need is one more SEC highlight for the next 47 years.
12. Auburn: Gus Malzahn, what more is there to be said, other than…see 12
13. Arkansas: Like Washington and Willingham, you can’t blame Nutt forever and why did you let Malzahn escape?

This is all over some of the Arkansas boards. Fans are saying how much better Malzahn would be doing, and that Bielema has little chance of success. They forget about the difference in current talent at Auburn compared to Arkansas.

The blaming of Nutt has subsided, but not the blaming of Petrino. I was one of the fans, that felt getting rid of Petrino was a mistake, but that is ancient history. With the timing of his dismissal, and the hiring of JL Smith, the Hogs lost two years of recruiting. It will take some time and recruiting some players for the system that Bielema wants to run.

[billybud]

I think that Ohio State looks very good...so does Baylor.

It is really hard to separate the next three teams after you say "Alabama".

[Spence]

I think that Ohio State looks very good...so does Baylor.

It is really hard to separate the next three teams after you say "Alabama".

I Ohio State has some big defensive issues and Baylor has some as well. I think Florida State is a more complete team than either Baylor or the Buckeyes. At least from what I can see so far. I don't see many fundamental mistakes from Florida State. You can't always tell just by watching because of the different matchups, but Florida State looks better to me than anyone else, except Alabama. (and I believe they can give Bama a run)

[Derek]

I think that Ohio State looks very good...so does Baylor.

It is really hard to separate the next three teams after you say "Alabama".

I normally will always pull for an SEC team in these situations. But I'm so tired of hearing Alabama fans say "Roll Tide" on your average gardening forum thread, that I want them stopped.

Please ensure FSU pulls this one out.

[billybud]

I am rooting for Auburn to unseat Bama....

Bama's road graders up front would be a tough match up for FSU....

[Spence]

I am rooting for Auburn to unseat Bama....

Bama's road graders up front would be a tough match up for FSU....

I would too if I were you. I don't think it is going to happen though.