So....Ohio State Should Be Undefeated

[Eric]

Spence, it looks like your Buckeyes are going to run the table here. You have a road game at Wisconsin but that's not very threatening. Also, I can't possibly see how Michigan can beat you guys this year. I think this is a sign of things to come under Urban Meyer. I know you're not a huge fan of his, but the guy does manage to win and I get the feeling like he thinks the Big 10 is easy to recruit in and thus win in. You guys are going to dominate this conference for the next decade.

[Derek]

Unfortunately, I think there is a lot of truth to your statement. I really can't stand the guy. that's just my opinion.

But yes, he does manage to win.

[Spence]

Spence, it looks like your Buckeyes are going to run the table here. You have a road game at Wisconsin but that's not very threatening. Also, I can't possibly see how Michigan can beat you guys this year. I think this is a sign of things to come under Urban Meyer. I know you're not a huge fan of his, but the guy does manage to win and I get the feeling like he thinks the Big 10 is easy to recruit in and thus win in. You guys are going to dominate this conference for the next decade.

I'm not sure Ohio State will go undefeated. Michigan can play some defense. I think a lot depends on whether or not Ohio State can get some guys healthy. We are devastated at linebacker. Zack Boren, the starting fullback, is playing MLB for us right now. Ohio State can't rush very well and has a hard time covering the flat.

As to Meyer and recruiting. Michigan has a good coach and it looks like Notre Dame is back. Couple that with the fact that I think Bill O'brien will be a force at Penn State in the next five years or so. Meyer is going to recruit well in Ohio, but he is going to have to deal with the same old dynamic that Woody recruited under. He is going to have to deal with Brian Kelley here in a big way, something neither Coop or Tressel had to worry about. Ohio has a ton of very good catholic schools who break out pretty evenly for Ohio State and Notre Dame. The Cincinnati area for sure will probably go back to being a Notre Dame hotspot in recruiting. So I don't think it is going to be aas easy as people think. I also think that UM is going to have to get a QB coach that can teach a quarterback, not only how to throw, but how to run through his progressions and direct a passing game. Braxton Miller is a freak athlete with amazing running vision. Teams load the box on him and he still gets loose on them. None of the teams we have played so far can play defense. At some point we will run into a team that does. When that happens and someone contains Miller, Ohio State will lose. Maybe this year, for sure next year.

He will do OK here. Not as well as most expect, in my opinion.

[Cane from the Bend]

Meyer has a way of getting the most out of the players he takes over.
He doesn't, however , get the most essential players on deck when recruiting.

As time went on at florida, his game plan started to wane, because the quality of players, and development went down hill.

Going undefeated will look good to recruits initially; though, Spence is right.

nd is going to pull some of those big names away from OSU. And in a couple of seasons, if Penn St keeps up what they are accomplishing now (especially after losing so many key players before the season), they will become a big draw for potential prospects.

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[Eric]

The Midwest is certainly going to have some interesting recruiting battles going on for the next few years. I believe in Brady Hoke, but I'm not confident that he can get Michigan to powerhouse status. I know he is a good coach, but I don't think he is in the "biggest of the big" echelon with Nick Saban, Les Miles, Brian Kelly, etc. Michigan has regressed from last season in my opinion. I know these aren't his players either, so time will tell.

One thing I do like a lot about where Michigan is right now is the assistant coaching staff. Borges and Mattison have done good jobs overall. They've made due with the Rich Rodriguez leftovers (which included undersized receivers, offensive lineman not built to pound the ball, running quarterbacks, and a defense that lacked fundamentals and size).

[Spence]

Hoke had to win with RR's players unless he wanted to overhaul the team again and we know that isn't probably the fastest way to a championship. I think Hoke is a pretty good coach. I'm hoping not too good.

[Eric]

I think he's good too. I think he will give us a chance to win 9 games every year and compete for one of these "special" bowl games, or whatever they're planning on being called (the "prestigious" games outside of the playoffs). I don't know if he's good enough to make Michigan into a perennial national title contender though, unlike Meyer and Kelly. I don't want to believe that, but out of that trio, I think Michigan is going to be last in that pecking order.

[Cane from the Bend]

I'll be curious to see how Wisconsin performs next year.

If OSU wins this Saturday in Madison; The Badgers may take a hit recruiting this off-season.

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[Spence]

I'll be curious to see how Wisconsin performs next year.

If OSU wins this Saturday in Madison; The Badgers may take a hit recruiting this off-season.

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Wisconsin is going to take a hit either way. The competition for the top midwest prospects ( mostly Ohio and Pennsylvania kids) is getting tougher. Ohio State, Michigan, and Notre Dame are going to get mostly the kids they want. Michigan State's coach has a great working relationship with Ohio and western Pennsyvania HS coaches. UC gets their share of the kids from the Cincinnati region and with West Virginia and Pitt getting their share or the kids from south eastern Ohio, there isn't much left. Add Penn State back into that in a year or two and that leaves schools like Wisconsin and Minnesota fighting for scraps. Iowa and Nebraska recruits the south west heavily and Northwestern picks off the STUDENT athletes instead of the student ATHLETES. Wisconsin and Minnesota are going to have a hard time surviving in that atmosphere. Alvarez took advantage of the gap Notre Dame left in the market. That is trending back the other way now.