This Buckeye squad received every AP 1st place vote in the preseason. Needless to say, the squad has not played to expectations so far, especially on offense. We probably should have seen this coming as repeating is nearly impossible to do and a preseason QB controversy is NEVER good for any team. However, with so many starters returning and the way Jones led the Bucks through the postseason last year, there was no reason to think the Bucks wouldn't start off the way they ended last year's championship winning season. Well... a few things have changed.

First, regardless of records the Big Ten is extremely tough this season. No one even thought this last year until after bowl season. Last season's Big Ten was thought of as a two horse race between Sparty and our Champs while this season's version of the Big Ten has some impressive ranked squads that the AP has finally noticed. A very strong looking team from up north that I will try not to refer to has emerged despite an early loss to Utah. Iowa is still unbeaten along with Sparty and our Buckeyes leaving a question mark as to who will represent the Big Ten in the CFP. I am mentioning this only because BERT and friends with their early shouts about a weak Buckeye schedule. They have shown they don't know much as their teams are falling into mediocrity. Enough of that, though. This is about Ohio State...That is what we are here to talk about. We have a "gauntlet" when it comes to the Big Ten. Those SEC coaches, players, and fans need to get real and quick!

Now... We learned yesterday that playing two QBs can work, especially when your coach is Urban Meyer. The offense showed signs of life while utilizing almost every conceivable weapon on the roster. It is obvious that Barrett is much more dangerous than Jones in the red zone. That shouldn't be a surprise as Jones's arm isn't as much of a weapon on a short field and Barrett's legs open up the playbook especially on that short field. This may settle some of the grumblings from fans like myself that have thought that Barrett should be starting since the preseason. With Barrett, we have an offense that is lightning fast, kind of mimicking an Oregon offense with more weapons. With Jones we have a cannon arm that can stretch the field but uses all of the play clock and ultimately increases time of possession but puts less points on the board. My point? A Jones led offense should not be able to keep up with an Urban Meyer offense led by Barrett. That doesn't mean that the Jones decision is wrong. It just puts a clock eating offense on the field which ultimately, will lead to less points. In the Jones led offense's defense... if Jones & Co. can pick up third downs, the defense isn't always on the field and makes for a fresher, more dominating force like we expect from the Silver Bullets.

Now, what does all of this gibberish mean exactly? Well, I can only go to the NFL to make a good answer to it all. Bill Belichick, like Urban Meyer, is a master motivator. What does New England say about their success despite not having the big name players that many other teams have? They say "We are playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers". I've been a bit of a bad fan this season as I have been upset at the offense because of Jones starting and it sickens me how many times that Jalin Marshall puts the ball on the turf (along with how close he comes to making bad plays on punt returns... act like it doesn't scare you when he runs up to a bouncing punt only to let the ball fly by him, missing him by only a foot!). The bottom line is that we have Urban Meyer as our head coach. Contrary to popular belief, he is a much better coach than that man in Alabama with all of his 5-star recruits that is very capable of being a "secondary building specialist" only. Our coach, who really should be at least called "Senator Meyer", if that's what Tressel was called, is truly playing a season long game of chess. It is taking a while for him to get a handle on this offense that is full of speed and players that will reach the next level... and despite tinkering with the offense DURING GAMES he is winning them all. By the time this season reaches its' critical point, which looks like those last two regular season games against those two squads against those teams up north, the Buckeyes will be more than ready.

Playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers, huh? Well, it looks to me like it is happening in Columbus right now. If our Buckeyes do reach the CFP this season, it will be because of Urban Meyer and THIS OFFENSE he guides. It won't be because of one or two players and how much playing time they get. Next man up? Whoever it is will be ready. This Buckeye squad is much better than that unbeaten Florida State squad that ran the table only to be beaten to death by an Oregon squad that was crushed in the title game. I think that people will soon start comparing this Buckeye squad to last year's Seminoles. They would be wrong though and this squad doesn't need a Heisman trophy to win back to back titles. This team is improving and should be ready for the fight when the end of the season comes. This Buckeye team IS the best team in the country despite being a work in progress. When the CFP comes around, their resume' should say "All they do is win", and that should be enough.