Eleven Warriors

Around the Oval is our weekly look-in at the sports that don't always get the recognition they deserve.

The Bucks after a heart-breaking loss.

We'll start this week off on a bitter note, as the Ohio State women's soccer team's unbelievable season came to a devastating end last Saturday. The Buckeyes went down in a penalty shoot-out to Oakland, 3-2.

Senior forward Tiffany Cameron scored her 21st goal of the season in the second half to tie the game, 1-1, but despite the Buckeyes tallying 15 second-half shots to two for the Grizzlies, the game went into overtime.

Ohio State and Oakland were both unable to tally a game-winner in either overtime period, sending the game into penalty kicks. Oakland held the advantage in penalty kicks, 3-2, to advance to the second round.

The 2012 seniors wrap up their careers as the winningest class in school history with 59 wins. The group of Cameron, Lauren Granberg, Jessie Greenberg, Kendyl Reed and Aly Walker advanced to the NCAA Tournament all four seasons, reaching the first College Cup and earning the first Big Ten Championship in program history in 2010.

The 1995 season was one of high expectations for Ohio State football, and also one filled with great performances. In the end, the team disappointed their fans and themselves, but for much of the season there was no better team in college football. And there was one star on this team of stars who shined brighter than the rest. 

George set a new standard for rushing at OSU.

Senior running back Eddie George had rushed for over 1,400 yards the previous season, and senior quarterback Bobby Hoying had passed for over 2,300 yards. The return of both of them fueled a powerful offense that would be augmented by a new short-passing attack under the direction of quarterback coach Walt Harris. Head coach John Cooper believed in a balanced attack, and the new angle would mean fans would see a lot more of George catching the ball out of the backfield.

Some of that was a necessary adjustment, since Ohio State had lost both of their starting wide receivers from the previous season. In particular, big-play threat Joey Galloway had left for the NFL and no one was certain who would play that role in the new offense. However, the coaches were raving about junior Terry Glenn in practice, and fans would soon find out what kind of player he was. Buster Tillman took over at the other receiver spot and former Buckeye hoops stalwart Rickey Dudley turned his attention to football and earned the starting nod at tight end.

The offensive line was anchored by outstanding left tackle Orlando Pace. Three other starters returned, and former center Eric Gohlsten moved from center to right tackle to replace the departed Korey Stringer. Bruising blocker Nicky Sualua returned to open holes for George in OSU's power-I running attack. The offense was loaded and poised to spark the team to great heights.

On defense, the defensive line returned intact with tackle Matt Bonhaus, noseguard Luke Fickell, and ends Matt Finkes and Mike Vrabel. However, the secondary and linebacker corps would need to be reloaded as only two starters returned among the back seven. The lone secondary returnee was cornerback Shawn Springs, an outstanding cover man who was also extremely dangerous as a kick returner.

The defense would need to grow up quickly, as Ohio State faced a difficult early schedule. First they would head to East Rutherford, NJ to face Boston College in the Kickoff Classic, then return home to take on a Washington team that had vanquished them in Seattle the previous season, 25-16. That would be followed by a road trip to Pittsburgh, a home date with Notre Dame, then successive road trips to conference rivals Penn State and Wisconsin. This team was going to have to get moving early or else it could be a long season.

I don't really know what it is. Maybe it's the general douchiness, maybe it's the loss a few years ago, maybe it's the horrible leg tattoo, or maybe we're just sad, insecure people. But man, Sarah and I just can't stand Bret Bielema.

Badgers and dachshunds got beef on these streets

Today's Dubcast is fleet of foot and fancy free, in that we come off the bye week swinging for the fences on a whole range of topics, not the least being the upcoming game against the Wisconsin Badgers. Sarah isn't too concerned; I'm a little less optimistic, and we break down the potential matchups that will matter in the game, the most important (and most obviously stacked in Ohio State's favor) being Urban versus Bert. Er, Bret.

And shooty hoops! Sure the Carrier Classic didn't work out, but Albany got their butts handed to them in fine fashion and we break that down as well. Add in an outstanding Ask Us Anything (and seriously, ask us anything at elevendubcast@gmail.com) where we briefly become music critics, and you've got a recipe for a delicious Dubcast stew! Here's how everything went down:

0:24- Sarah and I talk about the basketball team's first actual, non-condensation ruined game, where they played pretty well and showed some interesting and positive things that might indicate good stuff down the road. Then we move on to football, and the looming Wisconsin game this week.

21:42- Ask Us Anything! We've been getting some awesome, awesome e-mails as of late. I particularly enjoy the ones where you guys ask us to make life choices for you as it allows me to play god in a safe, non-legally binding way, but we also enjoy the questions that show how smart 11W readers are. The one about linebacker depth next year is a particularly good one.

40:25- Yo momma jokes, but with Bret Bielema's name in place of yo momma. Yeeeeeppp.

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Finally, the music used in the Dubcast today was "Friends" by Led Zep, and "Song for Junior" off of the Hello Nasty album by the Beastie Boys. And that is it, see you guys next week!

GO FOR THREE rocked by Gyp Rosetti

After a week off, it's time to see which one of you has been holding on to the final score for Saturday's game in Madison, just waiting to trade it in for a free shirt.

If that's you, simply leave a comment here with your game prediction. If you nail the score—or come closest—a new shirt from Eleven Warriors Dry Goods is yours. It's that easy.

The winner from the Illinois game is still celebrating newfound fame, thanks to a 52-21 call.

The fine print:

• Must be 18 years or older.
• One entry/comment per person.
• Duplicate predictions are ineligible — first come, first serve.
• If Ohio State loses this game, there will be no contest winner. You're still free to enter a score, but there will be no shirt in sadness.
• Deadline for entries is kickoff.

Good luck!

Michigan week is still four days away. But that doesn’t mean Ohio State has to wait to take on a rival. The budding distaste Ohio State and Wisconsin share for one another has given the Leaders Division showdown more flavor in recent years. 

It was an all night celebration in Madison in 2010.

Historically, a one-sided affair – Ohio State leads the series, 54-18-5 – 1981 signaled a shift. Prior to that season, Earle Bruce’s third at Ohio State, the Buckeyes held a 39-7-4 advantage in the Wisconsin series and had not lost since 1959. In other words, the Badgers were a pushover, a welcomed Homecoming opponent.

But things have changed dramatically since the ’81 Badgers, coached by the late Dave McClain, upset the nationally-ranked Buckeyes. While the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry has featured one team dominating the other the past 25 years, the Wisconsin series has been relatively even. In the past 27 meetings, Ohio State holds a modest 15-11-1 lead over Wisconsin. Since 1999, Ohio State is just 6-5 against the Badgers.

Three times in the past 20 years Wisconsin has spoiled perfect seasons for the Buckeyes. In 1992, 2003 and 2010, it came in the form of a loss. The 2010 game featured the Badgers upsetting No. 1 Ohio State. The Buckeyes and Badgers tied in a memorable game in 1993. A win would have sent Ohio State to the Rose Bowl.

Now matched up in the same division, the intensity of the Ohio State-Wisconsin rivalry is almost certainly going to heat up. The other four teams in the division – Illinois, Indiana, Penn State and Purdue – aren’t likely to be a threat anytime soon, meaning Ohio State and Wisconsin will likely represent the Leaders Division in the Big Ten championship game for the foreseeable future. The past two games – Wisconsin disrupting a perfect season in ’10 and Ohio State winning on a Hail Mary in ’11 – has added extra oomph, as well.

Good morning and welcome to your Wednesday Skull Session. 

I don't know about you guys, but that bye week seemed like a full offseason to me – I cannot wait for this Saturday's game. 

We mentioned this a little during Penn State week, but I absolutely agree with Corey-Philly Brown that Wisconsin has assumed the #2 spot on my Biggest Rivals list – maybe even the 1B to Michigan's 1A. 

Part of it has to do with that 2010 game, part of it has to do with me living with a Wisconsin fan for the last two years, and part of it has to do with Bret Bielema, undoubtedly. 

The fact that Wisconsin is finally pulling things together after some early-season woes – remember when they were ranked here? – makes me want to beat them more. 

So read up on Wisconsin's strategy and let's get to some stats.

 PUT DOWN THE WISCY, VEGAS. I still can't get over the fact that Wisconsin opened as 2½ point favorites over the Buckeyes. I must be in the minority, because the line has now jumped to 3 points. 

So what am I missing? Let's breakdown some of the statistical matchups: 

1. Ohio State rushing defense vs. Wisconsin rushing offense: While Wisconsin brings in the 17th-ranked rushing offense, this ranking is entirely due to three games: Purdue, Minnesota, and Indiana – i.e. turrrrible rushing defenses. 

Against FBS-winning teams, Wisconsin only averages 146 yards per game and is ranked 53rd. Ohio State, in comparison, averaged 119 yards per game (16th overall) against ranked teams. 

Further, when we disaggregate Ohio State rush defense by type of opponent offense, we see that Ohio State has been much better at defending pro-style rushing attacks than spread-based rushing attacks.

To be fair, Ohio State has played few overall quality spread teams (Nebraska is the only ranked "spread" opponent) and not all spread offenses are created equal, but even bad spread-offense teams found success against Ohio State's defense earlier in the season:

Urban Meyer’s up-tempo, power spread offense took the college football world by storm in 2001 when he turned around Bowling Green. But it wasn’t until 2004, when Meyer led Utah to an undefeated season, that the new creation made headlines. 

Hyde and Seek with Carlos is daunting for opponents. 

It would make more as the years progressed.

The 2004 Utes and Tim Tebow-led Florida Gators experienced a great deal of success with Meyer at the helm. Much of that came from an offense that proved to be nearly unstoppable.

Say the words spread offense and many immediately think of passing. But Meyer’s version is centered on a balanced approach and is more power than lobbing footballs all around.

That philosophy has been reinforced this season with quarterback Braxton Miller and running back Carlos Hyde. The duo has rushed for more than 1,900 yards and 26 touchdowns through 10 games – and Hyde sat out two games in September.

“This is something that’s new for Urban because we never had that type of physicality,” running backs coach Stan Drayton, who coached with Meyer at Florida, said. “Now that we have it with these guys here, man, it’s really fun to watch the offense develop.

“The beauty is that it fits the skills of our players. It can always be adjusted to the skill that we have with our personnel. We have always been a power, inside-zone outfit, no matter where we’ve been. It’s just that down in Florida, you were doing it with guys who weighed 185 or 190 pounds. Now you’re doing it with a 235-pound back who can break tackles.”

As is always true when Ohio State and Wisconsin meet, there is perhaps no more key match-up than the Buckeye defense versus the Badger run game.

In 2010, Wisconsin was largely able to run at will, fueling the Badger victory. In 2011, the Buckeyes turned the tables, rendering Wisconsin largely one-dimensional and enabling OSU to prevail. As such, it is critical to understand the Wisconsin run game and how the Buckeyes may respond. 

The Wisconsin Run Game: Common Ancestor

It may not look like it at first glance, but Wisconsin's offense shares the same roots with Urban Meyer's—that being the one-back zone offense pioneered by Dennis Erickson in college and Joe Gibbs in the NFL. Unlike Meyer, however, Wisconsin never moved away from the under center, one-back aspect of this offense, instead doubling down on the run-first zone aspect through the employment of multiple tight ends.

This year, the Badgers experienced early struggles as they transitioned to a new offensive coordinator in Matt Canada. Canada has made some changes at the margins to the Wisconsin attack. The Badgers often shift pre-snap and feature more formations. They also use more shotgun, even featuring the occasional lead quarterback run. But the bread and butter of the offense is the same: an offense centered around inside zone, outside zone, and power, with wide receiver reverses and play-action passing built off of that.

Ohio State dropped a spot in the AP poll over the weekend. That's the price of being both undefeated and inconsequential in November.

It's the third time they've dropped in the poll this season. One more slide without the benefit of an actual loss and the AP will send Urban Meyer a set of hardship steak knives. Poll descent #3 occurred following a weekend when the Buckeyes didn't even play. OUTRAAAAAAAAGE. Outrage. Outrage?

Our fan base is in peak condition for seeking out and finding bias in every corner from where it may lurk, but this one hardly qualifies. This isn't Kirk Herbstreit dropping the Bucks three spots after beating Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl and then stubbornly defending that utter stupidity while chastising fans.

This latest slide is more margin of error shifting than anything else. Besides, the AP – like the 2012 Buckeyes – has no bearing on the BCS. Ohio militia: You may stand down until next season.

At one point in time, this award was known as the Buckeye NFLer of the Week. Thanks to a typo and the ensuing LOLsession from the commentariat, it was renamed as the Houndie. Same intent, but now with a better name.

As the current Buckeyes prepared for the final two games of 2012 by taking a week off, the former Buckeyes played some key roles in big victories for their respective teams.

Every team has now played nine games and the jockeying for playoff positions is in full effect as we enter the last week for byes.

With losses by Atlanta, Chicago and NYG, along with a tie by San Francisco, the NFC is wide open with every team except Carolina within three games of a divisional lead.

In the AFC, some nice winning streaks by Denver, Indianapolis, New England, Pittsburgh and Houston have pushed those teams, along with Baltimore, to the front of the pack.