Eleven Warriors

Can you feel that momentum shifting? After nearly a month of horrific picks, I put up a 3-1 effort last week while Jason wore the collar going 0-4. Damn it feels good to be gangsta. Well, not really. On the year, Jason still leads the way at 18-13 while I'm closing in on .500 at 15-16. Let's hope the Rally-Bandage on my mangled finger will keep the wins coming.

With a trip to Happy Valley on the schedule I wanted to accomplish two things when selecting this week's guest picker and I think I've hit a homerun. First, I wanted a Penn State alum. Second, I wanted to invite someone who knows little about football. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Detroit Lions President Matt Millen. You know, the guy who's been the subject of more protest rally's than Civil Rights. Did I say homerun? I meant Grand Slam.

Now on to the picks:

Boston College (+3) @ Virginia Tech (ESPN 7:30 ET Thurs.) The unbeaten Eagles travel to Blacksburg to face the Hokies, who are 13-2 on ESPN Thursday night football. Sounds impressive, but those two losses are against BC. Get ready for all the hype you can handle about Beamer and his special teams. That broken record never ends. Va Tech's 2-QB system could be hampered if freshman Tyrod Taylor can't go.

Chris: I'm not sold on BC, but I think Beamer and his troops are overrated. BC covers easily by winning outright 23-16. Jason: I'm still not sold on BC and Tech is playing good ball these days. VT wins outright 21-10. Millen: That BC squad got any talent at wide receiver? BC 24-12.

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Cal (+3) @ Arizona State (10:00 ET) The Cal Bears look to end a two game losing streak in Tempe against Dirty Dennis' Sun Devils. Cal WR Robert Jordan recently admitted the team gagged as a result of their #2 ranking and thinks they are now ready to roll. We'll see. It's more likely they were just overrated from the start.

Chris: I'm drinking reader Dave's Sun Devil kool-aid. ASU 30-24. Jason: This is the biggest game in Tempe in 10 years. I like the Devils to cover 38-28. Millen: Trust me, winning on the road is tough as evidenced by my 7-44 record as GM. Devils 28-27.

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USC (+3) @ Oregon (3:00 ET) I know Oregon's not a football power but did you know this will be the first game in the 41 year history of Autzen Stadium to feature two Top 10 teams? It could also be the 2nd straight year USC records at least two losses if they can't stop Dennis Dixon. On the other side of the ball, Pete Carroll will have to choose between his two mediocre QB's if Booty-time has recovered from a broken finger.

Chris: I think/hope USC is ready to unravel. Oregon 34-28. Jason: Oregon puts 50 on everyone, but not USC. Oregon 31, USC 20. Millen: Ducks rhymes with sucks so I'll take Oregon 30-28.

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Florida (-9) @ Georgia (CBS 3:30 ET) This year's edition of the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party features Heisman frontrunner Tim Tebow against a 5-2 Georgia team coming off a bye week. If Georgia pulls the upset, it will be just their third victory in the last 18 matchups.

Chris: Past history tells me all I need to know. Tebow goes wild in a 34-13 Gator romp. Jason: I'll take Meyer and Tebow, but they don't cover. Florida 28, Georgia 24. Millen: I bet Tebow would make a fine NFL wideout. Florida 40-17.

Mike at Black Shoes Diaries was kind enough this week to host the Buckeyes in the game and the Big Ten round table. As Jason mentioned, Mike is the Dean of Penn State blogs and constantly puts up great stuff. As always, I would love to hear how you as a fan would answer these questions.

1. Pretend for a moment you're the little Japanese guy on Heroes. You can close your eyes, clench your fists, crap your pants and go back in time. If you could go back and change one play for your team this season, what would it be? I would take back the safety we gave up to Akron. While lackluster at times, there haven't been any negative plays that have affected an outcome. The Buckeyes defense has played so well this season, they deserve a shutout on their resume. Those are the only points allowed in the first quarter, as Ohio State has outscored their opponents 80-2. Lawrence Wilson's injury is a close second, as I always hate to see someone lost for the season.

2. We're now two-thirds of the way through the season. Everyone likes to debate who will be the Big Ten Coach of the Year. I want to know which Big Ten coach is a complete moron that should be demoted back to fullbacks coach on a team that runs the spread offense? Kirk Ferentz is my choice here. He is overpaid at 2.8 million a year (highest in the Big 10) and the Hawkeyes are currently 1-9 in their last 10 conference games. Ferentz bought himself some time with 2 conference titles, but his 34-32 career conference mark hovers slightly above mediocrity. Hawkeye nation wanted Bob Stoops to replace Hayden Fry, but when Oklahoma beat them to it, Ferentz became their man. At the time, his head coaching experience consisted of three years at Maine and the Hawkeyes have finished in the final AP poll only 3 times in his tenure.

3. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife. But the Bible doesn't say anything about your rival. Which current Big Ten player do you most wish played for your team? Ever since Ohio State played Illinois last year, I thought J. Lehman would be a great Buckeye. He was all over the field and single handedly kept the Illini in that game. Lehman has been over shadowed the past couple of season, as this conference is loaded with linebackers. He is again leading the conference in tackles and his mullet style cut helps his cause.

Bonus Question It's probably too early to start thinking about next year. Well, unless you're Minnesota in which case you've been thinking about next year for a month or so already. Assess your team's future. Was this year your chance to make a run or is this just a rebuilding year with greater expectations in 2008? Or do you plan to suck in 2008 just as much as you suck now? This was actually supposed to be Ohio State's rebuilding year. They lost the Heisman Trophy winner, 2 first round draft picks and 6 other players in the draft. Ohio State has only 5 seniors in their 2 deep and 3 of those are at fullback. Therefore, barring early draft entries, they should be stronger next year, which is scary for the Big Ten. The nation has told us Ohio State has a lot to prove over the next four weeks, so I can not compare next years expectations, but I'm sure anything short of a BCS game would be a disappointment.

Does your living room feel empty without an autograph photo of former Buckeye and Nittany Lion deflater Chris Gamble. We thought so.

In order to fill that void, we're offering up a signed photo of Gamble (right) from the 2003 National Championship game. You don't need us to remind you that without one winding Gamble pick-six late against Penn State during the season, the Miami matchup would not have been possible.

The first two contests were a lot of fun and the same rules apply:

• Leave only 1 prediction
• Duplicate score predictions will be disregarded
• Leave your email address so we can make arrangements if you win
• The contest closes at kickoff

GoBucks89 is on a hot streak. Do you have what it takes to knock him off and bring Gamble into your living room?

Get Your Hopes Up for Pryor Time
The Horseshoe a quote from Duane Long, a Bucknuts recruiting analyst regarding mega recruit Terrelle Pryor:

“Terrelle Pryor looks like a done deal for Ohio State. Pryor likes the [Ohio State] offense. He looks at what Troy Smith did in it, and he knows he can do the same thing. ‘Shocked’ is the word I would use if he goes anywhere else.”

Read into where Duane collects his paychecks as you see fit, but Dennis at The Horseshoe makes a great point if what is being said is even remotely accurate:

Pryor has scheduled his first official visit, and he picked Columbus as his destination for it. The visit is scheduled for the weekend of the Wisconsin game – something for Buckeye fans to keep in mind. A big win, and a dominant showing by the Buckeyes against the Badgers could seal the deal for Pryor – and of course a rowdy 105,000+ wouldn’t hurt the cause either.

If you're going to the Badger game, get loud.

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The Return of Subcommandante Wayne
EDSBS is back with a post from Subcommandante Wayne, supreme Buckeye fan and trash-talker extraordinaire. This, folks, is the modern caricature of a Buckeye fan:

Too strong. Too long. Down to get some friction on. That’s Ohio State, which rhymes with hate.

Writing like this is what makes EDSBS the best college football blog out there, although it would be a little funnier if Gator fan didn't go all merc on their own recently.

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Have You Heard That the SEC is Pretty Good?
The M Zone is the latest to take a closer look at the perceived notion of SEC superiority this season:

Fact is, the SEC has a whopping one out-of-conference victory over a team currently ranked in the top 25: LSU's defeat of Virginia Tech. That's it. One.

Because of the Buckeye blowout and some very vocal coaches, the SEC has everyone charmed right now. The good news is the other conferences will get a chance invalidate this belief.

With so many excellent Penn State blogs out there, we'd be remiss not to point them out. These guys are so intense that in addition to the weekly Big Ten Blogger roundtable, they also have their own "Blue and White Roundtable".

• Black Shoe Diaries: Mike is the dean of the PSU blogging scene. Quality updates and analysis on a regular basis -- plus he has the Bucks #1 on his BlogPoll ballot.
• Run Up The Score: Despite hoping “the creeps catch an exploding urine balloon in the face” this weekend, RUTS brings it daily - witness his pwnership of fellow Big Ten bloggers in the pick 'em contest.
• The Nittany Line: These guys share a special bond with 11W as both blogs first saw the light of the internet in July of 2006. We can each claim to have written 400+ posts with only $11.42 to show for our efforts!
• There Is No Name On My Jersey: Very fond of plain uniforms, this site called the Lou Holtz pep-talk curse back in its infancy. Also, where else would you go to find out that there's a dangerous shortage of portable crappers for the game this weekend?

Check them out and catch up on their wishful thinking, but be sure not to drop comment piss all over them after the game. Show some class, boys!

Attempting to reverse tracks from when he, among others, called out Beanie's toughness two weeks ago, the Dispatch's Ken Gordon reveals that an anonymous source told him that Wells actually has a bone chip in his left ankle that will require surgery.

Beanie has been toughing it out and is putting surgery off until after the Michigan game so he'll be ready for the bowl game.

Now, Gordon is singing a different tune:

My beef with OSU is Wells was getting questioned about his toughness all season, and the Buckeyes could have ended that by saying what exactly was wrong with him, but they didn't. They hide behind medical-privacy issues, which is a complete joke. Once somebody reports on an injury, Jim Tressel freely discusses that player's status, his rehab, his chance of playing, etc. So don't give me that.

He's got a point. Why has so much been made of Beanie "becoming a warrior" and things of that nature this season when he's been playing through this type of injury?

11W Inc. is pleased to announce the hiring of employee #4. Mark, who has actually been contributing to the Buckeye NFLer of the week for a while until he got up to speed with the levers and gears, will now get his cut of the $0.13 we take in each day from Google ads. He'll be taking over that feature as well as contributing other posts. As a 6th-team all-Ohio offensive lineman, he's uniquely suited to bolster our trench commentary.

Shawn Springs of the Washington Redskins takes home this week's Buckeye NFLer of the Week award. Shawn pitched in with 7 solo tackles as the Redskins defeated the Arizona Cardinals 21-19.

Springs had an injury-riddled 2006 season with the 'Skins. He didn't make his season debut until week 6 of 2006 after having surgery on an abdominal muscle. In December of 2006, he was placed on injured reserve with a fractured clavicle. Shawn has since recovered from his injuries and has returned to his starting role in 2007 as the Redskins shut-down corner.

Shawn Springs deserved this week's award for his outstanding performance during week 7 against the Cardinals. We also felt it was worth mentioning that Springs has not practiced with his team the past few weeks. Springs has been flying back and forth from Washington to Dallas to be with his ailing father, Ron Springs. Ron Springs, also a former Buckeye and NFLer, fell into a coma after complications arose from a surgery to remove a cyst from his elbow on Oct. 11.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Springs family.

Basketball season is drawing closer and Thad has another stellar recruiting class coming in. This year's roster features only 4 players with any type of Division I playing time and it may take them some time to gel.

However, just like last year's young team, they will have some "older" leadership. Greg Oden was often confused with Morgan Freeman last year, as he lead the Buckeyes to the National Title game and played beyond his age of 43. This year, Buckeye freshman Dallas Lauderdale will be looking to compete well beyond his tender age of 40.

Dallas Lauderdale is one of the few lucky Americans who doesn't need a different name to star in porno movies and comes to Cbus via Solon, Ohio. The wide bodied Lauderdale will help the Buckeyes rebounding margin and will assist our underclassmen in obtaining beer (for the ladies of course) without a fake I.D. Dallas is part of another highly ranked recruiting class. All 5 incoming freshman, were ranked in the top 150 last year, giving Matta another top 10 class. As fans, we may have been spoiled by the success of last years team, but something tells me this year will not be a let down.

When Thad arrived at Ohio State he made no bones about turning tOSU into a national powerhouse and he continues to be prophetic in that case. Coach Matta received two more verbals this past weekend, for the class of 2010! Trae Golden and Cameron Wright gave the Buckeye coaching staff their commitments after a campus visit over the weekend. While Cameron is not rated nationally, Trae joins Jared Sullinger and DeShaun Thomas in the top ten of the 2010 class. Matta has already put a top 5 class together for 2008 and as mentioned before on 11W, the present and future is looking bright.

It wasn't nearly as bad as the past couple of weeks, but the 2007 football season still feels as if Hunter S. Thompson is at the wheel. Strike that. Hunter S. Thompson after he smoked a joint composed of Jim Morrison's ashes that were soaked in mescaline.

The Buckeyes are still our number one, although LSU will more than likely get more than it's share of BlogPoll love later this week. The hits keep on coming.

There are quite a few big games this week: Boston College at Virginia Tech on Thursday, Cal at Arizona State, USC at Oregon, Florida at Georgia and the Buckeyes revisiting the site of their last regular season loss when they take on Penn State in Happy Valley.

As always, you can check the ballots of every voter and the final version is due Wednesday morning, so get your thoughts in by Tuesday night if you think we got it wrong.

1		The score didn't reflect the true domination of the Spartans. Happy Valley or bust Saturday night.	--
2		This team has the type of magic that NC teams need. Much needed bye week coming up.	2
3		The Ducks hung 55 on Washington behind 450+ on the ground. The Trojans come to Autzen this weekend.	3
4		The Sooners squeaked by hapless Iowa State on the way into a bye week.	2
5		Enjoyed a bye week before heading into Blacksburg for a huge game this Thursday night.	--
6		Put up 31 in the first half on the way to a rout of Mississippi State. The Mountaineers are at Rutgers this weekend.	3
7		Had a bye, but welcome a wounded Cal to town this weekend.	3
8		Tebow looked pretty amazing in the win over Kentucky. Next up: The Game Formerly Known As The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party	5
9		The Jayhawks are 8-0 after picking up their first win in Boulder since 1995.	2
10		Like BC, Tech also enjoyed a bye prior to the Thursday night matchup. This should be some collision.	2
11		Evidently Mizzou's defense can play a little ball as well.	5
12		Irish prove to be the perfect pick-me-up ahead of Oregon trip.	2
13		Things don't get much easier for the Bulls. This weekend, they travel to 6-1 UConn.	10
14		It wasn't pretty, but the Horns pulled away from Baylor to move to 6-2.	3
15		The OBC drops his first ever game to Vanderbilt. Practice gonna be a biotch this week.	8
16		The Dawgs had a bye ahead of welcoming the Gators to town.	4
17		You lost to Karl Dorrell. Ha-Ha. The Bears are limping into Tempe.	9
18		UVA pulled off a nail-biter over Maryland.. yet they're 7-1.	--
19		Big win at Illinois without the services of Hart. LLLLloyd is starting to think his job is safe again.	6
20		After taking on LSU and Florida back-to-back, Kentucky catches a break in the form of Mississippi State at home this weekend.	5
21		Evidently, this team thrives off of off-the-field drama. Oh Noes.. the whiteout is near.	NR
22		Had a bye or we would have found a way to move them down a few more spots.	--
23		Seriously. Is Tennessee any good? Nobody knows. At any rate, Bear Saban gets a crack at his old team this weekend in Tuscaloosa.	NR
24		If Rutgers ain't the Cinderella, ain't nobody gonna be the Cinderella. West Virginia travels to the near Big Apple this weekend. That should be interesting.	NR
25		Click-clack. You gotta play defense after scoring at the end. Click-clack.	4

DROPPED OUT: Tennessee (#19), Cincinnati (#23), Texas Tech (#24)

Bea-nie!! Bea-nie!! Bea-nie!!
Bum ankle or not, Beanie Wells is a mother. The press reports may have minimized his impact in the victory over Michigan State, but whenever the team needed a play, Wells came to the rescue. He had a big run on each of the two crucial opening drives and his reverse field jaunt for 27 was Barry-esque. Then when the team needed to kill clock at the end, he was there again.

His patience as a back is something that cannot be taught. Yesterday was one of those games where Wells made his two very-capable backups look like walk-ons.

As good as the team has looked this season, they've done it all with arguably their best player at only 80% for the last month or so. If he gets into a groove during this stretch run, it will make Boeckman's life that much better.

The Best Defense in America
Do you think Ringer is wishing he were a Buckeye now more than ever? The way Animal, Freeman and the rest of the defense hounded him was beyond impressive. Here's Ringer's rushing total the last five weeks: 144, 145, 185, 203 and 49. Can you pick out the OSU game? He got a gift from the zebras or he would have had a fumble to his credit as well.

Laurinaitis continued his stellar play, but the unsung hero amongst unsung heroes on this unit could very well be Marcus Freeman. It's almost as if the two linebackers are having a contest to see who can lay the most wood each weekend. Freeman finished 3rd on the team in tackles and also had the key block to seal Ray Small's 21 yard punt return.

I realize it's nigh blasphemous, but is this unit better than the 2002 edition? 2005 was pretty sick as well, but this team, despite being so young, may be a more talented group than those other two defenses from what we've seen so far. Still a lot of football to play, no doubt, but...

The O-Line Has It Going
I'm not ready to indict the line for the two Spartan defensive scores in the 3rd quarter. It's not like Michigan State trotted out a bunch of cripples - they have some players. Sparty's defensive front was good coming in and the Buckeyes did a good job of neutralizing that for most of the game. Those two plays and the Wells fumble were just football plays. Sometimes your opponent is going to make plays, especially when they're a decent team like the Spartans are. That's just football.

Saint-Dic will be playing in the NFL next season and I'm just happy that this is the last time the Bucks will have to take him on. He broke the Big Ten record for forced fumbles when his 8th of the season came on the Boeckman hit. He stands just two short of the national record with four games to play.

Simply put, the offensive line has played exceptionally well for the past two months. There have been the occasional sack allowed, but what I see is a quarterback given a lot of time to pass and nice holes for the running game. I continue to have doubts about their ability to fire off on a 3rd or 4th and short situation, but you have to be happy with the body of work through eight.

A More Emotional Vest
Tressel is showing more emotion on the sidelines this season. There was the jig at Washington and several times over the past couple of weeks where he's been a little more animated than normal on the field, including a couple of instances against the Spartans.

Could this be something he took away from the BCS debacle? Have a little more fun with things, show some more emotion? Part of the healing process even?

One of the things I love about the Vest is that he never rarely says or does anything stupid. Those that have ever read FARK, realize that most people on earth are bad at this. I'm sure if the Senator lets loose a little bit more here and there, he'll do so in a dignified manner.

Telecast Notes
The candid moment where Matta and Tressel were discussing the advantage of not having to worry about your tie length when wearing a tie was priceless.

As a victim of the "skinny side be longer than the fat side" myself one too many times, I can appreciate this benefit to wearing a sweater vest. The only downside is that I'm a good 20 years away from being old enough not to look stupid wearing one.

The promo for the ACC/Big Ten challenge got me salivating about something similar for football. The Big Ten and PAC10 would never do one because they'd fear jeopardizing the luster of the Rose Bowl, but the Big 12 would be a great candidate. Throw one of the cupcakes off the schedule of each team and then you can get: Michigan/Missouri, Ohio State/Oklahoma, Wisconsin/Texas and Penn State/Kansas.