Saturday Skull Session: Get Dumped Then, Penn State

By D.J. Byrnes on October 25, 2014 at 6:00 am
Ohio State sings the alma mater after dumping Penn State last year, 63-14
86 Comments

Outside of Ohio State-Penn State (8 p.m., ABC) dare I say the most enticing game is Michigan at Michigan State? Good lord, the Wolverines are about to get taxed. (Enter an announcer saying, "THROW OUT THE RECORD BOOKS WHEN THESE TWO MEET.")

Ole Miss at LSU should be a fun game too, but when Texas at Kansas State is the most enticing noon game (competition: UNC at Virginia, Minnesota at Illinois, and Maryland at Wisconsin), the day certainly isn't starting off with a bang. 

Time (ET PM) Matchup Favorite TV Internet
12:00  TEXAS at No. 12 KANSAS STATE KSU (-10) ESPN WatchESPN
3:30 No. 1 MISSISSIPPI STATE at KENTUCKY MSU (-15) CBS CBS Sports
3:30 MICHIGAN at No. 8 MICHIGAN STATE MSU (-17½) ABC WatchESPN
7:15 No. 3 OLE MISS at No. 24 LSU MISS (-3½) ESPN Watch ESPN
7:30 No. 4 ALABAMA at TENNESSEE BAMA (-18) ESPN2 Watch ESPN
10:00 No. 20 SOUTHERN CAL at No. 19 UTAH PICK 'EM FOXSP1 Fox Sports GO

Obviously it's a game we know well by now, gentlemen and gentleladies, and that game is UNREPENTANT CHAOS.

The only team ranked higher than Ohio State for which I will be cheering today is Michigan State. The reasons are simple: 1) to hell with Michigan and 2) Ohio State needs MSU as high as possible for their November 8th trip to East Lansing.

PENN STATE FILE DUMP. Here is everything you need to know to get your mind right for tonight's contest:

MOAR #GAMEDAYREADS. R U NOT ENTERTAINED!?!?

BARRETT BETTER FIT IN OSU's OFFENSE? So says a voice I've come to respect: ESPN's Todd McShay in an appearance ESPN's (love brand synergy) SVP and Russillio radio show:

"[Barrett is a] completely different player [than he was a month ago]. It's amazing. Give some credit to Urban Meyer and offensive coordinator Tom Herman, but give a lot of credit to the young man, too. He has a good solid arm. He's a mobile quarterback, but certainly not even close to Braxton Miller in that regard. He's a better passer [than Miller] because he's smart and he can anticipate."

[...]

"I think this Ohio State team right now is better with J.T. Barrett at quarterback than it would be if Braxton Miller were healthy and playing quarterback."

[..]

"There are so many guys and the way they scheme things, they can exploit the personnel defensively no matter what you're trying to do," McShay continued. "Because they now have a quarterback that can get the ball out, knows where to go with it consistently, and can anticipate throws, where that wasn't the strength of Braxton Miller."

[...]

"[Miller] is not going to distribute the ball with the efficiency that Barrett is. And because of Barrett's efficiency and because of his tempo and how quick he's getting the ball out, he's giving these guys opportunities to make plays in space and that's what makes this offense great. Braxton Miller would have been a much better runner and he would've made big play after big play and he certainly would've put up big numbers. But I think this team is more balanced and more capable of beating an elite defense and an elite team because of the way [Barrett] has handled this. I could be wrong, that's just my theory."

I love J.T. Barrett; he's a boss, but I feel like people are forgetting how electric Braxton Miller is. I also don't see how you can say Ohio State is better this year with J.T. than they'd have been with Braxton, because Braxton Miller has improved every season he's played. 

Just my theory, however.

PERTINENT HEISENBERG. This is how I envision Ohio State rolling into Beaver Stadium tonight:

Tuco thought he was Heisenberg's rival too, and look what happened to him.

ONE OF THE BEST WIKIPEDIA EDITS I'VE SEEN. Who did this? Because I'd like to kiss you.

From the Ohio State-Penn State rivalry Wikipedia page, via our Mike Young:

bang

THOSE WMDs. From 11Wer Rich: The King of the Ferret Leggers... Lmao, that's cold-blooded... Awkward studio action shots of players, used in early baseball cards... Photographs of the last days of a crumbling castle... The new genre of fear-focused sites that make money by lying to you.

86 Comments
View 86 Comments