Tuesday, Nov. 3, was a wild-ass day in Ohio State athletics history.
- CFP Committee's top four: Clemson, LSU, Ohio State, and Alabama. Baylor/TCU/MSU fans are complaining about #brands as if college football hasn't been around since 1869. Expect LSU to be the new No. 1 when it sleeps Alabama on Saturday night.
- Kareem Walker, 2016's top-ranked RB, decommitted from Ohio State. ("Who cares?" commented an area intellectual after clicking an article with 135 comments in 30 minutes.)
- Urban Meyer on the Big Ten teleconference: Ohio State reinstated Damon Webb on Monday, and sophomore safety Erick Smith is out for the year.
- Nick Bosa, a five-star 2016 DE commit, is out for the season after an ACL injury.
- Mickey Mitchell, a Basketbuck freshman, is not yet eligible to play.
ODDSMAKERS DIFFER FROM CFP COMMITTEE. Shocking: The CFP Committee's rankings are not the only subjective rankings in the world.
R.J. Bell of Pregame.com released Vegas oddsmakers' CFB rankings. On top of that, the number gurus at 538 published their own mathematical rankings. (Formula explanation here.)
Compounded, it makes for an interesting juxtaposition.
RANK | ODDSMAKERS | 538 | CFP COMMITTEE |
---|---|---|---|
1 | OHIO STATE | OHIO STATE | CLEMSON |
2 | ALABAMA | CLEMSON | LOUISIANA STATE |
3 | TEXAS CHRISTIAN | ALABAMA | OHIO STATE |
4 | BAYLOR | TEXAS CHRISTIAN | ALABAMA |
5 | CLEMSON | BAYLOR | NOTRE DAME |
6 | LOUISIANA STATE | LOUISIANA STATE | BAYLOR |
7 | MICHIGAN STATE | NOTRE DAME | MICHIGAN STATE |
8 | OKLAHOMA | MICHIGAN STATE | TEXAS CHRISTIAN |
9 | STANFORD | STANFORD | IOWA |
10 | FLORIDA | FLORIDA | FLORIDA |
538 gazed into its crystal ball and computed contenders' chances at conferences titles, a playoff bid, and a national championship:
SCHOOL | CONFERENCE TITLE | PLAYOFFS | CHAMPIONSHIP |
---|---|---|---|
OHIO STATE | 47% | 61% | 16% |
CLEMSON | 56% | 51% | 12% |
ALABAMA | 14% | 41% | 11% |
TEXAS CHRISTIAN | 37% | 31% | 11% |
The fact Ohio State leads the field with a 16 percent chance at national title speaks to just how hard it is to win a championship. (I wouldn't roll the dice on a 16 percent chance to win a million dollars if failure meant the next five years in prison.)
There is, however, one postseason matchup I crave: Urban Meyer vs. the Warlock in Miami on New Year's Eve.
Vegas says (#2 LSU vs #3 Ohio St) Handicapper Bruce Marshall & bookmaker @CGTechnology_ say OSU -1. Pro bettor David Malinsky says OSU -5.5
— RJ Bell (@RJinVegas) November 4, 2015
That game would either be cathartically euphoric or plunge me into a Riddler-like insanity. *slices palm open with a bowie knife* Where do I sign this request with my blood?
MALCOLM LEADS THE WAY. I've mentioned Malcolm Jenkins' play a few times this year, but in case you thought the Philadelphia Eagles safety slipped since then:
Top 32 Safeties after Week 8: pic.twitter.com/lnlbPE8qLc
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) November 3, 2015
The seventh-year vet has 43 tackles, four pass breakups, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one interception in seven games thus far.
In other news: How about Kurt Coleman? He posted an interception for the Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football, and it appears that wasn't an anomaly within his play this year.
Aside: I'm elated Will Hill is out here raking millions.
Sadly, it's unsurprising the Cleveland Browns' Donte Whitner isn't on this list. His heart is still in the game, but his athleticism isn't good enough to cover his miscues anymore. Much like the Browns, it's been tough for this Whitner fan to stomach.
OH, THAT'S FANCY. Here's junior women's hockey forward Claudia Kepler throwing down some razzle dazzle in an intermission shootout during a men's hockey game:
I watched that video 15 times, and I'm still stunned by how nonchalant Kepler made that look.
THOSE WMDs. Elephants pulverize giant pumpkins... New twist on ransomware... Time to reclaim trolling... Author accuses 60 Minutes of stealing Ohio heroin piece... Bryan Cranston commands as blacklisted writer in Trumbo... Half the world's saiga antelopes died in two weeks.