Tressels, Fickells and Urbans,

I had high school relationships that lasted longer than our love affair with Malik Hooker.  Malik, we hardly knew ye.  But, I think it was Principal Ed Rooney who comforted Sloane Peterson with the wisdom, "It is better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all."  

That's how it is with the Ohio State football empire now.  The players holding up the legacy are as good - if not even better - than those who created it.  It becomes a little disorienting after years of believing the punt is the most important play in football.  That's as untrue as Sloane Peterson's grandmother's death.   

There's another college football program in a similar empire-like state right now.  Nick Saban had a very interesting jab at the media earlier this month when he quipped "Why do we even play?" This was in response to another preseason prognostication holding up Alabama as the favorite...which is most likely correct.  I think he understands that creating that expectation is much harder than it appears.  It doesn't just happen based on luck...there is still meticulous, hard work to keep it going...and lots of variables involved (85 to be exact) making it difficult to get through unscathed.  

Ohio State football production is at such a high level now, players either move up to the NFL or they move on and transfer to another program. Before these latest Buckeye players even become a starter, they are already pegged as the next first-round NFL draft pick...the next one-and-done.

I like where this team is.  Few of them have played enough to firmly establish their NFL draft stock (see the 2015 Ohio State team).  These 2017 Buckeyes actually have to play well on the field this season if they want to make millions of NFL dollars.  Also, only 15 of the players have a national championship ring...mostly by watching from the sideline in 2014.  They have no lasting championship legacy.

Also, this is not necessarily a young team; only a handful in the two-deep are freshmen and sophomores.  Key leadership positions such as QB, center and middle linebacker have strong senior generals.         

The high performance standard is not just for Ohio State players.  This should be the strongest coaching staff Urban has ever assembled.  When you have two very successful former head coaches (one of them an NFL head coach even) leading your team on each side of the ball, good things could happen.  I'm very excited to see JT receiving guidance from Kevin Wilson and Ryan Day that he last experienced under Tom Herman in 2014.  

Here are a few players I'm excited to cheer for:   

- Robert (B.B.) Landers who is technically on the three-deep for defensive line. He would be a star at any other school and hes' not even in the two-deep at OSU.  As a true freshman last year, he was nearly unstoppable...it was as if he knew the snap count every play.  B.B. was always 5 yards in the offensive backfield the moment the ball was snapped...dude is extremely disruptive.

- Dante Booker who technically was Wally Pipped.  Dante beat out Jerome Baker last season for the starting position but was injured during the first series of the first game.  NFL draft pundits have Baker tabbed as a NFL first-rounder...what does that say about Dante? :)

- Parris Campbell after moving over to H-back.  This is the lynch-pin role for Urban's offense.  I have a feeling he's ready to move the ball and get some scores this season.

I'm ready for my next short-term relationship during the 2017 Ohio State football season. I hope this break-up doesn't end 31-0.  I hope this break-up ends 42-20.
 
Touchdowns:  Super Demario Brothers, JT, KJ Hill, JK Dobbins, Parris Campbell, Johnnie Dixon

OSU 42 IU 10

Go Bucks!  Beat Indiana!  Dante Booker for Heisman! 

Large Father