What happened in Iowa City on Saturday afternoon is still as shocking as anything I have ever witnessed covering Ohio State football.
The Buckeyes were dismantled in every facet of the game, and even with a chance to make a comeback like they did a week before, Ohio State forgot its power football identity.
As we hit Week 11 of the college football season, there is still plenty of stock to buy around college football – just not necessarily in Columbus right now.
Stock Up
Iowa Quarterback Nate Stanley
Watching Stanley play even before he took on Ohio State, it was easy to see that he had potential to be an above average quarterback for the Hawkeyes. But no one outside the Iowa locker room saw him throwing five touchdown passes against a defense that was playing as well as anyone in the conference leading into Saturday's game.
Stanley's performance is perhaps the best overall performance by an opposing quarterback since Urban Meyer arrived in Columbus. He was efficient, and his second touchdown pass to tight end Noah Fant – with future NFL draft pick Sam Hubbard wrapped around his ankle – was as impressive as anything I have seen all season.
I am not saying Stanley is ever going to be a Heisman finalist, but he has the size and strength to perhaps be the Big Ten quarterback of the year one day. And if C.J. Beathard can be a starter in the NFL, so can Stanley. I like where his career is heading, and his stock is up this week.
Michigan State Football
Just a week ago, I was wondering how in the world the Spartans, a team playing as well as they were, could lose a triple overtime game to Northwestern. I didn't buy their stock. I was dead wrong.
Michigan State is a hungry and motivated football team, and they are coming for a Big Ten title. The Spartans were 3-9 a season ago, so winning the Big Ten and going to a New Year's Six bowl would probably feel like the equivalent of a national title to them. To their opponent this week in Columbus? It probably feels more like a consolation prize.
I'm buying stock in the Spartans because Mark Dantonio's team always plays Ohio State to the finish, no matter what the record, and Michigan State is a hungry team. I am not sure you can say the same about the team lining up across from them Saturday at noon.
Notre Dame Football
I am hesitant with this one, because I am still not convinced Notre Dame can throw the ball. But heck, maybe they don't have to. The Irish average just 170.3 yards passing per game, yet are just two points away from being undefeated.
Quarterback Brandon Wimbush had his best game in a Notre Dame uniform last week against Wake Forest, throwing for 280 yards and a score against the Demon Deacons, while also rushing for 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns. If the Fighting Irish can put up those kind of numbers through the air and on the ground against Miami (FL) this weekend, I will finally admit that Notre Dame is a national title contender. Until then, I will settle for just saying to buy their stock as Week 11 hits.
Stock Down
Ohio State Football
I still have no idea what happened on Saturday at Kinnick Stadium, but I have a few ideas.
For starters, Ohio State's offense looked like it was picking up where it left off in the Penn State game to open the Iowa contest. Outside of the pick-6 on the first play from scrimmage, the Buckeyes were moving up and down the field on the Hawkeyes in the first half. There was a clear game plan. J.T. Barrett's option pitches to J.K. Dobbins looked like a new wrinkle Ohio State had added for Iowa specifically. Barrett's first touchdown pass to Johnnie Dixon was also a new play we hadn't seen yet this season.
Then, the wheels fell off.
Ohio State went into halftime down two scores and panicked, despite being in that same situation last week. It was as if someone took the play sheet from Kevin Wilson and Ryan Day in the halftime locker room, in an effort to save Ohio State's season, and reverted to the quarterback run which Urban Meyer referred to on Monday as Ohio State's "get-out-of-jail-free card." Only, the Buckeyes were never given their release. Just like they weren't in the Clemson or Oklahoma losses.
Defensively, Ohio State was even worse. There are those who will blame Barrett's four interceptions for the loss, but the Buckeyes were never going to win that game with the way their defense played. Even if you take away the opening pick-6 and Barrett's second interception just before the half that led to another Iowa score, Ohio State still loses by 17 points. The defense gave Iowa anything it wanted for the entire game.
Ohio State's roster is full of four- and five-star players. Iowa's is laden with two- and three-stars, so you'll never be able to tell me that the Hawkeyes were the better team. The Hawkeyes won the way they did on Saturday because they out-coached the Buckeyes on both sides of the ball.
But hey, at least the kickoff unit was fixed, right?
Big Ten's Playoff Chances
I won't spend much time on this one, as it is pretty obvious, but the Big Ten's playoff chances are cooked. The conference has to hope that Wisconsin, which has yet to play a ranked opponent this season, wins out to get into the College Football Playoff.
The last two times the Big Ten has played in the playoff, its teams have been outscored 69-0. If you put Wisconsin against Alabama or Clemson or Georgia right now, you might be looking at a similar result. The Badgers have a very good rushing attack and freshman running back Jonathan Taylor is the real deal, but I am not sure Wisconsin would be able to throw the ball effectively against any of the country's top-5 teams.
Illinois Football
Okay, yes. This is a cop-out answer. This is so obvious, it hurts to write. So I won't spend much time on this one either.
Illinois is bad. It has regressed from a 3-9 team a season ago and has not won a game since the second week of the year. The Illini have thrown only six touchdown passes to 15 interceptions. They rank 112th in rush offense. They surrender 400 yards per game on defense. Illinois closes with Indiana, Ohio State and Northwestern this year and I am not sure there is a win among those three games. I would say Lovie Smith might be on the hot seat, but I am not sure Illinois can do much better, so they will probably give him at least another year to try and right the ship.
