It was a wild weekend in college football that saw two of the top three teams in the College Football Playoff rankings lose and Ohio State blow the doors off a Michigan State team that had its sights on Indianapolis for the second time in three years.
That gives us plenty to talk about in this week's Stock Up/Stock Down as we hit Week 12 of the college football season.
Stock Up
Ohio State's Offensive Brain Trust
For months and maybe even years to come, those inside and outside of the Ohio State football program will be asking, "Where was that against Iowa?"
It is a fair question. For some reason, it always takes a gut-wrenching loss for the Buckeyes to get back to what they do best, and running the football. However, now that Ohio State has shown what it can do against one of the top run defenses in the country, maybe the coaching staff has finally gotten out of its own way.
Urban Meyer praised Greg Studrawa in his Monday press conference for his game planning, adding that the offensive line coach was more involved than ever in the strategy for a game. If I am Ohio State, I keep him involved for the rest of his stay in Columbus. Power football is what the Buckeyes do best, and even though you have a senior leader at quarterback, it might be best to let your young running backs carry the team through the home stretch.
The U - Miami Hurricanes
The 'U' is back ... almost.
I won't feel comfortable saying that Miami is back unless the Hurricanes can beat Clemson in the ACC Championship Game, but nonetheless, their demolishing of Notre Dame was nothing short of impressive. I wasn't ready to buy either of those teams (even though I mistakenly had the Irish on the rise last week), but Miami proved they belong in the CFP discussion this week.
I'm still not sure they can beat Clemson, but their performance – assuming their only loss on the season is to the Tigers – should put them in a New Year's Six bowl, and that is enough for me to say their stock is on the rise.
Josh Jackson - Iowa Cornerback
So it turns out Iowa is actually bad and Ohio State never showed up to Iowa City last week, but one Hawkeye that is actually legit is cornerback Josh Jackson.
Jackson, who tallied three interceptions against Ohio State in a 55-24 win, added two more interceptions against Wisconsin last week, returning them both for touchdowns. His two scores were the only times the Hawkeyes found the end zone against the Badgers (remember when Iowa hung 55 on the Buckeyes?).
Jackson and Denzel Ward might be the best two corners in the country and while I won't buy stock in his team, I am buying stock in Jackson, because he just might be a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Stock Down
Ohio State Alternate Uniforms
Yes, I am that "get off my lawn" guy when it comes to these uniforms, especially in a rivalry game.
I will admit, Ohio State's all-white look is better than the all-gray look the Buckeyes wore against Penn State earlier this year, but I am just not a fan of wearing them in The Game. Call me an old man traditionalist, but there is just something about seeing Ohio State's silver helmet, covered in green Buckeye leaves, clashing with the winged Michigan helmet on a cold November day that just feels right.
Overall, these jerseys aren't terrible, but they are probably my least favorite in the rotation Ohio State and Nike have been pumping out since 2009. For the record, my favorites were the triple-sleeved unis that Ohio State wore for its 2014 playoff stretch, which should be made the regular jerseys again like they were in the 70's and 90's.
Notre Dame
The only thing worse than Notre Dame's loss to Miami was the fact that I was dumb enough to put them in my Stock Up category last week. I knew it was a bad idea and I did it anyway, like eating leftover Taco Bell you couldn't finish the night before.
It turns out, you actually have to be able to throw the ball at times to win games (unless you are a military academy) and the Irish – with one of the best rushing attacks in college football – can't do it. Notre Dame quarterbacks threw three interceptions against Miami on Saturday night, completing less than 50 percent of their passes for just 152 yards.
You don't need to have a Heisman-caliber quarterback to win a national title in college football (just ask Alabama), but you have to have someone who can push the ball downfield to keep linebackers and safeties honest. Right now, Notre Dame doesn't have that and will once again be left out of the playoff because of it.
