TV REMINDER: Ohio State's No. 23 men's basketball team hosts Penn State tonight at 7 p.m. on BTN.
MEYER GOOD ON PLAYOFF EXPANSION. Yesterday, I mentioned noted cockroach Bill Hancock declaring "his group" had no plans to expand the playoff field.
Add the reigning world champion Urban Meyer to the list of expansion naysayers.
From Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com:
Ohio State's national championship following the inaugural College Football Playoff contributed most to the good vibes. Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer chaired the Big Ten coaches' group this year and moderated the meetings. He provided feedback on the playoff experience.
The gist: Ohio State had a blast, and the playoff is just fine staying at four teams.
"Urban's point was we all should realize there should be no more football games," Delany told ESPN.com. "The experience itself was spectacular. He was very positive about Dallas, about New Orleans, but 15 games is enough."
As a fan, I think eight teams (with the first round being played on the higher seed's campus) is the next goal, but it's easy to understand why Meyer is cool with the status quo.
One way to get around the "additional game" argument would be to eliminate a regular season game. (After all, how many times have we watched Ohio State snuff the likes of Western Michigan?) That's unlikely to happen, however, as the teams that don't make the playoffs on the reg (98%) aren't going to surrender that revenue.
So what's the next move? Trick question; I don't care, because Ohio State won the first tournament as a No. 4 seed. I'm content to let fans of the lesser programs fight over the 5-8 scraps.
HOW SILK RUSSELL BLOOMED. Marc Loving might be back Saturday, but even so, one thing is clear: This team belongs to D'Angelo Russell.
Ricky O'Donnell of SBNation.com is the latest writer to show love to Patient 0, this time with a full-length feature on the meteoric rise of his draft stock:
How did all of this happen so quickly? High school rankings are far from scripture, but rarely does a freshman on the fringe of the top 20 suddenly become the type of player NBA lottery teams start circling like vultures after a few months in college. For Russell, it all goes back to his high school days and his time on the grassroots circuit. As absurd as it sounds for a player this talented, Russell's debut at Ohio State really might be the first time he's been allowed to function as the primary option in his team's offense.
[...]
Russell is now up to No. 2 in Draft Express' 2015 big board, setting up the most interesting debate of draft season: Who will be the first guard chosen, Russell or Mudiay? Mudiay is the stronger, more athletic prospect with much more upside as a defender. He also didn't receive the free publicity Russell has at Ohio State because he played this season in China instead of honoring a commitment to SMU.
Russell does have one thing over Mudiay, though, and that's shooting. With added emphasis placed on outside shooting seemingly every year in the NBA, Russell's pure stroke is going to be a big plus for his draft stock. He's making 44.5 percent of his three-pointers on 6.5 attempts per game, and has had two games where he hit six three-pointers.
At 6'5 and with a 6'9 wingspan, Russell has the size to play either guard spot in the NBA.
The downside to watching Russell cash-in on his prodigal talents this summer will be he's likely going to be marooned in a forsaken NBA hellhole like Philadelphia. His talents deserve better. (This maybe a #hot #take, but the older I get, the more I think it's absurd to reward the worst teams with the best players.)
DOLODALE HIGHLIGHTS. The Iron King, Cardale Jones, First of His Name, Poacher of Badgers, Controller of Tides, Slayer of Ducks, Troll Sultan, and 12th Son of Ohio, laid down the shoe-in for 2015 Tweet of the Year yesterday.
I believe Dolodale's ascension to be a divine gift, and one that should be cherished since we may never see anything like him ever again.
So even though this highlight reel was posted on January 16th, I saw it yesterday, and it's getting put here today:
*This video elicited the first human emotion I've felt in a month.*
Give me Dolodale as the No. 1 QB in 2015, or give me death.
THIS WOULD'VE BEEN THE HOTTEST TICKET. Speaking of the surreal, how insane would this have been?
After Douglas beat Tyson, there were rumors of a rematch in Ohio Stadium. Never happened, obviously. But that would have been amazing
— Jeff Svoboda (@JeffSvoboda) February 10, 2015
I'm kind of salty right now that an event I never would've attended didn't transpire.
The pictures alone from that clash would've been classics. (Don King would've been a true don dada had he orchestrated that.)
RASHOD BERRY WILL BE A TERROR. We've covered the "Rashod Berry might be a mutant" angle before, but imagine the havoc this fella is gunna wreak after spending some hours in Mickey Marotti's muscle plant:
Remember: That is a future defensive lineman.
LIL HARBAUGH SAYS PAPA HARBAUGH BEHIND INSANE TWITTER FEED. As an insane man with his own Twitter feed, believe me when I say: Jim Harbaugh's Twitter is insane:
Thought of the day - As my esteemed associate and Friend The Great Frank Gore has taught me & tells me "These haters can't hold me back"
— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) February 10, 2015
(It's unclear what they're holding him back from.)
Happy 19th Birthday Ian Bunting. You have been on Earth 6,940 days n only 19 of those days have been on Feb 10th. Hope you enjoy your Day!
— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) February 10, 2015
(Another subject I know too well: Math is hard.)
Now, there's a theory among Michigan fans that Jim Harbaugh's Twitter account is not run by Jim Harbaugh, but rather his son, Jay Harbaugh, whom Jim hired as his tight end coach.
Last night, after a particularly Jay Harbaughesque tweet, I decided it was time to get to the bottom of this. JUST WHO IS PULLING THE STRINGS ON JIM HARBAUGH'S TWEETS?
@marion_ohio: @JayHarbaugh jayster... any truth to rumor youre behind your dad's insane Twitter feed? Nope that's his handiwork
— Jay Harbaugh (@JayHarbaugh) February 11, 2015
Now Michigan fans can no longer assuage the creeping fear their program was just coup d'état'd by a crazy man with the theory it's actually his zany millennial son pulling the Twitter strings "because that's what the recruits love."
I've extended an olive branch to Jay: I will sit down with his father, Jim, and we will talk Twitter.
We'll see if he accepts, but I'm not sure I want to hold my breath.
THOSE WMDs. My new jam: Lil Boosie - The Fall... Brian Shaw wants to die... Cam Newton attacked college with the enthusiasm of a me.... VIDEO: Dr. Phil without dialogue is haunting performance art... An introductory into the Cleveland Browns' nightmare offseason.
