Prediction: The Golden State Warriors will not win the 2017 NBA title. #JustMyTake
THE OPENING OPENS. It's the time of year recruitniks love to know: Nike's The Opening kicks off at company headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.
A record 11 Ohio State commits were invited to the prestigious offseason combine and competition camp. Players started arriving last night and activities run through July 10. ESPNU will broadcast various events, so check your listings.
Here are two non-commit names to watch, courtesy of the Lord of Whispers, from landof10.com:
Running back • Cam Akers • Clinton (Miss.) • 7-on Team: Vapor Speed
The Skinny: Ohio State is in a battle for the 5-star running back from Mississippi who was once committed to Alabama. Tennessee, Georgia, Ole Miss, LSU, Florida State and others will try to dissuade him from heading north. Akers will visit Ohio State for the third time on the weekend of July 22.
Running back • Jaelen Gill • South (Westerville, Ohio) • 7-on Team: Mach Speed
The Skinny: Jaelen Gill is one of only six underclassmen participating this week and the Columbus native is hoping that a big outing in Oregon will take his brand national. Ohio State is the leader for his services but Penn State, Tennessee, UCLA and others are making this a closer battle than you’d expect.
[...]
Wide receiver • Donovan Peoples-Jones • Cass Tech (Detroit) • 7-on Team: Hypercool
The Skinny: The third of four 5-star wide receivers that the Buckeyes are still zeroed in on, Detroit’s Donovan Peoples-Jones will be surrounded by Michigan commitments and targets on team Hypercool and that’s only going to further serve the narrative that he’s “all Blue.” Beyond Michigan, it’s Florida, Ohio State, USC and Florida State that will take their swings at DPJ this week.
Eleven Warriors' Andrew Ellis ran a full breakdown two days ago, for anyone who missed it.
Ezekiel Elliott is also set to be in attendance as if Ohio State needs any more recruiting guns at an event like this.
ON THE OTHER HAND: URBAN MEYER. Folks, few things in sports are as nice as when the national media is asleep on the local team.
It's 100 percent rational to expect Ohio State to win a national title every year, but there is a case to be made—not saying I'm making it—the Buckeyes will fall short of playoff glory.
Please don't shoot me. I'm just here because I don't do homelessness or prison well.
From espn.com:
Experience matters: Six. That's how many returning starters the Buckeyes have on both sides of the ball. Three on offense, three on defense. That means a whole lot of players will be stepping into new and unfamiliar roles for this year's team, and inexperience often leads to mistakes. The biggest concern may be on the offensive line, where only two starters remain and one of them, Pat Elflein, has moved to a new position (center). Barrett's skills won't be very useful if he doesn't get adequate protection, or if he doesn't develop instant chemistry with all the new skill players. Talent can cover up a lot of problems, but Ohio State could lose a game or two as its young starters adjust to the limelight.
Those Teams Up North: To reach the playoff, the Buckeyes first must win the East Division. Last year's team, which might have been the most talented collection in the nation, couldn't achieve that. Michigan State has denied Meyer a championship bid twice now, and Mark Dantonio's squad cannot be taken lightly. If the Spartans aren't the ones to take down Ohio State, then perhaps it will be Michigan. The Wolverines have won The Game just once in the past dozen installments, and that came against a Buckeyes team in serious transition. Still, the Maize and Blue will have a ton of experience in Jim Harbaugh's second season and appear to be making some gains in the talent deficit. The state of Michigan poses the biggest threat to Ohio State's quest to return to the playoff for a second time in three years.
There could be pass protection issues; there have been in the past. But Meyer has proven he can still win games as long as his offensive line controls the line of scrimmage in run blocking.
There's no way the passing game will look more disjointed than it did at large times last year. I'm not worried about that.
Michigan State is a fair point, though. Michigan gets Florida Man headlines with Jim Harbaugh's antics, yet MSU took more from Ohio State in three years than Michigan in the last decade.
Even though the game is in East Lansing, Ohio State is the one coming off the loss. I will always take an Urban Meyer-coached team in that position.
If Ohio State misses the playoffs, it will lose to Oklahoma and to somebody it shouldn't, like Nebraska.
GET DUMPED THEN, IOWA. Iowa is currently at the top of my Big Ten West Dumpability Index, so please let Phil Steele's prophecy come to fruition:
Phil Steele on 97.1 The Fan said Ohio State will win the Big Ten East and play Iowa in Indy for the Big Ten Championship.
— jbook (@jbook37) July 5, 2016
For posterity purposes, here's the entire B1G West Dumpability Index:
| RANK | SCHOOL |
|---|---|
| 1 | IOWA |
| 2 | PURDUE |
| 3 | NEBRASKA |
| 4 | WISCONSIN |
| 5 | ILLINOIS |
| 6 | NORTHWESTERN |
| 7 | MINNESOTA |
You might think Purdue is too high. No, I want to see Purdue shoved into Lake Michigan at the annual Big Ten kickoff event.
Some might flip Nebraska and Wisconsin. The Badgers aren't as fun to tax without Bert Bielema flopping around like a drunken ape on the sidelines.
And yes, I felt bad even rating Minnesota Nice.
NUERNBERGER HAS BAD IDEA. I remember when I moved to Columbus, and I thought parking tickets weren't real:
I've been trying this thing where I just don't pay my parking tickets but they're still giving me new ones... My plan isn't working
— Sean Nuernberger (@Sean4Heisman1) July 5, 2016
He should pay what he owes because the Parking Gods will take their money in degree with holdings, driver's license registration, or pints of blood.
NETFLIX AND COMMUNITY COLLEGE. A new project coming to Netflix on July 29 looks promising, and will arrive just in time to get us over the final offseason threshold.
From clarionledger.com:
No junior college football program in Mississippi earns and receives more attention than East Mississippi Community College, as a result of its three national titles and consistent pipeline of talent to Division I programs.
GQ took notice, and now Netflix has with a six-part documentary series titled, "Last Chance U."
The trailer for the show just premiered — and it looks worthy of your attention. It follows EMCC through the 2015 season, which was one full of controversy — coach Buddy Stephens was suspended for taking a swing at a game administrator, and the whole team cost itself a shot at a fourth-straight national championship with a brawl.The latter, and part of Stephens' immediate reaction, is in the trailer.
Looks like a certified banger. Hopefully, it breaks the mold from HBO's Hard Knocks.
THOSE WMDs. Six jailed for "drug ambulance" smuggling plot... A tender hand in the presence of death... The girl who turned to bone... Welcome to Dildo, Newfoundland.... New Jersey's student loan program is "state-sponsored loan-sharking."
