Buckeyes can't lose Saturday, and Michigan or Penn State will. Can't take the spring out my step this week.
ICYMI:
- Film Study: The breakout of Jordan Fuller.
- J.T. Barrett, Jaylen Harris, and Jeffrey Okudah visit James Cancer Hospital.
- Third down offense among best in nation.
- Come to the 11W Friday Night Banger on Oct. 27.
- Help put a life-size statue of Woody Hayes in his hometown of Newcomerstown, Ohio.
Word of the Day: Quirt.
LET'S TALK WEALTH PLANNING. Friend, why continue to labor at a backbreaking job you hate when you can hire my wealth management firm to double your income via college football wagers?
I know it's a big jump, but our operators are standing by. Here's a look at future lines of big games left on the 2017 docket (my god, it's already mid-October).
| OPPONENT | OHIO STATE SPREAD |
|---|---|
| PENN STATE | (-9½) |
| IOWA | (-20½) |
| MICHIGAN STATE | (-21) |
| MICHIGAN | (-9½) |
Note: That Michigan line was Ohio State (-3½) after the Oklahoma debacle.
Clearly, the winds in Vegas shifted on the local team, as sports books are lining up behind the Buckeyes to avoid a visit to bankruptcy court when the Bucks shock the world in three months.
Worse news for Wolverine fans: That (-9½) vs. them is the most appetizing line on the board.
BIG MEECH WEATHERS THE STORM. The first "Oh shit" moment I had in the Fiesta Bowl (other than Fight Club missing two chip-shot field goals), was watching Michael Jordan writhe on the ground in pain.
Demetrius Knox replaced him and barely got out of his stance by the end of the play.
When Branden Bowen went down against Maryland, Matt Burrell replaced him. Many people (author included) figured Burrell would start against Nebraska. He didn't. That honor belonged to Knox.
And to his credit, Knox performed admirably.
From dispatch.com:
Demetrius Knox earned his first start, named ahead of Matt Burrell to the right guard spot to replace Branden Bowen, who was lost for the season with a broken lower left leg the week before. Burrell had replaced Bowen in the win over Maryland, but the coaches had declared it an open competition in practice last week and the journeyman Knox emerged. He appeared to acquit himself well as a cog in an offense that racked up 633 yards.
Buckeye Block Of The Week: Demetrius Knox showed why he won the starting position this week. pic.twitter.com/snoXXmAUuE
— Kyle Morgan (@NoHuddleScouts) October 16, 2017
Nebraska's defensive line is a a lot easier to coral than Penn State's. But Knox answering the bell bodes well heading into the off week.
Knox was a big boom when he committed, and it'd be sweet to see him salvage the slow start to his career by holding down the right guard spot down the stretch.
BUCKS IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT. Let us dispense with the fiction. If Ohio State wins the rest of its games (including the Big Ten championship), it will earn a playoff bid.
From washingtonpost.com:
Ohio State controls its College Football Playoff fate again, after weekend of upsets
Penn State is all the way up to No. 2 in both national polls, but our No. 2 is Ohio State. Since dropping their second game to Oklahoma, the Buckeyes have graded out among the top five performances every week, including No. 1 this week and last. We expect them to be favored by an average of 24 points (!) in their remaining games, including two-touchdown favorites against Penn State, Michigan and – in a conference title game we’re seeing in 82 percent of our simulations – Wisconsin. They are a huge favorite (67 percent) to win the Big Ten and one of two teams more likely than not (57 percent) to make the playoff. You can guess the other.
We should just start the playoffs on Oct. 28th, as the rest of the games have been decided by a computer.
Michigan fans will object, but that's only because the only computer to predict a Wolverine championship was a World War 2-era abacus in 1948.
KEEP BUTCH JONES. Tennessee will soon fire Butch Jones, and he will become an inspirational personal trainer to rich Knoxville-area divorcees.
Butch: We did everything to win the South Carolina game except score touchdowns.
— Wes Rucker (@wesrucker247) October 16, 2017
Jones will earn at least $4.1 million this year.
Have a blessed day at work, y'all.
MAKES U THINK. Saquon Barkley throwing touchdown passes and returning kickoffs has obscured his offensive line's terrible play.
Penn State fans CAN'T RUN FROM THE FACTS:
Just going to leave this here... pic.twitter.com/bYuwtAVPMa
— Jimmy Caudill (@jimmycaudill) October 15, 2017
If only these two played on the same field, we could see where they stood...
THOSE WMDs. How an inmate in Marion, Ohio turned his prison upside down... Yukon gold rush town, population 20, mines weirdness... Nine states will soon require passports for domestic flights... Adam Silver right to call for end of "one-and-done" rule... An alternate universe of shopping, in Ohio... Ross County: Door-to-door drug interventions.
