Programming note: I will be MIA for the next two days while I attend my mother's funeral and such, but Jason and Chris will take good care of you all.
But today, you're stuck with me. I offer my sincerest apologies.
Word of the Day: Protract.
2014 VIBES. Remember that one time seven years ago when Ohio State lost an early game with an extremely young team and then settled in and started playing absolute murderball by the end of the season?
Well, it would seem that's happening again, and Bill Connelly's SP+ rankings are taking notice with Ohio State damn near tied with Alabama at No. 2.
No. 3 Ohio State. The Buckeyes have beaten their last two opponents by a combined 111-20 and seem to be finding their defensive rhythm. Granted, walloping Akron and Rutgers doesn't tell us everything we need to know, but it was impressive, and combined with the Big Ten's friendly adjustments, Ohio State damn near caught Alabama for No. 2.
According to SP+, Ohio State has by far the best offense in the country (which checks out, given that the Buckeyes also have the No. 1 total offense of any team ranked in the AP Poll), the No. 2 special teams (Jim Tressel sheds a single happy tear), and don't look now, but the No. 27 defense.
Now we get to see if this is sustainable against teams that aren't Akron or Rutgers!
NEARLY PERFECT. C.J. Stroud played what was without any doubt his best game as a Buckeye on Saturday.
In terms of throwing downfield (which is an important thing for quarterbacks outside of Ann Arbor to do in the year 2021), he was actually pretty much perfect.
C.J. Stroud on 10+ yard throws vs Rutgers
— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 3, 2021
9/10
226 Yards
3 TDs
158.3 Passer Rating (perfect) pic.twitter.com/kfo2AN6ElD
The guy was one of the most confident and composed quarterbacks I've ever seen on Saturday afternoon. Turns out, there's a reason he won the starting job in the first place. All he needed was a little rest to get back to form.
It was the best "silence the doubters" performance I've seen since J.T. Barrett in the fourth quarter of the 2017 Penn State game. Prayers up that the next game goes vastly differently, though.
OUR FAVORITE ROCKET SHIP. Heading into this season, I had no idea if Ronnie Hickman was going to turn out to be an even serviceable starter on this Buckeye defense. Hell, I'm sure there was a strong portion of Ohio State fans who had no idea who Ronnie Hickman even was entering the season.
But through four games, the dude is a straight-up monster.
Ronnie Hickman is one of only three players in the country to have at least 44 total tackles AND multiple interceptions this season.
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) October 3, 2021
Hickman was the defensive player of the game after recording more total tackles than the next three guys combined and is the only defensive player on the team to grade out as a champion in every single victory this season.
I love when there are returning players you can count on to be great entering a season (Chris Olave, Nicholas Petit-Frere, etc.), and I love when a high profile recruit pans out (TreVeyon Henderson, C.J. Stroud, etc.) but my absolute favorite thing is when a completely random guy seemingly comes out of nowhere to be absolutely awesome, and there have been a few of those this season.
SAY IT AIN'T SO! Sadly, I don't think Ohio State's going to have the chance to stuff Dabo down the garbage disposal this year. But the good news is, that's because he's already eating plenty of shit.
Of note: Clemson is unranked in the AP Poll for the first time since 2014.
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 3, 2021
But hey, at least he's back to .500 in his last six games! Baby steps!
SONG OF THE DAY. "Waterloo" by ABBA.
NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. The people who scam the scammers... That one time the Air Force accidentally dropped an atomic bomb on South Carolina... You can legally buy unclaimed Amazon packages... How to stop procrastinating... North Korea's mysterious cryptocurrency ambitions... Students ride a party bus due to a bus driver shortage...
