Folks, I am pleased to announce that tonight, Xavier will be the latest in-state team to get dumped on the hardwood by the Buckeyes.
Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. We ready.
Word of the Day: Propinquity.
SAY IT AIN'T SO, JAMO! The big news of yesterday, if you somehow missed it, was that former Ohio State wide receiver, is convinced and presumably upset that Buckeye fans have "disowned" him – which is especially odd, given that he voluntarily chose to leave Ohio State and was certainly not pushed out the door.
Here's the full quote, from his Instagram live video:
“Ohio State fans be tripping. They don’t claim me. I don’t claim them. Ohio State fans be tripping. They disowned me. I went to ‘Bama. When I graduate, I will have graduated from ‘Bama.”
Ah yes, the fanbase that gave a standing ovation to an LSU quarterback and literally chanted EAUX-H-I-O around Ohio Stadium after Joe burrow transferred has "disowned" you. Extremely believable and likely!
I don't mean to completely gaslight Jamo here because on some level, I'm sure he monitors his mentions much closer than I do, but this would certainly news to me – the guy who helps run one of the largest online communities of Buckeye fans. I'm not sure I've seen a single disparaging comment towards him or about him from an Ohio State fan.
More than that, it would be a first. I can't really think of many (or any) times someone has transferred from Ohio State on good terms and been "disowned" by the fans. If anything, Buckeye fans have been criticized for being *too* supportive of former players after they've transferred.
If the fanbase didn't turn on Joe Burrow as he rewrote passing records and won a Heisman and a natty at an SEC school, it seems unlikely they've turned on Jamo now. I mean, it's not like Ohio State's offense or receiving corps is exactly hurting. The move was best for him. Everyone knows that.
Personally, I root especially hard for him because I think it's amazing and hilarious that Alabama's best player is a Buckeye transfer that admits he left Ohio State because he was buried on the depth chart. That's a hell of a recruiting tool.
"Hey, if it turns out that you aren't playing much here, you can always transfer to Alabama!"
In any case, I wish him all the best – just not against my team, if it comes down to it.
BRINGING THE HEAT. I thought last week was going to be a challenge for the slobs with noted quarterback slayer George Karlaftis coming to town, but the Buckeyes handled it without absolutely no issues at all.
This week, though, they're going to have to be even better, because it's more than just one dude – it's the whole damn line.
Most QB pressures generated this season
— PFF College Football (@PFF_College) November 17, 2021
1. Michigan State - 243
2. Oklahoma State - 220
3. Clemson - 216
4. Oregon - 210
5. Ohio State - 209 pic.twitter.com/weteMWKeRs
The good news is, Michigan State's secondary is so bad that the Spartans somehow still have the nation's worst pass defense even despite having the nation's best pass rush.
If that's what opposing quarterbacks have done to the Spartan defense under insane pressure, magine what a Heisman Trophy contending quarterback could do with a clean pocket.
Here's hoping I don't have to imagine!
WANT TO FEEL OLD? The Buckeyes are playing Xavier today, and just the thought of that matchup will likely trigger an iconic Gus Johnson call that's now etched perfectly into your brain deeper than even your favorite songs.
That is, provided that you're old as hell.
Kyle Young says he "vaguely" remembers the Ron Lewis shot against Xavier in the 2007 NCAA tournament, but Malaki Branham does not.
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) November 17, 2021
This makes sense, given that Kyle Young was eight years old and Malaki Branham was *cringes* ... three.
An Ohio State guard that is the same age today as Mike Conley and Greg Oden were in that video was three years old when it happened.
Where to I get my AARP card?
MEL MONEY. Mel Tucker is about to get PAID.
If all goes as planned, Mel Tucker will become the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten. And Michigan State will make a major show of strength that it plans to be a significant spender in college football in the next decade.
MSU is preparing a historic $95 million, 10-year contract extension for Tucker to remain with the Spartans, university sources confirmed to the Free Press on Wednesday. The 49-year-old Cleveland native is set to become among the highest-paid coaches in the country.
...
The average annual value of Tucker’s presumptive new deal far surpasses the greatest amount being paid to a Big Ten football coach this season, according to a USA TODAY salary database: the $7 million that Penn State is paying James Franklin.
Only former MSU coach Nick Saban at Alabama ($9.753 million, including athletically related outside income) is making more this season than Tucker will under his reworked contract, according to the database. LSU's Ed Orgeron is the second-highest-paid coach in college football this year at $9.012 million including a pandemic-related pay reduction and his outside income. However, Orgeron and the school reached a separation agreement that forces him out at the end of this season.
In other news, Ryan Day is about to become the most underpaid multi-millionaire in the country.
If I were him, I would simply walk to Gene Smith's office once the season is over and hand him printouts of this article and the box scores from every game he's played against James Franklin and Mel Tucker.
Ryan, if you need an agent...
SONG OF THE DAY. "You Make My Dreams Come True" by Daryl Hall and John Oates.
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