Ohio State spring football is almost here.
Can you feel it?
attention to detail #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/VZ5ijoImBS
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) February 13, 2023
Let's have a good Tuesday, shall we?
DEM COMPUTERS BROKE. Ohio State men's basketball has been in a tailspin since the calendars changed from 2022 to 2023, with victories over Northwestern on New Year's Day and Iowa on Jan. 21 serving as the only wins the Buckeyes have captured in January and February.
Still, for reasons I'm unsure if I will ever be able to explain, every computer that churns out rankings believes the Buckeyes to be much better than their 11-14 record would indicate.
For example, KenPom currently ranks Ohio State 27th in offensive efficiency despite looking inept on offense for weeks and scoring only 41(!) points against Michigan State on Sunday (Reminder: college basketball games are 40 minutes long). KenPom also has the Buckeyes as the No. 51 overall team in its rankings of the 363 Division I programs.
ESPN's computers – better known as College Basketball's Power Index or BPI – have fallen into a similar trap in how the software views Ohio State, as BPI projections for the Buckeyes' six remaining games have Chris Holtmann's squad favored to win three.
| OPPONENT | WINNER | WIN PROB% | OSU'S PROJ. RECORD |
|---|---|---|---|
| @ IOWA | IOWA | 64.9% | 11-15 (3-12 B1G) |
| @ PURDUE | PURDUE | 82.0% | 11-16 (3-13) |
| PENN STATE | OHIO STATE | 76.8% | 12-16 (4-13) |
| ILLINOIS | OHIO STATE | 59.8% | 13-16 (5-13) |
| MARYLAND | OHIO STATE | 60.9% | 14-16 (6-13) |
| @ MICHIGAN STATE | MICHIGAN STATE | 55.2% | 14-17 (6-14) |
The 2022-23 Ohio State men's basketball season: A year so dumbfounding the leading computers and formulas for college basketball's advanced analytics can't even find out how to look at this team.
As a human with sentience – you know, a person able to experience feelings and sensations – my conscience tells me Ohio State will be lucky to win any of its remaining games. I'd consider Penn State for a Buckeyes win, but even that feels unlikely. It's just been that kind of year for the Basketbucks.
STROUD'S COMP IS WHO NOW? Both the college football and NFL seasons are officially over, and the NFL draft won't be here until late April, which means it's officially that time of year for national football news sites to release truly insane content that keeps conversation around the spot rather than on basketball, hockey, baseball or soccer.
For Mike Renner at Pro Football Focus, that insane (and honestly pointless) content couldn't even wait until later in February, in March or the beginning of April. No, it needed to come out on Monday, the day after the Super Bowl. Even the ol' reliable PFF fell victim to the content craze.
2023 NFL Draft QB Comparisons, via @PFF_Mike pic.twitter.com/JwTX7h2nAX
— PFF College (@PFF_College) February 13, 2023
C.J. Stroud → Ryan Tannehill, Anthony Richardson → Josh Allen, Tanner McKee → Kerry Collins... *activates Jeff Goldblum impression* Uhhhhhhhhh.
Renner's explanation for Stroud's Tannehill comparison had four qualifiers:
Nearly identical size, arm strength, athletic ability, and how they winwhats the problem?
— Mike Renner (@PFF_Mike) February 13, 2023
The size comp is fine. Stroud is 6-foot-3, 218 pounds to Tannehill's 6-foot-4, 221 pounds. But even then, Stroud is 21 years old to Tannehill's 34, so the Ohio State product has room (and time) to grow into his frame if he so chooses. Where Renner completely loses me is arm strength, athletic ability and "how they win."
While not the best in the draft class, Stroud's arm strength is superb. On the other hand, his accuracy is second to none for the 2023 prospects – a quality Renner fails to mention in his comp. Regarding athletic ability, did Stroud not prove he has lots of it against Georgia with his escapability and dual-threat capability? Also, "how they win" is apples and oranges here. They play in different leagues against entirely different levels of competition.
C.J. Stroud: 30 TDs on 20+ yard throws over the past two seasons
— PFF College (@PFF_College) February 8, 2023
Second most among all QBs pic.twitter.com/8L2RbQOTVi
And don't even get me started on the Richardson and Allen comparison. Any quarterback with above-average athletic ability that displays "raw" (read: bad) traits in college will receive the same comp until Allen is no longer one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. But remember, folks, Allen is a mega outlier in the category of raw talent to succeed at the next level. There's been way more swings and misses than home runs with these players.
The bottom line is these comps are bad. But then again, it's that time of year when PFF's posts – being the content farm it needs to be at times – require comments, clicks and views to keep the business afloat, so I'm not overly surprised by the takes, and I won't be whenever I see more like this in the future.
THIS GUY GETS IT. Like Justin Fields' comments about the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry featured in the Monday Skull Session, Eddie George shared his opinion about the hatred the Buckeyes and Wolverines share for each other last week and, more accurately, how that hatred makes the rivalry the greatest in all of sports.
.@EddieGeorge2727 says Michigan vs. Ohio State is a greater rivalry than Yankees-Red Sox
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) February 9, 2023
RT for Michigan vs. Ohio State
LIKE for Yankees vs. Red Sox pic.twitter.com/obojJlE8pw
"I studied college football growing up. I knew about the (Ohio State-Michigan) rivalry. That's the greatest rivalry in all of sports. You could say Yankees-Red Sox, Duke-North Carolina, Alabama-Auburn, USC-UCLA, but that right there is a completely different ballgame. You know, Bo (Schembechler) and Woody (Hayes). It even goes back to how the business schools were set up at the universities. That is a vicious rivalry. ... For me, I felt honored that I was able to play in the rivalry and be a central figure in it."
With George's comments coming off the heels of Fields' from last week, I am reminded of how badly Ohio State needs to beat Michigan in 2023.
As I said in a previous Skully, Ohio State's three goals have always been to beat Michigan, win the Big Ten Championship and win the national title. However, next fall, those goals should be to beat Michigan, beat Michigan and beat Michigan, so let's hope Ryan Day and Co. can deliver in Ann Arbor. The entire morale of Buckeye Nation depends on it.
The 119th edition of The Game is in 284 days.
OLYMPIC VILLAGE. The No. 13 Ohio State women's basketball team lost to the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers, 83-59, at home on Monday and fell to 21-5 overall with a 10-5 mark in Big Ten competition.
Final vs. No. 2/3 Indiana#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/pdWIMxSmLv
— Ohio State WBB (@OhioStateWBB) February 14, 2023
While a loss to the second-ranked team in the nation isn't necessarily bad, especially when without three top players, a loss is still a loss. Even in defeat, though, Ohio State will power through to the end of the season with its fan outreach and support, no matter the outcome of its games. Why? Because that's something they've done all year long.
In an article released to Ohio State's official news website, senior guards Hevynne Bristow and Jacy Sheldon, freshman forward Cotie McMahon and assistant coach Jalen Powell spoke about how important the team's fans have been this season, claiming none of the program's success would have been possible without the support of Buckeye Nation.
This year, the players have made a concerted effort to reach more fans. Last year’s team made it to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, despite low expectations. Those players wanted to thank the fans who had rooted for them all year, said assistant coach Jalen Powell.
“We had a core group of players returning this year, so we wanted to focus on getting people to the games to see how well our team plays,” she said. “We also want the fans to see not only how good they are as players but how great they are as people.”
That kind of push led to community outreach events such as the women's team inviting thousands of elementary, middle and high schoolers from Columbus City Schools and 2nd and 7 to attend a non-conference game in the fall or the National Girls and Women in Sports Game against Indiana on Monday.
Sheldon said those events allowed fans to play a role in the team's success and to feel like they are a part of the team. Powell shared Sheldon's sentiments, adding that Ohio State's fans are the "15th player" on the Buckeyes' roster.
“I want them to know that we’re going to keep going out there, every night, playing as hard as we can and trying to get a win,” Sheldon said. “That’s for each other but it’s also for them. They’re part of our journey.”
“We have 14 players on the team. It’s like having 15,” Powell said. “They’re our 15th player.”
“Whenever we get the chance, we tell them ‘thank you,’” she added. “Every time they sign an autograph, they say ‘thank you for coming.’ If they take a picture or talk to a child, they say ‘thank you for coming,’ because it means that much. It makes a difference. It shows in the way we play. It shows in the way we carry ourselves. It shows when we show up every day. We’re not just playing to win, we’re playing for our fans.”
As Ohio State's season winds down, the Buckeyes will only have one home game left. Kevin McGuff's squad will first hit the road to face Penn State on Feb. 16 before they have a road rematch with No. 12 Michigan on Feb. 20. The team's final regular season game is a Feb. 24 matchup with No. 8 Maryland, which will also serve as the last home game.
Tickets for the Buckeyes' battle with the Terrapins are on sale here. Play a role as the 15th player. You may be the difference between a win or a loss for Ohio State, and don't you want your favorite school to win?
SONG OF THE DAY. "Have You Ever Seen The Rain?" by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
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