Yep. It shows that USC is the key to a potential natty playoff game assuming we beat the lower-ranked teams.
We certainly have a shot at a natty. But with so many variables this year it is hard to believe it won’t cost us a game or two. Add in an injury or two to key players.
Really need to find a way to beat TOSU.
Ohio State is stacked at every position. If I was a Buckeye fan, the only concern I would have is at QB. They have tremendous depth and the only experience is the transfer from Kansas, Will Howard. He played well at Kansas but playing at Kansas and tOSU are two totally different things. Plus, he played for our new offensive coordinator so we should have some inside information. Julian Sayin got all of the media hype for tOSU's spring practices which is great in the long run but can be a problem too. If tOSU starts Sayin in a year where they expect to win a Natty, they are putting a lot of pressure on a young kid with no experience against some very good football teams. If they start Will Howard, playing the tough B1G schedule with "expectations" (didn't have that kind of pressure at Kansas) that can be risky as well. If he stumbled out of the gate, there would be a lot of second-guessing and potential dissension in the team.
Which makes WVU the 8th ranked Big Ten team who you're worried about...
LOL....top ten teams don't worry about unranked opponents? Good thing you aren't a coach.
I have coached. You still get the team prepared but you're logic about the outcome and know what is supposed to happen if you show up.
Sorry, Will Howard played at Kansas STATE, not Kansas under AK. And yes, I think he is a really strong QB
Absolutely they do. Kentucky is ranked #40. Two years ago, Kentucky was trailing 9-0 going into the 4th quarter and only won 16-6. Kentucky ended the season 7 and 6. It was the second closest game of their regular season and they went on to win the Natty (beating tOSU by one and trouncing TCU) after and undefeated regular season.
You are correct. My appologies.
How were they trailing 9-0 and won 16-6?
I am more concerned with offensive line. Being absolutely loaded at RB and Wide Receiver, OSU only needs a moderately good qb to do well. (Think Georgia with walk on qb) Offensive line was thin all year but looked good against Michigan. Terrible in bowl game.
Agreed. But I was posting in reference to the shifts and pre-snap movements that the skill position players will have to know.
If you're talking about Howard at OSU, you are correct as he'll experience a whole different atmosphere than he did at Kansas State. One or two screwups, and those loonies-fanatics in Columbus will be out to send him packing. Just ask Kyle McCord. Many are convinced that it was that last interception against Michigan in 2023 - when OSU was driving for the winning score late - that determined McCord's fate at OSU.
Yeah...The kid played well but tOSU is a different kettle of fish. And the freshmen, Julian Sayin, was the media darling of spring drills.
Nobody knows how effective our new coordinators will be at this point.
Yep, if things click we could go undefeated and be a playoff favorite. But we could also go 8-4 and miss the playoff altogether.
I would be very surprised if Howard does not start. He has only 1 year of eligibility left and will be trying to get NFL draft ready. He has an edge in maturity and experience over the other QB's. The OL is the other place of concern. To compete for a NC it has to be better than last year. OSU is loaded everywhere else.
Everyone seems to be betting on Drew being greatly improved. I think that is a wait and see situation. But hopefully coach K puts him in a situation where it all plays to Dew's strength which imo is the short to medium route game. Problem there is to some extent that can take away from the running game by causing the opponents safeties to play up a little more so the RB's would have to be more involved in the passing attack.
Agreed. No guarantees. I thought the passing game scheme was a mess last year. Several contributions were injuries to the WRs and several times not being on the same page (Drew and the WR). At the end of the bowl game, the WRs came off the field and you could see that they were angry, depressed, frustrated, and disillusioned. I am hopeful it was the scheme and not the players but time will tell.
IMO, the key is to throw a lot more play action passes downfield on any down to keep the defense guessing. Run, Run throw doesn’t work, and always dropping in the pocket w/o play action when you have two good backs does not make sense either.
