After the craziest two weeks in recent college football history, look at the AP Top 25 poll. Number one is LSU. No change there. They definitely deserve to be number one over that amazing comeback win over the defending National Champion Florida Gators. Number two is an undefeated Cal team. Ok, it’s a stretch, but I can see that. They beat a talented Oregon team and were regarded as a top ten team in the preseason. Number three is…Ohio State! Wait. Ohio State? The same Buckeye team that lost a Heisman trophy winner, two first round draft choices at wide receiver and a 1,000-yard running back after getting smashed in the BCS Championship Game? The same team that was supposed to be “rebuilding” after going undefeated last year?
It’s hard for me to believe that Ohio State is once again in the hunt for a national title, especially after an offseason where we lost so much talent and took a lot of shots from the national media. This year’s team, and the situation we find ourselves in, reminds me a lot of 2002, when OSU upset Miami to win a national championship. And they might be better built for winning it all this year than last year’s team.
Take a closer look: this defense is for real. They’re a year older than last year. They aren’t relying on turnovers as much as last year’s defense. Laurinaitis is playing out-of-his mind. Jenkins is looking like an All-American. The D-line, lead by Vernon Gholston is allowing negative yards rushing in most games. Offensively, we have a solid QB (Boeckman) who doesn’t make many bad mistakes (ignore those interceptions against Purdue). A great one-two punch with the Wells boys at RB. A knockout punch at wideout (Robiskie). And a few speedy athletes for catching passes, screens, and working it on special teams (Hartline, Small).
Here are the four biggest reasons why our chances look good:
Three of the four favorites to win it all this year have all been beaten in the last two weeks (USC, Florida, Oklahoma)
Cal plays USC later this year and will probably not be favored in that game.
LSU has to play in the SEC Championship game.
Ohio State only has a few tough games left on the schedule (Penn St., Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois), all completely winnable.
We’ll probably be underdogs if we make it to the BCS title game, no matter who we play, and that is always a better position to be in (see: 2002, 2006).
I think this could be our year. We could end up playing and undefeated LSU team (one that would have gotten beaten by Florida if not for some go-for-it-on-fourth-downs that went their way) in the national title game. And I like our chances. Go Bucks!
My week 5 picks (a day late, but I didn’t change them)
Last week: 6-8
Overall: 24-22
HOUSTON over Miami
Jacksonville over KANSAS CITY
NY GIANTS over NY Jets
NEW ORLEANS over Carolina
NEW ENGLAND over Cleveland
Detroit over WASHINGTON
TENNESSEE over Atlanta
Arizona over ST LOUIS
PITTSBURGH over Seattle
INDY over Tampa Bay
Baltimore over SAN FRANCISCO
San Diego over DENVER
GREEN BAY over Chicago
Dallas over BUFFALO
It’s hard for me to believe that Ohio State is once again in the hunt for a national title, especially after an offseason where we lost so much talent and took a lot of shots from the national media. This year’s team, and the situation we find ourselves in, reminds me a lot of 2002, when OSU upset Miami to win a national championship. And they might be better built for winning it all this year than last year’s team.
Take a closer look: this defense is for real. They’re a year older than last year. They aren’t relying on turnovers as much as last year’s defense. Laurinaitis is playing out-of-his mind. Jenkins is looking like an All-American. The D-line, lead by Vernon Gholston is allowing negative yards rushing in most games. Offensively, we have a solid QB (Boeckman) who doesn’t make many bad mistakes (ignore those interceptions against Purdue). A great one-two punch with the Wells boys at RB. A knockout punch at wideout (Robiskie). And a few speedy athletes for catching passes, screens, and working it on special teams (Hartline, Small).
Here are the four biggest reasons why our chances look good:
Three of the four favorites to win it all this year have all been beaten in the last two weeks (USC, Florida, Oklahoma)
Cal plays USC later this year and will probably not be favored in that game.
LSU has to play in the SEC Championship game.
Ohio State only has a few tough games left on the schedule (Penn St., Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois), all completely winnable.
We’ll probably be underdogs if we make it to the BCS title game, no matter who we play, and that is always a better position to be in (see: 2002, 2006).
I think this could be our year. We could end up playing and undefeated LSU team (one that would have gotten beaten by Florida if not for some go-for-it-on-fourth-downs that went their way) in the national title game. And I like our chances. Go Bucks!
My week 5 picks (a day late, but I didn’t change them)
Last week: 6-8
Overall: 24-22
HOUSTON over Miami
Jacksonville over KANSAS CITY
NY GIANTS over NY Jets
NEW ORLEANS over Carolina
NEW ENGLAND over Cleveland
Detroit over WASHINGTON
TENNESSEE over Atlanta
Arizona over ST LOUIS
PITTSBURGH over Seattle
INDY over Tampa Bay
Baltimore over SAN FRANCISCO
San Diego over DENVER
GREEN BAY over Chicago
Dallas over BUFFALO
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