Around the B1G with K8 - CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION

By @ClvlndK8

Somebody pinch me! I still can't believe the Buckeyes are playing for the National Championship! It seems like only a few weeks ago (and it was) that we didn't think they'd even make the Top Four! Then, it was all about 'Bama... Could Urban beat Saban..... would the Cinderella Season end and the hands of his Nemesis.... Well, maybe this season should be compared to movies like Rocky instead of Cinderella. The Buckeyes keep taking hit after hit and they still get up and conquer! It's just been an amazing season so far and the final test, the final battle is on Monday Night against Marcus Mariota and the high flyin' Oregon Ducks.

First, a pronunciation lesson for you.  I worked for many years with an Oregon Alumni who got me watching Duck Football back in 2001. Oregon is pronounced Ory-Gun. If anyone who cares hears the dreaded Or-a-gone, you may get slapped, so be careful!

Second, all northeast Ohioans should be familiar with Duck QB Marcus Mariota. He was on our Browns QB Watch-list in 2013 and I for one was very sad that he went back to school instead of
heading into the draft last year. While it's been great for the Ducks, we all know what happened (again) to my Browns QB Situation. Sadly, I don't think the Browns have the ammunition needed to make a run at him in this year's draft, but that's beside the point. What I'm saying is that most of us knew this kid was the real deal before he won the Heisman. At 6'4" 220 lbs he's the picture perfect QB... 50 TDS vs just 6 Turnovers in his career. Damn. You gotta admire that, but it doesn't mean he's unbeatable....

Who To Watch - Oregon, we won't have to worry about WR Devon Allen who injured his knee in the game vs Florida. Leading the team with 7 TD receptions and 684 yards, he's one weapon MM won't have to use against us. Don't get too excited now, they still have six other guys with 4 or more TDs so there are still weapons, but Allen was also a return team threat. I do like the big guys and at 6'5" WR Dwayne Stanford should be watched very carefully!  As for their rushing game, with all the QB Hype, you might not have noticed that they had 42 rushing TDs this season.... vs 42 receiving TDs. For those of you who struggle with math, that's pretty damn even. RB Royce Freeman has 18 TDs but - whoa! what is this? QB Mariota has 15! Yikes!  Better keep him contained or he'll hurt you on the ground!

Buckeyes Who Have To Step Up: Ok so yeah Cardale Jones needs to have a good game. I like the way he bounced back vs 'Bama after some early struggles. And my boy Joey "Beast" Bosa has been hot and cold at times so he'll need to make his presence known. And obviously the #BellyShirtMafia of Ezekiel Elliott and Devon Smith will get their chances as well. This will have to be a complete team effort, all three sides of the ball, for the Buckeyes to win this game. But it's totally doable. 7-point underdogs? Pish Posh. Urban has been an underdog six times since coming to The Ohio State and guess what.... he's 5-0 so far. I say we make it a perfect 6-0 on Monday!

And now what you've all been waiting for: The Uniforms! Ok so maybe not all of you but there will be no green on the Ducks. I'm not sure why they are forgoing their signature color but my sources are reporting all White for the Ducks and Scarlet for the Buckeyes. I like the White. It'll be so much easier to see the dirt and grass stains from being pounded by my boys all night long. :)

Good luck Buckeyes and Stay Classy Fans as you watch and tweet and Smack-Talk all those lowly SEC Fans who are just lost without one of their teams playing in the Big Game. That alone makes me happy, regardless of the outcome!

O-H!


Respectfully Submitted,
Cleveland Kate

Around the B1G with K8 12.4.14

By @ClvlndK8

OK so I'm not doing much traveling Around the B1G this week.... just staying home to look at the last Conference game of the year... The Championship.

Saturday 12/06 at 8:15 pm the B1G Championship game kicks off between Ohio State (11-1) and Wisconsin (10-2). While the rest of the conference waits at home for invitations to Bowl Games, these two teams, who have traditionally played each other very tough, face off in a game with Playoff implications.  However, to me, the big story is not so much who's playing this weekend, but which players will NOT be on the field.

OSU DE Noah Spence: after testing positive for ecstasy last season, Spence was given a one year suspension that was appealed down to three game, based on the defense that it was in a drink he was given at a party and he didn't know about it. He sat out last year's Orange Bowl and the first two games of this season. Just as he was about to return to active status in September, a second
failed drug test caused him to be suspended indefinitely. A hearing in late November confirmed that he would be declared ineligible permanently by the NCAA. OSU is doing what it can to help Spence deal with his "medical issues" and has stated he will be allowed to finish his college studies if that is what he wants. My guess is he'll try for the NFL next year. I hope he's able to get his head right and fix any drug issues he has because the talent he displayed in his short career on the football field would be a shame to waste.

OSU QB JT Barrett: In a blow that was heard as a collective "SIGH" all across Ohio, the rivalry game between the Buckeyes and Wolverines turned out to have a more lasting impact than any of us expected. Losing Heisman-hopeful Braxton Miller just before the season started left all Buckeye fans wondering if JT Barrett was ready to take this team to the playoffs in the new system implemented for this season... and we were all very excited to see how well he moved into the starting role. After a rocky couple of games to start the year, JT showed himself to be quite the Passer with nearly 3,000 yards and 34 TDs. A broken ankle during the Michigan game has knocked him out for the rest of the season.

Sophomore Cardale Jones from Cleveland's own Glenville High School has taken over behind center. At 6-5 and 250 pounds, we are all hoping he can lead the Buckeyes to a B1G Championship this weekend. The Playoff Committee will definitely be watching and they MUST have a good showing to move up from the 5th spot and into the playoffs. Yeah, I know all about his stupid tweet from last year about his job being football and not getting a college education, and blah blah blah, but that's all part of being young and immature. It may sound callous, but that stuff doesn't bother me. It's time for Cardale to put up or shut up.



Respectfully Submitted,

Cleveland Kate

Around the B1G with K8 10.23.14 #B1G #BigTen

By @ClvlndK8

The B1G Power Rankings are out and - WOW - there's some new faces in the Top Five...

5. Maryland Terrapins: The Might Turtles are looking (relatively) good! At 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the

WR Stefon Diggs, MAR

conference, their addition to the B1G has been pretty successful for them. While they are trying to be the New Oregon with their fancy uniforms and their new deal with UnderArmor, they actually have a decent football team. And maybe I think they look more like NASCAR Drivers then they should, QB CJ Browns is ready to step back in vs Iowa this week. The Buckeyes had his number on Saturday so he was benched in the 2nd half for Caleb Rowe but don't think that means anything. Head Coach Randy Edsell still has faith in him and he'll be back under center this weekend.

4. Minnesota Golden Gophers: They lead the Western Division at 6-1, 3-0, and boast Defensive Player of the Week Cedric Thompson & Special Teams Player of the Week Ryan Santoso as belonging to them. Hitting crucial field goals (52 yarder!) and making interceptions that seal a victory are definitely a recipe for success. And frankly, they have no real challenges on the schedule until they face Ohio State on 11/15.

RB Ameer Abdullah, NEB

3. Nebraska Cornhuskers: largely overlooked (by me) they're putting together a nice season, 6-1,2-1,
right behind Minnesota. It's that one conference loss that hurts them. Ameer Abdullah is still the King, rushing for yet another 100-yard game and is on pace to see over 1,000 yards this season.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes: you know it's crazy but each game we score 50+ points in make me even more pissed off about that loss to Va-Tech. I know, I need to get over it, but still... JT Barrett looking better and better each week. A few tough games on the horizon but they may overtake Sparty yet!

AND....

No Surprise Here...

1. Michigan State Spartans: preseason favorites, still looking good. They've got inner-state rival Michigan this weekend so I'm predicting they'll improve to 7-1, 4-0. Head Coach Mark Dantonio seems to think he works for OSU and is trying to create a huge rivalry out of this game. Yes, they've won 5 of the last 6 meetings, but as we all know, kicking someone's butt every single year does not really make it a rivalry....  Then again, the whole world is UM's rival this season and it's still sad.

Respectfully Submitted,

Cleveland Kate

Around the B1G with K8 10.8.14

By @ClvlndK8

As we finally start seeing some conference play, the B1G is gaining momentum in the polls.
The latest power rankings from BTN are out and there are a few surprises...

1. Michigan State - well, no surprise here. They were touted as the Team To Beat when the season started and nothing has changed.  A rough loss in week two vs the Oregon Ducks is the lone bad mark on their record. However, with the Ducks losing to Arizona, that loss may haunt them in the final season standings and playoff chances.

2. Ohio State - this one surprised me! I know the offense is just killing it and as JT Barrett gets more comfortable as the starter, the offense gets better each week, but if they don't fix their defensive woes, beating a bunch of mediocre teams won't get them to the playoffs.

3. Nebraska - I'm telling you, keep an eye on the 'Huskers! They got off to a slow start vs Michigan State last week which hurt them but I fully expect them to be in the B1G championship game representing the west.


4. Northwestern - who-da-thunk-it? The Big Purple Machine is looking good and safety Godwin Igwebuike is a large part of that.

...and now I'll skip to a few teams worth noting at the bottom of the list...

10. Penn State - this was the real surprise for me. I had high hopes for this team and Heisman Hopeful QB Christian Hackenberg but, when compared to the rest of the conference, they are not holding up their end of the bargain. Yeah, it's early in the season, but they need to work on their "style point."

12. Purdue - jumping up two spots this week after beating Illinois (yeah, that's impressive) the fact that they are ranked over Michigan speaks VOLUMES to the problems in Ann Arbor.

13. Michigan - and speaking of Ann Arbor, the mess that is Wolverine football is getting to be too depressing even for a die-hard-hater like me. Where's the fun in beating a bad team? Who likes to pull the wings off of flies or kick puppies? Not me. I like to beat a team that thinks it's got a chance to win and these players show serious doubts in their coaches and their program. Sigh.

That's it for me this week... More B1G matchups this weekend including what could lead to riots in Brady Hoke's neighborhood as Penn State travels to Michigan. Sad, just very sad.

Respectfully Submitted,
Cleveland Kate

Around the B1G with K8, 8.29.14: Big Ten Season Preview

Around the B1G with K8
By Cleveland Kate (@ClvlndK8)

With all the changes in the Big Ten this off-season, let’s start with a look at the new divisions and the 7 teams in each one. Frankly, I like the “East” and “West” names much better than “Legends” and “Leaders.” I never really understood the point of those names and trying to remember who was in each division was a pain in the neck.

Big Ten – East
Ohio State
Penn State
Indiana
Maryland
Michigan State
Michigan
Rutgers

Big Ten – West
Nebraska
Wisconsin
Illinois
Iowa
Purdue
Northwestern
Minnesota

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, here are some tidbits worth knowing about the teams…

Minnesota – Jeff Jones, running back recruit, is still awaiting an eligibility decision from the NCAA. His SAT scores and GPA were not good enough to gain him admission and a football scholarship. He had an option to go to JUCO for two years, improve academically, and then transfer. He’s declined that option and Coach Jeff Kill and the Gopher staff is working hard on his behalf to get the NCAA to grant him eligibility. In the meantime, David Cobb and Berkley Edwards will do just fine.

Rutgers – If nothing else, joining the B1G has done wonders for ticket sales… their home opener sold out and the 30,927 season tickets sold is a new record. It’s too soon to tell if they’ll be able to compete with the “Big boys” on the field, but fans are definitely excited.

Michigan State – Ranked #8 to start the season, and the favorite to win the B1G again this year, the Spartans have 15 starters returning.

Penn State – Christian Hackenberg is one of the best QBs in the conference, perhaps all of college football. While they are struggling with depth issues, they have still put together a solid team and watching Hackenberg should be fun even if their record isn’t great.

Iowa - As a result of the season-ending injury to starting fullback Adam Cox, the Hawkeyes will move freshman linebacker Aaron Mends over to the FB position. Mends was a 3-star recruit at linebacker but he did play quite a bit of running back in high school, so Coach Kirk Ferentz is hopeful this will fil the need created by Cox’s injury.

Michigan – It’s clear the Coach Brady Hoke is on the hot seat and even he seems to know that. Back in January he fired Offensive Coordinator Al Borges, as if it’s his fault that the offense struggled, and hired Doug Nussmeier. While Nuss may have a national championship on his resume, it won’t be enough to beat the Buckeyes. Just saying.

Purdue - Yeah, not really a good team and nobody worries about them on the schedule… the biggest question being can we score over 50 on them or not… But this year they’ve hired a new head coach, are paying him big money, and expect to start seeing results. It may take a few years to see a difference in the win column, but don’t be surprised at the changes Coach Darrell Hazell brings. He held assistant coaching positions at Oberlin, Eastern Illinois, Penn, Western Michigan, Army, West Virginia, and Rutgers. Hazell then served as the wide receivers coach at Ohio State under Jim Tressel from 2004 to 2010. In December 2010, Kent State hired him as its head coach, where he was named 2012 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year by the conference's coaches. And now he’s off to Purdue.

Ohio State – Yeah, I saved this one for last. Ranked #5, that could quickly change depending on how the QB situation plays out. While the injury to QB Braxton Miller is devastating for him on a personal level, most believe – myself included – that freshman J.T. Barrett might be just fine taking over the job. He’s an Urban Meyer Guy and, if his high school You Tube videos are for real, should be able to hold his own this season. While I’m not sure we can get back to the top of the B1G, there’s no reason to write the Buckeyes off just yet…

So that’s what I have for this week. Stop back next week for my list of “happenings” in the B1G, stuff I think you should know, and general Buckeye positivity….

Respectfully Submitted,
Cleveland Kate