Sports:

• Athletes of the Decade — (Randall Simon’s Sausages)
• Iowa Hawkeyes looking like roses so far — (MoonDog)
• David Wells farts on air — (Deadspin)
• Browns get jobbed by ref on erroneous first down call — (Shutdown Corner)
• Does anything in Detroit not suck? — (Rumors and Rants)
• Strange divorce trial of Jim Nantz — (The Big Lead)
• Stewart Mandel’s college football overtime — (SI.com)
• Bobby Valentine a finalist for Indians job — (Plain-Dealer)
• Could Pujols, St. Louis be on a collision course for trouble? — (Chicago Tribune)
• Terrelle Pryor is having issues…major issues — (Plain-Dealer)

Non-Sports:

• The 10 best bacon videos ever — (Uncoached)
• You think? Balloon boy drama was staged — (CNN.com)
• More tough words from Iran to U.S. — (Fox News)
• Obama administration outlines new marijuana policy — (Huffington Post)
• Britain treating heroin addiction by giving addicts free heroin…and it’s working — (CNN.com)

How the mighty have fallen.

Let’s break down why Ohio State seems primed for a disappointment at home. But first, the particulars for this weekend’s game, via the MSF college football TV schedule for Saturday, September 12th:

 (4) USC Trojans vs (6) Ohio State Buckeyes

• USC-Ohio State Date and Time: Saturday, September 12th at 8:00 ET
• USC-Ohio State Kickoff Time: 8:00 ET
• USC-Ohio State Location: The Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio
• USC-Ohio State TV: ESPN
• USC-Ohio State Point Spread: USC -7
• StubHub: Ohio State-USC tickets
• StubHub: all Ohio State football tickets
• StubHub: all USC football tickets
• StubHub: all college football tickets

Ohio State-USC Preview

To understand why Ohio State will fail this week, let’s examine what went wrong last week. Sure, Ohio State “beat” Navy, but a four-point home victory over Navy hardly qualifies as a success.

Terrelle Pryor made plays with his feet, as usual, but matched his lone touchdown pass of the day with an interception late in the game. The Buckeyes didn’t run the ball with much authority either.

Perhaps most concerning was Ohio State’s defense, which shocked college football betting fans by allowing 342 yards of offense, punctuated by two passing touchdowns from Navy’s Ricky Dobbs.

If Navy could pick apart Ohio State, it’s scary to imagine what USC might do on Saturday.

Matt Barkley, the first true freshman to start under center in USC history, passed his first test last week against San Jose State, going 15/19 for 233 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. He played the caretaker role, letting dynamic tailback and Heisman Trophy hopeful Joe McKnight do the heavy lifting. McKnight rushed 14 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns, including a 54-yard scamper.

A good sports betting system for football is to watch for patterns of how a team wins and how a team loses.

Last week, USC showed an efficient passing game, able to inflict damage when it needed to, and handed off the rock the rest of the time, chewing up clock and tiring out the opposing defense. Ohio State scraped by Navy last week but struggled against the run and even allowed some scores through the air. If that’s not a recipe for a USC win, nothing is.

Since USC’s defense is strong and should fluster Pryor, the seven-point spread for USC on the road is totally justifiable. Pick the Trojans with confidence; the 2009 Buckeyes aren’t in their league.

Ohio State-USC Prediction

Betting services recommend: USC -7

What do you think?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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* – Ohio State-USC logos credit: The Scores Report

* – Jim Tressel photo credit: Thunder Treats

Umm, can I interject here and just ask a reasonable question real quick: who the hell cares?

Apparently Fiesta Bowl officials do, according to the account of the story at SI.com:

Pryor’s absence was notable in the ballroom set aside for media day. Frustrated Fiesta Bowl officials had to tell reporters that the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback wasn’t present — and that there was nothing they could do about it.

Fiesta Bowl president and CEO John Junker said he’d like the Bowl Championship Series to provide clearer rules for media access to players.

“Any policy is workable only if there are consequences in place, which is currently not the case,” Junker said. “The present arrangement puts the team in question and the bowl in question in a difficult circumstance.”

Tressel shrugged off the stir caused by Pryor’s absence.

My favorite part is the last line. Of course Jim Tressel shrugged off Pryor’s absence. The absence was no accident, and Ohio State should not be forced to explain why they want their freshman quarterback attending meetings as opposed to being put in a situation that he might not be totally ready to handle.

First off, just so everyone is clear, Terrelle Pryor skipping the media day was not any kind of violation. Each team is required to submit a list of 30 players who will attend the media day. Ohio State did this and as far as I can tell, all 30 players were there. So tough titties Fiesta Bowl.

And why is it such a big deal anyway? Sure, we’re all love to hear Terrelle Pryor’s thoughts, mostly because he is probably the most likely player on either team to say something that could be used as bulletin board material. Pryor is a brash, confident, and still-immature freshman who famously got into numerous fights while in high school. He also vastly talented but still working to grasp the finer points of playing quarterback at a big-time college football program.

Jim Tressel no doubt wanted to avoid any situation where Terrelle Pryor could say something that could be construed as incendiary towards Texas. He also knows that his young phenom needs every minute of coaching and film study he can get to prepare for the biggest game of his young career. Why should he have to explain anything?

He made a wise choice for his team and still complied with the rules. John Junker (pictured, left) should go round his other BCS bowl cronies and figure out a way to bring a playoff to college football, rather than complaining about a freshman not attending media day. He should also not wear canary yellow sports jackets. It is my personal philosophy never to trust old men in pastel-colored suit coats. I can’t explain why, just trust me on this one.

And what if Jim Tressel wanted media day attendance to be a reward for upperclassmen? Should he have to answer to John Junker? Hell no. Jim Tressel should do whatever he thinks is best for his football team.

And that is what he did.

Good for Jim Tressel — not that it was really big deal for him. Jim Tressel could sell crap to a sewer. He is the kind of guy who could clog your toilet with a nasty deuce and then convince you that the new “potpourri” scent adds “life and zest” to your restroom.

That is why his expertly crafted explanation of the matter was no surprise:

Asked if Ohio State fans would like to hear from their starting quarterback before the game, Tressel replied, “Well, I think we owe a lot to our fans. Unfortunately, you can’t do everything you’d like to do.

“I would like all of our kids and coaches to be able to sign every autograph that every fan would like and, you know, all those kinds of things. But you can only do so many things. You have to make decisions. Some of them are well thought of, some of them aren’t.”

I guess some people think this is a bigger deal than me. A writer in the Plain-Dealer thinks Tressel did the Fiesta Bowl and the fans wrong by not making Pryor available. I simply disagree. If this were the NFL, it would be different. They are professionals. College football players are not supposed to be professionals…which people sometimes forget. So if the coach doesn’t want them there, deal with it — it’s the coach’s decision.

And I think Jim Tressel made a good one.

(Update: For the record, after reading a few other posts on this subject in which the authors disagree with my take, I realized I should clarify something. Technically, all BCS teams are supposed to make all starters available for the media day. However, there is no penalty or consequence to enforce the rule. So technically, Jim Tressel and Ohio State violated the letter of the rule by not making Terrelle Pryor available for the Fiesta Bowl media day. Still, I think it’s a stupid rule and I don’t think Jim Tressel, Ohio State, or Terrelle Pryor should be taking heat for it.)

In 2006, it was the first #1 vs. #2 match up in The Game’s rich tradition. It was the first time the two teams entered the game undefeated since the 1970s Bo vs. Woody days.

Only a day after the passing of Michigan great Bo Schembechler, The Game ended 42-39 with Ohio State being victorious and it was the highest point total in the history of the rivalry. And easily one of the most exciting, regardless of which side you are on.

Now we have a plethora of firsts in this weekend’s Ohio State-Michigan game, even though it is nothing College Game Day would set up shop for, as they did in Columbus in 2006.

One reason is that the 19 point spread in favor of the Buckeyes is the largest spread in the history of The Game. Two, win or lose, at 3-8 it is already Michigan’s worst record in the football program’s history. Three, Ohio State is going for their fifth straight victory over for the team up north which would be a first in Ohio State’s rich history. Four, this is the first time these two teams will both start Freshman quarterbacks: Terrelle Pryor and Steven Threet (though Threet is questionable with a shoulder injury). That fourth historic first might bring out the over used but realistic saying, “Throw the records out for this one.”

I would never miss this game no matter what the situation is and I have often gone into this weekend (always the weekend by or on my birthday) on the other end, salvaging the season by busting Michigan’s Rose Bowl berth with an upset. That is what Michigan has to play for this year and if you don’t know, Jim Tressel-coached teams always seem to have trouble defending against spread offenses. Last week, Illinois’ spread offense diced up the Buckeyes defense with 455 total yards of offense.

If you are laughing at my cautioned tone about the game this weekend I have two words for you: John Cooper. Coop’s 2-10-1 record versus Michigan is branded into my head and I know all too well the better team doesn’t always in this one. Since polls were started in 1936, the lower ranked team has won 21 times, most recently in 2004 when the unranked Buckeyes won 37-21 over #7 Michigan in Troy Smith’s first season.

We know John Cooper is no Jim Tressel, when JC called the rivalry with Michigan “Just like any other game” and called the established 1922 Ohio Stadium, “Buckeye Field.” 2-10-1, it still burns doesn’t it Buckeye fans?

And Michigan’s 57-41-6 advantage will make us feel like the underdog for at least the better part of this century won’t it?

Ohio State I know cannot wait to beat Michigan now when they are down. And say what you want about Rich Rod, Michigan cannot wait to beat Ohio State now when they are flying high.

See you Noon EST on ABC live from Columbus.

Click here to F*ck Michigan

[tags]college football, rivalries, ohio state buckeyes, michigan wolverines, big ten football[/tags]

Yesterday, Michigan had a lead at the half over the #3 Penn State Nittany Lions, in their house! Michigan had momentum and the ball after the half. Then Rich Rodiguez had a brianstorm and placed the one person who when he walks on the field, his whole team collectively knows regardless of the score, the game is now officially over.

Once the Big 10 player of the year entered the game, he did what he does best, score for the other team. He gave up a safety after sitting in the pocket for far too long without throwing the ball away, only to complete a pass to his lineman two feet infront of him while falling into the end zone.

I think that Sheridan has naked pictures of Rich Rodriguez because for the life of me, I do not understand how else this turnover machine could take snaps for the Wolverines.

Here’s Sheridan’s stat line year to date; 29 of 54 for 262 yards, 1 touchdown 5 INTERCEPTIONS AND A SAFETY!

Opposing Sheridan is Steven Threet, far from a football God, but leaps and bounds better than Nick Sharetheball, I mean Sheridan. Threet is 67 for 132 with 708 yards, 6 TOUCHDOWNS and 3 interceptions. I am not a college mathematics professor, but the statistics are in glaring favor of Threet. I would rather see the Miami Dolphins Wildcat formation than the Michigan offense with Sheridan under center. Please, tell me I am wrong, but if you are a Wolverines fan, you feel the same way I do whenever #8 takes the field. When Rich Rodriguez lost Terelle Pryor to Ohio State, he lost more than a recruit, he lost the Wolverines 2008 season.

Kurt Fraschetti

profootballinsight@live.com

[tags]michigan wolverines, rich rodriguez, big ten, nick sheridan[/tags]

The Ohio State backfield tandem of quarterback Terrelle Pryor and running back Chris “Beanie” Wells outrushed Ringer 212-67. Terrelle Pryor finished with 72 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown while Beanie Wells finished with 140 yards on 31 carries and a touchdown of his own. It was exactly the kind of dominant performance that Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes needed to further distance themselves from their USC loss and announce their presence in the BCS picture should more of the currently undefeated teams go down.

The 48-7 win by Ohio State sets up a huge showdown next week in Columbus between the Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes and Joe Paterno’s undefeated, #3 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions. Penn State has been blowing teams out all year, and is doing it again tonight, leading Michigan 46-17 as I write this. Ohio State seemed to lose their rhythm after the USC loss and subsequent switch to freshman QB Terrell Pryor, but today’s win over the 20th ranked Spartans suggests that the lofty preseason opinions of the Jim Tressel-led Buckeyes may not have been all that far off.

The winner of the Ohio State-Penn State game obviously has the inside track to the Big Ten crown, and the potential to claim a spot in the national championship game; for sure for Penn State, and a possibility for the Buckeyes a few teams above them lose (like last year).

Either way, today’s win proves that the stores of the demise of Jim Tressel and Ohio State in 2008 were way too premature. As Beanie Wells gets healthy and back in rhythm, and as Terrelle Pryor gets comfortable under center, this Ohio State team continues to improve. Even though the game is in Columbus, next week’s battle with Penn State with grueling and possibly epic. If today’s win is any indication, Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes will be up to the challenge; possibly enough to overcome it.

(Photo Art by Midwest Sports Fans — click image to enlarge)

[tags]ohio state buckeyes, college football, jim tressel[/tags]

Ohio State currently has a stamp on them that they cannot win a big game. Some people think it is a big tattoo that will never be removed, but after last night in Madison it is just a stamp to me. An ugly stamp you haven’t washed from the club the night before, but it only took a true freshman Quarterback to rub the stamp off for now.

Playing under the lights in Madison is a tough task. Ask the 2003 Buckeye squad who was undefeated and defending their national championship when they floundered in the Wisconsin elements and lost 17 to 10 on a late bomb to Lee Evans. Jim Tressel’s only career losing record to a Big Ten team was Wisconsin before last night’s victory (3-3). This was a big game win and don’t let any Jim Rome, Skip Bayless, or Mark May tell you otherwise. Not to mention Tressel’s 5-1 record versus the Wolverines who’s rivalry is called “The Game.” Is that yearly dominance not BIG enough for you? P.S. Not afraid of the “Bitch Rodriguez Era.”

The stigma that Ohio State cannot win a big game is still there since nobody respects the level of play out of anyone in the Big Ten but there is an X-factor now. We saw him come of age last night on his game winning drive and 11 yard touchdown option run. I haven’t seen a successful option run to the short side of the field against a good defense in college football history, but I saw Pryor turn on the jets and do it last night. On the road, down 17-13, 4^th quarter clock running against them, and Pryor did it throwing and running. A healthy Beanie Wells doesn’t hurt his maturity process either. Beanie finished the game with 168 yards on 22 carries (7.6 avg) and an awesome touchdown run in which he stiff armed the only defender he had to beat 10 yards backwards into the end zone.

Next week I am going to Columbus for the Purdue game (3:30 kickoff) and I can’t wait to watch the new big game X-factor Pryor with a healthy Beanie.