Ohio State Football: Why the Buckeyes and Terrelle Pryor Deserve To Be No. 1

Tim Bielik—Featured Contributor / Storm the Field Founder

It hasn't been since before the kickoff of the 2008 BCS National Championship Game that the Ohio State Buckeyes were the No. 1 team in the country until Sunday's polls came out.

Thanks to Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks' 35-21 victory over the then-top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, the Buckeyes rose to No. 1 in both the AP and USA Today Coaches' Poll, and they were also No. 1 in the first Harris Poll of 2010.

But even though the Buckeyes slid into the top spot by default, this group is very worthy of being the top team in the country.

One reason Ohio State belongs at the top is Heisman hopeful Terrelle Pryor who showed Saturday against Indiana that he could throw the football all around the field.

Against an Indiana team that gave up 42 points to Denard Robinson and Michigan, Pryor threw for a career-high 324 yards and three touchdowns, completing 80 percent of his passes despite a left quad strain.

Pryor's spectacular season has the Buckeyes' offense in the Top-20 in yards per game, rushing yards per game and sixth in the country in points per game.

The play of the Ohio State offense has been a big surprise when considering how much the unit struggled in 2008 and 2009, when Jim Tressel was pegged as being too over-conservative in his play calling.

And in addition to the surprising success of the OSU offense, the Silver Bullets defense has been quite good once again.

Despite the lack of QB sacks (eight in six games), the Buckeyes' defense ranks third in the country and first among AQ teams in total defense and sixth in scoring defense at 13.5 ppg.

But even with the tremendous amount of success that the Buckeyes have had in the season up to this point, they have not been tested like some of the other teams in the hunt for a national title spot.

So far on the season, Ohio State has played only one team that was ranked at the time, a Miami squad that was blown out of their home stadium Saturday night by Jimbo Fisher's Florida State Seminoles 45-17.

Now the Hurricanes are unranked, leaving Ohio State in a shocking predicament in mock BCS standings where even though they are first in all human polls, they are fifth in ESPN's earliest projections due to a very bottom-heavy schedule.

But playing in the much-improved Big Ten, especially with three of their final six conference opponents ranked in the Coaches' Poll, should help balance the computers to where OSU would play in Glendale in January for the National Championship.

Despite the computers, Ohio State has the makings of a true No. 1 team, with a great offense to complement a very consistent defense.

The biggest improvement for this team has been the fact that the special teams has started to turn itself around after a disastrous stretch of giving up three special teams TDs in the first two games and lengthy kickoff returns for most of September.

But this team will be very heavily tested against a tough Wisconsin team hungry to knock off the new No. 1 in Camp Randall, a place where Ohio State has had problems historically, especially in 2003 where the Badgers ended OSU's 19-game winning streak dating back to the 2002 championship season.

The fans will be loud as ever, and John Clay, James White, and the Badgers will have extra motivation to do what Spurrier did to the Crimson Tide just a few days ago.

And if Ohio State can win in Madison, they will have earned the right for the time being to be the best team in the country.

But for how long is up to them.


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Week 2 College Football Rankings: BlockONation's Latest Top 25 Forecast

Many of you that follow the site know that I am a weekly top 25 voter in The Best Damn Poll In The Land.

It wasn't easy this week, but I basically all but ignored my preseason and week one rankings, instead preferring to rank the teams on my ballot this week from scratch, based on what I've seen so far through week two.

Here is what I came up with for my top 25 ballot this week.


1. ALABAMA - Here until they lose, or barely win really ugly vs. an inferior team


2. OHIO STATE - Proved they have a great overall team in win over Miami-FL


3. TCU - Best "mid-major", touting star QB Andy Dalton and a great "D"


4. NEBRASKA - Great defense, good QB and very good running back in Helu Jr


5. BOISE STATE - Still top 5 but the Va Tech loss to James Madison hurt them


6. IOWA - QB Stanzi and RB Robinson are playing great, plus still great on "D"


7. OREGON - Two great backs and even with slow start vs. Tenn, still blew them out


8. OKLAHOMA - Proved they were a top 10 team even though FSU was picked to upset them


9. WISCONSIN - Played down to the competition in week 2 but still worthy of this slot


10. TEXAS - UT won easily over a veteran Wyoming team and rounds out the top 10


11. STANFORD - Andrew Luck is one of the nation's best QB's and Stanford killed UCLA


12. ARKANSAS - Ryan Mallet has been lights out and Hogs might challenge Bama in SEC West


13. UTAH - Looking good at 2-0 but we will know more later when they face TCU and
Notre Dame


14. TEXAS A&M - Super tough schedule coming but looking good so far, especially QB Jerrod Johnson


15. MICHIGAN - QB Denard Robinson has UM at 2-0 with his nearly 900 yards of offense


16. FLORIDA - John Brantley is no Tim Tebow and UF is extremely fortunate to be 2-0


17. HOUSTON - Case Keenum was injured this past week but if he doesn't miss any games, Houston should remain in the top 25


18. SOUTH CAROLINA - The Gamecocks entered my top 25 after RB Marcus Lattimore emerged and their solid "D" helped them beat previously ranked Georgia


19. MISSOURI - The Tigers could challenge Nebraska in the Big 12, and QB Blaine
Gabbert is underrated


20. AUBURN - QB Cam Newton has nearly 600 total yards and has already scored seven TDs for the 2-0 Tigers


21. MARYLAND - They aren't flashy but I really like RB Davin Meggett and the 2-0 Terps have a pretty stingy defense


22. LSU - Last week I dropped the Tigers after their narrow win over a depleted UNC team, but not this week, only because there was really no one worth moving ahead of them


23. NEVADA - I don't care what anyone say, Wolfpack QB Colin Kaepernick is amazing and he alone is worth this ranking


24. CALIFORNIA - The Bears, who face Nevada next Friday in what could be a real dandy, are 2-0 and have emerging stars in both QB Kevin Riley and RB Shane Vereen


25. AIR FORCE - The Falcons just beat BYU to go 2-0, and are leading the nation with (and this is not a typo) over 420 rushing yards per game


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Crap-shoot Time—My Week 10 Top 25 Ballot

by HD Handshoe
Founder—BlockONation




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TOP 10
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1. Texas - I'm not sure any of the top teams want to be #1 but I guess the Longhorns have looked the best on both sides of the ball to me as an entire team so that's how they got here, for now...

2. TCU - I know the SEC homers are going to die when they see this (TCU ahead of UF and Bama) but TCU has offense and defense and to me have looked better than most every other team. I swear, I almost put them at No. 1, seriously...

3. Alabama - They keep winning and McElroy finally came back to life after a few weeks on hiatus. The LSU win gets them back into my top 3.

4. Florida - They didn't blow out Vandy like I thought they should and their offense continues to look average, but they are 9-0 so I can't justify moving them out of the top 5, but if Cincy would not have won so close, they'd be here instead.

5. Cincinnati - Like 'Bama, the Bearcats keep winning, and with a backup (Zach Collaros) I might add, who might just be their new starter in place of Drew Bledsoe (see Tom Brady), er, I mean Tony Pike.

6. Georgia Tech - They might be overrated here, but when it's 4th and 1 and you are down by 3 in OT and you go for the glory instead of kicking the tying FG, you are a man, 40 years old or not, and on sheer ballsiness alone, and the 9-1 record, you earned this slot this week! (Play of the week nominee)

7. Pittsburgh - The Panthers are a 7-point early season road loss away @ NCST from being 9-0 and even higher in the rankings. True freshman running back Dion Lewis is the truth and has Pitt fans forget all about LeSean McCoy. A showdown with the Bearcats is coming in a couple of weeks, and I really hope both teams win all of their games leading up to that one!

8. Boise State - The Broncos are 9-0, but the one team that was keeping them near the top 5 was Oregon. The Ducks comeback bid fell short vs. The Cardinal and Toby Gerhart had a career and record-setting day running the ball-shades of "Touchdown" Tommy Vardell. The weak conference schedule is their biggest enemy, but as long as they win out, they are nearly a lock for a BCS Bowl, just not THE BCS NC Game.

9. Ohio State - I almost put Houston, or Utah here but I just couldn't convince myself that either of them could beat the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes to me had the best win of the weekend and their defense looked UNBELIEVABLE. So did Terrelle Pryor, finally! I am not a homer in my poll, but I'm sure I will hear that from some of you. If so, I won't lose any sleep over it, just so you know.

10. Houston - What a year Case Keenum is having. They say the eventual Heisman winner needs to have that "signature highlight moment" during the year that propels them on to winning the award. Keenum has had more than one in my opinion, and for me, he is the Heisman winner if the trophy were handed out today. People talk about Tebow willing UF to victories...If you missed the end of the Houston-Tulsa game, then you missed Keenum refusing to quit -- refusing to let his team lose. His stats are unreal (3,815 pass yards, 28 TD's, only 5 INT's, 158.9 QB Rating) and if Houston wins out, Keenum should deservedly win the hardware.

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The Rest (11-25)
==============
I put them in a hat and drew them one at a time (kidding, or am I?)

11. Utah - Might be too high, but maybe not

12. Miami-Fla - Not sure if i trust them or not

13. LSU - Only 2 losses are to Florida and Bama but I think the SEC is overrated so...

14. USC - Won and looked bad doing it and I considered dropping them out of the top 15

15. Oklahoma State - Keep on keepin' on without Dez Bryant which surprises and impresses me

16. Iowa - The other shoe finally dropped and Stanzi is out for OSU next week--oy vey

17. Arizona - Wildcats are half a win behind Oregon in the Pac-10 and even though it won't be easy, they control their own destiny in the conference

18. Wisconsin - I never thought the Badgers would be 7-2 at this point, let alone ranked in the top 20 but they are decent and Clay is the best RB in the Big 10

19. Stanford - Toby Gerhart has been awesome this year as has freshman QB Andrew Luck and rest assured, the Cardinal will have a say in who wins the Pac-10

20. Penn State - The Buckeyes finally exposed what we all may have suspected -- PSU was overrated and their soft schedule was why

21. Oregon - Despite a late comeback bid that fell short, the Ducks laid an egg most of the game vs. Stanford and maybe they are who I thought they were after the Boise loss

22. BYU - Max Hall and Dennis Pita are pretty good, I guess...

23. Clemson - CJ Spiller is the only reason Clemson made my poll

24. Navy - Middies should be 8-2 but lost last week without stud QB Ricky Dobbs -- Notre Dame's BCS hopes are dead and their coach may join me in the unemployment line soon. That "close call" for Ohio State in week one is looking better and better.

25. Troy - Why not? They've won seven games in a row after a surprising week one loss to BGSU and an expected week 2 loss to Florida. I guess I could have put WVU or Rutgers here but WV didn't impress, and Rutgers had a bye so like I said, why not?


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TBDPITL BlockONation Week Six Top 25 Ballot

by HD Handshoe
Founder—BlockONation




No. 1 Alabama's RB Mark Ingram




I am a voter in TBDPITL weekly poll.

Here is my official week six ballot.

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1. Alabama

2. Florida

3. Virginia Tech

4. Texas

5. Iowa

6. Ohio State

7. Southern California

8. Boise State

9. LSU

10. Miami (Fla.)

11. Penn State

12. Cincinnati

13. Oregon

14. TCU

15. Georgia Tech

16. South Florida

17. Kansas

18. BYU

19. Nebraska

20. Missouri

21. Houston

22. Oklahoma State

23. Notre Dame

24. Pittsburgh

25. South Carolina


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The BCS System Proves Yet Again To Be Fundamentally Flawed

Posted by HD Handshoe
Founder—BlockONation


If you paid any attention to college football last weekend then you’re aware that Iowa won at Penn State and Oregon humiliated Cal, 42-3.

These weren’t obscure events.

The voters who participate in the Harris Interactive and USA Today Coaches polls apparently did not pay any attention. Hey, why would they? These are only the people whom the empty suits of the Bowl Championship Series have empowered to determine how the sport’s champion is crowned.

So it made perfect sense that in the polls that make up two-thirds of the BCS formula Penn State is still ahead of Iowa and Cal is still ahead of Oregon. These are among a half-dozen rankings based more on reputation and preseason hype than results. There will be more as the year goes on.

This is the BCS. It’s not a one-time mistake. It’s the all-the-time plan. Ridiculous votes happen when you conduct ridiculous elections.

The suits want something that provides convenient cover for them (hey, don’t blame us, it’s the voters!) while being so flawed it draws attention away from what’s really going on – the operation of a system designed to protect their power and allow their cronies who run bowl games to fleece the sport for tens of millions a year.

Forget what they say. Forget the supposed excuses. That’s all there is here. Protect their power and the bowl games’ money.

If the people who ran the BCS wanted to implement a good way to determine the best teams at the end of the year – even if they stuck with the archaic bowl system – they would have done so years ago.

Instead they continue to prop up a formula where two-thirds is determined by a popularity vote from people who, in many cases, are either incapable or unmotivated to take the job seriously.

There’s decades of evidence and testimony from the 59 head coaches that they 1) don’t have the time to research their ballots and 2) often hand over the duties to administrative staffers, who also have no time.

There’s half a decade of evidence that the commitment of the 114 Harris Poll voters fluctuates wildly. Most of these guys are retired administrators, coaches or players. Some are media.

They’ve proven good for two things, voting based on marketing and reputation, and subscribing to a groupthink mentality that assures their ballot doesn’t stand out and they get criticized for thinking for themselves.

Some voters take their responsibility seriously and in their defense, the two polls purposefully offer no criteria for them to consider. Should they slot teams based on overall record, strength of schedule, who they beat, who they lost to, how they won, how they lost, where the games took place, conference strength or so on?

Last year a number of Harris Poll voters admitted to Yahoo! Sports that they have never bothered to watch Utah play before deciding the postseason fate of 12-0 Utes. This isn’t to say Utah should’ve been ranked No. 1 or No. 25, only that any reputable system would, at the very least, require the voters to at least watch an unbeaten team before dismissing them.

It’s moronic enough to use a beauty contest system to determine athletic competition. It’s even worse when the voters don’t have to watch all the contestants. No one disqualifies Miss Mississippi because she isn’t from California.

They do in the BCS.

What happened to the voters who admitted they didn’t think it was necessary to watch Utah play? Naturally, most of them are back again this year.

The folks who run Harris Interactive were concerned enough about this abomination they recommended that a protective mechanism be established to root out “instability, error or bias associated with unusual ranking patterns.”

Naturally the BCS suits rejected it. They love instability, error and bias.

Of course the suits also employ the final one-third of the system as a safety check – the computers. Six mathematical formulas crank out rankings to supposedly make up for human prejudice.

The problem with the computer formulas is twofold. One, the lack of comparative data makes this exercise impossible, which is why actual mathematicians operate a movement that denounces the BCS and any of their peers who participate.

Second, as baseball numbers whiz Bill James points out, the three times the computers have disagreed with the final human vote, the BCS suits immediately re-rigged the formulas in an effort to prevent it from happening again.

The computers aren’t there to counter the polls. They exist to offer credibility through pre-calculated agreement.

“Computers, like automobiles and airplanes, do only what people tell them to do,” James wrote for Slate.

Absent blowing this atrocity up and going with a 16-team playoff, if the BCS wanted a better system to choose the teams for their antiquated bowl games, they would go with a NCAA men’s basketball tournament-style committee.

That’s a group of about 10 people who spend the season scouting teams, meeting to discuss various scenarios and then eventually getting together to go through a vast checklist of predetermined criteria to select the field.

While not devoid of controversy, it’s orderly and transparent.

That would require courage and accountability though, actual faces to answer for the decision to select team X over team Y. The current system allows the blame to be spread out, even to faceless machines.

While a couple dozen conference commissioners and bowl executives sure do love to count the money, they don’t want to claim ownership of the BCS. In fact, Mountain West Conference attorneys claim that there’s no proof the BCS exists as a legal entity. Six conference commissioners take turns serving as “BCS coordinator” for a two-year term. Then they eagerly pass it off, like it’s a disease.

In the meantime, a nonsense system rolls on. Don’t be shocked by the controversy, the foolishness or the corruption.

That isn’t a flaw in the system.

It is the system.


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Written by Dan Wetzel—Yahoo Sports
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