Showing posts with label oregon ducks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label oregon ducks. Show all posts

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Brand NEW Week 10 Top 25 College Football Rankings

By HD HandshoeBlockONation.com Founder



What an exciting week of college football we had.

There were a few surprises and some close calls for a couple of top rated teams. There could have been major shakeups at the top, but Alabama and Notre Dame each survived upsets scares.

Here are my week 10 rankings, along with the each teams ranking from the previous week.

For the full poll, visit TheBestDamnPoll.com.


1. KANSAS STATE (1)

2. OREGON (2)

3. ALABAMA (4)

4. OHIO STATE (5)

5. NOTRE DAME (3)

6. GEORGIA (7)

7. LOUISVILLE (9)

8. FLORIDA (8)

9. CLEMSON (10)

10. FLORIDA STATE (11)

11. LSU (6)

12. STANFORD (15)

13. SOUTH CAROLINA (12)

14. OKLAHOMA (16)

15. TEXAS A&M (18)

16. OREGON STATE (20)

17. NEBRASKA (19)

18. USC (13)

19. NORTHERN ILLINOIS (23)

20. LOUISIANA TECH (24)

21. UCLA (NR)

22. TEXAS (NR)

23. KENT STATE (25)

24. TOLEDO (NR)

25. UCF (NR)

Dropped out: Mississippi State, Boise State, Texas Tech, West Virginia




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Monday, October 29, 2012

BlockONation's Week Nine Top 25 Rankings For TheBestDamnPoll.com

By HD HandshoeBlockONation.com Founder



This is my first set of rankings this year. There might be some validity to the argument against preseason and early-season polls.

I think in a way, not doing any rankings before now has helped give me time to assemble a very accurate poll for my first submission of the season, having been able to see 8-9 games to properly weigh each teams resume to date.

With that, here are my week 9 rankings -- my first rankings submitted to the poll at TheBestDamnPoll.com this year.

1. KANSAS STATE

2. OREGON

3. NOTRE DAME

4. ALABAMA

5. OHIO STATE

6. LSU

7. GEORGIA

8. FLORIDA

9. LOUISVILLE

10. CLEMSON

11. FLORIDA STATE

12. SOUTH CAROLINA

13. USC

14. MISS. STATE

15. STANFORD

16. OKLAHOMA

17. BOISE STATE

18. TEXAS A&M

19. NEBRASKA

20. OREGON STATE

21. TEXAS TECH

22. WEST VIRGINIA

23. NORTHERN ILLINOIS

24. LOUISIANA TECH

25. KENT STATE




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Saturday, November 27, 2010

Ohio State's BCS Future, Plus BCS Projections for Every Bowl—"Firmly" Fluid Edition



With the Big Ten regular season in the books, it's a good time to take a look at the latest projections, pending next week's conference title game results of course.

There could be an upset or two, but if there are none, here is who will likely be playing who, their estimated final BCS ranking, and in what bowl they will meet.


BCS National Championship Game
No. 2 Auburn vs. No.1 Oregon


Rose Bowl

No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 3 TCU


Sugar Bowl

No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Arkansas


Orange Bowl

No. 13 Virginia Tech vs. No. 4 Stanford


Fiesta Bowl

UConn vs. No. 12 Nebraska


The Fiesta will get screwed hard by having last choice and thus getting stuck with an unranked Big East champ, while several much-more deserving teams will be left on the outside looking in.

A few of note on that list include Boise State, LSU, Michigan State, and Oklahoma.

Every year we are left wondering what will it take to facilitate the college presidents to admit it is time for a playoff at the FBS level.

And every year, there are injustices and oversights, and tons of question marks about who really deserved to be ranked No. 1 or No. 2.

A playoff would not be perfect either because if there are eight teams chosen, teams nine and 10 will complain, but hands down, it would be better than the BCS.

For now, it is the system we have and those are the teams that will likely meet in each of the bowls this post season.

The again, a few upsets could occur next week rendering everything you just read completely moot, so stay tuned!


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Sunday, November 7, 2010

BCS Deja Vu: 2010 is Starting to Look a lot Like 2007



It may not be the Buckeyes that reap the benefits of all these supposed (fraudulent) top 10 teams losing, but another Big 10 team, Wisconsin is potentially in line for a national title shot if a few more stars align just right.

That being said, if Wisconsin stumbles in their last three games, then maybe 2007 really does replay itself this season and finds the Buckeyes playing for the title unexpectedly. It COULD happen, however unlikely it may seem.

By the end of the season, some combination of Oregon, Boise State, Auburn and TCU should be No. 1 and No. 2 respectively based on SOS in combination with the human polls.

Assuming that holds true and after watching several teams drop in week 10, here is an updated list of the things that could and would have to happen that could ultimately allow Ohio State to play in the 2010-2011 BCS title game.




1. A loss by Auburn to either Georgia, Alabama, or the South Carolina/Florida winner in the SEC Championship game, or, a loss by TCU to San Diego State or New Mexico.

2. A loss by Oregon to either Cal, Arizona, or Oregon State.

3. A loss or even an ugly win or two by Boise State against Idaho, Fresno State, Nevada, or Utah State. However, the SOS factor itself may take BSU out of the picture even if they win them all big.

4. A loss by Nebraska to either Kansas, Texas A&M, Colorado, or in the Big 12 Championship game.

5. A loss by Wisconsin to either Indiana, Michigan, or Northwestern.

6. A loss by LSU to LA-Monroe, Mississippi, or Arkansas.

7. A loss by Stanford to either Arizona State, Cal, or Oregon State.

8. Lastly, three wins by the Buckeyes to finish the season over Penn State, Iowa, and Michigan.




Since a team doesn't have to be No. 1 to play in the BCS title game, not every scenario above HAS to happen, but most of them [probably at least six of the eight listed, with number eight being the most important] do.

The least likely of them to happen is TCU losing, but that's OK.

vs.
???


Ohio State vs. TCU for the title would be a huge draw as Buckeye fans would all assume the title would be a lock, while the haters would tune in hoping to see the Buckeyes get embarrassed on the national stage to a non-AQ team.

It's a dream come true for the BCS and a win-win for everyone, so to all the teams ahead of Ohio State who are not TCU, do your part and lose over the next three to four weeks.

That is all.


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Monday, October 25, 2010

College Football Week 8 Rankings: Justifying What the Top 10 Should Look Like



Just like the AP voters and the coaches who vote in the USAToday Poll, I am also a human voter, but unlike the AP voters and coaches, I allow sound logic to define my rankings.

I am not sure what some of those voters base their rankings off of—The flip of a coin perhaps, or maybe they ask their wives which teams have the the prettiest colors?

Here's a real man's top 10, not based on heads, tails, excellent color coordinating, or just plain idiocy...


No. 10 - Alabama (7-1)

Alabama was No. 8 in last weeks BCS standings and will likely move up at least one or two slots after their win over Tennessee, combined with LSU's loss at Auburn.

What the national poll voters are ignoring is that after Alabama lost by 14 points to South Carolina (5-2), the Gamecocks then went on to lose at Kentucky (4-4), and they struggled until late in their 21-7 win against Vanderbilt (2-5) last evening.

Also last evening, Georgia (4-4) took the Wildcats out behind the woodshed to the tune of a 44-31 pounding in Lexington.

Only one of Alabama's wins have come against a team still currently ranked in the top 25 (Arkansas) and the loss to South Carolina continues to look worse and worse with each passing week.


No. 9 - Ohio State (7-1)

Like every other team, Ohio State is not perfect, but they are a solid top 10 team.

In the national polls, Ohio State is 10th, while Alabama is 6th, but those voters have it wrong. The Buckeyes deserve to be ahead of the Tide for several reasons.

Ohio State has one win over a team currently in the top 25 (Miami-Fl (5-2)), but their 13-point-loss in Camp Randall Stadium to now-No. 9 Wisconsin (7-1) looks much better than Alabama's loss at South Carolina.

It's true that no loss is a "good loss", but Ohio State losing at Wisconsin was much less of an upset than Alabama losing at South Carolina.

The Badgers only loss this year was in East Lansing to No. 5 Michigan State (8-0).

The Gamecocks have two losses—to Auburn (8-0) and Kentucky (4-4).

Ohio State is also the only team with a loss in the FBS that ranks in the top in both scoring offense (6th, scoring 40.8 ppg) and scoring defense (9th, allowing only 14.0 ppg).

The only other teams in the nation that have a top 10 scoring offense and scoring defense are Boise State, TCU, and Utah.


No. 8 - Wisconsin (7-1)

As mentioned above, the Badgers only defeat was to the No. 5 Spartans in East Lansing.

Last night, Wisconsin won their second huge game in as many weeks when they traveled to Iowa City and took down the No. 18 Hawkeyes, 31-30, one week after beating then-No. 1 Ohio State.

The case could be made by others and even myself that Wisconsin is too low sitting here at No. 8, but the top 10 will become much more clear in the next two to three weeks and they could find themselves in the top five when that dust settles.


No. 7 - Utah (7-0)

Utah might be a slot or two too high, but you have to respect an unbeaten team and not punish them just because the other teams in their conference mail it in every year.

Also, you may remember from above that Utah is one of only four FBS teams ranked in the top 10 in both scoring offense and scoring defense.

They opened the season with a win over then No. 15 Pitt and have not really been tested since then, but that will all change starting next week.

It is possible, although unlikely, that the Utes could go from 7-0 to 7-5 to finish off the season with remaining games at home against AP No. 4 TCU and BYU and road games against Air Force, Notre Dame, and San Diego State.

Coming out of the mine field unscathed and still unbeaten would be an absolute miracle for Utah.


No. 6 - Michigan State (8-0)

The Spartans last started a season 8-0 in 1966 and ended up winning a share of the national title. In the corrupt system that is the BCS, they might not get the chance to play for a title this season even if they finish 12-0.

[rant]Everyone with a half-functioning brain can tell you that the BCS is all about selling tickets and making money, period. If you don't believe that, just ask Boise State, Utah, and TCU who all have done well in games against BCS-conference schools, yet have continually been shutout when it comes to having a chance to play one of the "big boys" for the BCS title.

Michigan State doesn't have that problem in that they are a member of the Big 10, but they do share the same problem that gets those teams repeatedly passed over—they are not a traditional football power that has a huge national following like a Texas, USC, Ohio State, Alabama, or Notre Dame.

The BCS would gladly invite a 1-loss Alabama to play in one of it's games over an unbeaten Spartans team. Hell, they'd probably take Texas, who may end up with 4 or 5 losses this year over Michigan State if they could get away with it...[/rant].

The bottom line is MSU is 8-0, they have two wins over teams that were ranked in the top 20 when they defeated each (then-No. 11 Wisconsin, and then-No. 18 Michigan), and they have a very good QB, two excellent running backs, a tough-as-nails coach, and a solid defense.

This week they travel to Iowa to face the No. 18 Hawkeyes. If they win that game, an unbeaten season is nearly a lock.

Now all they need should they finish the season 12-0 is a fair shake from the BCS, but don't hold your breath.


No. 5 - Missouri (7-0)

In a lot of ways, 2010 feels like 2007 all over again.

No. 1 ranked teams were dropping like flies that year, and so far this year.

It's also the last time the Tigers were this high in the rankings. They actually made it to No. 1, only to lose to Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game and missed a huge opportunity to play in the BCS championship game.

This time around, Mizzou took it to the BCS's No.1 ranked Sooners, handing them a 36-27 defeat.

Oklahoma, however, was as usual over valued. They did blowout then-No. 17 Florida State earlier in the year and they also narrowly beat a then-overrated Texas team by eight points in the Red River Rivalry, but close wins over Utah State, Air Force, and Cincinnati revealed the real Sooners.

So, not to take away too much from what Missouri did to the Sooners, they do move up into the top five, but they could be even higher if Oklahoma were really as good as some blind voters believe they are/were.

Missouri faces the same problem as Michigan State. This week should be their final legit test as they face No. 14 Nebraska (6-1) and then their schedule, and lack of a huge national following will likely hurt their ranking.

They have one saving-grace which will be the Big 12 championship game should they win out.

Not in their favor if that scenario plays itself out is the fact that the Big 12 South representative will probably be Baylor, Oklahoma State, or Oklahoma and a win over any of those three probably won't do much to help the Tigers move ahead of anyone.


No. 4 - Boise State (6-0)

Last week I had Boise State at No. 1 and the only reason they are not No. 1 this week is because they were idle again, while Oregon, Auburn, and TCU all played and played well.

Oddly, everyone else has played seven or eight games to their six.

Anyway, Kellen Moore is one of the best quarterbacks in the country and if ever a team was truly a "team" in every sense of the word, the Broncos are it.

There are no selfish egomaniacs on the Broncos. They play together and all they do it win, and win, and then win some more.

They have two wins this season over previously ranked BCS member schools Virginia Tech (6-2) and Oregon State (3-3). Their remaining schedule has only three games against Hawaii, Fresno State, and Nevada where they might face some competition, but they will be favored in each of those contests.

It's not fair to punish a non-AQ team like Boise State just because the majority of the teams in their conference mail it in early every year. That is not their fault, and neither is the fact that they have a standing offer to play any BCS team in that teams home stadium, or at a neutral site, but have very few takers.

If Boise State keeps winning, you can take it to the bank that no team with a loss will ever jump ahead of them in this guys' top 10.


No. 3 - TCU (8-0)

TCU may have the best chance of the non-AQ schools to play for the title this year and here's why.

They beat then-No. 24 Oregon State 30-21 to open the season.

In week three, they rolled over Baylor, who is now ranked at No. 25 in the BCS standings, by a score of 45-10.

After pitching back-to-back shutout wins over Colorado State and Wyoming, and a 31-3 blowout of BYU, the Horned Frogs crushed Air Force 38-7. Yes, the same Air Force team that leads the nation in rushing and the same Air Force team that former No. 1 Oklahoma only beat by three points.

On November 6th, TCU will travel to Provo to face No. 7 Utah. If both are still unbeaten going into that meeting as expected, the winner of that game should benefit greatly, despite the fact that the BCS is designed to keep them down.

TCU would obviously benefit the most since they are already currently in the top five, but Utah could do just as well with a win and a few losses by other key teams currently ahead of them.

Should TCU finish the year 12-0, I will have a hard time not giving them my No. 1 ranking based on their entire 2010 body-of-work.


No. 2 - Oregon (7-0)

As a Buckeye fan, I couldn't put Oregon at No. 1 this week. I heard all about Oregon's speed and talent and how unstoppable they were on offense last year before the Rose Bowl.

Everyone said Ohio State would do well to keep within 25-30 points. Oregon was going to score at least 50 and Ohio State would lose yet another BCS bowl.

Ohio State 26, Oregon 17.

Here it is 2010 and Oregon, minus thugs Jeremiah Masoli and LeGarrette Blount, are otherwise pretty much the exact same team.

So what makes them legit now?

The same thing that had everyone fooled in 2009—style points.

Never mind the fact that they are averaging over 55 points per game solely because six of their seven games have been against horrible teams with terrible defenses.

AP voters love style points, even when all the competition are doormats.

And even in beating Stanford, the Ducks lone victory over a ranked opponent this year, they didn't exactly face a defensive juggernaut.

The Cardinal are 60th in scoring defense, giving up over 24 points per contest. Even hopeless Washington State scored 28 on the Stanford "D".

Oregon is 7-0 and they have talent, but if they lose this week to USC like I think they are going to, they can almost certainly kiss this top 10 ranking goodbye.


No. 1 - Auburn (8-0)

Let me start off by saying I hate the SEC and every SEC team as much as I hate that team up North, so you better believe that it pains me to rank any SEC team No. 1.

That being said, in a season where there appears to be no dominant great team, but many very good teams, no other team has proven to me that they belong in the top spot this week than the Auburn Tigers.

Their defense could end up being their Achilles heel, but they have faced, and defeated, five teams of the eight teams they have played that are, were, or could be ranked in the top 25, so the 23.5 points they are allowing per game isn't as bad as it seems when you consider the level of competition they have faced.

Having Cam Newton as their QB doesn't hurt either. He is leading the nation in rushing and much like Vince Young at Texas in 2005, could be on his way to leading his team to the BCS title. Unlike Young, he may also being home the Heisman too.

After beating then-No. 6 LSU this past Saturday, moving Auburn up to No. 1 was a no-brainer.

Mississippi and Chattanooga will provide little resistance as Auburn should easily move to 10-0, with surging Georgia and former No. 1 Alabama left on the schedule at the end of the year, plus a potential SEC title game appearance.

With their rankings in the human polls and the love the computers will show them, there is no way the Tigers don't play for the BCS title if they win out.

With their SOS, they might still get a shot at the BCS title even if they lose one of the next four games.

We'd all like to see what a non-AQ team could do vs. one of the best from a BCS conference, but if Auburn or even Alabama plays in and wins the SEC title game, it's almost a guarantee that the BCS will do what they always do and screw the unbeaten little guy, aka Boise State, TCU, etc.


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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Best of the Vest: The 10 Greatest Wins of the Jim Tressel Era, Part II



I brought you part one (numbers six-through-10) of my top 10 best wins of the Jim Tressel era nearly four weeks ago.

It has admittedly taken me longer than I anticipated to find the time to bring you the top five, so without further ado, here they are. I hope you find this climax to the series worth the wait.




Number Five


In 2005, Ohio State may have been a Ryan Hamby dropped touchdown catch away from putting the nail in the Texas coffin and knocking off Vince Young and the eventual national champion Longhorns.

The Buckeyes led 19-16 halfway through the third period when Justin Zwick's pass bounced off of a wide open Hamby, then up in the air, and just as Hamby was about to have a second opportunity to potentially seal the win, a Texas defender knocked Hamby and the ball harmlessly to the endzone turf.

The Buckeyes instead had to settle for a field goal, and the rest is history, as Texas went on to win the game, 25-22.

A year later, No. 1 Ohio State traveled to Austin to complete the home-and-home series, seeking revenge against No. 2 Texas and new starting quarterback Colt McCoy.

Despite their top-ranking, not every expert believed that Ohio State would win in Austin. After all, they could not defend their own home turf the previous year—not to mention, Ohio State QB Troy Smith was recruited as an athlete, not as a QB, and was not as highly-coveted coming out of high school as McCoy was.

It was Smith who was poised and precise, outshining McCoy on that day however, passing for 269 yards and two scores in the Buckeyes 24-7 win.

McCoy and the Texas offensive line had no answer for the Buckeyes' defense, which had replaced nine starters from the previous season.

Led by All-American linebacker James Laurinaitis, they held a Texas team that had scored at least 40 points in 12 consecutive games to a single touchdown and McCoy to only 154 yards passing with one touchdown and an interception.

The Buckeyes went on to finish the 2006 season a perfect 12-0 before their sad effort and poor showing against Florida in the BCS title game. The 41-14 loss was surely one of the poorest Ohio State efforts under the vest (one we all want to forget), but that is another article altogether.



Number Four


No regular season game had more meaning during the 2009 season for the Buckeyes than the Iowa game.

No. 11 Ohio State (8-2) hosted No. 10 Iowa (9-1) with at least a share of the Big Ten championship and a potential BCS berth on the line for both teams.

The game plan for the Buckeyes would be no great secret.

Tressel and company stuck to their bread and butter—playing great defense, winning the field position battle, and running the football—and in the end, it paid off.

It also didn't hurt their chances when Iowa lost starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi one week earlier in their stunning upset loss to Northwestern, meaning redshirt freshman James Vandenburg would have the daunting task of making his first career start against one of the best defensive units in the nation.

Surprisingly, Vandenburg played beyond the expectations of Buckeye fans as he passed for over 200 yards with a couple of touchdowns. Fortunately for Ohio State, he also threw three interceptions that would prove costly for Iowa.

He did however help lead the Hawkeyes back from a 24-10 deficit in the fourth quarter, throwing a touchdown pass to Derrell Johnson-Koulianos with under three minutes left to tie the game at 24 apiece.

That would be the score at the end of regulation, and the game went to overtime.

Iowa had the ball first and on first down, Vandenburg threw an incompletion. On second down, freshman running back Adam Robinson was thrown for a 6-yard loss by Austin Spitler, and Doug Worthington sacked Vandenberg for a 10-yard loss on third down. Now out of field goal range on fourth-and-26, Vandenberg lofted a long pass into the end zone that was picked off by Anderson Russell.

The Buckeyes then "Tressel-balled" their way from the 25 yard line to the 23 yard line on three straight short-gain carries. On fourth and 8, on came kicker Devin Barclay, who had only taken over the kicking duties after starter Aaron Pettrey injured a knee a few weeks earlier.

The oldest player on the Buckeye roster, the 26-year-old Barclay, a former soccer player, nailed the 39 yard game-winning field goal in overtime to seal the win, and send Ohio State to college football's oldest bowl game—the granddaddy of them all—the Rose Bowl.



Number Three


"Tressel-ball" doesn't always sit well with fans. Some fans were calling for Tressel to be fired, believing the home loss to USC in 2009 was a direct result of his ultra-conservative game planning and play calling.

Those critics felt justified after the shocking week seven loss to Purdue last season, but from that point on were quieted by the genius that is Tressel.

Coming off the worst performance of his career to date as the starting quarterback for the Buckeyes, Tressel tightened the leash on Terrelle Pryor, instead opting for his textbook style and approach, aka "Tressel-ball".

In the final five games of the season, the coach relied on his defense, special teams, and the running game. The defense allowed only 48 total points over that span, and the Buckeyes averaged more than 200 rushing yards per game in finishing off the season 5-0, earning their trip to the 2010 Rose Bowl to face the high-flying Oregon Ducks potent spread offense.

The Ducks plan was to stop the run and force Terrelle Pryor to throw the ball. Little did they know, this played right into the hands of the vest.

After his mid-season handcuffing of Pryor, Tressel had decided it was time to unleash Terrelle and for Pryor to step up and become what he came to Ohio State to become—a real quarterback.

That being said, Pryor did have 20 carries for 72 yards, but he wasn't specifically looking to run first as he did when he first came to Columbus.

He had his best passing day to date, throwing for 266 yards and two touchdowns. He did throw one interception in the third quarter, but the defense held Oregon to two yards on the series, forcing a punt.

In fact, the defense held Oregon down practically the entire game—considering that the Ducks had scored 37 or more points in nine of their 12 games during the regular season. They had beaten USC, a team the Ohio State lost to at home by a score of 18-15, by a final of 47-20.

Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was held to just 9/20 passing for 81 yards and an interception, while tailback LaMichael James was limited to 70 yards rushing on 15 carries.

Ohio State outgained Oregon in total yardage 419 to 260 and in time of possession with a 41:37 to 18:23 advantage, and most importantly on the scoreboard, 26-17.

Tressel knew the timing was right, and that Oregon, and the nation would be blind-sided by Pryor's emergence as an efficient and effective pass-first quarterback.

His Rose Bowl performance earned him the bowl MVP and was dubbed Terrelle Pryor's coming out party. Tressel finally had the same faith in Pryor that he had had in Troy Smith back in 2006.

If Pryor can continue to build off of his bowl performance and validate what the coach sees in him, 2010 could potentially culminate as a championship season for the Buckeyes.



Number Two


Every Ohio State-Michigan game matters. Throw out the records, because it is pure passion and hatred personified.

No meeting was ever more important or hyped than the 2006 contest when No. 1 Ohio State hosted No. 2 Michigan with the Big Ten title and a trip to the BCS title game on the line.

It marked the fourth time in the 100+ year history of "The Game" that the teams would play when both were undefeated, but the first time they were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively.

The game was played just one day after the death of former Michigan head coach (and Ohio State assistant coach under Woody Hayes) Bo Schembechler. The teams couldn't have honored his memory with a better game, although it certainly wasn't the brand of football he and Woody coached when they battled one another for the decade now referred to as "The 10 Year War".

"There were a lot of good playmakers out there today," Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel said afterwards. "It was a fast-break game the whole way."

For two teams each allowing less than 20 points per game on the season, defense went out the window as each team struggled to stop the other all night long, with the offensive units combining for 900 total yards.

Michigan was led by QB Chad Henne's 267 yards and two touchdown tosses and RB Mike Hart's 142 yards and three scores.

Not to be outdone, Ohio State QB Troy Smith passed for 316 yards and threw four touchdowns, while RB Antonio Pittman rushed for 139 yards and a touchdown.

Both teams put on a show for the nation and proved why this is the best rivalry in all of sports. Ohio State poured on all the offense they had, and Michigan stayed right on their heels the entire game.

Ultimately, it was the Buckeyes who played their way into the national title game with a dazzling 42-39 win over the Wolverines (pushing Tressel's win/loss record to 5-1 in the series) in what was one of the best college football games ever played, and certainly the best-ever game in the storied rivalry.



Number One


The 2006 Ohio State-Michigan game almost earned the top spot, so you know that No. 1 has to be a pretty big deal to have outranked that one.

I'm pretty sure by now most of you know that my No. 1 greatest win of the Jim Tressel era is the 2003 Fiesta Bowl game against the "unbeatable" and No. 1 ranked Miami Hurricanes for the BCS championship.

The double-overtime battle became in instant classic and is still considered the best championship game of the BCS era.

The game outcome was not without controversy, although Dennis Dodd, who is generally no friend to the Ohio State program, eventually came to the defense of official Terry Porter, who had made the late, controversial pass interference call that allowed the Buckeyes to eventually force the overtime periods.

At the end of the fourth quarter, the game was tied 17-17.

"It was just like two great heavyweights slugging it out," winning coach Jim Tressel said.

There was no quit in either team—no one wanted to finish second.

With the 31-24 victory, the second-ranked Buckeyes, 11½-point underdogs entering the game, ended the Hurricanes' try for a second straight title and their winning streak at 34.

Hurricane QB Ken Dorsey passed for 296 yards and two touchdowns, but also had two interceptions. Before suffering a gruesome knee injury, Miami RB Willis McGahee scored one touchdown and rushed for 67 yards.

In the first overtime period, Kellen Winslow caught a 17-yard pass from Dorsey to put Miami up 24-17.

Buckeye QB Craig Krenzel answered back for Ohio State with a one-yard dive into the endzone to keep Ohio State's hopes alive.

In the second OT, Maurice Clarett scored on a five-yard rush to give the Buckeyes a 31-24 lead.

The championship all came down to one of the best defensive stands in college football history.

Miami had the ball 1st and goal at the two yard line. Jared Payton, son of the late-great Walter Payton, ran up the middle on first down for a minimal gain.

On second down, Dorsey's pass to his practically wide open TE sailed wide at the goal line.

On 3rd and goal, a fullback trap up-the-gut pushed the ball just inside the one, bringing up fourth and goal.

This was it—one last play for the game and the championship.

At the snap, Dorsey found himself under immediate and heavy in-your-face pressure from the Buckeye blitzing defense, and as he was nearly dragged to the ground, he had no choice but to throw a misdirected prayer into the heart of the Buckeye defense, where it was harmlessly knocked to the turf.

The Buckeyes had clinched their first national championship in 34 long years and the vest had become a legend in only his second season on the job.



In closing


It's no secret that Tressel has owned Michigan (8-1) which also boosts his legacy, but if he is to have a chance at passing Woody Hayes as the greatest coach in Buckeye history, he would help that cause immensely by adding a couple more national titles, hopefully starting in 2010.

Let's hope that I have to revisit this series in a few years and update my top 10 after the vest delivers at least a couple more national titles to the Buckeye Nation.

Thanks for reading and for visiting Block-O-Nation.


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Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Best of the Vest: The 10 Greatest Wins of the Jim Tressel Era



It's almost hard to believe that Jim Tressel is entering his 10th season as head coach of The Ohio State Buckeyes this coming season.

During that span, there have been many big wins, but also some not-so-pleasant, soul-crushing losses as any die-hard Buckeye follower can tell you.

The expectations that the Buckeye Nation places upon their team, and ultimately Coach Tressel, are always high.

That often includes frustration and criticism from fans of his patented "Tressel-ball" style, which has led to some of the most excruciating losses of his tenure.

As much as some fans complain about Tressel at times, it makes one wonder if they don't need to step back and take a look at the big picture.

It's hard to argue against the man when considering the resume he has put together--bringing Ohio State their first national title in football in over 30 years, three BCS title game appearances, flat-out owning the Buckeyes hated rival Michigan, all amounting to a record of 94-21.

Of those 94 wins, I have selected the 10 best, and .



Number 10


The 2004 Fiesta Bowl pitted No. 8 and Big 12 Champion Kansas State (11-3) against No. 6 Ohio State (10-2).

The Wildcats, who were on a seven-game winning streak, the latest a 35-7 pounding of then-No. 1 and unbeaten Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game, were expected by many of the "experts" to defeat the Buckeyes.

Buckeye QB Craig Krenzel and the Ohio State defense had other plans.

Krenzel, who finished his Ohio State career 24-3 as a starter, matched his career high with four touchdown passes, and the top-ranked rushing defense in the country held All-American Darren Sproles to a season-low 38 yards on 13 carries and quarterback Ell Roberson to just 20/51 passing for 294 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception.

Although the final score (35-28) seemed close, the actual game was never that close until Ohio State, leading 35-14 in the fourth quarter, pulled most of their defensive starters.

In true Jim Tressel fashion, the Buckeyes "held on" for the "W".

A win is a win is a win, right?



Number Nine


From 1988 to 2000 under John Cooper, Ohio State went a dismal 2-10-1 vs. Michigan in "The Game" and Cooper sealed his fate when he said the annual rivalry was just another game.

Enter Jim Tressel.

After winning four I-AA national titles at Youngstown State, the former Buckeye assistant and homegrown "Ohio boy" (unlike Cooper) was hired over Glen Mason, and the rest to date, as they say, has been history.

Also unlike Cooper, Tressel immediately placed special emphasis on the rivalry.

On January 18th, 2001 during halftime of a home Ohio State basketball game, coincidentally against Michigan, Tressel made a very bold statement to the Buckeye fans in attendance, and I quote:

"I can assure you that you'll be proud of our young people—in the classroom, in the community, and most especially, in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan on the football field."

Talk about setting an accurately prophetic tone.

That fall in Ann Arbor, Ohio State (6-4) was unranked and the Wolverines (8-2) were ranked 11th.

After building a 23-0 halftime lead behind running back Jonathan Wells, the Bucks withstood Michigan's comeback bid to secure a 26-20 victory, their first win in Michigan over the Wolverines in 14 years.

It's as if Michigan was Charlie Root and Tressel was Babe Ruth. He called his shot in January then, true to his words, hit it out of the park in November.



Number Eight


In what was an otherwise disappointing 2004 season, Ohio State (6-4) was once again unranked entering the Michigan game. The Wolverines (9-1) were ranked No. 7, their then-only loss coming early in the season to Notre Dame.

Led by QB Troy Smith and WR Ted Ginn, the underdog Buckeyes posted a 20-14 halftime lead against heavily-favored Michigan.

Smith tossed two touchdowns and passed for 241 yards and also ran for 145 yards and a score, while Ginn set a school and conference record with his fourth punt return for a touchdown as the Buckeyes coasted to a 37-21 victory, Tressel's third in four meetings.

Former Buckeye Maurice Clarett had made his false "money for nothing, academic fraud, and free car" accusations against Tressel and the University during the 2004 season.

With that cloud hanging over the program, and with several unexpected losses prior to the UM game, Buckeye Nation needed this one badly to salvage the season, and once again, The Vest delivered on and off the field. He, and the University were cleared by the NCAA of any wrongdoing.



Number Seven


Last year, after a hard=to-swallow loss at home to USC (after which, many fans were calling for Tressel's head on a platter) and the stunning road loss to Purdue (after which many fans were calling for a change at QB), the Buckeyes could have thrown in the towel.

Instead, Coach Tressel tightened the leash on Terrelle Pryor and shifted the emphasis back to what he does best in a pinch—Tressel-ball, i.e. a strict ball control offense, the field position edge, reliable special teams play, and great defense.

The No. 16 Buckeyes (7-2) headed to Happy Valley to face the No. 11 Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1). Penn State, who's only loss was a 21-10 defeat at home to unbeaten Iowa, was still clearly favored by the media and even the doomsday "fans" of the Buckeyes.

Many cocky and classless Penn State fans all but predicted a massacre and had planned to distribute "Terrelle Cryer" t-shirts for the students to wear during the "whiteout."

As it turned out, Terrelle and company would come away smiling and victorious, and Penn State would be left saddened, dazed and confused.

Pryor, who is from Western Pennsylvania, accounted for three scores in one of the best games of his Buckeye career, while PSU's veteran QB Daryll Clark, who hails from Eastern Ohio, had one of his worst against the Buckeye's smothering defense.

It was sweet revenge for Pryor and Ohio State, as Penn State had snapped a 30 year losing streak in Columbus a year earlier when Pryor lost a fumble on an ill-advised ad-lib, which that led to the game's only touchdown and ultimately, the win for PSU.



Number Six


In only the fifth meeting ever between two of college football's most storied programs, No. 4 Ohio State (9-2) and No. 5 Notre Dame (9-2) met in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl.

Former New England Patriots offensive coordinator turned college coach Charlie Weis and his high-scoring Irish led by Ohio-born Brady Quinn were seeking Notre Dame's first bowl win since the 1993 Cotton Bowl.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Buckeyes were looking to push their BCS bowl game record to a perfect 4-0.

It was Troy Smith, not Brady Quinn, who shined as the best QB from Ohio on this day.

And it was Tressel who outcoached first year coach Charlie Weis as the Buckeyes romped Notre Dame 34-20, sending the seemingly "fightless" Irish to their eighth strait bowl loss.

The outcome of the game was never really in doubt. The stingy Ohio State defense, led by AJ Hawk contained Quinn, and conversely, the Irish defense had no answer for Smith, RB Antonio Pittman, or WR's Ted Ginn and Santonio Holmes.



In closing
(for now)


The theme established here should be clear—Tressel wins a lot, recruits tons of talented NFL-caliber players, has owned Michigan twice so far in this top 10, and is not concerned with being flashy while doing it.

In the end as stated above, a win is a win is a win.

I hope you enjoyed looking back at the bottom half of this top 10, and I'm very excited to be bringing you Part II soon.

I promise that it is coming in the very near future so check back often and thanks for visiting Block-O-Nation.


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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Oregon Ducks 2010 Off-Season: A Lesson In Lack Of Institutional Control



Unless you are living under a rock, you have heard about the recent thuggery that has gone down in the Pacific Northwest at the University of Nike Oregon.

Last season, LeGarrette Blount sucker-punched a Boise State player post-game and was suspended for the season, but his suspension was later reduced to only eight games.

Then, starting QB Jeremiah Masoli was named as a robbery suspect in an on-campus frat house burglary situation, but as of yet, has not been suspended or penalized by Kelly. It seems as though he might be getting a pass by the frat, since he is the best player at Oregon.

LaMichael James, the RB who replaced Blount last season and had a huge year was arrested and charged with assault and strangulation against a female student, but has not been suspended "pending further investigation", according to Kelly, who claims to "not have all the facts" yet.

Strangely, Kelly did suspend linebacker Kiko Alonso (yeah, we've never heard of him either) this week after the sophomore was arrested for a DUI early Saturday, just hours after the coach had met with the media about the string of troubles among his players since the Rose Bowl.

In an apparently related situation, Kelly also dismissed wide receiver Jamere Holland (another nobody—coincidence, we think not) from the program on Sunday for "violation of team rules."

Holland had posted an inflammatory Facebook status calling Alonso's potential dismissal from the team as "weak" and racially motivated. He also added that he wished he could "unfriend whites, and only have blacks as friends."

So if you're a star player at UO, you get a pass—If you're a marginal talent, you're get suspended or kicked off the team.

Favoritism much?

Kelly addressed some of these issues on a local radio station, and things between the host and Kelly did get heated.

He also appeared on ESPN's Outside The Lines yesterday (Tuesday Feb. 23, 2010).

In case you missed it, here's the video of Kelly on OTL.




In my opinion, Oregon football and Kelly, much like USC, seem to be on the verge of what the NCAA refers to as a "lack of institutional control."


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Wednesday, January 6, 2010

So, About That Whole "The Big Ten Is Slow, Weak, Ancient, Etc." Thing....

by HD Handshoe
Founder—Block-O-Nation



A funny thing happened on the way to the Big Ten embarrassing itself in the 2009-2010 bowl games.

It didn't even come close to happening.

Even the three "worst" teams repping the conference played well overall.

Seven Big Ten teams were invited to play in a bowl game this year, and four of those seven played in top-tier bowls, vs. four opponents all of whom are/were ranked in the top 15.


Close, But Not Quite


Minnesota, a perennial doormat, lost by one point to Iowa State of the Big 12 in the Insight Bowl. It's not like there were high expectations placed upon them, and hey, at least they were in the game.

Then there's Michigan State—who despite suspending something like 15 players before their Alamo Bowl matchup vs. the Leech-less Texas Tech Red Raiders, actually held a fourth quarter lead—only to falter and lose in the end, like they always seem to do, in and out of conference. That's what happens when you have a terrible defense.

Northwestern gave a strong showing against SEC foe Auburn in the Outback Bowl. Trailing 38-35, Coach Pat Fitzgerald called a fake FG in overtime, and tried for a touchdown that could have won the game, but fell just a few yards short of the endzone.

Sure, they lost in the end, but I still give him props for having the marbles to make that call to try and win the game. Auburn is a decent team and they had wins over West Virginia, Tennessee, and Mississippi this season, so there's no shame in losing a hard fought game to a good SEC opponent.


And The Trophies Go To...


No. 25 Wisconsin, the Big Tens' fourth place team, surprised No. 15 Miami, and most of the rest of us in all honesty in the Champs Sports Bowl. The Badgers out gained the Hurricanes 430 to 239 in yardage, and outscored the Canes 20-14 to set the tone for the Big Ten as they etched the first big win of the bowl season for the conference. During the season, Miami had wins over then-No. 18 FSU, then-No. 14 Georgia Tech, and then-No. 8 Oklahoma.

No. 13 Penn State finished third in the conference this season which earned them a trip to the Capital One Bowl to face the No. 12 LSU Tigers. LSU beat then-No. 18 Georgia, Auburn, and Arkansas during the regular season.

On a rainy, muddly, sloppy field in Orlando, the Nittany Lions and the Tigers played a near even game, but in the end, Penn State was able to move into field goal range for the game-winning 27-yard kick with just :57 seconds left on the clock, and ultimately send the Big Ten to a 2-0 mark in the top-tier bowl game matchups with their 19-17 victory.

QB Ricky Stanzi returned from an ankle injury after missing the final two games of the regular season for No. 10 Iowa, and helped lead the Hawkeyes to the Big Tens' third top-tier bowl game win over No. 9 Georgia Tech.

The Hawkeyes held the Yellow Jackets, who average over 300 yards rushing per game, to just 32 total yards in the first half, 155 total yards for the game, and one offensive touchdown that came in the fourth quarter, as they coasted to the 24-14 win.

Georgia Tech had several key wins during the season including two wins over Clemson, as well as victories against then-No. 22 North Carolina, and then-No. 4 Virginia Tech.

Last, but certainly far from least, my our Big Ten Champion, No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes, made their first trip to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl since 1997 quite a memorable one.


Photo Copyright-Cleveland.com


Ever since No. 7 Oregon squeaked by Oregon State on December 3 to win the Pac-10, everyone and their brother, and their brother's wives brother, and all the "experts" were all predicting an easy, probable blow-out win for the Ducks over the Bucks.

Even on this very blog, on my Rose Bowl preview article, Oregon fans found their way here and posted some of the rudest, and cockiest comments I've just about ever read. Of course, now I'm actually glad they did so I can read over them again and get a good laugh!

Oregon had only lost to No. 6 Boise State (who just beat No. 3 TCU in the Fiesta Bowl and completed a perfect 14-0 season) to open the year in the now infamous "sucker-punch" game on the blue turf, and to Heisman runner-up stud running back Toby Gerhart and Stanford in Santa Clara.

Despite the two losses during the regular season, they did have several big wins over ranked opponents, including Utah, Cal, USC, Arizona, and Oregon State.

As for the game with Ohio State, billed as the unstoppable offense of Oregon vs. the bend-but-not-break vaunted defense of Ohio State, something had to give, and contrary to popular belief, it did not end up being Ohio State's "D".

The Buckeyes held Oregon to 260 total yards and 17 points, both well under their season averages. Only once did Oregon briefly lead in the third quarter when they took a 17-16 lead after a Jeremiah Masoli one-yard touchdown run with 11:03 to go.

Five minutes later, OSU took the lead back for good on a 38-yard field goal from Devin Barclay, and added a little insurance in the fourth when Terrelle Pryor hooked up with favorite target DeVier Posey for a 17-yard touchdown with 7:02 left on the clock.

Posey had a career best performance, and Pryor had one of his best performances as well, and certainly his best on the "big-stage" outside of the Big Ten.

On the year, the Buckeyes accomplished a feat, that so far, I have not been able to confirm has ever been done before in college football by any other team in one season.

They defeated five teams (Navy, Wisconsin, Penn State, Iowa, and Oregon) that all had 10-win seasons, and that will all likely be ranked in the final AP top 25 poll of the year.

I wrote an article in May, well before the 2009 season began, in which I claimed the Big Ten was back. As you might expect, it was met with much criticism, ridicule, and people calling me a homer and a clueless moron.

FYI: I also predicted the Buckeyes would win the Rose Bowl 24-17. The actual final score was 26-17.

I'm kind of getting tired of always being right...!!!




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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Terrelle Pryor Rose Bowl Interview Video From OregonLive.com

Here's my personal favorite quote/excerpt:

"We Don't Care How Much They Beat USC By, Because They're Playing The Buckeyes..." - Terrelle Pryor

Watch the entire video below:




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Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Ohio State-Oregon YouTube Video Six-Pack

Here are six of the best recent Ohio State-Oregon Rose Bowl Preview/Promo or Ohio State "pump-up" videos on YouTube—Enjoy!















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