Buckeyes primed for title run in '08

After that somewhat disappointing performance by the young Buckeyes in last night's BCS Championship game against LSU, as a Buckeyes fan one could be depressed about the ass beating that lasted the final 3 quarters of the game. Any knowledgeable OSU fan can admit that these Buckeyes overachieved this year considering we all thought this would be a great rebuilding year with all the underclassmen playing. It was nice to see some of the young guys getting some quality playing time last night so they will be better prepared to handle the excitement and adrenaline if they make it to the championship game again next season.

There have been rumors that LB James Laurinaitis, DE Vernon Gholston, and CB Malcolm Jenkins may leave school early and declare eligible for the NFL Draft this year.

Personally, I was not that impressed with Laurinaitis this season when OSU actually played decent competition, especially in last nights game vs LSU. He had a ton of tackles, but he also was made the bitch of LSU linemen on several occasions in the second half and failed to cover (or assign anyone to be accountable for) the TE on at least 2 huge plays. He needs to stick around for one more year and fine tune his decision making, leadership skills, and overall size. If he is able to do that, he should be a top 5 pick in the '09 draft and will be able to be an instant impact player in the NFL just like AJ Hawk was last year for the Packers.

Gholston is a beast and should just go to the pro's as he would be an instant starter for whoever drafts him in the first round this year. OSU seems to replace big DL every year with quality players, so I am not too worried about his departure.

Jenkins could also benefit from another season in college, but cover corners in the NFL are tough to find, so I am sure advisors will convince him to go pro. He would no doubt be one of the top 3 CB's drafted, along with Aqib Talib from Kansas and Mike Jenkins from South Florida.

Everyone else should be back and better due to the great experiences they have had this season, especially in the championship game.

Another 3-0 weekend for my teams

The OSU-Michigan game was pretty ugly and boring, but we managed to get a big W out of it to wrap up sole possession of the Big 10 championship. It's a shame to see Lloyd Carr go--it has been nice these last few years to be able to count on a victory to close out the regular season. Michigan can be scary again if they bring in a solid guy who can recruit as good as or better than Tressel. It will now be interesting to see how many higher ranked teams than Ohio State lose now. If Missouri beats Kansas and UConn beats WVU this weekend, then LSU loses in the SEC championship game and Missouri gets beat in the Big 12 championship game, where does that leave the Buckeyes? I honestly hope that things do not play out in a way that OSU ends up in the top 2 of the BCS because I think it will be nice to get these players to the Rose Bowl and hopefully the majority of the underclassmen stick around for another year and take a shot at the national championship next year. If they can hold onto most of their key guys, they should be in good shape to make a run for it.

The Colts-Chiefs game was horrible to watch. I honestly nearly fell asleep on my couch several times during the game. I wasn't even hung over from the Buckeyes game the day before! AV needs to get himself healthy in time for the stretch run against our divisional opponents and the playoffs. He is such a likable guy and it's bullshit that the fans were booing him after those misses. My thought on the matter is if AV really is not 100% healthy, then Dungy should have just went for it on those 4th downs. It really was nice to see Dungy take a step in building up AV's confidence (and the other players confidence in him) by letting him kick the game winner. Although the only thing I can't figure out--why the hell does Dungy always call a timeout with too many seconds left on the clock? I mean, it's fourth down anyway, so it's not like you can fumble a snap, fall on it, and get another chance. Why take the chance of having someone run back a kickoff, especially when your coverage teams are so spotty? Anyway, we got the W and should be able to build up some more confidence this Thursday against the Falcons. Byron Leftwich thought he could get away from the Colts. At least Freeney isn't around to hurt him again. I'm just pissed that I may need to go to a bar to watch the game on Thurs night. The in-laws cable provider does not have NFL Network and it does not appear that they are getting a simulcast on their local NBC affiliate, like they are doing here in Indy. What a concept.

And the Cleveland freaking Browns. All I have to say is Fuck You Baltimore! It really was an entertaining game to watch though. There have been a lot of exciting Browns games this season, but this field goal deal is the topper so far. Josh Cribbs is sick--nuff said.

Does this make me a bad Buckeyes fan?

As a loyal fan, I rarely want one of my teams to lose a particular game. I am a bit torn regarding my beloved Ohio State Buckeyes playing against Illinois this weekend. I think it is in the best interest of the team and us fans. I love that Ohio State is ranked #1, tied for tops in the Big 10, etc., but I REALLY want to beat the team from up north the following weekend, but not have to face LSU in the title game in January. If we just barely lose to U of I this Saturday, and then destroy the team we play the following weekend, we would still win the Big 10 and should go to the Rose Bowl, thus avoiding another embarassment against an SEC team in the title game 2 years in a row. I guess LSU has looked vulnerable lately, so OSU may have a chance against them. If the Buckeyes win out, they will stay #1, and it will be interesting to see what happens if Oregon wins out and then LSU, Oklahoma, and Kansas all lose. Of course, everyone will complain about the Big 10 and Pac 10 not having a championship game like the other conferences do. I like the Buckeyes chances against Oregon more than LSU or Oklahoma. We could take Kansas, I think. Although I thoroughly enjoy watching Kansas football games for nothing more than the action shots of Coach Mangino on the sideline.