Willyville Guy

They seem to like Jaxson Dart but we'll see. It's pretty wild out there with open free agency through the portal and big NIL deals both happening at the same time.

Caleb Williams -- my goodness. Entrenched starter at the school that just produced two number one draft picks... This is getting serious.

That was wild. Cannot wait until next year!!

Predictions for the Rose Bowl? I'm concerned that the Bucks could take a loss here against a Utah team that by all accounts plays with great toughness. The OL and DL got pushed around by Oregon and Michigan, and to a lesser extend by Penn St and Nebraska too. Now with Petit-Frere opting out on offense along with Garrett on defense, Ohio State's woes in the trenches could be seriously exacerbated. Hopefully the loss of those two will be balanced out by an attitude adjustment after hearing about how soft people think the lines are for the past month. On the flip side, I'm super excited to see Stroud, Henderson, and Smith-Njigba ball out with the rest of the offense. I fully expect them to make a ton of plays and set up a glorious campaign for 2022-23. As for this season, it was frustrating to see the defense bottom out--especially at linebacker of all positions--and painful to lose to the rival. But it was also awesome to see Day make staffing and player changes on the fly to keep the team on track, unbelievably entertaining to watch the offense when it was firing on all cylinders, and with so many freshman playing all year at a high level it's hard not to be optimistic about the future. This game won't change any of that. It is the Rose Bowl though, and I don't want my school to put a loss in Granddaddy's history books, so hopefully these kids will "(1) hit the hardest, (2) start the fastest, and (3) be too damn smart to make mistakes," as Woody would say, and get another win in Pasadena. 35-24 Ohio State. Go Bucks!

Next group up.

And there’s the other shoe… Wilson was a great Buckeye!

I'm sure that's right, and I completely get it. He earned a scholarship at Alabama, which is quite an accomplishment for a teenager in any event, and once the reality set in about his place on the depth chart, he decided to bet on himself with a different program rather than wait and see if he would eventually get an opportunity with the Tide. I don't know anything about him or his situation, and I certainly don't second-guess the Tide's evaluation, but it's a sign of the times that he was able to transfer to another program and make an impact. Even with all the chaos that the portal creates among CFB programs, it's good to see that kids now have the freedom to change their situations if they are able to.

I didn’t know the Cincinnati RB was an Alabama transfer. Kid probably couldn’t get on the field with the Tide and is now a featured back on a surprise playoff team. Good for him. Stories like this show why the portal is a good thing despite all the related headaches.

This clip made me more angry than I expected it to.

No great insights here... It's Alabama's playoff to win. They have the talent, the coaching, and the program-level comfort under the bright lights to have an edge in just about every facet of every game. Great to see Jameson Williams thrive. I do not want That Team Up North to win. I'd be happy for Georgia if they can finally beat Alabama and win a natty. Seems like they've been right on the brink forever but keep tripping up along the way. That's a good program and just has to break through eventually. Cincinnati is the Cinderella story and obviously the most intriguing if they can get some momentum going in the playoffs. Coach Fickell has been through a lot and earned this opportunity. Looking forward to some fun games!

This was mentioned in another thread (hat tip Knowles's girlfriend). It's a good sign for Day that he got the guy he wanted and that every other school apparently wanted this year. Hopefully Knowles comes in and gets the players he needs to bring great defense back to Ohio State.

Can’t knock the kid’s hustle.

Surprised to hear Coombs is expected back -- mostly because during his big speech about his demotion he emphasized that he'll continue to give the program everything he's got "this year." My takeaway was that he'll finish out the year and move on to something else.

Picking up the pieces and trying to look ahead… With team goals 1 & 2 (Beat TUN & win the B1G) off the table, I guess the Rose Bowl could potentially salvage what has to be called a failed season at this point. I’m seeing speculation that the Rose Bowl might prefer MSU this year because Buckeye fans are miserable and may not travel this year as well as Sparty, whose fans are elated about this season compared to expectations and ready to show up for a Rose Bowl. If Alabama loses to Georgia and doesn’t get in the playoff, it could be a good opportunity to match up OSU and Alabama in a bowl game – at least that would have some juice. During the offseason, Day has the enormous task of overhauling the defense. After two seasons of defense ranging from awful to just good enough, it’s time to say goodbye to Coombs and Barnes. I’m not sure what to do with Al Washington or even Larry Johnson for that matter. Both of those guys are highly regarded – and LJ in particular is a legend – but their units have been badly underperforming. Maybe with new leadership at the top things will improve. Time to bring back Dantonio? Would Marcus Freeman come if offered? Who else is out there? This is a huge test for the head coach. He made decisive moves during the season, and so I would think he’s ready to do what needs to be done during the offseason. This offseason has the potential to define his time as head coach for better or for worse.

Congrats to the TUN fans on this board. The celebration is a long time coming— enjoy it. Coming for that ass next year.

Snow in the forecast for AA tomorrow.

Not that anything needs to be said about The Game, but this year has serious juice. #2 v #5 B1G East on the line Trip to Indy on the line Playoff spot on the line I can’t wait!

I think Williams was used appropriately in OSU’s offense. His transfer under the circumstances made a ton of sense for him, and he’s going to get paid handsomely as a result.

Yeah I was a student at OSU 94-98 so I took those losses right on the chin during my prime years. This week has that feel — dominant, high-scoring Buckeye team heading up north to play a scrappy and talented rival. One thing that’s helping my anxiety is that Day couldn’t be more different than Cooper when it comes to a game like this.

The Game week starts now!

This is the kind of energy I need this weekend.

I could see Oklahoma State sneaking in as Big 12 champ with two wins against the Sooners.