Sunday, December 2, 2018

Buckeyes defend Big Ten Title-Unlikely to make playoffs

Dwayne Haskins threw five touchdowns and finished with 499 yards passing as the Ohio State Buckeyes won their second straight Big Ten title with a 45-24 win over the Northwestern Wildcats in Indianapolis.

Johnnie Dixon caught seven of those Haskins passes for 129 yards and a touchdown as the leading performer on a balanced Buckeye offense that finished with over 600 yards of total offense.

The 12-1 Big Ten champs will likely not be selected for the College Football Playoff for the second year in a row, due to their second year in a row terrible road loss, so they appear headed to the Rose Bowl where their likely opponent will be the Washington Huskies.

Olentangy Offerings

1) Dealing with the big issue right off the bat.
I have either stated or written after the Maryland game that if you gave me wins over Michigan and the Big 10 title game that I would not complain about OSU not getting in.
I won't.
However, this does continue my claims that I think that the playoff should consist of eight teams.

2) Looking at things objectively, I wouldn't have a problem with the Buckeyes being in or out.
Case for being in: Two top ten wins- one on the road.
Playing as well as anyone offensively currently.

3) Case for being out: One inexplicable loss.

4) Oklahoma's loss was a close loss on a neutral field to a better team.
I don't have to love Oklahoma over Ohio State, but it's understandable.
Notre Dame's undefeated, albeit with several schedule advantages, so I won't even complain there, although, with the exceptions of Michigan and surprising Syracuse, their undefeated mark isn't that more worthy than undefeated Central Florida.
I personally hope Georgia jumps them both so everyone can raise hell about THREE conference champions being left out and get to eight teams which is what this damn thing needed to start with.

5) To the actual game- Dwayne Haskins won't win the Heisman and he likely shouldn't but he clearly deserves consideration and should be in the top three with the invite to the ceremony.
Haskins will likely be playing his last game in Pasadena and even though I think he could use another season to prepare for the NFL, I understand his reasons for leaving as he'll be the best of an expected weaker quarterback crop.

6) Ohio State may have had better individual receivers than the current bunch, but it's been rare that the Buckeyes have had the number of solid players that can all step up from week to week to be the standout.
It was Johnnie Dixon and Terry McLaurin in this one, but it has been different players in different games.
A group with talent, yet not dependent on one star.

7) Loved the spirit of Demetrius Knox, who was injured at the end of the Michigan game and needed surgery, but put that off in order to attend this game.

8) Five Buckeye sacks, three by Chase Young- kept the Wildcats on their heels for most of this game.
Chase Young will be a top ten pick in the 2020 draft- mark it down.

9) Urban Meyer keeps deflecting questions about his future.
He's doing it in a humorous way, but I'm still intrigued..

10) I realize this is a little light, but I have to be honest, I did a lot of channel flipping as Boise State was playing in the snow and Adonis Stevenson-Oleksandr Gvozsdyk was on Showtime (That will be coming soon), still a fun game to watch.

11) 12-1, Big 10 title, defeating Michigan again and overcoming the Zach Smith drama.
A good season, not great, but all things considered very good.
See you from Pasadena, when I can use all my Jan and Dean puns.




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