Mike West

Great comment overall. The big question I have is what coach has performed as well as day (outside of his big game issues?). I don't see one single coach leaving his spot at an elite school for Ohio State. Their fans are unreasonable, spoiled, petulant, entitled, and seem to think 2014 was yesterday. Much like Tennessee fans used to be, and what Texas fans will be real soon if Sark doesn't bring a title the next three years. Yes, Ohio State was killing us throwing the ball, but they never threw that haymaker, and we left far more points off the board than they did. We should have dropped forty on them. But that's what happens when you don't play a perfect game, which is EXACTLY what you have to do against the elite team. Last time I checked, Saban and Kirby has NFLesque teams, so they didn't have to be perfect, they just had to breathe and they'd win. Day almost got Kirby for his Title, but his much maligned QB (in the NFL at least) was off target on a sure TD. That's performance related, not Coaching related. Much like Bonin Seattle (and nearly Dillian against Ohio State in the third quarter). Ryan Day may not have that marquee victory yet, but he'll get it if his fans STFU. I saw a YouTube short that Joel Klatt posted ten months ago that recycled. Do you know how many Ohio State fans said day would choke. Talk about FEBU!!!! I damn near would tell fans to stay home. "I'll win my marquee games without you". With fans like that, who needs a fan base. Ryan Day will get his title. He can get it this year ( if he tells his fans to shut up lol). Ohio State and OBD are the two best teams in the field. Bar none. If both pass the damn ball enough, nobody will stop them. Nobody. It's really that simple. And if they face off again, I'm betting the wealth of the entire world on the over, because that game will be a basketball score. That's how good both teams are Ohio State needs to ignore the noise and focus. They are damn near unstoppable. And they don't need anybody telling them anything. My opinion of course. Awesome post. You hit it firmly and precisely.

I completely blame Chip for this loss. They scored 10 points. With one of the best, if not the best set of WRs in college football. Ohio State had a natural and distinct advantage - their WRs versus Michigan's secondary. Furthermore, the best cor er in college football is out for the season. There was no excuse to run the ball as much as they did. It wasn't working, and worse, Michigan has no ability to defend abWR crew like that. It's the same mistake Chip made against Auburn. The Tigers had no answer for even Daren Thomas' barely above average passing game. But Chip wanted to prove OBD were physical enough to outclass Auburn's clear strength. Chip duplicated that mistake on Saturday. And despite will Howard missing a key TD pass, you just don't walk away from that kind of advantage. He didn't blink to pass on OBD, and that's why they scored 31. OBD dropped 38 on Michigan because we refused to leave 'food on the table". Day was dazed because he just couldn't believe his offense, and his damn kicker couldn't produce. The offense the game on Saturday, not the Buckeyes. Sure, Day is responsible for Chip, but heck, scoring ten on Michigan is like scoring 45 on Sheldon High School. It's beyond inexcusable.

I don't know if anyone else feels this, but Ohio State looks disjointed to me. They looked that way against Indiana to me as well. Something is off on offense for them. I can't figure it out, but it doesn't seem like they can put teams away. They don't have a knockout punch, and their "jabs" don't seem to wear defenses out. Chip Kelly likes to run the ball too much. And just like that, he is forced to pass and they score.

Guys, We're experiencing kayfabe. They want everyone talking about the rankings. Everybody knows Georgia would beat down Miami. The committee is rewarding wins, and punishing losses. But as bad as Bama and Georgia have looked this year ( relatively speaking) , Georgia proved last night a three score deficit against an ACC team isn't the same as even a one score deficit in the SEC. Same for Indiana. And Georgia Tech is a solid team. Just not B1G or SEC solid. I believe the committee thought things would shake as they usually do. Only one elite ACC and Big 12 team and a whole bunch of same caliber SEC and B1G teams. Ironically, NIL and the portal diluted the talent pool. So the committee will actually have to justify their selections.

38-14 OBD 2 TOs 3 Sacks 300 yards passing

LOL In thought you were going to of a subscription here for $3/mo

I'll tell you a funny story... Some Ohio State fan was insulted when I used tOSU 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

To echo Nevada Dog, I agree. We had two opportunities to pull away from the Buckeyes each half and failed. They blew their chance late. The teams are too even to think either can take two in a row, much less three. I've said it before, I'll say it again. It's damn difficult to go 16-0. A loss might hurt in the next two weeks, but it won't be fatal. By the way, the odds are some 290 to one going 16-0. 8 to one to defeat a team three times in the same season. So... If we defeat the in Indianapolis, it better be convincing, because otherwise we ALL with loathe that third matchup( we will anyway, no matter what). I personally think it's possible to truly dominate the Ohio State, but talk about playing a flawless game! Absolutely everything would have to go out way. I want that conference title. But I won't be disappointed with a loss next week. Because I don't think they can beat us twice.

When is it ever justifiable to place a 9-3 team in the playoffs? If all three losses are to a ranked team (1-15). Losing two games to unranked teams is not acceptable. Especially when those teams barley scratch .500 in conference play. Indiana lost to one of the best teams on the road. Made uncharacteristic mistakes at that Indiana has some coaching flaws in my opinion. They had two weeks to prepare for the obvious: Ohio State can't pressure the QB unless they bring the house. That's a lesson for all the playoff teams. Including Indiana if they reach the playoffs. As to Bama and Ole Miss...they are simply above average teams that will consistently lose games like they lost yesterday. That is not playoff material in my eyes I don't believe Tennessee is that far off. A&M better show their stuff, because they are essentially playing playoff games the rest of their season. I believe the playoff committee knows how to keep college football popular. Just tick people off, stir controversy, and let the teams settle it on the field.

Here 's m y take: the SEC has more talent across the board than the B1G. It's just a fact. That said, it is inexcusable for the conference to argue their losses matter more. This weekend validated the conference is just as mediocre as the rest of the nation. There is absolutely no excuse for playoff caliber A&M, Alabama and Ole Miss losing yesterday. Playoff caliber to me means you win the games you're supposed to win. The SEC is not parity capable like the NFL. It really isn't an 'any given Saturday" conference. I've watched Indiana closely. I've watched Penn State closely. OBD and Ohio State. Out of all the SEC teams with a beef, Georgia is the only one with a legitimate argument. I think Georgia is the only one that could handle those four teams and win. Bama, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and A&M are not controlling games to the degree they have an argument they deserve a spot at the table. And it's not because the conference is 'that talented '. It's simply "that group of teams" are not dominant enough to beat the teams they lost to. Texas isn't far behind. Georgia IS dominant enough. They just aren't invincible anymore. That's the difference. Georgia has been penalized, while the others have been propped up. I'm sorry, Auburn is a self destructive team. Playoff caliber teams snuff mistake prone teams. Florida plays well with QB Lagaly, but the guy is an average QB that leads his team well. Ole Miss just farted, and said 'excuse me' and gets a pass. Twice now. Playoff Caliber teams put hyped up teams away early. Alabama has such a talent advantage that it is unacceptable for a QB to have up and down performances week to week. That's just not a playoff team. Oklahoma had no business being in that game, much less win it. Again, Auburn, Florida and Oklahoma are not good enough to beat playoff caliber teams. Point blank. Neither is Vanderbilt or Kentucky. Twelve out of twelve games all five of those teams lose to playoff caliber teams. And yes, Indiana would struggle against all five. They are talented enough to defeat all five, and I know for sure Penn State would beat all five. Those two get the most criticism. The "fab five" lost, but that's supposed to mean they're better than Indiana. Strength of Schedule has become overrated. When the SEC starts playing OOC games like Bama and LSU , (and to some extent Georgia -who waited until they became dominant), I don't buy the SEC mantra. Florida went to Utah last year and promptly lost. To a Utah team without their star QB at that. That's what I'm talking about. Bama went to Wisconsin this year. LSU went to Vegas this year. The results prove themselves. The SEC is average at best when they start traveling the country and play OOC opponents. They beat each other up because they are so familiar with each other. That is not the same thing as being more talented than the rest of the country. It's not the same thing as playing the rest of the country to prove it. Play the rest of the country, and let the results tell the story. From what I've seen, I don't believe the SEC would look much different than the rest of the country. The SEC markets their conference better than everyone else. They shield their average teams from losing their reputation by staying in the South in OOC play. Against bums from the South at that. I'm not impressed. And I recognize the talent difference. Show that talent to the entire country, by playing the entire country. Then stake your claim.

AND THEN ALABAMA LOST 🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂

I believe Alabama is the biggest threat because you have to cover their QB as much as their receivers. Not to mention, he is a damn TE sized runner with speed. Any team that can protect their QB is going to defeat any team in that conference. Easier said than done, but that's the formula. And you have to be the more physical team the ENTIRE game. All the contenders thrive on momentum - physicality suffocates that momentum. OBD got lucky with a late bye week.

Oh absolutely. Michigan revealed Indiana may have trouble with elite Defensive fronts. Ohio State proved you could really pressure the Hoosiers. Indiana also blinked when they got "hit in the mouth". The talent gap ended up intimidating them. Ohio State does not have an elite defense. Indiana missed an early deep Seam route that confirmed tOSU still can't cover elite WRs. The one elite offense the Buckeyes faced (OBD) left at least 12 points on the field. I'd attack those CBs ruthlessly. Now that they know they have to blitz to bring pressure, they are more vulnerable. That's what I saw.

So much to discuss. I also believe there really isn't an objective method to measure these teams. Bias is going to creep into this process. Part of the allure of College Football is the debate about who is best. This year will be no different. As much as I hate this process, the football season will linger beyond January because of the very heated discussion that will begin in a few weeks. One or two teams will get left out, and their respective fan bases are going to be very angry ( I hope they face each other in a bowl game- that would add further fuel to the fire). As to this year, it's been very interesting because of the uncertainty involved. Having Georgia and Bama fall back to earth has helped the game. I can say the Portal and NIL have at least done that for the sport.(my apologies to the Georgia fans on this forum, but I believe that has been a good thing long term). As long as the SEC doesn't take their beach ball away from the beach, the sport will thrive for decades.

I think Indiana is a better version of this year's Vanderbilt team. Reputation wise and a more powerful version of the Commodores. How they play Ohio State will settle some dust. But I disagree the SEC would run through the B1G. That's what he really wants to say. Well, our top two would have a shot at running the table on those top nine SEC teams. Both are more physical, and as deep. And I believe that will be on display in the playoffs. If Penn State would start scoring points against high caliber teams, that would settle the discussion. I want to see how Indiana handles Ohio State in the trenches. They aren't t quite as talented in terms of depth, but they don't beat themselves, and they do make plenty of plays. They'll need it next week, because Ohio State has freshman that are more talented than the Hoosier's entire team. Finebaum is an SEC shill. Can't wait until the SEC starts playing the B1G in the regular season on an annual basis. That will end a lot of this cream puff talk about depth top to bottom. 2024 has been the first year since 2007 that the SEC has been so deep. And that's because Bama and Georgia have fallen back to earth.

OBD 31-20 2 TOs 2 Sacks 275 Passing yards

Well normally one could say Notre Dame would have defeated everyone on Indiana's schedule... But they lost to Northern Illinois. So, I'm not sure that's true. It would be interesting to see A&M face the Irish now since Notre Dame is playing well. They could actually win that game again. Indiana gets its spotlight next week. As for the records, we've seen the same from the Irish for years...beat teams with winning records in the regular season, lose to a team of the same caliber in the post season. Blowout losses to elite teams.. Yep, it's eyeballs in my opinion. Four post season losses in the last five. The win against "powerhouse" South Carolina. We know how this ends. Indiana is unfortunately playing for their playoff berth next week because their ' team up north' did an awesome job of marketing itself into blue blood status in the 1930s.

Nice article David. Another point I feel is vital is that it is very difficult to win 17 games. The third quarter doesn't really matter overall if you're winning. Pace matters by far. OBD will have to play four, maybe five very good teams back to back to end the season. They will absolutely bring out their A game in the third quarter for each game, just like they did for Ohio State. They "blew" a fourth down TD mid third quarter against Ohio State - trust me, Lanning has third quarter plays dialed up already. In my opinion, it would be better to lose this week in Madison. The sting of that loss would get everyone's attention. It would refocus OBD. New England had the best team ever and lost to the upstart Giants because they survived a scare. Had they lost, I believe they would have been entirely focused to obliterate Elon Manning and his "then lucky" Giants. It's tough to win 16 or 17 straight. I'm rooting for Wisconsin this week. Sounds counter intuitive, but I believe a loss this week would make the players pay far more attention to detail than a close win. The fear of losing big to Ohio State would look large over that three week period.

Notre Dame is in the hunt because they draw too many eyeballs to ignore. They have the worse loss of all the "contenders". Including those as far down as #20. Notre Dame should be forced into at least the ACC or the B1G if they want to be in the playoffs. Five SEC teams deserve a berth ahead of ND. Except A&M. We ALL know ND would have at least three losses right now of they played in the SEC. Same with the B1G. Expand to 14 already, guarantee the ACC and Big 12 two berths, and the SEC and B1G four each, and absolutely give the SEC and B1G champs a first round bye. That proposal made total sense when it was proposed, despite it's unpopularity. It preserves the structure of College Football and keeps it from resembling the NFL. We all know the SEC and the B1G will play for the title every year anyway, so why the drama? The "lesser" conferences and ND get some playoff money and people can root for the underdog knowing they'll get obliterated (with an outside chance of an upset once a decade). This charade is an insult to avid fans. Georgia has played the toughest schedule by far, and though they should defeat Tennessee, they're getting insulted for losing twice (to two of the best contenders at that). Tennessee lost to Arkansas, Texas hasn't played anybody but Georgia, and Bama lost to Vandy. Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois. That should be an automatic disqualifier since they've played a padded schedule all year. Illinois, who did beat Michigan, whom I think would beat Notre Dame, has to beat Ohio State seal a spot in the playoffs. Despite a tougher schedule than Notre Dame. I will be very pissed if Notre Dame makes the playoffs. They are in the discussion because controversy sells.

Well that was a good game to have a letdown.

Not a single explosive play on offense this half. Penalties causing points. Somebody's looking ahead to next week.

Potential will get you fired. Look at Nico and Tennessee. Won't result in a firing, but that guy was not worth the money either. The question now becomes: will proven vet QBs start getting north of $3-4M? I'm not sold on that either quite frankly. I hope character still matters, and that OBD emphatically emphasizes that. Arch Manning was smart. He understood talent is only the beginning. You must grow into being a clutch QB in an elite conference. I believe our collective grasps that simple concept.

Moss will improve UM's QB room whether he starts or not. Warren seems to have turned a corner, and Moss will motivate him to keep improving.

I believe Penn State is misunderstood. They should have tied Ohio State at the end (bad play calls-the Tackle that motioned on the last play should have caught a pass for a TD-obviously not the play, but he was completely uncovered b/c Ohio State knew he was going to motion into the box). Furthermore, Ohio State played a more "I will out physical you instead of playing to my complete strengths-kind of disguising what they will do in the playoffs <using that lethal mid range passing game against teams that can defend the run>. Penn State is the kind of team to bite on playing physical instead of creating more opportunities for their explosive TE. I expect QB Allar to run more often, and maybe their Backup QB to assist in that. They proved a team like Vandy wouldn't be able to out physical them (and I don't think Vandy can pass protect against PSU's Front 7-especially on the edge). Vandy likely couldn't stop PSU's running game, or if PSU wants to, getting the ball to their RB in space on short passes. Vandy isn't built for that. Furthermore, I doubt Vandy can pressure QB Allar much-which will hurt them tons. I also think Penn State misuses their WRs. That group can't separate deep. They are effective on clutch routes like a deep out though. I don't like the way the OC handles that group. It puts too much pressure on the rest of the unit. Their defense is more than solid. You will not run on that group consistently enough to control the game. Ohio State proved that (despite that last drive-I believe the PSU defense was deflated by the last drive by the offense. They didn't play with the same intensity to end the game in my opinion). I doubt anybody could take on three top ten teams on the road and come out unscathed. Just not possible. Ohio State struggled against two top five teams. It's just hard physically to do that-even when you play those within 4 weeks. I also believe UGA would have struggled at Oregon and Penn State (despite having much more talent that PSU). I'm not sure the SEC is really much better than the B1G this year. Especially the top of the conferences. Oregon and Ohio State present too many challenges for SEC defenses to handle. I believe Tennesse and Texas have sealed playoff berths. Tennessee won't beat UGA, but they will use that game as their measuring stick for handling teams like Georgia. Texas will win out. But they need to work on being more consistent on offense against "physical" defenses. QB Ewers must be much more clutch (Texas seems much like last year on both sides of the ball against top echelon teams). Georgia is talented enough to win out-including the SEC Title game. They are missing that killer instinct they used to have. And QB Beck needs to make better decisions. He has been shaky in the big games so far. He's putting a lot of pressure on the defense. UGA's defense is also hot and cold. They really rely on their DL to pressure QBs. I believe the best way to attack their defense is to run up the middle. They have too much lateral speed to out run them on the edges. I believe people (especially the pundits) will be surprised at how well Indiana's offense can handle physicality. Especially against Ohio State. They have a quick passing game that can handle Ohio State's physical DL. Ohio State will blitz often on Indiana. I also believe Ohio State is prepping their run game on offense to dominate Indiana. In my opinion, the Buckeyes believe they will have to run the ball effectively to handle the playoff caliber teams. That will be their foundation for the play action passes they'll use later. Ohio State and OBD are the two best teams in the country. I definitely would not want to play either team. You can't really stop either team on offense, and you will struggle to score more than 21 on either defense -including Georgia. I doubt any team can run for more than 125 on those two defenses, and that is a requirement. I don't think any team can pressure either QB enough to make a difference. These two teams are the most consistent, and the most difficult to out--match. My opinion of course. The pundits, the sportsbooks and the mathematicians disagree with me. I've been paying close attention to all three. This season has been so awesome.

OBD 35-10 2 TOs 3 Sacks 295 Pass yards