Week 7: Minnesota Router

Standings:
1.) Draper 17-7 (1-5 upset)
1.) Hoying 17-7 (1-5 upset)
3.) Schweinfurth 15-9 (3-3 upset)
3.) Seeberg 15-9 (1-5 upset)

Life is good in Buckeye Nation. Ohio State is 6-0 (bowl eligible!) and one of Wisconsin and Michigan has to lose this week. I would advise you all to savor this, but let's be real, there's virtually a zero percent chance that anything takes a turn for the worse (tempting fate) until at least the release of the first playoff rankings on October 30. You can start savoring then, when the Buckeyes debut at #2 (behind you-know-million).

#2 Georgia Bulldogs @ #13 Louisiana State Tigers
Draper: LSU took the surprising L in Gainsville, but I they are a solid team with an absolutely brutal schedule.  Coach O has actually turned the team into a contender this year.  Georgia has been quite impressive this year...against the Little Sisters of the Poor.  Regardless, I have faith that the Dawgs are the better team (and they only need to get up for 2 games a year--bonus!).  The Tigas are a tough out in Death Valley, but Kirby Smart has Jake Fromm State Farm playing extremely efficiently.  The environment will be rocking, but the Dawgs will quiet the Bayou and prepare for Bama (in 7 weeks).  UGA: 21--LSU: 17
Hoying: Yes, yes, we know that [team you hate in the playoff chase] ain't played nobody yet, but I, as a dispassionate observer of the game, am here to inform you that it is in fact Georgia that has played nobody to date. South Carolina? Snore. Vanderbilt? Not so much. LSU, in contrast, been through the wringer already during the first half of the season, and they've performed more or less admirably. Unfortunately, now begins a brutal three game home stand featuring the #1 and #2 teams in the country, and Mississippi State. Preparing for Bama will be no problem (just steel yourself for losing by a million), so the Tigers can turn their full attention on upgrading their signature win of the year from Mark Richt's new team to his old one. Too bad they're not quite good enough to get the job done. UGA: 28 -- LSU: 21
Schweinfurth: LSU's best wins right now are against Miami and Auburn. Both of which have shown to be meh. Georgia has played??? To be honest, I am not sold on either of these teams. Everyone seems very high on Burrow, and he has been alright, but he is not starting at Ohio State for a reason. In reality, I like Jake Fromm to lead his team better than Burrow. Sorry Tigers, but you are looking at dropping three in a row (including Bama next week). UGA: 35--LSU: 24
Seeberg:  Off a loss, playing at home, The LSU Burreauxs will be highly motivated in this one, which they'll need against Bama East.  I realize the Swamp is still a semi-intimidating place to play, but only putting up 19 points against the Gators is a bad sign as Georgia has too much skill to be held beneath the high 20s/low 30s.  Sadly, Joey doesn't have enough talent around him to match that type of scoring.  UGA: 31--LSU: 20

#7 Washington Huskies @ #17 Oregon Ducks
Draper: The Ducks are getting a ton of love from the national media...but I don't really know why.  I'm hearing people are talking about Justin Herbert as the #1 pick...again, I don't know why. After the stinker of a game the Huskies put up in week 1 (it was close but a boring game), they've been playing just fine.  I actually have faith in their defense (huh?).  Jake Browning and Chris Peterson march into Autzen and take a firm stranglehold on the Pac12 North.  UW: 41--Ore: 27
Hoying: Is it time to write the Pac-12 out of the playoff already? The only teams in the league with fewer than two losses are Colorado (no), Washington State (lol), and Oregon and Washington. One of them is getting knocked out of the chase on Saturday, and if the other one's Oregon, they're probably going to skid to a few more losses in the weeks ahead. Yes, losing to Stanford was fluky garbage, but so is Stanford itself these days. And don't blame the loss of Bryce Love; if you're Stanford and your brand is smash mouth big boy football, you'd better have at least one backup running back. And I didn't see Mr. Love making many leaping catches while the Cardinal were storming back in the second half in Eugene. The bottom line: Jake Browning is going to shred a suspect Duck secondary and Oregon won't score enough against a tough Husky D to keep up. The Pac-12 survives for another week to be the smelly kid at the CFP dance that nobody wants to be stuck with. UW: 34--Ore: 24
Schweinfurth: The Pac-12 as a whole right now is a joke with the exception of Washington. A tough week one matchup will have any team reeling. Oregon has shown themselves to be mentally weak. Seriously, how do you blow that lead to Stanford? This is the last ride for Jake Browning and company and Gary Peterson knows it. Washington wins and reminds everyone where the Ducks belong. UW: 42--Ore: 28
Seeberg:  This is a matchup of who I truly believe are the two best teams in the Pac-12, minus 1.5 horrendous quarters from the Ducks against Stanford a few weeks back.  Remember, Stanford still needed overtime to pull that one out, but the home-field advantage in Autzen isn't what it used to be for Highlighter Jersey U.  The Ducks did manage to right the ship last week at Cal, but unfortunately Cal is essentially Washington Lite:  They score it well, just not as well as the Huskies, and their defense is a level or two more mediocre than Washington's as well.  It smells like lots of points, but the Ducks just don't have the confidence to close it out.  Huskies late.  UW: 38--Ore: 31

#15 Wisconsin Badgers @ #12 Michigan Wolverines
Draper: This is a major clash of top 15 foes...and I don't really care.  I don't see either of these teams making any noise in a playoff run (mostly because they aren't named Bama).  Wisconsin is the usual brooding fat guy team with Jonathan Taylor smashing it up the middle and Michigan just sucks (on offense).  The Michigan defense will be the difference under the lights (barf) in Ann Arbor (double barf).  This is definitely the game in which I want them both to lose, but the Wolverines are just a little better top to bottom.  UW: 14 -- UM: 17
Hoying: Last year the Badgers had a pretty easy walk to 12-0 and a spot in the B1G Championship, missing Ohio State and Penn State and getting a depleted Michigan team to visit Camp Randall. Not so this year; the Wolverines are back and as nasty as ever, and a trip to Happy Valley follows as well, not to mention the BYU juggernaut that out-Badgered the Badgers back in September. I don't foresee John O'Korn popping up for Michigan anytime this weekend, although the only reason he played last year in this game was that Wisconsin knocked Peters out of the game. I'm not saying that I'm rooting for Shea Patterson to get injured, but that may be the only hope UW has in this one. Jonathan Taylor will struggle to find room to run, the Michigan D will choke the life out of the Wisconsin O, and Michigan will score just enough to get by. UW: 17--UM: 24
Schweinfurth: Are either of these teams good? Well, both defenses are good. The two offenses are just power run teams that are going to bash each other's heads in. The Wolverine offense still doesn't have much of an identity and wont' use Shea Patterson to his full capability. I'm okay with that because the offense is simple and not very dynamic. We all know what the Badgers are. Harbaugh is pretty good against ranked teams at home, but I just don't think Michigan's offense can make enough plays. This is an ugly, ugly game. UW: 13--UM: 7
Seeberg:  I just...I just don't know if I can take either of these squads seriously yet.  Or, for that matter, if a win over the other makes the victorious team worthy of serious consideration.  Either way though it's a step in the right direction.  At the beginning of the year I would've taken the Badgers by two scores, but combining Jonathan Taylor's sophomore slump with Shea Patterson's legitimately competent QB play and things flip.  Plus I absolutely cannot pick a team that lost to BYU at home when ranked in the top five.  You know, the same BYU that got destroyed by four touchdowns at Washington.  Wolverines win a less-than-appealing game to watch.  UW: 13--UM: 20

Minnesota Golden Gophers @ #3 THE Ohio State University Buckeyes
Draper: Da Gophers roll into the Shoe with ideas of upset...well, not really...let's say, keeping it close in their heads.  PJ Fleck and Co. had some high expectations but a steady dose of reality slams the door quickly.  Haskins needs to continue to sling the rock, but not falter under pressure. The good news is that I don't anticipate a ton of pressure.  This is a nice get-right stretch upcoming for the O-line and the Buckeye ground game.  Keep scheming to the talents of the team and we'll be fine, but use this time to refine the game.  Defense certainly needs to shore up that secondary, and again, Minnesota, Purdue (sort of), and Nebraska provide the 'get-right' opportunity.  What is needed is a nod back to the Tulane game.  Step on the throat and never look back.  I expect the Bucks to make quick work and move on.  Minnesota isn't nothing...but they're close.  UM: 17--OSU:48
Hoying: After a semi-impressive 3-0 start, PJ has rowed the boat ashore (hallelujah) over the last two weeks, getting waxed by Iowa and...Maryland?...as the injuries continue to pile up. It's a genuine shame that Antoine Winfield's son won't get to suit up and take the field in Ohio Stadium, but also a bullet dodged. Not that Haskins needs any help in a year that would see him as a Heisman frontrunner if a certain Hawaiian cyborg weren't spraying TDs all over the field for everyone's favorite inevitable doomsday machine. OK, so the Buckeye defense may have a few lapses from time to time. Doesn't matter; Minnesota doesn't score. Slightly more worrying is that the Gophers are no slouches on run D. Hopefully the Buckeyes work on getting Dobbins into a groove so this team can produce something resembling offensive balance. Don't worry about padding Dwayne's Heisman stats; that's a fool's chase unless the Buckeyes can start finding a way to win games by more than a million. Shore up your week points, get the W, and get ready to move on to West Lafayette for ABC's prime time game of the week (???????). UM: 10--OSU: 52
Schweinfurth: Row, row, row your boat, gently into Ohio Stadium to get your rear end handed to you. I think the biggest intrigue is the 400 lb monster the Gophers are starting at left tackle. Welcome to the B1G, meet Chase Young. This game shouldn't be close, and should never be in doubt. The Buckeyes are two weeks away from that emotional Penn State game and should be more rested and focused. I really believe that was 90% of the issues we saw last week. This is the game to work on the secondary, tackling, and the run game. Haskins will get his numbers, but watch for Weber and Dobbins to get 200+ this week. I really do think there will be a concerted effort to run the ball. Win the game, don't get hurt, and move on. UM: 13--OSU: 49
Seeberg:  After weeks of pushing for our beloved Buckeyes to FINALLY establish a run game, I've given up.  Get Haskins 500 yards every 3 quarters and get him that beautiful stiff-arm trophy.  In any case, this game was much more worrisome a few weeks ago before the injury bug decimated the Gophers, who are down their starting RB, playing a walk-on freshman QB, and their best player period in Antoine Winfield, Jr. is also out.  Would love to see the D limit the big plays this week and the offense to get over half-a-hundo again.  I expect both to happen as this squad hasn't played a complete game this side of Rutgers (which barely counts) all year.  Bucks early, Bucks often.  UM: 17: OSU: 56

Upset Special
Draper: Vanderbilt over Florida
Hoying: Baylor over Texas
Schweinfurth: Tennessee over Auburn
Seeberg: Memphis over UCF

Grading the Bucks: Week 6 -- Indiana

Calm. Down. Seriously: Calm. Down.  Buckeye Nation is in a tizzy after a 23 point win over Indiana.  Was the game ugly for much of it? Sure.  Have we played significantly better football against better and worse opponents? Of course.  But these games happen and you just work through it.  Clearly the defense has issues that will persist (more later) and the offensive line has a few problems, but the team is just fine.  No, the Buckeyes aren't the wagon that Bama is, but we're far from in disaster territory.  Take it from a Seminole fan who won the National Championship the year before the Buckeyes: they'd kill to be in our shoes.  We are whining about being in the 2nd tier (Bama stands alone...for now) with a great shot at the playoff and a title.  Fix the problems and march on.

Offense: B+
MVP: Dwayne Haskins, QB
Not a great showing, but not awful.  The running game just isn't working (a big concern), but the passing game is healthy as ever.  The O-line was the cause of the fluky INT's and that certainly needs cleaning, but the WR have been progressing nicely.  The TD by Victor is one of the nicest TDs you'll see this year (college or pro).  I wonder if the return of Brandon Bowen (coming soon) will lead to more success on the ground.  Buckeye Nation needs to remember that the success of the run game in year's past was due in major part to Joe Thomas Barrett IV.  The threat of the running QB in an Urban offense is lethal, but Haskins doesn't have that dimension.  His passing makes up for it (nearly breaking the OSU passing yardage in a game record), but the lack of ability to convert a 3rd or 4th and 1 is very concerning for the offensive line (JT hid a lot of warts in that area).  Many Buckeye fans hated the simplistic QB Power that was run on EVERY 3rd and short last year, but he always converted....that dimension is conspicuously absent.  This means success on 1st and 2nd down is of more paramount importance.  No room for falling behind the sticks.

Defense: D+
MVP: eh.....Pete Werner, LB
On the plus side, the linebackers didn't suck...too much.  Missed tackles were incredibly frustrating earlier on but that improved as the game progressed.  There is certainly a concern about the health of Malik Harrison and Jonathan Cooper.  The pass rush didn't get home which is a major concern for the young secondary, but I attribute that in part to the refs.  Chase Young looked was being manhandled on every snap (fistfuls of jersey everywhere) and nary a call to be had (almost felt like we were playing Wisconsin!).  Kudos to IU for the game plan of 'can't beat em, holdem and hope the refs don't catch you (or care)'.  It was tough on the line to consistently get pressure but be denied due to uncalled fouls.  Regardless, the secondary was simply poor on most dimensions.  Once Pryor got into the groove in the 2nd half (after the bogus targeting call vs. Penn State) he started playing pretty well.  There will be growing pains in the secondary all year, but I see flashes (sadly flashes of failure too).  This team will be featured in shootouts most week so it's time to grin and bear it.

Special Teams: B
Nothing to note here.  No missed kicks and only 2 punts (net average 41).  Fine, but nothing special.

Coaching: C
The team didn't seem prepared on either side of the ball either.  They were outschemed on both sides as well.  As most Buckeye games, the talent wore down the opposition and the Bucks pulled away, but I was disappointed with the lackluster playcalling, the confusion on defense, and the relatively small improvement as the game progressed.  After getting punched in the mouth early, I thought the defense would man-up and play with some pride, but they seemed sleepy in the secondary until midway through the second half.  The coaches need to get these players fired up.  The upcoming schedule is blah upcoming so lack of motivation is the enemy. 

Overall: B-
The defense can't do this all year.  There needs to be more consistent pressure or more sound play in the secondary.  Haskins has been great as have the receivers, but the running game and big uglies aren't getting it done consistently.  The big snake trap of a game is Purdue at night, but don't overlook the Gophers.  The Buckeyes are everyone's Superbowl.  No days off but I wouldn't have it any other way.