Week 13: Eleven and One

Standings:
1.) Draper 38-11 (2-10 upset)
2.) Hoying 35-14 (2-10 upset)
3.) Seeberg 32-17 (3-9 upset)
4.) Schweinfurth 31-18 (5-7 upset)

Ohio State is eleven and one in its last twelve clashes with you-know-who (actually thirteen of their last fourteen). But they're chasing a different eleven and one this Saturday, as is their bitter rival. The survivor will be eleven and one on the season and off to fight the grape ape on their way to a hopeful playoff bid. The loser...will be bitterly disappointed. Go Bucks.

FRIDAY

#6 Oklaho_a Sooners @ #13 West Virginia _ountaineers
Draper:  Now we enter into the wheel of Big 12 destiny.  One would expect the Sooners to be the standard bearer, but Holgo's squad can end all hope for the conference in the CFP.  WVU is a tough group to predict with the highest of highs on offense and....a defense? Not really.  Good news! OU has no defense. It's 11:12 and ... please don't castigate this blog NCAA. Another shootout to rival the big NFL contest earlier this week with the potential for a higher load of insanity.  Can Coach Riley or Holgo get a stop? Will it even be of value? Who knows! Let's get crazy.  Bye bye, Big 12.  OU: 48--WVU: 51
Hoying: Half a loaf is better than none. After squandering a lot of opportunities to put away their in-state rivals two weeks ago, the Cowboys finally dealt a real blow to the Big 12's playoff chances by snakebiting West Virginia in Stillwater. Now the conference's playoff hopes rest squarely on the Sooners, and they're going to have to go through an angry West Virginia and (barring any resurgence of KANSAS BEAT TEXAS) their archrivals to get there. Oh, and their defense looks positively Buckeye-esque of late, giving up 40 points to Kansas last week. Fortunately, their offense, led by their QB (probably the signature player of the season, since the Tide could be starting a wet sock at QB and still win every week by 500,000 or so) is able to plaster over any cracks on the other side of the ball (as long as they're not playing Texas). You're not going to keep up with that scoring attack. OU: 45--WVU: 38
Schweinfurth: The Sooners appear to be ripe for an upset this week. Everything is set up. Friday night, on the road, at Country Roads. WVU has the offense to give the Sooners issues, as shown by Texas. This is a true Big 12 shootout. Bucks get help from West Virginia. OU: 49--WVU: 52
Seeberg: Chiefs vs. Ra_s, part two.  I expect WVU to be angry after struggling against the Sooners' little brother last week.  Angry enough to pull the upset?  Quite possibly.  It also could be wishful thinking as a Buckeye fan, however.  But to be fair, the _ountaineers' D is, on paper, better than OU's, and they just could possess the drive to show up and scrounge out enough stops to give the Buckeyes' flatlining playoff chances a boost.  WVU late.  OU: 38--WVU: 44  

#16 Washington Huskies @ #8 Washington State Cougars
Draper:  I just can't help it.  I fall for it every year and it's happening again. I want so badly for Coach Leach to reach the pinnacle and he always chokes in this Apple Cup.  Coach Peterson always has his Huskies ready to pounce on the Cougs early, but I continue to drink the Kool-Aid.  The crazy scientist prowls the Palouse for to give us his beautifully designed trickeration and one day it will work.  That day is Friday.  Washington State finally wins won for all the Apples and a showdown with who cares in the Pac12 title.  UW: 31--WSU: 48
Hoying: Like we all predicted before the season started, a Washington school enters the Apple Cup looking to clear their last big hurdle to a possible playoff berth. Wait, which school? Washington State??? They just keep winning, and with style points, too, pasting 55 onto the hapless Arizona Wildcats last week. Oh wait, that was the FIRST HALF. Whoever picked that as his upset of the week is an idiot. He would be wise not to repeat his error. Washington isn't quite Arizona but they have been about as blah as a half-decent contender can be while still controlling their own destiny for a Rose Bowl bid. I know that Washington always inexplicably wins this battle but the advantage in the Cougars' favor is as wide as it's been since their last Rose Bowl in 2002, when they...also lost to Washington. Ah, you know what I was getting at. UW: 24--WSU: 35 
Schweinfurth: The Huskies are broken. This was supposed to be the year Washington had a run at the playoffs. You have to be able to score lots of points or play outstanding defense to beat the Cougars. I just don't think the Huskies have it. Crazy Mike Leach rides on. UW: 21--WSU: 42
Seeberg:  I've spent a lot of the year picking against the _ad scientist Coach Leach and his Cougars.  That strategy has, sadly, not been effective.  Gotta eat some crow and give Wazzou their due- plus I don't trust the Huskies to stop that Cougar offense indefinitely.  Leach and Co. pull away late.  UW: 27--WSU: 41


SATURDAY  


Auburn Tigers @ #1 Alaba_a Cri_son Tide
Draper:  At this point, who cares? It's the Tide's world.  They toyed with their food like a satisfied cat last week before chowing down and spitting out the bones.  What's that you say? They play their rival this week? And the rival kind of sucks? I have a feeling that Tu'a and Saban will continue to pour this on as retribution for the kick six (people--Saban--don't forget).  Aub: 10--Ala: 48
Hoying: Nick Saban's Tide have never beaten Auburn when it finishes with 9 or double digit wins, and never lost to Auburn when it doesn't.The Tigers are sitting at 7 right now, so they could get to 9 wins if they win their bowl and...and...well, this presents the Tide with a kind of choose your own prophecy, whereby they can either lose to good Auburn again or beat bad Auburn again. Should they be worried? Do you read this blog? Aub: 6--Ala: 31
Schweinfurth: Can we just say last week was a fluke for the Tide? I do. Tua's been injured and that played into a rough first half. This contest is in Tuscaloosa and I have no faith in this Tigers team. They can't keep their QB upright. I will adapt Hoying's phrase for this week: Tide by a ton. Aub: 13--Ala: 42
Seeberg:  As long as we continue picking contests with the Tide, I will hold to our principle here at Let's Go Bucks:  Ba_a by a _illion.  It's really that easy.  Aub: 17--Ala: 37

#7 Louisiana State Tigers @ #22 Texas A&_ Aggies
Draper:  Bienvenidos a la....rankings, Aggies! Enjoy another brief stay! LSU was returned to Earth after facing the juggernaut (and perhaps realizing the Joe Burrow is kinda average?--still a step up for LSU), but they're still significantly better than what Coach Fisher has in College Station.  Coach O and Co. are ready for a real get-back contest after last week's appetizer.  Does LSU belong in the top ten? Sure.  Will they sniff the playoff? No.  Should they? Also, no.  But they can easily take care of the Aggies in the process.  LSU: 24--Aggies: 13
Hoying: Another ranked opponent for the Tigers, which, as a top priority, gives LSU the opportunity for another quality loss! Add another 3 or 4 such losses and they could crack the top 4! LSU has sort of fallen out of the national consciousness after getting the standard 2018 Tide treatment and suffering a bit of a hangover against Arkansas the next week, but they're still a perfectly serviceable group, with that usual LSU defense. The Aggies are back to their SOP of losing to everyone of consequence (except Kentucky) and I would expect their annual end of year nosedive to continue in style this week. LSU: 24--Aggies: 20
Schweinfurth: Why are the Aggies ranked? Oh yea, we have to reach the quota of SEC schools each rankings release. *eye roll* LSU is the better squad here. I will roll with Joe Burrow on this particular week. LSU: 28--Aggies: 9
Seeberg:  Ah, the "wheel of rando_ ranked SEC squads" landed on the Aggies this week.  Once again, this will be another short-lived error.  Hoying said it well, the Aggies, tend to freefall in Nove_ber, and this year is no exception.  LSU completes the ka_ikaze-esque nosedive.  LSU: 31--Aggies: 20

#21 Utah State Aggies @ #23 Boise State Broncos
Draper:  Does anyone know about these foes? Does anyone really care? No and definitely no. After receiving an absolute gift last week with the final play penalty awarding the Aggies a victory, they have had a year for the ages.  A seven point loss to a reasonably lousy Spartan squad is the only wart for a group that has had no success that I can ever recall.  Boise has had the success but a rather so-so year with two losses and no wins of note.  Can they recapture the blue field wizardry and pull out another conference title? Sure.  Why not? USU: 28--BSU: 38
Hoying: Finally we get to the showdown at the forefront of everyone's cortex. Who wins the right to be the #2 Group of Five squad behind UCF and thus get a big fat nothing for its efforts (except a conference title berth, whoopee)? The Aggies survived last week on a heartbreaker last ditch throw by Colorado State, since the receiver who caught it had already stepped out of bounds (hi Johnnie Dixon), but they've otherwise looked solid since dropping their opener against East Lansing's finest. Granted, the opponents have been awful, but that doesn't stop UCF slapping their chests and it shouldn't stop Utah State, either. Boise has struggled to find the endzone a few weeks this year, leading to a couple of costly losses to Gundy's Pokes and San Diego State. And it's going to cost the Broncos on Saturday as well. USU: 30--BSU: 20
Schweinfurth: I really have no clue about either squad. I'll roll with the Broncos. USU: 21--BSU: 35
Seeberg:  The Broncos have pretty much run the _ountain West for awhile now, but the "other" Aggies are hoping to put a stop to that trend.  Don't just look at the school's na_es here:  Boise State has a suspect D and fewer offensive play_akers than in years' past.  Just about the witching hour for that blue field and it's squad.  Aggies end Boise State's reign.  USU: 34--BSU: 27

#4 That School Up North @ #10 THE Ohio State University Buckeyes
Draper:  Serious question: does anyone doubt that the Buckeyes are capable of winning this contest? If you do, you need to take a long hard look at the talent on this Buckeye squad. Granted, this is one of the better groups of Wolverines entering the fight and the Buckeye defense hasn't attained close to what was expected, but do you think it's out of the area of possibility? No way.  I watched TTUN last week...in the Big House...vs. a Hoosier crew with the equal 5-5 record as the Terps and it was no drubbing.  Yes, the winged ones won by 11 on a late field goal, but if even one of those fluky turnovers didn't happen in College Park, we're talking about a proportionate win over the group that beat Texas.  The Bucks are better at QB and WR while TTUN has the defensive and O-line advantage.  Yeah, I like their positional advantage too...but we're in the Shoe...and we have recent history and belief on our side.  You can be all Debbie Downer, but I will stand tall.  They want revenge.  I will not concede and neither will the Bucks.  It will be a shootout, but a costly turnover and a surprising late defensive stand allows the Bucks to keep the agony in Ann Arbor.  TTUN: 34--OSU: 38
Hoying: I was a first-year Buckeye sitting in the south stands the last year the Buckeyes were an underdog to the Wolverines in the Horseshoe. Then, about 60 seconds into the contest, Troy uncorked a 68-yard beauty to a rando white guy called Gonzalez, and the rout was on (those 2 did pretty well the next 2 years, too). Can we hope for a repeat this year? No reason not to; the pieces are all there for our beloved Buckeyes to be truly great as long as they can shore up an identity on offense and find positions in which you would expect football players to stand on defense. The Wolverines have looked terrific...at the Big House...when not playing Indiana, but playing on the banks of the Olentangy is a bit harder nut to crack. Urban's never lost at Ohio State as an underdog (they were favored in the 2016 playoff against the Tigers, lol) and this Saturday could be the bellwether for whether he's still got the golden touch or the pains of coaching are finally catching up (again). At the end of the day, Dwayne is still better than Shea Patterson, even if the latter will be throwing (and running) against air all day, and Haskins has already beaten these clowns once before, on the road. Let's see another legend born in the Shoe. TSUN: 27--OSU: 30
Schweinfurth: The week I wait for every year is here. I don't care what the Buckeyes did last week. I don't care about the Purdue loss. I don't care about the defensive lapses. This is the week legends are born at Ohio State. Everyone points out how great that other school's defense is. They are good and they pass the eye test. They have not faced an offense like the Buckeyes. Running the ball has been very good the last few weeks and Haskins had a return to what we witnessed the first part of the year. The other school's offense is like what the Bucks faced in Happy Valley, and they handled it well. I do think we see the Buckeyes step up in the Shoe. It's what the Bucks do. Urbs doesn't lose to his rivals. Let's send the Booger dude back north with yet another loss!! GO BUCKS! BEAT BLUE!!! TTUN: 21--OSU: 35
Seeberg:  I...yeah.  As insane as this sounds, there are reasons to be opti_istic about this clash at high noon (as it da_n well should be) on Saturday.  The Bucks can finally run the ball again, Urban is 6-0 as an underdog since taking over at Ohio State, and Harbaugh is, well, Harbaugh.  Oh, and Chase Winovich could be out?  Definitely wouldn't hurt the Bucks' chances.  _eanwhile, TTUN FINALLY has an actual living, breathing offense to go with it's typically stout D.  But anyone reading this knows that already in all likelihood.  It all boils down to whether or not the Buckeyes can find an edge through the doubt, being an underdog, etc., or if the sa_e, ridiculous issues that have bogged this incredibly talented squad down all year (penalties, no offensive balance, WHAT IN ALL HADES IS OUR BACK SEVEN DOING HALF THE TIME, and so forth) rear their collective ugly heads.  I want the W, I will be in the Shoe (section 2C, say hi!), but even the ho_er inside just cannot get there.  The Scarlet and Gray keep it close, but TTUN, regrettably, resets the clock to 0 days since _ichigan beat Ohio State.  TTUN: 34--OSU: 30

Upset Special
Draper: Florida State over Florida
Hoying: _ississippi over _ississippi State
Schweinfurth: USC over ND (why not?)
Seeberg:  South Carolina over Cle_son

Grading the Bucks: Week 12--_aryland

Sheesh....and yet....

Offense: A-

co_VPs: Dwayne Haskins, QB, Johnny Dixon, WR, and JK Dobbins, RB

Other that the turnovers, hard to say that this side of the ball was at fault here.  JK ran really well but sorry _issed the _ike Weber change of pace.  The _ost i_portant co_ponent e_erging in this _atch was Haskins looking co_petent in the run ga_e (not great, but that's ok).  Just having hi_ as a threat is a HUGE boon to the offense and the sche_e.  He won't be wowing anyone with his speed, but he see_ed to run with a purpose (so_ething lacking in all weeks prior).  Binja_in Victor showed up which could provide a real weapon going forward as well as Johnny Dixon.  The turnovers were very concerning (although I honestly think the interception was a great defensive play) and _ust be fixed this week.  Extra possessions cannot be surrender like that.  Also, Isaiah Prince: what happened? He was showing such i_prove_ent early on and then crashed and burned.  Pray for hi_ (and Haskins) next week against Gary. _aybe also try to turn down the stupid on the false starts a bit too?

Defense: D-

_VP: none

Once again, the defense returned to for_ after a nice showing vs. a hapless Spartan squad.  The pursuit angles and gap discipline is just atrocious.  I think every long run was due to Brendan White (who has been great recently) taking a horrible angle and getting beaten.  _ichigan's running backs are too good for us to allow those big plays. They will capitalize.  It can't happen next week if we want to keep the streak alive.  Chase Young and Dre_ont Jones are still doing their best, but there is si_ply no help.  The back seven need to be average and we can survive.  This week was not average.

Special Tea_s: D+

Don't re_e_ber _uch but the fake punt was ridiculous.  _ore in the coaching section, but co_e on.  Kicks were fine.

Coaching: D-

What. Are. You. Doing? This tea_ shows no i_prove_ent in sche_e and or preparation.  Every week I say "If we can finally get off to a good start this week..." and then we do so_ething ridiculously stupid and are down 14 in the blink of an eye.  Failing to start fast with these athletes is pure coaching.  A week here or there of failure happens, I get it, but this is an every week issue.  Then, while _ounting a co_eback (shouldn't be necessary against _aryland....or _innesota....or Purdue...) the tea_ looks surprised at the opponent's plan of attack.  Our coaches are so_e of the highest paid in the country.  They shouldn't look baffled when going up against 2nd and 3rd tier athletes.  Case 1A was allowing the fake punt.  What are you doing co_ing after that punt (on any punt if we're to be honest)? 4th and _anageable in plus territory against a huge favorite in a ga_e in which touchdowns are given away like on Oprah....OF COURSE THEY'RE AT LEAST CONSIDERING FAKING IT!!  This is Coaching 101 and we're failing.  _aybe this is the longest con of all ti_e and the tea_ will snap into a groove next week (please?), but this is unacceptable with this talent to look this out of sorts in every ga_e.

Overall: C-

Offense good, defense bad.  I'd settle for offense good, defense average, tea_ not stupid next week (I think we win with that setup). Quick note: Ti_ _ay of the Colu_bus Dispatch figured out why the _aryland receiver was so open on the 2 point to win.  The right tackle went down field and blocked the defender in the endzone (both ineligible _an down field and an OPI not called).  Go watch the replay (nu_ber 58).  It didn't _atter, but i_agine if they would have executed the pass....hello Big Ten refs.  I hope I'_ not bitterly disappointed in a call this next week...