Heisman Watch

Heisman Watch Oct. 30th, 2012 Don't forget about Miller Braxton Miller added three more touchdowns and posted his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season on Saturday against Penn State. His statistics and Ohio State's perfect record make for a strong résumé, but Ohio State's soft schedule and postseason ban aren't doing Miller any favors. The Buckeyes' inability to play in the postseason is going to cost Miller the opportunity to add to his résumé in the Big Ten championship game, meaning he'll be sitting at home while other candidates are making their final cases for the Heisman. Additionally, he's missing out on the media attention that comes with being highly ranked in the BCS standings. An undefeated Ohio State team is always a candidate to play for the national title, but the 8-0 Buckeyes are essentially out of sight, out of mind. To make matters even worse for Miller, the final three opponents on the Buckeyes' schedule received a combined six points in the AP poll this past week. While their season-ending showdown with the Michigan Wolverines always receives its fair share of media attention, most voters won't be tuned in to Miller's Buckeyes during the final few weeks of the season. So what does all of this mean? It would be foolish to count Miller out of the race, but due to the fact that the Buckeyes won't be in any high-profile games in November and December, it's unlikely that any voters who aren't already considering Miller will be swayed by his performance down the stretch. Heisman Predictor rankings A look at where the remaining candidates stand, using the Predictor formula. Player School Points Collin Klein Kansas State 118.5 AJ McCarron Alabama 113.5 Braxton Miller Ohio State 108 Kenjon Barner Oregon 99.5 Geno Smith West Virginia 91 Johnny Manziel Texas A&M 88.5 Manti Te'o

Ohio State stays unbeaten in dramatic fashion

In his 11 years as a head coach, Urban Meyer has never had a season quite like this one. While he won two national championships at Florida, neither team started 8-0. His last team to do that, Alex Smith-led Utah in 2004, won every game by least 17 points. His 2012 Ohio State team prefers a flair for the dramatic. Saturday in Columbus, Purdue (3-4) broke an 83-yard touchdown pass to Akeem Shavers and an 100-yard kick return by Akeem Hunt in the first quarter. Even worse for the Buckeyes, do-everything quarterback Braxton Miller was taken to the hospital after hitting the turf hard on a third-quarter tackle (he was deemed symptom-free and released Saturday night). But despite the adversity, Ohio State's perfect record remains intact after backup Kenny Guiton, trailing 22-14, drove the Buckeyes 61 yards in 47 seconds, converted the ensuing two-point try and completed a 17-yard pass to set up a go-ahead touchdown in overtime for a 29-22 win. "It's a commitment these kids have made. They refuse to lose," Meyer said by phone Sunday. "They make plays when they have to. We're 8-0 with a chance at 9-0, but we play a very good team [this week]." That team, Penn State (5-2), is, like the Buckeyes, exceeding expectations -- and doing so under similar circumstances. Saturday's game in State College is being referred to as the "Banned Bowl." Both teams are undefeated in conference play and ineligible for the postseason; however, the winner could claim the title of 2012 Big Ten Leaders Division champion. (The conference has decided to recognize the division winner even if it can't play in Indianapolis.) With just one truly convincing win, a 63-38 victory over Nebraska, sandwiched by close calls from inferior foes like Cal (28-21), Michigan State (17-16), Indiana (52-49) and Purdue, Ohio State will likely face its toughest test of the season next weekend. They'll face the conference's hottest quarterback, Penn State's Matt McGloin, the much-improved senior who went 26-of-38 for 289 yards, two touchdowns and no picks in the Nittany Lions' 38-14 road rout of Iowa (4-3) Saturday. This is the same McGloin who threw five interceptions the last time Meyer faced him, in the 2011 Outback Bowl, Meyer's last game at Florida. "He's just playing with so much confidence," said Meyer. "Last night I got home and watched him, it seems like he has control of that offense. I know they had attrition, but they've got really good players on that team." So do the Buckeyes, but as Meyer will attest, "we've got so much work to do there's not enough hours in the day." Even so, they're 8-0, and even the backup quarterback is getting in on the heroics. Asked what it's like to coach a team so alternately frustrating and triumphant, Meyer didn't hesitate: "There's nothing better."

Ohio State Basketball Pre-season Ranking 2012-2013

6 Ohio State Buckeyes This is the year that Deshaun Thomas becomes the Buckeyes' go-to-guy. But what will Thomas' offensive game look like now that Jared Sullinger is in the NBA? He played off of Sullinger for two years, cutting to the rim when he was double-teamed, crashing the offensive glass to clean up his misses, and taking spot-up jumpers against sagged-in defenses. As a sophomore, Thomas' most frequent possession type (23.1 percent of them) was the spot-up shot, and despite being 6-7 and 225 pounds, only 13.1 percent of his possessions came on feeds to the post. The thing is, Thomas is actually an asset on the blocks, averaging 1.041 PPP there. Whether that was due to limited defensive attention is TBD. But one imagines that without Sullinger to cut and crash off of, Thomas' offensive profile will include more work on the interior, and as a result, more trips to the free-throw line. His free-throw rate (23.8 per 100 FGA) was less than half of Sullinger's last season (51.9), and if Thomas wants to carry the offense, that will have to change

No. 12 Ohio State vs. No. 21 Nebraska

No. 12 Ohio State vs. No. 21 Nebraska COLUMBUS, OH Oct. 6, 8:00 PM ET This is a matchup of the top two teams in the Big Ten, at least for this week. It's also a clash of the two most valuable quarterbacks in the league so far: Ohio State's Braxton Miller and Nebraska's Taylor Martinez. The Huskers rallied from a 21-point deficit to win at home last season and now make their first trip to Columbus as a Big Ten member. Nebraska coach Bo Pelini played at Ohio State and was there at the same time that current Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer was an assistant. Heisman Watch 5 Braxton Miller QB | Ohio StateNext Game: 10/6 vs. NEBMiller had three turnovers, but it was in his hands the Buckeyes wanted the ball in the closing moments against Michigan State. The sophomore QB accounted for 315 yards and a touchdown pass in the 17-16 win over the Spartans. WEEK 5 AT MICHIGAN STATE PASSING RAT YDS TD INT CMP% 140.6 179 1 1 69.6 RUSHING YDS TD YPC 136 0 5.9 2012 SEASON PASSING RAT YDS TD INT CMP% 144.4 933 8 3 62.8 RUSHING YDS TD YPC 577 7 6.4

Jim Tressel has another new job in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Jim Tressel has another new job in Ohio. The former Ohio State coach added to a workload that already included a non-coaching position at Akron by joining a television station in Cleveland as a special contributor for a weekly news segment, WKYC Channel 3 announced Tuesday. The national championship-winning coach with the Buckeyes will be part of a segment called "A Moment with Jim Tressel," which is scheduled to air Wednesday nights and will lean on his experience as a motivator. "We are pleased to announce that Jim Tressel will be joining the WKYC team as a special contributor," station president and general manager Brooke Spectorsky said in a release. "Jim's national championships as head football coach at Ohio State and Youngstown State universities are well known to all, but his motivational speeches and best-selling books will be the basis of our [series.]" Tressel's national title with the Buckeyes obviously brought him the most acclaim, but he has been out of coaching since resigning under pressure in 2011 in the fallout of an NCAA investigation into violations on his watch involving cash and tattoos in exchange for memorabilia. Tressel took a position that was created specifically for him at Akron, and he has served as the vice president of strategic engagement there since February, before picking up another new gig on television this week. "Jim motivates with passion but leads with compassion," interim news director Virgil Dominic said. "We envision a weekly segment that takes daily news stories and makes them teachable moments."

Heisman Watch Week 4

4. QB Braxton Miller, Ohio State, So. Ohio State sophomore quarterback Braxton Miller is growing up quickly in Urban Meyer's offense. Aaron Josefczyk/Icon SMI Last week: 16 of 30 passing for 249 yards, four TDs and one INT; 12 rushes for 75 yards and one TD in a 35-28 win at Cal. Season (three games): 48 of 78 passing for 611 yards, seven TDs and two INTs; 56 rushes for 377 yards and five TDs. Watchman's take: When he was on, he was jaw-droppingly good. The highlights: a 55-yard touchdown run when Miller juked safety Alex Logan, and an improvised game-winning 72-yard TD strike to Devin Smith. But Miller was also inconsistent during stretches, including a third quarter in which he directed the Buckeyes on four drives, the longest of which went eight yards. In what's a positive sign as OSU looks for a running option outside Miller, he didn't lead the team in carries against Cal. Next up: Saturday vs. UAB Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/cory_mccartney/heisman-watch/index.html#ixzz26v1b5wEK

College Football Power Rankings - Week 3

College Football Power Rankings - Week 3 1 Alabama 3-0 -- Last Week: 1 500 Here's a scary thought for Bama's SEC opponents: The Crimson Tide's D has picked up where it left off last season, posting consecutive shutouts and forcing 12 turnovers in three games. 2 LSU 3-0 1 Last Week: 3 474 The Tigers dominated their third straight opponent and extended numerous streaks in the process, including their FBS-record 40th-straight nonconference regular-season victory. Next up: A trip to Auburn. 3 Oregon 3-0 1 Last Week: 4 454 Can you believe Oregon actually trailed 7-0 against Tennessee Tech? 63 points later, the Ducks ran off with another victory. You'd expect Arizona to give Oregon its biggest test to date. The Ducks won by 25 in Tucson in 2011. 4 Florida State 3-0 2 Last Week: 6 429 Wake Forest upset Florida State last season, but the Demon Deacons had no shot on Saturday thanks to Chris Thompson. "GameDay" heads to Tallahassee as the Seminoles, who have pitched back-to-back shutouts, host Clemson. 5 Georgia 3-0 -- Last Week: 5 411 The Bulldogs put away Florida Atlantic early in the third quarter, tallying a school-record 713 total yards in the process. Defensive star Jarvis Jones was held out of the game (groin injury), but should return to the lineup vs. Vandy. 6 Oklahoma 2-0 1 Last Week: 7 384 The Sooners had the weekend off and will get back on the field when they host Kansas State on Saturday. OU won last season's matchup in Manhattan, 58-17. 7 West Virginia 2-0 1 Last Week: 8 380 If you like touchdowns, WVU is a team you should be watching. The Mountaineers have scored 181 points in their past three games, and Heisman candidate Geno Smith has as many TD passes (nine) as he does incompletions. 8 Stanford 3-0 13 Last Week: 21 332 Who needs Luck when you have Stepfan Taylor? Stanford made it four straight vs. USC, but it won't get any easier. After a trip to Washington, the Cardinal host ranked Arizona and visit Notre Dame. 9 South Carolina 3-0 1 Last Week: 10 329 The Gamecocks will have uncertainty at QB after Connor Shaw reinjured his throwing shoulder against UAB. Dylan Thompson has proved to be a solid backup, so that should ease some worries in Columbia. 10 Clemson 3-0 2 Last Week: 12 293 Sammy Watkins scored a TD in his return to the lineup, but Clemson's D has work to do before its trip to Tallahassee. As DC Brent Venables said, "They'll break the scoreboard next week if we don't play better." 11 Notre Dame 3-0 8 Last Week: 19 287 Not many expected Notre Dame to walk into East Lansing and shut down the Spartans. The Irish are off to their best start in 10 years and can climb up the rankings if they take care of business against tough competition. Next up? Michigan. 12 Florida 3-0 6 Last Week: 18 276 After SEC road victories at College Station and Knoxville, the Gators finally get some home cooking at the Swamp, where they'll play six of their next eight games. Kentucky visits before LSU comes to town. 13 USC 2-1 11 Last Week: 2 268 Lane Kiffin says it's not the end of the world. It just feels like it to USC fans. Matt Barkley struggled against Stanford, throwing two picks and completing less than 50 percent of his passes. 14 Texas 3-0 -- Last Week: 14 265 So far, so good for David Ash. The soph QB has yet to throw a pick and has seven TDs on the season, while completing over 76 percent of his passes. 15 Ohio State 3-0 4 Last Week: 11 255 The Buckeyes needed some fourth-quarter heroics to beat Cal and stay unbeaten. Ohio State gets one more nonconference game against UAB this weekend before opening Big Ten play at Michigan State on Sept. 29.