Although the College Football Playoff Selection Committee won't release their final set of rankings until Saturday, I'm going to go ahead and declare Ohio State's quest to claim back to back national championships over. If North Carolina upsets Clemson, I feel either team could be chosen to get in the playoff over the Buckeyes. If Stanford beats USC, the Cardinal's status as a conference champions would usurp the Buckeyes' position. And the only way Alabama loses to Florida is if Urban Meyer shows up on the sidelines in Atlanta with one of the teams that won a championship during his tenure in Gainesville. Nothing can take away the experiences of the exciting ride from last January, and Pasadena or Glendale on New Year's Day is not a bad consolation prize. Unfortunately in Columbus, where conference championships and national championships are the expectation, the long planned coronation for this group, the truly special and championship material team, will not take place. This brings me to the subject of this post: Who is most to blame?
5. Michigan
That Team up North deserves a spot on the list because the devil himself resides in the pure Michigan hell of Ann Arbor. In that spectacular October moment, Buckeyes everywhere were rejoicing the ineptitude of punter Blake O'Neill. Looking back now, had O'Neill been able to catch the ball and kick it high into the murky, dark sky that should permanently blanket the most overrated venue in collegiate athletics, Ohio State would be playing in Indianapolis this Saturday. A fan base that blasphemously praised new coach Jim Harbaugh as the messiah before the season began definitely deserved losing on such a miraculous display of karma. But why couldn't the special teams gaffe have happened against Indiana? The quantum of solace Buckeye fans can wallow in is the fact all the maize and blue clad "Victors" will have nightmares of Ezekiel Elliott running through and around their defense instead of visions of sugarplums this holiday season. Even better? The likelihood of a bowl matchup with LSU where Leonard Fournette could do the exact same thing. Better luck next year, Jimmy. John's a more elite coach anyways.
4. Mark D'Antonio
Is D'Antonio the best coach in college football? I think the argument could be made very easily, especially should the Spartans win their potential next three games. He's turned East Lansing into a football power following in the philosophy of basketball wizard Tom Izzo. Unlike Saban or Meyer who continually recruits high school football royalty, D'Antonio, like Izzo, recruits hard-nosed, physical players on both sides of the ball to break the will of opposing teams and pieces them together. His former quarterbacks (Hoyer, Cousins, Stanton, and soon enough, Cook) have gone on to mildly successful careers in the NFL, too. That's why it wasn't surprising to me when the Spartans came into Columbus in rainy conditions, with a couple backup quarterbacks at the helm, and walloped Ohio State. It's a sign of a good football team when you can plug in the next man up and still get the job done (See Ohio State, 2014). In the landscape of spread offenses, it's refreshing to see Michigan State win in the fashion they do. Plus, D'Antonio was the defensive coordinator for Ohio State during the 2002 championship season, so he's proven he can get the ultimate job done. I have a healthy respect for what D'Antonio has accomplished, I have a healthy disdain for his ability to end Urban Meyer's 20 game winning streaks (2x), and I heartily pray Ray Tanner pays him $9 million a year to come turn around the South Carolina Gamecocks.
3. Tennessee
Why do I hate the Volunteers? Maybe it's the gaudy shade of orange refused by Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side. Maybe it's because Rocky Top and Turn Down for What, the two most annoying songs in the world, are played in Knoxville on Fall Saturdays at a frequency that should be reserved only for Mariah Carey and Michael Buble during the month of December. Maybe it's the fact they're the only team South Carolina is 0-3 against during my time at the school. Maybe it's because of the upset they pulled against the second greatest Ohio State basketball team of my lifetime. Maybe it's a result of the bizarre coincidence of season ending injuries they inflict on great running backs. They crack the list, though, because Tennessee could have greatly helped out Ohio State based on the current playoff field. The Vols blew a huge lead against Oklahoma that would have given the Sooners a second loss. A few weeks later, they fell flat on their faces in a game that would have knocked Alabama out of the SEC Championship. The debate on "Who's In?" would be increasingly more uncertain had Tennessee lived up to the preseason hype Butch Jones generated all summer. Peyton Manning is the only redeeming association for your university, and he's growing more decrepit by the hour. Everybody tells me you being relevant is good for college football. I see it other ways, but some relevancy this year would have been greatly appreciated. Figure it out, Tennessee.
2/1. Tim Beck and Ed Warinner
If you were to tell me in August that Ezekiel Elliott would receive only two carriers in the second half of a game, I would have assumed one of the following situations occurred:
-Ohio State was blowing out Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, and/or Hawaii
-Ohio State was playing Tennessee in a playoff game, and a Volunteer defender tore his ACL
-Elliott was thrown out for targeting after leveling one of his devastating blocks on a helpless defender
A fourth situation emerged when Beck and Warinner decided in the most important game of the season that the best player on their offense would become a non-factor. Zeke had rushed for 100 yards in FIFTEEN STRAIGHT GAMES. THAT MIGHT BE A CLUE THAT HE DESERVES THE FOOTBALL EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE, ESPECIALLY WHEN JT BARRETT UP THE MIDDLE ISN'T WORKING. The more I think about it the angrier I become. Elliott would go on to rip his coaching staff and rightfully so. Had Beck and Warinner decided to not ignore the focal point of the offense for the PREVIOUS FIFTEEN GAMES, I wouldn't be writing this post, and Zeke would be booking his flight to New York. In 1975, Archie Griffin won the Heisman. In 1995, Eddie George won the Heisman. In 2015, Ezekiel Elliott could have very conceivably won the Heisman, but Beck and Warinner obviously don't believe in beauty, serendipity, and happiness. You want another reason to hate the two co-offensive coordinators? Ed Warinner's salary is $400,000. Tim Beck salary is $515,000. That's right, folks. Nearly ONE MILLIONS DOLLARS ARE PAID BY THE STATE OF OHIO TO THESE GENTLEMEN. CAN YOU IMPEACH YOUR OFFENSIVE COORDINATORS?!? CAN YOU IMAGINE IF PRESIDENT OBAMA MESSED UP SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SO ELEMENTARY TO FIGURE OUT IN SUCH AN EMBARRASSING FASHION?!? AND HE GETS PAID LESS THAN BECK?!?
To make matters ever so slightly better, the next week against the aforementioned Wolverines, Elliott would get 30 carries, run for 180 yards, and score two touchdowns. Coincidentally, Warinner and Beck were both up in the press box for the Michigan game. I strongly believe Meyer was so fed up with the incompetency of his coordinators he placed them up their with headsets linked to the sidelines for a youth game in some Detroit suburb. Instead of calling yet another 'QB Draw' or 'QB Power' to result in virtually no gain for Barrett, poor Derek from Auburn Hills found himself running straight into the defensive line of the 4th Grade Jets in hopeless perpetuity. I feel bad for the kid, but Warinner and Beck probably wouldn't if they were made aware of the situation that took place. They have no souls. Hopefully for the bowl game, Urban "accidentally" gives them a plane ticket to the wrong city. Or maybe he just won't purchase them. They deserve to do nothing but sit at home on New Year's Day in silence with a plate of pork and sauerkraut wishing for new employment and better fortune in 2016. How much to get Tom Herman back? I'm sure a slight bump in tuition would be worth it.
J. Nave
No comments:
Post a Comment