Have the Buckeyes Lost Their Edge? Their Fans, Too? Baver Answers Colin's Questions

Click here to read previous Baver Buckeye Bag.

Colin: Obviously repeating as champions is very difficult. A big part of the problem is that everybody loses their edge. This goes for fans, too: it's like winning the lottery and then just a year later complaining if you don't win it again. The Shoe seemed pretty chill considering we were uncomfortably close to a historic upset. Is there any way to get the edge back or is this part of repeating?

Brent: So far, this team looks much like Urban’s ‘09 Gator team, a team that was defending nat’l champs, returned 18 starters, and was a big favorite to repeat. That team finished in the Top 5, but got waxed by Bama in the SEC title game and was clearly a notch down from the ’08 Gator team. Too early to conclude that this 2015 Buckeye team will suffer the same fate. I have to think Urban learned a lot from his ‘09 team. Whether they win it all or not, Urban will get this team playing A LOT better than they are playing right now.

Colin: That might have been Ohio State's worst offensive performance of the past 50 years. Forget the turnovers, we couldn't move the ball anyway. What the hell is going on?

Brent: Too many issues to cover in this short space, including: motivation, play calling, QB play, O-line play, WR blocking, and coaches not being in sync with one another. I don’t think Urban felt they could lose either of the last 2 games and used these games as a giant drawing board. With the offense being as bad as it’s been the last two weeks, I don’t think Urban can afford to do that again.

Colin: What gives with running the hurry up through the entire 4th quarter in a tight game when the defense has been on the field constantly? The read option has been the bread & butter of the OSU offense for the past 3 years. Why were the coaches so reluctant to turn the game over to JTB and EE and let them play a two-man power running game to push the smaller Huskies off the field and chew some clock?

Brent: Inexplicably, the Buckeye offense can’t crack a 3-man defensive front right now. They caught UNI in a 4-man front being unable to substitute, as the Bucks were running hurry-up on their first drive of the 2nd half…..a drive that led to OSU’s only offensive pts of the 2nd half, a field goal. But the up-tempo pace was ineffective the rest of the game, as UNI was able to get back into their 3-man front. Perhaps the thought was that JTB and the offense would eventually get in a groove with the hurry-up, but it never happened. As for the read option, that’s a good future topic if/when the Bucks QB battle is truly settled.

Colin: In your opinion, was poor offensive play-calling or poor execution the bigger problem last week?

Brent: Hard to answer that one, as one feeds off the other. But I think it’s fair to say that this team has proven offensive talent that other schools would die for.….so…..I think the majority of the blame falls on the coaching staff.

Colin: Who would you start at QB this week?

Brent: JTB. He’s played badly coming off the bench, but I have always thought he gives Ohio State their best chance of winning.

Colin: Vegas has to be confused. We were 33 points under the under last week. What happens this Saturday against the Fighting Broncos of Western Michigan?

Brent: I’d say Northern Illinois is 4 or 5 points better than WMU on a neutral field, so the Bucks could be in another one of “those” games. But I think you’ll see reasonable improvement out of the offense and Cardale. WMU can’t run the ball, nor can they stop the run. On kickoffs, the Bucks need to contain Darius Phillips, who is one of the best KR’s in all of CFB. I don’t expect WMU to score more than 10 pts against the 1st team Buckeye D. The call: Ohio State 34 WMU 10.

Colin: Give us a recap of your picks from last week and what games and lines will you have your eye on this week?

Brent: 2-1 last week against the spread, same as each of the two wks prior, so 6-3 on the year ATS. As mentioned above, I think the smart money is on WMU getting 31.5 against our Buckeyes. Urban could cover this spread if he really wanted to, but I still think Ohio St will be doing more experimenting on offense…just not as much as last week. I’ll take the much beleaguered “Bert” and the Hogs catching 7 against A&M, in a bounce back game for Arkansas. And I’ll take Ball State +20.5 against Northwestern; this is usually the point in the season when a hot starting Wildcat team shows you that they are still Northwestern.

LET THE MANZIEL ERA BEGIN (AND END SOON)

The NCP tackles Pencil Storm’s Questions Following Browns’ Week One Disaster. follow@northcoastposse

1. You said last week that this could be the worst two QB's an NFL team has brought into the regular season in league history. After week one, this painful reality is already upon us. How in the hell did Ray Farmer let this happen? With quarterback play this poor, I pity the rest of the team. There is nothing they can do to overcome 4 turnovers. Is there any hope?

K-Dubs, the Soldier:  I honestly thought Josh McCown looked good in the first drive.  In complete control of the offense, he led the Browns 91-yards on an opening drive of approximately 10-minutes.  Of course, that was before he got ear-holed as he dove for the end zone, fumbled the ball, and left the game with a concussion.  McCown has not been cleared to play yet, and the Browns officially named Johnny Manziel the starter on Friday.  If he continues to start, I think the season will be even more of a dud than previously expected.  The NCP’s take on Manziel has always been that he is just not an NFL quarterback, and Farmer’s thought process in drafting him remains material for an episode of NBC Dateline.  It deserves a two-hour special creepily narrated by Keith Morrison. 

I would love to see a Johnny-led squad lineup in the sandlot against Brett Favre’s team in a Wranglers commercial, but he does not have the arm strength to QB the Browns.  Outside of the 54-yard bomb he threw to Travis Benjamin, Manziel struggled to get the ball downfield, particularly on out routes.  With a running game that was anemic in Game 1, opposing defenses will likely stack the box and force three-and-outs ad infinitum if Johnny cannot stretch them by going over the top.  To your question, there is little any team can do to overcome four turnovers (five, if you count safety Tashaun Gipson’s fumble after his second-quarter interception), let alone a team whose starting QB is on the sidelines.  Throw in 109 yards in penalties, and you are not going to win, even against league dregs like the Jets.

That said, there is hope.  There is always hope.  The defense played toothlessly last week.  They had no pass rush, did not control the line of scrimmage on running plays, and got beat in the defensive backfield.  This week they play at home against the Titans, who were one of the worst teams in the league last year and are starting a rookie quarterback in Heisman-trophy winner, and national-championship loser, Marcus Mariota.  There is no more prime opportunity for redemption.  If the Browns can also avoid turnovers and run the ball with some effectiveness, they can be competitive, at least.   I am expecting a big turnaround.  Browns win in a tight one.

2. Who should LeBron replace in this week's starting line up?

Big $: Due to my well documented disdain for ole Johnny, it would be too easy to throw LBJ in as signal caller. In all honesty, I’d probably prefer a 2 man system of K. Love (for his sweet touch) and Kyrie (read option ball skills and elusiveness) if I was going to summon a C-Town cager to lead the offense. With that said, it almost becomes comical when you use the names Gary Barnidge and LeBron James anywhere near each other in a paragraph relating to athletics. I would without question, trot The King out at T.E. (you’re welcome, Johnny).

3. Vegas had the Browns preseason over/under win total at 6.5. After week one, if you had to bet all your gold chains on the over or under now, where would you put the line?  What is a realistic win total for this group of dawgs?

K-Dubs, the Soldier:  Granddad used to say, “Vegas was not built by losers.”  The handicappers in the desert certainly know the game better the alleged experts that flap their gums on TV each week.  What surprises me though is that the magic number is too high.  Last year, Vegas had the same over-under for the Browns, but the schedule was much more favorable.  This year, the NFC South teams have been replaced on the schedule by the NFC West, which has a chance to produce four teams with winning records.  Throw in games against an improved AFC West, as well, and the season looks kind of bleak.  The first three games are against teams that finished at the bottom of the league last year—the Jets, Titans, and Raiders.  These all appeared winnable on paper at around 12:59 p.m. last Sunday, but if the Browns lose the next two, it is hard to see many other wins down the line.  I think an over-under of 4.5 is more realistic.

4. If he were still on the squad, would you prefer T. Pryor starting over Johnny Football this week?

Big $: To be fair, I’d start Richard Pryor over Manziel (disturbing self-awareness is a trait more beneficial than anything in JFF’s repertoire). At this point, first-round Jonathan has failed to beat out two UDFA’s on the wrong side of 30. If Josh McCown didn’t attempt to live out his wildest Elway Super Bowl helicopter ride daydream, JFF would still be chilling on the sideline thinking of clunky one-liners about Merril Hoge’s formal wear. T.P. isn’t here but A.D. is, and he took some 1st team reps this week. In a perfect world, Austin Davis’s NFL resume would have earned him the right to start over Johnny, but alas Berea may be the antithesis of said perfect world. So let it be noted that I have officially put in for transfer from #hoyerswarriors to #AustinsArmy. Big $ loves ya A.D.!!!!

5. Something positive to take away from this loss right? Right?

K-Dubs, the Soldier: After a loss as disheartening as last week’s game, you really have to get out the Hubble Telescope to search for some positives.  At the very least, before he got knocked for a loop, both figuratively and literally, Josh McCown looked very good in leading the offense down the length of the field.  I know the Browns Faithful are not unanimous in supporting McCown, but the offense clicked when he was under center, even though big-name, free-agent wideout Dwayne Bowe sat out with a bad hamstring and the offensive line under-performed.  If McCown can come back from his concussion and stay healthy, I think the Browns can put points on the board this season.  Once he got carted off the field, though, the one bright spot was the special teams.  Punter Andy Lee averaged 54 net yards per kick, including a booming 61-yarder.  His leg should prove to be quite a weapon in field-position battles.  Rookie placekicker Travis Coons kicked a 48-yard extra-point (which was the longest in NFL history) and registered touchbacks on 2 of 3 kickoffs.  The return game also appeared improved.  Upgrading here was critical, as the failure to properly field punts cost the Browns a few chances to win games last year.  I have heard (but have not seen) that the Browns’ D is going to be among the best in the league.  If we do see a re-emergence of the Dawg Defense, the improved special teams could help snatch a few W’s along the way.

6. What do you expect from the opener this weekend?           

Big $: My general nausea over the state of the Browns probably steals the mystery from guessing who I believe will win most Browns games. So rather than stating who I expect to win or lose, I will say that I expect that this will be the second week that an ex-Brown will enact revenge on his former employer.

Last week Buster Skrine uncorked a year’s worth of watching a snot-nosed, silver-spooner make a mockery of his professional opportunity when he attempted to decapitate Johnny Manziel. One can only imagine that a guy like Skrine who clawed his way into the NFL harbors some ill will towards a guy like Johnny who was probably throwing up money signs when he checked down in 7 on 7 drills.

This week, I expect that the recently jettisoned Terrance West may be looking to seek retribution for not only being traded after a mildly successful rookie campaign, but also for the smack that was talked on his way out. Keep an eye on #35 this week as he may be playing with a couple of boulders on his shoulder.

Big $ and K-Dubs the Soldier are the North Coast Posse and they cover Browns football for Penciltorm.

Is Northern Illinois a Top 25 Program? Baver Answers Colin's Questions.

Colin: Cardale appeared to look a little frustrated struggling against the Rainbows. Meeting expectations is always tough as the starting QB at Ohio State. I've been at games and heard people criticize Terrelle and Braxton while they were putting up Big Ten player of the week numbers. Is it possible Cardale could struggle through the dog days of the schedule if Buckeye fans start nitpicking his every flaw? He isn't just a lovable backup QB who made good anymore. He is the starting QB and his Kenny Guiton is JT Barrett.

Brent: Yeah, the Buckeye fans are going to keep clamoring for Barrett as long as Cardale plays like he did against Hawaii. Of course JTB didn’t help himself much either with his performance. But Cardale seems to have no fear, and little seems to bother him. If anything, I think the fans nitpicking will motivate him. With that being said, Cardale may still end up on the bench because JTB is going to be very hard to hold off.

Colin: If the offense was a little flat, the defense brought the lumber. Who/what on defense is really jumping out at you?

Brent: With all due respect to Joey Bosa, Darren Lee is the best defender on this team. Enjoy him now because he won’t be around next year. The guy is everywhere. As far as newcomers, Sam Hubbard has gotten a lot of ink, but there is a reason Tyquan Lewis is a starter and Hubbard isn’t. Lewis, I think, will be an All-Big Ten player before he leaves here. Also, you have to love Gareon Conley’s play Saturday. Hawaii elected to take their shots at Conley instead of Eli Apple, and Conley responded big time.

Colin: Toledo jammed a big rocket in Bielema's pig-hole and Bowling Green smushed the Turtles. How good is the MAC and what problems does Northern Illinois present the Bucks? Over the last five years, is Northern Illinois a Top 25 program? If not, are they close?

Brent: I think people tend to overreact to a small number of games. The MAC is still the MAC (poor), the Big Ten is still the Big Ten (mediocre), and the SEC is still the SEC (tops). Northern Illinois over the past 5 years? Probably on the edge of the Top 25, with a minimum of 11 wins in each of the 5 seasons. They are a FAR BETTER opponent than Hawaii. As for the matchup, Ohio State’s offense should be better prepared for UNI’s defense, which plays your standard 4-3. The Bucks had problems with Hawaii’s 3-4 front that did some things OSU was not expecting. On the other side of the ball, QB Drew Hare is going to be more troublesome for the Buckeye defense than Hawaii’s Max Wittek, because of Hare’s mobility.

Colin: After two weeks, are there any teams nationally that are surprising you either good or bad?

Brent: Bad? Auburn. They were a 40-point favorite last week against Jacksonville State and needed OT to pull out the win. Simply unbelievable that a Gus Malzahn offense would struggle against any FCS school. Yeah, there was the look-ahead to LSU; but still, Jacksonville State? New QB Jeremy Johnson, so far, looks like a poor fit for Gus’ system. Yet, win at LSU Saturday and Auburn is a contender in the SEC West. Good? I guess the trendy pick is Northwestern, but it’s hard to gauge much after two games, and they are an underdog at Duke this week. That should tell you the bettors aren’t buying the NW hype just yet.

Colin: You hit two out of three games last week with the Bucks not covering by 3, your only miss. What games and lines will you be keeping an eye on this week?

Brent: Like last week, not a lot that jumps out at me, spread-wise. But as usual, we’ll start with the OSU game. Urban is now 25-18 against the spread as the OSU coach. To compensate, the lines are getting a bit ridiculous. When a team like Northern Illinois wins 11+ games every year, I think you take 34½ points….even against the best team in the country. And UNI is 9-1 against the spread in their last 10 gms against the B1G. I like the Bucks 45-14, which would be a cover for the Huskies. I’ll take Bama giving the 7 against Ole Miss…the line looks about 2 or 3 pts light to me, and Bama is the biggest threat to Ohio State as the nation’s best team. And I think you have to take the Irish getting points (2½) at home against Georgia Tech. Notre Dame definitely has more talent up and down their roster than Ga Tech, and I think new QB DeShone Kizer will hold his own for the Irish.

Happy Birthday To Me: Cougs at Rutgers - by Brian Phillips

50.  Fiddy. Half a bill. Half a century. Embrace it, I say. The wife says "pick something to do and we'll do it. You are FIFTY after all." Hmmm.....cruise? Nah, that's more her style. Jump out of an airplane? Never once wanted to do that. The Replacements were supposed to be here, and had I known Paul Westerberg would contract scurvy and cancel I would have plowed in the van with our editor and gone to Minneapolis for the show last fall. Too late for all that. Too late for lots of stuff. More days past than future. What to do, what to do, what to do? I know!

22 years it's been since I've seen my school play college football in person. Full disclosure: I attended a great university and had the time of my life. I wouldn't trade those years, that experience and all the people I met for anything. To this day I share with them great memories, friendship, and decades in the third circle of college football hell: I am a Washington State Cougar. And knowing we're horrible and will continue to be horrible I chose for my 50th birthday to drive to New Jersey (of all the Godforsaken places on the planet) to see a team so putrid they could only be the fever dream of a bacteria festering in Chris Christie's bellybutton. Yup. Washington State at Rutgers. Fuck me. 

When I hatched this plan I was not drunk. Not having a stroke. Nothing. A rational-thinking 50 year old man decided that to mark this milestone he would drive 8 hours to purposely see a defense incapable of tackling. Tackling is important in the game of football and the Cougs have - for most of our history - chosen not to do it. Every defensive staff at Wazzu, including the one currently led by prepubescent newbie Alex Grinch, pursue a strategy of running into, and bouncing off of ball carriers. That doesn't work, not even against reigning Big Sky conference 11th place finisher Portland State this past Saturday. 35 point u-dogs were the Vikings of Portland State. Clad in high school uniforms and led by a coach who has been held in interim captivity for a year now, PSU ran amok over the allegedly Pac-12 Cougs for several hundred yards and a 24-17 win in Pullman last Saturday. 

For this reporter it was too late. A Stub Hub 'bot had already belched forth tickets 20 bucks apiece off their face value into my mailbox. A neo-liberal free marketeer would praise the elegant efficiency of the transaction, but as the Vikings skipped off the Martin Stadium turf on their way back to what probably resembles an ironic West Coast take on Cleveland State's campus the wages of football sin were already being paid in full. 

Oh sure, the Cougars can score points almost at will on most afternoons. Last season we lost to Cal 60-59 after missing a 19 yard field goal as time expired. That's called "Coug-ing it." It's a verb, look it up. It means snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and all that cliched shit about teams that can't get out of their own way. We invented that! Even when we're decent, which ain't often, we Coug it. 

Coug-ing it predates current coach Mike "The Pirate" Leach by decades and despite his law degree, and civil war reenactment hobby or whatever the fuck, he's powerless against it. In fact Leach seems to embrace the concept. During his 11-25 tenure in "The Palouse" he's gone for it on multiple occasions on his own 30 yard line. Perhaps he remembered that the Cougs forgot to practice punt coverage, or for that matter kick-off coverage, because Cal scored a good chunk of their points running back kicks that night. 

Here's where it gets good! Guess who the highest paid public employee in the state of Washington is... Yup! Mike Leach. A man who may have stuffed the son of "television personality" Craig James into a metal lawnmower shed one windswept Lubbock afternoon. This has to be the first and only time WSU paid its coach more than those fucking Huskies over in Seattle. Hey, they have their own problems.....paying off former Coach Cutty Sark's bar tab being one of them, but the Dawgs have to be laughing. Leach's agent managed to bury a poison pill in the "Pirate's" contract whereby WSU will be "on the hook" for 60% of his salary should the entire fanbase wish to "mutiny" and demand he "walk the plank." AAARRGHHHH! (Hey, I admit it I fell for all this quirky "He loves pirates, he never actually played football, he's actually a Hobbit" shit.)

So while Ohio State is busy beating Hawaii (Hawaii? why does Hawaii have a football team? there can't be a reason for this) with a dead fish, think of me blowing four hours of whatever life I have remaining reliving my college years. Yay! Go Cougs! I'll let Tom Tuttle from Tacoma, Washington have the final word.

Big $ of the North Coast Posse is Back to Talk Browns Football

Do yourself a huge favor and follow @northcoastposse during all Browns games.

The NCP returns, and we’re saltier than ever! So without further adieu, here’s Big $’s initial thoughts on your 2015 Cleveland Browns:

Q: Not to start on a downer, but is it possible this collection on QBs has the lowest combined career QBR rating of any preseason team in NFL history?

Big $: It’s no secret that I think Ole Johnny Football is one of the most embarrassing Q.B. experiments in NFL history. You add journeyman Josh McCown to the mix and suddenly Holcomb/Couch looks like Montana/Young. The only area in which McCown is superior to Brian Hoyer is in his ability to acquiesce to Trader Ray‘s desire to have him serve as JFF’s mentor. There is a lot of national negativity surrounding the Browns, and the genesis of most of these low expectations is the lack of talent at quarterback. As for QBR, its almost unfair to lump Josh McCown and his pedestrian, yet manageable career number of 76.1 in with Johnny’s robust 5.08. It does, however, allow Johnny the right to state that he is one of few QB’s in league history with a jersey number which is less than half of his career QBR.

Q: Is it possible that the best quarterback on the Browns is WR Terrelle Pryor? Is it possible the best QB in Ohio plays for Ohio State?

Up until Monday, I would have had a hard time not awarding top Q.B. honors to T.P. Since that time though, the Browns have signed the steadily mediocre Austin Davis. On this team “steady mediocrity” shoots you right to the top of the Q.B. chain. Congrats A.D.! The NCP welcomes you with open arms.

As for OSU Q.B.’s, I’ll try not to completely derail this Browns-centered passage by going on a tangent about Cardale. (Hyperbole alert) He has Big Ben’s intimidating elusiveness coupled with Aaron Rodgers’ ability to keep his eyes and shoulders downfield smothered with Kapernick’s arm strength (Hyperbole Alert). In short, I fully envision a worthless last second game 17 victory will keep Cardale from becoming a Brown.

(editor's note: Pryor was cut just after this went to press so the Browns could sign an injured running back. Big $ could not be reached for comment as he was out shopping for Brian Hoyer Houston Texans jersey.)

(copy-editor's note: after this transaction, I fully expect the next Browns trade to be their next two first-round draft picks for an aggie, two cat's eyes and a sackful of magic beans.)

Q: The only offensive positive we heard all off-season was that the Browns should be able to run the ball. Suddenly, the Browns are fishing for a washed-up girl smasher like Ray Rice. What the hell is going on?

I began the pre-season enthusiastic about The Browns ability to run the ball. Then I witnessed the Bills’ Marcell Dareus treat Alex Mack like the 5th grader who gets forced into O Line play because he can’t walk and chew gum at the same time. I’m going to chalk that up to rust accumulated from last year’s injury, especially since Mack has to play big this year if he wants to collect on the open market. I’m also hoping that the West trade is as much a nod to the team’s confidence in Crow and Duke as it was about West’s immaturity. I’ll be keeping a close eye on Crow’s ball security, if he can remedy his fumbling yips, a 1,300 to 1,400 yard season is not out of the question.

Q: It's hard to imagine any coach getting more than 5 wins from a team with this collection of talent. Is it possible the Browns will again blame the head coach and start over or be patient and maybe look for another scapegoat for this decade-long embarrassment?

The NFL is a game of match-ups and exploiting mismatches. Surprisingly, I think week to week the Browns will maintain match-up advantages in the secondary, on the left side of the O line and in D line depth. However, I believe said mismatches will be overshadowed by an alarming lack of playmakers on O, a porous right side of the line and issues at L.B. (specifically setting the edge in the run game). How much of this will be Pettine’s fault? Well, I’m not ready to lay down cash on the Vegas dismissal odds, but it is his job to develop game plans that utilize the roster handed to him. There is very little chance that Coach Pett improves on the 7 (Hoyer-led) miracles of last year, so improvement will have to be gauged by other metrics. I have not been impressed with Haslam’s integrity or decision-making to this point, so it’s safe to say regardless of the owner’s pre-season statements on his job security, Pettine will need to continue looking over his shoulder.

Q: What players on offense are you keeping an eye on?

I truly believe that T.P, is going to create problems for NFL defenses. He looks mammoth when he lines up against NFL CB’s and us Buckeye fans know he has the feet and speed to make life miserable for a Safety or L.B. I’m not sure when he’ll get his opportunity to crack the lineup, but I don’t see any of the current W.R. corps performing to a level that will make T.P. obsolete. If Braxton can do it, I’m fully convinced T.P. can make the transition as well.

Q:  And on defense, is Gilbert really this bad? Who is looking good?

I’m concerned that the Browns did not complete their due scouting diligence as it relates to Gilbert’s football I.Q. He simply looks lost when trying to engage in an NFL pass defense scheme. I don’t foresee him contributing at CB at all this year.

I was pumped to see Armonty’s move to OLB, however that experiment ended with his depth chart move back to D.L.

I think Kruger and Desmond Bryant looked like world beaters in the pre-season and I’m also enthused about Stark’s potential. I expect big things from the D-line.

I do not however share the general optimism about Danny Shelton to this point. He at times struggled with instinct off the ball and was also moved at will on several occasions this August. With that said, I will give him the benefit of the doubt and believe he does have the potential to be a solid contributor this year based on his motor alone.

Q:  Browns fans have lots to complain about, but I never heard  one complain about the uniforms. Why change now? Do you like the look?

I’m simply shocked by the fan response to the absolute disgrace that I find these uniforms to be. It’s not bad enough that the Browns perform like a 2nd tier MAC team, but now they are dressed like one as well. In 3 words, I find the look to be unprofessional, nauseating and ridiculous. On second thought, they may suit this organization to a tee.

Troubling Signs For OSU Repeat? Baver Answers Colin's Questions

Click here to read previous Baver Buckeye Bag

Colin: Which surprised you more, Cardale getting the start or how damn good Braxton Miller looked in his first game as a wide receiver?

Baver: Cardale getting the start. ESPN’s Travis Haney said he spoke to a Va Tech assistant prior to game time who told him they would be “shocked” if it wasn’t JTB under center. So Urban may have pulled some misdirection here, but postgame talk makes it sound like the OSU coaches liked Cardale over JTB in this matchup vs. Va Tech specifically. As for Miller, what can you say? The kid is a gamer…an absolute nightmare to defend. I expected him to eventually become a star at H-back, but did I expect him to bail Ohio State out in Game One when the Bucks trailed at halftime? No.

Colin: Did you see any troubling signs on the road to a repeat? 

Baver: The fact that the Ohio State D had problems slowing down a mediocre Virginia Tech offense while Michael Brewer was in the game is concerning. If Brewer doesn’t come out of that game, I think the first-team OSU defense gives up another 7 to 10 pts. And Brewer is not a great QB; he rarely plays well unless he is playing Ohio State. But, the OSU defense will get better. Urban will make sure of that, even though he is not heavily involved with that side of the ball. And when Ohio State wins the yardage battle 572-320 against Va Tech, in Blacksburg, with 4 players suspended, life still looks pretty good if you are a Buckeye fan.   : )

Colin: I find it hard to believe we couldn't find a team from the mainland United States to play in Ohio Stadium. Why on Earth are we flying a team 5,000 miles for a football game? What is the upside?

Baver: I guess you get the automatic “W” and you don’t have to agree to the home & home thing with a school like Hawaii. But they could have gotten those two benefits by scheduling a lower tier Midwest school. Yeah, seems silly to me too.

Colin: What can Ohio State hope to accomplish against Hawaii?

Baver: Stay healthy. Get Braxton & EZE out of the game by halftime. I would think Corey Smith eventually ends up being the starting flanker if he stays out of trouble. And I would think the Bucks want to work on the deep ball, going long to C. Smith or whoever a few times. They need to determine who their deep guy is, now that Devin Smith has moved on. Also, Torrance Gibson is another skill-position potential game changer. If he’s healthy, I think the OSU coaches want to start getting Gibson reps immediately at his new position. And of course the coaches will want to continue to evaluate Cardale vs JTB.

Colin: Northwestern won a nice game but Penn State... geez, that's a tough loss for a team supposedly led by a future NFL star quarterback. What is Hackenberg's deal?

Baver: The best description I think I read about Sackenberg is that he doesn’t seem to have “it.” Cannon for an arm that the NFL scouts love, but with this being his third year as the starting PSU QB, he still looks like a first-year starter. You look at how good Cardale’s pocket presence is…Sackenberg’s is piss poor. Now, plenty of Temple’s sacks are the fault of Penn State O-line, but plenty of the blame goes to Sackenberg as well. 

Colin: What games and lines do you find interesting this week?

Baver: Gotta like the Buckeyes laying 41. Don’t let Hawaii’s win over Colorado fool you – they are not good. The Buckeyes won’t take their foot off the pedal with their 2nd team QB in the 2nd half. OSU rolls to the tune of 57-7. Don’t see much else that looks appetizing in terms of picking against the spread, but sticking with tradition, I’ll take a shot at two more. I’ll go against the grain and take Virginia at home getting 12.5 against the Irish, with ND in a letdown spot. And I’ll take the Sooners giving a point at Tennessee. Bob Stoops gets too much criticism and is at his best when people underestimate him.