Take Two: Miles in must-win situation
Advertisement
Storyline: Ohio State was tested this season time and again - mainly because the Buckeyes just couldn't seem to get out of their own way - but everybody was really waiting for this last stretch to see if the reigning national champs were for real.
But will we find out? Ohio State faces a banged-up and battered Michigan State team this weekend and then the Michigan game next weekend is always a wild card. Not many people are convinced Iowa will provide much of a test if that's how it plays out in the Big Ten title game.
The Buckeyes might not be as tested as expected, but that could actually help recruiting in a huge way. A bunch of top prospects from the state of Michigan will obviously be watching over the next couple weeks and if Ohio State runs away with these games, then those recruits could be swayed.
Many will be at The Horseshoe on Saturday. This could be a chance for Ohio State to keep winning the Big Ten recruiting battle.
First take: "They are big in that Ohio State, coming off a national championship, has an opportunity the next couple of weeks to reinforce its place at the top of the food chain in the Midwest. The Buckeyes are trying to pull off a late surprise with five-star linebacker Daelin Hayes (above), who is expected to be on campus and are continuing their pursuit of Detroit King standouts Donnie Corley and Lavert Hill. They also continue to work on making inroads on the 2017 group, most notably Detroit King defensive back Ambry Thomas, Detroit Cass Tech wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, St. Joseph defensive end Corey Malone-Hatcher and Ann Arbor Pioneer linebacker Antjuan Simmons. Simmons and Hatcher will also be in Columbus on Saturday." - Marc Givler,
Second take: "Everybody was waiting for these final three games of Michigan State, Michigan and the eventual showdown with Iowa and they're going to be, I would guess, more than a touchdown favorite in each. Michigan State is decimated with injuries and not playing well. This was the game everybody was waiting for and I don't think it has a lot of allure. Ohio State is going to beat up Michigan State. I don't know if any of those teams could challenge Ohio State." - Farrell
3. Pac-12 disappointment
Storyline: Is the Pac-12 really better than the SEC this year? Radio personality Colin Cowherd thought so, radio personality Paul Finebaum jabbed him for it and here we are in November and it's clear, one way or another, that the Pac-12 is a disappointment.
Stanford and Utah share the best records at 8-2 and that virtually eliminates any conference team of making the College Football Playoff. USC, UCLA and Oregon all have three losses.
The coach of the year might be Mike Leach (above), who has Washington State coming off a win at UCLA and playing some of the best football in the Pac-12. That's a nice regional story, but the Pac-12 could have made a national mark this year and it flopped.
First take: "The Pac-12's likely exclusion from the national playoff is a result of two factors. Oregon State is not very good this year and Colorado is still building, but the league could produce 10 bowl-eligible teams, and I think that is representative of the fact that there are a lot of good programs in the conference. There is a lot of parity across the board. Plus, the league plays nine league games rather than eight, which results in a substantial reduction in cupcake games, and generally schedules challenging out-of-conference opponents. That's not the case for all conferences." - Andy Drukarev,
Second take: "Cowherd's statement is hilarious. The SEC is down this year, it's not great from top to bottom, but the Pac-12 has to be the biggest disappointment. There is so much parity. Every team knocks off the other team and nobody lives up to expectations. USC has so much talent and they have three losses. Stanford was supposed to be the best one-loss team in the country and they blew it. UCLA is Jekyll and Hyde. Oregon started off lousy and now they're coming on. Utah is average athletically. This was supposed to be the year they were stronger than everybody." - Farrell
Adam Gorney
National Recruiting Analyst
Mike Farrell
National Recruiting Director
Click Here to view this Link.