NOTE: This episode was recorded at 10am EST on MONDAY, OCT 23, prior to . . .well, *gestures wildly at Connor Stalions*
How bad are the allegations against Michigan? Was Ohio State - Penn State elite defenses or bad offenses? Plus, Rutgers is going bowling, Michigan State isn't, and Wisconsin inexplicably leads the Big Ten West.
#michigan #collegefootball #ohiostate #big10 #michiganstate #rutgers #wisconsin #jimharbaugh
Follow us everywhere @RivalPod
Big thanks to our sponsors for their generous support:
Elevated Integrity: http://www.elevatedintegrity.com/
The JAE Company: https://thejaecompany.com/
Become a Patron: https://patreon.com/therivalry
Want more shows like this one? Visit https://riverradio.com
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
9:13 - Michigan vs Michigan State Analysis
17:16 - Ohio State vs Penn State Analysis
35:22 - Ohio State vs Wisconsin Predictions
37:25 - Stupid Genius Upset Picks
39:04 - Rutgers To The Rose Bowl
NOTE: This episode was recorded at 10am EST on MONDAY, OCT 23, prior to . . .well, *gestures wildly at Connor Stalions*
How bad are the allegations against Michigan? Was Ohio State - Penn State elite defenses or bad offenses? Plus, Rutgers is going bowling, Michigan State isn't, and Wisconsin inexplicably leads the Big Ten West.
#michigan #collegefootball #ohiostate #big10 #michiganstate #rutgers #wisconsin #jimharbaugh
Follow us everywhere @RivalPod
Big thanks to our sponsors for their generous support:
Elevated Integrity: http://www.elevatedintegrity.com/
The JAE Company: https://thejaecompany.com/
Become a Patron: https://patreon.com/therivalry
Want more shows like this one? Visit https://riverradio.com
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
9:13 - Michigan vs Michigan State Analysis
17:16 - Ohio State vs Penn State Analysis
35:22 - Ohio State vs Wisconsin Predictions
37:25 - Stupid Genius Upset Picks
39:04 - Rutgers To The Rose Bowl
It confirms what you and I have kind of suspected for a while, which is Drew Aller is and let me find the technical term here Drew Aller is. But it's the arrival. I came in a lead, one step for the title, but touchdown Marvin.
Speaker 3:Harrison Jr. Marvelous Catch pass ransom.
Speaker 2:Down of it. Edwards, Touchdown the down.
Speaker 1:There's nothing quite like the game Michigan versus Ohio State. This is the rivalry sponsored by elevated integrity construction. This is the rivalry podcast. Jase JP Garbage, free College Football Podcast. It's Michigan and Ohio State Cause. What else would it be?
Speaker 3:Yeah, who cares about anything?
Speaker 1:on social at rival pod, breaking the ice with wheel route. Thanks to the J company, fall in love with your home all over again at the J A E companycom. The rivalry podcast brought to you by elevated integrity construction as well. Let's spin that wheel man.
Speaker 3:A lot of clarity coming on the national stage this week, even some teams that remained undefeated that. I've got some questions Now I did this one specifically.
Speaker 1:If you're not watching on YouTube at rival pod be sure to do that. Will Harbaugh leave this year? So I asked October, my guy look, look, look, look, look, look look, look, look, look.
Speaker 3:I want to preface this because we talked about it on the way to the Ohio State game and that's why this made wheel route, because I feel like it is deserving of bringing up Okay.
Speaker 3:So, with all the controversy, with all the like accusations that have been made against him, do you think that those increase his chances of leaving after this year? Because personally and this is I don't like the guy I never have I hope that he leaves because I think it would make your program absolutely crumble and I would love it. If I am him any coach, I would feel strongly this way towards. It feels like there's some vendetta with the NCAA against him, absolutely.
Speaker 3:Whether they're true or not, like what? Whatever comes out of this investigation we don't know yet, we'll find it out, but you got to think at some point mentally he's like why am I continually dealing with this and having to self suspend or go through these things when I can just go to the NFL and so he knows teams are starting to call. He knows his opportunities there Next year. Your guy's schedule is not favorable. It is going to be tough. You're losing a lot of your core guys. Do you think these accusations, all these things are going to grow on him and increase his chance? Because I wouldn't bring this up. Had no accusations about stealing signs or anything been brought up, I wouldn't have even said this.
Speaker 1:I think those are two different questions. So the wheel route questions will Harbaugh leave this at like at the end of the year versus? Does it increase the likelihood, or two different questions? I think does it increase the likelihood. I think they kind of go hand in hand, though they go hand in hand, but I think they're different because does it increase the likelihood? Yeah, of course it does.
Speaker 3:So in your heart Because he's trying to play in the game. So what do you think realistically at the end of the year? No, I think he stays.
Speaker 1:You think he stays, I think ultimately, does it increase the likelihood he goes? Yes, does he stay? I think so, because I know that the administration is a big fan of him. I know he wants to be at Michigan. He's made it very clear he wants to be there. The relationship with Morad Manual, the AD, is a little dicey, but even that has taken some really good steps forward. Where and again, this was prior to the new signs, steal, whatever, where it looked like a deal was moving forward, and I have no reason to believe that that's not going to continue taking steps forward. I expect Harbaugh to sign an extension. I expect him to continue to be here. I don't think he's worried about losing Core Guys. I don't think he's worried about a tough schedule next year. I think Michigan's built for it. What could force him out, though, is just the stupidity of the NCAA, and again, at this point, again, this could change. In two minutes from now, it could change while you literally just said that statement.
Speaker 1:It could. What we know right now is and again I'll summarize this because I do think this is worth talking about is what we know right now is nothing. All we know right now, public information, is Michigan has suspended Conor Stallions with Colin or Conor Conor, conor, conor Stallions with pay, and we know the NCAA has opening investigation into whether or not sign stealing occurred illegally, yeah, and whether or not in-person scouting happened. No evidence has been presented.
Speaker 3:And nothing has been made public.
Speaker 1:That's all we know.
Speaker 3:There's been different stories too, where it's like people thought it was opponents this year. Now it could be that it was opponents in years past, that it's been kind of common knowledge, but it's just now coming to light. You've heard about coaches that have been onto it that have gone up to them and said we know what you're doing and it's dirty and so many things.
Speaker 1:Well, in comments about there's a vast network of people and yada yada. Harbaugh has said I don't know anything about it, I've not directed anybody to do that, we'll cooperate. And that's again. That's the danger of speculation. And I'll say this too because this gets me hot under the collar. Shame on the athletic. Shame on the athletic for some of the stories that they've run already that are basically these hit jobs based on no public information, no evidence that's been presented. They're writing articles talking about well, the NCAA has retroactively stripped banners before. Could they preemptively taint Michigan's national title? Shut up, they're not going to do that.
Speaker 1:Garbage free yet, but shut up. That is disgusting. If something is proven, if you say, wow, there's absolutely a vast network of people and we have concrete evidence to prove it here, it is Fine. Then we can talk about what's an adequate punishment. But at this point, to write an article like that, shame on you, that's disgusting.
Speaker 3:I think it's going to be hard for them to actually come up with any concrete proof whether or not they actually did any of this. You would think so. I just think-.
Speaker 1:Like if you can prove it, then it's going to be concrete proof.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's got to be. That's going to be very evident. There could be no gray area whatsoever.
Speaker 1:Paul Finebaum's no fan of Jim Harbaugh, but even Finebaum said yeah, I don't really know how you're going to be able to prove this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's going to be near impossible here's I hope they do it, though, here's the last thing that I'll say on this and then I'm ready to talk like actual football.
Speaker 1:The last thing I'll say on this and this is again speculation, but somebody had suggested what if this is the case, and I could see this being very plausible what if Conor Stallions is, you know, is stealing science which is not illegal? You just you can't electronically, you know you can't record it, you can't electronically communicate whatever it was suggested. What if this is the case? And this is pure speculation what if he's got he does have a handful of people it could be Michigan alum, could be friends, could be whatever who are attending games in person, watching the sideline reporting verbally back to Stallions, who then has a wide variety, who can then compare to in-game film that is legal and be able to figure out what you're doing. That is, then, while it's against the spirit of the law go with me on this, it is not technically against the rule. Look, hold on, I'm not fan, I'm talking to America?
Speaker 3:You should be, because it is gross. Listen to this though.
Speaker 1:Do we like? Can we both agree that the rule is stupid to begin with?
Speaker 3:Yes and no.
Speaker 1:Okay, I heard yes.
Speaker 3:In certain, in certain, in certain areas. I have zero problem if you're going and scouting High school teams go and in-person scouts.
Speaker 1:So the NCAA enacted this in 1994 as a cost-saving measure. So I think across the board we can say this rule is dumb. But I'm also a rules or the rules guy, yeah, Okay. So now what you've got, if this scenario is true these random people who are not on staff, blah, blah, blah, reporting back you have now technically not broken a rule that we all agree is dumb. You did not break a rule that we all agree is dumb. Anyway, that's best case scenario for Michigan right now. That's perfectly fine. Do I like it? No, but also the rule's dumb and also you didn't break it.
Speaker 3:My only thought is anytime you have to say it's not technically against the rules, you're doing something skeezy and I hate it.
Speaker 2:High school teams do that.
Speaker 3:I'm just saying I Look, I have zero problem if you want to send somebody to a game-.
Speaker 1:And yeah, this is speculation.
Speaker 3:No one has proven anything, yeah, you can't prove anything yet, but I do think any. There should be nothing against it, but it is the rule, so that's what you gotta abide by If other teams aren't doing it because they're trying to follow stuff, trying to find a backwards way into something like that it's just, it's skeezy.
Speaker 1:I'm not saying that I love it.
Speaker 3:I'm just saying, in that scenario you have not broken a rule and the rule is dumb again as a fan, if Ohio State was doing this, I would be very disappointed that they were doing it.
Speaker 1:So I wouldn't be I'm not saying that I love it. I'm just saying that in that particular scenario which we're just speculating on, there's nothing that's been broken. Also, and I thought that ESPN actually did a very nice job of this saying well, I guess they're gonna want to investigate about 90% of teams then.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I saw a lot of players coming out saying like JJ Watt was one, I forget who. The other one RJ three was another one. Yeah, robert Griffin III was saying it. It's just a weird thing but it was worth bringing up at least, cause I do and we talked about it a little bit on the way to Ohio State.
Speaker 1:And to summarize that up yeah, I think hardball is sick and tired of that. And also, let's talk actual football. Michigan State decided to relay signs from one quarterback to the other on the sideline as a precautionary measure, which looks like a lot of drama to me, and also, clearly, it didn't make a difference.
Speaker 3:Well, it's funny that you said let's talk real football, and then followed it up by saying Michigan State. That's what they were playing was not football. I mean, we knew it from the start, I do have to say something to you, because you tweeted something out that was a garbage thing to say, where you called this win against Michigan State a statement win by the Wolverines. It is not. They were trash. They are a trash can of a football team. It's a statement win and you should slaughter them.
Speaker 1:It's a statement win. No, given everything that Michigan has had to deal with. No, if that is a statement win, everything we just talked about If that is a statement win.
Speaker 3:all seven of Ohio State's victories are monstrous, destructive statement victories.
Speaker 1:We'll talk about how to monster the Ohio State's offense.
Speaker 3:Because there is no way you walk away from that game. And it's exactly it's what frustrates me about Michigan sometimes is-. This podcast is spicy and I love it. Your fan base gets so hyped every time you go out and do exactly what you should do. You should have gone out and beat this Michigan State team the way you did. They are not even close to the talent level you guys are at. It should have been 49 to nothing. It should have been worse. I think I had it at 56 to six.
Speaker 1:Which, by the way, the officials kind of bailed out Michigan State at the end of the first half.
Speaker 3:To me when you are an elite level program like Michigan, when you are going into a season with the expectation of its national championship or bust, basically for you guys. You've been in the playoffs two years, this is your third year. Mccarthy's under center for another four years. Starter, you've got Corbin Edwards saying they're the best running back duo. You have an elite level offense. You have an elite level defense.
Speaker 3:You go into the season and the way Michigan State has this isn't the Michigan State of old. That's coming into the big house or you guys are going away where it's a hostile environment and it's two ranked teams going head to head. This is Michigan State who just let go their coach, who they had signed to a 10 year $95 million contract, if you didn't know. Who is on their backup quarterback, who has literally their best offensive player from last year left and is now doing highlight real plays for Florida State. This is a absolutely decapitated like. This is not the same team. So coming out and saying that is a statement win is. It is for the teams you've played previously this year, because those are also dumpster fire teams, but that is not. Come out and beat Penn State handily and that is a statement.
Speaker 1:Reading comprehension is not your strong.
Speaker 3:Beating Michigan State 49 to nothing when you are as talented as loaded of a roster as Michigan has is what you should expect.
Speaker 1:The statement win is dominating your rival front to back. It's and it's more about in the comment and again, this is where comprehension is important. The statement win is more about the fact of, with everything Michigan has had to deal with with, you bought a kid at cheeseburger and you stretched for like 15 extra minutes on a Friday and then the some coach has kind of butt hurt that you guys really are good at your job. So we're going to open investigation and paint it like you guys have broken, you know, the Geneva convention for Michigan to ignore that noise and dominate front to back, start to finish. That's the statement. It's not about whether or not Michigan State's a good program.
Speaker 3:I don't think the players care that much. I think it's a strict coaching thing.
Speaker 1:But they hear the noise, but it's not against them.
Speaker 3:It's all against your. Coaches are doing this.
Speaker 1:This is happening with your, but it does implicate you, because if teams are saying you're only good because XYZ, to go to go front to back like that.
Speaker 1:Because here's and here's the back to the actual football piece of this there's a big difference, and again, not not in a statement win because of the quality of opponent type of way, but for Michigan there's a big difference between scraping by and dominating. Look at what Oklahoma almost did this weekend. Oklahoma played UCF and was fortunate to get a win. Look at what Texas did with Houston. Houston almost had a massive upset. Look at what Vanderbilt almost did to Georgia. Look at what Boston college almost did to Florida State. Frankly, look at what a three loss Clemson almost did to Florida State If they had a field goal kicker. So Michigan has not had a game like that. Michigan has come out and they have done yes, they've done what they're supposed to do, but other top teams in the country have not.
Speaker 3:They've got a win Sure.
Speaker 1:Look, look, look. Did you watch Washington, yeah?
Speaker 3:but I think you're missing all of it. Washington did not score an offensive touchdown.
Speaker 1:They won what? 15 to six, 15 to nine, something like that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think there's a team that you're leaving out on purpose.
Speaker 1:No, but they barely squeaked by Arizona State. Michigan has not had a game like that, so a 50 point win, I'll take that any day of the week.
Speaker 3:It's not anything to be sad about for any reason.
Speaker 1:But if you can't see the difference between that, you're not a serious person. I'm sorry. I'm done dealing with non-serious Buckeye fans in my mentions. I would so strongly disagree, Bill Preston and CEO of the river, I would so strongly disagree. But stop in the box.
Speaker 3:I don't think you can. I just don't think you considered that a statement win. Is it a good win? Absolutely. Anytime you beat your rival by 50, it is a great victory. You're gonna love to see it, especially when you're on their home turf doing it in front of their fans and making them all cry. That's a lovely thing. But it's just a statement win. To me is people are doubting you. You're going into it. To me, it's the Ohio State versus Notre Dame. Nobody expected you to walk out of Notre Dame Stadium with a victory.
Speaker 2:You were betting sailing you go. Nobody talked to you. You're betting favorite.
Speaker 3:Every single person on game day, every person you talk to, every single person, yourself included, thinks Ohio State's gonna lose. You go into a game against Penn State. Every single person is there calling for the upset. All over Twitter, all over the national media, everybody's saying Penn State's gonna go in. This is their year to go ahead and do it. And Ohio State just dominates them Okay and absolutely.
Speaker 3:And so you go into this. You go into this. Those are statement wins. Where Kyle McCord goes into a Notre Dame game doubted at the quarterback position and leads a final drive like that and they secure a win in a tough road environment at night where everything was against them, that is a statement win. Beating little little brother, the in child of like a family of eight, is literally not a statement win. But we'll move on. Because I read that this weekend and I thought there's just no way this man walks away believing I see where your head was at.
Speaker 1:I still disagree with it, but JJ McCarthy is also the betting favorite for the Heisman.
Speaker 3:It's not going to happen.
Speaker 1:Big thanks, by the way, to our friends at Elevated Integrity Construction for sponsoring this podcast, and Aaron Carroll. If you're listening, you might be thinking maybe I should back out of that. We've already spent it Sorry.
Speaker 1:If you have got a building project for your church, your home, your business, these guys know what they're doing. Go with integrity. You don't have to have any sort of guesswork. That's the last thing you need in a project. They won't do it. They have been around for forever. They do great work. Fully endorse them. Go with integrity. At Elevated Integritycom. By the way, I want to say a big thanks as well, because our sponsorship is part of it, but also our Patreon subscribers are a huge deal. I want to say thanks to Elizabeth and Bill for jumping on the Patreon train. Thank you so much for doing that. You help us say yes to more opportunities to creating more content, better content. We've got college football playoffs coming up, presumably for one or both teams. Big 10 championship presumably for one of these teams.
Speaker 1:So thank you so much for your support. We've got stickers, we've got T shirts, we've got exclusive content. You can find out what it looks like to become a subscriber at riverradiocom slash rivalry, and also you can find us on social media at rival pod, instagram, twitter, youtube, you name it, we're there.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and if you would have been following us, you would have seen me sweating it out a little bit at this past weekend's Ohio State game, so we're going to start talking about it a little bit. I was going to wear my Ohio State stuff, but I decided I'd wear one every day, this or every every incompletion Drew Aller had, I'd wear one to honor that.
Speaker 3:And I ran out of Buckeye shirts because the dude was just all over the place. I tweeted this out and I am very uh, I'm not superstitious, but I am a little stitious, as you should be. And so your football face. I, uh, I I had a lot of tweets when Ohio State went up 20 to six that I held off on tweeting until that that clock hit zero because I knew I'm also a Browns fan. I've been there and I thought if I tweet this out and we lose, it is my fault.
Speaker 2:So it's safe now.
Speaker 3:It's safe now. Um, there was a tweet that I had sent out that said if Drew Aller's receivers were 15 yards further down the field, his completion percentage would be great. And, uh, he was just not there. 15 of what like 42, 18 of 42 for 191. He got a garbage time touchdown. That Ohio State gave him like 30 yards on stupid penalties, one roughing the passer. That was weak.
Speaker 1:Um, I don't even remember what the other one was, but even the touchdown and I I mentioned this to you and again, I this is not the podcast for like X's and O's analytics. If you're looking for that, sorry, you're going to have to find something else but one of the things that I noticed on even on the touchdown. So Alar rolls out and he's got his running back on this whole wheel route.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:And what you do in that scenario, because I and I've watched I watched McCarthy do this last week, maybe a couple of weeks ago is once you get that guy to commit you're waiting for the linebacker or whoever the defender to commit, you don't you?
Speaker 1:you make him defend the run. As soon as he does that, you toss it to the guy's wide open. So our comes out, he gets the defender to finally start taking a step towards him and instead of flinging it to the wide open running back now, he fires it cross body into the back of the end zone, which happens to hit a receiver for a touchdown Stuff like that. Where I go? Where's the football IQ here? Like if, if I can analyze this and go boy, that doesn't look right.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Get done, mesta. He did not have a good football game at all and it it confirms what you and I have kind of suspected for a while, which is drew our is and let me find the technical term here Drew our is, but facts he's not. It's just not good Like you're throwing the ball 41 times in a one score game.
Speaker 3:That's not good. What a shame for for James Franklin to throw him. You have Nick singleton and you have K. Tron Allen who Ohio state relatively shut down. They, I mean they had like 48 and 26 or something.
Speaker 1:A piece that was yeah, that was the most impressive piece of the defense Penn.
Speaker 3:State as a team had under 50 yards rushing, ohio state's defense was just electric to me. That was a game. I already kind of thought it going after the Notre Dame game. And then how they kind of handled towel against Maryland, how they handled Western Kentucky, I thought, oh, that one's a little bit if because it's Western Kentucky turns out is very bad.
Speaker 3:but I walk into towel Leah games and I walk into the Sam Hartman games and and we talked about this and I want to kind of branch off of this as well but you look at those games and you expect these are going to be the, the quarterbacks that are going to pose a threat, based off last year when Ohio state secondary really struggled. And you thought these are the quarterbacks they're going to, are they're going to have elite games. You thought the same thing for drew our going in. Everybody thought this was going to be his first legacy.
Speaker 3:This is going to be what gets Penn State over the hump. They finally have a guy that could be an elite level quarterback and he played awful. And I want to. I want to talk about this. We talked about it briefly, leaving the game. Kyle McCord in comparison to these, because I have a lot of criticism and I saw something on Twitter after the game Maybe it was even Sunday where they were saying there was a Buckeye fan that was going off saying I don't understand the McCord hate. He's led this team to seven and no, and I don't disagree, but I but I also disagree because the dude has come like that man.
Speaker 2:Well, yes, but also but also.
Speaker 3:Have you considered this? And there's some, there's some other stats that I think are a little bit interesting. But you go into these big games. You go into Notre Dame and the biggest talking point is you have this wide gap when it comes to Sam Hartman and Kyle McCord. Yeah, kyle McCord wins that matchup to me. You go into Maryland, another tough team where people thought this is a potential upset.
Speaker 3:Talia is the better quarterback. I even said it on the podcast that he's the second best quarterback in the big 10. You go into that game. Everybody's expecting Talia to pose a threat. He has his worst game of the season two interceptions. I don't think he even broke 200 yards either. If so, he barely did, but I think he even had like 191.
Speaker 3:Then you go into this game and I think McCord outplayed him then. Then you go into this game and it's drew allers. What's going to take Penn state over the hump? He is the clear difference maker. The gap between them is just huge. Kyle McCord outplayed him. Now going to Kyle McCord, he still played an okay game. There are some games that I walk away and statistically he looks fine, and this was a game. I think what frustrates me the most, and this is my big thing with Kyle McCord, it's not that he makes bad plays, although there were some ugly ones. Game, yeah, the one where he rolled out and tried to force something through the bond. It was a fumble and then they returned it for a touchdown.
Speaker 1:They got lucky that it was something like a defensive illegal contact Like it was a defensive, it was a holding call that didn't happen something yeah, I didn't need to happen a very costly mistake by Penn State because it cost him six huge. Momentum, like I mean that's, that's a game changer, momentum shifter for sure.
Speaker 3:So he got bailed out on that. That would have been what we talked about in the past of he's not turned the ball over, he's not made bad mistakes, he has had a habit of doing that and it just hasn't. The other team hasn't been able to capitalize on it, I wasn't caught up to him.
Speaker 3:That was one where I thought it was finally gonna happen and it didn't. He has bone-headed plays like that. Yeah, he also has plays that we saw this past week where, sure, you look at the final score, it was 20 to 12, the garbage time touchdown, whatever it was. Like 20 to 6, ohio State's defense absolutely shut Penn State down. But you look at that and what's frustrating is the amount of points you leave on the board.
Speaker 3:Yes, there were several plays in that game, one I believe to Julian Fleming and I believe the other was Marvin. Maybe I'm wrong on this, but there were at least two plays where he has a wide open receiver and there were numerous plays that weren't big chunk plays, but they were. Places would have given Ohio State a first down. Yeah, that he just overshot. It was over their head, it was a little bit in front, maybe a little bit behind. His placement sometimes just isn't there and it's costing them first down opportunities. In this game alone, there were at least two or three plays that should have been touchdowns. This should have been an absolute blowout.
Speaker 1:And so that's right, an absolute blow. But I agree with you.
Speaker 3:I, I think.
Speaker 1:Well, if they get those, it's 30, something to 12 look at, you had one Drive that End up with a field. Yeah, you had another drive that was a missed field goal, and then you had the ball. What?
Speaker 3:at the one, one or two six inch line had two shots at and couldn't do it well, and so what's what's weird about that is you go in and at the time you're only up ten to six. So you go up, you get to the one yard line, you run it with my and Williams. He gets like a two yard loss. So then you're like there for sure gonna kick it. You're gonna go up by seven, absolutely and make it comfortable. Ryan day chooses to go for it, which we've talked about, and I've criticized Ryan day in the past for this, because I think he's what cost us the Georgia game. I would stand on that hill, I would die on that hill every single day of the week. There were decisions in that game that he lost for us. This was one where, when he made that call, I thought this is gonna come back to haunt us and Thankfully it didn't. But how you don't kick the field going that any in a low scoring.
Speaker 1:You've got to be able and I'm gonna sound like a Michigan guy here, but I think I'm saying the same thing you are. Ryan day gets out and I'm not saying he did necessarily in this game, but in that moment yeah and actually I will go ahead and say he did not get out coach in this game because James Franklin is also my coach, but Ryan day has he's.
Speaker 1:He gets in that mindset and I think, for me personally, I think it goes back to the toughness thing. It goes back to the wears, wears, loo holds right now.
Speaker 1:I don't mind, we're not, we're tough, it's the. The simple thing to do here in a low scoring 10-6 game is Kick a field goal and go up by a touchdown. Yes, but I've, and again, I can't prove it. It's like a sign, stealing allegation, but it's, I can't prove it. But in my mind it's the no, we're tough and we're gonna punch it in and what you end up doing is. But the play call doesn't make sense, yeah it's like I'm jet sweep on fourth and one against Notre Dame.
Speaker 1:Did it come back to bite you? No but boy was it close.
Speaker 3:But I also think and I just don't get that mentality here's my issue with it is you're a genius if it works, you're stupid if it doesn't. Sure. And and my issue with it is, but it doesn't work, you shouldn't have done it because of the personnel that you had available to you that day. My and Williams has barely seen the field all season long and you're trusting essentially who I'm gonna call your third string Running back at the time. You're gonna trust him now. I am a firm believer. And you are Ohio State and I would say the same for Michigan. Yeah, if you are an elite level program and you are at the one yard line, it should get. It should be a touchdown every single time.
Speaker 1:Ten out of ten.
Speaker 3:It's inexcusable to not so for Ohio State. When you get to the one yard line I'm expecting you to go for it twice, but I'm expecting if you don't get it on third down You're running the same thing because your mentality is we're gonna get it. The second he went back for two. That's when I go. Three yards is different than having to punch it in a couple inches because then I can do a touch push, I can do whatever to get Kyle McCord and I can do anything like that.
Speaker 1:I get that Devon Brown. Probably it's a different play call with Devon Brown in there. You've got to adjust, man. Yeah, you are. You are a well-paid football. You have Marvin Harrison Jr I. Just when you're born on third base, though you know there's a learning curve, that's my gotta pick it up.
Speaker 3:So I think you walk away from that and you go. What's frustrating about this Ohio State offense isn't Kyle McCord it it starts with him, but it's the fact of you have so many chances. I think it's built up frustration from Travion Henderson being unavailable for what? This was his third game now. Yeah, he didn't play Maryland and the whole like didn't play Purdue didn't play this Travion.
Speaker 1:He could have gone, but we held him out. I don't buy that. Yeah, I also, and I like I get that he may have been a game-time decision. I get the Igbuka was a game-time decision and. I get the I I understand the very, because that's that's a very hard-bought type thing where I'm gonna tell you nothing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and that's fine.
Speaker 1:The but the whole like well he could have. We hope that, boba, I don't, if I don't buy any of that I have no idea who's playing on.
Speaker 3:Well, and I think what's frustrating about that is Chip Travion has been fine. He's been serviceable. Myon Williams hasn't touched the field at all. Last year he was an 800 yard back. So you look at that, you go okay, he's serviceable. But the thing that's frustrating is they're trying to run my and Williams outside all the time right when he's a vertical runner.
Speaker 3:But then you have a guy like Dallin Hayden who last week against Purdue has a great game, he's phenomenal, goes in and he sees nothing. And it's like if you know that you're gonna be running to the outside, switch up your personnel to favor that, not run my and Williams on these sweeps or these stretch plays when he's getting taken down in the backfield fighting to get back to the line of scrimmage and I.
Speaker 1:It just didn't make sense for me as a as a Michigan man, because again, we're a month out from the game. Yeah, it feels like this season has flown by, but we're a month out. The fact that Ohio State is still not able to run the ball successfully is a really from the Michigan side is a very good sign. Yeah, and I think because even again, even in this game, here and again, penn State's got a good defense, two and a half yards of carry. Yeah, that's just not gonna get it done.
Speaker 1:And before we move on to the Wisconsin cause, I think we should just get to that, but to some and all comment to make here before we get there to some it all up.
Speaker 3:I think what frustrates at least me personally I'll speak to myself as a Buckeye fan what frustrates me about this offense is I feel like there are so many opportunities. I feel like our offense is just as explosive as last year. It could be, and we're just missing it by a hair. It's just McCord being a little. He's no CJ, he never will be, and that's fine and I think people need to get that.
Speaker 1:You'll never be him.
Speaker 3:I think people need to get that through their head. I did think it was interesting. I decided to look this up last night, through the first seven games last year versus this year, just to compare the two, and I didn't end up figuring out touchdowns. I did it a couple of weeks ago, I think, before Maryland, and by this point CJ already had over 20 touchdowns. It was like he had like 25 touchdowns or something Like. That number is vastly different and that's obviously gonna be the case. After seven games last year CJ only had a little over 2000 yards. Right now McCord is at like 1900 something. There's not a huge gap. He's throwing the ball effectively and he's played two top 10 teams. At the time, one on the road. I would say Penn State had a better defense than Notre Dame.
Speaker 3:And he has played well. He hasn't had a CJ game where you walk away and go. That guy is an absolute stud. But moving forward, I feel very comfortable with McCord at quarterback. I would even say after these past couple of tests, after Notre Dame and after Penn State, I'm putting him as the second best quarterback in the big 10.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think so. I think so. And here's what gets me is the big question coming out of that game, as we kind of move towards Wisconsin here, the big question coming out of that game was are these good defenses or bad offenses? And I think the answer is yes. Like I think and our buddy Dylan Davis with Delaware Gazette said you know, the defense is going to give you a chance to win any game. Your defense is going to give you a chance to win any game. I think that's fair. The offense is real ugly.
Speaker 3:It hurts when you go into it and you don't have Henderson. You don't know what this, I don't know what this carousel of running backs is where you're going training them?
Speaker 1:you're going mine, even in the year though, man, like you scored, you know you scored. And again Notre Dame and Penn State. Like you can say well, that's good competition. You scored 20 against Penn State. That's like that's not up to Ohio State, typical offensive explosiveness 17 against Notre Dame, took every last second to do it. But then, even early in the year, 23 against Indiana, 35 against an FCS school. Like that, to me, is concerning when you look at teams and that kind of goes back to the Michigan side, where I go. Okay, well, you scored 23 on Indiana, michigan scored 52.
Speaker 1:You scored first game of the year but you scored 35 on an FCS school. Michigan just dropped 50 on a divisional opponent.
Speaker 3:So like that's where it's like but then we dropped 41 against Purdue.
Speaker 1:Okay, cool.
Speaker 3:But like A divisional opponent. But that's not you scored 8 points less than you guys against Michigan State.
Speaker 1:That's not been consistent, though. This you're not. Ohio State is not going to be a team that's going to be able to win shootouts this year. They're not going to win shootouts. It's going to be the face of that, Not unless things get cleaned up.
Speaker 3:To me, the difference between them taking that next step is McCord has to be able to be just a tad. He's not Drew Aller overthrowing by 10 yards. No, but he's A little bit, but he's inconsistent.
Speaker 1:And this goes back to the Jekyll and Hyde thing I've said before. There are moments where he looks really good and then there are moments you're going what in the world is that? That will not win you championships? Yeah, I think it's too inconsistent. The biggest takeaway before it's just way inconsistent.
Speaker 3:The biggest takeaway before we go to Wisconsin is, I think, mccord. It's all a mental thing for him right now. I think the skill set is there, but there were times, even this past game against Penn State, where he was trying to make too much out of stuff and there's got to be a teachable moment where you take him aside and go on that play where he fumbled and Penn State returned it. Just take the sack. Take the sack, cover it up, secure the ball and go. There's no need to force anything. We have the playmakers to get those chunk yardage. We have Marvin Harrison Jr who erupted again for 11 yards, 165 in a touchdown. I mean, you have the playmakers. So, moving into Wisconsin, this week.
Speaker 1:Yeah, here's the good news for all that yeah Is Wisconsin is up next?
Speaker 3:Yes, and I do think going into Wisconsin. This is something that I feel like and I was listening to WNCI this morning and they were talking about this. Normally they go through and they prep like what their thoughts are for this week and they were just shook, shaking in their boots having to go play Wisconsin, and to me it is a like they are your very. I don't really watch the game, but I'm a Buckeye fan.
Speaker 1:Buckeye fan because the people that are in my mentioned. So I'm looking at McCord for Heisman I go. She did not watch the game.
Speaker 3:It's the people like that, where this is not the Wisconsin of old where you go in. And I will still say Camp Randall is a tough place to play.
Speaker 1:I think that. I think that that crowd at night is always going to be tough at night.
Speaker 3:I think they're going to be ready to go. But let's be real. Wisconsin's on their backup. Yep, tanner Mordecai is out. The only person they really have is Braylon Allen. Yeah, he's got 700 yards on the year.
Speaker 3:I will say that is the key Going up to this game, and it's the same thing I said against Penn State. You've got to be able to stop the run, and having to go up against K-Tron Allen and Nick Singleton had me had me nervous. Yeah, it's the same reason I would, I would say, against Michigan. Anything like that is what I had against Notre Dame is, if they get their running back going, it could cause some problems. Ohio State, after this Penn State game, proved to me that their defense is elite enough, braylon Allen being the only person I have to focus on stopping. If I'm Jim Knowles, I am not remotely worried about that. I am very.
Speaker 3:The only thing I want to see from this game and then I'll let you share your thoughts on it I want to see a healthy Buckeye team. I need to see Travion Henderson. I know after this game we've got Rutgers coming up, but he's got to get himself warmed up and back into a rhythm. The dude can't take four or five weeks out and expect to come back and play Michigan. You've got to have him ready to go. I want to see a Buckeye come back, even if he's on limited count. I want to see Denzel Burke back, even though I don't think it'll be necessary. I just want all of our key guys, because you go into this, you go looking back at the Penn State game and you go, man, three of our key guys are out.
Speaker 1:One of our best defensive players, you want guys to be in rhythm because we're again. We just like about.
Speaker 3:We're a month out from Michigan the end of the season. You just can't afford to have rust. So I'd like to see Henderson. Even if they're on a snap count, I'd love to see Henderson and Ibuka and Denzel Burke get out there. This is a game Ohio State should walk away, much like last year, in dominating fashion. I've got my final score 34-13.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're real close on that. This is not a great Wisconsin team. They had to mount a fourth quarter comeback to beat Illinois. They got beat 15 to six by Iowa. For context, yeah, gross. Like I don't. I don't know how to analyze that.
Speaker 3:They barely beat Rutgers. They got a pick six to beat that, but it was a much closer. I think the final is 24-13.
Speaker 1:I will say. I will say this, Like I think Luke Fickle will use Braylon Allen a lot better than Franklin used his running back.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:I don't know how you have Singleton and Allen and throw the ball 40 plus times.
Speaker 3:That's what I'm saying, especially when the running game was kind of going off at the beginning.
Speaker 1:I have no idea what James Franklin is doing, because I don't. I don't have. I think Ohio State's defense is is good. I was impressed that they stopped the run. I'm not with you that I'm not willing to call them elite, because I watched, drew our play and I think drew our beat himself, but I do think that there are.
Speaker 3:I think the defense is still elite. I think.
Speaker 1:I don't think the defense is elite. I think they're very good, though I'm not ready to put them in the week category, but they're very good regardless. When you know and you nailed it when you know Braylon Allen is the game plan Braylon.
Speaker 2:Allen is the game plan.
Speaker 1:I just I don't see Wisconsin having enough on either side of the ball to make this terribly competitive. The spread, the initial 14, I assume that that will move in Ohio State's favor 35 to 10.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it was 14 and a half this morning.
Speaker 1:So 35, 10, ohio State. I don't see Ohio State again for the reasons I've already talked about. I don't see him putting up a ton of points, but I also don't see Wisconsin with anything to break this defense.
Speaker 3:I could see it being like a 17 to three half time or something, and you'd be like I don't know what I'm watching.
Speaker 1:It's going to be boring football.
Speaker 3:I don't think it's going to be a I would, I, would, I would say I would say I would love that after the past couple of weeks blowout per se, but the game also will not be close it will not. I mean 34,.
Speaker 1:13 to me is is it's not a blowout, but also it's very comfortable and it's going to be boring, absolutely boring. Can't wait Again. You can give your thoughts, predictions at rival pod. Let's finish this out with stupid genius or stupid genius. Upset picks of the week. The scoreboard right now, I believe I am up 47.5 to nothing, something like that I'd stopped counting.
Speaker 1:I have not, I have points for picking the upset correctly, plus whatever the spread was they overcame. Neither of us got it right this past weekend. I was. I was close. Tennessee looked like they were going to beat Bama for a little bit and then fell apart. Who? I'll let you go first? Who do you have this week? You're not going to like it. You're not going to like it.
Speaker 3:I forget what the spread is, because I tried to print out my paper with my notes and it was not on there. Uh, I'm going Colorado over number 23, ucla. Would you stop? Absolutely not. What's the spread? I don't have it in front of me. I feel like it was 17.
Speaker 1:Maybe it doesn't matter. I feel like it was 17. It doesn't matter, ucla is going to roll. Uh, give me, give me Kansas plus 10 against Oklahoma. No way, rock jock baby. No, and you made fun of mine. Oklahoma almost got beat by Central Florida last week. They almost got beat by Central Florida at home.
Speaker 2:They've got to go to.
Speaker 3:KU.
Speaker 1:They've got to go to KU. Kansas was ranked earlier this year.
Speaker 3:It's not a tough place to play.
Speaker 1:Have you ever? Oh wait, is this basketball or not? It's not change your vote.
Speaker 2:I've made a grave mistake. Absolutely no too late too late, too late.
Speaker 1:Final thing here give me your top four and your first two out as we wrap up. All right, Because next week is the first release of the college football playoff rankings on Tuesday night. So this is the last chance to get this in before next week comes.
Speaker 3:Before we close this out, I would like to say one, just a tiny snippet.
Speaker 1:What else could?
Speaker 3:you possibly say how about Rutgers being bowl eligible? Can we just take just five seconds? We've started, we're chopping, chopping a little bit the last thing I'll say did I look at the eight people and they were receiving votes. Rank them, you cowards. What are you doing, go Knights? Baby Greg Shiano dancing Is.
Speaker 1:Rutgers Michigan's best win. It absolutely is At six and two, Isn't it See? What's nice is that Michigan schedule is Michigan's schedule. But also, I could say, man, Michigan beat a bowl eligible team by like 40 points.
Speaker 3:Is Michigan State Bowl eligible?
Speaker 1:They are not. Oh you go, you go. Michigan beat a six and two team by like 30, 40 points. You go, oh my gosh, that's, that's really good. Who was it? I?
Speaker 3:would say it doesn't matter, don't you shame my Scarlet Knights. Here's my top four and my first two out Also birds up. Congrats to our boys at UCSA.
Speaker 1:Beating up on FAU.
Speaker 3:Well done here. My college football playoff top four Michigan, ohio State, florida State, georgia. I'm putting Georgia at four. I think you guys are going to have to play them. Then I think it'll be Ohio State and Florida State. I think the Brock Bowers loss is going to be huge. I think it is too. So I don't. I just don't trust them. I don't know if I think that. I don't know if I see them losing it was. It's just tough for me to think that they are going to be a tougher team to play than Michigan or Ohio State moving forward.
Speaker 1:It's very feasible, though, that they win out and then lose to Alabama and the SES title, but I think it's still I think if, if they lose without Bowers, but Bowers is eligible to come back and he's able to return for the playoffs?
Speaker 3:They are a better team than Alabama's, even if they would lose to them. So I think the committee would take that into effect. So those are my final, my final four, my first two out. I'll go Washington and then I don't have faith in Oklahoma.
Speaker 1:But you kind of you gotta put them there.
Speaker 3:Joe, I have to because they're undefeated. So Washington and Oklahoma.
Speaker 1:It's the same teams, just switched around.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and that was in no particular order.
Speaker 1:Yes, I have. I have Michigan number one because I do strongly believe that they are a better team than Georgia right now. And again, does Brock Bowers affect that? I would say it even with Bowers. But I think what I've seen with let's kind of get through South Carolina, who's got two wins. Let's kind of get through Vanderbilt, michigan's number one. Ohio State, I think, is number two because they've got it on the resume, whether or not. I think they're elite, whatever.
Speaker 3:They have the best resume so far in the NCAA. I do agree, but number two.
Speaker 1:Georgia. I'll keep it three because they haven't lost. Washington is at four, scraping past Arizona State. You're still top four for the win over Oregon, but I'm watching you.
Speaker 3:Penix took himself out of the Heisman race for me, Well again.
Speaker 1:I don't know if you've heard, but McCarthy is now the betting favorite. Oklahoma and Fortessay to the first two out Fortessay. I don't know how they keep getting away with it. They keep getting away with it.
Speaker 3:Well, what's thinking happens is my guy, leonard from Duke goes out at the worst possible second. It's like, hey, duke is ready to go, they're ready it was the same thing that happened versus USC or against Notre Dame, sorry. And they go into it and David Leonard is sitting there and he's like I'm ready to go, I'm ready to go. Then he gets hurt and he's out and they put a backup in and then they lose the game. This game happens. Duke is playing well, the whole game. They have a chance, he goes out and they put a backup in. Who's throwing it to Florida State?
Speaker 2:And I'm like Duke, you would be so good if.
Speaker 3:Leonard could just stay on the field in the crucial moments of the fourth quarter. This could happen.
Speaker 1:I could have some points of stupid genius, speaking of teams that would be so good if they weren't bad. Fight on losers. Fight on losers Also. Heisman candidate CAK will Williams. Thanks so much for playing.
Speaker 3:Oh yikes, Thanks so much for playing.
Speaker 1:Good luck to you the rest of the way. I guess yeah, yikes US, talk to your kids about Liberty Bowlbound USC. I saw a prediction.
Speaker 3:they were gonna play my Scarlet Knights in some random ball game. Can't wait. Usc Rutgers Quicklane.
Speaker 1:Bowl in Detroit. We're going.
Speaker 3:Oh, buy my tickets right now, thanks so much for subscribing.
Speaker 2:The rivalry is a production of River Radio Ministries. Want live updates from the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. At RivalPod, Visit our Patreon and consider becoming a patron for exclusive bonus content, merch and more, and be sure to follow us wherever you're listening now for new episodes every Tuesday and if you like what you're hearing, tell a friend so they can listen too.