Murphy Horning on College Football

After a 35-28 loss to Oregon on September 11th, a 41-20 win against Tulsa did little to calm the nerves of Buckeye fans. To be sure, Ohio State's performance against the Golden Hurricane won't cut it against teams like Penn State, Michigan or Iowa if the Buckeyes get that far. That being said, here's the three biggest reasons Ohio State has struggled the first three games.  Lack of progression from C.J. Stroud Stroud has shown signs of brilliance. He threw for four touchdowns in his debut at Minnesota, and 484 yards vs Oregon, but there are some troubling trends. There hasn't been any notable progression from Stroud, as his quarterback rating has declined in each of the last three games. A lot Stroud's problems, namely overthrowing open receivers and being too tentative when rolling outside the pocket are normal problems for young QBs, but there hasn't been any noticeable improvement. It is worth noting that Tulsa dropped eight back in coverage, which makes thin...

by Murphy Horning Storylines This is the first meeting between the Buckeyes and Gophers since 2018, and OSU's first trip to Minneapolis since 2014. Ohio State leads the all time series 46-7-0 against Minnesota in 53 meetings (of which Ohio State has won the last 11, including the vacated 2010 victory). The Gophers haven't beaten the Buckeyes since 2000, and haven't won against Ohio State in Minneapolis since 1981.  Ohio State is once again heavily favored to win the Big Ten, plus heavy favorites to get to the College Football Playoff for the 3rd year in a row. On offense, the Buckeyes are strong all over (strongest at O-line and wide receiver) and have a new starting quarterback in redshirt freshman C.J. Stroud. On defense, the Buckeyes front four is strong, but the back 7 (especially in the secondary) is a question mark. Minnesota went 3-4 last year in Big Ten play, a drop-off from the Gophers 11-2 season in 2019. The Gophers hope to get back to relevance in the Big Ten We...

by Murphy Horning #1 Alabama The Tide does lose eight offensive starters including QB Mac Jones, two NFL wide receivers including Heisman winning WR DeVonta Smith, and three starting offensive linemen. The defense returns eight starters and should be stronger than last year. This Alabama team is supremely talented as they have 2021's #1 recruiting class.  'Bama is a logical choice for #1 as they are the reigning national champs. The Tide only has one national title in the five times they've been ranked #1 under Nick Saban. They did lose a lot on offense, but Alabama (and incoming QB Bryce Young) more than deserves the benefit of the doubt. This team is surely a title contender, but because of the inexperienced offense, it's too early to rank the Tide #1. Overrated #2 Oklahoma The Sooners have Heisman favorite Spencer Rattler as their starting QB, and return their top three wide receivers on offense.  Alex Grinch's Sooners defense was statistically slightly better th...

by Murphy Horning With Texas and Oklahoma dropping the bomb by announcing their move to the SEC, the Big 12 will be dead by 2025 (if not sooner). Realignment chaos in college football is just getting started, and the next couple years will be much like 2011-12 when the Big East collapsed, Texas A&M and Missouri joined the SEC, and when West Virginia joined the Big 12 (speaking of....).  The Big Ten leads all Power Five conferences in revenue  (it's the B1G, the SEC and everyone else with revenue) and other programs across college sports. Other schools would be enticed by a great TV package in the B1G. That being said, it's impossible for the Big Ten to land the coup the SEC did.  Still, change is likely coming. Rumors indicate the Big Ten only wants to add AAU schools, with Notre Dame as an exception (indeed, 13 of 14 Big Ten schools are AAU members, and Nebraska was an AAU school before joining the conference) which narrows down the list of programs the Big Ten co...

by Murphy Horning DEFENSE Defensive Line:  Easily the Buckeyes' best defensive unit coming into fall camp. OSU did lose 2nd team all-B1G D-lineman Tommy Togiai plus Jonathan Cooper, but return 2nd team All-American Haskell Garrett plus five-star Taron Vincent, whom Ryan Day thinks can  take off  in 2021. OSU's pass rush slipped in 2020, with only 21 sacks compared to 54 in 2019. Look for the sack number to go up, as the Buckeyes have Jack Sawyer (three sacks in the spring game) and in July, Ohio State signed defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, the #1 recruit for 2021. The interior is strong once again, and the pass rush should perform. Linebacker:  Ohio State replaces their three starting linebackers and their top backup linebacker from 2020. There is more uncertainty for this group than any other position on the team, as the current linebacking corps only saw a combined 200 snaps and made 37 tackles last year. OSU madden USC senior transfer Palaie Gaeteote IV, who has 105...

by Murphy Horning OFFENSE Quarterback: This is the first time since 1952 that Ohio State doesn't have a QB who's never thrown a collegiate pass, but the expectations are high for whomever wins the job. Redshirt Freshman C.J. Stroud is the favorite to win the job, as he spent a year practicing in Day's offense. Kyle McCord was thought as the man behind Stroud, as he impressed in the spring game going 12 for 17 with 184 yards and two TDs. Quinn Ewers skipping his senior year does change the dynamic, as he is the best QB recruit since Trevor Lawrence.   Will there be another Haskins-Burrow situation in Columbus?  Runningback: Deep position for the Buckeyes .  but who will emerge as the #1 guy with 2020's leading rusher Trey Sermon gone to the NFL? Master Teague has had a solid career, averaging 5.5 YPC and 13 rushing touchdowns, but hasn't emerged as a #1 RB quite yet. OSU signed 2021's #1 RB TreVeyon Henderson, who may be the most talented back Ohio State's ev...

by Murphy Horning Wisconsin Offense: Graham Mertz wowed people with a five touchdown performance in the opener vs Illinois, but he had four TD's and five picks in the remaining games. He's back for 2021. The usually strong Wisconsin run game averaged only 3.9 yards a carry in 2020. Badgers add two freshman RB's plus Clemson transfer Chaz Mellusi.  Defense: Wisconsin's defense is always good, and last year they were third best in the Big Ten only giving up 17 points per game. This year they return eight starters, including seven of their top eight tacklers. The Badgers may have the strongest defense in the Big Ten, and one of the best in CFB.  Outlook: The defense will be strong. Can Mertz stay consistent and can the Badgers run the ball in 2021 like they usually do? Wisconsin should be favored in at least 11 games (Notre Dame in Chicago on Sep 25 looks like a tossup). The Badgers are a dark horse playoff contender. Can they finally knock off OSU?  Iowa Offense: The Hawk...