I have to be honest I think it’s pretty silly to create a list of top newcomers and then fill it up with guys who transferred from other programs where they’d previously had successful careers. Just my opinion, but I think top newcomers should be guys who’ve never seen significant playing time for any team before and are now making an impact on the game.

That must be the fastest rule change in the history of college football.

The call on Smith was only bad from the perspective of OSU fans.  He aggressively pushed the defender away to get himself open for an easy reception. It took the DB two steps to recover from the momentum of that push. That will draw a flag 9 times out of 10.  It was unfortunate, but it is what occurred.

Johnson is a good coach, but this idea that he turns guys into NFL players doesn’t really ring true to me. The ability to play in the NFL rests primarily with the talent of the players. The Bosa’s would’ve been just as successful and they played for virtually any college program in the country because it’s who they are. In other words, it starts with recruiting the right players. Guys who are headed on an NFL trajectory from the moment they walk on campus. I think there have been a lot of recruiting misses in recent years. I don’t necessarily blame Johnson for that. The recruits were highly regarded, but high school performance doesn’t guarantee a future NFL superstar.   Fans like to think that all high school four and five star players are the same with equivalent potential. They aren’t.

Winning National Championships gives a coach a ton of credibility.  Do you really believe Day’s loses to TTUN would sting as much if OSU had still gone on to win a NC those seasons.

Grading film is grading film.  I tend to doubt the people doing it are biased one way or the other.

There is the naïveté of the college football fan. The belief that they know more than the coaching staff.

I travel between the West Coast and the East Coast multiple times a year. While I think the travel that the Big Ten now has to endure is significant. I can’t buy the idea that jet lag is affecting a bunch of 20 something year-old players when it doesn’t bother me and I’m way older than that. To experience real jet lag you have to go somewhere where the time zone difference is at least 7 to 8 hours. Nonetheless, I think the Big Ten will have to address the travel issues. The Friday night games may have to go the way of the dodo and more games should probably be scheduled between teams in the far Midwest and West Coast as opposed to trips between Rutgers and UCLA on a regular basis. I’m not buying that the distance between Iowa city and Eugene is that much different than the distance between the University of Washington and the University of Arizona, two teams that used to play each other in the Pac 12. It’s simply something the Big Ten’s going have to work on.

Statistics in college football are frequently misleading. They don’t necessarily show the level of talent that individual players have. Howard is a good quarterback, surrounded by a roster filled with phenomenal players. Of course he has good statistics. But if you think for one second he has Stroud’s talent, you’re delusional. By Howard’s own admission, if he had been given a decent grade by NFL scouts he would’ve gone into the draft last year.  If Howard is going to change my opinion of how good a quarterback he is he’s going to have to do it in the NFL. He’s not going to do it by accumulating statistics for Ohio State where he can throw a 10 yard pass to Smith who runs 60 yards with it and Howard gets credited with a 70 yard touchdown.  

He is the teams leading tackler. If he’s so bad, the rest of the defense must really suck.

Those aren’t empty sections, it’s a stripe out.   Alternating sections wearing white and navy.

Well it will certainly be an opportunity to see if Iowa is actually a one dimensional offense. When a team is 10th in the nation in rushing early in the season it likely means they haven’t had to throw the ball.  Therefore their low ranking pass offense may not reflect their actual capabilities. To consistently move the ball against OSU they’re going to have to be able to pass, so we’ll see.

People make way too much out of one play and never give the other team any credit.  Spending all week wringing your hands and worrying about a B10 opponent you defeated 38-7 having had a few successful plays early in the game is nonsensical.

Not really sure how he could be much better.  What’s he going to do score two TD’s with a single reception?  He would be a top draft if he were eligible this year based on what he’s done already combined with his obvious physical skills and work ethic.  

It happens occasionally in other sports, but only rarely in football.  Not sure why, but I suspect it has to do with the extreme physical nature of the game and the need for that last bit of physical development that comes between 18 and 20.

NFL teams have to compete on a level playing field against other NFL teams.  It’s not about being weird, it’s about being extremely difficult.  Superior NFL organizations are hard to build and maintain.  

If people are going to make a big deal about players getting high grades as if it’s meaningful they can’t pretend low grades are meaningless.  Particularly when those grades are being earned against low level competition.

Henderson is a bolt of lightning, but he lacks elusiveness and I am not convinced he runs with NFL power.  If you could combine his speed with MoC’s foot work you would have had a three time Heisman Trophy winner and a RB actually in the first pick discussion.

I am in the same boat regarding CJ as a collegiate player, but to be fair history has repeatedly shown how difficult it is to project NFL potential from college performance.  That Stroud was the second player selected (should have been first) shows the NFL had high expectations.  The fact Young was taken first proves my point above.  I am thoroughly enjoying his high level of success.  I have waited decades for an OSU produced NFL QB like him. 

The hits Tatum routinely delivered would be mostly illegal by today’s standards.

What Alabama did against South Florida means exactly nothing.  

I will watch them against real opponents to see how they look, but not against the likes of Arkansas St.

Interesting that you should point that out.  As I read the comments praising Butt for being professional and unbiased I couldn’t help but remember all the times I have seen Herbie eviscerated on these boards for being professional and unbiased. 

Unfortunately athletic ability doesn’t necessarily equal great football player.  There is a mental side that is extremely important.  Anticipation, instinct, recognition call it what you want, but some guys have that ability to make plays that is governed by more than their level of athleticism.  Personally I want Hicks to be great, but I learned long ago that wanting and getting are two different things.

Receivers don’t throw the ball to themselves.  They can’t score if the QB doesn’t give them the opportunity.  Everything starts with the QB.