They are playing new people all over ... they are thin at d.b., O.Line, linebacker, and I think they
are down 2 or 3 starters on the O. Line .... BTW Coach Day already has hired a new D.C..

It's been a rather rough weekend for the Big10.

Can't really blame them. Why risk getting injured with potential millions at stake?

Happens a lot in this current environment. If teams aren't playing for the National Championship, quite a few star players opt not to play.

I think it was the running back from Miami several years back that blew out this knee. He was projected as a 1ST Round Pick, but dropped to the 4TH or 5TH.

Headed for the pros and didn’t want to risk the chance of injury

I get it - lots of money if you make the pros.

FWIW - if I were a pro coach, those guys would have a black mark against them. Team player or focused on self only ….

FWIW - in my opinion - the Buckeyes have been mediocre all year.

A quality player that decides that he doesn’t want to risk his health on a meaningless game shows plenty of common sense. If he is injured what does he get out of it? A meaningless comment by the broadcasters on how good he might have been? The college gives him a full time job in appreciation? Or, does he become another ‘might have been’.

My thoughts..

But considering that a guy like Kirk Cousins can get $30M a year, risking injury would be hard to do.

I remember some folks were passed when Lebron James went straight to the NBA. Few of us would pass up that kind of money.

So, balancing that against a possible Pro-career, it is meaningless. The only way one should play is if they need that game to highlight their potential, because they are on the bubble.

They didn't want to be injured in the Rose Bowl and hurt their NFL chances.

The days of wanting to play in a Bowl Game are over I guess.

fun to watch...

Their offense is typically much more anemic than their defense, but not lately.

If they ever get both their offense and defense clicking in the same season again, they'll be a national title contender.

Missed tackles and not wrapping-up has been painful to watch.

Just piss poor defense from the D Line to the Secondary.

... hoping to outscore their opponents.

The appearance of some improvement, when their DC Coombs was moved off the sidelines, was apparently a fluke.

that just kicked a slow softball kick to the best returner in the country

... but he might be overwhelmed as coordinator of the entire defense.

Their defense was noticeably worse after his promotion to defensive coordinator a few years ago, and it hasn't improved in the meantime.

Oh my fucking God.

I know, when it was tied, wow.

... again.

WOW!

Stroud was only three yards short of the passing yards record for ANY bowl game in history.

Smith-Njigba was incredible too. (Both Chris Olave and Garret Wilson said a few weeks ago that Smith-Njigba is the most athletic receiver on their team, without any hesitation.)

Thankful that the defense was adequate in the 2nd half. They have to improve next year.

EDIT: Great game by the Utes, by the way!

15 receptions for 367 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was like he was playing Arena Football

... at Ohio State, and it makes more sense when we consider that the Buckeyes have WR's like Olave, Wilson, Smith-Njigba and Harrison Jr. on the roster.

Highlights of Smith-Njigba's Rose Bowl performance:

in for a touchdown? Instead they went for a field goal. They had time for a touch down. And if they didn't make it, would go into overtime and they would have a chance for anther field goal?

But I guess the coach did the prudent thing. Going for a touchdown was risky and the field goal was more certain. But I have seen kickers lose the game.

... they used their last timeout before the field goal with 12 seconds left on the clock. That struck me as asking for trouble during the ensuing kickoff to Utah, who were a proven threat to return it for a TD.

It's possible that Day was thinking they could have a bad snap during the FG attempt, and he wanted enough time for the holder to possibly throw an incomplete pass before time expired. Then attempt the FG again.

I probably would've instead attempted a running play for a TD, called timeout if it didn't work, then tried a FG.

Thanks for the explanations, I had not thought of some of the nuances.

They were only three or so yards away from a TD.

This season I saw him catch a punt over his shoulders with his back turned to the kicking team,
plant his foot, then turn to his right, run to the edge of the field, and then get the corner for about
a 15 yard gain.

I would not blame him if he decided to go pro now. He has nothing left to prove @ Ohio State.

He'd probably be a high draft pick otherwise.

Sooner or later that rule will be challenged in court.

Next season a team w/Smith-Njiba, those new young wide outs (all who play in the NFL), C.J. Stroud,
and Henderson @ running back will be scary good.

Jim Knowles from Oklahoma State

even when they win in the end.

... from the "Silver Bullets" for many years, so it's a disappointment when they play so poorly.

Their offense has been a joy to watch, at least.

When they play badly but still win, we get disgusted.

Yes the offense has been great. If they could get the defense working it would be a fabulous team.

... makes a comeback next season, more than anything else.

It's like, "Whatever happened to gravity? It used to be a dependable aspect of nature, and I miss it."

... that the rich tend to get richer. (Much like our economic system in this country.)

The so-called "Blue Bloods" tend to keep drawing the most talented high school players with promises of greater media exposure and the best training facilities. A football player from Ohio State that goes to the Cincinnati Bengals would experience a downgrade in training facilities, for example.

And with more players involved in football compared to a game like basketball, a few very talented players that slip from the grasp of the Blue Bloods can't have as much of an impact. Guys like Larry Bird (Indiana State) and Stephen Curry (Davidson) were one out of five starters for those schools, not one out of 22.

I generally root for the disadvantaged, but I grew up following the Buckeyes and I'm set in my ways now.

And can recruit good talent for the reasons you cite.

OSU takes away your diploma if you fail to root for them at games.