The three main guys making headlines this week for Ohio State football are three Bs- Braxton, Barrett and Bell.
Quarterback J.T. Barrett is reinstated after the suspension due to OVI. He’ll start provided his week of practice goes fine. (Spoiler alert: it will). Former QB1 turned wide receiver Braxton Miller got banged up in the win over Minnesota. He’s certain to be a full go too.
SPREAD: Ohio State football -17
TV: ABC 11 AM national game
Ohio State football preview:
The last B is Vonn Bell. The junior safety is the Big Ten Conference defensive player of the week. Bell, who is one of 16 semifinalists for the 2015 Jim Thorpe Award, given to the top defensive back in college football. Bell made the game-altering play against Minnesota, intercepting a Mitch Leidner pass and scoring from 16 yards to break a scoreless tie late in the first half.
Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer is the first to win national championships in two conferences and first in winning percentage (.853) among current coaches with at least 10 years of head coaching experience.
He achieved another milestone this past weekend. Meyer’s 47th win in this, his 50th game as Ohio State’s coach. There has never been another coach from an FBS school to lead a team to 47 victories in his first 50 games as coach.
His 22 game winning streak is the longest in FBS.
Illinois Fighting Illini Preview:
It was an Earth-shattering news day for Illini football as the school fired Athletic Director Mike Thomas. Here is a link to 10 things we learned about the Illini athletic programs yesterday.
Interim Coach Bill Cubit has done a great job working with the cards he was dealt and he’s seemingly a good sort. However, he will likely be gone at the end of the year.
A new A.D. will want a new coach. More importantly, the report of abuses committed within the football program was damning enough to get both Thomas and Tim Beckman dismissed. Cubit, although he comes out clean in the report, is just too close to the situation to stay, as UI are now looking for a fresh, clean start. An interim A.D. and an interim Chancellor will determine the fate of an interim football coach and his successor.
In other words, “there’s a doings-a-transpiring” as our favorite Shelbyvillian would say.
Instability is off the charts and none of us actually know how all this will play out. However, we just saw Michigan hire Jim Harbaugh under somewhat similar circumstances, so good things can occur under chaotic circumstances; sometimes.
Interim A.D. Paul Kowalczyk said that the football coaching search won’t start until after the season ends. Whether he really means that or not is irrelevant. He has to say that, otherwise is undermining Cubit. Kowalczyk may not change that position publicly, but he also said enough at the press conference yesterday to indicate that privately is on the prowl for a new coach.
There are about 15 college football coaching gigs open. No chance at landing Justin Fuente, Dino Babers or any other worthy candidate if you wait around. Kowalczyk and Barbara Wilson “won that press conference” because they kept their plans close to the vest.
You saw the football team play with a bit of a “Colbert Bump” after Beckman was canned. Now expect a similar surge on the heels of yesterday’s news. They’ll win at least one of these last three and gain bowl eligibility. Here’s the link to the latest Illini bowl projections.
Prediction: Ohio State football 37, Illini 27
This week will not be one of those three. The Buckeyes have much more talent than the Illini, but that’s irrelevant to the point spread. All year, the Bucks have let lesser teams keep it close and cover the spread. Eventually, it could bite them in the ass like it did for Sparty last week. Yes, Michigan State got jobbed by the refs, but they need to place blame on their own horrid pass defense. OSU is much better in that area, hence they get a fight from the Illini, but survive and advance.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye. He also appears regularly on numerous television and radio talk shows all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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