So far the only thing for certain is that nothing is for certain. I think Urban pointed out the overall challenge for all of CFB. There is simply no routine. No spring. Fall camp was on, then off, then on ... sort of with limited contact. The season was on then off and now on. Games that were on are cancelled. The kids have to live in a bubble, and that's tough for mature adults let alone 18 year old kids.
Not too surprisingly the season has been a mish mash, and while OSU hasn't played a complete game and had one cancelled outright already we're still favorites to end up in the CFP if there is one.
TTUN is a train wreck.. a bad one. There may be no survivors.
PSU hasn't won a game
Sparty beat TTUN but lost to Rutgers. What?
Indiana is the only B10 team besides OSU in the top 10?
Bama looks solid but had issues on defense in their early games
Clemson lost to ND who has looked anything but unbeatable.
If there's a clear take away... practice and routine matter. They matter A LOT. And this season no team will be able to have their normal routine so ANYTHING can happen.
Think back to the pre-game for TTUN v Sparty. Sparty had NO chance. Then Boom.
If I'm trying to project an OSU game, my first issue is whether we even play and then if we do whether we decide to play the whole game or only 1-2 quarters.
This has been a real problem for all the units on the team that were reloading... and now are realistically rebuilding.
The secondary and edge pass rushers simply haven't had enough seat time. Similarly the inside running game has yet to hit stride as the new OL and RBs aren't in sync. I also think the coaches haven't had enough live practice to do proper eval of the talent and scheme.
I also think that the staff (outside of Coombs) and team leaders like to speak softly and carry a big stick. This works when we're playing to full stadiums with a band and crowd energy. Clearly, the team has lost focus in each of the few games we've played so far. I'm hoping some of the team leaders start to get vocal.
Given the challenges with contact and cohesiveness this is clearly a year of offense, so I can only hope the running game can get in sync and that Fields and the WRs continue on their current trajectory.
I also can hope the staff have enough film to start scheming to help bolster some of the rebuilding units as they get much needed live experience.
Go Bucks
Not too surprisingly the season has been a mish mash, and while OSU hasn't played a complete game and had one cancelled outright already we're still favorites to end up in the CFP if there is one.
TTUN is a train wreck.. a bad one. There may be no survivors.
PSU hasn't won a game
Sparty beat TTUN but lost to Rutgers. What?
Indiana is the only B10 team besides OSU in the top 10?
Bama looks solid but had issues on defense in their early games
Clemson lost to ND who has looked anything but unbeatable.
If there's a clear take away... practice and routine matter. They matter A LOT. And this season no team will be able to have their normal routine so ANYTHING can happen.
Think back to the pre-game for TTUN v Sparty. Sparty had NO chance. Then Boom.
If I'm trying to project an OSU game, my first issue is whether we even play and then if we do whether we decide to play the whole game or only 1-2 quarters.
This has been a real problem for all the units on the team that were reloading... and now are realistically rebuilding.
The secondary and edge pass rushers simply haven't had enough seat time. Similarly the inside running game has yet to hit stride as the new OL and RBs aren't in sync. I also think the coaches haven't had enough live practice to do proper eval of the talent and scheme.
I also think that the staff (outside of Coombs) and team leaders like to speak softly and carry a big stick. This works when we're playing to full stadiums with a band and crowd energy. Clearly, the team has lost focus in each of the few games we've played so far. I'm hoping some of the team leaders start to get vocal.
Given the challenges with contact and cohesiveness this is clearly a year of offense, so I can only hope the running game can get in sync and that Fields and the WRs continue on their current trajectory.
I also can hope the staff have enough film to start scheming to help bolster some of the rebuilding units as they get much needed live experience.
Go Bucks
