| Ohio State's fate with 2 from state
November 30, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "Ohio native Gary Pinkel will lead his Missouri team against Ohio native Bob Stoops on Saturday in a game that will decide Ohio State's BCS fortunes..." |
 | For 1 Saturday, Buckeyes huge fans of Sooners and Panthers
November 27, 2007 Source: Associated Press - "There will be no bigger Oklahoma or Pittsburgh fans anywhere Saturday than the Ohio State Buckeyes. Should the Sooners upend top-ranked Missouri in the Big 12 championship game, or if the Panthers upset No. 2 West Virginia in their regular-season rivalry, the third-ranked Buckeyes would almost certainly find themselves playing in the BCS national championship game for the second year in a row..." |
Five things to watch, including an OU win
November 30, 2007 Source: SportingNews.com"...The Sooners' big offensive line, along with tailbacks Allen Patrick and Chris Brown, will gash the Tigers up the middle. That will set up a wildly underrated passing game -- Bradford is No. 1 in the nation in pass efficiency -- to make big plays down the field..."
A Big 12 coach breaks down the league's title game
November 30, 2007 Source: SportingNews.com
Previewing Oklahoma-Missouri
November 29, 2007 Source: Bucknuts.com - "You normally wouldn't see many Buckeye fans care a great deal when Oklahoma and Missouri meet on the gridiron, but when the two clash for the Big XII championship on Saturday night, the eyes of the Buckeye nation will definitely be watching. Here is a preview of the game from Bucknuts contributor Ben Koo..."
 | Bucknuts TV: OSU's Bowl Scenarios
November 29, 2007 Source: Bucknuts.com - "With this special video presentation, we have a segment from Buckeye Football Fever on WSYX-TV (Ch. 6) earlier this week. Bucknuts.com's Steve Helwagen and former Buckeye Rob Harley debate OSU's various bowl scenarios. Click this free link for more..." |
 | Coaches Poll
Source: USA Today
BCS Rankings
Source: ESPN.com
AP Poll
Source: Associated Press
Top 25 Overview WEEK 13
November 24, 2007 Source: ESPN - Overview of all Top 25 Teams for the thirteenth week of the season, including Recap, Box Score, Play-by-Play, Drive Chart, Photos (links to 'previous weeks' results too) |
 | The Wetzel plan
November 27, 2007 Source: Yahoo Sports - Yahoo Sport's Dan Wetzel writes: "A playoff is coming to college football, not eventually but probably sooner than the moneyed-establishment wants to admit. Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, the Vladimir Putin of college sports and the key figure preventing a playoff, can stem the tide for only so long. Unfortunately, we're stuck with the current Bowl Championship Series for the time being. But that doesn't mean we can't dream about what a real playoff would entail and the magic it would produce each December and January..." |
BCS title game no stranger to controversy
November 27, 2007 Source: USA Today - "As one of college football's most unpredictable seasons comes down the homestretch, with more volatility possible, USA TODAY's Jack Carey looks at some of the controversies that have arisen since the Bowl Championship Series system began in 1998..."
 | 2007 Bowl Projections ... WVU vs. Ohio St
November 23, 2007 Source: CollegeFootballNews.com - "We told you weeks ago that it was going to be West Virginia vs. Ohio State in the national title game. Fine, so we wussed out on our projection along the way, but with LSU losing to Arkansas, it looks like it'll be Pat White's Mountaineers vs. Vernon Gholston's Buckeyes for the crystal ball. Check out all the predictions and projections, changed as the latest news and rumors come in..."
WVU or OSU? Who deserves it?
November 27, 2007 Source: CollegeFootballNews.com - "Who deserves a spot in the BCS Championship Game more, Ohio State or West Virginia?..."
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Buckeyes are looking for just one more upset
November 26, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "For Ohio State fans who believe good things come to those who wait, what's another six days to find out whether the Buckeyes are going to play in the national championship game? And for those amateur mathematicians who believe this wacky college football season has been one grand experiment of the probability theory, then hang on. The conclusion, including the answer as to which teams will play for the title Jan. 7 in New Orleans, is six days away..."
Three college football myths to stay away from
November 26, 2007 Source: ESPN.com - "The BCS Works: The BCS works as well as Kim Kardashian in the lead role of "The Eleanor Roosevelt Story." It is the Kim Jong Il of college football: dictatorial and isolationist. BCS cheerleaders figure if they ignore the logic of a playoff system long enough, maybe it will all just go away. ...Heisman Trophy voters know what they're doing. ...Nebraska is an elite coaching job..."
 | NCAA.org Toughest Schedule*
Va Tech 12
Georgia 19
Missouri 21
LSU 35
OSU 46
West Virginia 48
Oklahoma 62
USC 79
Kansas 82
*Based on wins and losses of team's opponents. |
| Jeff Sagarin NCAA Schedule Strength**
Georgia 74.61 (22)
LSU 74.35 (26)
USC 73.28 (33)
Missouri 73.22(34)
West Virginia 73.10 (35)
Virginia Tech 72.26 (45)
Ohio State 70.37 (56)
Oklahoma 69.31 (67)
Kansas 65.24 (90)
**The numbers to the right of a team's schedule strength
are its rank of schedule. |
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 | Mr. Bucknuts' Bucket Of Bullets
November 25, 2007 Source: Bucknuts.com - "Mr. Bucknuts laughs at LSU, laughs at the pollsters, has a long (annual ) laugh at all of Scout and a final laugh (he who laughs last in the football year still laughs best) at our beleaguered brethren from up north; all in one last regular season Bucket of Bullets..." |
 | OSU defends millions spent for its sports
November 22, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Ohio State University's prosperous athletic department has taken a beating in the national press the past month. The department has a large budget, OSU's athletic director acknowledged, but a lot of the money goes back into the community and the rest of the university. An Oct. 19 story in The Wall Street Journal spoke of the university's "gold-plated" athletic program and its $109.9 million budget -- the nation's biggest -- thriving in a state teetering under high foreclosure and poverty rates after losing more than 200,000 manufacturing jobs. Then on Nov. 11, a New York Times columnist wrote about OSU's football wealth: "Were the public to view college football as mainly a business, it might start asking questions. For instance: Why are these enterprises that have nothing to do with education and everything to do with profits exempt from paying taxes? Or why don't they pay their employees (players)?" And last week, Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly wrote "A Day in the Life of Columbus," juxtaposing OSU linebacker Marcus Freeman's life of flying in chartered jets and tooling around in his Ford Expedition with that of a 49-year-old homeless man and former East High linebacker waking up on a cardboard box down by the Scioto River. Ohio State Athletics Director Gene Smith says he's blessed that so many people passionately support Ohio State athletics, but he is sensitive to the perception of his department as a gargantuan money machine...'We constantly look for ways to give back,' he said. The program donates up to $250,000 a year to support sports camps for poor youths. It gives used Nike athletic warm-up apparel and other equipment to needy people. And, athletics is spending $5 million to help renovate the university's main library. Ohio State says its sports programs bring more than $100 million a year into central Ohio through hotels, restaurants and jobs..." |
Breaking down the conferences |
National champions by conference | | | | SEC (3) | Tennessee (1998), LSU (co-2003), Florida (2006) | | | | Pac-10 (2) | Southern California (co-2003, 2004) | | | | Big 12 (2) | Oklahoma (2000), Texas (2005) | | | | ACC (1) | Florida State (1999) | | | | Big Ten (1) | Ohio State (2002) | | | | Big East (1) | Miami, Fla. (2001) |  | |
| Final USA TODAY coaches' polls | | | | Top 10 teams | Top 25 teams | | | | SEC 18 | SEC 45 | | | | Big Ten 18 | Big Ten 36 | | | | Big 12 17 | Big 12 33 | | | | Pac-10 14 | Pac-10 25 | | | | Big East 10 | ACC 25 | | | | ACC 7 | Big East 23 | |
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| Bowl records since '98 | | | | Big East 25-17 (.595) | | | | SEC 37-31 (.544) | | | | ACC 30-26 (.536) | | | | Big Ten 30-29 (.508) | | | | Big 12 32-35 (.478) | | | | Pac-10 22-27 (.449) | | | | | 1st round NFL draft picks | | | | SEC 60 | | | | Big Ten 53 | | | | ACC 48 | | | | Pac-10 35 | | | | Big 12 31 | | | | Big East 29 | | | | Consensus All-Americans | | | | Big Ten 50 | | | | Big 12 43 | | | | SEC 40 | | | | Pac-10 39 | | | | ACC 29 | | | | Big East 21 | | |
SEC football is the best college gridiron has to offer
November 21, 2007 Source: USA Today - "The debate is as old as college football itself: Where are the best teams? With the increased importance of conferences in the latter part of the 20th century, the focus could be narrowed. Over the years, some leagues have grown, some have disappeared, but the argument remains. Deciding which league has been tops might be only a matter of opinion. But USA TODAY has attempted to take a quantitative look at some comparative factors for the six leagues that have automatic berths in the Bowl Championship Series, starting in 1998..."
CAST YOUR VOTE: Which college football conference do you think is the best in the country? (Vote in the online poll.)
OHIO STATE vs. MICHIGAN
| Chris Wells (28) and Dionte Johnson (49) celebrate the Buckeyes win over TSUN and look forward to the Rose Bowl, the Buckeyes first since 1997. |
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| Wells, who rushed for 222 yards, runs for 62-yard touchdown, as tackle Kirk Barton begins to celebrate. |
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Buckeyes Win Outright Big Ten Title, Defeat Michigan 14-3
November 17, 2007 Source: OSU Official Site - "Jim Tressel got the best of Lloyd Carr again, maybe for the last time...Tressel became the first Ohio State coach to beat Michigan six times in seven years, and the seventh-ranked Buckeyes' 14-3 victory Saturday over their archrival gave them consecutive outright Big Ten titles for the first time in a half-century..."
Scoring Summary, Team Statistics, Individual Statistics, Drive Chart, Defensive Statistics, Play-by-Play
 | Post-Game Celebration & Carmen Ohio - Slideshow
November 18, 2007 Source: The Ozone - "It was a great win in Ann Arbor...the Buckeyes celebrated on the field with a rendition of Carmen Ohio. Check out a slideshow of the post-game celebation and Carmen Ohio, with audio of the event..." |
| 2007 Michigan Post Game Celebration
November 18, 2007 Source: ScoutingOhio.com - Postgame highlight video of the players and fans celebrating in the Big House after OSU defeated Michigan 14-3. |
Ohio State beats Michigan again, wins Big Ten title
November 17, 2007 Source: Associated Press - "...'Our defense was not going to let Michigan control the game on the ground,' Tressel said. 'I wish our offense could have scored more, and that we could have been a little more consistent, but today, 14 points was enough to win the Big Ten.'...'I might have come from here, but now I bleed scarlet and gray,' said Gholston, who had three of Ohio State's four sacks. 'Coming from Detroit didn't make this any bigger. When you go to Ohio State, you don't need anything to make the Michigan game big.'..."
| Team Totals | OSU | MICH | | FIRST DOWNS | 16 | 8 | | Rushing | 12 | 3 | | Passing | 3 | 3 | | Penalty | 1 | 2 | | NET YARDS RUSHING | 229 | 15 | | Rushing Attempts | 59 | 24 | | Average Per Rush | 3.9 | 0.6 | | Rushing Touchdowns | 2 | 0 | | Yards Gained Rushing | 269 | 52 | | Yards Lost Rushing | 40 | 37 | | NET YARDS PASSING | 50 | 76 | | Completions-Attempts-Int | 7-13-1 | 12-37-0 | | Average Per Attempt | 3.8 | 2.1 | | Average Per Completion | 7.1 | 6.3 | | Passing Touchdowns | 0 | 0 | | TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS | 279 | 91 | | Total offense plays | 72 | 61 | | Average Gain Per Play | 3.9 | 1.5 | | Fumbles: Number-Lost | 3-0 | 2-0 | | Penalties: Number-Yards | 3-40 | 4-45 | | PUNTS-YARDS | 11-411 | 12-551 | | Average Yards Per Punt | 37.4 | 45.9 | | Net Yards Per Punt | 30.8 | 40.1 | | Inside 20 | 2 | 3 | | 50+ Yards | 0 | 4 | | Touchbacks | 2 | 1 | | Fair catch | 1 | 2 | | KICKOFFS-YARDS | 3-203 | 2-135 | | Average Yards Per Kickoff | 67.7 | 67.5 | | Net Yards Per Kickoff | 49.0 | 39.5 | | Touchbacks | 1 | 0 | | Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD | 7-50-0 | 6-32-0 | | Average Per Return | 7.1 | 5.3 | | Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD | 2-56-0 | 2-36-0 | | Average Per Return | 28.0 | 18.0 | | Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD | 0-0-0 | 1-33-0 | | Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD | 0-0-0 | 0-0-0 | | Miscellaneous Yards | 0 | 0 | | Possession Time | 37:50 | 22:10 | | 1st Quarter | 10:04 | 4:56 | | 2nd Quarter | 8:10 | 6:50 | | 3rd Quarter | 7:48 | 7:12 | | 4th Quarter | 11:48 | 3:12 | | Third-Down Conversions | 7 of 18 | 3 of 18 | | Fourth-Down Conversions | 0 of 0 | 0 of 1 | | Red-Zone Scores-Chances | 1-2 | 1-1 | | Sacks By: Number-Yards | 4-26 | 0-0 | | PAT Kicks | 2-2 | 0-0 | | Field Goals | 0-0 | 1-2 |
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Postgame Audio - Jim Tressel
November 17, 2007 Source: OSU Official Site - "Postgame audio from head coach Jim Tressel following Ohio State's 14-3 victory over Michigan." |
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 | O-H-I-O chants rang through Michigan Stadium. "It’s great when the Big House sounds like the little house," said Ohio State’s Kirk Barton.
Quotes from Ohio State-Michigan game
November 18, 2007 Source: Dayton Daily News - "'We'll play them anywhere in anything. We'll play them in the middle of (Ohio route) 315 if we have to. On the median.' Kirk Barton...(more)..."
Barton savors perfect record vs. Michigan
November 18, 2007 Source: Canton Repository - "Right tackles who weigh 300-plus pounds aren’t supposed to scale a brick wall. Who cares? Kirk Barton felt like he was floating after the fifth-year Ohio State senior, with 14-3 win over Michigan in hand Saturday, climbed a wall to hug his mom, Brigette, and hand her one of the roses the Rose Bowl folks gave the Buckeyes. Barton is the rarest of Ohio State players: Four Michigan starts, four Michigan wins..." |
4 in a row for the Buckeyes over TSUN! Hart O for 4 against Buckeyes!
| Coach Tressel became the first OSU coach to beat TSUN in six of first seven games. Congratulations Buckeyes and Coach Tressel. |
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| Hart came back for this? He was held to 44 yards on 18 carries, the lowest output of his career with at least 17 carries. |
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Beanie, defense dominate Wolverines
November 17, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "This was the moment Chris "Beanie" Wells had waited a year for. A quiet man by nature, the Ohio State running back had kept his emotions to himself before the 2006 Michigan game, even though tears were welling up in his eyes. This year, though, he let it all out. In the locker room before the game, he told his teammates that this was it, that nothing they did in their lives would compare with this moment..."
 | Wells quick to credit linemen
November 17, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Chris "Beanie" Wells had the ball in his hand and open spaces in his eyes. The day was gray and mist filled the air, but on what turned out to be the most important play yesterday against Michigan, the Ohio State running back said he saw nothing but daylight as he hit the left side of the line. 'The offensive line did a great job blocking; it was wide open," Wells said. "I just ran through the hole.'..." |
OFFENSIVE NOTES
Sophomore Chris "Beanie" Wells rushed for a career-high 222 yards on a career-high 39 carries Saturday. His rushing attempts and yards the most by a Buckeye against Michigan in the 104-game series.
With 222 yards Saturday, Wells moved into second place all-time among Ohio State sophomore rushers. |
Runs N Roses: Wells leads Buckeyes past Michigan
November 17, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - " Beanie Wells doesn't fully understand it, and he can't explain what comes over him on Michigan game days. As a freshman last year, the Ohio State running back found tears streaming down his face. Saturday, as a sophomore, it was an out-of-character pregame pep talk, and again he cried. 'It's something about the maize and blue,' Wells said. 'It's like a good vs. evil game. It always makes me tear up.'..."
Going on the offensive works for OSU defense
November 17, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "Michigan running back Mike Hart wore his No.20 in Michigan Stadium for the final time yesterday. He might as well have been wearing a bull's-eye, too. Hart had returned for his senior season largely for another shot at the Buckeyes after he called their defense overrated last season. But the Ohio State defenders owned the day against Michigan, limited the Wolverines to 91 total yards and Hart to 44 on 18 carries in a 14-3 victory in Michigan Stadium. Hart finished 0-4 against Ohio State. 'When you stop Mike Hart, you are able to put them in one dimension, and that's what we were able to do," said linebacker Marcus Freeman, OSU's leading tackler with nine.'..."
DEFENSIVE NOTES
The Buckeyes held Michigan to three points Saturday, marking the lowest point total allowed against Michigan since Ohio State shut out the Wolverines, 28-0, in 1962.
Junior defensive end Vernon Gholston notched his 11th, 12th and 13th quarterback sack of the season Saturday to tie the Ohio State single-season sacks record held by Mike Vrabel in 1995.
Those 13 sacks by Gholston have totaled 96 yards in losses for opposing teams. That ranks second all-time in a season at Ohio State, tailing only the 101 yards in losses Vrabel had on his school-record 13 sacks in 1995.
The Buckeyes held Michigan to 91 yards in total offense Saturday, marking the first time the Wolverines did not reach 100 yards in total offense since they gained just 97 yards against Purdue Oct. 20, 1962. |
One year later, Hart can't keep his word
November 18, 2007 Source: The Morning Journal - "Mike Hart was so irritated following the loss to Ohio State last year, he guaranteed Michigan would win if it got another crack at the Buckeyes. That chance came (Saturday), but Hart couldn't deliver. Ohio State's 14-3 victory was even more satisfying for the players, since they silenced Michigan's biggest mouth. 'If you guarantee something, you better make it happen,' Ohio State defensive back Jamario O'Neal said. 'Otherwise keep your mouth shut. I think we shut him up.'..."
Rapp Up: The Mouth That Whimpered
November 19, 2007 Source: Bucknuts.com - "In the last year, UM tailback Mike Hart has flapped his gums almost as fast as he churns his legs when trying to elude would-be tacklers, but he couldn't get away from an Ohio State defense he once deemed as "not so special" on Saturday and, for once, he seemed to run out of postgame comments..."
 | Wolverines meet nasty end in Vernon Gholston
November 17, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - " His biceps make "bulging" sound like a wimpy term. Thick ropes of veins thread his forearms. Vernon Gholston, the Ohio State junior defensive end, is 6-4, 264. He has the body fat of a bee, stings considerably harder, and doesn't float anywhere except in the heads of the Michigan Wolverines as their worst nightmare. 'He's a special guy,' OSU coach Jim Tressel said of the native of Detroit. 'This is an important game for him, coming back here to play. I'm sure [Michigan quarterback] Chad Henne will see him in his sleep.'..."
Gholston is gold vs. Michigan
November 18, 2007 Source: Canton Repository - "Gholston gives plenty of quarterbacks nightmares. Henne is just the latest. The Detroit native had a homecoming to remember Saturday afternoon..." |
 | Buckeyes rule Big House
November 17, 2007 Source: Akron Beacon Journal - "Tressel's call of review stands up for OSU...for me, the key play was executed by Jim Tressel, the OSU coach, who restlessly and relentlessly prowls the sidelines game after game. As it happened, while Tressel was busy wearing a path in front of the Buckeyes' bench, Greg Mathews got loose for a 27-yard punt return to give the Wolverines possession of the ball on the Ohio State 34-yard line early in the fourth quarter..."
OSU-Michigan: Key plays
November 17, 2007 Source: Dayton Daily News - "First quarter: Mike Hart gains 12 yards to give Michigan a first down on the OSU 13-yard line....But Hart can't close the deal. ...Second quarter...Third quarter...Fourth quarter..." |
Postgame Notes From No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 23 Michigan
November 17, 2007 Source: OSU Official Site - "For the third time in school history, Ohio State has defeated Michigan four-consecutive years. Previously, the Buckeyes notched four-consecutive wins against Michigan from 1934-37 and 1960-63..."
Ohio State takes down Michigan for sixth time in seven years
November 17, 2007 Source: ESPN.com - "Jim Tressel got the best of Lloyd Carr again, maybe for the last time. Tressel became the first Ohio State coach to beat Michigan six times in seven years, and the seventh-ranked Buckeyes' 14-3 victory Saturday over their archrival gave them consecutive outright Big Ten titles for the first time in a half-century. Chris Wells ran for a career-high 222 yards and two touchdowns and Vernon Gholston and the Buckeyes' defense dominated a banged up Michigan offense. The Buckeyes (11-1, 7-1 Big Ten) are likely headed to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1997...( Recap, Box Score, Play-by-Play, Drive Chart, Photos Conversation)..."
Highlight Video | Game Trax | Box Score | Head To Head
November 17, 2007 Source: FoxSports.com
| The-Ozone Note and Quotebook
November 18, 2007 Source: The Ozone - "Classic Elements, New Wolverine Killer, Challenge, Dominant Detroiter, Perfect Record, Starting on Next Season, and Big Shoes to Fill; they're all covered in the-Ozone Note and Quotebook..." |
 | The Bottom Line
November 17, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "The old political arguments about red states and blue states are oh so 2004. Since that year, though, the mud has slung only one way in this classic rivalry, and OSU pretty much looks squeaky clean. Leaves are awarded on a zero-to-five basis..."
Report Card
November 18, 2007 Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer - "The Buckeyes boss was genuinely excited about his successful replay request on a Michigan punt return...But Tressel isn't being graded on his review. He's being graded for being smart to give the ball to Beanie Wells and throw the ball just twice in the second half. He learned from Todd Boeckman's interception at the end of the first half..."
Report Card: OSU-Michigan
November 18, 2007 Source: Mansfield News Journal - "OFFENSIVE LINE - After last week's abysmal performance, there was nowhere to go but up. The front five dominated in the trenches on a cold, rainy, miserable day, giving Chris "Beanie" Wells the seams that he needed -- and he didn't need much. Quarterback Todd Boeckman looked jittery in the pocket, but that was more of an after-effect from Illinois and bad conditions than bad protection GRADE: A..." |
Instant Analysis: Illinois-Ohio State
November 17, 2007 Source: CollegeFootballNews.com - "...The difference in this game was as simple as two players: Vernon Gholston and Chris Wells. Gholston's speed-based pass rushing obliterated his counterpart, Michigan offensive lineman Steve Schilling. Routinely able to explode around the edges, Gholston prevented Michigan quarterback Chad Henne from developing any kind of rhythm...it was Gholston who proved to be the one-man wrecking crew who flatly intimidated Michigan's offense....On the other side of the ball, Ohio State's offense began, continued and ended with Wells...The Buckeyes' offense didn't destroy Michigan's defense, but the running of Wells scored enough points while draining clock in the game's later stages to minimize Michigan's chances of mounting a comeback..."
 | Beanie, Bullets Dominate Wolverines In Ann Arbor
November 17, 2007 Source: Eleven Warriors - "Beanie Wells left no doubt as to who is the Big Ten’s best back this season with a 39 carry, 222 yard, 2 TD performance leading Ohio State past an outmanned Michigan team in what was most assuredly Lloyd Carr’s last beatdown at the hands of Jim Tressel...the loss moved Mike Hart, Chad Henne, Jake Long and Shawn Crable to 0-4 against OSU, capping their careers in grand style while Lloyd dropped to 1-6 against The Vest..." |
Why UM only earned 91 total yards
November 17, 2007 Source: Men of the Scarlet and Gray - "Some will blame injuries for Michigan’s lack of offensive production. Some will blame the weather conditions. Others will blame Carr’s playcalling. Still others might blame the Michigan WRs who dropped pass after pass. But here's the real reason why Michigan laid an egg offensively:
A Sad Day For Ohio State
November 18, 2007 Source: BitterFans.com - "Despite losing to Illinois one week prior, the Ohio State Buckeyes gave Ohioans another reason to be happy and proud this past weekend as they beat Michigan in Ann Arbor 14-3. The win would mean another Big Ten title and another win over Michigan in their rivalry. It also spelled the end of Lloyd Carr as Michigan coach..."
 | Captain's Corner: Defense, Wells Dominate
November 17, 2007 Source: Bucknuts.com - "When the weather is cold and rainy, the burden often falls on the defense and the running game to propel a football team to victory. On this day, both of those units dominated for Ohio State, and they are the reason the Buckeyes are sitting at 11-1 and headed to at least the Rose Bowl. Jerry Rudzinski gives his thoughts on this version of the OSU-Michigan rivalry in the Captain's Corner..." |
OSU Thumps Michigan 14-3, Claims Outright Big Ten Crown
November 17, 2007 Source: Bucknuts.com - "The gang is all here and Ohio State won that old conference now. Sophomore tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells erupted for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 win over Michigan on Saturday. Junior DE Vernon Gholston added three sacks. Ohio State moves on to a BCS bowl. It will be the Rose Bowl at worst, the national championship game at best. (Note: Story updated with notes and quotes at 6:30 p.m.)..."
Ohio State beats Michigan, claims Big Ten title
November 17, 2007 Source: Rivals.com - "When you're shivering in a misty rain and low-40 temperatures, a trip to southern California sounds really good. A sunny sky. A warm beach. Not a bad way to spend a week or two in winter. 'We're excited and we're going to enjoy this win,' linebacker James Laurinaitis said in a jubilant post-game locker room. 'We're going to enjoy the Big Ten championship. Today, that's all we're going to focus on.'..."
OHIO STATE - Complete Rankings
How Ohio State's opponents fared
| DATE | OPPONENT | SITE | W-L | THIS WEEK'S RESULT |
| Sept. 1 | Youngstown State | home | 7-4 | no game |
| Sept. 8 | Akron | home | 4-7 | lost to Miami (OH) 7-0 |
| Sept. 15 | Washington | away | 4-7 | beat California 37-23 |
| Sept. 22 | Northwestern | home | 6-5 | lost to Illinois 41-22 |
| Sept. 29 | Minnesota | away | 1-11 | lost to Wisconsin 41-34 |
| Oct. 6 | Purdue | away | 7-5 | lost to Indiana 27-24 |
| Oct. 13 | Kent State | home | 3-8 | lost to Temple 27-20 |
| Oct. 20 | Michigan State | home | 7-5 | beat Penn State 35-31 |
| Oct. 27 | Penn State | away | 8-4 | lost to Michigan St. 35-31 |
| Nov. 3 | Wisconsin | home | 9-3 | beat Minnesota 41-34 |
| Nov. 10 | Illinois | home | 9-3 | beat Illinois 41-22 |
| Nov. 17 | TSUN | away | 8-4 | lost to Ohio State 14-3 |
 | All Over But The Shouting
November 18, 2007 Source: GoBlueWolverine.com - "Michigan Head Coach Lloyd Carr will retire tomorrrow morning, he told his players at 4 PM this afternoon..."
Michigan players react to Carr's retirement
November 18, 2007 Source: Associated Press - " Lloyd Carr walked into a team meeting Sunday afternoon, only to be met with silence. He exited the Schembechler Hall meeting room and entered again, this time receiving thunderous applause from his Michigan players, most of whom understood the announcement that was coming..."
Carr Will Step Down As Michigan Coach
November 18, 2007 Source: Associated Press - "Michigan coach Lloyd Carr will retire Monday after 13 seasons, ending an era marked by highs of winning a national championship and five Big Ten titles and lows of losing to Ohio State and Appalachian State..." |
 | LLLLLLoyd
One last loss to Ohio State for Carr?
November 17, 2007 Source: Rivals.com - "...Carr stalked the Michigan sideline Saturday in a hoodie as gray as this cold, rainy, November day, one that had the feeling of finality..."
Carr-Miles rift altering UM search?
November 18, 2007 Source: fannation.com - "...Miles is everything Michigan wants in a head coach...from all indications, he wants the job and has wanted it for several years. Whatever Carr says Monday, one thing he will not say is this: "I hope Les Miles replaces me." And he won't say it to higher-ups, either. People inside the program say there is a rift between Carr and Miles. Just because Miles played for Bo Schembechler does not mean he would have been Schembechler's choice to run the program..."
Lloyd Carr through the years
November 18, 2007 Source: mlive.com - "Lloyd Carr has been a coach with the Michigan football program for more than 20 years. This slide show looks at that history." |
Les than certain
November 18, 2007 Source: SI.com - "With Carr leaving, is Miles a lock to lead Michigan?...Presumably, that hunger for a return to national prominence has been the driving force behind Michigan fans' ever-growing infatuation with Miles, despite the fact he was never fully embraced at his previous school, Oklahoma State, nor had he yet won over Cajun Nation prior to this season, despite a 22-4 start to his tenure. Truth be told, Miles' popularity in Baton Rouge did not begin to blossom until that noted traitor, Nick Saban, took the Alabama job last January, and seemed to really take off once the preseason No. 2 Tigers flexed their muscle in a Sept. 8 rout of ACC favorite Virginia Tech..."
The hero, goat of the game, big play, Freep's two cents
November 18, 2007 Source: Detroit Free Press - "...THE GOAT - Michigan's offense..."
Buckeyes Beatdown Blue
November 18, 2007 Source: GoBlueWolverine.com - "Michigan dropped its regular season finale to the Ohio State Buckeyes for the fourth straight season with a 14-3 loss at Michigan Stadium earlier this afternoon. Mike Hart rushed for just 44 yards while Chad Henne threw for just 68..."
U-M's defense not to blame
November 18, 2007 Source: Detroit Free Press - "A year ago, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr lamented how three big plays by Ohio State scorched his defense, costing his team a trip to the national title game. But when OSU tailback Chris Wells ripped off a 62-yard touchdown run in Saturday's 14-3 loss to Ohio State, Carr considered that big play a blip..."
 | Dominant Buckeyes win for the fourth straight year
November 18, 2007 Source: MLive.com - "Links: STORIES: Offense falls into dissaray | Bowl officials show tepid interest in Michigan | Gholston wreaks havoc with U-M line | Report Card | Game blog...COLUMNS: Carty: Carr doesn't get the ending he deserves | Mayo: Carr's legend goes beyond football | Beardsley: U-M offense sinks...AUDIO: Jamar Adams, Chris Graham, Adam Kraus | Lloyd Carr..." |
U-M Falls to Ohio State in Big Ten Championship Game
November 17, 2007 Source: UM Official Site - "The No. 23 University of Michigan football team fell short in its attempt to earn a league-leading 43rd Big Ten championship, falling to No. 7 Ohio State 14-3 on Saturday (Nov. 17) in front of 111,941 fans in Michigan Stadium. Plagued by offensive miscues, the Wolverines converted only three of 18 third-down attempts and tallied just 91 total yards..."
Postgame Quotes
November 17, 2007 Source: UM Official Site - "Michigan Head Coach Lloyd Carr...U-M Senior Running Back Mike Hart...U-M Senior Safety Jamar Adams...U-M Senior Linebacker Chris Graham..."
Postgame Notes
November 17, 2007 Source: UM Official Site - "Today's announced crowd of 111,941 fans is the second largest in the history of Michigan Stadium and the 208th consecutive crowd of 100,000-plus fans. Today's attendance trails the school-record mark of 112,118 fans set against Ohio State on Nov. 22, 2003, in the 100th game of the rivalry. ...U-M is now 57-41-6 all-time against the Buckeyes, including a 22-17-3 mark at the Big House..."
Opposite sideline
November 17, 2007 Source: Columbus Dispatch - "...'We hurt ourselves with penalties, dropped passes. We had a hard time protecting the quarterback. We didn't run the football very effectively and with all the sacks and penalties we ended up with too many long yardage situations. But the story of the day was the Ohio State defense. They were outstanding.' - Carr..."
| Coaches Poll
Source: USA Today
BCS Rankings
Source: USA Today
AP Poll
Source: Associated Press
Top 25 Overview WEEK 12
November 10, 2007 Source: ESPN - Overview of all Top 25 Teams for the twelveth week of the season, including Recap, Box Score, Play-by-Play, Drive Chart, Photos (links to 'previous weeks' results too) |
Five Things We Learned This Weekend
November 18, 2007 Source: SI.com - "...4) That I'd hate having to select the Big Ten Coach of the Year. Let's say, hypothetically speaking, you are the sole voter responsible for deciding who wins this award. Here are your not-hypothetical choices: A) A guy who took over a rock-bottom program and, in his third season, improved it from 2-10 to 9-3 in the span of a year; B) A guy who took over a team just months before the season following their beloved coach's death and led it to its first bowl game in 14 years; or C) A guy whose team won the outright conference title for the second straight season despite losing last year's Heisman Trophy winner and seven other NFL draft choices. Who do you take?
"My guess is, Coach A -- otherwise known as Illinois' Ron Zook -- will take home the honor when it's announced this week, because coach of the year awards tend to go to those who orchestrate big turnarounds, and you won't hear any argument from me. He deserves it. That said, you also won't hear me complaining if either Coach B (Indiana's Bill Lynch) or Coach C (Ohio State's Jim Tressel) get their names called instead, because they'd be deserving as well. Heck, all three merit serious consideration for national coach of the year as well, though Kansas' Mark Mangino would seem the obvious choice there. It's pretty rare to have three of the best coaching performances in the country in any given season take place in the same conference. (So much so that in any other year, poor Mark Dantonio at Michigan State would merit Big Ten consideration himself, yet in this case comes in fourth.)..."
| Mr. Bucknuts' Bucket Of Bullets
November 18, 2007 Source: Bucknuts.com - "Mr. Bucknuts counts down the end of the Michigan game, talks bowl games, stupid stats and stupid sportswriters and takes a slap at Charlie Weis, just to stay in shape - in this week’s Bucket of Bullets..." |
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