Guys, it looks like the Buckeyes are real.
Starting to wonder if @ChrisHoltmann are you getting used to it? pic.twitter.com/4DyCFxHlDt
– Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) February 5, 2021
Again, this probably should have been more widely accepted after the road to three consecutive victories over the top 15 opponents, but if you needed to see a fourth, I will not punish you.
Welcome to the movement!
(In addition, Zed Key ended up with a better field goal percentage than Luka Garza. Do what you want with that information.)
Word of the day: Efflorescence.
THIS LOOKS GOOD. I’m new to the “my team is extremely good at basketball” thing. Could someone tell me if this is good? Because it looks good!
Ohio now has the highest number of wins in Quadrant 1 in the country, with seven.
– Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) February 5, 2021
My favorite thing about this string of successes was to gradually witness the hopes and expectations about the team change.
In the beginning, it was “maybe they are classified!” So it was “wow, this is a top-15 team!” So, last week, we moved to “Oh, they’ll be in the top 10! At least until they play in Iowa.” And now, the Buckeyes are firmly in the top five and may be legitimately chasing a number one seed.
Michigan is not ready.
BEST EARTH DAMAGE RECEIVERS. The bad news is that the state of Ohio has no one on the list that has completed – or even tried! – a university level pass. But the good news is that the state of Ohio also has the two best receivers in all of college football, according to Pro Football Focus.
1. CHRIS OLAVE, OHIO STATE
Olave was designed to be a first-round selection in the NFL’s 2021 Draft, but he made the surprising decision to return to school and further increase his stock. For Buckeyes, this is obviously fantastic news. They are getting back one of the most, if not the most refined route runners in college football.
It has generated a stage or more of separation in more than 87% of its goals since 2019, the highest index in the country. Against individual coverage in the past two seasons, Olave has accumulated 15 receptions which resulted in a gain of more than 15 yards in which he had more than a few stages of separation. This was second only to Alabama’s DeVonta Smith for the majority on FBS (19) and is five more than the next best Power Five receiver.
2. GARRETT WILSON, OHIO STATE
Ohio may no longer have Justin Fields, but the team has the best wide receiver pair in the country. This will certainly facilitate the transition to (probably) CJ Stroud as a defender. Like his teammate Olave, Wilson is one of the best route runners in the game. He impressed against the unique coverage (sixth in the PFF grade in such moves) and often found weaknesses against the area while working on the slot machine. This led to a split rate that was eighth in college football last season. The 2019 five-star recruit is sure to increase the numbers of that offense again in 2021.
Chris Olave’s return eases my concern about the quarterback’s situation on two fronts.
First, it is much easier to take the place of a generational defender when you return the best receiver in the country (see Jones, Mac). Second, there is no way that Olave would have come back and risked millions of dollars in stocks if he didn’t think next year’s defender would be any good.
And Garrett Wilson – he’s not bad either!
Olave and Wilson are this year’s version of DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle – except that I would much rather have them both stay healthy, even if it cost the other the Heisman Trophy.
COMING TO A TV NEAR YOU … There may be no Buckeyes on the field on Sunday night, but Joey Bosa will have a role in the much better and more fun part of the Super Bowl – the commercials.
Actually, @TracyMorgan It’s very funny. Tune 02.07.21 to see the @RocketMortgage #SBLV place. #Ads pic.twitter.com/aok9mkunYh
– Joey Bosa (@jbbigbear) February 4, 2021
In fact, Joey Bosa is easily in my top five of the funniest Buckeyes they’ve played since I started writing words online about this team. Whatever it is, I’m sure it will be hilarious.
ALWAYS READ THE FINE PRINTING. It’s usually Michigan that makes me ridicule for its hilarious and terrible social media game (like that time when they got wet repeatedly after asking fans for nice sporting memories, or when they boasted about losing the fewest tackles, or when they created a recruitment chart featuring five former Ohio players).
But that is, borrowing his phrasing, incomparable.
Too many Super Bowls …#MadeInHappyValley#We are pic.twitter.com/4k2OyXuvEM
– Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) February 5, 2021
PENN STATE WON ALL GAMES LAST YEAR.
ᵉˣᶜᵉᵖᵗ ᶠᵒʳ ᶠᶦᵛᵉ
SONG OF THE DAY. “Carry You” by Novo Amor.
NOT SUITABLE FOR SPORTS. Baltimore officially ended its frightening spy plane program … A fugitive fell from the roof of a house while the police questioned his family … How to be angry … The lion, the polygamist and the biofuel scam … O excessive mindfulness can increase anxiety … I was a teen beauty contest loser …