Absolutely! I'd rather have a slightly to somewhat less enjoyable product that isn't taking advantage of a pool of labor by forcing them to work for free. That's called ethics, my friend.
I mean, if you believe in the project of capitalism (which I do not, to be clear) then the money goes to those who have "earned" it through creating a consumable product. Athletes are contributing to the creation of a consumable product and should therefore be compensated in a manner proportional to their contribution. Your average college student is not contributing anything to the creation of a consumable product.
The average cost of a new house in the US in 1975 was $35,900. A 20% downpayment would have been roughly $7,000.
So if a college athlete could walk away with sufficient money for a downpayment on a new house in 1975 then I would call that "being set up financially."
Thank you! And agreed - I'd like to see an undefeated clash of the titans every year. Of course we may have a minor disagreement about our preferred winner :)
Ha. I did! I have a B.A. from OSU and an M.A. from elsewhere. I think Ohio State's fandom is more like a professional team's fandom than most college programs - essentially because Columbus doesn't have a big professional team but it IS a large city. So OSU becomes the go to "professional" sports team of choice with almost no competition, which results in a large city fanbase that is made up of a representative sample of the entire population - there's no NBA, MLB, or NFL team within 2.5 hours of Columbus. Whereas in Ann Arbor you have the Tigers and Lions and Pistons nearby so the mass fandom probably navigates to those teams, leaving Michigan to the alums and those with a deeper connection to the university. And you have another big state school (MSU) that splits the population. Central Ohio has neither of these things.
I don't know if that makes any sense, but that's my 2 cents as to why significant elements of the OSU fanbase can seem to lack a college education - it's almost certainly because they do lack a college degree and if they had been born in a different state they would have transferred that fandom to an NFL team.
I appreciate that. I will say that, unfortunately, my comments and perspectives have generally not been appreciated at Eleven Warriors and I've never been a deny-the-evidence-in-front-of-me style of fan. There seems to be something deep in the psyche of a lot of Ohio State fans that I would compare to Manifest Destiny or Imperialism more broadly - "this is all ours, and it must be all ours, and any hint of a critique is tantamount to treason." That is not within me.
I should've been more specific and said "247 Recruiting Roster Talent" because that is what I meant - wasn't meaning to suggest there is a lack of talent on this Michigan team, quite the opposite actually. It's that there's immense talent because they stuck around and DEVELOPED as a team. Those who stay will be champions, indeed.
I agree with all of Brian's takes. AND I think it shows immensely poor judgement for Harbaugh to approve/allow the hire of Stalions.
Michigan needs to take a hard look internally at how such a monumentally dumb hire was allowed to proceed with seemingly no effective oversight. Even the most cursory examination of this guy would've turned up dozens of red flags. I really don't get it.
I'm an Ohio State fan and an OSU alum - and I agree with Brian that this is almost all bullshit. it seems clear that Stalions broke NCAA rules (that part seems mostly not in dispute) but the idea that this swung games is just insane.
Personally, I don't think there should be ANY prohibition on in-person scouting or filming of opponents' games - and before SignGate I didn't even know that was prohibited! College football should go to in-helmet comms and wristbands - problem fucking solved. And it's SO EASY TO DO THIS WITHOUT GETTING CAUGHT! Stalions biggest fuck-up in my opinion is being an idiot who got caught. I'm 100% positive that other major programs have schemes just like this.
This is so stupid on just about every level and I'm tired of reading about it and I just want to watch good football teams play each other.
This Ohio State OL is weaker than than any Ohio State OL since... 2016? 2015? The cursed Luke Fickell gap year between Tressel and Urban Meyer?
What really grabs the eye are how poor the tackles are. Josh Fryar was consensus 3 star (~500s nationally) GUARD coming out of high school while Josh Simmons was a borderline 3/4 star (~300s nationally) who had some nice offers but ultimately ended up at San Diego State, suggesting that his best offers were of the non-commitable variety. So there's a talent issue with the tackles - exemplified by the fact that TRUE FRESHMAN Like Montgomery (consensus 4 star, borderline Top 100 guy, 247 considered him an INTERIOR lineman) is not only their 6th offensive lineman but was in an active competition with Josh Simmons until the end of fall camp for one of the tackle jobs. To sum up: At the beginning of 2023 only ONE of Ohio State's top 3 tackles was on the roster. This is a problem.
I would say BOTH tackles struggle with (1) speed rushers off the edge, (2) blocking smaller/faster players, and (3) adjusting effectively to attackers coming in at weird angles or unpredictable times.
The interior lineman are talented and were generally considered Top 100 or so guys in their recruiting classes (Matthew Jones, Donovan Jackson, Carson Hinzman). I have fewer concerns about the interior.
As a whole, the offensive line is best at pass blocking (still not GREAT) and has struggled all year with run blocking.
So why are things not coming together in the run game beyond pure talent? The answer, in my opinion, is Ryan Day's scheme. Day prefers to run a zone scheme, which he has run effectively throughout his time at Ohio State both as offensive coordinator and head coach. As you all know, a zone scheme requires an offensive line to move IN UNISON and take responsibility for a zone,.. if no one is in the zone that you're responsible for then you go find someone at the second level to pancake. This OL has failed repeatedly against all kinds of defenses to effectively execute a zone scheme - I'm not a scout or a football expert so my analysis is limited but my take is that the problems include: (1) a general lack of athleticism and SKILL to get off first level tacklers and move quickly to find second level tacklers and (2) a lack of suddenness to keep defenders from shooting the gaps between the OL as they move in unison. OSU fans have seen over and over linebackers (who should've been picked up by OL moving to the 2nd level) just teeing off on our running backs and FAST defensive linemen shooting gaps to hit the RBs for a loss before they even get going.
To Day's credit, he has used the last few games to begin transitioning toward a gap scheme, which has generally been effective over the last 3 games (Purdue, Penn State, Wisconsin) - this is old school pure assignment hat-on-a-hat football with pulling guards/tackles and tight end lead blocking. And it has generally worked! Or at least it has worked relative to the previous incompetence. I still don't have much faith that we can pick up a 3rd-and-1 in a big spot but the faith I do have is immensely more than I had a month ago.
To my mostly untrained eye, Day has been mixing in gap and zone scheme runs along with their counters - and that has made everything a bit more effective because the offense is far less predictable now. Also, Treyveon Henderson being fully healthy has been super important because his game-breaking speed forces defenses to be a bit more cautious about shooting gaps.
Ohio State controlled the line of scrimmage against Penn State's defensive line (granted, Chop Robinson missed the 2nd half) and that was not something I would've predicted earlier in the year. Still, Michigan is a different beast. I don't think Ohio State's OL is capable of grinding out 4-5 yards a carry consistently like Michigan's OL - but OSU's OL is getting closer to a level of effectiveness that demands respect from the defense, which will open up the passing game for their all-world receivers.
This is the exact type of post that makes MGoBlog the greatest sports blog of all time. Wonderful detail and clarity - but also moments of wry humor sprinkled in for good balance.
Also, as an Ohio State fan,... this breakdown gives me nightmares!
I'm 100% pulling for Michigan tonight. Firstly, I genuinely like to see the Big Ten do well in these kinds of situations. Secondly, I have enjoyed the hell out of this Michigan team - no lottery picks but they play together so well as a team, defend like crazy, rebound the ball, and hustle constantly. Just really enjoy watching them play together. Gonna miss watching Mo and MAAR next year for sure.
As always, no fan base should judge another fan base based on a vocal minority. But I would also say that the OSU-Michigan rivalry feels toxic on all sides sometimes and I wish we could first see ourselves as a larger fraternity of people who enjoy sports and appreciate the game, and secondly as a friendly rivalry that never rises to the level of anger, rancor, and name-calling. Both sides are guilty of this, unfortunately.
This is why Brian remains the undisputed best in the business. And it's why fans of rival teams (like me) continue to visit this wonderful site day after day. Thank you.
Lifetime Buckeye here. These types of posts are why I follow MGoBlog. This site is without question the best team-centric blog in the sports universe and that is due in large part to (1) the voice, intellect, and perspective of Brian, Ace and others, (2) the careful construction of reality, and (3) the devil-may-care attitude about fitting in with normative perspectives.
I love you MGoBlog. Never, ever, ever change.
Also: Please get better, Ace. My prayers are with you.
Recent Comments
Absolutely! I'd rather have a slightly to somewhat less enjoyable product that isn't taking advantage of a pool of labor by forcing them to work for free. That's called ethics, my friend.
I mean, if you believe in the project of capitalism (which I do not, to be clear) then the money goes to those who have "earned" it through creating a consumable product. Athletes are contributing to the creation of a consumable product and should therefore be compensated in a manner proportional to their contribution. Your average college student is not contributing anything to the creation of a consumable product.
Agreed.
Agreed, and I think that will be the best possible outcome.
The average cost of a new house in the US in 1975 was $35,900. A 20% downpayment would have been roughly $7,000.
So if a college athlete could walk away with sufficient money for a downpayment on a new house in 1975 then I would call that "being set up financially."
Thank you! And agreed - I'd like to see an undefeated clash of the titans every year. Of course we may have a minor disagreement about our preferred winner :)
Ha. I did! I have a B.A. from OSU and an M.A. from elsewhere. I think Ohio State's fandom is more like a professional team's fandom than most college programs - essentially because Columbus doesn't have a big professional team but it IS a large city. So OSU becomes the go to "professional" sports team of choice with almost no competition, which results in a large city fanbase that is made up of a representative sample of the entire population - there's no NBA, MLB, or NFL team within 2.5 hours of Columbus. Whereas in Ann Arbor you have the Tigers and Lions and Pistons nearby so the mass fandom probably navigates to those teams, leaving Michigan to the alums and those with a deeper connection to the university. And you have another big state school (MSU) that splits the population. Central Ohio has neither of these things.
I don't know if that makes any sense, but that's my 2 cents as to why significant elements of the OSU fanbase can seem to lack a college education - it's almost certainly because they do lack a college degree and if they had been born in a different state they would have transferred that fandom to an NFL team.
Fair point! I may have underplayed that victory.
As it should be.
Appreciate those kind words, thank you. And -1 for saying 'Biakabatuka' and undoing years of therapy.
lmao.
Thank you! I rarely engage in the 11W forum for that exact reason. It's become a maelstrom of loyalists who bristle at even the gentlest critique.
Hahaha. That's the kind of comment I expect at 11W, lol. :)
Agreed and thank you for saying so. I really dislike the 11W community (and love the MGoBlog community) for this exact reason.
I appreciate that. I will say that, unfortunately, my comments and perspectives have generally not been appreciated at Eleven Warriors and I've never been a deny-the-evidence-in-front-of-me style of fan. There seems to be something deep in the psyche of a lot of Ohio State fans that I would compare to Manifest Destiny or Imperialism more broadly - "this is all ours, and it must be all ours, and any hint of a critique is tantamount to treason." That is not within me.
I should've been more specific and said "247 Recruiting Roster Talent" because that is what I meant - wasn't meaning to suggest there is a lack of talent on this Michigan team, quite the opposite actually. It's that there's immense talent because they stuck around and DEVELOPED as a team. Those who stay will be champions, indeed.
ope. should i have made it a diary? happy to delete it and repost as a diary if that makes more sense.
As an Ohio State fan I wish any Ohio State fan site had even 50% of the thoughtfulness and intelligence of an MGoBlog post selected at random.
Amazing work, as always. This is the kind of content that sets MGoBlog apart from pretty much every other sports blog in existence.
Also I'm loving how JJ's speech bubble is always a smiley face. He's just out there vibing.
I agree with all of Brian's takes. AND I think it shows immensely poor judgement for Harbaugh to approve/allow the hire of Stalions.
Michigan needs to take a hard look internally at how such a monumentally dumb hire was allowed to proceed with seemingly no effective oversight. Even the most cursory examination of this guy would've turned up dozens of red flags. I really don't get it.
I'm an Ohio State fan and an OSU alum - and I agree with Brian that this is almost all bullshit. it seems clear that Stalions broke NCAA rules (that part seems mostly not in dispute) but the idea that this swung games is just insane.
Personally, I don't think there should be ANY prohibition on in-person scouting or filming of opponents' games - and before SignGate I didn't even know that was prohibited! College football should go to in-helmet comms and wristbands - problem fucking solved. And it's SO EASY TO DO THIS WITHOUT GETTING CAUGHT! Stalions biggest fuck-up in my opinion is being an idiot who got caught. I'm 100% positive that other major programs have schemes just like this.
This is so stupid on just about every level and I'm tired of reading about it and I just want to watch good football teams play each other.
I'll add my thoughts as a Buckeye fan too.
This Ohio State OL is weaker than than any Ohio State OL since... 2016? 2015? The cursed Luke Fickell gap year between Tressel and Urban Meyer?
What really grabs the eye are how poor the tackles are. Josh Fryar was consensus 3 star (~500s nationally) GUARD coming out of high school while Josh Simmons was a borderline 3/4 star (~300s nationally) who had some nice offers but ultimately ended up at San Diego State, suggesting that his best offers were of the non-commitable variety. So there's a talent issue with the tackles - exemplified by the fact that TRUE FRESHMAN Like Montgomery (consensus 4 star, borderline Top 100 guy, 247 considered him an INTERIOR lineman) is not only their 6th offensive lineman but was in an active competition with Josh Simmons until the end of fall camp for one of the tackle jobs. To sum up: At the beginning of 2023 only ONE of Ohio State's top 3 tackles was on the roster. This is a problem.
I would say BOTH tackles struggle with (1) speed rushers off the edge, (2) blocking smaller/faster players, and (3) adjusting effectively to attackers coming in at weird angles or unpredictable times.
The interior lineman are talented and were generally considered Top 100 or so guys in their recruiting classes (Matthew Jones, Donovan Jackson, Carson Hinzman). I have fewer concerns about the interior.
As a whole, the offensive line is best at pass blocking (still not GREAT) and has struggled all year with run blocking.
So why are things not coming together in the run game beyond pure talent? The answer, in my opinion, is Ryan Day's scheme. Day prefers to run a zone scheme, which he has run effectively throughout his time at Ohio State both as offensive coordinator and head coach. As you all know, a zone scheme requires an offensive line to move IN UNISON and take responsibility for a zone,.. if no one is in the zone that you're responsible for then you go find someone at the second level to pancake. This OL has failed repeatedly against all kinds of defenses to effectively execute a zone scheme - I'm not a scout or a football expert so my analysis is limited but my take is that the problems include: (1) a general lack of athleticism and SKILL to get off first level tacklers and move quickly to find second level tacklers and (2) a lack of suddenness to keep defenders from shooting the gaps between the OL as they move in unison. OSU fans have seen over and over linebackers (who should've been picked up by OL moving to the 2nd level) just teeing off on our running backs and FAST defensive linemen shooting gaps to hit the RBs for a loss before they even get going.
To Day's credit, he has used the last few games to begin transitioning toward a gap scheme, which has generally been effective over the last 3 games (Purdue, Penn State, Wisconsin) - this is old school pure assignment hat-on-a-hat football with pulling guards/tackles and tight end lead blocking. And it has generally worked! Or at least it has worked relative to the previous incompetence. I still don't have much faith that we can pick up a 3rd-and-1 in a big spot but the faith I do have is immensely more than I had a month ago.
To my mostly untrained eye, Day has been mixing in gap and zone scheme runs along with their counters - and that has made everything a bit more effective because the offense is far less predictable now. Also, Treyveon Henderson being fully healthy has been super important because his game-breaking speed forces defenses to be a bit more cautious about shooting gaps.
Ohio State controlled the line of scrimmage against Penn State's defensive line (granted, Chop Robinson missed the 2nd half) and that was not something I would've predicted earlier in the year. Still, Michigan is a different beast. I don't think Ohio State's OL is capable of grinding out 4-5 yards a carry consistently like Michigan's OL - but OSU's OL is getting closer to a level of effectiveness that demands respect from the defense, which will open up the passing game for their all-world receivers.
This is the exact type of post that makes MGoBlog the greatest sports blog of all time. Wonderful detail and clarity - but also moments of wry humor sprinkled in for good balance.
Also, as an Ohio State fan,... this breakdown gives me nightmares!
"did you see that thing they did to Doug"
legit lol
+1 for If We Lose The Score Is Going To Be 11-8 Or Something And People Will Be Like "Remember That 11-8 Game" Until We All Die
LMAO.
Ohio State is 3-0 vs. the other 3 teams in their tier.
I'm 100% pulling for Michigan tonight. Firstly, I genuinely like to see the Big Ten do well in these kinds of situations. Secondly, I have enjoyed the hell out of this Michigan team - no lottery picks but they play together so well as a team, defend like crazy, rebound the ball, and hustle constantly. Just really enjoy watching them play together. Gonna miss watching Mo and MAAR next year for sure.
As always, no fan base should judge another fan base based on a vocal minority. But I would also say that the OSU-Michigan rivalry feels toxic on all sides sometimes and I wish we could first see ourselves as a larger fraternity of people who enjoy sports and appreciate the game, and secondly as a friendly rivalry that never rises to the level of anger, rancor, and name-calling. Both sides are guilty of this, unfortunately.
This is why Brian remains the undisputed best in the business. And it's why fans of rival teams (like me) continue to visit this wonderful site day after day. Thank you.
This is the absolute best free content in the college football universe. I only wish there was some equivalent for my team.
Lifetime Buckeye here. These types of posts are why I follow MGoBlog. This site is without question the best team-centric blog in the sports universe and that is due in large part to (1) the voice, intellect, and perspective of Brian, Ace and others, (2) the careful construction of reality, and (3) the devil-may-care attitude about fitting in with normative perspectives.
I love you MGoBlog. Never, ever, ever change.
Also: Please get better, Ace. My prayers are with you.