Rapid Reaction: Jordan Travis has played so well and was one of the most dangerous QBs on one of the most dangerous teams. This injury is so gruesome, and I feel so bad for him.
Oklahoma must’ve played Red River as their Super Bowl because it seems like they’re playing at 50%.
Texas is playing good football with Ewers back, my Big 12 favorite.
Louisville is a real threat to win the ACC.
Jedd Fisch should be a candidate for coach of the year with what he’s done at Arizona after blowing out Utah.
Iowa will be a good team when they establish their offense, clinching their spot in the Big Ten Championship game.
Oregon is consistently very good.
Ohio State handled business looks to Ann Arbor.
Michigan won the game, and that’s all that matters.
Kansas State won a close rivalry game and now looks for another win for a tiebreaker in the Big 12.
Washington is good. They won a tough game, in harsh conditions, against a good team.
Georgia is the best team in the country, and they are getting a tough break playing Alabama in the SEC Championship game, which is the only team that can beat them.
Preview of The Game:
“The Game” is Michigan vs. Ohio State.
This year, the rivalry is in Ann Arbor. The winner will go to the Big Ten Championship game, with the potential to go to the CFB playoff.
Michigan has dominated the last two years and looks to win their 3rd in a row.
What goes into it for both teams?
Michigan, pressure McCord and make him turn the ball over. The Ohio State OL is the worst-position group on this team. Michigan should be able to stop the run and limit Marvin Harrison Jr and Emeka Egbuka.
TreVeyon Henderson is one of the best running backs in the country, and Michigan will need to be gap-sound against this team.
JJ McCarthy needs to play better than he’s been for the past two games.
In the last two games, he’s 19/31 for 201 yards, 1 INT, and 0 TDs. They have leaned on the running game, sometimes bringing eight guys onto their OL and playing old school. For Michigan to win, McCarthy has to spread this defense out.
Ohio State needs to be gap-sound as well. Allowing Michigan to run for 3 yards a carry is good. Like last year, allowing them to run for 7.2 would be devastating. McCord doesn’t need to do anything special. He has to throw for 200 yards with 2 TDs and 0 turnovers, and OSU will have a good chance to win this game.
In their last two games, Michigan has yet to show that they will throw it around. Plugging gaps and spying on McCarthy in case of the QB run will allow OSU to cause punts and chances.
Keys to the game: Michigan
Offensively, establish the threat of the downfield passing game and do it early. This will cause DC Jim Knowles to take players out of the run box, opening up the run game.
Defensively, don’t allow Marvin Harrison Jr to beat you. He’s the best player in the country, and you would rather have Egbuka, Stover, or Henderson make big plays. Once Harrison Jr catches a few passes, McCord and MHJ get comfortable. It would lead to a few big plays.
Keys to the game: Ohio State
Again, McCord has to be turnover-free. He can’t limit the offense.
Offensively, Ryan Day has to get Marvin Harrison Jr the football early. And the OL has to be good. This is both in the run-and-pass games and with penalties.
The home field will cause some pre-snap penalties, but these must be limited. Michigan will also bring pressure, lots of it. If the OL cannot pick up the blitz, there will be many issues for McCord and OSU. The X factor is TreVeyon Henderson, and he will have to score a few times to keep OSU ahead.
Defensively, stopping the run and making McCarthy beat you should be the game plan for Knowles. OSU plays a lot of 1 high man. This effort will be similar to the Penn State game, where they limited the run game, and Allar couldn’t beat them with his arm.
A big piece of this game is the special teams on both sides. Ohio State has shown they can have blemishes with their punt team, and Michigan is very aggressive. Look for this to be a factor.
