Remembering Nick Mangold and Penn State Preview

Ohio State enjoyed its second bye week — or “improvement week,” if you like — over the weekend, while most of the rest of the conference kept playing. We took the opportunity to get a look at some of the remaining competition, but what seemed like a strong slate of games was a bit disappointing in the end.

Before we went around the Big Ten to see how other teams made out, we discussed the tragic and untimely passing of former Ohio State center Nick Mangold, who lost his battle with kidney disease at far too young an age. Mangold was a monster in the middle of the OSU offensive line during his time in Columbus and enjoyed a productive NFL career as well. He also seemed to be well liked by just about everyone he interacted with. We pay our respects to the fallen Buckeye legend.

After that, we looked around the B1G to see how the other teams made out. Reality set in for UCLA in the Hoosier State, with Indian taking the Bruins to the woodshed. Oregon surprisingly struggled against Wisconsin but did enough to get the win. The Wolverines won the Paul Bunyan Trophy in the battle of the Mitten State, and Rutgers picked up a vital win late after a wild Purdue turnover to stay in the hunt for a bowl berth. We didn’t expect Iowa to spank Minnesota, but that’s what happened. Nebraska also outlasted Northwestern as both teams tried to throw the game away late, but only one team could pull that off.

We also looked ahead to the schedule that lies ahead on Saturday. There are always some intriguing matchups and this week is no exception.

Finally, we previewed the big meeting with Penn State. It’s fair to say the season hasn’t gone according to plan for the Nittany Lions, but there’s no animal more dangerous than one that is wounded and cornered. Ohio State cannot take the Nitts for granted. Saturday’s visitors are talented, even if they haven’t had their way of things this season and their visit to Columbus will be seen as an early bowl game and a potential springboard for a decent finish to the season and an actual bowl game. We selected our picks to click in the game for the Buckeyes and tried our hand at predicting the final score.

We would love to hear from you, so please reach out with your feedback and questions below in the comments section or ⁠send us an email⁠ at [e-mail]. Any questions directed toward us will be answered on our next show.Be sure to subscribe, rate, review, share, and follow the show over on Twitter at ⁠@SilvrBulletsPod⁠.

As always, thanks for listening!

0:20 - We remember the late Nick Mangold and take a tour around the rest of the Big Ten.

23:10 - It isn’t the Ohio State-Penn State game we envisioned, but it’s the one we have. We try to get you ready for one of the biggest games on the remaining OSU schedule.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:19):
Although there we get everybody.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
It is time for another episode of the Silver Bullets podcast.
I'm Michael Citrow, I'm chip Minnick Chip you and I
did not have a Buckeye game to cover this week.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
No, what is it?

Speaker 4 (00:32):
I think the way Ryan Dab refers to it as
an improvement week, so.

Speaker 3 (00:37):
Rather than a bye week.

Speaker 4 (00:39):
But no, I mean being able to kind of survey
how the rest of the Big Ten did.

Speaker 3 (00:45):
I didn't.

Speaker 4 (00:46):
I have to confess I didn't watch every single game,
but I watched a handful of them.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
So that's how I didn't watch every game. Chip.

Speaker 4 (00:53):
That's not except when we get to when we start
talking about the Big Ten games. I will just kind
of as as I will tell you a game that
I actually enjoyed that I if you had said to
me prior to this weekend, I would never have said
that that was going to be an entertaining game.

Speaker 3 (01:10):
But it actually turned out to be one.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
I'll bet I know what it is because most of
the games we thought would be entertaining.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
Were not entertaining.

Speaker 3 (01:17):
That's true. That is true.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
You know there was that discussion last week where were
that we were going to be flipping during the twelve
o'clock hour, and we're going to be flipping on the
three thirty out and that there wasn't much.

Speaker 1 (01:28):
Flipping it was. It was some of those games were blowouts.
That was a little unexpected.

Speaker 3 (01:34):
Exactly.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Anyway, why do we open this show with some I guess,
some somber news. But let's get it out of the
way up top, and that is that former Ohio State
All American Center Nick Mangold passed away. We got the
news today as you and I record this on Sunday,
the twenty sixth of October, and he had been having.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
Suffering from from kidney disease for a while.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
It wasn't that long ago where I think he put
out on his social media he was looking for donors.
And unfortunately Nick Mangle passed far too young.

Speaker 4 (02:10):
Yes, only forty one years of age from what I understand.

Speaker 3 (02:15):
Married. I believe he had three children.

Speaker 4 (02:19):
Like you said, he recently disclosed that he was seeking
a kidney transplant and passed away. So very sorry for
the Mangold family. I saw some heartfelt and I guess
you could say, you know, just some you know, truly
heartbreaking hosts from some of his former teammates. I saw

(02:43):
on NFL game day, Rex Ryan became visibly and understandably
choked up. Jim Trussell, Bobby Carpenter, just a number of
people who played and interacted with him. So never had
the play of meeting Nick mangle, but as somebody who
admired his skill as an Ohio State offensive lineman, very

(03:07):
sorry to see him pass at the age of forty one.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
Seemed to be extremely well liked by pretty much everybody
that was part of his life, which is a you know,
a good legacy to leave behind. I guess is you
know that so many people have so many nice things
to say about you, and I guess even though I
don't like the professional team he played for, he must
have inspired them because they won their first game of

(03:32):
the season today.

Speaker 4 (03:33):
Yeah, that was That was a nice thing to see,
you know, because the New York Jets have been beleaguered
this this year. For them to get a tough victory
on the day of the announcement of Nick Mangold's passing
was a nice thing.

Speaker 2 (03:52):
And of course game winning drive engineered by former Buckeye
Justin Fields.

Speaker 4 (03:58):
Yeah, he's been under a lot of scrutiny, so it's
nice to see Justin Fields have a winning effort. Like
you said at the beginning, a very somber.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
News event, it's unfortunate for Justin Fields because I feel like,
even in Pittsburgh and Chicago, I feel like the teams
weren't necessarily not performing because he wasn't performing. I feel
like there were a lot of other extenuating circumstances, especially
with the Bears.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
We talked about it on this show before.

Speaker 2 (04:26):
The Bears invest in a quarterback, but they don't give
him any weapons or an offensive line.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
That's a little bit tough to make that work.

Speaker 4 (04:34):
Yeah, I think he's making the best of a bad situation,
and hopefully he will continue to inspire confidence because, like
you said, I think it's not all entirely on him.

Speaker 2 (04:47):
All Right, Chip, that's very sad news. But let's move
on to the second bye week. I'm sorry, I can't
call an improvement week, just like I can't call it
the two minute timeout.

Speaker 1 (04:57):
It's a two minute warning. You can't. You can't give
me new terminology. At this stage of my life, I
understand so.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
Quick walk around the Big Ten, the Buckeyes being off,
we did not have any Friday games. Everything was on Saturday,
and I did not think UCLA would be able to
hang with Indiana, but he definitely didn't see them getting
beaten by fifty points either the way that they had
been playing offense. But I watched a chunk of this
game before it got out of hand, and UCLA's offense

(05:29):
was not doing well and Nico Iamalava was not not
performing well. He was missing guys early in this game,
and they were having to punt and giving the ball away,
and Indiana made the most of it. UCLA's defense still
still isn't very good, so a crashing to earth for Ucla.
They lose fifty six to six on the road. Indiana

(05:53):
is eight to oh five and oho. In Big Ten Play,
Ucla falls to three and five and in Big Ten
Play three and two.

Speaker 4 (06:00):
Yeah, I wasn't surprised that Indiana handled Ucla like you.
I didn't think it was gonna be a fifty point discrepancy,
but Indiana's playing certainly with a great deal of confidence
UCLA was prior to this game. It's gonna be interesting
to see if the UCLA interim coaching staff is able
to pick up the pieces and get UCLA back into

(06:24):
a winning style of football.

Speaker 2 (06:26):
One of the games that I was kind of excited
to see was Illinois going to Washington. But that game
was close at halftime, and then Illinois just did nothing
in the second half. They lose forty two to twenty
five on the road. Washington improoves. Is six and two,
three and two in Big Ten play. Illinois is five
and three, two and three in the Big Ten. Illinois

(06:48):
playing its way farther and farther away from where they'd
hoped to be, which was maybe on the fringe of
that college football playoff.

Speaker 4 (06:57):
Yeah, Illinois, I'm not saying that they are officially eliminated,
but it looks pretty bleak. With three losses. You never
know how the remainder of the season is going to turn.
But Washington still has a shot. I'm not saying a
good shot, but they do have a shot. I was
happy to see Washington get back since they played so

(07:17):
poorly the previous week at Michigan, so that they took
advantage of the home crowd, capitalized on some mistakes by Illinois.
So Washington kind of you know, getting back into the
right right frame of mind, and Illinois, let's see if
they can regroup.

Speaker 2 (07:34):
Yeah, Washington had been struggling in the first half and
having slow starts. No such problem in this game. Illinois
had slow starts in the first quarter and the third quarter,
so that ended up dooming them as a big win
for Washington at home. One of the late late afternoon

(07:57):
games that I did not think was going to be closed.
I believe you did not think it was going to
be closed, but it ended up being much lower scoring
and closer than we probably anticipated, was Wisconsin going out
to Oregon. I just thought they were going to get
boat raced on the road, and Oregon beat them only
twenty one to seven. It was seven to nothing at halftime,
and Wisconsin finally scored a touchdown.

Speaker 1 (08:19):
Hip.

Speaker 4 (08:20):
Yeah, good thing for Wisconsin to avoid a third straight shutout,
which I.

Speaker 3 (08:24):
Really thought was going to happen.

Speaker 4 (08:25):
I have to confess I thought for sure Oregon was
going to take it to them. Oregon, I'm not sure
if they just kind of all right, let's just kind
of get the win and who cares if it looks
exciting or not.

Speaker 3 (08:39):
Wisconsin, the fact that.

Speaker 4 (08:40):
They now you know that all right, great, you know,
you scored a touchdown in the final moments to avert
a shutout. But I mean they're zero to five in
the Big Ten. They're at the basement of the Big Ten.
And last week the athletic director was talking.

Speaker 3 (08:56):
About, you know, all, we have to give more money to.

Speaker 4 (08:59):
The football program, which I do not believe was received. Well,
it's gonna be interesting to see what direction everything goes
with Wisconsin, considering they have a bye week this coming week.

Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yeah, Wisconsin is just a mess offensively. I mean, Hunter
Simmons was seven of twenty one for eighty six yards,
but he.

Speaker 1 (09:17):
Did have a touchdown pass exactly.

Speaker 2 (09:21):
Yeah, Wisconsin is two and six overall, zero to five
in the Big Ten. Oregon stays alive in the Big
Ten race seven and one overall, four and one in
the Big Ten, So the Ducks are still hanging around
and still in the top ten.

Speaker 1 (09:34):
That won't change.

Speaker 2 (09:35):
Even though it was not a very impressive final score
against a very, very much struggling Wisconsin team, it does
give me a little hope that maybe Ohio State not
scoring more points than it did maybe is more to
do with Wisconsin's defense playing better in recent weeks, but
it's kind of hard to tell.

Speaker 4 (09:53):
Yeah, I think Wisconsin that there is I don't want
to say a right spot because it's not but the
strong part of their team as the defense. They are
still playing as as tough as they possibly can.

Speaker 3 (10:07):
But yeah, I mean they're pretty bad.

Speaker 2 (10:11):
The battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy took place in
East Lansing, Chip Michigan going to Michigan State. It was
a tight game at the half ten to seven Michigan,
but the Wolverines pull away in the second half. I
watched a good chunk of this game and I was
I'm not impressed with the way Aiden.

Speaker 1 (10:29):
Childs is playing for Michigan State right now.

Speaker 2 (10:31):
Michigan wins thirty one to twenty, and it just didn't
seem like the Spartans could do much and a lot
of poor passes I thought, and some drops as well.

Speaker 4 (10:43):
Yeah, Michigan State, I mean there's a lot of lot
of things that they have to improve upon. I think,
most notably this offseason, a commitment to defense. That's the
definite weak link of their team, their rosters. So it
remains to be seen with recruiting as well. Is just
the transfer portal, how where they can how well they
can improve that. I'm not sure if they need to

(11:04):
adjust their coaches. That's entirely possible. But yeah, Michigan, they
they're very direct in terms of the Okay, they're going
to run the ball. I mean, when it comes to
Justice Haynes, Jordan Marshall running the ball, they went they
combined for over two hundred and fifty yards on the ground,

(11:27):
three touchdowns. I mean, they're pretty much content to just
run the ball and beat teams doing it. So it's
going to be a team that can shut them down.
Running the ball is a team that you know, we'll
have to see at the end of November for the
High States one of them.

Speaker 2 (11:44):
Yeah, Michigan is six and two overall, four and one
in the Big Ten, staying alive for the Big Ten
title game. Michigan state three and five overall and joining
Wisconsin in the basement zero to five in the Big Ten.
Northwestern went to Nebraska Chip and this was a knockdown,
drag out sort of rock fight type game, and Northwestern

(12:06):
had had a takeaway with an even score twenty one
to twenty one, and then immediately turned the ball right
back over as Preston Stone throws an interception right to
the linebacker. Nebraska goes down and scores the winning touchdown
and wins twenty eight to twenty one.

Speaker 4 (12:23):
Yeah, this was a game that you know watching it
in the tail end, Nebraska being able to, like you said,
capitalize on Preston Stone's interception and their mistakes, Nebraska nearly
blew a fifteen point lead. So for I mean credit
to Northwestern for battling back. I'm happy for Nebraska in
the sense that a year ago they really had to

(12:45):
scratch and claw to get to six wins.

Speaker 3 (12:47):
They already have that now.

Speaker 4 (12:49):
But to Matt Rule's credit postgame, he's like, we're not
satisfied with just getting to bowl eligibility. He wants to
improve the corn Huskers so they have a very slight
chance of making the College Football Playoff. Obviously, they need
to win out the remainder of their games, but stranger
things have happened.

Speaker 1 (13:08):
Not much stranger things.

Speaker 2 (13:10):
I don't think much of this Nebraska team overall, but
they're better than they were. I guess that's the positive
for them. And they are now six and two, three
and two in the Big Ten. They join Michigan, Washington, Oregon, Indiana,
Ohio State as a Big Ten eligible I'm sorry Bowl
eligible teams and Northwestern five and three. I have to

(13:32):
wait for bowl eligibility three and two in the Big Ten,
and there's one more eligible team we'll get to after
we talk about the game. I think you were referencing
earlier that you didn't think was going to be a
good game, and it ended up being a very good game,
and Rutgers kicks a late field goal to beat Purdue
on the road twenty seven to twenty four.

Speaker 4 (13:53):
You read my mind, Yeah, that was a game that
I mean, we joked about the fact that at all,
like you know, a lopping eight dollars will get you
into that game, but it actually turned out to be
you know, back and forth. You know, I genuinely I
feel for Perdue because they had the lead, couldn't hold it. Rutgers,
to their credit, bought back. You know, watching the final

(14:15):
moments of it where it was tied up twenty one,
it looked like it was going to be possibly going
into overtime. Ryan Brown, I you know, watching watching it
happened where he threw a pass, it's deflected, he catches it,
takes a few steps and then fumbles it and then
which led to yeah, then led to Rutgers kicking the
winning field goals time expired. I mean you want to

(14:36):
talk about, you know, getting your heart ripped out, you know,
I genuinely that's where I felt bad for Purdue. But
I want to give a lot of credit to Rutgers
for getting their first Big Ten win of the season.
And for Purdue, I mean, keep battling because I mean,
even though the results haven't been pretty, improvement is definitely
there within within that program.

Speaker 1 (14:58):
Yeah, and they blew eight ten nothing lead after the
first quarter. Purdue did.

Speaker 2 (15:01):
And a message to quarterbacks out there, don't catch your
own passes, just knock it down.

Speaker 1 (15:06):
Yep, exactly that that was a very unfortunate. It was like,
oh disaster, Oh he caught it. Oh bigger disaster.

Speaker 3 (15:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (15:16):
Yeah, Rutgers four and four, first Big Ten win for
the Scarlet Knights. One and four in the Big Ten.
They stay alive. We said they had to win this
game to try to get the bowl eligibility. They still
need to steal one somewhere and they have one other
winnable game left, but they're still alive. Purdue is two
and six, oh and five in the Big Ten. But

(15:37):
Purdue does not look as bad as Wisconsin and Michigan
State has a better offense, probably but not a better team.

Speaker 1 (15:45):
It doesn't seem like exactly.

Speaker 2 (15:49):
And then finally one of the games that we thought
was going to be a good game and then it'll
be in a terrible game unless you're an Iowahawkeye fan.

Speaker 1 (15:56):
The Iowahawkeyes chip forty.

Speaker 2 (15:58):
One to three winners over for Minnesota, and just this
thing got away big time from PJ Flex team.

Speaker 3 (16:07):
Yeah, it could have.

Speaker 4 (16:08):
It couldn't have gone much worse. You know, credit to Iowa.
I didn't think that they had it within them to
blow out a team, but they obviously did.

Speaker 3 (16:18):
You know.

Speaker 4 (16:18):
So Minnesota, you know they're going to be they'll be
able to get to a bowl game. But yeah, like
their college football playoff chances are pretty much gone.

Speaker 3 (16:28):
Iowa was lurking there. They're still in the thick of it.

Speaker 1 (16:33):
Yeah, I was. Now six and two.

Speaker 2 (16:35):
They're bowl eligible and four and one in Big Ten play,
as you mentioned, still in the running for the Big
Ten title game, and Minnesota drops to five and three.
They'll have to wait to become bowl eligible. I think
I think they'll get there. They're three to two in
the conference and that's a trip around the Big Ten
chip yep, and that's the final bye week for the

(16:57):
Buckeyes this season, so there's Buckeye football every week from
here on out to the end of the regular season.
Now just really kind of comes down to when we
look about the last five.

Speaker 1 (17:10):
Games of the season for Ohio State.

Speaker 2 (17:12):
We can talk about that before we do our Penn
State preview, but there are two difficult games and three
games that should be very winnable out of these five
for Ohio State, and realistically they should also beat Penn
State based on what Penn State's.

Speaker 1 (17:27):
Gone through this year.

Speaker 2 (17:28):
But you can't just show up and count on winning
because they have a talented team and they're going to
be playing hard for the rest of the season. So
that really leaves the game as the biggest potential stumbling
block to keep the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten.

Speaker 3 (17:43):
Title games exactly.

Speaker 1 (17:46):
Let's get to next week's action.

Speaker 2 (17:48):
We just mentioned at Penn State will be at Ohio
State for the game on.

Speaker 1 (17:54):
Saturday at noon.

Speaker 2 (17:56):
It's big nude Saturday, and I believe Ohio State's doing something.

Speaker 1 (18:01):
Are they scarletting out the shoe or something?

Speaker 3 (18:04):
Not blackout?

Speaker 2 (18:05):
It's a blackout, Okay, they're blacking out the shoe, which
is not a team color.

Speaker 4 (18:12):
Not only that, but it's in the middle of the day.
That to me is that that to me is like that.
It's just it's insulting to everyone's intelligence.

Speaker 3 (18:19):
I think.

Speaker 1 (18:20):
Yeah, so thank you Ross Byork.

Speaker 2 (18:25):
Anyway, we'll talk about that game in a little bit.
Also at noon again, no Friday games in the Big Ten.

Speaker 1 (18:31):
This week.

Speaker 2 (18:31):
Rutgers will be at Illinois. Both of these teams need
this game. Rutgers needs it more than Illinois, but Illinois
is gonna want to bounce back from that, you know,
poor trip to Washington, and Illinois could get to Bowl
eligibility with a win.

Speaker 1 (18:47):
I think Illinois will handle Rutgers.

Speaker 2 (18:50):
But Rutgers, if they are gonna make it to a
bowl game, they need to steal a game like this.

Speaker 4 (18:56):
Yeah, exactly, that's well put it. I think they need
to steal. But I like Illinois here.

Speaker 1 (19:02):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (19:03):
Indiana will visit Maryland. Maryland was off this week. I
do not think Maryland's fortunes in the Big Ten will
improve this week.

Speaker 3 (19:13):
No.

Speaker 4 (19:14):
I think Indiana they're playing with a mission, so I
think it could be another blowout game.

Speaker 1 (19:20):
I think both Mendoza's will play in this game for Indiana.

Speaker 3 (19:23):
Yes, exactly.

Speaker 2 (19:25):
Michigan State will go to Minnesota. PJ flex team has
to bounce back to get to bowl eligibility. Michigan State
running out of chances to get to bowl eligibility at
three and five. Overall, I think that the Gophers bounce
back and win this game.

Speaker 3 (19:39):
Yeah, I agree.

Speaker 2 (19:41):
Drake Lindsay was not good against Iowa, but he's he's
looked pretty good most.

Speaker 1 (19:46):
Of this season. I think he bounces back.

Speaker 2 (19:48):
Yes, Purdue, we'll go to Michigan and they have a
chance to do the funniest thing.

Speaker 4 (19:57):
Stranger things have happened in the sense that Purdue they
I mean they they lost a heartbreaker, but there's there
is very little quit in that team. So I think
if they the longer they stick around, I mean, I
mean that the power of positive belief. You know, you

(20:20):
never know, stranger things have happened.

Speaker 2 (20:23):
You keep saying that, But I would like to see
if something stranger could happen this week than Purdue beating Michigan.

Speaker 3 (20:30):
Okay, that's fine.

Speaker 4 (20:32):
I just I just think I think that Purdue they
played Illinois tough. Obviously, they played Rutgers tough, and I
realize that Rutgers is not as talented as Michigan.

Speaker 3 (20:44):
But I just think that if if.

Speaker 4 (20:47):
Barry Odom can keep everyone focused on finishing strong, that
they can go into that game and give the Wolverines.

Speaker 3 (20:58):
I'm not saying they're going to win.

Speaker 4 (20:59):
I think they're going to lose, but I think they
can play competitively.

Speaker 2 (21:03):
We'll see if they can keep that one tight. That's
a night game. I should have mentioned. Indiana Maryland is
the three thirty time slot, so is Michigan State Minnesota.
The night games are Purdue at Michigan, which we.

Speaker 1 (21:13):
Just talked about.

Speaker 2 (21:14):
USC is back in action chip they go to Nebraska,
and I mean, I think this is a game Nebraska
could win, but I expect USC.

Speaker 3 (21:24):
To win it.

Speaker 4 (21:25):
Yeah, USC out of out of well, both teams need
it to avoid any kind of you know, elimination so
to speak, unofficial elimination from the College Football Playoff. But
I think it's it's more pronounced. It feels more pronounced
for USC, especially the way that they lost in their

(21:46):
last game at Notre Dame. So I think USC can
bounce back.

Speaker 2 (21:50):
In USC hanging on in the high you know, in
the twenties, in the you know, in the nationally ranks,
national ranks, I should say, and they could be moving
up with a win over Nebraska.

Speaker 1 (22:04):
Nebraska team that's six and two, but we'll see.

Speaker 2 (22:06):
I think they have plenty of offense, but sometimes the
defense is a no show for the Trojans. The Trojans
when they play defense, they're pretty tough.

Speaker 4 (22:17):
Yeah, it's just I'm kind of skeptical about how well.

Speaker 3 (22:20):
They do against the run.

Speaker 2 (22:21):
Yeah, and we'll see how that plays out. So that's
the seven thirty game, and that's that's what we're gonna
look at this weekend. Chip, Any particular games you're interested
in watching.

Speaker 4 (22:32):
Probably that one, the USC Nebraska, just like I said
about the possible college football playoff implications. But I'll definitely
be flipping back and forth at the three thirty games
as well, just to kind of see how they go.

Speaker 3 (22:48):
Same.

Speaker 2 (22:49):
All right, Well, then we'll take a quick break, Chip,
and then we will get into Ohio States Final five
and especially of course the Penn State game coming up
this weekend, And so why don't we get to that
right after this? All right, Chip, we are back, and

(23:11):
of course big noon Saturday, Penn State Ohio State.

Speaker 1 (23:15):
This is a game we kind of thought would be maybe.

Speaker 2 (23:19):
To see which team would be the have the upper
hand going into the Big Ten title game and possibly
even the first of two meetings between these teams this year.

Speaker 4 (23:29):
Yeah, I stranger, you know, like in the sense that everybody,
not just you and me, but everybody across the country
had kind of earmarked this game as being you know,
pivotal in the national championship, uh, you know, the college
football playoff implications, and Penn State just had that epic
collapse that.

Speaker 3 (23:51):
They're still they're still sorting through.

Speaker 4 (23:54):
There's still a lot of football to be played for
the month of November, but yeah, Penn State. Who would
have thought that Penn State would be looking for their
first Big Ten win of the season.

Speaker 2 (24:04):
Penn State definitely looked better against Iowa. In fact, they
had a chance to win that game late but did
not get to pull it off. And I don't know,
I think when I when I think back to the
beginning of this season, maybe we should have seen this coming.
With James Franklin having his best, so called best team
since he's been in Happy Valley, he brings in Jim

(24:25):
Knowles to improve the defense, and it all just fell apart.
And it started with that Oregon overtime game. But maybe
we should have seen this because we know what James Franklin,
what his history has been in big games while he's
been at Penn State. Maybe this whole season was a
bit quote unquote big season, and maybe you know, the

(24:49):
wheels fell off for him in a big season the
way they tend to fall apart in a big game.

Speaker 4 (24:55):
The thing that I look back on is prior to
the season, I remember thinking and saying that that non
conference schedule I thought did not do Penn State any favors.

Speaker 3 (25:06):
I'm not suggesting that that teams should.

Speaker 4 (25:08):
Go out and play a murderer's row and you know,
get themselves beat up before they get into conference play,
but I do think a team really should get themselves
tested and pushed to the brink, so to speak, to
kind of get an idea in terms of what kind
of a team they have and what they need to
improve upon. You know, we kind of talked about that

(25:29):
with the season opener for Ohio State and Texas, the
fact that both teams were highly ranked and no matter
who won, and obviously it was a good thing Ohio
State did that the coaches would have areas where they
could identify and improve upon with Penn State. Their non
conference schedule was so weak and as evidence by the
fact that Penn State won those games, then they had

(25:50):
a bye week that they went into that Oregon game
without really having been tested the Oregon game.

Speaker 3 (25:56):
I give them credit for battling back, but they.

Speaker 4 (26:00):
Had I mean, the stories are coming out that and
I think when you see the fact that that Penn
State's lost lost four straight games, that emotionally they had
they pushed everything into that the proverbial pot against Oregon,
and when they lost, I mean, they were completely depleted
emotionally and psychologically. So yeah, I just think that it's

(26:24):
going to be no matter who Penn State chooses for
the next head coach, what direction they decide to take,
it's it's going to be an interesting offseason and happy Valley.

Speaker 2 (26:34):
Some of the wheels have fallen off for some of
their perhaps targets, some of the targets that we've heard
about have not necessarily had seasons that would maybe make
Penn State fans feel any better about hiring those coaches.

Speaker 4 (26:50):
Yeah, I I have my my thoughts on who Penn
State should should target. I mean the fact that they
are are preparing to pay James Franklin fifty million dollars
to not coach for them. I'm sure that they are
doing their their due diligence, but I think that Penn

(27:12):
State needs to recognize it. I mean, it's a horrific job.
I'm not trying to suggest that it isn't. But you know,
all of these all like maybe we could get Nick
Saban or urban.

Speaker 3 (27:23):
Mind, It's like that's not going to happen.

Speaker 4 (27:24):
I think you guys need to kind of slow your
role and come back down to planet Earth and kind
of look at the reality of all Right, Penn State,
great school, great football tradition and program, but you're in
the middle of Pennsylvania. It's a difficult place to get
to if you're not from Pennsylvania. I mean, there aren't

(27:48):
really a lot of great opportunities when it comes to nil.
So I think again, I realized it sounds like I'm
taking shots. I'm just trying to the reality of the
situation is Penn State it needs to get the right
coach to attract the right kind of player, which I
think is predominantly from Pennsylvania and from like the Eastern seaboard.

(28:10):
They can even dip into Ohio not that I want
them to, but they can get the right kind of players.
But yeah, I think it's going to be interesting to see.

Speaker 3 (28:18):
Who they hire.

Speaker 2 (28:19):
Yeah, I don't think necessarily that recruiting has been their
biggest issue. But it's really kind of just been that
one get over the hump win against a big opponent
that they hadn't been able to get over the hump against.

Speaker 1 (28:31):
And you're right, they don't need to retread anybody.

Speaker 2 (28:33):
They can go out and find somebody that they find
the next Kurt Signetti for example. Possibly, I mean, this
is not They're not going to get Signetti now. I
don't think the way Nebraska has performed. Maybe that Matt
Ruhle is like somebody that they're excited about. So you know,
we'll have to see how that plays out. Maybe it's

(28:55):
a former player, maybe you know, for Penn State, maybe
it's a somebody that's currently on the staff who knows
if this is a good audition for their interim coach.

Speaker 1 (29:04):
That's for sure.

Speaker 2 (29:05):
Exactly, So Ohio State will play Penn State, and they
come into this game, you know, in vastly different you know,
runs of form.

Speaker 1 (29:14):
Penn State is three and four oh and four the
Big Ten.

Speaker 2 (29:17):
I in my wildest dreams, even with even if you
tell me before the season Drew Aller is going to
be out for the year, I don't see them being
oh and four to.

Speaker 1 (29:25):
Start the Big Ten seasons, not at all.

Speaker 2 (29:28):
So the Buckeyes will instead see Ethan grunk Meyer.

Speaker 1 (29:33):
Grunk Meyer, M Yeah, freshman quarterback.

Speaker 4 (29:39):
He's from He's from the Columbus area. That's the thing
that I think is is you know, that's fascinating. It's
is uh, you know, he grew up you know, his
hometown has listened as Lewis Center, So you're talking. I mean,
he grew up in the Columbus area, you know. So
I don't want to be presumptuous. I'm sure it will
come out in interviews, you know. Was he an Ohio

(30:01):
State fan growing up and all that kind of stuff,
Like Drew Aller is from Ohio as well, but with
Ethan Grunklemeyer.

Speaker 3 (30:09):
A little bit more mobile, So I.

Speaker 4 (30:12):
Think that presents some different challenges. But he's inexperienced and
I just think hal Penn State. Now, granted they had
this bye week, I'm sure that they tried to work
on some things that better suit Grunkelemeyer style than Aler's
and maybe some things that he's more comfortable running. But
I definitely think Ohio State has the upper hand going

(30:33):
out against relatively inexperienced quarterback.

Speaker 1 (30:36):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (30:36):
So, in addition to being able to find the stadium
even if he misses the bus, Ethan Grounkemeyer brings to
this game a fifty nine percent passer completion percentage. He's
thrown for one hundred and ninety eight yards on thirty
nine attempts, completing twenty three. He's thrown for one touchdown,
two interceptions. He's averaging five point one yards per attempt.

(30:58):
Feel like that the Buckeyes would do well to sort
of approach this game the defensively the way that they
approached Washington and Texas and Illinois. Keep the quarterback in
the pocket, don't let him escape and hurt you with
his feet, and make sure you take care of everything
on the back end.

Speaker 4 (31:17):
I think it's very well said. You know that, I
think that the Penn State passing offense wasn't necessarily lighting up,
you know, the scoreboard prior to Drew Aller's injury, But
now that you have an inexperienced quarterback, I think it's
going to be even more of a guarded, conservative type

(31:39):
approach in the passing game.

Speaker 2 (31:41):
And I think that we'll see a conservative game plan
for the most part. They'll throw short to the tight
ends you'll get You're going to get a heavy dose
to k Tron Allen in Nick Singleton, and they'll try
to run the football. K Tron Allen has run for
six hundred yards, he's got nine touchdowns, he's averaging eighty
seven yards per game. But Singleton is every bit as
difficult an opponent to bring down a couple of senior

(32:04):
running backs that really give Penn State a formidable running attack,
especially behind that big offensive line, and that's something that
they're going to try to do this and it may
not be successful, but I feel like they'll stay with
it for four quarters and hope to you know, keep
the game close and spring some runs in the second half.

Speaker 4 (32:25):
Yeah, if anything, going into this game, I think the
mindset is if they can run the ball and burn
clock and keep the Ohio State offense off the field.
That is I don't want to say that's as good
as it can get, but I think that that's probably
the mindset of all Right, we can protect Grunkelemeyer by

(32:48):
just running the ball and being very slow and methodical
in terms of with our plays and hopefully tired the
Ohio State defense out.

Speaker 3 (32:57):
I don't think that's going to work.

Speaker 4 (32:58):
But I think that might kind of a maybe a
potential offensive game plan.

Speaker 1 (33:04):
Yeah. So you look at their receiving corps.

Speaker 2 (33:07):
I think the entire receiving corps barely has I think
it has maybe one more touchdown than Jeremiah Smith. They
don't really scare you. But again, Penn State likes to
throw their tight ends. They got several of them, and
they don't need to make big plays. They need to
make five six yard plays. And if they can get

(33:30):
two or three yards to carry get into manageable third downs,
they could make this a rockfight of a game for
Ohio State.

Speaker 3 (33:37):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (33:37):
I think the key for Penn State is not necessarily
winning first down, but kind of avoid you know, long
long yardage like on first down. You know, if they
can emerge at second and four, that is that's kind
of a minor victory for the Nittany Lions in the
sense that, all right, they can continue to run the ball,

(33:57):
they can do play action passes that kind of a
thing we already talked about grunkle Meyer being more of
a mobile threat with his legs. So Ohio State's defense,
you know, if they can put Penn State in second
and long and third and long, that's going to make
things very difficult.

Speaker 2 (34:16):
You've got a lot of guys on defense that are
sort of not really one particular guy.

Speaker 1 (34:22):
They can hurt you from a lot of different angles.

Speaker 2 (34:24):
So it's important for Ohio State to protect Julian Sayan
in this game and give him time to throw. But
also it's important for Higho State to actually be able
to run the football better than it did against Wisconsin.

Speaker 3 (34:35):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (34:36):
I think if there's anyone on the Penn State defense,
Danny Dennis Sutton at defensive end is probably their best
pass rusher. So it'll be interesting to see how Jim
Knowles tries to you know, tries to harass Julian sand.

Speaker 3 (34:54):
You know it.

Speaker 4 (34:55):
I guess like, if there's a fear that I have
for this game is not so much of m Knowles
as much as Ryan Day.

Speaker 3 (35:01):
Sometimes. I think.

Speaker 4 (35:04):
I think he's shown this at least in the Michigan game,
you know, like trying to you know, kind of out
tough the Wolverines. I'm hoping that this is not something
that when he's with the offensive game playing for Ohio State,
that he's like trying to show up Jim Knowles, because
that might not prove advantageous.

Speaker 2 (35:26):
Right, And it will be an interesting matchup just from
the fact that Jim Noles knows Ryan Day's offense, Ryan
Day knows Jim noles defense, and it kind of will
come down to which one has the better game plan
against the other and which ones players execute that game
plan better.

Speaker 3 (35:44):
I would agree with that, all right.

Speaker 2 (35:46):
Well, Chip, it's that time of the show where you
and I pick our picks to click, and of course
that means these are the players we think will have
big games for Ohio State. Doesn't mean other players won't
have bigger games or there won't be other Buckeys with
big games, but these are guys we think we'll have
success this weekend, and you know, we usually do pretty good,

(36:08):
but sometimes we pick them wrong. So last time out
we picked offense first, So we go defense first. Who
do you like on Ohio State's defense to have a
good game against Penn State.

Speaker 4 (36:19):
I'm going with rvel Res for the simple reason that
we talked about the mobility factor of Greka Meyer, and
I think rvel Reese is going to be very capable
of being able to track down Gronka Meyer, regardless of
whether it's design runs or you know, in terms of
scrambling neutralizing that mobility.

Speaker 2 (36:39):
I feel like he'll be used as a spy as
he was against Demon Williams Junior.

Speaker 1 (36:44):
So I like the pick.

Speaker 2 (36:45):
If you were if you were to pass up rvel Reese,
I would have picked them.

Speaker 3 (36:50):
Well, thank you.

Speaker 1 (36:51):
Uh So I'm going to go with the what we
call the free space.

Speaker 2 (36:54):
Then I'm going to take Caleb Downs, I think because
I think Penn State will try to establish the run.
I think they'll be patient with the run even if
it's not working early. But I also you know, Caleb
Downs will be isolated on tight ends at times and
be forced to make plays in the secondary in the
passing game, so I feel like he'll be able to

(37:14):
put up some numbers in both the run and pass game.

Speaker 3 (37:18):
I makes sense, all right.

Speaker 2 (37:21):
On the offensive side of the football, Chip, I am
going to say, it's been a little while since he's exploded,
So I'm going to go back to Jeremiah Smith.

Speaker 1 (37:31):
On the offensive side of the football.

Speaker 2 (37:34):
He has been doing a wonderful job of helping Carneal
Tate emerge and have a fantastic season. But if you
look at it overall, Jeremiah Smith still has more catches,
more yards, more touchdowns, even though it feels like Carnel
Tate's having the bigger season.

Speaker 3 (37:54):
Oh, I completely understand.

Speaker 4 (37:56):
No, I think Jeremiah Smith He's definitely due to have
a time game.

Speaker 2 (38:01):
I just feel like that six to eight yard out
is open every single play that they want to run it,
and it's only because Ryan Day and Brian Hartline get
bored that they don't run it every play.

Speaker 3 (38:15):
That could be very well, all.

Speaker 1 (38:17):
Right, who do you like on the offensive side, Chip.

Speaker 4 (38:19):
I'm going to go with Max Clair for the simple
reality of watching Jym Knowles as Ohio States defensive coordinator
in many times that you know he likes to bring
blitzes and high pressure and kind of puts his defense
in vulnerable positions. And I just think that Max Claire

(38:42):
is one of these guys that as an open outlet
receiver if something like that happens, I think Julian's saying
it's definitely matured and elevated his game, and Max Clair,
I think is going to be a beneficiary of that.

Speaker 1 (38:55):
I like to pick.

Speaker 2 (38:56):
I think that this is a game that I don't
have a strong feeling on whether or not this is
going to be.

Speaker 1 (39:03):
You know, where the score is gonna end up? Is
I guess what I'm trying to say.

Speaker 2 (39:06):
This is a game that could potentially be closed for
four quarters, or it's a game that could get out
of hand in the first half. It kind of all
depends on how it unfolds. And of course penalties and
turnovers could play a factor in this game. So when
I I've already written down my score prediction, I don't
love it, but I'm going to go with it. And

(39:26):
what do you think of that? Was it twenty point five?
I think seventeen point five. I can't remember what the
spread was. It was pretty sizable.

Speaker 3 (39:34):
I thought it is very sizeable.

Speaker 4 (39:36):
I think that that's ignoring the fact, I mean, it's
disregarding what we had said at the onset of this
of this prediction segment that at the beginning of the year,
Ione had Penn State as one of the teams as
a possible national championship contender, that yeah, the season has
gone completely south, but Penn State. They're gonna be coming in,

(39:57):
They're going to be playing for pride, and I think
that it's always a dangerous thing when you have a
team that has been let's just say, you know that
they have they really don't have much to play for
except for pride. That more of a willingness to play
with a little bit more intensity. So yeah, I really
do think that this game will be close into the

(40:20):
second half.

Speaker 2 (40:21):
For certain, this will be a game where Penn State
will feel like it's their you know, chance to get
back into bowl eligibility.

Speaker 1 (40:33):
It's kind of an early bowl game for them.

Speaker 3 (40:35):
I like that, yeah, very much so.

Speaker 2 (40:38):
So if they could get the upset, they're four and four.
You know, they're not going to do anything in the
Big Ten, but get to four and four and they
could use that as a springboard to get on a roll,
you know, down the stretch and and get into a
bowl game and salvage something from what has been a
terrible season for these guys.

Speaker 3 (40:54):
I agree.

Speaker 2 (40:55):
So Ohio State's got to have to be on their toes.
So what do you think that final score is going
to beat?

Speaker 3 (41:00):
Chip?

Speaker 4 (41:01):
I'm going to go Ohio State twenty eight Penn State seven,
and it's more along the lines of.

Speaker 3 (41:09):
What I said earlier.

Speaker 4 (41:10):
I think the Penn State offensive philosophy is going to
be to run the ball, bry and you know, burn clock,
minimize Ohio State offensive possessions, and then kind of in
the second half. I'm not saying it's gonna it's going
to be exactly like but I think, you know, we
talked earlier about you know, Oregon not necessarily dominating Wisconsin

(41:32):
in a manner or fashion that we anticipated.

Speaker 3 (41:35):
I just think, you know, it's gonna be one of
those kind of games.

Speaker 4 (41:37):
We're in the second half, Ohio State pulls away. So
that's why again I'm not really thrilled with my score prediction,
but I just think it's gonna be something like that.

Speaker 3 (41:44):
Twenty eight to seven.

Speaker 2 (41:45):
Well, you you like Ohio State to cover, so that's
that's pretty big I have. I have written down thirty
four to seventeen buck Eyes, and I know that seems
like a lot of points. But if if Ohios can
shut down the run, I feel like it could be
a blowout. But it's not easy to shut down Kateron

(42:06):
allen Ate next Singleton and that offensive line, and and
if they you know, if Grankmeyer comes home and has
the you know, a big game, he's going to be excited,
have a lot of friends and family there. You know,
it could, like you said, keep the game close for
a while, but it could help Penn State, you know,

(42:26):
hang around. And also you never know if if Penn
State could get something in the return game or or
on defense, because they have a formidable defense. They have
good athletes on their special teams, and Ohio State special
teams haven't been terribly good. So I feel like this
game could be close at the half, like you say,
and in Ohio State pull away in the second half.

(42:47):
But I just have a higher opinion of the team's
putting points on the board, I guess.

Speaker 3 (42:55):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (42:55):
And completely unrelated to everything that we've been talking about,
just since this is going to be old news by
the time that this is posted, LSU has fired Brian Kelly,
So there's another name in the coaching carousel, you know,
And and that's part of I mean, the reality is

(43:16):
is that it's going to be so active that you
have to wonder will Wisconsin really want to get into
what looks to be a very active, you know, hiring situation.

Speaker 3 (43:30):
You know, like trying to trying to outbid other teams.

Speaker 4 (43:33):
But yeah, getting back to the Penn State thing, I mean,
now it's like all right, you know, like they've gotta
they've got to be a little bit more decisive in
terms of what they want to do. Their recruiting is
going to be crucial to try and salvage what they
can for this coming year. But yeah, I think Penn
State the the crux of it is that I think
that they are coming in, they're going to be playing

(43:55):
for pride. I think that they probably use that bye
week well to as I said earlier, to probably identify
what Ethan Gruenkelmeyer can do well and what he likes
to do. And you know, we'll see how that how
that all shakes out when the teams take the field.

Speaker 2 (44:13):
Saw a lot of jokes today online about Brian Kelly
interviewing with U C. L A And he should stick
to the Southern accent when he goes out. Does does
Brian Kelly know the word yins?

Speaker 1 (44:24):
It could? Uh he put in for the Penn State job.

Speaker 3 (44:31):
I don't think so.

Speaker 4 (44:32):
I Mean, here's here's the sad thing is that the guy,
you know, he did such a great job.

Speaker 3 (44:37):
I know, I mean he I.

Speaker 4 (44:39):
Mean, he's such a you know, you know, such a
volatile personality on the sidelines when he you know, gets
angry and upset. But he really did. I mean, like
the legend of Brian Kelly, you know, when he was
at a lower level, like with Grand Valley State. Not
that I'm pushing for the but it wouldn't surprise me

(45:02):
if you know, like a situation presented itself because the
Natives are starting to get restless and East Lansing. He
could he could go to Michigan State and be welcomed
because I mean he's still well respected up there. But yeah,
I mean, you know, I don't see him being a
good fit for Penn State. He certainly was was not

(45:23):
a good fit for LSU, as evidenced by the fact
that they let him go.

Speaker 2 (45:27):
Yeah, I thought that wasn't a good cultural fit from
the beginning. I mean, he's he's a decent coach, but
I mean at LSU, they expect you to win every game,
just like they do at Ohio State and play Alabama
places like that, and I don't see Brian Kelly as
a win every game guy.

Speaker 1 (45:45):
It would be one thing if he was only list losing, you.

Speaker 2 (45:48):
Know, every other year to maybe Alabama or you know,
one of the other big programs in the SEC Georgia.
But he's not winning any of his like or not
many of his big games.

Speaker 4 (46:01):
Yeah, LSU, I mean that that was a situation where
I mean the reality is when Saban was there and
he had them, you know, win the national championship, and
then Saban left for the Miami Dolphins, and he left
a you know, like less Miles, a really good roster

(46:22):
that you know, this was pre you transfer portal, pre
nil and so less Miles was the beneficiary of a
lot of I think Nick Saban's handiwork, you know. And
then eventually LSU recognized, Okay, less Miles really isn't that
good of a coach, you know. And I just I
agree with you. I don't think Brian Kelly was a

(46:43):
very good cultural fit with like I mean, like the
fake Southern accent. I mean that should have been through
one to any LSU fan, like, oh gosh, this guy
is out of his depth.

Speaker 1 (46:53):
It is the worst fake accent since Madonna went to England.

Speaker 3 (46:57):
Oh, very very good.

Speaker 2 (47:00):
Well, it will be interesting to see how all of
this shakes out there are probably still some coaches that
are not going to be coaching their team next year.
I mean, I look down at Florida State and I go,
that's that's tenuous circumstance. And I know Virginia Tech was
looking for somebody. Just there's just Michigan State. Are they

(47:23):
going to be patient?

Speaker 3 (47:25):
I hope they are.

Speaker 4 (47:26):
I realized Michigan State didn't look good last night, but
I think that that I think that situation was a
lot worse for Jonathan Smith to walk into than that.
I think the average spartan band probably wants to admit
and I think he's done. I think he's done pretty
good job. And I, like I said, I think that

(47:48):
there needs to be an understanding of what it takes
on the defensive side of the ball. If that means
new coaches, so be it. But definitely more of an
emphas on the defensive side of the ball. But I
think Michigan State is headed in the right direction. I
know it's if you're a Spartan span it has to
be very frustrating.

Speaker 2 (48:07):
I will not be surprised if Kurt Signetti's staff starts
to get raided by some of these schools.

Speaker 4 (48:17):
Well, U C l A. Did that with with Tino Cinceri.
They they you know he would Sinceri was on Indiana
staff and then he was he was kind of let go,
uh you know, before UCLA went on their their winning streak.
So you know, you know as well as I do,
like not every one of Nick Saban's assistants, you know,

(48:38):
had the magic touch. So it's entirely possible what you
said could happen, but don't be surprised if it doesn't
necessarily work out.

Speaker 1 (48:46):
And Texas may be open. That might be an open job.

Speaker 2 (48:50):
I mean, they're talking about Steve Circasian letting NFL teams
know he might be interested.

Speaker 3 (48:57):
I doubt it. I doubt it, but that's just yeah.

Speaker 2 (49:00):
I think Texas got let off the hook by Mississippi State.
I watched that game, and there were a few games
this weekend where the favorite was down and out and
absolutely was handed their way back into the game.

Speaker 1 (49:11):
Alabama was another one.

Speaker 3 (49:14):
Yep.

Speaker 1 (49:14):
So all right, Chip, anything else before we get out
of here.

Speaker 4 (49:18):
No, just keep your eyes and ears open for coaching news,
and you know, if anything, you know, we'll be in November,
so that means, you know, probably sometime tomorrow, we'll probably
get an idea in terms of what the Purdue kickoff
and network will be, so yeah, enjoy it while we

(49:40):
got it. Feels like a BTN game or a Peacock game,
one of the two.

Speaker 1 (49:46):
Yeah, I hope it's not a Peacock game.

Speaker 2 (49:48):
But anyway, that will do it for this week. We'll
come back next week. We'll break down what happened with
the Penn State visit to the Horseshoe. We will get
ready for a rip to West Lafayette, which.

Speaker 1 (50:02):
Is always an adventure.

Speaker 3 (50:05):
Yes, exactly.

Speaker 2 (50:06):
Those you know, those engineering students and professors over there,
they've they've created this negative energy field so that whenever
the Buckeyes go there, weird things happen.

Speaker 4 (50:17):
Yeah, I think Ohio State. You know that last time
that they lost was twenty eighteen.

Speaker 3 (50:23):
But I agree with you. I think, yeah, they've got
some kind of weird hex on Ohio State.

Speaker 1 (50:28):
So we'll see.

Speaker 2 (50:29):
I think this team will be good enough to go
there and get a result, So we'll see how it goes.
But uh, Chip, remind everybody where they can find you
and your fine work online.

Speaker 4 (50:40):
I can be found on Twitter at Chipmanik. Last name
spelled M I N N I C h I'm a
contributor to Buckeye Huddle dot com as well as Saturday
Glory dot com. At Saturday Glory, I usually write articles
about the entire Big Ten, whereas obviously with Bucky Huddle
it's more of an Ohio state focus.

Speaker 1 (50:59):
All right.

Speaker 2 (51:00):
You can follow this particular podcast on Twitter, so at
silver Bullets Pod on Twitter. No e in silver silvr
Bullets Pod, and you can also write to us at
silver Bulletspod at gmail dot com. But that one you
spell all the way out the normal way, So silver
Bulletspod at gmail dot com, drop us on line, let

(51:20):
us hear from you, and you can follow me on
social media. I am on both Twitter and Blue Sky
at Mike thirty six Fan. You can find my writing
at Landgrant Holyland dot com. Normally I write the Grumpy
Old Buckeye column after a Buckeye game.

Speaker 1 (51:35):
I just basically gripe about what bothered me, what.

Speaker 2 (51:37):
Made me angry, what made me want to throw things
at the TV even if they win by sixty points.

Speaker 1 (51:42):
And there's a little tongue in cheek most of the time.

Speaker 2 (51:45):
But this week there's no Grumpy Old Buckeye because there
was no game. So this week I wrote about the
I wrote the power rankings for the leaders for Ohio
State's team MVP for this season. So the five people
that I think are at the top of that list
in order, that's what you can find on Land Grant
holy Land.

Speaker 1 (52:04):
So hopefully you will enjoy that and.

Speaker 2 (52:06):
You can tell me how stupid I am for picking
the five players that I picked.

Speaker 3 (52:10):
I'm sure it was. I'm sure they're not bad selections.

Speaker 1 (52:14):
There's just so many good selections. Yeah, exactly, it's it's
been a good season.

Speaker 2 (52:20):
When you're seven to zero and ranked number one in
the country, beating a couple of ranked teams, you know,
things are things are not bad. So I think there's
I think most people, right off the top of their
head could probably think of three or four of the
top five that I picked, and maybe they can get
all five of them.

Speaker 1 (52:35):
So anyway, go enjoy it.

Speaker 2 (52:38):
And you can leave comments there on land Grant holy Land.
You can tell me if I'm right or wrong or
how I should have ordered them properly. All right, Chip,
that's it for this episode of the Silver Bullets podcast.
Will be back next week. As I mentioned, Penn State
will be in the books. We'll get ready for Purdue
and then of course U C. L A, Rutgers, Michigan.

(53:01):
So lots and lots of football to be played on
one hand, but on the other hand, the season feels
like it's winding down now that we're out of the
second by week.

Speaker 4 (53:11):
Yeah, that's why I said, enjoy it while we got it,
joy it.

Speaker 1 (53:13):
While we got it. We'll see how this regular season
finishes up.

Speaker 2 (53:17):
See if Ohio State can get its way into the
college football Playoff.

Speaker 1 (53:21):
I know everybody's expecting that.

Speaker 2 (53:23):
But again, a lot of football to be played, and
if they do, we'll see who they play and how
they do and it just enjoy the ride, because.

Speaker 1 (53:31):
You know, last year was awesome.

Speaker 2 (53:34):
This year could also be awesome, but with a whole
different group of players.

Speaker 3 (53:38):
Yep.

Speaker 1 (53:39):
So all right, that's it. We'll be back next week.
The only thing left for us to do is do
what we always do at the end, chip and that
is to sign off by saying, go Bucks, Go Bucks.