Folks, it looks like the Buckeyes are real.
I’m starting to wonder if @ChrisHoltmann is this getting used to? pic.twitter.com/4DyCFxHlDt
– Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) February 5, 2021
Again, this probably should have been more widely accepted after the three straight way wins the top 15 opponents, but if you needed a fourth I’m not going to chastise you.
Welcome to the bandwagon!
(Zed Key also ended up with a better field goal percentage than Luka Garza. Do whatever you want with that information.)
Word of the day: results.
THIS SEEMS GOOD. I am new to this whole “my team is extremely good at basketball”. Can someone please tell me if this is ok? Because it sure looks good!
Ohio State now has the most wins in Quadrant 1 in the country, with seven.
– Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) February 5, 2021
My favorite thing about this hot streak has gradually been witnessing the hopes and expectations about this team change.
At first it was “maybe they will be ranked!” Then it was “wow, this is a top 15 team!” 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 definitely a top five team and could legitimately be chasing a number 1 seed.
Michigan is not ready yet.
BEST DAMN RECEIVERS IN THE COUNTRY. The bad news is that in Ohio State, there is no one on the roster who completed – or even tried! – a pass at university level. But the good news is that Ohio State also has the top two receivers in all of college football, according to Pro Football Focus.
1. CHRIS OLAVE, STATE OF OHIO
Olave was expected to be a first-round roster in the 2021 NFL Draft, but he made the surprising decision to return to school and make his stock even higher. Clearly, this is fantastic news for the Buckeyes. They are getting back one of the most, if not the most sophisticated route runners in college football.
He has generated a step or more of divorce for more than 87% of his goals since 2019, the highest percentage in the country. Facing some reporting in the past two seasons, Olave has amassed 15 receipts to result in a gain of more than 15 yards in which he had more than a few steps from divorce. That only lagged Alabama’s DeVonta Smith the most in the FBS (19) and is five more than the next best Power Five receiver.
2. GARRETT WILSON, STATE OF OHIO
The Ohio State may no longer have Justin Fields, but the team does have the well-defined best wide receiver duo in the country. That will certainly ease the transition for (most likely) CJ Stroud at quarterback. Like his teammate Olave, Wilson is one of the best route runners in the race. He impressed against single cover (sixth in PFF class on such plays) and often found weak spots against zone while working from the slot machine. That led to a divorce rate that ranked eighth in college football last season. The 2019 five-star recruit will again hit grades for this offense in 2021.
Chris Olave’s return eases my concerns about the quarterback situation on two fronts.
First, it’s a lot easier to take over for a generation quarterback when you return the best receiver in the country (see Jones, Mac). Second, there’s no way Olave would have come back and risk millions of dollars in draft stock if he didn’t think next year’s quarterback would be good.
And Garrett Wilson – he’s not bad either!
Olave and Wilson are this year’s version of DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle – only I’d much rather prefer them both staying healthy, even if it cost the other the Heisman Trophy.
COMING TO A TV NEAR YOU … There may not be any Buckeyes on the field Sunday night, but Joey Bosa will be playing a part in the much better and more fun part of the Super Bowl – the commercials.
Really, @RTLnews is quite funny. Tune in on 02.07.21 to get the @RTLnews #SBLV place. #advertisement pic.twitter.com/aok9mkunYh
– Joey Bosa (@jbbigbear) February 4, 2021
Really, Joey Bosa is easily in my top five funniest Buckeyes to play since writing words about this team online. Whatever this is, I’m sure it’s going to be hilarious.
ALWAYS READ THE FINE PRINT. It’s usually Michigan that deserves my ridicule for its hilariously awful social media game (like the time they were repeatedly submerged after asking fans for pleasurable sports memories, or when they bragged about the least amount of missed tackles, or when they made a hiring chart with five former Ohio State players).
But this, to borrow their wording, is unparalleled.
That’s a lot of Super Bowls …#MadeInHappyValley#We are pic.twitter.com/4k2OyXuvEM
– Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) February 5, 2021
PENN STATE WON EVERY GAME LAST YEAR.
ᵉˣᶜᵉᵖᵗ ᶠᵒʳ ᶠᶦᵛᵉ
SONG OF THE DAY. “Carry You” by Novo Amor.
NOT TO SPORTS. Baltimore has officially ended its scary spy plane program … A fugitive fell through the ceiling of a house while police questioned his relatives … How to be angry … The lion, the polygamist and the biofuel scam … How much mindfulness can be frightening … I was a teenage beauty pageant loser …