Ohio State, Michigan Set To Play November 24th, At Noon

Miller's looking for revenge

The Ohio State-Michigan game this year will start at noon on Nov. 24, both schools announced today.

The game, at Ohio Stadium, will be televised by ABC. The game has traditionally, but not always, been played early in the day.

The teams have met every year in the regular-season finale since 1935. This year it will be the final game of the season for Ohio State because of the NCAA-imposed bowl ban.

When asked last week if that would add to the importance of the game, new Buckeye coach Urban Meyer replied, “Sure does. That’s gonna be a big one, obviously.”

The Wolverines won 40-34 in 2011 for Brady Hoke in his OSU-Michigan coaching debut, snapping the Buckeyes’ seven-game winning stroke over their arch-rivals.

The Michigan game is the fourth for which Ohio State has a game time. The Oct. 6 game against Nebraska in Columbus is set for 8 p.m. Ohio State will play at Indiana also at 8 p.m. on Oct. 13. On Oct. 27, Ohio State’s game at Penn State will start at 6 p.m.

Ohio State To Play 3 Night Games In October

Miller gets a shot at Nebraska in prime time

The Big Ten and its TV partners released their prime time schedule today.

Ohio State joins Nebraska with three night games this season.

The Buckeyes will play three of their October games at night with the Oct. 6 Homecoming game against Nebraska at 8 p.m., the Oct. 13 game at Indiana at 8 p.m. and the Oct. 27 game at Penn State at 6 p.m. (see full schedule below; exact TV assignments will be firmed up in the fall).

The Nebraska game will be Ohio State’s Homecoming and it will be the Cornhusker’s first visit to Ohio Stadium since playing games in consecutive years at Ohio Stadium in 1955 and 1956.

Ohio State is 34-18 all-time in night games (those starting after 5 p.m. local time) with a 7-3 record in Ohio Stadium, an 18-8 mark on the road and a 9-7 record at neutral sites.

This means OSU’s remaining nine games should all be afternoon starts (typically noon or 3:30 p.m.). The September games should be set sometime before July 1. The rest of the season is typically decided on a six- to 12-day basis.

After the jump, you can see the Big Ten’s prime time football schedule for 2012

Recap: Ohio State 33, Wisconsin 29

Devin Smith for the win

After the first half of the season came and went with anxiety, disappointment and many second half collapses, Ohio State (5-3, 2-2) finally came out on top over a quality opponent, and did it in style. The Wisconsin Badgers (7-2, 3-2) fell to the Buckeyes on another Hail Mary play, for the second straight week. Of course, Russell Wilson had a chance at the end with about 20 ticks on the clock, but couldn't complete a pass although Nick Toon came up very close twice. When you look back on Ohio State in 2011, this may be the turning point on a chaotic season. If Ohio State wins out, the Buckeyes will be facing the inaugural B1G Championship Game in Indianapolis. This game was by far OSU's toughest test of the season, and perhaps one of the most important games as far as trying to maintain a sense of Big Ten superiority.

The two Big Ten losses the Buckeyes have suffered have come at the hands of Nebraska and Michigan State, both who are in the Legends division, while Ohio State and Wisconsin both fall under the Leaders division. There were so many key moments in this game, and for OSU to upset a rival like the Badgers was huge for confidence in true freshman Braxton Miller and the rest of this young Buckeye squad down this last stretch of games, including 2 key match-ups in November: Penn State, and at Michigan.

It's Miller Time: Go Ahead Hail Mary Beats Wisconsin

Here's the play that will go down in Buckeye history. True freshman Braxton Miller on the sideline all the way to Devin Smith, another true freshman receiver. Both guys never gave up on the play, setting in motion one of the craziest games and plays of recent memory for Ohio State football.

Live Blog: Ohio State vs. #15 Wisconsin

Join us at 7:45 PM EST when the Buckeyes host the #15 ranked Wisconsin Badgers on ABC!

Enemy Blogger Interview: Wisconsin

It's Wisconsin Week

As the Buckeyes prepare to host the Badgers this Saturday at 8 PM EST, Buckeye Nation knows this is a must-win game if Ohio State even wants a shot at staying in the race for the Big Ten Conference Championship game. Wisconsin is coming off it's first loss, and now travel to the 'Shoe. John Veldhuis of Bucky's 5th Quarter was nice enough to join us in answering our questions that we had about Wisconsin, and the game the 'Shoe.

1. Wisconsin has just suffered their first loss of the season after traveling to Michigan State. They still have good odds heading into this game to win the Leader's Division, since MSU falls under the Legends. What did that loss mean to the Badgers, and what does this upcoming game mean to them?

Well, the loss means that Russell Wilson is human after all. He didn't have a bad day, but the bad parts came at exactly the wrong times. In addition, it means that some of the season's high expectations came crashing down along with that tipped ball, into the hands of Keith Nichol. Preseason, I expected the Badgers to be right where they are now - 6-1 with a loss to Michigan State. After the first few games I believed (and I think a lot of other people did too) that this team was able to do something more than a Big Ten Championship. That's why it hurts now. This game is important because they still have 4 of their 5 next games against division opponents, and they'll have to beat a still talented Ohio State team on the road.

2. Ohio State traveled to Camp Randall last year ranked #1 in the country, and took their only fall the whole year. Are Wisconsin fans feeling some confidence heading into the rowdy 'Shoe?

I think they are, but it's more because of Ohio State's no-good very-bad offseason. Before the Time of Troubles started, this looked like a very tough game for the Badgers, and it still is, to an extent. Ohio State's offense doesn't strike fear into anyone right now, and I think the Wisconsin defense is coming in a little underrated after the loss to MSU, so I think they have a right to be confident for now. Ohio State will get back to their normal state sooner rather than later, so the Badgers need to take advantage while they have time. 

3. Who are the #1 play makers on offense, not counting Russell Wilson and Montee Ball?

Well, in addition to Ball, there's Nick Toon - he's the Badgers' No.1 receiver. He's had a good year so far, mostly because of his strong connection with Wilson. Toon's success has helped Jared Abbrederis, a sure-handed walk on who defenders can't forget about. If Toon is put on an island, Abbrederis usually finds ways to get open against the #2 corner. Finally, there's Jacob Pedersen. He's the Badgers' next "Big Thing" at tight end, and with all of the Badgers' other weapons drawing attention, defenses tend to forget about him. He's second in receiving touchdowns this year, so when defenses forget about him, they usually pay for it. 

National CFB Games This Weekend: Recap

Cousins made the catch of the day

This weekend was one of the craziest as far as upsets go so far this year. I had picked a total of 5 games this weekend that were the largest games of interest. I ended up going 3-2, with my losses being picking Wisconsin over Michigan State and Oklahoma over Texas Tech. Let's get to the recaps of those games:

Last Week's Record: 0-0
This Week's Record: 3-2
Season Record: 12-6 (66% correct)

Texas Tech 41, #3 Oklahoma 38 (0-1 This Week)
Texas Tech dominated this game throughout the first and second half, but couldn't quite clamp the Sooners late in the fourth quarter, almost giving them a chance to comeback. The good news is that the Red Raiders held on after blitzing the Sooners defense and racking up 572 yards of total offense. My Prediction Was: Oklahoma Wins 44-21


North Carolina 38, #9 Clemson 59 (1-1 This Week)
Tajh Boyd had 367 yards passing and 5 TD's as he led the Tigers to a big win over a pretty good North Carolina team. Clemson keeps on winning, and they might be going places, including the BCS. My Prediction Was: Clemson Wins 31-21

Recap: Ohio State 17, Illinois 7

The return of Boom was huge

The Ohio State Buckeyes (4-3, 1-2) upset the Illinois Fighting Illini (6-1, 2-1) 17-7 on Saturday after an impressive showing of defense and pounding the Illini front line for big runs. The return of Dan "Boom" Herron was key in this game as he rushed for 114 yards on 23 carries. The Buckeyes also relied heavily on the defense, which turned out to be a not so bad idea. The defensive stance of this game was great, and although the offense was ridiculous, the defense was on it's game after the debacle in Lincoln.

The Silver Bullets forced 3 turnovers, two of which set up the Buckeyes' touchdowns, while Braxton Miller threw only 4 passes. Only one of those were complete, but the completion was a big deal, as it resulted in a 14 yard touchdown pass to Jake Stoneburner, to just about seal the deal on the upset and give the Buckeyes a 17 point lead. The passing game was very quiet in this game, as the first pass wasn't even thrown until the 7:22 mark of the second quarter. The touchdown pass was completed at the 13:06 mark of the 4th. Illinois quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase was 20/34 for 169 yards, with two interceptions, and 1 touchdown that was thrown to Evan Wilson late in the game to stop the shut out.

Another reason the Buckeye defense did so well? Bradley Roby and the rest of the Buckeye secondary played well, and stopped Scheelhaase's #1 target: A.J. Jenkins. Roby said during the week that Jenkins was "nothing special". At the time, Jenkins was averaging 135.8 yards a game, and in this game, often covered by Roby himself, only had 80 yards and 8 catches. That may not sound too bad, but they were catches that didn't really affect the drives all that much. Illinois senior tailback Jason Ford left the game in the 3rd quarter with an injured left shoulder after a big hit on a first down carry. He finished with 30 yards on six carries.

A Long Way To Go

Miller showed he can compete

I don’t know if I would feel better today about a complete blowout in Lincoln, NE or the way things really went down on Saturday night. On one hand, the offense looked fairly competent during the first half giving me hope for the future. On the other hand, coping with complete melt-downs like the one witnessed in the 4th quarter are a really tough pill to swallow.

Braxton Miller finally showed glimpses of what may be in store for OSU during the first 30 minutes on Saturday night. He looked more comfortable in the pocket and appeared to know when to scramble to pick up crucial first downs. His throws were much better than in previous weeks and it really looked like the rout was on when the Bucks pushed the lead to 27-6 early in the third quarter. Then Braxton showed that he is still 18 years old and gave Nebraska a cheap touchdown with a fumble deep in Buckeye territory. Things would go downhill quickly from there. The offense completely abandoned the things that were working for most of the game and the defense also began to show signs of panic.

Hopes And Fears: Illinois

Wow, that Nebraska game was an ugly loss. We looked so good in the first half and so bad in the second half. I understand how important a QB is, especially a starting QB having a good game, but losing him should cause the defense to completely fold, and yep in the second half the silver bullets were more like empty blanks. Now, it is on to Champaign to play Illinois, a game that I really want to win. First of all my wife went to U of I, so we have house bragging rights, and I live in Chicago, so I deal with all kinds of Illinois fans, I really don’t want to lose!!

Now on to my hopes and fears for the game. I believe that my hopes and fears are essentially the same thing in this game. First of all, I hope Miller does not get hurt again, because I fear we will have to see Joe Bauserman again. 

Preview: Ohio State vs. Michigan State

Can Braxton find his receivers? 

Ohio State (3-1) and Michigan State (3-1) are both unranked for losing at the wrong times, to the wrong teams. OSU losing just two weeks ago to Miami (Fl.) and Michigan State losing a crazy game to Notre Dame. Now, both are on the verge of being ranked again but need to open up the Big Ten season with a win. That won't come easily for either team as the Buckeyes are scrappy with young freshman Braxton Miller in at quarterback after making his first start just one week ago. Michigan State has a lot of veterans that look to make an impact in the opening day of B1G conference play and to make a national statement in the 'Shoe. Ohio State owns a 27-12 series lead over Michigan State, which includes seven straight wins over the Spartans. The teams haven't played since 2008, when Beanie Wells was stiff-arming people all over the place.


There is no shortage of talent at the offensive skill positions on either squad, although the Buckeyes do have less experince. MSU QB Kirk Cousins, who has completed 69.2% of his passes for 947 yards and 5 TD's compared to 2 INT's. The ground attack is nothing to skim over, thought, with Le'Veon Bell having 217 yards and six TD's while the "main" man coming into the season, Edwin Baker, has 216 yards on the ground. Both are capable backs, and are something the Silver Bullets need to watch out for in this very balanced offense. 

What Went Right/Wrong: Colorado

You could say Brutus was happy

The Buckeyes bounced back in their fourth game of the season, as they took on the Buffaloes of Colorado. After suffering their first loss to the hands of the Hurricanes (Who got beat the next weekend by undefeated Kansas State), Luke Fickell and the coaching staff finally decided to start true freshman quarterback Braxton Miller. For Buckeye fans across the nation, it was finally Miller's time to shine, and we would get to see how a whole playbook would look like under his reins. A solid 37-17 win showed a couple of things from the offense, as well as the defense. While the win may not have looked so grand on the television, the fact of the matter is that Ohio State scored 20 more points than the Buffaloes, with a freshman quarterback with no real playing experience other than a couple designed runs against Miami, one of which ended in a turnover.

This week might prove to be will be a real Big Ten test for the Buckeyes, who are headed into conference play with a 3-1 (0-0) record. Starting off for Ohio State they meet the Michigan State Spartans in the 'Shoe. After that, they travel to Lincoln to take on the new-comers to the B1G, Nebraska. For now, though, they have to set their sights on MSU, and to do that, they'll have to improve on some things from the Colorado game. With that, let's take a look at what went right and wrong for the Buckeyes on Saturday. 

Links Around The League

A new feature here at ITS, we'll be posting every now and then about the big headlines hitting other schools in the Big Ten. It also gives you links to the best sports blogs on the web.

First up, the Legends Division: 


Iowa: The Hawkeyes will be facing their much hated rival Northwestern in a prime time match-up on the Big Ten Network. Fan favorite running back Adam Robinson will not be returning in a Hawkeye uniform, instead opting to transfer to an unnamed school. Links from Black Heart Gold Pants


Michigan: That Team Up North and Brady Hoke himself, are really starting to pick up some recruits, and I mean really getting some decent players that just might make The Game interesting. For the second half, anyway. Links from MGoBlog


Michigan State: Not to be outdone, in the recruiting trail, the Spartans aren't giving up the fight to get the best recruits they can muster up. Russell Byrd's left foot is giving him trouble again, which could mean some difficulty for the basketball program. Links from The Only Colors


Minnesota: Last year in the Big Ten/ACC challenge, the Golden Gophers faced off against the Cavaliers, from Virginia, and ended up losing a tight game. This time around, they face off against the Hokies, which I think will be a true test for this squad who has high hopes. Links from The Daily Gopher


Nebraska: Tommie Frazier snubbed from College Football Hall of Fame. Corn Nation also looks at the most important game for the Huskers this season. Links from Corn Nation


Northwestern: The Wildcats get 3 prime time games, coming against Michigan, Iowa, and Penn State. Links from Lake The Posts

Dorian Bell Suspended For The 2011-2012 Season

According to the Dispatch and many more, Ohio State linebacker Dorian Bell has been suspended for the 2011 season because of a violation of team rules. The exact violation hasn't been released yet, and may not be ever.

Bell, a third-year sophomore from Monroeville, Pa., did not make the trip to the Sugar Bowl in January for undisclosed reasons. That makes it likely that Bell is a repeat offender and drew a stiffer penalty for the latest violation.

He currently stands at 6'1'', 225 pounds, appeared in eight games last season, and at times was on the second team, backing up Ross Homan. He made nine tackles, including half a sack, and also forced a fumble.


This year, Bell was rumored to be one of the favorites to join the duo of Sabino and Sweat, and take that coveted third spot. Now, it seems as if the Buckeyes will be headed in another direction, one in which I think may be Storm Klien. Bell was also a highly touted recruit. Rivals.com rated him a five-star prospect in the class of 2009, ranked the third-best outside linebacker nationally and the No. 33 overall prospect.


This is just an added part on to an already sad off-season for Buckeye athletics after the NCAA took notice of the allegations. We'll keep you up to date on any more happenings.

Is Nebraska In For A Rough Start?

Bo knows it won't be easy

Nebraska fans are nice people. Some of the nicest you will find around the college football landscape. They say they clap for the other team after the game, they talk with other fans tailgating (not taunting or harassing...just talking), they say they don't hate anyone (except Colorado...a little bit)... I don't know if they know just what will be waiting on them in Madison, WI when they go on the road to play their first league game as a member of the Big Ten Conference. I've never been to a game in Madison, but it doesn't seem like too welcoming of a place on TV. Especially if you get down 21-0...but then again, there are not many places that are friendly to you then! Not only Madison, but as they make their stops over the course of the first two years of their Big Ten schedule, it could be an eye-opening experience. But we need a nice team in the Big Ten, we already have the smart kids of Northwestern holding down that role. I'm not saying fans in the Big Ten are viscous but it will be a new experience for everyone in Nebraska, because in the Big Ten, we do hate teams and other schools, some of them, A LOT!

Imagine the pain Nebraska will feel when we face them!

University Releases Big Ten 2013-2014 Football Schedule

Brutus wants you at the games

From the university release yesterday :



"COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Big Ten Conference announced its 2013 and 2014 conference football schedules today. Ohio State, a member of the Leaders division, will play four home and four away league contests in each of those seasons.

In 2013, the Buckeyes open Big Ten play hosting Wisconsin Sept. 28. Other Big Ten games in 2013: Oct. 5 at Northwestern; Oct. 19 vs. Iowa; Oct. 26 vs. Penn State; Nov. 2 at Purdue; Nov. 16 at Illinois; Nov. 23 vs. Indiana; Nov. 30 at Michigan.

Ohio State has two non-conference dates confirmed for the 2013 season: Aug. 31 vs. Vanderbilt at Ohio Stadium; and Sept. 14 at California.

In 2014, Ohio State begins Big Ten action hosting Purdue Oct. 4. Other Big Ten contests in 2014: Oct. 18 at Iowa; Oct. 25 vs. Northwestern; Nov. 1 at Wisconsin; Nov. 8 vs. Illinois; Nov. 15 at Penn State; Nov. 22 at Indiana; Nov. 29 vs. Michigan.

The Buckeyes’ non-conference games for 2014 are Aug. 30 vs. Navy in Baltimore; followed by three games at Ohio Stadium: Sept. 6 vs. Cincinnati; Sept. 13 vs. Kent State; and Sept. 20 vs. Virginia Tech.

The champions of the Legends Division and the Leaders Division will meet in the Big Ten Football Championship Game on the first Saturday of December, with the winner earning the Big Ten Championship and a chance to play in the Rose Bowl Game or Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game. 

The inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game will be played in prime time on December 3, 2011, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, while the second Big Ten Football Championship Game is scheduled for Dec. 1, 2012, at a site to be determined. FOX Sports will serve as the official broadcast partner of the 2011‐16 Big Ten Football Championship Games."

LS Bryce Haynes Picks Ohio State

Bryce Haynes, the come from nowhere long snapper out of Georgia, has surprisingly committed to Ohio State. This announcement coming a couple days before National Signing Day, makes it even more surprising, adding to what may end up being one of the better recruited classes of Tressel's era. 

This is actually a pretty big pick up for the Buckeyes, as Haynes was rumored to be leaning towards Notre Dame, going even as far as saying it was his dream to play there someday. While the recruiting days are numbered, we'll keep you up to date on the recruiting trail.

Just Enjoy It, Buckeye Fans

That has to be one of my favorite sports pictures of all time. It was taken as Cameron Heyward realizes that Solomon Thomas has just made the biggest play of his career, clinching the Sugar Bowl for the Buckeyes. Joy, excitement, relief, all those emotions (and more) were shared by Heyward and all of Buckeye Nation when the referees signaled Ohio State possession. Ohio State has finally beaten an SEC team in a bowl game, a task 33 years in the making. I slept about 3 hours after the game, and I am guessing many of you went to work the next day fueled by nothing but adrenaline just like I did. Such a great feeling, to never have to hear "0-9" again. While euphoria is still going strong, I do want to touch on a few specifics from Tuesday night's game.

First and foremost, Cam Heyward is officially a man-beast. He earned himself a place in Buckeye lore. Statistically, he did not have the best season. Coaches praised his effort and emphasized the fact that he was soaking up double teams all year kept his number lower. But no matter how many Razorback O-linemen tried to block him or cheap shot him last night, Heyward made sure Ryan Mallet felt his presence. His arm was about to fall off several times last night, and what did he do? Slap some tape on it, and get right back to terrorizing the Arkansas backfield.

For Seniors, Buckeyes, Sugar Bowl Ends Sweet

Cameron Heyward fell to his knees. The senior from Georgia left everything on the field two nights ago, in one of his most impressive performances this season. All year long Heyward would get double and triple teamed. Tonight, the same thing happened, but Heyward didn't care, he was going to break through. He did, and with 1 gimpy leg.

The final player in the TatFive group, Solomon Thomas, wasn't a huge blow to the team at the time. Sure he had got some playing time during the season, but most fans were worried with the normal household names. By the end of the night, he had made his mark on the 2010-2011 Sugar Bowl. After a blocked punt that gave all the momentum in the world to Arkansas, the pressure came up the middle from Ross Homan, and Mallett was forced to throw before he wanted to. That's when Thomas,  made the play of his career to seal up the Sugar Bowl win.

OH, How Sweet It Is

Nothing is better

12-1. Sugar Bowl, and Big Ten Champions. It's awesome.

Recap up tomorrow