A Friday night ‘picks’ reader writes to put us on the spot. “How come you didn’t pick the Ohio State-Oregon game…huh?” OK, you asked for it.
Pasadena, CA – Proudly, since 2012, from an editorial view we’ve attracted a huge audience in the Miami Valley community for our Friday football ‘Picks’ column.
And it should be understood that the column is more about profiling high school football and high school football players than the fact of actually getting 80% of them right…which we do.
Publisher Sonny Fulks writes OHSAA sports and the Buckeyes for Press Pros Magazine.
But we’ve spoiled people, too. To the point where one of those readers (Randy, appreciate you) writes this week to put us on the spot at the next level. “How come you haven’t you predicted the Ohio State and Oregon game…huh?”
Well, from a business point our sponsor for the Friday ‘Picks’ (Orthopedic Associates) has an exclusive on that page…for high school football! And this is not a cheap gig out here, for a totally different level of football.
Orthopedic Associates of Southwest Ohio proudly sponsors the Friday Night ‘Picks’ on Press Pros.
And Los Angeles is literally swimming with football experts who sit up at night writing about stretching in practice…and a sighting of Herbstreit’s dog. We’ll save our bullets for tomorrow.
But I’m not without an opinion, as you know. And I’m not without the courage to share what I believe about the merits of the two competitors.
Oregon? I think they’re a good West Coast football team. But a team in the tradition of John McKay’s great USC teams (or John Robinson’s)? No way.
And there’s an excellent story in Tuesday’s Columbus Dispatch by Rob Oller that says a lot about the roster at Oregon, which includes running back Jordan James and Northmont High School’s Jestin Jacobs who intimated that they would have liked to have gone to Ohio State, but were just offered too late in their recruitment.
That makes great bulletin board material, and of course, chip-on-the-shoulder motivation…which is gone after the opening kickoff. But rarely (except for Troy High School’s Ryan Brewer, whose South Carolina team showed up John Cooper and Ohio State in the 2001 Outback Bowl) does it alter the outcome of a football game.
The reason you don’t go to Ohio State as a recruit if you’re offered late…is that you figure that you have a better chance to play sooner at another school. Fact!
I watched that October 12th game in Eugene and thought at the time…Ohio State did not play to its strengths. Now, the defense is playing much better than it was then. The offense played backwards from the way it showed last week against Tennessee. And this game will not be played in front of a hostile Oregon crowd. There’s going to be an enormous Ohio State following here.
As Oller wrote, I agree that there’s more pressure on Oregon than there is on Ohio State. In a manner of football reality, Oregon has never won an ultimately significant football game.
Ohio State has checked that box, already…many times…including a win over Oregon in 2014 and Marcus Mariota for the national title, and Mariota won the Heisman Trophy.
And the real value of beating hell out of Tennessee was that of having awakened a sleeping giant – the pass game. What good is all the website hype over wide receiver recruits if those recruits never come to fruition. 42-17 over Tennessee did nothing more important than restoring confidence in their ability to throw over the top of another good football team.
I cite what the Buckeyes did in same respect against Utah, in the 2022 Rose Bowl…with Ryan Day coaching Jaxon Smith-Injigba, Marvin Harrison, Jr, and a young Emeka Egbuka. If you’ll remember, Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson sat that game out. And this Ohio State team has a better defense.
I pick a lot of the better high school games based on both numbers and sample size.
And in this case you have to add pedigree to that, as well. I believed in October that Ohio State had the better roster, not withstanding the way that Dillon Gabriel played. And I believe now that Will Howard will play better than he did on October 12th.
Because, I expect everyone around Howard to play better, too.
But, I emphasize…they’ve got to play! Not like Michigan!
When I picked unbeaten Tipp over unbeaten Xenia on the Friday ‘Picks’ page back in October…..?
Hunch.
What I’m writing about the Buckeyes and Oregon…..?
Hunch!
Orthopedic Associates of Southwest Ohio sponsor the best football ‘picks’ on Press Pros Magazine.com.