Buckeye notes (and other stuff)

Some thoughts circulating in the brain of The BBC;

There's been some discussion lately about Ohio State and how their opponents are the least penalized team for the past three consecutive years. A lot has been written about psychological studies, breaking down of the numbers, and occasional bias from the officials. Across The Oval has an excellent piece about it.

One of the main sticking points of the theories being targeted is that nearly every opponent we face gets flagged far less than they do in their other games. It's enough to upset even the most calm Buckeye fan.

My theory is quite simple...almost too simple.

Ohio State has been ranked in the Top 10 EVERY week for nearly three years, an a great deal of those weeks were spent at #1. When Purdue, or Illinois, or Penn State goes up against a team like Ohio State (or any team with a dominating history like the Buckeyes), you can bet that their coaches are on them all week in practice about one thing...discipline.

I believe that these teams are simply showcasing a bit of that discipline when they play us. It's much more likely than any other scenario.

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Anybody else had enough of the nationwide circle-jerk over Michigan coach/supposed savior Mike Barwis? Yeah, the whole thing smacks of hype and bullshit. For further proof, go research the nationwide circle-jerk surrounding Michigan coach/supposed savior Ron English, circa 2006.

Fact is, when the chips were down, English was run-of-the-mill and couldn't hack it against a real team like Ohio State. Barwis is no exception.

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Seriously, Brian at MGoBlog just posted the following;

There was another open-ish practice yesterday. It was significant for two events. Event #1 was Mike Shaw smoking guys.

Smoking guys?

Are we sure that this type of activity should be done in public? Not that there's anything wrong with that.....but maybe Shaw is trying out for a spot on the "lifestyle-friendly" USC squad?

Someday, Shaw is going to wonder why all the Buckeye blogs call him "Mike Shaw, famous Guy-Smoker".