Buckeyes’ talent has been too much for Wolverines
Ohio State has turned one of the greatest rivalries in sports into a onesided series against Michigan by simply having more talent on the field.
That seems to be true throughout the rosters and it makes the largest difference on the offensive and defensive lines, where the biggest players on the field can control The Game.
The Buckeyes (11- 0, 8- 0 Big Ten) are the top team in the College Football Playoff rankings and are No. 2 in The Associated Press poll at least in part because Urban Meyer left first-year coach Ryan Day with a roster full of highly touted recruits.
Jim Harbaugh, meanwhile, has been unable to match his style points on the recruiting trail with enough significant signings to beat Ohio State on the field.
Michigan’s coach was hailed as the man who could make college football’s winningest program respectable in The Game again, but he has fallen short four times.
The 10th-ranked Wolverines (9-2, 6-2, No. 13 CFP) are certainly not devoid of game- changing players, but they have not matched up well with their rivals in the past and that’s not expected to change Saturday at home.
Recruiting rankings help to explain why Ohio State has won seven consecutive games for the second time in 15 years and is a victory away from a school-record winning streak in the series.
Michigan had the better recruiting class earlier this year for the first time since 2010, according to 247 Sports composite rankings, and those talented freshmen aren’t enough to overcome the sea of five- star players with superior size and skill in scarlet and gray.
The Buckeyes, however, are on pace to have a recruiting class rated higher than Michigan’s in 2020.
Day said he keeps close tabs on the Wolverines’ recruiting efforts, posting a list of their prospects for his staff to see.
“Compare our guys to theirs just about every day, every week,” he said. OLE MISS PENALTY FOR CELEBRATING PROVES COSTLY » Luke Morgan missed a 35-yard extra point after Mississippi receiver Elijah Moore was penalized for celebrating a touchdown by crawling and pretending to urinate like a dog, and Mississippi State ended up with a 21-20 victory Thursday in the 116th Egg Bowl in Starkville, Miss.
Ole Miss (4- 8, 2- 6 SEC) pulled within a point with 4 seconds remaining on Matt Corral’s 2-yard pass to Moore, but Logan hooked the extra point after Moore cost the Rebels 15 yards.
Mississippi State (6- 6, 3-5) beat Ole Miss at home for the first since 2013.
The teams combined for seven sacks and 17 tackles for loss, and Mississippi State won the turnover battle 3-1.
The Bulldogs scored two first-half touchdowns, the first on Nick Gibsonone’s 27-yard run and the second on the next possession on quarterback Garrett Shrader’s 1-yard run. Ole Miss responded with two touchdowns of its own. LITTLE AT STAKE IN APPLE CUP » Chris Petersen made it clear that Washington’s season will be viewed as an underachievement no matter what happens in the Apple Cup in Seattle. Such is the case of raised expectations after three straight appearances in New Year’s
Six bowl games.
“We should compete for the Pac-12 championship. That’s the goal, and that’s what we should be able to do,” the Huskies coach said.
Across the state, Mike Leach is likely feeling the same at Washington State after three straight years of the Cougars being in the hunt for a Pac-12 North title.
It’s with a backdrop of disappointment for both programs that Washington and Washington State meet today for the 112th time in the Apple Cup. After three straight years of some of the most anticipated matchups in the history of the rivalry, this year’s meeting is a collective dud.
Washington (6-5, 3-5) has lost three of four, including last week’s offensive flop at Colorado. Washington State (6-5, 3-5) became bowl eligible thanks to Max Borghi’s last-second TD run to give the Cougars a 54-53 victory over Oregon State last Saturday.
The lack of importance has created little buzz about the matchup. Maybe that’s to be expected after the recent history when they couldn’t be much higher. But outside of bragging rights and perhaps a better bowl game destination, there is little at stake this time around.
“I think it’s really big between the fans. You hear about it all the time,” Leach said. “I think the players, we’re trying to improve and that’s the biggest thing we can do this week.”
The loser will end up tied for last in the Pac-12 North. And for Washington State, it is trying to snap a sixgame losing streak to the Huskies. HOKIES, CAVALIERS VIE FOR DIVISION TITLE » Virginia is hoping the third time is the charm they face No. 23 Virginia Tech in Charlottesville.
The Cavaliers (8- 3, 5-2 ACC) have twice previously played the Hokies with the ACC’s Coastal Division title on the line, and neither went well. They lost 33-21 in 2007 and 38-0 in 2011, with both games at Scott Stadium. Virginia will be home again today with the Coastal Division title on the line.
After a slow start to the season, the Hokies (8-3, 5-2) are the ACC’s hottest team besides No. 3 Clemson, having won six of seven. The change started when they switched to Hendon Hooker at quarterback — he’s 6- 0 as the starter — and includes back-to-back shutouts against bowl-bound Wake Forest (45- 0) and Pittsburgh (28- 0) in the past two weeks.
The Hokies have also won the last 15 in the series, including a heartbreaker for the Cavaliers a year ago in Blacksburg, so their surge this season is attention-getting. BOISE STATE GOING FOR 8-0 CONFERENCE MARK » How’s this for motivation: The
Boise State Broncos are poised to do something no other Boise State Broncos team has ever accomplished.
Not the team of Kellen Moore and Doug Martin. Not the squads of Jay Ajayi or Brett Rypien, either.
With a win today at Colorado State, the 20th-ranked Broncos can go undefeated through Mountain West regular season play for the very first time.
So, no, the Broncos (101, 7- 0, No. 20 CFP) aren’t looking past the Rams (4-7, 3- 4) and on to the championship game the following week against Hawaii.
“Around here, let’s be honest, there’s not a lot of things that you get a chance to do for the first time,” Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said. “There’s been a lot of success at Boise State over the years. When you get a chance to talk about doing something for the first time, if that doesn’t fire you up as a competitor, then something is wrong with you.”
Boise State has finished Mountain West play with one loss five times since joining the league in 2011. That includes in 2017, when a team that had Rypien (now with the Denver Broncos) and linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (a first-round pick by Dallas in ‘18) lost the regular-season finale to Fresno State. The following week, the Broncos beat the Bulldogs in the league’s title game.