Radical new college football plan

Georgia’s President Michael Adams has a beef with the NCAA and Ohio State. Ok, Mr. Adams here’s a new plan…

This story has been ongoing since before the BCS title game to be honest with you. Here’s a snippet from the Columbus Dispatch about Adams’ position-

University of Georgia president Michael Adams accused the Big Ten and Pacific-10 conferences, along with the Rose Bowl, of being “the largest impediment” to a major college football playoff system.

The plan promoted by Adams would have an NCAA committee select eight teams and seed them for a three-round playoff. He has called for the quarterfinal games to be played as the Rose, Orange, Sugar and Fiesta bowls, with the semifinals taking place on the second Saturday in January and the national championship game on the third Saturday.

Adams, who just last year voted against a playoff plan proposed by University of Florida president Bernard Machen, defended his apparent flip-flop. Adams said the BCS has produced “bad matchups” most of the time, and “this year was the tipping point.

So now we just wait on Pryor…

James Laurinaitis is coming back for his senior year. Sorry about your luck Michigan.

So let’s get this straight- The Buckeyes will return 9 starters on defense. That’s 9 starters on a unit that ranked first in the nation in most categories, and held Michigan to 91 yards of total offense. On offense, they lose Kirk Barton and Dionte Johnson, who was splitting time with 2 other players anyway. Coming back are Hartline and Robiskie who combined for over 1600 yards and 17 TD’s, and Chris Wells who had 1609 yards himself and 15 TD’s.

That same Michigan team has lost QB’s Chad Henne and Ryan Mallet, RB Mike Hart, WR’s Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington, plus OL’s Jake Long and Adam Kraus. Defensively they lose 4 starters, including Sean Crable. On top of that Michigan will have to travel to Columbus this year. All of that with a new coach and system to learn. Yep. Good luck with that ground hogs.

Monday Rumblings

The Cavs are off until Tuesday, but there may be something to report on as rumors circulate about a potential Sam Cassell trade. Not sure these aren’t more than the ‘that would make sense’ variety of rumor. Personally I would welcome Cassell, especially if Hughes was the target. No, huh? Alright.

Buckeye land awaits the decision of James Laurinaitis today.

(Was that too obvious?)

With Alex Boone in the fold for another season the O-Line will be in good shape again next season. Especially with the recruiting class we have coming in. The battle for right tackle is going to be fierce! With regard to Laurinaitis, I hope he does come back, but not because I think he would be the difference between a championship or not. The Buckeyes have 2 outstanding LB recruits coming to Columbus next year in Etienne Sabino and Andrew Sweat. I would love for Laurinaitis to show these two what it takes to be the next great linebacker at OSU. A.J. Hawk was there for James. Matt Wilhelm was there for A.J. Wilhelm never won any of the major awards, but he certainly had the work ethic.

Making Headlines…at least small ones

 

Let me be pretty clear about this, the only circumstances under which Halftime Adjustments will refer to the ballpark in which the Indians play as ‘Progressive Field’, would be in some sort of sarcastic harsh tone. Since 1994 the Indians have, and until it is knocked down, will always play at the Jake.

Cavalier Shannon Brown requested to be sent to the developmental league. The Cavs granted his wish yesterday. My guess is that barring injury or trade that will be the last we see of Shannon Brown in Cleveland. It is obvious that the Cavs have no interest in Shannon past this season, and he wasn’t getting playing time lately. Shannon had an opportunity to play when LeBron was injured, but really wasn’t ready to shoulder that much of the load. Perhaps a couple weeks of solid games for the Vipers will increase Shannon’s trade value. I’m sure that was his intention, plus the opportunity to play every day.

Buckeyes Beaten, Again

A familiar feeling this morning as once again a Halftime Adjustment favorite is denied a championship.

The Buckeyes were outplayed and out coached last night, losing to LSU 38-24. The only bright spot for the Scarlett and Gray was Beanie Wells, who had an outstanding game rushing for 146 yards on 20 carries. The Buckeye passing attack was grounded, and Boeckman found himself running for cover as wide outs Robiske and Hartline struggled to get open. Boeckman was not exactly sharp when a receiver did manage to find some room, not hitting players in stride, and under throwing the deep ball several times. One of those under throws was picked off, and another should have been. Todd finished the game with 2 picks and a lost fumble.

The Buckeyes made way too many mistakes to have a chance in this one, and to LSU’s credit they made the Buckeyes pay for those mistakes. Ohio State’s special teams were terrible. The blocked field goal and roughing the punter were responsible for at least a 10 point swing in this game. In addition, the kick-off return team was awful. LSU kicked the ball to the up-back all night, and we looked confused on how to return a kick from the 15 all game. When the kick-off fails to reach the 10 yard line you should end up with good field position. At least the Buckeyes managed to boom the ball into the end zone eliminating LSU’s return game.

The Waiting is the Hardest Part…

Can’t embed this one, but here’s the link.

Here are some of my favorite stories and articles about the game tonight.

Bob Hunter of the Dispatch does a great job summarizing the impact tonight’s game has on the perception of the program. Perception is Reality, Until the Buckeyes Change it.

EDSBS paints a positive picture of Buckeye fans in New Orleans. Wish I could be there with you! Ohio State, LSU fans are Polar Opposites.

Men of the Scarlett and Gray posted the 5 things the Buckeyes must do to win on both sides of the ball. Offense and Defense

I was reviewing the 100 Things that had me excited about the Buckeyes this year, and oddly enough I didn’t even mention the possibility of playing the National Title game. Check out some of the other pseudo-predictions I made, and of course see the videos again. Part 1. Part 2.

A Big Start for the Big Ten

Pat checks in after the Buckeyes’ Big Ten opener against Illinois.

 

Thursday night started a defense of the Ohio State men’s basketball teams 2 time regular season Big Ten title hunt. Starting the Big Ten season means basketball season is well underway and this game is the same game just a few years ago that Ohio State coach Thad Matta coached his first Big Ten game, Champaign, Illinois.

Ohio State left the Illini scratching their heads and wondering why they couldn’t score in the 2nd half, as the Buckeyes won 74-58. Led by senior Jamar Butler’s 32 points (4-7 from down town and was 8-8 from the charity stripe) the Buckeyes methodically pulled away during the 2nd half. Butler scored 15 points in a row in the 2nd half during the run that put the Buckeyes up for good. Butler also had 6 assist, 2 key ones as him and Matt Terwilliger worked the pick and pop and Terwilliger knocked down 2 big 3’s.

Merry Christmas

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from us here at Halftime Adjustments!

It would be too easy. I could rip the Browns, and in particular Derek Anderson for that dismal performance yesterday. I could lament how Anderson could have just cost my favorite team their first playoff appearance in years, while at the same time throwing my shot at a fantasy football title in the dumpster. Or I could write about the Cavs. I could spew venom for an hour about the Wine and Gold getting ripped on their home court last night by the Warriors. I could gripe about them never having a lead in the game. I could continue to rant about the albatross around the Cavaliers neck that is Larry Hughes.

But I’m not. Instead, I will say Merry Christmas to you. I hope that you are celebrating the birth or our savior with friends and family. I will also mention that I don’t plan on posting much this week, as I will be celebrating with my family.

If I could give Christmas presents to our favorite teams, I would give the Cavs relief from their salary cap struggles, as well as a point guard that can maximize the talent already on the roster. I would give the Browns some help on the defensive line, and turn back the clock to allow them a do over of yesterday’s game. The Indians would get an all-star left fielder, health for those with nagging injuries (Hafner) and a dominating closer. The Buckeyes would get exactly what they need- redemption in the form of a BCS title. Here’s hoping they don’t need any help from me on that one!

 Merry Christmas!

Washington, Clifford leave Buckeyes thin at Corner

This just in from the Columbus Dispatch.

Ohio State starting cornerback Donald Washington and reserve corner Eugene Clifford have been suspended for the national championship game because of a violation of team rules, a source close to the team confirmed last night.

There were no details on the nature of the violation, except that it is not a legal issue.

The loss of Washington is significant. The sophomore from Indianapolis has started every game this season and played well, twice being named the team’s defensive player of the week.

He has 34 tackles, a sack and an interception returned 70 yards for a touchdown against Kent State.

Tressel did what???

Here’s the first line of an article I came across…

Jim Tressel encouraged 13 of his juniors to ask the NFL where they might be selected in the next draft.

Of course my first thought was along the lines of, “What are you thinking? Have you gone mad?” But as I continued to read through the article, which is an AP article available after the jump, I realized Tressel was simply trying to control the situation. There is no doubt that some of these young men would be entertaining notions of leaving early, and Tressel wants them to understand where they would stand if they decided to enter the upcoming draft. It also seems like he is trying to avoid a repeat of what happened last year, when players might have been distracted by talk of the NFL before the big game. It seems the players themselves realized this could have been a problem last year, and are taking steps to correct it. They have decided as a group not to talk about it until after the game against LSU. Let’s hope that’s true.

As for Tressel, it makes a lot of sense for him to help his players make this difficult decision. He has invested a lot into their lives for the last three years, and he is always trying to make them better men, not just better football players. Despite what Mo Clarrett said, Jim Tressel does have his players’ best interest at heart. I suppose I am more comfortable with our young players getting coached through this process by the Vest than Ted Ginn’s dad, like what happened last year. Perhaps Antonio Pittman would have come back for his senior year, instead of bolting for the NFL. He could have been a Heisman finalist this year. Instead, he sits on the Rams’ bench. Full Article follows…

A Tale of Two Halves

Pat checks in with a report on the Ohio State basketball team.

 

Last week the young Buckeyes basketball team went through a tough pre-conference stretch. After finishing as runners-up in the pre-season NIT the Ohio State men’s basketball team was scheduled to play #1 North Carolina and #16 Butler at the historic Hinkle Field House.

To say that the Buckeyes finished as runners -up is simply nice. After playing a great semi-final game over then ranked #25 Syracuse, the young Bucks laid an egg in the championship game against Texas A&M, on one of the worlds biggest stages, Madison Square Garden, in New York City.

It’s set…Ohio State vs LSU

The stage is set. January 7th, in New Orleans the Buckeyes will look to avenge last year’s disappointing loss in the National Championship Game. While the field won’t exactly be neutral, the Buckeyes will be well represented by those fans loyal, and lucky enough to be able to afford such trips. USC will play Illinois in the Rose Bowl, Georgia gets Hawaii in the Sugar, and Oklahoma faces West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl. 1 loss Kansas draws Virginia Tech in the Orange. On the outside looking in- last week’s #1, Missouri. Thanks for playing.

Un! Be! Leave! A! Bull!

I never thought Pitt would beat West Virginia. I may have even said WV covers that 24 point spread. And as I type this Oklahoma is up 35-17 with only 7 minutes left to go. Obviously Ohio State is in the Championship game. But who in the world will we play? Georgia? The #4 team in the country? They didn’t even make their conference championship game. LSU? They have 2 losses, including last week! Kansas? Not a chance. USC? As good a bet as LSU in my opinion. Arizona State? Again, not a conference champ, and got rocked by USC recently. How about Oklahoma? Why not them, they won the Big 12 and knocked off #1 to do it.

As an aside, how painful was it watching a Dave Wannstedt coached team nearly blow that game? Yeah, the refs made some questionable calls, but that game should have been over at the beginning of the 4th quarter.

And can we put to bed the Chase Daniel for the Heisman talk now?

No offense, but no games ’til 8:00

Good day to get some things done if you’re a Buckeye. Both games we will be watching are on at 8:00. ABC gets the Big 12 championship, West Virginia plays on ESPN (that one is a 7:45 start.) I’m wearing the scarlet and gray today, how about you?

How much does respect matter?

 

Interesting read over at ESPN about the Buckeyes. In this article by Bruce Hooley, Kirk Herbstreit tries to make an interesting point. Here’s the quote:

In my opinion, Ohio State could do more about [improving] the image people have of its program by playing a talented USC team that right now is as hot as any in the country … I promise you, if Ohio State goes into the Rose Bowl, everyone is going to be saying, ‘USC is going to kill Ohio State.’  Ohio State will gain more respect if it plays USC in the Rose Bowl and wins that game, than if it goes and beats West Virginia and wins the national title. From an image standpoint, Ohio State would score more points going to the Rose Bowl than by going to the national championship game. If you can believe that, that’s the truth.

Yes, but no Kirk. Truth is that the Buckeyes will have their chance to beat the Trojans next year, week 2. If the Buckeyes ‘backed in’ to the National Championship game and beat West Virginia, then turned around and beat USC week 2, they will have done everything they could to silence critics. Truth be told, the critics will still find something to exploit. There will be no silencing.