According To Carp

The College football season is nearly complete. It has been an exciting bowl season as it usually is, but not its time for the main event. The College Football Playoff is here. With Alabama vs. Washington and Clemson vs. Ohio State, fans get to see some of the biggest brands in the sport. The only problem is both the Peach and Fiesta Bowl are on New Year’s Eve.   Grayson Allen   Duke has long be one of the NCAA hoops Blue Bloods. Coach K runs a clean program and while you may not like them, Duke is always good. However, the Grayson Allen kicking situation has caused me to scratch my head and wonder why more hasn’t already been done to this kid.   Alabama v. Washington   With how Washington looked against the USC defensive line, they have very little chance to win this game, unless their offensive line has improved considerably. Alabama is tough, fast and physical upfront and will wear down the Huskies if Washington cannot control the clock.     Clemson v. Ohio State   The Clemson Defensive front and Wide Rece

What a wild and wonderful weekend in college football. Sure, outside of THE GAME there really weren’t any terrific games, but sometimes that happens. Nearly every favorite won over the three day college football feast, that started on Thanksgiving and poured long into Saturday night. The status quo was preserved on the final weekend of the regular season, but now it is Championship Saturday and the real fun begins.     Alabama, Clemson, and Washington   The three amigos hanging around in the top 5, none were expected to lose and they did not disappoint. Alabama looked particularly impressive in their Iron Bowl win over rival Auburn. Auburn might be the second best team in the SEC, and that game displayed whom far the conference has fallen. Three years ago this would have been a slugfest, but it is now clear that the SEC is Alabama and then everyone else.   The Clemson Tigers have been a difficult team to figure out this season, but were able to easily dismantle a rebuilding South Carolina squad that has been

Michigan   The Wolverines were able to fend off a tough Indiana team under a blanket of snow Saturday afternoon. However it was a game that left much to be desired. John O’Korn filled in for the injured Wilton Speight, but it couldn’t have been encouraging for the Michigan faithful. Outside of a few throws and a terrific 3rd and long scramble, O’Korn was largely ineffective and relied on a heavily on De’Veon Smith to power the offense. Will Speight play this week? Harbaugh would like everyone to believe so, but it is doubtful it will happen. He may even enter the game to take a few snaps, but if he has a crack clavicle or even a separated AC joint, one week off will not be enough.   Colorado and West Virginia   Colorado faced their first big test since early in the season. A Mike Leach coached Washington State team was scoring points seemingly at will. However the Buffalos are for real. Their quarterback, Sefo Liufau, is maybe the most underrated signal caller in the nation. He is more athletic than expected

Michigan   The blood letting in college football finally happened… it wasn’t pretty for the top three or the top five in the CFP rankings. Michigan was upset to an Iowa team that has greatly underachieved this season. In the midst of the loss it appears the Wolverines lost their quarterback Wilton Speight for the season. A three point road loss on the road didn’t appear to have much of an effect on their CFP Ranking.   Clemson and Washington   Clemson and Washington suffered much tougher losses, Clemson’s loss being particularly since they lost to an unranked Pitt team in Death Valley. Dabo Sweeny was able to avoid a last second loss against NC State, but the Tigers’ luck finally expired against the Panthers. It has been a curious season for the Tigers, one where they have never really seemed to regain their 2015 form except against Florida State and Louisville. They have consistently played down to the level of their competition and that has shown through.   Washington now looks to be what most critical coll

The College Football Playoff   After the first CFP rankings came out, everyone was left scratching their collective heads. How could a one lost Texas A&M team be ranked ahead of an undefeated Washington squad, who had been destroying the entire PAC 12? The Aggie experiment was short lived as they were knocked off by Mississippi State and lost their quarterback, Trevor Knight, in the process.   Under the old AP and Coaches Polling system Washington would have naturally slid into the #4 spot and Ohio State at #5. This logic appeared to be flawed due to the heavy emphasis on the strength of schedule metric that kept the Huskies out of the Top 4. After the most recent ranking Ohio State did not jump Washington. It begs the question, why? Ohio State has played a much tougher schedule and their non-conference opponents aren’t close to the level of the Washington’s. The short answer is, the CFP Committee makes it up… and they can continue to do this until they have to submit their final four teams.   BIG 12 &

Northwestern was supposed to be the game that put the Buckeye offense back on track. It looked like that would be the case. With the 1st drive Ohio State drove down quickly down the field for a touchdown. However the rest of the game wasn’t that easy and while the offensive line played much better; some of the same issues arose in the passing game.   The Silver Bullet Defense   Even though the Buckeye defense yielded 17 points against the Wildcats, it was a solid performance as usual. Northwestern did a few things to help stop the Buckeye pressure:   Moved the pocket Quick passing game Effective play action   The College Football Playoff Selection Committee   The 1st rankings are out and there was only one large surprise. It was collectively accepted that after Alabama there next three spots would contain some combination of Clemson, Michigan and Washington. Two of the three were in, but the PAC 12 leader was replaced by Texas A&M. It was a curious move to say the least, but does it really matter? And w

Ohio State ran into the Penn State buzz saw in the 3rd quarter on Saturday night. After going up 14 points and having the ball twice on their own 40 to start drives, the Buckeyes had a chance to put the Nittany Lions away. They didn’t and were rewarded with a four quarter game. Where one play could shift the balance of momentum and it did.   The offensive line struggled on the edges and the wide receivers couldn’t separate. Penn State didn’t do much, but they were highly effective at pressuring JT Barrett.   Penn State Special Teams   It was the worst Special Teams performance under Urban Meyer. It is his baby, that’s why the Buckeyes special teams are loaded with starters and front line players. Here’s what happened:   -Blocked punt -Blocked FG for TD -Missed PAT -Muffed punt (that was recovered) -Critical Kick Off return to the 10 yard line -Kick Off team gave up a long return   That pretty much covers all of the special teams being complicit in the struggle. It won’t happen again because Urban Meyer will a

Michigan was off and Clemson received manna from heaven. Those 2 events were apparently enough to help the Wolverines jump to third in the AP rankings. Not that it matters anyway, but now the Saturday after Thanksgiving is shaping up to be the Game of the Century Part Deax. Which will be a win for everyone in the College Football world. On the other hand Clemson must be living right. To watch NC State push a 35 yard game winning field goal as time expired absolutely took years off of Dabo Sweeny’s young life.   Spartan and Irish Issues   Michigan State is not only done in the Big Ten, but now there are serious concerns about their ability to make a bowl game. Mark Dantonio has always been able to right the ship, but this season he hasn’t been able to find a quarterback. This week’s loss to Northwestern leaves him with nowhere to turn.     Notre Dame is reeling worse than the Spartans. Has Brian Kelly lost his magic touch or have injuries and a tough schedule taken their toll on the Irish. Kizor has played fai

Michigan embarrassed Rutgers to the tune of 78-0. It’s a score you rarely seen in college football and even more scarce between conference opponents. Jim Harbaugh is trying to send a message to the rest of the college football world. Maybe it’s that his Wolverines are good or maybe it’s that is he partially crazy. Both are true, but beating a team 78-0 generally comes back to haunt a coach.   The PAC 12 is officially a mess. The conference powers of the last few seasons and in their place has arose the Washington Huskies. The Huskies are looking good, smashing the Oregon Ducks. It now to the point at Oregon where they are officially done for this season and need to start making decisions about whether Mark Helfrich is the coach for the future. Stanford was supposed to walk away with the conference crown this season. That train has completely left the tracks. Washington State hammered David Shaw’s squad despite having one of the best players in the country. Shaw is still the right man for the job, but it appea

Week 5 in College Football season was a wild one. There were terrific games all across the county, huge upsets and classic matchups that will determine the fate of the College Football Playoff. Clemson outlasted the Louisville Cardinals in the ABC prime time contest. It was a game that did not disappoint. However the down marker on the final play of the game led to a controversial ending. Despite the win, Lamar Jackson outplayed Deshaun Watson and is now firmly in the driver seat for the Heisman Trophy.   Michigan State and Stanford have been steady forces in the Top 10 over the last five years. Both teams play with a simple run first approach and try to win at the line of scrimmage. It is a formula that has worked extremely well. This weekend with Stanford’s drubbing from Washington and Michigan State’s overtime loss at Indiana, it fair to wonder were they go from here. I think Michigan State can recover, but it won’t be easy.   Ohio State smacked Rutgers and now takes on Indiana. It will be a much tougher g

  The Week 4 College football slate was solid to say the least. There were some great games and some unexpected outcomes. LSU couldn’t get a much needed win to save their head coaches job. The loss to Auburn was a microcosm of Miles’s tenure at LSU. Play well enough to keep it close, but commit costly errors at the end of the game that end up in a loss. LSU was more talented than Auburn, but not better coached and because of the archaic offense it was finally time to move on.     Ohio State was off after a big win against Oklahoma, but it doesn’t mean it was a big day in the Big Ten. Wisconsin strolled into East Lansing and made a well coached Michigan State team look pedestrian. Mark Dantonio couldn’t have been happy after allowing the Badgers to roll up 30 points, while turning over the football.     Can Rutgers challenge Ohio State? I don’t think so, but there are a number of areas continuous improvements that must be worked on for the Buckeyes to beat better teams in November.     Topics:   Week 4 College

Week 4 of the College Football Season did not disappoint. All of the big games lived up to the drama, except one and everyone stayed locked on Florida State at Louisville because of the disbelief in what they were seeing. Lamar Jackson absolutely undressed the Seminole defense and that’s what Petrino’s Cardinals are ranked 3rd in the nation.   Ohio State strolled into Norman about a three point favorite, they rolled out with over a 20 point lead. It was a result that shocked most across the college football landscape, but not the Buckeye players. They were prepared and imposed their will upon the OU line until they quit. Find out how OSU was able to dominate OU on both sides of the ball.     Topics:   College Football Week 3 Wrap up   Week 4 Preview   OSU v OU Recap

College football has been on a roller coaster ride through 3 weeks. Week 1 was packed with terrific matchups; Week 2 left something to be desired as far as matchups go, but still had some solid games. Week 3 promises to be a gem. There are 4 great games with the 1st game kicking at noon. Louisville v. FSU kicks off the day, Ole Miss v. Bama at 3:30 and the evening entrées of MSU v. ND and OSU v. OU Saturday promise to keep your day as unproductive as ever.   Ohio State and Oklahoma looked to be the premier week 3 matchup this summer. Two preseason top 10 blue bloods, what’s not to love about that? With OU stumbling in there opening to Houston it pushed the Sooners into a corner. This is essentially a must win for Bob Stoops whose team went from a 10 point favorite to a 3 point dog in less than a month. Can Baker Mayfield and Co. rally the Sooners against a young Buckeye squad? I can’t wait until Saturday night   Topics:     OSU v. Tulsa Breakdown   Week 3 CFB Preview   OSU v. OU

Week one of CFB lived up to its billing. Rarely when something is called “the best ever” does it meet expectations. Week 1 did, but Week 2 will disappoint. With a dynamic AP Poll, very little should change this week given that there are no Top 25 matchups. It’s a barren wasteland and thus time to only watch the games you care about.   OSU looked great in their shredding of Bowling Green, but it didn’t tell us much. Tulsa is better than BG, but by how much? I don’t think Buckeye Fans should expect the same outcome, but OSU needs to be sharp.   Fifteen years ago the United States was changed for good. It has been more than two centuries since the United States had seen their mainland attacked. 9/11 rocked the sports world the following weekend and now we can commemorate those terrible events.     Topics:     OSU v. BG Breakdown   Tulsa Preview   CFB Week 2   Remembering 9/11

Football is back… and I for one am excited. The opening weekend has some of the best matchups in recent memory. Top 25 matchups like USC /Alabama, Wisconsin/LSU, and Houston/Oklahoma will be a treat to take in. College football fans will be able to benchmark teams against tough competition in the opening weekend.   Urban Meyer release Ohio State’s depth chart for the 1st time this season. Typically there are 22 starters between the offense and defense… OSU has nearly 30. It’s due all of the “OR” starters due to the immense youth on this football. Urban wants to see who the playmakers are and the only way to find out is to see it live. According to Carp will take you inside to see who will emerge and where are OSU’s strengths.     Topics:     Ohio State Depth Chart   Bowling Green Break Down   Big Games of Week One   Heisman hopefuls

Kurt Coleman’s road through the NFL hasn’t been an easy one. From his humble beginnings at Ohio State that began with a tragedy, to a rough third season; Kurt has been a consummate professional. He managed to keep a positive attitude through the entire process. Not an easy feat, he’s now on top, so what’s next?   Topics:   Time at OSU   Relationship with Tyson Gentry   Rocky Road of the NFL

Cleveland hadn’t won a title in over 50 years, so it seemed fitting that their Championship parade would run long. Lebron poured his heart on the stage and it was littered with profanity. It bothered some and excited others.   NBA free agency here and owners are throwing around cash like drunken sailors. Mozqov got paid big $$$ by the Lakers, he is only one example. The problem is for me is now many young players under 30 are declining to represent the USA in the Olympics. It bothers me   The Best season yet of Game of Thrones. Period.   Topics:   A Cleveland Parade   The Olympic Dream   NBA Free Agency   Game of Thrones

All hope seamed lost. The Cavs fell apart late in Game 4 and blew seemingly any chance of a NBA. However, an improbable win in Game 5 changed the paradigm. Although the “Nutcracker” Green didn’t play, the Cavs have a home game to force a seventh and decisive game. It’s not how many planned it, but there still is hope. How can the Cavs find a win? There is a path.   OJ Simpson is one of the most intriguing sports characters in American history. His rise from the slums of San Francisco to national fame was that of a fairly tail. Although it ended in a nightmare, how OJ developed into the man he became is extremely interesting.   Game of Thrones Episode 8 is over. Now the its time for the most exciting show of the season “THE BASTARD BOWL.” We will break down all you need to know for the next episode.       Topics:   NBA Finals Game 5   OJ Simpson: Made in America   Game of Thrones

The term “must win” in sports is used almost to the point of nausea. However, if the Cavs were going to have any hope of winning a NBA Title Game 3 was a “must win.” There was no way to expect Cleveland to reel of 4 straight against the best regular season team in NBA history. They turned in a performance for the ages and not a moment too soon.   The House that Harley built had been around for nearly a century, however there has never been beer sold through the entire stadium on game day. It is going to happen and it will be glorious (to me), but there will be some detractors.   Game of Thrones season 6 has been filled with surprised and revivals. Old characters have popped up everywhere. Episode 7 is especially revealing. I break it all down on this edition of According to Carp. For the Night is dark and full of terrors.   Topics:   NBA Finals Game 3   Beer in the Shoe   Game of Thrones

Former walk-on LB Joe Burger may hail from Cincinnati, but he still loves one Cleveland team. The La Salle alum joins According to Carp to describe what “Patriot Week” means to OSU Football team and how Coach “Mick” keeps “The Grind Fresh” with a number of specialty themes throughout the offseason training program. What would be more appropriate heading into Memorial Day Weekend than Patriot Week.   The Cavs now have control of the Eastern Conference Finals and seemed poised to head to the NBA Final. OKC appears to be the their foe, but is that the best matchup? And is  that the team the Cavs and their fans would like to play? Joe and I tackle all of those questions.   Episode 5 of season 6 is done. It is the halfway mark of the Game of Thrones. There are many interesting theories of who is related, how the wall was built and many other mind bending thoughts. We air them all out on According to Carp.   Topics:   Buckeyes Offseason Training   Cavs Final Predictions   Game of Thrones Theories