Ohio State will be outfitted for the game in special Nike uniforms. This year's model hints back to the uniform style worn by the Buckeyes starting in the 1967 season but that are typically referenced as the uniforms worn by the 1968 national champion Ohio State squad. This year's uniform look includes:
*Scarlet jerseys with large gray numbers on front and back of the jersey and most noticeably on the shoulder pads;
*Gray pants with wider piping down the sides;
*Black stripe around the jersey sleeves;
*Seven Buckeye leaves along the back collar and a Block "O" on the front collar; and
*Wider scarlet, white and black stripe on a dull chrome helmet.
Ohio State has confirmed that the football will wear the alternate uniforms that had been leaked on the Official Team Shop last week. Here is the official release and description of the uniforms: 5 Comments Dave Thurman (7:25 am) Although I was attending a conference this weekend and unable to watch all of the action live, it was a great Saturday and Sunday for Buckeye Nation. As I took time to watch what I missed thanks to DVR, and poured over the stat sheets, a number of random thoughts came to mind. So here goes, in no particular order: -The Buckeye defense, coming off promising performances against Penn State and Illinois, really is improved. However, they will need to be at their best next week when Fred Flintstone brings his ugly helmets to Columbus, featuring a spread offense with lots of speed. -Not sure how the Two Jim's (Tressel and Bollman) managed to get into the booth in Madison, but I am sure they were calling the game, because it was incredibly conservative and predictable. Better hope Herman and Meyer are back in charge this weekend. -Thad Matta had a pretty nice weekend for himself, winning the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament with victories over Rhode Island and Washington plus bagging his first big recruit in a couple years in 2014 forward Keita Bates-Diop from Illinois. Bates-Diop certainly needs to bulk up his 6-8 190 pound frame, but has major skills. I'm sure TV announcers aren't nearly as excited by this addition as Buckeye fans. Two blogs for the price of one! We will be LiveBlogging as the Buckeyes take on Wisconsin in football at 3:30 and Rhode Island at basketball at 5:00. We'll be joining all the good folks from around the BBN - Fox Sports Ohio, The Buckeye Battle Cry, the Buckeye Blog, Men of the Scarlet and Gray, Buckeye Empire and Our Honor Defend. This should be fun! Dave Thurman (0:00 am) @Dthurman7 Important Data: Mascot: Badgers Stadium: Camp Randall (80,321) 2011 Record: 11-3 2012 Record: 7-3 Head Coach: Bert Bielema (7th year at Wisconsin, 67-22) Letterman Returning: (41; lost - 16) Returning Starters: Offense - 5; Defense - 6; Specialists - 0 Base Defense: 4-3 Base Offense: Power-I and Ace (2 Tight Ends) Notable Alumni: Mike Webster - NFL Hall of Famer Steve Miller - Musician (Steve Miller Band) Charles Lindbergh - Aviator Elroy Hirsch - Pro Football Hall of Famer Frank Lloyd Wright - Architect John Wilce - Former Buckeye football coach (in College Football Hall of Fame) Greta Van Susteren - Television broadcaster Bud Selig - MLB commissioner Cheerleader Scouting Report: Cast of Characters: #10 Quarterback, Curt Phillips Who saw this coming? A year after the Russell Wilson transfer worked so well, Badger fans thought another transfer, Danny O'Brien would be the man in 2012. When he disappointed the coaches turned to redshirt frosh Joel Stave. When he got hurt they tapped the little used redshirt senior Phillips, who has battle injuries throughout his career. He looked good against Indiana and now gets OSU! #28 Running Back, Montee Ball The stud for the Badgers is senior Montee Ball who returned after rushing for 1923 yards and 33 TD's a year ago. After a slow start, Ball is back in form and comes into this game with 1226 yards and 16 TD's. There are bigger backs and faster runners in the nation, but nobody who runs tougher than Ball. He actually shares time with James White, giving the Badgers an incredible 1-2 punch. #4 Wide Receiver, Jared Abbredaris The Badgers may be a running team but they have a big-time receiver in teh skinny Abbredaris. Playing with Wilson in 2011 he snared 55 catches for 933 yards. This year he has worked with three different quarterbacks but has still managed 38 catches for 698 yards and 5 TD's. He has made a bunch of big plays and now plays a team that has been burned a number of times in 2012. #53 Linebacker, Mike Taylor The unquestioned leader of the Badger D is 5th year senior Taylor, who registered an eye popping 150 tackles last year, and so far in 2012 has 95 stops including 12 for loss. He is a hard-nosed prototypical linebacker, who pairs with Ohio native Chris Borland who has 82 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 6 passes defensed. These guys will test Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde for sure. #10 Cornerback, Devin Smith Another fifth year senior, Smith started way back in 2009 but came off the bench in 2010, and was hurt last year. This season he has been their best defesnive back, and has totaled 48 sacks, with 13 passes defensed, including 3 interceptions. He is solid against the run, and by far the best cover player on a team that has struggled to stop good passing attacks. Head Coach Bert Bielema The surly Bielema is certainly not a Buckeye favorite, and seems to truly hate Ohio State. Despite his crying over Urban Meyer stealing Kyle Dodson, the big guy has done a pretty good job at Wisconsin. The UW fans were on his case after going 7-6 in his third season, but since then he has won 10,11 and 11 games coming into this year. A former offensive lineman, he loves physical football. Corey Andry (12:31 pm) @CoreyAndry Last Saturday’s matchup between Texas A&M and Alabama presented me with a slight conundrum as an LSU fan. Of course, like most fans of SEC teams, I love to gloat over the conference’s five consecutive BCS National Championships. Furthermore, I understand the benefit that each SEC team receives from such a streak. However, knowing that LSU’s most hated foe was the SEC’s best, if not only, shot at a national title this year, I was forced to choose between SEC supremacy and my hatred for Alabama. Ultimately, I chose SEC supremacy but to no avail. “Johnny Football” and the Aggies pulled off a great win over the Tide and left them on the outside of the national title picture… for now. So what are the SEC’s chances of a sixth straight national title? I don’t believe a one loss SEC champion, whether it is Alabama, Florida or Georgia, has chance to edge out any of these top three teams should they remain undefeated. Thus, the only chance for an SEC national title is that two of the top three teams lose. #1 Kansas State seems like the least likely to stumble. The Wildcats have passed some significant tests with flying colors and really only have one more left. This week they play a bad Baylor team. Then they will have two weeks to prepare for #15 Texas at home. Texas has the offense to give themselves a chance in that game, but with a lackluster defense, odds are slim that Texas could go into Bill Snyder Stadium and actually beat Snyder himself. Chance of losing – 20% #2 Oregon seems most likely to stumble. The Ducks have rolled over pretty much everybody with that Lamborghini offense including three ranked opponents. However, their last two games might be their two biggest tests with #16 Stanford in Eugene this weekend and then #16 Oregon State in Corvallis on November 24th, where the in-state rivals will get a chance to shoot down the Duck’s title hopes. Don’t forget that Oregon will also have to play a PAC 12 championship game against either UCLA or USC. Chance of losing – 55% #3 Notre Dame, as I have said all year, could fall to anyone. Their two remaining games include a less than mediocre Wake Forest at home and a west coast trip to Los Angeles to play USC. Wake Forest should be a none threat, but Notre Dame is more than capable of shooting themselves in the foot. The USC game seems like a dream dasher waiting to happen. Matt Barkley’s senior year has not been anything it was supposed to be, but a game against Notre Dame at home on prime time national television is a great chance to redeem some of that. Notre Dame should be very wary of this game. Chance of losing – 35% Should two of these three teams lose, the one loss SEC champion will almost assuredly slide into the #2 ranking. Chance of an SEC team making the title game – 30% ![]() My B1G Game of the Week: #6 Ohio State vs. Wisconsin Zach Clark (12:44 pm) @Zach_TSB Saturday: Northwestern (+7) [7-3] vs. Michigan State (-7) [5-5] 2011 Records: Northwestern 6-7 and Michigan State 11-3 Game Time: 12:00 PM Eastern Channel: ESPN2/WatchESPN Prediction: Northwestern 13 – Michigan State 24 With Northwestern dropping its last 3 out of 5 and Michigan State losing its last 3 out of 4, both teams enter Week 12 looking to turn things around and end the 2012 season strong. Despite the Wildcats’ impressive 7-3 record, they are surprisingly .500 in B1G play and face an elite 11th ranked (points against) Spartan defense on Saturday at noon. Mark Dantonio may have his flaws as a head coach, but I strongly believe that two weeks preparation for an average Northwestern offense provides ample time for Dantonio and a tough Spartan defense to effectively game plan for Wildcat playmakers Kain Colter and Venric Mark. I see a close game early, but the Spartans surely covering the 7-point spread. Iowa [4-6] vs. #23 Michigan [7-3] 2011 Records: Iowa 7-6 and Michigan 11-2 Game Time: 12:00 PM Eastern Channel: ESPN/ESPN 3D Prediction: Iowa 10 – Michigan 34 Coming off heartbreaking 3-point losses to both Indiana state powerhouses (Indiana and Purdue), this deflated Iowa team should extend their 4-game losing streak to 5 in Ann Arbor this Saturday. The Hawkeyes have consistently ranked in the 100’s for points scored, and they now sit at 104th in the country, averaging 20.8 points per game. The lone bright statistic Iowa ranks well in, points against (29th), is more of an indicator of B1G offensive mediocrity than Iowa defensive dominance. The Wolverines, on the other hand, have won 5 out of their last 6, all with effective backup quarterback Devin Gardner. Despite Denard Robinson’s status yet again being unclear for Week 12, I fully expect Michigan to roll over the Hawkeyes at home. ![]() Aaron Craft started 2012-13 in top form Dave Thurman @Dthurman7 (9:26 pm) And Then There Were Four: While the Buckeyes didn't play this past weekend, you have to believe that most of the players watched some of the other top teams in the nation with interest. Of course, both Alabama and Louisville left the realm of the undefeated, meaning that only four BCS teams are still unblemished: Oregon, Kansas State, Notre Dame, and Ohio State. Once again it is a reminder of how hard it is to go through a year without a loss. I don't care which conference you are in or who you play, it is really difficult to navigate through an entire year without stumbling at some point. Of course the big news heard round the college football world was the Alabama loss, as they were defeated at home by Texas A&M. Although everyone knew the Aggies can score points behind boy wonder Johnny Manziel, nobody thought they would beat a team that some felt was good enough to play in the NFL. Personally, I am thrilled when an SEC frontrunner takes it on the chin, and it would make me very happy to see a BCS National Championship Game without a team from the $EC, but I'm not holding my breath. There's still a lot of football to be played, and the powers that be love those southern teams. Some Buckeye fans were upset that Ohio State didn't move up in the AP rankings this week, with both Alabama and Georgia, at 9-1, rated ahead of the Buckeyes who check in at 6th in the poll. Honestly, considering how weak the B1G is this year, and how soft our pre-conference schedule was, I can't complain. But if OSU were eligible for a bowl this year I'm sure I would feel differently, and would be lobbying to see "our" boys get to the National Championship Game! So what are the odds of Ohio State winding up perfect in 2012 like they did 10 years ago, when they finished a magic season at 14-0? A few weeks ago I would have said this squad had about a 1 in 25 chance, but the odds have gone up following two well-played games versus Penn State and Illinois Still, Wisconsin and Michigan both present tough challenges, and the Bucks may need to play their two best games of the season to finish 12-0.
Drew Thurman (3:53 pm) @osusilverbullet The Buckeyes hit the hardwood for the first time this season tonight, taking on Marquette on the USS Yorktown in Charleston, SC. This opportunity is about much more than basketball for both squads, and Thad Matta and Buzz Williams both made it clear that this trip will also give their players a deeper appreciation for the military. In fact, the 4,000 seats that have been set up for the game will mostly be filled by military personnel, making this is very unique experience for all those involved. Still, at the end of the day, this spectacle is about basketball. A year ago in the Carrier Classic, the first time this sort of event was attempted, both North Carolina and Michigan State struggled greatly offensively. One would imagine a similar type game for these two teams tonight. Besides playing outside and being in such a unique environment, both the Buckeyes and Golden Eagles will take the court with much different teams than they had a year ago. The Buckeyes lost guys like Jared Sullinger and William Buford, who were a big part of the run to the Final Four. Williams' Eagles are now without Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder, the Big East Player of the Year. Those two combined for 35.8 points and 11.9 rebounds per game last year, and helped lead them to the Sweet Sixteen. They'll also be without sophomore guard Todd Mayo, who was declared academically ineligible this week. So, needless to say, both teams will be looking for an identity tonight. While it is tough to predict exactly what this matchup will look like when the dust settles and how these teams will look on a national stage in game one, here's what I'll be looking for tonight. |













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