From the Desk of DejaTrue...Signing Day

Buckeyes Score Big on College signing day.

Or did they? I will tell you for sure in the fall of 2012. In the economically strained climate we live in today we hear more and more about financial buyouts. Its not an entirely new idea, its been going on since John D Rockefeller (not to be confused with Rockafella) bought out every railroad company in te US. In CFB it is no different, except we call it “National Signing Day.” As one Prep Head Football coached referred to it,


“Signing Days is the largest national annual buyout this country has ever seen. Millions of dollars are poured into kids all over the country who [some] have no business being in the presence of college professors.”


The analogy to business is this. With the Internet, handheld PDAs, text messaging, and the birth of “trained” talent scouts rating millions of High School players all over the country, every coach is blinded with information as to whom they should invest in. The list is predetermined. If you land this player, you get a high mark. Who cares if maybe a Jim Tressel sees a chink in the armor of a highly touted kid, if he passes on him, and Penn State gets him, that is a good for Penn State when it come to recruiting. And lets not kid ourselves, College Football is big business, and just as in business if an investment fails so too does the investor.


Therefore, put yourself in Jim Tressel position. On this day you need to make 100% correct short line investments or out the door you go. Now, when you got into the profession you were well aware of this game. Then came Zack Morris’ cell phone, car phones, pagers, internet, email, text messaging, hand-held internet, and you have had to adapt to all of this on the run. You have also been “exposed.” Every move is analyzed, dissected, and examined. And what is it worth, well its worth your starting position out the gate in 2009. At this point, the AP polls are already being generated for the season to come, based on the kids you signed just now.

DejaTrue is a featured contributor to Shaver Sports. Click here to view previous posts.

If Only USC had a Tow Truck Playing DE

From the Desk of DejaTrue: Boone vs. Tow Truck.

Alex Boone squared off against a very aggressive Tow Truck in Southern California and actually stayed in the fight! I know this is very rare thing to see the 6’5’’ 300+ pound Boone do. We are all accustomed to seeing the “Great” left tackle of The Ohio State University matched up against the best defensive ends in the country and wither to the challenge. Not true this past weekend in Southern California. Boone battled a tow truck through multiple stun gun shots to the body. This was the left tackle that Tressel thought he was getting when he dipped into the very deep talent pool of St. Edward High School four years ago. Unfortunately, while described as a "Mad Man" on the prep gridirion, it took Boone all of four years to fulfill his potential. And even more unfortunatley for him, and the Scarlet and Gray, this potential was finally reached in the presence of multiple orange county police officers. As depicted in the OC Register, “He was arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest, threatening officers, jumping onto the tops of several cars and banging on garage doors around 11:30 p.m. Sunday at the Barcelona apartments at 23500 Windsong.” This is another ill-fated mistake made by a collegiate athlete coming at a time when he was training for the NFL draft. But while Boone's status for the NFL is now in doubt, he does look to be a sure-fire lock for the All Pac Man Jones team.

Best Cold Weather Program in America

After reflecting more on the Buckeyes loss yesterday, I found myself pondering this question?

Is OSU the best bad weather football program in America?

If you haven't noticed, the best players in the country have been choosing to play in warm climates of late. There was a time when teams like ND, OSU, and Michigan where the only teams on television, but that was so long ago, at the time, people said that those were the only teams on the tube.

So, while you are entertaining my first question, I will ask you another one. Off the top of your head...

Who was the last bad weather football program to win a National Championship?

So you don't have to flip to the back of the book while getting ready for the - Florida or Oklahoma game - the answer is as follows.

The last (10) College FB National Title Winners:

2007 - LSU
2006 - Florida
2005 - Texas
2004 - USC
2003 - LSU
2002 - OSU
2001- Miami
2000 - Oklahoma
1999 - Florida State
1998 - Tennessee

Further analysis to follow...

So Tressel Can't Coach Now?

I am not a Buckeye honk, and I fully understand the ramifications nationally of losing to Texas last night, but you can't blame the Tressel for the loss. He pulled out all stops last night, whether you want to believe it or not. He dusted off a benched and forgotten senior QB, and drew up a play that had him throw a TD pass to the Freshmen QB that took his job, he guided his offense to (2) TDs in the second half with Beanie Wells out of the game, he blitzed on defense to force the action, he challenged a call I still think he should have won, and he was up by four with under a minute to go. If he was in the prevent people would have been saying he should have blitzed. What is he supposed to do on that last play, tackle Quann Cosby himself? And if that challenge call goes Tressel's way, which would mean the referees went with the original spot, 2" behind where the ball was eventually placed, all these ignorant Buckeye honks and national Buckeye haters would be saying that Tressel figured out how to win the big game, instead of saying he should be fired...and that doesn't make any sense.

Herby Out Picks the King

LeBron took OSU over Penn State yesterday on ESPN's Gameday, and I was right with him. Not just as a Bucks fan, I just thought Tressel's troops were gonna get 'em last night. Oh well, I guess they can't beat Penn State every year they play forever.

The Bucks game aside, LeBron went 5-4 on his Gameday picks, picking head to head against Kirk Herbsteit.

His winners included Texas, Texas Tech, Bama, Notre Dame, and Florida State. He lost on his Michigan, LSU, and Georgia Tech selections. He also lost on his upset special pick of Zona over the Trojans (17-10 Final).

On the flip side, Herbsteit went 8-1...he is the best TV guy I have ever seen at picking games by the way on a weekly basis. The game Herby lost was Georgia Tech, who nobody thought would lose to the Virgina yesterday, for good reason.

For complete scores click here College Football Scoreboard

Stony and Wojo: Michigan, No Chance Saturday

Today on the Stony and Wojo Show, AM 1130 WDFN the Fan on Detroit Radio, Wojo asked the question that Michigan fans didn't want to answer.

"Michigan fans, is this Saturday's match-up against Penn State at Happy Valley the first time in your life, that you actually believed the Michigan Wolverines had No chance to win going into the game?"

Let's just say enough Maize and Blue faithful answered yes to the question, to make the question relevant. If that didn't, I think the loss to Toledo, coupled with the fact that Michigan is a TWENTY FOUR POINT UNDERDOG, also makes the question relevant.

As an OSU fan, besides the fact that you can find enjoyment this weekend in the fact that Michigan fans are freely admitting that they have no chance to win, it is also kind of funny that men of 40, 50 or 60 have never thought that Michigan had no chance to win before...especially considering how many times Tressel has beat them.

The Detroit Fan hosts also predicted Michigan State would upset the OSU Buckeyes 20-17, as the Big Ten Match-up of Top 20 teams collide on Saturday.

Bucks Put it 'On Wisconsin'

I made the trek for the game this weekend, along with a large contingent of fellow Buckeye Fans. I walked into a bar this weekend and they were singing a song to the tune of Steve Miller Band Swingtown...the chorus went 'Ohhhhhhh - SU Sucks F&@K You Eat S@^T'...I couldn't help but think I like these guys, this is gonna be a great game - and it was...A standing tradition for the students at Camp Randal is to come in late to the game, taking a little extra time to polish off a couple more Leinekeugels...but when they got there Saturday night they picked up the slack for the band that was serving a one game suspension. When House of Pain comes on over the loud speakers, the student body goes nuts jumping around as a tradition...when I knew the Bucks came alive was when during that song, the Buckeye sidelines went berserk, jumping around and pointing to the UW stands like the song was played to pump them up...The Wisconsin student paper the Daily Cardinal picked the Badgers to win, and cited the last time the two teams hooked up for a night game at Camp Randall, 2003 when the Badgers beat the Bucks on a last second pass to Lee Evans...However this time around there was no Lee Evans, and the Buckeyes two headed monster of Terrell Pryor and Beanine Wells seemed to come alive, and of age in the big stage that was Saturday night at Camp Randall...The Bucks beat number 18 Wisconsin, and will have crack at number 5 Penn State, with a new look that is breathing new life into a Buckeye squad that is going to be hanging around at the years end, once again.

Mark May: Big Stage is Tonight...Tune In at 8

Mark May is a professional hater. ESPN pays him to sit on TV all Saturday, and hate on college kids. He says he is not impressed with Terrel Pryor. And Mark, so you know, Terrel is not impressed with you either.






"People like Mark May, he said 'let's see how he plays on the big stage,' " Pryor said, clearly unhappy with any suggestion of doubt about his big-stage ability. "And we're going to see next week."

"The media, ESPN people, sit there and talk stuff on our team and say we're dead," Pryor said after a separate question. "We'll find out this week coming up who's dead. We're out to show the world something, and we're going to."

As a Buckeye fan, three things on that and I will let you go.

1. You gotta like the swagger of an 18 year old kid calling out Mark May, ESPN, and the media as a whole in one shot.

2. You gotta be excited to watch the most exciting player since Ted Ginn Jr take the field tonight, on that big stage, against a top twenty opponent in the Badgers.

3. You gotta like that while Ginn touched the ball 10-12 times a game, Pryor is going touch it every play from Scrimmage.

Go Bucks. OH -

Pryor Impressive in Win Over These Men of Troy

If the OSU Buckeyes don't win the National Title in the next three years, at least it will be fun to watch Number 2 for the rest of this season, and the next two after that. While the Bucks got embarrased by the West Coast's version of the Men of Troy Last Week, they were able to bouce back and beat Alabama's version of Troy this week. Pryor looked good today too, leading the Buckeyes to the their best win of the year (sorry MAC, Troy would beat the Bobcats and the Penguins). He was supposed to be only able to run at this stage of his development, but he looked close to the complete package throwing for four TD's, leading the Buckeyes to a 28-10 win.

For the ESPN 850 WKNR Pregame Show, the award goes to Jordan Sherwood, for being the closet to the final score with his prediction of 24-10. Kenny Roda predicted 24-17, not too bad, and Munch was the farthest away from being accurate with his prediction of 30-24; not too much faith in the old defense at the glass is half full tavern eh Muncher?

Bucks Can't go to Tinseltown without Beanie

Gloria told Billy Hoyle at the End of White Men Cant Jump that "sometimes when you win, you really lose, and sometimes when you lose, you really win." The Bucks won today against the Penguins of Youngstown State, but if Beanie is out, and anything less than 100% on September 13th, they really lost. A lot is being made about the depth of the USC backfield, and they do have a stable of backs. Today, against Virgina Four Different USC Running Backs ran for a Touchdown. One Running back that did not run for a TD today was Joe McNight, but he did have 60 yards, on 6 carries, and did catch a pass for a touchdown. No doubt the Trojans running game is deep, but there is also no doubt than when healthy, the Buckeyes have the Best Back of them all in Beanie Wells. Beanie might be the best back in the nation. However, after Beanie, USC has 5 running backs better than anything else the Buckeyes can put on the field. Expect Beanie to rest next week verse Ohio...no doubt Mo Wells and Brandon Saine can handle that one...but if your a Buckeye Honk, hope he is ready for Hollywood when it all goes down at the Rose Bowl in two weeks. The Trojans have a bye, as they prep for the game of the century.