Ohio State Spring Practice Update

From nevadabuck, a respected Ohio State football insider, come two interesting tid-bits out of Columbus:

• Look for Brandon Saine to see a lot of time at the "fullback" position this year after the career-ending injury to Aram Olson. He did this some last year. He obviously won't be used as a traditional fullback. His position is being called the "pony" back.
• Ohio State is exploring the option of using the pistol formation, made popular by the Nevada Wolfpack. For those that aren't familiar, the quarterback starts off the line off scrimmage, but much closer to the center than he would in the shotgun (get it? shotgun... pistol?). The tailback lines up directly behind the quarterback instead of beside him. This provides more play-calling options and variability. It should be interesting. 

An Early Look at 2008: Handicapping the Heisman

*Note: I originally posted this on a blog run by someone else before I decided to make my own site. All content is original. 

We’ve hardly finished the dramatic (to say the least) 5 months that were the 2007 season of college football, but it’s never too early to look towards the 2008 season. I’ll breakdown the top 3 players who have the best chance to take home the coveted bronze stiff-arm man next year.

1. Tim Tebow (Jr.) – QB, Florida
At this point, Tebow has to be the odds on favorite to win the Heisman in ’08. Last season, Tebow became the first player ever to have more than 20 rushing and passing touchdowns. His reward? He also became the first sophomore to ever win the Heisman trophy. If he has the same type of season next year, look for Tebow to become only the second player in college football history to win the Heisman twice. However, it is unlikely that Tebow will pile up the stats that he did last year…Florida coach Urban Meyer has said that he will use a two quarterback system next year with rising sophomore Cameron Newton in order to help take some of the workload off Tebow’s shoulders. In addition, the Gators will finally add a talented running back in USC transfer Emanuel Moody, which should take some carries away from Tebow.

2. Pat White (Sr.) – QB, West Virginia
The electrifying dual threat will be back and better than ever in Morgantown for his senior year. With Steve Slaton bolting early for the NFL, White should see even more touches. Assuming newly promoted head coach Bill Stewart employs the same spread offense that Rich Rodriguez used, White should put up great numbers. He will have the jitterbug Noel Devine at his disposal as well as an array of skilled receivers. White put up over 3,000 total yards last year, and he led West Virginia to a blowout win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl despite being huge underdogs. If young Patrick can run over the poor Big East competition, he should at least be in New York in early December.

3. Chris “Beanie” Wells (Jr.) – RB, Ohio State
Beanie Wells ran for over 1,600 yards and 15 touchdowns last year, including two 200 yard games and a 140+ yard output in the national championship game against LSU on only 20 carries. Wells will enter the 2008 season as arguably the best running back in the country, and the expectations will be soaring. Ohio State will have one of the best offensive lines in the country again next year, and this can only help. Wells possesses a unique combination of power and speed. At 6’1” and 235 lbs., Wells can run you over or blow past you. He also has excellent vision and cutback ability to go with extremely nifty feet. Although he didn’t receive much hype for a good part of the season, he was at his best in the national championship game when he burnt LSU’s Craig Steltz for a 65 yard touchdown and de-cleated All-SEC corner Chevis Jackson with a nasty stiff arm. As good as he was, Wells played the whole year with a gimpy ankle and played with a broken wrist/hand for much of the last part of the season. If he can stay healthy, look for Beanie to put up huge numbers.

The Rest of the Best:
4. Sam Bradford (So.) – QB, Oklahoma
5. Knowshon Moreno (So.) – RB, Georgia
6. Percy Harvin (Jr.) – WR, Florida
7. Chase Daniel (Sr.) – QB, Missouri
8. Michael Crabtree (So.) – WR, Texas Tech
9. C.J. Spiller (Jr.) – RB, Clemson
10. Todd Reesing (Jr.) – QB, Kansas

Some Fun Facts for the Day

I wonder what Charlie Weis' record is against teams that finished the season ranked in the top 25 during his tenure at Notre Dame! Let's find out.

And the verdict is... 1-9. Charlie Weis has beaten a grand total of 1 ranked team during his expensive stay at Notre Dame. The Domers sure are getting their money's worth. Who was that lone ranked team? The 2006 Nittany Lions led by the old shit Joe Paterno. The almighty Lions finished 2006 ranked 25th. Fortunately for Weis, Ole Joe was having flashbacks from the Civil War and Anthony Morelli was playing like his standard shit-stain self that game. Through 3 years and roughly 12 million dollars since Prince Fatass was hired at Notre Dame, Notre Dame has a 22-15 record, an 0-2 bowl record, a loss to Navy, a loss to Army, and a marquee win over the #25 team in the country. Good work Chuck.