Can Ohio State repeat?

[DR STRANGELOVE]

Can they repeat?

Why they will repeat:

Jim Tressel- The man is approaching iconic status in Columbus and is widely regarded is one of the top five coaches in college football.

Maurice Clarett- The guy is electric. Clarett sees the entire field and posesses an uncanny feel for the game. Clarett is one of the few true threats to 'break it' any time he touches the football.

Chris Gamble- Possibly the best athlete in the country. While some knock his cover skills for being a tad raw, Gamble is one of the elite CB's in the country.

Craig Krenzel- He's not going to win the Johnny Unitas award, but he's efficient. The Buckeyes will rally around the man that led them to a National Championship.

The chip on their shoulders. OSU feels that they're not getting enough respect for beating Miami, and they're going to be on a mission to prove that it wasn't a fluke.

Why they won't repeat:

The Clarett scandal- How many second year Rb's have faced the scrutiny that Clarett has? If his focus diminishes in the slightest, it could dash the hopes of fans in Columbus.

The loss of their defensive leadership: Mike Doss might not be Ronnie Lott but he was the heart and soul of that defense. Doss was a monster against the run and made sure the secondary was in the proper formation. His leadership will be sorely missed. Matt Wilhelm and Kenny Peterson were both standouts for OSU and replacing their experience and savvy won't be easy.

The mojo doesn't last forever: Buckeye fans will say that they never got lucky and that they were deserving of the National Championship....fine. But does anyone else buy into that?

The team up north: Ok, I'm slightly biased but I can't see any team beating the Wolverines three straight years. Ohio State has the potential to do just that....but I wouldn't bet against Michigan this year.

Bottom line: Ohio State has all the pieces to repeat as National Champions but M&M's might be what eradicates their hopes of defending their title. Michigan & Mojo.

 

[CWood97]

A better question:

A better question:

Can Ohio State continue to get every break and call in every close game, for 27 straight games? I doubt it.

Call me crazy but I see them losing 2-3 this year and Krenzel will be the goat. 9/23 with 137 yds 1TD and 3INT looks alot worse when you lose by 3 pts instead of winning by 3.

 

[bigdad2]

CWood97 - as you asked, "You are crazy!" I'll explain why later and as a Buckeye fan it has more to do with the statement that the get all the calls versus them possibly losing 2 games...

 

[Escrow_Tum]

Might be a better team, but it won't show in the WL column. They got all the breaks last year, but good teams have the knack for doing that. Reminded me of 98 Vols. Morris the Cat was scene on their sideline chasing smokey and I saw him shaking hands with Brutus last year on many occasions too!

 

[CWood97]

Check my previous statement, make that 4 or 5 losses:

Eligibility questions send Clarett to sidelines

Running back admits he inflated prices of items stolen from car
Thursday, July 31, 2003
Rob Oller
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Maurice Clarett won?t participate in Ohio State?s preseason football workouts until the cloud swirling about him clears, OSU athletics director Andy Geiger and football coach Jim Tressel said last night.

A joint statement from them accompanied an admission by Clarett, through his attorney, that he inflated the value of items stolen from a car he had borrowed in April. All the statements were issued by OSU.

The sophomore running back won?t be on the field "until and unless all issues related to his eligibility regarding his amateur status have been resolved," Geiger and Tressel said late last night. Preseason practice begins Wednesday.

Scott Schiff, Clarett?s lawyer, referred to the burglary of a car parked at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on April 17-18. Stereo equipment and other items were reported taken from the car, which was registered to a Columbus auto dealer.

"Many of the expensive items identified in the report did not belong to Maurice but belonged to the vehicle owner," Schiff?s statement said. "Maurice did exaggerate and inflate the values he placed upon the reported items."

Clarett said, "I genuinely and sincerely apologize to my teammates and to the Ohio State University for any embarrassment this incident may have caused."

The developments were the latest in the saga of Clarett, who has been under investigation by the NCAA in recent weeks.

Geiger had voiced a hint of uncertainty about Clarett?s future as a Buckeye earlier in the day.

"Frankly, I think the young man will play during the season, maybe," he had said.

The theft from the car and the fact that Clarett had been driving a luxury SUV weren?t news to Geiger.

The AD also was not surprised to hear that, according to Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles records, Clarett owned a 1985 Cadillac Fleetwood and for seven months a 1993 Cadillac Eldorado was registered to him.

The Eldorado is now owned by the Car Store, the used-car dealership on Morse Road that also owned the 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo from which the stereo equipment was stolen. The same dealer also owns the luxury SUV, a 2000 Lincoln Navigator, that is registered to Clarett?s mother, Michelle.

"There?s nothing new coming out that we and the NCAA don?t know about," Geiger said. "But we can?t get anywhere (by conducting the investigation) publicly."

The NCAA?s participation in the Clarett case goes back nearly a month, during which the governing body met with the sophomore at least twice.

While Geiger said he knew details of the investigation, he cannot be certain what the NCAA will do with the information.

Sources said the NCAA has questioned some of Clarett?s financial dealings, possibly as they relate to his close friend LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers? $130 million man.

NCAA rules governing gifts to athletes do not stipulate how much a family member or friend can give but instead center on whether the student benefited solely because of his athletic ability, said Kay Hawes, an NCAA spokeswoman.

"It?s not the amount, but the intent," Hawes said. "Is Dad giving the car because of his son?s athletic ability? No, it?s because he?s a dad. If you apply the same logic forward, you can make conclusions that I?m not able to discuss."

The NCAA does not comment on individual cases, but Hawes said the general procedure is to examine whether relationships are based on actual friendship or something else.

"Is my buddy somebody who is trying to get me to sign something?" she said. "And would this (athlete) have gotten what he did if he was a chemistry student and not an athlete?"

Ultimately, it becomes a judgment call, and OSU can only guess which way it will go.

The NCAA also has inquired into the source of the stereo equipment, $800 in cash and $300 in clothes that Clarett told OSU police were stolen from the Monte Carlo that he parked at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in April.

Jacob Chapa, who incorporated the The Car Store Inc. in 2001, could not be reached for comment. The used-car lot?s headquarters is a compact 1?- story former house painted red, white and blue. Signs on the building read: "Affordable Transportation. No Credit Needed. Buy Here ? Pay Here. Buy, Sell, Trade."

The license plates on the Monte Carlo were dealer plates, the kind that auto dealers transfer from one car to another and use when a potential customer wants to test drive a car.

 

[dawgball]

Not a Buckeye fan at all, but the most idiotic statement you hear all the time in sports is that a certain team "gets all the calls". It's such a weak argument. This phrase is actually a poor loser's way of saying, "Damn! I just got beat!"

 

[CWood97]

Dawgball,

OK they didn't get ALL the calls, but they sure got the biggest one of the year. More importantly they got all the breaks, which is fine, you just can't expect that to go on forever. My point is if a team plays enough 3 pt games, eventually they'll get beat.

 

[bigdad2]

dawgball - I couldn't have said it any better myself. For those who don't remember both the NCAA and the ref who made the call in the Fiesta Bowl confirmed that the right call was made. Actually, in the Cincy game and Northwestern game they had calls go against them which almost cost them the game.

Escrow - I agree with you that they had the ball bounce their way but they made their own luck and great teams sometimes have everything fall into place. They remind me of the '98 Vols and '00 Sooners although this year's Texas time might have a repeat of that '98 Vols team...

CWood97 - I guess I'm missing the big issue with this investigation... he borrowed a car that was broken into and had items stolen. The NCAA has been investigating him for two months and so far have found nothing. It is not as though they have come down with the suspension but rather OSU so that everything gets cleared up which is smart on their part. Where are the other 2-3 losses coming from in your opinion? Do you really think that they are going to have him suspended for the whole season? You might want to e-mail Jack for JSMOOTH's information and book a ticket to visit him in Fantasy Land if that is the case... for those who don't remember JSMOOTH had the Buckeyes at 5th place in the Big Ten preseason and then ran his mouth off the site saying that Michigan would beat OSU. What a great day that was...

 

[CWood97]

First off, if the NCAA found something already, they can't disclose it. Their rules prevent them from discussing pending investigations. Secondly, your the one in fantasy land if you think that they're not going to find anything. Lets recap the facts:

1) MC was driving a "borrowed" car registered to a C-Bus dealership. Based on the facts, he had the car at least overnight. That in itself is a violation, independent of the stereo, money, etc. The reason: any normal student would not be able to "borrow" or "test drive" any car from any dealer overnight for free.

2) The money. clothes, CD's and stereo gear in the car got the NCAA dogs sniffing. That organization is ruthless, and will stop at nothing to grub up violations. They WILL find something (see next)

3) Read this article:

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/plaindealer/bud_shaw/index.ssf?/base/sports/1059644458153301.xml

MC's mom is driving a Navi (registered to the same dealer) and he was repremanded by Tressel for driving his "uncle's" Lex.
Still think Maurice will play this year? If so, welcome to "fantasy land".

Moving on, without Clarett, here are their 4/5 losses, pending bowl opponent:

1 of 3 at home vs Washington/NC State/Purdue
@Penn State
@UM
@Wisci
Bowl Game

Oh, I know they have SO much talent back. But lets look at all the IMPRESSIVE victories where Clarett either didn't play, or played sparingly:

@ Cinci 23-19
vs PennSt 13-7
vs Minn 34-3 (granted, this was a good win)
@ Purdue 10-6
@ Illinois 23-16 (OT)

Do you honestly think they can play another whole season of games like this and continue to pull them out every week?

IMO, Clarett is a goner and OSU has lost their difference maker. Bye Bye BCS and hello mediocrity, for 2003 anyway.