Let’s talk about this: As near as I can tell, Ohio State’s choice to host the Thundering Herd in primetime on Thursday, September 2, 2010, was met with general praise. I think it totally sucks.

Let me first admit, my opinion is founded on almost completely selfish ideals.  I do not want to rush out of work at 5:30pm, drive 30 minutes home, change my clothes, to ride  my bike to the stadium, for what?  Marshall?  I am going to get home at 11:30 for no acceptable reason.  I just don’t get it.  I am not being a conservative curmudgeon, as some would suggest, but I find it hard to identify a major positive for this new date.

“A national television audience?”  Doubtful, since the game is likely to be on BTN and I would be willing to bet that the ESPN noon slot gets more viewers.  ”What about the awesome vibe for the game?”  Contrary to often espoused statements, the night game will not create a great opening game atmosphere.  In fact, I think the exact opposite is true.  My guess is there will be less tailgating, a longer game (more commercials in prime time), and far worse traffic.  And, unless you live within a few miles of campus you will not get home until after the local news.  How many kids get to go that game?

I am sure you think I totally suck, but the new Marshall time seems like a needless waste of chest-thumping and pandering to a time-slot created for the have-nots.

Time heals all wounds?  Not really: My diehard recruitnik friends seem to be getting rather restless these days.  I have never dedicated an unceasing amount of energy to following recruiting and it boggles my mind the amount of time that gets devoted to it.  When I say, “They consistently get mega-recruits and heroes of All American games.  What more do you want?”  invariably, with a minutely discernible, yet punctuating pause, they say: “They can’t close…”

Terrelle Pryor is the clear, immediate exception that should be flying through your temporal lope right now.  But what if he is the only exception?  Is the Buckeyes’ coaching staff losing out on game-changing players when the chips are down?  I don’t know, but let’s look at some numbers.

YEAR	COMMITMENTS AFTER DEC. 1	NAT'L RANK OF CLASS*	AVG. STAR RATING*
2005	7	12	3.50
2006	12	12	3.60
2007	6	15	3.80
2008	6	4	3.85
2009	2	3	3.76
2010	4	25**	3.35**

So, while there may be the smallest of somethings to this armchair theory for the current season, there is no historical credibility.  From the looks of the tremendously unscientific data table above, there does seem to be reason for the increased frustration experienced by some fans, and presumably, the coaches but why should we assume it is anything more than an isolated incident.  I may find the number of commitments after December 1st to be the kinda troubling, as more recruiting seem to wait for the all-star games and signing to announce their choices.  And, that stat does yell “closer!”, yet it seems so decidedly unfulfilling to make an argument based on such arbitrary vagaries of the calendar.

If coffee is for closers, I’d say the OSU coaching staff is plenty caffeinated.

Grasping at straws: A friend of mine recently pointed our some similarities between the upcomign season and Ohio State’s 2002 season:

1. Ohio State played in the opening CFB game
2. Played PSU and scUM in Columbus
3. Played the Miami Hurricanes
4. BCS Title Game is at the Fiesta Bowl

It is a long off-season.  I need every distraction/good vibe I can get.

*Courtesy of Rivals.com [HT: Hinton]
**As of Jan. 20

I don’t want to jinx us with the picture, but the entire off-season, the entire regular season has led up to today (well, about 2 hours from today).  I will be live tweeting my thoughts and observations on the game, so if you’re a twitter fan pay attention.  Here’s to the first Rose Bowl in the new millennium.  Cheers.

Overwhelmed by work and laziness this week, today I present to you the teaser version of your weekend viewing guide.  Rest assured, it will be updated for this weekend, which incidentally offers a very nice slate of games.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

(14)Georgia Tech v. (20)Miami
7:30pm, ESPN
Chris Fowler, Craig James, Jesse Palmer, Erin Andrews

Thursday night college football used to be the exclusive province of also-ran leagues like the WAC and MWC.  You could still make that argument now as it is relatively dominated by the ACC.  The league will have six Thursday night games this season if you count N.C. State’s season opener.

Tonight’s game features two of the league’s “best” teams and the winner will have a leg up in the Coastal Division race.  Each team has played a tough game, although GT was probably not expecting such a stern test from Clemson, so you would expect each squad to have worked some kinks out.  The weird thing for Miami is that they have not played a game in 10 days and could oddly be rusty only two weeks into the season.  In fact, after tonight these teams will have only played 1 out of 5 of their collective games on Saturday.

The oddsmakers like the Hurricanes tonight at home and if they can get off to a fast start tonight you have to like their chances as Tech QB, Josh Nesbitt, is having a horrific passing season - 9 for 25 for 224 yards and 2 interceptions.  It is hard to imagine that the Yellow Jackets could come from behind.  Roddy Jones has to get more than 5 touches tonigyt if GT is going to win.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

(10)Boise State v. Fresno State
9:00pm,  ESPN
Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore

If you read my recent BlogPoll you know I am not a huge fan of the mid-majors, which is why I will watch this game and recommend you do the same.  Boise State is getting a lot of love right now after their win against a fairly pedestrian Oregon team (yes, I know I ranked the Ducks in the Top 10 to start the season) but Fresno may provide a more stern test.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

[Insert weekly rant about noon games here].

(11)Ohio State v. Toledo
12:00pm, Gameplan or a local affiliate in 17 areas
Michael Reghi, Doug Chapman

All things being equal, this is a nice way to start the day especially after the marathon that was last Saturday.  You can get early, cut the grass, head to the gym, or do whatever you need to do to appease your wife before plopping down to watch 12 straight hours of football.  This could be an exciting game depending on Ohio State’s level of interest and execution.  Honestly, I have never heard of these announcers so you may want to mute that 60-incher and listen to Jim Lachey stumble all over the place.  Seriously, I once heard Lachey say that Alonzo Spellman had great vertical height.  Really?

(8)California v. Minnesota
12:00pm, ESPN
Dave Pasch, Bob Griese, Chris Spielman

Is there anyone out that can explain to me how this came to be a noon start?  Doesn’t California have a say in the start time?  Doesn’t Minnesota have any decency?  You would think that Minny would what to give their fans a chance to get their roll on before the nation’s best running back starts tearing off huge chunks of yards. Alas, this is ostensibly a breakfast meeting for the Bears.  Luckily for Gophers fans liquor sales start at 8:00am on Saturdays.  The only real benefactor of this asinine scheduling is you the television viewing public because it offers a nice flip game and the opportunity to see Best and Cal play at least once this season.

The 3:30pm time slot is perhaps the most stacked of the season.  There are literally 6 games worth watching depending on your biases and allegiances.  There is a nice mix of conference and non-conference games as well as intriguing storylines to follow.

For the first time this season the coverage maps come into play, which means that Gameplan would likely be handy unless you have DIRECTV (like moi) which provides “ESPN Alternative” stations with the other regional games.  I am not sure why they do it, but it renders Gameplan virtually obsolete.  Anyway, if you are in central Ohio you are basically getting hosed.  If you were hoping to watch Nebraska/VT, move to Dayton because you are getting the Iowa game here.  It is a rare moment when the coverage map looks like anything other than four quarters each painted a different color.  But this weekend, there is some crazy action going in Ohio, Missouri, and Florida.

Tennessee v. (1)Florida
3:30pm, CBS
Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson, Tracy Wolfson

I totally expect Florida to cover the 30-point line or whatever it is now.  And, it is not just because Meyer wants to gut Kiffin like a carp.  It is because the Gators are almost always the better team.  In fact, they have won more than two-thirds of the games against the Vols since the mid-50s.  The only thing Tennessee has that is better than Florida is their endzone paint.  So, why is this your #1 option on Saturday when there are half a dozen good ones?  For all the reasons just stated, plus it is the first CBS game of the season and there is something really cool about the lone SEC game on during the day.  It just elevates it out of the fray.

(19)Nebraska v. (13)Virginia Tech
3:30pm, ABC
Sean McDonough, Matt Millen, Holly Rowe

I am going to level with you guys; before doing some insignificant and ultimately unhelpful research on this game, I coudl not name one offensive player for the Huskers.  Not one.  I had also completely forgotten that they played last season.  Because of my complete lack of recognition and recollection, I am making this the top flipper at this slot.  That, and the fact that it is the only Top 25 matchup of the day.

Michigan State v. Notre Dame
3:30pm, NBC
Tom Hammond, Pat Haden, Alex Flanagan

Remember when Notre Dame tried to be different by playing their games at 2:30pm EST?  Now, they try to be different by having the worst announcing team on television coupled some of the poorest production value around.  Tom Hammond would be considered the poor man’s Verne Lundquist is he were midly entertaining and seemed like he cared even a little about the game.    Is this the same network that has Sunday Night Football?  You would not know except for the watermark.  Anyway, this is an acceptable flip game in place of MSU/ND in the event you have some sick affinity for the Irish or, god forbid, the Spartans.

(3)USC v. Washington
3:30pm, ABC
Terry Gannon, David Norrie, Quint Kessenich

For those of you hoping to see USC have another colossal letdown the week after the Ohio State, this is the game for you.  It is also a chance to watch the USC team you didn’t see because Aaron Corp is going to be the quarterback after the Buckeyes beat the crap out of Barkley.  Are two former USC coordinators and a dual-threat QB enough to derail the Trojans?  The Beavers did it with far less last season.

Remote drive-bys include Arizona v. Iowa and (18)Utah v. Oregon, and you could actually sub these two in for the latter two above.  Extended viewing, however, of these games is generally discouraged.  Dedicated readers know we only advocate having a main game and flip game.  When you try to watch more than two games you end up watching none.

Florida State v. (7)BYU
7:00pm, Versus
Joe Beninati, Glenn Parker, Lindy Thackson

In the BlogPoll Roundtable, I picked this as one of the games I am most interested in this weekend and I meant it.  If the Florida State offense that showed up against Miami makes an appearance in Provo it could be a long night for the Cougars defense.  Now, the flip side is that BYU’s may have some success against the Seminoles.  The game could not line up any better for BYU because it comes at home, after a tune-up against Tulane, and against a nationally recognized program.  It is the ultimate “prove it” moment.  It could be a lot of pressure for BYU.

(23)Georgia v. Arkansas
7:30pm, ESPN
Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, Erin Andrews

I have not paid any attention to Ryan Mallett and the Hogs but somehow they are a 1-point fave in the tilt.  This could presage a big power shift to the SEC West if Petrino’s gang pulls this off.  I will probably keep it locked on the FSU game unless it is out of control and then flip over for the final quarter of this one if I can.

Texas Tech v. (2)Texas
8:00pm, ABC
Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit, Lisa Salters

I don’t see anyway that this game remains close for more than one quarter.  It is okay if you want to flip to this one instead of the Hogs and Dawgs but I would not expect too much.  Hey, look at it this way: at least you can go to sleep an hour earlier this week.

Kickoff less than 48 hours away.  To gain some perspective and insight, I talked to the good folks at The Birddog about the Navy squad appearing in Ohio Stadium on Saturday.  They let us know the players we need to watch and gave us some additional information on the Commander-in-Chief Trophy holder for the last 6 years.

Where does this year’s Navy team rank in the last five years?

Defensively, it’s probably going to be the best. A few of these guys will be starting for their third straight year. They came on strong in 2008, with back-to-back shutouts to end the regular season. Offensively, nobody knows. On one hand, not having to juggle three quarterbacks like last season is a plus. On the other hand, they lost a lot of proven performers to graduation. I think most people are confident in the offense’s ability, but it’s one of those things you don’t really know until they play actual games.

Give us the positions of strength/weakness?

Strength - Linebacker, without a doubt. They’re all seniors, they’ve all played a ton, and they all have ability. Ross Pospisil was the team’s leading tackler a year ago. Clint Sovie was moved from inside to outside LB to take advantage of his speed; he’ll be the team’s main pass rusher.

Weakness - I don’t know if I’d call it a weakness quite yet, but some last-minute shuffling on the offensive line depth chart isn’t exactly good for the nerves.

Best/worst-case scenario for this season?

The goal of every Navy football team is to 1) win the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy, and 2) get to a bowl game. Anything above and beyond that is gravy; anything less is a disappointment. With Navy’s schedule and a lot of unproven talent on offense, it’s going to be a challenge.

Who is Navy’s best player?

DE Jabaree Tuani. He was the ECAC Rookie of the Year last year, and led the team in tackles for loss as a freshman. It’s very unusual for any lineman to play much as a freshman at the Naval Academy; the first year at the school tends to lead to tired legs and weight loss. As good as Tuani was last year, it’s exciting to think of how good he can be without plebe burdens weighing him down.

Nate Frazier’s loss is huge for the Midshipmen but Navy still returns the other key defensive lineman, including Jabaree Tuani. Can the line, and defense overall, absorb the loss of Frazier?

I think so. Chase Burge, the nose guard stepping in for Frazier, had played well enough in practice that the coaches had already planned on giving him more playing time anyway. That doesn’t mean that losing Nate doesn’t hurt; Nate is a special kind of player that we don’t usually see at the Naval Academy. But it probably means the defensive line just goes from being elite (by Navy standards) to really, really good.

Navy played 3 quarterbacks last season, but two have now departed leaving junior Ricky Dobbs to run the show. At times last season, he looked like Navy’s best QB. Is the position in better hands now that he is not sharing the job?

The best quarterback that Navy has ever had when it comes to mastery of this offense was Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada… When he was healthy. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for most of last year. Ricky Dobbs isn’t at that level yet, and probably never will be. But he has improved, and is probably the best passer Navy has had in at least 15 years. There’s plenty to work with there. Having some stability at the position for a change can only help matters.

The hiring of Coach Niumatalolo seemed to provide continuity for one of the hottest programs in the country. Does the Navy fan base feel confident Niumatalolo can maintain the momentum the program was experiencing under Paul Johnson?

I can’t speak for Navy fans in general, but if they aren’t confident in Coach Niumat, then they aren’t paying attention. He seemed to be a little uncomfortable being the face of the program at first, but man has that changed. I’m not sure you’ll find a more open and candid coach in the country, including Paul Johnson. I think he’s comfortable with being so open because he’s just that confident in what he’s doing. He has every reason to be; he was here for the last seven years. He knows what it took to build this program, as do his assistants, many of whom raised a few eyebrows by choosing to stay in Annapolis rather than follow Paul Johnson to Georgia Tech.

The straw that stirs the service academy football drink is recruiting. Services academies have such a limited pool of players to recruit from that it’s crucial to consistently beat out your two biggest rivals if you want to be competitive. Coach Niumatalolo and the Navy staff were able to win most of the head-to-head recruiting battles with Air Force and Army last year, which bodes well for a first-year coach.

Ohio State does not play the return game in this series until 2014. Are Navy fans disappointed with the delay?

Again, I can’t really speak for all Navy fans, but I haven’t given it a second thought.

Navy has 51 wins over the last six seasons, the fourth most of any non-BCS conference program. Are the last 6 years the best extended run for Navy since the late 50s and early 60s?

George Welsh had a particularly good stretch from 1978-1981, but the longer Navy maintains their current run of success, the harder it gets to disagree with that opinion.

Finally, the schedule is front loaded for Navy with road trips to Ohio State and Pittsburgh sandwiching a home game versus Louisiana Tech. How will Navy’s start affect the team and will they make another bowl game this season?

Don’t sleep on Louisiana Tech, either. They were a bowl team last season, one of eight on Navy’s schedule. It might not be a schedule that will make anyone in the Big Ten sit up and take notice, but for a service academy it’s extremely challenging. The Mids started 1-2 last year before rebounding with back-to-back wins over Rutgers and #16 Wake Forest. It’s going to be a tall order not to have to repeat that scenario. The back half of the schedule really isn’t any easier, with Wake Forest, Notre Dame, and a trip out to Hawaii, which is always difficult.

Navy is playing 13 games this season, which means they’ll need seven wins to qualify for the Texas Bowl. They can do it, but there really isn’t any margin for error. The Mids will probably have to win a few games they won’t be favored in.