Ohio
Mailbox: Did soft schedule lead to Ohio State football ‘hype train’ being derailed?
Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at bwhite1@dispatch.com. Letters are lightly edited for clarity.
On Ohio State football
To Brian: I watched with jaundiced side eye at all the preseason hype of superstar transfers, returning talent and a new offensive coordinator combining to make the Buckeyes a national championship juggernaut. Even Ohio State’s detractors said this was the best team money could buy. All these prognosticators ignored Ryan Day and his choke factor in big games. Now that it’s apparent the hype train was derailed in Eugene, it may be time to reevaluate the head coach position if they gag in the playoffs.
Jeff Petsche, Delray Beach, Fla.
Dear Editor: With the Buckeyes’ loss to Oregon, it makes one wonder about their scheduling of opponents early in the season. Do the Buckeyes really benefit from beating the “Little Sisters of the Poor” teams 62-0 and then pound their chest and claim they are such a great team? I don’t think so. After those lopsided early-season blowout wins they then meet a “real” opponent and find it very difficult to handle the situation of a real competitive game. Maybe the Buckeyes should schedule some actual games where the outcome is not so assured early in the season to better prepare them for the more competitive teams that will surely follow. Chance favors those better prepared.
Chet Ridenour Sr., Worthington
To Mr. White: After rewatching the OSU vs. Oregon game, I have a question for Jim Knowles: Why do D-ends contentiously crash down inside and not maintain the edge? That should be their primary goal, pushing everything toward the middle for the D-line and linebackers. In Saturday’s game, one end failed to make a difference and the other did not maintain his assignment which resulted in the game-wining touchdown. Coach Knowles is paid enough to have his defense prepared for any situation and offense.
Fausto J Garofalo Jr, Columbus
To Brian: I’ve always criticized those who criticize amateur athletes, but I guess Ohio State football players aren’t really amateurs anymore. Nonetheless, those critical of Will Howard’s decision-making at the end of the Oregon game and Jeremiah Smith’s questionable penalty just before that overlook that they played well throughout the evening against a very good team in a hostile environment at night three time zones away and still almost overcame the deficiencies of the defense and a kickoff return player who demonstrated how playing back on your heels is less effective than being on your toes.
Dennis Singleton, Dayton
On baseball catchers
To the editor: Having gone to Williamsport’s Little League World Series a couple of years ago with my adult grandson, we consider it a special place to showcase youth players.I do have a baseball and an umpiring complaint. It was not only “if” but “when” the issue would reach and impact Williamsport.In a recent LL game, the catcher was “framing” pitches to deceive the umpire into thinking it was a strike. Often called an art form, it is praised by MLB commentators. Catchers are often rated by their ability to influence a ball into a strike. Youth catchers and coaches have noticed. It has become blatant, successful and game-changing. You can not watch an MLB game without framing. But LL!Baseball has always included integrity challenges. Sharpened spikes, spitballs, illegal bats, betting and now, framing. What kind of a fair penalty could be administered?Umpires could treat the framed pitch as a walk unless the batter advances otherwise. After all, by framing the pitch back into the strike zone, what has the catcher admitted?Hitting a baseball is one of the most difficult skills in sports. Failing seven in 10 at-bats could make a Hall of Famer.Jim N. Reed, Lancaster
To Jim: Subtle framing, without moving the receiving arm, is indeed an art. But the exaggerated movement of the glove or hand should not throw off a good umpire, who can judge a pitch by where it hits the glove. That good umpire will ignore such catchers and they will stop the silliness.
On newspapers, deadlines and online coverage
To Brian: I’m just sitting here (about 2 p.m. Saturday) and thinking how this modern world can do so many things faster, smarter, and with more precision than in the past. I recall what the current media misses. Like, Woody had a TV show after the Saturday game, 10, 10:30 or 11 p.m. That included some of the outstanding players of the game.
Yes, the very next day the paper came out on Sunday morning with super stories from the game day. This week, we might (get a paper on Tuesday with a) little about the game. If they lose or win by a very small margin, the sports department will certainly tell how bad they are. That’s what they do all week. It sounds like the “USA Today” sports section doesn’t like to do anything positive for the team.
I also recall going to the games and getting an early Saturday paper, which told how great the team was. When do I see that now? I haven’t. The media help the Ohio State Buckeyes rise and fall.
This is just history to all, but true. This might be how The Dispatch falls, too.
Bill
To Bill: Newspapers are different these days, with earlier print deadlines. In our case, that means any Ohio State game that kicks off later than 12:15 p.m. will not make the Sunday print editions. It’s been that way for many years now, with coverage of the games in Monday’s print editions. However, the timeliness of our coverage on Dispatch.com is better than ever, and shortly after the Ohio State-Oregon game ended we had published 14 stories, plus a photo gallery. All week, our website contains several articles that don’t make the print edition. Our Saturday print edition is now an electronic edition, available to all subscribers, but our Friday print editions include a separate game preview section. Lastly, our job as journalists is to report on the team in an unbiased and fair fashion, not to strive to do only positive things for the team. There are plenty of media in Columbus that do that. It’s just not our role.
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The Ohio State Buckeyes are completely focused on winning a national championship this season. However, there is one player who does not appear to be very happy with his current situation.
C.J. Hicks, a junior linebacker, was very vocal about his displeasure with his role for the team this season.
“They need to put me on the f**king edge,” Hicks said after the win over Purdue last week.
Despite the team success, Hicks is unhappy. More than likely, that could lead to an offseason decision from the linebacker to leave the program in the offseason.
Ryan Stano of Scarlet & Game believes that it is “inevitable” that Hicks will end up deciding to transfer after the season.
“It would not be surprising to see Hicks declare for the portal, regardless of what the result is of this team. Even if they win the national title, Hicks will likely look elsewhere. He has to do what he thinks is best for him. That’s what the portal allows players to do.”
At one point in time, Hicks was expected to be a huge part of the Ohio State defense. He simply hasn’t been able to develop his game and continue earning consistent playing time and the role he wants.
So far during the 2024 college football season with the Buckeyes, Hicks has racked up 19 total tackles to go along with 1.5 sacks and a defended pass. His numbers haven’ been horrible for the role he has been given.
If Hicks does end up deciding to transfer away from Ohio State, there will likely be quite a few teams interested in securing his commitment. There is no denying the talent that he possesses.
Unfortunately, the situation simply seems to have turned south. Hicks absolutely does have to do what’s best for him. Right now, it sounds like a transfer is what he could decide on.
The Viral Boneless Wing Lawsuit: Michael Berkheimer’s Story
Prompt: https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2024/07/31/ohio-chicken-wing-case-michael-berkheimer-speaks-out-for-first-time/74593611007/
Description: Discover the eight-year legal battle of Michael Berkheimer, whose life was altered irrevocably by a chicken bone in a boneless wing. Learn about his court case, the health consequences, and his advocacy for safer food standards.
In July, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in a 4-3 decision that customers who order boneless chicken should expect bones.
Ohio Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, wants to change that with a bill that would establish a test for restaurants’ and suppliers’ liability for food with harmful substances.
“In 49 of the 50 states, boneless means without a bone, but in Ohio, boneless means the predominance of finding a bone,” he said.
What is the boneless chicken case in question?
In 2016, Hamilton resident Michael Berkheimer ordered his usual, boneless chicken wings with parmesan garlic sauce, at Wings on Brookwood. He ate the wings with a knife and fork as he usually did and accidentally swallowed a roughly 1.3-inch chicken bone.
The bone tore a hole in his esophagus, Berkheimer told The Cincinnati Enquirer, and led to infections and a two-month hospital stay. He sued the restaurant and the food supplier. The case went all the way up to the Ohio Supreme Court, but Berkheimer never got a jury trial.
The court ruled that boneless wings refers to a cooking method and not a guarantee of no bones.
“To say that boneless is food preparation, give me a break. That’s twisting the law,” DeMora said.
What would the bill do?
DeMora said it’s a matter of food safety and consumer protection.
“I don’t know anywhere in Ohio people don’t eat boneless wings,” he said. “Parents order their children chicken nuggets, those are boneless wings. They have to worry about there being bones now.”
His bill would allow for a jury trial for a civil lawsuit brought by someone who suffered injury, death or loss from consuming food with a substance harmful to human health. It would also create a “reasonable expectation test” to decide whether the restaurant or food supplier is liable for the injury.
The bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. If it does not receive final approval before the end of the year, the bill will need to be introduced during the next general assembly.
“As members of the legislature, it’s our job to try to rectify this, and I hope my colleagues will at some point in the next session take this seriously, because it is a serious matter,” DeMora said.
Erin Glynn is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.
Big Ten football kicks off on the shores of Lake Michigan this weekend as No. 2 Ohio State hits the road against Northwestern. Let’s check in with the latest prediction for the matchup from an analytical model that simulates games.
Ohio State is still behind undefeated Oregon and Indiana in the Big Ten standings and, with the loss to the Ducks, needs to stay winning with the Hoosiers coming up next weekend.
Northwestern moved to 2-4 in Big Ten play after getting past Purdue last time out but sits 120th in passing output and 126th out of 134 FBS teams in scoring production with 18 points per game.
Looking ahead to this week’s matchup, let’s check out the latest college football predictions from the Football Power Index computer prediction model.
The model simulates every NCAA college football game 20,000 times and uses key analytics from both teams and picks winners based on a projected scoring margin per game.
As expected, the models are siding strongly with the Buckeyes over the Wildcats this weekend.
Ohio State is the big favorite on the road, coming out ahead in 95.3 percent of the computer’s most recent simulations of the game.
That leaves Northwestern as the presumptive winner in the remaining 4.7 percent of sims.
In total, the Buckeyes came out ahead in 19,060 of the index’s calculations of the game, while the Wildcats edged out OSU in the other 940 predictions.
How does that translate to an expected margin of victory in the game?
Ohio State is projected to be 26.7 points better than Northwestern on the same field in both teams’ current composition, according to the model’s latest forecast.
If so, that wouldn’t be enough for the Buckeyes to cover the spread against the Wildcats.
That’s because Ohio State is a 28.5 point favorite against Northwestern, according to the updated lines posted to FanDuel Sportsbook.
FanDuel lists the total at 43.5 points for the game (Over -115, Under -105).
The book didn’t list any moneyline odds for the game, given the Buckeyes are such big favorites.
A slight majority of bettors expect the Wildcats will make things closer against the Buckeyes, according to the latest spread consensus picks for the game.
Northwestern is getting 53 percent of bets to either win outright in the upset, or more likely, to keep the final margin under 29 points in a loss.
The other 47 percent of wagers project Ohio State will win the game and cover the big point spread.
Ohio State is first among Big Ten teams and third nationally with a 92.5 percent chance to qualify for the College Football Playoff, according to the FPI’s metrics.
That model gives the Buckeyes a win total projection of 11 games this season.
Northwestern’s postseason hopes are just about dashed, but not extinguished just yet.
The model projects the Wildcats will win 4.6 games in ‘24.
That translates to a 10.9 percent shot to become bowl eligible this season.
Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.
Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season and games, using a combination of key analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, team talent, recruiting, and a team’s schedule.
Teams are ranked not in order of talent like in other rankings, but by a projected point margin per game against an average team on a neutral field.
- Oregon
- Ohio State
- Texas
- Penn State
- Indiana
- BYU
- Tennessee
- Notre Dame
- Miami
- Alabama
- Ole Miss
- Georgia
- Boise State
- SMU
- Texas A&M
- Kansas State
- Colorado
- Washington State
- Louisville
- Clemson
- South Carolina
- LSU
- Missouri
- Army
- Tulane
–
When: Sat., Nov. 16
Time: 12 p.m. Eastern
TV: Big Ten Network
–
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.
–
More college football from SI: Top 25 Rankings | Schedule | Teams
Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Picks
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