Spring training has started for Major League Baseball, which means that NCAA Baseball has started as well.  The Ohio State Buckeyes are looking for a strong season from starting pitcher, Brad Goldberg.  So far this season, he has lived up to expectations.

In three games so far, Goldberg is 2-0 with a 0.47 ERA in 19 innings.  He has only allowed 7 hits, and 2 runs with only one of them being earned.  Opposing hitters are hitting .119 against him.  He has struck out 22 batters that he has faced and walked 9.

Walks and high pitch count have been a concern for Goldberg in the past but so far this season he has improved in both of those stat categories.  It is still early in the season, and therefore the 19 innings probably could be higher, but there isn’t a need to leave him out there in a game to accumulate statistics.

This is why at the beginning of the season major leaguers will often be pulled even with a no hitter going.  Conference play is going to matter much more than these beginning of the season games that have no real effect on the outcome of the whole year.

Goldberg has been getting draft buzz for quite some time now, and if he can keep it up this season, it will only increase his stock.  He features a fastball (sinker), change up, cutter, and curve ball.

He was elected Big Ten Pitcher of the Week 2 consecutive weeks to start the season giving up no earned runs in 13.1 innings of work while striking out 17 batters.  If he stays strong throughout the season he will get serious consideration as Big Ten Pitcher of the Year.

Indiana is slated as the favorite to win the Big Ten this year, but Ohio State’s recruits from head coach Greg Beals are going to be major contributors.  The team is fairly young, but they have veterans and leaders in the right places.

Obviously Kent State stole the show last year qualifying for the College World Series, and will get the bulk of attention for Ohio college baseball teams.  However, the Buckeyes can certainly do damage in the Big Ten this year, and as we saw with Kent State last year, anyone can make a run.

The Buckeyes will head to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for the long weekend during Ohio State’s spring break.  This could pose a potential matchup with Goldberg on the mound against a dangerous Coastal Carolina squad, in which he his very familiar with, having transferred to Ohio State from Coastal following his sophomore season.

Another matchup to watch is against Ball State, which is where coach Beals was head coach before accepting the Ohio State job.  The Buckeyes home opener is scheduled for March 15 against Bryant University.  Big Ten play opens up at Purdue March 22.

This should be a fun season to watch for the Buckeyes, and it will be especially fun to watch what Goldberg can accomplish on the mound, and going forward in the MLB draft process.

Signing day has come and gone, but I am not done with my opinion about the entire spectacle of it all.  Quite honestly, I am not a fan of signing day and all the hype that it brings.

Yes, there should be hype and excitement about fans wanting their schools to get the top players.  However, it is getting a bit excessive.  These high school football players are already starting to be treated like superstars.

We have already seen what happens to a number of them once they get that big head and develop the big ego.

Here are a few examples:

Isiah Crowell, RB:
Attended the University of Georgia as a highly touted running back and was very effective his freshman year.  He announced he was going to UGA by bringing a bulldog puppy up and telling everyone he named it Uga, for obvious reasons.  Although very cute and creative, what was soon to follow Crowell was not.  It was just plain stupid. Crowell was arrested in June of 2012 on three weapons charges with two of them being felonies.  Crowell was dismissed from the team and now attends Alabama State University.

Asiantii Woulard, Dual Threat QB:
This is more recent, being this year.  Woulard is a high school standout as a dual threat quarterback and chose to attend UCLA, and for those of you who don’t know UCLA stands for the University of California, Los Angeles.  So when Woulard was speaking and decided on UCLA, he said he would be playing his college football at UCLA University.  Though this may not seem like much, as a fan or current member of the team, I would want the incoming recruit to at least say the name of the school correctly.  A similar situation occurred with the next player who also was the center of a certain tattoo scandal.

Terrelle Pryor, Dual Threat QB:
Pryor was one of the most highly rated players coming out of high school in recent history, and he certainly backed it up.  He had the ability to burn opposing teams with his feet and arms. However, during his announcement he said The University of Ohio State which clearly as we all know it is The Ohio State University.  Pryor made statements claiming it was a knock on Michigan and how he wanted to stir up the rivalry a little more, and as a Buckeye fan that is fine.  The real issue is the impression it left on other people which was just plain stupidity.  Many attribute that to him getting such a big ego because all of the attention was on him that he didn’t even care to say the name of the university correctly.  Pryor always had a big ego and it really came out when he decided he was able to get free tattoos in exchange for a number of items (we have all heard the story).  This clearly was a direct result of his cockiness and ego thinking he was better than others and bigger than the NCAA rules.

Wild Cards:

Alex Collins is a running back from Plantation Florida and on signing day his mother was not happy with his decision to choose Arkansas over near by University of Miami, so she simply took the papers and was on the run. Now, nobody knows what the fate of Collins will be as a running back in college, but he seemed to have made a decision for himself and left his mother out of it (by the sound of it, a good idea).  This story swept the country because it was signing day and created even more drama to the soap opera type of day.

Reuben Foster is a LB recruit heading to Alabama.  What is interesting is that he has a huge Auburn tattoo on his forearm.  He was committed to Auburn before de-committing, but not before getting inked up with the Auburn Tattoo.  This just adds to why signing day and this whole process is too much.

Let us also not forget the infamous OL Kevin Hart.  He called for a press conference and announced he was going to Cal without even having an offer!

Athletes transfer, things happen that are unforeseen, and there are a number of factors that go into choosing a school.  Signing day gives them these huge egos that in some cases will end up making a huge difference in their lives like Isiah Crowell and Terrelle Pryor, or just makes you look flat out stupid like Reuben Foster.

The signing day events should be toned down and the hype should be toned down in order to preserve the mindset of these athletes.

I am writing this in response the recent hot topic of eliminating kickoffs.  As I was watching games with my dad, we came up with an idea to change the kickoffs to make them safer, but still keeping the basics of it.

Kickoffs are a very important part of the game, and personally I think it will take away from the fan experience if they are removed.  Safety must come first, and I understand that, but there is nothing like a stadium erupting after kick off return for a touchdown.

The proposal for a new kick off is that the kicker will kick from the 30 or 35 yard line with two players lined up there as well.  However, the rest of the kicking team will start at the 50 yard line and are not allowed to start running until the ball passes them.  This will eliminate the high speed hits that everyone is worried about.

By the time the ball passes them and then gets to the receiver it will be difficult for the tacklers to get to top speed before making a tackle.  Even if they do reach top speed, the timing of the play will most likely result in them overrunning the return man.  The kicking and returning game will then become more strategy based opposed to athletic and speed based.

If the kicker still kicks from the 35 yard line, we will continue to see the current trends in touchbacks. If the kicker kicks from the 30 yard line it will still significantly slow down the tacklers and reduce the dangerous hits.  I firmly believe with this new kickoff format it will benefit everyone.  Returners can still return, and the dangerous hits will be with less force, and occur less frequently.

A question that I anticipate is how will offsides be determined.  Since it will be judgment if a player leaves before the ball crosses the 50 yard line, it will initially be determined by the side judges.  If there is serious doubt in the call, it can be reviewed very quickly from above on a monitor.  This will resemble soccer and their offsides call, minus the review if needed.

Another anticipated question is how onside kicks will work.  They will work the same as they do now.  Since most of the onside kicks are expected when they happen anyway, in this new format it must be announced when a team is planning to attempt an onside kick.

I hope this can lead to helping football’s future in the discrepancy regarding kickoffs.  I personally don’t want them eliminated, and I can confidently say that most fans and players don’t want them eliminated either.  There needs to be some type of modifications to the kickoffs for player safety, but eliminating them is simply not an option in my opinion.

This week in college football set up a number of circumstances for whats to come. A number of games this upcoming week have huge post season implications.

However, lets start with South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore.  Let’s hope he is able to come back to football after that terrifying, gruesome knee injury he suffered.

As a hot prospect for the NFL draft, that will most certainly hurt his draft stock significantly.  He is also deciding on coming back to school for another season since he has not used a red shirt.

Another, Florida absolutely did not deserve to be ranked 2nd in the BCS.  That was a joke to begin with.  It should most certainly have been Kansas State or Oregon in that slot.  Collin Klein is the real deal and pretty much the Heisman lock, especially after the 7 touchdown performance against West Virginia last week backed up by 4 touchdowns this week.

The only contender to Klein is Manti Te’o of Notre Dame.  He is a fierce linebacker who is the backbone of the great Notre Dame defense.  However, if Kansas State closes this great season out then Klein is going to win the Heisman.

Notre Dame leapfrogged Oregon in the BCS standings after that win at Oklahoma.  I am not sold on whether this is right as Oregon put up 70 points and has certainly done nothing to lose their spot.  However, Notre Dame clearly has shown they are a legitimate threat this year and definitely deserves to be in every BCS conversation.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, I do not think Notre Dame can do enough to get into the National Championship game.  If Alabama, Kansas State, Oregon, and Notre Dame all remain undefeated, I ultimately think its going to come down to style points.  It will end up being Alabama and Oregon if everything goes “as planned.”

3 of those teams have a tough matchup in week 10:

#1 Alabama travels Baton Rouge to take on the #5 LSU Tigers who most certainly are licking their chops for their revenge.  I think Alabama will come out on top in what is all but guaranteed to be a low scoring, defensive game.

#2 Kansas State plays #24 Oklahoma State at home, but this game should not be taken lightly.  The Cowboys can put up some points and this game is most likely going to be a shoot out.  Kansas State should come out on top, and I think that will happen.  Don’t be surprised if the Cowboys pull off the upset.

#3 Notre Dame gets unranked Pittsburgh at home in what should be a breeze coming off this past weekend. Pittsburgh will play Notre Dame tough and it will be a test to Notre Dame if they have a “big win hangover.”  Ultimately, Notre Dames defense is too tough and will win it for the Irish.

#4 Oregon travels to take on Matt Barkley and the #17 USC Trojans in what was a very highly anticipated game earlier in the year, but it has definitely lost some lust due to USC’s disappointing losses. Oregon is going to win this game easily.  USC just doesn’t have it, and Oregon should be very angry that they got leapfrogged in the BCS standings by Notre Dame.  They are going to play with a chip on their shoulder.

Should be a great weekend of college football with some exciting games which will have a major impact on the post season.

Many are wondering where the Buckeyes would stack up in the BCS rankings. The Bucks would most likely be ranked 5th or 6th.  Personally, and as non biased as possible, the Buckeyes would stomp Notre Dame.

Ohio State’s offense is a big play waiting to happen every time they are on the field.  Braxton Miller is taking the country by storm with his running ability.  The undefeated Buckeyes also have a defense that has been giving up points as of late, but seem to always make a few game changing plays a game.

The running game of not only Miller, but Carlos Hyde as well has been dominant.  Hyde has been an animal as of late going over 100 yards in both of his last two games.  Unfortunately, they aren’t eligible for the post season this year because they have a legitimate chance of going undefeated.

My problem with Notre Dame being ranked so high is their awful offense. They do have a great defense, but their offense really takes away from their potential as a contender.
Truthfully, when you look at it, it can be argued that the Buckeyes could be number 4.

I don’t think that Kansas State is really worthy of the number 4 ranking in the BCS.  Collin Klein is a beast, yes, but the entire team strictly relies on him and, I do not think they will be able to keep this up the entire season.

I also believe that Oregon should be ranked 2nd over Florida.  Oregon has been so good on offense as usual and their defense is also great.  They should most definitely be in front of a Florida team that is not very convincing in my opinion.

In all honesty, the BCS is a joke this early in the season.  BCS rankings shouldn’t come out for another 2 weeks because it is way to hard to decide who is better between this man undefeated teams.

They should let them weed each other out a little bit and then go with the rankings.  I am just glad this will be over after this season.  One thing is known for sure, the Buckeyes will definitely be near the top to begin next season.

The Ohio State University Buckeyes sit uncomfortably with a record of 4-0.  Yes they are undefeated, but they have not played up to potential and expectations. Many think Braxton Miller is a Heisman Trophy candidate and even though it is hard to argue 14 touchdowns in 4 games he is not playing particularly well.

He is running the ball effectively, but he is making very poor decisions at the time of the snap.  He is really struggling to know when to hand it off and when to keep it on those option plays, and that is making it easy for opposing teams to defend.

His passing has been poor, even though sometimes he shows glimpses.  Miller has been bailed out by his receivers quite a few times and is not connecting on the easy passes he should be.

Yes, the Buckeyes have the Urban Meyer spread offense, but they cant forget the basics.  The Bucks are very solid at Running Back.  Carlos Hyde will return this week at Michigan State, and Jordan Hall is coming off of a 105 yard game with an average of 6.2 yards per carry.

Rod Smith is also showing promise and should remain a solid contributor for the remainder of the season.  The Wide Receivers for the Buckeyes are a question mark.  To Braxton Miller’s defense, the receivers are failing to get separation and are running poor routes.

The defense is solid.  They have given up some big plays this season but they have come up with many themselves.  The secondary is comparable to the Green Bay Packers as they are both high risk high reward in the sense that they attack the ball and go for interceptions.

The Buckeyes open up their Big Ten portion of the schedule Saturday at Michigan State.  They need to play much better on both sides of the ball in order to get the win and go to 5-0.  Braxton Miller needs to make much better decisions, and the receivers have to get open in order for him to get the ball downfield.

The defense will have quite a load to handle in Spartan RB Le’Veon Bell who has looked fantastic this season.  Michigan State is coming off of a win against Eastern Michigan, but the previous week they looked terrible against Notre Dame.

It remains to be seen how this game will play out, but one thing is known for sure, and that is the excitement that this game, and the remainder of the Big Ten season are bound to present.