The Indianapolis Colts QB Audition!!

Jesus Martinez || Main Columnist

Hey there QBs, do you like getting sacked 10 times a game?

Do you like getting hit 30 times a game??

Do you want to play with 5 traffic cones protecting you??

The College Football Playoff Committee failed us once again

Chris Giraldo|| Multi-Sports writer

By no means necessary am I implying that their job is 'easy.' No matter what direction they go, they'll always face backlash. 

Some group of five school will argue that they deserve more love and at least one power 5 conference champion will be left out. 

When you have over 120 schools competing for four spots, quality teams will be left out and controversy is unavoidable.  

Back in 2015, many were outraged with the committee for picking Ohio St ( who suffered an embarrassing home loss to Virginia Tech) over Baylor and TCU. But, they at least had an excuse that year, by punishing the Big 12 for not having a conference title game. 

Today's results however, remain mind-boggling to me. 

The Case for the Final Spot

This long awaited Sunday has finally come, and we are anxious to find out the four teams making the CFP. Three teams (Clemson, Oklahoma, and Georgia) already punched their tickets to make the playoff with resounding victories of 21+ in their respective conference championships. Barring drastic voting, they are presumed to be in. But what about the final spot? It is the chargin to much debate over the past few years as that fourth spot is the most debated on a yearly basis. Who gets in there?

Well there are three (yes, three) teams deserving of making the playoff. All of them case intriguing cases, and only one can earn that coveted fourth spot. Let's go over each teams case for the playoff.

Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1; 7-1)

Nick Saban stated recently that his team deserved an opportunity to make the college football playoff.

This team doesn't have a conference championship.

Last year, Nick Saban stated that Ohio State shouldn't have made the playoff because they don't have a conference championship win.

Oh, how the tables have turned Nick.

Alabama is in jeopardy of not making the playoff for the first time since it's inception. For the first time, Alabama doesn't control their fate. It is up to the voters to decide if they are more deserving to make the playoff. But in order to do that, the committee will have to do something never done before: admit a team to the playoff that hasn't won a conference championship?!?

Now, we all are aware of Alabama not winning the SEC title. Georgia did that yesterday. We are even more aware that Alabamas schedule is fairly weaker than previous years. But if the committee wants to select the four most deserving teams to make the playoff, and base it off their criteria, I find it difficult to see Alabama missing this. They are very well better than most of the teams in the nation, and have proved it almost all of the year. Their +25 margin of victory ranks 2nd in the nation, and the margin of victory in conference is even better (+26). Their defense is the BEST in the nation, even when injured, as it ranks 2nd in opponent yards per game, 2nd in rushing yards allowed, and 5th in passing yards. They rank 1st in the FPI (Football Power Index), and 1st in overall efficiency. They are also 4th in strength of record. All of this ranks higher than Ohio State, and they also have one less loss. Alabama very well should have a spot in the playoff without debate. Alabama is not only more deserving than Ohio State, but better. If Ohio State goes in, it will only contradict last year's selection of not putting Penn State in, who were 11-2 and conference champs. The team selected over them, an 11-1 Ohio State team, that didn't make the Big 10 Championship. The CFP committee will not reverse their decision, and let Alabama have their opportunity at the playoff.

Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2; 7-1)

If there was any doubt that Ohio State shouldn't be in the playoff, then their game vs Wisconsin erased it. Ohio State has had quite a tumultuous season. They started off slow vs Indiana, and took a loss to Oklahoma (which wasn't a blowout, but wasn't pretty either). They then won their next six games, capped off with a thrilling comeback vs No. 2 Penn State. What further way to cement your status as the best team in college football, you might ask?

Simple, just get blown out by Iowa and lose all hope for the CFB Playoff.

Or do you lose all hope? Ohio State rebounds and destroys #13 Michigan State, 48-3!! Then beats Illinois and Michigan in "The Game" to meet #3 Wisconsin in the Big 10 Title Game. There, JT Barrett puts the team on his back, not his legs. He leads Ohio State to a 27-21 victory, and to further discussion as to whether they should make the playoff or not.

Ohio State has one of the more impressive resumes in college football. They have two wins over really impressive opponents in Penn State and Wisconsin (who both are top 5 quality opponents), and wins over Michigan State and Michigan. That shouldn't be overlooked.

Its very simple.

Ohio State has a conference title. Alabama does not.
Ohio State has two wins over top 10 opponents. Alabama does not.
Ohio State has a better strength of schedule than Alabama.
Ohio State has a better resume than Alabama.

Ohio State should be in the playoff over Alabama. Simple.

UCF Knights (12-0; 8-0)

UCF makes a great case to make the playoff. Let me state some of their contentions:
-UCF is undefeated. The ONLY undefeated team left in college football.
-UCF has a conference title (looks at Alabama).
-UCF has marquee wins over #16 Memphis (TWICE), #23 USF, 8-4 FIU, and Maryland.

UCF won’t make the playoff.
UCF hasn’t been in the discussion for the playoff.
UCF isn’t a top 5 team.
UCF isn’t even a TOP 10 team.

It just goes to show the amount of disrespect that has been thrown at non Power 5 teams over the Playoff era. This team should at the very least have some consideration to be in the Playoff, with wins over 10-2 Memphis, 10-2 USF, and 10-2 Memphis again. They have proven to be one of the most exciting teams in the nation, and should be a top 10 team. It has become evident for most of the nation that regardless of what a non Power 5 team does, they won’t make the playoff. The playoff was evidently made not for Minor conferences. Marshall went 11-0 in 2014 with Rakeem Cato at QB, and didn’t crack the top 15. They would go 13-1 and ended up 22nd. 2015 Houston went 12-1 and had THREE top 25 wins in the latter half of the year (Memphis, Navy, Temple). This doesn’t include the impressive Louisville win early on in the season, and they barely cracked the top 15 once the dust settled. Hopefully, once UCF beats their opponent in whichever New Years 6 Bowl they face, this will wake up and open the eyes of the committee and future committee members.

As the rankings will be posted shortly, I leave with my pick for the final spot, and who I think the committee will pick.

My Pick: Ohio State
Committee Selects: Alabama

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Giants must fire Reese and McAdoo

Chris Giraldo|| Multi-Sports Writer

This upcoming February, the New York Giants will be 6 years removed from their last Super Bowl title. The franchise has gone through some hard times ever since they knocked off Tom Brady and the New England Patriots for the 2nd time.

From 2013 to 2015, the Giants went 7-9, 6-10 and 6-10. Those were considered down seasons but nobody could have ever expected the epic failure that 2017 has become. Only 8 games into the season, and it is already considered one of the worst in franchise history. To make things worse, this wasn’t a team who was expected to be bad. After an 11-5 year in 2016, the Giants were seen as serious Super Bowl contenders-- and with good reason.

They returned all but 2 starters from their unbelievable, talent loaded defense. The front office finally invested highly on a Tight End in the draft, signed Brandon Marshall to form what looked to be an impressive WR trio alongside Odell Beckham and Sterling Shepard. But, nevertheless, it all went wrong.

Florida Gators and Kodak Black Equals Success

Jesus Martinez | Main Columnist

One thing I noticed over this weekend was that Kodak Black dropped a new music video for his song "Transportin." Issa banger. But I had noticed something towards the beginning of the video.

This man is a Gators fan. A pretty big one. It may not be shocking for some, but to me, the light bulb switch came as soon as a saw the Gators jacket.

Ohio State Looks to be the Real Deal

Jesus Martinez | Main Columnist

It may be the off season. But Ohio State looks scary. REAL scary.

Where does the source of the problems for every other BIG 10 team comes from?

The trenches. The big boys. It looks to be one of the best college football has EVER seen.

The Florida Gators: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.

Jesus Martinez | Main Columnist

The Florida Gators have experienced one of the most controversial off-seasons in the FBS. They have had their good share of moments, bad moments, and some ugly parts in between. It definitely seems that they have caused trouble, as recently seven of their players have been suspended for the season opener vs Michigan. With that piece of news brought up, I have decided to look back on their off-season and look at their best, and not so best moments. I will give the ugly news to start off, just to get it out of the way.

Justin Fields: The Next College Football Superstar

Jesus Martinez | Main Columnist

A lot of times there will be an athlete to come out of the high school ranks highly praised.

Some analysts will claim that this athlete will one day be a key starter, other will say that athlete has NFL potential.

But this is a different player. A one of a kind player.

2017 NFL Draft: First Round Thoughts

Chris Giraldo | Multi-Sport Writer

The NFL draft is an exciting process. The mock drafts, the anticipation and the uncertainty are what makes it so much fun. There was something different about this year's draft. It seemed that many teams and analyst were skeptical about a bunch of the top prospects. In year’s prior, there was a better sense of what would transpire. Last night however, we saw many surprises and the unexpected happened.

OTS247 Mock Draft

Jesus Martinez | Main Columnist

Chris Giraldo | Multi Sport Writer

Welcome to the first edition of the OTS247 Mock Draft, and possibly our last before the draft. We have some pretty predictable picks, some shockers, and an interesting Day 1 if you ask me. No hypothetical trades here. Chris picked for NFC teams, while Jesus chose AFC teams. Without further ado, here is the our mock. The Browns are on the clock..

A Letter to UNC Basketball

Jesus Martinez | Main Columnist

As a young seven year old watching UNC for the first time was something astonishing. I hadn't grown fond of sports at the time, as I has other interests such as watching Power Rangers and cartoons. But when I laid my eyes on the powder blue on TV, they were glued to the game. The dominant display by Tyler Hansbrough, the skill of TY Lawson and the ability of Danny Green kept me intrigued. But what I caught head over heels for was the man in a beautiful suit, with wrinkles similar to the ones you would see on a leather sofa. He was yelling at his players from the sidelines, looking as if he was about to pop a blood vessel. At that moment, I wanted to watch more of that.

Martinez Mock Draft 1.0

Jesus Martinez | Main Columnist

As we reach the start of pro days, let us commence the start of the road to the NFL Draft with the first of many mocks on this website. Whether you are just a fan looking for your favorite players from your favorite universities, a NFL fan seeing who you will be taking this year, or just a draft geek, we will provide for all. No more talking. Here is the first edition of the Martinez Mock Draft, post-combine season. In this draft, no trades are made whatsoever, as we can't predict the randomness of draft day. We are simply attempting to predict what selections GM's will make to benefit their respective teams. So let's get this underway..

NFL Draft Scouting Report: Evan Engram

Jesus Martinez | Main Columnist

NFL Draft Reports (Tight Ends)

-Welcome to a new series where me and Chris Giraldo scout some of the best athletes in this years draft. As more and more information is given, we will update accordingly. Or maybe not. We are humans too. In this report we look at general information of a prospect, his off field history, strengths and weaknesses on the field, a summary and a draft projection. Without further ado, lets begin.

5 Prospects that will own the NFL Combine

Jesus Martinez | Main Columnist



The NFL Combine. This event in Indianapolis determines the fate of many prospects. Whether one player has the ability to get drafted all depends on his 40 time, or his play during the on field workouts. It can make or break players. For some people, they thrive in the combine. Gym freaks who love to workout every day. Today I highlight 5 players who will perform at an elite level at the NFL Combine, some who could possibly shatter a record and most who could raise their stock dramatically...

NFL Draft Scouting Report: Jourdan Lewis

Jesus Martinez | Main Columnist

NFL Draft Reports (Cornerbacks)

-Welcome to a new series where me and Chris Giraldo scout some of the best athletes in this years draft. As more and more information is given, we will update accordingly. Or maybe not. We are humans too. In this report we look at general information of a prospect, his off field history, strengths and weaknesses on the field, a summary and a draft projection. Without further ado, lets begin.

NFL Draft Scouting Report: Corn Elder

Jesus Martinez | Main Columnist

NFL Draft Reports (Cornerbacks)

-Welcome to a new series where me and Chris Giraldo scout some of the best athletes in this years draft. As more and more information is given, we will update accordingly. Or maybe not. We are humans too. In this report we look at general information of a prospect, his off field history, strengths and weaknesses on the field, a summary and a draft projection. Without further ado, lets begin.

NFL Draft Scouting Report: Adrian Colbert

Jesus Martinez | Main Columnist

NFL Draft Reports (Cornerbacks)

-Welcome to a new series where me and Chris Giraldo scout some of the best athletes in this years draft. As more and more information is given, we will update accordingly. Or maybe not. We are humans too. In this report we look at general information of a prospect, his off field history, strengths and weaknesses on the field, a summary and a draft projection. Without further ado, lets begin.

NFL Draft Scouting Report: Taco Charlton

Chris Giraldo | Multi-Sport Writer

NFL Draft Reports (EDGE)

-Welcome to a new series where me and Jesus Martinez scout some of the best athletes in this years draft. As more and more information is given, we will update accordingly. Or maybe not. We are humans too. In this report we look at general information of a prospect, his off field history, strengths and weaknesses on the field, a summary and a draft projection. Without further ado, lets begin.

NFL Draft Scouting Report: Cordea Tankersley

Jesus Martinez | Main Columnist

NFL Draft Reports (Cornerbacks)

-Welcome to a new series where me and Chris Giraldo scout some of the best athletes in this years draft. As more and more information is given, we will update accordingly. Or maybe not. We are humans too. In this report we look at general information of a prospect, his off field history, strengths and weaknesses on the field, a summary and a draft projection. Without further ado, lets begin.

NFL Draft Scouting Report: Bucky Hodges

Jesus Martinez | Main Columnist

NFL Draft Reports (Tight Ends)

-Welcome to a new series where me and Chris Giraldo scout some of the best athletes in this years draft. As more and more information is given, we will update accordingly. Or maybe not. We are humans too. In this report we look at general information of a prospect, his off field history, strengths and weaknesses on the field, a summary and a draft projection. Without further ado, lets begin.

NFL Draft Scouting Report: Ahmad Thomas

Chris Giraldo | Multi-Sport Writer

NFL Draft Reports (Safeties)

-Welcome to a new series where me and Jesus Martinez scout some of the best athletes in this years draft. As more and more information is given, we will update accordingly. Or maybe not. We are humans too. In this report we look at general information of a prospect, his off field history, strengths and weaknesses on the field, a summary and a draft projection. Without further ado, lets begin.

NFL Draft Scouting Report: OJ Howard

Jesus Martinez | Main Columnist

NFL Draft Reports (Tight Ends)

-Welcome to a new series where me and Chris Giraldo scout some of the best athletes in this years draft. As more and more information is given, we will update accordingly. Or maybe not. We are humans too. In this report we look at general information of a prospect, his off field history, strengths and weaknesses on the field, a summary and a draft projection. Without further ado, lets begin.

NFL Draft Scouting Report: Jake Butt

Chris Giraldo | Multi-Sport Writer

NFL Draft Reports (Tight Ends)

-Welcome to a new series where me and Jesus Martinez scout some of the best athletes in this years draft. As more and more information is given, we will update accordingly. Or maybe not. We are humans too. In this report we look at general information of a prospect, his off field history, strengths and weaknesses on the field, a summary and a draft projection. Without further ado, lets begin.

NFL Draft Scouting Report: Jabrill Peppers

Chris Giraldo | Multi-Sport Writer

NFL Draft Reports (Safeties)

-Welcome to a new series where me and Jesus Martinez scout some of the best athletes in this years draft. As more and more information is given, we will update accordingly. Or maybe not. We are humans too. In this report we look at general information of a prospect, his off field history, strengths and weaknesses on the field, a summary and a draft projection. Without further ado, lets begin.