Why Urban Meyer will Fail at Ohio State

So Urban Meyer is taking his show on the road to Ohio State. He had a long run of success at Utah and then Florida, but can Urban Meyer do his thing in Columbus? Can he lead the Buckeyes back to the BCS championship? After all, this is what success means in that part of the country. The truth of the matter is that Urban Meyer probably does not have what it takes to bring the Buckeyes back to that kind of prominence. He will fail at Ohio State in the most unceremonious of fashions.

The first reason why Urban Meyer will fail at Ohio State has to do with the circumstances. The Buckeyes are still struggling to overcome NCAA-based issues. They will have recruiting restrictions that will make things very difficult during the early going. It is difficult for just about any coach to overcome these kinds of circumstances. Even if Urban Meyer does a good job at Ohio State, he will still have many mountains to climb. This is the first reason why Urban will struggle to get the job done at Ohio State during the next five year . Now that  Urban Meyer is the head coach does this make Ohio St a good play on college football picks?

The second reason has to do with people catching up to Meyer’s offense. When Urban was at Utah and Florida, his entire shtick was new. He was running the spread option when other teams were not adjusted to it. The Big Ten has seen some of the spread, though. Michigan tried it with little success. Even with the most athletic quarterback in the country, Michigan could not fool Big Ten defenses. Today’s defensive coordinators understand how to scheme for what Urban Meyer does. This is a primary reason why he won’t be able to have great success this season at Ohio State.

The third reason has to do with stiff competition. When Urban Meyer was at Florida, he could simply recruit the best athletes without much competition. That will not be the case at Ohio State. He will have to compete with a huge range of schools. He also will not have the strength of the Florida location and brand behind him when he is recruiting. Schools like Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Michigan are on the uptick at this point in time. This is a primary reason why the Buckeyes won’t win big under Urban Meyer.

Can Urban Meyer win big at Ohio State? That depends upon how you define winning big. If your definition of winning big includes a Big Ten title or two, then perhaps Urban Meyer will win at Ohio State. The Buckeyes will not be winning any BCS title under Urban Meyer, though. For all of the reasons noted above, Urban will find it difficult to keep up his past levels of success when he takes the reins in Columbus. The NCAA violations will prove to be too much in the early going. The increased competition will prove to be too much to overcome if Urban is able to beat the NCAA’s restrictions.

Posted by Wunderdog’s trusty sidekick ” Wundercat “

Why Kevin Durant is Better than LeBron James

After the NBA Finals this year, some people might be tempted to crown LeBron James as the best player in the NBA. At the very least, they might be tempted to call LeBron a better player than Kevin Durant. The truth of the matter, though, is that Kevin Durant is a far superior NBA player. The fact that he didn’t win a title should not diminish that fact. Durant is a better shooter, a better passer, and a more skilled player. He is also younger and with a higher ceiling that he might eventually reach.

The most important difference between the two is shooting ability. LeBron James struggles shooting the ball from the field, from the three-point line, and from the free throw line. These are all places where a supreme player needs to dominate. Durant is better at shooting the ball and he appears to be improving in these areas, too. If we can take a few minutes to think about what Durant’s future might look like, we can come up with a really nice picture. We can come up with the picture of a player who has the ability to dominate in the NBA.

Kevin Durant doesn’t get to play alongside a D’Wayne Wade type of player. Though the supporting case in Oklahoma City is a good one, Durant is the guy carrying the team. He makes all of the players around him much better. Without Durant, few people would be talking about Serge Ibaka or Russell Westbrook. This is a testament to just how good Durant actually is. He raises the level of play around him at a rate that LeBron simply can’t. This is something that figures to only get better as Durant becomes a more seasoned player.

Does this mean that LeBron is not a good player? It absolutely should not be taken to mean that. LeBron is still a pretty good player. The problem, though, is that he is not nearly as good as Durant. Kevin Durant has the game to be the best player in the NBA. He has length, shooting ability, and the guts to take all of the big shots at the end of the clock. These are things that you just won’t get when you have LeBron. Durant is trending upward, while we have probably seen the best of Kevin Durant already.

It might seem controversial, but the position is true. Kevin Durant is a superior player to LeBron James at this point in time. He figures to remain a better player throughout the next decade. If you were to put Durant on the Heat with the supporting cast that LeBron enjoyed, you would see a much different result. This is where Durant truly shines. He has been doing a lot of good things in Oklahoma City, where he is absolutely the focus of everything. The sooner you recognize this fact, the better off you will be when trying to analyze the NBA.

Posted By Wunderdog’s trusty sidekick ” Wundercat “