Who's Ohio's Best Football Team: Ohio State Buckeyes or Cincinnati Bearcats?

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The debate is on and there is proverbial fuel on the fire.

Who exactly is the best college football team in the state of Ohio?

That's been a no-brainer forever.

THE Ohio State University!

Not so fast there, Buckeye fans.

There's this little list that came out this week, put out by the Associated Press. Weekly college football rankings is what they are. Lo and behold, there at No. 8 is a gang known as the Cincinnati Bearcats.

That's no big deal except for the team that is No. 9—THE Ohio State University.

Scratch your heads and kick the dog because this hasn't happened in 58 years. The last time Cincinnati was ranked ahead of Ohio State was 1951.

Now it's not a clean sweep for Bearcat fan. The USA Today poll restored Buckeye sanity, ranking  OSU at No. 8 and the Bearcats at No. 10.

Still, the debate begins: the best team in the state of Ohio is...

The two have played 15 times, the Buckeyes are 13-2 in the series with the last Bearcat win coming, well, a long, long time ago.  Try 1897.

The two won't play again until 2012.

Cincinnati is 5-0. The Bearcats have beaten Rutgers, Southeast Missouri, Oregon State, Fresno State and Miami of Ohio. Not exactly a list of powerful programs. Cincinnati plays in the Big East, yes, the Big East, you know, the basketball conference that plays a little football on the side.

Ohio State is 4-1, getting past Navy, Toledo, Illinois and Indiana but fell to USC.

Both teams have dynamic quarterbacks—Tony Pike at Cincinnati and Terrelle Pryor at Ohio State.

The Bearcats have a pass-crazy offense that can pile up points and yardage. Jacob Ramsey became only the second runner to get 100 yards in a game during the Brian Kelly era.

Ohio State looks to its quarterback as well. Pryor has thrown for eight touchdowns and rushed for 298 yards.

Both players are spectacular.

So who's the better team?

That question may not be answered for weeks.

Ohio State slugs it out with Wisconsin on Saturday while the Bearcats ready themselves for their toughest test of the season, a nationally-telecast game on Thursday, October 15 in Tampa against the defensively-tough University of South Florida.

Key conference games for both teams.

So how do we settle this little debate?

Kelly, who may be the hottest coaching commodity in the country was quite politically correct with this observation:

"From my standpoint, you settle that on the field, just as Ohio State has settled it on the field..."

And Jim Tressel?

"Reminds you that there are good players in Ohio," he said, playing it close to the vest. What else would you expect from "the vest."

The Big East?

Rodney Dangerfield was at the top of "respect mountain" compared to the Big East.

The Big Ten?

The Big Ten IS the Big Ten.

So who IS the best team in Ohio?

Let's let the debate go on for a while.

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