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Ohio State Vs. the SEC: A Closer Look at 0-9

Correspondent Written on July 20, 2008

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The reason why? USC was ranked ahead of Florida and headed to play in Tempe against Ohio State until UCLA upset the Trojans. Even Michigan, who Ohio State defeated that season, was ranked ahead of Florida prior to USC's loss to UCLA, but the coaches and media voted Florida ahead of Michigan to give the Gators their title shot.

What is my point, you ask? The SEC superiority displayed by Florida over Ohio State in the 2007 BCS Championship Game would never have happened if not for some unlikely assistance from voters and a surprising USC choke job in their rivalry game.

3. Ohio State was not supposed to be playing for the title in 2007.

After losing so many key players (Troy Smith, Ted Ginn, Jr., Anthony Gonzalez, Antonio Pittman), Ohio State was picked to finish third in the Big Ten behind Michigan and Wisconsin.

By comparison, LSU was routinely picked to play for the BCS Championship Game last season—like Ohio State, they were truly fortunate that both West Virginia and Missouri lost their last game of the regular season, allowing them to move up to play for the title.

4. How "neutral" are these bowl sites for Ohio State?

Even more fortunate for LSU—how about playing for the BCS Championship Game in your home state? How about the last time an SEC team even played north of the Mason-Dixon line was in 1991?

I will give credit to Tennessee for scheduling a home and home with Ohio State for 2018 and 2019, but even then, those games are in September. Let's see how dominant a SEC team is in late November in Ohio Stadium, when it is raining or snowing.

I will concede that right now, from top to bottom, the SEC is the toughest conference in college football. That being said, some of the arguments I have made regarding Ohio State when compared to the SEC should also be considered when people start arguing about keeping Ohio State out of the BCS Championship Game.

Rest assured, if Ohio State loses to USC on September 13, SEC fans will have nothing to worry about as it relates to another BCS Championship Game appearance by Ohio State.

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written on July 20, 2008 Opinion