The Ohio State Buckeyes must feel like Rodney Dangerfield, because they are once again getting "no respect."
The defense played great!
The offense was back!
The Buckeye machine was running on all cylinders in East Lansing Saturday afternoon, to the tune of 45-7.
Most of the media and fans outside of Ohio didn't expect Ohio State to win so convincingly.
Actually, most of them didn't expect Ohio State to win at all.
Many, if not most, of the so-called experts picked Michigan State to pull off the big upset win and end any talk of the Buckeyes making it to a BCS game, or God forbid a third-straight BCS title game.
Pat Forde wrote a story for ESPN.com about Pryor telling Coach Tressel to bench him if he didn't lead the team down the field on the first few drives.
Mostly through the article, Forde recapped how the game played out, and he even seemed to give the Buckeyes, and specifically Pryor, credit for a big win in blowout fashion on the road.
Then, after setting up the dominos, seemingly building up Pryor and the team for a great performance, in typical ESPN, Mark May and Pat Forde fashion, he wrote two little sentences right near the end of his story that knocked them all back down, and I quote:
"Buckeyes fans love wearing jerseys to games, and all of them should come with a chip on the shoulder given the state's wounded reaction to criticism of Ohio State's serial pratfalls in major national games.
First there was Florida, then LSU, then USC—but now, returned to the safe (and slow) harbor of the Big Ten, the Bucks are rolling once more." -- Pat Forde, ESPN.com
You can read the whole story here.
28 comments Last one added 8 months ago — Leave a Comment
Cheryl Short 8 months ago
I read somewhere that Pryor is being greatly affected by the comments made by ESPN, specifically Mark May in general. I hate to hear that he is letting May get to him. He has got to get used to it though. He will never like Ohio State. I've even heard that he has said that our NC win wasn't a big deal because Miami wasn't that good that year anyhow. Give me a break! Do they ever quit??
After Penn State's performance yesterday, what are your thoughts on next week?
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HD Handshoe -- BlockONation.com 8 months ago
Cheryl, actually Pryor is thriving off of ESPN's Mary May and other making comments.
He has been quoted as saying that he takes it as a personal challenge to prove everyone who doubts him or thinks he is overrated wrong.
He even ripped May for ragging on the Buckeyes but when USC lost to Oregon State, May still slurped them and talked them up and gave them a free pass. USC and the SEC schools all get a free pass...look at Florida #5? OLE MISS beat them but all id forgiven b/c they beat #3 LSU?
LSU deserved to be #3 about as much as I deserve to be starting for the Browns at QB later today....that might not be a bad thing for Cleveland LOL!
As for next week, if we both play our best on both sides of the ball it's going to be close and whoever protects the ball better and probably whoever has the ball last will win the game.
I'll go with the trend and pick the Buckeyes but anything could happen...
Thanks for reading and commenting!
HD
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Kristofer Green 8 months ago
Great job. I read the same article and was bewildered by those comments at the end. I just shrug it all off anymore. I'm used to it. Can't compliment the Buckeyes now without throwing a jab in there somewhere...
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HD Handshoe -- BlockONation.com 8 months ago
Exactly Kristofer!
It's like they just can't help but talk out of both sides of their mouth when they say something positive about the Buckeyes. They still have to sneak in a little one-liner to ground us.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
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Joe G 8 months ago
Good article. I've never understood the misconception that OSU can't win the big games. You have to win big games to get to BCS title games, right? You have to win big games every year when your final game of the season is against a normally good Michigan team, right? Tressel has a BCS title under his belt, ? Or was the game against Miami too long ago to count?
I feel like the disrespect OSU gets is not as bad as the disrespect MSU gets though. Every week, analysts are waiting for a collapse. Against Indiana, it was supposed to be a "classic letdown game for the Spartans", same against Northwestern. At least Ohio State gets to play their games before having judgement unfairly passed. Now that we've actually lost a game, I expect the media to say that this signals another end of season collapse, nevermind the fact that it came against a team that has long been the class of the Big Ten.
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HD Handshoe -- BlockONation.com 8 months ago
Joe,
Ohio State can and has won big games. Just not O.O.C. and not in the last 3 seasons.
What is amazing is how quick ESPN analysts are to condemn the Buckeyes for losing to #2 Florida in 2006, #2 LSU in 2007 and #1 USC in 2008 ALL AWAY FROM HOME but they forgive USC for losing to unranked Oregon State and Florida for losing to unranked Ole Miss AT HOME and simply overlook those losses as flukes because USC & Florida just can't be overrated.
That honor solely belongs to Ohio State in their eyes.
BTW, MSU is on the right track and Dantonio is a good coach!
Thanks for reading and posting!
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Michael Devivero 8 months ago
The problem isn't just that they lost, it's that they weren't competitive. 41-14, 38-24, 35-3. People who were watching those games that weren't fans of one of the teams probably turned the game off at some point. The LSU game was okay, but LSU dominated the middle half of the game. This isn't to say that Ohio State is the only team that has a bad game. Missouri was terrible against Texas yesterday. It's fair to say Missouri can't win the big game. Most arguments aren't going to focus on the NC win against Miami. The idea is that the Big Ten is behind some of the other conferences right now, not 6 seasons ago. All those players in that NC in 2003 aren't playing college football anymore.
That said, you are always going to hear Mark May tell you how great USC is, and Kirk Herbstreit will likely be telling you how great Florida is.
I'm a Florida Gator, so this isn't my objective, but if you want those guys to shut up, then you have to beat those teams.
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James Colt 8 months ago
As a Texas fan I can understand how feel when people doubt Ohio State. Go read Mark Schlabach's article about Texas after their Missouri win. Also, Pat Forde said before the season that Texas' streak of 10 win seasons would come to an end this year. Even when ESPN did their Americas vote for the Texas game this week people picked the road underdog at a 61% clip. ESPN for whatever reason always does this to Texas. They gave Texas no chance against USC, and even crowned USC the best team ever before they even played the game!!! Ohio State might be getting this year from ESPN, but Texas is always being hated on by ESPN.
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HD Handshoe -- BlockONation.com 8 months ago
James,
I picked Texas last week over OU and I picked them yesterday over Mizzou!
I'm not saying ESPN hasn't treated Texas as you say they have but I am saying, Ohio State is by far public enemy #1 by the fans and the media, all led by ESPN
Last week Georgia won their game by 12 against a 2-3 team...Ohio State won their game by 13 over a 2-3 team
On ESPN.com, the headlines read:
Georgia rolls to victory over whoever...blah blah blah
OSU holds on; Edges Purdue
See what I mean...we won by more but we survived while Georgia rolled.
Anyway, Texas has my respect and McCoy is just awesome!
Good luck the rest of the way!
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J.C. Hagan 8 months ago
How people can't see this is a different Buckeye team than the one that got blown out by LSU or USC is completely beyond me. How a national journalist can't see that is reprehensible.
The "safe (and slow) harbor" of the Big Ten has one of the top two teams in America in it (PSU) along with some other teams whose talent is greatly upgraded in terms of speed (Illinois, Minnesota, etc).
Anyone who thinks this is still a "slow" conference is the epitome of ignorance.
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HD Handshoe -- BlockONation.com 8 months ago
JC,
This team is far better than the team that got buried at USC and I firmly believe if Pyror had played from game 1 as the starter and Beanie Wells had been healthy, OSU could have and DEFINITELY might have beaten USC back then but ti's water under the bridge now.
I'm not sure the current team is better than the 2007 team that lost to LSU but they certainly have the potential to be.
The best thing OSU can do is win out and then either get a rematch vs USC in the Rose Bowl or if we lose to PSU, hope we still get an at large BCS Bowl or other semi-major Bowl game vs one of the top SEC teams like Michigan last year vs Florida in the Capital One Bowl.
Of course, we have to win too. I can't stand the thought of SEC fans all across the Internet busy photo-shopping & posting 0-10 vs the SEC in bowl games images, LOL!
I've had enough of that with 0-9!
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HD Handshoe -- BlockONation.com 8 months ago
Michael,
Would you disagree that the Big Ten is 3rd right now behind the SEC and Big 12?
It's a close race for the best conference. I thnk right now, I'd rank them as follows:
1.Big 12
2. SEC
3. Big 10
4. MWC
5. Pac-10
6. ACC
7. Big East.
I know the MWC is not a BCS conference but IMO, at least for right now, that conference is better than the three conferences I have below it on my top 7.
Do you agree with my ranking?
If not, please post your thoughts!
HD
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Doug Kraus 8 months ago
I only ranked the BCS conferences and the teams from other conferences that I think have a shot at a BCS game (so I don't have full indexes for the mid-majors to compare). My Kraus Performance Index (KPI) has the conferences indexed as follows:
SEC 25.92
Big 12 25.73
Big Ten 19.92
ACC 15.36
Big East 12.59
Pac 10 11.92
These are index scores I calculate for how well each team plays every week. I hate to diss the Pac-10, but honestly this is as week as they have ever been. The Mountain West is looking great and I'd probably rank them just above the ACC.
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HD Handshoe -- BlockONation.com 8 months ago
Interesting formula Doug!
Thanks for posting your rankings.
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Grant Hanrahan 8 months ago
You Buckeye fans never cease to amaze me. The "what have you done for me lately" mentality is what is wrong with OSU fans. One week I hear people calling for Tressell's head, the next he is a God. Trust me, I know first-hand; I live in Columbus. Poor Todd Boeckman never stood a chance.
"Nevermind the unfortunate fact the [sic] Todd Boeckman did." This is the same guy who took you to the National Title game last season. How quickly you fans throw him under the bus.
Then again, you are the ones who built up lofty expectations for Todd. Perhaps unrealistic expectations. As a starter last season, Boeckman's 11 wins came against teams with a combined record of 67-70. His 2 losses were results of teams with a combined 21-6 record. This season, he beat Youngstown State and Ohio, who, at this time, share a combined record of 4-11. His loss...Southern Cal, who is 5-1. I see a pattern.
When was the last time Ohio State got creative? When was the last time they ran a trick play, or something out of their comfort zone? Maybe if the sweatervest would open the offense up and not be so predictable (read: boring), Boeckman could succeed.
That isn't what Ohio State fans wanted, though. You WANTED Boeckman to fail, so Pryor could come in and play right away.
Ohio State doesn't get respect from the media, because they haven't earned it. Two straight National Championship game laughers and a solid beating at So' Cal has a tendency to lower the respect level. OSU continues to be exposed. The fans don't help, when they continue to run their mouths every season, talking about how good they are, how sweet the defense is and how they dominated everyone they played, even if it is Youngstown State, Kent State, Akron and Ohio University (who you were lucky to beat, by the way). Ohio State believes people will fear them because they dominate the Big Ten (who should really consider a name change, since they have 11 teams), which isn't saying much. The "3 yards and a cloud of dust" thinking of the Big Ten (11) will continue to lose out when defensive lineman are as fast as your offensive backs. The Big Ten (11) is not what it once was. Everyone seems to realize that, except for the teams who call this conference home.
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Anonymous 8 months ago
Perfectly said my friend. The last 2 NCGs were the worst games I have ever seen. ALL HAIL OSU!. Pshh. Bunch of bullsh!t if you ask me.
The Big Ten is a weak conference. OSU has to earn respect to get respect. If they would have played USC (which is an mediocre team in a horrible conference), closer they would have gotten a little more respect
Whenever they come against monster D's they are shutdown.
If I see them in another NCG I'm gonna kill myself.
RTR!
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Doug Kraus 8 months ago
Grant, I don't agree. Nobody wanted Boeckman to fail but we all wanted Pryor to live up to the expectations. Todd did a great job of filling in after Troy Smith left. He is a solid quarterback but he is not, nor will he ever be a great quarterback. The day of the pocket passer is gone (at least for now) and OSU could not waste another year going that route. Everyone I talk to feels horrible about the situation Todd is in, but I don't know anybody who is willing to start him just because "he earned it".
You are right about some of the more vocal Buckeye fans. I got an email from one last night right after the game running down the things OSU did wrong. Seriously? That was by far the best they've looked all year and to sit down and figure out how we can't beat Penn State sickens me. My God, enjoy the win and get excited about going into next week with renewed hopes of beating JoPa and Company.
Sure, the Buckeyes lost two straight NC games and throw in a round ball loss in the championship game to FL two years ago. I'm happy to hold up the peace sign and joke "We're number 2" because that is a far cry better than most college football fans have it. I savor each Saturday knowing there aren't enough of them and the season is always over too quickly.
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GatorHerb 8 months ago
Buckeye fans need to relax a bit. All of the talking heads and writers always try to drum up a little controversy in those articles... they are always going to throw in a "devil's advocate" type of statement after a big win. After my gators blew out LSU there were plenty of articles about how the Gators "still don't have that traditional big back for short yardage situations".
Hang in there - you have a lot to look forward to and I know the gator nation is pulling for you to win out over Penn State.
You can't complain about your reputation of losing the big one though.... be realistic. Every big stage opportunity in the past 3 years has resulted in a blow out. If the Gators lost those huge out of conference games by huge margins you and everyone else would be saying the same thing about us. Or USC, or Oklahoma, you see the point.
And about Penn State - when they beat someone really good, out of conference, the world will believe they are legit. Until then all Big Ten fans are going to have to deal.
This is exactly why we need, bare minimum, a plus one system.
go Gators.
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Doug Kraus 8 months ago
I hear you Herb. Let's enjoy what we've got because Gator and Buckeye fans have a whole lot to be proud of.
Go Bucks
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Tim Pollock 8 months ago
I, too, do not understand what is wrong with what Forde wrote.
Grant basically summed up everything I would say.
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jordan spring 8 months ago
the hype around the buckeyes always seems to level down to be that they are a fluke. this season has been an example. they had key players out when they lost to a overrated USC team. its only loss i might add. that same USC team then loses to a mediocre Oregon State team. that in itself has caused espn and its writers to try at all costs to dismantle the bucks but nothing has been said about USC's loss. although the bucks are not the only beg ten school to have recieved this treatment. ever since the success of the big ten network, espn and its writers have done and said everything in there power to make the big ten, a bcs conference, with several outstanding programs every year a laughing stock. this alone is proof that espn has lost money and is knieving enough to steal the thunder of the bucks and a tough big ten. i personally am a bucks fan and wont even tune into espn for college football news. the other issue is how does espn get a say in BCS bowl voting and bids. they shaft the big ten whenever possible and praise the SEC... could this be because "sec on espn" will be starting in the 09' season and continuing for 15 years. as a buckeye fan and big ten supporter i am alittle shocked at the comments and treatment of the big ten and my bucks by espn. and for what forde wrote.. he set up a beautiful story about a storied college team just to ruin it at the end in 2 sentences... hmmm not a SEC team.. so i wonder why that happened?
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Grant Hanrahan 8 months ago
What do you want from Pat Forde? Ohio State dominated one of the single most one-dimensional teams of the last decade. Javon Ringer has more rushing attempts alone (263) than Brian Hoyer and Kirk Cousins have pass attempts COMBINED (212)! Ringer has 162 fewer rushing yards than Hoyer has passing yards. Michigan State came into the game overrated. Anyone with any football sense knew being that one-dimensional would catch up to them.
"ever since the success of the big ten network, espn and its writers have done and said everything in there power to make the big ten, a bcs conference, with several outstanding programs every year a laughing stock."
You're kidding, right? The Big Ten Network didn't even launch until August 30, 2007. That is a little over a year ago. The only "success" of the network was its inability to strike a deal with Time Warner Cable until August 25th of this year. The Big Ten Network, to my knowledge, has not carried any "marquee" matchups. Those go to ABC and ESPN. Ohio State played Southern Cal on ABC, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company, who also happens to own ESPN. Next Saturday, Ohio State will play Penn State on...you guessed it...ABC. Oh wait, doesn't ESPN and ABC hate Ohio State/Big Ten?
Another question; why is it so bad to have "SEC on ESPN?" The Big Ten has its OWN NETWORK! Talk about double standards.
Again, people don't respect the Big Ten (11), because they aren't what they once were, but continue to shove their "history" down our throats. Ohio State gets creamed two years in a row in the National Championship game, then gets hammered by So' Cal'. Michigan loses to Appalachian State and Toldeo...in the Big House. Wisconsin drops 4 straight to conference foes. 6-1 Minnesota is out getting wins against Northern Illinois, Montana State, and Florida Atlantic.
Let it go.
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Gerald Ball 8 months ago
HD:
First of all, this is coming from an SEC fan who is a vigilant Ohio State defender. (I used to be a fan of specifically Georgia, but I cannot root for them while Mark Richt is their coach recruiting a bunch of guys with criminal tendencies that have little chance of graduating, so until he leaves for Miami or FSU or the NFL I just root for the conference.) Why? Because I believe most of what is being said about Ohio State is unfair.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/57900-quit-bashing-ohio-state-four-reasons-to-believe-in-jim-tressel-buckeyes
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/61743-why-dont-ohio-state-jim-tressel-bashers-trash-usc-and-pete-carroll
Did you see those two editorials? I wrote those.
Why is it that people cannot promote their own teams without bashing other teams? Look, for the millionth time, the SEC homerism is due to how the entire sports world, led by ESPN, trashed the SEC from 2003 - 2005 in order to justify giving USC an undisputed title as opposed to forcing them to share the title as should have happened. Only the BCS prevented LSU from getting shafted in 2003, and the media forced changes to the BCS allowed it to happen to Auburn in 2004. Anyone who saw the ugly comments against the SEC in 2003 - 2005, compete with cultural and class biases, and claims that ESPN and the media is in any way their cheerleader is absurd. The media cost Auburn their only shot at a title. A loaded Auburn team whose best players are doing far better in the NFL than Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, LenDale White, Winston Justice, and Darnell Bing. If anything, the media is going overboard with praising the SEC now in order to cover up for how unfair they were to the SEC from 2003 - 2005, ok?
Second, this is why your team is only ranked in the top 10, HD. Simply put: YOU GUYS HAVE NO SHOT AT THE TITLE UNTIL USC LOSES AGAIN. You can talk about who you lost to versus who they lost to until the cows come home or how Pryor and Wells didn't play (as if that is USC's fault), but you are not going to leapfrog a team that beat you by 32 points. Really, the Pryor thing in particular is a joke ... you guys had the 5th year senior QB that led you to the Big 10 title and national title game back last year while USC was playing a guy hobbling around on an injured kneecap in his first season as starter.
Second, you guys will not get to play in a rematch against USC. Even had the game been close - and it wasn't - the fact is that you guys had your shot. Allowing you guys a rematch will A) make the first game between you two meaningless and B) make the entire season meaningless for everyone else, who was just playing for second place. That was the same argument why Michigan didn't get a rematch against you guys in 2006 and it is still good now.
So why put a team in position for the national title if they have no chance in playing in the game? You guys can still go 12 - 1, win the Big 10 title and a BCS game like you always do, and virtually all the teams in college football would LOVE to do the same. But barring something spectacular happening (like every other team having at least two losses like last year) you will not make the title game. If USC loses again, then you guys will shoot up in the polls. But even there, you will have to deal with the fact that you got bombed by USC and had only one other top 10 team in your conference. A one loss team from the Big 12 will still get priority over you, and so would a 1 loss SEC team. Why the SEC? Because as bad as those teams look, THEY STILL HAVE TO PLAY EACH OTHER. As bad as Alabama, LSU, Georgia, and Florida look from week to week, the fact is that to get out of the SEC undefeated or with one loss, they have to play each other, and in some instances play each other twice. That's right, if Georgia beats Florida and LSU, they will have to play the winner of LSU - Alabama AGAIN in the SEC title game. If Florida beats Georgia and LSU beats Alabama, Florida will have to play LSU again. Even if Florida and Alabama have to play each other for the first time, it will still be a matchup between a 12 - 0 team and an 11 - 1 team after both teams will have played Georgia.) That is nothing like what USC has to face during the regular season this year (or any year) and it is nothing like what you guys have to face this year where only you and Penn State will finish in the top 10. Maybe had Wisconsin and Michigan been as good as they were in 2006 (and please recall that Penn State was pretty good that year too ... their only losses were to Wisconsin, Penn State, and Michigan teams that finished the regular season with 2 losses between them, and they beat a good SEC team in a bowl game) or Illinois as good as they were last year, you would have an argument. But as it is, the only 1 loss teams that you guys will leapfrog to get into the title game would be Georgia Tech/FSU from the ACC or Pitt/South Florida from the Big East (presuming that either of those teams finish with a single loss, which is extremely unlikely, and then now that I think about it even FSU would get in over you guys because it would have mean that they would have beaten Florida).
Does it stink? NO. Only two teams can play, and you will not have determined that you are better than a one loss team from the SEC or Big 12 solely by beating Penn State. After all, who has Penn State beaten this year ranked? The Penn State - Ohio State game will be a matchup between the only two teams in your conference that will finish with fewer than 4 losses, and neither of you has an impressive out of conference win. So like I said, unless things change, be very glad for your 12 - 1 record and your top 5 ranking which you do still have a shot to get.
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HD Handshoe -- BlockONation.com 8 months ago
Gerald,
It looks like you used this comment section to write another story. That's quite a bit to read to and respond to so I'll just reply to a few key aspects of what you said.
First of all, I NEVER said anywhere in my article that Ohio State should get a title shot. I also NEVER said that they should be ranked ahead of USC. That would be absurd for the reason you pointed out. USC beat OSU 35-3 straight up so unless USC loses again the Buckeyes shouldn't and won't jump ahead of them and rightfully so.
What I was implying about USC and Florida is that they each lost games to unranked opponents and shouldn't be ranked as high as they are.
USC is #5 and Florida is #6 in the AP poll and IMO, USC should be #8, OSU should be #9 & Florida should be #10. There's nothing justifying the Gators being ranked above Ohio State or USC being in the top 5 after both lose to unranked teams, PERIOD.
Don't even say they beat #3 LSU either. Everyone in America knows LSU was by far the most overrated team at #3. They shouldn't have even been in the top 15 heading into that game.
Lastly, do you know how BCS Bowls work, specifically the Rose Bowl?
The reason I ask is because you said nobody wants to see a USC/OSU rematch in the Rose Bowl and "they" won't let that happen.
I disagree. I think every OSU fans wants to see it and I'm sure other fan would want to see if the fans of Ohio State are full of crap b/c we all believe we could play with USC with Beanie and Terrelle. Nobody said it was USC's fault that Beanie was out or that Pryor wasn't ready yet, but what we are saying is we aren't that same team that was blown out and we have a chance to prove it if we win the Big 10.
Also, it's not like the BCS can just say we don't want to see USC/OSU again so we're inviting other teams or USC and Florida or whoever.
The Rose Bowl is tied in with the Big Ten and Pac-10 champs and unless USC or OSU play in the BCS title game, if they each win their conference, they will play again in Pasadena, like it or not!
HD
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Gerald Ball 8 months ago
HD:
"What I was implying about USC and Florida is that they each lost games to unranked opponents and shouldn't be ranked as high as they are."
OK .. so who should be ranked ahead of them? Undefeated Texas Tech and Oklahoma State? I agree. But please understand that pollsters know that Texas Tech and Oklahoma have to play Texas, Oklahoma, and each other. Trust me, whoever comes out of that mix with 1 loss or fewer will play for the title. The same is also true with UGA, Florida and LSU. Of those, only Florida is ranked appreciably higher than Ohio State, and with a 30 point victory over the defending national champs they had better be. (LSU is actually ranked LOWER.) But who else?
USC is so highly ranked because they beat you guys. Florida is so highly ranked because they beat LSU. Of course they are going to be ranked higher than 1 loss teams that haven't beaten anybody like you guys, LSU, and Georgia. You can't even have much of a gripe #4 Oklahoma, as they have blowout victories over TCU and Kansas teams that are #14 and #23 in the BCS.
"Don't even say they beat #3 LSU either. Everyone in America knows LSU was by far the most overrated team at #3. They shouldn't have even been in the top 15 heading into that game."
Now that is totally ridiculous. LSU is the defending national champs who was undefeated and you claim that they shouldn't have been in the top 15? Based on what? I have news for you ... LSU has done more this season than your team has. You guys didn't even pull away from mid majors Troy and 2 - 5 Ohio until late (and yes Terrell Pryor did play against Troy!), needed a late comeback to beat 3 - 4 Wisconsin, and didn't score an offensive TD against the same Purdue defense that Central Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, and Northwestern ran up and down the field on. You do realize that since throwin the 4 TDs against Troy, Pryor has thrown only 2 since? Even including Troy he is averaging like 120 yards passing in games that he has started. If Ohio State were running the veer like Nebraska and Colorado used to in the 80s and 90s that would be great (or actually rather only good, because Kordell Stewart, Tommie Frazier, and Turner Gill put up much better passing numbers than those) but you're not. And we already know from how the same USC that can't run the ball (Pryor has as many rushing TDs as all of USC's tailbacks combined) or even consistently protect Sanchez went up and down the field on you that your defense can hardly be called elite.
Hey, if the Rose Bowl wants a game that no one outside of Columbus will care about (because you know that if USC goes 11 - 1 without playing for the title they will claim to be victimized by the BCS, although if Texas and Alabama go undefeated that will silence them A LITTLE) then they should go for it. Otherwise, it really does look like a rubber match between OSU and LSU would be a better game, because they aren't looking any worse than you guys right now, and you guys look no better.
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Dan Boss 8 months ago
It's not a matter of if they want it. They have the obligation to choose the Pac-10 and Big 10 champions if they are not in the national championship or another BCS bowl. The Rose Bowl will probably not want the rematch but if that is how it works out then so be it.
I personally want the rematch so if OSU does win, then all of the people who say that Pryor and Wells wouldn't have impacted the game, will shut their mouths. You will never hear me say OSU would of won that game because there is no way to prove that. If you say OSU would still have lost that big with both of them players in the whole game and healthy then you know nothing about the affect of impact players in a game.
On a side note, how does an SEC fan end up in Columbus? I still don't get the conference thing. I could never say I don't have a favorite team in the Big Ten and that I'm a Big Ten fan in general. Then I'd have to say I am an AFC North fan in the NFL because I'm a Browns fan. I guess it means your team (entire conference) will win every week. Not every team can lose in the same week, so you celebrate either way, even if Mississippi State is the only team who won in the conference but beat Tulane or something. Georgia, Florida, and Alabama fans don't mind they lost, because someone in their conference won a game. The SEC won. Weird. I only wish Big Ten teams to win so that OSU's wins against them look better. You'll never hear a "Big Ten" chant in a national championship game.
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Trey Jones 8 months ago
Yep, the Big 10 has a bit of an image issue. The only thing that will help that is to win a few high profile non-conference games. No big surprise there...
I'm interested to see how future games/rankings will affect PSU. I think that big conference wins by Florida, Georgia, Texas Tech, or Oklahoma/OK State will allow for some leap-frogging over Papa Joe's boys. Is there a BCS glass ceiling for the Big 10? We'll find out in the next few weeks!
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Bobby Cash 8 months ago
That hit the nail on the head.
What I will never understand is the hit that we took after last year. Let's face it as a Buckeye fan I was content with a Rose Bowl appearance after losing at home to Illinois. It wasn't our fault that the chips fell the right way and everyone lost that we needed to lose to have a shot at playing in the NC game. That fell into our laps.
But I couldn't agree more with what you said about USC and the SEC. Both lose to unranked opponents yet both are still considered among the elite in college football. The Buckeyes lose to the #1 team in the nation and everyone feels that the pollsters' perception of the Buckeyes will keep them from getting back to the top. Which only helps the polls lose credibility in my mind. If thats how voters are going to vote based on perception then those polls hold no weight in my eyes. The public can see who is playing well and who is struggling and if that game against MSU didnt impress then I would like to know what game the public was watching because that was the first time all year the Buckeyes clicked and it was at the perfect time heading into Saturday nights "Showdown at the Shoe" or whatever ESPN will dub it to create more buzz.
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