Once a Michigan quarterback?

The last time the Buckeyes faced Ryan Mallett, he was stepping in for an injured Chad Henne only to get pummeled by Ohio State in Lloyd Carr’s final defeat to the Buckeyes. Three years later, Mallett has developed into one of the top pocket passers in the country leading Arkansas to a top spot in the SEC.

Although I’d like to give Mallett credit for bailing out of a sinking ship, unless your name is Boren, once a Michigan player always a Michigan player. Remember, at some point in his life, Mallett decided that playing for Loyd Carr would be a good move. Mallett told the Detroit Freepress (Freep.com) that he still had a little Michigan in him. As for Ohio State?

“I don’t know if it’s something you can say on air or in the paper,” Mallett said.

All that aside, who would have ever thought that in a Big Ten/SEC matchup, the Big Ten would bring the mobile quarterback and the SEC the pocket passer?

Containing Mallett
Not to state the obvious but the key to winning this game is going to be limiting the Ryan Mallett passing game. Mallett has been putting up 300+ yards per game and has thrown 30 touchdowns this season. At the same time, Mallett hasn’t faced a defense like Ohio State’s. The Buckeye passing defense is ranked 4th in the country holding opponents to only 153 yards passing per game. At the same time, the Buckeyes haven’t faced a passing quarterback like Mallett this season.

That doesn’t mean the Buckeye secondary hasn’t seen a quarterback like this before. Chimi Chekwa, Ross Homan, Devon Torrence and a number of others all got playing time against Colt McCoy in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl. Yeah, McCoy put up some big yards that game and yeah, Texas won but remember, McCoy threw more than 50 times and the Buckeyes held Texas only 21 points.

A more important stat may be turnovers. Mallett has thrown 11 interceptions this year while the Buckeyes have picked off 18. The Buckeyes also lead the nation with 7 defensive touchdowns. One turnover could make the difference in this year’s game.

Force Mallett out of the Pocket
The Buckeyes need to make Mallet scramble and throw under pressure. Under a collapsing pocket, Mallet tends to do the same–collapse. If the Buckeyes can get to him early and shake his confidence, it could be a long day for the Razorbacks.

That leaves Kniles Davis
Davis has racked up more than 1,100 yards rushing this season. After Davis though, the rushing yards drop off quick. If the Buckeyes can take Davis out of the game and still pressure Mallet (which I think they can), then again, long day for the Razorbacks.

Point Spread at 3.5
Not a lot of confidence in the Buckeyes as they open as 3.5 point favorites. This is probably due to the Buckeyes past bowl performances against the SEC than anything else. As usual, I think it’s low and although I’m not positive, I think the Buckeyes have beaten the spread in all but two games this season. Something tells me this game won’t come down to a field goal.

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I could give a crap about Cam Newton but how dare they let Desmond Howard broadcast from in front of Ohio Stadium.

Although I should be writing about Penn State, yesterday I got an email from a p.r. guy with Bodog.com who told me that they are pulling down Heisman odds and not taking any more bets due to the Cam Newton situation. According to Bodog sportsbook manager Richard Gardner,

“We were planning on re-opening our Heisman odds with only a few weeks left in the season but with these Cam Newton allegations and the story escalating it would not be a wise move to open them at this time. Newton would be heavy favorite at 4/5 (-125), but whether these rumors are true or not it will sit in the back of people’s minds when voting on the Heisman winner. Until we evaluate this further they will stay down.”

I sent a couple of emails back and forth with the p.r. guy asking if there was any more information and if the poor sods who’d already placed bets could pull them (which they can’t). At the time, it just seemed like another link in a story spinning wildly out of control. It turns out however that an Auburn blogger (WarBlogle or “asshat” as somebody called him) sent out the following “tweet” Wednesday:

Apparently one of Warbungle’s…I mean WarBlogle’s buddies from the Auburn forums sent him an IM saying that Ian Fitzimmons, an ESPN radio sports personality in Dallas, was reporting that the NCAA would suspend Newton. What Fitzimmons had actually said was, “”With this story, something big could happen in 3-4 hours,” apparently meaning that the story is breaking so fast that it could drastically change any minute. WarBungle panics as he envisions his dreams of an Auburn national championship flush down the sewer, does a quick verification of the facts in front of him — or at least justifies it in his head, and sends out the tweet. It gets retweeted by a couple of followers, then a couple of bigger outlets (CBS Sports, EDSBDS) and then, according to Warbungle (and I didn’t verify this one) Fitzimmons himself although Warbungle credits this to an intern.

Next thing you know, the sports books in Vegas light up, the bookies panic and the entire operation is shut down.

Cecil Newton's church before the remodel

And that right there folks is why you’ll rarely see breaking news on The Buckeye Blog. Although I hit it occasionally, I tend to rely more on my insightful prose and witty insight (yeah…that’s it).

You’ve got to love the impact this has had on the blogger. Here’s a guy sitting in his parent’s basement…wait a minute…let me try that again…here’s a guy who from all I can tell was blogging away in relative anonymity that has suddenly become the talk of the national sports media. (Alexia reports that his reach has jumped 2600% in the past three months). He also sent ESPN into a panicked orgy of fact checking and exposed once again the joys of the 24 hour news cycle.

If you are interested, you can read Warbungle’s entire manifesto on the situation here. My advice to him, get some ads up there.

Screw all that. How does this affect the Buckeyes
Even the FBI has opened an investigation into possible extortion charges and even mail or wire fraud. I have no idea how Newton’s father asking for money to play can be considered extortion but who really cares. It’s fun to watch the impact this is having on the entire SEC. Auburn is mad at Florida, Florida is saying they didn’t tell anyone, Mississippi State is loudly pointing to the fact that he doesn’t play there, Georgia is praying Newton won’t play this weekend. It’s enough to make any Big Ten give a shit about the SEC.

At this point, it looks like Newton will play this weekend. It doesn’t matter. This entire fiasco has got to be seriously screwing with anyone remotely connected to Auburn. At the same time, Auburn has a long history of NCAA violations and for Auburn, this could amount to just another day at the office.

Just to refresh your memory, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Mark Bradly, Auburn was left out of a 1957 bowl appearance after finishing an undefeated season at No. 1 due to probation. In 1993, they went undefeated but couldn’t play in a bowl or appear on T.V. because they were on probation. In 2003 the university president was caught taking trips on a private jet owned by a booster to try to convince Bobby Petrino to come to Louisville even though they officially weren’t looking for a coach. If the Newton alegations pan out, it will be the sixth time Auburn has faced the wrath of the NCAA. (all above stats I directly attribute to my paraphrasing of Bradly’s column).

But lets say that at the very least, the distractions are enough to cause Auburn to go down to Georgia. That would probably drop them no further than fourth because they are the SEC and all. That would make the Alabama/Auburn game even bigger. If Bama beats Auburn, that would have to knock Auburn out of the top 10 putting TCU or Boise in the driver’s seat for the second spot in the BCS Champs. I can’t believe that a win over a struggling Auburn would be enough to jump Alabama too far in the poll. If Oregon loses, TCU vs Boise baby (dear Lord help us). An Oregon loss should send them to the Rose Bowl which could possibly mean a rematch from last year.

That leaves Nebraska who has absolutely no business sitting in 8th and should drop behind the Buckeyes if we win big the next three weekends. Wisconsin and Stanford are all that’s left so the Buckeyes could tentatively finish as high as sixth. Big wins could jump them over Wisconsin and maybe even Stanford.

To be honest, at this point I’ve sort of lost myself, I’ve been working on this too long to edit it and nobody really cares about LSU do they? Somehow in there, it’s possible that the Bucks could make it back to the BCS Champ but personally, I’d be just as happy with an Auburn or Alabama bowl game.

Plenty to talk about folks, let’s hear it.

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.

On some level, in context with the post below, this video clip works.

With only three games left in the season, the Ohio State bowl game is still anybody’s guess.  At this point, post season play could range from a improbable BCS Championship game to a non-BCS bowl. Before you make your travel plans, here’s a couple of things to consider.

Go Spartans
If you want to spend the New Year’s in Pasadena, better root for Michigan State. If they lose any of their games, the three-way tie for Big Ten Champs will be gone. That means Wisconsin will go to the Rose Bowl unless of course they lose also.

Alabama or Auburn anyone?
Sugar Bowl, Capital One Bowl, who really cares? It’s quite possible folks that Ohio State could face Alabama or Auburn in post season play. The Sugar Bowl gets first pick of the at large teams this year and pits them against the SEC champion. If Auburn wins out, chances are Alabama goes. If Auburn slips somewhere along the line, they’ll get lose their shot at the BCS Chamionship to TCU placing Auburn in the Sugar Bowl.

Remember folks, money talks with Bowl Selection. You can’t tell me that the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce isn’t drooling over the prospect of a Ohio State/Alabama or Auburn game. Sorry Boise, you’re just too new to the scene.

If the Buckeyes get pushed out of an at large BCS spot, there’s always the Capital One Bowl which takes the No. 2 team in the SEC and the Big Ten. I’d rather see an Ohio State/Bama/Burn game anywhere then an Ohio State/Virgina Tech Orange Bowl (who’s got the second at large pick).

May be better than the Rose Bowl
If the Rose Bowl loses Oregon to the BCS championship, they are required this year to pick up the top-ranked non-AQ school. This means the Big Ten champ could be facing either TCU or Boise State. Face it folks, it might be better to lose to Alabama or Auburn than to find ourselves in a no-win situation against Boise or TCU. It’s the curse of the Buckeyes folks. If we kick the snot out of Boise or TCU, it’s not because we’re good, it’s because they were overrated. If we lose to them, it’s not because TCU or Boise was that good, it’s because the Buckeyes suck.

On the other hand, we win against Auburn or Albama and we’ll get some much needed street cred. O.K., I know. It’s the SEC. They’ll still get ranked higher than us even if we do beat them.

Oh yeah…I forgot LSU. They lose to Louisiana-Monroe this weekend. Of course if they don’t, we’ll be forced to see repeated highlights just like we did when Auburn beat Chattanooga. Seriously folks, was that game really highlight worthy?

Don’t forget to enter this week’s contest. Pick the score of the Ohio State vs. Penn State game and you could win some cool prizes. Click here to enter.

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Pick the score and win one of these prizes. Details at the end of the post.

Let me just start out by saying thank goodness JoPa hit the 400 mark. The last thing I wanted to do was spend a week discussing the implications of Jo Paterno playing for his 400th win at Ohio Stadium. Fortunately, we got that out of the way last week. Of course, Uncle Joe couldn’t let it go at 400. He had to leave the field with a “Now let’s go beat Ohio State” which I’m sure will result in a new t-shirt slogan (on white t-shirts of course) and some kid paying for another semester’s tuition.

Vegas Likes the Bucks
Although the BCS doesn’t like Ohio State, someone must. The Buckeyes opened this week as 18 point favorites. Sort of surprising considering the way Penn State has been coming on the past few weeks. Remember though that the big comeback last week was against Northwestern. Unlike Northwestern, Ohio State has a defense. Give the Buckeyes get a 21 point lead and they’ll hold it to cover the spread.

As they do every year, Penn State is showing a little confidence coming into this game. The addition of Matt McGloin at quarterback has given Penn State something of a spark. In two games he’s thrown 475 yards, five touchdowns and hasn’t tossed an interception yet. Of course, beating up on Minnesota and Northwestern will only take you so far. He has yet to meet a defense like Ohio State — especially a well rested Ohio State defense. Or even worse, a well rested Buckeye defense lead by Ross Homan who should be back at full strength by Saturday.

Personally, I think the Buckeyes are going to dissect Penn State Saturday. Ohio State is playing with one of the most balanced teams we’ve had in years. Dane Sanzenbacher is on pace to catch more touchdowns this season than Chris Carter, Joey Galloway, and Santonio Holmes did in their best seasons. Boom Herron had become the go-to man when yards are needed on the ground and I have faith that the offensive line will continue to gel. Pryor even said he was going to spend the off week learning not to pass the ball to his receiver’s shoelaces. Penn State meanwhile is riding on confidence formed at the bottom of the Big Ten.

With the human polls placing the Buckeyes at No. 7, there’s still a chance for the BCS to catch up. Ohio State is going to receive a lot of attention in these last three games. A big win Saturday will not only provide a nice confidence boost before heading to Iowa, it won’t hurt any in the eyes of the voters.

Mr. 1 meet Mr. 2
Although the difference in total wins will be big, the top two winning coaches in college football will face each other Saturday in Ohio Stadium.

Predict and Win
We’ve got prizes again this week. Predict the score of the Ohio State vs. Penn State game and you could win one of the lovely prizes pictured above courtesy of our friends at Gametimegeeks.com. If nobody get’s it exactly, I’ll give it to who ever picks the winner and is closest to the total score. Leave your guess in the comment below.

Update: The Winner…
I can’t tell you how much it pains me to do this but yes, tEggman won it again this week. He was only one point from getting the score exactly.

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.

With a bye next week, the Buckeyes should be assured at least a two position climb in the BCS rankings. At least that what happens in the SEC. To review, Ohio State beat Minnesota 52-10 and remained at No. 11 in the BCS. LSU did not play this weekend and jumped from the No. 12 to the No. 10 spot in the BCS.

Let me say that again just in case you missed it.

LSU DIDN’T PLAY THIS WEEK AND JUMPED OVER THE BUCKEYES WHO WON BY 42 POINTS!!

I’ve got nothing here folks. I don’t know what more we could do. Yes, Pryor threw a bad interception, the Buckeyes had trouble covering the middle early on and special teams still need work on kick return coverage. But we still won by 42 points. LSU, who barely got past a seriously bad Tennessee, didn’t play. They did absolutely nothing to justify their jump in the rankings this week. I have always complained about built in SEC bias in the BCS but this is absurd.

But why so mad NaptownB?
Normally, the difference between the No. 10 spot in the BCS and the No. 11 spot in the BCS doesn’t mean all that much. This year however, it might. With Michigan State falling hard to Iowa, that leaves a three-way tie in the BCS between MSU, Ohio State and Wisconsin. If the season ends tied between the three of us, the BCS rankings determine who goes to the BCS championship.

Granted, if LSU loses to Alabama next week, they will drop back behind OSU. However, this is the BCS and the BCS may have trouble dropping an SEC team out of the top 10 should Alabama lose.

Seriously though, of the 1-loss teams ranked in front of us, Ohio State is the only one to have played 8 games. At this point, I’m afraid that the Buckeyes could beat Iowa as badly as Iowa beat Michigan State and still not move up the rankings.

Bragging Rights
One-time Buckeye Blog contributor at large tEggman correctly guessed a score of 52-10 in last week’s Pick and Win Contest. Now we all get to pay the price of his gloating. If you’ve never read his late night ramblings, be sure to check his version of Ohio State commentary.

Bragging Rights Pt. II
Just for the record, I also got the exact score over at tColumbus Dispatch’s contest. Unlike the great prizes I give away here at tBuckeye blog, all I get is an entry to win something at the end of the season. Take a look at that prize package and tell me Ken Gordon wasn’t forced to clean out his desk.

Bragging Rights Pt. III
For a number of years now, The Daily Gopher has run a Big Ten Pick’em . Mainly due to the fact that many of my picks are based purely on pride and irrational bias, I’ve pretty much held a tight grip on the bottom spots over the years. For example, since picking Michigan in the Ap State/UM game, I’ve made it a personal vow to never let something like that happen again. Sure, it’s cost me over the years but with Michigan, it’s usually a safe bet.

Anyway, take a look at this weeks results. Get a picture of it while you can folks.

Open thread below
Post ‘em folks. Oregon made the jump. Every poll but BCS has Buckeyes at No. 8. Tressel seemed ticked after the game. Pryor’s still getting mentioned in the Heisman race. Anything else I missed?

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Ohio State dropped to No. 11 in the BCS Rankings even though they put up 49 unanswered points against Purdue this Saturday. At first glance, it makes you wonder if the Buckeyes should have put Pryor back in to score a few more touchdowns but realistically, it doesn’t matter how many points they put on the board. Buckeyes got screwed. This is a temporary situation right? At least a couple of the undefeated have yet to fall. Question is, how forgiving will the be BCS be when they do.

But before I get into the rankings, let’s look at the Buckeyes day of redemption.

Ohio State/Purdue
As I stated earlier, this game was about Buckeye redemption and for all intensive purposes, they were redeemed. It was good to see the shutout and good to see the Buckeyes score at will. However, I’m not sure it means so much against an one-dimensional team like Purdue.

Buckeyes held Purdue to only 30 yards rushing and a total 118 yards offense ending a five game streak in which Purdue rushed for 200 yards. The Boilermakers never managed to get closer than the 39 yard line. The offensive line also managed to control Ryan Kerrigan who leads the Big 10 in Sacks.

It was interesting to see the statement made on the opening drive. Five plays to Herron who pounded it right down the field and into the end zone. It would be nice to see that sort of rushing against ranked team. The offensive also line did their part getting the jump on Purdue throughout most of the game.

Not sure what to make of Pryor’s two interceptions. Against Purdue, it didn’t really mean that much. Against a better team, it could cost us the game. Can’t really complain about a 49 point win though. As I already mentioned, I don’t know how much it tells us about the Buckeyes at the moment.

Next weekend should amount to another blowout against Minnesota and then a much needed rest.

Come On Iowa!
The one thing we needed and needed bad was for Iowa to beat up on both Wisconsin and Michigan State. Unfortunately, Iowa didn’t get the memo. If both Michigan State and Wisconsin (and us of course) run the table from here on out, I may be wrong but that would put Michigan State on top of the Big 10, Wisconsin No. 2 and Ohio State at No. 3. I don’t think the situation changes if Michigan State loses to Iowa because of MSU’s win over Wisconsin.

For the Buckeyes to get to the Rose Bowl (least bit the national championship), Michigan State needs to lose to both Iowa and either Minnesota, Purdue or Penn State. Maybe a loss to Iowa will leave them so devastated that they choke under the win or go home pressure needed to get to Pasadena.

Wisconsin still has Northwestern and Michigan. I’m not putting any faith in Michigan as even the bye week was scoring against the Michigan D. Northwestern almost came to our rescue in a close game against Michigan State. It was so frustrating to see them give away a game-long lead in the final minutes. Maybe they can find a way to finish off Wisconsin. That would at least move us into second in the Big Ten.

Oklahoma to 9th?
As for Oklahoma, I wrote last week that Missouri would be their Wisconsin but I never thought it would start on the opening play. Oklahoma has a fairly easy route from here on out. Hopefully, Oklahoma State will take them out of the picture.

What is really frustrating is that Oklahoma lost and still remains ahead of Ohio State. I can understand Wisconsin jumping over the Buckeyes, they beat us, but to drop after shutting out Purdue. No, I’m not in favor of style points or running the score for a little BCS love but really, is there anything out there that shows us Oklahoma belongs ahead of the Buckeyes? Maybe it was that close win over Air Force or the way they squeaked out a two-point win against Cincinnati. At least the human polls got it right.

Auburn No. 1? Really?
The BCS sure loves the SEC. Like the Buckeyes, Oregon ran the score at will against UCLA. And yeah, beating Texas doesn’t mean as much as it did a couple of weeks agao but does anyone believe that LSU doesn’t have a few more solid losses yet to come? Auburn get’s past Alabama and I’ll consider them for the top spot.

The human polls all have Auburn at No. 3 which is much closer to where they belong. The good thing for Oregon is that the No. 2 position doesn’t hurt them a bit. If they run the table, there’s no way they’re going to get jumped by Boise or TCU no matter how good they are. With the way the No. 1 teams have fallen and with USC waiting for them next week, it might not be a bad time to hang around in the No. 2 spot.

Michigan in top 25?!
I’m sorry…give me a minute to compose myself. Yes, I just wrote that. The USA Today Poll has Michigan ranked No. 25. Here’s what it comes down to folks. The ranking by the coaches poll, the Denard Robinson Heisman talk all comes down to one thing — desperation. The college football media, coaches, etc. still can’t fathom that the Michigan football program has really gotten this bad. Any sign of life coming out of Anne Arbor and suddenly it’s the second coming.

Robinson runs like crazy against UConn–Michigan’s back. Back up quarterbacks put up 700 yards offense against Bowling Green–Michigan’s back! Michigan beat’s Indiana in the last second, even though they allowed 480 yards passing–Michigan’s back. It’s the Notre Dame syndrome folks and it will be around for a while.

Penn State will knock them out of the top 25 next week in a much needed PSU butt kicking.

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Yesterday, I wrote a post in which I analyzed the BCS standings through the eyes of the distraught Buckeye fan I am. For some reason, the final draft of my post got lost and an unfinished draft was published. If I had actually published the final draft of my post, you would have read my thoughts on how Oregon still needed to prove themselves to the nation. You would have read how the Thursday night game came at just the right time as the entire country would be tuning in to see just what this Oregon team was all about. Finally, you would have seen me say that as much as I hate it, style points would carry them a long way in securing their position in the BCS.

Now that Oregon has made a mockery of UCLA, my analysis of the top two teams, which was left out of yesterday’s post, follows below (updated to reflect last night’s Oregon/ UCLA game):

2- Oregon
Oregon did exactly what they needed to do last night. They ran the score against a UCLA team that beat Texas. Playing on a Thursday night gave them the exposure they needed. While it might not have been enough to convince the BCS that they should be ranked over Oklahoma, if this doesn’t securely put them ahead of Boise State, nothing will. No question this was a tough environment. UCLA needed to take the crowd out of the game early and when they failed to do so, things got out of control. Oregon doesn’t need to worry about getting skipped over a second time.

1 – Oklahoma
Although just last week Oklahoma was ranked No. 6 in both the AP and USA Coaches poll, they opened the BCS in the No. 1 spot. Saturday, they head to Missouri, one of the crazier stadiums in the Big 12, for a night game. Sound familiar anyone? The Sooners have struggled on the road lately barely getting past Cincinnati. They also demonstrated their vulnerabilities in a close call with Air Force. Oklahoma has assumed the bull’s eye and Missouri is poised to knock them off. If they make it out of Missou, and I don’t think they will, Nebraska is waiting just around the corner and will knock them out of the top spot.

Road Back for the Buckeyes
So, if Auburn and Alabama beat up on LSU…
and Alabama beats Auburn bad only to lose in the SEC championship to Florida or even South Carolina…
and Iowa beats Wisconsin…
and Michigan State the week after…
and Utah gives TCU a good old fashion smackdown…
only to choke against Notre Dame the next weekend…
and Boise fails to win the rest of their games by more than 35 points per game…
and The Buckeyes run the score at will against Iowa…

then…

The Buckeyes are back in the BCS National Championship game for a 2009 Rose Bowl rematch!

(You heard it here first folks)

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.

No, the polls aren’t out yet but when they are, the Ohio State will take their place as the No. 1 ranked team in the country. Now that South Carolina has thankfully put an end to the Alabama run, the Buckeyes have a clear shot at the  BCS championship.  They control their destiny and trip to Glendale is there’s to lose.

Of course at this very moment, Oregon fans around the country are making the case that in some bizarro world, they should actually be ranked No.1 but I’m sorry Ducks fans. Welcome to the BCS. While it may not be perfect, it doesn’t work that way. Be glad that you jumped over Boise and leave it at that. Run the table and you should get your chance. (I say “should” of course because with the SEC, a three loss team still gets a shot). Don’t worry Oregon, Boise will drop out of the picture when they lose to the Rockets next week.

And to make a good day better

Denard Robonsin and the Meetchicken did exactly what we all expected them to do today. While the Buckeyes were busy running the score at will against a team they barely beat last weekend, Mich1AAgan and Robinson completely fell apart against the first actual defense they’ve seen all season.  With three interceptions and a mere 84 yards rushing, the wheels fell off the Heisman bus. And face it folks, it’s only going to get worse from here. If I get a chance later in the week, I’ll sort through the stack last week’s stories discussing the genius of both Rodriguez and his savior Denard Robinson.

In all…a good day. The only thing that could have made it better would have been a big win by Pittsburgh.

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.

One of the biggest problems with the current BCS system is that when you play in the toughest conference in the country, it is nearly impossible to make it out of conference play unscathed. First a fifth ranked Penn State drops to Iowa powerhouse. Now the 8th ranked Buckeyes go down to Purdue who were only a play or two from turning a 1-5 record into a 6-0 record.

Unlike the SEC, the Big Ten fronts at least seven teams with the ability to do serious damage year after year. Along with the rivalry games which can go either way, Ohio State, Penn State, Iowa, Wisconsin provide bruising, physical play that would leave a PAC 10 team wilted. Not to mention an up and coming Michigan who is in the process of mixing up the traditional Big Ten style. Not only does a Big Ten team need imposing physical strength, they need the ability to diversify against whatever the Big Ten may bring.

In other conferences, there are enough soft games that teams can heal and regroup after meeting the occasional tough in conference opponent. In the Big Ten however, unless you schedule mid-season out of conference games like Delaware State, chances are, you don’t get a break.

At some point, the BCS must recognize the strength of the Big Ten schedule and recognize that a one or even two loss Big Ten team still belongs in the BCS Championship.

If you make it through the top half of the conference, then you’ve got to face an up and coming Michigan State, an inconsistent but dangerous Illinois. Minnesota and Northwestern can both prove tough when they find their legs.

While other BCS schools gun for the Commander-in-Chief Trophy or fail in their attempts to run the scoreboard against Tennessee, Big Ten schools are forced to scrape through a dangerous Big Ten schedule year after year.

The BCS needs to recognize the dominance of the Big 10 and recognize that even a two loss Big Ten team could be worthy of shot at the BCS title.

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I'll leave the caption to you

After another long Saturday of college football I went to bed comfortable in the knowledge that Ohio State would move to number 8 and that the rankings had finally begun to clean up from the preseason mess.

But it was not to be. I check in today to see that Ohio State is still ranked #9 in the AP? How can this be I say to myself. Oklahoma lost a close one to Miami but surely, they must have dropped behind the Bucks. Yeah, it was a close game but there is no way they would hold their spot.

To my dismay, it wasn’t Oklahoma sitting in front of the Ohio State. Cincinnati had somehow jumped past the Buckeyes to assume the number 8 spot.

Somehow, in the world of the AP voters, beating the snott out of an 0-5 Mac team tells us more then beating the snott out of a 3-2 Big 10 team. A team which of course got screwed against Michigan who in turn beat media darlings Notre Dame. If you go deeper into Cinci’s record, so far this year they’ve proven themselves against Rutgers, ran the scoreboard against Southeast Missouri State, and played much closer games against a 1-4 Fresno State and a 2-3 Oregon State.

Sure, the Buckeyes lost a very close game to USC but they beat a Mac team also? Doesn’t that count for anything?

For now, I’ll just say it’s a great thing for Cinci football. It’s always good to see another Ahia team doing well.

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.