The Buckeye Blog

In a column titled “Blog…Enough With The Buckeyes!!!”, College Football News columnist Barette Sallee offers a preview of what we are up against this year.

And while I don’t really want to give him the honor of my comments, it pretty much outlines what I expect to hear echoed the entire season. No matter how well we do this season, no matter how badly we beat USC, the Buckeyes will need to overcome this sort of sentiment from the BCS voters.

Naturally, while Barrette points out that we travel to USC for what he terms an “early season beatdown” against USC, we only did it six years after the SEC began adding them to the schedule. He fails to forget however, that while his beloved SEC was playing USC, we were taking on a #1 or #2 ranked Texas.

He is right on one account — we’ve blown our last two shots at the BCS and having done so, no matter how bad we rampage through the season, we will have trouble convincing the rest of the world that we belong in the big game.

More than anything, I’m as frustrated by the schedule as anyone. I think the USC series is great. I only wish our other off-season games were as interesting. And yes, I understand the need for in-state charity games, but somebody please tell me how Troy University got on the schedule. (You have to give Troy credit though, they play LSU two weeks before they come to Columbus.)

Until the BCS initiates a playoff series (don’t hold your breath), the off season schedule is the one thing that we will have to go by. Unfortunately, in BCS terms, it doesn’t look much better down the road. In 2009, we’ve got the home game with USC, an opener against Navy and New Mexico State. While the Navy game is interesting, Navy’s got Notre Dame for their old school football fix. After the USC series, we open a two game series with Miami FL. Other games include Marshall and Eastern Michigan. I’m sure that when they scheduled Miami, they were a good team.

A couple of things have to happen for Ohio State to get the respect it deserves. This year, the Buckeyes need to walk through the season unquestioned. They need to put a serious hurt on USC but even that might not be enough. The Big Ten needs another ranked team and I don’t see one on the horizon (Illinois?). Even if the Buckeyes go undefeated and all other BCS contenders come out two-loss teams, it will only be used against us in the way the SEC claims that losing games proves they have a better conference.

Down the road, the Big Ten needs to get better. It used to be that winning a Big Ten championship was enough to put you in the hunt. Unfortunately, the Big Ten has let us down lately. Teams that could be counted on for a good game - Iowa, Wisconsin, Penn State, even Michigan - haven’t held up their end of the bargain. Until they do, it’s only going to get worse.

A couple of days ago, I posted the press release I received from ESPN about the big “pep rally” that was held yesterday…on a Thursday…at 10:30 in the morning…when most of the world is at work…and the students are out for summer break. And to be honest, I didn’t really read the press release too close.

Although I wasn’t the first to point it out however, the p.r. dept. at ESPN referred to two-time Heisman winner and president of the Ohio State Alumni Club Archie Griffin as “Archie Griffith.” I’m assuming that this is Andy’s illegitimate son and long lost half brother to Opie.

Those of you who read this know that I’m pretty good at making mistakes of this type myself. That has something to do with the first-draft nature of this blog (write, publish, edit in the morning). It may also have something to do with the fact that way too many of the posts you read here (this one included) are written well after I should be in bed. However, in my day job, I’m in public relations and business writing. Not really the type of mistake I would want to make in my other life.

(Oh, and by the way ESPN, if you’re looking for a good p.r. guy, I can be reached at…)

You can see the original post and press release here.

A post on the Bleacher Report recently ranked the 10 most hated college football teams in the past 25 years. Most of the teams are teams that were disliked because they were good. Personally, I can respect a good team. I usually have much better reasons for my “dislike.”

While the Buckeyes didn’t make it to number one, the writer felt the need to illustrate the post with a little scarlet and gray.

Personally, I’ve got no problem with our number three ranking. When you’re good enough to make it to the BCS Championship three times in five years and you’re in line to do it again, yeah, people are going to get jealous.

It’s also important to note that unlike many teams out there, Ohio State fans understand tradition and rivalry as opposed to some brief moment of shining glory in the national spotlight that will fade away not to return for another 20 years or so. Ohio State will always be a force, even during an off year.

Unlike those who envy however, if you’ve read this blog, you’ve probably noticed my certain…shall we call it distaste…for a handful of college football programs.

Since the Bleacher report did not properly stir my angst, I’d thought I’d present my most ha–I mean “disliked” college programs of the past 25 years. My date ranges may be a little off as I’m going on bitter, painful memories here - not researched fact.

9: Florida State Seminoles - Most of the Bobbie Bowden years but especially the late 80s.

Although Florida State is pretty much harmless these days, it couldn’t come to a better team or coach. However, during their “better” days, it always seemed as though they were running the score against a pansie for the sake of national ranking. Of course, I pretty much felt this way about all the Florida teams back then.

8: Nebraska - Late 80s/early 90s

Not a lot to say here. They were just annoying. This was also during the height of a very frustrating John Copper period so…well don’t make me go there.*

7: The entire SEC for about the past five years

First off, the SEC doesn’t deserve the honor of my ilk. And while the Buckeyes may be the thorn in the side of every SEC fan, they are a flash in the pan. Sooner or later the fallacy of “SEC speed” will be exposed for what it is, the ESPN commentators will be forced to move on and that will be about all we will hear of the SEC as a division. Sure, they’ll always have a couple of teams in the hunt but the myth that they deserve a BCS spot just because they are in the SEC will soon fade.

Meanwhile, Ohio State will always be a force in college football.

6: USC - the Pete Carroll years

This is probably has more to do with my frustration with ESPN and in particular Mark May than anything else. Sure, USC can be good but they can also be overrated. And boy, ESPN and the BCS sure love to over rank them. I am looking forward to the USC/OSU series. They are long over due for a good old Buckeye ass whoopin.

5: Notre Dame - Since Charlie Weis took over

Yeah, Notre Dame has always been annoying but I could tolerate Lou Holtz, and Tyrone Willingham was an interesting coach. However, these days Notre Dame is nothing short of pathetic. Regardless, they’ve given Weis a nice fat (no pun intended) contract and NBC has picked them up for who knows how many more years. This means that I’m going to have to watch Notre Dame get beat by Ball State (o.k. that is game I’d enjoy) instead of a college football game that actually accounted for something.

Not only that but the sweetheart deal they’ve worked with the BCS is disgusting. They can go an entire season without winning a game and they still bring in big bucks from the BCS. Not to mention that if they actually win a game, suddenly they’re contenders for a BCS Bowl game.

I love tradition as much as the next guy but Notre Dame needs to get rid of Weis now and bring this program back to their glory days.

4: Miami - no specific time period - just Miami in general

There aren’t many teams I “disliked” as much as I “disliked” Miami the day after the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. I have never seen such incredibly poor losers and crybabies as I did reading the papers the morning after. The Miami players talked as though Ohio State should never have been on the same field with them even though they got a quick, rude awakening the minute they got the ball. The Buckeye defense hit their offensive line so hard that Miami quarterback had to give his post game interviews from the hospital where he spent the night.

Even more absurd is the way people remember Maurice Clarett’s troubles yet Miami players were constantly trying to postpone legal battles until after the season was over — and Coker was known for looking the other way.

O.K. now I’m getting there. The old angst is alive and well. I’m still using the word “disliked” but I moved into hate on those last two.

3: Michigan - 1969 to 1978

What did you expect? It’s the 10 Year War!!! Even if I’m not old enough to remember all of it, I remember enough. With Bo, we take our hatred to an entirely new level. This is the hatred that I was weaned on. This is the hatred that all Ohio State fans know even if there aren’t old enough remember. They’ve seen the films. They know they story of Woody and Bo. I’m pretty sure it is tested in Ohio as a requirement of The No Child Left Behind Act. This hatred though is filled with respect. I would love to see Michigan find a coach worthy of another 10 year war. Tressel is up for it. Unfortunately, we all know Rodrigeuz isn’t.

2: Michigan - 1995 to 2007

Yeah, I skipped a couple of years in there. Does anyone actually remember Gary Moeller (even though like most Michigan coaches, he was an Ohio State grad)? Let’s jump ahead to the Llllllloyd Carr years. The early part of his tenure was frustrating not because of Michigan but because of Cooper. However, since the dawn of the Tressel era, he, along with the rest of the Michigan football team, was our whipping boy and a good one at that.

We all know that deep down inside, Carr’s biggest fans were in Columbus.

1: Michigan - 2008 to ?

Hey, you’ve dug your own grave Michigan. You sleep in it. There is no question that Rich Rodriguez is going to turn Michigan into one of the most disliked Ohio State fan’s teams. Not because they will be beating Ohio State but because it is doubtful they will be able to provide a worthy opponent for Ohio State. The Ohio State/Michigan game should be the greatest game in college football every year. It is a great rivalry based on tradition and a respectful hatred of your opponent. I want to see an honorable foe lined up across the field from Coach Tressel and his 11 warriors. However, from the way he left West Virginia and what I have seen so far at UM, it looks like he has a long way to go.

So there you have it. Feel free to let me have it. As an Ohio State Fan, who have I missed? Who is on your list? comment below.

* I actually considered putting John Cooper’s Buckeyes on this list. This took some soul searching and I’m still having trouble with it. I realized though that it wasn’t the team I disliked but the way Cooper and his coaching staff, but especially Cooper, would completely break down mentally. There was a time that if the Buckeyes fell behind, there was no hope of them coming back. He couldn’t prepare a team mentally and at that level of play, half the game is 90 percent mental (or something like that Yogi). As I said, some of the memories are just too bitter and painful.

According to Coach, we’ve got the maturity and the talent. Oh yeah, we’ve got Terrell Pryor also.

(a big ht to my friends at the BuckeyeDome)

I have to admit, although I took more than a few jabs at them, the Mzone was good. And although they cheered for the wrong team, they seemed to understand the general lameness of the average Michigan fan.

It was the Mzone that was quick to point out the incredible lameness of the dreaded key shaking in the Big House. It was the Mzone who made maze shirts that read, “Down in front is not a cheer” on the back. It was the Mzone who painted the Michigan helmet on the Hindenburg after their defeat to Ap State and it was the MZone where I first heard the term Buckstache.

Although I often found them annoying, as I do most Michigan blogs, the Mzone was always worth a good read. But after three years of pounding away at the keyboard, the Mzone has called it quits. You can see their last post here.

You can see some of my past MZone inspired blog posts below:

Ohio State vs. Michigan: Caption Contest

How Lame is Michigan; Example #357 - Buckeyes Own Michigan in Their Own House

Buckeyes Slip to Seventh; Bring on Michigan

How Lame is Michigan; Example #353

Michigan/Appalachian State post game remarks; more fun than a historic upset

Although it hasn’t been officially confirmed, it looks like Antonio Henton will return to Georgia to play for Georgia Southern next season. Today’s Columbus Dispatch is reporting that “sources say” he is going to go but he hasn’t actually told anyone at Ohio State about it yet.

I don’t know what to make of it. I thought Henton had potential but then suddenly there was this little misunderstanding with an undercover police officer and next thing you know…

But that’s water under the bridge. He was cleared and back on the team by the end of the season. All he needed to do know was work real hard and the quarterback position was his to grow into. Another year at backup and he’s in. And then along came Terrell Pryor. Suddenly, Henton is in the back of the line and a starting position as Georgia Southern is looking pretty good.

Eleven Warriors pointed out that his Facebook page says he’s going back (two days before the Dispatch mind you). Sure enough, although he’s not one of my 764,998,300,896 friends on facebook, when you do a search for his facebook page, this is what comes up. Note the logo…that’s a funny looking buckeye.

I’m sorry to see him go but you can’t knock it. He wants to play football. And it’s not like he’s a Notre Dame quarterback who is running away as an act of self preservation.

Finally, it really says something about the caliber talent we’re turning away. When a player like Henton leaves because he knows he won’t get a shot to play, think about what that says for the guys in front of him. And while a certain coach to the north would give his left nut for a quarterback that good, at least when our players leave, they don’t go to the other side. But then, taking over as water boy would be better than that.

As an English major at Ohio State, I had a number of classes in Denney Hall. During one spring quarter, I can remember almost daily passing this really tall guy with a rather odd expression. His head sort of towered above the rest of the students in the crowded hallway and I would look at him and think…how do I know that guy? It wasn’t until I had passed him that I would realize that it was Chris Carter. This happened about once a week and every time, I wouldn’t realize who it was until he had passed by.

Regardless, there weren’t many receivers like Chris Carter. If he went up for the ball, odds were, he was coming down with it. It didn’t matter how many defenders were on him or how bad they were wrapped around his arms. It was like he walked on air and he always seemed to be about a foot above everyone else. Add to that a hang time like Michael Jordan and you’ve got the makings of some classic highlights.

So I give you:

You’ve got to love some of the commentary by Carter’s former team mates. Especially Chris Spielman expressing his concern for Carter’s future.

I’ve been meaning to get to this one for a while but so far, Michigan Coach Rodriguez’s arrival at Michigan has been nothing short of successful. So successful in fact that the BuckeyXtra (Columbus Dispatch) recently reported that former Michigan offensive linesman Justin Boren visited an Ohio State practice and is seriously considering a transfer to Ohio State. Boren has been released by Michigan leaving Michigan with only one returning offensive linesman.

The Detroit Free Press, in an article about the void created by the loss of Boren, said that Boren said that it had nothing to do with the challenge of playing center in a spread offense without an quarterback. Instead, he cited the lack of “family values” in the Michigan program.

Family values? Why would he think that? I mean, the entire coaching staff that recruited him and coached him for the past two years has been tossed and replaced by a coach who left his old school with nothing but the ashes of player records and a healthy lawsuit to boot.

On top of everything else, the Free Press reports Boren has a talented little brother Zach who had talked with Michigan recruiters. Dad says he will probably follow his big brother.

I’m just glad we have USC on the schedule this year because at this rate, Michigan may not even be able to field a team come November.

This about says it all about Ohio State and Michigan: The last Ohio State coach who couldn’t beat Michigan was fired and replaced by Jim Tressel, a man of dignity and character who pretty much owns Michigan and has taken us to three BCS Championship games. Michigan fired a coach who couldn’t beat Ohio State and replaced him with…well…they replaced him with Rich Rodriguez.

At least they still have a rivalry with Notre Dame.

It’s official. Terelle Pryor announced today that he is going to Ohio State. After holding up his decision because daddy wanted him to give Penn State a look, in the end it was all Buckeyes.

That should about do it for the preseason rankings. The biggest hurdle standing in the way of a Buckeye #1 ranking next fall is a general sense of amazement from those outside of Buckeye Nation who just can’t stand the fact that the Buckeyes are set and in position for another run at the BCS Championship game. If the Buckeyes can beat USC at USC in the second game of the season, there should be no question about where they belong in the rankings. The best thing Ohio State has going for them in that game is that it doesn’t take place six weeks after the regular season.

As for next year’s team, think this past season’s Buckeyes with Vince Young at the helm.

As good as seeing Pryor come to Ohio State is seeing him not go to Michigan. At one point, the Wolverines had pretty much banked everything on Pyor and they as are about to find out, it can be pretty difficult to run a spread offense without a quarterback. I’m going to love watching Rodriguez fall flat on his face in his opening season.

As for Pryor, he said he felt a little bad for Michigan. The Columbus Dispatch reported today that he told those gathered at today’s announcement, “It makes me feel bad that they had their hopes on me.”

Isn’t that nice…don’t worry Terrelle, those feelings will pass.

Terell Pryor must resist the temptation to go to the dark side

For Ohio State, Terrel Pryor is a good recruit — a recruit that could grow into a the quarterback position and fill out an already strong Buckeye program.

For the University of Michigan, Terrel Pryor is will make the difference between another season with a lot of potential and an embarrassing loss to Miami University second game of the season. Without Pryor, Michigan Coach Rich Rodriguez will have nothing short of a gaping void in the anchor position of his beloved spread offense. (don’t believe me, if you’ve got about 10 minutes to kill, check this out).

Ohio State is really in a win/win situation here. If Pryor comes to Ohio State, we get a great quarterback that can grow into the position behind Todd Beockman — maybe even sharing the role in a two quarterback scheme. With the majority of this year’s class returning, Ohio State would have a lock on a very high preseason ranking and another national title hunt.

If Pryor goes to Michigan, the Wolverines once again start the season full of soon to be dashed hopes as they realize that a spread offense needs an actual offense to go with it. No matter how good your quarterback, if you don’t have somebody to pass to or to set the block allowing a speedy quarterback to break free, it really doesn’t mean much does it.

But more than anything, I want Pryor to go to the Buckeyes for no other reason than to put Michigan through yet another humiliating loss. A loss into which their fans have poured everything and leaves their spirits broken and sprawled on the pavement once again.

Back in the old days, Woody would give a kid a scholarship and bench him recruiting the player not because he needed him but because it kept Michigan from filling an important position (and what better reason could their be).

So Terell, make your choice and make it well. It isn’t so much our future that depends on it, it’s yours.