Yeah, it’s the wrong OSU but did anyone think that Oregon State, coming in to last night’s game with a 1-2 record, would take down the mighty USC? USC, who after decimating Ohio State, who received all but a few of the #1 votes in both polls, basically ended their championship run for the second season in a row to an unranked team.
Not only that, but by the end of the first half, Oregon State was up 21-0. They came in confident and as opposed to the Buckeyes, they looked aggressive from the start. The OSU offensive line was able to push the USC defense enough to give Oregon running back Jacquizz Rodgers the chance to put up 186 yards — the most USC’s given up to an opponent since they met Vince Young in the 06 BCS Championship.
If this had happened any other season, I’d be screaming and yelling about how media darling USC has no business getting the high ranking it gets year after year. I’d be furious at commentators like ESPN’s Mark May who I’m sure by next week will be making a case for USC getting to the BCS title. But as we all know, I can’t. The Buckeyes missed their opportunity to knock USC out of contention so somebody else did.
Granted, USC probably was as psychologically prepared for this game as they were against the Buckeyes it is frustrating to see that Oregon State could expose weaknesses that the Buckeyes could not. Also makes you wonder how much USC needs an extra week to prep combined with a huge home field advantage to win the big games (last night’s loss was on OSU’s home field).
What does this mean for Ohio State?
For the sake of playing with a hypothetical, let’s say that Ohio State had beaten USC and USC went on to lose their second game to Oregon State. Do you think the Buckeyes would still have a clear shot to the BCS? Would the Ohio State second guessing would come rushing back once again? Even if we went undefeated, would we need to prove ourselves deserving of a championship shot against a one or possibly even a two-loss SEC team? Doesn’t matter, just a hypothetical to consider.
Bring on Penn State!
What does matter is that there are suddenly a couple of very big games on our schedule. Penn State beat the snot out of Oregon State early this season running up a score of 45-14. And suddenly, the pundits have Penn State on a national championship run with Wisconsin getting secondary attention.
Is there anyone out there in Buckeye Nation that doesn’t like the potential of this? Penn State plays Wisconsin (currently ranked 9/8) at Wisconsin. If they take down the Badgers and come into the Shoe unbeaten, they should be ranked in the top five. That means for the third year in a row, Penn State go up against the Buckeyes with all their delusions of grandeur in tow.
For the past three seasons, Penn State has nurtured a world of false hopes only to find them splattered against the reality that is Ohio State. Last year, their beloved “White Out” was of no use and the year before that, the only member of the Penn State team to see the end zone was Coach Paterno as he ran through it on the way to the bathroom.
It’s a situation I truly enjoy. Unlike the out of conference teams we struggle against, Tressel has Penn State’s number. By then the Pryor/Wells show should be in full swing and Penn State will not have their so highly valued home field advantage. Bring it on I say, bring it on.
So, theoretically, there is a way back to the BCS Title. A commanding win over both Wisconsin and Penn State would at least give us a point of contention. Unfortunately, the fact that we lost and lost big to USC won’t be forgotten but by beating Penn State, we’ll have at least beaten the team that beat the team that beat USC.
And as they say, it’s always better to lose early in the season than to lose late.
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First, I don’t want the Buckeyes back in the NC. Regardless of how the chips fall, we do not deserve to be there, much like last year, and it will only harm the program going in against a superior opponent.
Second, I don’t think USC was as prepared for this game as it was for tOSU… and it showed. They looked lost on defense and were quiet on offense. They got killed on field position and the penalties also were a major factor. tOSU was a statement game for USC, and OSU was just another game. Sure they got motivated in the second half but the momentum was already too much in the Beavers’ favor.
The scary thing to think about is if tOSU and USC win out, do they meet again the Rose Bowl? Yikes. Would they even let that happen since they’re meeting again in 09?
I can’t wait until we beat Penn St. After the game we will be able to say, Ohio St beat Penn St, Penn St beat Oregon St, Oregon St beat USC and USC beat Ohio St so clearly Ohio St would beat the shit out of Ohio St, especially if Ohio St had to travel and play Ohio St in their house.
And I will love using this to point out the idiocy of the “We beat tech and tech beat southern and southern beat state and state beat you so my team is light years better than yours” arguments that take place each and every year.
I love it Dinger. Of course, we wouldn’t stand a chance if we played Ohio State away but if we were to play in the Shoe, the Buckeyes would destroy Ohio State.
FlibBuckeye also brings up a great point. I’ve been saying for some time that we need to just forget about the BCS and go back to the old days of PAC 10 vs. Big 10 in the Rose Bowl.
So we could see a USC/OSU rematch in the Rose Bowl, then next fall would be the rematch of the rematch.
So tell me, do you pack your lunch or ride the bus to school?
USC just wasn’t as good as advertised. Yea they beat Ohio State but clearly they weren’t ready for the Beavers. USC was already looking ahead to the National Title..
I would say USC is as good as advertised…but ya, they got caught looking ahead. There is no doubt in my mind that in a big game, they beat any team in the top 10 over 50% of the time.
Dinger, it is amazing how many people try to use the transitivity property in CFB, and in sports in general. The funny thing is, they will often be the same people to say “on any given Saturday or Sunday.”
We definitely shouldn’t look too far ahead right now. But with that said, PSU has always and will always be a big game. I think we have the edge being at home this year. Of course, a lot of yards, I hope, to cover before that game.
It’s good to see Beanie back. And I heard something today that I hadn’t heard all week: After last week Tressel decided to become more involved with the offense, and specifically the offensive line. I like the sounds of that.
nice site man keep them informed
For the record, OSU had PSUs number because their offense has sucked ass the last couple years. I think things will be different this time around, but what do I know.
I DO agree USC is over-rated. The University of Spoiled Children can suck it.