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.
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This is the first place where I have seen someone say that the Big Ten is a dominant conference. Weren’t we like 1-5 in bowl games last year?
I don’t think there is any way to spin losing to an unranked 1-5 team.
Where did you guys find this Pryor dude….sure wish he woulda came to Purdue…….to clean the locker room after games.
Funny, funny article.
Great sarcasm.
This is indefensible. Sick. Unpardonable.
Blow the whole thing up and start over.
Bad O-Line, bad QB and very, very bad coaching.
This makes USC’s loss to WA look like a minor upset.
Tressel needs a new O-Line coach and an offensive coordinator NOW. Those should be the requirements to keep his job.
At first when I read this I was absolutely irritated at the author and wanted to write a snarky response. Then I realized it was a satire, and that, sadly, Big Ten football is like Big Ten High School Football.
I clicked through to comment on the brilliant satire that is this article, but several people beat me to it. Great work.
Let’s give credit to the Boilermakers today. They had a good game plan and the enthusiasm to carry it out. The Buckeyes lost on the strength of 4 turnovers, a bad game plan, and appeared not really interested in carrying it out (until it was too late). It was not pretty to watch, so most of the time, I did not. Let’s hope for a much better effort next week. Go Bucks!!
Annapolis, funny stuff. BTW it should be “Its” (no apostrophe) in the title.
The Buckeyes get beat by an inferior team and you write about the sterngth of the Big Ten.
Give me a break. I love Big Ten Football, but don’t even try to say parity is the reason Purdue won.
Tressel and the coaching staff should apologise to all Buckeye fans for their pathetic game plan and the performace of their team. The Buckeyes were not mentaly prepared play the game, there was no game plan whatsoever. The Buckeye beat themselves with poor coaching and poor execution of what ever kind of football they played on Saturday.
The defense was standing around the whole day. Four to Five defenders around a Purdue receive catching the ball but none were breaking to the ball. The thplay that really pissed me off was 4th and 2 yards for a touchdown and Trssel kicks a field goal. What kind of play was that?
Tressel the gutless wonder no balls whatsoever. Don’t even get me ttalking about the poor play of TP. Last week you talked about the being a break out game for TP, he sure broke alright. Time to bench him I really mean it give someone else a chance they sure can’t do any worse.
Buckeyemark what kind of talk is that for a Buckeye fan. Purdue played well but not good enough If we were prepared and executed what ever the game plan was.
I should have saw this comeing, it’s happened may times before, the signs were the, But it sure isn’t parity.
I have little doubt this team will learn from their loss yesterday.. and it’s probably easier to learn from a loss than “skin of your teeth” wins. I’m sick and tired of fans talking about throwing the coaches out and starting from scratch. The talking head radio shows are full of this theme this morning. Don’t they remember how frustrated they were with the 9-3 seasons under Coach Bruce? .. and he beat Michigan less regularly than the Tressel-coached teams. Ultimately, the bottom line is for this team to win. I hope the coaching staff can adjust their game-plan more to the talent they have. Mack Brown did it at Texas with Vince Young and admitted it was a difficult transition for him to make. Yes, coach Tressel made Troy Smith a drop-back, pro-type QB. Maybe Pryor’s talent differs from that of Smith. I just hope the game-plan we see next week shows the progress we expect of the talent this team has.
Andy, YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME! I don’t want to fire Tress, I would love to see him hire any offensive coordinator, to call the plays, because his play calling SUCKS. I would like the line coaches to coach, and the secondary coaches to do the same. Thats where the shake up should come from. obviously they aren’t doing a very good job.
I get sick of Buckeye fans that don’t get pissed when their team loses to a 1 and 5 Perdue. Thats like losing to your local high school, not acceptable by any means. I get sick and tired of fans not getting upset, and say oh well maybe they will play better next game. I want to see some passion from Buckeye fans. It’s OK to get pissed off and upset. It’s ok to expect a team with all that talent to play like it. Losing is not acceptable.
@ Annapolis,
Are you kidding? I know you are being sarcastic. No way do you believe our conference, The Big 10 is the toughest conference in the country. That would be very wishful thinking. It’s been a long time since we’ve been considered in that kind of positive light. I live in Atlanta, the hub of the SEC and ACC. I wear my Buckeye gear and I’m immediately the laughing stock of wherever I happen to be. The Big 10 Conference is no longer held in high esteem. Unfortunately, our Buckeyes under Tressel have done nothing to dispel the negative spin on the conference and our institution. The debacle at Purdue on Saturday did nothing to help our tarnished image. Believe me, I’m pained when I hear about our demise from Big 10 antagonists here in the Southeast. We get so upset when we hear Mark May’s analysis on ESPN. Unfortunately, (if we are truthful) he is “dead on it.” We are not a good offensive team.
Out of comparable NCAA schools we rank 91st in total offense. In the red zone we rank 95th. That is deplorable. Not to mention inexcusable! What will Coach’s response be this week to the media and critics? Let’s face it! This is a low point in the illustrious history of Ohio State football. If you are a true fan you can no longer “sugarcoat” this travesty. Call it what it is. At this point it is a total mess. Is there hope? Yes! Hope springs eternal. Hopefully, Tress possesses the wisdom and humility to know that it is beyond the time for change. Whether he realizes it or not, he is under scrutiny. If enough alums call and write the A.D. and President expressing their displeasure it won’t be long before action will have to be taken. That would be unfortunate because I believe coach is a good man but he’s not ready for college football at this level. A coach is only as good as the staff around him. Why is he still trying to call plays? I truly believe there lies his greatest fault. His plate is too full. Be smart enough to surround yourself with the most talented coaches and advisors available. Hopefully, they are battle tested and ready to take on the competition. I just don’t think coaches on our staff fit that mold. Therefore, we struggle (on the offensive side of the ball). GO BUCKS!!!!
A true fan keeps things in perspective. Every time I see the replay of Desmond Howard striking the Heisman pose against OSU my blood boils – and that was what, 18 years ago? Remember, this is a team with inexperienced players at key positions. Hells bells, Bosshawk, you probably complained about the play calling when OSU ran the table in 2002 with all the nail-biting victories. I think coach Tressel knows his personnel better than we do, and I also think he knows he doesn’t yet have the QB the ESPN talking heads said he was getting, nor the O-Line all the recruiting experts said he recruited. This program is in good hands with Tressel. I’ve got better things to do than call Gene Smith and Gordon Gee to voice displeasure about this loss. This bitter taste won’t last long.
The bitter taste will last a long time. This loss make them run the table to win the conference.
I expected another loss, but not to Purdue. I know we will be playing Oklahoma in the Podunk Bowl.
Dang. In my rush to publish this post, not only did I make the glaring spelling error in the headline, I forgot to mention Big Ten speed.
Respect it Mark May.
SORRY BUT YOUR WRONG. Michigan has 12 guys on that team with 4.4 speed or better. That’s one more than Florida has (not to mention Denard Robinson is the fastest guy in college football with a 4.3 in the 40. Rich Rod is building one of the quickest teams in the country while buckey land still loves the slow, fat, big power football. Looks like Ohio State is the next Florida State. Use to be good, but will go the next 10 or so years before they challenge for anything.
I’m pretty sure the author of this blog is just writing a satire, right? I’m not here to argue whether UF should have lost to Arky b/c we should have, whatever, but if the author of this blog is even remotely serious, how disillusioned are the big 10 faithful this year? Purdue is miserable and lost to a middle of the road MAC team who followed up the Purdue win w/ a loss to Idaho…I’ll take a 1-loss GT or Cincy over a 1-loss Big 10 team any day of the week in any bowl game…
Remy D, I don’t know where you got those time from, but unless they were from a combine of sorts they are inflated. Don’t expect to much from Rich Rod. Ihate to see Mich. fans disapointed or maybe I would.
A couple of thoughts:
1a) Buckeye fans just calm down. Yes, your hopes of making it to the BCS championship are finally closed for the year. But, that’s a good thing. Let’s say by some crazy circumstance OSU had made it to the big game – they would’ve just lost again to an SEC school. That’s no good for OSU or the Big Ten.
1b) Also, calm down about Pryor. He is a supreme athletic dual threat QB trying to be a drop back QB. He went to OSU to become a drop back QB in hopes of a pro career. If he was at Michigan he would be running crazy and probably look better, but have less a chance of career in the NFL as a QB – he would end up becoming a WR.
1c) Finally calm down about Tressell. He’s won you games and wins over Michigan. He recruits tons of talent. OSU will be real good next year and year after – look back to the 4 years of Vince Young @ Texas. Year 3 is when it will come together.
2) The Big Ten is on the mend. Going into the season I figured the Big Ten would be even worse than they were last year – and I think that is still true. Penn State & OSU aren’t as good as last year and I’m not a believer in Iowa either. However, all the teams in the Big Ten have young good looking prospects at QB – which is the most important postition in college football. We actually look like the Big Ten in 1996 when there were a lot of good upcoming QBs; then in 97 & 98 we went something like 11-1 in bowl games. In those two years we had really good QB play. Put that together with all the other young talent in the league, I think the Big Ten will be back strong next year and 2 years from now will be real tough.
3) Michigan is on the rise. We’ll find out how much this week against PSU, but let’s be honest – they are scary. They haven’t figured out how to win on the road, but they’ve defended the home field this year. RR knows what he’s doing and they’re on their way. When they get some defense and depth – they will be power again. Which is just what the Big Ten needs.
@Andy
Are you trying to say I’m not a true fan? I care deeply about this program and all of its participants. But Andy, how much football do you watch? Are you seeing other games and comparing what we do on offense with what Florida, U.S.C, Texas, or even Cincinnati does? There is a glaring difference. I’m sorry but our offense is so “vanilla” and so unimaginative it makes me want to puke. We are better than that! I’d hate to see Tressel fired but if he’s not humble or smart enought to implement change that is what will happen. He definitely needs to find an offensive coordinator as soon as possible. He definitely needs to find a consultant/advisor that can provide his quarterback with the tutelage he desperately needs. I voice these complaints in my blog because as a loyal fan I know we are better than that. GO BUCKS!!!!!
@ remy d
i’m surprised to hear that about michigan, but I’ll take you at your word.
my big question would be:
Is that 4.3 speed game speed or track speed?
And there’s a lot to be said for the relative speed of the sub-4.3 guys… DEs, LBs, etc. Fast receivers/rbs are great, but defensive speed, IMHO, is more important in the larger scheme of things. A receiver or rb gets how many touches a game? (Freaks of nature like that kid from Bama excluded?) As opposed to the snaps a DE or LB takes?
This is a vastly underappreciated distinction, again, IMHO, and one that explains recent SEC success a little more fully than concentration on the relative speeds of the so-called skill positions.
But what do I know?
@ jdub
Robinson is legit 4.3 speed and he’s that fast on the field. As for all the other guys he’s recruited from Florida with 4.4 speed. I don’t know yet. They haven’t seen the field, except for this last week which was against Delaware St. – so everyone looked fast.
I agree with you about defensive speed. RR is trying to get fast guys on D, but right now their too small and I really don’t even think what we have at LB is fast at all. Our best tackler Obi Ezeh – not fast. He gets 10+ tackles a game, but if he was fast and better laterally, he’d be a top LB in the country. But he’s not, so he isn’t.
Warren is good, but not real fast – good technique. Boubacar Cissoko was supposed to be 4.4 speed too, but we’ve seen him get lit up like a jack-o-lantern all year to the point that he’s now indefinitely suspended for other reasons.
The only real legit speed guy on defense is Brandon Grahm. I don’t know what he clocks at, but he’s got football speed and power. He’ll be gone to some 3-4 NFL defense.
bosshawk ! I could not have said it better, you echoed my feeling exactly. I thought when we signed TP the Buckeyes were going to a spread offense. Boy! was I wrong, like you said everyone else is going to it. This breaks my heart to say but even that school up north is trying to initiate the spread. I agree, we are better that that pathetic display of football we saw on Saturday. Iwas upset all weekend.
Marc crawl back in your hole where you have been for ten years. You might get blinded from the sun.
I like Marc’s point re: Just calm down.
Hopes of the BCS Championship were gone after the loss to USC and I don’t think anyone felt that this was really the year. Regardless of our performance the past two games however, it is not a given that we would have lost to an SEC team. Granted, whoever gets to the BCS Championship will have to face an SEC team.
The SEC has their exulted pass to the BCS Championship game and if for some reason the BCS starts to lose their senses and forget, Urban quickly steps up to whine and cry until things are right again.
It is this absurd bias toward the SEC that lead to the post.
Yeah, the Big Ten has had its problems but Marc is right that it is an up and coming conference. Michigan is on the rise but then again, did they have anywhere else to go?
As I’ve said before, the biggest frustration with Ohio State is the lack of improvement in our offense and at this point, there is nothing to show us that the improvement is coming in the near future. However, the Buckeyes are young and they will only improve in the years to come. And deservedly, they will be back again and again.
To look for a BCS title in 09 was something of a stretch. In 10 and even more so in 11, we’ll see you there.
@ gulfportcal
Not sure which part you disagree with, maybe all.
But, I do agree with you and Bosshawk that a change to the spread will help your team. However, that’s not Tressel. Furthermore, V. Young ran the same offense in Texas and became an all worldly college QB – struggling in NFL, but awesome at Texas. Compare his second year to Terrelle’s current/projected 2nd year – earily close. OSU will be even better on D next year and has a really good crop of WRs.
As for the Big Ten getting better. How can they not, this is as bad as they’ve been. I’m not saying their going to be the #1 conference next year, but I think 2 years from now the Big Ten won’t be the doormat anymore.
This is a moment of truth! Either changes are made at QB & Coaching, or be happy with an average program and losing to Michigan in the future. The defense has won most of the games and should have even stopped usc, but of course the coach called a “safe” D package and left the middle of the field open for usc to exploit. With Purdue, Pryor & the offense kept putting the D back on the field with many turnovers, and Purdue had a smart game plan to pass quickly before getting pressure from a tired defense. We don’t have a good QB, or coaching staff for preparation. The Bucks are running on “hype” and a few serious guys on defense. I’m sick of the hype and the truth should now be clear for all to see. I’m a real fan and I want real change.
That’s something I’ve been curious about for a while, MS-Bucks. When is it gonna be too much for Buckeyes’ fans w/ Captain Sweater Vest? He has his title 7 years back or whenever it was, but what since then? A lot of disappointment, 0 for his life against the SEC in important games, and under-utilization/poor development of Pryor. He seems to think that direct snaps to a fast black QB means that he’s running an innovative spread offense. He’s just 3-4 years behind the rest of the nation, and there’s little indication that he’s gonna catch up anytime soon. Maybe he needs some new coordinators, I dunno, but yea, this is one of the most absurd articles I’ve seen in a long time.
As can be seen by the discussion on this blog and elsewhere Gator Fan, I think we can see that it is becoming too much. The frustration was high after the Wisconsin game but Purdue?
It’s not that Tress is trying to run an innovative spread, its that he refuses to innovate and move forward. The general consensus seems to be (at least for me) that we still like Tress as a leader but he needs to hand offensive play calling to a top notch offensive coach. He also needs to go outside the program to find a top notch quarterback coach. His dedication to his inner circle is hurting him.
I also appreciate the constructive nature of your comments Gator fan. Unfortunately, the typical SEC fan comments on this blog don’t represent you well.
As for the absurdity of the article, as I mentioned in an earlier comment, I forgot to point out Big Ten speed. If I had, I’m sure the article would have made much more sense.
I went ahead and plugged in the numbers as suggested and came out with the following:
1. SEC – 1 (25), 2 (24), 9 (17), 24 (2) = 68
2. Big Ten – 6 (20), 13 (13), 19 (7), 21 (5) = 45
3. ACC- 10 (16), 12 (14), 14 (12) = 42
4. Pac Ten – 7 (19), 11 (15), 22 (4) = 38
5. Big 12 – 3 (23), 15 (11), 25 (1) = 35
6. MWC – 8 (18), 16 (10), 18 (7) = 35
7. Big East – 5 (21), 20 (6), 23 (3) = 30
8. WAC – 4 (22) = 22
9. CUSA – 17 (9) = 9
If you want an explanation please check out my site (http://whalertly.com/wordpress/2009/10/20/the-big-ten-is-the-second-best-conference-in-the-country-and-i-can-prove-it/) or email me. If you give me historical numbers, I can do this for those and create graphs for you…
barga.24@osu.edu
http://www.whalertly.com/wordpress
http://blogcritics.org/sports/feature/abcs-of-columbus-sports/
sorry, i worded that wrong. After reading another site where they recommended checking the conference strength by the BCS spots (new ones), I did and came up with the following. Clearly, the Big Ten is very powerful still.
1. SEC – 1 (25), 2 (24), 9 (17), 24 (2) = 68
2. Big Ten – 6 (20), 13 (13), 19 (7), 21 (5) = 45
3. ACC- 10 (16), 12 (14), 14 (12) = 42
4. Pac Ten – 7 (19), 11 (15), 22 (4) = 38
5. Big 12 – 3 (23), 15 (11), 25 (1) = 35
6. MWC – 8 (18), 16 (10), 18 (7) = 35
7. Big East – 5 (21), 20 (6), 23 (3) = 30
8. WAC – 4 (22) = 22
9. CUSA – 17 (9) = 9
If you want an explanation please check out my site (http://whalertly.com/wordpress/2009/10/20/the-big-ten-is-the-second-best-conference-in-the-country-and-i-can-prove-it/) or email me. If you give me historical numbers, I can do this for those and create graphs for you…
barga.24@osu.edu
http://www.whalertly.com/wordpress
http://blogcritics.org/sports/feature/abcs-of-columbus-sports/
Gator Fan,
IT IS TOO MUCH NOW!! The fan base is starting to see the truth, but I doubt Tress will ever be able to evolve to the creative offense needed today. He will not hire better coaches, (who probably deserve to be head coaches), to be around him and steal his thunder, and he could not adjust as a leader with a new system that he would not understand. The schemes, the use and development of talent and the “play to win” attitude that all great coaches have. He is basic old world football and his time is up, as it was for Woody and many other coaches that could not evolve. (As far as direct snaps to pryor, he is doing NOTHING to innovate, but just hoping that pryor might make a decision that gives them a 1st down). Gee! I wonder why Tress loves the punt, which we know is his favorite play!
Well, Barga, those numbers make since for this week’s poll, but I think you also have to look at how the teams got to the rankings and also how the bottom half of the conference is. The big 10 has a few losses to mediocre mid-majors like UNI and CMU. The top 5 teams in the Big 10 are decent, with Iowa being the only one I’d call “good,” and certainly no one is great. And I’m being generous to call Michigan St, w/ their awful loss to CMU, decent. The rest of the league, though, is just awful. Indiana got stomped by a team coached by Al Groh, Illinois hasn’t been close in any game involving a D-I school, including their blowout to Mizzou (0-2 in the big 12), NW barely beat EMU, and lost to a basketball player pretending to be a QB…I doubt you can find any loss half that bad in the Big 12. The worst loss in the Big 12 this year is probably either Colorado at Toledo or Colorado vs Colo St. So yea, those are probably as bad as the Big 10 losses, but no other Big 12 teams have comparably bad losses.
Gator Fan, If you don’t like the Big Ten donn’t watch it or write in the Buckeye Blog. You the front runners in the SEC aside you don’t have crap left. Go bother someone else.
No, I don’t agree with you on that one Carl. I appreciate Gatorfan’s comments. I don’t necessarily agree with him but I’ve got enough confidence in the Buckeyes and in the Big Ten to stand up to his arguments.
Naturally, the SEC likes to look back to games like our loss to Florida when it comes to this topic. What Gatorfan doesn’t understand and cannot was the power of the Ohio State/Michigan game that year — when they were ranked #1/#2. In all my years of college football, I have never seen any sporting event that compares to the intensity of that game. From the fans to the players on the field, it was historic and won’t be matched again. To expect the Buckeyes to sit back and wait 7 weeks or so and find that same intensity, it won’t happen. We saw the national championship game that year and it took place in Columbus.
The rest of the college football world only dreams of games like that.
But this is an aside to the discussion above. Sure, the SEC looks good when you take the top two or three schools but just like Gatorfans comments about the Big 10, the bottom half of the league is just awful. You’ve got Kentucky, Vanderbilt, a struggling Tennessee which gave Florida serious scare, a 1-3 Arkansas which again, was only a field goal shy of taking down the mighty Florida. I can go on. This year more then ever, the SEC is relying on the strength of Florida and Alabama. After that the conference goes down real quick.
Meanwhile, you go to our mid-level and you’ve got Michigan who beat Notre Dame. Personally, I don’t think that means much but the rest of the college football seems to see something in ND.
No, the Big Ten is not the dominant league could/should be but SEC favoritism is what lead to the post above. If not straight satire, it was a shot at SEC bias.
Be sure to check my latest post. I’m not the only one who is defending the Big Ten. I’ve got links to “Barga’s” numbers and another analysis.
I know, I might have been a little harsh, but I have to live and work with Gator fans every day. As much as I love football, especially my beloved buckeyes, I look forward to the time when February gets here and all the bowl games are over and I don’t have to listen to these damm Gator fans run their mouths. I couldn’t put in print what I really think of them. I can’t stand whinny Urban Meyer. Hard to believe he was born in Ohio. I’m done
Later, enjoy your blog.
I don’t know how many forums you follow, Carl, but I can assure you, if my comments offend you, then you must really have a hard time with most Gator/SEC fans.
That said, I can’t even come close to agreeing with you, Annapolis. I do fully agree that I’m sure the intensity was huge for the OSU/Mich game that year. I watched the whole game and thoroughly enjoyed it, but it was by no means the National Title game. Michigan had an argument to be in the NC game that year, but I think the general sports population agreed that it would have been ridiculous to put 2 teams in one conference in the title game. It was a great game and probably the greatest regular season game of the season, but if you think that the Buckeyes just got dominated in every single aspect of the game just because they couldn’t build up the intensity, then I respectfully have to tell you that you’re wrong. Florida beats Ohio State 19 times out of 20 that season, and maybe only 17 times out of 20 if that game is played in Columbus. It would be one thing if OSU had had the athletes to compete in that one, but they didn’t even put up a fight, and it was pretty much game 1 of Jim Tressel’s cluelessness in big games. He had 7 weeks and came up with nothing resembling a game plan.
@ gulfportcarl
Be careful. Your starting to sound like your whining. It’s always tougher to take it, than deliver it.
I sympathize with you Carl and I hope we don’t lose you around here. You’ve contributed some great points to the discussion on this blog over the past few weeks.
I hear you when it comes to SEC fans. Part of the reason I welcome Gatorfans comments is that they are so far removed from the typical comment left by SEC fans on this blog. Go back through the archives to posts about the SEC or Florida and you’ll see that they average comment of the SEC fan consists of three to five word sentences, mostly filled with four letter words. They really don’t make the SEC look good.
No, I wasn’t looking for a OSU/Michigan rematch in Phoenix. We settled that game the way it should be settled. However, there is no question the BCS game that year felt like an after thought. I was in Phoenix both that year and again when we beat Miami and the atmosphere was radically different.
I believe the Florida game was the first time the BCS game had been pushed back the extra week into January. Unlike the Fiesta bowl in ’03 where the entire city came to life, the BCS championship in Glendale felt like we were in the way. Tempe was crazy, Glendale was way out in the desert.
Holiday break was over and for the local citizens, the game meant little more then a traffic jam. Especially after Boise’s dramatic win the week before complete with post game marriage proposal.
By the time the BCS game rolled around, it was as if nobody cared — Buckeye fans included.
Then the game opens with an amazing Tedd Ginn kickoff return followed by one of the most boneheaded moves I’ve ever seen taking Ginn from the game. No question that was a devastating blow to the entire team.
Yep, that was the beginning of the era of Tressel’s inability to adjust and it’s been a problem ever since.
However, the Buckeyes play Florida in late November anywhere, even Florida and Florida’s in trouble. Bring them north to the cold and they dont’ stand a chance. I’ll give you that they would be close games but talent wise, the Buckeyes outmatched a young Florida. I’ll give you close games but more like 60/40 split Buckeyes. You get Smith, Ginn, Little Animal et all firing on all cylinders (which they did almost every game that year) and there wasn’t a school that could beat them — not Florida, not USC, not anyone.
So yeah, Tressel had 7 weeks to prepare. It also gave the team 7 weeks to slip, 7 weeks for the top players to think about their future in the pros, and it gave them even fewer weeks until the beginning of spring practice. The intensity was gone on all fronts. Buckeyes had their big win against the only team that really matters in an Ohio State season.
I agree nwith you comments. I have always said if the southern teams would come up north in the cold months They wouldn’t stand a chance, and yes the long lay off caused Ohio State’s loss to Florida. I jumped out of my recliner when Gin ran the opening kick off back. No doubt if Ted played the whole game the outcome would have been different. It sure wasn’t Troys fault.
lets hope the worse is over and the season srts anew this weekend.
Keep up the good work.
Gator Fan, I should oppologize to you. I’ve only seen a couple of your blogs, they weren’t that bad. I know of the type of people of whom you speek I work with them and have to listen to them on the local talk radio station.
You run down the Big Ten and there brand of football, but we have TRADITION. The only SEC team that has tradition is Alabama. Whehere was Florida and the rest of the SEC teams when Ohio State, Alabama, USC, NotreDame, Oklahoma were winning National Chapionships. Florida is just starting to build thiers, The SEC is starting to build thiers. When the SEC has the tradition of the Big Ten, Pac Ten, and Big Twelve then you can talk.
The reason I called Urban Meyer a whiner was, because after Ohio State Beat Michigan they (Michigan) were Number two. After you beat Arkansas for the SEC championship, Urban was makeing the rounds of ESPN, Fox and anyone that would listen why the Gators should be in the championship game, just like Mac Brown did the year before. I believe the only reason that Florida got in that year was because the voters did not was another Big Ten match up. They are suppose to vote for the best team not what two teams they want to see in tha championship game.
Miami was king of the pack for a while but what happened to them, The Buckeyes started thier demise. They are just starting thier way back. Enjoy the Gators success, for it is fleeting.
I think its a bit delusional to think that if Ted Ginn plays the outcome is drastically different. It wasn’t like Troy Smith was finding WR’s who were just dropping passes because their best WR wasn’t out there; he was so pressured that he didn’t have time to find a WR if he even had any time at all. And sure, I think that if UF had to go up and play in the 38 degree late October weather in Columbus, it would be a different game, but the team would go up a few extra days early and get used to it, and I think that whole thing is overblown. Why don’t we invite OSU down to play us in early September when its 100+ degrees on the field. For the Tennessee game this year, it was 105 in the stands and 107 field temperature. That said, the most fair way to play a game, in my opinion, is by letting coaches get a few weeks to gameplan, and players getting a few weeks to get healthy so no one can blame a loss on injuries, and then play in a temperature-controlled dome. There really is no valid complaint about the location of the game in Phoenix. That said, I did hear from my friends that went that the atmosphere wasn’t stellar, but c’mon, its the National Championship game. If you can’t get pumped up for that game, no matter how much of an emotional letdown you may have had, then you A) need to get your head checked, and B) weren’t the better team to start with.
All of that said, I don’t have a ton else to say, I agree Carl that our success may not be top 5 program every year. I’m not sure that anyone will ever again have a run like Bowden did there for those 15 years or however many it was, but if we keep our coach and if you keep yours for the next 10-15 years or so, I can probably guess who will have more success year in and year out. Next year has the potential to be a bit rough, but we’ll see. As much as I hate the Buckeyes and Michigan and ND, I do subconsciously wish you guys luck. I think the football world is not right if Iowa is winning the Big 10. Iowa is an occasional Outback Bowl team at best. UM and OSU are supposed to be up there every year and ND is supposed to be too. Doesn’t mean I’ll be cheering for you guys though..
No need to defend the Urban Myer comment Carl. It is pretty much a given around here.
I wouldn’t count Iowa out as a traditional powerhouse. Yes, they’ve had trouble the past few years but they used to legendary for their powerful, physical play. Probably the reason they may have slipped the past couple of years as modern college football does not reward the Big Ten’s “three yards and a cloud” style.
Drop back to the mid 80s though and man, they were tough. I think it was ’85 when the Buckeyes beat a #1 ranked Iowa. That was the goal post that used to hang in Papa Joes on campus. Fans used it like a battering ram to get through a police blockade at the top of University Hill. (Not that I know from experience. Just stories I’ve heard)
Before the Florida/Ohio State BCS I wrote a piece for CSTV about bowl tradition. It hits on a number of points Carl made. Check it
Of course, that post was something of a letdown as the post I wrote before the Michigan game that year was much better.
After a game like that and seven weeks off, I just couldn’t get up for a game against Florida. I know it was the national championship and all but basketball season was well underway, holiday break was over and I was back to work and to be honest, my hands had put on a little weight and my typing fingers were out of shape.
Thanks for coming by Gatorfan. I’ve enjoyed the discussion. Carl mentioned you had a blog. If you do, please leave a link.
Thanks again guys, I’ve enjoyed it too.
http://chompinblog.blogspot.com/
There’s my blog. I actually rarely post on it, don’t think I have in over a year, I’m just a bit too busy these days. I may get back into it when things cool off, but for now I just have a few posts on my views on how bad the BCS is. I think I share most of the views of Dan Wetzel, but I have some pretty interesting proposals on there for what could happen but never will because of Jim Delaney and the Pac 10.
@Gator Fan
Just because half of a conference sucks does not mean that the conference sucks. Nobody would say that the Pac Ten is worse than CUSA but if you look at the teams, it appears that way.
That said, we have a new version being worked on that adapts for the conference.
Oh, one more thing…
Buckeyes often open the season in very hot weather. A couple of years ago, I forget which game, the temperature on the field was reported to be 105. Early Sept. in Ohio can be just as hot as earl Sept. in Florida. It’s not every year but we do have our moments.
Buckeyes also usually open training camp in very hot and humid conditions.