or the Zooker's Illini which could happen as well. The Stripeheads have knocked us out of countless title games....most recently in 03. A win in the Big House would have sent us to the title game with a chance to defend our 02 championship. Didn't happen....but first there is a matter of the Illini in Columbus to deal with.....this staff and squad have done a good job at focusing at the task at hand all year long. I expect the same this Saturday, but it will be another in a series of tests. Early line has the Bucks by 15.....too much imho.
You know I initially was going to post on this topic by giving my ranking of each BCS conference. As I was going through trying to break down each conference, a funny thing occurred to me, there really isn't much difference. I am an SEC homer and I've reluctantly been quite impressed with the Pac-10 this season. I also think the Big 10 is somewhat boring to watch and I think the Big East is quite tough at the top while I have renamed the ACC, Another Chump Conference. As I was trying to break down the conferences, I got to the Big 10. I had just stated that you could throw UGa, UT, SC, Ark, Aub, Bama, UK, and UF in a heap and pick one out and have about the same team. I then proceeded to try and dog the middle of the pack Big 10 teams and realized that the Big 10 fans could turn around and say the same thing about the SEC teams. While there are more teams in the SEC that fit this description, the level of parity in all of the conferences is astounding. I think it is quite useless this year to try and rate the conferences, period. All of college football is in a state of upheaval and it sure is entertaining! Why worry about which conference is the best this year? For the college football fan, it's a great season. Every league has incredibly entertaining games every week. Don't sweat it, just sit back with a remote in hand, thumb steadily on the "last channel" button and surf through the games. Chances are in some league, on every Saturday, you'll find a bunch of good ones.
I really don't think the Illini will be a challenge for the Buckeyes, not that I mean the Buckeyes can overlook them or take them lightly. I just don't think they are really any more than an average team, they are young and have some talent but it's the stretch drive for Ohio State and they are at home. I think they will handle them easier than Wisconsin. I could easily see this being a 20+ point win for the Buckeyes. Terry
With regard to conference loyalty. I don't think I've ever seen a fan of a particular conference not assume that a game against a conference foe is always a tough game. Point in fact. Kentucky was described by UF fans as a tough game, they play you tough, it's tough to win at Kentucky. Yet now that ND has lost it's streak over Navy UF and Tenn have the longest winning streaks in the NCAA...22 straight games both vs Kentucky. Yet they are always described as a tough team. I'll give the SEC it's due, it is a tough conference. But sometimes you guys depart from reality and have a very difficult time calling a spade a spade...ie a bad SEC team a bad team. Terry
Terry, I can't speak for Florida fans but I can tell you this from a Tennessee perspective. Each and every year, Tennessee is Vandy's last game of the year. Each and every year, Tennessee is Kentucky's last game of the year. Many years those two teams go into the game with Tennessee needing a win to be bowl eligible. Most years, Tennessee has lost to either Florida, Georgia, or Alabama. We are already bowl elegible and are usually not in contention for the SEC East. Our motivation to win these two games is nowhere near that of our opponents that are trying to get to a bowl when they usually are at home watching the bowl games. Actually, Tennessee is their bowl game most years.
Damn TOK, you're tough.....these guys beat Wisky, beat the Nits, lost in squeakers to Mizzou and the Stripeheads. Average???? Maybe an average bowl bound team but a bowl bound team nonetheless. Their only "bad" loss was to a very average Iowa team where imho, a ho-hum match-up didn't get the Zooker or his young squad's attention.....I don't see that as a problem for them this weekend. The Zooker has a young talented team that will have no trouble getting ready to play the #1 ranked Buckeyes. This is a program game for his career as well as a HUGE game personally. Zooker is an Ohio boy - born and raised, played and educated. Started coaching high school here, was an assistant in Columbus before leaving for Florida and the NFL. I'm thinking this is a BIG deal for the Zooker again on the national stage. It is at home and we are in the stretch, but if we don't stay focused or bring our "A" game ala LSU in Lexington and other places, we can lose without question, no matter what our friends from the south may believe.
Tom, I hear what you are saying but in return, in the past at least, when ND would play Navy who always was sky high for us and you have to admit for the most part it would be difficult to match their emotion when you've beaten them every year, SEC fans would never give ND any credit that it could be a tough game. Yet most if not all SEC fans consider any SEC game no matter how bad the team is as a tough game. When UF under Spurrier was beating everybody in the SEC by a lot of points, nobody would admit that some of those SEC teams just weren't good teams. I can say the same thing about the B10 fans, I have never heard a B10 fan (and they have great fans here) admit that going to Bloomington or to any B10 venue was anything other than yet another very tough B10 road game, hostile environment, etc. Terry
BuckeyeT. I just don't see it. They aren't a terrible team, they aren't a bad team but at Columbus vs a maturing Ohio State team, they will lose by 20 points. I don't doubt that like most teams in the B10 who have taken years of beatings from the Buckeyes that they will come in fired up and emotionally ready. But unless they let them play with 12 players I don't think they can cover a 15 point spread. Of course upsets do happen, so if the Buckeyes don't come prepared they could give you a game and sure who knows maybe even win.
That's normal and expected and quite simply part of being a "smart" fan....Respect your opponent regardless of how bad they might be. Never be caught dissing an opponent because you are going to face them every year. Where the smart fans are separated from the not-so-smart fans is when conference loyalists denigrate other conferences as not being as tough as their own. The same respect shown toward conference opponents dissipates into low-class baiting which the baiters self-servedly package as "analysis". It's a good thing we don't have that around here. :roll: :roll:
TOK, I hope Oregon gets a shot at the NC also although an Oregon/OSU match up will probaby cause JoCo to find a wire coathanger and shotgun and take some P10/B10 reps hostages until they pull out of the BCS. Needless to say, the Ducks impressed me this year with what they did to us in Ann Arbor. The scary thing is that had Bellotti not called off the dogs after the first half, he could have easily put 60-70 points on the board.
Just to be clear... I'm a Big XII homer, but this year WE SUCK! Mizzou is a pretty good team, OU is a pretty good team, and Kansas is a good team, but none of them is close to a world beater. I don't necessarily think the bowls are a great indicator either. So much of those games depends on match ups. For instance. A few years ago a VERY good Cal team got lit up by Texas Tech in the Holiday bowl. Before hand I told anyone that would listen that Cal was in trouble. They had NEVER faced Mike Leach, and that style offense. Unless you have experience against that offense, or a really fast/aggressive defense you are gonna struggle against them. Did it mean that TT would fare better against all other opponents than Cal? No way. It was just a horrible match up for Cal... I get a little ill every time I watch Oregon... that QB looks like a clone of Reggie McNeal. Oh what could have been if not for that fat, Little Debbie eating, offensive genius named _ennis Franchione!! :evil:
RE: OSU and their Big Ten brethren I believe Sagarin has their schedule at #63.... That's probably one of the worst schedule ratings of any BCS title contender in recent history. That said I truly think this team will elevate it's game to astronomical levels if they can get past Illinois. If they do they will already smell the national title blood when they play Michigan and will beat a highly motivated Michigan team in a bloodbath that they will need the 40 days to recover from.
I guess the question for tOSU re pairing the BCS+1 game is .... would you rather face a very good Oregon from the strong Pac-10 or a "just seems to get by" LSU team from the relatively weak SEC? 8)
Yeh, I'm glad all Skybox members thought the champ of the lowly SEC deserved its place in the 2007 BCS+1 game. :wink:
Well I don't know about the rest of the Skyboxers, but I was not in the rematch camp. It was OSU and the Gators in my opinion. No other game made any sense.
I was in the Florida camp as well...and I think most of the Skyboxers were...the only one I remember stumping for Michigan was AJNJ. Oregon and LSU both look incredibly good this year.
Hey, even I was in the Florida camp noting that failing to win a conference title should disqualify a team from playing for the BCS championship! Signed, St. Robert