http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/stewart_mandel/01/04/ohiost.backlash/index.html?eref=si_topstories This is a pretty good summation of what has been going on in Buckeye land for the past year. By early Tues. morning we will know if the Buckeyes are relevant to the college football world for the next few years and Buckeye T will also get his wish that finally the 2007 UF-OSU game loses some of it's topical and relevant nature to college football. If you read the basic contention of this article I think you will see that their conclusion will support what I am saying. Ohio State MUST show up in this game. The Ohio State program can ill afford to lay another egg in the national title game and if they do I think it will haunt not only Ohio State when it comes to NC game selection time but also the Big Ten as well although Michigan's great win over Florida may have at least given the Wolverines some breathing room. In the 1997 Sugar Bowl if Florida would have laid a second consecutive NC game egg I guarantee you the media was ready to pounce on the Spurrier mystique and relegate it more to myth than reality. The same thing could happen to Ohio State if they are unable to at least hang with LSU if not beat the Tigers Monday night. In any event I have the Buckeyes and 9.5 points so it should be a gimme for me I hope. If not.....bye bye Buckeyes on the national scene.
MCG, I think it's way over dramatic to say that Ohio State must win this game. Let's just talk some statistics here, this is their 3 appearance in the Championship game in 6 years. So far they won one against what was supposed to be an unbeatable Miami team, then as a solid favorite to beat the Gators they lost. No doubt that was a tough loss, but guess what? Twelve months later here they are again with a young team that wasn't supposed to be here. Either way after this game they are going to be either 2-1 in Championship games in 6 years or 1-2 in Championship games in 6 years. That means that they will have either won the same number as the Gators during that time or one more. One of these two teams are going to be the only two time winner of the BCS. I just don't losing this game as devastating to either team. I think that kind of stuff is way over rated anyway, that is must games, devastating losses etc. One thing about being a football player is that none of them are going to play for any length of time and not lose games. :lol: :lol:
MCG; Let's just hope they don't collapse under the bright lights and give up 539 yardsa of totoal offense. That would be humiliating.
Way overdramatic to say Ohio State has to win the game...hell Bob Stoops got blown out by USC and LSU and has lost 4 straight BCS games including humilation by Boise State and then run over by the Road Runners from WVU...and yet he's still considered one of the best coaches around and OU still gets tons of talent (as rated by the Gurus) and they will still start next year highly rated and likely beat Texas ...AGAIN :cry: :cry:
Don't kid yourself about Stoops....his rep took a major hit with the WV debacle. I have already seen media references to his diminished rep. Granted he started so high to begin with that his rep is still pretty decent but it took a hit nonetheless. I think Tressel as a coach would not take the hit that the Ohio State program as a leader of the Big Ten Conference would take. Not only would they go 0-9 vs. the SEC ( and despite many offbeat protestations around here the media thinks that IS significant ) but OSU's second consecutive flop in the NC game would make BCS voters start to scrutinze their title game worthiness a lot harder in the future and with good reason. Now I am certainly not suggesting they don't belong this year but the jury is out on the Buckeyes until they prove differently. I am not saying they have to win by any means but they have to be in the game....competing with a fairly close final score. There was a backlash against non-conference champions making the NC game after Nebraska screwed the pooch vs. Miami in the Rose Bowl and if OSU repeats last year's performance in this year's game there will be some Buckeye directed backlash in the near future...especially when their schedule doesn't measure up to other NC game contenders. The pressure is on Ohio State for this game and when it's all over I think they will have responded.......at least they better have.
NOTHING put forth by SI has credibility. It's nothing more than an attention-grabbing piece without foundation. There is no more or less pressure on OSU than on LSU. Win or lose, the respect for the high level of the OSU program will not be affected one iota. What is being ignored in the conversation among the self-styled critics is that OSU is back in the title game with virtually an entirely different cast from last year. They've shown the ability to reload effectively. That feature of their program is worthy of respect regardless of the putcome of the game.
Now the Big ten is 14-12 against the SEC since the inception of the BCS bowl series. Ohio State is 0-8. That means the rest of the league is 14-4. Remarkable.
14-4 <r>Hooooly cow.<br/> <br/> For once, tOSU is the weak sister? <E></E> They gotta get with it.<br/> <br/> Oh yeah, I think that article is total dogsh*t.</r>
Just when was the first BCS Championship game? I do think Ohio State has the most appearances and after this game will either be the team that has won the most, 2 wins, or tied with a host of other teams with 1 win for 2nd place. So the worst case scenario is first in appearances and tied for 2nd with most wins. Best case is first in appearances and first in wins. How many teams would be happy to just have Ohio States worst scenario? I bet SI didn't write about that.
Wait a minute, I think Oklahoma also has three appearances. However the essence of what I said above is still true.
The BCS is a close sibling of the Bowl Alliance in which Florida played ( if you wanna call it that ) the first game after the 1995 season vs. Nebraska. UF has three appearances and two wins between the two NC oriented bowl organizations. Ohio State won a very close one in 2003 and certainly just getting there is pretty good but I guarantee you that if they go down big in this game Monday night that they will be a la Auburn on the outside looking in the next time they are among three seemingly equal contenders for the NC game. The only factor that would help them in that scenario would be if their schedule was a top 10 rated schedule at least. The Buckeyes can trash all this speculation with a win over the Tigers but until they play the game and compete the pressure is on. p.s. Good thing BT is traveling or he would swoop in and thouroughly give me a thrashing for suggesting such things...... :lol:
Bill How can you forget that 1/1/1999 was the 1st recognized BCS Championship game. Tennessee, unbeaten season ring a bell Sunshine. That was the year I learned that my philosophy on football had changed to "Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good". :wink: :roll:
Thanks Tom and Cindy. I have to say how much I enjoyed that game when Tenn hammered FSU! I didn't remember though that it was the first BCS game. Going back to the Bowl Alliance the Gators have appeared three times, only problem with that is Oho State wasn't eligible until the BCS was formed. Let's not quibble over those details, my point is that Ohio State has nothing to be ashamed of and their honor is not at stake one way or the other. Gator Bill
Bill I appreciate the fact that you are being gracious toward Ohio State but I would bet that less than 10% of their fans would agree with you should the Buckeyes get blown out for the second year in a row vs. the SEC. Most of them on the other hand don't think that is possible and hopefully it isn't ( to wit....MCG getting 9.5 points! ) . The Tigers don't seem to have the blow out factor in their game this season so I expect a very tight, hard fought battle that could go either way.
It is not a matter of just being gracious MCG, it's a matter of most of these stories are just silly. There is no way to belittle what Ohio State has accomplished in the last 6 years and winning or losing a football game is not life or death. Ohio State is one of the premier programs in the country and I sure don't see how losing a football game would change that.
what's worse <t>the team that gets to the title game and loses or the team that doesn't get there every year?<br/> <br/> this is feeble at best.<br/> <br/> in an absolute best case scenario and giving validity to all this crap you're spewing forth here.... all you have really succeeded in doing is cheapen your own national title from last season.</t>