...and consensus #2 in the preseason yet still had 9 new starters on defense which from my perspective and the many, many others of the Buckeye Nation at that time makes a trip to the title game an unexpected pleasure. No doubt there are those whose opinions would differ, so be it... Consider there was, shall we say, a meaningful decline in the quality your Gator defense from a year ago....how many kids did they lose? Interesting that you should cite our ranking in the AP poll as the authortitative word in the sport given that we were ranked #1 in all the polls leading up to a title game last year for which you incessantly complain we were unworthy.....it can't be both ways can it? :lol:
Ohio State was #1 in 2007 for most of the season by default for the longest time because everyone else with tougher opponents were losing. Then OSU ran into it's own tough opponent and ...zappo....the Buckeyes promptly lost ( to Illinois)... In 2006 I thought that OSU was indeed overrated because of that young defense....and I was right and I agree with you although offensively OSU was most deserving of a #1 ranking.
Nonsense.....the losses were to Pitt, Arkansas/Kentucky, Tx Tech and Stanford. They are not tougher opponents. The only valid point you make is that everyone else lost.....while we did not. Losing more frequently to lesser teams generally tends to hurt your ranking in comparison to those that did not. I could be wrong but I don't think so.....
That's precisely the point you don't get about the SEC BT. When you play tough physical teams week in and week out without a break it takes it's toll both in injuries and in emotions and you become more vulnerable even to just average to good teams. There is an abundance of great coaches in the SEC just waiting for a chance to knock off an elite conference opponent who may be out of gas the week after taking on another conference juggernaut.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: sorry....not everybody drinks that kool-aid you guys try to sell. In any event, that has absolutely nothing to do with Tx Tech, Stanford, or Pitt which were also at the core of your argument.
Kool aid eh? How about some truth elixir.... OSU mid-season schedule leading up to the big tilt with Penn State... Sept. 22 Northwestern W 58-7 Sept. 29 at Minnesota W 30-7 Oct. 6 at Purdue W 23-7 Oct. 13 Kent State W 48-3 Oct. 20 Michigan State W 24-17 Florida's 5 games leading up to the huge game with Georgia: Sept. 15 Tennessee W 59-20 Sept. 22 at Ole Miss W 30-24 Sept. 29 Auburn L 20-17 Oct. 6 at LSU L 28-24 Oct. 20 at Kentucky W 45-37 The difference is absolutely staggering..... I'm sure though that you have some twisted logic about how that Ohio State slate was a real ball buster of a schedule and it was a miracle the Buckeyes beat Penn St after that gauntlet... :lol: :lol: :lol: :shock:
so uhm <r><QUOTE><s> </e></QUOTE> That's what the Pac10 people have been saying for years, only to be told that 'real title teams don't lose to Stanford.'<br/> <br/> So is the SEC the only conference that can make this claim!?!? In the Pac10, you had teams like Cal (who beat Tennessee) who were 3-6 in the conference but 7-6 overall. They finished in 7th place in the Pac10 (you remember, the conference that SEC fans keep telling me only has 'one or two real contenders')<br/> <br/> This just amazes me.. You guys don't even see the double-standard and hypocrisy of these statements.</r>
:lol: :lol: You are a piece of work....remind me again how we got the Gators into the discussion about how Ohio State got to become the default #1 by prevailing national opinion because Oklahoma, USC, WVA and LSU kept losing???? I just don't recall your Gators being a part of that discussion last year.....
Among the fallacies of that argument is that the weaker teams also have to play tough games, with a lot of emotion and the chance of injury...weaker teams by and large have less quality depth than the elite and would then logically be impacted more by the grind of attrition....the kool-aid for the rationalization of failure.
BT....I don't blame you for not having much of substance to say after you have reviewed my last post. The evidence is pretty hard to refute with regard to the rigors of a week in/week out SEC schedule taking it's toll on teams like Florida last year vs. the week in/week out vacation that was the Big Ten last year for OSU. It's a pretty ridiculous looking comparison I know. No wonder after that stretch of 5 games for Florida that Tebow was banged up vs. Georgia....and it factored heavily into Florida losing that game. By contrast OSU shined brightly at Penn St....equally no wonder with that cakewalk in the weeks prior.
Substance was present although perhaps not to your liking and in direct contrast to your posts, it had the further advantage of also being relevant to the discussion. It is getting to the point in this thread, as it does so often in many threads, that we can all sit back and watch you argue with yourself....it can make for great theater to watch you antagonize yourself. 8)