must...resist...must...not...get....dragged....in <r><QUOTE><s> </e></QUOTE> Hold on now. The SEC receives quite the benefit of the doubt come bowl time because it is 'accepted' that they are deeper and better than other conferences.<br/> <br/> Now the facts on the field clearly point to a level of parity top to bottom between the "crown jewel" (sec) and the suspect weaker sister (big10) that people continue to stick their heads in the sand over.<br/> <br/> Now you want to hang your hat on the whole 'flagship school of the conference'. That is bunk and you know it. You can't have it both ways.<br/> <br/> And speaking of the 'flagship' statement, I am sure the fans of the other 10 schools in that conference find statement curious at best. In the past 10 years, Ohio State has won or shared 5 conference titles. That is the same number of conference titles won or shared by Michigan (the team you folks don't seem to want to talk about). In that same time frame, 6 different teams have won or shared the Big10 title while some like Wisconsin, Penn State and Iowa have won or shared more than one. That seems to speak toward their depth as well while certainly countering your 'flagship' statement.<br/> <br/> I eagerly anticipate your next tweak of thesis....</r>
I will stipulate and let the record reflect that Ohio State's record -v- the SEC in bowls sucks. Period. That said, that is not what the argument is about.....the argument is over our competition - the "easy pass" argument. Our competition in the Big 10 has sported an 11-6 record against the SEC in bowl games this decade - why is our competition an "easy pass" when we play them but wins better than 2 out of 3 times -v- the SEC yet the SEC is "tougher" competition.....that my friends is pure unadulterated bunk no matter how you spin it.....there is no logic in the world that can get you to that point in a rational manner. None...... I would suggest that yes we are the co-flagship and we have struggled but M has as Corey pointed out has as many titles and their record in the last decade is 5-1 -v- the SEC. They have dominated their series with the SEC yet they are not worthy competitors for Ohio State....Penn State is 2-1 -v- the SEC yet they are not worthy opponents when we play them and beat them.....Iowa is 2-1 -v- SEC competitors yet they are not worthy. As I'm sure Tom will tell you Wisky is quite a solid program and sports a very competitive 2-3 record -v- SEC opponents yet when we play them they are not worthy.....and that is in the sunny south. Take your Gators up there to Madison sometime in November and tell me they are not worthy and an easy pass to the title game.....what unadulterated, bullsh!t that is..... Who is the SEC flagship? Florida? You've never beaten M and you are 2-4 -v- the Big 10 this decade. Explain to me in some rational manner how that works? The competition argument has zero merit...the "easy pass" is a figment of somebody's imagination and in fact is contrary to the facts when the SEC faces the exact SAME competition that we do! The emperor has no clothes......save that stuff for somebody without a brain.
My daddy said, "Son, you're going to drive me to drinkin' if you don't stop driving that hot rod Lincoln." Cory Hart just hit an inside the park, three-run home run. Branyan followed with a solo shot. Ueck's going nuts.
Nice picture of a dolphin Corey, does that mean you are a Miami Dolphin fan? Now let's set some record straight. The two most active Gators on this site are me, Gator Bill, and Motor City Gator. We are both Gator fans, have met and had the same type leg injury last year and being able to talk to him about my injury was comforting to me. We both love the Gators and like each other, I think. I can say for sure that I like him. With that out of the way let me say that his views and mine concerning the SEC and the Big 10 couldn't be further apart, in particular where it comes to Ohio State. In my view Ohio State deserved to be in the last two BCS Championship games. In my view the SEC is as good a conference as their is in the country. But those things change over time. I have always felt that over time the SEC, the Big 10, the Big 12 and the PAC 10 are fairly even over time. There you have my opinion.
Bill, I have no issue with you or any of that...the SEC may be justified in claiming to be the premier conf. right now...but it's closer than certain individuals would admit to, and we can only take so much...know what I mean?
Stu, I know what you mean. With Tennessee not being as strong in the last few years as we normally are, that tends to humble a fan. Maybe that is what it will take for MCG. He can be very likable at times and then, at other times, you want to place your hands around his little neck and squeeze until his freekin eyeballs pop out. :shock: :wink: What bothers me is that MCG's attitude turns others into SEC "haters". Corey is one. He and I have had very civil conversations over the conferences. I know when he goes on a rant over the SEC that it is due to provocation. I grew up around the SEC. I am a SEC fan for life. I am just not the “in your face” kind of guy that others can be at times. I am proud of the accomplishments of Tennessee and the SEC in general. You will never, ever see me run down another team or conference to make mine look better.
I understand Stu and Tom! You know the Gators really became a National team when Spurrier arrived in 1990. Alabama won the National Championship in after the 92 season, Florida after the 96 season and Tennessee after the 98 season. Prior to that it had been quite a number of years since the SEC had won it all. During that time even with the three championships Miami and FSU had been dominant in the 80's and 90's. These things run in cycles and the SEC is enjoying a nice cycle right now. On the other hand if your want to talk about a dominant program in the 2000's it would have to be Pete Carrol and USC.
Amen to that Tom....I've never understood the need to belittle the accomplishments of others in an effort to make their own seem somehow superior.....it generally suggests to me that either they can't stand on their own merit or are extremely insecure about their own standing. Ironically, in either event, it does serve to greatly undermine their own position..... Count me in with Stu and Corey......there is a limit to what reasonable men can digest. I think we're full.....
I took down flipper <r>that picture was just too damned big.<br/> <br/> Also, I think 'hater' is a strong word here <E></E> I read this site every day, I decided to meet him in kind on the subject.<br/> <br/> I take a LOT of crap living in the heart of Dixie being an ND fan from California. I hear a lot more people backing the line that MCG spits out here than I do Bill or Tom. I think part of that comes from the average sports fan simply being dumber than a bag of hammers and taking their talking points from ESPN, CBS etc.<br/> <br/> It can't be denied that Ohio State has choked in big bowl games recently for whatever reason. My own Irish have a long recent history of bowl game flops. If any of you feel that those two teams are really that terrible, by all means, schedule them.<br/> <br/> But I've seen way too much of Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan, Iowa etc and their success against SEC teams to buy into this EsPN garbage anymore. Such claims of obvious Big10 inferiority are simply without merit.<br/> <br/> I also, and have for some time, have a beef with this current system in which so much emphasis is placed on bowl game results while discounting regular season credentials. If we had a playoff, then I can see putting weight on the end game but in our current system.. It pays to schedule patsies, play your conference schedule and let the media hype it up..and pray for a big bowl win. That's not football, that's a beauty pagent.<br/> <br/> IMHO.<br/> <br/> ps<br/> Rick, was he wearing sunglasses?</r>
I don't set out to belittle but sometimes the truth hurts and seems like it is intended to belittle perhaps. The fact is OSU beat only #19 rated Michigan in the final coaches poll top 20 and even that win was somewhwat muted by the fact UM basically had no Qb that day. Then they proceeded to look mostly outclassed by another SEC Champion. That leads to the conclusion drawn by most fans around the entire nation that OSU will absoltely HAVE to beat USC in order to return to the NC game. Just because I share the opinion held by so many doesn't mean I have it in for OSU and just want to belittle them.
The problem with that statement MCG is that it's truth from your point of view, and as far as not meaning to belittle, you come across that way and it seems no matter how many times it is mention you cop the same excuse such as truth hurts. Let's try this for truth, Ohio State has appeared in more Championship games this decade than anyone, 3, and won one of them. I think an unbiased observer might have to admit that since they have won the same number of Championships as the Gators and appeared more times in the 2000's that they have the better track record.
The decade has three more seasons to go Bill. Let's compare Ohio State and Florida for the decade after the 2010 season and maybe OSU will look even better by comparison...maybe not. Look I'm not saying Ohio State is a bad team. I am saying last year was a little questionable with regard to what they actually accomplished. About all I can get out of that from the Ohio State crowd is they beat a gimpy Michigan team in an ugly game which then beat 3 loss SEC also ran Florida in a bowl game. Big deal. The hurtful "truth" that I refer to and which I have stated emphatically and which is talked about all over the national landscape is the fact the Buckeyes must beat USC to return to the national championship game and mostly this is the truth because of last year. No one seems to want to debate those specific statements.
I already did...but just for you I'll embellish and repeat... It's hard for ANY team to get to the BCS game with one loss...the chips all have to fall right...last year was pretty unusual...a two loss team got in, thanks to every one else's foibles. I would submit that nobody deserved to go anymore than we did...arguments could be made for some that might have had an equal right, but we were as "there" as anybody. How is our loss to LSU in New Orleans supposed to embarrass us more than WVa's loss to Pitt to choke away a sure NC game. Yeah, if we suffer an early loss to USC we will be down on the list and certainly not the favorite to get to the BCS game...that really should go without saying in this year or any other. You just are absolutely obsessed with this game and the idea that we somehow have disqualified ourselves from consideration for the BCS championship unless we go undefeated...before the games are played...before we know how strong the schedules are... And you post a couple articles about it and all of a sudden this is supposed to be some kind of conventional wisdom...something that every college football fan is dwelling on...Horse Pucky...I doubt most folks around the country give a crap. If we lose to USC...probably the most dominant team this decade...in their arena...by a close score in a good game...and then go on and win the B10 and look strong doing so we should be right there in the argument for one-loss teams... And in that scenario it would be unlikely for a two loss team to jump over us... Yeah, some folks lobbying for their own team will argue that we had our chances already...and some voters may think of that when casting their votes...and maybe they'd be right to do so if it's a close call. But I really don't understand why anybody is so fixated on this game being the end all for the NC chances for us...before ANY of the other games have been played. Unless that person truly has some kind of obsession...hey, are you just another Michigan guy with the usual fixation? :shock:
Stu, The only thing that can be established as fact at this point is the following: Ohio State's chances - as measured the day following the game - of getting into the national championship game for a third consecutive time are greater if we beat USC than they are if we lose. Period. The same is holds for SC. Props to those two schools and all others who effort to put forth magnificent inter-sectional match-up of traditional powers for having the courage to schedule these great spectacles. Anything else is just pure, idle preseason speculation put forth by writers and pundits whose only agenda at this point is to sell their wares. And what better way to sell their wares than to incite the masses of people who either love or hate Ohio State.....to think otherwise is just pure naivete. Let's play the games and we'll all know for certain by Christmas......
Well put BT....at least you do acknowledge the impact of the USC-OSU game. ....and that is what this topic was ultimately about....the game is one of the TOP games of upcoming year if not THE top game with national championship ramifications. There are a couple of others like Georgia-Florida but this one looms large especially for the Buckeyes because of all the aforementioned. Not too hard Stu to be obsessed about a game like this if you are a true college football fan.
My comment was related to what had been accomplished so far this decade, not what is going to have been accomplished after two more years. The Gators would have to be in the BCS Championship game two more times to match Ohio State's appearances in the 2000's even by your criteria. You insist on keeping to bash a program that is an outstanding program. That speaks more of you than Ohio State. You need to quit trying to explain why you always make these posts and just own up to the fact that you like to bash them.
....as TOK and many others before me have stated, the impact of this game is the same as the impact of every other early season huge intersectional clash between two traditional powers with title hopes. The same as the impact of the Ohio State-Texas series in the very recent past and many more before it for those schools who choose to participate in them . No more, no less.....