| FTBL Herbstreet on SportsCenter last night got me thinking....

TWJUA

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about his top 5 that could win it in 2008. UF, UGA, USC, someone and Ohio State....

A lot of people love to bash the Big Ten and Ohio State. I think they are the shoe in (as close as a team in July can be)for the BCS NC game.
-Nobody in conference is going to get in their way
-Michigan is rebuilding
-They had a ridiculous recruiting class in 2008, a good one in 2007.(sidenote- for 2009, already have 23, WTF?)
-They were in back to back BCS NC games, and 3 out of 5.
- and they are loaded with many of the same players that got them there last year. Wells at RB, their QB.

Only their matchup at USC on Sept 12th(Game of the Year right now) is in the way. And we know a 1 loss team is easily able to get to the BCS NC game. If they can win that one, its wide open to Miami.

* I am not a OSU fan, never have been, never been to Columbus, don't know a Buckeye fan, and only been to Ohio as far as the Cincinnati airport. Just getting some football talk on a slow July day.
 
Yeah, they have everything in their favor as far as returning to the NC. The USC game is huge and if they win that I'm sure they'll be in the big game. If they lose, and drop a game to someone in the Big 2 little 9, then I don't think they can make it to the NC. With that said, they will try to find a way to put them in there. Hell, maybe they will meet USC again in the Rose Bowl at the end of the year if neither make it to the NC.
 
yeah, good topic. i was talking about this issue with a friend of mine a month or so ago. we both think that we'll see SC and Ohio St. in the national title game, regardless of who wins during the regular season.

i agree that the other teams to watch will be OU, UGA, and UF.

i expected Clemson to be outstanding this year, but they are having too difficult of an offseason.
 
If they make it, I hope its opposite Georgia. I'd love to see them get drilled for the third year in a row by an SEC team.

The ridiculous Big Ten is why they are being talked up. They would be a middle of the pack team in the SEC or Big 12.
 
psychojoe said:
If they make it, I hope its opposite Georgia. I'd love to see them get drilled for the third year in a row by an SEC team.

The ridiculous Big Ten is why they are being talked up. They would be a middle of the pack team in the SEC or Big 12.

But they aren't. They are in the Big Ten. They play games just like we do.


beating-a-dead-horse.gif


Sorry, might be the first time you've said it, but I'm tired of hearing it...
 
Outlaw said:
psychojoe said:
If they make it, I hope its opposite Georgia. I'd love to see them get drilled for the third year in a row by an SEC team.

The ridiculous Big Ten is why they are being talked up. They would be a middle of the pack team in the SEC or Big 12.

But they aren't. They are in the Big Ten. They play games just like we do.


beating-a-dead-horse.gif


Sorry, might be the first time you've said it, but I'm tired of hearing it...

You may be tired of hearing it, but that doesn't mean you have heard it correctly.

Ohio State doesn't play teams just like we do. Their conference is quickly becoming laughable. Their out of conference games are a ridiculous sham. They are forced, out of sheer necessity, to play at least one difficult game a year out of conference or they would be laughed out of the stadium.

Ohio State is given undeserved platitudes by the thousands of sportswriters and voters in the North who either went to the school, pull for the team, or wish to just see a Big Ten team make it.

They are currently ranked preseason consensus #1 and that too is a travesty, yet completely expected. Their extremely talented team that is talked up so much by the ESPN bobble heads has been absolutely and completely obliterated 2 years in a row.

The same excellent, talented, unbelievably gifted athletes that we are force fed information about have been made to look inept and frankly, incompetent for 2 years in a row. What in the world is going to make this same bunch of losers so much better this year?

Ohio State, even with what is essentially a mandatory tough OOC game every year just to try to seem legitimate, still consistently has one of the weakest schedules each and every year. Does this matter to the voters who suck them up like sugar? Of course not.

Let's take a look at their schedule last year:

2007-Ohio State (Big Ten)
9/1 vs. Youngstown State (non-IA)W38 6
9/8 vs. Akron (4-8) W 20 2
9/15 @ Washington (4-9) W 33 14
9/22 vs. *Northwestern (6-6) W58 7
9/29 @ *Minnesota (1-11) W30 7
10/6 @ *Purdue (8-5) W 23 7
10/13 vs. Kent (3-9) W 48 3
10/20 vs. *Michigan State (7-6) W24 17
10/27 @ *Penn State (9-4) W 37 17
11/3 vs. *Wisconsin (9-4) W 38 17
11/10 vs. *Illinois (9-4) L 21 28
11/17 @ *Michigan (9-4) W 14 3

Is this for real? Is this a football schedule or a laughable and disgustingly weak fix that has been put in?

It is the same way every single year.

Take a look at their normal in-conference opponents:

Illinois
Indiana
Northwestern
Iowa
Purdue
Minnesota
Michigan State

And then, you have to look at the OOC opponents they pick every year to fill in their schedule:

E. Illinois
Syracuse
W. Michigan
Ball State
S. Illinois
UConn
Montana
N. Illinois
C. Michigan
Idaho
E. Michigan
Pittsburgh
Kent State
Temple
ND State
Miami (OH)
New Hampshire
Nevada
Cincinnati
Bowling Green University
Akron
Youngstown State
Buffalo
San Diego State

The information I listed above is why they are so "good" every year. This is why they will almost certainly be in the NC game every year for the foreseeable future, and it is also why they will lose every NC game they are in, especially against an SEC team.

The time has come to start skipping over undefeated or one loss Big Ten teams and choose a one or two loss team from another conference to play in the NC game. The Big Ten is not competitive and a quality team from another conference would be much more appropriate than the same old, same old that they produce every year.

They are basically the equivalent of a Hawaii. Sure, they win their games but they aren't any good and anyone that doesn't have the Big Televen blinders on can plainly see that.
 
Maybe they should try and get La Monroe to come up to Columbus :oops: Or N Ill :oops: Or La Tech Or C.Fla ect.

You cant possibly fault OSU for its conference. They have played at Wash and Texas (and won BTW) in recent years. They play USC this year :shock:

They have been blown out by the SEC the last 2 years but they also beat the Miami team for NC that many considered the best ever at the time.

Last year they won @Wash, @ Penn St, @Mich by more than 10 points in each contest. Thats pretty damn sporty even in a down year for those teams.
 
If I could enter this discussion...

Nobody is "faulting" OSU for their conference. Just saying that they don't deserve to be #1 because the schedule they have is so weak.

Ohio State basically has a 1-game season in 2008. They are already building it up on ESPN that if OSU can beat USC they deserve to be in the NC game. :lol:

Do you think that a team with a 1-game season deserves to go to the NC game?

The ESPN idiots repeatedly cite "SEC needs to play harder OOC games" as their rationale for why someone other than SEC should get the nod. OSU would be lucky to play Arky's schedule and come out 10-2. But if they did play Arky's schedule and go 10-2, that would still be much more impressive than their current 2008 schedule.

Take for example, the SEC West. If you are in the SEC West right now, you have 2 or 3 Top 10 teams (depending on which poll) already on your schedule. What difference does it make which conference they come from?

I just do not understand this fascination with OOC games as the measure of quality of a team.
 
They are already building it up on ESPN that if OSU can beat USC they deserve to be in the NC game.

I blame ESPN and other networks/writers/voters on OSU's jock, rather than blaming the Buckeyes.
 
I would love to see a good argument for why UGA/FLA is not the Game of the year. Not only is the loser virtually out of the NC race, but they also are virtually out of conference and division contention. Further, the winner of that game also stands a great chance of playing for the NC.

As for OSU, I have to think that the weak conference play will not ready them for the gut check that will come from playing an SEC proven winner.
 
Exactly. For example: Why should West Virginia get more credit for playing AU than the SEC teams do?

The UGA @ AU game may have more national impact than the WVU game, but it's a conference game so it is insignificant I guess?

Y'all are playing Clemson in Week 1. No question that is the biggest game in the nation that week. Played FSU last year. But these things are overlooked in favor of the "SEC needs tougher OOC games" baloney.
 
circledrill said:
Exactly. For example: Why should West Virginia get more credit for playing AU than the SEC teams do?

The UGA @ AU game may have more national impact than the WVU game, but it's a conference game so it is insignificant I guess?

Y'all are playing Clemson in Week 1. No question that is the biggest game in the nation that week. Played FSU last year. But these things are overlooked in favor of the "SEC needs tougher OOC games" baloney.

I agree with all of your points.
 
Lenny Kozlowski said:
They have been blown out by the SEC the last 2 years but they also beat the Miami team for NC that many considered the best ever at the time.

Every NC team is the "best team ever" according to ESPN. Kinda like the #2 UM v. #1 OSU was the "greatest game ever", even though it was over after the third quarter.

Sensationalism, I can't stand it.
 
Lenny Kozlowski said:
Maybe they should try and get La Monroe to come up to Columbus :oops: Or N Ill :oops: Or La Tech Or C.Fla ect.

Maybe they should. Or maybe Alabama should fill our schedule with 8 of their opponents and not worry about our own conference and use their OOC games also, that would be fantastic.

Then 'Bama's schedule could look like this:

Youngstown State
Akron
Texas
Kent
Northwestern
Iowa
Minnesota
Indiana
Mississippi State
Vanderbilt
Tennessee
Auburn

You cant possibly fault OSU for its conference. They have played at Wash and Texas (and won BTW) in recent years. They play USC this year :shock:

Why would that be a shock emoticon usage statement? I cleary stated, if you reread my post, that OSU was basically required to get at least one top flight team a year to play them or their schedules would be really shameful.

They have been blown out by the SEC the last 2 years but they also beat the Miami team for NC that many considered the best ever at the time.

I don't consider it the best ever. Do you follow football much?

Last year they won @Wash,

Yes, that was a fantastic and hard fought victory over a team that won FOUR games all year, they should be exceptionally proud of this feat.

@ Penn St, @Mich by more than 10 points in each contest. Thats pretty damn sporty even in a down year for those teams.

Penn State and Michigan are both in conference games for OSU, two of the only teams that are halfway decent on a regular basis. Not so much lately, kind of like Alabama, but they still play a tough and hard fought game.

And your point is what exactly?
 
Wisc and Michigan will be their only tough hurdles all season. Maybe Ill will give them a fight, but I think that was a one time deal last year.

Trade UGA and OSU's schedule, and we would be talking about Georgia being a lock for the BCS champ game.
 
TWJUA said:
Wisc and Michigan will be their only tough hurdles all season. Maybe Ill will give them a fight, but I think that was a one time deal last year.

Trade UGA and OSU's schedule, and we would be talking about Georgia being a lock for the BCS champ game.

Heck trade our schedule with theirs, we'd have a chance.
 
EuroTide said:
musso said:
i expected Clemson to be outstanding this year, but they are having too difficult of an offseason.

+ theyll have that early loss

Yes, that is right, EuroTide. That first loss over in Atlanta is going to really zap the strength from Clemson. Their fans will just say, "**ck it", why worry about the rest of the season.

If you want to talk about an unreasonable fanbase, look no further than the Clemson fanbase. They have built them up into world stompers and are betting the house on this year.

They say, if not this year, when they have more talent than they have ever had, then when?

It is really going to be disheartening when they lose right off.
 
CtrlAltieDel said:
Outlaw said:
psychojoe said:
If they make it, I hope its opposite Georgia. I'd love to see them get drilled for the third year in a row by an SEC team.

The ridiculous Big Ten is why they are being talked up. They would be a middle of the pack team in the SEC or Big 12.

But they aren't. They are in the Big Ten. They play games just like we do.


beating-a-dead-horse.gif


Sorry, might be the first time you've said it, but I'm tired of hearing it...

You may be tired of hearing it, but that doesn't mean you have heard it correctly.

Ohio State doesn't play teams just like we do. Their conference is quickly becoming laughable. Their out of conference games are a ridiculous sham. They are forced, out of sheer necessity, to play at least one difficult game a year out of conference or they would be laughed out of the stadium.

Ohio State is given undeserved platitudes by the thousands of sportswriters and voters in the North who either went to the school, pull for the team, or wish to just see a Big Ten team make it.

They are currently ranked preseason consensus #1 and that too is a travesty, yet completely expected. Their extremely talented team that is talked up so much by the ESPN bobble heads has been absolutely and completely obliterated 2 years in a row.

The same excellent, talented, unbelievably gifted athletes that we are force fed information about have been made to look inept and frankly, incompetent for 2 years in a row. What in the world is going to make this same bunch of losers so much better this year?

Ohio State, even with what is essentially a mandatory tough OOC game every year just to try to seem legitimate, still consistently has one of the weakest schedules each and every year. Does this matter to the voters who suck them up like sugar? Of course not.

Let's take a look at their schedule last year:

2007-Ohio State (Big Ten)
9/1 vs. Youngstown State (non-IA)W38 6
9/8 vs. Akron (4-8) W 20 2
9/15 @ Washington (4-9) W 33 14
9/22 vs. *Northwestern (6-6) W58 7
9/29 @ *Minnesota (1-11) W30 7
10/6 @ *Purdue (8-5) W 23 7
10/13 vs. Kent (3-9) W 48 3
10/20 vs. *Michigan State (7-6) W24 17
10/27 @ *Penn State (9-4) W 37 17
11/3 vs. *Wisconsin (9-4) W 38 17
11/10 vs. *Illinois (9-4) L 21 28
11/17 @ *Michigan (9-4) W 14 3

Is this for real? Is this a football schedule or a laughable and disgustingly weak fix that has been put in?

It is the same way every single year.

Take a look at their normal in-conference opponents:

Illinois
Indiana
Northwestern
Iowa
Purdue
Minnesota
Michigan State

And then, you have to look at the OOC opponents they pick every year to fill in their schedule:

E. Illinois
Syracuse
W. Michigan
Ball State
S. Illinois
UConn
Montana
N. Illinois
C. Michigan
Idaho
E. Michigan
Pittsburgh
Kent State
Temple
ND State
Miami (OH)
New Hampshire
Nevada
Cincinnati
Bowling Green University
Akron
Youngstown State
Buffalo
San Diego State

The information I listed above is why they are so "good" every year. This is why they will almost certainly be in the NC game every year for the foreseeable future, and it is also why they will lose every NC game they are in, especially against an SEC team.

The time has come to start skipping over undefeated or one loss Big Ten teams and choose a one or two loss team from another conference to play in the NC game. The Big Ten is not competitive and a quality team from another conference would be much more appropriate than the same old, same old that they produce every year.

They are basically the equivalent of a Hawaii. Sure, they win their games but they aren't any good and anyone that doesn't have the Big Televen blinders on can plainly see that.

Ohio State plays 60 minute games. They play 11 players vs. 11 players. They play on a football field.

Alabama plays 60 minute games. They play 11 players vs. 11 players. They play on a football field.

I've heard the argument before. It sounded the same then as it does now.

I'm not disagreeing that the Big 10 isn't as strong as the SEC. I'm just tired of hearing it. So what? My left side of my body is stronger than my right.

My point is: How about we shut up about everyone else and who they play and win our games? Winners go out, play the game, and don't worry about everything else.

(FWIW: I used to talk about it till I was blue in the face as well.)
 
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