Here We Go, Yo
It’s not often that you’ll find Buckeyes, Hawkeyes, Spartans, Wildcats and other Big Ten fanbases all coming together on something, but that’s exactly what you’ll see when the Civil War kicks off Saturday night. For one night at least, millions of Midwesterners will be bona fide Ducks fans.
But Bo don’t know jack, because Bo can’t rapShould Oregon win, USC with games against Notre Dame and an equally bad UCLA, slides into the Rose Bowl, freeing up a BCS spot for the Buckeyes. Should that happen, Iowa likely gets the nod over Sparty to move up into the Capital One slot due to the state of Iowa’s ability to empty out for a bowl game. Shonn vs. Knowshon? Give the people what they want to see!
Michigan State would then move up to the Outback to tackle another SEC team (LSU would be fun) and Northwestern would be heading to San Antonio to take on someone from the Big 12. It’s a win for the Buckeyes, a win for the conference’s balance sheet, a win for the teams upgrading their destinations and Penn State fans appear to want the matchup with USC* as well. So call them Duck fans as well.
As for the Buckeyes, I realize there are some fans that want to avoid playing an elite team in a BCS game. Based on the last few of times the Buckeyes have ventured out of conference to play in big games, I can understand why they might think that. But, like the fool doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, I am liking Ohio State’s chances in one of these games more and more with each passing day. Florida and USC, the only two schools I wouldn’t exactly look forward to matching up with, will be spoken for if the Ducks win and the Gators capture the SEC championship as expected.
Alabama and Utah would likely meet in the Sugar, the ACC Champion would meet Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl and the Buckeyes would then be left with Oklahoma or Texas in the Fiesta. Both are great football teams and the Buckeyes would be underdogs, but this Ohio State team is playing well as of late and that freshman quarterback is going to be downright salty come January.
Despite the Big Ten turning on their televisions en masse to cheer on Oregon, the Beavers are favored at home and have won the last two in the rivalry. They’ll be hungry for the school’s first Rose Bowl in 43 years and the seven senior starters on the Beaver defense understand what’s on the line. However, they will have to get it done without Jacquizz Rodgers, the Pac-10’s leading rusher and he-who-slayeth-the-Trojans. He is unlikely to play because of a shoulder injury, so we have that going for us.
If the Beavers do manage to win the game and every bowl-eligible team in the Big Ten not named Penn State slides down a spot, it’s not exactly bad news for the Buckeyes. A matchup with Georgia is compelling in many ways. Beanie vs. Knowshon is good theater. It’s a battle of the top two teams from the preseason poll and a matchup of programs that I think mirror each other in a lot of ways. Each received a boost from slaughtering an overvalued opponent in a BCS game in recent years, both teams like to piss on themselves in big ones, and both coaches cultivate squeaky-clean images, save for a moment or two.
Either way, I’m looking forward to what could be Beanie’s last show. One more hurdle and a couple of more stiff-arms, please.
* Be careful what you wish for.
Yeah we’ve already been through it a number of times on here, but I also like our chances against pretty much any team in the country except Florida or USC. I’m not sold on the B12 offenses, and the rest of the SEC teams haven’t been that impressive at all this year. If we lose, then we lose to a good team, but if we win, it’s a bit of redemption in the national spotlight. Against a lesser team, if we win, BFD, we were supposed to win. But if we lose? We’ll be cast into mediocrity and be even more of a joke to the rest of the nation. Bring on the SEC and B12.
ok, so I need someone to explain the ’seven starters on defense’ comment to me. Either I missed the joke or am too dumb to understand it. I wouldnt be surprised either way.
so what so what so whats the scenario
I know it’s an outside shot, but I want to play Alabama. I think that team is not nearly as good as their ranking would suggest. They haven’t played any team this that great. Georigia is alright, but not the team people expected and we know how their big non-conference game went. I think to take on Alabama and beat them down would be a great game for the bucks. I live in SEC country and everyone is talking about how great Alabama and Florida are. I give them Florida, but I will not concede that Alabama is the best team in the nation. A win against Alabama would really shut up a lot of the critics outside the Big 10.
If it’s going to be the Fiesta bowl though I would much rather face Texas than Oklahoma. I know Texas beat them early in the year, and Oklahoma tends to not show up in big games, but they were flat nasty last weekend. I don’t want any part of Oklahoma. I am sold on their offense that’s for sure. But it would be nice if Mc Coy won the Heisman, and then got flattened in the bowl game by the Bucks. That’s just my 2 cents.
Maybe Penn State has a plan for beating the Trojans. I dont’ know how they’ll do it exactly but good luck. I like to see Penn State do well and the would be a huge victory for their program, and show the conference isn’t that bad.
selfishly… I would love for the Orange Bowl to find a way to invite the Buckeyes vs the ACC champ… Ga.Tech?? Fla St?? Va Tech??
Realistically.. prob Georgia in the Capital one Bowl… good matchup….. I have a feeling though that USC may drop one to UCLA or Notre Dame… they are usually good for a late season letdown (see UCLA and Stanford from a few years ago).
Go Bucks
If Ohio State plays Oklahoma, we lose by forty points – the Sooners are that good, and I think they’d physically manhandle Ohio State. The only thing in our favor is that Stoops stinks in bowl games (Tressel does of late, too, but tressel-to-Stoops is a step from the sublime to the ridiculous). If we play Texas, we’re looking at a twenty-point beatdown.
I’d really like us to get a crack at Georgia in the Cap One. It’s not a BCS game, but I think beating an SEC team that was favored (in the preseason) to win a national title would do the program a lot of good.
Joe Fox, if I remember correctly, you also thought we’d squeak by Michigan 21-19.
Have any of the B12 powerhouses even faced a defense with a pulse?
I don’t care about the BCS money.
I either want Alabama in the Sugar Bowl or Georgia in the Cap. One. We could play Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl and win by 30 and the only thing we’ll hear afterward is “Yeah, but they wouldn’t have won agaisnt an SEC team.”
I want to keep smashing my face into the wall until it finally falls down.
I can’t think of a better way for these Seniors to leave than to body slam that SEC monkey (gorilla) on the Buckeyes’ back.
i think we’d fare much much better against a big 12 offense (especially texas) than other people have, but pretty much all of our potential matchups save georgia have terrifying d-lines that would absolutely murder our o-line.
Joe is that crazy looking guy who stands on the street corner with a sign that says “Repent! The End is Near.”
The Sugar Bowl would take Ohio State before the Fiesta. Why would the Sugar want Utah when the Fiesta Bowl is much closer for the fans to travel? The BCS knows wherever the game is played Ohio State fans will go, but Utah’ small fan base will probably be less reluctant to go that far. Anyway, there is still some big games left to be played. Who knows, maybe Bobby Bowden has a trick up his sleeve for UF, and Tubberville has owned Alabama the last 6 years. A lot of things get get shaken up. Think about this, if UF were to lose to FSU, where do you think they would fall, to 6 or 7? Doesn’t make sense considering their losses would be to unranked Ole Miss and #20 FSU when Ohio State’s losses are to top ten teams….
“Joe Fox, if I remember correctly, you also thought we’d squeak by Michigan 21-19.”
That is true. I expected m*ch*g*n to show up last weekend and give OSU fits, if only because of the tradition of The Game. Mea Culpa. DickRod is in worse condition than I thought.
On the other hand, I was also the guy who missed the USC score by (I think) four total points, and who thought OSU would go 10-2 or 9-3, and was laughed at.
“Joe is that crazy looking guy who stands on the street corner with a sign that says ‘Repent! The End is Near.’”
I look pretty normal, I guess. I do have that sign, though. :)
Folks, Oklahoma will score on us all day long. We’re very pedestrian on the defensive line (although it’s coming, and the future looks a little brighter) and our offense can’t keep pace. Our 235-pound running back can’t keep from being dinged on every other play, and runs out of bounds instead of taking shots at 180-pound cornerbacks. Please.
If we play Georgia, we have a shot. If we play Oklahoma or Texas, it’s going to be a long, long New Year’s.
(Just to be honest, though, I thought we’d go 9-3 or 10-2, with losses to USC and Illinois or Bucky. I did not think p*nn st*t* would be good this year at all.)
Personally, I dont care who we play, although getting Texas sounds fun. McCoy hasnt forgot about the pain Laurinaitis brings…..
The truth is, any team that has good-to-great lines will probably beat us this year . that is just being honest. Yes with Beanie and TP we have some weapons, but they are neutralized when they play a team with a good or awesome D-line … so let’s play someone we can move the ball on and then who knows, maybe we get enough stops on D to beat ‘em
I would love to play an SEC team, but to be honest, all of their D-lines will eat us alive, honestly
Joe Fox-
Maybe my perspective is different since I live in the heart of Big 12 country, but your assesment of Oklahoma and Texas is a little off. This Oklahoma team surrendered 28 points to Kansas State in the first half. They also surrendered 550 total yards to a K-State team that is not going to a bowl. They allowed 31 points to a 6-5 KU team. That same KU team hung 491 yards of offense on Oklahoma. Against Nebraska they gave up 28 points and again allowed over 400 yards of offense. They gave up all these points and yards to teams that play in the Big 12 north, which is worse than the ACC.
Texas did significantly better, but still does not instill fear in me.
My point is you seem to be drinking the media biased Big 12 Kool-Aid. There is no team in the Big 12 that has a defense comparable with the Buckeyes. You can look up the stats if you like, but the Big 12 winner does not scare me.
I will probably be at the Big 12 Championship game in two weeks, I haven’t decided whether or not I will go.
Agree completely, Robb.
“I would love to play an SEC team, but to be honest, all of their D-lines will eat us alive, honestly”
Totally disagree. Alabama and Florida have very good D-lines. After that, the SEC is lacking in their typical all-world defenses. Don’t fall into thinking the SEC is the same that it has been the past few years. Florida is top-notch, Alabama is about to be exposed (SEC Champ. game). Georgia can’t play defense, LSU is tail-spinning, Ole Miss is on the rise, everyone else is considerably worse than last year save Vandy.
so hard to know who to play – a case can be made for/against everybody. and as we’ve learned in several MNC games often a team that looked stout gets routed (Okie vs USC, Nebrasksa against Miami, there might be one or two other examples I could think of). a lot of how you play has to do with how you handle the off time (cough, cough) and how fired up you are to play that day. Okie was definitely not into it with Boise State until it was too late…
living in Texas the thought of losing to the Longhorns makes me want to vomit… you can’t imagine how arrogant the average Whorn fan is (think scUM on steroids). but a win over them (I was in Austin in 06) would be soooo great.
let’s all just pray that the football gods have exacted enough revenge out of our scarlet and grey hides and decide to have pity upon us and will send us where we can get a resounding victory that will do the program good. I don’t care if it is the Whiny Orange, or Chokelohoma or Georgia or Utah or all of them combined … just give us a win.
The SEC, top to bottom, is NOT better than the B10 this year. Regardless of what ESPN tries to force feed us, I would take Minny over Ole Miss, Sparty over Vandy, so on and so forth…..
Just like its tradition for OSU to beat UM every year, its also tradition for OSU to go to a BCS game and get blown out. Ya can’t have everything go right for ya!
Personally, I love the idea of the Buckeyes verse Georgia, MSU/Iowa V. LSU/Ole Miss and PSU V. Oregon State. The potential for going 3-0 on New Years Day while hanging two Ws on the SEC sounds wicked.
Then to carry it further you get Florida/ Bama V. the B12 champ and Florida/Bama V. USC. The potential is for the SEC to go 0-5 in 2008 bowl games.
Then don’t look now, but Urban is now 0-2 in bowl games since 2006 with one of those losses coming to a Michigan. Didn’t Michigan lose to Appi State that year? Didn’t LSU pretty much lose to Troy State.
I know none of this will carry any weight nationally, but I will feel better. Much better.
Beanie is brain dead if he comes back
That would be a great outcome for the league that you have put forward. If the Big 10 can win 75% of their bowl games, they will regain some national respect.
“My point is you seem to be drinking the media biased Big 12 Kool-Aid. There is no team in the Big 12 that has a defense comparable with the Buckeyes. You can look up the stats if you like, but the Big 12 winner does not scare me.”
I get my share of Big 12 games by DVD and Direct TV, since I spent a good bit of time out in the Plains, and very much enjoy Big 12 football, so I don’t think my impression of Oklahoma or Texas is derived merely from what Herbstreit says in the second half of the Tech blowout. I also don’t think a comparison of defenses across conferences, and without a lot of common opponents, is valid at all.
Show me an offense in the Big Ten that is as explosive and tightly-run as Oklahoma’s, Texas Tech’s or Texas’. There isn’t one, unless you count a p*nn st*t* offense that definitely peaked early. Ohio State has severe defensive weaknesses that were exposed badly against USC, and its offense is – at best – very inconsistent. The average to sub-average teams we’ve played since that USC game haven’t made me any more confident of this team’s ability to handle anyone ranked in the top six or seven.
I think OSU could be competitive with Tech, Alabama or Georgia, and would likely beat anyone from the Big East or ACC. If they play USC again, or Florida, Oklahoma or Texas, they’re in for a whipping.
We’ll see after New Year’s Day, won’t we?
Joe-
I agree with you about Oklahoma’s explosive offense. But it ends there buddy.
“Ohio State has severe defensive weaknesses that were exposed badly against USC”
Not true at all. Our D played well in my opinion. USC’s average drive began on our 40 or closer. The D had their backs to the wall and still played rather stout. The only bad play that sticks out in my mind is Freeman letting the FB out into the out & up route. MAYBE the tight-end pass in the redzone, but that loss is clearly on the O-Line and TB period. I think we match-up with anyone in the top ten save Florida. Just my opinion tho….
So you refuse to compare defenses across conferences but you’re okay with comparing offenses?
“So you refuse to compare defenses across conferences but you’re okay with comparing offenses?”
I’m talking about the way in which the offenses Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech are run on film – tightly, with good technique and good awareness. There just aren’t a lot of lazy plays. Not a lot of linemen standing around. Not a lot of missed assignments. They simply play better on offense than we do.
I never compared offenses across conferences, or defences across conferences, because OSU didn’t play the Big 12. I’m talking about the way the teams look in the conferences in which they play. Period. We’re an adequate defensive team – certainly good enough to play in a BCS bowl – but have weaknesses that will be exposed, and exposed badly (defensive line sticks out to me, though it’s got better as the season wore on). We’re a very, very below-average offensive team. We’re inconsistent.
“Our D played well in my opinion.”
You and I are looking at two totally different sets of film of the USC game. I do think, though, that OSU is better positioned on its defensive line now than it was in September. No question there. That doesn’t mean I don’t think it’s still a weakness – it’s simply not an inviting target now.
I hope I’m wrong. I hope we go up against Stoops and roll him. My hunch, though, is that even Missouri would put a good 35 points up against Ohio State. The nagging question is whether we could outscore them, and I just don’t think we could – especially with the Pryor we saw Saturday.
From Phil Steele.com, http://www.philsteele.com/Bowls/bowlprojections.html we are projected this week to play ‘Bama in the Sugar Bowl…our D would match up well with them, but it depends on what O line shows up…
BTW that’s where the losing streak began…
http://www.bucknuts.com/news/articles/2007/12/29/flashback-alabama-rolled-to-78-sugar-bowl-win-over-osu
Wouldn’t it be great to end it where it began against the 2nd best SEC team this year?
Did someone say the Bucks go to a BCS game and get blown out every time? Aren’t they 4-2 in BCS games?
Kind like all the Big 12 fans are running their mouths…has someone bothered to check their record against us in the last 10-15 years? We where a “Ryan Hamby” away from beating Vince Young…
anyone who thinks Beanie should or will come back is brain dead. guy has 11 siblings. 11. from what i can tell, he is not from a wealthy family. 11 kids is quite a load. dude is going, as he should.
I just pray to Little Baby Jesus that the coaching staff has learned something from the last two seasons’ abortion-like attempts at a bowl game plan and post-season conditioning program.
MAKE THE O LINE RUN GASSERS ALL OFFSEASON!!!
The official in charge of selecting the Sugar Bowl opponent has already gone on record and said that they wouldn’t let Utah slip past their bowl if they were still available to be selected. I don’t think the Sugar Bowl wants us; they are either cocky enough to think that OSU will get crushed again (unlikely), or they want to see another ESSS-EEEEEE-CCCCCCCCC blowout against a extremely overmatched non-BCS team (a la Georgia and Hawaii last year).
Either way, I think the people at the Fiesta Bowl will love to have us back right quick.
Our O-Line has NEVER run gassers I’d imagine…..as far as they know, “suicides” are when somebody kills themself LOL
Matt, good shizzy…where did you get that from? I would really love a shot at ‘Bama
PUT CARTMAN ON A DIET!!!!
I am getting tired of Cowherd and Corso
I am not sure that the defense could stop Oklahoma. No doubt they could put some points up. One other thing though, everyone is talking about how awesome Pryor will be after this time to practice and polish his game, but no one mentions how the young D-line will keep improving in that time. This defense could be dramatically better by then.
my favorite holiday of the year is tomorrow, and momma rehring’s got 3 extra pots of gravy ready for me.
Still waiting for stickers BTW…
Speaking of Stickers, you guys should make the next batch stickable on the INSIDE of glass….I put the ones I got on my car, but one rainstorm later and they are destroyed……..It was a Yay-Boo situation……Yay that my car had buckeye flavor, a bit of rain, and boooooo they are gone
I was really hoping LSU would win out after beating Troy, because that’s the only team I see us beating out of any of the likely non-ACC opponents.
Georgia is a lot like LSU last year: banged up. They’ve lost their top offensive tackle and top defensive tackle both, and they play down to their opponents (except Florida and Bama, apparently). They will be a much healthier and more dangerous opponent come bowl time. They do have the top offense in the SEC. Not a good match-up for us, under any cicrcumstance.
And anyone’s who’s genuinely rooting for Oregon this weekend isn’t taking a very sober look at our program.
“Just like its tradition for OSU to beat UM every year, its also tradition for OSU to go to a BCS game and get blown out. Ya can’t have everything go right for ya!”
Ohio State: 4-2 in BCS Bowls…quite a tradition.
We also had a Rose Bowl win over ASU and a Sugar Bowl loss to FSU in the “Bowl Alliance” era that led up to the BCS. Still makes us 5-3.
Bizarro Tyler, get a new handle, only room for one of us on this site.
BuckeyeSki…we’ve talked about getting static decals next go round…
Are any of you familiar with Jason Whitlock? He is a sports writer here in KC that happened to be on the Jim Rome show today. In addition to writing for the local paper, he writes for Foxsports. He wrote an article today about the “Big 12 Kool-Aid” the nation is drinking. Here are a couple of quotes:
“ESPN is so financially tied to the organizations it covers and so devoid of basic journalistic ethics that it cannot properly analyze the sports world. ESPN just bought the BCS television package. It has a vested interest in promoting all things BCS.”
“If you’re going to televise multiple Big 12 games in primetime on ABC and ESPN, you have every reason to promote the myth that the majority of Heisman Trophy candidates play in the Big 12.”
“The conversation about the Heisman Trophy and all things in sports has been dumbed down by the World Wide Leader.
“This year the network pretty much decided you had to play quarterback in the Big 12 to be in consideration for the Heisman Trophy. At different times throughout the season, Chase Daniel, Sam Bradford, Graham Harrell and Colt McCoy have been declared the leading candidates to win college sports’ most prestigious individual award.”
“When Oklahoma embarrassed Texas Tech, Bradford shot past Harrell. Here’s what’s frustrating. I live in Big 12 country. I follow the league and have watched them all play regularly.”
It is because of this bias that I have turned to blogs for my information. Yes we all have disagreed with each other one time or another, but we all bring a different perspective. These different perspectives and views is what makes this site enjoyable. It seems as ESPN is force feeding who they think is the best. That is why they push the Big 12 over the SEC. They have a vested interest in Big 12 ratings.
Just so you do not think I took the quotes out of context, here is the link.
http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/8853534/The-story-ESPN-doesn‘t-want-you-to-know
FYI-I was watching the Ball State game last night and saw that Nate Davis was from Bellaire Ohio. That is near where I grew up. It is the same school that Joey Galloway is from. I am just glad that even though he didn’t go to Columbus, he did not stay in the Big 10.
Off subject, has anyone seen Eric Howard play from North Canton Hoover??
He just won Mr. Football and i wondered if he was on the Bucks radar??
One article said a certain CFB coach told him he would have to do better in the classroom, Im ASSuming that would be Tress.
I was wondering the same thing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXlUtRzkVDA&feature=related
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=443263&r=0&Category=17&subCategoryID=29
Watching the highlights makes me sad that Beanie will leave. I’m sure we’ll have some solid recruits coming into the program, but no world burners like a Beanie or #13 He-that-shall-not-be-named.
Just please, God of college football, no more Lydell Ross/Mo Wells backs.
Mark me down in favor of an Ohio State/Georgia matchup.
I can’t believe we’d play Bama in the Sugar. I don’t want to see it either.
Eric Howard has the Buckeyes listed as his number 1 followed by Miami(FL) and Michigan, but with Berry and Hyde coming in for ‘09 I could see him looking for playing time at another school.
As for the “I’m sure we’ll have some solid recruits coming into the program, but no world burners like a Beanie or #13 He-that-shall-not-be-named.” comment…
Berry and Hyde are as solid as they come. I’m not ready to say that they will replace Beanie by any means, but we are L-O-A-D-E-D in the backfield when you throw in Herron and a possible comeback for another “Mr. Football” Brandon Saine.
Some info on FULLBACK – Carlos Hyde:
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/nov/21/prep-football-naples-riverdale/
Look at the picture 1/4 of the way down the page…The kid even looks like Beanie!!!
I saw Zach Boren play last Saturday, he is a LOAD. I heard pads popping 75 yards away when he had the ball.
He was injured in the 2nd , but played sparingly after and I think he’ll be fine.
It was pretty much pre-ordained that Beanie would be a beast, but I dont think “he whose name shall not be typed” didnt have quite the hype coming in. Point is, if you recruit top talent, you never know what you’ll get.
How awesome would it be if 11W had some recruiting features?
Totally!!! It really helps fill the empty void in my heart when the Bucks aren’t playing.
Man, I need a life.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/high-schools/2008/11/26/ddn112808spmrfootball.html
Interesting, wonder who the “Division I college coach” is?
Berry and Herron will be solid backs, but they won’t be bowling dudes over and doing the Oh-My-God-Did-He-Just-Do-That stiff arms and hurdles. They’ll produce yardage, but this will be Pryor’s team. Maybe its for the better though that the onus is on TP now to produce, and he can’t fall back on Beanie.
I know about the much better payout for a BCS bowls, but if Oregon wins and the Bucks couldn’t get the Sugar to face Alabama most likely (which should be a competitive matchup), I’d prefer the Cap One over the Fiesta against a Big 12 team (not because I think the B12 team would win, because OSU has dominated the B12 in the past for whatever reason).
Personally, I want to see the scarlet and gray get the SEC monkey off their backs ASAP and beating one in a big bowl like a NCG, Sugar, or Cap One (biggest of the non-BCS bowls anyway) would do that. It has to end….NOW.