Like many of you, I think the B1G as a collective conference is horrible this year, but the Buckeyes are 2-0 for what its worth and I couldn't care less about the other 11 teams in the conference. Johnny wrote a great B1G Recap last week that should, in my opinion, sum up everyones feelings toward other B1G teams each week. http://www.elevenwarriors.com/2012/09/13642/b1g-recap-the-playa-haters-ball
I hate it when Penn State wins (every year), I hate it when Michigan wins, and recently Ive hated it when Wisconsin wins. It's all about OSU football for me, the rest of the conference can embarass themselves as much as they want.
Go Bucks.
Well when there's a selection committee picking teams for the 4 team NC playoff and it's between OSU & 4 other teams with similar records - but from stronger conferences, and OSU misses the cut because we play in a weak conference....you may start changing your tune.
I care more about OSU than the rest of the B1G too - but there is a big picture to consider as well...
The world is full of kings & queens who'll blind your eyes & steal your dreams - it's heaven & hell - Ronnie James Dio.
As much as I hate seeing scUM/Wisky and PSU win; I hate even more the non-stop chants of S-E-C, S-E-C. I am sick of hearing how athletes below the Mason-Dixon line are genetically superior (scientifically absurd). So while I understand your sentiment, my hatred for the later trumps my hatred for the former.
B-I-G, B-I-G, B-I-G
Go Bucks, and for now, (gulp) go B1G!
I can completely understand the issue of 'perception', but I think it will come down to the Non-Conference schedule more than the conference schedule. You can control who you play OOC, you can't control the conference schedule/teams you play in conference. I believe the committee will be more concerned with who you play OOC.
It's not so much that one should hate rooting for B1G teams but one should despise when the conference champ puts on a bad performance. If you look at LSU and Bama dominace they have looked good both in and out of conference. OSU looked just as good during its reign both in and out of conference minus a few loses to top schools. But when your conference champ puts on a crapy performance it makes everyone look bad. Wisconsin is the biggest disappointment thus far...
Ohio State's band SLAUGHTERED Michigan's band. If this were a football game, it would have been Florida State vs. Savannah State. - SB Nation following OSU vs. UM 2012
Yeah I don't root for other Big Ten teams myself with the exception of the more lower tier schools whose fanbases are in their rightful place (Northwestern, Indiana, Minnesota, etc.). I root for Wisconsin, Penn State, and Michigan to lose every week. I hate their fan bases. They don't deserve to see their teams win.
three of the teams that lost, played in a different time zone, away from home, perhaps this weekends results arent as bad as some people think, yes it would have been sweet if nebraska, wisconsin and illinois had won. home field advantage is real.
The above post is correct. There is so much more to any game than is dissected. The infancy of the program/coaches. The home or away/time zone factor. Preceeding games and the beginning of seasons to name a few. They have to make stories about something. Teams change sometimes dramatically throughout the season. Hanging your collective hat on what happens week 2 isn't the best strategy. Unless your name is Bret Bielema. Yes they weren't good. Like Ohio weather it will most likely change sooner or later. Look at the league week 4 or 5 and if it still sucks........
ESPN's hate for the B1G continues to be obvious... I think their coverage of the horrid weekend is fine, but not enough about a top 10 SEC team losing to a Sun Belt team at home... in fact, their headlines focused on trying to portray UL Monroe as some sort of threat to other top competition, just to water down the SEC loss as much as possible.
I remember when I could root for OSU and that was enough, then Auburn gets left on the outside looking in in 2004 and all this conference nut-hugging began.
"Because the rules won't let you go for three." - Woody Hayes
THE Ohio State University
I'll just say this, if there is a 4 team playoff and Ohio State is 11-1 and so is South Carolina, I'm willing to bet Ohio State gets that nod because Ohio State equals ratings and dollars. If you don't think the selection committee will consider that, then you really haven't paid a bit of attention to college football in the BCS era. Now, if that 4th spot came down to Ohio State and Texas or Bama, then actualy conference strength will come into play.
If Oklahoma State last year were Oklahoma or Texas losing 1 bad game in the B1G 12, they would of been playing for a title last year, I'm convinced. Since they were a little brother in the conference though, I think it impacted votes in the Harris Poll. That's just my opinion of course.
I just don't think we can look at other teams like UC or Boise State and say see it happened to them. Where's an example where a brand like Ohio State was snubbed? Maybe Auburn, but even in comparison with the 2 teams that were in the title game that year, Auburn was still a less brand.
We have no post-season selection riding on the strength of the conference, so for once we might as well call the rest of the conference out for being crappy.
Of all years to have a really, really down conference from our perspective, this is it.
Taquitos.
@POPEURBAN, southern athletes do tend to be better, but it isn't because of genetics. Would you like to know the secret? Well, I'll give you a peek into the mentality of the south. My son plays high school football in the south and this has been our experience.
1. Kids are allowed to take 4 years of Football Gym in high school. What is football gym you might ask? Well, it is lifting weights, conditioning, practicing technique, film study, and running through the football teams play book. In fact, the gym teachers are even the school's football coaches. Hmmm, sounds like year round practice to me. If the school's academic counselors know your kid plays football, they push them to take this class all four years of high school. They will even drop your kid out of an Honors or AP course to put them in Football Gym. They tried that with our son, but heck no, not on our watch. We only let our son take the minimum required gym hours and then he had to move on to academic classes. We also instructed the counselor that Honors and AP classes take priority over gym. They were shocked we took the stance we did.
2. Southern schools also have spring practice. I don't think any northern teams do this, do they? Sometimes a day might not be overly helpful though because a bunch of college scouts will visit the practice. My son said when this happens, generally most of the team sits and watches as the D1 prospects the scouts want to see are run through drills for them. The scouts sometimes hint what types of things they want to see the kid do, and then the high school coaches will run him through it. I guess the interaction with the scouts doesn't help, just wanted to share that, but the additional practices do.
3. The D1 prospects on the team as well as some of the other better players are given free access to professional trainers. The high school coaches coordinate what they would like the player to work on. If the player has committed to a college, I've been told the trainers will also coordinate with the college what the player should be doing to prepare for college. So, even the kids whose families can't afford this level of training are able to get it and they are getting prepared for college well before they get there.
The above three items I believe are the most important for what I see going on down here. I don't know if all the high schools in the area or south do this, but nobody bats an eye at these things. They are considered par for the course. This comes from a school that has been consistently sending kids to D1. Kids that have gone to Alabama, LSU, insert other SEC school here. So can you see why southern kids seem to come into college football more seasoned and polished?
some solid points BLUEBAYOU
Honestly, I either want the Bitg Ten to figure out how to stop sucking or start our own conference with Texas, ND (not becuase they are good, but because they have a huge fan base), UM, MSU, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Iowa State (just to piss off Iowa). You need a bottom end (UM, MSU, Iowa, ND) for easy wins.
BlueBayou has a point! When I played basketball, we always knew that kids that play basketball in the Chicago area, and Indiana and some other areas play basketball year round. Plus they have summer leagues and conditioning and all that stuff. When we played, we had several different seasons of different sports so it's not like it is here in those places. The one's that usually played basketball didn't focus on the other sports as much as we do here in Ohio. So naturally they have far more skill at the game.
Yes BT - OSU vs. South Carolina - OSU probably gets the nod. Although now that there will be a committee I won't say that I'm sure that whats happened with the BCS in the past will be what's happening in the future. Either way - I'm thinking more like Bama, USC, Texas, LSU, & OSU are the teams to pick from - I think we get left out (if the B1G continues to suck)...unless we had a very strong OOC schedule...
My point was that it would be better for OSU if the B1G didn't suck this bad. I mean would you be OK if we played in the Big East? How's about the MAC? If it's all about OSU then it doesn't matter what conference they are in.. right? All I want is my team to beat good teams. Not so crazy I don't think.
Denny makes a good point above - this is the year for the conference to suck from a OSU perspective - but I hope it gets better than what we are seeing right now...
EDIT: BlueBayou - those are great points...spot on.
The world is full of kings & queens who'll blind your eyes & steal your dreams - it's heaven & hell - Ronnie James Dio.
Denny - yes, this is the year for the BT to suck. The PAC 12 was bad last year, but looks pretty good so far this year. As long as the BT improves to an even modest extent next year (i.e., doesn't completly suck), the Buckeyes will probably control their own destiny.
Bluebayou - thanks for sharing that, interesting peek into southeastern h.s. fball culture/infrastructure.
I root for whatever makes OSU look the best. If that involves wanting B1G teams to win out of conference games then that's what I cheer for. As a corollary, I also cheer for funny things to happen. It didn't really make OSU look good when their biggest rival lost to Appalachian State, but that ish was hilarious so I had no issues cheering for it.
@Rdubs - funny you say that. I usually would like tsun to be good when OSU plays them so that if OSU wins - it makes them look better, leads to a better bowl, good for recruiting etc...but when Appy St. beat UM I loved it! I was happy about that one all season long...
The world is full of kings & queens who'll blind your eyes & steal your dreams - it's heaven & hell - Ronnie James Dio.
I really dislike much of the B1G, but I understand that the better the conference looks the better OSU looks. So o rooted against Alabama but not for Michigan. As I said to my roommate this week, if we could beat Michigan when they were 11-0 every year and they still lost every game that would be a perfect world.
"Who cares? Go Bucks." - Aaron Untch
http://landgrantholyland.com/2012/9/19/3355558/big-ten-sec-ohio-state-conference-solidarity#storyjump GREAT PIECE OF WRITING.
^^This. Pure brilliance.
Class of 2010.
"You know those (always old, always white) Ohio State fans who say things like, "Well you know, I cheer for Michigan to win every game, except The Game. I have respect for the rivalry." Screw those holier-than-thou gasbags. I hope Michigan loses every game from next week to forever, the capstone being the Buckeyes driving those scrubs into the Sea of Erie.
These people are not my "friends"; these people are not my "buddies".
Fuck this guy. Consider me one of those "holier than thou gasbags". I feel the same way(well not as hostile) towards those that feel the opposite. It amazes me that ppl think this would even be a meaningful rivalry if OSU/UM is 3-8 or 5-7 heading into the game. It also amazes me that ppl don't see the issues with having a "weak" B1G. Tell me how you feel about that when OSU is left out in favor of a team from a stronger conference. Not only that, but a strong conference slate better prepares you for the competition that will be played in the playoffs. It's funny that some ppl make comments about other fanbases, do you even understand the hypocrisy in that...we have a national perception of being a rude, arrogant, "holier then thou" fanbase and attitudes like in the article and on some comments are part of the reason we have that perception.
Always gotta pull for the B1G when playing out of conference. If they play like shit there's no difference between us and the big east , mountain west, Mac, WAC , or any other shit conference.
Wherever you are, there you be!
I agree, Cincybuck, fuck that guy!
If nothing else: Marionaire.
We might as well go independent if we don't want to play in a strong conference. Sorry to say it, but anyone who roots against the Big Ten is rooting against OSU's chances of a National Title. A weak Big Ten always pushes us behind the top two SEC teams.
I'm still not 100% sold that even if the Big Ten is weak and we go undefeated that we still don't make it into a championship game. You can't compare Ohio State to a team like Boise, Utah or whatever lower tier team.
So maybe, if the PAC and SEC both have undefeated teams(throw in the Big 12 as substitutes for one of those) then we may not make it in because of a weak conference.
I don't know the stats, but how often have there been two undefeated teams from the 4 major conferneces? It hardly happens.
Boom, seriously? You would compare Ohio State to anyone in those conferences? Name one team in those conferences that have a history as rich as ours?
We have the biggest fan base in the country, with one of the, if not the, best coaches in college football.
We practically fell into a national championship game during the '07 year. How good was the B1G in '07? There were three teams tied for the second best overall record at 9-4. TTUN lost to Appy State. but had wins over a 3-7 Notre Dame and a 4-8 Eastern Michigan team. Illinois beat the almighty Western Illnois, Syracuse(2-10) and MAC powerhouse Ball State(7-6). Wisconsin beat Wash. State(5-7), UNLV(2-10), The Citadel(?), and Northern Illinois(2-10)
So quit giving me the BS that with a weak conference, Ohio State doesn't get into a National Championshp game. I'd say the B1G was pretty week in '07 and we made it there. Results weren't what we wanted, but I can't say I was really shocked out the outcome.
I agree we could still make it to the title game even with playing in a weak conference, but we've seen that before, twice in fact. Making it to the title game is one thing, but I for one want no part in being completely embarrassed again on a national stage. The thought around the country when we lost those 2 title games was, "if this is the best team in the big ten, then the big ten must not be all that good." That thought has continued and the overwhelming perception is that the Big Ten is a slow, ordinary, nothing special conference. Sure they've got some traditional powers, but they can't compete against the best teams from the best conferences in the country.
Just look at the history of the BCS, it's full of teams who advanced from shit conferences. Miami Florida 2 times, FSU 3 times, Ohio State 3 times. Va Tech was in there one year. Nebraska was in there a year where the Big 12 wasn't that good AND they lost their conference championship game to Colorado!
A stronger conference helps, but so does going undefeated and when the B1G sucks like it does now, an undefeated Ohio State team is getting invited. It's that simple!
http://www.landgrantholyland.com/2012/9/19/3355558/big-ten-sec-ohio-stat...
And I don't disagree. If we are the best in the B1G and we get blownout, the B1G isn't that good. Can't argue that fact, but why should I care.
I'm not going to root for another team so I can feel better about my team getting blown out. Screw that. If my team is getting blown out, every other team in the conference better get blown out too. That's what makes me feel better.
phxbuck <- terribel article...
Phxbuck: I rarely ever agree with anything DJ ever writes, but completely agree with him here.
Agree with the articles. Most of those fan bases (PSU, Wisconsin, Michigan, etc.) hate us with a passion. I hate them right back.
You can still hate said teams...but wouldn't would much rather play several marquee games each year keeping the players on their toes and the team in the spotlight than playing a league full of 7-5/6-6 teams as some of you seem to prefer. Like it or not, national perception means something and we can't afford to see the B1G take many more hits.
I hate TTUN and hope they never win.
You only hate them bc they are rich is success and tradition like us. If they go 0-11 for the next 8 years do you think anyone will even call this a rivalry anymore? Do you really think there will be a "Michigan Week" to get fans amped up for a team that is always 4-7 or 3-8 heading into the Game? Face it, for this rivalry to mean anything BOTH schools need to be successful.
What you said CincyOSU, is all true. I just can't root for them. I won't do it. My hate for them is way to strong.
I'm with Cincy here, it's counter-intuitive, but UM has to maintain their long-term success (along with OSU) for the rivalry to maintain it's status as America's marquee sporting rivalry. I know that other's have echoed similar sentiments, but I find myself rooting for Michigan to lose every game, yet to remain undefeated until we get to play them. I'll always delight in the games that they lose, but I hope that the rivalry never gets as boring as it did under RichRod. Sure, we won; but the outcome was predetermined--it even seemed like the enthusiasm for the game was diminished.
It was almost like during the Cooper years when my Wolverine-loving friends would always tell me that MSU was their bigger rival (granted, this was in Columbus), I felt that the Wisconsin game was a more anticipated matchup; at least from a strength-of-schedule perspective. I want the '06 game, every year. How sweet would it be to see OSU and UM, both at 11-0, barrelling toward a B1G Championship rematch and probable berths in the Playoffs? God, that would never get old.
I guess maybe rooting against is going too far, but I'm not going to really root for them. I'm indifferent. I don't care who we play on any given day we need to win the game. Whether that be a 0-11 team or an 11-0 team.
So here's my question. The conference signs a contract with the SEC. All teams are put with their closest match. What do you prefer? An 11-1 conference record with OSU being the only loss or a 1-11 with Ohio State being the only win? If you answer 1-11, you can't really say you care about the perception of the B1G. Sure, you may want it to do well, but when push comes to shove, all you care about is that the Buckeyes get a W on Saturday.