Is it just the purchase of or are you not allowed to smoke at 18?

You can make whatever argument you want about Ohio State in past years.  Fact of the matter is there has been a debate over whether they are playoff worthy every year of the playoff, and ESPN has ALWAYS come down in the against column for some reason.  In 2015 we were almost surely the best team in the country, but we lose the game to MSU and are left out.  Did ESPN try to make an argument that maybe the Big Ten should have two teams in?  Prior to the bowl games being played MSU and OSU both looked like juggernauts (OSU still did after the bowl games).... For a conference that has no qualms about annually arguing that Georgia and Alabama both deserve to go despite one of them losing to the other they were awfully quiet back then.  

And come on, that stuff doesn't happen to Clemson because they have AT BEST a 2 game schedule before the playoffs.  Hard to have a let down game when you never have to play up to anyone.  They've still found a way to lose to mediocre Pittsburgh and Syracuse teams.  

If you don't think Clemson stories are getting the attention that Ohio State stories are you're living in a fantasy world.  YES Ohio State has the largest fan base in the country; but not by THAT wide of a margin.  Pair that with the southern schools having interest across their conferences and region, whereas Big Ten fans tend to congregate towards their school (think fans chanting "SEC" at games, no one was chanting "BIG TEN" when Minnesota was beating Auburn).... The football watching population tends to live in the south-south-east.  Thats where the dollars are for the sport, and that's why ESPN is focused there.  

The Big Ten signed contracts worth 2.64 billion over 6 years with ESPN AND Fox.  Fox has the lions share of the Football broadcasting rights (and $), and especially now with their Big-Noon-Kick and college football coverage, they are in DIRECT competition with ESPN and Gameday.  ESPN has significantly larger and more broadly controlling contracts with the SEC and the ACC (they have a 20 year contract with the ACC for all their top-tier content).  

ESPN has a vested interest in seeing the SEC and ACC succeed, and all the other conferences fail.  

It's not an anti-Ohio-State conspiracy... or really a conspiracy at all. 

It's an anti-anything-we-don't-have-a-contract-with POLICY.  

Correct, Ohio State making it into the game gives ESPN boosted ratings for an individual game.  But if a Clemson, Florida State, or Auburn gets that spot instead of Ohio State... They can, and will, cover it ad-nauseum on their network.  They'll write extra stories showing it in a glowing light online to get more clicks.  Not to mention, by merely making the playoffs a conference is given millions more dollars -- a direct benefit to ESPN's partner.  

If you don't think ESPN gets more money for teams they are contracted with making it into the playoffs instead of Ohio State, or ANY team they aren't contracted with, then you don't understand economics.  

Ohio State simply has the unfortunate luck of being the most prominent team they don't have a contract with, hence the target of their ire more than not.  If USC suddenly gets good at football again (maybe Urban shows up and rights the ship), you had better believe ESPN will spend whatever minute amount of time they talk about the Trojans, belittling their weak schedule and blowing out of proportion a single road loss to a mid-level PAC-12 team.  

You lost me at "Cowherd".  

The problem is we're not just playing against the teams on our schedule.  We're playing against the biggest sports network on the planet actively campaigning against us (and anyone not in the SEC or ACC), and even the damn referees.  

Think about it, every single year of the playoff Ohio State has been in contention... and every single year ESPN has actively campaigned against us being invited, EXCEPT when we were undefeated... and then they still were able to push the narrative that we should be 3rd enough that it came true.  

I can appreciate the idea of wanting to make sure we are considered one of the absolute top-tier programs by keeping up with Bama/Clemson in the playoff era... but I think it's a bigger issue that needs addressing that the entire system is rigged against teams outside of the ESPN umbrella.  

In fairness... if we all put our opinions out there I imagine they wouldn't all age so well either.  

But dammmmnnnnn that's a whiff, lol.  

There's a difference between stomping your foot and recognizing a systemic-intentional bias against your team/conference by the powers that be and refusing to support it.  

As a baseline I don't watch any ESPN that doesn't include my team playing.  I refuse to support their nonsense in any way I can.  

In addition to that I'm incredibly bitter about the officiating for the Fiesta Bowl.  

It's a shame because I harbor no real ill-will towards LSU or Clemson (save for a mild dislike of Dabo).  

Chic Harley written letter to St. John.  That's an incredible rarity.  

Chic Harley autographs alone are rare as hell, and most of those are just signed items with not context.  

Now if only I can talk the wife into the $5000 opening bid...... 

None that I didn't cause myself.  

Here's a weirder/possibly more unsettling thought.  Think about how many times you PROBABLY have come near death and not even known it.  

Ehhhh, with VERY few exceptions they always fade without fresh blood at coach.  Even the Woody and Bear's of the world faded away at times (had they had the lulls they did in the modern era they wouldn't have made it as far as they did).  About the only guy I can think of who maintained at that level, for that long, is Saban.  

Don't get me wrong, they're not about to drop into obscurity, but I would bet you see a step back sometime in the next 5ish years.  The question is how far back is back.  Regular top-15 or 20 ranking with 9-10 win seasons and a punchers chance every other year... or to what they were before.  

Yah I think people are overly worried about this position.  

Will anyone on the roster be as good as Dobbins this year?  Probably not no... but look at how high that bar is.  We have 3 high-potential backs who will probably end up being stars... Let them play out and no one hit the panic button.  

#FakeBuckeye

I'm rooting for LSU but only because I like their story better, I like Burrow, and I like Ed Orgeron.  With the exception of not liking Dabo a ton because of his constant "woe is me we're never respected" act, I have nothing against Clemson... Even with them beating us.  I don't blame them for the shenanigans the Refs pulled in the Fiesta Bowl; they played their hearts out.  

I'm honestly very confident in our current stable of backs, but you always welcome talent.  Sadly it looks like he missed the year long window of immediate eligibility waivers that the NCAA seemed to be granting if you stubbed your toe at your previous school.  

Correct me if I'm wrong; but the top 4 rankings are "set" by win order are they not?  We'll be 3rd assuming Clemson wins, 4th if they lose.  

If you mean AP poll, we should be #1 or #2.  

AMEN

"Just make the plays and we win!"  

We DID make the plays.  They were taken away from us.  

But here is the point.  We had other opportunities that we SUCCEEDED in, that were taken away.  

Strip that ball and return it for a TD and we win.  

Dobbins controls the ball over the goal line and we win.  

Clean sack Lawrence for a 15 yard loss and we win.   

Hell, officials don't wait a minute to blow for a review in the first drive and Dobbins doesn't have a clear TD run blown dead; we win.  

Yes, there were other plays we could have made to win the game, right down to the last play of the game.  But we MADE THE PLAYS WE NEEDED TO WIN.  They were taken away from us.  

Yes but Clemson making it means ESPN has complete domination of broadcasting $$.  

Ohio State makes the viewership pie bigger, Clemson making it means ESPN doesn't have to share any of it's pie.  They'll make MORE money with Clemson there than Ohio State.  

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