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 Why we need to root for a Buckeye victory |
 Saturday, January 5, 2008 |
Over the last week we were treated to bowl games ranging from the snoozers in the BCS to near classics in the Capital One, Las Vegas and Chick-fil-A bowls. Your team might have won convincingly or lost in a last second heartbreaking fashion. Your coach might have abandoned your team for greener pastures somewhere else or your school just hired a new coach destined to take your team to the holy grail of the title game. From the hardwood crazies of Hoosier and Illini fans and the ice rink fanatics in Badger and Gopher land to the tradition rich pastures of Wolverine and Lion country, we all have a common goal. We must root for the Buckeyes Monday night.
But how is it possible for fans of teams the Buckeyes have beaten up on in recent years to turn a blind eye and root for them? Same way a fan who married a spouse from a rival school can stand living under the same roof. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Desperate times? What in the world am I talking about. This is the Big Ten, the one steady conference that survived the chaotic conference realignments of the 90s, the conference almost everyone dubbed the Big 2 and little 8 prior to Penn State's addition. There is no way the conference of NFL athletes, Heisman winners, mega stadiums and national titles is in jeopardy. Is there?
stuff about how Ohio State didn't beat a quality team this year ... how Ohio State backed into the national championships game ... how Ohio State doesn't deserve another shot at the crown after getting UNCEREMONOUSLY DUMPED in last year's title tilt. - Sporting News
Did Ohio State earn its title bid? Show me a single win that demonstrates Ohio State's prospective merit as national champions. What's more, imperfect is better than untested. It addition to wins over Virginia Tech (3) and Tennessee (16), LSU beat Florida (12) and Auburn (23). I look forward to my vindication on Jan. 7 in New Orleans, where the second-ranked team will finally win a game. - Fox Sports The Buckeye's "only" had one loss; but they also had a weak schedule. In fact they only beat one top-25 team all year – Wisconsin. And, the Big Ten has no Championship game. So, they didn't have to play that extra, presumably tough, game. - SEC Sports Fan Please, please, please…don’t let it be Ohio State. They are 10-1, have not beaten a single team in the top 20 all season and their conference doesn’t have a title game to make them earn the top spot in their division through head-to-head competition as in other divisions. Actually, I would rather see Hawaii play Ohio State and kick their ass…though Kansas could probably do it.
Getting the picture?
While most Wolverine fans take pleasure in all this criticism of their hated rivals, in doing so aren't they laughing at themselves? For all the mockery of Ohio State, most of it is based on their 'weak schedule' that they beat up on with the exception of Illinois. This weak schedule argument is both an indictment of the Buckeyes as well as their opponents. That would be you Northwestern, Minnesota, Purdue, Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan fans. The fact that every living soul outside the Big Ten region believes Ohio State didn't beat anyone with a pulse is an insult to every man, woman and child who calls themselves a fan of a Big 10 school. What makes Death Valley, Neyland and The Swamp so much tougher to play at than Beaver, Michigan, Ohio and Camp Randall stadium? Must be their cooler, more spruced up names. Don't tell me Ohio State did not play the same trap games that LSU lost in. At Penn State in a prime time night game, Wisconsin which has no trouble winning in the Horseshoe, at Purdue and Minnesota at night, the list goes on. But critics continue to berate the easy schedule Ohio State had to navigate basically dismissing any of the aforementioned teams as quality opponents. The Big Ten has basically become a version of the Big East circa 2005 when nobody believed they even deserved an automatic berth in the BCS. How did we fall so far, so quickly?
It's true Ohio State gave us a stinker last year against Florida, but Michigan didn't exactly light up USC in the Rose Bowl either. And all that, in addition to Michigan's debacle against Appalachian State this year contributed to this media myth of SEC superiority and speed. So hate the Wolverines, Gophers, Badgers, Spartans, Lions, Wildcats, Hoosiers and Illini as much as you want 364 days a year, but we need a Buckeye victory. LSU has been dubbed the poster child of the mega-super dominant SEC even before the season started when everyone short of the Pope called a USC-LSU national title match up. So in order to effectively bury this Big Ten weakness, there is no better team to beat than the 'team of destiny' from the SEC. It doesn't help that LSU is effectively playing a home game for the national title, but I am so sick of this SEC superiority. Think one Ohio State loss to the Gators was bad last year? Now imagine two. For years the respect for the Big Ten has propelled its teams into title games and BCS spots because people knew if you did well in the Big Ten, you were good enough for the big match up. But that respect is slowly dwindling. The Big Ten needs a victory for the sake of its future. So suck it up Illini, Hoosier, Hawkeye, Wolverine, Spartan, Gopher, Wildcat, Lion, Boilermaker and Badger fans and root for a Buckeye victory, your teams' futures may depend on it. |
posted by Nittany White Out @ 11:31 AM  |
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