See... here's the thing...
I've said all along that I didn't think OSU was that good this year, that Boeckman scared the hell out of me and that they had one loss more because of their schedule than because of their skill.
Ohio State is gonna get killed for this performance and (somewhat) rightly so. They were out of position, they made too many stupid penalties (though the first unnecessary roughness was complete bullshit) and they couldn't make a stop on third down to save their life. In short, they got beat.
Is anyone that surprised by this outcome? I wish I could say I was... but I'm not. LSU is the better team, hands down.
The thing is, back in August, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that Ohio State would end up in New Orleans. I figured they'd lose a few games and, if things fell their way, they may get into a BCS Bowl. That was it. Play well, make some strides, don't get injured and come back strong for next season.
Instead, we had one of the craziest years in college football history. Not only did they only lose one game all year, but everyone else kept losing too. So they backed in. They probably shouldn't have been there, but honestly, they had as good an argument as anybody else.
And there's the problem. If there was a playoff system in place, Ohio State would've already lost. They wouldn't have gotten killed in the Championship game, they would've lost beforehand. It's kinda like the Cavs versus the Spurs last year. Sure, if the East didn't stink, they would've lost way before the Finals, but it did stink and they beat the teams they faced.
Ohio State did what they should've done: they won the Big Ten. It's not their fault it sucked this year.
This is why we need a playoff. Games like this. The BCS was supposed to pit the two best teams against each other in the title game. Obviously, that wasn't the case this time around.
It sucks that OSU got killed again, but if it brings us one step closer to an actual playoff system, I'll gladly bite that bullet (but I won't be holding my breath).
5 comments:
With the letter that UGAs president sent to the NCAA head office, the only folks holding up a playoff are the big 10 and pac 10, specifically Jim Delaney the Director of the Big 10. With the conference agreements to the rose bowl, why would they give that up if it A)gives these schools millions of $$$ and B) it paves and easier road to the BcS championship. I dont like it anymore than you do, but I understand their logic.
As far as Boeckman, held the ball way too long and made some passes that make you go, "what on earth was that???" see 2nd INT that fluttered 20 yards above Hartlines head. Despite the numbers he put up this year, he had a lot of help. Check that YAC on our receivers, I think that really helped his stats. I am hoping that the QB competition is open this summer, especially if Terrell Pryor commits in February. Do yourself a favor and go to youtube and watch this guy. Hes going to be something special. Heres to the 2007-2008 BUCKS, a rebuilding season in which we still played for all the marbles deservingly so or not.
In a playoff system, there is no doubt OSU gets dispatched in the first round, second at the latest.
The Buckeyes are not an elite football program right now. It's understandable, given the losses they incurred last year. But even last year, we were talking about a defense that had just experienced a 100-percent turnover at starting LB.
The Buckeyes didn't belong in the BCS title game this year, nor do I think they will belong in the title game for at least the next few seasons. I'd like to say that shouldn't be a problem, but if the Bucks continue to beat up on MAC teams and the rest of the Big 10 under the current BCS system, anything is possible.
Of course, if this is a par-for-the-course college footbal season and not Upset Central, the loss to Illinois remands Ohio State to the Capital One Bowl, hands down. It was just that crazy of a season.
I hope people aren't going to start calling for Jim Tressel's resignation/firing just yet. By all rights, this should have been a down year. OSU just had the misfortune of having the dominos all fall in a row so they ended up being the sacrifical lamb on the big stage. In a very real way, it was a negative thing that the Bucks made it as far as they did this year.
I disagree with Erik. The OSU program is alive and well. The problem this year was clearly Boeckman. If the opposing team has a decent defense, they can pretty much let Boeckman try and beat him, which he's highly unlikely to do. Boeckman's lack of ability killed Beanie and the entire offense last night.
Last year, we had a bad defense combined with some massive egos.
However, I wholeheartedly agree OSU shouldn't have been in the game, but that's just how the season went. If it brings a playoff, great.
Graham, I understand where you're coming from. My only question is, shouldn't a best-of-the-best football program be able to suit up someone better than Todd Boeckman as the starting QB?
Not saying the Bucks aren't still a destination program, but while they have some nice pieces, I just don't see the evidence that Ohio State can hang with the top flight programs in the country right now.
last year definitely hurt more than this year. Last year they were supposedly dominant and they got blindsided. This year, despite being number 1, they weren't nearly as solid.
As for Ohio State being a top flight program, I think they still are, but these losses hurt.
Boeckman made some terrible decisions, true, but the defense couldn't get a stop either (and I think we can all agree that the roughing the punter penalty was the game breaker).
Plus, the penalties just killed them (you can't keep giving good teams 15 yard chunks) and those were the most frustrating. I can take OSU being beat by a team with more talent (which was clearly the case here), but I have a hard time watching a Tressel coached team lose their composure like they did.
And ya, it's the Big Ten and PAC 10 that is holding things up. I understand why, but its still dumb. No one gives a crap about making sure the Rose Bowl keeps the Big Ten-PAC 10 matchup. Do they think people actually care that we make sure we get a Wisconsin-Oregon matchup rather than a Florida-VT (or whatever)? The only reason Illinois was in the Rose Bowl was because of the 'traditional matchup' bullshit... and they got slaughtered (deservedly so).
The problem is, you can't have a legit playoff system without the PAC-10 (USC) and the Big Ten (OSU, Michigan) being involved. Besides kidnapping the conference presidents, I'm not sure what else you can do.
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