Ohio State Round Table: Split Personality Edition – Week Seven

Over the past decade, Ohio State football fans have gathered a wide range of experiences. We’ve climbed to the highest of highs when our team won a National Championship, and have stumbled to the lowest of lows when… our team failed to win a National Championship. The more casual followers can take this up and down journey in stride. Those of us who follow the Buckeyes more fervently, like I do, react differently. I often find myself battling on the inside; debating internally on different aspects of the game. It’s as if I have split personalities and they’re all playing tug of war, battling for my frame of mind.

This round table is a weekly forum for these personalities to voice their opinions. Let’s jump in!

If anyone is curious, this is the type of situation that causes me to develop multiple personalities. A baffling loss to a team that is inferior to us at every position, a complete no-show by the offense, a team that’s so horribly coached, it’s almost comical — yeah, that’s the gas that fuels the deterioration of normalcy.

This game made me realize a few things. One — our offense isn’t very good. Like, at all. Two — Ohio State isn’t as bulletproof against inferior opponents as we thought they were. Three — it is time, ladies and gentleman, to lower our expectations.

Anyway, Pessimistic Parry will not be joining us today. Not because there’s no pessimism — he actually needed an entire article to voice his opinions (will be posted later this week). A new personality makes his debut in our round table. Without further delay:

How do you see the rest of the season playing out after the loss to Purdue?

Optimistic Oscar: I don’t understand why everyone is acting like the sky is falling. USC has lost to double-digit underdogs in every season since 2006, and they still went on to win their conference and every Rose Bowl in that time span. So we had one bad game — the season isn’t over. Think about it, we still control our own destiny. If the Buckeyes win out, they’ll be in Pasadena on January 1.

The Buckeyes can use this game as motivation. Sometimes it takes a situation like this to motivate a team. It’s like that scene in the movie Fight Club, when Brad Pitt took a random Gas Station employee and put a gun to his head. Pitt asked the employee what he always wanted to be when he was growing up, and the man replied “a veterinarian”. After getting the employees name and address, Pitt told the man that he will visit him in the future, and that if he’s not on his way to becoming a veterinarian, he will kill him.

That’s basically what Purdue did this past Saturday. They put a gun to Ohio State’s head and asked them, “What do you want to be at the end of the year, a Rose Bowl team or an Alamo Bowl Team?”

Hopefully they’ll respond with a five game winning streak.

I just punched a hole in my wall Isaac: It was a big round one, right in my living room, and it cut my knuckles. Who the heck cares how the rest of the season plays out, we’re freaking awful. How do we lose to Purdue? Northern Illinois beat Purdue earlier this year. They don’t even have Garrett Wolfe anymore, and they still beat Purdue. I can’t think straight. A Garrett Wolfeless Northern Illinois team beat Purdue, but the four-and-five-star-recruit-laden-Buckeyes can’t. UGH!

This is nothing like that scene in Fight Club, Oscar. Theoretically speaking, if Purdue put a gun to our head, we should have been able to take that gun from them with Bruce Lee quickness, bent it in half like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator, then laughed amongst ourselves as we escorted them to a Final Destination type demise.

Does anyone know a good dry-wall repair guy?

Realistic Randy: It’s frustrating to have so much talent on offense, but not be able to do anything with it. We’ve been saying it all year — our defense is playing inspired football and the offense will catch up soon enough. Well, that’s not happening. The Ohio State offense was bad on all levels this Saturday. The O-line wasn’t blocking, the quarterback wasn’t making good decisions, the receivers weren’t getting open and the running game was non-existent.

How can we get anywhere close to a fifth-straight conference title with this offense? I just don’t see it happening. We should be able to win the Minnesota game (…I think), and New Mexico State doesn’t have a chance (… I think). That will give Ohio State 7 wins going into November. If there is no improvement on offense (honestly, don’t get your hopes up), then we’ll be lucky to win any of the games in November. We could steal one or be incredibly fortunate and get two, ending the season with 8 or 9 wins.

It will all depend on how many Big Ten teams get into the BCS. The Buckeyes could end up anywhere from the Alamo Bowl to the Capital One Bowl.

Split Personalities: How We Saw It

For the first five weeks of the season, I’ve had my multiple personalities (personalities that were created/produced by the stress of… just being a Buckeye fan) discuss and debate topics related to Ohio State Football. We’ll be doing something a little different this week. The contributors to this Round Table made their way to Columbus for the game against Wisconsin, so instead of the usual ‘Round Table’ format, we’re going to revisit the events of the day, and our members will offer their opinions on these events.

Let’s jump in!

7:30 AM - I’m lying in my bed, having barely moved into the non-REM cycle of sleep, when my doorbell rings. That would be my brother, Mike, ready for the game. I grudgingly crawl out of bed; I feel like Thad Gibson punched me in the face, sent me into a 13 year coma, and I’m just now waking up.

7:33 AM - Mike and I fight through the awkwardness of me answering the door wearing nothing but my Scooby-doo boxers and a buckeye necklace.

Pessimistic Parry - …There are no words.

7:55 AM - I make a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage and toast. The smell of the food is finally pulling me out of my coma-like state, and I start to feel the excitement. We’re going to the game!

Optimistic Oscar - Breakfast was fantastic. We should open a restaurant.

Pessimistic Parry: - “I make a hearty breakfast”? When did we adopt Mel Gibson’s vocabulary from Braveheart?

8:30 AM - Mike and I start the two hour drive south to Columbus.

9:10 AM – Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mike (who has been married for five years) pull his phone out of his pocket and dial a number. I knew who he was calling before this conversation started:

Mike: Hey, honey, it’s me… (his voice soft as a feather, as if there were a baby in the backseat that he didn’t want to wake — his wife would never suspect that we were just singing/screaming the words to Thunder by ACDC)… Yes, we’re on the road now… yes, I’m wearing my seatbelt (he looks over at me), yeah, he’s wearing his too… ah, that’s nice… Thanks for waking up this morning and giving me a hug goodbye.

9:12 AM - I start booing. Loudly. This is a man day. There is no room for such…such… mushiness. Mike spent the next six minutes telling his wife an elaborate story of how a Toyota with Michigan plates cut us off, and that’s why I was booing.

The next six minutes - I chuckle to myself.

9:55 AM – 30 minutes from Columbus. One of my favorite parts of the day is the drive down. I love when we see Buckeye fans in other cars, and they give us the traditional man fist/pump.

10:30 AM - We reach Columbus! Insert pilgrimage or Holy Land reference here.

10:55 AM – Mike and I refuse to pay 20/30 dollars (!) for parking close to the stadium, so we find a spot on 9th Street and park there. We don’t mind the walk — it’s healthy.

11:05 AM - Mike insists that we get Starbucks coffee. He’s also complaining that it’s too cold. This is only his second visit to the ‘Shoe — his first visit coming when it was 85 degrees earlier this year against Navy. He will learn to appreciate Big Ten football weather. Give him time; he’s young.

12:00 PM - After roaming the streets of C-bus, Mike and I wanted to know what it felt like to be the first one to fall on a fumble as a member of the Buckeye’s defense, so we headed over to the Varsity Club for a drink. Despite a great atmosphere, it did feel like Dexter Larimore (get well soon), Doug Worthington and Cameron Heyward were lying on top of us, so our stay there was short.

Impatient Isaac: That place is so crowded! Let’s get Archie Griffin or Kirk Herbstreit to donate some money and build another room/level. Ugh!

12:10 PM – We walk outside and look at the sky as if we hadn’t seen it in days. We let the cool breeze brush across our face. We feel like ‘Mox’ and ‘Billy Bob’ after they left the, er… adults only bar in the movie Varsity Blues. That’s what ten minutes in the Varsity Club can do to a man.

1:00 PM - More wandering. We made our way over to St. John’s for the Skull Session. On the way, we passed the jumbo-tron and got the 190th update on Tim Tebow’s playing status. It was approximately the 189th time I wanted to punch myself in the face. I figure it’s how the rest of the country felt last year with Beanie’s “I broked-did-my-toe” situation before the USC game.

1:30 PM – The Skull Session. I love the Skull session. It’s like a concert — their’s a band (the best one in the land, as a matter of fact), celebrities, athletes, etc… Mike had to convince me not to throw my Scooby Doo Boxers on the court.

1:50 PM - We head back towards High Street to grab lunch (nothing fancy, just Charlie’s Steakery). As we’re walking, we see a (college age) girl hovering over a trash can, just moments after she had… discarded… the contents of her digestive system.

Realistic Randy - That means she was puking.

Pessimistic Parry – Thanks for the clarification, Randy. Anyway, watching that girl as her friends pointed and laughed at her made me think of her parents. Somewhere, in a dark room, they’re weeping. Now, I’m in the mood for lunch, let’s go get a Philly-cheese-steak sandwich!

2:30 PM – After lunch, we decide to head towards the stadium. I bought another buckeye necklace (a tradition of mine — for every game I attend, I buy a buckeye necklace) and put it on.

2:40 PM - Mike points out that the Goodyear blimp is hovering above the ’shoe and says:

“What up big pimpin?”

Yes, he called the good year blimp big pimpin’. I took the natural progression of the conversation and said:

“Or should we say big blimpin’?”

The two of us thought that was hilarious. This, people, is how nicknames are made.

3:05 PM – We join the sea of red as thousands of people pour into the entrances of Ohio Stadium. I’ve never been more okay with having obese, sweaty men that close to me… It just felt right.

Impatient Isaac - Speak for yourself.

3:15 PM – Our tickets are in the C deck, so we have to climb the 963 steps to get there. I contemplated calling my loved one’s to tell them if I didn’t make it…

3:28 PM - We make it to our seats just in time to see the start of Script Ohio. All is right with the world.

3:40 PM - Both teams decide they don’t want to offend each other’s defenses, so we get to watch a lot of three and out’s.

Lost track of time - Kurt Coleman intercepts a Tolzien pass, and I scream as loud as I can for the entire 89 yard touchdown return. I hug/jump with Mike like I just won the lottery.

Time continues to be lost - It’s early in the second quarter, and Terrelle Pryor just threw the worst interception in the history of time. I might be exaggerating, but even before he threw the pass, I looked at his intended receiver and said to myself “Oh, please God, don’t throw to him”. Four plays later, Wisconsin fakes a field goal and runs for a touchdown. Everyone in the stadium sees a Wisconsin blocker hold/push Jermale Hines in the back, except for the refs.

Approximately two minutes before halftime – Wiscy tacks on another field goal, and I begin to worry. If we don’t do something on offense soon, we’re going to lose. Lamar Thomas muffs the kickoff and returns it to the twelve yard line. That’s when Terrelle Pryor/the offense decides to make a (brief) appearance in the game. They drive 88 yards on 7 plays (in 73 seconds!) to take the lead back.

Optimistic Oscar - Nice drive! We know this offense is capable of great things, and that was proof.

Realistic Randy – Yes, it was a good drive, but consistency is what makes a good offense. We need to see more of that in the second half!

Pessimistic Parry – Good luck with that, Randy. Our offense is more schizophrenic then… we are.

Halftime - I spend the entirety of the break waiting in line to use the restroom. That was real special.

Beginning of the Third Quarter – The stadium is buzzing. Wisconsin gets the first possession, and moves the ball for an early first down. On the next third down, Jermale Hines practices the tip drill with himself and returns another interception for a touchdown.

Optimistic Oscar – The defense has scored more points than Wisconsin’s offense! Take the day off, Terrelle!

Pessimistic Parry - It looks like he received that message before the game. Hold on a second, I have to check Pryor’s stats. Yup, he’s 4/12 for 70 yards. Up to this point, he is not completing over 50% of his passes. If he doesn’t step it up, he will earn the Uncle Rico nickname for the rest of the week. I bet he could throw a football over those mountains…

Shortly after - Wisconsin get’s a quick 33 yard gain and moves into Ohio State territory, but the defense clamps down and holds the Badgers to a field goal. The Buckeyes are still up 21-13, and I start to get antsy again. The guy sitting behind me says:

“Come on, Ray Small. One time.”

That’s when Small got his “Teddy Ginn Jr” on and takes the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.

I hugged the guy sitting behind me and thanked him.

The rest of the third quarter - Consisted of a ridiculously long 8 minute drive by Wisconsin, which ended in a missed field goal. Our offense scrambles onto the field; they honestly looked surprised to actually have the ball. Up to that point, they were on the sideline having a pretty relaxing afternoon. I think Pryor and Darrell Hazell were playing some beer pong, the offensive line had their sleeping bags out for a quick nap and the receivers and running backs were playing red-rover.

The end of it all - The fourth quarter started with Pryor’s only pass attempt of the second half, a 17 yard completion to Dane Sanzenbacher. Brandon Saine rips off a 31 yard run and Pettrey caps off the drive by actually making a field goal in the 30 yard range. People are now starting to head for the exits. The Buckeyes are up 31-13.

Everyone in the stadium (or everyone in our section, at least) knows what to expect. When Ohio State gets the ball back, Tressel will bleed the clock as dry as he can, and then punt. This game is over.

Carmen Ohio and the victory bell - This is when I get my sense of time back, it’s 6:53 PM. Big blimpin’ is hanging over Ohio Stadium to get one last shot, the players and remaining faithful sing Carmen Ohio, and then we head for the doors.

7:32 PM - Mike and I get back to my car and hop in. We avoid most of the traffic with Mike’s GPS device, and begin the two hour drive home. Mike says:

“I’m so glad we won. It would probably be the most miserable two hours of my life if I had to drive home with you after a loss.”

I respond:

“Well, we don’t have to think about it. 31-13, baby. O H!”

Mike responds:

“I O!”

Buckeye fans are ready to put down their coffee cups!

For the past three years, Ohio State has constantly been in contention for a national title, only to have their butts kicked by the SEC, and lose in the last “16 seconds” to a very talented Texas team. Buckeye fans know all too well the disappointment of a hopeful season. We can still see the straw that broke the camel’s back. We have come to believe, then have our hearts handed to us. For the weaker fan, they go off and complain about how Ohio State can’t keep up with the talent of other conferences. For the stronger fans, we question the X’s and O’s. We don’t see a talent disparity, but a coaching one. We question why we can’t use our offense like that of Florida, Texas, Texas Tech, etc.. When I watch an Ohio State game, I sometimes need a cup of coffee to wake me up. Let’s face it, Ohio State doesn’t have an exciting play book. But, oh how times are a changing!

We now have a 6′6, 240 lb, QB that is the fastest guy on the team. Don’t believe me, check this article out: http://brutusreport.com/Articles/Latest/LatestArticlesDetail/tabid/701/smid/1405/ArticleID/900/Default.aspx

If Ohio State doesn’t use TP’s 4.33 speed to its benefit, it will be hard for me to continue supporting the sweater vest. I know, he is a great guy/recruiter/game manager/book writer. But, if he continues to waste this recruited talent, eventually the players will see that it would be too their benefit to attend a school like Florida, Texas, and that ugly team up north. Simply because their numbers would be better at a school with a spread offense. Now, if your a Kicker/Punter, Ohio State is where it is at. Just like Tressel has stated: “The punt is the most important play in football”. Ohio State fans can only take so much conservative disappointment. We can only stand to drink so much coffee during games. If Tressel doesn’t turn this offense loose, there will be a public outcry like the College FB world has never seen. Right now, the attention is on Jim Bollman. The funny thing is, Bollman isn’t even calling the plays! But, take heart fans, I think we are getting ready to see some exciting football.

After watching many highlights of the scrimmages and spring game, it looks like you are going to see the Boom & Zoom show, highlighted by a running/throwing 240 lb monster. He can also play a little WR, i.e. Texas game last year. Our young offensive line should continue to gel and get better. The WR’s will utilize its speed to spread the defenses out. You will see less defensive blitz’s because their linebackers will be needed to watch Terrelle’s versatility. Boom & Zoom will be able to catch short passes out of the backfield that could turn into big gains. We are going to see more option plays, which can be a headache to stop for defenses. Tressel would be crazy not to use the speed of this team. This is probably the fastest offensive unit he has “EVER” coached. So, get ready buckeye fans, we might be on the verge of seeing more crystal football trophies in the near future. If we don’t,  let the public outcry for Tressel’s vest begin.

NCAA & NBA, “There has got be a better way.”

Yesterday it was announced that several colleges will lose scholarships because of their low academic-progress-rates (APR). Ohio State is one of them because of several of their players in recent years have chosen to go to the NBA after playing just one year on the college court. This is in the wake of 17 year old Jeremy Tyler from San Diego high school choosing to go to Europe to play basketball instead of finishing high school, playing college basketball and then going on to the NBA.

The NCAA and the NBA have got to work something out and I don’t think taking away scholarships from any school is going to help either side. Scholarships are opportunities for talented athletes to get off the streets and into a stable situation that should be extremely rewarding to them and society. I understand the argument that if their talent is worth the money then they should get the money, but the prescience they are setting is very unsettling. There are only a select few that are talented enough to make money and they are taking a big risk. Not only with being injured and then having nothing to fall-back on, but also with the people and relationships that are going to follow them or that they are going to create. There are three questions that both associations have got to start asking themselves and trying to find a solution to:

Is one year of college enough? I say no the NCAA and NBA should require 3 years. I know a lot of critics are going jump all over it, but 3 years at the very least looks like a commitment though to get a degree you have to go to college for at least 4 years. A college should be an academic institution first. The one year requirement is becoming a one year show for these athletes and now some are not even choosing to come. If there are fewer scholarships and more adversities to getting in more of them will choose to go play in Europe or sit out a year. The NBA should take one obvious look at their game and see that though the talented few are playing an exciting game. On a whole the young players they are attracting are detracting from the quality of play, resulting in street ball games that the professionals in the NBA should be above playing (watch Lakers vs. Rockets from 5-6-2009).

Are veteran NBA players supporting college? No they are not, plain and simple. I enjoy watching Lebron James and Kobe Bryant as much as the next person, but the fact is neither one of them went to college and these are the stars of the league. This is got to be up to athletes in the booth at this point, the examples playing on the court are too few to speak up. Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Charles Barkly, and Isaiah Thomas stop being in awe of players that will not surpass your legend. The talent of today’s stars might look incredible, but look at your achievements in comparison and let it be known that you worked in High school to win a state championship, in college to win a NCAA championship and then in the NBA to win a championship. I am not hearing them say anything. When they see Derrick Rose choose to leave college after one year they are supporting the decision and this support is being read by the basketball adolescence that there is only one thing you should be in life. An NBA basketball player. If these athletes are going to make so much money that can not only benefit themselves but others, something should prepare them for their role in society. College can fulfill that, stop supporting the easy-way-out.

What is the ultimate goal? Both parties should agree that the most beneficial goal would be to have talented basketball players that can’t only dunk a basketball, but also be a larger contributor to society. Almost all of the players have a story of themselves coming from a bad situation and I realize there are stories about players going back and trying to make it better, but we are teaching too many of these players that money will be the answer to everything. The truth is Money is going to be the answers for a select few and even those select few should be weary of the responsibilities that come with the money.

As the saying goes, there has got to be a better way. If something is not decided soon Europe is going to start to benefit more from our basketball talent than we are. Coaches are being paid bigger paychecks everyday to recruit a player that bring their team instant success and then spend that success somewhere else where they may only be for a short time only benefitting themselves. The NBA is looking more and more like a selfish league and the NCAA is looking too much at regulation and not enough at trying to expand the opportunity to help the situation. Stop taking away the scholarships and help the situation.

Congress Wants to Fix the BCS?

Congress has been dealing with the worst economic crisis in our time. Today they took timeout to tackle one of the President’s extra curriculum ideas, changing the BCS bowl system to a playoff system. Representative Joe Barton of Texas is introducing a bill to say that the BCS cannot claim a champion without it coming from a playoff system. Congress held hearings on Friday, May 1^st discussing the current BCS bowl system with several members on both sides of the debate.

As much I appreciated congress tackling steroids in baseball and putting professional athletes to a character test to be held accountable for destroying the integrity of the American past time. I don’t think it is appropriate for congress or the President to intervene in sports to change the rules. The Mountain West Conference has hired a lobbying firm to lobby Congress for changes to the BCS system. I am not sure how much money each college of the conference has contributed to this effort, but I think there are more productive areas that the money could be contributed to and be more beneficial to the student-body of the MWC.

The big boys do own the BCS, the ACC, the Big Ten, the Big Twelve, the SEC and Pac Ten have automatic bids to the five BCS Bowls, the Rose Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, the Orange Bowl and the National Championship Game. Selections are made According to computerized polls and the Associate Press Bowl and the Coaches’ Poll creating a score that fills the automatics bids. I don’t appreciate computers trying to decide by the numbers what people can decide by using history and experience, but it doesn’t bother me that in this case that the BCS system has tried to compare the two to create competitive games for not only the opportunity to make money, but also to provide the fans with an exciting experience. I probably come off as being bias being a fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes. That has participated in the last 2 out of 3 national championship games and has made numerous BCS appearances that to popular opinion have been because of the university’s reputation to sell tickets not always providing for a competitive game.

The system works. The BCS does the best it can to create a competitive game and the most competitive games are going to come from where the best players go. That is going to be to the biggest conferences because that is where the best athletes are going to find the biggest showcase of their talents to furthering their careers in professional football. On the outside it looks like there are only a select few schools that get the most money, but if you look at recruiting and the players involved the best players go to the biggest schools that are in the biggest conferences. You can’t make everyone happy, there are going to be schools and players in smaller conferences that always feel left out in a bowl system where there are approximately 36 bowls for schools with a .500 record or better can play in and get a share of money from the sponsors involved or a playoff system that pools more money together eliminating several bowls that could not compete against the viewership of a playoff.

Another part of the argument is what would happen to the exciting regular season which in many ways is a playoff for the teams competing in the toughest conditions. Playoffs often don’t go down to the wire deciding on when matchups are decided. Once the winner of a conference is declared the spot is filled. This will lead to some of the most historic games in history being played noncompetitively. Imagine the Ohio State vs. Michigan game being played by their third and fourth string players to preserve the first string for the playoffs. Conferences and coaches alike are going to be challenged how to play the student athlete in a longer season that could create more opportunities for injury to amateurs trying to further their careers.

Gene Bleymaier, Athletic Director for Boise State, noted that his school’s football team went undefeated several times , yet never got a chance to play for the national championship under the BCS. I understand the argument, but have little sympathy for a team that doesn’t play a top twenty five team except for maybe once or twice every other season. Boise State is a good football team and they did put together one team that beat a good Oklahoma team, but they will not do this on a regular basis. It is pure numbers. The 16, 925 undergraduate students Vs. Ohio State University’s 34, 479 undergraduate students (numbers provided by www.yahoo.com/education) cannot always bring in the top high school athletes in the country. This is not only about money, but also the student athlete. The larger universities benefit more students and this is going to decide for most football players where they are going to play football. The current bowls not only work for the market and sponsors involved, but also for the exposure of the football players involved. The undefeated seasons for Boise state has let them play in a bowl game each of those seasons. If there was a playoff the possibility that they would compete with other undefeated teams for a much more limited opportunity and increased pressure to win more than just one playoff game exist. You can beat Oklahoma once, one time in a season. Can you do it three times in a row? In a playoff it will become much harder for those schools to compete. In the current bowl system you can have the satisfaction that you collimated your winning season with the opportunity to win your final game against a school that on-paper you could beat or competitively play against in a highly publicized game. In a playoff a small school will eventually meet someone that outweighs them by a lot and though David might slay Goliath some-of-the-time it doesn’t happen enough to justify them getting the opportunity every time.

The BCS should stay the way it is. They can always tweak the computers and the polls to accept the current trend to create the best opportunity for everyone involved that can competitively play against each other. The worst thing about the argument is that everyone is forgetting the players that are involved on the field. Everyone is just squabbling over their piece-of-the-pie and since the little brother feels like it is only getting table scraps they are crying. This isn’t an argument that our President should be trying to get involved in. There are much more important matters that require his attention. We should just continue to let the players decided this on the field.

The Big Ten: Why We Suck

I worked very diligently on crafting a title for this this article but ultimately, this was the one thing that kept coming around. Our fall from grace as a dominant NCAA Division I power conference has been fast and painful. The fall has been different for every team in the conference. Like most conferences we have our less relevant football programs (stupid Northwestern so concerned with actually GRADUATING players) but the fact remains that, in the past, when our power teams came to play your school, it was time to break out the Icy Hot because a severe beating was nothing short of imminent.

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Where do we currently stand? Iowa players are telling their own fans to be quiet. Minnestota forgot there were more than 4 games in the season. Wisconsin did too. Michigan decided to field their understudy ballet students instead of actual football players. Both Penn State and Ohio State had the unfortunate mishap of checking their talent on the airplane to L.A. rather than carrying it on and somehow it wound up on a plane headed for Pewee Valley, Kentucky. Oh, and Ohio State can’t seem to beat the SEC even if the referees would let them bring crowbars on the field. I mean, in what sane world does tOSU go nearly undefeated on the season only to have the entire college football world question, not whether they should go to the National Championship or not, but whether they even deserve to be CONSIDERED?!

No doubt we’ve all thought and thought about this and I would imagine you’ve come to the same redundant conclusion that I have: We suck because we suck. No doubt we’ve all read that iron sharpens iron. That’s what we used to be for each other. The Michigan-Ohio State game was such a vehement battle to the death, that any competitor after was like playing in a pick up game at the park on Sunday afternoon. The rivalries so legendary that watching the game for the 5th, 6th or 95th time still gets you on the edge of your seat and out of your chair. Now the rivalries are harder fought in the stands and after the game than they are on the field. We’re just not good enough to make each other better anymore.

One of the problems is that the decline happened for all of the teams at a quick pace simultaneously. The conference has not adapted to a more modern style of football, one that relies somewhat less on braun and more on strategy and speed. This is made evident when we play schools like USC who have more strategy than 70% of the NFL teams out there. When we play the SEC, they run away like we’re standing still because, regardless of the attempts we’ve made as a conference of teams to get out of our concrete boots and into the new style of warfare, we just haven’t caught up. They’re shooting smart bombs and laser guided missle systems while we’re reloading our muskets with paper patch bullets and screaming hateful chants in olde english. We just aren’t that relevant outside of our own conference. People look at us like that fighter going into the ring when he should have retired. Yeah, they respect his history and the amazing things he’s done, but they’re not afraid of him anymore. They’re not afraid of us anymore.

In the end, our games are still hard fought battles in the trenches. Our sense of tradition and honor is greater than anyone else’s. We hate each other but we hate them more.

I, for one, am tired of this. I’m ready to read a USC writer talk about how Michigan or Ohio State is more than likely going to ruin Pete Carroll’s season. I’m ready to be confident in saying that no matter who goes into the national championship game against us, the Big Ten will ride out of town with a tan and a crystal football. Every other conference should be complaining and making excuses about why we slaughter them year in and year out. It’s time for this trend to stop and it has to stop quickly.

We are the greatest conference in the NCAA. It’s time to remind everyone else of that fact.

Just Let L.A. Float Away

Yesterday my esteemed colleague and the purveyor of this site responded to an L.A. Times article written about the attendance of the OSU Spring Game. Now let me preface this by saying that I am, of course, a Michigan fan. But don’t allow that to stop you from reading this glorious rhetoric nonetheless.

Normally, I would be glad to see an opponent kick sand in the face of every poisonous nut on the planet, but Chris Dufresne’s article was the worst drivel I’ve read in ages and yet again makes us question how very far sports writing has fallen. The basic premise behind this article was that Ohio State fans have absolutely nothing to do in their lives but go to the Spring Game because outside of that, there’s nothing but field plowing and taking your sister out on a date available to them. On the other hand, glorious Southern California is so littered with magnificence that they just have too much going on in their awesome lives to stop and support their football teams. Mr. Dufresne is then kind enough to inform us that they are true fans since their butts are in the seats when it really counts. (obligatory reference to the OSU-USC game of ‘08).

Here’s why I take issue with that: He’s trying to take an exceptional, record-breaking thing (one that I, as a Wolverine, would be most happy to possess) and turn it into nothing in an effort to reassure his readers that they’re not bad fans, they’re just cooler than the rest of us. Yes, a sports writer who asserts that he and his readers are too cool for sports.

Ultimately, his point (like his spelling and grammar) quickly loses footing when you look at the facts.

The first point that completely exposes the sadness of the SoCal fanaticism was mentioned very clearly by my associate. Los Angeles County alone has approximately 10 million people, most of whom I can assume were NOT at the beach. That point in mind, they couldn’t muster any more than 20k people to watch a consistent national championship contending team go out their for their warm ups? Seriously? Is Frisbee Golf THAT time consuming?

The second point that’s even worse is based off of the assumption that the SoCal fans are there when it counts. They’re not and that’s just a plain fact. During the season, USC barely cracks 90% attendance and UCLA does even worse, eeking in just about 80% attendance. TEN MILLION PEOPLE and you can’t even get to capacity? Are you serious?

Mr. Dufresne, the reason Ohio State fills up the Horseshoe and Michigan gets 50k people to show up to a spring game after suffering it’s worst season in history is because these are fans that actually give a crap about these teams and these schools. These schools are part of how we grew up, part of childhood memories and where we came from. A school like USC buys it’s history. Half of the reason USC gets athletes is because of climate and girls. You can try using the “exceptional educational opportunity” line, but when you barely graduate 50% of your football players, it’s not really a valid point.

In the end, the true college football fans from around the country who actually support their teams IN SPITE of the fact that we could be doing other things would like to request that you put your roller skates back on, head back to The ‘Bu and the next time you have an ingenious brain fart to write about sports, write it in the sand and let the mighty Pacific wash it away.

Boals’ hiring is official

Ohio State announced the hiring of Jeff Boals about a half hour ago. He’ll be available to the news media at 1 p.m. today, so we’ll have a story with comments from him and coach Thad Matta in The Dispatch…
Continue reading at Hoops & Scoops: an OSU basketball blog

Seven Ohio State Buckeyes Drafted into the NFL

Seven Ohio State Buckeyes Drafted into the NFL

While Ohio State was completing their spring with the annual Scarlet vs. Gray game in the Horseshow, a class full of graduated seniors were awaiting their next career step, the NFL. The NFL draft proceeded the Spring game with four Buckeyes selected on the first day and three more selected in the second day of later round selections.

Continue reading at Brutus Report

USC and L.A.’s Weak Stab at REAL Football Fans

On the dispatch blog today, they pointed to an article on the Los Angeles Times taking a cheap shot at Ohio State fans in an article entitled “In L.A., there’s more to life than spring football“  Maybe the L.A. Times is hard up for page views so their putting garabage like this out, but either way their weak jabs at Ohio State fans have 0 merit and really make them look pitiful.  In a city that in 2007 had a estimated population of 9,878,554 was only able to bring in 22,565 people is extremely weak in comparison to Columbus which in 2007 had 747,755 residents and 95,722 fans at the Scarlet & Gray game.  Here’s an excerpt from the Times:

“Ohio State doesn’t have a beach!” he said. “I don’t blame our fans. It gets loud in here in the fall.”

Are you kidding me, thats your excuse?  If anything the weather in Columbus saturday made people feel like having cookouts, going to Buckeye Lake, or a variety of things, but our fans showed their loyalty by sitting in a crowded stadium cheering on their team.  Sorry USC but thats what real fans are all about.

Another excerpt says:

“In Los Angeles, we say there’s football and a thing called a life. So, in relatively obscurity, our two teams tinkered in their workshops.”

Well…. You keep tinkering USC because come Sept 12th our Scarlet & Gray is gonna be ready for you when you come to the shoe and maybe you’ll wish you took your spring game a little more seriously!

Update: See our latest response to the L.A. Times – Let L.A. Float Away

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