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(Thanks to ESPN.com for the pic)
There’s some kind of big game tonight involving my Buckeyes and those LSU Tigers. I predict a good game and that know-it-all sportswriters will rip Ohio State even if they win. Only fools talk smack about a worthy opponent like LSU. Keep that in mind, fellow Buckeye fans, and enjoy the game.
You all know my obvious bias. I am and will always be a serious Ohio State Buckeyes football fan. I am happy that they are playing in the national championship game. For the record, I would have been just as happy with a USC/ OSU Rose Bowl game. But that’s not what the BCS decided. There are good reasons why their right to be there is being questioned. It’s fair to question the strength of a schedule that includes Akron, Youngstown State, and Kent State. But it’s not their fault the Big Ten is weak, and that they don’t have the last official championship game. Some flaws in their resume they can’t control. They did end up winning the Big Ten, which should count for something. It’s reasonable to question OSU’s resume. Where those people lose me is when they start talking about Hawaii as the team that they think should replace Ohio State. Yes, they are undefeated, but they played an even weaker schedule than the Buckeyes. The only way for OSU to get the respect they lack from the national press and from the fans of other worthy championship teams is to play LSU and to win that game. I think that they can do it.
All this is not to defend the BCS. It’s a deeply flawed system that produces flawed matchups and much controversy. We need a playoff system and we need it now. Teams should be rewarded for playing tough schedules, and thats not what we get with the current system. Maybe teams like Ohio State would play tougher schedules if they knew that they still had a chance at the national championship with 2 losses. The BCS provides no incentive to do this. There should be a way to determine which 1-2 loss teams are the best teams. Playoffs would be one way to determine which 2 teams deserve that last game. That said, the regular season should matter in college football. I think that its a bad argument to say that only the hottest teams at the end of the season should play in major bowl games. Its impossible to get an objective measure of the top 8-10 teams without a playoff, so until we get one, there will always be arguments and controversy over whos #1.
Technorati Tags: OSU, LSU, BCS, national championship
(original photo at ohiostatebuckeyes.com)
Not this year. Ohio State wins again — 14-3 over that team up north. Give Chad Henne and Mike Hart a lot of credit for trying to play in this game, but their injuries clearly affected their play, and without those two going full speed it was going to be a tough day for the Wolverines. It would also have helped them if their receivers had caught a couple long passes thrown by Henne when the game was still in doubt. (That doesn’t mean that I’m any less happy that the Buckeyes won again, but it wasn’t really a fair fight this time.) There are reports that Lloyd Carr might retire as Michigan’s head coach, and I’m glad that it’s going to be his choice. His overall Michigan record is solid, and the Wolverines’ fans were lucky to have him, even if he only beat Tressel once.
Tags: Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverines, college football
Winners:
Ohio State wins 30-7 over Minnesota. The Mets FINALLY WIN A GAME, beating the Marlins 13-zip with a 14K, 7 2/3 no-hit ball performance from previously underwhelming John Maine. Hopefully Glavine can come up big in Sunday’s game.
Losers:
The Phillies FINALLY LOST one, falling to the Nats 4-2. Ok…you caught me…Michigan did win today, but they barely beat Northwestern, and they could still lose more games this year. Possibly even that last one. 🙂
Tags: Mets, Phillies, Ohio State, Michigan