Why Ohio State should start the season No. 1

[obie7661]

Why Ohio State should start the season No. 1

http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2008/08/why_ohio_state_should_start_th.html

[jeffm93]

Sorry to say this but OSU shouldn't start at no.1. The laughable performance in the title game shows they shouldn't be in the top 5. :gotigers:

[Al.]

Sorry to say this but OSU shouldn't start at no.1. The laughable performance in the title game shows they shouldn't be in the top 5. :gotigers:


.....and a trip to the West Coast to visit Tommy Trojan early in the season may make or break the Bucks in 2008.

[monte81]

The Georgia Bulldogs are ranked #1 and return 16 starters from last year. They may be a great team but may not run the table in the SEC.

OSU has a lesser schedule but play USC early in the season---the winner of that game may play for the National Championship. Michael Jenkins, Bennie Wells, and James Laurinitus are arguably the bast players in the Nation at their positions. Losisng the National Chapionship two times in a row is why they are not #1 but 3 loses in 2 seasons with 19 starter returning is a great position to be in but it only matter who finishes 1st!!

[MUCSteelers5xSuperChamp]

monte81,

4get the Bulldogs...they won't run the tables in the SEC! Just because they got Knowshon Moreno doesn't mean they will be the true #1!

[Benchboss1]

I have a question for all of the rabid Buckeye fans on here. Would OSU have played for the national title last year if they were in the SEC? Their success last season was a by product of two things, their weak conference and the lack of a championship game in the Big 10, plain and simple.

[jeffm93]

If OSU were in the SEC they wouldn't even have beaten Kentucky let alone got to the tilte game. I hat e to admit it but OSU is just not as good as we (me included ) think they are. :cry:

[austinsm11]

I think some people are forgetting that Ohio State wasn't even supposed to be there last year. Weren't they picked to finish 3rd?

[CarlE]

This writer couldn't BE any more clueless.

[CATS44]

LSU is the reigning National Champion, and as such, should be ranked number one until they lose.

In boxing terminology, you have to knock out the champ.

[austinsm11]

LSU is the reigning National Champion, and as such, should be ranked number one until they lose.

In boxing terminology, you have to knock out the champ.

I disagree. Now, if you think LSU returns enough to be number one, that is different. But they shouldn't start ranked number one just because they won last year. It is a different team, sometimes even different coaches.

Let's say OSU wins this year. They will be a completely different team the following year without Lauranitas, Jenkins, Wells, Boone etc., etc.

They need to get rid of these preseason rankings and wait a few weeks before ranking teams.

[Benchboss1]

I think some people are forgetting that Ohio State wasn't even supposed to be there last year. Weren't they picked to finish 3rd?



I agree with you about them not being expected to be there last year. The thing is though, is they were ONLY there because their conference stunk/stinks and they do not have to play a conference championship game. Does anybody REALLY believe that Ohio State could have played Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Alabama, Kentucky, South Carolina and Arkansas and only lose two games? Come on now, let's be honest.

[austinsm11]

The thing is though, is they were ONLY there because their conference stunk/stinks and they do not have to play a conference championship game. Does anybody REALLY believe that Ohio State could have played Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Alabama, Kentucky, South Carolina and Arkansas and only lose two games? Come on now, let's be honest.

I agree that they would have lost more, but you can't fault Ohio State for the conference they are in, the ability of the conference in any given year or how the teams in the other conferences did.

[npaflas]

If OSU were in the SEC they wouldn't even have beaten Kentucky let alone got to the tilte game. I hat e to admit it but OSU is just not as good as we (me included ) think they are. :cry: Come on now they couldn't beat Kentucky now that's funny. SEC isn't that great Georgia being no 1. I bet they will not hold on to no 1 I live down here in georgia for 21 years and i think the sec stinks.

[npaflas]

I agree with you about them not being expected to be there last year. The thing is though, is they were ONLY there because their conference stunk/stinks and they do not have to play a conference championship game. Does anybody REALLY believe that Ohio State could have played Florida, Tennessee, Auburn, Virginia Tech, Alabama, Kentucky, South Carolina and Arkansas and only lose two games? Come on now, let's be honest. I thought Virginia Tech was in the ACC

[jeffm93]

OSU couldn't beat Kentucky. (sorry to inform you of that). :wtf:

[CarlE]

If OSU were in the SEC they wouldn't even have beaten Kentucky let alone got to the tilte game. I hat e to admit it but OSU is just not as good as we (me included ) think they are. :cry:

Well, at least someone on here is more clueless than the author of the article. I KNOW they aren't as good as we all think they are but I DO know they could beat Kentucky.

[DE#53]

I have a question for all of the rabid Buckeye fans on here. Would OSU have played for the national title last year if they were in the SEC? Their success last season was a by product of two things, their weak conference and the lack of a championship game in the Big 10, plain and simple.
There is a championship game in the big 10. It's the Ohio State ,Michigan Game.9 out of ten years that's the two teams playing for the conference championship anyway.

[werperry]

The Georgia Bulldogs are ranked #1 and return 16 starters from last year. They may be a great team but may not run the table in the SEC.

OSU has a lesser schedule but play USC early in the season---the winner of that game may play for the National Championship. Michael Jenkins, Bennie Wells, and James Laurinitus are arguably the bast players in the Nation at their positions. Losisng the National Chapionship two times in a row is why they are not #1 but 3 loses in 2 seasons with 19 starter returning is a great position to be in but it only matter who finishes 1st!!

Michael Jenkins graduated. :wink: ...but Malcolm Jenkins IS pretty good.

[MUCSteelers5xSuperChamp]

CATS44,

Phenomenal post! LSU should be the true #1 as they established themselves as the champions! They can take numerous amounts of punishment but give just as much as they receive in return.

[jeffm93]

Well, at least someone on here is more clueless than the author of the article. I KNOW they aren't as good as we all think they are but I DO know they could beat Kentucky.

Whether or not they could beat Ky. or not is a moot point due to the fact that the Bucks don't play them. I made the statement purely based on watching both the LSU v. UK game (which UK won) and also the LSU v. OSU game. :thanx:

[austinsm11]

Whether or not they could beat Ky. or not is a moot point due to the fact that the Bucks don't play them. I made the statement purely based on watching both the LSU v. UK game (which UK won) and also the LSU v. OSU game. :thanx:

Sorry, but imo you can't figure which team would win based on a common opponent. That could have been UK's best game and LSU' worst while maybe LSU played one of it's best games in the championship game and OSU played one of it's worst.

By your logic App. State could beat Florida.

[dataintsmiff]

Who really gives a sh** where they are ranked in the polls to start the season. As long as they are sitting one or two when the season ends, they're sitting pretty! Anything can happen in a title game, example, nobody gave us a shot against Miami and we pulled it out. We seemed to be overmatched the past two years in the title game but something tells me that Tressel will have this team more focused if they make it there this year. GO BUCKS!!!!

[Drbord]

In the last 5 years the Big 10 and Sec are 9-9 in head to head match ups. And the SEC was behind in that stat until this last year when they won 2 out of 3 bowl games. That is hardly the dominance over the Big 10 that many would like us to believe. Being that none of the bowl games are played in the north, the SEC has a big advantage when it comes to playing in a bowl game because most of the time they are playing what amounts to a home game.

I do love to watch SEC games. They knock each other off every week. You never know what you will get when you watch an SEC game. They have talent but there is no consistancy in their play from week to week. Lots of penalties, turn overs and plain stupid plays. It's great theater!

[CarlE]

In the last 5 years the Big 10 and Sec are 9-9 in head to head match ups. And the SEC was behind in that stat until this last year when they won 2 out of 3 bowl games. That is hardly the dominance over the Big 10 that many would like us to believe. Being that none of the bowl games are played in the north, the SEC has a big advantage when it comes to playing in a bowl game because most of the time they are playing what amounts to a home game.

I do love to watch SEC games. They knock each other off every week. You never know what you will get when you watch an SEC game. They have talent but there is no consistancy in their play from week to week. Lots of penalties, turn overs and plain stupid plays. It's great theater!

I don't care WHAT the fourth and fifth best teams in each conference do head to head. I just care about the best. And that doesn't bode well for us.

[austinsm11]

I don't care WHAT the fourth and fifth best teams in each conference do head to head. I just care about the best. And that doesn't bode well for us.

True, but I (as well as all the loud mouths down here who don't mind sharing their opinion) have believed that SEC has been the best conference top to bottom. I wouldn't have even figured it to be close and considering that the Big Ten is tied with them over the past 5 years when many of the games are almost like home games for the SEC is very interesting.

What makes it more interesting, imo, is that it seems like teams like Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Iowa have not been that good the past few years, although Illinois may be coming on.

[Drbord]

I agree Austinsm11. If the SEC was that much better than the Big 10 then the head to head stats would show that. Many of those bowl games are played in hostile territory for the Big 10 and very friendly confines for the SEC.

The SEC's play is sloppy and mistake ridden. Talent yes, consistancy and focus, not so much.

[Benchboss1]

The SEC's play is sloppy and mistake ridden. Talent yes, consistancy and focus, not so much.


What does this statement say about the last two national championship games, especially since both were blow outs?

[Drbord]

The SEC has talent and they were able to prepare, focus and win one game that they had several weeks to prepare for. For a whole season, week after week, they have a hard time focusing and playing consistantly. Every team in the SEC has that problem.