Growing up in Michigan, yours truly had no love lost for the Ohio State Buckeyes -- to say the least. But as I've gotten older, I sometimes look back and wonder how and why such allegiances and/or dislikes come about. After all, I never went to Michigan or Michigan State, and Ohio State never did anything bad to me personally. In fact, many moons ago, I hooked up with this OSU coed in the back of a van in the infield of the Indianapolis speedway while the 500 was going on around us for our own few high-speed laps -- but I'm getting a little off track here, no pun intended.
Yet trying to be objective these days, OSU football seems to be getting the Rodney Dangerfield treatment. In no particular order, consider the following:
Before the 2013 season even started, OSU was ranked #2 behind only Alabama.
Depending on which poll one wants to look back at --
Oregon was #4.
Stanford #9.
Florida State #10.
Baylor -- unranked.
I omit some teams because they've already fallen far out of national contention, but include the above as they currently relate to Ohio State.
Oregon just got beat by Stanford for their first loss. But about a month ago Stanford was defeated by unranked Utah. There are already whispers that Stanford, ranked #5 going into the Oregon game, may leap-frog OSU in the ratings.
With a very impressive first two months of the season, undefeated Baylor had climbed all the way up to #6 in the current ratings, and they just blistered #10 Oklahoma. It was mentioned that the Waco boys might jump over OSU as well. Perhaps the Branch Davidians shall rise again. Just kidding.
Florida State has already surpassed OSU in the polls. They're currently #2.
In the meantime, what has Ohio State done? Remain undefeated.
Sure, arguments could be made about strength of schedule, point differentials, and the like. Last time out the 'Noles trashed arch-rival and then ranked #7 Miami 41-14. A couple weeks earlier they obliterated then #3 ranked Clemson on the road to the tune of 51-14. This is very impressive stuff.
In the last two games, OSU beat Penn State 63-14, and Purdue 56-0. Granted, the competition wasn't as stiff as what FSU faced, but what are the Buckeyes to do? Shouldn't a combined score of 119-14 over two games be good enough to at least hold your own in the rankings?
Let's take it one step further and talk about what happened -- and didn't happen last year. As we all know, Alabama went on to win the national championship. But they were a 1-loss team, having been beaten earlier in their own backyard by Texas A&M, with Johnny "football" Manzeil leading the Aggies. The Crimson Tide had their way with undefeated Notre Dame in the championship game. Best team won -- no doubt about it.
But here's the kicker. Ohio State was bowl ineligible last year after the tattoo-gate fiasco of the year before under former coach Jim Tressel's watch. Under new coach Urban Meyer, they went undefeated in 2012. So if OSU hadn't been under NCAA sanctions, Alabama, with a loss on their record, would have never even got to play in the championship game. It would have been the undefeated Buckeyes facing off against the undefeated Fighting Irish.
For that matter, since Urban Meyer arrived on the scene in Columbus, that team has yet to be beaten -- by anybody. Yes, they've won a game here by only a touchdown, or a game there by 10 points, but they're still undefeated under Meyer's watch.
Given their remaining schedule, they'll likely wallop lowly Illinois and Indiana, then waltz into Michigan (who was obviously overrated at #8 in the preseason rankings, but has fallen faster than Congress in the polls) to easily dispatch the Maize and Blue.
Michigan State, with their #1 ranked defense, likely awaits them in the Big 10 championship game. Methinks the Sparties may be stout of heart, but they won't be able to withstand the onslaught the Buckeyes will bring for the whole game. Toughness is one thing, but most times flat-out talent across the board will trump it.
So even if Ohio State runs the table, and remains undefeated for two whole years -- there's still a very good chance they won't get to play for the national championship.
Everybody seems to be trying to find ways to deny them the opportunity. And let's face it -- like them or not -- OSU isn't exactly Northeast Podunk U. They've been a football powerhouse for many decades, and might well be the best team in the country right now.
Old allegiances or not -- if they indeed run the table -- I, for one, think they will have earned their shot.
They started out #2, and keep winning every week. Other teams leap-frogging them is just wrong.
And who wouldn't want to see a showdown between Urban Meyer and Nick Saban for all the marbles?
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