1968-1975 a quick reminder of a golden age

This came up in the countdown thread and i thought I'd post a quickie but a goodie about it. The 8 years between 1968 and 1975 were probably the single best era in OSU history and for those who don't know why I'll give a quick recap and compare it to current times.

The super sophs could very well have gone 30-0 with 3 straight NC's.
1968 10-0 B10 and National Champs. Outscored opponents 323 to 150.
1969 9-1 last game of the season was played for a NC but lost to tsun in the single worst loss in tOSU history imo. Outscored opponents 383-93 that year and never had a close game untill The Game. We beat a huge underdog tsun team and we are B2B NC's. The team could not go to a second consecutive RB at the time.
1970 9-1 B10 champ and some say NC although we lost to Stanford in RB. 4th quarter collapse vs another underdog team costs us NC, I personally never could count this as one. You can't lose the last game and still be NC imo.

Quick reload year
1971 6-4 Super Sophs were gone and AG was a year away. Still took a blind ref to let tsun win The Game. Fuck Darden.

Archie G era
1972 9-2 B10 co champ beat tsun. The MSU loss was a TO fest that we gave to them but the USC loss was an ass beating from a clearly better team.
1973 10-0-1 We were #1 untill the tie vs tsun, the went to Pasadena and rolled USC 42-21. A very convincing argument can be made that this was our best team ever. Outscored opponents 413-64 including 4 shutouts and a 5 game stretch of surrendering a total of 7 points! Fucking Domers were voted #1 because of the tie. Remember that BS anytime you start to feel pity for their second tier asses in the current era.
1974 10-2 B10 co champs. The big upset in east lansing that will never be forgotten. The RB loss to USC was a battle of 2 pretty even teams so you can't say it was a missed NC opportunity year.
1975 11-1 B10 champs. Loss to a UCLA team we pounded in the Rose Bowl earlier that same year costs us a NC. Complete fucking head scratcher.

Overall 8 year record:
74-11-1 .860 win %
6 B10 Championships
5-2-1 vs tsun
6 Rose Bowl appearances
Played for 4 NC's
1 National Championship(some contend 2)
2 Heisman's

Our current 6 year run under JT by comparison:
62-14 .814 win % (can't catch up)
3 B10 titles (can't catch up)
2 NC games (mathmatically able to match but probably unlikely)
5-1 vs tsun (advantage current era)
1 NC (current era could hopefully win this category)
1 Heisman (Wells for Heisman in '08 anyone?)

So the current era can't match up in terms of win % or B10 titles, has to win 1 of the next 2 to claim an edge in The Game, probably wont match in total NC opportunities but hopefully will exceed NC's won. The second Heisman has a fairly reasonable shot as well.

Just another reminder of how you must take advantage of those NC games when you have them in hand and how truely fortunate we are to be living out this current era under JT.

 

That what I was getting at, you probably said it better. maybe if we are looking back at the JT era in 30 years we can say from 2005 till 2011 look what they did etc etc.

OTOH you could say the current watershed is/was JT's arrival and considering I'm taking the full 6 years(good and the bad) its a fair comp I think. You'll never get the clear delineation of 4 year classes again imo with kids going pro early and redshirting.

The main point is that the two classes that essentially went back to back at OSU from 68-75 were unreal. Second point is one I am constantly preaching, we are in a Golden Era right now, appreciate it accordingly.

Beautifully said, Jax--especially your second point (even if you did steal my thunder!!)


:gobucks3::osu2::gobucks4:

 

Penn State had a higher winning percentage than Ohio State between 1968 and 1975.

Boise State, USC and Texas have higher winning percentages from 2001-present.

But who did those Penn State teams beat/play? Lots of Temple in there!

Boise State? Who have they been playing? Mostly cupcakes,

Now USC and Texas are the real deal. They have been playing and beating good competition in that time period.

 

Penn State had a higher winning percentage than Ohio State between 1968 and 1975.Boise State, USC and Texas have higher winning percentages from 2001-present.

But who did those Penn State teams beat/play? Lots of Temple in there!

Boise State? Who have they been playing? Mostly cupcakes,

Now USC and Texas are the real deal. They have been playing and beating good competition in that time period.

On Penn State not true about Temple 68 -- 75 Temple makes their first appearance on the Nitts schedule in '75 during that time period.

They also can legitmately claim to have played their fair share of tougher teams during that period.
Knock Penn State these days all you wish Taos, arguably that stretch for Penn State was when they were really gearing up in a big way under Paterno.

On Boise State - no argument.

On Texas, I agree they played some tough teams in that stretch, they also played a slew of their own minor schools in Texas, such as Rice or Baylor. Fact is that one of Texas' biggest losses came against none other than Penn State in a Bowl Game - Cotton Bowl '71.

 

On Penn State not true about Temple 68 -- 75 Temple makes their first appearance on the Nitts schedule in '75 during that time period.

They also can legitmately claim to have played their fair share of tougher teams during that period.
Knock Penn State these days all you wish Taos, arguably that stretch for Penn State was when they were really gearing up in a big way under Paterno.

On Boise State - no argument.

On Texas, I agree they played some tough teams in that stretch, they also played a slew of their own minor schools in Texas, such as Rice or Baylor. Fact is that one of Texas' biggest losses came against none other than Penn State in a Bowl Game - Cotton Bowl '71.

We had cupcakes too, the B10 save for tsun wasn't super tough. Boise played teams of their own caliber, just because they weren't big names doesn't mean they werent tough for Boise.

Regardless, it was more the 5 NC opportunities in 8 years than the raw win % that is amazing to me.

 

I would seem that even for a talent loaded USC, the difference between winning a MNC and finishing an also ran is very small. A loss of one guy or just not taking your opponent serious enough (mental edge) can cost you it all.

 

JaxBuck -- Oh, I absolutely agree on the Big 8 little 2 position - and great first post on this BTW.

I just don't see how one Taos can dunn Penn State for their crappy schedule in that time, when, arguably they played more top level teams even than Ohio State - plus the example cited of Temple simply does not fit the facts. Penn State played more top level teams at the end of the year because - unlike with Big 10 rules for much of that time - they were not locked into only the Rose Bowl.

 

When I look at Penn States schedules in those years I see a steady diet of
service academies.(Army, Navy, Air Force) All those schools sucked at that time. And PSU's few losses mostly came on the road.
Their great 1970 team was beat at Wisconsin. (they didn't see what was in store, yet) :tongue2:

 

Four National Championships lost in either the Michigan game or the Rose Bowl. I'm not saying that we should have won them all, but had we even split the four games, it may have gone down as THE best run in college football history. Then throw in the lost NC in the Rose Bowl in Earl's first year.

i seem to recall a little run from '93 to '98 where... you know what... nevermind... it still tastes bad...

 

has the world turned upside down? people defending Penn State? good night!

 

i seem to recall a little run from '93 to '98 where... you know what... nevermind... it still tastes bad...

We never played the final game of the year with a NC on the line under Coop. All of his tsun losses kept us from playing for the NC, they didn't cost it outright. 68, 69, 70 and 75 were all just like 2006 except each was lost to a far inferior opponent.

The only other NC games we have played in since were after 79, 02 and '06.

The more I think on the Coop era and its place in OSU history, it was really all about a return to national prominance. The Game and Bowl records included Coop really did take us from a severly talent depleted late 80's and back to at least a seat at the table of big time CFB from '95 on. Thats about all the nice shit I have to say about that time.

 

Just win the games where we clearly had the better team and youve got a 3 year NC run from 68-70 and another in 75. We should have been voted as #1 even with a tie in 73.

1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1975

What a run that would have, could have and should have been.

Which is why 2002 was so critically important, especially to us older Buckeyes.

Just another reminder of how you must take advantage of those NC games when you have them in hand and how truely fortunate we are to be living out this current era under JT.

The main point is that the two classes that essentially went back to back at OSU from 68-75 were unreal. Second point is one I am constantly preaching, we are in a Golden Era right now, appreciate it accordingly.

That being said, so many years in a row of being so close must have been brutal.

Since you mentioned it, yes it was.

The more I think on the Coop era and its place in OSU history, it was really all about a return to national prominance. The Game and Bowl records included Coop really did take us from a severly talent depleted late 80's and back to at least a seat at the table of big time CFB from '95 on.

On the money, once again. Jax has made many great points throughout this thread and should be repped accordingly. Unfortunately, I must spread some rep around to others. Good thread.

 

I too, like this thread. Reminiscing about the best of times is a great way to get ready for the season.

Like 808 though, I have to say that 2002 scratched a very deep itch for me because of the near misses that were followed by an era of inexcusable mediocrity. John Cooper bringing us "back to the table" is something that I too have appreciated. But only to a point.

I have been a rabid, over-the-top, way-too-intense Buckeye fan for most of my life. I was at OSU during the "dark days", and I was as passionate then as I ever was.

My passion did not wane early in the Cooper years. But as the off-the-field and sadly, on-the-field behavior got worse and worse; I eventually reached a point where I could not cheer for the team any more. I was more interested when Earle Bruce presided over mediocrity than I was when Cooper brought us back to the table as the spoiled rotten brat punks that taunted the opposition whether they were winning or down by 4 touchdowns.

I may have been able to hang on. But Cooper left me with nothing to hang on to. The game against That School Up North was treated as just another game. Ohio High School Football meant nothing to Coach Cooper; at least not that anyone could tell. Perhaps worst of all, the head coach referred to The Horseshoe as "Buckeye Stadium". I threw up a little in my mouth as I typed that.

In short, when it became clear that these were not young men I could cheer for and this was not a school or a team that I even recognized, tradition-wise; I simply stopped watching. I didn't stop caring though. I was surprised at how bitterly disappointed I was when I heard of the inexplicable upset at the hands of the Spartans in '98. My wife was even more surprised. I had given her no indication before that of even caring about OSU football.

When Cooper was fired I warned my wife that, if "they" hire the right guy; I'm going to be an Ohio State fan again. After Tressel's first interviews, and after his "310 days" speech, I told her "It's On".

This brings me back to my point. Cooper brought us back to the table of Big Time College Football. But the way he led the team it was a place at the table for "them"; not for me.

Tressel has maintained and improved our position at the table, and he has done it in such a way that OSU is a "we" again for me. He has even surpassed Woody in this respect. Don't get me wrong; I revere Woody. But his flaws made me cringe on occasion. Not so with JT.

Not once during the Tressel tenure have I been embarrassed to be an OSU fan or ashamed of the coach's behavior. Not even during the MoC stuff. The people that taunted me then are getting their own medicine now.

And then there is the tradition. Jim Tressel has not only revived it. He's added to it. He knows of Woody's place in our hearts, and he's created places to remind today's players of the best of Woody. And he even knows that the coaches that were not quite the stewards of the program that he is still have a place in the program's history. So he created the Coach Emeritus office for them in 'The Woody'.

Jim Tressel has us in a Golden Age. But in this Golden Age; we know that cameramen will not be punched, we know that taunting of the opposition will not become a pattern, we have even seen a 1 year + hiatus in arrests and such. Problems will happen in the future, but we know they won't become the pervasive embarrassment that they once were. In this Golden Age, there are several running clocks that the players see every day that remind them of how long it is until they play "That School Up North". In this Golden Age, the players cite the accomplishments of not only their teammates, but of Buckeyes past when they are asked about themselves. In this Golden Age, being a Buckeye means more than we could ever put into words.

This is a Golden Age in more ways than one, and for that we owe Jim Tressel a debt of gratitude that we can only pay forward, for we can never pay it back.

 

Just win the games where we clearly had the better team and youve got a 3 year NC run from 68-70 and another in 75. We should have been voted as #1 even with a tie in 73.

1968, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1975

What a run that would have, could have and should have been.

A win in the '75 Rose Bowl (instead of a 1-point loss on a diving 2-point conversion catch by USC's Shelton Diggs in the last 2 minutes), would have resulted in the 1974 tOSU team being #1 in the final Coaches Poll, although that wasn't known until ND beat 'Bama in the Orange Bowl later that night.

 

A win in the '75 Rose Bowl (instead of a 1-point loss on a diving 2-point conversion catch by USC's Shelton Diggs in the last 2 minutes), would have resulted in the 1974 tOSU team being #1 in the final Coaches Poll, although that wasn't known until ND beat 'Bama in the Orange Bowl later that night.

Very true. Add '74 to the win your final game and get a NC pile from that era.

So we had our fate in our own hands for the last game of the year in '68, '69, '70, '73, '74 and '75.

Woulda/coulda/shoulda 6 NC's in an 8 year span. Amazing

 

We never played the final game of the year with a NC on the line under Coop. All of his tsun losses kept us from playing for the NC, they didn't cost it outright. 68, 69, 70 and 75 were all just like 2006 except each was lost to a far inferior opponent.

The only other NC games we have played in since were after 79, 02 and '06.

The more I think on the Coop era and its place in OSU history, it was really all about a return to national prominance. The Game and Bowl records included Coop really did take us from a severly talent depleted late 80's and back to at least a seat at the table of big time CFB from '95 on. Thats about all the nice shit I have to say about that time.

we were undefeated going into The Game in '93, '95, and '96. we were ranked #4 going into The Game in '97 with TSUN the #1 in BOTH polls... i won't mention '98... that was the only game i went to that year...

the point was not that the situation was identical to '06, because we obviously won The Game in '06... but undefeated entering The Game in 3 out of 4 years, and being ranked in the top five in 5 out of 6 is nothing to sneeze at...

i'm not defending Coop. i get that everyone hates him because 'he was an outsider,' and i was glad to see him go; but the 'the kids had no class' argument doesn't wash with me. there were a BUNCH of classy kids who played for Coop: Herbie, Galloway, Winfield, Plummer, Smith, Harris, Eddie, Vrabel, Fickel, Pace, Stringer, etc... don't let Rambo and Germany ruin your view of the whole bunch. however Coop did something that hadn't been done for 20 years: get us to the last game of the regular season with our fate in our own hands. something that Earl did ONCE in his first year and never again... good old 9-3 Earl gets all the love, yet he's ultimately responsible for Coop's horrible start. when you enter the game with the bases loaded and nobody out, those runs are on the previous pitcher.