The Lantern
Buckeyes bowling, location unknown
By: David Briggs
Issue date: 11/9/05
Section: Sports
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Media Credit: David Heasley
Sophomore wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez is brought down from behind by senior defensive back Morris Virgil of Illinois during Ohio State\'s 40-2 win Saturday.
</td> </tr> </table></td></tr></table>A.J. Hawk knows the Buckeyes will be going bowling, but do not bother asking him where. All he knows is that his team is eighth in the Bowl Championship Series rankings and that he has no idea what that means.
"That stuff is so complicated. I don\'t know how it works," the senior linebacker said. "I just don\'t pay any attention to it because it\'s complicated enough for the experts."
Still, those "experts" have taken their shots, having the Buckeyes playing in anywhere from the Outback Bowl in Florida to the ever-familiar Fiesta Bowl in Arizona.
The players and coaches still echo the same refrain: "If we take care of our business, we\'ll be right where we want to be." But it\'s the business the No. 10 Buckeyes have not taken care of, specifically OSU\'s loss at Penn State, that has clouded the picture.
The Buckeyes (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten) have a chance to pull into a tie atop the Big Ten standings with idle Penn State (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) if they can top No. 25 Northwestern Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
However, the tie would be in name only. If OSU and PSU were both to finish the Big Ten season with one loss, the Nittany Lions would get the conference\'s automatic BCS bowl bid because of the schools\' head-to-head record.
So if OSU wins Saturday, takes care of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Penn State wins its season finale on the road against a spiraling Michigan State team, BCS selection day promises to be interesting.
The only certainty appears to be a Southern California-Texas Rose Bowl matchup for the national title if the two win out. The rest is anybody\'s guess. The winners of the four other conferences (Big 12, Big Ten, Big East and ACC) will receive automatic bowl bids, leaving two at-large spots.
This is where OSU enters the frame. One only has to be in the top 12 of the BCS rankings to be selected as an at-large team. One-loss teams Virginia Tech, LSU and Georgia and two-loss Notre Dame and OSU appear to be the early favorites for those two spots, leaving Antonio Pittman with a simple wish.
"I don\'t know where we\'re going to end up, but I\'m just hoping everyone\'s going to lose," the sophomore tailback said.
That would certainly clear things up a bit, but senior linebacker Bobby Carpenter realizes it is a bit more complex than that.
"You always try to get into the BCS bowl game no matter what, but if Penn State wins out, are we in good enough position to get the BCS berth?" Carpenter asked.
Some say yes. ESPN.com projects Penn State in the Orange Bowl and OSU facing Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. Collegefootballnews.com has the same matchup. The Fiesta Bowl usually holds a spot for the Big 12 champ, so with Texas likely playing for the title, this is a sensible pick for where the two at-large teams will face off.
For OSU\'s seniors, it would be their third trip to Tempe in four years. Seemingly, OSU would be in no situation to be picky, but Carpenter joked that he would not mind a change in scenery.
"You like a little variety," Carpenter said. "When you go to a nice restaurant, you don\'t want to get the same thing every time, but I\'ll be more than happy to go back there and play a great team."
Other prognosticators do not give Carpenter the opportunity to order that same dish. SportsIllustrated.com sees the Buckeyes facing Florida in the Capital One Bowl, reserved for the Big Ten runner-up, while one senior writer at ESPN.com projects the Buckeyes to drop into the Outback Bowl (Big Ten No. 3).
Senior defensive end Marcus Green dismissed such talk as "a distraction," going back to that familiar coach-speak.
"I could care less what the Web sites are saying," Green said. "We just have to take care of our own business."
Schedule matters
Ohio University has been added to the 2008 home schedule, school officials announced Monday.
OSU has won the five previous meetings between the two schools, including a 40-16 decision in 1999.
Huston has no problem
It was announced Tuesday that Josh Huston is one of 20 semifinalists for this year\'s Lou Groza Award, given annually to the nation\'s best place-kicker.
The sixth-year senior has nailed 16 of 19 field goals this year and is currently riding a streak that has seen him boot 16 straight kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks, including eight in Saturday\'s win against Illinois.
"Eight touchbacks is something that I\'m not sure I\'ve ever seen," coach Jim Tressel said Tuesday. "Josh has done an excellent job. He\'s one of those feel-good stories, going through two and a half years of injuries and adversities in the deep shadow of a guy like Mike Nugent. You really have to tip your cap to Josh Huston."
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Media Credit: David Heasley
Sophomore wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez is brought down from behind by senior defensive back Morris Virgil of Illinois during Ohio State's 40-2 win Saturday.
</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>A.J. Hawk knows the Buckeyes will be going bowling, but do not bother asking him where. All he knows is that his team is eighth in the Bowl Championship Series rankings and that he has no idea what that means.
"That stuff is so complicated. I don't know how it works," the senior linebacker said. "I just don't pay any attention to it because it's complicated enough for the experts."
Still, those "experts" have taken their shots, having the Buckeyes playing in anywhere from the Outback Bowl in Florida to the ever-familiar Fiesta Bowl in Arizona.
The players and coaches still echo the same refrain: "If we take care of our business, we'll be right where we want to be." But it's the business the No. 10 Buckeyes have not taken care of, specifically OSU's loss at Penn State, that has clouded the picture.
The Buckeyes (7-2, 5-1 Big Ten) have a chance to pull into a tie atop the Big Ten standings with idle Penn State (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) if they can top No. 25 Northwestern Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
However, the tie would be in name only. If OSU and PSU were both to finish the Big Ten season with one loss, the Nittany Lions would get the conference's automatic BCS bowl bid because of the schools' head-to-head record.
So if OSU wins Saturday, takes care of Michigan in Ann Arbor and Penn State wins its season finale on the road against a spiraling Michigan State team, BCS selection day promises to be interesting.
The only certainty appears to be a Southern California-Texas Rose Bowl matchup for the national title if the two win out. The rest is anybody's guess. The winners of the four other conferences (Big 12, Big Ten, Big East and ACC) will receive automatic bowl bids, leaving two at-large spots.
This is where OSU enters the frame. One only has to be in the top 12 of the BCS rankings to be selected as an at-large team. One-loss teams Virginia Tech, LSU and Georgia and two-loss Notre Dame and OSU appear to be the early favorites for those two spots, leaving Antonio Pittman with a simple wish.
"I don't know where we're going to end up, but I'm just hoping everyone's going to lose," the sophomore tailback said.
That would certainly clear things up a bit, but senior linebacker Bobby Carpenter realizes it is a bit more complex than that.
"You always try to get into the BCS bowl game no matter what, but if Penn State wins out, are we in good enough position to get the BCS berth?" Carpenter asked.
Some say yes. ESPN.com projects Penn State in the Orange Bowl and OSU facing Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. Collegefootballnews.com has the same matchup. The Fiesta Bowl usually holds a spot for the Big 12 champ, so with Texas likely playing for the title, this is a sensible pick for where the two at-large teams will face off.
For OSU's seniors, it would be their third trip to Tempe in four years. Seemingly, OSU would be in no situation to be picky, but Carpenter joked that he would not mind a change in scenery.
"You like a little variety," Carpenter said. "When you go to a nice restaurant, you don't want to get the same thing every time, but I'll be more than happy to go back there and play a great team."
Other prognosticators do not give Carpenter the opportunity to order that same dish. SportsIllustrated.com sees the Buckeyes facing Florida in the Capital One Bowl, reserved for the Big Ten runner-up, while one senior writer at ESPN.com projects the Buckeyes to drop into the Outback Bowl (Big Ten No. 3).
Senior defensive end Marcus Green dismissed such talk as "a distraction," going back to that familiar coach-speak.
"I could care less what the Web sites are saying," Green said. "We just have to take care of our own business."
Schedule matters
Ohio University has been added to the 2008 home schedule, school officials announced Monday.
OSU has won the five previous meetings between the two schools, including a 40-16 decision in 1999.
Huston has no problem
It was announced Tuesday that Josh Huston is one of 20 semifinalists for this year's Lou Groza Award, given annually to the nation's best place-kicker.
The sixth-year senior has nailed 16 of 19 field goals this year and is currently riding a streak that has seen him boot 16 straight kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks, including eight in Saturday's win against Illinois.
"Eight touchbacks is something that I'm not sure I've ever seen," coach Jim Tressel said Tuesday. "Josh has done an excellent job. He's one of those feel-good stories, going through two and a half years of injuries and adversities in the deep shadow of a guy like Mike Nugent. You really have to tip your cap to Josh Huston."</td></tr></tbody></table>
