Game Thread BCS National Championship Game: tOSU 24, LSU 38 (final)

[shetuck]

Don't bother wasting time with Jake...he hasn't yet learned the Tibor rule: You can stir every pot you like until it comes to bashing the team, coaches, or players.


Everyone wave bye to Jake.

shucks! and no username change?

 

[86Tiger]

In some respects seasons are like games. You try to make adjustments until you find the ones that work for you. OSU will find theirs no doubt. A lot of talent and heart. Yes, there were some things you could have done different, but it is what it is.

A lot of my younger SEC brethren don't remember when we were nervous to play the big 10. This is a very cyclical thing. One style will win for a while one group will adjust then they will be on top. The ones that don't adapt go the way of the old SWC. Don't expect to see that happen again. A lot of these new fangled offenses look like the old winged "t" that was run in the 40s and 50s.

You can't change who you are in one game, but OSU will need to adapt over the course of next season to make it where they want to go. If you wait 2 years, we have a shot to see you again.

 

[Gatorubet]

BTW, not agreeing with his statement, a more verbose form of "you suck", but with one aspect, that being the depth of B-10 conference power, and if not being "pushed" can have a detrimental effect mentally in later close games.

 

[bukIpower]

No I'm saying I don't want to see Chris Wells in the Five wide formation with the tight end. If we're going to go 5 wide then dammit lets just do a 5 wide formation with FIVE RECIEVERS! yeah like you stated if we actually threw the ball to wells out of that formation I could see why they'd want wells in there, but since we never do why is chris wells always motioned out of hte back field??

Next year we're going to be very well equiped to run a lot of different attacks. We'll have Robo, hartline, small, Dane, Washington, Posey, and also Thomas to throw in the game. You add that with a running attack featuring beanie, zoom, MoW and you have a lot of options our offense can attack from. Not to mention Henton/Pryor (which ever one) seeing reps as well to add an either further demension.

What I think OSU should do is create many different sections of offense that we can actually run. We'll come out and do our tradition I formation and if they stop that, why not progress to 3 wide? If they stop the 3 wide then lets go to a spread look, and if they stop that go 5 wide. I like having multiple sets with multiple different looks because this way you assure yourself that if the opposing teams stop a specific section of your offense you can hit them from another angle. Stop the run? Fine we'll go 5 wide on your ass. Then the defense adjusts and goes dime/nickle and then we run draws with the QB/RB or do a little spread option with saine. Point is the games that we have lost the last 3 years to me seems like we refused to change or adjust. Usually we adjust very very well, but in our loses (LSU, UF, Illinois, PSU, and Texas) we had parts of our offense stopped but rather than going to a different look we continued to stick to the same 4-5 formations with the same plays/looks

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

BTW, not agreeing with his statement, a more verbose form of "you suck", but with one aspect, that being the depth of B-10 conference power, and if not being "pushed" can have a detrimental effect mentally in later close games.

I'd say for most team the "pushed" factor is important. There are a few teams all time which destroyed all comers. But, most need to have been tested in tight games.

2007 LSU
2006 Florida
2005 Texas
2002 OSU

all come to mind. Texas maybe not as much as the other 3 listed. I might include OU or SC but I cant recall their schedules/results off the top of my head, during relevant years, right now.

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

One comment. I was reading the next year's record thread, when I saw a consensus that you'd beat the piss out of several conference foes. Based upon past history, and the quality of your ball club, I'd agree.

For the record, and I know you're not calling me (or anyone else) out here, but my prediction of 13-0 was really more of a "Come on, it's January 8, 2008.. how can we know, I hope for the best" sort of thing and not an honest analysis.

That led me to thinking about a hypothesis that I've read in several articles, that being your team had not been "tested" by being behind several games by a score or two.

I don't have a ready answer, as my knowledge of Big-10 football is still more limited than the posters here who have watched it their whole lives, but I can say with absolute certainty that there is no team on the SEC schedule that I can take for granted, nor can any other SEC team. Even Vandy and Kentucky, who do not have the history of success (being kind) always give us fits. They beat LSU and Georgia this year. Vandy almost beat us numerous times. Vandy almost beat us our first MNC year in '96, and it took a bad first down spot giving us a first down to assure us the win.

Mississippi State has beaten us. Ole Miss has beaten us. Arkansas has almost beaten us numerous times. Now, you can point to the equality/parity as a sign of the SEC being overrated. I mean, how can we beat each other up? But I believe that it is not so much that as the fact that we have no "gimmies" in the conference. I mean, we do have teams that we should be the favorite, but we do not have teams where we can say that we should beat them by 30 or 40.

And I think that it is more of a mindset that we are always out of it - and always in it - that is a help in all of our games and especially when things got bad. I am saying, I guess, that it is not physical talent that gives us the edge, but a mindset that is not as rattled when things go bad, one because we always think that we can be beat, no matter our public chest thumping, which is sometimes opposite to what we know; and two because being behind is a common occurrence in our schedules. That may give us a light edge in close games.

Like any generality it is obviously not true in all cases, and all years, but I was honestly struck at the stated confidence of beating that many in-conference opponents by that many points.

I suppose I hit on this issue above with my comments on your other post, but more specific to the Big Ten I'd say the following....

There are a handful of team which I believe OSU pretty much simply has to throw their helmets on the field to beat. Indiana being one, Northwestern, Minnesota and Illinois (although that has now clearly changed).

But, that said, each of those teams has beaten OSU within the last several year save for Indiana. The Hoosiers last played OSU close in 1996. (28-17) At least as far as my memory goes.

But, Michigan State, Penn State, Purdue, Michigan, Wisconsin even Iowa are games in which I think us fans all "take seriously" to differing degrees and for various reasons.

Recently (the last 2 maybe 3 years) Ohio State has pretty much been in a class by itself in the B10. This will probably not last too much longer as teams get better and so on.... But, point is I would agree, I think, that OSU's relatively meager B10 competetion and lack of close games has hurt them when it's time to suit up and bang away with a National Power for all the marbles. Part of that, also, I think is a bit of a let down factor...

that is to say - against Florida Ginn takes the opening kick to the house and maybe some players think "Well, this will be easy" and this year, Wells takes it to the house and maybe they think "Well, they clearly can't stop us"

Maybe that's an excuse... but, I think there may be some psychology to it.

 

[OHSportsFan]

Idiot.

Back to back Big Ten titles and showing up in the BCS title game for two years striaght and favored for 3 in a row and Mr. Tressel is losing his luster,fast???

Edit- Don't forget Jimmy did win a BCS title back in the day.

My point isn't that JT isn't good.

My point is that people in Ohio think he is a god and infallible.

That point was disproved last year during the NC game as we saw an unprepared team and quite a few coaching mistakes.

Add in a couple more coaching mistakes and another L and questions will get raised. His sense of infallibility begins to fall. Bigger they are the harder they fall. JT was on an enormous pedestal and for two years in a row has been knocked down.

I'm not calling for any heads, just a more realistic outlook on things (by the fans). Suppose I should have worded it different, b/c JT still has luster (look at the recruiting class). It's just the idea of him as a godly, game-day, coaching genius is not the same anymore after 2 losses in the biggest stage.

 

[jwinslow]

I'm not calling for any heads, just a more realistic outlook on things (by the fans).

Then I'd call for a more realistic outlook on fans, from you.

 

[Gatorubet]

For the record, and I know you're not calling me (or anyone else) out here, but my prediction of 13-0 was really more of a "Come on, it's January 8, 2008.. how can we know, I hope for the best" sort of thing and not an honest analysis.

Nah - no "calling you out"... I'm saying you should be undefeated in conference next year, and if you beat USC, be undefeated. My comment is to the projected scores in the conference games. 13-0 is a rational prediction.

I suppose I hit on this issue above with my comments on your other post, but more specific to the Big Ten I'd say the following....

There are a handful of team which I believe OSU pretty much simply has to throw their helmets on the field to beat. Indiana being one, Northwestern, Minnesota and Illinois (although that has now clearly changed).

But, that said, each of those teams has beaten OSU within the last several year save for Indiana. The Hoosiers last played OSU close in 1996. (28-17) At least as far as my memory goes.

But, Michigan State, Penn State, Purdue, Michigan, Wisconsin even Iowa are games in which I think us fans all "take seriously" to differing degrees and for various reasons.

Recently (the last 2 maybe 3 years) Ohio State has pretty much been in a class by itself in the B10. This will probably not last too much longer as teams get better and so on.... But, point is I would agree, I think, that OSU's relatively meager B10 competition and lack of close games has hurt them when it's time to suit up and bang away with a National Power for all the marbles. Part of that, also, I think is a bit of a let down factor...

that is to say - against Florida Ginn takes the opening kick to the house and maybe some players think "Well, this will be easy" and this year, Wells takes it to the house and maybe they think "Well, they clearly can't stop us"

Maybe that's an excuse... but, I think there may be some psychology to it.

You see what I was saying and stated it fairly. Don't know if it's true. I wonder if the early up and then seeing LSU in the lead - after the Glendale game - led to more anxiety than normal. I mean, the CD watching might have back-fired, with an "oh no...here we go again" thought creeping into the subconscious. Funny thing the psyche. Georgia beat us like rented mules no matter our skill level in the 70s and 80s. In the 90s we owned Tennessee, and Georgia was our bitch for almost two decades. There was no reason for that other than an extra tightening of the throat when we got together. We'd try too hard to get redemption and make stupid plays we'd not made all year. I wonder if the SEC revenge thing was over played?

No doubt, you were not under skilled on the field. I personally think you are too conservative, but I am a fan of the tricked up offense at Gainesville.

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

As far as the reverse psychology goes, I truly believe that had something to so with 2-10-1. It's easy to start thinking "Well, here we go again" I don't know, but there may have been some of that crossing their minds in the 31 point run. It wouldn't surprise me.

 

[sluTiger]

I wonder if the SEC revenge thing was over played?

It was way overplayed, not by OSU, but by ESPN talking heads. Before the game you could see the resentment growing by the LSU players. Honestly, I have never seen a team that one the NC and started chanting for the conference. I all my years of watching LSU football, I have never seen the crowd start chanting SEC instead of LSU. After watching that game, I really think LSU were the ones with something to prove...

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

It was way overplayed, not by OSU, but by ESPN talking heads. Before the game you could see the resentment growing by the LSU players. Honestly, I have never seen a team that one the NC and started chanting for the conference. I all my years of watching LSU football, I have never seen the crowd start chanting SEC instead of LSU. After watching that game, I really think LSU were the ones with something to prove...

Sorry, but that was the only retarded part about LSU fans that night....as far as my experiences went. Who the fuck chants "SEC" instead of "LSU". The SEC didn't do shit that night. It wasn't people who out to prove anything...it was people trying to be pricks about our pathetic 0-9 record in bowls against the SEC. It was stupid.

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

Sorry, but that was the only retarded part about LSU fans that night....as far as my experiences went. Who the fuck chants "SEC" instead of "LSU". The SEC didn't do shit that night. It wasn't people who out to prove anything...it was people trying to be pricks about our pathetic 0-9 record in bowls against the SEC. It was stupid.

Agree. If I ever find myself chanting "Big Ten" when the Buckeyes win, everyone on this board will have unilateral permission to kick me in the stones.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

Agree. If I ever find myself chanting "Big Ten" when the Buckeyes win, everyone on this board will have unilateral permission to kick me in the stones.

I may have to initiate a preemptive strike.

 

[Gatorubet]

In all my years of watching LSU football, I have never seen the crowd start chanting SEC instead of LSU.

Try to get out more. I've heard it in many venues, in many bowls, with many different SEC teams. If we'd beaten Michigan you would have heard it, and Michigan is not 0-9. I've heard it in the first round of last year's NCAA BB tourney and it was not a Big-10 opponent.