Game Thread Ohio State 3, Southern Cal 35 (Sept. 13)

[Kurt Sexington]

I don't understand why people put so much weight into what certain sportswriters say. Do these said sportswriters hold a special degree in predicting games or have a master's in game analysis and breakdowns?? No. Yes there are some former coaches/players, but for the most part they are just people that watch football like the rest of us. That is why I don't see why people get their panties in a bunch over what these morons say.

I feel entirely confident that I'm better at breaking down and predicting the outcome of the OSU vs. USC game than most sportswriters. Why? Because where these sportswriters have to watch a variety of games in a variety of conferences every Saturday, I've watched every one of the USC game for the last decade, probably, and more than half of OSU's since 2002. This is way more than almost any sportswriter which is why I trust my analysis more than I trust theirs, in most cases.

 

[bukIpower]

Well most of the sports writers I think don't even get to see the games fully. They just see the clips on ESPN or highlights of the games and take it from there which I hate. All sports writers do is go in the direction of what the people want or sometimes go the opposite way the people want to get a reaction. If it were up to me they'd just meet on a field to play somewhere but well hell that would ruin my saturday night so...

 

[SoCal]

The media bias towards USC is pretty clear to me, having been raised in the midwest before moving to LA.

1) 1 out of every 8 Americans lives in the state of California, most of them in the southern half. There is always media favoritism towards major metropolitan areas, and Los Angeles is the largest sports market in the country, and probably 100 times bigger than any other college town.

2.) Celebrity culture- Lakers and Trojans have a Hollywood fan base, and that of course drives up interest in watching a game. Just read an article in the Times talking about how Denzel Washington, Snoop, Al Pacino, etc... have sideline tickets for the game. TV viewers and sports reporters love that stuff, even if it is completely meaningless.

3.) Obvious cultural clash between the two schools and the two programs- especially between the two head coaches. I mean, nerdy, Sweater Vest Guy, or Golden Boy Surfer Guy- it's obvious who the media prefer to talk to and about.

4.) Style of play- power running and solid defense might win a lot of games, but it's not the type of football that the modern fan and media necessarily want to see. I know that OSU has a lot of offensive talent and they do a lot of different things, but the perception is that they are a completely one-dimensional, WWI trench warfare type of team. The media gives love to Mizzou, Texas Tech, Florida, etc... because they have fast, exciting offenses. Until OSU goes to the spread option (which is not completely out of the question next year- but that's an entirely different thread...) I don't think national media will give them a lot of respect.

I know most OSU fans think the national perception of them going into this game is a result of the past 2 NC games, and that is certainly a large part of it, but I think it's really a combination of a lot of things, with actual performance being secondary to the reasons listed above.

I think I'm smart enough to recognize how dominant OSU is, and how consistently they win, but my only real beef with the school is this: what the hell exactly is a buckeye? I understand it's some kind of nut or dried fruit... if the mascots were required to battle it out, I think the crazy armored, sword-wielding guy on the horse at USC would probably beat the hell out of the, um, nut(?) guy. Come to think of it, I don't know if there's anybody that wouldn't wipe the floor with the OSU mascot- with the possible exception maybe, of the drunk leprechaun at Notre Dame...?

 

[bukIpower]

Actually it would be nearly impossible to defeat us unless you were like a nut cracker in a mascot challenge.. Think of it this way. We're a huge poisonous nut you have a sword? Ok, well what happens if you slip when trying to shove us (because our mascout is circular in a way) and you fall on your sword and you bleed to death? I mean its possible?

Atleast your mascot isn't like San Diego States mascot because they have people who should not be dressed like an aztec. Atleast if you're going to pick someone in not tip top shape atleast hide it like USC and put shiny gold all over him with a cape. Besides the guy probably gets mad ass.

On a serious note. I think that USC's current love from ESPN is more the result of USC's recent dominance rather than OSU's foul ups in our National Championship Games. The media needs to realize that getting to that game in itself is a privelage let alone winning it. Teams lose, and unfortunately they were the better team both nights. OSU needs this game desperately to shut the media up because USC is the medias team.

If you think about it. It's almost like it's the Buckeyes vs. The media.

 

[jking222222]

The media bias towards USC is pretty clear to me, having been raised in the midwest before moving to LA.

1) 1 out of every 8 Americans lives in the state of California, most of them in the southern half. There is always media favoritism towards major metropolitan areas, and Los Angeles is the largest sports market in the country, and probably 100 times bigger than any other college town.

2.) Celebrity culture- Lakers and Trojans have a Hollywood fan base, and that of course drives up interest in watching a game. Just read an article in the Times talking about how Denzel Washington, Snoop, Al Pacino, etc... have sideline tickets for the game. TV viewers and sports reporters love that stuff, even if it is completely meaningless.

3.) Obvious cultural clash between the two schools and the two programs- especially between the two head coaches. I mean, nerdy, Sweater Vest Guy, or Golden Boy Surfer Guy- it's obvious who the media prefer to talk to and about.

4.) Style of play- power running and solid defense might win a lot of games, but it's not the type of football that the modern fan and media necessarily want to see. I know that OSU has a lot of offensive talent and they do a lot of different things, but the perception is that they are a completely one-dimensional, WWI trench warfare type of team. The media gives love to Mizzou, Texas Tech, Florida, etc... because they have fast, exciting offenses. Until OSU goes to the spread option (which is not completely out of the question next year- but that's an entirely different thread...) I don't think national media will give them a lot of respect.

I know most OSU fans think the national perception of them going into this game is a result of the past 2 NC games, and that is certainly a large part of it, but I think it's really a combination of a lot of things, with actual performance being secondary to the reasons listed above.

I think I'm smart enough to recognize how dominant OSU is, and how consistently they win, but my only real beef with the school is this: what the hell exactly is a buckeye? I understand it's some kind of nut or dried fruit... if the mascots were required to battle it out, I think the crazy armored, sword-wielding guy on the horse at USC would probably beat the hell out of the, um, nut(?) guy. Come to think of it, I don't know if there's anybody that wouldn't wipe the floor with the OSU mascot- with the possible exception maybe, of the drunk leprechaun at Notre Dame...?

1) Well Columbus has around 1.7 million people - so L.A. isn't quite 100 times bigger.

2) Yeah big stars at games do help. When they do Ohio State games they like to show off the "Animal", Jack Nicklaus, Richard Lewis, and random past football players. L.A. definitely has an advantage, but I'm not sure that drives the media to them.

3)I'm not sure if the cultural clash is really there - I know people on the coasts like to think that way (I've lived in Seattle the last 6 years), but Columbus is a metropolitan city and Ohio State is smack dab in the middle. Not to mention Cleveland and Cincinnati make up large chunks of the fan base. And even more so, Akron, Youngstown, Toledo and Dayton. Ohio isn't just another midwest good ol' boy state, it's pretty large population wise and one of only a few states (California, Texas and Florida) that have multiple large cities. It's not like it's country folk vs. city folk, however much people want to attribute this vague "midwest" sentiment into anything from Ohio to Wyoming.

4) I'm not sure the media gives love to Texas Tech. They like the run and shoot offense, but they know they can't do it against quality opponents. I agree that flashier offenses draw more attention in general, but Ohio State certainly isn't lacking attention. In fact, until last year's Illinois game, the media actually overall paid a lot of respect to Ohio State. As they probably should considering they've won something like 30 out of the last 31 regular season games - something even USC hasn't done (although USC isn't far behind at all, and earlier in the decade they were doing it)


National perception IS because of the last 2 NC games. There's no doubt at all about it. Ohio State was a huge favorite against Florida, and when they lost that all went out the window. That was the first time in awhile Ohio State started getting the tag of being losers.

 

[SEREbuckeye]

(Didn't see it through the pages, feel free to delete if its already posted)

O-Zone.com Game Preview and Prediction:

Saturday?s contest between the #5 Ohio State Buckeyes and the #1 USC Trojans will be the 22nd meeting between the two schools.
USC holds the series advantage with an 11-9-1 record. The Trojans beat the Buckeyes 13-12 in the first ever meeting back in 1937, and have not lost to the Buckeyes since the 1974 Rose Bowl. USC has not lost a regular season home game to Ohio State since 1946.
Only six times in the history of the series has the score been decided by a touchdown or less. In fact, the average score in this series for the winning team has been 25-9. There have also been seven shutouts in the series, with the Buckeye defense posting five of them. The home team has an 8-6 record in the regular season...

 

[BuckeyeTillIDie]

2) Yeah big stars at games do help. When they do Ohio State games they like to show off the "Animal", Jack Nicklaus, Richard Lewis, and random past football players. L.A. definitely has an advantage, but I'm not sure that drives the media to them.

Don't forget about LeBron James, one of the biggest sports stars in the world.

 

[MajesticTurkey]

The media likes to stampede, that's all. They see Ohio State struggle one week looking ahead (as people have pointed out, we usually do)...and people see USC roll against a BCS conference opponent (again, as people have pointed out, UVA may not be very good at all)...and they come to the conclusion that OSU sucks and USC rocks. Analysts do not analyze, end of story. They look at some box scores, watch some games, but they don't see what coaches see. Coaches see Sanchez struggling. Analysts see Sanchez being brilliant.

 

[Carmen Ohio]

From the LA Times about the USC offensive line against Virginia:

The performance surprised linebacker Rey Maualuga, one of several USC defenders who dominated the linemen throughout most of training camp.

"I had told [Sanchez], 'Hey, watch out, you know, you're going to get sacked a few times,' " Maualuga said. "They fooled me; they did a great job."

 

[JXC]

The more I think about this one...the more confident I get. We match up so well against them. Beanie will be fine. Our defense will be the difference in this game. I think it will show who actually has the best defense in the country after this one is over. GO BUCKS!!!

 

[MajesticTurkey]

The more I think about this one...the more confident I get. We match up so well against them. Beanie will be fine. Our defense will be the difference in this game. I think it will show who actually has the best defense in the country after this one is over. GO BUCKS!!!

Exactly! We're no passing team, why concern ourselves with the pass rush? All we need is Todd to throw a few quick passes every now and then to keep USC honest. We're a running team. And with Beanie back, and our stable of man-beasts (and a Jamaican, which if you follow track and field is the same thing) used correctly, I don't know if there's a single team as good at running the ball as we are.

Come on. Michigan was expecting it. Every down. They knew he was coming. They still couldn't stop Beanie.

 

[BUCKYLE]

I think I'm smart enough to recognize how dominant OSU is, and how consistently they win, but my only real beef with the school is this: what the hell exactly is a buckeye? I understand it's some kind of nut or dried fruit... if the mascots were required to battle it out, I think the crazy armored, sword-wielding guy on the horse at USC would probably beat the hell out of the, um, nut(?) guy. Come to think of it, I don't know if there's anybody that wouldn't wipe the floor with the OSU mascot- with the possible exception maybe, of the drunk leprechaun at Notre Dame...?

It's the nut of the state tree of Ohio. The buckeye is poisonous. The trojan and his horse eat it, they're dead...or at least rather sick. Any animal mascot would fall victim to this as well. In your confernce alone, there is the Stanford Cardinal. That would be a religious leader....wait....huh?...oh, the bird?...It's a fucking tree.

 

[JXC]

Ummmm....there is video evidence that a Buckeye would likey kill not just a trojan, but almost all mascots.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW05-OjbCaE]YouTube - Heisman Chase[/ame]

 

[fourteenandoh]

Exactly! We're no passing team, why concern ourselves with the pass rush? All we need is Todd to throw a few quick passes every now and then to keep USC honest. We're a running team. And with Beanie back, and our stable of man-beasts (and a Jamaican, which if you follow track and field is the same thing) used correctly, I don't know if there's a single team as good at running the ball as we are.

Come on. Michigan was expecting it. Every down. They knew he was coming. They still couldn't stop Beanie.

damn straight. we need to the coaches to stick with it, especially if it's working early.

 

[ScriptOhio]

Go Bucks, beat USC !!!

from Crete, Greece.