jwinslow;1856909; said:
They did, they won their bowl game and were rewarded with a 3 game slide in the rankings, the same that Wisconsin was given for losing their bowl game.
Because the rest of the Big 10 champions did not come through.
You guys love to knock the Big East, Pac 10, Big 12, ACC teams and talk about the loose rules that govern the SEC, their academic standards and their arrogant conference wide pride -- I do too.
But then you also want to crap on Michigan and the rest of the Big 10 and diminish them in terms of what they accomplish and when their failures fail to float Ohio State's status at the end of the season you want to blame it on Herbie and the talking heads at ESPN.
That's bullshit, pure and simple.
And during that discussion of how Ohio State slipped despite a "mighty victory" I somehow end up being "the contrarian."
How about this: You/I, as Buckeye fans, have to have the Bucks come through -- and the last two years they did -- but that has to be accompanied by a strong showing by the rest of the Big 10 top tier.
So I grant you that the Buckeyes upheld their end of the bargain, but the rest of the conference laid a rotten egg this year.
It's simple: The Bucks need conference strength to lend validity to what the Bucks do between September and January. The top tier of the Big 10, minus the Bucks failed to come through. What else are NATIONAL reporters supposed to think?
BTW, that's why I'm always on here suggesting that if the BCS series is going to determine the EOY rankings, then those games need to be "geographically neutral" - a concept the bobble heads in charge of the Big 10 seem to ignore. Witness, no night games in November and our CCG will be played in a building better suited to basketball, rodeos and tractor pulls than football.
SEC!,SEC!, SEC! is not as stupid as many of you seem to think it is. It is an acknowledgement by the collective schools of the fact that any conference team in an OOC/bowl game REPRESENTS the conference.
A Michigan/Illinois/Iowa/MSU/Wisconisn win only adds luster to what the Bucks achieve.
I can't tell you how pissed I am that Wiscy played a miserable game, or that the two Michigan's shit the sheets -- but if you're a national observer -- as opposed to an Ohio State observer -- you have to take conference performance into consideration -- and if a bogus TCU, BSU, BYU team beats your top tier teams then you have to live with the reality that the polls will reflect that. (go back and look at YOUR reactions to Michigan's losses to App State and Toledo)
Auburn, Alabama & LSU came through while Wisconsin lost to a non BCS team, Michigan State got knocked into the MAC and Michigan played like they wanted to see their coach get fired.
Oh, and with less than two minutes to go and the ball in Arkansas hands on the on the OSU 20 which team did you think was going to win the Sugar Bowl?
The way the Bucks went into a shell and let an 18 point lead melt away, almost to the point of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, did not elevate their status.
The performance of the rest of the top tier of the conference sealed the deal.
If I'm a contrarian so be it, but in my opinion only the most ardent, myopic supporter could propose anything otherwise.
!!!
