[NU Sports] I know its just the first half, but....

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

> Maybe dOSU should have played a few more tough teams
> this year?

Well, I think OSU was one of the few schools who DID
try and play tough teams this year as that Texas-OSU
series seemed well-planned by both athletic directors
to give us a mega-game the past two Septembers. They
can't help the Big Ten schedule.

Right now it just looks like a mix of the layoff, bad
play and calls by OSU and tremendous hunger and effort
by Florida.

Kind of appropriate, I guess, that the OSU band is
playing a halftime show from "Titanic." Ouch!

If anything, it strengthens the call for a playoff --
not only would there be less of a layoff, but imagine
the unpredictability! OSU had been the only team that
really didn't have to sweat it this year (even
Michigan they had control all the way) ... Florida
almost fell at home to Spurrier State and fell apart
at Auburn. USC looked awesome one week and fell to
UCLA the next ... then awesome again. And Boise
State!!! Any given Sun, er Saturday.

What's interesting about this game -- should it
continue this way -- would be that it would be the
first time that one of those 1-loss "should they be
#2" schools actually won the big game.

The BCS has lucked out so far in that when there's
been a #1 unbeaten team vs. a #2 one-loss team that
some questioned whether they deserved to be there, #1
always won (Tennessee over FSU, Miami over Nebraska,
Oklahoma over FSU, etc.). They had some great 1 vs. 2
games of unbeatens (OSU-Miami, Texas-SC) and the
disaster of the three 1-loss year (LSU and USC split
titles), but never a case where the #2 team with one
loss beat an unbeaten #1.

Florida would surely sweep the polls and win the title
undisputed if they hold on - but would they be the
best team overall this year? Would an OSU-USC game or
OSU-Michigan rematch been different, with one-loss and
"still the toughest schedule" Florida forgotten while
playing in the Sugar? Would Florida have beaten SC,
Michigan or even LSU (outside the Swamp) on the field
at the end of the year? And what about the only
unbeaten left in Boise?

I guess the Gators can be thankful that Michigan was
crushed by USC so there's no real close call at teh
top with Wisky and Louisville as the only other 1-loss
teams and neither has a big claim on the top spot.

But I doubt it will change the BCS ... and I guess
JoePa and Wisconsin are the only Big Ten teams who
don't get intimidated by SEC speed and realize you
gotta play to YOUR strengths and pound the darn ball
instead of trying to play their game (like not putting
in a running back for the series when you have the
ball and are down 21-14, opting for three dumb pass
plays and a 3-and-out without trying Pittman).

GO CATS!!!
-SjT

* * * * * * * * *
STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!!

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