The Buckeye Nation has to patiently sit, wait and hope that the Oklahoma Sooners can knock off #1 Missouri in the Big XII Championship game on Saturday. If Mizzou can knock off the Sooners, they're headed to New Orleans to compete for the National title likely against #2 West Virginia. The Mountaineers are playing Pittsburgh, coached by Dave Wannstedt. Um, I think I've said enough about how badly the 'Neers are going to beat up on Pitt (even though it's a big rivalry game, but c'mon WVU are a Pat White injury away from blowing out each and every team in the Big (L)East). As you can probably tell from the previous sentence, I think the Big East is the most overrated, overblown conference in recent history. Do people really think the Big East is that good? I'm not saying the Big Ten is any good, because its not. Connecticut is probably the second best team in their conference. Do you think UConn can go toe to toe with Michigan or Illinois? I doubt it. Neither could South Florida, Louisville or Rutgers.
Is this me making fun of West Virginia's accomplishments over the past season? Absolutely not. West Virginia might just be the best team in the nation. Not LSU, not USC, not anyone else. The trio of QB Pat White, RB Steve Slaton and WR Darius Raynaud is as good as you get. Can any defense shut these guys down? WVU seem to be on a mission towards New Orleans and at this point, no one in the Big East is going to stop them.
Could the Buckeye defense do it? History says no. Florida manhandled Ohio State with a spread offense in last year's BCS title game and the Fightin' Illini knocked off the Bucks 28-21 in the Horseshoe using a spread. Cincinnati almost ended the Mountaineers title hopes in a 28-23 Mountaineer victory and pending a Oklahoma win, I expect Coach Tressel to watch that film once or twice. WVU's offense is obviously great. White and Slaton have never faced a defense with as much talent on it as the Buckeyes have. If the front four could eat up the WVU linemen and let Laurianitis and Freeman roam free, it could potentially be a great matchup for the Buckeyes. I, however was hoping for a WVU upset and LSU to roll into New Orleans. I wanted no part of the Pat White and the spread and wanted everything to do with Matt Flynn (who's bad) and LSU's dynamic rushing attack.
If Mizzou does beat Oklahoma, then Ohio State will be headed to where all Buckeye fans thought we'd be heading on November 17th and that's the Rose Bowl. Quite the consolation prize, huh? If USC hammers UCLA (and if Mizzou wins, I hope they do), the nation better get ready for three straight years of Ohio State Vs. USC talk. The Buckeyes and Trojans are playing a home and home series starting next season in LA (really looking forward to a junior Chris "Beanie" Wells against a most likely vaunted USC defensive front). There would be no better way to end the season for Coach Tressel (except for winning the BCS title of course) then winning the potential "Who's the #1 team in the land next year?" game in the most prestigious bowl, the Rose Bowl.
Not to toot my own horn or anything (oh, who am I kidding? I made this thing so my predictions can be posted somewhere) but it seems I was right in my Ohio State preseason prediction when all of the experts were riding the Michigan and Wisconsin bandwagons real hard. As I posted in this blog, anything less then the BCS would be a huge disappointment, with an enitrely possible shot of the BCS title (I thought it would take a 12-0 record to get there, but I think the Bucks will take what they can get). People need to realize that Coach Tressel has put a stranglehold on the Big Ten. As Michigan prestiege slowly dwindles by disappointing season after disappointing season, the Buckeyes are glad to take over the reins as the most dominant team in the conference.
So, this Saturday I'll be watching the West Virginia/Pittsburgh and Missouri/Oklahoma rooting hard for Pitt and OU. Maybe in the long run it will be better for the Buckeyes for both teams to win, maybe it won't. Maybe not making a trip to New Orleans will inspire Vernon Gholston, Malcolm Jenkins, James Laurianitis and Brian Robiskie (rumor around OSU campus is that Gholston, Jenkins and Robiskie are near locks to enter the draft) to return to school for their senior seasons. Here's to hoping that the seniors, like Kirk Barton who could have left for the NFL draft, can go out as not only Big Ten champions, but also National Champions.
