That [BCS championship] game, of course -- along with the championship loss to LSU a year later and the 35-3 humiliation at USC in early 2008 -- has loomed over the program like a plague, and will continue to some extent until the Buckeyes finally take out a truly elite non-conference power (sorry, Oregon) in a BCS game. Nebraska faced the same bogus hurdle in the eighties and nineties -- Midwesterners "can't compete with Southern speed" -- until the 'Huskers dominated Miami, Florida and Tennessee to cap three undefeated, national championship seasons in a four-year span from 1994-97. Mack Brown was a "couldn't win the big one" figure at Texas, dogged by a lopsided losing streak against Oklahoma, until he added a difference-making athlete, Vince Young, and turned him loose to devastating effect in 2005.
Dr. Saturday on why 2010 may be the year of the Buckeye. His reminder of the fine line between ultimate success and "can't win the big one" is a point we should bear in mind with respect to Mark Richt.
about 2 years ago
T Kyle King
8 comments
0 recs |
Email
PrintComments
By the way, the "Southern speed" meme generally is bogus . . .
. . . but the Cornhuskers regularly had circles run ’round them by Southern teams until Tom Osborne started recruiting the Sunshine State. The way Nebraska kept from being beaten by Southern speed was by recruiting Southern speed. The Big Red Machine is no argument against the “SEC speed!” line of thought.
Go 'Dawgs!
The day after...
Alabama beat Texas I told a few of my OSU fans at work that I’m picking them to win it all next season. They’re bringing back a lot of players and they have a chip on their shoulders. It’s a little naive to believe the SEC is going to win championships every season. The pessimist in me tells me Georgia will go undefeated and then lose to the Buckeyes.
I'd rather us lose one in the regular season than lose to Ohio State in the bowl game
I know trends end, but ugh! The Buckeyes are 0-8 all-time against SEC teams in bowl games and the Bulldogs have not lost to a Big Ten team since 1957. I’d hate to see those streaks end in a national championship setting.
Still, I don’t think we’re getting within a hundred miles of an undefeated season next year—-yes, we’ll improve, but we’ll improve from 8-5—-so I’m not worried about it.
Go 'Dawgs!
the 1979 team
went 6-5-0.
"Never refuse to do a kindness unless the act would work great injury to yourself, and never refuse to take a drink- under any circumstances." Mark Twain
Well played
I thought about that one, too, but it was the exception rather than the rule.
If this year’s recruiting class contains the best player in our history, I will stand corrected.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Jan 19, 2010 10:40 PM EST up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
