We're kinda average.
Why in god's name is Ohio State's football team currently ranked in the top 25?
Really: 13th? Why?
We've played four games. We had an average game and soundly beat a D1-AA team. We looked terrible and beat OU, an average-at-best MAC team. We were pounded on the road by the best team in the country. And then we scuffled around and beat an above-average Sun Belt team. You take "Ohio State" and "Preseason top 5 ranking" off the top of that resume and you're not left with much. Just look at the results, or--more damning--the play on the field and we're talking about a Wake Forest or Oregon State or Texas A&M or Iowa or--god forbid--TCU or Fresno type performance. Are those teams consistently ranked? No of course not cause more often than not they're jokes.
Look, I love that my team benefits from name recognition and consistently favorable preseason poll positioning, but those things are probably the top two things wrong with college football. It sorta pains me to say it, but Ohio State currently represents the worst of the NCAA football structure.
Let's roll around in my own depravity for a moment now. Have a look at Auburn, just one of more than 100 teams ranked below us right now. They're also 3-1. They didn't play any 1-AAs yet but they beat in average-ish performances two overmatched teams, then got an ugly win against a conference opponent. Their loss was to the current #5 team in the country after leading most of the game. I'm sorry but that's a better showing so far than us. Now let's try Ball State. They outclassed an 1-AA team, snuck by a 2007 bowl team, beat an average MAC school, then defeated a Big Ten school on the road. Still that's better than us. Going further, go ahead and scan the results of schools like Kansas, Maryland, UConn, hell even Duke and tell me with a straight face that they couldn't have produced the same results as us with our schedule.
I'll list those again: Kansas, Maryland, UConn, Duke. I'm talking about football, not basketball. Would anyone ever consider ranking Duke 13th in the country?
Just think about that one when watching Pryor open up our Big Ten schedule this week, and hope he helps to start bringing our performance in line with our spot in the polls.
1 comment:
Definitely some food for thought, and of course made all the more interesting by many ranked teams falling this weekend, including USC and Florida.
Ohio State has been overrated by varying degrees ever since they won the national title in 2003. And with Pryor providing a spark for the offense, I'm sure things will start to come together for the team.
What's going to be real interesting is seeing how the Big Ten and Pac Ten races shape up. If OSU and USC win their conferences, is anyone going to want to see a rematch in the Rose Bowl?
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