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December 7, 2014In the case of the Ohio State Buckeyes, the ‘spoils’ mean a date with top-ranked Alabama Crimson in the Sugar Bowl on New Years Day. That is the reward the Buckeyes earned after trashing the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten Championship game Saturday night. The Buckeyes beat Wisconsin in historic fashion 59-0.
The margin of victory was the largest in a conference championship game—ever.
On Sunday, the College Football Playoff Selection Committee released the final rankings and pairings for the playoffs.
Alabama and Oregon remained Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. Florida State moved from No. 4 to No. 3 and will travel to Pasadena to take on the Ducks in the Rose Bowl. Ohio State moved up from No. 5 on Tuesday, to leap over TCU (which fell from No. 3 to No. 6) and Baylor to claim the final spot in the playoff.
The noise you hear from the West is complaining from Texas. Baylor beat TCU earlier this season, but both teams were named Big 12 co-champs yesterday as there is no Big 12 conference championship game. The Buckeyes, losing to Virginia Tech during the second week of the season, were able to rebound thanks to wins on the road against Michigan State and the thumping of Wisconsin on Saturday night.
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I honestly believe OSU should have gotten the 3 seed. They are playing better than FSU, and it would have made the Bowl purists quite happy with an Oregon v OSU Rose Bowl game. But I’m not complaining…
OSU got in they should be #4. If the defense plays like it did Saturday they’ll have a real shot against Alabama but if it doesn’t it could be a long night. But they made it now lets hope they prove it was deserved.
I was just thrilled to actually get in, though I admit the idea of meeting the Ducks in Pasadena while the southern squads faced off in the Big Easy did appeal to the purist in me. The best possible draw would have been FSU, as they are, in my mind, the weakest of the four teams overall. Meanwhile the juggernauts could have beat on each other before we met. But again, at least the Buckeyes are in. I don’t like our chances against Bama, though I didn’t like our chances against Wisky, either. And this Bama squad is (again, to me) the weakest they have fielded in the past few years (and yet they’re still number one, so I’m not crying for them or anything). Still think it ends up Tide-Ducks for all the marbles (pretty confident that Oregon will roll the Noles comfortably), but at least we got invited to the dance. Definitely playing with house money, so let’s see what Urbs and Co. can do.
I think the country knows that if Ohio State plays as they did Saturday night, they would beat any team in the nation. But if we play like we did against, say, Penn State… we’re toast.
This team feeds off Urbs like I’ve never seen before. And not that I watched him coach that much in Florida, Utah, or BG; but it just seems like the guy is having a blast and genuinely loves his team. These guys will run through walls for him. Or Tides. Crimson ones.
I actually think we’re going to win this one and put the SEC curse-thing to rest once and for all. Will the rest of the B1G show up?
rest of the Big10:
Illini v. LaTech – LaTech isn’t a great team by any measure and Illinois should have a shot at beating them.
Rutgers v. UNC – UNC is the better team, but incredibly inconsistent. Dominated Duke & GaTech, blown out by EastCar and NC-State. I don’t think Rutgers wins this one, but maybe the bad Tarheel team shows up.
PennState v. BC – another inconsistent ACC team matchup. both teams are defense-first teams and it should be a close game that could go either way.
Nebraska v. USC – anytime Nebraska faced a team with real NFL talent, they folded. anytime they didn’t, they dominated. for all their flaws, USC has the talent and didn’t just fire their coach.
Maryland v. Stanford – the Terps aren’t a terrible team and the Cardinal have had offensive issues at times, but Stanford definitely is favored here.
Wisconsin v. Auburn – Auburn, at times, has looked like a really good team. At others, well they lost their last 3 real games coming into this one. Badgers would have to fix that defense though because Marshall would tear them up if they played like the Buckeye game.
Mich State v. Baylor – the Bears are obviously a good team, but Sparty got lucky that they didn’t get TCU whom I don’t think they match up with. Having faced Oregon and Ohio State, Sparty has seen this type of offense and should be prepared. Baylor is more Buckeye than Duck in their offense. I think Michigan State has a decent shot in this game.
Minn v. Missouri – neither team is all that good, neither team is all that bad. Mizzou’s best win is 7-5 A&M. Minn beat 9-3 Nebraska (but also lost to 6-6 Illinois). Should be a good game, but I think the Gophers are a slight favorite.
Iowa v. Tenn – I really don’t think the Vols are good this year. Iowa is a better team. We’ll see if that plays out on the field though.
Meyer was the featured speaker at our school banquet here just before his final year at Florida, and after listening to him speak on brotherhood and teamwork and commitment, it’s not hard to understand what his players are so drawn to. I can’t imagine a more effective recruiter, especially while at the helm of such a nationally-renowned program. I have had questions about his ability to coach ’em up once he gets them, but the current team is finally starting to show why it’s individual players were so highly touted coming in.
After watching him dismantle the Buckeyes with Florida in the National Championship game, I have never had any doubts about his coaching ability. He also does not get enough credit for his first season here, posting an undefeated record with essentially the same team that went 6-7 the previous year; a team in which he had none of his own recruits.
I am a sentimentalist when it comes to my sports. I like hometown stories, cinderella stories, and “they came from nowhere” stories. But mostly, I like to see players and coaches enjoying themselves playing a game I haven’t been able to play since 1986.
Urban is having fun with these guys, and it’s going to pay off. If he can maintain the integrity of this coaching staff, they are going to be champions year in and year out.