In A Perfect World...

Here's how I think the scenario will play out now that I've seen more games:


National Championship: Oklahoma vs. Florida (even though I really want to pick Alabama here).

Rose Bowl: It's obviously going to be State Penn vs. USC.

Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Cincy (should be Boise vs. Texas Tech).

Fiesta Bowl: Texas vs. Utah.

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Ohio State (I wish I could say I feel bad for Boise, but I don't and there isn't a genie in the vicinity).

The Orange Bowl is going to be awful. Don't even give it the ratings and subsequent cash by watching the total disgrace to the game of football that it will ultimately be.

Here's how the BCS bowls would look if I had my way and could make the picks:

National Championship: Texas vs. Florida (Texas would've played in the Big 12 Championship)

Rose Bowl: (Same as above).

Orange Bowl: Boise State vs. Utah (and you know you want to see this one to see who is the better of the two unbeaten non-BCS teams).

Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State vs. Oklahoma (although, I think Ohio State matches up well with 'Bama).

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Texas Tech.

Also, is it just me, or does 'Bama remind you of the 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes? A solid team that does enough to win. That rings a bell.



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The BCS Mess

The people who have lobbied for a college football playoff may have a vaild argument.

I'm one of those people.

Sunday's BCS Rankings showed how Oklahoma got away with complete robbery when the Sooners barely snuck past Texas for the No.2 spot in those rankings. That means OU plays in the Big 12 title game against Missouri--teams Texas handily beat earlier this season.

I'm not even going to bother touching on the Oklahoma situation because it's wrong, and this subject has already been overkilled by ESPN by now. Be sure to tune in and hear more about it on College Gameday this Saturday, too.

Anyhow, this mess will once again feature Ohio State--only this time, the Buckeyes will be in the B-plot.

I can hear the haters making their cases for why Boise State should get an at-large bid over the Buckeyes. I'd agree with that if Boise actually played somebody other than Oregon.

And yes, I do know what they did to Oklahoma in 2007. Still, West Virginia plowed the Sooners as well in the same bowl game a year later, and look at how bad the Mountaineers this year.

The fact remains that Oklahoma would get mutilated in a bowl game even if they played this year's version of that team up north. Beating the Sooners is no real accomplishment.

Anyhow, Boise State is too afraid to put together a legitimate schedule. They rank 115 out of 119 teams in terms of strength of schedule. Ohio State ranks 43rd.

Regardless, I believe the top ten teams in the BCS rankings should play in the five BCS bowls offered. I don't care if you're a conference champion (BC or VT; Cincy)--if you aren't ranked in the top ten in the BCS standings, then you need to go sit home and watch the BCS games.


It's just ridiculous. How do you justify the terrible ACC sending a team to the BCS while a team like Boise, Ohio State, or Texas Tech sits at home and plays in a mediocre bowl? It's as easy as justifying why undefeated Utah shouldn't play for all the marbles--you can't.





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Big Win Over That Team Up North; Plus, Who Cares About Miley and WVU?

According to whichever foolish celebrity news outlets you choose to listen, Miley Cyrus is 16.

Who cares?

Not me. I was too busy calling a high school football playoff game while learning THE Ohio State Buckyes fully throttled that team up north and its first-year coach in the most lopsided outcome of this rivalry in 30 years.

I don't care what the people in Hollywood are doing because their pathetic lives pale in comparison to college football. Nlo star in Hollywood is worth my time unless they suit up and play for the Buckeyes.

Not Miley, not Madonna, and certainly not Britney Spears.

My stars are Jim Tressel and company, and man, did they shine in the second half against "that team" and its coach. Beanie Wells, of course, broke his annual big run against that team as well.

I'm hearing this could've been his last rivalry game, but I'm hoping that is just a rumor.

Anyhow, this was an unprecendented fifth straight win for the Buckeyes over that team up north, and that team's coach was, as usual, in denial. In case you didn't catch that coach's comments, let me be the first to tell you that he considers this just a one-game winning streak.

Unless he gets fired, he'll likely be around for four more losses to Ohio State and then maybe he'll accept it for what it is. Anyhow, this thrashing couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

Also, I'm glad West Virginia fans continue to think they have any logical reasons to hate the Buckeyes, because, even if they hate "that coach", he's a WVU alum and Ohio State thoroughly embarassed him.

I wonder if Fred Earley was thrilled with 42-7 and will still root against the Bucks. Maybe yesterday's game will make Earley and the rest of WVU's fans to go join that state up north in being quiet for another 365 days.

I'll be cheering on Pitt in the Backyard Brawl and waiting to see where the Buckeyes go in January.

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They'll Be Jumping in the Lake Thursday

I'll admit that I have been a participant in the craziest of all M*CH*G*N week traditions because there's nothing more uncomfortably comfortable than ice water in 20-degree weather in late November.

I last made the Mirror Lake Jump in 2004...and I've since retired. Not only because I graduated from Ohio State, but because it's no longer necessary to do so.

Anyhow, thousands of Buckeye students will brave the cold and risk hypothermia as they celebrate the last stage of Beat Michigan Week (an unsanctioned event, mind you) before The Game.

Legend holds that if you jump in on even years, you stay out of the water on odd years. According to legend, I'd be obligated to make the jump if I were still there this year.

By the way, even if you're only in for five minutes, it feels like pins and needles constantly stabbing your legs and other important parts of your anatomy. You will not gather your breath for another ten minutes after escaping the arctic climate.

If you've never been to one of these jumps even as a bystander, you do not understand how loud it is at these events, either. The cheering is constant and carries on as if Ohio State just scored the first touchdown of the game.

I've included several pictures documenting jumps of years past and what the beautiful Mirror Lake looks like before and as the jumping happens.

My friend, Dawn Durkot, actually covered this event in 2006.

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THE GAME Preview: That Team Up North At 10 Ohio State

No rivalry in the history of sports compares to this one.

Period

This year, The Game is a little lackluster in hype as it isn't going to be the marquee game on the slate. Maybe it's because that team up north comes in with its historic losing record or because Ohio State isn't in the running for a national title.

Regardless, this is still Ohio State-M*CH*G*N, and this is the championship. This is the season for both of these teams.

And I don't care if they both came into this rivalry 0-11--you beat Michigan, and you're golden (pants).

All the talk is squarely on Rich Rodriguez who should consider his public image since even quiet Mark Dantonio refuses to root for his team in order to claim sole possession of the Big Ten Championship.

If there is one person who does not deserve to win this game, it is Rodriguez because he has no morals and coaches that team up north.

I try not to downgrade M*CH*G*N too much because I believe that doing so could backfire and cause harm to the Buckeyes; but, I truly wouldn't root for that team unless it suited up to go play the Bush administration.

Early predictions indicate that the No.10 Buckeyes will steamroll M*CH*G*N, but I know better than to expect that. They really haven't steamrolled the Wolverines since 2004 when, ironically, Ohio State was the underdog. That game set off a three-game winning streak by Troy Smith and company.

It is pretty clear now that Terrelle Pryor thrives on rivalries, but he kind of overdid it against Penn State. This time, though, he will not be trying to prove anything to the folks back home. He'll (hopefully) come out ready to show the Wolverines what's in store for the next three years.

Meanwhile, the game changer for Ohio State has to be Beanie Wells who single-handedly beat the Wolverines last year. Beanie will have to be on the mark if Pryor and the receivers are to get some breathing room.

Interestingly, while Pryor and Rodriguez are introduced to this rivalry, you can look across the sidelines and learn that no active Wolverine has experienced a win in this rivalry. That doesn't hurt my feelings and won't if they don't win this weekend, either.

Still, you have to throw out all records and realize that it's 0-0 when you play that team up north. This is why players come to these schools and fans love this rivalry--it's just the way it always has been and always will be.

Let's enjoy THE GAME this Saturday, and GO BUCKS!!!

Across The Field by Justin Hearn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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Pryor Taunts Classless Illini Fans With 30-20 Win As BEAT M*CH*G*N Week Begins

It's no secret that Terrelle Pryor is the best thing to happen to Ohio State's 2008 season, and I absolutely love his spunk, his grit, and his talent.

This dude is the real deal, and he thrives on making the other team's fans pull their hair out. The revenge win against Illinois couldn't have happened to a nicer group of people.

Illinois has some of the most classless fans in all of college sports, and it's nice to bring the Illibuck trophy back where it belongs even if it is an ugly, wooden turtle.

Now, Pryor will get his first taste of the that team up north, and hopefully that team's first taste of Pryor will be a bitter one. I'll have more on The Game later this week.

Pryor is going to be the man for a long time at Ohio State, so the rival fans had better get used to some serious taunting on and off the field from the Buckeyes' new "it" player.


Across The Field by Justin Hearn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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BCS Projections

It's November and that means it's time to get out the calculators and start figuring who will go to which bowl.

This entire BCS System is a nightmare, but bowl season is a unique beast in and of itself. Still, it's time to begin projecting the five BCS bowl games and who will be playing in them.


BCS Championship Game:

I knew as soon as Alabama began struggling with LSU last week that this BCS Championship was gift-wrapped for Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators--a team that lost to Ole Miss not too long ago. Texas will probably make it back into title contention after Oklahoma wipes out Texas Tech. Oklahoma, though, won't be able to motor into the Big 12 Championship Game against Missouri. Texas will take care of the Tigers and then probably give way to the Gators in Miami just when it looked like the SEC was down and out.


Rose Bowl Game:

As much as I hated the pounding USC gave Ohio State, I really wasn't too keen on Penn State's choke job to Iowa even though the Nits' beat the Buckeyes. Penn State will take care of business against Sparty in two weeks, and Oregon State will stumble in its bid to keep USC out of the Rose Bowl. This game will be a battle of (two)teams that beat the Buckeyes during the regular season.

Fiesta Bowl:

It's not exactly a matchup you see everyday, but this one is a big if--and I mean BIG. That's because Ohio State is going to have to get past Illinois and Michigan--two rivals--in order to have any chance at a BCS bowl. Personally, I think you're asking Terrelle Pryor to do a lot here. Oh, and by the way, I don't see Texas Tech keeping up too much momentum. If Oklahoma beats Tech, then the Sooners will meet the Buckeyes for the first time since the early 1990s.

Orange Bowl:

Could you have umagined these two teams in a BCS bowl before the season started? Me neither. This is still going to be the least intriguing bowl of the postseason.

Sugar Bowl:

Well, isn't this lovely? It's the SEC's bowl game right in SEC territory. For all the fans in the bayou who hate Nick Saban, I suggest you prepare yourself. I fully expect the Tide to wind up here in a consolation prize after losing to Florida in the SEC title game. Boise State, meanwhile, will get to see if it can live up to its 2006 Fiesta Bowl miracle against a solid team from the "toughest conference in the nation."

So there they are--my projections for the 2008 BCS bowls. They are open to debate, and you may or may not like my ideas. I don't select the bowls, but if I did, these are the matchups I'd take if available. Unfortunately, sometimes money is worth more to the selection committees than great entertainment (which logically equals ratings which, in turn, equal more money).