Quote Originally Posted by CAPPEJO2929:
BE CAREFUL riding the OSU Train.
If you review this past seasons results for both teams you will swing from OSU to the Gators.
Ask yourself the following question?
If OSU was in the SEC or ACC would they be 12-0?
Who would win OSU or LSU?
Besides Texas and Michigan who are the toughest teams OSU played this year? Penn State, Iowa, Cincy...
Ohio State beat Penn State by the score of 28-6. Sounds like a blow-out against a team with a pretty good defense. However, Ohio State scored 14 points in the last two minutes of the game by interceptions. Take those away and you have a final score of 14-6 OSU. The running back for Penn State, Hunt, ran for 135 yards.
Ohio State beat Iowa 38-17 - Tate threw 3 picks.
By halftime the OSU/Cincy score was 13-7.
Florida Wins: Arkansas, Florida State, South Carolina, Georgia, LSU
OSU Wins: Michigan, Penn St., Iowa, Texas, Cincy, Mich. St.
Florida getting 7 points is a Christmas present arriving a few weeks late. Take the points to the bank.
Good Luck All....
No disrespect intended here, Cappejo, but this is the same old SoS argument that is getting a little worn out after three weeks worth of bowl games. I realize that comparing conferences is unavoidable when there are so many teams that the two in this game have no common opponents. But it just doesn't shed all that much light. Remember how everyone was all over the Pac-10 teams at the beginning of the bowl season, and how it felt to see Oregon get their yucky new green hornet helmets handed to them?
I did ask myself your question -- If OSU was in the SEC or ACC would they be 12-0?
And my answer is no, they would not be 12-0.
But the important fact here is that is the WRONG question to ask!
OSU would not be 12-0, not because the SEC or ACC is so great, but because they are built to win the big ten, and that is what they are familiar with. Switching conferences is not for the faint of heart.
The other way to say this is if Fla was in the Big Ten +1, would they be 12-1? No. And they wouldn't be 11-1 either (since there is no championship game in the B10.) For the same reasons stated above.
You would think that Penn State and Wisconsin proved this theory wrong, but alas, no. This game is not conference vs. conference -- it is team vs. team. Player vs. player. Coach vs. coach. And OSU is built to win. They may be susceptible to a trap game like any other, but they are not a "tight" football team, and this is no trap game. Was Ohio State tight on the road vs. Texas on Sept. 9th? They were a three point underdog in that game, and won by 17.
Other points I do not see people mentioning:
Tressel is great at preparing teams to win. Yes, he has won one national championship games for the Buckeyes. But he also won FOUR national championships at Division 1-AA Youngstown State.
ATS Record for 2006: Ohio State 9-3, Florida 4-8. Are we forgetting the obvious signs here?