It is Official: Ohio State vs. Boise State

[Spence]

Jason..

For starters, Boise could have scheduled Nebraska instead of playing hard to get. You have to play more than one end ranked team to be a champion. So you have to do what it takes.

In 1993, FSU won the NC. The Noles scheduled Notre Dame (finished AP #2), Florida (finished AP #5), Miami (AP #15) and played North Carolina (#19) and Clemson (#23) in conference. That is five end ranked AP teams not including the bowl win..

In 1979, FSU was undefeated at the end of the regular season but really had no shot at a national championship. FSU played no end ranked AP team so FSU was ranked #6 going into the bowls. FSU, in 1979, was Boise.

In 1980...FSU scheduled end ranked #2 Pittsburgh, end ranked #7 Nebraska, and #18 Miami in OOC...only loss was to Miami to be end ranked #5.

You have to play and beat good teams...if you have a "weak sister" conference schedule...it is imperative that you load up in OOC.

Agreed, but when the Oregon State game was scheduled they thought they were scheduling a probable end-ranked team and probably foresaw the possibilty of an end-ranked Nevada and possibly even Fresno State within their conference. Boise should not be penalized for the Beavers and FSU not being as good as forecast. For what its worth in 1979 I would have been arguing for Florida State's cause because you can't control how well the teams on your OOC schedule perform let alone how your conference foes fare.

So should Ohio State be penalized that Miami isn't as good as we thought when we scheduled them? Those things fall like they fall and teams have to deal with that. Boise State made a reasonable OOC schedule IMO, only one of those teams has been as good as people thought, though. Still, no where does it say you have to have to play a good schedule. You just have to be ranked one or two. If they are, they deserve to play.

I think that I could buy into all the schedule stuff and things if we could get an honest vote in the coaches or Harris poll, but the level at which I see these polls manipulated makes me not fret over how good or bad a schedule happens to be. I think Dr. Gee's idea of going back to the old way is the best thing. That way everyone would know that the national championship is not real and we could go back to arguing how political the Heisman vote is every year.

[billybud]

OK...let the team that squeaked by Virginia Tech by 3 early, and then will have played no real competition go ahead of teams that played top 25 schedules.

Yes....Ohio State is penalized by Miami...one of the reasons, along with a not so strong Big Ten, that Ohio State's SOS isn't far off of Boise's. I sure wouldn't jump Ohio State over Oregon, Auburn, Boise, TCU, or LSU.

[Spence]

OK...let the team that squeaked by Virginia Tech by 3 early, and then will have played no real competition go ahead of teams that played top 25 schedules.

Yes....Ohio State is penalized by Miami...one of the reasons, along with a not so strong Big Ten, that Ohio State's SOS isn't far off of Boise's. I sure wouldn't jump Ohio State over Oregon, Auburn, Boise, TCU, or LSU.

I wouldn't either. That was sarcasm.

[Derek]

The problem with Boise is not that they aren't good...but that a dozen other teams would be undefeated on their schedule.

The problem of equity cuts both ways...a team that plays a schedule ranked in the top 25 in strength and loses a game (like LSU) has to wonder why a team who plays a schedule in the bottom third in toughness, yet loses none, would be getting the nod.

The difficulty of winning must be taken into account....Oregon and Auburn right now have no difficulty defending their right to play based on their body of work...neither would a one loss LSU or a two loss Arkansas.

Losing two games playing a killer schedule just may be better than beating a weakl schedule...equity does go both directions.

Being undefeated has become the end all...and that is a shame. I vote for Delaware.

This is exactly right.

[donovan]

It may be right, but it is not the subject at hand. Dr. Gee may think the way to champion his cause is to say disparaging remarks about other schools, but seems to me he would be best served in heading a different direction. Trying to build your program and ego by denigration of other schools has come to be expected by schools and coaches of the South, I thought the Midwest was a cut above, apparently I was wrong.

[donovan]

Apparently the Little Sisters of the Poor were not available when Dr. Gee approved playing Youngstown State.

[billybud]

Photographed at a meeting of the All WAC team?

[Spence]

Apparently the Little Sisters of the Poor were not available when Dr. Gee approved playing Youngstown State.

In Dr. Gee's defense, he was at Vandy when Tressel got Youngstown State on the schedule. Gee and former AD Andy Geiger had a policy against playing any 1-aa teams.

Gee shouldn't have said what he said. He isn't stupid, but I see nothing good coming out of what he said. I Also see no good reason for Boise State to be left out, especially this year when I feel they have a team capable of beating a anyone.

A college president should be above the fray in discussions like these.

In the discussion if how or when Ohio State will travel - it comes down to whether or not it benefits Ohio State to do so. Gee has almost no input in the discussion. While Ohio State's athletic budget may sound impressive in context, Gee's budget for the university is 4.3 billion dollars. 100 million is a fundraising weekend for him. He only comes to games to press the flesh. Football means nothing to him and if it weren't for the unique fundraising opportunities football brings him he wouldn't think twice about it.
He doesn't care about Boise State football, that is true, but he really doesn't care much about Ohio State football either. He is a reason Ohio State and Michigan are in two different divisions. He could have stopped it, but he wants to try and force ND in the conference because it means more and more money. Traditions be darned.

[donovan]

You should be OSU President. There is no reason he should care about those schools. There is reason for him to be quiet. So...now that I have simmered....it is a dead horse...although I really like the Little Sisters of the Poor thing....I might keep that burning........

[billybud]

You know, I wonder if the Little Sisters of the Poor take some satisfaction in their football fame?

Their order's name has become synonomous over time with patsy's. Any publicity is good publicity, I reckon.

Now patsy...or someone to be taken advantage of, may come from the Italian word pazzo, or fool. I like patsy better than LSP.

[Spence]

You should be OSU President. There is no reason he should care about those schools. There is reason for him to be quiet. So...now that I have simmered....it is a dead horse...although I really like the Little Sisters of the Poor thing....I might keep that burning........

He doesn't care which makes me wonder if he had a calculated reason to say what he said or he was spouting off stuff he hears in the presidents club box when working some boosters for a donation.

As far as being president, I could probably figure out ways to spend 4.3 Billion dollars, but it would probably land me in jail. I'm also from the wrong side of the fence politically to ever be an effective college president.

I used to hear may dad talk about playing the sisters of the poor and stuff like that. What I have learned, mostly from this board in ten years, is that teams in your conference look better to you when they are in your conference. I may say that Michigan State or Illinois can be a tough game for a conference team and think of Clemson and Georgia Tech as teams that shouldn't be tough to beat, Billybud may think the exact opposite. When the real truth is that traditionally they are about the same. When I first came to this board a guy named Boomer and I had some big exchanges on our attitudes on the strength of each others conferences. It started out pretty heated until we found out that we mostly agreed with the exception of our personal conference bias. I also think that most fans from big traditional powers, including me, can be arrogant in their opinions when it comes to less traditional powers or mid majors. Sometimes you have to try and stand on both sides of the line to understand. I have seen arrogant Ohio State fans trash Boise State on one hand and then wonder why they get mad. When all a guy hears is how they don't belong, when they start having success, and the arrogance get thrown back at you, you shouldn't be surprised. You reap what you sow sort of thing. We don't have much of that here compared to other boards and I think that lends itself to a better board. Even if some think the bias here is bad, it really isn't compared t oother boards.

[Derek]

It may be right, but it is not the subject at hand. Dr. Gee may think the way to champion his cause is to say disparaging remarks about other schools, but seems to me he would be best served in heading a different direction. Trying to build your program and ego by denigration of other schools has come to be expected by schools and coaches of the South, I thought the Midwest was a cut above, apparently I was wrong.

Oh, I can agree with that part. Do your talking on the field.

[billybud]

well...Just maybe Gee was sort of right. Just not very PC for a scholl Prez.

Beating schools who are end ranked is the hallmark of champions. Boise played two teams that appear that they will be end ranked. Beat VT by 3..lost to Nevada.

Winning about 50% of these games is all that the best programs in the country can hope to do over time.

Play four end ranked teams in a year and you have to be very good to prevail over the schedule.

[billybud]

On a side note...the Nole boards are alive with sympathy for the Broncos.

We all know the heartbreak of a missed field goal or two in a tight game. Tough, tough loss for the guys up there.

[donovan]

They've lost one game. What they gained was the false hope they deluded themselves with vanished. Radical acceptance of who they are, may now set in. They were never going anywhere no matter what they did on the field. Statements like Dr. Gee, which had nothing to do with the game but everything to do with bigotry of size, permeates the system. What Boise lost was reacting to their illusions of grandeur thinking they were something they are not. Jumping on the band wagon of switching conferences, buying into if they beat someone with a higher SOS...whatever their dementia led them to believe, ruined a good mid major conference and school program. I predict some of the "good" games they have scheduled in the future will fade away...TV, Elitism.. has no need for fodder without the illusion of greatness. Cotton Candy always looks substantial.