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Many Buckeye fans are still in “woe is me” mode after the Fiesta Bowl, but let’s face it; they have little to complain about. There is no question that Ohio State has one of the top three programs the last 5 years, at worst tied with Texas for second place behind USC. Let’s take a look at their accomplishments.
First, to be considered one of the best programs in the last five years, you need to have won the title. Here’s the list of title winners the last five years and their total number of tiles: USC 1.5, OSU 1, Texas 1, Florida 1, and LSU 0.5.
Here’s a breakdown of most major accomplishments. Those in red indicate first place for that category. Those in green indicate second place:
USC is clearly #1, being in first place (or tied for first) in every category. OSU is clearly #2, being in either first or second place in every category. At best, you might argue that Texas has been about as good as Ohio State the last five years, but you certainly couldn’t argue that that they’ve been better. Think about that. Over the last several years, OSU is better than all other schools but one.
Something else to consider when looking at this: USC plays in the PAC Ten. Of all the conferences represented above, by far the PAC Ten is the weakest. Honestly, USC has no competition. In that conference it’s USC, and then all the rest. They have a free pass to a conference title and thus the BCS every year. If they played in the Big Ten, SEC, or Big 12, I would be willing to bet they’d average about 1 more loss per year. Not only would that decrease their wins, but there is no way they would be 5 for 5 on Conference titles and Top 5 Finishes, and their other categories would likely suffer as well.
Look at the dominance Miami showed when they played in the Big East, and how quickly things turned when they went to a decent conference (the ACC). You can be certain that if Miami had stayed in the Big East they’d be one of the top teams I’d be talking about right now, and would likely be near the top. Playing in the hapless Pac Ten is a HUGE advantage for USC.
So let’s recap. OSU is the second best team this year, only to Florida. This is Florida’s only top 5 finish the last 5 years, and in fact they’ve been unranked twice in that span! The one time OSU wasn’t in the top 5, they still finished the year ranked (they finished 20th in 2004). Clearly it is better to be OSU than Florida. In addition, OSU is the second best team overall the last 5 years, to only USC. This is a USC team that’s playing with a stacked deck, since they are the only consistent team in their conference.
I know that many are still grieving the ugly loss to Florida, but Ohio State fans should be celebrating their good fortune. Tressel had one bad game, and lost to the National Champions. Guess what? I wouldn’t trade him for anyone. It is STILL good to be a Buckeye.
First, to be considered one of the best programs in the last five years, you need to have won the title. Here’s the list of title winners the last five years and their total number of tiles: USC 1.5, OSU 1, Texas 1, Florida 1, and LSU 0.5.
Here’s a breakdown of most major accomplishments. Those in red indicate first place for that category. Those in green indicate second place:
USC is clearly #1, being in first place (or tied for first) in every category. OSU is clearly #2, being in either first or second place in every category. At best, you might argue that Texas has been about as good as Ohio State the last five years, but you certainly couldn’t argue that that they’ve been better. Think about that. Over the last several years, OSU is better than all other schools but one.
Something else to consider when looking at this: USC plays in the PAC Ten. Of all the conferences represented above, by far the PAC Ten is the weakest. Honestly, USC has no competition. In that conference it’s USC, and then all the rest. They have a free pass to a conference title and thus the BCS every year. If they played in the Big Ten, SEC, or Big 12, I would be willing to bet they’d average about 1 more loss per year. Not only would that decrease their wins, but there is no way they would be 5 for 5 on Conference titles and Top 5 Finishes, and their other categories would likely suffer as well.
Look at the dominance Miami showed when they played in the Big East, and how quickly things turned when they went to a decent conference (the ACC). You can be certain that if Miami had stayed in the Big East they’d be one of the top teams I’d be talking about right now, and would likely be near the top. Playing in the hapless Pac Ten is a HUGE advantage for USC.
So let’s recap. OSU is the second best team this year, only to Florida. This is Florida’s only top 5 finish the last 5 years, and in fact they’ve been unranked twice in that span! The one time OSU wasn’t in the top 5, they still finished the year ranked (they finished 20th in 2004). Clearly it is better to be OSU than Florida. In addition, OSU is the second best team overall the last 5 years, to only USC. This is a USC team that’s playing with a stacked deck, since they are the only consistent team in their conference.
I know that many are still grieving the ugly loss to Florida, but Ohio State fans should be celebrating their good fortune. Tressel had one bad game, and lost to the National Champions. Guess what? I wouldn’t trade him for anyone. It is STILL good to be a Buckeye.
