Tostitos bowl

[stevefoxsc]

Ohio number 1 Vs Florida gators number 2. Florida balanced off on both sides of the ball has what it takes to win but will heismen winner troy smith lead the buckeyes high powered offense to over Florida.

Ohio has a tradition of a losing to the SEC, florida has somthing to prove.

Who wins in this bowl game.

MY pick, before i get to that, if ohio wins i will never hear it from my X X gf and my future step sister, if florida wins i wont hear the end of it from a few band wagons around here. Given choice i say Florida by 7 final score. 35-28

[farmerfan]

I dont care who wins. I just hope they show that commercial of the kid drawying pictures of spot the dog and grandma's house and then mom and dad wrestling. that might have been one of the funniest commercials I have ever seen.

[CoveMom]

Seems to me to be the year of the underdog, I hope Florida pulls a Boise State on Ohio. (And I have a friend from Ohio I'd just love to mess with for the next few months :D)

[CoveMom]

I dont care who wins. I just hope they show that commercial of the kid drawying pictures of spot the dog and grandma's house and then mom and dad wrestling. that might have been one of the funniest commercials I have ever seen.


It is lol funny!

[HUM398]

Ohio number 1 Vs Florida gators number 2. Florida balanced off on both sides of the ball has what it takes to win but will heismen winner troy smith lead the buckeyes high powered offense to over Florida.

Ohio has a tradition of a losing to the SEC, florida has somthing to prove.

Who wins in this bowl game.

MY pick, before i get to that, if ohio wins i will never hear it from my X X gf and my future step sister, if florida wins i wont hear the end of it from a few band wagons around here. Given choice i say Florida by 7 final score. 35-28

1... I dont care, should of been an option for the poll.

2. Is your XX gf the same girl thats going to be your step sister... if so.. That must be weird for you

[stevefoxsc]

1... I dont care, should of been an option for the poll.

2. Is your XX gf the same girl thats going to be your step sister... if so.. That must be weird for you

no no no my future step sister says the reason she likes ohio state is cause she has family up there she does but she hasn't supported them once, my x x didn't get into buck eyes until last year when she made the texas game an issue so this year has been a joy for her.
but yea i would like to play buckeyes next year and give them a season ender.

[stevefoxsc]

herd ohio is 0-8 agaisnt sec

[jakerz]

Who cares? Fox coverage of the game is the worst thing to happen to college football in forever. fox sux

[dragonsdaddy]

i hope the old far# in front of the gators in the tunnel survived the in-run. he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[t-long20]

7-7 looks like a good one

[stevefoxsc]

looks like florida is ponding them early on D

[stevefoxsc]

Florida has some hot cheerleaders

[t-long20]

Florida has some hot cheerleaders

i agree:D

[Sacred Ground]

I'm becoming suspicious!

[stevefoxsc]

so much for smith being like young

[#1DawgFan]

so much for smith being like young

He couldn't carry Youngs jock strap. He is a good player but not anywhere near the caliber of Young. JMO

[jakerz]

Florida is dominating....uh...I called this one. I need to start betting some money on this stuff!


Edit: Every playcall has been perfect for Florida.

[stevefoxsc]

WAM BAM floridas playstation offense is killing ohio.

[Sacred Ground]

The Refs seem to be a little off with ball placement.
What conference are they from?

[gtown04]

The Refs seem to be a little off with ball placement.
What conference are they from?

Gotta be the Pac-10

[cougardude]

GO GATORS!!:D

[jakerz]

This is boring. Time to ponder which team will play Texas in a year or two in the national championship game.... :o

[Sacred Ground]

Gotta be the Pac-10

That's what I was thinking!

[#1DawgFan]

I am starting to think a better NC game would have been USC-Florida and I don't give a damn about either of them. Florida is scary fast:eek:

[scooter!]

o-HI-HOE STATE SUCKS ARSE:D

[t-long20]

He couldn't carry Youngs jock strap. He is a good player but not anywhere near the caliber of Young. JMO

i second that he aint even in the same class as young

[stevefoxsc]

o-HI-HOE STATE SUCKS ARSE:D

AHHHH ME AND MY BEST FRIEND MAKE THAT JOKE ALL THE TIME, OH HI HOE LOL

[RocklandDragon]

How bout that? Jim Tressel has been drinking some of Mike Leach's elixir and went for it on his own 30.

They didn't make it.

:D

[stevefoxsc]

wai wait did you hear that 2004 lsu now maybe all these usc fans will shut up about 03

[scooter!]

lol:D

[RocklandDragon]

FUMBLE!!!!!

Florida recovers on the FIVE!!!

:cool:

[Sacred Ground]

Where's Terry and Howie?

[t-long20]

wow the gators are really handin it to ohio in the first half

[stevefoxsc]

wow is this really the number 1 ohio state?

[stevefoxsc]

wow maybe jim should have voted for mich they might have had a better chance :D

[t-long20]

wow is this really the number 1 ohio state?

nope and troy smith is lookin kinda over rated about now

[RocklandDragon]

Touchdown, GATORS!!!

:eek:

[jakerz]

Laugh-Out-Loud

[t-long20]

wheres ted quin jr when you need him ohio state

[scooter!]

They suck. play a tougher schedule maybe they would have had a freaking chance. lol :D :mad:

[JudsonSoccer]

That's what I was thinking!


they are indeed Pac-10 officials, was stated in beginning of Fox Broadcast. They misjudged the 2nd TD for florida in the instant replay IMO, but thats not saying that florida wouldnt have scored anyways, specially the way they r playing. they also are giving great spots to florida as well, i havent seen much of ohios offense to see how they spot them....

[t-long20]

They suck. play a tougher schedule maybe they would have had a freaking chance. lol :D :mad:

so far it looks like it i guess the sec is really tough

[Sacred Ground]

If Florida hangs on to win, there will be no undefeated Champion this year unless Boise State gets a shot at Florida next Monday night.

[t-long20]

If Florida hangs on to win, there will be no undefeated Champion this year unless Boise State gets a shot at Florida next Monday night.

and that will be the night cedar hill finally gets there shot at slc

[JudsonSoccer]

so far it looks like it i guess the sec is really tough

ill just say this is why the Big 10 should play a conference championship, would take that big break between their michigan game away. but, if michigan was the same team that played OSU when they lost to USC (i doubt it but just saying) then wow, if Florida wins this, id say it should be Florida, USC, Boise, OSU as top 4. (Boise, i would love to give them the #1 spot but id like to see them play USC or florida first)

[WestPlano006]

If Florida hangs on to win, there will be no undefeated Champion this year unless Boise State gets a shot at Florida next Monday night.

People are still talking about that? Damn, they just can't be satisfied with winning one of the most exciting college football games EVER.

[t-long20]

ill just say this is why the Big 10 should play a conference championship, would take that big break between their michigan game away. but, if michigan was the same team that played OSU when they lost to USC (i doubt it but just saying) then wow, if Florida wins this, id say it should be Florida, USC, Boise, OSU as top 4. (Boise, i would love to give them the #1 spot but id like to see them play USC or florida first)

a big break can really hurt a team

[rams55]

GO OHIO

they can still pull it out

[scooter!]

People are still talking about that? Damn, they just can't be satisfied with winning one of the most exciting college football games EVER.
No its not enough. they won every game on that schedule and versus mighty UO, so they do deserve a shot at least for the title.

and if Florida wins and i was a voter i would pick Boise or Florida number one. real talk. :eek: :cool:

[CoveMom]

Seems to me to be the year of the underdog, I hope Florida pulls a Boise State on Ohio. :D)


There's no need to FEAR......

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o237/CoveMom/Underdog.jpg



:D :eek: :D

[Sacred Ground]

My 2007 prediction: The Florida Gators will replace their grass football field with smurf turf in order to be just like Boise State.

[stevefoxsc]

Ohio State fans are pretty sure of themselves these days. My esteemed Fanhouse colleague, JD Arney for Ohio State, wrote a little ditty after Florida was selected to appear in the title game. It was called: "Ohio State Wins 2006 National Championship." In JD's mind, Florida's BCS selection was nothing more a formality. JD, and plenty of other Ohio State fans, it seems, consider the Gators to be nothing more than cannon fodder. Apparently, by their reckoning, Urban Meyer's 12-1 SEC Champion Gators are destined to be crushed by the Sweatervest Juggernaut on January 8th.

"The ratings for this game will be a flop," commented one OSU fan. "It'll be over by halftime," says another. The giddy scarlet-and-grey crowd even predicted scores along the lines of 65-3. They're probably lining up to buy their championship gear already.

For reasons too numerous to get into here, that sort of cocky self-assuredness is a recipe for disaster if you root for the Bucks.

Not that the Gators need much help, but that serves as nothing more than m-o-t-i-v-a-t-i-o-n. Added incentive to give Ohio State the game of their lives.

Take a deep breath, Buckeye fans, and get ready to come to grips with the following statement:

The Buckeyes have no idea what they're about to tangle with when they face #2 BCS Florida in the national spotlight in Glendale, Arizona, on January 8th. And I mean that sincerely.

Why? Because Ohio State and its Heisman candidate quarterback would never have survived the SEC with a 12-1 record. They've yet to face a good, let alone great SEC defense. And they're not ready to keep up with the speed and athleticism of the Florida Gators.

How can I support this heresy? The old-fashioned way.

With facts.

Before we go any further, let me warn you: this is not a quick read. If you need a bathroom break, or a Diet Pepsi (my favorite beverage!), take care of those needs now. In fact, here's an outline for what lies ahead: we will review Ohio State, its schedule and its opponents first, followed by Florida. Then we'll compare. More after the jump.

Ready? Good.

Let's start by taking a look at OSU's schedule.

Date / Opponents / Result

September 2 Northern Illinois W 35-12
September 9 at No. 2 Texas W 24-7
September 16 Cincinnati W 37-7
September 23 No. 24 Penn State W 28-6
September 30 at No. 13 Iowa W 38-17
October 7 Bowling Green W 35-7
October 14 at Michigan State W 38-7
October 21 Indiana W 44-3
October 28 Minnesota W 44-0
November 4 at Illinois W 17-10
November 11 at Northwestern W 54-10
November 18 No. 2 Michigan W 42-39

Out of the twelve games played this season, Ohio State has matched up with two Top 5 opponents, one Top 15 opponent, and one (barely) Top 25 opponent.

Now, let's look more closely at those ranked opponents and play "Where Are They Now?"

Team / Rank at time of game / USA Today rank at end of regular season / Record / Drop/Climb

Texas No. 2 -> No. 16 (9-3) Dropped 14 places
Penn State No. 24 -> Unranked (8-4) Dropped out
Iowa No. 13 -> Unranked (6-6) Dropped out
Michigan No. 2 -> No. 3 (11-1) Dropped 1 place

Out of OSU's four ranked opponents, only two were arguably any good. Let's justify that with a quick look at Iowa and Penn State.

Iowa bowed to football powerhouse Indiana, lost five of their last six games, and finished unranked at 6-6. They never beat a ranked opponent, despite a winnable game against #16 Wisconsin. Kirk Ferentz's popularity bulb dimmed pretty quickly after a decent 2005 season.

And Penn State? They, too, failed to beat a single ranked opponent. Their wins include Akron, Youngstown State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Illinois, and Temple. Their best win was probably over Purdue. The win-loss record of the other teams they beat is far from impressive. (Northwestern only won 2 conference games; Michigan State and Illinois only won 1. The name "Temple" says it all for that team. And Youngstown State and Akron -- well, we won't go there.)

And let's not forget defense. Who is Ohio State putting up the numbers against? Only Wisconsin, Texas and Michigan offer Top 25 defenses:

Wisconsin is #3 in Total Defense with only 16 TDs, but their defense has played the worst offensive teams in the country.

Michigan is ranked #6 in Total Defense, but suffer from the same problem: a bevy of weak opponents. (See below.)

Penn State: ranked #16 against the same terrible batch of teams.
Texas is ranked #22 in Total Defense.
(source: NCAA)

So: like I said, only two were any good. Any disagreement on that assessment so far? Any questions? No? Good. Let's zoom the microscope in just a little closer. Texas and Michigan remain.

How about Texas? They started the year ranked #2 and were seemingly blown out by the Bucks, 24-7. It cranked Troy Smith's Heisman hype up to overdrive and gave OSU plenty of momentum to run the table. But hold the phone, Dookie. Remember that Texas was starting a freshman QB by the name of Colt McCoy? He was outmatched in this game by Troy Smith. And the score seems to suggest a statistical shutdown of Texas.

But not so fast, my friends!

In fact, the numbers were quite even:

Total yards OSU: 348 / UT: 326
Passing yards OSU: 269 / UT: 154
Compt-att OSU: 17-26 / UT: 19-32
Rushing OSU: 79 / UT: 172
Yards per rush OSU: 2.7 UT 5.5
Turnovers OSU: 0 / UT: 2
Time of Poss. OSU: 29:34 / UT: 30:26

There are several interesting deductions here. First, the total yardage was almost identical (348 vs. 326.) Second, the two quarterbacks -- Smith a senior, McCoy a freshman -- were fairly even in pass completions (65% for Smith, 59% for McCoy) with an obvious advantage going to Smith for his 269 passing yards. But here's the nut we really want to crack: how does Ohio State give up 172 yards rushing and still win? The answer is simple: turnovers, and a freshman quarterback's inexperience. An interception by McCoy and a costly fumble gave the Bucks the opportunity to score three TDs and a field goal on Texas.

But the fact remains that Texas ran wild on OSU, and their freshman QB was able to complete a lot of passes against the Bucks' vaunted defense. Defense? Big 10? Who needs it?

So what you have here is a match which is far more competitive than it ever should have been for Ohio State, especially when you consider the QB mismatch. 24-7 looks good on paper, but it doesn't reflect the reality, which is that OSU's defense is average at best, and their offense... well, we'll get to that in a minute.

But Texas? The defending national champions? After handing Oklahoma their only true loss of the season, which was by far their best win -- and lucking out in a 22-20 victory over then #17 Nebraska, in which a last-second brain fart by the Huskers gave the ball back to the Longhorns -- they lost to Kansas State (!) and Texas A&M, both unranked teams. Yeah, I hear you now -- Colt McCoy was injured. But last time I checked, McCoy didn't play both ways, and the UT defense gave up 45 points to Kansas State. And against unranked Texas A&M, they could only put up a single TD.

What we're getting at here, and we think most objective fans will agree, is that Texas ain't all that great this season. They're a 3 loss team that should have lost four, and other than Nebraska, who almost doesn't count at #22, only had one victory over an opponent who finished in the Top 25.

Was Texas a quality W for Ohio State? It was at the time, or so the media told us. But if we're assigning OSU championship points, hindsight indicates they get precious few for that victory.

Finally: Michigan.

Let's start by giving Michigan credit. In the games we've seen them play this year, they look like a big, tough, physical team. A prototypical Big 10 warrior: not the fastest group of kids around, but athletic and disciplined. They act the part of a Top 5 team, although they have yet to play a team with speed.

Despite that, the Wolverines have precisely one strong win. In fact, they've only played one ranked team other than Ohio State -- Notre Dame, which from any imaginable perspective has to be one of the most overrated teams of the 2006 season. The Irish are a two-loss team who only by the grace of God, John L. Smith and Karl Dorrell avoided two additional losses at the hands of 4-8 Michigan State (who finished 1-8 in conference play) and UCLA, who finished with a 7-5 overall record (5-4 Pac-10), avoiding a six-loss regular season thanks to their miraculous victory over cross-town rival USC.

Anyone who watched the Irish against Michigan State knows that John L. Smith's coaching career was over after his staff guided the Spartans to a come-from-behind loss, snatching defeat from the mighty jaws of victory in a fashion which history has seldom seen.

And UCLA? Hey, the Gator Nation is a big fan of the Bruins. We're deliriously happy that, in Hugh Johnson style, UCLA brought down the whammy on the Trojans. But let's face the facts; for the Irish, beating the unranked Bruins with a last-second miracle pass is not an impressive victory.

So, you have that. Yes, Notre Dame was ranked, and yes, Michigan trounced them. But Notre Dame has been a pretender all year long; in fact, since the arrival of Charlie Weis, they have yet to beat a team which finished their season in the Top 25. Not one. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

Who else has Michigan beaten this year?

Here we go: Central Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, the aforementioned Spartans, Penn State, Iowa, Northwestern, Ball State, Indiana, and... Vanderbilt.

None of those teams were ranked at the time they played Michigan. (Wisconsin ended up in the Top 15 after an 11-1 year, beating mostly the same group of terrible Big 10 teams and some big names like SDSU, Bowling Green, and Western Illinois. Following a familiar theme, the Badgers did not beat a single ranked opponent.) The one fly in the ointment is Vanderbilt, the perennial doormat of the SEC, who appeared to suffer mightily at the hands of the powerful Wolverines in their season opener in Ann Arbor, losing 27-7. But a closer look at the box score reveals that the game was close until late in the 3rd quarter; Michigan led by only six points -- 13-7 -- with 2:29 left in that period before scoring the game-busting TD. Vanderbilt held Michigan from scoring again until the meaningless final moments of the game, when, with 2:11, Mario Manningham caught a lob from Chad Henne to put an exclamation point on the final score.

Vanderbilt was never ranked and finished 1-7 in the SEC and 4-8 overall.

Since Michigan and Florida played the same team, the comparison is inevitable; but we'll get to that in the next section, when we talk about Florida's schedule.

One of those victories by Michigan deserves special attention: their 34-26 "win" over the dreaded Ball State Cardinals.

Let's make something clear. Ball State is bad. Really bad. Some would argue that they belong in the I-AA category. The Cardinals lost to Indiana, Purdue, ND State (I've never even heard of ND State!), Northern Illinois, Central Michigan, and Western Michigan.

Ball State outscored Michigan in the first and fourth quarters, and tied them in the third. Michigan could only outscore the Cards in the second quarter of play, by 14 points. In the first quarter, Ball State not only ran a Chad Henne interception back for six, they forced a safety! Ball State also outpassed Michigan -- 250 yards vs. 155 -- but simply couldn't run the ball at all, which ended up being their undoing.

That leaves a loss. It was Michigan's most impressive performance, so they say; their loss to the Buckeyes on November 18th.

A game in which they achieved 397 yards -- 267 in the air and 130 on the ground -- and 39 points, thanks in large part to OSU's -3 turnover margin.

Impressive? Maybe if you're a Big 10 fan.


Let's sum up Ohio State:


12 wins, zero losses...

.. but only 2 wins of any significance whatsoever.

Both of those wins came over teams (Texas and Michigan) who beat a combined total of 3 ranked opponents in 2006.

One of those teams (Texas) lost to two unranked teams, Kansas State and Texas A&M.

The other, Michigan, beat only a single ranked opponent -- overranked and overrated Notre Dame.

The remaining victims of Ohio State were: Northern Illinois (MAC), Cincinnati (Big East), Penn State, Iowa, Bowling Green (MAC), Michigan State, Indiana, Minnesota, Illinois, and Northwestern, none of which have seen the inside of the Top 25 this season.

Speaking of the Zooker: Ohio State Struggled against 2-10 (1-7 Big 10) Illinois, winning 17-10 while putting up fewer total yards (224) than Illinois (234) and passing for only 108 yards vs. the Illini's 134. Illinois also earned 4.5 yards per carry on the ground vs. OSU's 2.5, and was nearly even in rushing yards (99 to OSU's 116.)

This is the team which will put 60+ points on the helpless, unworthy Gators?

Let's find out. It's time to talk Florida.

Date / Opponents / Result

September 2 Southern Miss W 34-7
September 9 UCF W 42-0
September 16 @ No. 13 Tennessee W 21-20
September 23 Kentucky W 26-7
September 30 Alabama W 28-13
October 7 No. 9 LSU W 23-10
October 14 @ No. 11 Auburn L 27-17
October 28 @ Georgia W 21-14
November 4 @ Vanderbilt W 25-19
November 11 South Carolina W 17-16
November 18 Western Carolina W 62-0
November 25 @ Florida State W 21-14
December 2 No. 8 Arkansas W 38-28

Out of the twelve games played this season, Florida has matched up with two Top 10 opponents (Arkansas, LSU) and two Top 15 opponents (Auburn, Tennessee). Unlike Ohio State's schedule, each and every one of these opponents put a quality product on the field. That's not even Including some of the unranked teams Florida beat -- teams who must face the upper crust of the SEC every year. I'm talking about teams like South Carolina (who came within a snaggletooth of beating Auburn and Florida, and were competitive in most of their games) and Georgia, who, despite quarterback and offensive woes throughout the season, always fielded tough defenses and eventually righted their ship with big victories over No. 5 Auburn and No. 16 Georgia Tech. Even Kentucky, bowl-bound at 7-5 for the year, was no slouch; they'd have eaten the Big 10's lower half alive, and given the Top 5 a real run for their money.

This is the SEC, of course, so let's talk defense. Of Florida's opponents, two are in the Top 10 for total defense; two are in the Top 20; and one is in the Top 25, for a total of five Top 25 defenses faced this year:


#4 BCS LSU is ranked #2 nationally in total defense, allowing only 18 TDs all year;

Unranked Georgia finished their regular season ranked #9 in total defense, allowing only 25 total TDs:

Unranked Florida State is #15 in total defense, allowing only 28 TDs;

Alabama and Auburn round out the list at #18 and #25 respectively.

The biggest difference in these stats vs. Ohio State? The teams these defenses play. SEC defenses are constantly going up against Top 25 teams. Big 10 defenses -- well, you already know who they play. The Northern Illinois' and Ball States of the world.

(source: NCAA)


"Where are they now?" Looking for where the ranked opponents ended up:


Team / Rank at time of game / USA Today rank at end of regular season / Record / Drop/Climb

Tennessee No. 13 -> No. 18 (9-3) Dropped 5 places

LSU No. 9 -> No. 4 (10-2) Moved up 5 places

Auburn No. 11 -> No. 10 (10-2) Moved up 1 place

Arkansas No. 8 -> No. 13 (10-3) Dropped 5 places


Already, the stats are starting to favor the Gators. Florida has played four ranked opponents, and when you consider those teams' victories...

Tennessee played three Top 10 opponents and two Top 15 opponents, ending up with a 9-3 record;

LSU played three Top 5 opponents (#3 Auburn, #5 Florida, #5 Arkansas) two Top 10 opponents, finishing with a 10-2 record;

Auburn played (and beat) #2 Florida and #6 LSU, and lost to the then-unranked but ascending Arkansas Razorbacks, the SEC West Champions -- final record 10-2;

Arkansas played two Top 5 teams, two Top 10 teams, and a Top 13 team, finishing with a 10-3 record after losing to Florida in the SEC Championship game.

... it's clear just what kind of quality Florida brings to the table when they win. In fact, all but one of Florida's SEC opponents is bowl-bound.

Not one of Florida's ranked opponents dropped out of the Top 25. Two moved up; two dropped; but none tanked. LSU is a BCS team headed to the Sugar Bowl to bring immeasurable pain to Notre Dame, Auburn's going to the Cotton Bowl and Arkansas has a Heisman-quality running back in Darren McFadden. Georgia will probably find their way back into the Top 25 if not the Top 20 if they win their bowl game.

Again, I remind you: UF lost a single game to that group of teams. And that loss came largely on the strength of a badly botched official review.

One more data point: not one of Florida's ranked opponents lost a single game to an unranked opponent. The Big 10 is light years away from being able to say that.

Buckeye fans, do you still doubt the power of the SEC?

(Rhetorical question. Don't answer it.)

Okay, let's get this out of the way: "But what about Western Carolina?"

What about them? They were a Division I-AA team that would have been competitive with Ball State. (Difference is, Florida put 62 points on WCU, and did it with their second, third, and fourth strings. Even walk-ons made it onto the field.)

Let's sum up Florida:

12 wins, one loss...

... against four ranked teams.

Florida's ranked opponents beat a combined total of eight ranked opponents, including one Top 5 team, six Top 10 teams, and one Top 15 team!

One of UF's wins -- Arkansas -- came during an extra game which Ohio State didn't have to play -- the conference championship matchup with No. 8 Arkansas.

Two additional teams were unranked but fielded Top 15 defenses.

Florida's schedule included a total of ten bowl-bound teams.

Florida's defense is ranked 10th in the country in Total Defense, 6th in the country in rushing defense, and 6th in scoring defense.

I know what you're thinking.
"Ohio State can move the ball, Ferg. They put up a lot of yards. Florida can't do that."

Is that so? Let's see what the NCAA stats say:

Ohio State total offense average: 409.75 yards

Florida total offense average: 398.08 yards.

"Quarterbacks," you're thinking. "Troy Smith is better."

Ohio State passing efficiency: 66.56%, 165.93
Florida passing efficiency: 63.26%, 151.90 rating

"Rushing," you say.

Ohio State rushing offense average: 180.08 yards per game

Florida rushing offense average: 160.31 yards per game

What makes those numbers truly remarkable is that while they're essentially pretty even, Florida does it against the nation's toughest defenses, while Ohio State does it against teams like Northern Illinois, Cincinatti, Indiana and Bowling Green.


The Bottom Line...

Florida not only can and will win, an objective review of the stats indicate that they should be favored to win. But let's not tell the world just yet. I want that 8.5 point Vegas line to keep growing. It all just adds up to more m-o-t-i-v-a-t-i-o-n. Now if we can just get some bulletin board material from the Bucks' players, so we can tack on some "style points... "

[scooter!]

Ohio State fans are pretty sure of themselves these days. My esteemed Fanhouse colleague, JD Arney for Ohio State, wrote a little ditty after Florida was selected to appear in the title game. It was called: "Ohio State Wins 2006 National Championship." In JD's mind, Florida's BCS selection was nothing more a formality. JD, and plenty of other Ohio State fans, it seems, consider the Gators to be nothing more than cannon fodder. Apparently, by their reckoning, Urban Meyer's 12-1 SEC Champion Gators are destined to be crushed by the Sweatervest Juggernaut on January 8th.

"The ratings for this game will be a flop," commented one OSU fan. "It'll be over by halftime," says another. The giddy scarlet-and-grey crowd even predicted scores along the lines of 65-3. They're probably lining up to buy their championship gear already.

For reasons too numerous to get into here, that sort of cocky self-assuredness is a recipe for disaster if you root for the Bucks.

Not that the Gators need much help, but that serves as nothing more than m-o-t-i-v-a-t-i-o-n. Added incentive to give Ohio State the game of their lives.

Take a deep breath, Buckeye fans, and get ready to come to grips with the following statement:

The Buckeyes have no idea what they're about to tangle with when they face #2 BCS Florida in the national spotlight in Glendale, Arizona, on January 8th. And I mean that sincerely.

Why? Because Ohio State and its Heisman candidate quarterback would never have survived the SEC with a 12-1 record. They've yet to face a good, let alone great SEC defense. And they're not ready to keep up with the speed and athleticism of the Florida Gators.

How can I support this heresy? The old-fashioned way.

With facts.

Before we go any further, let me warn you: this is not a quick read. If you need a bathroom break, or a Diet Pepsi (my favorite beverage!), take care of those needs now. In fact, here's an outline for what lies ahead: we will review Ohio State, its schedule and its opponents first, followed by Florida. Then we'll compare. More after the jump.

Ready? Good.

Let's start by taking a look at OSU's schedule.

Date / Opponents / Result

September 2 Northern Illinois W 35-12
September 9 at No. 2 Texas W 24-7
September 16 Cincinnati W 37-7
September 23 No. 24 Penn State W 28-6
September 30 at No. 13 Iowa W 38-17
October 7 Bowling Green W 35-7
October 14 at Michigan State W 38-7
October 21 Indiana W 44-3
October 28 Minnesota W 44-0
November 4 at Illinois W 17-10
November 11 at Northwestern W 54-10
November 18 No. 2 Michigan W 42-39

Out of the twelve games played this season, Ohio State has matched up with two Top 5 opponents, one Top 15 opponent, and one (barely) Top 25 opponent.

Now, let's look more closely at those ranked opponents and play "Where Are They Now?"

Team / Rank at time of game / USA Today rank at end of regular season / Record / Drop/Climb

Texas No. 2 -> No. 16 (9-3) Dropped 14 places
Penn State No. 24 -> Unranked (8-4) Dropped out
Iowa No. 13 -> Unranked (6-6) Dropped out
Michigan No. 2 -> No. 3 (11-1) Dropped 1 place

Out of OSU's four ranked opponents, only two were arguably any good. Let's justify that with a quick look at Iowa and Penn State.

Iowa bowed to football powerhouse Indiana, lost five of their last six games, and finished unranked at 6-6. They never beat a ranked opponent, despite a winnable game against #16 Wisconsin. Kirk Ferentz's popularity bulb dimmed pretty quickly after a decent 2005 season.

And Penn State? They, too, failed to beat a single ranked opponent. Their wins include Akron, Youngstown State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Illinois, and Temple. Their best win was probably over Purdue. The win-loss record of the other teams they beat is far from impressive. (Northwestern only won 2 conference games; Michigan State and Illinois only won 1. The name "Temple" says it all for that team. And Youngstown State and Akron -- well, we won't go there.)

And let's not forget defense. Who is Ohio State putting up the numbers against? Only Wisconsin, Texas and Michigan offer Top 25 defenses:

Wisconsin is #3 in Total Defense with only 16 TDs, but their defense has played the worst offensive teams in the country.

Michigan is ranked #6 in Total Defense, but suffer from the same problem: a bevy of weak opponents. (See below.)

Penn State: ranked #16 against the same terrible batch of teams.
Texas is ranked #22 in Total Defense.
(source: NCAA)

So: like I said, only two were any good. Any disagreement on that assessment so far? Any questions? No? Good. Let's zoom the microscope in just a little closer. Texas and Michigan remain.

How about Texas? They started the year ranked #2 and were seemingly blown out by the Bucks, 24-7. It cranked Troy Smith's Heisman hype up to overdrive and gave OSU plenty of momentum to run the table. But hold the phone, Dookie. Remember that Texas was starting a freshman QB by the name of Colt McCoy? He was outmatched in this game by Troy Smith. And the score seems to suggest a statistical shutdown of Texas.

But not so fast, my friends!

In fact, the numbers were quite even:

Total yards OSU: 348 / UT: 326
Passing yards OSU: 269 / UT: 154
Compt-att OSU: 17-26 / UT: 19-32
Rushing OSU: 79 / UT: 172
Yards per rush OSU: 2.7 UT 5.5
Turnovers OSU: 0 / UT: 2
Time of Poss. OSU: 29:34 / UT: 30:26

There are several interesting deductions here. First, the total yardage was almost identical (348 vs. 326.) Second, the two quarterbacks -- Smith a senior, McCoy a freshman -- were fairly even in pass completions (65% for Smith, 59% for McCoy) with an obvious advantage going to Smith for his 269 passing yards. But here's the nut we really want to crack: how does Ohio State give up 172 yards rushing and still win? The answer is simple: turnovers, and a freshman quarterback's inexperience. An interception by McCoy and a costly fumble gave the Bucks the opportunity to score three TDs and a field goal on Texas.

But the fact remains that Texas ran wild on OSU, and their freshman QB was able to complete a lot of passes against the Bucks' vaunted defense. Defense? Big 10? Who needs it?

So what you have here is a match which is far more competitive than it ever should have been for Ohio State, especially when you consider the QB mismatch. 24-7 looks good on paper, but it doesn't reflect the reality, which is that OSU's defense is average at best, and their offense... well, we'll get to that in a minute.

But Texas? The defending national champions? After handing Oklahoma their only true loss of the season, which was by far their best win -- and lucking out in a 22-20 victory over then #17 Nebraska, in which a last-second brain fart by the Huskers gave the ball back to the Longhorns -- they lost to Kansas State (!) and Texas A&M, both unranked teams. Yeah, I hear you now -- Colt McCoy was injured. But last time I checked, McCoy didn't play both ways, and the UT defense gave up 45 points to Kansas State. And against unranked Texas A&M, they could only put up a single TD.

What we're getting at here, and we think most objective fans will agree, is that Texas ain't all that great this season. They're a 3 loss team that should have lost four, and other than Nebraska, who almost doesn't count at #22, only had one victory over an opponent who finished in the Top 25.

Was Texas a quality W for Ohio State? It was at the time, or so the media told us. But if we're assigning OSU championship points, hindsight indicates they get precious few for that victory.

Finally: Michigan.

Let's start by giving Michigan credit. In the games we've seen them play this year, they look like a big, tough, physical team. A prototypical Big 10 warrior: not the fastest group of kids around, but athletic and disciplined. They act the part of a Top 5 team, although they have yet to play a team with speed.

Despite that, the Wolverines have precisely one strong win. In fact, they've only played one ranked team other than Ohio State -- Notre Dame, which from any imaginable perspective has to be one of the most overrated teams of the 2006 season. The Irish are a two-loss team who only by the grace of God, John L. Smith and Karl Dorrell avoided two additional losses at the hands of 4-8 Michigan State (who finished 1-8 in conference play) and UCLA, who finished with a 7-5 overall record (5-4 Pac-10), avoiding a six-loss regular season thanks to their miraculous victory over cross-town rival USC.

Anyone who watched the Irish against Michigan State knows that John L. Smith's coaching career was over after his staff guided the Spartans to a come-from-behind loss, snatching defeat from the mighty jaws of victory in a fashion which history has seldom seen.

And UCLA? Hey, the Gator Nation is a big fan of the Bruins. We're deliriously happy that, in Hugh Johnson style, UCLA brought down the whammy on the Trojans. But let's face the facts; for the Irish, beating the unranked Bruins with a last-second miracle pass is not an impressive victory.

So, you have that. Yes, Notre Dame was ranked, and yes, Michigan trounced them. But Notre Dame has been a pretender all year long; in fact, since the arrival of Charlie Weis, they have yet to beat a team which finished their season in the Top 25. Not one. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

Who else has Michigan beaten this year?

Here we go: Central Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, the aforementioned Spartans, Penn State, Iowa, Northwestern, Ball State, Indiana, and... Vanderbilt.

None of those teams were ranked at the time they played Michigan. (Wisconsin ended up in the Top 15 after an 11-1 year, beating mostly the same group of terrible Big 10 teams and some big names like SDSU, Bowling Green, and Western Illinois. Following a familiar theme, the Badgers did not beat a single ranked opponent.) The one fly in the ointment is Vanderbilt, the perennial doormat of the SEC, who appeared to suffer mightily at the hands of the powerful Wolverines in their season opener in Ann Arbor, losing 27-7. But a closer look at the box score reveals that the game was close until late in the 3rd quarter; Michigan led by only six points -- 13-7 -- with 2:29 left in that period before scoring the game-busting TD. Vanderbilt held Michigan from scoring again until the meaningless final moments of the game, when, with 2:11, Mario Manningham caught a lob from Chad Henne to put an exclamation point on the final score.

Vanderbilt was never ranked and finished 1-7 in the SEC and 4-8 overall.

Since Michigan and Florida played the same team, the comparison is inevitable; but we'll get to that in the next section, when we talk about Florida's schedule.

One of those victories by Michigan deserves special attention: their 34-26 "win" over the dreaded Ball State Cardinals.

Let's make something clear. Ball State is bad. Really bad. Some would argue that they belong in the I-AA category. The Cardinals lost to Indiana, Purdue, ND State (I've never even heard of ND State!), Northern Illinois, Central Michigan, and Western Michigan.

Ball State outscored Michigan in the first and fourth quarters, and tied them in the third. Michigan could only outscore the Cards in the second quarter of play, by 14 points. In the first quarter, Ball State not only ran a Chad Henne interception back for six, they forced a safety! Ball State also outpassed Michigan -- 250 yards vs. 155 -- but simply couldn't run the ball at all, which ended up being their undoing.

That leaves a loss. It was Michigan's most impressive performance, so they say; their loss to the Buckeyes on November 18th.

A game in which they achieved 397 yards -- 267 in the air and 130 on the ground -- and 39 points, thanks in large part to OSU's -3 turnover margin.

Impressive? Maybe if you're a Big 10 fan.


Let's sum up Ohio State:


12 wins, zero losses...

.. but only 2 wins of any significance whatsoever.

Both of those wins came over teams (Texas and Michigan) who beat a combined total of 3 ranked opponents in 2006.

One of those teams (Texas) lost to two unranked teams, Kansas State and Texas A&M.

The other, Michigan, beat only a single ranked opponent -- overranked and overrated Notre Dame.

The remaining victims of Ohio State were: Northern Illinois (MAC), Cincinnati (Big East), Penn State, Iowa, Bowling Green (MAC), Michigan State, Indiana, Minnesota, Illinois, and Northwestern, none of which have seen the inside of the Top 25 this season.

Speaking of the Zooker: Ohio State Struggled against 2-10 (1-7 Big 10) Illinois, winning 17-10 while putting up fewer total yards (224) than Illinois (234) and passing for only 108 yards vs. the Illini's 134. Illinois also earned 4.5 yards per carry on the ground vs. OSU's 2.5, and was nearly even in rushing yards (99 to OSU's 116.)

This is the team which will put 60+ points on the helpless, unworthy Gators?

Let's find out. It's time to talk Florida.

Date / Opponents / Result

September 2 Southern Miss W 34-7
September 9 UCF W 42-0
September 16 @ No. 13 Tennessee W 21-20
September 23 Kentucky W 26-7
September 30 Alabama W 28-13
October 7 No. 9 LSU W 23-10
October 14 @ No. 11 Auburn L 27-17
October 28 @ Georgia W 21-14
November 4 @ Vanderbilt W 25-19
November 11 South Carolina W 17-16
November 18 Western Carolina W 62-0
November 25 @ Florida State W 21-14
December 2 No. 8 Arkansas W 38-28

Out of the twelve games played this season, Florida has matched up with two Top 10 opponents (Arkansas, LSU) and two Top 15 opponents (Auburn, Tennessee). Unlike Ohio State's schedule, each and every one of these opponents put a quality product on the field. That's not even Including some of the unranked teams Florida beat -- teams who must face the upper crust of the SEC every year. I'm talking about teams like South Carolina (who came within a snaggletooth of beating Auburn and Florida, and were competitive in most of their games) and Georgia, who, despite quarterback and offensive woes throughout the season, always fielded tough defenses and eventually righted their ship with big victories over No. 5 Auburn and No. 16 Georgia Tech. Even Kentucky, bowl-bound at 7-5 for the year, was no slouch; they'd have eaten the Big 10's lower half alive, and given the Top 5 a real run for their money.

This is the SEC, of course, so let's talk defense. Of Florida's opponents, two are in the Top 10 for total defense; two are in the Top 20; and one is in the Top 25, for a total of five Top 25 defenses faced this year:


#4 BCS LSU is ranked #2 nationally in total defense, allowing only 18 TDs all year;

Unranked Georgia finished their regular season ranked #9 in total defense, allowing only 25 total TDs:

Unranked Florida State is #15 in total defense, allowing only 28 TDs;

Alabama and Auburn round out the list at #18 and #25 respectively.

The biggest difference in these stats vs. Ohio State? The teams these defenses play. SEC defenses are constantly going up against Top 25 teams. Big 10 defenses -- well, you already know who they play. The Northern Illinois' and Ball States of the world.

(source: NCAA)


"Where are they now?" Looking for where the ranked opponents ended up:


Team / Rank at time of game / USA Today rank at end of regular season / Record / Drop/Climb

Tennessee No. 13 -> No. 18 (9-3) Dropped 5 places

LSU No. 9 -> No. 4 (10-2) Moved up 5 places

Auburn No. 11 -> No. 10 (10-2) Moved up 1 place

Arkansas No. 8 -> No. 13 (10-3) Dropped 5 places


Already, the stats are starting to favor the Gators. Florida has played four ranked opponents, and when you consider those teams' victories...

Tennessee played three Top 10 opponents and two Top 15 opponents, ending up with a 9-3 record;

LSU played three Top 5 opponents (#3 Auburn, #5 Florida, #5 Arkansas) two Top 10 opponents, finishing with a 10-2 record;

Auburn played (and beat) #2 Florida and #6 LSU, and lost to the then-unranked but ascending Arkansas Razorbacks, the SEC West Champions -- final record 10-2;

Arkansas played two Top 5 teams, two Top 10 teams, and a Top 13 team, finishing with a 10-3 record after losing to Florida in the SEC Championship game.

... it's clear just what kind of quality Florida brings to the table when they win. In fact, all but one of Florida's SEC opponents is bowl-bound.

Not one of Florida's ranked opponents dropped out of the Top 25. Two moved up; two dropped; but none tanked. LSU is a BCS team headed to the Sugar Bowl to bring immeasurable pain to Notre Dame, Auburn's going to the Cotton Bowl and Arkansas has a Heisman-quality running back in Darren McFadden. Georgia will probably find their way back into the Top 25 if not the Top 20 if they win their bowl game.

Again, I remind you: UF lost a single game to that group of teams. And that loss came largely on the strength of a badly botched official review.

One more data point: not one of Florida's ranked opponents lost a single game to an unranked opponent. The Big 10 is light years away from being able to say that.

Buckeye fans, do you still doubt the power of the SEC?

(Rhetorical question. Don't answer it.)

Okay, let's get this out of the way: "But what about Western Carolina?"

What about them? They were a Division I-AA team that would have been competitive with Ball State. (Difference is, Florida put 62 points on WCU, and did it with their second, third, and fourth strings. Even walk-ons made it onto the field.)

Let's sum up Florida:

12 wins, one loss...

... against four ranked teams.

Florida's ranked opponents beat a combined total of eight ranked opponents, including one Top 5 team, six Top 10 teams, and one Top 15 team!

One of UF's wins -- Arkansas -- came during an extra game which Ohio State didn't have to play -- the conference championship matchup with No. 8 Arkansas.

Two additional teams were unranked but fielded Top 15 defenses.

Florida's schedule included a total of ten bowl-bound teams.

Florida's defense is ranked 10th in the country in Total Defense, 6th in the country in rushing defense, and 6th in scoring defense.

I know what you're thinking.
"Ohio State can move the ball, Ferg. They put up a lot of yards. Florida can't do that."

Is that so? Let's see what the NCAA stats say:

Ohio State total offense average: 409.75 yards

Florida total offense average: 398.08 yards.

"Quarterbacks," you're thinking. "Troy Smith is better."

Ohio State passing efficiency: 66.56%, 165.93
Florida passing efficiency: 63.26%, 151.90 rating

"Rushing," you say.

Ohio State rushing offense average: 180.08 yards per game

Florida rushing offense average: 160.31 yards per game

What makes those numbers truly remarkable is that while they're essentially pretty even, Florida does it against the nation's toughest defenses, while Ohio State does it against teams like Northern Illinois, Cincinatti, Indiana and Bowling Green.


The Bottom Line...

Florida not only can and will win, an objective review of the stats indicate that they should be favored to win. But let's not tell the world just yet. I want that 8.5 point Vegas line to keep growing. It all just adds up to more m-o-t-i-v-a-t-i-o-n. Now if we can just get some bulletin board material from the Bucks' players, so we can tack on some "style points... "great post

[Sacred Ground]

Good grief Steve, what got into ya!

[stevefoxsc]

Good grief Steve, what got into ya!

read the dont drink and post topic in off topic :D

[Sacred Ground]

My 2007 prediction: The Florida Gators will replace their grass football field with smurf turf in order to be just like Boise State.

Haha, I just had a funny idea! What if Florida played Boise State and they both wore their home colors and played on the Boise State smurf turf. Can you imagine what that would look like!

[stevefoxsc]

man the kid that posted that on ebaumsworld is being praised right now.

[stevefoxsc]

did any one just see that at about 1:39 3rd quarter a buckeye fan sat down crying like that OU kid.

[#1DawgFan]

After watching this joke of a football game, how the hell can they say with a straight face that the BCS is better than a playoff:rolleyes:

[stevefoxsc]

After watching this joke of a football game, how the hell can they say with a straight face that the BCS is better than a playoff:rolleyes:

out of 4 different sports forums i just visited i say the same type of reply on each.

[RocklandDragon]

Well...Florida won this game.

Florida 41
Ohio State 14

Went for it on 4th down and got the TD.

[stevefoxsc]

you know i must say, when that florida player mentioned how UT won it in 2005 they showed that pic of vince pointing with the confetti, thats by far one of the best championship moment pictures ever from a photographers prospectives.

[stevefoxsc]

Well...Florida won this game.

Florida 41
Ohio State 14

Went for it on 4th down and got the TD.

this game was over after the 2nd half poor old buck eyes have fell into the heismen/ espn curse of how greatest team then crash and burn.

[wide-e-wide]

Hide the couches.:eek:

[pack0808]

Hide the couches.:eek:



strange football year. Just when you think you know it all you realize you know nothing. ;)

[RocklandDragon]

Does Mark May still think USC winning this year's national championship game?

Yes, USC! For some reason, Mark May believes USC should be playing every national championship game. He also leaped on the Ohio State bandwagon with both feet.

The wheels fell off that wagon, tonight...

[stevefoxsc]

does this make florida the greatest sports ever didn't they win basketball in 06

[dada]

Still a Troy Smith love fest.....I can't wait for the "Ginn was hurt" excuses. Hey Buckeyes...."You got knocked the F@#K Out!!!!!!!!".

I will sleep better now knowing that all those buckey fans will burn up there city tonight and still try to explain to us that football is better in Ohio. Texas and Florida....1 and 2......then the rest.:D

[scooter!]

Yes, Texas almost did it but fell to LSU. But at least a team from the south did it instead of those arrogant rats from the north that think they are gods gift to football.:eek:

[wide-e-wide]

does this make florida the greatest sports ever didn't they win basketball in 06

steve...

Texas won the College World Series in '05 (Beating the Gators)
Won the football National Championship 6 months later...
And made it to the elite 8 of the NCAA basketball tournament 3 months after that.

[dada]

steve...

Texas won the College World Series in '05 (Beating the Gators)
Won the football National Championship 6 months later...
And made it to the elite 8 of the NCAA basketball tournament 3 months after that.

Wasnt there a swimming title and softball title...or something close?

[jakerz]

Wasnt there a swimming title and softball title...or something close?


Track has to be in there somewhere also

[wide-e-wide]

Wasnt there a swimming title and softball title...or something close?

Over the last 2 years or so there have been quite a few.
In fact....ready for this...
more than aggy has had in 67 years.:eek:

[ThEgReAtOnE]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!

tOSU blows!!!!

WOW! That overrated QB really showed what he WASN'T made of! And that DEFENSE that was, supposedly, so much better than last "years' defense" SUCKED!!!!

tOSU shouldn't have even suited up! And...honestly, Ginn probably wouldn't have made a difference!

82 TOTAL YDS! (Troy Smith 4 for 14, 35 YDS)

How dare EuScPN speak Troy's name in the same sentence as Vincent Young!

[CoveMom]

Well, Steve beat me to it, but I'm gonna say it anyway:

I heard the term "Heisman Trophy Winner" more times in the last 30 minutes than I have all year. They left out the last word in that phrase, "Curse." But they implied it plenty.

And, oh yeah. The Ginn injury excuse was used while interviewing a Gator on the field, as in "How much did.....?????"

That was fun.

[WestPlano006]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!

tOSU blows!!!!

WOW! That overrated QB really showed what he WASN'T made of! And that DEFENSE that was so much better than last "years' defense" SUCKED!!!!

tOSU shouldn't have even suited up! And...honestly, Ginn probably wouldn't have made a difference!

82 TOTAL YDS! (Troy Smith 4 for 14, 35 YDS)

How dare EuScPN speak Troy's name in the same sentence as Vincent Young!


haha that was basically my thought after the 1st half

[Lp78]

Congradulation to the Gators & Tate Casey(Longview)

[pack0808]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!

tOSU blows!!!!

WOW! That overrated QB really showed what he WASN'T made of! And that DEFENSE that was, supposedly, so much better than last "years' defense" SUCKED!!!!

tOSU shouldn't have even suited up! And...honestly, Ginn probably wouldn't have made a difference!

82 TOTAL YDS! (Troy Smith 4 for 14, 35 YDS)

How dare EuScPN speak Troy's name in the same sentence as Vincent Young!

Leave it to thegreatone to use caps to rub it in after a win. The SEC is still 1-3 vs the Big 10 in head to head comp this year and I will admit this was shocking and I was severely wrong on this game. Nobody expected this. Like you can talk. Ohio st dominated UT at home yet UT dominated OU. If OSU sucks then OU really really really sucks. :eek:

[stevefoxsc]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!

tOSU blows!!!!

WOW! That overrated QB really showed what he WASN'T made of! And that DEFENSE that was, supposedly, so much better than last "years' defense" SUCKED!!!!

tOSU shouldn't have even suited up! And...honestly, Ginn probably wouldn't have made a difference!

82 TOTAL YDS! (Troy Smith 4 for 14, 35 YDS)

How dare EuScPN speak Troy's name in the same sentence as Vincent Young!


http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/5122/ohiohaterqt7.png
that must be you

[pack0808]

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/5122/ohiohaterqt7.png
that must be you



stevefox you are like arguing with a ****** it is pointless. Did you forget something?

[stevefoxsc]

stevefox you are like arguing with a ****** it is pointless. Did you forget something?

that was the great one posting on yappi... i use the same name on yappi... yeah

[wide-e-wide]

If OSU sucks then OU really really really sucks.


water is wet
sky is blue
Stevie Wonder is blind

Tell us some [censored] we don't know dude.:D

[78 Spartan]

Good lord, as much as I want to crow about the dominance of the SEC once again (6-3 in the bowls and will likely end up ranked 1st and 3rd in the nation -- maybe 2nd), what I can't help but think is how terribly overrated OSU was tonight. 82 yards of total offense? That is abysmal. Ridiculous. Florida's defense is great, they also held LSU to 7 points this year.

Congrats Gators. Glad to see the unholy trinity of Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame all getting their faces pounded in.

[stevefoxsc]

Good lord, as much as I want to crow about the dominance of the SEC once again (6-3 in the bowls and will likely end up ranked 1st and 3rd in the nation -- maybe 2nd), what I can't help but think is how terribly overrated OSU was tonight. 82 yards of total offense? That is abysmal. Ridiculous. Florida's defense is great, they also held LSU to 7 points this year.

Congrats Gators. Glad to see the unholy trinity of Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame all getting their faces pounded in.

pac 10 took number 1. sucks...

[pack0808]

Good lord, as much as I want to crow about the dominance of the SEC once again (6-3 in the bowls and will likely end up ranked 1st and 3rd in the nation -- maybe 2nd), what I can't help but think is how terribly overrated OSU was tonight. 82 yards of total offense? That is abysmal. Ridiculous. Florida's defense is great, they also held LSU to 7 points this year.

Congrats Gators. Glad to see the unholy trinity of Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame all getting their faces pounded in.



Again the sec was 1-3 vs the Big10 this year even with this huge win. The SEC is 2-5 in the last 2 years. I will give the upper hand to the SEC this year because of depth even though the Big10 top 5 was every bit as good as the SEC top 5. But do not forget that the Big10 knocked off 2 of the top 4 best from the SEC this year.

[Sicemhorns09]

haha...a friend just sent me this after the Fla game...

"Hello, Coach Brown, this is John Brantley. You know, I've been thinking about what you said, and I think I'd rather challenge Colt McCoy instead of Tim Tebow for playing time over the next three years."

"Son, you're making the right decision this time. Hang on just a second. Angie, get me that Kinne kid's cell phone number, will you please."

[wide-e-wide]

Boy oh boy...I feel for Kinne when he comes to Floyd Casey. You guys are gonna give him hell aren't you?

[Sicemhorns09]

Boy oh boy...I feel for Kinne when he comes to Floyd Casey. You guys are gonna give him hell aren't you?

you have no idea... the hatred for this program just went through the roof... we have lost two saviors to that school....Quan and GJ

[HUM398]

Boy oh boy...I feel for Kinne when he comes to Floyd Casey. You guys are gonna give him hell aren't you?

no...Their gonna be crying.

[Sicemhorns09]

no...Their gonna be crying.

why...he will be on the bench...plus, we have weed!!

[wide-e-wide]

no...Their gonna be crying.

I'll be hammered so it will be funny either way. The Hornfans tailgate is really close to the stadium at Floyd Casey...so you can drink pretty much right up until kickoff and still get to your seats with no problem.

[slorch]

Good lord, as much as I want to crow about the dominance of the SEC once again (6-3 in the bowls and will likely end up ranked 1st and 3rd in the nation -- maybe 2nd), what I can't help but think is how terribly overrated OSU was tonight. 82 yards of total offense? That is abysmal. Ridiculous. Florida's defense is great, they also held LSU to 7 points this year.

Congrats Gators. Glad to see the unholy trinity of Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame all getting their faces pounded in.

best statement of the bowl season. very satisfying...

[yallerjacket]

this game was over after the 2nd half...

As are most games.

[CoveMom]

As are most games.

Word. lol. :)

[78 Spartan]

Again the sec was 1-3 vs the Big10 this year even with this huge win.

The SEC was 1-2 against the Big Ten. The SEC's third loss was against OkSt from the Big XII.

Here are the SEC's bowl outcomes with their final AP rankings attached:

Florida (#1) beat Ohio State 41-14.
LSU (#3) beat Notre Dame 41-14.
Auburn (#9) beat Nebraska 17-14.
Arkansas (#15) lost to Wisconsin 17-14.
Georgia (#23)beat Virginia Tech 31-24.
Tennessee (#25) lost to Penn State 20-10.
South Carolina beat Houston 44-36.
Kentucky beat Clemson 28-20.
Alabama lost to Oklahoma State 34-31.

....the Big10 top 5 was every bit as good as the SEC top 5.

Again, I beg to differ. Let's compare top fives and how they finished

SEC: Florida (#1), LSU (#3), Auburn (#9), Arkansas (#15), Georgia (#23).
Big Ten: OSU (#2), Wisconsin (#7), Michigan (#8), PSU (#24), Iowa (unranked).

But do not forget that the Big10 knocked off 2 of the top 4 best from the SEC this year.

Based on final rankings, the Big Ten knocked off two of the top six from the SEC this year. But overall the Big Ten won 2 and lost 5 in the bowl season. Wisconsin's win over Arkansas was by a FG, and Penn State's win over Tennessee was determined by a late fourth quarter fumble that swung the outcome.

By the way, the power conferences:

SEC 6-3
PAC 10 3-3
ACC 4-4
Big XII 3-5
Big Ten 2-5

Even though the Big East went 5-0 (congrats on a great accomplishment), I don't think any of us would seriously compare them to the SEC. Conclusion: SEC is the best. Florida's win last night makes that an indisputable statement.

[Favpack]

SEC was king this year -- and that's me admitting I was wrong. They were the best conference - period.

[ThEgReAtOnE]

Leave it to thegreatone to use caps to rub it in after a win. The SEC is still 1-3 vs the Big 10 in head to head comp this year and I will admit this was shocking and I was severely wrong on this game. Nobody expected this. Like you can talk. Ohio st dominated UT at home yet UT dominated OU. If OSU sucks then OU really really really sucks. :eek:

OU sucked it up, that's for sure. Losing to BStU is embarrassing, in its' own right.

Florida hammering toSU, pretty much, made up for Garland, OU and Dallas....however!

[CoveMom]

Sure have been a lot of votes cast for Florida to win this game (that is, a lot of votes cast after the game was played) :rolleyes:

[dada]

Ohio st..... 0-8 all time vs the SEC in major bowl games...lol

[wide-e-wide]

Sure have been a lot of votes cast for Florida to win this game (that is, a lot of votes cast after the game was played) :rolleyes:

Actually the poll says "Florida State"...so looks like a lot of folks thought the Seminoles would take this one.

[CoveMom]

Actually the poll says "Florida State"...so looks like a lot of folks thought the Seminoles would take this one.


Good eye. And I was one of them. :o However, I voted early. Like, BEFORE the game started.

I want 1/2 credit, professor. :D

[ThEgReAtOnE]

I've said - since Day 1 - that I believe Florida would win. Check my posts!

And yes, I voted for the "Florida State Gators" to win!:D




Honestly, jugding from what I saw, last night, FSU could've probably taken toSU into OT! :D

[J-Rock Mom]

I watched the 1st half of the game last night, I thought Ohio was going to win but that was in the 1st 16 seconds of the game. Florida spanks Ohio but I lost interest after the score was 34-14.