WE ARE!

[Former Wildcat]

1. Just to clarify, I was bragging - not whining. I just find it amusing that the 134th ranked player and 11th ranked QB (by rivals.com) has PSU fans so excited. OSU has 8 player coming in who are ranked higher than that. They have six players coming who are ranked higher than PSU's top recruit. So I was pointing out the lunacy of thinking that Newsome was such a great catch that others will follow.

2. I am pretty sure that PSU would claim a co-championship if things were reversed. If PSU wanted an undisputed championship, they should have beaten Michigan and Iowa.

3. Apparently some people outside of the borders of Ohio care about the Buckeyes. The top rated HS recruit in PA the past two seasons has signed with OSU.

4. Sure Tressel is overrated. In 23 years of coaching, he has reached the national championship game 9 times. In 43 years, how many times has JoePa played for a championship?

5. OSU must lose every meaningful game. Unless you count the four BCS bowls they have won. How many has PSU won? They also beat two teams ranked #2 in the nation in 2006. How many top two teams has PSU beaten in the past 10 years?

6. OSU is 10 - 6 against PSU since PSU joined the Big 10. PSU has 2 convincing wins (by double digits). OSU has 6 wins by double digits.

We can argue this all day. Buckeye nation is a premier program. PSU is a good program that had a great year.

[frostlion]

And Ohio State is in no way responsible for how nearly 100% of the media (outside of Ohio) views the Big Ten with respect to other conferences, especially the SEC???? You're looking at three straight humiliating BCS losses....and had you played anyone other than Notre Dame in the BCS a few years back, it probably would be four straight humiliating BCS losses....

[Former Wildcat]

First of all, the LSU game was not humiliating. Most people thought OSU would get killed. OSU actually outgained LSU and lost the game on mistakes. The Florida game was humiliating, with Heisman winner Troy Smith totalling 8 yards of offense and the o-line getting mauled.

The 2005 team would not have been humiliated in the BCS. The lost to national champ Texas that year by 3 points. Name a BCS team from 2005 that would have humiliated the OSU team. That defense, with Hawk, Whitner, Carpenter and company was better than the defenses in 06 and 07.

At least we have been to 4 straight BCS games. This year is only the second BCS bowl PSU has ever played in.

[frostlion]

Perception = reality. The perception is that Ohio State was destroyed by two far superior SEC teams, and that has translated into reality in the college football world, especially the media. Of any Big Ten team in the last thirty years to play or contend for a national title, none has laid a bigger egg than Ohio State has for two years in a row. Everyone (including Big Ten fans outside of Ohio) acknowledges that. Heck, if we are going to judge success in the BCS as a benchmark, than West Virginia over the past four years is a far superior program than Ohio State and Penn State.

[The Ancient Enemy]

Jim Tressel got his cred by beating juggernaut Miami on a blown call. Since then he has done nothing except ruin the perception of the whole conference. They are NEVER prepared for games that are non-conference.

The reason fans are excited is b/c Devlin left and they needed a backup. See, Penn State did not coerce and shove aside backup QBs to leave the program. We didn't make the starter, who led us to a national title, sit the bench b/c a supposed great freshman came in. We didn't make it known that no one would have an opportunity to win the starting job except Terrelle Pryor, who won freshman of the year, but I could have told you he would before the season even started b/c of how much the media is all over his crotch. Devlin left and PSU needed a quality backup. And like I said, that kid is extremely close to being a 5-star QB. Watch his clips since you are such a great evaluator of talent.

[Former Wildcat]

I guess they weren't prepared for Vince Young when they lost 25-22 and would have won if Hamby had held onto the TD pass. They also weren't prepared when they won 24-7 in Austin the next year. I even think they were well-prepared for last year's championship game, but made too many mental errors (5 personal fouls including two that kept TD drives for LSU alive). They were grossly unprepared for Florida and USC. I actually think Tressel began to look ahead to next year after USC. I think he believed they would win the Big 10 with Pryor or Boeckman. I still think the QB switch cost them an outright Big 10 championship, but it will help them next year when USC comes to town.

As for Newsome, he may well be a great player. I do understand the need to replace Devlin. I differ in that I don't see recruits following him to PSU. Recruits followed Derrick Williams because he was a huge recruit. Recruits have followed Pryor because he was huge. I don't put Newsome anywhere near those two. Now, he might turn out better than either. Williams has never been great and Pryor may never be.

[deliverance]

Ohio State was definitely prepared for the Longhorns both years. They have just struggled lately in BCS games. The same goes for Oklahoma. Both teams are underdogs this year and have a chance for redemption. Ohio State is one of the better programs in College Football. There's no question about that. I think they will win a National Championship before Pryor's career is over. He is probably a little above Vince Young's level at this age. Vince had a nice year as a Sophomore and then an amazing year as a Junior. I think Pryor will do the same.

[Former Wildcat]

Deliverance brings up a good point. Oklahoma's efforts in their back-to-back title games against LSU and USC were every bit as bad as OSU's. They have also dominated their conference like OSU, but have actually been worse than OSU in BCS and non-conference games if you include the BCS losses to Boise and WVU and the non-con losses to Oregon and TCU. The difference is that the rest of their conference, particularly Texas, has done well. OSU has made the Big 10 look bad but no other Big 10 team has stepped up. Michigan lost their last two BCS games. Illinois go blitzed in the Rose Bowl last year. Penn State could have played for the title this year if they could have beaten Iowa. The rest of the conference has not stepped up. OSU is no worse than Oklahoma, but the Big 12 has had another team step up and give the conference credibility.

[The Ancient Enemy]

Wildcat, first of all, I give the staff all the credit in the world for being able to develop NFL talent. No one is dumb enough to deny the fact that OSU sends a lot of kids to the NFL. Secondly, when other schools steal Ohio State's assistants for HC jobs, that's a testament to Ohio State. But when you look back at the Buffalo Bills, do you see them as an AFC East dynasty or do you see them as a joke?