Rob Oller of the Columbus Dispatch writes about the deep differences between Ohio State and USC... "The obvious answer, understood by anyone who was around during the 1970s, is that USC broke more OSU hearts than anyone not named Schembechler. Three times during that decade, Ohio State lost a piece of the national championship by losing to the Trojans in the Rose Bowl. The less obvious but still accurate answer is that while OSU vs. Michigan is a border dispute, OSU vs. USC is a clash of cultures." ...
Doug Lesmerises of The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer writes about the similarities between Pete Carroll and Jim Tressel... "But there's a lot to be said for the right man at the right time for the right job. Asked Tuesday, both head coaches downplayed the differences, but when talking about the hiring process for college coaches last year, Tressel admitted that a regional familiarity was important. You need to know how a place works." ...
Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times writes about how he is tired of hearing about the Buckeyes... "I'm sick of annually watching them awkwardly slog their way to the top of the polls by winning a conference that has become college football's version of the International League. And, yeah, at the end of that 2002 national championship game against Miami? Bad call. That was not pass interference. Period." ...
Pete Thamel of The New York Times writes how the Buckeyes are looking forward to redeeming themselves on the national stage... "For Tressel, whose button-up nature does not make him prone to caring much about perception, the biggest disappointment of those losses in the title game was how poorly Ohio State played." ...
Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated about the difference between Pete Carroll and Gentleman Jim... "Start with the most basic premise -- their sideline demeanor. Tressel is the picture of solemnity in his sweater vest and glasses, his expression no different after a touchdown than after an incompletion. Carroll, either in golf shirt or sweatshirt, is the amped-up teenager trapped in a 56-year-old's body, pumping his fist after big plays and slapping players' butts as they come off the field." ...
Many don't know that USC head coach was once an assistant at Ohio State...in fact, he was an assistant on the 1980 staff that lost to USC in the Rose Bowl when Charles White dove over the top for the winning TD...enjoy this 1:50 clip...
There are two big games on Saturday, Michigan @ Notre Dame and Ohio State @ Southern Cal...therefore, I asked some friends and fellow bloggers to give their thoughts on the games...
Zach of The Big Picture Michigan 6 Notre Dame 3 - Sad truth, this game was relevant two years ago... USC 35 Ohio State 17 - California Dreamin would be Buckeyes thinking they've got a shot...
Mallo-Cup of Youngstown Notre Dame 21 Michigan 14 USC 28 Ohio State 17
The Geek of Youngstown Michigan 17 Notre Dame 10 - Michigan wins by default... USC 31 Ohio State 13 - hey man from the looks of O State and their first two opponents, I have to say the USC Trojans...
Triple H - The Hickory Hornet of Hermitage Michigan 28 Notre Dame 6 - neither team has looked terribly impressive thus far, with UM losing to Utah and slipping by Miami (OH) at home, and ND barely defeating a woeful San Diego State team..UM ripped ND, 38-0 at the Big House last year; it won’t be quite as bad this year... USC 42 Ohio State 17 - another season, another dominant USC team…ho-hum...meanwhile, OSU looked very ordinary in hanging on to slip by an average Ohio team...with or without Beanie Wells, look for OSU to struggle against the USC defense...it’s never wise to count out a Jim Tressel-coached team, but this is a mismatch...I don’t understand the national hype...
T-bone of Youngstown Notre Dame 17 Michigan 16 Ohio State 24 USC 23
Lehman of Niles Notre Dame 20 Michigan 13 - Michigan is going through a rebuilding process under Rodriguez and their “Spread Offense” does not have the right personnel and understanding of the offense...on the other hand, Notre Dame has some young talent, and a fast, aggressive defense... Ohio State 24 USC 21 - OSU has the best defense in the country, they are a seasoned team, and they always play to the level of their competition...USC on the other hand, has outstanding athletes on both sides of the ball, and are always well prepared...not to mention, I fervently dislike USC and Pete “I look like Andrew Jackson” Carroll!!!!!!!
G2 of Youngstown Michigan 17 Notre Dame 14 - the Wolverines are struggling but not as mich as the Fighting Irish...it is a battle of the "No-nothings" vs. the "Have nots"... USC 35 Ohio State 17 - Ohio State is just not in the Trojans' class right now -- and will not be!...
rstiles of Stiles Points Michigan 19 Notre Dame 16 - Michigan's defense wins this game... USC 31 Ohio State 14 - Fight On!!!...
Power Sweep Tip Sheet Notre Dame 23 Michigan 10 - the Irish are the most improved team in the country and get legit revenge on a young offense in transition... USC 17 Ohio State 16 - OSU's sluggish performance against Ohio U gives us line value...take OSU with the points...
The Gold Sheet Michigan 17 Notre Dame 16 - in what figures to be a low-scoring affair, would take the points available... USC 31 Ohio State 17 - a slowish Boeckman and the very green Pryor likely overmatched by Trojan defense quicks...
Pointwise Notre Dame 20 Michigan 19 - tight game...go with the points... USC 30 Ohio State 20 - just can't buck Troy in this setup...
ESPN's Chris Fowler gives Ohio State a chance in the big game... "But don't go to sleep on OSU. All my West Coast friends are certain that SC will send a huge message Saturday night. I keep telling them it won't be easy." ...
Youngstown State University was scheduled to play their home open this Saturday at 7:00 p.m....however, that time has been changed to 4:00 p.m. because of one person - Jim "Freaking" Tressel...
When Tressel was the head coach at YSU, often times his games were played at the same time that Ohio State was playing their games while John Cooper was the head coach...YSU never changed the time of their game to accommodate Ohio State football...
One time, Tressel refused to move the time of a YSU-Marshall game even though it was being played at the same time as the Michigan-Ohio State game...this YSU-Marshall game was NOT a playoff game...in fact, YSU was having one of their worst seasons under Tressel that year and was a meaningless game...
It is just funny, now that Gentleman Jim is coaching at Ohio State, the YSU Athletic Department bows down and makes sure it doesn't schedule a YSU game the same time that THE Ohio State plays...this was a courtesy that Tressel refused to do when he was the head man in Youngstown...
Most Ohio State fans say their players show class and don't talk crap before the game...all last season, they chafed in their diapers after former Michigan running back Mike Hart said that he came back for his senior year to beat Ohio State...now what do they think of Ray Small after his comments about USC...
"It's a class thing. Here at Ohio State, they teach you to be a better man. There, it's just all about football."
I guess Small has never seen the police laundry list of criminal activities that Jim Tressel's "better men" have done over the years...maybe he will want to ask Maurice Clarett the next time he is close to the Ohio State pen in Toledo...
Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press writes how Charlie Weiss stated "to hell with Michigan" back in April - now Michigan is waiting for him... "In April, the Notre Dame football coach said, "I've always been one never to make excuses and blow hot air." He then said of the Wolverines: "Then we'll listen to Michigan have all their excuses as they come running in, saying how they have a new coaching staff and there's changes." ...
Here is Fat Charlie's "To Hell With Michigan" comment...
Enjoy this 2:20 clip of the 1979 Michigan-Notre Dame game when the Irish's Bob Crable climbed on top of two players to block the potential game winning field goal...Notre Dame won 12-10 in Ann Arbor...
Jim Tressel does not like when an opposing coach comes into the state of Ohio and takes an Ohio boy...he stresses to the Ohio players that it is their "duty" to play for their state...
However, Gentleman Jim must also have another line for out-of-state players because he sure knows how to rob other states of their top talent...last year he swiped Terrelle Pryor from Pennsylvania...this year, he went into Florida and took the nation's top high school running back in Jaamal Berry from Miami Palmetto High...
Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott (right) is a graduate of USC...he claims he is a Trojan...but this past summer, knowing that his Trojans would be playing Ohio State in a matter of two months, Lott, and other former San Francisco 49ers met with the Buckeye football team to create a spark...
In order to gain the slightest of advantages, Jim Tressel (left) arranged the meeting through his connections with the DeBartolo-York family from his days in Youngstown, Ohio...along with Lott, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Roger Craig all spoke to the Ohio State football team...the former Niners talked to the team about how they lost in the NFC Championship Game four times during their career and how to deal with adversity...
So I ask, who is Ronnie Lott pulling for this Saturday, his alma mater or his newly adopted team?...
As reported on rivals.com, Michigan has lost the commitment of high school All-American defensive lineman William Campbell...
Back in the spring, Campbell gave a verbal commitment to the Wolverines...he has since changed his mind and is planning on visiting other schools with Miami (Fla) and LSU as possible landing spots...
Campbell is a five defensive tackle from Detroit Cass...Campbell is listed at 6'5", 315-pounds...
We are 90 minutes away from the start of the first Sunday of NFL games....here are some teams to keep an eye on this year....
- Buffalo - if Trent Edwards matures in his second year, the Bills are going to be dangerous...to many people are talking about the Jets and Brett Favre within the AFC East...but the real NFL nerds know the Bills can be the surprise team...
- Miami - I ain't sayin the Dolphins are making the playoffs...but this team will play harder than they did last year...the Dolphins will be a good team to take as a dog...
- Oakland - I have a feeling the Oakland Raiders are going to shock people...I'm calling it - Raiders will go 8-8...they have a bevy of back in McFadden, Fargas, and Bush...they should be able to establish a running game which will help take pressure off of JaMarcus Russell...
- New Orleans - the Saints got off to a terrible start last year (0-4)...but they played strong at the end...I love Drew Brees...and they made changes to strengthen their defense...
- Arizona - this is finally going to be the year that the Cardinals make the playoffs...
10 quick thoughts on Saturday's College Football...
- Michigan won 16-6 over Miami (Ohio), but their offense is still struggling...
- The O on the middle of the field at Ohio Stadium stands for Over-rated!!!...
- Some poor calls by officials: 1) how can they call an excessive celebration on Washington quarterback Jake Locker?' 2) how can they miss the block in the back on Ohio State's Ray Small's punt return for a touchdown; 3) why was there a "mulligan" in the Michigan-Miami game?...
- Probably the best game of the day was the Wake Forest-Ole Miss battle...
- Houston Nutt is already making a difference at Ole Miss...
- San Diego State lost to a I-AA team last week...and only lost to Notre Dame 21-13????....the pressure is mounting on Charlie Weis...
- Oklahoma's Sam Bradford threw for 5 touchdowns in a win over a very good Cincinnati team...
- East Carolina just may be this year's Cinderella team...
- Penn State will beat Ohio State this year...
- Got a chance to listen to legendary Georgia play-by-play announcer Larry Munson on XM Radio...it was great!...
Below is the ESPN College Football Gameday Recap with Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, and Homer Boy Kirk...
Ohio State @ USC
