Hope Springs Eternal
Remember 1998? The
Buckeyes were cruising along at No. 1 until
unranked conference opponent wandered into the
Horseshoe and stole the Ohio State's thunder.
Kind of like this season.
Let me stop you here. I know you are cursing me under your breath, wondering why I would bring up one of Ohio State's darkest hours at a time like this. (And, you are probably wondering why I linked to that picture at the start, too.)
If you take a deep breath and remember the conclusion of that season you will find something beyond the beat down of Texas A&M. Something far more very precious. Hope.
Hear me out on this one. Ohio State had been the consensus No. 1 all season and was atop the BCS standings. Yet, after the Michigan State loss, Ohio State had fallen from 1st to 8th when the 3rd edition of the BCS standings came out on November 7, 1998. Tennessee, UCLA, and Kansas State were each undefeated and ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, respectively. Florida State, Florida, Texas A&M, and Arkansas (also undefeated) were all in front of the Buckeyes. It was hopeless, the pundits said. There was no way Ohio State could make it to the title game with multiple teams from the same conference in front of them. Sound familiar? (By the way, Michigan was ranked 19th in those same BCS Standings.)
But a funny thing happened on the way to the Fiesta Bowl (that season's championship game). The teams in front of the Buckeyes started dropping out of the way while the Buckeyes finished the season in dominating fashion.
Arkansas lost the very next week. Ohio State moved to 7th. The next week Florida lost. Now the Buckeyes were sixth. Then the real fun started. The Aggies lost the last week of the regular season, but were still guaranteed a spot in the Big12 Title Game. Ohio State moved up to 5th in the BCS Standings.
With one week to go the Buckeyes were finished playing with no foreseeable chance of playing for the BCS Title. Then, at noon, on the last Saturday of the year, No. 2 UCLA lost a heart breaker to Edgerrin James and Miami. A few hours later, Texas A&M beat previously undefeated, No. 3 Kansas State in overtime. By 8:00 p.m. that evening, two of the four teams ahead of the Buckeyes had fallen.
If somehow, some way, Mississippi State could beat Tennessee in the SEC Title Game, Ohio State would most likely play Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl for the national title. Sure enough, midway through the fourth quarter, Tennessee was b ehind 14-10. Unfortunately, Tennessee scored two late touchdowns to hold off a tenacious Mississippi State squad, and Ohio State was forced to pummel Texas A&M.
What does this all mean? The point is that Ohio State is not done yet. Was that a crazy finish to the 1998 season? Yeah. But, was it crazier than the 2007 season? Nope. Could that one last team fall this season? Absolutely. So, don't despair Buckeye fans.
Of course, it will all be for naught without a win this weekend. Once again, The Game is for more than just a Big Ten Championship. It is for Hope, too.
Plan B: Of course, if you find the preceding too much to believe in, just go to PoorSportz to relieve some stress (and exact some Internet revenge).
Let me stop you here. I know you are cursing me under your breath, wondering why I would bring up one of Ohio State's darkest hours at a time like this. (And, you are probably wondering why I linked to that picture at the start, too.)
If you take a deep breath and remember the conclusion of that season you will find something beyond the beat down of Texas A&M. Something far more very precious. Hope.
Hear me out on this one. Ohio State had been the consensus No. 1 all season and was atop the BCS standings. Yet, after the Michigan State loss, Ohio State had fallen from 1st to 8th when the 3rd edition of the BCS standings came out on November 7, 1998. Tennessee, UCLA, and Kansas State were each undefeated and ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, respectively. Florida State, Florida, Texas A&M, and Arkansas (also undefeated) were all in front of the Buckeyes. It was hopeless, the pundits said. There was no way Ohio State could make it to the title game with multiple teams from the same conference in front of them. Sound familiar? (By the way, Michigan was ranked 19th in those same BCS Standings.)
But a funny thing happened on the way to the Fiesta Bowl (that season's championship game). The teams in front of the Buckeyes started dropping out of the way while the Buckeyes finished the season in dominating fashion.
Arkansas lost the very next week. Ohio State moved to 7th. The next week Florida lost. Now the Buckeyes were sixth. Then the real fun started. The Aggies lost the last week of the regular season, but were still guaranteed a spot in the Big12 Title Game. Ohio State moved up to 5th in the BCS Standings.
With one week to go the Buckeyes were finished playing with no foreseeable chance of playing for the BCS Title. Then, at noon, on the last Saturday of the year, No. 2 UCLA lost a heart breaker to Edgerrin James and Miami. A few hours later, Texas A&M beat previously undefeated, No. 3 Kansas State in overtime. By 8:00 p.m. that evening, two of the four teams ahead of the Buckeyes had fallen.
If somehow, some way, Mississippi State could beat Tennessee in the SEC Title Game, Ohio State would most likely play Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl for the national title. Sure enough, midway through the fourth quarter, Tennessee was b ehind 14-10. Unfortunately, Tennessee scored two late touchdowns to hold off a tenacious Mississippi State squad, and Ohio State was forced to pummel Texas A&M.
What does this all mean? The point is that Ohio State is not done yet. Was that a crazy finish to the 1998 season? Yeah. But, was it crazier than the 2007 season? Nope. Could that one last team fall this season? Absolutely. So, don't despair Buckeye fans.
Of course, it will all be for naught without a win this weekend. Once again, The Game is for more than just a Big Ten Championship. It is for Hope, too.
Plan B: Of course, if you find the preceding too much to believe in, just go to PoorSportz to relieve some stress (and exact some Internet revenge).
