Elbows Music Blogger Community - Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-09T10:48:32-05:00

Oh, man. What in the hell happened to OSU? It pains me to root for Florida (as a fan of Auburn, Georgia, and-gulp-Mississippi State), but I roll SEC all the way when it comes down to it. That has to be the biggest flop by a Heisman winner ever, and don't give me any crap about Ginn not being in the game. OSU had other receivers. 4 completions?!

Was Florida that dominating or was Ohio State that bad? I'd say a lot of both.

The Big Ten comes out of this looking pretty bad. And I've got no problem with that!

Can't wait to grit my teeth in anger next year when Notre Dame, Michigan, and Ohio State all start the preseasons ranked in the top seven or so.

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-09T11:45:00-05:00

Here I am a diehard OSU fan AND a proud Alum, and I was sorely disappointed last night. And it started SO WELL! I was asking myself the same thing, "What the hell happened?"

Definitely not the buckeyes of this past season, nor the Heisman winning quarterback.

Oh well, I didn't lose any sleep over it, but I can't say the same for a lot of us here in Buckeye Nation.

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-09T12:19:52-05:00

I've watched Troy Smith off-and-on all season. 4 completions? Not even the same guy. That was worse than Testaverde or Jason White. He probably lost a few draft spots because of it, which is too bad because I think he's gonna be great in the NFL.

They clearly looked like a team that took more than a month off. Florida sure didn't. I really think, to regain credibility, the Big Ten needs to institute a conference championship game, but that'll never happen.

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-09T12:27:56-05:00

Encouraging news, re: a playoff: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2724819

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-09T12:58:13-05:00

it's nice to know that one blemish on Florida's record came from Auburn :)

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-09T13:44:05-05:00

Yeah! Although that was kind of a weird call that caused the win.

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-09T20:17:25-05:00

All I care about is that USC will be the pre-season #1. Our defense will be dominating - I just hope that our offense can keep up, with Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett both leaving.

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-10T11:36:29-05:00

Do you think Carroll is going to leave? I wouldn't if I were him. He's got a sweet gig with a fantastic team and loyal fans there at USC.

Speaking of USC, how come Norm Chow isn't a head coach yet? Because he's Asian? I have to say, at this point, that factor has to be a part of it. I can't think of any other reason.

The SEC is going to be brutal next year. Auburn should be better. Georgia will DEFINITELY be better. Tennessee is on the way up. Alabama shouldn't get worse. LSU will suffer slightly without Russell, but not much. Arkansas will be improved. And Florida. Oof. They should only get more amazing from here on out. Should be fun to watch. You can't count out the surprisingly solid Kentucky squad and the Spurrier-coached South Carolina. Man, it's amazing this conference can ever even put out a national champion.

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-10T11:58:44-05:00

c'mon.. it's OSU. tressel's got the same contract that cooper had, the one that apparently *requires* them to blow either the Michigan game or the bowl game every single year. one or the other, it's a given. i've never seen a franchise so *consistently* choke when faced with big games. (ok, maybe the cubs..)

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-10T11:59:57-05:00

but yeh, as an ohio native, i'm surprised columbus isn't in flames.

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-10T13:14:24-05:00

What do you mean blow a game? Has tressel blown a game before this one? MAYBE wisconsin after the 2003 National Championship, but I doubt you can name another.

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-10T14:09:03-05:00

'02 was flawless, i'll give you that.. but yeh, losing to wisconsin & michigan in '03, losing to half the big ten in '04.. but whenever i think of the buckeyes, i think of their incredible inability to win big games for most of the 90s. tressel is definitely a step up from cooper, but it still feels like they're a bit cursed when it comes to big games where they go in thinking it'll be a win..

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-10T14:20:24-05:00

Speaking of tanking, may I direct your attention to one Notre Dame. If they are ranked pre-season top 15, I will barf.

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-10T14:24:45-05:00

Norm Chow is the top candidate for the Arizona Cardinals job according to ESPN. Which is death. I don't have high hopes for Auburn, even if they were ranked #1 they always manage to fuck it up. That's all sports btw....except swimming.

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-10T14:27:43-05:00

How did they mess up this year? With Brandon Cox behind center and the loss of some amazing players I think they did pretty well. You don't want to be ranked #1.

I think Norm could do a lot with that offense, but their offensive line is a putrid pile of putrescence.

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-10T14:33:16-05:00

They barely won any of their games this year. They shanked that game vs Georgia too and blew whatever bcs berth they had going for them. I dunno, i'm a bitter Auburn fan i'm sorry :( haha

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-10T14:38:11-05:00

You're starting to sound like an Alabama fan, Paul.

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-10T21:23:07-05:00

Posted by: lucasjensenusaDo you think Carroll is going to leave? I wouldn't if I were him. He's got a sweet gig with a fantastic team and loyal fans there at USC.

Speaking of USC, how come Norm Chow isn't a head coach yet? Because he's Asian? I have to say, at this point, that factor has to be a part of it. I can't think of any other reason.

The SEC is going to be brutal next year. Auburn should be better. Georgia will DEFINITELY be better. Tennessee is on the way up. Alabama shouldn't get worse. LSU will suffer slightly without Russell, but not much. Arkansas will be improved. And Florida. Oof. They should only get more amazing from here on out. Should be fun to watch. You can't count out the surprisingly solid Kentucky squad and the Spurrier-coached South Carolina. Man, it's amazing this conference can ever even put out a national champion.

No way, Carroll is definitely staying for at least another year or two. He is a god here at USC and if he leaves for bigger pay, USC alumni will pony up whatever is necessary to keep him here.

Norm Chow might be the next Arizona Cardinals coach, which would be great. The thing is, he's an extremely humble guy who doesn't mind being just the offensive coordinator - I don't think he has actively pursued the head coach position as much as someone with his talent should. I've only met him once but he was super nice - his son used to cheat off of me in Spanish class all the time.

And the one thing I hated about Florida winning the championship was how much larger the SEC's ego is going to swell. There is no ceiling to how much better than everyone else every SEC team will feel now.

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-11T11:16:32-05:00

Well, um, it's because the SEC is a better conference? Besides the Big East's bowl record (against only a few big teams) look at the SEC's 6-3 record. And only the Tennessee-Penn State game was a serious loss. The other two were close. Listen, we hear a lot of crap here in the South about the Big Ten and the Pac-10, so it cuts both ways. I think the SEC acquitted itself nicely. There are six major programs here in this conference. How many are there in the others? 3? 4? It is home to some fantastic football. I will defend the SEC until the cows come home because it is the best football conference. No other conference produces more NFL players (although USC is a powerhouse and props up the whole Pac-10)...wait, I think that's true. Last year, UGA alone produced 8 draftees, I think. Look at poor, hapless Mississippi State produced Jerious Norwood, the best fourth quarter rusher in the NFL. I am proud of our egos because I believe we back it up.

I think that Norm Chow is humble, but I'm saying he should have been offered a head coaching job a long time ago. And I think him being Asian has been an impediment. Look at how many minority coaches there are, particularly in NCAA football. Not many at all.

Paul, wouldn't you love to see that USC-FL game now? And where are those calling for the Michigan-Ohio State rematch? Man, the Big Ten came out of this looking really bad.

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-11T11:38:59-05:00

It certainly did and theres not much that can be said about that other than just that. The Big Ten looked like ass this year. I think OSU looked especially bad due to their lack of confidence in the running game. Something we need to get back into, a tradition and heritage that seems to have been forgotten at OSU in the past few years.

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-11T11:48:50-05:00

Yeah. What happened there? Obviously, Troy Smith was having trouble. I don't buy the whole Big Ten Is Slower thing (remember Ron Dane?), but I will say that Florida dominated the line of scrimmage. Their defense just jumped past everybody. But the whole thing was wonky. Florida is not known as a defensive powerhouse in the SEC the way Auburn or LSU or even UGA is known. It's like OSU didn't watch any film on them. The coverage was jacked, too.

Off-topic: did you see the smackdown last night?

2007-01-11T11:58:58-05:00

as a big fan of what Norm Chow did for the Wolfpack and Philip Rivers in his short time in Raleigh I was kinda ticked that he wasn't offered the head coaching job at NC State. i know he's a west coast dude but man i would've loved having someone like him guiding our offense. kinda ticked Jimbo Fisher wasn't approached too. kinda ticked NCSU didn't go after someone like Houston Nutt. kinda ticked we didn't wait for Bill Cowher to retire just to tug at his heart strings a bit... offer him Nick Saban money or something.

eh, who am i kidding. anyway, big ups to the SEC. things are just going to get crazier once Alabama gets back on track.