vs. 
Florida vs Ohio State (-7)
Posted on 01/03/2007 3:06:17 PM PST by MikefromOhio
vs.
Florida vs Ohio State (-7)
The BCS National Title game is being played in Glendale, Arizona and features the BCS #1 team and Big Ten conference champion Ohio State Buckeyes vs. the BCS #2 and SEC Conference champion Florida Gators.
Being that this is the National Title game as we know it, I’ll break it down by groups. Feel free to disagree if you like, but I’ll do my level best to keep it even here.
This is one of 3 critical match-ups in the game. The Ohio State offensive line is probably one of the best at the school in a decade. The Florida defensive line is renowned for stopping the run, but sometimes struggles to generate a pass rush. This is key as Troy Smith has proven that if, given time to throw, he will be able to connect. The key here is can Florida get a pass rush up the field and whether or not Ohio State can run the ball.
Advantage: Even
Not quite as key as the previous group. Ohio State can throw the ball on just about anyone and this will be the best passing game Florida has faced all year long. We will find out if Florida can cover 4 wide receivers as this is one of Ohio State’s base sets. On the flip side, while Michigan may be statistically the best rush defense, Florida has the better linebackers. Another key assignment for this back 7 of Florida is the containment of a running QB. Troy Smith has made it a point of emphasis that he is NOT a running Quarterback anymore, but I am of the opinion that he can and will make it a point to run at least 3 times in the first couple series of the game.
Advantage: Slight advantage to Ohio State
This part of the match up favors Ohio State by a rather large margin, especially in the kicking game. Ohio State has one of the most dangerous return games in the nation, with Ted Ginn returning both punts and kicks. Florida’s FG kicking has been atrocious all year long. If this can even out, the game will be much closer. If one side or the other can turn this part of the game into an advantage, then so much the better for their team.
Advantage: Ohio State
This is another part of the game that should favor Ohio State, but not by very much. If Ohio State is able to generate a pass rush on Chris Leak, this will force him to make throws under pressure, something he sometimes has issue with. Another thing that is key in this game, Ohio State must get off the blocks of the Florida offensive line to be effective in the run game. If the Florida offensive line is able to contain the Ohio State defensive line, then the Ohio State linebackers will need to come up and make plays, opening them up to reverses, end-arounds and the pass.
Advantage: Ohio State by a slim margin
Ohio State’s defense has forced some key turnovers all year long. Florida is one of the few teams in college football that matches up well in terms of personnel. I think Florida has enough talent and speed to keep this one interesting. It comes down to what I’ve described above, the Ohio State defensive line and if Chris Leak can make the throws to his players so they can make plays. If Chris Leak gets time, Florida should be just fine here.
Advantage: Florida
Troy Smith won the Heisman Trophy. Chris Leak led his team through arguably the toughest conference in the nation this year. Both are good QBs in their own right, but Troy Smith has the offense built around his skills while Chris Leak is a bit of a square peg in a round hole for the Urban Meyer offense. The Florida offense is geared more towards Tim Tebow, who is the wild card here, than someone of Chris Leak’s skill set. Leak might be more accurate on the hole, but Troy Smith has more depth to throw too. If Troy Smith is able to take over this game, it might be a long night for Florida.
Advantage: Ohio State
Some will say that Urban Meyer is playing with Ron Zook’s players, but given the nature of college football, that isn’t a fair analysis. Zook wasn’t able to win the SEC with these players, but Meyer did it in year 2. That should speak volumes. Oddly enough, Jim Tressel won a national title in his 2nd year at Ohio State with John Cooper’s players. Jim Tressel is 2nd only to Pete Carroll when it comes to big games. This will be a big test for Urban Meyer who is no stranger to the BCS himself (UTAH). There is a slight advantage here for Ohio State, being that it’s in Arizona (they’ve won 3 of the last 4 Fiesta Bowls, the other being the year Utah smoked Pitt), they expected to be here as early as last year. Meyer gets to play the “everyone is against us” card.
Advantage: Slight advantage to Ohio State
They don’t (or at least shouldn’t) take the field, but the crowd can be a factor in the game. In the 2002 Fiesta Bowl, Ohio State got their fans to pack that stadium, while Miami fans were pretty scarce except in a few sections. One thing I have an issue with, Ohio State fans had a full 2 weeks to get tickets before Florida had even qualified for the BCS National Title game. Expect a majority Ohio State crowd, but Florida will represent better than Miami did in 2002.
This could be a very good game. Or then again it might be a very lopsided game. I personally think that it will be close. Florida has played in hostile environs all year long in the SEC and no other conference can fully duplicate that. To win this game, Florida will need to score at least 30 points while holding down the Ohio State offense. For Ohio State, it’s about establishing their rhythm again and being the juggernaut that averaged 40 points a game their final 5 games of the year. Another thing Florida has, if you believe in streaks, is that Ohio State is 0-7 all-time against the SEC in bowl games and Troy Smith won the Heisman. Most Heisman Winning Quarterbacks have bad bowl games after getting the trophy.
For the fun of it, I have simulated this game on my PS2 using NCAA 2007 made by EA Sports. I’ve played both sides and I’ve let the computer play it as well. Kind of fun to speculate about, but each time the team that won the turnover battle won the game. Ohio State won it two times and Florida won it once. In real life, the turnover battle is important to the outcome as well. IF Chris Leak is able to avoid the bad throws, Florida has a real shot. If he throws a pick or two, Florida is in deep trouble.
My prediction: Ohio State 34 – Florida 27
There is no better WR tandem in college football than Gonzalez and Ginn, and yes, I meant to put Gonzalez first.
I hope for Florida's sake that they try to grind it out down by down rather than try to win on big plays. The only way to beat Tressel in big games is to do what he does best even better. Barry Alvarez was successful using this approach.
Even the Gator fans have to admit that the Florida Gators have a 800 pound gorilla in their hands. I wish the Gators all the best, they will need it.
Depends on "which" Florida shows up, the one who could take on OSU or the one who is like a deer being blinded by the bright lights of a oncoming car not knowing what had happened to them.
Go Bucks!!
“Hang On Sloopy”
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Ohio State is one of only three universities (the University of Michigan and the University of California being the others) to have won an NCAA national championship in baseball, basketball and football.
Ohio State has also won national championships in men's swimming & diving, men's outdoor track & field, men's golf, men's gymnastics, men's fencing, co-ed fencing, and synchronized swimming.[1]
Since the inception of the Athletic Director's Cup, Ohio State has finished in the top 25 each year, including top 6 finishes in three of the last five years.[2] During the 2005-2006 school year Ohio State became this first Big Ten team to win conference championships in football, men's basketball and women's basketball in the same season.
Outstanding sports figures that were student athletes at Ohio State include Jesse Owens (“The Buckeye Bullet”; track and field), John Havlicek, Jerry Lucas, and Katie Smith (basketball), Frank Howard (baseball), Jack Nicklaus (golf); and Chic Harley (three-time All-American football running back). Hall of Fame coaches at Ohio State have included Paul Brown and Woody Hayes in football, Fred Taylor in basketball, Larry Snyder in track and field, and Mike Peppe in swimming and diving. Notable sports figures in Ohio State history may be inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame.
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The Ohio State football team plays at Ohio Stadium (a.k.a. the Horseshoe or simply The 'Shoe), won the 2002 college football national championship at the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. It was the seventh national championship for the football team, which also topped the nation in 1942, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, and 1970. Although Ohio State University does not recognize championships won in 1933, 1944, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, and 1998, various organizations awarded it the national championship, reaching a total of 14 titles.
Five former Ohio State head coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame: Howard Jones, John Wilce, Francis Schmidt, Woody Hayes, and Earle Bruce. The coach perhaps most strongly associated with Ohio State football was the colorful and legendary Woody Hayes (1913-1987), who passionately taught players and students that a person succeeds in life through "outworking" the opposition. Other notable former Ohio State head coaches include Paul Brown and John Cooper.
The Buckeye football team boasts six Heisman trophy winners including the only two-time winner Archie Griffin (in 1974 and 1975), Les Horvath (1944), Vic Janowicz (1950), Howard “Hopalong” Cassady (1955), Eddie George (1995), and Troy Smith (2006). Ohio State is a part of the intense athletic Ohio State-Michigan Rivalry (particularly in football). The University of Michigan leads the historical series 57-40-6, but Ohio State is 5-1 in the game since Jim Tressel became its coach in 2001.
The OSU/UM game has been called the greatest rivalry in sports by ESPN.[3]
Five Ohio State football players were drafted in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Three of them were defensive players, including two outside linebackers (A. J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter). Other Ohio State players drafted in the first round were strong safety Donte Whitner, wide receiver Santonio Holmes, and center Nick Mangold. Cornerback Ashton Youboty and inside linebacker Anthony Schlegel were drafted in the third round. Safety Nate Salley and offensive guard Rob Sims were selected in the fourth round.
The Daily Oklahoman ranked Ohio State the number one school for running backs in the nation in a July 10, 2006 sports section article.
Men's Basketball
Ohio State's men's basketball team has played in nine NCAA Final Fours, winning the championship in 1960, when they were led by Basketball Hall of Famers Jerry Lucas and John Havlicek. Twenty-three times a Buckeye has been named first team All American including five two-time All Americans and one three-time All American. Between 1960 and 1964 Ohio State won five consecutive Big Ten championships, an achievement that has yet to be matched.
Ohio State's two golf courses, the Scarlet and the Gray, were completed in 1938. The Scarlet was designed by architect Alister MacKenzie, who designed the Masters course at Augusta National. However, his original design was not implemented fully, and the greens were the only part of the course that truly resembled his designs. Golf magazines annually rate the Scarlet Course as one of the top collegiate courses in the nation. The Scarlet recently underwent a $4.2 million renovation under the supervision of Jack Nicklaus. Ohio State has won the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships in 1945 and 1979. Five times, Buckeye men have won the NCAA golf individual championship: John Lorms in 1945, Tom Nieporte in 1951, Rick Jones in 1956, Jack Nicklaus in 1961 and Clark Burroughs in 1985.
Ohio State has been the dominant program in the first 30 years of national collegiate synchronized swimming competition. In the team event, Ohio State won 24 collegiate championships between 1977, the first year of the collegiate national championships, and 2004. Head coach Mary Jo Ruggieri led the team to 17 titles between 1977 and 1995, and Linda Lichter-Witter added seven more since 1996. Ohio State also has taken 61 individual titles in that span, including 11 by Karen and Sarah Josephson.[6]
Ohio State has produced over one hundred Olympic athletes, most notably Jesse Owens who won four Olympic gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and is often considered the greatest Olympian in history. In all, 45 Ohio State athletes have combined for a total of 72 Olympic medals which includes 32 gold, 25 silver and 15 bronze medals. Were Ohio State to be considered as a separate nation, it would rank 31st for all time medalists and 26th for all time gold medalists.[7]
The Ohio State school colors of scarlet and gray were chosen by a committee of three students (Curtis C. Howard, Harwood R. Pool, and Alice Townshend) prior to the school's first graduation ceremony in 1878. The committee's original recommendation was to be orange and black. The committee soon discovered that Princeton already used the colors, however, and changed their recommendation.[8] For this reason some references claim that Ohio State's original school colors were orange and black. This claim is not quite accurate, in that the committee never filed the original report with that recommendation.
Team Colors: Scarlet and Gray
Fight Songs: Across the Field, Buckeye Battle Cry (Hang on Sloopy also popular)
Nicknames: Buckeyes, “The Bucks”
Mascot: Brutus Buckeye
* Marching Band: The Ohio State University Marching Band, known as TBDBITL, or The Best Damn Band In The Land. Famous for "Script Ohio" and the "Ramp Entrance".
** The dotting of the "i" in "Script Ohio" by a sousaphone (tuba) player who high-kicks out and does a giant bow to the crowd was voted the #1 greatest sports tradition ever, in Athlon Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated.
Main article: List of Ohio State University people
Ohio State currently has almost 400,000 living alumni located around the world. Ohio State alumni include Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize and Medal of Honor recipients, as well as Fortune 500 CEOs and members of the Forbes 400 list of the world's wealthiest individuals. Numerous graduates have gone on to become Governors, Senators and members of Congress. Ohio State alumni have appeared on the cover of TIME twelve times, with the artwork of alumnus Roy Lichtenstein featured on an additional two TIME covers.
Ohio State alumni are enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, the NFL Hall of Fame and the Basketball Hall of Fame. Its athletes have won a combined seventy-two Olympic medals and twice received the Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete. Jack Nicklaus, has often been called "the greatest golfer in history" while Jesse Owens, has often been called "the greatest Olympian in history." Twice, Ohio State alumni have graced the cover of Sports Illustrated as its Sportsman of the Year.
This list of largest United States higher education institutions by enrollment includes only individual four-year campuses, not four-year universities. Universities can have multiple campuses with a single administration. Enrollment numbers listed are the sum of undergraduate and graduate students at a single campus.
Top 10 as of Fall 2006
Physics Research Building
Ohio State’s faculty currently includes a Nobel Prize winning physicist, as well as twenty members of the National Academy of Sciences or National Academy of Engineering, three members of the Institute of Medicine,[17] and 127 elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[18]
In the last quarter century, thirty-two Ohio State faculty members have been awarded the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, which is more than all other public and private Ohio universities combined.[19] Since the 2000/2001 award year, thirty-nine Ohio State faculty members have been named as Fulbright Fellows, the highest of any Ohio university.[20]
See also:
And the Buckeyes are going to face the best team they've faced all year (How Conveeeeenient, they didn't have to face Wisconsin in Big 10 play).
No different than playing Northern Illinois or Bowling Green.
Bowl Teams UF played this year.
Southern Mississippi - Beat Ohio 28-7
Tennessee - Lost to Penn State 20-10
Kentucky - Beat Clemson 28-20
Alabama - Lost to Oklahoma State 34-31
LSU - Beat Notre Dame 41-14
Auburn - Beat Nebraska 17-14
Georgia - Beat Virginia Tech 15-12
South Carolina - Beat Houston 44-36
Florida State - Beat UCLA 44-27
Arkansas - Lost to Wisconsin 17-14
Florida's Opponents record in bowls 7-3!!!
Ohio State's Bowl Teams
Texas - Beat Iowa 26-24
Cincinnati - Beat Western Michigan 27-24
Penn State - Beat Tennessee 20-10
Iowa - Lost to Texas 26-24
Minnesota - Lost to Texas Tech 44-41
Michigan - Lost to USC 32-18
Ohio State's Opponents Record in bowls: 3-3
So let's not go there, on strength of schedule.
LOL! We all agree that USC is the best in the nation? Where did that come from? I love USC and I'm eating my heart out that we blew our shot at the title game. But if we couldn't beat UCLA, we aren't the best. I'll settle for #2 -- not bad for a "rebuilding" year! If we had to blow it, I'm glad that Florida got in so we can finally put to rest all the whining about how tough the SEC is and how unfair it is that they never get invited to the dance.
I don't like a playoff system. I don't like do-overs. (Can you imagine if Michigan got a do-over in the title game?) I like the fact that every game counts in college football. That is what makes the whole season exciting. I'm sorry USC blew the easy ones, when clearly they have the talent to win the big ones. But, that is the way it goes.
LOL! I love the way your list boasts an "adult film" actor!
hadn't really noted that! Same age as my son who is also a body builder! That is where the similarities end!
Go Bucks..
Dear NCAA:
I am watching the BCS National Championship, but I did not watch any other "Bowl" games. Why bother. How about a National playoff system? The top 32? or top 16? or top 8? This way I would watch a lot of post-season games, not just one.
Anyways....Go Buckeyes!
Two hours from the game....
I'll try to get another ping in before I have to get to where I'm watching the game.....
I hope the teams aren't rusty coming off their month long "byes".
"We all agree that USC is the best in the nation?"
They have a legitimate chance to enter the 2007 season ranked #1 and a reasonable prospect of running the table for the 2007 season - alot depends on how they rebuild their run offense for 2007...
USC didn't deserve to be in the NC game after losing to UCLA - IMO
Sports bar?
Big Ten vs SEC in the last decade is 10-2 according to the various annual bowl records.
What does that record mean when you say the SEC has the toughest schedule?
I spoke to my good friend at 4pmEST this afternoon and he was in the parking lot with six other couples from Columbus. He said the OSU fans outnumbered FU fans by "a thousand to one". He said the parking lot was a sea of scarlet and grey.
Lots of OSU fans at the game.
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