Post by thevictors09 on Jul 8, 2009 8:38:27 GMT -5
Jul 7, 2009 23:33:59 GMT -5 @thevictors09 said:
Let me put it this way ... as a fellow BigTen Alum and fan ----If Ohio State doesn't beat this USC team this year, the critics and criticism will be very harsh. You guys know I spend more time in Pac10 country than anywhere and this year's USC team is being projected as one of the most inexperienced in Carroll's tenure. If OSU can't avenge the loss in LA last year with a win in Columbus against this year's young SC team, the national media will be brutal.
And no amount of "well, at least we beat Michigan" will get any amount of cred outside of Columbus. Is there a team in CFB more in need of a big out of conference win than OSU? Beating Frosh QB Colt McCoy in Austin was good and all, but if there was ever an opportunity to take SC down a notch, early this year is it.
It's funny that critics would be less harsh if OSU got clobbered against USC then just sucked the rest of the season and critics would leave us alone saying we're just inexperienced. But, if we win out then we're overrated and the Big Ten sucks. Sort of funny how that works.
seriously, but in this case SC has pretty much trampled the "BigTen elite" over the past few yrs - Michigan, Illinois, Penn State and OSU - and the national perception is that OSU and Tressel have done "less with more" when it comes to the big stage and for that reason, I think the pressure to beat SC at home this Fall is huge.
But the SC team this year is very short on experience (as talented as they may be accd to Scout and Rivals) and catching the team earlier in the season versus later should be a big advantage.
