BCS Post-Mortem

Before getting to the gory details, a quick note to our loyal readers. Astute visitors to this blog might have been wondered, "No Ohio State posts since December 30th?" No, I didn't drink myself into oblivion on New Year's, and I certainly didn't forget that the Buckeyes were playing in the BCS Championship for a second year in a row. But a few important things to note:

First, this blog celebrates the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, but tends to focus a great deal on recruiting. After the debacle of 2007 when overconfident OSU fans were more concerned with Ben Martin than Chris Leak, I thought it best not over-emphasize the recruiting aspect with game coming up.

Second, there are professional journalists from many publications and web sites that write articles breaking down title games, and fill their pages with heartwarming personal stories about the players. You can get that elsewhere, and I'd probably have to slap myself I got bored and thought, "You know what this world needs? Another Nader Abdallah/Katina story!"

Finally, those journalists I just referenced weren't very keen on the "professional" aspect of things the last few weeks. Ohio State was berated so much for being in the game that I'm surprised they didn't just politely decline. So I didn't watch or read much coverage at all prior to the game. Which sort of made commenting on it a fruitless exercise, like having a conversation with yourself.

So with that as a backdrop, a focused Ohio State team showed in hostile New Orleans prepared to exercise the demons from a year ago. And in this unpredictable year, when upsets reigned supreme, consistent Ohio State...flopped again. So exactly what can be taken from this game? And what to expect in the offseason?

*I thought LSU would come out of the gates fast - healthy, playing a virtual home game, and thinking they could run OSU right out of that godforsaken building. But it was the Buckeyes, frustrated by the lack of respect, that jumped out to a 10-0 lead. The offense looked crisp and the fans that tuned in were probably surprised to see that OSU fielded something other than a junior high squad. How could any Big Ten player outrun a player from the SEC? Of course it was all downhill after that.

*This is not more disappointing than last year. In fact, this is ony disappointing because of last year. Any rationale OSU fan will admit that this team overachieved. It's a credit to the coaches and players that they followed up a 12-1 season with an 11-2 season. But the Buckeyes were playing not because of an incredibly regular season. They were playing because more experienced, talented teams choked hard. Where are you USC, with your home loss to a 40+ underdog? And let's not forget how they were pushed to the limit by a Washington team that OSU mauled. West Virginia losing to Pitt? Kansas and Missouri failing to win with the title game in their grasp?

This was the equivalent of a bowl team getting pulled up but getting no recognition for it. And hey, I'm not asking anyone to feel bad for Ohio State, a huge juggernaut of a program. But the pre-game bashing was off-the-charts, and why? This team has just two senior starters (more on that later) and it's almost bad luck that they achieved this much. The team would have been better off perceptually with a dull 9-3 season and whomping some mid-level SEC or Pac-10 team in a January 1 bowl.

*If the last year was bad, the next one might be unbearable. OSU fans, who are plenty loud themselves, better be ready to take their lumps. You can expect a healthy dose of articles like this and this from columnists we already love to hate. So when Mike Freeman writes, "Ohio State brought it's slow-ass players and corn-fed bullies into New Orleans and were utterly embarrassed, 38-24, by a speedier, better-coached group. If Ohio State played in the SEC, it'd be known as Mississippi State." you've got to suck it up and take it.

*There can be no doubt that Jim Tressel's reputation as a big game coaching has been severely damaged. Just one year ago he was on the short list, boasting an incredible record in BCS games. But with back-to-back title game losses, right now he's the Marv Levy of college football. And if you don't want to hear about it from a redneck SEC fan whose team oversigns every year, you better find a Unabomber-style bunker with no Internet access. Maybe Vice President Cheney can suggest a quiet, hard-to-locate bungalow somewhere.

*Is there a silver lining here? There might be two. The first is that Ohio State's juniors have to be closer to staying than going. The fact is that Malcolm Jenkins and Jim Laurinaitis didn't look like sure-fire first round picks last night. Along with watching Ted Ginn struggle to get a win and Antonio Pittman slide in last year's draft, there has to be a great deal of motivation to return. The opportunity and the money might win out, but you could be looking at a very seasoned defense next year. Surely Brian Robiskie will be back, and our fingers are crossed on Alex Boone. I'm less confident about Marcus Freeman, but we've got plenty of talented linebackers.

The other issue is how to escape the current laughingstock status. If Ohio State played another slate like it did this year - creampuff non-conference foes (yes that means you, Pac-10 lovers) and a weakened Big Ten, they would be doubted all of the 2008 season. My stomach turns at the thought of even listening to one word from mark May's mouth next season. But don't worry. Just mark September 13 on your calendar. It's the date OSU visits mighty USC for a road game from hell. It went from the marquee matchup of the nonconference schedule to an absolute must have game for the Buckeyes. It is the only thing that can save their reputation, and will a very tall order to accomplish. That win is an iron-clad alibi for the program in '08, but a loss - especially an ugly one - will marginalize Ohio State on the national scene.

*So what about the actual title game? Despite the inexperience, Ohio State could have won. They needed to capitalize early when LSU was on its heels. Not punching in a TD on the second drive after that stupid penalty was bigger than it seems. Having Robiskie drop that TD pass was game-changing. When your best player is a power back like Beanie, you can't get down by more than 2 TD's. The nail in the coffin felt like the roughing the punter penalty at the beginning of the second half, because the defense was too deflated to make a stop on the ensuing drive.

*What was evident about this game? It nothing to do with SEC speed, that's for sure. The dominated the line of scrimmage, much like Illinois did. They ran the ball down OSU's throat, constantly putting themselves in third and short and putting together lengthy drives. I would ask the defensive line to play better, but you're asking Todd Denlinger (sophomore), Dexter Larimore (redshirt freshman) Cameron Heyward (true freshman) to play well above their experience level.

The OSU receivers had no creativity in their routes and had problems getting open. Ray Small looked like he was running a permanent fade pattern, and Hartline had no separation. Todd Boeckman played better than OSU fans are giving credit for, but he did look uncomfortable in the pocket at times. LSU was obviously bringing the house on third and long, so it's unclear to me why he seemed so rattled. It might have been the inconsistent performance of the offense line, which was decent at times but seemed to lose confidence as the game progressed.

I could go on, but it what would that accomplish? No time to look back, especially when the view is so hideous. Ohio State is just days away from having some top-notch recruits to Columbus, which is great timing with everyone feeling down right now. We've got a month left of Terrelle Pryor drama, so that should be fun too.

Mourning for another day or so before reviewing the all-star game performances...