Alexander Hamilton used to say it was best to repay hatred with silent contempt.  But goblue’s inane posting comparing OSU to Hawaii has to be addressed.  Let’s take apart his “argument” (not, I fear, much in the way of heavy lifting).

First, goblue compares Hawaii’s 2007 41-10 loss to Georgia with OSU’s 2006 41-14 loss to Florida and OSU’s 38-24 loss to LSU.  Hmmm.  So we compare a team which has never played for the National Championship with a team which has played for the National Championship three times in the last six years (winning it once).  Perhaps it would have been a better idea to compare Hawaii’s and OSU’s recent records against Michigan.

Second, I’m not sure what to make of goblue’s comment that at least Wisconsin, Oregon, Penn State, and Kentucky could beat Hawaii.  Is he saying that OSU could not beat Hawaii?

Third, he argues that Ohio State did not have an off night against LSU.  Here he errs by being too conservative by half.  The least penalized team in the Big Ten had more penalties than the most penalized team in the SEC.  That’s not an off night.  That is a horror show. 

Goblue argues that OSU played “near its potential in that game.”  I guess he figures that 45 yards in personal fouls while “defending” against one of LSU’s scoring drives, two interceptions and one fumble from Todd Boeckman, a blocked chip shot field goal, and roughing the punter on fourth and 23 are things that OSU does all the time but somehow manages to win all its regular season games save one.  The truth is that the only OSU player who played near his potential was Chris Wells.

Which brings me to the fourth point, in which goblue argues that the OSU v. LSU game was “over from the beginning.”  As I recall, the begining of the game was 10-0 OSU with OSU dropping a sure touchdown pass in the endzone and having to settle for a field goal.  I guess he meant to say, the game was over after the beginning.  Perhaps he should break out his Winston Churchill quavering voice and say that “This is not the end, nor the beginning of the end, but it is the end of the beginning.”  If only he could do an imitation of anyone other than Clint Eastwood.  In fact, his unfortunate attempts to imitate Mr. Eastwood end up sounding way too much like Chuck Norris.

Fifth, he argues that “Georgia, USC, West Virginia and Kansas could have easily cleaned Ohio State’s clock.”  We’ll see about USC on September 13, 2008.  West Virginia couldn’t beat the University of Southern Florida nor Pittsburgh (and I’m not talking about the Steelers).  Kansas had an easier schedule last year than OSU and got throttled by Virgina Tech in their bowl game (by the way OSU will be playing Va. Tech in 2014 and 2015 for all of you “OSU plays an easy schedule” people).  Georgia was a good team this year, no doubt, and might have beaten OSU.  But I have a feeling that the Buckeyes would have matched up pretty well against a non-spread team like that.

Lastly, goblue postulates that an undefeated 2008 OSU team “may be given a token spot in a BCS game much like Hawaii was given this year” and further argues that “They won’t be given a shot at another national championship because they’ve only created that many more Buckeye haters around the country.”  Just so we’re straight on this, and so we can have a record of it:  the team that beats USC at USC, Wisconsin at Camp Randall, Michigan State in East Lansing, Penn State and Michigan won’t be regarded as a good team next year.

Sometimes, I get embarrassed for people who are so blinded by their hatred of OSU, which, by the way, they imagine that OSU has created.

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