Growing up in the state of Ohio when I did, I grew very familiar with the state's disdain towards the media's praise of the SEC during the conference's reign of terror on college football. It seemed whatever ESPN affiliated channel you turned to another analyst would be on air proclaiming any football team outside of the conference as basically irrelevant. Now, over two years during my time attending the University of South Carolina, I've experienced the annual, Southern obsession with the lack of quality opponents on the Ohio State schedule. Clay Travis and Paul Finebaum make a living and wrote a book, respectively, on the sentiment. It's only September 9th, and I'm already tired of the complaints from both sides. Buckeye fans, the SEC is the most talented and deepest conference in football. Whether you want to look at recruits that come in each fall or draft picks that depart each spring, that fact can't be successfully disputed no matter how hard you try. SEC fans, Ohio State is built like one of your best teams and recruits better than most of your teams, but since the school is located in the Midwestern United States, their schedule isn't going to get more difficult until Purdue starts pulling in recruits from Florida. However, not a single eighteen year old football player dreaming of the NFL is going to choose to spend a few years, and what he believes should be the best years of his life, in West Lafayette, Indiana. Since this seems to be confusing to both parties and the source of fiery debate year after year, I've decided to take my stand. Embrace each other for what you offer and move on. It really shouldn't be that hard. Read your appropriate letter, or read them both, and let's end this ridiculous topic once and for all.
Dear Buckeye Nation,
In this week's Associated Press Poll, 10 of the 25 teams ranked play in the SEC. TEN!!! FORTY PERCENT!!! AN ENTIRE DIVISION OF THE CONFERENCE IS RANKED!!! And one week into the season, that's exactly how it should be, Buckeye Nation. Who should be in there, especially from the Big Ten? Northwestern might have a case after beating Stanford. Minnesota held tough against TCU, but ended up falling short of pulling the upset. Wisconsin got steamrolled by Alabama. Penn State conceded 10 sacks to Temple's defense and lost by 17. Michigan lost in Jim Harbaugh's highly touted debut. Indiana needed a failed two point conversion by Southern Illinois to escape with a win. The SEC's cannibalization will take place soon enough. If a 6-6 Ole Miss is ranked at the end of the season, your gripes will hold more merit, but for now, don't waste your breath.
Sure, the SEC had a terrible bowl season. But anybody familiar with statistics would tell you drawing a conclusion that the SEC is dead or overrated with such a small sample size would be extremely ignorant and mathematically flawed. The SEC's depth was vindicated this past Saturday in an impressive fashion. Texas A&M embarrassed an Arizona State team our own Kirk Herbstriet picked to make the College Football Playoff. Texas A&M was picked 6th or 7th in their division in just about every single preseason poll (If you're looking for a solid value bet, I'd recommend taking the Aggies to win the SEC or the National Championship FWIW). Over the next several weeks, expect to see the undefeated SEC teams shoot up the rankings. It's an autumn tradition as well entrenched in American society as the Pumpkin Spice Latte at this point. Come November? Remember Mississippi State and Ole Miss? The weakest of the bunch will get exposed over time, and other conferences will be better represented in the polls. However, the teams that do run through the gauntlet of the SEC will be deservedly rewarded with a spot towards the top of the poll.
Many of you likely believe the SEC's rankings are attributed to some sort of inherent bias. Think about it for a second, though. The best of the best is always favored and more beloved by the media in sports. The Western Conference has a much more compelling playoff picture than the Eastern Conference in the NBA each year, and the coverage and discussion reflects this. The ACC and Big Ten are the two deepest conferences in college basketball and rightfully get more attention in March. A team with a losing record won the NFC South last year, so little attention or respect was given to the Carolina Panthers for their "feat". The great thing about sports is the undeserving underdog is given a chance to prove themselves when it matters most. And in the grand scheme of things, David beats Goliath quite frequently in the big games. Look at your own team from last year. Be thankful there aren't a lot of strenuous tests along the way for the Buckeyes. Ohio State should get to November unscathed, and most likely, unchallenged. Then, if The Grind continues to go according to plan, come New Year's Eve, a quality opponent will await. Until then, mute Clay Travis, ignore Paul Finebaum, and give a Joey Bosa sized shrug to all the haters. Your team and your band are still the best in the land. Rest easy on those facts and graciously await the next battle of Ohio versus the World.
O-H!
J. Nave
Dear SEC Supremacists,
In this week's Associated Press Poll, 10 of the 25 teams ranked play in your conference. TEN!!! FORTY PERCENT!!! AN ENTIRE DIVISION OF YOUR CONFERENCE IS RANKED!!! And one week into the season, that's exactly how it should be. Alabama's defense seems primed to invoke the dominating play of teams from a few years prior. Texas A&M delivered arguably the most complete performance of the weekend. Ole Miss hung 76 on poor UT-Martin. South Carolina and Auburn both beat quality opponents. Florida looked great in their first game under Jim McElwain. The laurels could go on for several paragraphs. Except for lowly Vanderbilt, the SEC did a perfect job of crushing the Pac 12's claim for the (grid)Iron Throne. The competition for the Western division will be a hellacious marathon. The Eastern division race will benefit from an improved Tennessee. The next twelve weeks will be incredibly fun, overwhelmingly stressful, and deliver some of the best and most competitive games of the season.
Sure, the Big Ten had a horrible first week, but anybody familiar with statistics would tell you drawing a conclusion that Ohio State's schedule is nothing more than roadkill with such a small sample size would be extremely ignorant and mathematically flawed. Teams improve over the course of the season. Albeit the likelihood of an opponent outside of Michigan State improving to LSU, Auburn, or Alabama's level might seem slim, you never know what can happen. Even if nobody else in the conference does rise to the challenge, it's not like Ohio State can ask for a different schedule. Trust me, their fans don't want to go watch Ohio State beat Indiana, Rutgers, Penn State, and Maryland by fifty points. They would love marquee opponents and close games. Urban Meyer and the coaching staff would love to be challenged by more competitive opponents to serve as better preparation for the College Football Playoff. Meyer figured out how to solve what Nick Saban, Les Miles, and Steve Spurrier threw at him. Creating a game plan against Kevin Wilson, Randy Edsall, and Bill Cubit just isn't the same thing. Cardale Jones, Ezekiel Elliott, and the rest of the players would love to prove themselves against other highly ranked NFL Draft prospects. Did you see their Twitter accounts after the win against Virginia Tech? They talk trash like a high school team. It's refreshing and hilarious. They'll get bored putting up ridiculous numbers against mediocre opposition the next two months. And luckily for "y'all", that might increase the chances of one of your teams beating the Buckeyes come New Year's Eve.
Many of you hate Ohio State after developing some sort of internal bias, based on my conversations. Maybe you think they're overrated? Losses to Florida, LSU, and other similar teams on the big stage used to be associated with Buckeye football, but those games took place nearly a decade ago. Maybe you think Urban Meyer is a coward for fleeing to the Big Ten? Well, he left Florida when Jim Tressel was still the beloved figurehead of the university and the namesake for countless dogs in the Buckeye State, so that logic doesn't hold up. Maybe you hate them because you don't think their weak schedule is fair? Well, life isn't fair, especially in sports. Teams have weaker schedules than their competitors all the time and that won't ever change. Maybe you hate Ohio State because you just love to hate them? Well, that's perfectly reasonable, but focus your hate on the program and what it can control, instead of their schedule which is severely predicated by the other teams in their conference. Maybe you hate Ohio State because it's basically located in the birthplace of Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman? Well, that's probably the most reasonable justification you can have. He didn't treat the South very well.
At the end of the day, the champion of the SEC is practically guaranteed a playoff berth. That means one of your teams will get a shot at Ohio State this year, and every year in the foreseeable future, should Urban Meyer's recruiting continue. And if they don't? That means Ohio State probably lost a game to an inferior opponent, which means you'll have more fuel for the Buckeye hate machine for years to come. Until New Year's Eve, pray your team survives the cannibalization, root for Illinois to shock the world, and if Ohio State awaits, seize the opportunity to bring the Buckeyes back down a peg. But please spend your fall weekdays analyzing Chick-Fil-A's menu instead of Big Ten football. The former is much more fulfilling than the latter anyways.
Hotty Toddy
J. Nave
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