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sakau2007
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to play for a national title, even if they had been eligible.
First, let's just be honest about Ohio State's 2012 season; They did not beat (or lose to) a top 20 opponent. They did not beat a top 25 team on the road or at a neutral site. They had a few close calls against some pretty mediocre competition, but also soundly beat some decent teams. After the dust settled, here were the best wins for Ohio State
#24 Michigan (26-21)
#25 Nebraska (63-38)
They also defeated Wisconsin on the road, 21-14 (in overtime). Though Wisconsin finished the year 8-6, I feel like they were probably a little bit better than their record indicated so I feel this win is worth mentioning. Ohio State's not so hot moments have been well-documented here... their escape against Purdue, their defense surrendering 49 points to Indiana (though they were never really in serious danger of losing this game).
Basically, what we have is a team that seems to be a little bit better than teams ranked in the 20-40 range; They didn't wow anybody, but despite their close calls, they didn't lose any games. It also needs to be noted that if they had played in the Big 10 championship game, they would have faced Nebraska again for the conference championship. Even if we assume Ohio State wins this hypothetical game, I don't think they really would have legitimized their season much more than it already was seeing as how they already handled Nebraska with relative ease. Also, in many cases these undefeated mid-majors did not get their marquee wins until bowl season, something Ohio State was not elgible for last year, and something that happens after the national championship game selection is made.
So the question becomes... would have and should have Ohio State gone to the BCS national title game over a 1 loss SEC champion? Well, we have seen in the past mid-majors go undefeated and been passed over (in some cases, not even really that close) to teams with losses. Let's examine these teams one at a time
Utah, 2008
13-0 (12-0 regular season, plus a solid 31-17 victory over SEC runner-up, #6 Alabama in the Sugar bowl)
Interestingly enough, it seems as if this Utah team was more accomplished than Ohio State and it really isn't that close. Besides defeating #6 Alabama, they also snagged three other quality wins over #7 TCU, #18 Oregon State and #25 BYU. Even still, this team was passed over in favor of two one-loss teams, Florida and Oklahoma. Perhaps Utah has a legitimate gripe for not getting a chance to play for the championship, perhaps they don't. However, it seems clear that Utah in 2008 definitely had a better resume than 2012 Ohio State, even at the time of the final BCS standings.
First, let's just be honest about Ohio State's 2012 season; They did not beat (or lose to) a top 20 opponent. They did not beat a top 25 team on the road or at a neutral site. They had a few close calls against some pretty mediocre competition, but also soundly beat some decent teams. After the dust settled, here were the best wins for Ohio State
#24 Michigan (26-21)
#25 Nebraska (63-38)
They also defeated Wisconsin on the road, 21-14 (in overtime). Though Wisconsin finished the year 8-6, I feel like they were probably a little bit better than their record indicated so I feel this win is worth mentioning. Ohio State's not so hot moments have been well-documented here... their escape against Purdue, their defense surrendering 49 points to Indiana (though they were never really in serious danger of losing this game).
Basically, what we have is a team that seems to be a little bit better than teams ranked in the 20-40 range; They didn't wow anybody, but despite their close calls, they didn't lose any games. It also needs to be noted that if they had played in the Big 10 championship game, they would have faced Nebraska again for the conference championship. Even if we assume Ohio State wins this hypothetical game, I don't think they really would have legitimized their season much more than it already was seeing as how they already handled Nebraska with relative ease. Also, in many cases these undefeated mid-majors did not get their marquee wins until bowl season, something Ohio State was not elgible for last year, and something that happens after the national championship game selection is made.
So the question becomes... would have and should have Ohio State gone to the BCS national title game over a 1 loss SEC champion? Well, we have seen in the past mid-majors go undefeated and been passed over (in some cases, not even really that close) to teams with losses. Let's examine these teams one at a time
Utah, 2008
13-0 (12-0 regular season, plus a solid 31-17 victory over SEC runner-up, #6 Alabama in the Sugar bowl)
Interestingly enough, it seems as if this Utah team was more accomplished than Ohio State and it really isn't that close. Besides defeating #6 Alabama, they also snagged three other quality wins over #7 TCU, #18 Oregon State and #25 BYU. Even still, this team was passed over in favor of two one-loss teams, Florida and Oklahoma. Perhaps Utah has a legitimate gripe for not getting a chance to play for the championship, perhaps they don't. However, it seems clear that Utah in 2008 definitely had a better resume than 2012 Ohio State, even at the time of the final BCS standings.
