USA Today Preseason top 25

[BGGrad01]

They will make mistakes but limiting them is the key and the offense can bring them out of it.

I will caution you and other Buckeye fans to not fall into this sort of mindset. I think many of us on here had the same attitude about BG last year. "Yeah, the defense isn't that great, but our offense will be able to outscore anybody." Look at how far it got us. I think that sort of attitude may have even popped into defensive guys' heads at points during last season. The Buckeye offense is going to be pretty good, but defense wins championships. The D may be pretty good by year-end, but they have a lot to prove at the beginning of the season and the "we'll outscore them" attitude simply won't get it done over the course of the season.

[Falcons4Life]

Go Jayhawks!!!! Beat Toledo!!!

Thats all!!!

[tekekini]

They will make mistakes but limiting them is the key and the offense can bring them out of it.

I will caution you and other Buckeye fans to not fall into this sort of mindset. I think many of us on here had the same attitude about BG last year. "Yeah, the defense isn't that great, but our offense will be able to outscore anybody." Look at how far it got us. I think that sort of attitude may have even popped into defensive guys' heads at points during last season. The Buckeye offense is going to be pretty good, but defense wins championships. The D may be pretty good by year-end, but they have a lot to prove at the beginning of the season and the "we'll outscore them" attitude simply won't get it done over the course of the season.

ummm its actually quite a bit different. OSU's defense is very very good. BG's defense was very very bad.

Now OSU will make an occasional mistake. It will happen because of inexperience. What I am saying is that the offense is good enough to bail them out. They arent going to get 30-45 points scored on them. When they make a mistake they can overcome it.


BG made mistakes and they were horrible. they did give up 30 + points and they did it often. The Offense was not good enough to keep up.

Quite different.

Perfect Example is USC last year, how many times did the the Offense bail out the D. They have been to three title games in a row on a good D but not great, and a great offense.

Championships are won with Defense, maybe. But it doesnt have to be a great defense if the offense can not be stopped. It just has to be a good enough defense.

[Falconfreak90]

Freak, I gotta disagree with you on the Big 12 too. That conference sucked ass last year. Texas was the only legit top 15 team in that group, IMO, and as far as BCS conferences go that's weak. There were a ton of patsies that Texas rolled over last year. Even OU was weak last year.

Hammb,
While the Big 12 was down last year, to say it sucked is a stretch. The Big 12 North was definitely the weak side of the conference last year. The BCS conferences never suck...but they have years that aren't as good as usual. I suspect the Big 10 will be down this year but I won't say it sucks.
Right now, it looks like the SEC is the best conference going into the season.

[hammb]

Freak, I gotta disagree with you on the Big 12 too. That conference sucked ass last year. Texas was the only legit top 15 team in that group, IMO, and as far as BCS conferences go that's weak. There were a ton of patsies that Texas rolled over last year. Even OU was weak last year.

Hammb,
While the Big 12 was down last year, to say it sucked is a stretch. The Big 12 North was definitely the weak side of the conference last year. The BCS conferences never suck...but they have years that aren't as good as usual. I suspect the Big 10 will be down this year but I won't say it sucks.
Right now, it looks like the SEC is the best conference going into the season.

Since the BCS conferences are given so many advantages, when discussing them I hold them to a higher standard. Certainly a number of their teams were better than anything in the MAC last year, still as far as a BCS conference goes the Big 12 was very weak last year.

I have never really respected the Big12 because of the schedules they play. Year in year out those teams schedule ton of 1AA and other patsies to pad their OOC record. Seems like every team is 2-1 or 3-0 before they enter conference play.

[mmisbg]

I have to agree with hammb on his Big-12 statements. But then again, I think a lot of the BCS conferences haven't been what they have been cracked up to be.

IMO, the SEC is the only BCS conference last year that didn't get more respect than it actually deserved.

Not that I'm an SEC fan, let alone of any SEC team either. I just don't see how one could believe any different.

The nice part about the current ranking system.....it gives us all something to complain about. The bad part, we will really never have a level playing field in college football.

How ironic that football goes from one extreme to the other. IMO, college football rankings are the most screwed up of all sports. On the other hand, pro football has the most level playing field....once again, IMO. In pro, any team can go all the way in any given season. That just isn't the case in college.

Once again, this is why I follow BG, the MAC, and to heck with everybody else.

Go Falcons!

[Falconfreak90]

Freak, I gotta disagree with you on the Big 12 too. That conference sucked ass last year. Texas was the only legit top 15 team in that group, IMO, and as far as BCS conferences go that's weak. There were a ton of patsies that Texas rolled over last year. Even OU was weak last year.

Hammb,
While the Big 12 was down last year, to say it sucked is a stretch. The Big 12 North was definitely the weak side of the conference last year. The BCS conferences never suck...but they have years that aren't as good as usual. I suspect the Big 10 will be down this year but I won't say it sucks.
Right now, it looks like the SEC is the best conference going into the season.

Since the BCS conferences are given so many advantages, when discussing them I hold them to a higher standard. Certainly a number of their teams were better than anything in the MAC last year, still as far as a BCS conference goes the Big 12 was very weak last year.

I have never really respected the Big12 because of the schedules they play. Year in year out those teams schedule ton of 1AA and other patsies to pad their OOC record. Seems like every team is 2-1 or 3-0 before they enter conference play.

That's a good point, Hammb. I know a lot of the BCS leagues like to load up on 1-AA and lesser conf schools and they usually say "Well, our league sked is so tough". I am not disputing the Big 12 was down last year. But it certainly is no Sun Belt Conf either.