Double Standards R' Us

Welcome Dawgs, watch out for the Gators, try to sniff out the Trojans hiding in here somewhere. Come on in and join we Buckeyes, in front of the fireplace ablaze with our dreams, hopes, fervant beliefs that we belong at the top of the college football universe. Warm your scarred souls with the heat of flaming derision from every chat room. We can all enjoy some humble pie and listen to tales told over and over of how overrated we all are. No team, perhaps in history, has been as scorned for losing four games in three seasons as Ohio State. Now you join us here in the heartbreak hotel, in the land of the overrated. Don't worry, we'll have more company soon. My question is will your serving of humble pie be as big as the Buckeyes?


A recent history

Buckeyes

2006, 12-1, defeated two #2 ranked teams (Texas and Michigan) lost to #2 Florida 41-14 in NC game.
-Consensus of opinion: Mediocre team in a bad confernce got outclassed by speedy SEC opponent.

2007, 11-2, lost to resurgent Illinois with an officiating crew that was fired after the season in no small part because of the miserable job they did in this and other games. Picked to finish 3rd in the Big Ten, they won it outright and watched seven teams in front of them lose in the final few weeks of the season. The blood bath that was the 2007 season allowed them to slip into the NC game vs. a powerful and experienced LSU. The score did not reflect the suicidal personal foul's which allowed LSU to extend their slight lead into a blowout by the third quarter, or the fact that OSU out-gained LSU by more than 2 yards per play and ended up losing by 14 with a team that had to replace 75% of its offensive production from the year before.
-Consensus of opinion: Confirmation that the SEC is far superior to the best the Big Ten has to offer past, present and future.

2008, #3rd ranked and Beanie-less Buckeye's lose big to #1 USC who took every opportunity to humiliate the most hated team in the history of college football.
-Consensus of opinion: Need we say more? The buckeye's are totally exposed, jokes of a team, in the worst conference in college football.

USC

2006, lost to unranked Oregon State early and UCLA in the final game of the regular season while ranked #3.
-Consensus of opinion: What? who? Don't look at us! Look at all the other upsets, at least we weren't humiliated in the national championship game.

2007, lost to Stanford (4-8) in the biggest upset of the season (not withstanding the Michigan loss to eventual 1-AA National Champion Appalachin State), and then to a Dennis Dixon led Oregon.
-Consensus of opinion: Stanford?!! Freaking Stanford?!! Oh wait look over there, it's Ohio State losing another National Championship game!

2008, the greatest team in the history of college football, who could beat half of the NFL, schools the most overrated team in the history of college football 35-3, then loses to unranked Oregon state, after a bye week, again.
-Consensus of opinion: Look there's Will Ferrell and Denzel Washington! Did we mention we beat Ohio State?

Florida

2006, lost to #10 Auburn away, whipped Heisman winner Troy Smith led Ohio State who were being touted as one of the greatest teams ever 41-14 with a frenzied spread-option attack led by next years Heisman winner Tim Tebow.
-Consensus of opinion: SEC speed + slow Big Ten = blowout.

2007, rebuilding team loses to #3 Auburn, #2 LSU, #19 Georgia, and Michigan in the citrus bowl.
-Consensus of opinion- Well gee I mean they lost most of their team from last year so what do you expect?

2008, #4 ranked Gators lose a shocker to unranked Ole Miss at home!
-consensus of opinion: Well golly, the SEC is soooo tough, how do you expect us to beat our own conference bottom feeders?

Georgia

2006, #9 Georgia blown out 51-33 by #14 Tennessee then lost to unranked Vanderbilt, #8 Florida and unranked Kentucky.
-Consensus of opinion. Disappointing season under King of coaches in waiting Mark Richt, who sniff, sniff, must slog through the SEC every year.

2007, pre-season #13 lost to #12 South Carolina and unranked Tennessee (again).
-Consensus of opinion: They finished strong against four ranked teams and set the stage for a national title run the following season.

2008, pre-season #1 gets manhandled by St. Nick Saban led Alabama 41-30 (not as close as the final score).
-Consensus of opinion: Wow look at how great Alabama is, I mean it's Nick Saban, national title winning St. Nick. Woe is us, we're forced to play SEC teams, boo hoo.

My opinion? The humiliation vs. Florida has irrationally soured the nation's opinion of Ohio State and the Big Ten. When other top teams lose games they shouldn't, to far worse teams than the three of the four OSU lost to, they get excused. When Ohio State loses to the #2 ranked team and two #1 ranked teams in three different seasons and two National title games they get excoriated from sea to shining sea.