A Long Week for Buckeye Fans
By: GUEST BLOGGER from The Buckeye Blog
It’s been a long week for Buckeye fans to say the least. Especially Buckeye fans such as myself who tend to be a little…shall we say…outspoken. At first it was shock and confusion. The day after game, Buckeyes could be found wandering the desert outside of Phoenix, searching for some centering point, trying to make sense of the travesty that had happened only mere hours before. The trip home didn’t help much either as the Phoenix airport was filled with National Championship t-shirts, shirts that I had hoped to fight over, to wear proudly into work on Wednesday. To make matters worse, hidden in the back of an airport magazine stand was a lonely rack of Ohio State sweatshirts, coats, etc. all selling at 50 percent off.
On Wednesday morning, Buckeye fans around the country returned to work only to find their offices newly decorated in Florida colors and a sudden abundance of Gator fans. People who knew nothing about college football were digging out orange sweaters that hadn’t seen the light of day since the 1970s. I’m sure to them it seemed funny and we all did our best to smile and laugh at the joke. Besides, it’s only a game…right?
Now, a week has passed, the fog is clearing and many of us have come to terms with the loss. Bottom line, Florida arrived prepared, determined and played a better game. Like Ohio State in ’03, when the Bucks beat Miami in the Fiesta Bowl to claim the National Championship, Florida had more than a month to hear the country question their very presence on the BCS Championship arena. Florida arrived hungry, with something to prove, and did exactly that.
And to take nothing away from Florida, the Ohio State team we watched in Glendale was not the Ohio State team we have watched all year. The Buckeyes lacked the fire and the confidence that we have seen this season. Let the pundits say what they will, the Ohio State team we watched last fall was not the team that gave up 27 pts to Florida this January.
To be honest, the entire BCS Championship game lacked the fire and passion that a National Championship game deserves. The extra week between bowl games and the BCS Championship killed the hype and excitement that makes a national championship game. I have been saying since November that for a Buckeye fan, anything after this year’s Ohio State/Michigan game would be an afterthought and the extra week only helped to assure this reality. After the college football marathon of New Year’s day and almost two months of hype (or lack of), by the time we finally got to the BCS Championship, nobody seemed to care. This year’s Rose Bowl got more attention then the BCS Championship game.
I have been fortunate enough to attend some of the biggest games in recent Ohio State history. These games include the ‘03 Fiesta Bowl against Miami, Texas in the Shoe in ‘05, this year’s Ohio State/Michigan game and although I didn’t get into this year’s BCS Championship, I was in Glendale and watched the game outside of the stadium.
What makes these big games so exciting is not just the game itself but the energy leading into the game. All of the games mentioned above had a such a buzz, such an excitement that by game time, you were ready to explode. All of those games except this one. In ‘03, the energy level in Phoenix was off the chart. Ohio State fans were everywhere and the entire city seemed to boil with excitement. And it wasn’t only the Ohio State fans. The entire city was looking forward to the big game in Tempe.
This year, however, the energy of those past games was missing. Once again Ohio State fans descended on Phoenix in force and did seem to outnumber Florida fans about 10-1 (before the game at least). This year, however, Phoenix did not have that same feeling and couldn’t even be compared to this year’s Ohio State/Michigan game.
Let’s face it, the new stadium in Glendale, while impressive, has the feel of a shopping mall. Its location on the far west side of Phoenix spread things out around the Phoenix area. Unlike in ‘03, where Tempe was the center of the Bowl festivities, Bowl events were spread miles apart. Glendale is a good 1/2 hour drive from Chase Field, site of the Ohio State pep rally. As for the town of Phoenix, they were back to work. Locals coming down off the buzz of the Fiesta Bowl were more concerned about traffic problems caused by the inconvenience of the BCS Championship than the game itself.
With the events of this week, it is also becoming obvious that many of Ohio State’s top players were looking past the BCS game to the upcoming NFL draft deadline. Only days after the game, a teary eyed Antonio Gonzalaz, who graduates this spring, announced that he would forgo his last year of eligibility to go pro. Then we heard of the emotional conflict Teddy Ginn was facing as he tried to decide if he would stay for another year only to see both him and Antonio Pittman announce their NFL intentions the day before deadline. While it is sad to see them go, Gonzo, Ginn, Pittman and Troy Smith have made for some great Ohio State moments and we wish them luck in the big show.
For Ohio State, I think our season ended back in November. The Game (Ohio State/Michigan), as it will forever be remembered, will go down as one of the biggest games not only in the history of the rivalry, but in the history of college football. January is a time for NFL playoffs and basketball, not leftover college football games.
Congratulations to Florida. They played a great game and deserved to win. Most of those Gators will be back again next year and they will be a force to be recognized. As for Ohio State, ‘07 will be a rebuilding year but there is a lot of talent waiting in the wings. Ohio State isn’t used to losing these days and this big loss may be good for the future of the program. It is a memory that returning Ohio State players will not want to repeat and may provide the motivation Coach Tressel needs to build a young team.
And don’t get too comfortable Florida. That young basketball team standing in your way come March will have learned a lot since you saw them in December. They will be hungry for a rematch.
It’s been a long week for Buckeye fans to say the least. Especially Buckeye fans such as myself who tend to be a little…shall we say…outspoken. At first it was shock and confusion. The day after game, Buckeyes could be found wandering the desert outside of Phoenix, searching for some centering point, trying to make sense of the travesty that had happened only mere hours before. The trip home didn’t help much either as the Phoenix airport was filled with National Championship t-shirts, shirts that I had hoped to fight over, to wear proudly into work on Wednesday. To make matters worse, hidden in the back of an airport magazine stand was a lonely rack of Ohio State sweatshirts, coats, etc. all selling at 50 percent off.
On Wednesday morning, Buckeye fans around the country returned to work only to find their offices newly decorated in Florida colors and a sudden abundance of Gator fans. People who knew nothing about college football were digging out orange sweaters that hadn’t seen the light of day since the 1970s. I’m sure to them it seemed funny and we all did our best to smile and laugh at the joke. Besides, it’s only a game…right?
Now, a week has passed, the fog is clearing and many of us have come to terms with the loss. Bottom line, Florida arrived prepared, determined and played a better game. Like Ohio State in ’03, when the Bucks beat Miami in the Fiesta Bowl to claim the National Championship, Florida had more than a month to hear the country question their very presence on the BCS Championship arena. Florida arrived hungry, with something to prove, and did exactly that.
And to take nothing away from Florida, the Ohio State team we watched in Glendale was not the Ohio State team we have watched all year. The Buckeyes lacked the fire and the confidence that we have seen this season. Let the pundits say what they will, the Ohio State team we watched last fall was not the team that gave up 27 pts to Florida this January.
To be honest, the entire BCS Championship game lacked the fire and passion that a National Championship game deserves. The extra week between bowl games and the BCS Championship killed the hype and excitement that makes a national championship game. I have been saying since November that for a Buckeye fan, anything after this year’s Ohio State/Michigan game would be an afterthought and the extra week only helped to assure this reality. After the college football marathon of New Year’s day and almost two months of hype (or lack of), by the time we finally got to the BCS Championship, nobody seemed to care. This year’s Rose Bowl got more attention then the BCS Championship game.
I have been fortunate enough to attend some of the biggest games in recent Ohio State history. These games include the ‘03 Fiesta Bowl against Miami, Texas in the Shoe in ‘05, this year’s Ohio State/Michigan game and although I didn’t get into this year’s BCS Championship, I was in Glendale and watched the game outside of the stadium.
What makes these big games so exciting is not just the game itself but the energy leading into the game. All of the games mentioned above had a such a buzz, such an excitement that by game time, you were ready to explode. All of those games except this one. In ‘03, the energy level in Phoenix was off the chart. Ohio State fans were everywhere and the entire city seemed to boil with excitement. And it wasn’t only the Ohio State fans. The entire city was looking forward to the big game in Tempe.
This year, however, the energy of those past games was missing. Once again Ohio State fans descended on Phoenix in force and did seem to outnumber Florida fans about 10-1 (before the game at least). This year, however, Phoenix did not have that same feeling and couldn’t even be compared to this year’s Ohio State/Michigan game.
Let’s face it, the new stadium in Glendale, while impressive, has the feel of a shopping mall. Its location on the far west side of Phoenix spread things out around the Phoenix area. Unlike in ‘03, where Tempe was the center of the Bowl festivities, Bowl events were spread miles apart. Glendale is a good 1/2 hour drive from Chase Field, site of the Ohio State pep rally. As for the town of Phoenix, they were back to work. Locals coming down off the buzz of the Fiesta Bowl were more concerned about traffic problems caused by the inconvenience of the BCS Championship than the game itself.
With the events of this week, it is also becoming obvious that many of Ohio State’s top players were looking past the BCS game to the upcoming NFL draft deadline. Only days after the game, a teary eyed Antonio Gonzalaz, who graduates this spring, announced that he would forgo his last year of eligibility to go pro. Then we heard of the emotional conflict Teddy Ginn was facing as he tried to decide if he would stay for another year only to see both him and Antonio Pittman announce their NFL intentions the day before deadline. While it is sad to see them go, Gonzo, Ginn, Pittman and Troy Smith have made for some great Ohio State moments and we wish them luck in the big show.
For Ohio State, I think our season ended back in November. The Game (Ohio State/Michigan), as it will forever be remembered, will go down as one of the biggest games not only in the history of the rivalry, but in the history of college football. January is a time for NFL playoffs and basketball, not leftover college football games.
Congratulations to Florida. They played a great game and deserved to win. Most of those Gators will be back again next year and they will be a force to be recognized. As for Ohio State, ‘07 will be a rebuilding year but there is a lot of talent waiting in the wings. Ohio State isn’t used to losing these days and this big loss may be good for the future of the program. It is a memory that returning Ohio State players will not want to repeat and may provide the motivation Coach Tressel needs to build a young team.
And don’t get too comfortable Florida. That young basketball team standing in your way come March will have learned a lot since you saw them in December. They will be hungry for a rematch.
posted by NCAA Football at 5:04 PM
1 Comments:
I'm just now starting to once again appreciate the 2006 season. It was a wonderful ride. The evening of 1/18/07 came down HARD on me, and the disappointment seemed to last longer than ususal. I go back to the 1969 game in Ann Arbor as my first Buckeye heartbreak, and severalothers since then (Rose bowl losses to Stanford, UCLA, USC in 70's, a few losses to UM in 90's and especially the loss to MSU in '98). They all hurt, but this one the most. I guess it hurts more because it was on the biggest national stage, and we were NEVER in the game! To play tough and come up a little short is certainly no fun, butthis one really was worse. It felt like I was a high school kid who just got pummeled by a big bad bully, in front of my girlfriend with the whole school watching.
I'm doing better now and am really looking forward to next fall. Yea, the B'ballers will be fun to watch and may even compete for a national title themselves, but they are only serving as a way to pass the time until September.
Go Bucks!
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