The AP Poll was just released, and I truly expected to see the Buckeyes climb to #9. We were previously #11, and after #3 USC and #7 BYU both fell to unranked opponents, there was little doubt we should climb over them.
Nope.
Ohio State fell to #13 after a 38-0 win in which they gained over 500 yards of offernse.
Meanwhile, three teams leapfrogged us.
Seriously, what the hell did we have to do to move up?
California was TIED to a weak Minnesota squad in the fourth quarter and they climbed two spots to #6.
I understand that Toledo wasn’t the greatest team ever, but they WERE leading the NCAA in offense, and we shut them out. We did what good teams are SUPPOSED to do against weak competition, and they penalized us for it.
Why not penalize Penn State? They allowed Temple to score points….why do they get to keep their #5 ranking?
The Coaches Poll comes out later today….let’s see if the same asinine excuses drop the Buckeyes in that poll as well.
————
UPDATE – Some have suggested that USC’s loss to Washington meant that the Trojans are perhaps not as good as advertised, and therefore a loss to them drops us even further.
OK, perhaps…but then why did Oklahoma jump over us? Wouldn’t their loss to BYU make THEM look even worse now that the Fightin’ Mormons got curb-stomped?
UPDATE 2 – The Coaches Poll came out…we’re still #11. But Oklahoma did jump over us in that one, too.
September 20th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
I agree. I thought for sure at least one spot. Maybe USC stays above us. Crazy seeing these teams jump over the Buckeyes.
[Reply]
September 20th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
I think part of the problem was USC losing. There was no way you’d be ranked ahead of them. But with USC falling, it makes your loss look worse. If USC had won, I don’t think VT or OK leapfrog you. Losing to a top 3 team is nothing to be ashamed of. But losing to a #11 team, not that great.
[Reply]
September 20th, 2009 at 11:26 pm
“But losing to a #11 team, not that great.”
So why does OK jump OSU? They lost to BYU who is now #19!
[Reply]
September 21st, 2009 at 2:15 pm
I think what’s even worse about this is that the AP is supposed to be more educated than the coaches when it comes to the rankings…having the spoils of watching most of the games before they vote. With that in mind, everyone who watched both games should have realized that the team that lined up against the Huskies was not the same team that lined up against the Buckeyes. USC started Aaron Corp, and Taylor Mays did not play while in Seattle. USC losing that game should have had no bearing on Ohio State’s ranking, but it appears that it did slightly.
Miami deserves it, and Va Tech deserves it, too. But Oklahoma does not deserve to be ranked above us. So, we still would have dropped at least 1 spot because those teams simply had better wins. Georgia Tech is a better opponent than Toledo, and a ranked Nebraska team is better than Toledo. So, it’s not fair to diminish those wins if you would be championing Ohio State if the situation were reversed.
You can’t complain about Cal climbing. Minnesota was supposed to be a much-improved team this year, and did not represent a slouch of an opponent for the Bears. Cal’s Javon Ringer might win the Heisman, and it’s games like that which provide the resume. Cal deserves to move up after beating Minnesota on the road.
If we had beaten USC, we’d be the 2nd or 3rd ranked team in the nation, and no one would be complaining.
[Reply]