Ohio State President says BSU and TCU don't deserve title shot

[FirstTimer]

Even if TCU and Boise State run the table, they still don't deserve to be in the Bowl Championship Series title game, Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee said Wednesday.



In an interview with The Associated Press, the president at the university with the largest athletic program in the country said that TCU and Boise State do not face a difficult enough schedule to play in the national championship game.

''Well, I don't know enough about the Xs and Os of college football,'' said Gee, formerly the president at West Virginia, Colorado, Brown and Vanderbilt universities. ''I do know, having been both a Southeastern Conference president and a Big Ten president, that it's like murderer's row every week for these schools. We do not play the Little Sisters of the Poor. We play very fine schools on any given day. So I think until a university runs through that gantlet that there's some reason to believe that they not be the best teams to (be) in the big ballgame.''

Gee, long an admirer of the BCS and the current bowl system, said he was against a playoff in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

''If you put a gun to my head and said, 'What are you going to do about a playoff system (if) the BCS system as it now exists goes away?' I would vote immediately to go back to the bowl system,'' he said.

He said the current system is better for the student-athletes.

''It's not about this incessant drive to have a national championship because I think that's a slippery slope to professionalism,'' he said. ''I'm a fan of the bowl system and I think that by and large it's worked very, very well.''

He cited Ohio State's presence in the 2007 national title game as an example.

The Buckeyes won their first 10 games that season to rise to No. 1 before losing 26-21 at home to unranked Illinois. They fell all the way to No. 8 in the BCS rankings.



A series of upsets over the final weeks of the regular season and in other team's conference championship games led to the Buckeyes climbing all the way back to the No. 1 spot in the final BCS rankings. They were matched against an LSU team with two losses.

Ohio State led 10-0 early only to have LSU come back and score the next 31 points in a 38-24 victory at the Louisiana Superdome.

''You know, it's a mystery,'' Gee said. ''We were No. 1 then No. 11 then No. 7 and we ended up playing for the national championship. I think I kind of like that mixed-up mystery.''

While he was at Vanderbilt, Gee abolished the athletic department since it was underwritten by the university's general fund anyway. He said he has no problem with an Ohio State program that fields 36 intercollegiate varsity teams and has an annual budget exceeding $120 million.

''Here, athletics pays for itself and also pays for academic programs at the institution,'' he said. ''The other thing, of course, that I take a look at and see how well we are doing in terms of that notion of balance, which is what I was all about at Vanderbilt, which I am all about here.''

He said Ohio State's eighth-ranked football team, which plays rival Michigan on Saturday, is in the top 10 in the nation not only on the field but also in terms of academic progress.

''That's the kind of balance I want to have,'' he said.

He sounds like an idiot.

 

[Goober]

Indiana
Purdue
Minnesota
Illinois
Northwestern
Michigan

Half the Big 10 is shit. There's a reason the computers hate Wisconsin and Ohio State in the polls.

 

[Rush]

If that is true why don't they put BSU and TCU on their schedule next season? We'll see who deserves it.

 

[Goober]

For the record, I'd love to see Wisconsin start scheduling better out of conference opponents. I'm tired of watching the Badgers play shit schools like Austin Peay and Wofford. The games suck. In the past, Big schools really haven't had motivation to schedule tough out of conference opponents because an undefeated/one loss conference champion from the Big 10 or SEC is basically a shoe in for the NCAA championship game. If they get snubbed this year in favor of Boise/TCU it might be enough to get them to schedule better teams.

Also LOL at this coming from Ohio State, a school that stands a good chance of missing out on a BCS Bowl all together. Assuming no one losses, Auburn, Oregon, TCU, Boise St, LSU, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Pitt, Virginia Tech and Stanford will all get in ahead of the Buckeyes.

 

[FirstTimer]

If that is true why don't they put BSU and TCU on their schedule next season? We'll see who deserves it.

I don't think that's the point. BSU and TCU can schedule a tough game or two but they don't go through the grinder other teams do. OhSt scheduling TCU or BSU early doesn't really do anything to prove his point wrong(whether I agree with it or not)

 

[ralaw]

He has a point about the schedules not being "fair," but he losses me with saying if the BCS system went away we should go back to a bowl system.

 

[Hasselbeck]

Had no idea that JeremyHight was president at tOSU.

 

[Hasselbeck]

BTW you can see what he means by murderers row this year:

Ohio
Eastern Michigan
Marshall
Indiana
Illinois
Purdue
Minnesota

Yeah that's brutal. How does Ohio State survive every year?

 

[ralaw]

Yeah, I've always wondered why Ohio St. doesn't get downgraded for always playing a weak schedule. Traditionally outside of Michigan, Wisconsin and maybe Iowa their schedule is usually pretty lame.

 

[Sportsbuck]

This is why university Presidents need to stick to academia. Gee is the highest rated and most recognizable university president in the nation, but he needs to leave this debate to his athletic department, and with all of his comments all it is doing is reflecting poorly on OSU and putting an even bigger target on our backs.

For the record, OSU was supposed to open 2009 against TCU, who ended up backing out, and OSU promptly scheduled Navy.

Also LOL at this coming from Ohio State, a school that stands a good chance of missing out on a BCS Bowl all together. Assuming no one losses, Auburn, Oregon, TCU, Boise St, LSU, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Pitt, Virginia Tech and Stanford will all get in ahead of the Buckeyes.

If OSU wins out, we'll be in a BCS bowl. No ifs, ands, or buts about it, OSU has the largest alumni base in the country, is one of the most recognizable programs in the country, and will bring a ton of $ to New Orleans, Glendale, Miami or whichever one we end up in.

BTW you can see what he means by murderers row this year:

Ohio
Eastern Michigan
Marshall
Indiana
Illinois
Purdue
Minnesota

Yeah that's brutal. How does Ohio State survive every year?

2010: Miami
2011: Miami
2012: Cincinnati (Not looking as good now), California (Who we're trying to drop for a better team)
2013: California
2014: Navy, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech
2015: VT
2016: Oklahoma
2017: Oklahoma
2018: Tennessee
2019: Tennessee

Ohio State isn't afraid to play anybody. We've had home and homes with Washington and Washington State back when they were playing for Rose Bowls, NC State when they had Philip Rivers, Texas, USC, Miami and you can see where we're going in the future. I would still like to see us upgrade our schedule even further, adding another BCS program to the schedule. OSU is required to play one Ohio school per year, by state law (Which this year was OU, who is line to play for the MAC title next year). So that knocks out one non-conference game. I would love to see us schedule another BCS conference opponent, or even a Utah, Boise State, or a TCU.

Oh, and for the record, next year OSU has to play at Miami FL, at Nebraska, at Michigan, while hosting Michigan State, Wisconsin, Penn State, in addition to a possible Big Ten title game.

 

[clovett]

lolosu

 

[NAHSTE]

He lost when he equated the SEC with the Big Ten. The Big Ten is not a murderous row at all this year. Teams like Indiana and Purdue are fucking shit.

TCU would go 11-1 or 12-0 in the Big Ten this season. Ask me how I know this? Because Michigan State is currently 10-1 in the Big Ten.

 

[Sportsbuck]

He lost when he equated the SEC with the Big Ten.

Maybe the SEC East.

 

[NAHSTE]

Maybe the SEC East.

Agree with you there, historically bad year for the East. But the 4th place team in the SEC West will be 10-2 this year, and the 5th place team could be 8-4.

 

[Hasselbeck]

2010: Miami
2011: Miami
2012: Cincinnati (Not looking as good now), California (Who we're trying to drop for a better team)
2013: California
2014: Navy, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech
2015: VT
2016: Oklahoma
2017: Oklahoma
2018: Tennessee
2019: Tennessee

Ohio State isn't afraid to play anybody. We've had home and homes with Washington and Washington State back when they were playing for Rose Bowls, NC State when they had Philip Rivers, Texas, USC, Miami and you can see where we're going in the future. I would still like to see us upgrade our schedule even further, adding another BCS program to the schedule. OSU is required to play one Ohio school per year, by state law (Which this year was OU, who is line to play for the MAC title next year). So that knocks out one non-conference game. I would love to see us schedule another BCS conference opponent, or even a Utah, Boise State, or a TCU.

Oh, and for the record, next year OSU has to play at Miami FL, at Nebraska, at Michigan, while hosting Michigan State, Wisconsin, Penn State, in addition to a possible Big Ten title game.

None of those future opponents save for Oklahoma 8 years from now (lol) are remotely as dangerous as TCU and Boise State as of today.. granted a lot can change and those schools can become very good.. but if you want to talk shit about TCU and Boise for having soft schedules and feeding off that for a overblown ranking - simple solution - schedule them, beat them, and show them to be the fraud you think they are.

Of course they won't do that.. they'd rather schedule Miami, (who hasn't been relevant in the national title picture in almost 8 years), Cincinnati (an in-state school they SHOULD be playing over some of the scrub schools they bring in), Tennessee, etc.

These big schools are quick to try to keep the mid-majors down, mainly because they know these schools are every bit as talented as the major programs now.. and the way this is revealed is either through surrendering your shot at a National Title by losing in Week 1/2 or by agreeing the BCS is crap and going to a playoff.

BTW - I do agree with most of your post.. just find it funny that these programs go "We scheduled Cincy and Tennessee! Why can't Boise State/TCU do that?!" .. when the only "major" programs willing to step up to the plate and play one of these teams are programs with little to lose and everything to gain by beating them (i.e. VA Tech, Georgia, Pitt v. Utah, Oregon St v. TCU)

 

[ram29jackson]

did he forget the last 4 years? Ohio State lost major bowl games

 

[Atlas]

^OSU won the Rose Bowl last year...

 

[ram29jackson]

^OSU won the Rose Bowl last year...

i'm well aware of that . My point being they have ultimately been losers in the big games for such big talk.

 

[Sportsbuck]

None of those future opponents save for Oklahoma 8 years from now (lol) are remotely as dangerous as TCU and Boise State as of today.. granted a lot can change and those schools can become very good.. but if you want to talk shit about TCU and Boise for having soft schedules and feeding off that for a overblown ranking - simple solution - schedule them, beat them, and show them to be the fraud you think they are.

Schedules are made out years in advance Hass, we both know this. OSU was supposed to play TCU to start off last year's season, but TCU backed out of the deal and OSU had to scramble and filled that spot with Navy.

Of course they won't do that.. they'd rather schedule Miami, (who hasn't been relevant in the national title picture in almost 8 years), Cincinnati (an in-state school they SHOULD be playing over some of the scrub schools they bring in), Tennessee, etc.

We scheduled Miami 8 years ago just after we beat them for a NC. We scheduled Cincy right around the time Brian Kelly was bringing them to prominence. We scheduled TCU, who backed out of the game.

Don't know what your getting at Hass, OSU isn't afraid to play anybody and we've more than proven that given who we've played over the years.

 

[NAHSTE]

^ While this is true, it's absurd for the school president to make these comments.