Ohio State attains BCS National Championship bid

The Ohio State University Buckeyes have a earned a spot in the BCS National Championship game for the second consecutive year as the #1 ranked team in the NCAA. They will play Louisiana State University. LSU only lost twice this year, both games in overtime. The last time OSU won a BCS Championship, they won the game in overtime over a top-ranked Miami team. I am anticipating an exciting game between two outstanding teams, one at the end of a rebuilding year that saw them lose only once, by a touchdown. (This despite repeated replays showing a fumble recovered by OSU before an Illinois TD score.

Mentor (11-3) was blown out in the State Championship game vs. Cincinnati St. Xavier (15-0), 27-0. The Cardinal quarterback pulled a Troy Smith ('06 Heisman trophy winner from the OSU) throwing numerous interceptions and having his lowest yardage game after being named Ohio's 2007 Mr. Football. Oh, and don't forget, Xavier's O and D lines outweighed Mentor's opposites by a 50 pound average per player. No wonder they finished #2 in the nation (maxpreps.com). Mentor finished #77.

Have a great new year, even if you have to live in Michigan.

Mentor 39, Brunswick 14

The vaunted Mentor Cardinals (11-2) kept their playoff push alive another week going up against undefeated Brunswick (13-1) last night. Next week, it's the State Championship for the second year in a row. It's a shame that all those years back in the day, there was no state playoff in place. Now they keep saying things like "Mentor has never had a state champion."

They forget the years of Lee Tressel (father of hometown sweater-vest hero, Jim) leading an undefeated Mentor for three consecutive seasons, one of them unscored upon, back in the 50's. What about the days of Frank Domokos and Don Martin in the 70's? And many others?

Next week, it's Cincinnati St. Xavier (14-0) for all the marbles. . . and a little hardware.

http://www.cleveland.com/hsfootball/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/1195983750147030.xml&coll=2

http://www.cleveland.com/hsfootball/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/sports/1195983559147030.xml&coll=2

Ohio State 14, Ann Arbor 3

The frustration of this game is Ohio State could only manage 14 points against a defense that Appalachian State scored over 30 against. (How many batteries does it take to beat Michigan?) The Buckeyes rocked in their decisive victory over archrival UM. 222 yards for Beanie Wells. Clock management. And the most tremendous defense. They gave up fewer than 100 yards of offense. The Ohio State Buckeyes are the Big Ten Champions again.

With the new rankings out today, I have become the biggest, hugest, most ginormous Oklahoma fan for the next week. Although Missouri (#1 AP or #2 Coaches') looked good against Kansas (who wouldn't against a basketball school), Oklahoma has already beaten them this season, and I hope will again on Saturday. Why? Because the Buckeyes are ranked #3, and West Virginia (#1 Coaches' or #2 AP) plays Pittsburgh (and I could never cheer for a team from the Pitts).

(One double A)

Must be all the references to Mentor, Cleveland, and Ohio State

Rather than insert the accompanying advertisement, I made it so there is no link to the blograter site, nor the loan marketer.

Wedge wins!!

Eric Wedge, the manager for the Cleveland Indians, won the 2007 A.L. Manager of the Year award. See the full story at:

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071114&content_id=2300277&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

My favorite line from this article is the following:

Wedge's Indians beat the defending AL champion Tigers by eight games, despite having an Opening Day payroll ($61.7 million) that drastically paled in comparison to that of Detroit ($95.2 million).

Go Buckeyes!!

Sabathia wins A.L. Cy Young Award

C.C. Sabathia, left-handed Cleveland Indians' pitcher, was the clear choice as the best pitcher in the American League. Fausto Carmona was fourth in the voting. Justin Verlander, of Comerica's Team, received only one third place vote in the balloting. Go Buckeyes!!

Feels like Comerica's Team and Indians in late July

Remember that time during the MLB season that the two best teams in the Central Division didn't win many games for awhile? Well, after Ohio State and the other Big Two team lost on the same weekend, I just have that upsetting feeling in my stomach again. At the least, Ohio State made a game of it versus Illinois on Saturday, only losing by one score, 28-21. The other guys were blown out on the road at Wisconsin, 37-21.

But still, Saturday's game will determine the Big Ten champion...again. Ho hum...it is no wonder the conference does not have a championship game. As I recall, last year no one wanted to see the same two teams play twice in a row. Game of the Century, OSU 42-39, #1 beat #2. (Personally, I would have enjoyed watching Ohio State beating them twice in one season.)

But I digress. The Big Game at the Big House is days away. This single game is what college football is all aboout. Two fine teams (the one from Ohio with a better coach), regular contenders for the Big Ten crown, the greatest rivalry in all of sports. (The game was ranked by ESPN in 2000 as the greatest North American sports rivalry.) All that, just 16 miles from our garage door in Canton!

My daughter will be in attendance, cheering for the other guys. On her birthday Saturday, she waited to call me back until the final result was evident from Columbus. She took great joy in the defeat to Illinois. The result this weekend should make for some gloating by one of us (me) on the trip to Gram's house for Thanksgiving.

Four weeks as the #1 team in the nation in a rebuilding year! They have only fallen to #7 in all of the most recent polls. The team from up north is not even in the top 20 of any poll, except for maybe the mgoblue website fan poll.




Incidentally, my high school alma mater (Mentor) continues their state playoff push. Last year, they were 4-1 in the playoffs losing the state championship on a 2-point conversion in double overtime. That season included two victories over Cleveland Glenville (pronounced "Ginn"ville for their coach and graduate, Ted Ginn, Sr. and Ted Ginn, Jr.). This year, after winning their first two playoff games, Mentor faces "Ginn"ville again.