Article published October 29, 2007
Critics poke holes in Buckeyes' No. 1 ranking
By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
COLUMBUS - Ohio State sits atop the college football world, on a perch that has proved both precarious, and tenuous.
No. 1 always wears the largest bulls-eye on its back.
But in the Buckeyes' case, a lot of the biggest shots that have come their way have been launched from off the field. Ohio State started the season out of the top 10, inched up in the poll as Buckeyes' wins were matched with losses by higher-ranked teams, and then assumed the No. 1 ranking three weeks ago, after previously top-ranked Southern Cal, and then Louisiana State, both lost.
Ohio State got roundly criticized for "backing in" to the top position, or taking No. 1 "by default." The Buckeyes even took a shot from South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, who, while praising Vanderbilt after it had beaten his Gamecocks, said: "They coulda played three nobodies ... and been right up there in the BCS, like Ohio State."
Following the Buckeyes' convincing 37-17 dismantling of No. 24 Penn State Saturday night in State College, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel was asked if he hoped that people finally would accept his team as a legitimate No. 1 in the country.
"No - it doesn't matter," Tressel said. "We have to prove whatever we are at the end of 2007. We're through nine games out of 12, and we've got a lot to prove, beginning with game 10."As they prepare for that Game 10, to be played here in Ohio Stadium on Saturday against Wisconsin, some of the Ohio State players have seemed a bit more rankled by the continual carping over their national ranking, and the efforts by some broadcasters, national media and others in the college game to minimize or diminish the fact that the Buckeyes have beaten everyone they have played.
Senior offensive tackle Kirk Barton said recently that winning is about all a team can do, and then leave the rest to the poll voters.
"If you want a shot at the big prize, you just have to keep winning," Barton said. "It's pretty simple from our perspective, because that is really the only thing we can control. We just have to play the people on our schedule, and not lose. That's it."
That is what the Buckeyes did last season, when they were christened No. 1 in the early summer as the first pre-season publications hit the streets, and then rode that ranking all the way through the 12-win regular season and beyond, until their loss to Florida in the national title game.
In beating Penn State, Ohio State won its 27th straight regular-season game, and tied the Big Ten record with its 19th straight Big Ten victory.
The Buckeyes dominated the Nittany Lions, pounding out 453 yards of offense, converting 12 of 16 third-down plays, and going the full game without punting the ball. There were plenty of witnesses - a huge crowd of more than 110,000, plus untold millions of the nationally televised ABC broadcast, and one octogenarian who saw it all from the Penn State sideline.
"We couldn't stop them," said the Nittany Lions' Joe Paterno, in his 42nd season as head coach. "That's a good football team. I don't know of any team we played that was as well-balanced as this one. They have a couple of strong running backs and you can't take too many guys out of the box or they'll run it down your throat."
Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli, who produced a season-low 111 passing yards against the Buckeyes, seemed resigned to the fact that his team and the Buckeyes are in the same conference, but maybe not in the same league.
"They're solid. They moved the ball well and showed why they are the No. 1 football team in the country," Morelli said.
Ohio State tight end Jake Ballard said his team has been sound both offensively and defensively, and in the area of resisting distractions like that generated by the endless No. 1 debate.
"We've heard all that stuff, but I don't think anybody really pays a lot of attention to it," Ballard said. "The focus around here has been pretty good - we just get ready and go play the games."
Contact Matt Markey at:
mmarkey@theblade.com
or 419-724-6510.
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