Quote:
Originally Posted by OregonBuckeye
It's just ironic that the same people giving them the benefit of the doubt haven't let anything slide with us. No one cared to mention we had to replace 9 starters on defense and 2 1st round draft picks on offense in '06 after the Florida loss and everyone seemed to suddenly forget we were replacing just about every key player on offense and half our defense last year, after the LSU game. It seems we're the only team in the country that isn't allowed to show any weaknesses. Part of that is flattering because it means people have such high expectations for us but it's also a curse because when we don't meet those expectations we get unfairly punished. And unfortunately, the media has way too much influence on the game.
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Agreed on all points.
In fact, it was in thinking about our own inexperienced team going up against a more seasoned (and stronger) team last January that I composed my post.
While others may apply a different standard to us than to USC, let's be careful that we don't do the same thing but in the other direction. Let's acknowledge that our opponent has more holes to fill than we do. It's OK. We can be fair, even when "they" are not. We're Ohio State. Being held to a higher standard is part of the territory, regardless if it is a blessing or a curse.