The Polls (AP, Coaches, & CFP, etc.)

[Nutriaitch]

I don't think anybody was harping on weather here....but I think you're wrong. A B1G team needs to be built to be able to win in 20 or below in November. It's not by choice, it's by necessity. Then you gotta take that team and put it in warm weather against a warm weather team. LSU doesn't need to build a ground and pound team bc it's never going to be forced to play a ground and pound game. B1G schools often are.

That's not to say this is a huge swing one way or the other....just that it's a thing that exists. It's minorly difficult to build a speed team in the B1G, because your last games could be played in Michigan or Minnesota where it might be 10 degrees...and you're going to need to win those last games if you want to earn the right to play LSU in their back yard.

Again....emphasis on this not being a big thing. It's just a thing.

correct, no one has specifically said “weather”.

but quite a few here over the years has said “outdoors”. In January. In Cleveland.

So while not saying weather, it’s pretty obvious that the weather in an open air stadium in Cleveland will have a much bigger impact on the game than any domed stadium on the planet would.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

correct, no one has specifically said “weather”.

but quite a few here over the years has said “outdoors”. In January. In Cleveland.

So while not saying weather, it’s pretty obvious that the weather in an open air stadium in Cleveland will have a much bigger impact on the game than any domed stadium on the planet would.

I think you're focusing on the wrong part of that post.

 

[Hstead]

I think you're focusing on the wrong part of that post.

Perfect example. My son plays FB/LB. The FB position is making a comeback, but almost exclusively in the north. I spoke with one of the teams OC about his use of the FB. He said, "since we are in ichigan, and the weather is almost always cold and rainy toward the end of the season, we have to be able to pound the ball so I have to have a blocking back. If I coached in TX, I would most likely run the spread without a FB."

He summed it up, the weather dictates the type of football you are forced to play often.

 

[sparcboxbuck]

Perfect example. My son plays FB/LB. The FB position is making a comeback, but almost exclusively in the north. I spoke with one of the teams OC about his use of the FB. He said, "since we are in ichigan, and the weather is almost always cold and rainy toward the end of the season, we have to be able to pound the ball so I have to have a blocking back. If I coached in TX, I would most likely run the spread without a FB."

He summed it up, the weather dictates the type of football you are forced to play often.

I've been thinking about this issue since Urban's hire. I think that it's totally a big deal in that the northern teams have to be able to prepare for _and_ field a team that can play in all kinds of weather. South? Notsomuch. Worst case scenario in the south... real worst case? Rain.

So, it's a matter of how you build your team, but it is also a matter of what you install on offense _and_ defense and the time you devote to a completely different style of play to account for the weather.

 

[LordJeffBuck]

I've been thinking about this issue since Urban's hire. I think that it's totally a big deal in that the northern teams have to be able to prepare for _and_ field a team that can play in all kinds of weather. South? Notsomuch. Worst case scenario in the south... real worst case? Rain.

So, it's a matter of how you build your team, but it is also a matter of what you install on offense _and_ defense and the time you devote to a completely different style of play to account for the weather.

Weather also helps to explain the myth of "Southern Speed". It's kinda difficult to be fast on a frozen field with 25 mph headwinds.

 

[SadSouthernBuck]

So, we brought the overturning of the scoop-and-score and the bullshit "targeting" penalty on ourselves? Look, I agree that it's over and done with and we need to move on and acknowledge LSU as the right champion, but also don't act we didn't get fucked by a shitty, overzealous reply official.

My opinion (like it matters ) is that our own miscues kept us from winning the game. The shitty officiating, combined with our own miscues, kept Clemson from being blown out. If everything had bounced our way it could easily have been 45 to 14 good guys.

Miscues:
The incomplete pass to Dobbins cost us 4 point.
The dropped screen pass by Dobbins cost us 4 points.
The miscommunication between Fields-Olave cost us 7 points.

Shitty Officiating:
The overturned scoop and score cost us 7 points.
The booth call of targeting gave Clemson 7 points.
The bad roughing the punter call gave Clemson 7 points.

At the end of the day, we only scored one touchdown in 4 trips to the red zone which probably wasn't going to cut it. Even then, with all the bad calls, we were one bad miscommunication between a QB and his receiver from winning.

 

[BB73]

Even then, with all the bad calls, we were one bad miscommunication between a QB and his receiver from winning.

Or at least from potentially being ahead and hoping that Lawrence and Etienne wouldn't be able to get them into FG range in 30-some seconds.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

My opinion (like it matters ) is that our own miscues kept us from winning the game. The shitty officiating, combined with our own miscues, kept Clemson from being blown out. If everything had bounced our way it could easily have been 45 to 14 good guys.

Miscues:
The incomplete pass to Dobbins cost us 4 point.
The dropped screen pass by Dobbins cost us 4 points.
The miscommunication between Fields-Olave cost us 7 points.

Shitty Officiating:
The overturned scoop and score cost us 7 points.
The booth call of targeting gave Clemson 7 points.
The bad roughing the punter call gave Clemson 7 points.

At the end of the day, we only scored one touchdown in 4 trips to the red zone which probably wasn't going to cut it. Even then, with all the bad calls, we were one bad miscommunication between a QB and his receiver from winning.

Again, it was the officiating that kept us from winning. Miscues on our part (and on Clemson's part also, where they had a couple dropped INTs, including one that would've been a pick-six) are a part of the game. Patently shitty officiating is--or should--not. A team should have to overcome it's own miscues, which are ultimately within their control...a team should not have to overcome shit that is out of their control like horrid officiating. We had indeed done enough to overcome our miscues had the replay official not taken upon himself to be the star of the game.

 

[SadSouthernBuck]

Again, it was the officiating that kept us from winning. Miscues on our part (and on Clemson's part also, where they had a couple dropped INTs, including one that would've been a pick-six) are a part of the game. Patently shitty officiating is--or should--not. A team should have to overcome it's own miscues, which are ultimately within their control...a team should not have to overcome shit that is out of their control like horrid officiating. We had indeed done enough to overcome our miscues had the replay official not taken upon himself to be the star of the game.

I'm upset that we lost too. I'd be more upset if the Buckeyes brought their 'A' game (like they had all year) and shitty officiating decided the game. But Ohio State played their worst game of the year and put themselves in the position where bad officiating was a deciding factor. Again, the bad officiating is a non-issue if the Buckeyes didn't leave 15 points on the field through unforced errors. Bad calls happen all the time...execute like we had all year and the only thing we'd be complaining about is that we should have beaten Clemson by a lot more.

What it boils down to for me is we had two chances to win in the final 3 minutes. Don't let Clemson drive 94 yards for a touchdown in 1:18 or don't throw an interception in the endzone on a miscommunication between QB/receiver. I can't blame the refs for that. My philosophical outlook is that you never put yourself in a position where bad officiating can be the deciding factor in the game.

 

[buckeyeintn]

I'm upset that we lost too. I'd be more upset if the Buckeyes brought their 'A' game (like they had all year) and shitty officiating decided the game. But Ohio State played their worst game of the year and put themselves in the position where bad officiating was a deciding factor. Again, the bad officiating is a non-issue if the Buckeyes didn't leave 15 points on the field through unforced errors. Bad calls happen all the time...execute like we had all year and the only thing we'd be complaining about is that we should have beaten Clemson by a lot more.

What it boils down to for me is we had two chances to win in the final 3 minutes. Don't let Clemson drive 94 yards for a touchdown in 1:18 or don't throw an interception in the endzone on a miscommunication between QB/receiver. I can't blame the refs for that. My philosophical outlook is that you never put yourself in a position where bad officiating can be the deciding factor in the game.

Yes, tOSU had opportunities to win. Yes, tOSU made mistakes. Yes, bad calls happen all the time. But the conversation centers around calls made on the field being overturned by people in the S-E-C office in Birmingham who had a vested interest in the outcome of the game. That was conveniently left out of your narrative. That little minor detail makes it a completely different conversation.

 

[SadSouthernBuck]

Yes, tOSU had opportunities to win. Yes, tOSU made mistakes. Yes, bad calls happen all the time. But the conversation centers around calls made on the field being overturned by people in the S-E-C office in Birmingham who had a vested interest in the outcome of the game. That was conveniently left out of your narrative. That little minor detail makes it a completely different conversation.

Of course I left it out. I don't buy into conspiracy theories.

Should the scoop-and-score have been overturned? Of course not. But to me that doesn't imply that nasty ol' SEC was out to get us. It means they are incompetent. SEC fans complain all the time about how shitty the refs are.

I will say that the replay officials should be from another conference to avoid the appearance of favoritism. In fact, I thought that's how it was.

 

[Systems_id]

My opinion (like it matters ) is that our own miscues kept us from winning the game. The shitty officiating, combined with our own miscues, kept Clemson from being blown out. If everything had bounced our way it could easily have been 45 to 14 good guys.

Miscues:
The incomplete pass to Dobbins cost us 4 point.
The dropped screen pass by Dobbins cost us 4 points.
The miscommunication between Fields-Olave cost us 7 points.

Shitty Officiating:
The overturned scoop and score cost us 7 points.
The booth call of targeting gave Clemson 7 points.
The bad roughing the punter call gave Clemson 7 points.

At the end of the day, we only scored one touchdown in 4 trips to the red zone which probably wasn't going to cut it. Even then, with all the bad calls, we were one bad miscommunication between a QB and his receiver from winning.

That overturn was so fucking terrible it put a black cloud on the rest of the officiating. I said it before, but I 100% believe had Dobbins made any of those plays, the refs would've conveniently called a couple of phantom holding penalties. Wade's targeting foul and Riep's weak PI were suspicious enough, but that horrible overturn straight up put the game into "This shit is fixed" territory. Meanwhile Clemson's DBs were tackling WRs all night yet they only somehow mustered one PI. Sure Jan.

Basically I don't believe for a second the refs would've let the game get to true blow out territory in favor of the Bucks.

Like, actual games with crooked refs i.e. the Illinois game from 2007 are less egregious than what happened that Saturday night.

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

Agree with @SadSouthernBuck ... fact is, even as bad as the overturn of the scoop and score was, and even the appearance of impropriety apparent... Ohio State was poised to win that game if they had executed in the red zone. And here's the thing, even as it was, osu was a misread of a scramble from winning. Fact is, THAT'S what makes this so hard to digest. For all its failures to that point and for all the shitty officiating, Ohio State was 30 seconds from winning that game regardless.

What hurts is it was obvious who the better team was. But, the better team failed to win the one stat that matters... the score

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

I really hate to put his name here, because it sounds like blame and I surely do NOT mean it so. But JK dropped two sure touchdown passes. That's your game right there. You can conjure up whatever voodoo you want as to if he had caught them, but the plain fact is, those two drops account for the winning margin. Again, I dont place this game on his shoulders. And he played his heart out for his team and for us. my man crush on JK remains strong. But you want a difference in the game? Its not hard to find

The best way to make bad calls irrelevant? Convert in the red zone. I was generous the days after the game. There were, in fact, very bad calls and they all seemed to go Clemson's way. I was in the camp that it was ok to bitch about it, as it is real and it happened. And the wounds were 48 hours old. But, gentlemen, the officials didnt steal that game. If you dont want close calls to matter, catch the fucking football

 

[mendensa]

I really hate to put his name here, because it sounds like blame and I surely do NOT mean it so. But JK dropped two sure touchdown passes. That's your game right there. You can conjure up whatever voodoo you want as to if he had caught them, but the plain fact is, those two drops account for the winning margin. Again, I dont place this game on his shoulders. And he played his heart out for his team and for us. my man crush on JK remains strong. But you want a difference in the game? Its not hard to find

The best way to make bad calls irrelevant? Convert in the red zone. I was generous the days after the game. There were, in fact, very bad calls and they all seemed to go Clemson's way. I was in the camp that it was ok to bitch about it, as it is real and it happened. And the wounds were 48 hours old. But, gentlemen, the officials didnt steal that game. If you dont want close calls to matter, catch the fucking football

Sure, they didn't play a clean nor perfect game..... but neither did Clemson. And the game was under control until the refs completely changed the complexion of the game.

And for all the plays everyone keeps saying they didn't make (agreed), you could come back with the same argument and say they did make enough big plays to win but those plays were negated. Having plays like that continually not go your way in a big game is absolutely deflating. OSU shouldn't have had to fight through that and beat a good opponent bc Clemson certainly didn't have too. It goes both ways.