This week, CSTV.com will be featuring a daily “debate” between rival OSU and UM bloggers. Make sure to check it out each day. There should be a healthy variation in the topics, from classic Xs and Os debates to abstract ones that focus on the rivalry.
We’ve been asked to contribute material for later this week, so watch this space for more details.
Today’s discussion: Today’s topic features our post, which answers the question, “Who wins: Ohio State O or Michigan D?” (Interesting side note, but originally the question was “Who wins: Ohio State O or Rutgers D”. Was CSTV being snarky, prescient, or did they just make a mistake? You decide). Anyway, we fellow bloggers presented our arguments (many of which you can find in this post) for why OSU’s offense should be able to give the business to Michigan’s D. The counterpoint comes from Dave of Maize and Brew. While Dave’s description of some of the Michigan personnel may be a bit … hyperbolic … he does a good job of looking at matchups. He mentions using “Pat White” as a fullback, but I think he means “Stan White Jr,” whom he refers to later. Overall, minus the prediction of a Michigan victory, Dave makes some valid points.
Advantage: Do we even have to ask?
Sunday’s discussion: Which program has the better game day atmosphere? Keith from Buckeye Commentary and David from Michigan Against the World participate.
Advantage: Keith
Monday’s discussion: Which stadium is better: the Big House or the Horseshoe?. Ryan from Pfef’s Sports Blog and the guys (I assume?) at M-Zone square off.
Advantage: Push. Both were good pieces, but the M-Zone had a little more meat to it. But since we toe the company line, we’ll call it a Push.
Tuesday’s discussion: Who wins: Michigan O or Ohio State D? Sean from The 614 and Kenny Chung at the Westsider Rider duke it out. I’m not sure what strength of schedule Kenny is looking at but Michigans is not #2 (I take that back, I noticed on Kenny’s site that he is using the NCAA SoS). I believe that honor belongs to Southern Cal.
Wednesday’s discussion: Which is better, Michigan’s Fight Song, or Ohio State’s dotting of the ‘i?’. Sean from the 614 and Frank from UM Tailgate square off.
Advantage: Sean. Frank loses points by talking about UM and Notre Dame in the first sentence. He then gets negative bazillion points for confusing “dotting the i” with “performing script Ohio” during the climax of his argument, claiming that UM invented “dotting the i.” Hey Frank: Just because the UM band once spelled out “OHIO” on the field in 1932 does not mean that UM invented the dotting of the ‘i.’ (Lots of bands were writing opponents’ names on the field.) It was OSU that invented “Script Ohio” and turned it into a march. And it was OSU that invented “dotting the ‘i'” at the crescendo of the song.
Here’s the thing:
All the “yellow” side of the arguement has is to use the words “booster” and “Clarett” in their arguement. I’m only an educated loser from Ohio, but I’m pretty sure that “boosters” and “Mo’ Clarett” have little to do with “atmosphere” and “tradition”. Not to mention the lack of creativity those at the “MBlog” resort to with the whole Advantage/Disadvantage game. Just a thought or two.
Pfef and Keith tore it up. I expect nothing less from you guys.
I used the stats from NCAA.org. The pdf file can be found here, or you can go here and then click on \”Sorted on Cumulative Opposition\” for Div I-A.
For some reason the commenting system is throwing in extra back-slashes in Kenny’s post. Here are the links he’s pointing to:
http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/2006/Internet/toughest%20schedule/ia_9games_cumm.pdf
http://web1.ncaa.org/d1mfb/2006/Internet/toughest%20schedule/tough.html
I still stand by the assertion that the Sagarin SoS ranking is a little more widely accepted, but this ranking still has merit.
Thanks for the response, Kenny.
i’m an osu fan, and i’ve read all three of the debates thus far, but i’ve got to give michigan the advantage 2 to 1.
we won the first one(gameday atmosphere) but u-m took the last two ( the shoe v.s the big house and the victors vs. the dotting of the i) the big house is just more historical and just more famous. and the victors is the best fight song(as much as i hate to admit it)
Dear JDUB, please stop pretending to be a Buckeye fan…..The Shoe is definately more historic and famous…….The shoe was built first and is on the national registry of historic places…..Michigans stadium is niether and it was designed exactly the same as the YALE bowl so it is just a copycat stadium. The last time I checked they werent showing the most famous golfer in history humming the victors song on every tv in the world……but they did show The Golden Bear dotting the i……so you lose
JDUB, I gotta agree with SYR, here. The Big House is not more historical; it wasn’t built until 1927. The Horseshoe was built in the late 19th century.
Today’s entire collegiate and NFL power structure came from folks who worked as coaches or assistants in the ‘Shoe… Woody Hayes, Paul Brown, Bo Shembechler, all of their assistants, etc., etc.
But perhaps most intriguing is the fact that the ‘Shoe is the icon of all American sports – not just OSU football. Jesse Owens made himself famous in that stadium, for instance. OSU athletes competing in the ‘Shoe have earned a collective 72 Olympic medals (more than most nations).
The ‘Shoe is way more historical. The Big House is a stinky, ugly hole in the ground whose design was ripped off of Yale.