Is anyone else a little relieved that they’re not #1? Not that we expected them to be. It just seems that outside of USC during the Reggie Bu$h years, the top preseason ranking hasn’t meant much at the end of the year.

Discuss.

This preview video comes from YouTube user colebtiger:

This will probably be the last entry for your consideration. It breaks several of the rules, but if you don’t want to punch out horses after watching this video than you probably don’t bleed scarlet and gray.

Since I don’t live in the Columbus area, I don’t get to Old Columbus Town as often as I’d like for Buckeye games. Last year I decided, “Screw it! I’ve been graduated for a while. I haven’t been pestered for money by the school I paid tens of thousands of dollars in tuition to in a few years, I’ll join the alumni association! Plus, I’ll get football tickets!” And so I joined, and sure enough, two seats in the South Stands for the USC game. Jackpot!

Of course, we all know how that turned out.

As my wife and I wandered around the neighborhoods east of high street, one thing struck me as odd. People were still partying and drinking and burning things. They were laughing, damn it! As if Stupid Pete Carroll hadn’t just mocked all of us with his stupid grin and his stupid, yet awesome cheerleaders.

That realization made me start thinking about how much different expectations are around Columbus now than they were when I started at The Ohio State University (est. 1870)

In the fall of 1996 I moved into Alma Wacker Paterson Hall for my freshman year at Ohio State. The Buckeyes had beaten Michigan once since I was in fourth grade. They hadn’t won a national championship in almost 30 years. But that ’96 season, that was awesome. My first game in the ‘Shoe, the Buckeyes beat Pitt 72-0. They kicked ass and took initials (because they didn’t have time to take names.)  People kept mistaking me for Joe Germaine, the only time in my life being a scrawny, freckled redhead would ever pay off.

Then Michigan came to town and ripped our hearts out. Stupid Shawn Springs. It was one of the worst days I can recall experiencing as a sports fan. At least when they threw up all over themselves against Florida in 2007 I was really drunk and incoherent by the 2nd half.

The next year was similar although they didn’t whoop anyone like that Pitt game in ’96. Yeah, we lost to Penn State but that wasn’t that big a deal. It wasn’t like their fans were trying to start some kind of stupid rivalry with us or something. Then our boys went up to TSUN and Charles Woodson rained on our parade (also, I broke up with my girlfriend, my car got stolen, and I watched Mortal Kombat: Annihilation that day – the worst one is a toss up between the game or the movie.) Point is, I was 20 years old and those f—ers in their stupid blue and yellow helmets had ruined all but one of my football seasons since I was in elementary school.

At that time the Bengals and Reds had been more successful more recently than the Buckeyes. Ponder THAT.

Contrast that to today. The Reds haven’t made the playoffs since 1995, the Bengals haven’t won a playoff game since about 1991, and the Buckeyes have won 6 in a row against the weasels from up north and eight of their last nine. That’s right, an incoming freshman has seen Michigan beat our boys ONCE since they were in third grade. Not to mention a certain wondrous evening in January of 2003 when the football gods looked down on Arizona, saw a group of tough, bad-ass football players in white, and smiled upon them.

To make a long story short (too late) my question is, do they get it? Do they understand how big a deal the rivalry really is? Even as RichRod has sent the Wolverines into a downward spiral the last few years, not a minute has gone by where I didn’t feel a little sick to my stomach about the upcoming Michigan game. I’m nervous as hell for this year’s, and it pisses me off. Does the current student fan base even have the ability to comprehend that kind of hate fueled by history and bad memories? Or do they see Michigan as a speed bump on the way to bigger and better things, with USC or Florida or (heaven forbid) Penn State as a more worthy rival?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s a completely bad thing if they do. I’m certainly not trying to come off as some old man randomly ranting about iPods and iPads and Justin Bieber, whoever the hell that is. I’m just curious if the Vest’s successes over the last decade haven’t taken a bit of the edge off that raw hatred and stomach-churning dread I learned as a freshman and sophomore, lo, all those years ago.

My guess is that OSU fans now look at Michigan like they looked at us back in the 90’s, and vice versa. And if that’s the case, I have one bit of advice for the underclassmen at Ohio State:

Beware. College football is a very cyclical thing. Someday, hopefully many, many, many, many years from now, the shoe will be on the other foot. The Wolverines will beat the Buckeyes, and they’ll do it more than once. And it will suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

But at least then you (hopefully more like your grandkids) will understand my rage. And we’ll drink to it together, assuming I haven’t croaked from cirrhosis by then.

Here we have the perfect example of a Jim Tressel player. Mr. Krenzel is a native from TSUN and he came to Ohio State to get a great education and to win games. He did both with pizazz. Mr. Krenzel is and will forever be known as the guy who brought us a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP back to tOSU. He wasn’t flashy. He didnt’ like being a star or strive for it. He simply went out to every game with the intention of leading the Buckeyes to victory. He was 24-3 as a starter.

So I leave you with this thought.

We dont give a dang for the whole State of Michigan. But thanks for giving us Craig “Special K” Krenzel.

We’re still working on our Linebacker preview, so in the meantime, here’s video #5 for your preview consideration, coming from YouTube user lednerk:

Hit the jump for the video.
[Read more…]

Chris “Tippy Toes” Sanders was a great wide receiver back in the early 90’s. He wore No. 17 (unfortunately I couldn’t find a picture). He was so good he kept Terry Glenn on the bench for 2 years. But most of all he had the best nickname ever.

17 long days left until we take on the Thundering Herd.

This guy was one of the best punters ever if not the best ever in college football history, let alone Buckeye history. He was an All-American and All-Big Ten Selection in 2002. He was a 3 time Academic All-Big Ten Selection. He is part of the 2002 National Champion Buckeyes. What he is probably best known for though is giving Coach Tressel the ability to implement Tressel Ball at Ohio State. I can’t count the numerous times when we needed to pin a team deep he would knock a punt inside the 20 and give our defense a chance. What more could you ask from a punter.

One of my all time favorite Buckeye players EVER.