Why does Ohio State always have such an easy schedule?

Question

They weren't even supposed to be very good last year, but because of their easy schedule they were able to make it to the Championship Game for the 2nd year in a row (only to lose to an SEC team for the 2nd year in a row).

Last year they played three Division II-A schools. How does an elite program pull that off and still expect people to respect them?

This year they have another easy schedule. With only 2 tough road games. At USC and at Wisconsin.

Compare that to Georgia's schedule, it's a cake walk.

10 of the 12 teams UGA will play this year played in a bowl game last year. And they're playing the last two National Champs (LSU and Florida) both on the road.

This is why there needs to be a playoff in college football. So teams like Ohio State quit getting a free trip to the Championship game while SEC teams play brutal schedules.

Answer 1

u said it,they always loose to sec teams.because of the conference that they're in and its not their fault either because some teams in their conference looks like its gonna takes a while to be a contender.put ohio in sec conference and i'll bet u,they're not the one to represent championship anymore.

Answer 2

Ohio st. usually plays at least 2 lower division non-conference teams as there warm ups. Some years they will play a good team. The patsy teams mostly play at ohio st to make more money. This is also what ost of the top SEC teams do for the same reasons. As far as conference games go the SEC has been stronger in resent years.

Only USC plays all non-conference games against big 6 teams.

The SEC, big 10 and big12 all need to cut back to only 10 teams and play every team in there conference every year. Then we have no more belly aching by teams that can't win their own conference about not being in the NC game. That should also be a requirement to be in the NC game, you have to be your conference champ.

Answer 3

No different than the New England Patriots

Answer 4

I'm guessing you are a Georgia fan, right?  I agree with you to some extent.  Don't worry, USC will destroy Ohio State so thoroughly that it will be impossible for them to remain in the championship hunt.

That being said, the strength of a conference comes and go so I don't think it's fair to judge based solely on that.  Ten years ago the SEC was very weak.  Who knows, perhaps the SEC will be weak this year.  You never know.

Take a look at the Pac-10, the last few years they've been very strong, but this year only USC appears to be a title contender.  I have a feeling that we will see a big shake up in the rankings this year and some other out-of-favor conferences will come on strong.  Personally I think someone from the Big 12 is going to win it this year.  My pre-season pick is Oklahoma.

Answer 5

It is because I think they are trying to avoid really breaking a nail.  God forbid one of them gets a bruise.

Thumbs up to those who agree.

Answer 6

I go to UGA and I'm so excited about being #1, but I'm afraid of our schedule.  I don't think it's fair that even though we probably have the best overall team in the nation, we may not be able to play in the National Championship game because our schedule is ridiculous while teams like Ohio State and West Virginia have much easier schedules every year.  

I would absolutely LOVE for Ohio State to play our schedule and see what their record would be.  

The National Championship game SHOULD be UGA v. USC...   We'll see if that's how it finishes.

Answer 7

Cup cake conference and non-conference but they'll be in the hunt at the end of the year, no one know why...d**n it!

Answer 8

First I will address you factual errors. OSU has only played a d1aa team once in it's history, and that was last year. They will also play the same team this season. It's also the team that their current coach was a coach of for years, and was also the athletic director. The OSU scheduling philosophy is simple. Schedule one huge non conference game(this year is was USC, two years ago it was texas. Last season it was supposed to be Washington, but they have fallen on hard times. Same for Miami, the team they play next season). They figure their conference shedule is tough enough. Most of the time it is. Twice in recent years, OSU has played 8 ranked teams in the same season. Another season, OSU played the number 2 ranked team 3 times. These 3 seasons have all been since 2003. Hardly ancient history. It's true the SEC is 9-0 against OSU. Michigan is 7-1 against the SEC in their last 8. Wisconsin is 2-1 in their last 3, and Penn State is 3-0. Think about this, SEC lover. OSU has to play all 3 of those teams every year, and they DOMINATE the SEC in recent history. Take in the fact that another team they play, crappy Purdue, took Georgia to overtime twice, and you will see OSU doesn't play as weak of a schedule as you think.

I agree Georgia has a tough schedule this year. This is also the first time they have traveled outside the south east in ten years. I am sure they weren't counting on ASU being a good team.

I find it ironic an SEC fan is complaining about using a weak schedule to get a championship. Alabama patented it in the 60s and the 70s.

Answer 9

They play that cream puff schedule so that they can get their butts kicked in the N/C game!!!

Answer 10

I grant you 1 wish, they were not supposed to be in the national championship game, but when teams lose to stanford, colorado, and not only that, lose twice, what do you do.  OSU started ranked 12th in the nation, not exactly a prediction of they are going to suck.

they played 1 Division II - A team, Youngstown State...for instance, LSU plays App State this year....Georgia plays Georgia Southern this year....I am having a hard time finding a difference between OSU, Georgia, and LSU

They play 5 preseason top 25 teams this year...you only consider USC and Wisconsin tough, because OSU is just that much better than the other 3 preseason top 25 teams!

Georgia's schedule is tough, but you cannot knock teams for teams they do not play, that is the schedule....It is up, it is down, there were a lot of years there, where alabama had a cake walk up to the National Championship they earned......WHERE IS THE DIFFERENCE

I cannot stand SEC fans that know nothing about college football history, and the fact that the SEC has not always been on top, and will not always be on top....it is ONE BIG Balance system...there will be years that Georgia has an easy time, and there will be years that OSU has an easier time....but that doesn't mean they were not deserving of that position

by the way, if you have the best team in the nation, you would win all your games.....if you don't have the best team in the nation, you lose to teams like Kentucky, Stanford, Colorado, App State, etc......and along with that lose twice.......I am sorry, if Georgia loses twice this year, they are not the best team in the country

oh and OSU is 7-11-2 against the SEC, look it up, losing, but hardly dominating

Answer 11

First take a look at the talent in the SEC and the Big 10. The SEC is stacked and their conference schedules are pretty tough not to mention unpredictable. OSU keeps getting this "rebuilding year" bullcrap. OSU also gets to play those cupcake teams due to being in a weaker conference like the Big 10. Honestly man...I hope for a playoff system, but simply put heres how it is......

OHIO STATE IS 0-9 AGAINST SEC TEAMS......SORRY OSU FANS BUT THE TRUTH HURTS...YOUNGSTOWN STATE DOESNT PREPARE YOU FOR THE SEC... ***AND YES THAT IS FOR BOWL GAMES ****

Jan. 8, 2008: BCS National Championship: LSU 38, Ohio State 24

Jan. 8, 2007: BCS National Championship: Florida 41, Ohio State 14

Jan. 1, 2002 Outback Bowl_South Carolina 31, Ohio State 28

Jan. 1, 2001 Outback Bowl_South Carolina 24, Ohio State 7

  

Jan. 1, 1996 Citrus Bowl_Tennessee 20, Ohio State 14

Jan. 2, 1995 Citrus Bowl_Alabama 24, Ohio State 17

Jan. 1, 1993 Citrus Bowl_Georgia 21, Ohio State 14

Jan. 1, 1990 Hall of Fame Bowl_Auburn 31, Ohio State 14

Jan. 2, 1978 Sugar Bowl_Alabama 35, Ohio State 6

Answer 12

They like it easy.  You are right, they were in the National Championship game because of these weak schedules then get their butts kicked.

They are weak

Answer 13

And if Georgia finishes it record that most experts see them finishing is that going to be your excuse as to why they didnt get to the NC game while Ohio State most likley will.

I agree with you lets have a playoff. Hmmm, how well would Florida do

against WVU in mid-december up in Morgantown for the first round of the playoffs, even Georgia or LSU for that manner.

WVU would have embarresed you all. One its a spread power runnng game with speed at every skill position avg 4.4 or better with the nations top ranked offensive line , number 3 in the country rushing, while your offense stands around freezing its balls off, I believe you guys in the SEC would not have survived round 1.

You dont play football, I have . Its not easy for any team to win week after week especially a young team as the buckeyes where.

Plus its not the team nor the coaches that schedule these games. Schedules are done years in advance. Happens to turn out that 3 or 4 years earlier when Georgia finalized this year schedule turned out to be brutal. It could have easily went the other way, 10 out of the 12 teams didnt play in a bowl game. Ohio St could have easily have 6 teams in thier conference alone played in a bowl.

Playoff will not harden anyone schedule , in fact most teams will be more inclined to play even a weaker schedule so each team will have some sort of positive momentum going into conference play.

Nor will a playoff system look at one's potential schedule and say hey,

these guys play the hardest schedule so lets put them inthe playoffs for an at large bid in case Georgia doesnt win as many games.

They look at the results of the teams and how they fared, along with thier strenght of schedule, outside of playing your bulldogs, did they play a bunch of pansies afterwards,etc... If those teams at the end of the year especially your SEC teams on Georgia's schedule dont produce many out of conference wins, Georgia's strenght of schedule

loses it punch. Those 10 bowls teams , most are not the same teams

from last year.

Your conference commish of the SEC must also approve games for the SEC as well, he's the one that got you the TV contracts and dictates how much money each team gets plus how much money your sec opponent gets. If the sum isnt what they think is fair, then those tougher out of conference opponents wont play you guys.

And again, this is done years in advance too.

Not the Buckeye;s as far as those players are concerned fault how their schedule turned out. Only thing they can control is how they perform against those teams. Georgia the same story, who knows next years schedule for georgia is a bunch of div 11a schools too as well.

Lets not forget you SEC guys do have Appy State on schedule .Florida International, Troy, North Texas State , if you want to pick on creampuff

schedule look inside before you go out and pick on another. You have the majority of the SEC playing just as many creampuffs as any other

Top 10 school in the country.

No conference has the right to down grade another for its scheduleing,

allot more goes into it than the average fan knows, again its about the money issue, amount of home-away contracted out, possible ticket sale revenue is a must or a bust type thing , then your program must get your conference approval and they look at it in a even deeper way before they give your program the ok to play the game against that team. (Truth), how bad do you think WVU like to have that Penn St rivalry, Penn St promised it would renew that rivalry every ten yrs.

Big 10 commish said no. We havent played one another since 93.

And that was a huge money maker for both programs.

Answer 14

I agree.

Answer 15

Your completely right, but it seems that people just love Ohio State so much that they give them way more credit than they deserve.