Go Sooners!

I am getting so sick of every sports talking head and their mothers saying Ohio State does not deserve the number 3 ranking they enjoy. Everyone complains about their "weak" schedule, because they played, among others, Youngstown, Akron, and Kent.

First of all, while none of these teams will ever be considered a college football powerhouse, you have to remember where OSU's coach is from: Before gaining the Buckeye coaching job, he was Coach at Youngstown. He is a product of Ohio, plain and simple. And he likes being able to give college football teams from Ohio the national attention (not to mention the money) they get when they play prestigious teams like Ohio State on national television.

Second, there is no such thing as a "weak" schedule when you play in the Big Ten Conference, particularly when you are leading the conference. Every team you play brings its A game to the field. It's no coincidence that 9 of the 11 Big Ten teams (yes, I know it makes no sense) have winning records, and that 10 of them are bowl-eligible.

Third, people make a lot of the fact that OSU lost to Illinois. Fact is, Illinois is a LOT better than many people give them credit for. I knew they would be good LAST year, when I saw their quarterback play. Mark my words: You will see this guy playing on Sundays in a couple of years (barring injury of course). And this year, when they got a good running back to go with him, they became great. They may very well win the Big Ten next year. It's no surprise Ron Zook was named Big Ten coach of the year.

So I will root for Oklahoma to beat Missouri tonight. And if they do, thus allowing OSU to sneak into the championship game through the back door, then I will be happy without any remorse. Maybe they'll get a chance to avenge their loss last January. If not, well, that's football.

Oh, and one other thing: Wherever the Buckeyes go for a bowl, about 50,000 loyal fans follow. Lord knows, New Orleans could certainly use the economic windfall they would receive from that!