Did you hear? The NCAA has overruled field judge Terry Porter’s bogus pass interference call against Miami in last season’s Fiesta Bowl and has stripped the Ohio State Buckeyes of the national title.
No, you didn’t hear it because, sadly enough, it hasn’t happened. I’m still waiting, though.
Is anybody else ready for a real champion in college football? The Buckeyes are the most fraudulent defending champions of any sport today. I decided Jan. 4 that I wasn’t going to recognize Ohio State as a national championship team.
It’s time the rest of the country starts doing so. Let’s briefly review the “championship run” of a year ago.
OSU got off to a hot start until they bumped into Conference USA powerhouse
Cincinatti. The Buckeyes convincingly beat the Bearcats 23-19. The boys with paw prints on their uniform finished a tough C-USA schedule with a 7-5 overall record (1-4 non-conference).
After rolling over a long-respected Indiana Hoosier football program, OSU had three more close calls on trips to Wisconsin, Purdue and Illinois. The Buckeyes won all three games by a combined 16 points, and the three opponents finished 2003 with a combined 20-19 record.
Late in the fourth quarter against Purdue, OSU threw a bomb on fourth-and-one that resulted in a touchdown.
You don’t deserve to win a game if you throw a 40-yard pass when you only need a yard on a game-deciding fourth down.
It’s not “gutsy;” it’s senseless. Against Illinois, they went to overtime before winning. I’ll give them credit for beating Michigan by five points and clinching a tie with Iowa for the Big 10 title.
Then came the Fiesta Bowl. Miami which had won 34 straight games. Odds makers labeled OSU a heavy underdog. The Buckeyes shocked the nation by taking the game to overtime. I congratulate them for that but can’t go further.
After Craig Krenzel’s fourth-down pass intended for Chris Gamble fell incomplete, the Buckeyes should have had the integrity to leave the field, knowing they had lost the game.
Fans were on the field celebrating, the Miami players were jumping all over the place and I was happy somebody had finally beaten Ohio State. It all fit except for one guy in stripes who decided he hadn’t seen enough college football.
“I replayed it in my mind,” Porter said.
He said he did this to make sure his original call of an incomplete pass was correct. Upon viewing the replay in his head, he caught something he didn’t see the first time-Glenn Sharpe grabbing Gamble just before the ball arrived.
I thought they didn’t have instant replay in college football. Even if they did (like they do in the NFL), that’s not a reviewable call.
Wait. Porter replayed it in his head. Now, that’s accurate. It’s so accurate that we should believe his mental version rather than the version millions of people saw replayed on an actual TV screen right after the play happened.
Okay, now that we’ve revisited Ohio State’s joke of a national championship, let’s have a look at their ways this year.
Somebody has to stop them, but I don’t know if it will happen. Luck is just on the team’s side.
The incompetence of OSU ‘s opponents that really has me frustrated. The triple-overtime win over North Carolina State happened recently enough that I need not remind anyone. Two quarterback sneaks on anything-besides-half-a-yard-and-goal requires no explanation from Wolfpack head coach Chuck Amato-just an apology.
Are you serious, Coach? I don’t care how tall your quarterback is!
The week before the Buckeyes had another compelling. OSU scored three points more than San Diego State.
The most recent near-miss came against Bowling Green at home. Does anyone even know where Bowling Green is?
OSU beat the Falcons (I had to look it up-they are in Ohio as well) by seven points.
I enjoyed watching the Hurricanes play last year because they were the polished defending champions that no one could beat. This year, I despise seeing the Buckeyes win games because they’re the “defending national champion” that anyone can compete with. Jim Tressel should thank his lucky stars that Cincinatti’s not on the schedule this year.
Ohio State needs to leave the spotlight for a long time. The athletic program has tried to distance itself from Clarett and his NCAA violations, so that will help, but I’m still sick of hearing from him.
I don’t want the team to go on a losing streak because that will actually generate more publicity. The Buckeyes just need to lose a game. Everyone will talk about it for a weekend, and then they’ll drop it and focus on teams that deserve a national championship.
Jon Hillard is a communication major. He can be reached at [email protected].