O-H! I-O! As I headed back to Georgetown from the Rosslyn Metro on my roommate’s bike late Saturday night, this was a chant I was surprised to hear. They were coming from a group of rowdy fans wearing Buckeyes gear a couple blocks away.
What did not surprise me were the results of that night’s primetime football match-up between No. 1 Ohio State and then-No. 2 Texas, a game which I agonizingly had to miss due to work. I also won’t be shocked to see OSU win the national championship and a Buckeye win the Heisman Trophy.
On Saturday, I couldn’t believe that many of the District’s papers picked the Longhorns to win the highly-anticipated duel. Come on. Sure, they knew OSU was playing in Austin, only two starters were returning from last year’s stud-filled defense and wide receiver Santonio Holmes left early for the NFL Draft. Obviously though, they didn’t know about football in Ohio and didn’t properly factor in the fact that Texas lost the only reason they beat Reggie Bush and Co. last year: Vince Young.
Jim Tressel restocked his starting lineup as OSU always does with its vast supply of homegrown talent. They have a record 53 appearances in the first Associated Press poll of the year (out of 57 total). Their 35-12 victory over Northern Illinois was big, though expected. But a 24-7 margin in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 game just shouldn’t happen. That’s a thrashing, especially when you’re mistakenly not favored by many. OSU has a grueling Big 10 schedule, but I expect the Bucks to use this confidence boost to surge to an undefeated season and the national title.
OSU will be so successful this season because of two Heisman Trophy candidates they have. The hardest part of the selection process will be which Buckeye to give the trophy to: quarterback Troy Smith or wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. Both have played together since they were kids in Cleveland and are now part of what should be the most prolific trio in college football this season with running back Antonio Pittman. They averaged 491 yards of offense last year, second only to USC’s Matt Leinart, Bush and Dwayne Jarrett (577 yards).
Smith has started off hot, throwing for 566 yards and five touchdowns, but Ginn is my pick. I ran track against this speedster in high school, and he is fast. I can’t describe speed like that. Remember when he made fools out of the Notre Dame secondary in last year’s Fiesta Bowl? I would love nothing more than to see the Bucks smack the Fighting Irish (now No. 2) again, this time in a national championship game. He has 220 yards receiving and three touchdowns already. Don’t forget about the rushing and returning stats he’ll pile up. He should top the century mark in all-purpose yards every game this season. The best thing in his favor is that teams cannot overcompensate for him as OSU has an equally dangerous threat in Anthony Gonzalez, another speedy receiver who I ran with in high school and who can actually rival Ginn.
With these offensive weapons and a defense that answered any doubts by holding Texas to only seven points, OSU will jet its way to its eighth national championship. And we’ll all be hearing more O-H! I-O! chants around D.C.
