COLUMBUS, Ohio — Tennessee’s fight song blares over the Ohio Stadium speakers, but few Orange-clad fans are singing “Rocky Top.” Most of them volunteered to leave early during (or, more accurately, before) Ohio State’s 42-17 trouncing of Tennessee on Saturday in the College Football Playoff, which is strange. Because the SEC representatives looked, acted and talked much tougher at evening’s beginning.
“They thought they were going to take over this place,” Howard said. “We showed them pretty quick we weren’t going to let that happen.”
They sure tried. Vols fans filled The Shoe at an impressive rate once stadium gates opened, to the point where people wondered aloud whether UT could “take over” the road venue. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin spent his weekend talking trash on Twitter, the internet’s toughest echo chamber, in support of his conference. And Tennessee players took the field shirtless during warmups, signaling to pregame doubters that December weather can’t stop the south.
Together, the SEC chest-thumpers almost convinced me they were macho men. Then the game started, and — again, so weird — the Volunteers looked a little chilly.
Ohio State led 14-0 within seven minutes and 21-0 less than five minutes later. The Buckeyes never trailed and led by at least two scores for over 53 of 60 minutes. When OSU running back TreVeyon Henderson scored a 24-yard touchdown that put Ohio State up 42-10 with 10:53 to play, he helped put a new spin on an old southern saying.
They like to say in SEC country that, “Footbawl just maynes more” down there. They point to Nick Saban’s Alabama and Kirby Smart’s Georgia, which won five of the first 10 CFP national titles (though not the most recent) as their flag bearers. And we’re supposed to assume that, by proximity, the conference’s other members are just as imposing.
Even a three-loss, Saban-less Alabama, they shout from their laptops, could play Penn State better than SMU did during Saturday’s 38-10 win for the Big Ten. Choosing one-loss Indiana, which lost 27-17 against Notre Dame on Friday, over three-loss juggernauts like Ole Miss or South Carolina? Eye roll.
“Really exciting competitive playoff game @CFBPlayoff,” Kiffin typed into the ether Friday night. “Great job!!”
Why these propagandists spend so much time arguing a supremacy they can no longer prove? “I have no idea,” OSU defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said Saturday. “I don’t know. I know we won today, and we played pretty well.” We also know the Big Ten advanced three teams to the CFP quarterfinals (OSU, PSU and Oregon) while the SEC advanced two (Texas and Georgia). I can’t wait for SEC supporters to formulate their hypothetical retort for this reality.
Here they come: If Alabama made the playoff (read: didn’t lose to 6-6 Vanderbilt), the SEC could’ve restored its dominance. If the committee paid more attention to top 25 wins (and overlooked ugly conference losses), then Ole Miss or South Carolina would give the south another seat at the table. But if you live in reality, those teams are sitting at home, puffing their chests, posting their displeasure at the poor competition we saw this weekend.
Notre Dame led Indiana by 24 before winning by 10. Penn State beat SMU by four touchdowns. Ohio State beat the third-best SEC team by 25 points on Saturday night, but Saban’s accomplishments, shirtless players and sarcastic tweets and are supposed to convince me that the south still plays better football.
Color me skeptical after watching droves of orange fans leave Ohio Stadium early on Saturday night. Or call me old school for suggesting that the SEC prove its superiority on the scoreboard. As long as Georgia beats Notre Dame and Texas beats Arizona State next week — small potatoes for college football’s superpowers — the SEC will earn another chance (funny concept) to put the Big Ten in its place.
They can leave the locker room shirtless, watch their rivals wave internet pom poms and fill the stadium with southern fans. But if it’s not too much trouble, they should also try to play within two or three touchdowns — at least until the fight song plays over the fourth quarter speakers. Otherwise, the football public might wonder where the tough guys went, even misconstrue the conference’s motto.
“Big Ten Football. It just means more, I guess,” Ohio State tackle Donovan Jackson said Saturday.
The scoreboard agrees, if you’re into that sort of thing. If not, enjoy the drive home to SEC country. The Buckeyes enjoyed hosting you so much that they played your favorite song in the fourth quarter.
Too bad you didn’t stay long enough to sing.
“What’d they call it, Neyland (Stadium) North, something like that?” Jackson said. “Yeah, that was lame.”
