Why Ohio State’s Football Program is better than Michigan’s
There is one sport’s rivalry that is known as the greatest of them all. It isn’t the Tobacco Road Rivalry, it isn’t the Iron Bowl, and it isn’t even the Red Sox against the Yankees. According to ESPN at the turn of the century, the greatest sports rivalry is Ohio State versus Michigan in college football. While many Wolverine fans claim that the Michigan football program is the superior one, there are a variety of reasons that show otherwise. Statistically, in the modern era of college football, Ohio State has been the better program. This can be supported through simple head-to-head records and championships, as well as complex systems that rank football programs. The main counterclaim by many Michigan fans in this debate will revolve around two things: the number of national titles they claim, and the overall series record of 58-45-6 in favor of Michigan. These claims might seem to be valid, but upon further review the claims have little validity in today’s modernized version of college football. In addition, the Michigan program is rampant with elitism that was destructive for other programs and has harmed their current program that is not present in Ohio State’s program.
It is important to look at the full history of the rivalry before making a judgment call on who is the better program. Going back to the early 1900’s, Michigan was one of the most dominant football programs in the country. With Fielding Yost’s ‘Point-A-Minute’ teams of the early 1900’s, Michigan paved its way to dominance on the field. They won six of their claimed eleven national championships during the t...
... middle of paper ...
...m can be attributed to the arrogance of the Michigan program and their reluctance to accept an “outsider” like Rodriguez, instead wanting a “Michigan Man”. Ohio State has had no problems hiring outsiders like John Cooper, but unlike Michigan, they did not fire him with his immediate struggles. Cooper had his own pitfalls, like a 2-10-1 record against Michigan, and 3-8 record in bowl games. But because Ohio State was not as short-sighted as Michigan, they gave Cooper a chance which ultimately resulted in success, no matter how small. Also unlike Michigan, Ohio State’s next head coach was left with a very talented roster, one which won a national championship not but two years after Cooper left. So ultimately, Michigan’s insistence on having a “Michigan Man” has resulted in a bad state of the current football program, something which would never happen at Ohio State.
The college football world has gone mad. Conferences are doing battle in courtrooms instead of on the football field. Teams are leaving their conferences and throwing tradition and loyalty out the window for a bigger paycheck. The Bowl Championship Series was supposed to end the confusion in the college football post season. It was supposed to crown a true champion. Instead, the B.C.S. has only brought more light to the fact that in college football it is all about money and TV contracts. Teams that have no right going to a major bowl game go because of who they are and, more importantly, who their fans are and how much money the fans are will to spend. Players are failing classes, stealing, doing drugs, breaking almost every law imaginable, and they are still suiting up to play on Saturday. In this new age of college football, there is a man who is as old school as having goal posts right on the goal line. He is short in stature, but he is larger than life. He has given millions of dollars back to his university, and he has put his heart and his soul into molding young me. Joe Paterno has become an icon of college football. In these modern times, however, his morals and his coaching style seem outdated. Now, in the twilight of his career, he has to battle a grueling Big Ten schedule, the media who made him a legend and who are now looking to make him into a fool, and even his once loyal fans who have turned their backs on him. Joe Paterno has his back against the wall; it seems everything is working against him. He could walk away now and forever be remembered as a great football coach, or he can keep running out of that tunnel and work on putting Penn State football back on the map. He can take back the title that is rightfully his, the greatest college football coach of all time. Joe Paterno should remain in charge of the Penn State football program. Along the way, he deserves every Penn State fans support, win or lose.
Each March, there arises some kind of brouhaha across the country or at least within the four walls of colleges across the United States. The cause is the highly regarded single-elimination tournament officially known as the NCAA Men’s Division 1 Championship, and colloquially as the March Madness. As described by Chris Suellentrop on the 6th Floor Blogs of the “New York Times” magazine, this “is the greatest sporting event of the year, and in particular, the tournament’s first weekend serves up the most entertaining four days in sports.” (Suellentrop 2011)
...p title a two years ago, but everyone will remember Michigan's Fab Five and the way they changed the game of basketball forever.
I think it is a well known fact that to compare any of UF's athletics to UCF's is pointless, considering UF is an athletic powerhouse, but I'll do it anyway.
Play style, rules differences, and passion for the game are on field differences between college football, and the NFL. There are also many off field differences, including money. Most general things about the game, are still the same though. Due to the differences between college football and the NFL, college football is more enjoyable to watch as a fan.
While college sports play a valuable role on university campuses, it is important for administrators to not lose perspective. That some football coaches earn more than university presidents, for example, is clearly wrong. Essay Task Write a unified, coherent essay in which you evaluate multiple perspectives on college support for sports teams. In your essay, be sure to: • analyze and evaluate the perspectives given • state and develop your own perspective on the issue • explain the relationship between your perspective and those given
Bill Musselman had led the University of Minnosota to a Big Ten conference championship in
Abstract: High school football in the state of Texas has become out of control. The sport is no longer played for the sake of the school but rather has become a Friday night ritual to these small towns in Texas. The players are no longer just high school kids inter acting in school sports but have now become heroes to these small town communities. Communities simply no longer support their local high school team but rally in pride of their hometown rivalry against another team. School administrators and coaches no longer are teachers and mentors for the kids but are the equivalent to what in professional football are team owners and "real coaches". Parents have become agents and sacrifice their jobs and homes so that their child may play for the right team. Finally the fans, the fans have lost the sense that it is just a high school sport and changed the game to a level of professional sports. I plan to prove and show that for all these reasons Texas high school football has become out of control. It is no longer the game that it was originally meant to be.
In-state rivalries are known throughout collegiate athletics as games that can make your season if you win or break your season if you lose. This is mainly because the teams want to be known as the state’s “football school,” and winning the game against the other major football school in the state greatly contributes to this title. An example of this would be Oregon vs. Oregon State (ESPN). Oregon had gone 56-46-10, therefore winning 50% of the games played between the two schools (“All-Time Series Record”). There are games that are not so close, though, where it is obvious who is the “football team” in the state. Oklahoma has dominated Oklahoma State by winning 10 out of the last 11 games between the two (“Oklahoma State Football Spring Notes”). Also, the overall winner in this rivalry game gets many of the recrui...
Video footage and documentation of the man who coined the term “student athlete” is shown. One compelling piece of evidence was when the founder himself admitted that the concept was outdated and should be change. This combination of diverse viewpoints helps to expose the truth of how college football turned into a multibillion dollar industry supported by unpaid laborers.
From the first two national champions, Rutgers and Princeton, to last year’s debateable Auburn national championship winning team, college football has always had difficulties deciding national champions. The BCS National Championship game was thought to give a less prejudice opinion on which teams play in the championship game than humans did. However, it has stimulated more controversy in college sports than Cal-Stanford “The Play.” The problem with the BCS teams is, it chooses two teams that are based on profit, popularity, and record. The BCS is in need of replacement by a playoff system because with a playoff system college football teams have more of an opportunity to show themselves.
College football is beneficial for both the players and city. College football is more than a sport for entertainment; it’s a sport that has been the unifier for colleges, players, and most Americans. It brings people together; strangers standing side-by-side, jumping, getting excited, high-fiving one another, cheering on a group of fifty men playing a game. The cities that host the game are receiving more recognition. Intelligence Squared hosted a debate on whether the sport should be banned. One debater Malcolm Gladwell(2012) stated:
Sports bring friends, family and our country together more so than political debates or even church on Sunday. Whether it be football, basketball, baseball or everything in between everyone has their favorite team that they cheer for regardless if they are the shits or number one. Americans will have gatherings of their friends every week of the season to watch games and “support” their teams from hundreds of miles away. Sports have an enormous impact on our society in every way shape and form, whether it is kids pretending to be their favorite super star while playing in the yard or it is co-workers participating in fantasy sports or making March Madness brackets, but which is the most entertaining, is it the professionals that are paid millions of dollars to play or college kids struggling to get by while trying to earn an education?
With the annual debate revived by fans and sportswriters, the involvement of the federal government, and the financial benefit that bowl games offer schools, the issue of wheatear to replace the Bowl Championship Series with a playoff system continues to be one of the most discussed aspects of college football. Most people agree the Bowl Championship Series should be replaced by a playoffs, however there are a few who believe otherwise. The Bowl Championship Series works, and college football has never been more successful, thrilling, popular, or more enjoyable than ever. The Bowl Championship Series is fairer, safer and more effective than a playoffs.
"College Athletic Programs Undermine Academics." Student Life. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 27 July 2011.