VanDelaySports.com > MAC Football > 2006 MAC Football Mid-Season Report

January 8th, 2007

It was a night many Ohioans want to forget.

It was a night when everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.

It was a night when those John Cougar Mellencamp lyrics to “Crumblin’ Down” really fit perfectly:

When the walls come tumblin' down
When the walls come crumblin' crumblin'
When the walls come tumblin' tumblin' down

But it was a night that several Mid American Conference fans will remember fondly with a wide grin.

The 2006 national championship game between the University of Florida Gators and Ohio State University will not go down as one of the greatest games in collegiate history.

It won’t even make the top 20.

Out-hustled, out-coached, and out-played in nearly every facet of the game, the Buckeyes pulled off one of the most embarrassing losses in school history. Favored by more than seven points and virtually predicted by every major sports personality to win, Ohio State was humiliated on the grandest stage of collegiate athletics.

It made this diehard Toledo fan smile from ear to ear.

The only difficult aspect of the game was seeing a promising athlete in Ted Ginn Jr limp off the field early in what probably was his last game as a Buckeye. In addition, it was hard knowing that Troy Smith, a widely respected man and darn good football player, suffered such a devastating loss after a tremendous season.

But for many MAC fans, the loss wasn’t about the athletes on the field. It was about seeing the big dog in the state finally getting a taste of its own medicine. In general, MAC fans find the average Ohio State follower arrogant, obnoxious, and unfair. Often, Buckeye supporters put down these “other” schools in Ohio because they simply are not in the “same league” as the Scarlet and Gray. To them, the rest of the state is second- class when it comes to football, basketball, and even its fans. Interestingly enough, several of these followers are…MAC alumni who refuse to acknowledge the school that gave them a degree.

It just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Now, I understand the logic. Why root for a school that probably won’t smell a national championship in your lifetime when you have an established contender right in your home state? Why support a school that can’t seem to beat these BCS teams on a consistent basis?

I am not ripping those who hold allegiance to Ohio State yet did not graduate there. Growing up as an Ohioan, especially in the Northeast, one can’t walk twenty feet without seeing an Ohio State shirt, button, flag, hat, banner, or other symbol in clear view. Everything north of Cincinnati is Buckeye country and I cannot dispute that. I also can understand why the average Buckeye fanatic has trouble respecting the other schools in state when they haven’t beaten Ohio State in a very long time.

Sometimes it just isn’t fair.

Yes, I realize that as an Ohioan who roots for all the Cleveland teams, any national title is surely welcoming. After all, we Browns, Indians, and Cavalier supporters have our share of heartbreak each season. A win on Monday night over Florida would be a sign of hope to an otherwise “cursed” city.

But I just didn’t mind seeing Ohio State lose that game. I wanted to believe that all that arrogance, all those predictions of how Florida stood no chance, would finally backfire.

That is why this feels somewhat good.

And it is also why a team like Boise State should have a chance at a national title.

I will never forget the moment when I turned to my friend, a Toledo alum and avid Buckeye fan, in the second half when the game appeared out of reach, and said that Boise State could have given Florida a better game.

His reply was, and I quote, “ Boise State doesn’t deserve to be on the same field with these two schools.”

I just shook my head and turned my attention back to the television where any thoughts of sadness (I was actually pulling for a. Ohio State comeback) quickly vanished.

What is really sad is that many BCS fans around the country share his remarks.

But that is a topic for another day.

In September 2009, my beloved Toledo Rockets will host Ohio State at Cleveland Browns Stadium in what is sure to be a scarlet and gray crowd despite being labeled an “away” game on the schedule.

A lot can happen from now until 2009 but it safe to assume that the odds will favor the Buckeyes. It is also safe to assume that few will give the Rockets much of a chance.

But as one caller said on WKNR, a Cleveland sports radio station and unofficial “Home of the Buckeyes:”

“One day one of those MAC teams is going to pull one out against those Buckeyes.”

Let’s just hope it happens in the near future.