Buckeyes movin' on up

By David Shaw Sports Central Columnist

Imagine, if you will, the senior PGA tour when Tiger Woods finally decides to make the big switch over. Tiger is a superstar that has looked downright untouchable for months at a time. However, time erodes all things, including talent, and Woods will have slowed down. Is it so hard to picture him sweeping the first six senior PGA events he is involved in? No. Is this a weird analogy to make? Yes.

While Miami and Oklahoma graduated into superstar NCAA programs in the last few years once more, Ohio State has spent its time mired in mediocrity. Florida State has been good for so long that it's boring, and Florida couldn't even keep their coach interested. A breath of fresh air is needed, and that breath has come courtesy of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

As Tiger Woods dominates now, there were years when Ohio State looked and in fact was unbeatable. They are the definition of a storied football program, complete with mythically great coach (Woody Hayes) and enough superstar football alumni to fill Ohio Stadium itself.

All of that said, Ohio State has been good, but not great for some time. Since Eddie George took his leave and Shawn Springs left town, the Buckeyes have been strong, but not spectacular. All of that has changed this year, and in such a way that a string of said spectacular seasons may not be far behind.

True freshman running back Maurice Clarett stepped on to the field against Texas Tech and made a name for himself. His dominating, multi-faceted game against Kent State turned a few heads. The gutsy, inspiring performance that followed against Washington State put a Heisman buzz in the air. Is this idle chatter placed on a young kid too early in his career? The answer is a resounding no.

Clarett graduated from high school early so that he could enroll at Ohio State and take part in spring drills. The man lifts as early as 4:30 AM in the morning and has shown streaks of leadership already in the locker room. This ruffles some feathers, but speaks volumes about the kind of player Clarett could be.

You're thinking he must be a cocky little kid that has been coddled all of his life because of athletic talent right? Get this, the kid is humble. The guy thanked his offensive line and the crowd during his first postgame interview. That is poise and maturity rarely seen from an 18-year-old.

With all of this going for them, the Buckeye faithful are going nuts, sports writers here and there mention the Fiesta Bowl, and there is an excitement in Columbus that hasn't been there for a long time. That's nice for central Ohio, but what about the rest of the country? Why should they care?

If you are a college football fan, you know that the same big schools have been dominating the scene for a long time. Nebraska has fallen off a bit, Colorado had a roller coaster decade, but you can basically name the ten most successful programs of the last decade.

Last year, Oregon stepped up behind All-World quarterback Joey Harrington and mixed up the crowd for a bit. They dropped off, as any team would with such an athlete leaving school, and we're left with a top four of Miami, Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida State. Yawn.

The Buckeyes are the best of a newer crop that are pushing those above them to take a tumble. Virginia Tech, Georgia, a re-emergent Irish squad, and those crazy Ducks are providing college football with the variety that has been inevitable since the NCAA put stricter limitations on scholarships.

Make no doubt about it, Duke will never be a football powerhouse and Boise State will forever be pegged as a win on opposing teams' schedules, but the thing that keeps me coming back for more is the fresh, must-see matchups. Would you have wanted to see Washington State vs. Ohio State four years ago? How about what will be a very competitive game, Iowa State vs. Nebraska next week? The answer is no and that is what keeps college football at the forefront of what is exciting in sport.

With such a deep reservoir of teams to pick from, a system that keeps it varied at the top of college football could go on for decades before becoming predictable and mundane. Ohio State is the new team this year, Oregon made waves last year, who will take over center stage next year? The very fact that the answer to that question is not certain makes college football the exciting sport that it is.

Do you know what excites me about various sports? The Clippers, for the love of all that is holy, the Clippers are becoming an exciting team to watch. I want to see the Clippers, something no one outside of Elgin Baylor's wife and loved ones would have said four years ago. In baseball, the Twins came out of nowhere to make baseball fun to watch again. They took a team of people no one had ever heard of and came rushing to the forefront of the American League.

It is these unexpected surprises, this unpredictability that keeps things fresh, exciting and fun to watch. This year, in college football, teams like Ohio State are keeping that feeling going in a sport that has lived off of that kind of energy for years. That is why college football will always and forever be my passion, and the only sport that books and fills stadiums that can hold over 100,000 crazed, painted, tipsy football fans.

So as Maurice Clarett slowly rushes towards the record books, and the AP poll juggles top ten teams like the Bengals juggle quarterbacks, know that that is what keeps college football the spectacle that it is. Some unpredictability, some surprise, and some crushingly exciting football all add up to a sport that holds interest ... at least until the BCS messes something up. Go Bucks.

Comments, questions, slanderous comments from Michigan supporters? Either fill out the feedback form or e-mail davidshaw@sports-central.org. Thanks.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.