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LSU And Ohio State Connected By “41-14″

“41-14”.

It is more than just a score to Ohio State and LSU.  To both teams, it represents the stepping stone that each used to reach New Orleans in 2008.  No matter how many ways you can list how Ohio State and LSU are different - both teams share this one common denominator that led them to where they are now:  On the verge of facing off against each other for the National Championship. 

In January 2007, THE Ohio State Buckeyes were the nations undisputed No. 1 team in the country.  They sported a Heisman Trophy quarterback and a prolific scoring offense that featured game breaking running backs, and wide receivers.  Their defense, which had been under heavy scrutiny heading into the season – surprised many with their uncanny ability to shut down opponents when it mattered most. 

The Buckeyes were 12-0 - and their BCS resume was perfection. 

In September 2006 - four months prior to January 2007 - the Buckeyes traveled to Austin for a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown with the defending national champion Longhorns. Ohio State won 24-7.  Three weeks later the Buckeyes traveled to Iowa City and beat the nations’ No. 13 Iowa Hawkeyes 38-17, further cementing their claim to the top spot.  Their regular season finale in November against Michigan, featured another No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown, and was dubbed “The Game of the Century” because of the hype and promise of two of the countries most bitter rivalries.  Ohio State prevailed one more time 42-39. 

Yes indeed, the Buckeyes were on top of the college football world, and they headed to Arizona to play Florida in the BCS Championship in what would be their unprecedented third No. 1 vs. No. 2 game of the year.  It appeared to be a fore gone conclusion that Ohio State would beat Florida easily – after all, Florida was just lucky to be there after winning the SEC Championship and narrowly sliding past a defeated Michigan team, and a shocked Southern Cal team, into the No. 2 spot.  The debate wasn’t about who would win the BCS Championship – it was about where Ohio State would rank among the all-time greatest college football teams.

Then “41-14” happened. 

It was easily the worst four hours in Buckeye football history.  Florida mopped the floor with Ohio State, and the once unbeatable Buckeyes not only lost the game, but seemingly lost all respect. 

The final score - 41-14 - hung in the Columbus winter air like a horrible stench.  There was nothing Buckeye fans could do – nothing they could say to defend their beloved team.  There was no bad call that turned the tide of the game, there was no crucial turnover that ruined the dream - Florida beat Ohio State and beat them soundly. 

Immediately following that loss, “41-14” became a rally cry for the Buckeyes.  Every where the players looked as they prepared for this season, “41-14” was there.  The coaches would not let the Buckeyes forget that game, and spawned a desire inside them to get back to the championship and make things right this year.

After a heartbreaking loss to Illinois the week before the Michigan game, the Buckeyes hopes of fixing last year’s nightmare appeared crushed.  But they found new life after beating their arch rival in Ann Arbor - and thanks to a string of upsets over the final two weeks - the Buckeyes ended the regular season in a familiar position:  Ranked No. 1 and holding a ticket to the BCS Championship.

LSU’s 2006-07 season also ended with “41-14” – only they were on the victorious side.  A statement-making-blow-out-win over Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl, propelled their star quarterback JeMarcus Russell to become the NFL’s No. 1 draft pick in April, and solidified the Tigers as the team to beat in 2007 – not only in the SEC – but in the country.

LSU - like Ohio State - used “41-14” all spring and summer as a motivational tool.  However, for LSU the difference was it served as a springboard to jump into the race for this year’s national championship.  The momentum they earned with their “41-14″ gave them a preseason No. 2 ranking, and in their first two games of the season, they demolished their opponents by a combined score of 93-7 – including a 48-7 dismantling of No. 5 Virginia Tech. 

For LSU, “41-14″ was a confidence builder - for Ohio State, “41-14″ was motivation for revenge. 

Going into this game, both Ohio State and LSU are experiencing much different criticisms and praises from the college football world.  Ohio State does not have the same shiny luster that they carried into Arizona last year and is looking to win back the respect they once held – and win a national championship at the same time.  LSU holds the “team of destiny” label, and are the enviable winners of the nation’s toughest conference as they prepare to prove why they are everyone’s favorite to win. 

New Orleans on January 7th is the final destination for these two different teams…who have traveled two different roads to get there.  But their journeys lead them both to the brink of college football history - as the winner will become the first school to win two BCS National Championships.

Thier style of play is different.  Their fans’ cultures are different.  Their motivations are different. 

However…

The one similarity that they share, is that both of their journeys began last January…with “41-14”.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 14th, 2007 at 10:34 pm and is filed under BCS National Championship, 41-14, LSU Football, Ohio State Football. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.