Irony: It Backhands. Hard

"This offense is too good!" "I don't think there's a chance of an upset here." "The only thing the Gators will be chomping on is the goose egg they lay."

Get the picture? If you payed any attention to last year's BCS National Championship game, you know the majority of people had written off the Florida Gators against the Ohio State Buckeyes. After all, how did Florida stand a chance? They were beat up from an SEC schedule, had not impressed in victories over the likes of Tennessee or Georgia, and had lost by 10 to an Auburn squad that had recently been blown out by a supposed rebuilding Georgia squad. Heck, the offense was pass with Chris Leak and run with Tim Tebow- how could that offense contend? Meanwhile, the Buckeyes had Troy Smith, Heisman trophy winner, leading an offense stacked with future NFL draft picks like Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez, among others. Meanwhile the defense had been great, holding all except rival Michigan to 17 points or less.

The tables have been turned this year. Now, it's the SEC who's favored against the Buckeyes, this time being LSU. Everything points to a Tiger victory; home-field advantage (c'mon, it's in New Orleans!), surviving a topsy-turvy season in arguably the best conference top-to-bottom in the nation, and a defense led by future NFL draft pick Glenn Dorsey that can create havoc to any oppostion.

Oh, did I mention how the Big Ten has been weak this year? How Ohio State lost to an Illinois team that got stomped by quality competition in the Rose Bowl? That the Buckeye offense only managed 14 points against Michigan, a team that gave up 34 to Appalachian State early in the season and got run over by Wisconsin late?

And now the Deja Vu hits.

Now the Buckeyes are the ones viewed as having no chance, having to face another SEC champion. Jim Tressel has a few lessons he learned from last season's embarrassment to share with his players, and you can count on some changes from his approach last year. Rusty Miller, of the Associated Press, has already reported about some of the new tactics: Staying disciplined. With the French Quarter just around the corner, and the same Harrah's that had the Buckeyes an overwhelming favorite last year just across the street, the Ohio State players are staying indoors and focused. Meanwhile, Miller writes "several LSU players have been spied enjoying the gambling tables and slot machines Thursday night."

So, apparently we have a tale of two teams: The LSU Tigers, enjoying the home town advantage and favorite status, while the Buckeyes stay in their hotel and focus. Of course, it's never that simple, but perhaps this group under Tressel has a bit of learned wisdom from last year- and with revenge on the mind, naysayers beware. The stage is set for the upset.

Sources:

Alder, James. "2007 NFL Draft Results." About.com.

Miller, Rusty. "Buckeyes Content to Avoid French Quarter." Associated Press. Published January 5th, 2008.