Bucking the trend
Ohio State's Cooper not thrilled with playing in-state foes
Posted: Monday September 07, 1998 09:15 PM
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Nothing to gain: Cooper said that eventually, Ohio State will lose to a team such as Toledo AP |
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- After six decades of not playing an
in-state opponent, Ohio State schedules one every year. That's one
too many for coach John Cooper.
Cooper believes that the law of averages is working against Ohio
State and that someday a less prestigious football team will be the
iceberg to the Buckeyes' Titanic.
"I just hope it doesn't happen to me," he said Monday at his
weekly news conference.
The Buckeyes, fresh from a 34-17 pasting of 11th-ranked West
Virginia in Morgantown, host Toledo in their home opener Saturday.
Cooper isn't against his top-ranked Buckeyes meeting good, but
unheralded teams such as Toledo, a member of the Mid-American
Conference.
"If I had my rathers, I'd play the same caliber schools as the
MAC, but probably not MAC schools," Cooper said. "I'd rather play
the New Mexico States and the Utah States, those kind of teams, to
be honest with you. They come in here from a long way off, they
don't bring a lot of fans with them. They're happy -- they get a
good payday and we're happy -- we win the game."
Based on recent scheduling contracts, Toledo probably is
receiving between $350,000 and $450,000 to come to Columbus.
The problem for Ohio State is that the game becomes a grudge
match for in-state opponents, as it was when Bowling Green came to
Ohio Stadium in 1992, becoming the Buckeyes' first in-state
opponent since 1932. In that game, the Falcons gave Ohio State all
it could handle before falling 17-6.
"When we play one of those teams, we're not going to catch them
down," Cooper said. "It was The Game for Bowling Green. It will
be The Game for Toledo. How many opportunities do they get to come
down here and play us? So those players are going to be psyched sky
high. Now it may work against them, who knows? But we're going to
take their best shot. So we'd better be either a lot better than
them or we'd better play a good football game."
Cooper said that eventually, Ohio State will lose to a team such
as Toledo.
"That'll happen some day," he said. "When that team will be a
lot better than what Ohio State thinks they are, and if Ohio State
doesn't play a real good game and makes some critical mistakes, you
could get beat."
Judging from the words of Ohio State captain Antoine Winfield,
this won't be the year.
"The MAC, they're not up to our standards," the senior
cornerback said before Monday's workout. "We should blow them out,
but who knows? If we win by one point, I'll be happy."
A year ago, Ohio State walloped Bowling Green 44-13. In the next
few years, the Buckeyes will play Akron and Miami of Ohio of the
MAC, along with another in-state opponent, Cincinnati.
Asked by a reporter if it is the public or the Buckeyes that
considers the MAC out of Ohio State's league, Winfield said with a
laugh, "Well, we do, too."
Winfield said, "I think we have better athletes. They have some
good athletes themselves, but we expect to go out and win big."
Cooper heaped praise on the Rockets, who were picked to win the
MAC title this year after losing in the championship game last
year. He also extolled the MAC, citing Miami of Ohio's victory
Saturday over 12th-ranked North Carolina.
And he said there have been lots of times when he coaching the
heavy underdog receiving a big check to serve as an appetizer for a
national powerhouse.
"I coached at Tulsa and we used to go to Arkansas every year,"
he said. "We got up in the morning, ate the pregame meal, bused
over there, played the game, grabbed a box of Kentucky Fried
Chicken and came home. They got a good payday and we got beat."
He said Tulsa received a lot of money to play those games, but
added, "No matter how much you get, it's not enough."
Cooper also said he wasn't alone in not wanting to take on MAC
or Ohio schools.
"All I can tell you is I don't think the legendary Woody Hayes
ever played an in-state school, did he?" he said. "I rest my
case."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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