Arkansas Razorbacks Head Coach Bret Bielema has never been uncomfortable in front of the microphone. He has a well documented history of speaking his mind, even when he probably should just give coach-speak answers. But honestly, that’s one of the things that has endeared Bielema to Razorbacks fans. During his time at Wisconsin, Bielema was never quiet about the Buckeyes, especially when Urban Meyer took over in Columbus. But that just comes with the territory with Bret Bielema.
So it should come as no surprise that, when given the opportunity, Bielema leaped at the chance to take a pot shot at Meyer and the Buckeyes.
Bielema: "Ohio State has one game remaining with a ranked opponent. We have eight remaining against teams that are ranked."
— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) September 9, 2015
There are two sides to every coin. Right now, if I was Jeff Long, I would be asking Bret if he knew the difference between being “right” and being “correct”. Is he correct in saying that Ohio States schedule is lacking in tough opponents? Yes. Yes he is. Not only is the Big 10 down across the board, but their out of conference schedule leaves a lot to be desired. Virginia Tech is the highlight of the non Big 10 teams, and is the only power conference opponent the Buckeyes face in non-conference play. That is the exact same set up that the Razorbacks have for non-conference. The Hogs play 3 non-power 5 schools, and Texas Tech, a respectable Big 12 opponent. The difference is, after the Razorbacks play the Red Raiders, they embark on a 3 week road trip to square off against Texas A&M, Tennessee, and Alabama. Before Ohio State starts conference play, they host the Northern Illinois Huskies, then play Indiana, Maryland, and Penn State. So…yeah…Bret is right, the Buckeye’s schedule is not exactly impressive.
However, is he right to be saying these things? Probably not.
Oct 18, 2014; Little Rock, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Bret Bielema during the first quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at War Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
In my opinion, the head coach of a program should not be calling out other coaches for things that they cannot control, especially conference schedule difficulty. It’s not Ohio State’s fault that their conference is down as a whole. (After all, they did lose Bret Bielema, and Wisconsin has not been the same since.) Usually, I love it when Bret Bielema gets a little chirpy and starts spouting off against other programs, especially Auburn and LSU. But calling out teams for scheduling is a job for journalists. And it’s not hard to find articles from people who have done just that. He’s not even the first coach to call Ohio State out on their schedule. Steve Spurrier did it earlier this year as well. (Furthering my theory that Bielema will take over as the SEC’s mouthpiece once the HBC retires.)
What I’m getting at here is that you can cry and whine about OSU’s schedule all you want, but if they run through their games with huge margins of victory, then they’re going to the playoff. Look at the 2013 Florida State schedule, which was atrocious. They won their games by a margin of around 35 points. If Ohio State is able to do that, then they should go to the playoffs, simple as that.
Of course, we’re only in week 1. So not only is this discussion far too premature, the rankings are as well. It’s not fair to look at week 8 and judge an opponent by where they’re ranked in week 1. This whole situation is silly. Ohio State is a very good football team. And Bret Bielema only has 2 conference wins and 0 road wins in the SEC. So lets focus on our own schedule, and worry less about Ohio States.
All that being said, their schedule is totally weak. And I love that Bret will just randomly take shots at Urban Meyer, Gus Malzahn, or whoever else. I love me some #Bert.