B1G Fans Should Root For Ohio State To Beat Alabama

It's a fascinating question, really, and I assume that on a #B1G focused blog I already know the answer. Should you, a fan of a non-OSU B1G school, root for the Buckeyes against Alabama on January 1? Should you focus more on the "rising ride raises all ships" argument, and less on your presumed dislike of the OSU football program, which along with Michigan, raises the most ire of B1G brethren?

I believe that a large percentage of B1G folks are going to root for OSU. And you should.

If you're a "big picture" kind of person, this is the kind of game that can positively affect the B1G and your program for a long time. Speaking in broad terms, the battle for College Football supremacy is ongoing and waged on an increasingly uneven playing field. Schools from recruiting hotbeds like California, Texas, and the entire SEC will have a continuous advantage with depth and talent and great weather. Huge BTN money and great facilities can gloss over irrelevant programs for a long time, but at some that façade will crack.

And why is it important that the B1G fights to stay relevant? Money, respect, championships, recruiting...basically everything. If the B1G is deemed to be a "second class" conference on the football field, the money and championships that allow a conference to compete slowly slip away. The TCU/Baylor/OSU jumpball went to OSU, because of the conference game performance AND the perception that winning the B1G was similar to winning the Big 12. Imagine if OSU loses 50-0 against Alabama? That jumpball might go to a different conference next time. Then you lose big-time recruits who only want to play for teams with National Championship opportunities. Then you don't get primetime network game spots. And on, and on. Eventually you're the Big East.

So suck it up. Cardale Jones is hilarious and talented, Urban Meyer is like that crazy linebackers coach who broke a mirror to get you fired up in high school, you get to root against Alabama...And you can do it in the name of keeping your program and your conference relevant and strong for years to come.