Exit Ohio State, finally

USC's dismantling of Ohio State 35-3 last night before a national television audience was great for college football because, finally, the world must know that, regardless of its record, Ohio State doesn't belong with the Big Guys.

The Buckeyes have played in the last two BCS Championship games, getting destroyed in both, 41-14 to Florida in 2007 and 38-24 to LSU at the beginning of this year. I can't conceive of college football pollsters voting Ohio State into another BCS Championship game again for a long, long time, regardless of its record.

However, I am not that quick to say like others that because of its victory, USC is the undisputed best team in college football. The Trojans have still not impressed me the way the Oklahoma Sooners have and OU's total dismantling yesterday on the road of a Washington team that might have beaten an excellent BYU squad if it hadn't been for the officials was the day's most impressive statement.

Besides, this year's Pac-10 looks about as weak as the Big 10. Consider some other results yesterday: BYU 59 - UCLA 0; Baylor 45 - Washington State 17; TCU 31 - Stanford 14; New Mexico 36 - Arizona 28; UNLV 23 - Arizona State 20; Maryland (which the week before had lost to Middle Tennessee State) 35 California 27.

Georgia was lackluster in its win over South Carolina and, with the Bulldogs schedule, I can't conceive of them finishing among the Top 5 teams in the nation (although UNLV's overtime victory over Arizona State last night makes a desert victory next week for Georgia a little more plausible). What I can see is, unlike last year when a two-loss team won the national championship, three squads -- USC, Florida and Oklahoma -- finishing the season undefeated. If that does happen, I would put Florida and OU in the championship game only because both had to win conference championship games to stay undefeated. But, if that is indeed the scenario, the roar from the West Coast would be deafening.

One thing is for sure, however. Ohio State will not be anywhere in the vicinity of the championship game. In fact, it might not even win the Big 10 title this year because I'm hearing the Penn State Lions roaring in Happy Valley.