By: John Cupps (BuckeyeCountry.net) — Does beating a MAC team garner more ranking points that defeating a Big Ten opponent? It appears the voters in the AP Poll still hold a slight grudge against The Ohio State Buckeyes as the most recent results have the Cincinnati Bearcats leap frogging OSU to the number 8 slot.  Ohio State traveled to Indiana in a Big Ten match up and took the contest 33-14 while Cincinnati took a road trip to winless Miami (OH) and remained unbeaten with a 37-13 victory.

This marks the first time in 58 years that the Bearcats ranked higher that the Buckeyes.    On November 21, 1951 Ohio State was unranked while Cincinnati took the number 20 spot.  It also marked the first time another college within the state was ranked ahead of Ohio State since Bowling Green.   On November 13, 2004 the Falcons were No. 25 and the Buckeyes were unranked again.

UC received 10 more ranking points than OSU (1,004-994).

While Bearcat fans can claim, at least on paper, to be the best football team in the state, Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly wasn’t bragging. A story by ESPN told just how Kelly feels about it.

“From my standpoint, you settle that on the field, just as Ohio State has settled it on the field,” Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly said today when asked whether his team was the best in Ohio. “These are all just hypotheticals now, so who knows?”

The point is moot for the time being. The odds against the two meeting in a bowl game are astronomical, and the Ohio State doesn’t come back on Cincinnati’s schedule until 2012.

“By that time, hopefully we’ve continued to accelerate our program so Ohio State has something to gain by playing us,” Kelly said. “In years past, it’s been such that Ohio State has everything to lose, because they’re supposed to beat Cincinnati. If we continue to win and play at a high level, I think that makes it an exciting matchup. Before, this wasn’t much of a matchup.”

Ohio State will host Big Ten foe Wisconsin this Saturday while Cincinnati travels to No. 23 South Florida.

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