Sick of X’s and O’s?

Rob Oller of the Columbus Dispatch has a great piece out today about the culture clash waiting for these two fan bases as they converge this Saturday.

Much of the angst toward USC comes from a sense of cultural inferiority forced upon anyone who lives in flyover country. Buckeyes always hear how it’s only cool if it comes from the coasts. Since New York and New England have no powerhouse college teams to speak of, the Left Coast is left to set the agenda and seek the attention as it sees fit. So we have the West Coast offense instead of the Midwest offense, even though the short-pass philosophy was birthed by Bill Walsh in Cincinnati when he worked as a Bengals assistant under Paul Brown.

The bitterness born of resentment toward the West is not as thick as it once was, because ours is a more transient nation made closer by increases in travel and telecommunication. But while the separation between “us” and “them” is less pronounced, it still exists, especially among aging fans who think defeating the Trojans is tantamount to sticking a stake in the heart of a Hollywood crowd all too happy to look down upon Rust Belt rubes.

Go read the whole thing. And don’t act like one of those LA assholes that don’t think they’re assholes. If you know you’re an asshole, at least admit to it and apologize in advance.

Who knows you might meet somebody that’s friends with this girl. (Video is not-safe-for-work)

Rob Oller commentary: OSU-USC rivalry goes deeper than football [The Columbus Dispatch via OregonLive.com]