The Ohio State Buckeyes have long been called thugs by their detractors because of the large number of players who have run into trouble with the law. While I certainly don't condone this behavior, one college football game this weekend exposed the true thugs: The Miami Hurricanes.
If you haven't seen footage of the brawl between the 'Canes and Florida International on Saturday, just tune in to ESPN sometime in the next few days and you're sure to catch it. This one took the South Carolina-Clemson brawl in 2004 to a new level. There were players stomping on heads, Haynesworth-style. They even used crutches as weapons. It was a disgrace to the sport and as of now there have been quite a few players suspended, but only for one game. If it were up to me, none of them would ever play college football again. Larry Coker should be fired. It's hard to believe that this is the same Miami that almost beat OSU for the national championship.
What I don't understand is why this is such a heated rivalry. I realize that both schools recruit from the same area in Florida, but at what point has FIU been a contender? Why worry so much about a school whose only notable alumnus is Andy Garcia? Ohio State and Michigan have the biggest rivalry in the history of football, but you would never see them brawl like this. They hit harder in that game than any other, but afterwards you will still see the players throw the ball to the official out of respect for the game, their coaches, and the fans.
