OU students need to quit fooling around with Bucks

Ohio State fans run rampant over Ohio University's campus, filling bars and greens with apparel devoted to a university not their own. The noticeable lack of hunter green and white, OU's official colors, is frustrating.

That is not to say people do not like Ohio (the university's preferred way of referring to OU's sports teams). Judging from an unscientific opinion poll conducted over my past three years on campus, the majority of students love the school. It seems logical that admiration for a university would extend to all facets of the institution, including athletics.

Yet, there are still throngs of students crushed by an Ohio State loss.

There is a strange paradox in the Ohio State loyalty on campus. Students boast about the party scene at school, yet cower at the mention of the football team. If you love Ohio, you love all of it. Sure, there are parts you wish you could change, but you commit to the university each time you send a tuition check or apply for student loans. That commitment is something that should be honored.

Picture this scenario: A husband is sitting on the couch one evening watching TV. The husband flicks through channels before stopping to watch his high-school sweetheart, now an award-winning journalist, anchoring the local news. He remarks about how impressive she is and ogles at her for 30 minutes before again focusing his attention on his wife. It's obviously disrespectful, blowing off someone you are committed to in favor of someone whom you have no real attachment to anymore. The correct way to go about this would be for the husband to say something along the lines of, "Oh, there's Karen from high school. Glad she's doing well." Then, you simply change the station and re-focus your attention on your wife.

Now college is not nearly as binding as a marriage. But nonetheless, students still make a choice to come here. Part of that commitment is showing some respect for and having some pride in the school you chose. If there are aspects of the university you find particularly offensive or unfulfilling, perhaps there's a better fit for you.

This is not to say that you should cease watching Ohio State games or any other university team you support. I grew up in suburban Pittsburgh, the son, brother and nephew of Penn State graduates. My family even owned season tickets briefly, and I made the three-hour trip to State College six weekends each fall. I still root for the Nittany Lions on Saturdays. But when Ohio travels to Happy Valley to kick off the 2012 football season, I will be proudly decked out in my green and white.

It's time to rearrange your priorities, Bobcats who happen to root for Ohio State. And what better time to hop off the wagon than now? The Ohio State program has been mired in controversy for over a year. It is now one of the faces of the continually and unfortunately scandalized game of college football. Jumping ship now is a smart move.

Come to the good side, to a program with players capable of dominating the conference. (Yes, dominating. Ohio has the talent and schedule needed to win the MAC.) Rooting for a smaller school is not as sexy or as easy as rooting for the BCS titans. News is harder to come by, games are harder to find on TV.

But when Ohio turns the corner and finally takes home a conference title and bowl game, which will be within the next few seasons, it's going to be sweeter for the fans than any buckeye chocolate they've ever tasted. Just ask the basketball fans how they felt when the Ohio men won the conference and upset Georgetown in the first round of the 2010 NCAA tournament.

So when the day comes that Ohio is talked about on a national level in the same way that Central Michigan was during the Dan LeFevour era, be prepared. You can have the satisfaction knowing that they were your top team while bandwagon-jumpers search for a seat.

All you have to do is show a little pride.