Ok, here for 2 weeks now I have been finding myself cruising around on OSU fan boards like orangepower.com and ESPN etc, and I just can't hold in my frustrations anymore... Where do these guys get off? There is so damn much trash talking about the raiders coming from these guys its ridiculous, I just got done looking at a discussion board 11 pages long with comments just bashing Tech and Tech fans in general (not even aggies or Longhorns bashed us this much)...

I mean is it just me or did we not put these guys in their place hard enough last year? Here it was, they came into town touting Kendall Hunter and Dez Bryant were unstoppable, and how Robinson was the best QB out there, ooohhh Tech's defense had no chance of stopping them... and the contest was over by half time! I mean it wasn't even a game, in my opinion our D is stronger this year than last year... so what is out there to say we don't make them look even worse this year?

Actual football teams aside, I have been completely caught up in the "traditions" OSU seems to be so proud of... So after reading the posts this is what I gathered...

Tech Traditions that seem to have influenced OSU's "Proud Tradition"

-The Masked Rider has been a time honored tradition at Tech for many years now, riding out at football games from SWC days to now... Somewhere around the year of 1984, OSU decided this was pretty cool and adopted 'Bullet' (OSU's answer to the Masked Rider) Kind of frustrating but understandable ... I guess

-'Guns Up' has a wikipedia page which dates the salute back to 1961, starting widespread use in 1971. I tried to look up OSU's hand gun signal they use these days and have only been able to find comments posted by past alumni... From this I gathered that the 'pistols firing' (or whatever they call is) didn't surface till the 90s, and looks an awful like the guns up don't you think? Many alumni were making noise that they refused to do it as it looks like they are cheering for TTU. However, current students claim the symbol has been around forever and we need to "deal with it"

-Lets fast forward a bit to "Orange Power" ... now I noticed earlier this year here on this board people noticing during the OSU v UH game, a chant sounding awfully close to "Raider Power". Now this was discussed at length http://www.doubletnation.com/2009/9/8/1021142/did-i-hear-orange-power-during-the

Now on these OSU boards they like to fire back claims that we stole their beloved cowboy mascot...

-How in the HELL does Raider Red look like their cowboy???? Their mascot is a dude dressed as a cowboy wearing a giant plastic cowboy head. I just don't see how this is even argued, who the hell wants their mascot?

I don't know about you guys, but I can't wait to see Tech beat the hell out of Xerox State again! Going into the season they were my pick as the #1 most over-rated team in college football, and they have not disappointed me so far. 2 SI covers, endless media coverage, and a top 10 start and it comes to this... Tech can fully expose OSU once and for all this weekend and I just can't hold in my excitement anymore!

Mind you, I routinely read other teams boards going into the games to try to pick up some insight into where they are coming from, though I never post on there... I just find that to be in bad taste, but I cannot wait to see what they have to say after this one.

OK, guess I'm done ranting for a while

Wreck 'Em