At the beginning of the season, it was an impossible dream.
A few weeks ago it became possible.
After this Saturday, it wont be possible. Itll be probable.
Im speaking of what would be a Game of this or any other Century: undefeated Ohio State and undefeated Michigan, 3:30 pm, at the Horseshoe in Columbus. A clash of the titans that would be bigger than the 4th of July, V-J Day, and the Dukes of Hazzard/B.J. & Lobo crossover episode combined. The hype will be beyond belief. We here in our corner of the Midwest will love every minute of it. The rest of you will just want to puke. Either way, itll be massive.
Here are the remaining schedules for both teams following this weekend, and including what we simply refer to as The Game:
Ohio State Oct. 21- vs. Indiana Oct. 28- vs. Minnesota Nov. 4- at Illinois Nov. 11- at Northwestern Nov. 18- vs. Michigan
Michigan Oct. 21- vs. Iowa Oct. 28- vs. Northwestern Nov. 4- vs. Ball State Nov. 11- at Indiana Nov. 18- at Ohio State
You want to talk about a cupcake stretch; this is it. There are three teams on Michigans schedule- Northwestern, Ball State, and Indiana- who are, literally, impossible for the Wolverines to lose to. Doesnt matter how poorly they play (I wont say the same for any of the teams on tOSUs schedule; I dont want to jinx anything). Iowa could pose a problem for UM, but considering how badly the Hawkeyes got thrashed under near-optimal home game conditions by Ohio State, its tough to see them walk into Ann Arbor and win, especially since Mario Manningham will be back for the Wolverines by then.
Aside from Ohio State and Michigan, there are six BCS teams- Louisville, West Virginia, Rutgers, Florida, Missouri, and USC- who as of yet are still undefeated. But all of them face large hurdles on the way to perfection.
It stands to reason that at least two of the three undefeated teams in the Big East will no longer be undefeated by the end of the season, and if red-hot Pitt (who hosts both WVU and Louisville to close out the season) has its way, none of them will be. USC has looked very vulnerable to consecutive narrow escapes against the Washington schools and clearly lacks the offensive explosiveness it had last year; not to mention it still has to play Oregon, Cal, and Notre Dame in consecutive weeks (albeit all in the Coliseum). Florida has a screaming bitch of a road matchup with what is sure to be a pissed-off Auburn team this Saturday, not to mention the Cocktail Party against Georgia and a trip to Tallahassee in the last week of the season. Missouri is 6-0 for the first time since 1973 but still has to go on the road to Texas A&M this Saturday and to Nebraska in November.
So its a distinct possibility that not only will Ohio State and Michigan be both undefeated on November 18; they will be the only two undefeated BCS schools left, making the battle in the Horseshoe the de facto National Championship game. But the first order of business is making it through this weekend unscathed. Because this is the last weekend the Bucks and Wolverines can possibly be stopped on their way to the dream matchup of Perfect vs. Perfect.
Fuck yeah.
Ohio State (6-0) at Michigan State (3-3)
It may be possible to stop Ohio States offense, or at least hold it to less than 24 points, Jim Tressels stated point-total goal for each game. It hasnt been done yet. Ohio State is averaging 33 points per game, and it would be more if not for Tressels habit of running the ball and punting with a lead.
There are just too many weapons. Troy Smith is the best quarterback in college football. I may be biased in my opinion, but so what- with his experience, mobility, accuracy, poise, and leadership, I just cant see how anyone can be better. He has the quicksilver duo of Teddy Ginn and Anthony Gonzalez, and a pair of big, sure-handed targets in Roy Hall (who was a freshman back when Cris Carter and Mike Lanese were the wideouts) and Brian Robiskie. He has a multi-faceted running game in shifty Antonio Pittman and powerful Chris Beanie Wells. Most importantly, he has one of the deepest and best offensive lines in the nation.
And heres the cold water for those who think winning a shootout with the Buckeyes is feasible: Ohio States defense, despite losing nine starters (including two top-10 picks in the draft), might actually be better than last years vaunted unit, for one reason: the 2006 Silver Bullets generate turnovers at a far higher rate than in 05. Ohio States D already has 15 interceptions, as opposed to 12 all of last year. James Laurinaitis, Son of the Animal, a linebacker that plays the passing lanes like a DB, leads the Big 10 in picks with four. The Buckeyes arent great at stopping the run, but at 9.3 per game given up, they are very difficult on which to score, and that, of course, is the most important thing. Teams can move the ball on Ohio States defense, but they dont get big plays, they have to work for everything, and the closer they get to the end zone, the tougher it gets for them. Since Ohio State has an outstanding punter and its offense very rarely turns the ball over, the defense usually has a lot of space to work with. Its the battle for field position, the heart of what is known as Tresselball, and the Buckeyes are, as usual, winning it.
Theres no point in re-hashing the myriad of problems facing Michigan State right now. Ive picked on them enough. But it is worth pointing out that, as dysfunctional as the Spartans can be, they do play Ohio State tough. Two years ago at East Lansing they were leading most of the game but were single-handedly beaten by Ted Ginn, who scored on an end-around and a punt return, and broke a slant route 58 yards for the winning touchdown with less than two minutes left. Last year in Columbus the Spartans dominated the first half and got out to a 17-7 lead. With time running out in the half, Sparty lined up for a field goal with ten men on the field. Nate Salley blocked the kick and Ashton Yobouty ran it back for a touchdown. Ohio State went on to dominate the second half and win 35-24. John L.s classic meltdown in front of ABCs cameras following the personnel gaffe symbolized the 2005 Michigan State season.
Its all about mood with Michigan State; there may not be another team in the country that is as much of a slave to momentum, negative and positive, as the Spartans. I could point out that MSU has been gashed for well over 200 yards rushing in each of its last two losses. I could point out that the last mobile quarterback Sparty faced, Illinoiss Juice Williams, racked up over 100 yards passing and rushing- and he was making his second career start. None of it matters. As awful as Michigan State has looked the last three weeks, they may very well come out and play great football against Ohio State, and push the Buckeyes to the limit. Then again, they could come out flat and listless and get wiped out. You just dont know with them.
Wack Predicto: Ohio State 31, Michigan State 17. As unpredictable as Sparty is, Ohio State is the opposite. Troy Smith will be ice-cool and deadly accurate as he fires strikes all over the field. Special teams will be outstanding. Tressel will throw flannel homilies into the microphone during the halftime interview. The Buckeyes will handle their business.
Penn State Michigan Happy Valley, PA Saturday, 8pm EST
This Saturday evening, the Penn State Nittany Lions will host the Michigan Wolverines in the 12th installment of what will surely be another Big Ten classic. JoePas boys will need We Are! They will need the crackling lions roar to erupt from the p.a. system. They will need a drunken and raucous Zombie Nation at nothing less than a fever pitch. And they will need the White Out.
Michigan holds an 8-3 series advantage and theyve won the last seven meetings in a row between the two programs. And when the Wolverines last played at Beaver Stadium, five years ago, they won that game 20 to, ah, zip.
The Hype
Penn State brings an 11-game, home winning streak into the contest. But this is Penn States third top-five foe faced in its first seven games. To say its been a trial by fire for first-year starting quarterback Anthony Morelli would be an understatement on par with remarking that Erin Andrews gets me all tingly inside. Thus far, Morelli has been weighed by Charlie Weis (pun absolutely intended) and measured by Jim Tressel (pun absolutely intended againsorrygiggling). The question is: will he now be found wanting?
The last top five-ranked team that Penn State defeated was Arizona, in the 1999 Pigskin Classic. Desert Swarm turned out to be a hoax, so even that win has to be discounted.
The 2005 Nittany Lions compiled a 10-1 regular season record; their only loss coming at the hands of Michigan in a 27-25 heartbreaker at the Big House. Michigan scored on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Chad Henne to Mario Manningham on the game's final play. Many will remember that game because of Lloyd Carrs controversial, yet successful lobby of the referees to put two ticks back on the clock during a timeout called with 29 seconds to play. Coincidentally enough, the final snap came with only one second left on the clock.
(Twenty-second Timeout: No one talks about it, but the NCAA changed the rules because of this game. They call it Rule 3-2-5. But it should be called the Lloyd Carr Whining Rule. It states that the game clock will start as soon as the ball is kicked in a kickoff situation. Previously, the clock would only start once the receiving team touched the ball. In addition, Rule 3-2-5 also states that, after a team gets a first down, the clock will begin running again on the ready-for-play signal. Previously, the clock did not resume until the team snapped the ball.)
Seven of the first eleven matchups between these two schools were decided in the 4th quarter, or overtime, and the outcome defined by one series or play. The 2006 matchup will no doubt be equally as thrilling. Declared by many as greatest student section in the country, the Nittany Lions faithful will need to bring to bear all the energy they can muster in order to will their team to victory. It worked last year in night games against Wisconsin and Ohio State, but this may be the biggest test yet of the Beaver Stadium, night game, home-field factor.
The Matchup
Keys factors that could contribute to a Michigan victory:
- Michigan has the number one run defense in the Big Ten. If they can stop Penn States hard-running Tony Hunt from establishing any sort of ground game, theyll force Morelli to take the game into his hands. With Michigans Burgess and Hart roaming the secondary and the fact that Morelli remains unproven, this would clearly favor the Wolverines.
- After losing seven starters from last year's squad, PSUs defense has been much better than anticipated on occasion. Minnesota absolutely exploited the middle of the field last week and were in position to win that ballgame. If Chad Henne can do the same, look for the Wolverines to keep the Lions D on the field for a disproportionate amount of time.
- As a sports fan, youre immediately discredited the minute you utter something along the lines of, yeah, well, the refs were terrible Its a completely subjective statement and is always a sad complaint from the losing fan. That being said, the refs were terrible last year at the Big House. If you go to YouTube and do a search for Lloyd Carrs balls, youll actually find a clip of him getting blown by a ref during one of the replay reviews. All right, I made that up, but he had those fuckers knobbing him all game long. If Lobbying Lloyd manages to get the notoriously partial Big Ten refs on their knees and bobbing again, look for Michigan to make it eight in a row.
Key factors that could contribute to a Penn State victory:
- Chad Hennes favorite, big-play receiver, Mario Manningham, is out for the game with a damaged meniscus. Considering he caught two touchdowns in last years game, including the game-winner, this may be the biggest factor in favor of Penn State.
- Penn State has the number two run defense in the Big Ten. In order to win this game, it must first stop Michigans running game, spearheaded by their talented back, Mike Hart. Highly probable considering the talent and depth in this years class at Linebacker U.
- Quarterback Anthony Morelli has a staring problem. If he hasnt learned it by now, he may never learn to check off his receivers. But if he can get comfortable early with a few dumps to Hunt or a couple screens to Williams, the Lions will make a ballgame of it.
- Michigan hasnt played at Beaver Stadium in five years - meaning no one on their roster has played in front of this maniacal pack of Pennsylvanians. And the environment is even more hostile than it was then. If the Wolverines let it take them out of their game, as Buckeye players have remarked thats exactly what happened to them in 2005, anything can happen.
The Prediction
They got absolutely rolled by Notre Dame; they went toe-to-toe with a very good Ohio State team in Columbus, and they should have lost to Minnesota in that embarrassment of a facility the Twins call their home. So no one really knows what to make of this Penn State team.
Lloyd Carr is 7-2 lifetime against Penn State and Chad Henne is as slick as a babys bottom thats been greased with Johnsons Baby Oil. (Authors Note: That sounded weird. And creepy.) Michigan OWNS Penn State and they have so since that epic, sideline collision between two opposing players in 1997. That car crash-like mashup spooked the Beaver Stadium crowd and Michigan eventually won that game. Expect the Beav to be quieted again.
I anxiously await Posted: 10/16/2006by: Tangent Guy Antony's explanation of the anal rape that Georgia endured at the hands of the Vanderbilt Commodores - BETWEEN THE HEDGES!
My homepage Posted: 10/13/2006by: Zane Well done! My homepage | Please visit Solon??? Posted: 10/13/2006by: Batata Phat Phree Staff - a solon is a wise lawgiver. These headlines haven't been making sense for weeks. Do you mean "salon"?
Hooked on Phonics worked for me! Solon??? Posted: 10/13/2006by: Batata Phat Phree Staff - a solon is a wise lawgiver. These headlines haven't been making sense for weeks. Do you mean "salon"?
Hooked on Phonics worked for me! Fuck! Posted: 10/12/2006by: Joe Kickass How are you guys not previewing the Florida-Auburn game??!!?!?!
Yes, I'm biased, but come one, last week's #2 in the nation hosting this weeks #2 in the nation. This is fucking huge. Easily the biggest game of the weekend.
Plus, if Florida wins, their chances of going undefeated skyrocket. FSU and Georgia are good teams, sure, but Florida is step above both of them this year.
Ohio State (6-0) at Michigan State (3-3)
Theres no point in re-hashing the myriad of problems facing Michigan State right now. Ive picked on them enough. But it is worth pointing out that, as dysfunctional as the Spartans can be, they do play Ohio State tough. Two years ago at East Lansing they were leading most of the game but were single-handedly beaten by Ted Ginn, who scored on an end-around and a punt return, and broke a slant route 58 yards for the winning touchdown with less than two minutes left. Last year in Columbus the Spartans dominated the first half and got out to a 17-7 lead. With time running out in the half, Sparty lined up for a field goal with ten men on the field. Nate Salley blocked the kick and Ashton Yobouty ran it back for a touchdown. Ohio State went on to dominate the second half and win 35-24. John L.s classic meltdown in front of ABCs cameras following the personnel gaffe symbolized the 2005 Michigan State season.
Penn State Michigan
Seven of the first eleven matchups between these two schools were decided in the 4th quarter, or overtime, and the outcome defined by one series or play. The 2006 matchup will no doubt be equally as thrilling. Declared by many as greatest student section in the country, the Nittany Lions faithful will need to bring to bear all the energy they can muster in order to will their team to victory. It worked last year in night games against Wisconsin and Ohio State, but this may be the biggest test yet of the Beaver Stadium, night game, home-field factor.
Key factors that could contribute to a Penn State victory: 
