Howard leads Big Ten contingent on Hall ballot

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
The National Football Foundation announced its 2009 ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame Tuesday, and the list includes 16 players from the Big Ten and two coaches who spent time in the league. 
Former Michigan wide receiver Desmond Howard, the 1991 Heisman Trophy winner, leads the Big Ten contingent on the ballot, which includes 76 players…
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Big night for Holmes, Big Ten in Super Bowl

	AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
	For the second year in a row, a Big Ten receiver made the game-winning touchdown grab in the Super Bowl. This year it was former Ohio State standout Santonio Holmes.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

For the second straight year, a former Big Ten wide receiver made the winning touchdown catch in the Super Bowl with exactly 35 seconds left in regulation.

And this time, he took home MVP honors.

Former Ohio State star Santonio Holmes made an electrifying grab in the back of the end zone to lift Pittsburgh past Arizona 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII on Sunday night. Holmes, who made news earlier in the week with an admission that he sold drugs as a kid, had nine receptions for 131 yards to win the game's MVP award.

He's the first Big Ten player to win the award since former Michigan quarterback Tom Brady claimed the second of his two trophies in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Five former Big Ten players — Brady, Holmes, Len Dawson (Purdue), Desmond Howard (Michigan) and Franco Harris (Penn State) — have been named Super Bowl MVP.

Holmes' performance came a year after former Michigan State wide receiver Plaxico Burress caught a 13-yard touchdown to complete the Giants' comeback against Brady and the Patriots.

The Super Bowl was an impressive showcase for the Big Ten, which certainly needed a boost. The Big Ten will continue to take flak for its bowl performances, but arguably no league better prepares its players for the NFL.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Former Michigan linebacker LaMarr Woodley had the Steelers' only two sacks and forced a Kurt Warner fumble that sealed the victory with five seconds remaining.
• Former Minnesota running back Gary Russell scored the game's first touchdown, a 1-yard run for the Steelers early in the second quarter.
• Former Michigan wide receiver Steve Breaston had six catches for 71 yards to go along with 43 yards on kickoff and punt returns for the Cardinals.
• Former Purdue linebacker Chike Okeafor finished second on the Cardinals in tackles with six tackles (all solo).
• Former Minnesota tight end Matt Spaeth and former Illinois fullback Carey Davis both had a reception for six yards with the Steelers.
• Former Illinois kicker Neil Rackers connected on all three of his extra-point attempts for the Cardinals. He did not attempt a field goal.
• Former Penn State tackle Levi Brown started for the Cardinals and gave Warner time to rack up 377 pass yards and three touchdowns against the vaunted Steelers defense.

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Ohio State-Michigan Position Preview: Defense

Defense

The defense was supposed to be what each team hung its hat on throughout the year. Defense was supposed to keep the Wolverines from being awful, and defense was supposed to lead the Buckeyes to a National Championship. Missions unaccomplished.

Ohio State wasn’t able to stop USC, a common theme for Big Ten teams, and Michigan hasn’t been able to stop, uh, anyone not named Minnesota.

Defensive Line

If there’s one place the Wolverines could have the edge, it’s the D-line. I think they are good—that’s what I’ve been told, at least. The Buckeye defensive line has actually turned up the tempo and started to affect games, rather than watching like the rest of us.

During last year’s dreary game, Michigan’s defensive line caused Todd Boeckman to have a dreary day passing the ball while seemingly forgetting about Beanie Wells. For all the hype, Ohio State’s defensive line has the numbers on their side.

Linebackers

Ohio State has the star power…and production. While you may feel the Ohio State defense has performed below expectations, Michigan should be in the negative.

James Laurinaitis has turned in a good season leading the Buckeyes, maybe not OMG!? A.J.HAWK-good, but good enough. Marcus Freeman has been playing at less than 100 percent, which has shown by his awesomeness in one game and his lost puppy dog look in others. Ross Homan has stepped up admirably, while he probably will always excel more against the Wisconsins than the Floridas of the world.

To be honest, all I know about Michigan is Obi Ezeh. Then again, all I know about him is his name.

Secondary

Let’s face it: The Big Ten isn’t the Big 12 in terms of QB play and passing yards. That’s like realizing the world is round and Charlie Weis is fat.

Intangibles

If there’s one thing that jumps out about Michigan, it’s probably the football, because a Michigan player can’t hold on to it if Nick Sheridan thought you were on his team. In a rain-soaked loss to Notre Dame (THAT Notre Dame), Rod’s boys managed four LOST fumbles and two INTS. That doesn’t even include the other times they dropped it on carpet and got the ball back.

Ohio State, on the other hand, has everything to play for and can’t (absolutely not, will not do it, no way) handle a loss to this Michigan team.

Michigan

They are like a tiny little mouse backed into a corner. They will bite, scratch, and probably give you rabies. They will do whatever it takes to try and beat Ohio State. I fully expect Michigan to come out ready and try. Sure, the season is a loss with a capital SUCK, but they haven’t beaten Ohio State in four consecutive tries.

I expect Michigan to take cheap shots and talk trash. It will basically be Illinois x10. Rich Rodriguez will let them, because that’s what he does. This is no longer a classy bunch like Desmond Howard and Braylon Edwards…never mind.

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THE Game: Can Ohio State Make It Five In A Row Over Michigan?

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College Football ADD: Week 13

For those who don’t want to read full articles

Attention everyone, I have an important announcement to make. The M*ch*g*n at Ohio State game has been cancelled this year. It seems that M*ch*g*n can’t get around Toledo. (Thank you, Shawn Collier)

I love M*ch*g*n Week.  As far as weeks go, I think it narrowly edges out the week of Christmas, the week of Thanksgiving (every other year for the family vacation) and the first week of the NCAA basketball tourney for my favorite of the year.

This weekend just adds to the lore of making fun of that hated state up north.

- At noon on Saturday it will have been 1,826 days since M*ch*g*n’s last win over Ohio State. Here’s to 365 more!

- This season’s 20.5-point spread in favor of the Buckeyes is the largest in the history of the rivalry. It’s opened at 19; who knows what it’ll be by Saturday.

- Last week established the first time M*ch*g*n lost eight games in a season in their 129-year football history. I’m sure the Buckeyes would gladly enjoy making this the first time they’ve lost nine.

- A win on Saturday gives Ohio State their first-ever five game winning streak over the state up north.

So it’s time to gear up for another Beat M*ch*g*n week, full of jumps in freezing lakes, daily singings of “We Don’t Give a Damn” and hopefully yet another Buckeye victory. Go Bucks!

Thoughts on Last Weekend

- What, you want me to elaborate in some profound way that makes last weekend seem important or entertaining?  Not only were the games bad on paper, but they were bad on the field.

Only three Top 20 teams trailed at half (UC and BYU trailed, USC was tied) and only Georgia, LSU, UNC and Florida State were trailing in the fourth (obviously UGA and LSU won).

Mainly, it was a large dose of yawners; players’ mothers were bored watching; luckily we have this weekend to save us.

- Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, you coach at a smart school, so let me throw a big word for a small article out there for you: comeuppance.

Thanks to Coach Harbaugh’s end-of-game tactics (tactics in this article actually means stupidity), you’ll be able to use that word along with “2009” and “Stanford at USC game” in a sentence next season. Leave no doubt, the Trojans won’t forget how that game ended.

- We all are now aware that Steve Spurrier had never taken a beating like he did in the Swamp on Saturday.  More interesting to me is that Spurrier now has four games in four seasons with the Gamecocks in which his team didn’t score a touchdown. That only happened once while at Florida, a 30-6 loss to Mississippi State in Spurrier’s second season in Gainesville.

- Vanderbilt is bowl eligible, congrats.

- Rutgers is still alive! After drubbing South Florida in Tampa, Rutgers is back to an even record for the first time since being 0-0.  I know I’m grasping at straws here, but the opportunity for a 7-5 Big East team to make a BCS game doesn’t come along every day.

- Speaking of the Big East and BCS, bowl projections right now have either Maryland (7-3) or Miami (7-3) playing Cincinnati(8-2) in the Orange Bowl. I wanted to see UC in a top tier bowl this season, but man, what a terrible top-tier game this would be

And to recap, the Orange bowl has given us Kansas vs. Virginia Tech, Louisville vs. Wake Forest and Penn State vs. 8-4 Florida State. That was after the 55-19 National Championship embarrassment USC put on Oklahoma in 2005.

In other words, I haven’t really enjoyed an Orange Bowl in some time; I’m pretty sure most of the country hasn’t either.

- Seriously ACC, just flip a coin and stop playing the games. Adding to the madness this past weekend, former Coastal Division leader, and assumed front-runner North Carolina lost to Maryland to lose control of first place for the third time this season.

This was the same Maryland team who was shut out by 5-5 Virginia 31-0. Virginia then lost at Wake two weekends ago, but Wake followed that victory with a loss on the road to N.C. State.

However, N.C. State lost to Duke the same weekend Virginia was dumped by Wake, and Duke was just knocked off by Clemson this past weekend.

Clemson, amongst other losses, was beaten by Georgia Tech in their first game without Tommy Bowden back in mid-October, while GT lost to VaTech all the way back in September.

VaTech lost this past Thursday Night to Miami, but Miami had already been beaten by rival Florida State, who just lost to B.C. on Saturday.

And that, my friends, is how you link all 12 ACC teams together in one big circle. It didn’t take nearly as long as you’d think.

- Division III Mount Union finished their regular season last weekend a perfect 10-0 record, the 15th time in 17 seasons they’ve accomplished that feat.  Mount scored 40+ points in all but one game (a 33-3 nailbiter over No. 10 St. John Fisher), and didn’t win by fewer than four TDs all season. They enter the D-III playoffs as the unanimous No. 1 team.

In case you hadn’t heard about D-III Mount Union, that’s just a taste of how good they are, every season.

- I have absolutely no power to decree such a thing, but I’m asking that this happen regardless.  If you are attending a football game (or any sporting event actually) between Team A and Team B, and some d-bag fan shows up wearing clothing supporting Team C, fans of both teams A and B must unite to unmercifully berate and chastise said fan C until he either changes or leaves.

I saw a man wearing an Iowa sweatshirt on the coverage of the Ohio State/Illinois game. I saw a man wearing a Steelers coat on the Monday Night Football game between Cleveland and Buffalo. Through the years I’ve seen various forms of retarded fans doing this when I go to Ohio State games; it must stop now!

- We may witness a second-coming of the depressing grunge rock era if Washington’s football teams don’t turn around. A 3-28 record between Washington, Wazzu and the Seahawks makes me wonder what the Pacific Northwest did exactly to make the football gods mad.

All of that bad, and yet the Wazzu faithful continue to keep alive one of the coolest under-the-radar traditions in all of college football each Saturday morning at ESPN’s Gameday.

Football theme grunge band names for the new era: Hasselbeck in Chains, Tyrone-ic Youth, Stone Temple Dobas, and my favorite, Temple of the Husky.

- And in my weekly watch of the stupidity that is the college football polling landscape, two AP Poll voters now have Florida as their No. 1 team. One Coaches’ Poll voter and one Harris Poll voter has them there as well.

I get it; Florida looks really good right now. They’re playing great. But they have this one little thing called a loss at home to 6-4 Ole Miss. Until ‘Bama or Texas Tech lose, the Gators do not belong at No. 1. That’s final; end of discussion.

So, little happened last weekend except serve as an appetizer for our palate this Saturday. Well…I can deal with that.

Last Week’s Picks

Hits

VaTech(+4.5) over Miami – VT only lost by 2

Northwestern (+3.5) over M*ch*g*n

Oregon (-4) over Arizona

The Over on O/U 79.5 in the Tulsa/Houston game

Florida (-21) over South Carolina

Cincy (-6) over Louisville

Texas (-21) over Kansas

Misses

Florida State(-7) over B.C. – so I made that pick before the five WRs were suspended.

Georgia (-8) over Auburn – that’s two pathetic UGA games in a row. And they’re makin’ me look bad!

The Under on O/U 71.5 for Nebraska/K-State – the game hit 84 pts.

Oklahoma State (-17) over Colorado – Ok State won by 16

7-4, same record as last week.

Thoughts on this Weekend’s Events

- So ESPN has the rights to all the BCS games starting in 2011.  You tell me that, but all I hear is the possibility of Dave Pasch and Andre Ware doing a major bowl game and I instinctively move to the fetal position.

- I’m not a huge conspiracy theorist, but this is something I’ll be watching for ESPN over the next few seasons. I don’t know if a college football playoff system will be implemented before 2011, or what sort of financial impact that could have on ESPN’s deal. But if it does affect it, I bet you see less and less coverage and talk about a playoff on the Worldwide Leader.

If that annual “ESPN Playoff” they do every December before the start of the bowls disappears, it would be my first indication.

- If he was standing on the other sideline, what would the records be? That’s the question I’ve decided is the most intriguing for the Ohio State/M*ch*g*n game. If Pryor would have signed with the state to the north, how much impact would there have been?

What would’ve happened in a Boeckman season? Could Pryor have worked the same magic as a freshman for M*ch*g*n as he’s done for OSU? It’s interesting to ponder in my opinion.

- You call it a Holy War huh?  I’m listening…not watching because I have other games, and better games to watch that don’t involve the state of Utah duking it out, but I’ll read about it on Sunday.

- Will the ride continue for the Beavers in Tucson? Arizona and Willie Tuitama put up 45 on Oregon State’s Civil War partner Oregon last weekend…but their defense subsequently allowed 55 points.

- Tennessee is a three-point underdog at Vandy this weekend.

- Ball State had its closest MAC contest of the season last week at Miami (OH), only winning by 15. They’ll be playing top two other MAC teams over the next two weekends in 8-2 Central Michigan and 9-2 Western Michigan. And they’ll continue to drop down the BCS.

- If Crabtree doesn’t score that touchdown against Texas and thus Texas Tech enters this weekend’s game with one loss, what’s their line at Oklahoma?  Right now, the Sooners sit seven-point favorites. I think that line would be near 20 if Tech had lost. And here’s to hoping the Red Raiders keep on proving “them” wrong.

- The Miami Hurricanes spent 107 consecutive weeks ranked in the AP poll from 1999 until the Sept 17, 2006, poll. This week marks the first time they’ve been ranked since, as they come in at No. 23. They still aren’t ranked in the Coaches’ or Harris Polls.

This Week’s Big Ones

The Game

M*ch*g*n at No. 10 Ohio State

My column, my bias. Sorry.

Outside of these two states, this game means as much as the Harvard/Yale game this season. But to me, it’s still that a**-hole Desmond Howard striking a pose, it’s David Boston and Charles Woodson coming to blows, it’s Will Allen making the leaping interception that sent Ohio State to the 2002 National Championship.

It’s cursing the name of Tshimanga Biakabutuka, it’s refusing to wear any clothing that combines yellow and blue, it’s reliving Woody and Bo, it’s forgetting John Cooper and Shawn Springs’ “slip.”

For all who were a part of a college experience that included a major rivalry like this, you all know what this weekend is like in Columbus. At 9-2, we aren’t going to the big dance this year (I know, about half of you just said “thank God”), so this is our BCS Championship Game. F-M*ch*g*n and bring on the 2008 Big Ten Champion Ohio State Buckeyes!

No. 2 Texas Tech at No. 5 Oklahoma

This is “the game” which happens to fall on the same weekend as “The Game”. My apologies to Big XII fans everywhere.

I’m not going to say too much different than what you’ll hear all week from talking-head nation. Oklahoma can’t outshoot the Red Raiders; they have to find a defense somewhere. Tech held Texas to its second-lowest score of the season then turned around to hold Okie State to its lowest.

I want to believe the Red Raiders win this game, but in Norman, under the bright lights for the third time in four weeks…I have to go against Crabtree and Evelyn (Evelyn doesn’t really play for TT). Sooners by 10.

No. 15 Michigan State at No. 8 Penn State

It’s been a long, long time since Penn State lost itself a game at home to Michigan State. So long in fact that the last time it did happen, 1965, JoePa wasn’t presiding over the sidelines at the foot of Mt. Nittany.  Paterno’s first season was 1966.

Ohio State fans, what I’m sayin’ is, don’t hold your breath. I take the Spread HD and their -14.5 line all the way to Pasadena.

Other Conference Games I’m Watching

ACC – Florida State at No. 25 Maryland

How much of a revolving door have the poll rankings from No. 20 to No. 25 been this season? Nine of the 12 ACC teams have been ranked at some point this season, with Miami and Maryland now joining the crowd.

Maryland has beaten four ranked teams this season, which would mean something except only one of those teams is currently ranked.

Seriously, I could go all day with the random oddities about the ACC. There’s millions.

Big XII – Iowa State at Kansas State

This is the only Big 12 game this weekend besides the TT/Oklahoma tilt.

Yeah.

Big East – No. 20 Pittsburgh at No. 18 Cincinnati

It’s the biggest game of the year for both teams. If UC wins, it would all but clinch the Big East title (UC only has one conference game left, vs. Syracuse), while a Pitt win gives them control of their own destiny with two conference games left.

And yet Cincy fans will be torn between going to this night game at Nippert Stadium or driving up I-75 forty-five minutes north to see Cincinnati Elder battle Pickerington Central in the Division I State Semis.

You think I’m joking? UC football isn’t exactly the traditional powerhouse and we all know the Bengals are terrible. High school football is the only hope for a winning team in town.

I’d take Pitt +5 to cover, but not to win.

Big Ten – Illinois at Northwestern

If the Purple Kitties win, they could be playing in a New Year’s Day bowl, and subsequently keep Illinois from playing in a bowl, period.  After the non-ferocious fight they put up against the Buckeyes two weekends ago, and subsequent punting contest vs. M*ch*g*n last weekend, I’m gonna think that probably won’t happen.

Take Illinois -3.

Pac-10 – Washington at Washington State

The Apple Cup has never seen a match-up like this before. Although 1969’s battle of 1-9 teams comes close, this game is just going to be horrendous on the eyes.

SEC – Ole Miss at No. 18 LSU

You want the definition of the Cialis Special again? It’s not getting up for a game after a major letdown from the week before or before a big game the following week. LSU just suffered the biggest Cialis Special of the season, nearly losing to Troy.

Ole Miss has lost their four games by a combined 19 points, and just handled a Sun Belt school the way an SEC school should – by beating them 59-love.

I’m taking Ole Miss and Jevan Snead +4.5 over “Pick-6-R-Us” Jarrett Lee.

My Top Ten

1.)    Alabama (11-0)

2.)    Texas Tech (10-0)

3.)    Texas (10-1)

4.)    Florida (9-1)

5.)    Oklahoma (10-1)

6.)    USC (9-1)

7.)    Penn State (10-1)

8.)    Utah (11-0)

9.)    Ohio State (9-2)

10.)   Boise State (10-0)

Quick Picks (HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

Ball State (-7) over CENTRAL MICHIGAN

Washington (-7.5) over WASHINGTON STATE

Air Force (+18.5) over TCU

Boise State (-6) over NEVADA

RUTGERS (-17.5) over Army

Lines I’m Staying Away From

All ACC, Notre Dame or Georgia games.

Tulane (+28.5) at Tulsa– you want a team that just lost by 40 to turn around and win by 4+ TDs?

Stanford (+9) at Cal – Rivalry game theory.

Iowa (-5) at Minnesota – Seems almost too easy to take Iowa with how Minnesota is playing these days…I don’t like that feeling.

Thus concludes my M*ch*g*n Week A.D.D. Happy Mirror Lake jumping and Go Bucks!

As always, please tip your wait staff, they don’t make that much, seriously. I am spent.

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Three Reasons Why Jim Tressel Has Taken THE GAME Back

Bear with me on the setup of this article…lots of background, but good numbers…enjoy!

The year was 2001. Ohio State was in turmoil as a program. The program, under previous head coach John Cooper, had risen from the ashes to post some great seasons during the 1990s. But great 1993, 1995, and 1996 teams, National Championship-caliber teams, all fell to defeat at the absolutely one team it couldn’t afford to…Michigan.

As the 1990s came to a close, it just seemed to get worse. The Buckeye football program not only continued to annually fall to Michigan in “The Game,” but the bowl losses also mounted, and academic ineptitude within the program began to reach the public.

Voices grew louder calling for the dismissal of Cooper, and those voices were heard after mediocre 6-6 and 8-4 seasons in 1999 and 2000. Under Cooper the Buckeyes were 3-8 in bowl games, and most damning, 2-10-1 against the hated Wolverines. BuckeyeNation needed fresh air…

That fresh air arrived in 2001 when a relative unknown outside of football circles arrived in Columbus and got the job over “higher profile” candidates such as Bob Stoops, Glen Mason, Walt Harris, and Chris Spielman. Jim Tressel came to Columbus from Division I-AA Youngstown State, where he had won four National Championships for the Penguins.

But this wasn’t Youngstown State, and this wasn’t Division I-AA…this was the Big Ten, and this was Ohio State, and many questions arose as to whether Tressel would be able to handle the challenge.

At the time, Michigan had a stranglehold on the Midwest as the signature program, and Tressel also faced the difficulty of perceptions that the Ohio State program was out of control and declining in general. All throughout the main question being…how are you going to take Michigan to task?

Tressel answered that question with flair at a ceremony during a Buckeye basketball halftime, saying, ”I can assure you that you will be proud of your young people in the classroom, in the community, and most especially in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the football field.”

310 days later that promise was kept with a rebuilding Ohio State marching into Ann Arbor a heavy underdog and walking out with a 26-20 victory, the first win for the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor in 14 years. The Buckeyes haven’t looked back since.

Under Tressel, the Buckeye have won six out of the seven meetings against the hated Wolverines, won a National Championship in 2002, and are 4-3 in bowl games. The improvement has seeped in off the field as well with team discipline, and academic pride has generally been restored as well.

But most importantly to BuckeyeNation, Jim Tressel took control of The Game at the end of November.

I don’t find it to be coincidence that the arrival of Jim Tressel has coincided with the decline of the Michigan football program. Michigan’s record under Lloyd Carr prior to the arrival of Jim Tressel in 2001 was 58-16 (78 percent), but from 2001 and until Carr’s resignation in 2007…64-24 (72 percent).

Before Tressel arrived, Carr was entrenched at Ann Arbor. A disciple of legendary head coach Bo Schembechler, Carr continued the dominance of Ohio State during the John Cooper era, leading the Wolverines to a 5-1 record against the Buckeyes from 1995-2000, and was a Co-National Champion in 1997.

But by the time of his departure in 2007, Carr was the goat of Ann Arbor, and Michigan had clearly declined as a program and needed new life.

How did Tressel turn the tables in this one-time lopsided rivalry for the Wolverines? How did Jim Tressel come in and swiftly take The Game back into Ohio State’s hands? How do we enter the annual game this year between Ohio State and Michigan with the rivalry looking as lopsided as many of us can remember in Ohio State’s favor? How did Michigan fall so hard, so quickly?

I will attempt to answer those questions…

1) Tressel put the importance of The Game back into the Ohio State program.

John Cooper simply never “got it.” Cooper never put the sense of urgency into his tenure that this game made or broke the season for his players. Thank God Woody Hayes wasn’t alive to see 2-10-1 during Cooper’s tenure…and he probably would’ve shot school president Gordon Gee in 1992 following a 13-13 tie against the Wolverines for stating that ”a tie is one of our greatest wins ever.”

As soon as Jim Tressel accepted this job, losing to Michigan was restored as an unacceptable occurrence. Jim set that precedent at St. John’s arena during halftime in 2001, and the Buckeyes have played that way for the past seven years.

2) What’s in Ohio Stays in Ohio!

Under Cooper, Ohio had gotten poached of some of its best talent by Michigan. Most notably, two Heisman Trophy winners in Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson were taken by the school up north right out of Ohio State’s backyard. Michigan fans will even admit that a great amount of their success on the football field has come from the great state of Ohio.

Cooper often spent a great deal of time recruiting national talent from California, Texas, Georgia, Virginia, and New Jersey to fill out his roster.

With Jim Tressel’s arrival came a renewed foundation of putting a fence around Ohio for other programs, and in most cases since 2001, he has been successful. Tressel has almost made it mandatory that if you are an elite high school prospect in Ohio, it’s your duty to play for Ohio State.

This has hurt a lot of the programs that have been successful recruiting Ohio talent (Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Penn State), but it has undoubtedly hurt Michigan the most.

This has forced Michigan to settle on secondary Ohio talent and look elsewhere to find their impact players—players from mostly out-of-state, and players who didn’t necessarily grow up with the importance of The Game.

3) Raising The Standards…

The Buckeye program under Jim Tressel has lifted itself into elite status in the college football world again—not only on the football field by scheduling high-profile games against national powerhouses Texas, USC, Miami, Oklahoma, and Virginia Tech, but also off the field by strengthening the stress upon academic success and high moral character.

All of this has gone further in making Ohio State all the more powerful a program…and it sets a standard and a tone for your program.

All of these reasons above…build cohesiveness, stability, and a marked direction.

That’s something that Michigan had lost somewhere along the line, and what you see them trying to regain under new head coach Rich Rodriguez.

Jim Tressel took The Game back and has completely turned the tables in the epic battle between these two storied programs. We eagerly enter the weekend of The Game with an air of confidence as Buckeye fans that I can’t remember ever having before.

As for new head man Rich Rodriguez, Saturday will mark his baptism into this rivalry. Amidst a cloud of uncertainty, Rodriguez and the Wolverines are trying to rebuild themselves and find a new identity. Saturday would go a long way for Rodriguez in accomplishing that goal.

What will happen, at this point we don’t know…but one thing’s for sure—The Game will be as much must-see TV as ever.

As always, I hope you enjoyed the article, and I look forward to comments from everyone. Become a fan of my site and spread the word!

onezuke18

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Don’t You Dare Forget 1969 Buckeye Fan!

The numbers are eerily similar…Michigan is a 19 point underdog heading into the Ohio State game in Columbus. The Buckeyes are in the midst of a dominate stretch over the “school up North.” Michigan is featuring a new head coach who will get his first taste of the rivalry this coming Saturday.

Ohio State is littered with a roster full of stars with tons of hardware, and up and coming stars who will undoubtedly follow their predecessors success (Laurinaitis, Jenkins, Wells, Boone, Pryor, Gibson, Brewster). And is seeking out a fourth straight Big Ten title with a victory.

Michigan, on the other hand, is meiered in a historically poor season. 3-8 on the year, 2-5 overall in Big Ten play, and is still trying to claim an identity under first year coach Rich Rodriguez, and find a stable of talent in Ann Arbor.

Why are these numbers and statistics so eerie? Because if you know your Ohio State history kiddies, you know that not since 1969, has this rivalry seemed so lopsided headed into THE GAME…a game where Ohio State walked into Ann Arbor as 17 point favorites, and limped out with a 24-12 defeat in what has been called by some as one of the greatest upsets in college football history.

1969…it haunted Woody Hayes until his death. The 1969 edition of Ohio State football was supposed to be the greatest team Woody Hayes ever assembled. This was a team coming off a National Championship in 1968, a team that was on a 22 game winning streak.

A team littered with superstars all over the field, the likes of Jack Tatum, Jim Stillwagon, Rex Kern, John Brockington, and Jim Otis. Almost an identical team that absolutely annihilated Michigan team in Columbus a year previous 50-14. This was supposed to be a slam dunk, and the game that set up Ohio State for back to back National Championships.

Sure, newly hired Bo Schembechler was a good young coach and a prodigy of Woody Hayes himself at Miami of Ohio and then at Ohio State. He was building Michigan in the right direction, but surely the program was at LEAST a year or two of really challenging Ohio State again.

ABC play by play guy Bill Flemming exalted it “There it is! What has to be the upset of the century!” Schembechler was carried off on the victorious shoulders of his players, and what was so gracefully named, the “Ten Year War,” would ensue.

So what can we learn from this history lesson Buckeye fan?

That this isn’t just a lesson for the fans, but the coaches, and players alike. I don’t care that these players weren’t alive when this happened. I don’t care that Michigan is 3-8 and has looked awful all year long. I don’t care that we have beaten them six out of the last seven years.

I don’t care about Michigan’s struggles with a new system, poor quarterback play, hideous tackling, and lack of team chemistry. I don’t care that not a single player on Michigan has beaten Ohio State in their tenure at Ann Arbor.

You’re Ohio State, everything is on the line for you. A possible BCS bid, and a Big Ten Championship…the motivation is there. You have the foot on the throats of the enemy. You stick your heel into them and turn the foot.

Set the tone for Rodriguez and this new regime, that you are the big dogs on the block, and they are going to have a war on their hands not only the final game of November every year, but year round in recruiting as well.

I hate Michigan. I’ve hated them since I could remember fellow Ohioan Desmond Howard Heisman posing in the endzone as a child. I remember them destroying multiple National Championship opportunities in 1995 and 1996 with inferior talent to my Buckeyes. I lived 2-10-1, and if you’re a Buckeye fan, you know that number too, without me having to explain its meaning. I detest Michigan, and I’m thrilled to see them at the current state they are in.

All that said, as much as I hate them, I also greatly respect them as well. I learned that from football, that no matter how much you hate the enemy you are facing, you have a controlled fear and respect for them. You take nothing for granted against them, and you’d better be prepared for a fight when you encounter them.

The 2008 edition of the Ohio State Buckeyes need to take a lesson from the 1969 edition. Don’t take anything for granted when it comes to facing the Michigan Wolverines. Respect the opponent and come mentally and physically ready to execute your assignments.

The 1969 Buckeyes forgot to due those things, and they watched the Rose Bowl and National Championship go down the drain, and a ten year war ensue. I urge Ohio State players, coaches, and fans alike…respect and fear the opponent. Play with urgency, fire, and passion, and we will this game on Saturday.

Because on any given Saturday…Ohio State vs. Michigan in 1969 can happen. Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

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P.S: This is the first of a week full of Ohio State vs. “The State Up North” articles. So if you liked this one stay tuned for others throughout the week.

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Michigan Dominance Over "Little Brother"

How much do I love Michigan-Michigan State week?

To be honest, it’s my favorite time of the year—more so than Christmas, my birthday, or any other time of year.

Why? Because I never laugh more or louder than during this week at all the trash talk MSU fans muster up despite their continued mediocrity throughout history.

Those silly little Sparties dish out so much garbage that it piles up higher than that landfill of a stadium they play in. Yet Michigan State’s play on the field stinks just as much year in and year out.

Michigan is 67-28-5 all time against MSU and has won six consecutive (which should actually be eight if it wasn’t for Spartan Bob). The Wolverines are actually 31-9 in the last 40 games.

So how is it that MSU fans actually work up the nerve to talk any kind of trash to Michigan fans leading up to this game?

It’s called alcohol and low self-esteem—both of which can be found in East Lansing in great abundance.

No really though, I don’t know how they do it, but it’s hilarious.

They call us arrogant and elitists who stick their noses up because we think we’re better than they are. Well duh, we are. Look at the record, morons. Better yet, let’s take a look at the games MSU has won during my lifetime.

I’m 26 and was born on July 26, 1982. Over that time, Michigan is 19-7 against the Spartans.

Only four of these wins will I consider legitimate, and those are ‘99, ‘95, ‘93 and ‘87.

 

2001: Michigan State 26, Michigan 24

This is perhaps the worst officiated game in the history of college football. It led to the NCAA not allowing home officials handling the clock.

Why? Because the clock doesn’t stop when the ball hits the ground, rather when the official waves his arms. Anyone who has watched college or professional football knows this.

Jeff “Coker” Smoker should never have had the opportunity for one more play. But even before that there was a crap call against Jeremy LeSueur for 15 yards that never should’ve been called.

Sparty fans can thank “Spartan Bob,” whoever that is, for the win.

 

1990: Michigan State 28, Michigan 27

If there was ever a more blatant pass interference non-call in history, please, enlighten me.

Never mind that had overtime rules actually existed then, Michigan would’ve just kicked the PAT and won in overtime.

But Desmond Howard was clearly interfered with on the attempted two-point conversion to win the game.

That was the last time MSU has won in the Big House, and hopefully come Saturday it will continue to be their last.

 

1984: Michigan State 19, Michigan 7

Jim Harbaugh had a broken collarbone and was out of the game. This was a time in Michigan football history when the Wolverines did not have a full stable of NFL quarterbacks.

So who did Michigan turn to that year? Chris Zurbrugg.

Way to go Sparties for beating up on Chris Zurbrugg. Real nice win there.

 

Other than these three borderline illegitimate games, the other four wins are also suspect. The losses in 1999 and ‘95 were both by three points in games where Michigan was ranked higher than Michigan State.

Translation: Michigan should’ve won, but I’ll give MSU credit. They outplayed the Wolverines on those days.

Losses in 1993 (17-7) and 1987 (17-11) were complete anomalies to me. Michigan was ranked in the top 15 in both games and just came out and laid an egg.

Basically, in my 26 years of existence, at no point was MSU better than Michigan in any aspect.

After most recent losses, the trash talk reverts back to how they can’t wait for basketball season. I’m sorry, but wins on the football field carry more weight than one on the hardwood any day.

One basketball win barely equates to leading a football game after the first quarter. More people in the state of Michigan care way more about football than they do basketball.

But those silly little Sparties probably already knew that. They’re just too afraid to admit it and are just covering up their own insecurities.

Bring on the trash talk, “little brother.” I’m looking forward to it.

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Buckeyes get another shot in big game

Will the Buckeyes shake off their big-game woes against Penn State or is JoePa’s squad just too good?

COLUMBUS (AP) — What’s brewing today with the 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes …

BUCKEYES BUZZ: This is another chance for the Buckeyes to redeem themselves on a big stage.

No. 10 Ohio State has crawled back into the top 10 in the polls and the Bowl Championship Series rankings after those painful, lopsided losses in the last two national championship games, along with the 35-3 beating at USC. Now the Buckeyes need to take advantage of an opportunity to show that they can win a big game when No. 3 Penn State comes to town.

“On the team there really hasn’t been too much talk about what happened at SC and playing in the big games,” CB Malcolm Jenkins said Monday. “For us, we’re motivated enough just off of the fact that it’s a game that has Big Ten championship implications (and) it’s a night game at Ohio Stadium.”

Adding to the aura is how rare such games (8 p.m.) are at the Ohio Stadium.

“We haven’t had that since 2005, against Texas,” Jenkins said. “Penn State and Ohio State go back a while having great games. That’s going to be hyped up there. They’re a top-3 team in the nation and we’re trying to find our way back in the rankings. So for us there’s plenty of motivation.”

SORE BEANIE: TB Chris “Beanie” Wells said he’s still sore after carrying a season-high 31 times for 140 yards and two touchdowns in the 45-7 rout of Michigan State on Saturday.

Asked on Monday how his foot felt, he said, “It’s pretty sore.”

He said he had hoped that the foot injury that kept him out of three games might have healed faster, but he’s now come around to thinking that he may have to play with it all year.

“I hoped to be healthier. But it’s something I have to deal with,” he said.

CONFERENCE CHOICES: The Big Ten’s players of the week: Iowa RB Shonn Greene (career-high 217 yards on 25 carries and ties a school record with four TDs in win over Wisconsin; Iowa LB Pat Angerer (career-high 16 tackles with two interceptions); and Penn State K Kevin Kelly (kicked 3 FGs and 5 PATs to become the conference’s career leader in kicking points with 376.

BEST BUCKEYES: Ohio State’s staff selected its weekly award winners from the 45-7 blowout at Michigan State.

The defensive player of the game was LB James Laurinaitis, TB Chris “Beanie” Wells took the offensive honors and LB Austin Spitler captured the award for the special units.

Honored from the scout team were: WR Ricky Crawford on offense; DL Solomon Thomas on defense; and RB Joe Gantz on special teams.

The top player on the front seven was LB Ross Homan. OT Alex Boone was the top offensive lineman and the Jack Tatum big hit was not awarded.

GAMEDAY COMING: ESPN’s College GameDay will be televised live outside St. John Arena on Saturday morning for the game against the Nittany Lions. The show is hosted by Chris Fowler with analysts Lee Corso, Desmond Howard and former Ohio State QB Kirk Herbstreit.

COOOOOP! College Football Hall of Famer John Cooper, coach of the Buckeyes from 1988-2000, will be honored at both Ohio State and Tulsa this weekend in honor of his induction this year. Cooper, second on the coaching wins list at Ohio State to Woody Hayes, will be honored during the game against Penn State.

Cooper also was a head coach at Arizona State and Tulsa. He’ll be honored at Tulsa on Sunday during the Golden Hurricane’s game against Central Florida.

BCS NOTE: There are nine remaining undefeated teams among the Football Bowl Subdivision squads, the highest number ever in the initial week of the BCS standings. Texas is No. 1 in the standings for the second time in school history, and Ball State has become the 78th school to make the BCS standings at No. 20 this week. Previous numbers of undefeated teams in the first week of rankings include: Five in 2000 (Nebraska No. 1); seven in 2001 (Oklahoma No. 1); eight in 2002 (Oklahoma No. 1); five in 2003 (Oklahoma No. 1); seven in 2004 (Southern California No. 1); seven in 2005 (Southern California No. 1); seven in 2006 (Ohio State No. 1); and six in 2007 (Ohio State No. 1).

RED-LETTER NIGHT: All Buckeyes fans attending Saturday night’s game are encouraged to wear scarlet for the prime-time national television broadcast on ABC.

Scarlet rally towels, courtesy of Nationwide Insurance, will be distributed to the first 80,000 fans.

A lot of other things are also going on:

— Former Buckeyes QBs Bob Hoying and Craig Krenzel will be signing autographs starting at 2:30 p.m. at the FanFest location outside the south side of St. John Arena. Krenzel will be available from 2:30 to 4 p.m. and Hoying from 4 to 5:30 p.m.

— Following the game, 40,000 copies of an Ohio State football commemorative issue of Sports Illustrated “Game Breakers” will be handed out at Ohio Stadium exits.

— The Ohio State men’s basketball team will scrimmage from 4 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Value City Arena. The event is free and open to the public. Fans will be able sit anywhere in the lower bowl. The seating area will open at 3:30 p.m.

— The marching band will hold its skull session at 6 p.m. in St. John Arena.

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