For me, the passion with which I watch a game has as much to do with how bad I will feel if we lose as how good I will feel if we win.  Losing to Michigan always hurts bad.  Losing to the SEC really hurts bad (especially since I moved to the South)  Losing to Wiscy hurts bad.  Losing to PSU?....... not as much.   Mich St?...........not as much.I am sure everyone here might rank these a little differently and some put all losses in the devastating category.

  A loss to  Bama last week would have lasted til the Super Bowl or the next(first) big Buckeye basketball win. I would not have slept well at all and would have avoided talking football with anyone except like minded Buckeye fans.  Thats just how I am.   

Losing to Oregon tomorrow will not ruin my week. I actually like the Ducks.  They have replaced, for now, Washington as my favorite Pac 12 team.  I don't know why I always liked the Huskies as a kid but I did and do ( I also liked Tennessee...... I pretended I was Bobby Majors when we played football in the yard back in '69, '70) but since Washington has been down I have looked forward to the Ducks challenging USC.  USC was a team I hated due to their Rose Bowl wins over Archie in mid 70s (and Schlichter in '80)  They flat out broke my heart and stomped it!  

I badly want the Bucks to win tomorrow, as I always do, but the divide between hope of winning and fear of losing is not nearly as wide as with some teams meaning I will not have to fill as large a void if for some reason we don't prevail.  

I don't buy team of destiny crap because that "Team of Destiny" story could be written for either team tomorrow.  OSU with Urbans Ohio roots and SEC pedigree, finally slaying the one demon that has made OSU a paper Tiger in the eyes of many  over the last 10 years.  "Yeah they have dominated the BiG but when they play a team with a pulse in a bowl....... el foldo!!!!"    Oregon with all the high flying "point a minute" offenses but a history of struggling with defenses that actually make them work, finally getting more stops than the other guy.   Either team has a great story to write.

I really think we WILL win.  I think we are better in most phases.  But this Oregon team just might have a little too much offense for us tomorrow.  They are impressive. If they do win I will simply tip my cap, let out a sigh, and hope we get a chance next year to face them again.  I already know it won't hurt as bad as many losses I've witnessed through the years.