Eleven Warriors

After passing off the most boring slate of football to Jason last week, this coming weekend will begin to decide where teams will end up in the bowls.

The television gods have given us a full day of games, starting with The Game at noon.

I don't recall an Ohio State/Michigan game that has drawn less hype, but it is still the ninth straight season where this game has at least one team that could win a share of the Big Ten title with a victory.

No matter how low RichRod has taken that program, they still have a chance to rise up and knock OSU from a possible BCS game and fourth straight conference title.

National Games

#9 Boise State at Nevada, 4:05PM - No National TV
The Broncos close out the season with this visit to Reno and a home tilt against Fresno State. These two teams played to a 69-67 overtime thriller last year and Nevada lost to Texas Tech 35-19 at home earlier this season, so this game could swing either way. Something tells me though, the BCS is hoping for a Boise loss.

#17 BYU at #8 Utah, 6:00PM - The Mtn. Network
The battle of Mormons takes place in Salt Lake City and will decide the winner of the Mountain West conference. Of course the Utes are looking for an undefeated regular season and a berth in the BCS. BYU lost to TCU in week seven, being held to 7 points, but have still managed to score 400 on the season, while Utah has gone for 401. Each team has won 6 times in their last 12 meetings, with 10 of those games being decided by a touchdown or less.

#18 Oregon State at Arizona, 7:00PM - FOX Sports Regional
Can the Beavers really pull off the PAC 10 title? This is their last road trip, before taking part in the Civil War at home next weekend. Freshman sensation, Jacquizz Rogers leads the conference in rushing and is ninth in the country with 1,233 yards. The Beavers have won 8 of the last 9, but 'Zona is 4-1 at home, with their only loss coming at the hands of USC, 17-10.

#20 Pittsburgh at #19 Cincinnati, 7:15 - ESPN2
The winner of this game will control their own destiny in the battle for an automatic BCS bid. The Bearcats have played 5 of their last 7 on the road and will close out the season hosting Syracuse and traveling out to Hawaii. This could be the final run for Brian Kelly at Cincy, as he most certainly will be coaching at a larger school next year.

The Stache has his troops positioned for another Big East title, but with games left against West Virginia and UConn, there is little doubt they won't be there in the end. They do have history on their side though, beating Cincy all seven times they have played, including three inside the Big East.

#1 Texas Tech at #5 Oklahoma, 8:00PM - ABC
Be sure not to get too drunk during the day or plan for a nap, because you obviously don't want to miss this one. I love Big Ten football, but watching this Big 12 South shake out over the last few weeks has been a treat.

Oklahoma comes in averaging 51.2 points per game, while TT is scoring 47.9. If for some crazy reason you have not seen Graham Harrell play, please set aside some time to watch him. Over the last month, against three ranked opponents, the Heisman front runner has gone 110 for 145 (76%), for 1,316 yards, 13 touchdowns and no interceptions.

Not to be outdone, Sam Bradford has thrown for 3,406 yards, 38 touchdowns and 6 interceptions this season. The Sooners have failed to score 45 or more points only once this year and have gone for 58,62 and 66 points in their last three games. Will they continue the trend and reach 70 Saturday? It just may take that many points to take down the Red Raiders.

Big Ten Games

#14 Michigan State at #7 Penn State, 3:30PM - ABC
The Big Ten title will be decided in Happy Valley, as a victory for Penn State sends them to the Rose Bowl and will give MSU their 11th straight loss against a ranked opponent. A win by Sparty and the Buckeyes will be making their second trip out west this year.

How much juice does Javon Ringer have left? MSU has played one ranked team (OSU) this year and it was the only time Ringer failed to get at least 21 rushing attempts. His 353 carries leads the nation by 77 and his 20 touchdowns also ranks at the top.

Penn State will look to send JoePa off to his hip replacement surgery with his third Big Ten title. The Nittany Lions have only given up 91 points in conference play and the original white out will be in full effect at Beaver Stadium. For my money, Penn State's defense was the best OSU has faced all year and if the Bucks shut down Ringer, I don't see why that would be any different for PSU on Saturday.

Iowa at Minnesota, 7:05PM - BTN
The Floyd of Rosedale trophy is up for grabs, as the Gophers will play their last game in the Metrodome. After going winless last year within the conference, Minny has a chance to finish .500 and could end up with 8 wins, but come into the contest having lost three straight.

Minnesota will have to shut down Shonn Greene if they have any shot of winning. Greene ran for 211 yards against Purdue last week and incredibly is looking to run for 100+ yards in every game this season. His 1585 yards lead the nation and the Gophers yield a 140 rushing yards per game, so the Hawkeyes should be able to roll to their 8th win.

Last week, in honor of the Ohio State-Illinois game, we took a look at the Illini’s “Galloping Ghost,” Red Grange. This week, in honor of the Ohio State-Michigan game, we’ll take a look at a player who was better than Red Grange: Ohio State’s Chic Harley.

In 1950 the Associated Press named its All-Star College Team for the first fifty years of the century. Red Grange was named to the second team. The first team halfbacks were Jim Thorpe and Chic Harley. When asked to explain his vote, one AP writer said:

“Red Grange was a great runner, but that’s all he was. Chic Harley was a great runner, a great kicker and a great defensive back. That’s why he made my first team. He could do it all.”

In truth, Harley could do anything athletically. The first time friends took him to play golf, he shot an 82. He bested Willie Hoppe, a legendary pool player, in a game of billiards at a downtown Columbus restaurant. During his years at Ohio State (1916-1917, 1919) he started at guard on the Buckeyes basketball team and played well enough in the outfield on the baseball team to be offered professional contracts by the St. Louis Browns and Chicago White Sox. During his sophomore year, he was asked to help out the OSU track team; he set a conference record in the 50-yard dash that stood for decades. There simply wasn’t anything he couldn’t do.

Chic was born in 1895 in Chicago – the town that gave him his nickname. His family moved to Columbus in 1912, and Harley starred at East High School. His exploits became the stuff of local lore; East’s games regularly drew more fans than Ohio State’s games at Ohio Field. Harley lost only one game while at East – his last, to North High School. A campus fraternity recruited Harley for Ohio State, and the program was never the same.

Harley exploded onto the scene in the 1916 season. Only 5’ 7” tall, and barely weighing 150 pounds, Harley did everything for the Buckeyes. In the season’s first conference game against defending champion Illinois – a rain-soaked game played in a muddy slop – Harley scored a tying touchdown on a play fake. He returned to the bench, slipped on a clean shoe, then kicked the winning PAT to beat the Illini, 7-6. It was only a glimpse of things to come.

Before Harley’s arrival, Ohio State struggled to draw 2000 fans to Ohio Field; now spectators packed Ohio Field with overflow crowds of 12,000 to see the hometown hero from East High play. Tens of thousands were routinely turned away for lack of tickets. Those lucky few who did get to see Harley in the flesh were stumped for superlatives. James Thurber wrote:

“If you never saw him run with a football, we can’t describe it to you. It wasn’t like Red Grange or Tom Harmon or anybody else. It was kind of a cross between music and cannon fire, and it brought your heart up under your ears.”

Harley led the 1916 Buckeyes to a 7-0 record and their first Western Conference championship; he became Ohio State’s first consensus All-American. So impressive was his play as a passer, runner, punter, place kicker and defensive back that Walter Camp came to Columbus personally to see him play, then named him to his all-star team (Harley was the first sophomore to ever make the team). In 1917, the Buckeyes again went unbeaten with a record of 8-0-1, and Harley was again named a consensus All-American. Harley then suspended his career at Ohio State to serve his country as a fighter pilot in World War I.

If the conference (now called the Big Ten) thought they were finished with Chic, they were wrong. Harley returned from his military service in time for the 1919 season and starred on what was probably the Buckeyes’ best team of his tenure. The Buckeyes fell only once – to Illinois, on the last play of the last game of the season – but the 1919 season was a complete success, because it was the first year that Ohio State beat Michigan.

Michigan had rejoined the conference in November 1917 after a brief absence, and most observers thought the 1919 Wolverines were a shoe-in for league champion. But so loud was the buzz surrounding Chic Harley, and so great the threat posed by his Buckeyes, that former Michigan coach Fielding Yost came out of retirement specifically to coach against the Ohio State. Fans sent the Buckeyes off with a massive pep rally at the old Armory, and 28,000 came to Ann Arbor’s Ferry Field, only to leave in stunned silence as Harley and Ohio State beat the Wolverines for the first time ever, 13-3.

Harley did it all. He scored a 50-yard touchdown run, but what still stand in the Ohio State record book were his four interceptions – still a single-game record at Ohio State.

So impressed was Yost with Harley’s play that he asked - and was granted - permission to address the Ohio State locker room after the game. His comments were recorded by a Columbus Dispatch reporter:

“After congratulating Dr. Wilce and Director of Athletics St. John, Yost said to the team: ‘You deserve your victory; you fought brilliantly. You boys gave a grand exhibition of football strategy and while I am sorry – dreadfully sorry – that we lost, I want to congratulate you. And you, Mr. Harley, I believe are one of the finest little machines I have ever seen.”

Chic Harley left Ohio State having scored 23 touchdowns, kicked 35 PATs and 8 field goals for a grand total of 198 points – a record that would stand until “Hopalong” Cassidy’s Heisman Trophy season of 1955.

After his graduation, a great sense of excitement surrounded Ohio State football. University officials elected to capitalize on Harley’s exploits by proposing a new stadium to house the Buckeyes. At a cost of $1,300,000 – all of which was raised privately, through donations – Ohio Stadium was constructed, and became the Buckeyes’ new home. Chic Harley never played on the field, but he worked tirelessly to raise money, and the stadium quickly earned the moniker “The House that Harley Built.”

Chic’s years after football were difficult. He was cheated out of a share in the professional football franchise that eventually became the Chicago Bears. He suffered from deep bouts of depression, probably resulting from an injury suffered in his one professional season, wartime trauma, and a sense of displacement following the end of his collegiate career. His depression resulted in the White Sox and Browns rescinding their contract offers, and he lost out on a standing offer to become the head football coach at Tennessee. Lost, but never abandoned by his friends, Harley eventually resided permanently at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Danville, Illinois.

In 1948, Chic responded well to new treatment by his doctors, and felt well enough to attend three Buckeyes road games. That same season, he decided to return to Columbus to watch Ohio State play Michigan. The city, made aware of Harley’s return, feted him with a ticker-tape parade, radio appearances and press interviews. There were dinners, awards and official ceremonies – all of which surprised the laid-back, quiet man. At halftime of the Michigan game, the Ohio State Marching Band opened the “Os” in Script Ohio to spell out “Chic” – the only time the formation has been so altered.

Chic Harley died in April of 1974, aged 78. His last wish was to be buried in Columbus, and he was laid to rest in Union Cemetery.

The pallbearers were the 1974 Ohio State football captains, including Archie Griffin and Neal Colzie. Among the mourners were university officials, former teammates of Chic’s, coach Woody Hayes, and Bill Daugherty, the man who penned “Across the Field.” Thousands lined the processional route.

“Everybody knew about Chic Harley and how great he was, because Woody would tell stories about him,” Archie Griffin remembered. “And for me, being from Columbus, I heard all the stories growing up, too. He really was the first player to attract people to Ohio Field.”

Remember Chic Harley when you watch the best rivalry game in college football this weekend. It’s because of Chic Harley that you have the Buckeyes as you know them, and it’s because of that amazing 1919 victory over Yost’s Wolverines that the game means what it does today. Without question, Chic Harley was the single most important Ohio State player who ever took the field. He was so great that Thurber commemorated him in verse:

“You can name the brilliant players from the year the game began,
You can say that someone’s plunging was the best you ever saw –
You can claim the boys now playing stage a game without a flaw –
But admit there was no splendor in all the bright array
Like the glory of the the going when Chic Harley got away.”

You've witnessed the transfers. You've seen a recruiting class fall apart with a wave of defections. You held out hope before Toledo did the unthinkable. You suffered through four hours of bad weather and shoddy play last weekend before watching the Northwestern Wildcats walk out of the Big House with a victory -- after expecting one coming in.

You have watched your favorite program pile up eight losses on the year -- something that's never happened before in the long and illustrious history that is Michigan football -- and you fully expect #9 to come this Saturday.

So what's a reasonable Wolverine fan to do?

You take up the advice of your head coach and focus on the economy. Specifically, making a little cheddar to spur the recovery by selling your sad loyalty on eBay.

That's right, things are so bad up North that fans of the program are selling their allegiances to the highest bidder:

I was born and raised in the heart of Michigan. My first word was "Hail." I could whistle "The Victors" by the age of three. But, all things must come to an end - and for me, the end is near. You can decide my fate.

And what's the going rate for the loyalty of a Wolverine fan? About eighty bucks.

This is a partial list of teams that surrendered fewer yards to the Illini than the Buckeyes did Saturday: Louisiana-Lafayette, Iowa and Western Michigan. So it was curious that the Buckeye defense, which had been peaking, was carved up so easily in Champaign.

Granted, it was the Big Ten's top offense and they're powered by a guy that can do some incredible things with the ball. But it appeared as if there was some sort of informal competition to see who could rack up the most missed tackles in the first half.

Credit the Buckeye defense for making solid halftime adjustments, though. And when you step back and look at their performance, they were just a little elastic, that's all. They held when it mattered and forced big plays when they needed to. Oh, and add Tyler Moeller to that list of players you can't wait to see next year.

Field Flop

What I love about this sequence is that no matter how old Tressel gets, he'll never need any type of male enhancement tech. All he'll need to do is loop these three minutes of the game. A booming punt from your own territory, leading to a field position edge. Then the fumble on the very next play. Five runs later and the Buckeyes had the first lead of the day. That's Tresselball smut.

Cumberland's Shoestring Snag

After the Buckeyes had gone up 7-0, Illinois marched down the field behind some nice runs out of Dufrene and found themselves in a 3rd and 6 from the Ohio State 7 yard line. If you're not a fan of zone defenses, please turn away.

Jenkins Gets His Second

Illinois had moved quickly to tie the game and the Buckeyes were forced to punt on their next possession. Trapasso did a great job of pinning the Illini inside their own 10 and after a three-and-out, Jenkins comes through for his 2nd punt block of the season. Ohio State was suddenly up 9-7 and getting the ball back.

Coleman's Clutch Interception

After the Buckeyes scored to go up 16-7, Illinois marched right back down the field thanks to some nice throws from Juice and a little bit of hurry-up offense. They soon found themselves in a 2nd and 10 at the Ohio State 12 yard line.

In case you don't get 1460 The Fan which is likely if you live outside the outerbelt, Herbstreit and Spielman had a great back and forth yesterday as they discussed this Saturday's clash.

With tongues somewhat in cheek, the two didn't paint a pretty picture when discussing the Wolverines and what they expect to occur in The Game.

The Detroit News was able to pick up the comments and put them out there for the Wolverine faithful to see. Normally, I'd assume the head coach of said team up north would use these comments as bulletin board material but considering the current coach doesn't seem interested in grasping the rivalry, maybe not. Either way, the conversation was classic sarcastic Spielman with a touch of tolerable Herbie.

Spielman lobbed this bomb to kick it off:

"Anybody that played in that game understands what that game is and how special it is. For Michigan, I think it's vital for them because they have absolutely nothing. I admit when I'm wrong -- I was wrong about Michigan winning four games. I think they're going to win three...This team has no confidence, man. They're dead men walking."

Gotta love a guy that will admit when he's wrong.

After some minor comments from Herbie about UM just wanting the game to be over, Spielman struck again prompting Herbie to fully join the fray:

Spielman: "I don't think it's going to be close. They're not very good. The problem Michigan has is they know they're not very good, and the coaches know they're not very good, and the fans know they're not very good." Herbstreit: "They're a tough watch, watching that outfit. This is a great example of why I like to see Michigan be a very good, very competitive team. They're 3-8 on their way to 3-9. And this is like the year somebody told you (the truth) about Santa Claus. This is like taking all the wind out of the sails. "I know it's still Ohio State-Michigan, and when the teams run onto the field, it's still special, but this is just anti-climatic. (Michigan is) going to run onto the field, and 'Booooooo!' Who you booing? They're 3-8. "If they didn't have to be there, they wouldn't be there. They're sorry they have to be there. They don't want to be. They're going to take the game, get it over with and get out of there."

I think I'm tearing up...

Herbie, correctly, lamented the fact Michigan stinks and the impact their suck has on the rivalry but Spielman didn't seem too sympathetic:

Spielman: "I love seeing them beaten down. It's not our fault Michigan's bad. What do you want us to do, give 'em some of our players to make it fair? They're not holding up their end of the bargain. It's on them." Herbstreit: "I understand that, it's on them. But the rivalry is built upon the game meaning so much to both sides. When I think about being a little kid and watching that game, I think of great Ohio State and great Michigan teams, and that's the way I wish it was every year." Spielman: "I wish it was, too, but they screwed up. They had to go and mess it up. They got their dirty maize-and-blue hands on it, they screwed it up."

God Bless Chris Spielman.

It's been a while since we've held a prediction contest, but you know the Wolverines rate one every season, regardless of gross failitude from parts up North.

This time we have a pretty cool prize to offer. Pictures Plus Online has a whole slew of Ohio State program covers available as posters, including the six shown above, and they're giving out one to the winner of this contest.

All you have to do is submit your score prediction as a comment on this post and the closest guess will win. As a bonus, if you nail the exact score, the folks at Pictures Plus Online have offered to frame and matt your poster -- which is awesome because that means you can hang the bad boy in the living room next to your Gauguins.

The fine print:

• Must be 18 years-old or older.
• One entry/comment per person.
• Your entry/comment must include a valid email address. Comments without email addresses attached to them will be deleted.
• Duplicate predictions are ineligible -- first come, first serve.
• Deadline for entries is kickoff.

For the first time in a few weeks, this was actually a tough decision, as a handful of Buckeyes had performances that would win the award in other weeks.

Perhaps they sensed it was Michigan week. I know I started to get pumped on Sunday morning knowing that school was coming down to Cbus and Ohio State had a chance to send them to a 3-9 season.

Keeping the party going in Carolina was Chris Gamble and Na'il Diggs, as the defense clamped down when they had to en route to a 31-22 win over hapless Detroit. Gamble has become a tackling machine, getting credit for 10 tackles, 9 of which were the solo variety, while Diggs was in on 5 tackles and got his first interception since 2003. Carolina is now 8-2, good for second in the NFC.

Not be outdone on the defensive side, Nate Clements had 6 tackles and a pick in San Fransico's 35-16 victory over St. Louis. Wil Smith had 7 tackles and a sack in the Saints 30-20 win in Kansas City, while Jay Richardson's two tackles and a sack for a safety couldn't help the Raiders upset the Dolphins.

Antoine Winfield had 8 tackles in their 19-13 loss to Tampa Bay and A.J. Hawk teamed up with Ryan Pickett for 9 tackles in their 37-3 smackdown of the Bears. The win by Green Bay put them in a tie with the Bears and Vikings atop the NFC Norris.

The wide receivers were also feeling the extra juice from Michigan week, turning in perhaps their best collective effort all year. The least compelling performance was from Gonzo, who had only 2 catches for 35 yards in the Colts victory, but you can't expect too much when Marvin and Reggie combine for 16 grabs.

Santonio Holmes snagged 5 catches for 63 yards on a snowy Heinz Field, including a 13 yarder to put Pittsburgh in field goal position late in the fourth, in their 11-10 win. Michael Jenkins continued his steady improvement, hauling in 5 for 55, his fifth straight game with at least 50 yards receiving, in Atlanta's 24-20 loss to Denver. Jenkins is 83 yards away from his career high in yards, as he sits on 450 yards for the season.

I told you it was a tough task this week, as either one of the last two could have won it. Ted Ginn continued his strong play in Miami's 17-15 win over Oakland, leading the Dolphins with 4 catches for 51 yards and adding a slick 40 yard touchdown run. Ginn has now scored in back to back weeks, after not crossing the goal line in his first 8 games.

But when the dust settled, I had to go against by normal winning parameters and give some love to one of my all-time favorite Buckeyes, Antonio Pittman. There is no written tie breaker rule here, so I guess my bias wins out. Pitt brought Ohio State's rushing game back to life after the Maurice Clarett and Lydell Ross debacles, averaging 5.2 yards a carry in his Buckeye career and leaving school as the eighth leading rusher.

As mentioned, St. Louis went down to the 49ers and Pitt may not have reached the endzone, but he did turn in a career high 95 yards on 14 carries. There is no doubt the Rams need Stephen Jackson, losing the last four without him, but Antonio has stepped in and given two admirable games in that span and now has rushed for 224 yards on 57 carries. He has yet to sniff the end zone in his career, so winning this award should boost his confidence and carry him to a 500+ yard season.

To start with, I love Beanie "Warrior" Wells more than Nutty Bars.

With that out of the way, let's move on to this week's presser. The thing was damn near comical as Tressel struggled to gloss the Wolverines in his opening statement resorting to comments about their passion and never say die attitude:

So I've been impressed with the way they continue to play and get after it and they've had the ball bounce some ways that you wish they wouldn't and they've found themselves in a situation that they haven't been in before, but you sure can't tell as you watch the film that there's any less passion. They look like the maize and blue from an effort standpoint that I've watched for many, many years, and I've been very impressed.

I, for one, totally agree with Jim. I thought the Michigan players played like their hair was on fire during the 4th quarter of each of those eight defeats. All joking aside, we all know anything can happen in The Game but if there was ever a mismatch favoring the Buckeyes it's this season.

Taking it a bit further, Tress glossed the Michigan defense and its coordinator, Scott Schaeffer, along with RichRod for his offensive genius:

When you look at their defensive front, it perhaps is the most talented defensive front that we've faced with Terrance Taylor and Jamison and Graham and Johnson, those guys have been here forever. We've played against them, some of them, three and four years. Those guys are outstanding football players. They've got some good young guys behind them, their linebackers are younger and very talented. Their secondary has been a group that's had a lot of starts and in the games that I've watched most recently this morning, they've been a lot of their nickel package, so all those guys that have been around, Brandon Harrison and Stevie Brown and Donovan Warren, who's young, but he's in his second full year of starting and Morgan Trent and all those guys, it's the Wolverines that we've watched. I think Scott Schaefer, their defensive coordinator, has done a great job of giving you problems, putting pressure on you, and I think everyone in the country that's been around coaching would agree that Rich Rodriguez has been one of the most creative and really one of the founders of the spread style attack.

Feel the hyperbole. Since Tress forgot to mention it, UM is 10th in the conference in total defense (27.7 ppg) while Dick's creative offense is last in the conference in yards per game (299).

The reporters offered up another softball asking Tress if was surprised at Michigan's record:

The thing about football is there are so many good football teams and you watch games and when you see a score, you say, man, I maybe wasn't expecting that score and then you see a game and you see a mishap or whatever it happens to be, but certainly did I expect the records to be what they are going into this game? No, absolutely not. But that doesn't change how you look at them. You still look at can they block, can they tackle, can they get rid of blockers, can they make plays. There's still a field full of names. Greg Matthews, every time you turn around he's jumping up and catching the ball we tried like crazy to recruit Greg Matthews. So, yes, I'm surprised at the record, but the record, I hate to say it, the record is irrelevant.

Boy...I have a feeling this is gonna be a shorter post than usual.

After warming up, Tress had a beauty answer to when talking about what OSU has riding on the game and if he'll be rooting for Sparty:

Well, Ohio State has the Ohio State-Michigan game riding on it and what happens outside of that won't be decided for a few weeks, couple weeks, I guess, the way it is. Am I rooting for Michigan State? I root for all the Big Ten teams.

Love it.

Senator Tressel then spoke about Rich's dynamic offense:

The thing I like about watching Rich with his offense or I remember facing Paul Johnson when he had his offense at Georgia Southern and now at Georgia Tech, is you know those guys know if you decide to stop them this way, they've got a package ready, so I know they're not concerned with well, which of Ohio State's things are they going to do because they know they have an answer to all of them.

Again, history has taught us anything can happen in The Game but if Michigan is able to actually sustain drives all day thanks to countering what the OSU defense is doing, not only will I be shocked, I'll guzzle a gallon of kerosene. Even the best Wolverine scenario has to be built on the windfall of crazy trick plays, turnovers and an uncharacteristic amount of big plays.

What I enjoyed was the follow up question asking Tressel why he isn't wedded to a system like RichRod:

Right. Well, there's probably two reasons. I've always felt that doing what your personnel can best do is the best answer and that that's going to be ongoing change. And two, I've always felt that I would like to have a little bit of a lot of things because the team that my defense faces most in the course of a calendar year is us and I want them in the spring to face some spread. I want them to face some power. I want them to face some option. I want them to face some dropback, et cetera, et cetera. And then in preseason, there's 44 practices -- or 29 in the preseason and in the spring, they've got 44 practices against us, I want them to be as prepared as they can for those 12 games coming up and they're going to have all kind of different looks that they face. So it's really been for two reasons, for the sake of the defense and sake of the personnel.

That, my friends, is a hell of an answer and one RichRod should study. Being a one trick pony might help you catch lightning in a bottle but it also provides seasons such as the one Michigan is currently experiencing.

On the sensitive topic of Beanie Wells, Tressel noted Beanie is fine:

Beanie's fine. Beanie, I'm not exactly -- mentioned Harrison Dillard in my post game and all these young guys gave me that brook trout, they'd never heard of Harrison Dillard. When he hurdled, he might have tweaked something, but Beanie will be fine. The only guys I'm concerned about that might not make the bill will be Jermale Hines.

On the topic of Boeckman seeing the field, Tress was non-committal:

Well, we haven't talked about that, although we're not very deep into the week. One time I remember I had so many seniors on offense in particular I started 11 seniors on the first play and then on play two, it was back to the rest of the group. I'm not sure that that's in the cards here, but I haven't really talked about that.

I don't know about you guys, but I think it's safe to say Boeckman will get a series barring an unforseen nail biter. If anything, I hope the fact Tress wants to get Boeckman some time will lead to an open playbook and an intention of building a sizable cushion instead of getting up 17 points and choosing not to step on Michigan's neck.

That's about it for this week. The presser was longer than usual but I didn't think most of it was worth rehashing. As usual, you can read the full transcript here.

After watching tape of the game, what really stands out is the play of the offensive line. We've piled on these guys all season long, but on Saturday, they did a great job of keeping the Big Ten's top team in terms of sacks and TFLs out of the backfield. Pryor and Wells each had monster days on the ground and Pryor also had plenty of time to throw when the Buckeyes did line up to pass.

I know there were some complaints about not throwing the ball enough, but why throw the ball when your running game is approaching 1995 Nebraska levels?

Speaking of throwing the ball, it's evident that the bye week footwork that Pryor received has done wonders. He's looked like a much different passer these last two weeks and I'm excited to see what he'll look like by the time bowl season rolls around.

In regards to the officiating, I really hope the conference takes a long look at implementing some sort of head-to-head hit penalty before next season. Buckeye players have taken at least five of those hits this season and I cringe every time I see one.

Pryor's Bootleg Scamper

In a scoreless game with 9:07 remaining in the first quarter, the Buckeyes find themselves in a 3rd and goal from the Illini one. The play before, Pryor had attempted to reach the corner, but was turned back by Vontae Davis. This time, a fake does the trick.

Beanie Extends the Lead

What good is a safety if you can't follow it up to make it a nine point swing, right? Following Jenkins' punt block, the Illini were forced to kick into the wind and the Buckeyes started their fourth drive on the opponent's 43 yard line. A pass and a run to Hartline put the ball inside the 10 and then two plays leader, Beanie hit pay dirt.

Dane's First Touchdown of 2008

Coming off Coleman's interception of Juice deep in Buckeye territory, the offense marched down the field pretty quickly thanks to plays like Pryor's 35 yard jaunt. The end result was the perfect showcase of Pryor's mobility and touch.

Hurdle, the Sequel

After watching Illinois march down and get field goals on their last two drives of the 1st half, cutting the Buckeye lead to 10, Ohio State opened the 2nd half with the ball and found themselves with a 1st and 10 from their own 30.

It was a shame Beanie put the ball on the turf later on that drive, giving the Illini the ball inside their own 20. This game could have effectively been over after the opening drive of the 2nd half.

This week's rough draft ballot is pretty static to last week thanks to no significant upsets Saturday. In fact, our top 16 remain unchanged.

Next week will obviously be a different story with some great games on the slate. First and foremost, the Texas Tech v. Oklahoma tilt will answer some questions.

Another big game sees Michigan State travel to State College to take on Joe Pa. There's also Utah v. BYU and of course, Ohio State hosts Michigan.

Anyway, not a lot to discuss this week but give us a shout if you think we've got it all wrong.

1		Bye week. Next up: @ Oklahoma	--
2		The Tide led just 12-7 at the break but scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to run away from Mississippi State 32-7 in Tuscaloosa. The 'Bama defense held the Bulldogs to 35 yards rushing and 2/12 third downs. Next up: Auburn.	--
3		Herban handed the OBC his worst loss ever, as a coach or player, in a 56-6 heel stomping of the Gamecocks. The Gator D forced 4 TO and held SC to 1/15 third downs. Tebow of Nazareth threw for 2 TD and ran for another while Harvin ran for 167 yards and 2 scores on only 8 carries.	--
4		The Trojans were tied at 17 midway through the 3rd Qtr but scored 4 straight TD to beat Stanford 45-23. Stafon Johnson ran for 115 yards and 2 scores. Next up: Notre Dame. Can we get a 50 point win, please?	--
5		Colt McCoy's 255 passing, 78 rushing and 3 TD led Texas past Kansas 35-7. The win gives Texas their 8th consecutive 10-win season tying with the '85-'92 'Canes for the second longest streak all-time. Next up: Texas A&M.	--
6		Bye week. Next up: Texas Tech	--
7		PSU scored 24 unanswered points to turn a 10-7 halftime edge into a 34-7 win over Indiana. Daryl Clark got back on track with 240 yards passing and a TD while the D held IU to 57 yards passing and 2/15 on third down.	--
8		Ian Johnson tied LaDanian for most rushing TD in WAC history (53) in a 45-10 win over the Vandals. Next up: @ Nevada.	--
9		Utah moved to 11-0 with a 63-14 win over San Diego State. The Utes converte 13 of 14 third downs and QB Brian Johnson threw 5 TD passes. Next up: BYU.	--
10		The Deer and the Steer led OSU with a combined 253 and 2 TD and OSU scored 23 points off turnovers / special teams in the 30-20 win. Next up: I think it's Michigan.	--

11		The Cowboys turned back Colorado 30-17 in Boulder behind Zac Robinson's 278 total yards (2 TD) and Kendall Hunter's 9th game over 100 yards rushing. Next up: Oklahoma 11/29.	--
12		Mizzou scored over 50 for sixth time this year routing Iowa State 50-20 in Ames to capture the Big12 North title. Next up: Kansas 11/29.	--
13		Georgia flirted with defeat but a defensive stand culminating in a last second incompletion allowed the Dawgs to escape with a 17-13 road win over Auburn. UGA is 30-4 on the road under Richt. Moreno: 131, Stafford: 215, 2 TD, Green: caught game winner with 8:24 left.	--
14		Max Hall threw for 354 and 2 TD in a 38-24 win over Air Force. Next up: @ Utah.	--
15		Ball State led just 17-13 over Miami at the half but got 2 TD runs from MiQuale Lewis in the second half to pull away 31-16. Lewis ran for 165, making it 8 games over the century mark this season.	--
16		Bye week. Next up: @ Penn State.	--
17		Bye week. Next up: Air Force	1
18		LSU scored 30 4th Qtr points to come back and beat Troy 40-31 in Baton Rouge. LaFell hauled in 12 passes for 126 yards and a score.	1
19		Bye week. Next up: @ Cincy.	2
20		The Bearcats overcame a 20-14 3rd Qtr deficit closing the game with 14 answered in a 28-20 win over Louisville. Next up: Pitt.	2
21		Beaver RB Jacquizz Rodgers blew up for 27/144 and a TD as Oregon State beat Cal 34-21 in Corvallis. Next up: @ Arizona.	NR
22		Jeremiah Masoli threw for 298 and 2 scores in Oregon's 55-45 win over Arizona. The Ducks built a 48-17 lead before surrendering for late touchdowns to make it look close. TOP: Oregon 18:14, Arizona 41:46.	NR
23		The Terps became the only team in the country with 4 wins over ranked teams after a 17-15 win over UNC. Da'Rel Scott ran for 129 yards and a TD as the Terp offense built a 27-11 edge in first downs. Next up: Florida State.	NR
24		The UNC offense managed just 11 first downs in 17-15 loss to Maryland. QB Cameron Sexton stunk it up with a 10/24, 1 TD, 1 INT performance while the D surrendered a 19 play drive capped with Maryland's game winning 26 yard field goal.	7
25		The Canes moved to 7-3 with a 16-14 win over Virginia Tech. The win was their fifth in a row, giving them their longest win streak since 2005.	NR

DROPPED OUT: Florida State (#20), South Carolina (#23), Tulsa (#24).