Back To The Graveyard, With A Twist

Most of you know about my ritual the week before the Ohio State-Michigan game.

I always swear this will be the year I don’t do it and somehow my car always seems to wind up driving past that simple two-story white house on Cardiff Road anyway. Then since it’s only a mile or so farther north, I head up Olentangy River Road to Union Cemetery.

Most years it’s cold and windy or spitting snow but this year was a little different. The ground was wet from intermittent rain all day, and there was a cool breeze blowing from the north, but all in all not bad for a mid-November evening in Columbus. So, I made my annual pilgrimage to Section 12, Lot 37, Space 4 and parked the car near one of the pine trees that shade a simple black granite marker.

I stood there, hands in my coat pockets, staring at the monument and listening to the wind as it rustled through what leaves remained on the nearby maple trees. I looked around at the darkening sky and waited … and waited … and waited.

I’d been there almost a half-hour and nothing. Maybe who or what I had seen before – or what I thought I had seen before – was a figment of my imagination. I looked around again and found no one in that cemetery but me. I shook my head, smiled and shrugged my shoulders.

Then as I was walking back to my car, I saw a figure walking along the roadway. But this wasn’t who I expected. It certainly wasn’t who I had come to see. This was an older gentleman, dressed in a full-length gray overcoat with the collar turned up. I could make out an old-style, pinstripe suit under the overcoat as he shuffled along with his head down. He looked small and frail but still walked at a brisk pace.

Despite the fact he wore a brown fedora, I could make out hollow cheeks, thin lips and horn-rimmed glasses perched upon a thin nose. He was older, probably in his mid- to late 70s, I guessed, and was probably taking an evening stroll perhaps to visit a loved one who had passed on.

“Good evening,” I said as we passed.

He stopped abruptly, straightened up and looked at me with squinted eyes. Then he looked past me at the gravesite I had been visiting.

“Great man,” he offered in a rather high-pitched, scratchy voice. “Never met him but I would have liked to. Are you a relative?”

I shook my head. “No, just a fan. I come here every year about this time.”

The old man’s eyes narrowed. “About this time? What’s so special about this time of year?”

“Oh, you know. It’s Ohio State-Michigan week.”

“Oh, yes,” the man replied. “I always seem to forget they moved the game to late November.”

I laughed. “Forgot they moved it to late November? They only did that in 1935.”

“Yes, well, we used to play them in late October. Of course, that was a long, long time ago.”

I’m a sucker for Ohio State football history, so by now I was getting more and more intrigued by the little old man. “Sounds like you know your Buckeyes,” I said.

“A little,” he said with a chuckle. “Not so much the past few years but I know a little bit about the early days. Ohio Field. Coach Wilce. Mr. St. John. Those were the days. I’d give anything just to be able to … If I could have just one more … Well, we played because we loved it.”

I did some quick addition in my head. Ohio Field was demolished 87 years ago. John W. Wilce resigned as head coach of the Buckeyes following the 1928 season. And Lynn St. John served as AD longer than any other man – but he has been dead since 1950. The little man in the overcoat I had originally pegged to be about 75 years old had to have been much older.

“How long has it been now?” he continued. “Ninety years? Yes, the year was 19-and-19. Ninety years ago this very year when we first beat Michigan. And, oh, let me tell you that was quite a game. Took the train up there to Ferry Field and thought we were ready and ol’ Pete fumbled the opening kickoff.”

“Ol’ Pete?” I asked.

“Pete Stinchcomb,” he said as his eyes began to twinkle. “Gaylord Roscoe Stinchcomb. Greatest guy you’d ever want to meet and a better teammate you could never hope to have.”

I leaned in closer toward the old man with a puzzled look on my face. Stinchcomb played for the Buckeyes in the early 1920s and died in 1974 at the age of 78. I started to ask how in the world he could have possibly known so much about Stinchcomb when he cleared his throat and said, “That’s what the old-timers always said about him anyway.”

“OK,” I said, that look of puzzlement still on my face. “You were talking about ol’ Pete fumbling the opening kickoff.”

“Oh, yeah. Well, we dodged that bullet and then blocked a punt at the end of the first quarter for a touchdown. Then I ran for … I mean we got another touchdown in the second half and I had … we had four interceptions and we wound up beating those guys 13-3. What a great feeling that was. Beating Michigan for the first time? Nothing quite like it. Well, I guess that kind of broke the spell so to speak. They weren’t so invincible after that. We beat ’em again the next couple of years and the rivalry has been pretty close ever since.”

“You sure know a lot about the early days,” I said. “What do you think about the rivalry today?”

“Anyone who has ever played in that game loves it. I know I still do. I don’t much care for the people who try to say that it doesn’t mean as much because Michigan hasn’t played very well the last couple of years. So what? You have to respect this rivalry because it’s the greatest one in all of sports. And just because we won last year doesn’t mean we’ll win this year. Every game is different, and winning this game means everything. Ask the senior players if you don’t believe me. They know it. The last thing you ever want to do is lose that game, especially if it’s the last one of your career. It’ll haunt you forever if you do. I can attest to that. Never, ever, take this game for granted.”

The wind began to pick up and he said slowly, “Well, I’d better be getting on my way. It’s been a nice little visit with you.”

He offered a cold, bony hand and I shook it.

“My name is Mark,” I said, “and it was a pleasure, Sir.”

“The pleasure was all mine,” he replied.

He started to walk away and I called out, “I’m sorry. I didn’t get your name.”

He turned and smiled. “It’s Charles,” he said, “but all my friends just call me Chic.”

OSU-MICHIGAN TIDBITS

** Ohio State and Michigan will buckle it up tomorrow for the 106th renewal of what is known simply as The Game. The teams first met in 1897 and have played every season since 1918. The Wolverines lead the overall series by a 57-42-6 margin, including a 30-19-4 advantage in Ann Arbor.

** The Buckeyes have won three of their last four trips to Michigan Stadium. They haven’t enjoyed that kind of streak in Ann Arbor since winning four of five between 1973 and ’81.

** Ohio State has won seven of the last eight games in the series for the first time ever. The Buckeyes are also gunning for an unprecedented sixth straight victory over Michigan.

** Since 1925, the overall series is dead even at 41-41-3.

** OSU head coach Jim Tressel is currently 7-1 against Michigan, and he is one of only four Ohio State head coaches in history with a winning record against the Wolverines. The others: Woody Hayes (1951-78) at 16-11-1, Earle Bruce (1979-87) at 5-4 and Francis A. Schmidt (1934-40) at 4-3. Hayes, Bruce and Schmidt are all members of the College Football Hall of Fame.

** Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez is experiencing his second game in the rivalry. Last year, Rodriguez became the first U-M head coach to lose his first game against Ohio State since Harry Kipke’s team dropped a 7-0 decision to the Buckeyes in 1929. No Michigan head coach has ever lost his first two games in the series against Ohio State.

** Tressel is 35-13 in his OSU career against ranked opponents. Rodriguez is 13-18 lifetime against top-25 competition, including 2-5 with the Wolverines.

** Tressel is 25-4 with the Buckeyes in November. Rodriguez is 1-5 with the Wolverines in November.

** With a victory over the Wolverines, Ohio State would win the outright Big Ten championship for the third time in the last four seasons. It would give the Buckeyes their 18th outright title, more than any other team in conference history. Michigan has 16 outright championships and Illinois is third with eight.

** If Ohio State captures its third outright title in four years, it would be the best streak of undisputed Big Ten championships since Michigan won four in the five-year span between 1988 and 1992.

** The Buckeyes have already clinched a share of their fifth consecutive Big Ten title, marking the eighth straight season in which either OSU or Michigan has won or shared the conference crown. The last time neither team had at least a share of the trophy was in 2001 when Illinois took home the outright championship.

** Tressel has locked up his sixth Big Ten championship, placing him eighth on the conference all-time coaching list. Woody Hayes of Ohio State (1951-78) and Bo Schembechler of Michigan (1969-89) share the career record with 13 championships each. Fielding Yost of Michigan (1901-23, ’25-26) had 10, Henry Williams of Minnesota (1900-21) had eight, and Amos Alonzo Stagg (1896-1932) of Chicago, Robert Zuppke of Illinois (1913-41) and Bernie Biermann of Minnesota (1932-41, ’45-50) each had seven.

** With a victory, Ohio State would become only the second team in Big Ten history to record five consecutive years with 10 or more wins and the first in more than a century. Michigan had five seasons with 10-plus victories from 1901-05.

** If the Michigan team is searching for something on which to hang its winged helmets, how about this: The Buckeyes have lost to the Wolverines each of the last three times they have gone into The Game having already clinched the Big Ten championship. That occurred in 1986, 1993 and 1996.

** That 1993 game was the last time a ranked OSU team lost to an unranked Michigan squad. The Wolverines rolled to a 28-0 victory in Ann Arbor, and that game marks the most recent shutout in the overall series. The Buckeyes haven’t recorded a shutout over U-M since a 28-0 win in Ann Arbor in 1962.

** During a 13-year span from 1979 to 1992, the record for the team entering this game with the higher ranking was 9-3-1. In the 16 years since, the higher-ranked team has managed only an 8-8 mark.

** Since the two teams met in 1923 for the Ohio Stadium dedication game, a total of 7,527,129 fans have attended The Game. That’s more than any other college football game in America. Fifty-eight of those 86 games have been sold out, including the last 41 in a row.

** Michigan has an overall record of 298-121-20 in November. That’s a .702 winning percentage. Meanwhile, Ohio State in 286-132-19 during the month of November, good for a winning percentage of .676.

** This season will mark the third time in the past five years that a Michigan team will not be ranked in the final Associated Press poll of the season. Before 2005, the Wolverines had appeared in 35 of 36 final AP polls.

** Michigan has lost six straight conference games for the first time since losing six in a row between 1958 and ’59. The Wolverines have not lost seven consecutive Big Ten games since a 10-game league losing streak between 1935 and ’37.

** Here is how the teams stack up against one another in a variety of the national statistical categories:
Rushing offense – Michigan 21st (195.8); Ohio State 22nd (194.2)
Passing offense – Michigan 90th (195.6); Ohio State 102nd (174.9)
Total offense – Michigan 56th (391.4); Ohio State 65th (369.1)
Scoring offense – Michigan 27th (31.3); Ohio State 38th (30.0)
Rushing defense – Ohio State 4th (83.7); Michigan 84th (164.7)
Pass defense – Ohio State 16th (174.6); Michigan 82nd (235.5)
Total defense – Ohio State 5th (258.3); Michigan 89th (400.2)
Scoring defense – Ohio State 6th (12.4); Michigan 84th (28.1)
Net punting – Michigan 2nd (41.3); Ohio State 42nd (36.8)
Turnover margin – Ohio State 7th (plus-12); Michigan 102nd (minus-8)
Punt returns – Michigan 50th (9.9); Ohio State 65th (8.6)
Kickoff returns – Michigan 28th (24.0); Ohio State 35th (23.5)

** Kickoff for tomorrow’s game will be shortly after 12 noon Eastern. The game will be televised nationally by ABC with a broadcast crew that is rapidly becoming familiar to Ohio State fans. For the third week in a row, Sean McDonough will have the play-by-play, Matt Millen will provide color analysis and Holly Rowe will file reports from the sidelines.

** The game is also available on Sirius satellite radio channels 122 (Ohio State) and 155 (Michigan).

THIS WEEK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY

** Twenty-seven years ago, the Pony Express made one of its final rides in Texas. On Nov. 20, 1982, SMU quarterback Lance McIlhenny drove his team 80 yards for a touchdown in the late going to forge a 17-17 tie with ninth-ranked Arkansas. SMU running back Eric Dickerson – who teamed with fellow running back Craig James to form the “Pony Express” aka “The Best Backfield Money Could Buy” – rushed for 81 yards in the contest to break the all-time Southwest Conference career record held by Earl Campbell of Texas. The tie denied SMU a perfect season and the national championship, but the Mustangs still finished the season ranked No. 2 with an 11-0-1 record.

** Also occurring during this week in college football history: On Nov. 16, 1872, Yale played its first-ever football game, beating Columbia by a 3-0 score; on Nov. 17, 1906, Kansas took an 8-6 victory over Nebraska, beginning the longest continuous Division I-A series; on Nov. 19, 1983, Oregon and Oregon State battled to a 0-0 tie in Eugene, the last scoreless tie in NCAA history due to the institution of overtime beginning in 1994; on Nov. 21, 1981, BYU tight end Gordon Hudson set an NCAA record for tight ends with 259 receiving yards during a 56-28 win over Utah; and on Nov. 22, 1969, Michigan defensive back Barry Pierson returned a punt for a touchdown and intercepted three passes as the No. 12 Wolverines shocked defending national champion Ohio State with a 24-12 upset in Ann Arbor. It was the opening game in what became known as the legendary “Ten-Year War” between Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

** The number of Division I-A undefeated teams remains at six: Alabama, Boise State, Cincinnati, Florida, Texas and TCU.

** Here is this week’s fun fact: TCU has 3,700 male students, meaning roughly 3.2 percent are on the football team. If Ohio State had that same percentage, the Buckeyes would have a football roster exceeding 1,000 players.

** If you think Boise State and its BCS argument are going away after this season, think again. There are only three seniors listed among the 44 players on the Broncos’ depth chart. Among those underclassmen is sophomore quarterback Kellen Moore, who has thrown for 2,558 yards and 32 TDs against only three interceptions.

** Iowa and Minnesota square off tomorrow for one of the most unusual trophies in college football – Floyd of Rosedale. After the Hawkeyes lost the 1935 game, Iowa Gov. Clyde Herring presented Minnesota Gov. Floyd B. Olson with Floyd of Rosedale, a full-blooded champion pig, as the result of a bet made prior to the contest. Olson commissioned a statue to capture Floyd’s image, which resulted in a bronze pig that measures 21 inches long and 15 inches high. The two teams have played for the statue ever since.

** In Pete Carroll’s first 110 games at USC, he had a 94-16 record and those 16 losses were by a combined 68 points, or an average of 4.3 points per game. His team’s recent blowout losses to Oregon and Stanford have come by a combined 61 points, an average of 30.5 per game. The Trojans allowed 93 points all of last season – the Ducks and Cardinal combined for 102.

** Jim Harbaugh obviously hasn’t changed. When he was quarterback at Michigan, Harbaugh got the well-earned reputation for being outspoken and often playing with a chip on his shoulder. Last week, he caused some controversy during his Stanford team’s win over USC by going for a two-point conversion with a 48-21 lead and 6:47 remaining. Harbaugh and Carroll reportedly got into a heated discussion during the postgame handshake, but Harbaugh brushed off the tiff in typical fashion. “I felt like it was the right thing to do, knowing SC would have at least two more possession opportunities, not including onside kicks,” he said. “We wanted to be full throttle all game.”

** Harbaugh is pulling out all the stops for tomorrow’s game against Cal. He has named Tiger Woods as the team’s honorary captain, and Woods will be honored on the field at halftime at which time he will be presented with a plaque signifying his induction into the Stanford Athletic Hall of Fame.

** My weekly top five for the Heisman Trophy changed only at the bottom where Pittsburgh QB Bill Stull took over the No. 5 spot for Houston QB Case Keenum. My top five looks like this: 1. Texas QB Colt McCoy; 2. Alabama RB Mark Ingram; 3. Boise State QB Kellen Moore; 4. Florida QB Tim Tebow; 5. Stull. This week’s dark horse: Stanford RB Toby Gerhart.

** Congratulations to Rice, which got its first victory of the season last weekend with a 28-20 win over Tulane. That leaves only Eastern Michigan, Western Kentucky and New Mexico on the Division I-A winless list for 2009. Of those teams, Eastern perhaps has the best shot of winning one of its final two games. The Eagles travel tonight to Toledo (4-6 and losers of four of their last five) and wind up the season Nov. 27 at Akron (2-8 and losers of seven of their last eight).

** If New Mexico wants to get off the schnied, it had better do so this week against a 3-7 Colorado State team that has lost seven in a row following a 3-0 start. The 0-9 Lobos finish their season Nov. 28 at TCU against a team that will be trying to make one final statement for the BCS.

** Tarleton State (Texas) led a charmed existence last week in its Division II playoff game against Texas A&M-Kingsville. Tarleton won a 57-56 decision in double overtime after gambling successfully on a two-point conversion. The game went into overtime when Tarleton kicker Garrett Lindholm kicked a 64-yard field goal as time expired. Lindholm’s three-pointer was the second-longest in Division II history. Tom Odle of Fort Hays State (Kan.) holds the record. He booted a 67-yarder in 1988 during his team’s 22-14 win over instate rival Washburn.

** First-round Division III playoff games begin tomorrow, and not surprisingly defending champion Mount Union (Ohio) is the No. 1 seed. The Purple Raiders have won a record 10 national championships under head coach Larry Kehres, who has a career mark of 285-21-3 (a winning percentage of .925). Since 1993 when Mount Union won its first national title, Kehres’ record is an almost unbelievable 215-8. That computes to a .964 winning percentage.

** Hanover College (Ind.) didn’t make the Division III playoffs with a 3-7 record, but the Panthers still made news last week during their 42-28 loss to instate rival Franklin. Hanover sophomore receiver Daniel Passafiume set a new NCAA single-game record with 25 receptions in the game. That broke the old mark of 24 established in 1983 by NFL Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice when he was at Mississippi Valley State, and equaled in 2002 by Chas Gessner of Brown.

FEARLESS FORECAST

It’s been a pretty good last couple of weeks with the straight-up picks. We missed last week’s Upset Special (thanks, Arizona) but that was one of only two misses on a 10-2 slate. The yearly SU total is now 85-22.

Another 5-7 week against the spread makes us 42-52-2 for the season and the prospects of breaking even this year more and more unlikely. Nevertheless, we’ll hang with it and try to get back to respectability with an expanded slate of games this week. Be forewarned, though – there really is only one meaningful game in college football and it will occur in Ann Arbor. That’s why we’ll keep our comments on the rest of the games short and sweet.

TONIGHT’S GAME

No. 6 Boise State at Utah State: The Broncos have beaten the Aggies eight times in a row. Look for Boise QB Kellen Moore to pad his already Heisman-worthy stats … Boise State 48, Utah State 10. (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

SATURDAY’S GAMES

Minnesota at No. 13 Iowa: If several teams ahead of them lose, the Hawkeyes could still get into a BCS bowl. Incentive enough for Senior Day at Kinnick … Iowa 24, Minnesota 13. (12 noon ET, ESPN)

No. 20 Miami (Fla.) at Duke: The Hurricanes are up and down this season, but they should have enough to take a fifth straight victory in this series … Miami 37, Duke 23. (12 noon ET, ESPNU)

Chattanooga at No. 2 Alabama: These two schools have met 10 times over the years with the Crimson Tide winning all 10 by a combined score of 369-88. It’s Senior Day in Tuscaloosa and statement time for Bama … Alabama 47, Chattanooga 3. (12:20 p.m. ET, SEC GamePlan)

Florida International at No. 1 Florida: The Gators haven’t had the spectacular run everyone envisioned, but they remain undefeated. Meanwhile, FIU has never finished with a winning record since starting the program in 2002 … Florida 49, Florida International 10. (12:30 p.m. ET, ESPN GamePlan)

Memphis at No. 24 Houston: The Cougars spit the bit last week against Central Florida. Look for them to get back on track this week against the Tigers, who have already fired head coach Tommy West … Houston 48, Memphis 34. (1 p.m. ET, CSS)

No. 4 TCU at Wyoming: The Horned Frogs, arguably the best team in the nation, will likely not get a chance to play for the national championship. Look for them to keep making a statement on why they should get that chance … TCU 51, Wyoming 10. (2 p.m. ET, The Mtn.)

No. 14 Penn State at Michigan State: The Nittany Lions, who have not been playing well lately, have lost four of their last six trips to Spartan Stadium. I hate to pick Sparty because he has been so uneven this season. But I need an Upset Special, so here it is … Michigan State 34, Penn State 31. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC Regional/ESPN)

No. 16 Wisconsin at Northwestern: Can the Wildcats slow down the Badgers’ two-pronged attack of QB Scott Tolzien and RB John Clay? Maybe the better question is whether UW can slow down the multifaceted attack led Northwestern QB Mike Kakfa. Upset Special No. 2 … Northwestern 31, Wisconsin 28. (3:30 p.m. ET, BTN)

No. 8 LSU at Mississippi: The Rebels pulled off a huge 31-13 upset in Baton Rouge last year, but they haven’t beaten the Tigers in Oxford since 1998. Ole Miss struggles against good defenses and LSU has a good defense … LSU 20, Mississippi 10. (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)

Virginia at No. 23 Clemson: Behind Heisman hopeful running back C.J. Spiller, the Tigers have averaged 42.0 points over their last five games. You wonder how the Cavaliers (106th nationally in scoring and 118th in total offense) can keep up. Answer: They can’t … Clemson 37, Virginia 13. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC Regional/ESPN)

Air Force at No. 22 BYU: Max Hall is one of the best quarterbacks you’ve probably never heard of. The BYU senior has thrown for 2,857 yards and 23 TDs, and he has never lost in his career to the run-oriented Cadets … BYU 35, Air Force 24. (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS College Sports)

North Carolina State at No. 15 Virginia Tech: Good Hokies offense + porous Wolfpack defense = Tech victory … Virginia Tech 38, N.C. State 13. (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)

San Diego State at No. 21 Utah: The Utes were manhandled last week by TCU, but they get to try and rebound against the Aztecs who rank 94th nationally in scoring defense. Utah also returns home to play at Rice Eccles Stadium where they have won their last 16 in a row … Utah 41, San Diego State 17. (4 p.m. ET, Versus)

No. 19 Oregon State at Washington State: The Beavers still have a shot at the Rose Bowl and it’s doubtful the punchless Cougars can do anything about that this week … Oregon State 48, Washington State 14. (5 p.m. ET, No TV)

No. 25 California at No. 17 Stanford: The Bears scored a total of six points against Oregon and USC while the Cardinal rolled up 106 points against the Ducks and Trojans. What more do you need to know? … Stanford 44, Cal 27. (7:30 p.m. ET, Versus)

Kansas at No. 3 Texas: The Longhorns are zeroing in on the national championship game while Jayhawks head coach Mark Mangino is suddenly under fire in Lawrence. Colt McCoy becomes the all-time winningest quarterback in NCAA history with a win … Texas 35, Kansas 7. (8 p.m. ET, ABC Regional/ESPN)

No. 11 Oregon at Arizona: The Wildcats couldn’t get it done last week against a Jahvid Best-less Cal, so what makes anyone believe Mike Stoops’ troops can beat the Ducks? … Oregon 48, Arizona 35. (8 p.m. ET, ABC Regional/ESPN)

No. 10 Ohio State at Michigan: Anyone connected with OSU who chalks up this game as an automatic victory should remember what the Wolverines have on the line. They need this win to avoid a second straight losing season. They need this win to avoid staying home during bowl season when they had made 33 straight bowl appearances prior to 2008. They need this win to prevent their head coach from becoming the first Michigan coach in history ever to lose his first two games in this series. I’m also sure that Rich Rodriguez has told his team that this game begins the program’s resurgence. A victory over the Buckeyes would not only send the Wolverines to a bowl but also give them a foundation on which to build. Nothing to play for in Ann Arbor? I think not. It’s still the greatest rivalry game in American sports and if you have a chance to step on the throat of your rival, you do it. Assuming that is the mind-set of the Ohio State players, you get this prediction … Ohio State 45, Michigan 14. (12 noon ET, ABC)

Here are the spreads for the above games: Boise State (-22) at Utah State; Minnesota at Iowa (-9½ ; Miami-FL at Duke (+20); Florida International (+45) at Florida; Memphis (+24) at Houston; TCU (-28) at Wyoming; Penn State at Michigan State (+3); Wisconsin at Northwestern (+7); LSU (+4½) at Mississippi; Virginia at Clemson (-20½); Air Force at BYU (-9½); N.C. State at Virginia Tech (-21); San Diego State at Utah (-20); Oregon State (-29) at Washington State; Cal at Stanford (-7); Kansas at Texas (-27½); Oregon (-4½) at Arizona; Ohio State (-11½) at Michigan.

History Sides With Buckeyes Vs. Iowa

To say Iowa has struggled over the years against Ohio State would be akin to pointing out that they speak mostly French in Paris. No kidding, Sherlock.

The cold, hard truth for the Hawkeyes is that they are on the business end of one of the most lopsided series in Big Ten history. They have only 14 wins and three ties to show for 61 previous games against the Buckeyes, a shockingly bad winning percentage of .254 – or perhaps more aptly put, a 746 losing percentage.

Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a complete surprise that Herky has had his problems over the years with Brutus. Ohio State’s all-time Big Ten record is 455-190-28, a .696 winning percentage that leads the conference. Iowa has a lifetime record of 284-344-25 in league games, a .454 winning percentage.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz is regarded as one of the top coaches in his profession and he has that new seven-year, $21 million contract to back that claim. And yet he has only a pair of Big Ten co-championships during his previous 10 seasons in Iowa City and he is a rather pedestrian 48-38 in conference play. Meanwhile, OSU head coach Jim Tressel has won one national championship, five league titles – including the last four in a row – and has a 57-13 Big Ten record.

Head-to-head matchups between Ferentz and Tressel are about as close as the overall Iowa-Ohio State series. Tressel holds a 4-1 advantage – including a 1990 contest when his Division I-AA Youngstown State team beat Ferentz-coached Maine – and the average margin of victory for Tressel victories has been 19.0 points. To be fair, Ferentz’s lone win against Tressel was a 33-7 trip to the Iowa City woodshed in 2004.

Tomorrow, the two teams and their head coaches square off again with the Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl berth on the line. Since Ohio State and Iowa hold all the tiebreakers over any other team that could tie for the conference title, tomorrow’s outcome will determine which team goes to Pasadena and which heads for Orlando and the Capital One Bowl.

Despite the loss of starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi, the Hawkeyes remain confident they will emerge victorious. After all, they are only one week removed from being the No. 4 team in the country and still boast a defense ranked among the top 15 in the country.

And yet, Iowa just seems to have a bugaboo about playing Ohio State when the stakes are high. Don’t believe me? Let’s take a stroll down memory lane.

1954 – The fourth-ranked Buckeyes led 20-14 late in the fourth quarter when the No. 13 Hawkeyes drove inside the OSU 5-yard line. With the clock ticking under two minutes, Iowa couldn’t get into the end zone as the Buckeyes’ goal-line stand preserved the victory. The six-point win would be the smallest margin of victory for Ohio State as it captured its first national championship under head coach Woody Hayes.

1957 – After losing star halfback Don Clark to a leg injury, sixth-ranked Ohio State was installed a touchdown underdog to No. 5 Iowa. The Ohio Stadium record crowd of 82,935, which included U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon, was treated to a seesaw match that saw four lead changes. The Hawkeyes held a 13-10 advantage heading into the final period when OSU fullback Bob White took over, accounting for most of the yardage on a 68-yard touchdown march that set the final score at 17-13. “We knew what was happening,” Iowa head coach Forest Evashevski said, “but we were just powerless to stop it.”

1958 – The Hawkeyes were ready for revenge in ’58. They were the nation’s No. 2 team and 14-point favorites over the 16th-ranked Buckeyes. A record crowd of 58,463 jammed into Kinnick Stadium and the teams traded touchdowns back and forth until the score was tied 28-28 after three periods. But OSU established itself in the fourth quarter, getting a 1-yard touchdown run from White and a 19-yard field goal from Dave Kilgore with only 12 seconds remaining to register the 38-28 upset win.

1961 – Ninth-ranked Iowa had beaten Ohio State in back-to-back seasons and was trying to become the first team to beat Hayes three times in a row. But the Hawkeyes ran into a defensive buzz saw as the fifth-rated Buckeyes forged a 12-0 halftime lead before cruising to a 29-13 victory. Defensive end Tom Perdue returned an interception 55 yards for OSU’s first touchdown, and a fourth-quarter touchdown run by fullback Bob Ferguson was set up by a 53-yard interception return by defensive lineman Gary Moeller.

1984 – The 14th-ranked Hawkeyes came to Columbus boasting the Big Ten’s top defense, but four costly turnovers put them behind the 8-ball and the No. 5 Buckeyes rolled to a 45-26 win. Iowa had more first downs (23-17) and outgained Ohio State by a 458-335 margin, but the turnovers were too much to overcome. Iowa QB Chuck Long threw for 275 yards and two TDs, but he also pitched two interceptions and fumbled once as Ohio State scored in every quarter. Keith Byars was the offensive star for OSU. He rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns, and caught five passes for 55 yards and another score.

1985 – Iowa was positive it was going to win in 1985. Long was a Heisman Trophy candidate, the defense was the best it had been in years and the Hawkeyes were the No. 1-ranked team in the country. But OSU had other plans. Protecting a 19-game home winning streak, the eighth-ranked Buckeyes dominated Iowa during a 22-13 victory. The defense, which had been ninth in the Big Ten against the pass, intercepted Long four times and held the QB to only 169 yards through the air, more than 150 below his average. Pepper Johnson and Chris Spielman led the Ohio State defense with 19 tackles each, and Spielman snagged two of the four INTs.

1986 – The Hawkeyes were once again the higher ranked team in ’86 and boasted the conference’s best offensive attack. But the No. 17 Buckeyes exploded for 21 points during a six-minute span in the second quarter and ran away with a 31-10 triumph over No. 11 Iowa. It was another defensive gem for OSU, which held the Hawkeyes’ powerful attack to 192 yards of total offense, including only 79 on the ground. Spielman was once again the spearhead for the Buckeyes, recording 18 tackles.

1990 – OSU head coach John Cooper was in third season and still looking for a signature win when his unranked Buckeyes scored a 27-26 stunner over the sixth-ranked Hawkeyes in Iowa City. Ohio State erased a 26-14 deficit in the final 11 minutes as Greg Frey threw a pair of touchdown passes to Bobby Olive, the second a 3-yard toss with 0:01 showing on the clock. The victory was career No. 100 for Cooper.

1997 – Defense ruled the day again when the seventh-ranked Buckeyes took a 23-7 win over the No. 11 Hawkeyes. Iowa running back Tavian Banks entered the game as the nation’s leading rusher, averaging a whopping 209 yards per game, but he was held to only 82 yards on 22 attempts as Ohio State built a 16-0 halftime advantage. Pepe Pearson had a game-high 109 yards while Michael Wiley added 85 yards and two touchdowns.

2003 – The two teams were as evenly matched as possible but the No. 8 Buckeyes squeezed out a 19-10 decision over the ninth-ranked Hawkeyes. Neither team managed an offensive touchdown as defenses carried the day. Iowa scored on a 36-yard field goal and 5-yard run off a fake field goal while Ohio State tallied a 53-yard field goal by Mike Nugent, a 54-yard punt return by Michael Jenkins, a blocked punt recovered in the end zone by Donte Whitner and a team safety.

2006 – Once again, Iowa was convinced of victory. The Hawkeyes were undefeated and ranked 13th in the country, and they laid in wait for the No. 1 Buckeyes with a rare night game at sold-out Kinnick Stadium. But Ohio State scored in the first four minutes with a touchdown pass from Troy Smith to Anthony Gonzalez and it was all Buckeyes from there in a 38-17 romp. Smith threw for four scores while the OSU defense created four turnovers. That included three interceptions of Iowa QB Drew Tate, who completed only 19 of 41 attempts for 249 yards.

In addition to the aforementioned games, there was the 83-21 shellacking of Iowa administered by the Buckeyes back in 1950. That was the game in which future Heisman Trophy winner Vic Janowicz went absolutely wild. He threw for four touchdowns, rushed for one, returned a punt for another, kicked 10 PATs, recovered two fumbles on defense and averaged 42.0 yards punting in one of the most electrifying one-man shows ever seen in Ohio Stadium.

Why the history lesson? Because it’s worth noting that when Iowa has faced Ohio State – many times armed with a lofty national ranking – the Hawkeyes have usually come out on the wrong end of the final score. For whatever reason, the team plays extremely tight against the Buckeyes, allowing the OSU defense to create turnovers and providing plenty of scoring opportunities for the offense.

The combination of a quarterback making his first career start in the Horseshoe against one of the top defensive units in college football would seem to indicate a similar scenario playing out tomorrow afternoon. As we have noted in this space countless times, a very good way to forecast the future is by examining the past.

OSU-IOWA TIDBITS

** This will be the 62nd overall meeting between Ohio State and Iowa in a series that began in 1922. The Buckeyes enjoy a lopsided 44-14-3 advantage over the Hawkeyes, including a 27-8-1 record in Columbus. OSU has 10 of the last 11 in the series, including the last five played at Ohio Stadium. Iowa has not tasted victory in Columbus since a 16-9 win in 1991.

** The game marks the 19th time in the series when both teams are ranked. The Buckeyes are 14-4 in those games.

** Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel is 3-1 against Iowa. That includes a 2-0 record in Columbus, including a 31-6 victory in 2005.

** Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz is 1-5 all-time against Ohio State. That includes an 0-3 record against the Buckeyes in Columbus. Ferentz got his only victory over OSU in 2004 when the Hawkeyes knocked starting quarterback Justin Zwick out of the game and rolled to a 33-7 win in Iowa City.

** Tressel and Ferentz are old adversaries from their Division I-AA coaching days. Tressel led Youngstown State to a 38-17 victory in the 1990 regular-season finale over Maine and Ferentz, who was in his first season in Orono.

** Last week’s victory over Penn State was the 57th Big Ten win for Tressel. That puts him in a five-way tie for 13th on the all-time conference list. The other coaches with 57 conference victories – Bennie Bierman of Minnesota (1932-41, ’45-50), Fritz Crisler of Michigan (1938-47), Jack Mollenkopf of Purdue (1956-69) and Earle Bruce of Ohio State (1979-87).

** A victory over Iowa would sew up at least a share of the Big Ten championship for Ohio State and give Tressel his sixth title. Only seven other coaches have won as many as six conference championships, including Woody Hayes of Ohio State and Bo Schembechler of Michigan, who share the Big Ten record with 13 titles each.

** Iowa will be wearing “EVY” stickers on their helmets in honor of former head coach and athletic director Forest Evashevski, who died Oct. 31 at the age of 91. Evashevski coached the Hawkeyes from 1952-60 and won three Big Ten championships and two Rose Bowl titles. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

** The Hawkeyes saw their 13-game winning streak snapped with last week’s 17-10 loss to Northwestern. It was the second-longest active win streak in the nation and the longest winning streak for Iowa since the team won 20 games in a row between 1920 and 1923.

** Iowa still has one streak intact. The Hawkeyes come to Columbus having won their last six games away from Kinnick Stadium.

** How stifling is the OSU defense? It had eight three-and-outs last week against Penn State and currently leads the nation in forcing three-and-outs. Opponents have gone three-and-out an amazing 60 times in 10 games against the Buckeyes. No other defense in the nation has more than 49.

** Ohio State is one of only six Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I-A) teams that has not allowed an opposing rusher to crack the 100-yard mark. The others are Alabama, Arkansas State, Nevada, Penn State and Texas. The Buckeyes have allowed only seven 100-yard rushers since 2005, the lowest number among all I-A schools during that stretch.

** Don’t expect Tressel to try any special teams trickery against the Hawkeyes. Opponents have attempted four onside kicks, one fake punt and one fake field goal and every one of those tries has failed. Additionally, Iowa has blocked three kicks and one punt this season. The blocked punt came in the 20-10 win over Penn State and was returned 53 yards for a touchdown by defensive end Adrian Clayborn.

** Iowa sophomore safety Tyler Sash leads the Big Ten in interceptions with six and he has returned those picks for 203 yards. In only his second season, Sash already has 11 career interceptions with 350 return yards. He needs seven more picks to break into the Big Ten all-time top 10 and only seven more return yards to break into the top five. The conference career leader in interceptions is Al Brosky of Illinois (1950-52) with 30, while the all-time interception return yardage leader is Jamar Fletcher of Wisconsin (1998-2000) with 459.

** The game will be the final home contest of the season for the Buckeyes. They are 72-44-3 all-time in home finales.

** It will also be Senior Day in the Horseshoe with 19 senior players scheduled to get their traditional hug from Tressel and high-five from Brutus. This year’s list of seniors: Andre Amos, Jake Ballard, Kurt Coleman, Jim Cordle, Todd Denlinger, Joe Gantz, Tom Ingham, Andrew Moses, Aaron Pettrey, Dan Potokar, Rob Rose, Anderson Russell, Ryan Schuck, Ray Small, Austin Spitler, Jon Thoma, Marcus Williams, Lawrence Wilson and Doug Worthington.

** If the Buckeyes beat Iowa and Michigan, and are also victorious in their bowl game, the senior class would finish its career with 44 wins. That would break the school record of 43 currently held by the classes of 1995-98, 2002-05 and 2005-08.

** Kickoff for tomorrow’s game will be shortly after 3:30 p.m. Eastern. The game will be televised using the reverse mirror meaning viewers will be able to watch the game either on their local ABC station or ESPN. And for the second week in a row, the broadcast crew will be Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Matt Millen (color analysis) and Holly Rowe (sideline reports).

** The game is also available on Sirius satellite radio channels 122 and 123 as well as XM radio channel 144.

** Next week’s game against Michigan will kick off shortly after 12 noon Eastern. It will be televised nationally by ABC.

THIS WEEK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY

** Sixteen years ago today, ESPN College Gameday made its first-ever on-campus broadcast. The popular college football pregame show debuted in 1987, but it wasn’t until Nov. 13, 1993, that GameDay got out of the studio and hit the road. The first telecast was from South Bend, Ind., to cover the 1-vs-2 matchup between Florida State and Notre Dame, and featured host Chris Fowler and analysts Lee Corso and Craig James. The result was an upset victory by the second-ranked Irish, who took a 31-24 win over the No. 1 Seminoles. (Corso picked Florida State to win, by the way.) The Seminoles managed to rebound from the loss, going on to beat Nebraska in the Orange Bowl and capture the national championship.

** Also occurring during this week in college football history: On Nov. 10, 1984, backup quarterback Frank Reich of unranked Maryland engineered the biggest comeback in NCAA history at the time, leading the Terrapins from a 31-0 halftime deficit to a 42-40 victory over Miami (Fla.) in the Orange Bowl; on Nov. 12, 1983, UCLA needed only a tie against Arizona to secure a Rose Bowl bid, but kicker John Lee’s field-goal attempt sailed wide as time expired and the Bruins dropped a 27-24 decision; on Nov. 14, 1998, second-ranked Kansas State took a 40-30 win over No. 11 Nebraska to clinch the Big 12 North title, the first football championship of any kind for the Wildcats since 1934; and on Nov. 15, 1890, Minnesota and Wisconsin squared off for the first time in what has become the most-played series in college football history. The Gophers took a 63-0 victory in Minneapolis that day, and the two teams have played one another every year since.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

** Iowa’s loss to Northwestern dropped the number of Division I-A undefeated teams to six. They are Alabama, Boise State, Cincinnati, Florida, Texas and TCU.

** We know at least one of the aforementioned undefeated teams is going to lose in the SEC championship game, but there could be five teams that go through the entire regular season with unbeaten records. That would be the first time that has happened since 1979. Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State and BYU each finished 11-0 while USC was 10-0-1. Only Alabama and USC won their bowl games and the Crimson Tide were named national champions.

** Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly has a full-fledged quarterback controversy on his hands. Regular starter Tony Pike is ready to play again but backup Zach Collaros has been lights-out since Pike has been sidelined. Is Kelly really going to send Collaros back to the bench after he has completed 80 percent of his passes and thrown for 998 yards, eight TDs and no interceptions in three starts? Apparently not yet. Collaros is scheduled to be the starter this evening against West Virginia.

** When Purdue came from behind for a 38-36 victory at Michigan, it marked the Boilermakers’ first win in Ann Arbor since 1966. The Wolverines are now 1-5 in Big Ten play, meaning they have lost 13 of their last 16 conference games. (That’s not all Rich Rodriguez’s fault; Lloyd Carr lost his final two Big Ten games to Wisconsin and Ohio State in 2007). Even so, Michigan is in the throes of its worst conference slide in nearly 75 years. The Wolverines lost 16 of 18 Big Ten games between the start of the 1934 season and the middle of the 1937 campaign.

** Despite the fact it gets maligned more than any other major conference, the Big Ten heads into the final stretch of the season with each of its 11 teams remaining in the hunt to become bowl-eligible. Not 11 teams will make it to the postseason, of course. Illinois must win its remaining three games against Northwestern, Cincinnati and Fresno State, teams with a combined record of 21-7. Meanwhile, Indiana and Purdue must also win both the remaining games on their respective schedules – and they square off against one another Nov. 21 in Bloomington.

** Here is a fun stat: After last weekend’s 17-10 victory in Manhattan, Kansas State is now 14-4 against instate rival Kansas with Bill Snyder as head coach. Without him, the Wildcats are 23-61-5 against the Jayhawks.

** Do you enjoy thrill rides? Then you’d love being a Houston fan. Despite giving up 88 points in their last two games, the Cougars have posted back-to-back victories in the final seconds. They took a 50-43 win over Southern Miss on Oct. 31, getting a 46-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds left, and then beat Tulsa last week by a 46-45 score when kicker Matt Hogan nailed a 51-yard field goal as time expired. Hogan’s career longest three-pointer to that point had been 34 yards.

** Of the five top passing yardage games in Division I-A this season, Houston QB Case Keenum has two of them. He threw for 559 yards in that win over Southern Miss and also had 536 earlier this season during a 58-41 loss to UTEP. Rounding out the top five: Tyler Sheehan of Bowling Green (505 vs. Kent State), Steven Sheffield of Texas Tech (490 vs. Kansas State) and Greg Alexander of Hawaii (477 vs. UNLV). Keenum leads the nation in passing through Nov. 7 with 3,815 yards and 28 TDs.

** My weekly top five for the Heisman Trophy got a little jumbled last week, but the name at the top of my ballot didn’t change. Texas QB Colt McCoy is still my favorite followed by Alabama RB Mark Ingram and Boise State QB Kellen Moore, who flip-flopped spots. Rounding out the top five are Florida QB Tim Tebow and Houston QB Case Keenum. This week’s dark horse: Pittsburgh QB Bill Stull.

** Ever wonder what happened to Terry Bowden? He resurfaced this season at Division II North Alabama, which finished 10-1 and earned one of eight first-round byes in the 24-team division playoffs. Bowden’s team narrowly missed a perfect regular season, losing a 31-28 decision in four overtimes last weekend to rival West Alabama.

** Iowa was not the only team to lose a lengthy winning streak last week. Defending Division I-AA national champion Richmond dropped a 21-20 decision to fourth-ranked Villanova, ending the Spiders’ winning streak at 17 games.

FEARLESS FORECAST

Straight-up picks were solid again, including another Upset Special with Ohio State beating Penn State. We also mentioned possible trap games for Iowa at Northwestern and Oregon at Stanford but didn’t have the guts to pull the trigger on either one. Nevertheless, those were the only two misses in a 10-2 week that pushed the yearly total to 75-20, a winning percentage of .789. It’s been a while since we finished a season at .800 or better, so that’s certainly something to shoot for.

As far as the spread picks, we’re still trying to stay within shouting distance of breakeven. Not enough hits and too many misses gave us a 5-7 ledger for the week, dropping the season line to 37-45-2 with not a whole lot of time to make up the difference.

But we’re not quitters here at the forecast, so here are the games we like this week. (All rankings are BCS standings.)

TONIGHT’S GAME

No. 25 West Virginia at No. 5 Cincinnati: The Bearcats finally roll into the meat of their schedule with as much confidence as anyone in the nation. They have stumbled upon a backup quarterback who may be even better than their starter, they are third in the nation in total offense (482.6 yards per game) and fifth in scoring (40.0), and need only one more victory to set a new school record for best start ever. Standing in the way of that 10th straight win are the Mountaineers, who are facing a must-win situation in terms of the Big East championship. WVU has the horses to keep up with Cincinnati’s offense, but 1,000-yard runner Noel Devine sprained an ankle during last week’s 17-9 win over Louisville and is questionable for tonight’s game. The Mountaineers are the last visiting team to beat UC at Nippert, and they have a defense that is at least capable of slowing down the Bearcats. With Devine less than 100 percent, however, they probably won’t have enough offense to keep up … Cincinnati 31, West Virginia 20. (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

Temple at Akron: Here’s your chance to see the Owls, one of the surprise teams in all of college football. They are on track for their first bowl appearance since 1979, are currently on a seven-game winning streak that is their longest since 1973 and seek their first undefeated conference regular season since 1967 during their first go-round as MAC members. Meanwhile, the Zips are on the other end of the spectrum. They are 2-7 this season although both of their victories have come at their new home at InfoCision Stadium. But even when the Owls were struggling, Akron had its troubles in the series. Temple leads the overall series by an 11-7 margin, and that includes a 5-3 record in Akron. Look for one of the nation’s top freshmen in Temple running back Bernard Pierce, who has already set school records for a freshman with 1,211 yards and 14 TDs. Since the Zips have had trouble putting points on the board all season, Pierce should be enough for the Owls … Temple 27, Akron 10. (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)

SATURDAY’S GAMES

No. 3 Texas at Baylor: It’s stat-padding time for Texas QB Colt McCoy, and there is no team he’d rather play than the Bears. In three previous contests against Baylor, McCoy has thrown for 844 yards and 12 TDs while the Longhorns have posted victories by a combined score of 139-62. While the focus in Waco will be on McCoy, the Texas defense has quietly become one of the toughest units in the country. The Longhorns are No. 1 in total defense and No. 8 in scoring, and that’s not a good combination for Baylor. Because of injuries, the Bears are down to their third-string quarterback and two weeks ago Nick Florence was sacked seven times in a 20-10 loss to Nebraska. The Longhorns are working on an 11-game win streak in the series, and have beaten the Bears by an average of more than 37 points in those contests. Sounds like the spread as been set … Texas 44, Baylor 7. (12 noon ET, FSN)

No. 13 Houston at Central Florida: UH head coach Kevin Sumlin must believe defense is something you put around de-backyard. The Cougars give up an average of 30.1 points per game (that ranks 96th nationally) and allow 469.8 yards each week (that’s a lowly 116th among 120 Division I-A teams). How in the world could they be 8-1 and ranked 13th in the latest BCS standings? Thank QB Case Keenum and his high-powered offense that leads the nation with averages of more than 42 points and 575 yards per contest. Over the last two weeks alone, Keenum has completed 84 of 114 passes for 1,081 yards and eight TDs. Central Florida would appear to be Houston’s toughest opponent left on the regular-season schedule, but the Knights have their problems defending the pass. During last week’s 35-3 loss to Texas, they allowed Colt McCoy to throw for 470 yards. UCF is also hurting on offense – starting quarterback Brett Hodges and running back Brynn Harvey missed last week’s game against the Longhorns and are questionable for this week … Houston 45, Central Florida 28. (12 noon ET, CBS College Sports)

Michigan at No. 20 Wisconsin: The Wolverines passed Last Ditch Gulch last week and Rich Rodriguez may be headed for Death Valley. Last Saturday’s home game against Purdue represented Michigan’s last best chance to get bowl-eligible. Now the Wolverines are faced with finishing at Camp Randall and at home against Ohio State, needing to win one of those games to finish with the bowl-eligible required six victories. Unfortunately for Rodriguez and his team, the buzzards are circling. U-M hasn’t beaten a I-A opponent since a late September win over Indiana, and losses in the final two games would give the Wolverines their first last-place finish in the conference standings since 1962. In addition to all that, the Badgers still remember last year’s game when they blew a 19-point second-half advantage and wound up with a 27-25 loss in Ann Arbor … Wisconsin 34, Michigan 31. (12 noon ET, BTN)

No. 1 Florida at South Carolina: The Gators are getting a lot of criticism lately because their victories haven’t been very pretty. The bottom line, however, is that they remain undefeated and haven’t lost since Tim Tebow’s famous speech last September following a loss to Ole Miss. You would think the Ol’ Ball Coach would have something up his sleeve is terms of an upset this week, but the Gamecocks are in the middle of a late swoon for the third season in a row. Unfortunately, Florida usually contributes to that slide. Steve Spurrier hasn’t beaten his old team since 2005, losing the last three games in the series by a combined score of 124-53. South Carolina’s offense has fizzled for much of the last month, and that doesn’t bode well going against the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense … Florida 31, South Carolina 7. (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)

Idaho at No. 6 Boise State: Someone opined that this game is the biggest thing to hit Idaho since French fries. The undefeated Broncos are trying their best to secure a BCS bid while the surprising Vandals stand in their way. Idaho is 7-3 this season after losing 26 of its previous 29 games. But the Vandals are beginning to crack a little bit, losing two of their last three and giving up an average of 45.0 points the past three weeks. It’s not going to help that they may also be without starting quarterback Nate Ederle, who is nursing a rotator cuff injury. Meanwhile, Boise still has QB Kellen Moore (2,259 yards, 27 TDs), a stingy defense that allows only 14.0 points per game, and a 53-game regular-season winning streak on the Smurf Turf … Boise State 47, Idaho 24. (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)

No. 17 Arizona at California: The Wildcats continue the quest for their first-ever Rose Bowl appearance, but they may have to carry on without top running back Nic Grigsby, who has a sprained right shoulder. Meanwhile, Cal will also be without their best running back as Jahvid Best recovers from a concussion after a nasty head-first fall last weekend. Best’s loss will be difficult for the Bears to overcome especially since Arizona boasts the No. 11 rush defense in the country. The Wildcats could use any help they can get. They have lost their last three trips to Berkeley by a 114-41 margin. In terms of the Rose Bowl bid, this game really doesn’t have any bearing since Zona still needs to beat Oregon and USC to earn its trip to Pasadena. Still, you have to believe Mike Stoops’ team would like a little momentum heading into those final two contests. Here is your Upset Special … Arizona 26, Cal 17. (7 p.m. ET, Versus)

No. 16 Utah at No. 4 TCU: The Horned Frogs may have altered their postseason goal. A BCS berth isn’t going to be good enough – they want the whole enchilada. The obstacles remain huge for them to get to the national title game, though, since they will probably need all three teams ahead of them in the rankings to lose while remaining unbeaten. They must also not lose sight of the task at hand, which features the 8-1 Utes. Last year, Utah scored a late touchdown and took a 13-10 victory in Salt Lake City, and it is the last team to beat TCU in Fort Worth. The Utes switched last week to freshman quarterback Jordan Wynn, and he responded with 297 yards and two TDs in a 45-14 win over winless New Mexico. We suspect Wynn will have a little more trouble making his first road start against a ferocious Frog defense … TCU 23, Utah 10. (7:30 p.m. ET, CBS College Sports)

Notre Dame at No. 12 Pittsburgh: Somewhere, sometime, Charlie Weis is going to have to secure a signature victory in order to maintain his job in South Bend. In his first season with the Fighting Irish, Weis was victorious in his first three games against ranked teams. Since then, his record against ranked competition is 1-11. The Panthers have one of the best one-two offensive punches in college football this season. QB Bill Stull has completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 1,879 yards and 17 TDs against only four INTs, while sophomore RB Dion Lewis has 1,139 yards and 12 TDs. If Notre Dame entertains any thought of an upset, it will have to play its best defensive game of the season. The Irish rank a lowly 79th nationally in total defense and an even-worse 88th against the pass. Notre Dame has beaten Pitt in both of its previous visits to Heinz Field, including Weis’ debut with the Irish, but a lot has happened since then … Pittsburgh 34, Notre Dame 30. (8 p.m. ET, ABC Regional)

Arizona State at No. 13 Oregon: The Ducks have been on an emotional roller-coaster ride for much of the season. They lost their opener to Boise State after which top running back LeGarrette Blount was suspended for punching a BSU player. Then Chip Kelly’s team ripped off seven straight victories, including a 47-20 statement over USC, before last week’s 51-42 loss at Stanford. This week, Blount returns from suspension as the Ducks return home and try to get back on track for a Rose Bowl bid. On the other sideline, the Sun Devils are playing well on defense despite a 4-5 record. They lead the Pac-10 and are sixth nationally against the run, giving them at least a chance against Oregon’s wide-open run attack. Unfortunately, ASU has trouble manufacturing points. They have lost three straight, rank near the bottom of the conference in total offense and scoring, and head coach Dennis Erickson has changed starting quarterbacks from struggling veteran Danny Sullivan to freshman Brock Osweiler. Adding to the Sun Devils’ misery is the fact they are 3-28 against ranked teams since 2000 and winless in their last four in this series … Oregon 41, Arizona State 17. (10:20 p.m. ET, ESPN)

No. 10 Iowa at No. 11 Ohio State: As we mentioned above, the Hawkeyes rarely have much success against the Buckeyes and the loss of quarterback Ricky Stanzi makes their task in Columbus that much more difficult. One would have to assume Kirk Ferentz will have something figured out for new QB James Vandenberg, and the Hawkeyes remain one of the most solid defensive units in the Big Ten. Still, it’s extremely difficult to win when you can’t put points on the scoreboard and it is difficult to image how Iowa can score unless the Buckeyes turn the ball over like they did at Purdue. Short of that kind of performance, things should be coming up roses for OSU … Ohio State 28, Iowa 10. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN)

Here are the spreads for the above games: Cincinnati (-8½) at West Virginia; Temple (-4) at Akron; Texas (-23) at Baylor; Houston (-4½) at Central Florida; Michigan (+9) at Wisconsin; Florida (-15½)  at South Carolina; Idaho (+32) at Boise State; Arizona at Cal (+2½); Utah (+20) at TCU; Notre Dame (+7) at Pittsburgh; Arizona State at Oregon (-17½); Iowa at Ohio State (-16½).

You will probably want to know that Iowa is 1-7 ATS in its past eight games against OSU while the Buckeyes are 5-0 ATS in their last five home contests with the Hawkeyes. Enjoy the games.

And Down The Stretch They Come

The old coach once said, “September is for pretenders; November is for contenders,” and he was never more right than this season.

Let a couple of the Big Ten teams go through the motions and extend their seasons into December. Iowa, Penn State and Ohio State know the real season ends Nov. 21, and each school enters the three-game November stretch drive with a chance at the Big Ten championship.

The Hawkeyes have the inside track, of course, courtesy of their 9-0 start, the best in program history. They may also be one of the most entertaining teams to watch – at least from afar. I’m not sure how much more the Iowa fans can take since four of their team’s victories have come after the Hawkeyes were trailing after three quarters.

Nevertheless, every coach’s preseason objective is to win all of his games, and Kirk Ferentz is three-quarters of the way to accomplishing that goal. His team finishes the season at home with Northwestern tomorrow, at Ohio State next week and back home against Minnesota on Nov. 21, and that would seem to be a manageable schedule. There are hurdles, however.

Before you dismiss the game against the Wildcats, a look at recent history would seem to indicate a potential land mine for Iowa.

Although the Hawkeyes hold a decisive 46-21-3 advantage in the overall series, Northwestern has won three of the last four meetings including two in a row at Kinnick Stadium. Additionally, head coach Pat Fitzgerald sports a 2-1 record head-to-head against Ferentz.

Should the Hawkeyes get past Northwestern, they would enter Ohio Stadium unbeaten and with their highest national ranking in many years. OSU fans can quote chapter and verse on their favorite team’s recent struggles against top-five competition, but the shoe may be on the other foot this time around. Iowa has often been a highflier before facing the Buckeyes only to fall to pieces in spectacular fashion.

The most memorable of those crash-and-burns came in 2006 when the Hawkeyes were undefeated and ranked No. 13 in the country. They hosted OSU in a nationally televised night game but were unceremoniously dumped in a 38-17 trip to the woodshed. That lashing sent Iowa spiraling into a tailspin from which they never recovered. The team lost seven of its last nine games that season.

Of course, the Hawkeyes have never had much success against the Buckeyes. They have only 14 wins and three ties against 44 losses since the teams began playing one another in 1922. Ohio State has padded its advantage by winning 10 of the last 11 games in the series and five out of six against Ferentz. What’s more, Iowa is winless in its last five trips to Columbus and hasn’t beaten the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium since a 16-9 squeaker in 1991.

If Iowa can somehow figure out a way to get over its Ohio State bugaboo, it could be in for smooth sailing to an undefeated regular season. Although the Hawkeyes have a losing record in their all-time series with Minnesota, they have beaten the Gophers seven of the last eight times overall and eight of the last nine times Goldy has visited Iowa City.

Meanwhile, Penn State and Ohio State will decide tomorrow afternoon who stays in the race and who drops out when they face one another in Happy Valley. After that, the Nittany Lions are home against Indiana next Saturday and they finish the season Nov. 21 at Michigan State.

Penn State and Ohio State have split 24 previous games right down the middle, but the Buckeyes have a slight edge in recent contests. Jim Tressel has beaten Joe Paterno in five of their eight meetings, and OSU has won two of its last three trips to Beaver Stadium.

You can probable count on the game being a close one. The winning margin has been seven points or less five times in the last eight games between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions.

Should Penn State get past Ohio State, it will likely cruise to an 11-1 finish. The Nittany Lions have never lost to Indiana in 12 previous meetings, and they have taken four of their last five from Michigan State.

On paper, it is the Buckeyes and their backloaded schedule who have the toughest November road to navigate. Ohio State must play two of its final three games on the road, and it will face opponents over the final stretch that have a combined record of 22-5, good for an .815 winning percentage. Iowa’s final three opponents are a combined 17-10 (.660) while Penn State squares off against opposition that is 15-12 (.556).

We’ve already touched on the challenges OSU will face at Penn State and at home against Iowa. If the Buckeyes can run that gantlet, they would head for Ann Arbor with a lot on their minds.

They would be playing for an unprecedented sixth straight victory over the Wolverines and a fifth consecutive Big Ten championship, not to mention the team’s first trip to the Rose Bowl in 13 seasons and a probable date with Pac-10 front-runner Oregon.

Anyone who watched the Ducks systematically dismantle USC on Halloween night needs to be careful of wishing for a bowl matchup with Chip Kelly’s team. But I’m sure Tressel will worry about that when and if the time comes. The challenge now is to gear up for what should be an entertaining trifecta of games with championship implications.

After all, most coaches know September and October games merely position your team for a late-season run. And you should know Tressel has a lifetime 81-22 record in November and December – 57-18 at Youngstown State and 24-4 at Ohio State.

OSU-PENN STATE TIDBITS

** This marks the 24th overall meeting between Ohio State and Penn State. The series is split evenly with each team claiming 12 victories. The Nittany Lions have a 5-4 advantage in games played at Happy Valley, while the Buckeyes enjoy a 10-6 edge in games played since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993.

** Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel is 5-3 against Penn State. That includes a 2-2 record at State College, including a 37-17 victory in 2007.

** Penn State head coach Joe Paterno is 8-12 all-time against Ohio State. That includes a 5-4 record against the Buckeyes at State College.

** Both coaches are noted for getting their teams to peak at the right times. Tressel is 24-4 in November games at Ohio State (a .857 winning percentage) while Paterno is 112-33-2 (.768) during the month.

** Five of the last eight games in the series have been determined by seven points or less. However, there have been some notable blowouts over the years. Penn State rolled to a 63-14 win at Beaver Stadium in 1994, and Ohio State returned the favor six years later in Ohio Stadium with a 45-6 wipeout. The average margin of victory for the Buckeyes in their 12 wins is 15.3 points. When the Nittany Lions win, the average margin is 15.1.

** Several series trends would seem to favor Penn State. The higher ranked team has won 17 of the last 18 meetings and the home team has won 12 of the 16 games played since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten.

** The game pits two of the nine winningest programs in college football since 2005. Ohio State ranks fifth with a 50-10 record over that span while Penn State is ninth at 48-12. Texas is the winningest program since ’05 with a 52-7 record.

** The game will be the first-ever regular season matchup between coaches who have combined for 600-plus career wins. Paterno (391) and Tressel (225) currently total 616 career victories. That breaks the previous record of 591 set last season when Florida State’s Bobby Bowden squared off against Frank Beamer of Virginia Tech. At that time, Bowden had 377 career victories and Beamer had 214.

** The Nittany Lions are ranked first or second in 20 of the 30 statistical categories the Big Ten compiles. They are first in 13 of those categories – pass efficiency and total offense; rushing, pass, total and scoring defense; total sacks and fewest sacks allowed; third-down conversions and third-down defense; fourth-down defense; red-zone defense; and PAT kicking efficiency.

** This week’s game will mark the 300th game in Beaver Stadium’s 50-year history, and the Nittany Lions usually do well in milestone home contests. They won their first game at the facility, a 20-0 victory over Boston University on Sept. 20, 1960, and have followed with wins in the stadium’s 100th, 150th, 200th and 250th games. The only blemish on that slate came in game No. 50 – a 24-7 loss to Syracuse in 1970.

** Speaking of milestone victories, last weekend’s 34-13 win over Northwestern gave Paterno his 144th victory as a member of the Big Ten. That pushed him past former Iowa head coach Hayden Fry and into fourth place on the conference’s all-time wins list. The four winningest coaches in Big Ten history are Woody Hayes of Ohio State (205, 1951-78), Amos Alonzo Stagg of Chicago (199, 1896-1932), Bo Schembechler of Michigan (194, 1969-89) and Fielding Yost of Michigan (165, 1901-23, ’25-26).

** Penn State is traditionally one of the least penalized teams in the nation and that is true again in 2009. The Nittany Lions are No. 4 nationally this week with only 36.7 penalty yards per game. In its last three games played against the Buckeyes, Penn State has incurred only five penalties for 29 yards. During the same three games, Ohio State was flagged 14 times for 135 yards. During last season’s 13-6 victory in Columbus, the Nittany Lions had no penalties.

** OSU is 128-104-12 all-time against ranked teams, including 39-41-7 on the road. Under Tressel, the Buckeyes are 34-13 overall and 12-6 on the road against ranked competition.

** Midway through his sophomore season, OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor is on pace to shatter the school’s all-time record for total offense. Pryor has already eclipsed the 4,000-yard mark and needs only 383 more to pass Rex Kern (4,158, 1968-70) and Cornelius Greene (4,414, 1972-75) and into 11th place on the career list. Art Schlichter (8,850, 1978-81) is the longtime school record-holder for career total offense.

** The Buckeyes have forced 24 turnovers this season, a total that ties them for second in the Big Ten. OSU forced 29 turnovers all of last year.

** Paterno has two coaches on his staff who have been with him more than 30 years. Offensive line coach Dick Anderson is in his 32nd year with Paterno while defensive coordinator Tom Bradley is in his 31st season with the Nittany Lions.

** One final note on last week’s game against New Mexico State. The Aggies were paid $850,000 to play the Buckeyes – about $13,710 for each of the 62 yards of total offense they gained.

** Kickoff for tomorrow’s game will be shortly after 3:30 p.m. Eastern. The game will be televised using the reverse mirror meaning viewers will be able to watch the game either on their local ABC station or ESPN2. Veteran play-by-play man Sean McDonough will call the game, former Penn State All-America defensive tackle Matt Millen will provide color analysis and Holly Rowe will be the sideline reporter.

** The game is also available on Sirius satellite radio channels 123 and 127 as well as XM radio channel 144.

** Next week’s Senior Day game against Iowa will kick off from Ohio Stadium at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. That game will also be televised using the ABC/ESPN reverse mirror effect.

THIS WEEK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY

** The game of football traces its roots to an event held 140 years ago today. On Nov. 6, 1869, Rutgers and Princeton squared off in Brunswick, N.J., for what has often been described as the first-ever game of American football. The 1869 game – won 6 “runs” to 4 by Rutgers – bore little resemblance to what football is known as today. For example, each side used 25 men on a 120-yard field and the rules were said to be a mixture of rugby and soccer. Players attempted to score by kicking the ball into the opposing team’s goal, and throwing or carrying the ball was not allowed.

Purists believe the first real game of college football occurred in 1874 between Harvard and McGill University of Montreal. Others contend college football began in 1880 when Yale head coach Walter Camp devised a number of major changes in the game, including establishing rules for scrimmage as well as down and distance.

Nevertheless, it is the game that occurred 140 years ago today in New Jersey that has become accepted as the first step in the evolution of American college football.

** Also occurring during this week in college football history: On Nov. 3, 1984, Ohio State rolled to a 50-7 victory over Indiana, giving future College Football Hall of Fame coach Earle Bruce his 100th career win; on Nov. 4, 2000, Utah State running back Emmett White established a new NCAA single-game record with 578 all-purpose yards as the Aggies took a 44-37 win over New Mexico State; on Nov. 5, 1960, third-ranked Minnesota forced three turnovers and scored a 27-10 upset of top-ranked Iowa; on Nov. 7, 1959, unranked Tennessee stopped Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon on a fourth-quarter two-point conversion run and preserved a 14-13 upset over No. 1 LSU, ending the Tigers’ 19-game unbeaten streak; and on Nov. 8, 1975, unranked Kansas ended No. 2 Oklahoma’s 28-game winning streak by going into Norman and carving out a 23-3 upset victory. The defending national champion Sooners committed seven second-half turnovers and were held to their lowest scoring output in nine seasons. They rebounded, however, and went on to defeat Penn State in the Orange Bowl for a second consecutive national title.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

** The seven undefeated teams at the Division I-A level are hanging in there. Congratulations so far to Alabama, Boise State, Cincinnati, Florida, Iowa, Texas and TCU. Perhaps if we finish the season with five or six undefeated teams, a playoff system will come that much faster.

** Maybe this is the decade I lived in Texas talking, but wouldn’t Texas vs. TCU be an intriguing matchup for the national championship? The Longhorns lead the country in scoring and are third in total defense; the Horned Frogs are 11th in scoring and first in total defense.

** Think Iowa is a second-half team? After being outscored by a combined 88-83 in the first half, the Hawkeyes have swamped opponents after intermission to the tune of 148-54. In the fourth quarter alone, Iowa has outscored the opposition by a 100-38 margin.

** If Iowa can win out, it will capture its first Big Ten championship since tying for the 2004 crown. It would also be the Hawkeyes’ first outright title since 1985.

** Just when things were turning around at Michigan, the Wolverines hit a brick wall. The defense surrendered 377 rushing yards to Illinois last weekend – the same Illinois team that hadn’t beaten a Division I-A team all season – during a 38-13 loss. Coupled with last year’s 45-20 loss in Ann Arbor, Michigan has now lost to Illinois in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1957 and ’58. This year’s defeat also means the Wolverines must win out to avoid the program’s first consecutive losing Big Ten seasons since 1962 and ’63.

** Congratulations to my father-in-law’s alma mater. After beginning the season with eight straight losses, Miami (Ohio) finally got into the victory column last week with a 31-24 win over Toledo at Yager Stadium. Quarterback Zac Dysert ran for two touchdowns and threw for another as the RedHawks snapped an overall 13-game losing streak and avoided their first winless season since 1988.

** The win by Miami left the Division I-A winless list at four: Rice, Eastern Michigan, Western Kentucky and New Mexico. Pity the Lobos. They still have to play Mountain West Conference rivals Utah, BYU and TCU.

** In case you haven’t noticed, there is a definite Yellow Jacket buzz in the ACC. Georgia Tech has quietly moved into the national rankings with an 8-1 record that includes last week’s 56-31 dismantling of SEC member Vanderbilt in Nashville. Tech rolled up 597 yards of offense on Vandy, including 404 on the ground, proving once again that head coach Paul Johnson’s triple-option attack can be successful at the BCS level.

** A tough season for Syracuse got tougher Monday when leading receiver Mike Williams decided to leave the team. Williams, who had 49 catches for 746 yards and six touchdowns in seven games this season, was ranked sixth in the nation in receiving yards per game. Unfortunately, he has had myriad off-the-field problems. He didn’t play last season because of academic problems, and Williams was suspended for the Oct. 24 game against Akron for violating team policy. Williams finishes his career with 20 touchdown catches, tying him with Marvin Harrison (1992-95) for the second-most in Syracuse history. Rob Moore (1987-89) is the Orange career leader in touchdown receptions with 22.

** Speaking of Moore, he later became an NFL receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, and played a vital – if unaccredited – role in the 1996 film “Jerry Maguire” starting Tom Cruise. Cuba Gooding Jr. won a best supporting actor Academy Award for playing Arizona receiver Rod “Show Me The Money!” Tidwell in that movie. Both Moore and the fictional Tidwell wore No. 85 for the Cardinals, and it is actual game footage of Moore that you see in the film.

** My weekly top five for the Heisman Trophy didn’t change for the first time in a while. I still have Texas QB Colt McCoy in the top spot followed by Boise State QB Kellen Moore, Alabama RB Mark Ingram, Florida QB Tim Tebow and Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen. This week’s dark horse: Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli.

** What has happened to the mighty SEC? Only three teams remain in the national rankings – Florida at No. 1, Alabama at No. 3 and LSU at No. 9. There is no doubt that the SEC features a couple of the best teams in the country, but let’s dispense with the notion it is the best conference from top to bottom. Just like most every other league, the teams in the middle of the SEC standings are merely average and the bottom-feeders are bottom-feeders.

FEARLESS FORECAST

For the second week in a row, we were nearly perfect with the straight-up picks, including the Upset Special of Oregon over USC. We were 9-1 with last week’s picks, pushing the yearly total to 65-18.

Against the spread, we were not as fortunate. It was another losing week at 4-5-1, dropping the season line to 32-38-1.

Here are the games we like this week. (All rankings are BCS standings.)

TONIGHT’S GAME

No. 7 Boise State at Louisiana Tech: Here’s a fun fact regarding the Broncos. In their last two games, they forced eight turnovers while helped them beat Hawaii and San Jose State by a combined score of 99-16. In their previous two games, Boise produced no turnovers and defeated UC-Davis and Tulsa by a combined score of 62-37. Obviously, creating turnovers makes a big difference for any team, and the Broncos may need a couple tonight. The Bulldogs are only 3-5 but they have a pretty good offense with QB Ross Jenkins (1,467 yards, 11 TDs) and RB Daniel Porter (640 yards, 7 TDs). Unfortunately, their defense is not quite up to the task of corralling the Broncos … Boise State 37, Louisiana Tech 24. (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

SATURDAY’S GAMES

Northwestern at No. 4 Iowa: As mentioned above, the Hawkeyes have had their problems recently with the Wildcats. However, it may have been last year’s 22-17 home loss to Northwestern that served as a springboard for this year’s Iowa team. In that game, QB Ricky Stanzi drove his team to the NU 8-yard line for a potential go-ahead score but then threw four straight incompletions. Stanzi and the Hawkeyes obviously took away something valuable from that lesson because they’ve learned how to win those close games – Iowa has trailed in eight of its nine victories this season. Meanwhile, Northwestern is hoping QB Mike Kafka recovers quickly from the hamstring problem that forced him out of last week’s loss to Penn State. Kafka’s presence would help the Wildcats’ cause, but we’re not sure they have enough defense to keep Stanzi and the Hawkeyes in check … Iowa 26, Northwestern 17. (12 noon ET, ESPN)

Western Michigan at Michigan State: The Spartans are the anti-Iowa this season. While the Hawkeyes find a way to win, Mark Dantonio’s team has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory countless times. Of course, Sparty apologists will point to the team’s five losses and say they are a mere 23 points from being undefeated. The bottom line? They have five losses and Dantonio needs to get his late-game management under control if he wants to avoid his first losing season in East Lansing. Job one is to take care of the Broncos and history is certainly on Michigan State’s side. The Spartans are 8-2 all-time against Western, and haven’t lost in the series to WMU since 1919 … Michigan State 26, Western Michigan 14. (12 noon ET, BTN)

No. 21 Wisconsin at Indiana: The Badgers dropped off everyone’s radar screen – and rightfully so – after back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Iowa, but they have a very good chance to win out and record a 10-win season. Their final four opponents are a combined 16-19, and they begin this week with the Hoosiers. IU is reeling with five losses in their last six games, and the Hoosiers surrendered second-half leads in three of those contests. Defensively, Indiana is giving up more than 400 yards per game and that won’t be helped any by the loss of senior cornerback Ray Fisher to a season-ending knee injury. The Badgers have won four straight and 10 of the last 12 in the series by simply pounding away with their running attack and we don’t see any reason why that formula shouldn’t work again this year … Wisconsin 34, Indiana 14. (12 noon ET, BTN)

Syracuse at No. 13 Pittsburgh: While everyone has conceded the Big East championship to Cincinnati, the Panthers are purring along with an offense featuring the nation’s third-rated passer and fourth-leading rusher. QB Bill Stull has completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 1,654 yards and 16 TDs against only two picks, while RB Dion Lewis has quietly rushed for 1,029 yards and 11 TDs. But for once, Dave Wannstedt’s team isn’t all offense. Pitt also leads the nation in sacks and ranks among the nation’s top 25 in rushing, total and scoring defense. That is not exactly the recipe for a Syracuse upset, especially since the Orange rank 106th nationally in total offense. Making matters worse – leading receiver Mike Williams left the team and first-year head coach Doug Marrone suspended three other players this week … Pittsburgh 38, Syracuse 14. (12 noon ET, ESPNU)

No. 8 Oregon at Stanford: The Ducks couldn’t have looked much better while skewering USC last Saturday night. This week, they need to avoid a letdown on their way to their first Rose Bowl since a 38-20 loss to Penn State in the 1995 game. The Cardinal is no pushover, especially in Palo Alto. Jim Harbaugh’s team is a perfect 4-0 at home this season and has won nine of its last 10 at Stanford Stadium. QB Andrew Luck is an underrated talent with 1,825 yards and nine TDs while Cardinal RB Toby Gerhart has 994 yards and 13 TDs. With Stanford trying to protect its home turf and playing to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 2001, this has all the makings of a trap game for Oregon. After watching the Ducks last week, though, it would be difficult to pick against them … Oregon 34, Stanford 24. (3:30 p.m. ET, FSN)

Wake Forest at No. 10 Georgia Tech: Some fans are never satisfied. The Yellow Jackets are leading the ACC Coastal Division and angling for their first-ever BCS bowl and their fans are criticizing their defense. True, Paul Johnson’s team ranks no higher than seventh in the conference in any of the major defensive categories. But when you have a juggernaut of an offense, you can simply bludgeon most of your opponents into submission. Because of the nation’s No. 2 running attack, Tech is averaging more than 35 points and 440 yards per game. That should be more than enough to get past the Demon Deacons, who are ninth in the ACC against the run and 10th in total defense … Georgia Tech 41, Wake Forest 24. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2)

No. 9 LSU at No. 3 Alabama: Chicks may dig the long ball but football purists still embrace a good, old-fashioned defensive struggle and this game should be one of those kinds of brawls. The Crimson Tide have the No. 5 scoring defense in the nation while the Tigers are No. 7. You could make the case that the Bama offense hasn’t played well for a month, averaging a mere 18.0 points over its last three games. During that same stretch, however, the defense has given up an average of only 6.3. Meanwhile, LSU has scored 30 or more five times this season and has averaged 36.5 over its past two games. Still, the Tigers struggled mightily in their only loss, a 13-3 defeat against Florida. Coupled with the Tide playing at home and coming off an open week, the edge would seem to tilt slightly Bama’s way … Alabama 10, LSU 6. (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)

No. 6 TCU at San Diego State: The Horned Frogs’ task is pretty simple: win all of your games and maybe you’ll get a BCS bid. Seemingly no one outside Fort Worth believes TCU belongs in the big-money bowls, but the Frogs are doing their part. They moved up to No. 6 in the AP poll this week, their highest ranking since 1956, but that No. 6 spot in the BCS standings is more important. This week, TCU travels to sunny San Diego where the Aztecs are experiencing something of a renaissance. Under first-year head coach Brady Hoke, they are 4-4 and hopeful of a first winning record since 1998. (To be fair, they did finish 6-6 in 2003.) Unfortunately for Hoke and the Aztecs, they are winless in four games against the Frogs since TCU joined the Mountain West. That streak likely goes to five … TCU 45, San Diego State 3. (4 p.m. ET, Versus)

No. 12 USC at Arizona State: It’s not very often a Pete Carroll-coached team has to pick up the pieces after a devastating loss. Then again, no one has beaten a Carroll team like Oregon did last week. That 47-20 loss to the Ducks was the most lopsided loss for a USC team in 12 years, and the 613 yards allowed by the Trojans was the second-most in program history. It’s a good time to get out of town, and the perfect destination is Tempe. The Trojans haven’t lost back-to-back games since 2001 – Carroll’s first season in Tinseltown – and USC is working on an eight-game winning streak in its series with the Sun Devils. What’s more is the fact that Arizona State has lost its last 13 games at home against top-15 competition. Sounds a lot like a bounce-back opportunity for the Trojans, doesn’t it? … USC 34, Arizona State 21. (8 p.m. ET, ABC Regional/ESPN)

Connecticut at No. 5 Cincinnati: While backup quarterback Zach Collaros has gotten most of the recent attention, the Bearcats’ defense has gone largely unnoticed. It shouldn’t because UC’s last two opponents have combined for only 17 points and neither Louisville nor Syracuse totaled 300 yards. Collaros will likely be under center again Saturday night as regular starter Tony Pike continues to struggle following forearm surgery a couple of weeks ago. The Huskies are still reeling from the Oct. 18 stabbing death of cornerback Jasper Howard, and last week lost starting quarterback Cody Endress with a season-ending shoulder injury. That doesn’t bode well for UConn, which has lost by double digits in all three of its previous visits to Nippert Stadium, where the Bearcats have won 10 in a row and 20 of their last 22 … Cincinnati 38, Connecticut 14. (8 p.m. ET, ABC Regional/ESPN)

No. 16 Ohio State at No. 11 Penn State: Many observers believe this game should look a lot like the one last year when one mistake – Terrelle Pryor’s fumble – meant the difference in the Nittany Lions’ 13-6 victory in Columbus. A couple of things to remember, though: Penn State’s defense is not quite as good as it was last year, and Ohio State’s defense is better than it was a year ago. Add that to the fact Pryor returns to his home state and wants to win this game more than any other on the schedule, and you get a victory for the Buckeyes that isn’t as close as some think it’s going to be. Here is your Upset Special … Ohio State 20, Penn State 10. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2)

Here are the spreads for the above games: Boise State at Louisiana Tech (+21½); Northwestern (+16½) at Iowa; Western Michigan (+20½) at Michigan State; Wisconsin (-10) at Indiana; Syracuse at Pittsburgh (-21); Oregon (-6) at Stanford; Wake Forest at Georgia Tech (-15); LSU (+8) at Alabama; TCU (-24) at San Diego State; USC (-10) at Arizona State; Connecticut at Cincinnati (-16); Ohio State (+4) at Penn State.

In the interest of full disclosure, we are flying in the face of recent history with the Upset Special. In its past five trips to Happy Valley, Ohio State is 1-4 ATS. Enjoy the games.

OSU Observing Myriad Of Major Milestones

Since Ohio State is a 44-point favorite to beat New Mexico State, and the howling wolves figure to stay away from Terrelle Pryor’s doorstep for at least another week, I thought it would be fun to take a look at the many milestone anniversaries the OSU football program is celebrating this year.

There is no doubt the Buckeyes have a long and storied history and nearly every year marks a significant historical milestone. However, seasons ending in “4” and “9” seem particularly special.

Here are 10 landmark moments for this season.

First Undefeated Team – This year marks the 110th anniversary of the first undefeated team in Ohio State history. John Eckstorm took over as head coach in 1899 and guided the Buckeyes to a 9-0-1 season. All nine victories were shutouts, and the only blemish was a 5-5 tie at Case. Ohio State outscored its 10 opponents by a 184-5 margin.

First Win Over Michigan – Ninety years ago this year, the Buckeyes finally broke through against “That School Up North.” OSU scored a touchdown on a blocked punt and the legendary Chic Harley added a 42-yard touchdown run for a 13-3 victory in Ann Arbor. The Buckeyes entered the game with a 0-13-2 record in the series, having been outscored 369-21 by the Wolverines.

Gold Pants Club – When he was hired prior to the 1934 season, one of new head coach Francis A. Schmidt’s task was to figure out a way to beat archrival Michigan. The Wolverines had won three of the four previous meetings, but when Schmidt was asked about the rivalry, he replied, “They put their pants on one leg at a time – same as us.” The following November, the Buckeyes rolled to a 34-0 win over Michigan and at the awards banquet, Schmidt gave each team member a gold pants charm symbolic of the victory. It was the beginning of a tradition that celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.

First Heisman – Sixty-five years ago, Les Horvath was actually an ex-Buckeye when he was coaxed away from dental school into returning to football. He gave the team a dose of much-needed leadership and helped OSU to a 9-0 season and the 1944 national civilian championship. The Buckeyes finished second nationally to Army in the AP voting. Horvath rushed for 905 yards (ranking second in the nation in rushing) and threw for 345 more, bringing home Ohio State’s first Heisman Trophy.

First Rose Bowl Victory – Ohio State celebrates the 60th anniversary of its 1949 season which ended in the school’s first-ever Rose Bowl win. On Jan. 1, 1950, the Buckeyes erased a 7-0 halftime deficit and took a 17-14 win over third-ranked California. Jimmy Hague kicked a 27-year field goal with less than two minutes remaining for the game-winning points.

Woody’s First Title – This marks the 55th anniversary of the 1954 national championship team, the first of three (some say five) under legendary head coach Woody Hayes. The Buckeyes rolled to 10 straight victories topped off with a 20-7 win over USC in the Rose Bowl, and featured a star-studded roster that included such all-time greats as Jim Parker and Howard “Hopalong” Cassady.

Archie’s First Heisman – It doesn’t seem that long ago, but it has been 35 years since Archie Griffin took the college football world by storm. He broke his own OSU single-season rushing record with 1,695 yards and won the first of his two Heismans in a landslide over Southern Cal running back Anthony Davis. The Buckeyes had a powerful team in 1974, outscoring opponents by a 437-129 margin and finishing 10-2, the only losses a 16-13 final at Michigan State and an 18-17 heartbreaker to USC in the Rose Bowl.

Earle’s First Team – This year marks the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Rose Bowl team, a squad that came within an eyelash of winning the national championship. Earle Bruce took over for Hayes as head coach and the Buckeyes rolled to 11 straight regular-season victories. They ascended to the No. 1 position in the national polls before dropping a 17-16 decision to USC in the Rose Bowl.

Talent-Laden Buckeyes – It is the 25th anniversary of the 1984 Rose Bowl team featuring one of Bruce’s most talented rosters. A host of future NFL stars wore scarlet and gray that season including tailback Keith Byars, who smashed Griffin’s single-season rushing record and finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting. Pepper Johnson led the team in tackles and freshmen Chris Spielman and Cris Carter made immediate impacts. Although the team finished with a 9-3 record, the three losses were by a combined total of only 10 points. That included a tough 20-17 loss to USC in the Rose Bowl, a game in which the Buckeyes outgained the Trojans, 403-261. Despite the loss, Carter set new Rose Bowl records with nine receptions for 172 yards.

First Tunnel Of Pride – Fifteen years ago, hundreds of former Buckeyes lined up on a cold November afternoon to form a tunnel through which the 1994 team passed before its rivalry game against Michigan. That first Tunnel of Pride helped Ohio State end its six-year winless streak in the series and the 22-6 final score gave head coach John Cooper his first victory over the Wolverines.

OSU-NEW MEXICO STATE TIDBITS

** This marks the first-ever meeting between Ohio State and Western Athletic Conference member New Mexico State.

** The Buckeyes have previously played two WAC opponents – Fresno State (twice) and San Jose State. Against Fresno State, OSU took a 34-10 victory in the 1994 season opener at the Disneyland Pigskin Classic and a 43-10 win at Ohio Stadium in the first game of the 2000 season. The Buckeyes scored a 50-7 win over San Jose State in 2002.

** New Mexico State has previous played two Big Ten opponents and didn’t have much success either time. The Aggies dropped a 69-13 decision at Wisconsin in 1962 and a 59-21 contest at Iowa in 1995.

** Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel is 24-2 at Ohio Stadium against nonconference teams. The two losses have come by a combined six points – 25-22 to second-ranked Texas in 2005 and 18-15 to third-rated USC earlier this season.

** New Mexico State head coach DeWayne Walker is in his first season with the Aggies. The 49-year-old is getting his first chance to run a program after 20 years as a college and NFL assistant. Although his team hasn’t played a team from the Big Ten in more than a decade, Walker knows a little bit about the conference. He was a two-year starting cornerback at Minnesota in 1981-82.

** During his tenure at Ohio State, Tressel is 13-1 against first-year opposing coaches. The lone blemish on that record came just two weeks ago with a 26-18 loss to Purdue under first-year head coach Danny Hope.

** The Buckeyes are 359-126-28 all-time in October including 246-63-20 at home. OSU is 27-9 during October under Tressel.

** It might interest you to know that Ohio State is averaging 30.0 points per game in its five Big Ten contests this season. That ranks No. 1 in the conference in scoring offense.

** The Buckeyes are a perfect 52-0 when scoring 30 points or more since Tressel took over in 2001.

** CBSSports.com ranks all 120 Division I-A teams and New Mexico State comes in at No. 109 this week. The Aggies are the lowest-ranked team with at least three wins mostly because of a weak schedule, which ranks 119th in the nation. NMSU’s victories this season have come against No. 104 Utah State, No. 116 New Mexico and Division I-AA Prairie View A&M.

** After rushing for 104 yards against Minnesota last week, OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor logged his third career 100-yard rushing game. That is one off the school record for quarterbacks. Only Cornelius Greene (1972-75), Rex Kern (1968-70) and John Mummey (1960-62) had four career 100-yard games for the Buckeyes.

** Pryor ranks No. 4 this week in the Big Ten in total offense and has moved up to No. 5 in pass efficiency. (Psssst: That’s five spots higher than Michigan QB Tate Forcier.) Pryor is also the conference’s fifth-leading rusher with 471 yards.

** Ohio State has allowed only seven opposing players to rush for 100 or more yards in a game since 2005. That is the lowest total in Division I-A over that span. Kansas, Boston College and Alabama have each allowed eight opponents to crack the century mark since 2005.

** The 1974 Big Ten champion Buckeyes are holding their 35th anniversary reunion this weekend. That team finished with a 10-2 record and boasted seven first-team All-Americans including Archie Griffin, who won his first Heisman Trophy that year.

** Scheduled to be honored during pregame festivities tomorrow are veteran equipment truck driver Ken Blair and longtime Ohio Stadium clock operator Fred Beekman. Blair began providing a commercial vehicle and driving OSU football equipment to away games in 1982. Beekman retired last year after 60 years as a member of the stadium clock crew. He served 47 years as director of recreational sports at Ohio State, and if his name sounds familiar it is probably because you have driven past Fred Beekman Park on your way to Ohio Stadium. It is the 43-acre park at the corner of Kenny Road and Lane Avenue.

** Kickoff for tomorrow’s game will be shortly after 12 noon Eastern as the Buckeyes make their final appearance of the year on the Big Ten Network. Matt Rosen will handle play-by-play duties with former Minnesota head coach (and former OSU assistant) Glen Mason providing color analysis. Former Iowa defensive lineman Anthony Herron will file reports from the sidelines.

** The game is also available on Sirius satellite radio channel 122.

** Next week’s game at Penn State will kick off at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. The game will be televised using the reverse mirror effect meaning some will get it on their local ABC station while others will be able to view it on ESPN2.

THIS WEEK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY

** Ten years ago today, Washington quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo was a one-man wrecking crew against Stanford. On Oct. 30, 1999, Tuiasosopo became the first player in NCAA history to throw for at least 300 yards and rush for 200 or more in the same game. He threw for 302 yards and added 207 on the ground in a 35-30 victory over the Cardinal.

** Also occurring during this week in college football history: On Oct. 26, 1985, unranked UTEP used an unusual 2-9 defensive alignment for a 23-16 upset of seventh-ranked BYU, ending the Cougars’ 25-game WAC winning streak; on Oct. 27, 1979, Pitt freshman quarterback Dan Marino came off the bench to throw for 227 yards and two touchdowns, leading the No. 12 Panthers to a 24-7 victory over No. 17 Navy; on Oct. 28, 1950, Nevada’s Pat Brady booted an NCAA-record 99-yard punt during a 34-7 loss to Loyola Marymount; on Oct. 29, 1988, Washington State scored 28 second-half points during a 34-30 upset win over top-ranked UCLA and its All-America quarterback Troy Aikman; and on Nov. 1, 1986, Long Beach State’s Mark Templeton set an NCAA single-game record for receptions by a running back with 18 catches for 173 yards during his team’s 14-3 win over Utah State.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

** The number of undefeated teams at the Division I-A level remained at seven this week. Alabama, Boise State, Cincinnati, Florida, Iowa, Texas and TCU continue with unblemished records as the 2009 season hits the three-quarter pole.

** Here are the toughest remaining regular-season tests for the aforementioned seven teams:

** Alabama at home Nov. 7 with No. 9 LSU (6-1).

** Boise State at home Nov. 14 with Idaho (6-2).

** Cincinnati at home Nov. 13 with No. 21 West Virginia (6-1); at No. 15 Pittsburgh (7-1) on Dec. 5.

** Florida at No. No. 22 South Carolina (6-2) on Nov. 14.

** Iowa at No. 17 Ohio State (6-2) on Nov. 14.

** Texas at No. 14 Oklahoma State (6-1) on Oct. 31.

** TCU at home Nov. 14 with No. 16 Utah (6-1).

** On the other end of the spectrum, there are five remaining winless teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision. In reverse alphabetical order, they are Western Kentucky, Rice, New Mexico, Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Michigan. That fantastic fivesome is a combined 0-30 this season and has been outscored by a 1,429-539 margin. That’s an average losing margin of about 30 points per game. Since Miami and EMU are Mid-American Conference rivals, one of these teams can avoid a winless season, right? Wrong. The RedHawks and Eagles are in different divisions in the MAC and don’t play one another this season.

** With all due respect to our friends at Iowa and Cincinnati, you can forget the national championship game if Florida, Alabama and Texas continue to win. Yes, I know the Gators and Crimson Tide would face one another in the SEC championship game, but I believe the powers-that-be would rig the system in order to send a one-loss SEC champion or a one-loss USC to face an undefeated Texas in the title game long before they would send an unbeaten team from either the Big Ten or Big East.

** Iowa established a new school record with its 15-13 victory over Michigan State. The Hawkeyes are now 8-0 to start a season for the first time in program history. Their No. 4 ranking in the BCS standings also represent a new program high. Iowa had been ranked as high as fifth in the final three BCS standings of the 2002 season.

** Starting the season with an 8-0 mark may be unusual in Iowa City, but it isn’t that rare in the Big Ten. This marks the fourth straight season, and fifth in the last six, that a conference team has posted at least an 8-0 start. Wisconsin started the 2004 season with a 9-0 record while Ohio State and Michigan were 11-0 heading into their traditional regular-season finale in 2006. The Buckeyes started with 10 straight victories in 2007 and Penn State was 9-0 last season.

** With its victory last weekend at Michigan State, Iowa became the first Big Ten team in 12 years to notch victories at Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan State in the same season. The 1997 Michigan national championship team was the last to pull off that trifecta. If the Hawkeyes can complete the superfecta with a win at Ohio State on Nov. 14, they would become the first opposing team in history to achieve victories at Happy Valley, Madison, East Lansing and Columbus in the same season.

** Northwestern is one victory away from achieving bowl eligibility. After last year’s trip to the Insight Bowl, the Wildcats are seeking back-to-back postseason trips for only the second time in program history.

** Last weekend’s 35-10 win over Michigan gave Penn State head coach Joe Paterno his 143rd victory as a member of the Big Ten. That ties him with former Iowa head coach Hayden Fry for fifth place on the conference’s all-time wins list. The top four winningest coaches in Big Ten history are Woody Hayes of Ohio State (205, 1951-78), Amos Alonzo Stagg of Chicago (199, 1896-1932), Bo Schembechler of Michigan (194, 1969-89) and Fielding Yost of Michigan (165, 1901-23, ’25-26).

** It hasn’t been the best week to be an ESPN analyst. First, the Steve Phillips sex scandal and then Bob Griese’s idiotic utterance during Saturday’s Ohio State-Minnesota telecast. In case you have been on safari and missed it, ESPN was cross-promoting its NASCAR coverage during the football game and showed a graphic of the top five drivers in the points standings. Analyst Chris Spielman noted that Colombian-born driver Juan Pablo Montoya was not on the list and wondered aloud, “Where is Montoya?” Griese replied, “Out having a taco.” Griese later apologized twice on air but has been suspended for a week. Montoya had the perfect response to the brouhaha. When asked about Griese’s comments, the driver replied, “I don’t even know who he is … And I don’t really care.”

** Here is my weekly top five for the Heisman Trophy: 1. Texas QB Colt McCoy; 2. Boise State QB Kellen Moore; 3. Alabama RB Mark Ingram; 4. Florida QB Tim Tebow; 5. Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen. Dark horse: TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes.

** Congratulations to Temple. The Owls have come out of nowhere to lead the MAC East standings thanks to a five-game win streak, their longest in 30 years. Temple is now 5-2 and looking for its first winning season since 1990 when it went 7-4. Between that season and the beginning of their current winning streak, the Owls were 40-165, a .195 winning percentage.

** The streak is finally over in Terre Haute. Thanks to 160 yards on the ground and two touchdowns from quarterback Ryan Roberts, Division I-AA Indiana State snapped the nation’s longest losing streak at 33 with a 17-14 win last Saturday over Western Illinois. Only Prairie View A&M (80 games), Columbia (44) and Northwestern (34) have ever lost more games in a row than the Sycamores, who hadn’t won since a 28-22 win over Missouri State on Oct. 21, 2006.

FEARLESS FORECAST

The crystal ball was nearly crystal clear last week. Beginning with picking a 10-point win for Purdue over Illinois (the final score was 24-14 in favor of the Boilermakers), the straight-up picks finished at 8-2. The only misses were the Upset Specials, and both Michigan State and Mississippi State hung tough before finally succumbing to Iowa and Florida. The yearly total straight up is now 56-17.

Things were just as rosy against the spread. After a couple of weeks of stomping the grapes, we were definitely sipping the wine with an 8-2 finish. Our heads are still below the water line at 28-33-1 for the season but at least the bleeding has stopped – for a week anyway.

Here are the games we like this week. (All rankings are now courtesy of the BCS standings.)

SATURDAY’S GAMES

Indiana at No. 4 Iowa: The Hawkeyes have overcome adversity all season, playing through some key injuries and winning several games in come-from-behind fashion to remain unbeaten. Roster attrition continues to be Iowa’s worst enemy. During last week’s knock-down, drag-out affair with Michigan State, the Hawkeyes lost freshman tailback Adam Robinson and senior offensive lineman Dace Richardson for the rest of the regular season. Those losses may not affect the Hawkeyes this week as they host the Hoosiers, although they had better be careful. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz is only 4-4 against Indiana, and that includes a 38-20 loss to the Hoosiers the last time they visited Kinnick Stadium … Iowa 24, Indiana 13. (12 noon ET, ESPN)

Purdue at Wisconsin: The Boilermakers are still riding the crest of their upset of Ohio State two weeks ago while the Badgers have been on a different tack since their game against the Buckeyes. A 31-13 loss to OSU on Oct. 10 was followed by a 20-10 loss to Iowa, so Wisconsin went into last Saturday’s off week contemplating a two-game losing streak. The Badgers traditionally get well against Purdue, however. UW has won three in a row in the overall series and five of the last seven. If the Boilermakers continue to play well on defense, this game will be a lot closer than many believe. The key should be Wisconsin running back John Clay, the Big Ten’s leading rusher, because teams that have committed to running the ball against the Boilers have done well … Wisconsin 26, Purdue 23. (12 noon ET, ESPN)

No. 8 Cincinnati at Syracuse: The Bearcats continue to take advantage of a soft schedule as they await the return of quarterback Tony Pike. Against the Orange, backup Zach Collaros should be more than enough since Syracuse has lost 27 of its last 30 Big East games including a pair at home this season to South Florida and West Virginia. In each of those conference losses in the Carrier Dome, the Orange surrendered 34 points. How do you think that will square with the fact UC possesses the nation’s No. 2 scoring offense with an average of 40.7 points per game? Not well … Cincinnati 41, Syracuse 10. (12 noon ET, ESPNU)

Georgia vs. No. 1 Florida: The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party returns to Jacksonville where Tim Tebow believes he needs to make a statement. The Florida quarterback criticized his own offense this past week, knowing that it needs to raise its level of play if the Gators are going to be able to play for that third national title in the last four years. As for Tebow, he returns to his hometown needing one more rushing touchdown to break the all-time SEC record held by Bulldogs legend Herschel Walker. Georgia would love revenge for the Gators running up last year’s 49-10 score, but it’s doubtful the Bulldogs can pull off the upset. They rank 84th nationally in scoring defense and 90th in total offense, and have lost 16 of the last 19 in the series … Florida 30, Georgia 10. (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)

Michigan at Illinois: I’m not sure whether Illinois athletic director Ron Guenther’s vote of confidence for Ron Zook was a good or bad thing. The Illini have been mailing it in for several weeks now and perhaps their only chance of showing some life was to play for their embattled head coach’s livelihood. Now that Zook is presumably safe, we assume the Illini players will continue to simply go through the motions. Meanwhile, the Wolverines remain in search of a defense. In conference games only, they are last in the Big Ten in scoring defense. Fortunately for Michigan, the Illini are ninth in that category. Neither team has beaten a I-A opponent since September, neither plays much defense, and it’s sort of mystifying why ABC chose this game for one of his regional broadcasts. Nevertheless, someone’s got win, so we’ll take the team currently playing better offense … Michigan 31, Illinois 26. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC Regional)

UNLV at No. 6 TCU: If you like defense, the Horned Frogs are definitely for you. They rank in the top eight nationally in sacks as well as rushing, total and scoring defense, and they are No. 10 against the pass. Not that TCU is any slouch on the offensive side of the ball – 22nd in total offense and 14th in scoring. Contrast that to the Runnin’ Rebels, who are 94th in the country running the ball and 107th stopping the run. The Frogs have won all three games in this series played in Fort Worth by a combined score of 127-47. Enough said … TCU 42, UNLV 10. (4 p.m. ET, Versus)

No. 12 Penn State at Northwestern: After their mistake-riddled loss to Iowa a month ago, the Nittany Lions were pretty much relegated to the scrap heap. They have rallied with four straight victories, outscoring their victims by a 142-30 margin in the process. Defense has gotten most of the attention in Happy Valley, but the resurgence of quarterback Daryll Clark has been a major reason why JoePa’s team hasn’t been challenged in a month. Clark is back atop the Big Ten in pass efficiency and he has thrown for a conference-leading 17 TDs. Meanwhile, Northwestern QB Mike Kafka leads the Big Ten with 2,067 passing yards, and he is the conference leader in total offense. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, Kafka throws the ball to the other team too often – seven TDs vs. nine INTs – and that is a recipe for disaster against a Paterno defense … Penn State 31, Northwestern 17. (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Washington State at No. 23 Notre Dame: Despite the fact they have yet to beat a ranked team, the Fighting Irish continue their quest for a BCS berth by fattening up on another cupcake. Notre Dame has won five games against opponents with a combined record of 19-20, and with victories in their final five contests, the Irish would qualify for a BCS bid. First up are the 1-6 Cougars, who rank 116th nationally in rushing and have exactly 1 net yard on the ground in their last two games. Compounding Wazuu’s problems – the Irish are 14-0 all-time on Halloween. Look for Jimmy Clausen to pad his already impressive stats and the Irish to finally win one comfortably … Notre Dame 41, Washington State 10.(7:30 p.m. ET, NBC)

No. 5 USC at No. 10 Oregon: With all due respect to Arizona, this game is probably for the Pac-10 championship and the conference’s automatic berth in the Rose Bowl. Despite their loss at Washington, the Trojans remain media darlings and retain their outside shot at the BCS title game. But they have been spotty on defense lately, especially during last week’s 42-36 win over Oregon State. After displaying one of the nation’s stingiest defenses early in the season, USC has surrendered 62 points and 849 total yards in its last two games. That should be music to the Ducks’ ears. They welcome back starting QB Jeremiah Masoli, who brings another dimension to the offense when he is healthy. The team has averaged 45.7 points and 484.7 yards in the last three games Masoli has played. We missed with our Upset Specials last week but came close. We’ll try again here … Oregon 24, USC 20. (8 p.m. ET, ABC Regional)

New Mexico State at No. 17 Ohio State: Since there is a threat of rain in Columbus, look for the Ohio State offense to keep the ball on the ground – a lot – and let the defense dictate tempo. The Aztecs are dead last in Division I-A football in total offense and next-to-last in scoring, so it’s pretty much up to Jim Tressel to name his own score. Beware of that bloated point spread, however. In Tressel’s previous 110 games with the Buckeyes, his team has won by 40 or more points only eight times … Ohio State 48, New Mexico State 7. (12 noon ET, BTN)

Here are the spreads for the above games: Indiana (+18) at Iowa; Purdue (+7½) at Wisconsin; Cincinnati (-14½) at Syracuse; Georgia vs. Florida (-14½); Michigan at Illinois (+7½); UNLV (+35) at TCU; Penn State at Northwestern (+15½); Washington State at Notre Dame (-27); USC at Oregon (+3); New Mexico State (+44) at Ohio State.

You are going to want to know that Ohio State is 2-5 ATS in its past seven games at home as a double-digit favorite. Enjoy the games.

Where Do Buckeyes, Pryor Go From Here?

I try to avoid posting my columns from Buckeye Sports Bulletin on this blog, but I received a lot of positive feedback this week so I thought I would share it here. Like many others around the country, the column deals with Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor and where the Buckeyes are headed following last week’s loss to Purdue.

There is nothing like a four-hour drive on a meandering black ribbon of interstate highway to clear the mind – that is, of course, unless you are making your way back home after witnessing something wholly unexpected.

I suppose there will be those who claim they expected Ohio State and its clogged artery of an offense to someday cause the team to stumble and fall. I doubt very seriously, however, if any of those self-proclaimed psychics foretold that occurring in the form of an eight-point loss at Purdue.

There were any number of finger-pointing moments during the 26-18 loss to the unranked Boilermakers, although there is no doubt the white-hot glare of the spotlight shone squarely on quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

Many of us – me included – failed to recognize just how much Pryor remains a work in progress. Ardent critics of Jim Tressel and the way he goes about his business will likely dismiss that assessment as a convenient excuse to cover up something far more sinister. Perhaps Pryor is secretly hiding an injury. Maybe he’s angry at the way he’s being used. Maybe he’s really an alien from the planet Mxyzptlk and he’s been sent here to destroy Ohio State football.

Much to the dismay of the conspiracy theorists, however, the plain truth is that Pryor is a gifted athlete going through a stretch where he simply isn’t playing well.

Why is that? There are plenty of theories but they’re really only that – theories.

On that drive back from West Lafayette, my BSB colleagues and I bounced around our opinions about Pryor’s ongoing problems, and I’d be willing to bet our concerns mirror those of most of the Buckeye Nation.

We discussed poor mechanics and that Pryor’s performance continually suffers every time he allows his mechanics to stray. When he squares his shoulders to the target or plants his feet in the proper position, his throws are usually on the money. When he gets flushed from the pocket, or when he is scrambling laterally, he is much more erratic and prone to incompletions and interceptions.

We discussed the possibility that Pryor is perhaps struggling as he tries to digest an expanded playbook. There is little question Tressel kept things much simpler for his quarterback last season when Pryor was inserted into the starting lineup in week four. As a result, much of what the then-freshman did was on instinct and sheer athleticism. Now, as opposing defensive coordinators have caught on to Pryor’s strengths and weaknesses, they scheme against the former and seek to exploit the latter.

To explain it another way, Pryor is like the young slugger who knocks the cover off the baseball during a late September call-up to the major leagues. The following spring, when opposing pitchers learn his tendency to crush fastballs and wave at sliders in the dirt, his production plummets. The young players who can adapt their games and adjust to the adjustments made against them are the successful superstars of tomorrow.

So far, Pryor has not adapted, nor has he made the necessary adjustments.

We discussed Pryor’s state of mind with regard to the mental aspects of playing the quarterback position at one of the elite programs in college football. In its long and glorious history, Ohio State has had but one four-year starting quarterback. The reason? Because it’s damned hard for any young player to assume a leadership role on what very often is a veteran team gunning for a championship.

Sure, there are plenty of programs around the country who entrust their programs to freshman quarterbacks, but how many of them expect that first-year player to guide them into the national championship picture? The jump to major-college football from the high school level is a quantum leap. That is underscored even more when the player comes from a low-division high school program.

In a period of 24 short months, Pryor has ridden the roller coaster of fame. While still a high school student in tiny Jeannette, Pa., his name was on the lips of every college football recruiting nut in the country. When he signed with Ohio State, his constituency was pared to the Buckeye faithful. Now, many of those same fans who felt the program couldn’t go on without Pryor’s name on a national letter of intent scream for someone else – anyone else – to play in his place.

Criticism comes with the territory, of course. I’ve swallowed what I consider to be my fair share over the years and have gotten fairly used to it. But I’m 51 and there are times when criticism – warranted or not – still gets to me. With everything else on a 20-year-old’s plate – from schoolwork and social activities to just plain growing up and being away from home for the first time – the criticism leveled at Pryor must be quite a burden to bear.

Personally, I think Pryor is one of the most confused football players I have ever been around. He seems to be caught in a personal vortex between the quarterback he is and the quarterback he wants to be, and the more he tries to be one or the other, the more confused he seemingly becomes.

Since he first began playing the position full time as a high school sophomore four short years ago, Pryor has relied on his instincts first and everything else followed. More often than not, that meant he’d beat you with his legs long before he’d beat you with his arm. That approach was plenty good enough for a state championship at Jeannette and even good enough to make him one of the most talked-about freshmen in college football last year.

Suddenly, though, it’s not good enough. Not nearly.

What has changed? Pryor’s role in the offense for starters.

Last year, he was content in his role as just another guy in an attack led by Chris “Beanie” Wells. With Wells doing most of the heavy lifting throughout the season, pretty much all that was asked of Pryor was to be himself and protect the football.

When Wells decided to leave early for the NFL, both Tressel and Pryor lost their security blankets. Since Tressel no longer had the luxury of relying on a workhorse tailback to ease the pressure from his young quarterback, he likely reasoned that opposing defenses would try to negate Pryor’s mobility. So Tressel went about the task of trying to remake his budding star into a passing prodigy. So far, that strategy has had its ups and downs for one of two reasons: Either Pryor has yet to grasp the concept or he has yet to fully embrace it.

My guess is that he wants to embrace it but old habits die painfully hard. Case in point: The final play on Ohio State’s final drive against Purdue. Fourth-and-14 at the Purdue 38. Trailing by eight. Clock winding under three minutes. Do or die.

Pryor took the shotgun snap, waited a split-second for the Boilermakers to stage the same kind of furious pass rush they had shown the entire second half and then bolted toward the left side of the line. After a few steps toward the line of scrimmage, Pryor saw traffic in front of him and suddenly slowed.

On fourth-and-14, it is doubtful the play call was a quarterback draw. Then again, with the way the Purdue defensive ends were coming on almost every play, the strategy could have been for Pryor to try to create something with his legs. Earlier in the fourth quarter, he had broken off a 35-yard scramble against a similar rush.

But he had committed to that early run and had broken containment quickly. This time, as he tried to quickly process the moment, Pryor saw Ray Small crossing to his left about 20 yards downfield. You could almost see the conflict going on inside the quarterback’s helmet. Run it or throw it? Throw it or run it? In the end, he committed to neither. Rather than tucking the ball under his arm or taking the time to set his feet, Pryor shuffled and then heaved a pass in Small’s direction as a couple of Boilermaker defenders closed in.

The ball fluttered a bit – it had way too much air under it – and never came close to Small. Purdue cornerback David Pender crossed in front of the OSU receiver and easily swatted the ball to the ground to end the Buckeyes’ potential rally.

Would Pryor have picked up the necessary 14 yards for a first down had he committed to the run in that situation? Who can tell? I only know that he clearly was not in command of what he wanted to do. And if that was the case, how can he possibly be in command of what he needs to do?

Am I in favor of sitting him for a while in favor of backup Joe Bauserman? No. That would be the worst thing Tressel could do. About the only thing Pryor still has going for him is a kind of inner confidence that he’s going to work this out. You sit him down now and you send him the message that you don’t think he can work it out.

The best thing Tressel could do for his young quarterback is commit to making him either a runner or a passer – not both. Not now.

If part of the offensive game plan is going to be predicated on Pryor running the football, concentrate on that. Stop monkeying around with the option, put Pryor in a form of the wildcat formation and run the football from the different variations of that kind of attack.

If, instead, the game plan is to feature a pro-style passing attack, put on the red light and instruct Pryor that he can run only as a last resort. You must make him commit to stopping, setting and firing the football rather than stopping, starting, shuffling and trying to get something out of nothing. In that scenario, you not only get your quarterback to commit to the passing game, your offensive line becomes more comfortable in what it’s trying to accomplish.

There is no doubt in my mind that Pryor can become a more complete quarterback. But he is much more of a raw commodity than anyone envisioned, and his maturation process at the position is going to take some time.

In the interim, the question becomes which is more important to Tressel: Mold your quarterback into an NFL-ready player or take what you’ve got and try to go win yourself another Big Ten championship.

At this point, it seems the Ohio State head coach can have one or the other but not both.

OSU-MINNESOTA TIDBITS

** This marks the 49th meeting between Ohio State and Minnesota with the Buckeyes holding a decisive 41-7 record in the overall series. OSU is 21-3 against the Golden Gophers in Columbus, including victories in 18 of the last 19 games played at Ohio Stadium. The lone blemish during that stretch was a 29-17 loss to Minnesota in 2000.

** Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel is a perfect 6-0 against the Gophers, including last year’s 34-21 victory in Columbus. The average margin of victory for the Buckeyes in those six games has been 21.3 points.

** Tressel is now 88-21 in his eight-plus seasons with OSU. In the games immediately following the coach’s 20 previous losses, the Buckeyes are 18-2. Only once in the Tressel era have the Buckeyes ever lost back-to-back games. That was in 2004 when Ohio State dropped three straight Big Ten contests – at Northwestern, at home against Wisconsin and at Iowa.

** Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster is 0-2 against the Buckeyes and 1-6 against ranked teams in his two-plus seasons with the Gophers. The lone victory was a 17-6 win at Purdue last season when the Boilermakers were ranked 25th.

** Don’t go to sleep on Goldy. Minnesota has come from behind in all four of its victories this season, including three when the Gophers were trailing at the end of three quarters.

** The game will serve as Ohio State’s annual homecoming contest. The Buckeyes are 63-19-5 all-time on homecoming, including 6-2 under Tressel. Last year’s homecoming game resulted in a 13-6 loss to Penn State.

** In addition to homecoming, the annual Captains’ Breakfast will be held with former OSU flanker Mike Lanese giving the address. Additionally, several teams will hold reunions, including the surviving members of the 1942 national championship squad. Also, members of the 1954 team will celebrate the 55th anniversary of their national championship and will be honored during Saturday’s game.

** Pryor needs two more yards to become only the fifth OSU quarterback to rush for 1,000 or more yards in his career. The other four: Cornelius Greene (2,066, 1972-75), Rex Kern (1,714, 1968-70), Art Schlichter (1,303, 1978-81) and Troy Smith (1,168, 2003-06).

** Last week’s loss at Purdue snapped Ohio State’s conference road win streak at 16. That was one shy of the all-time Big Ten record set by Michigan between 1988 and 1992. The Buckeyes also have the conference’s third-longest road winning streak in terms of league games. OSU won 11 in a row between 1974 and 1977.

** Think turnovers make a difference? In the Buckeyes’ last 20 road games against Big Ten competition, they are 16-4. In those 16 victories, the team has committed 20 turnovers, an average of 1.25 per game. In the four defeats, OSU has turned the ball over 14 times, an average of 3.5 per game.

** Minnesota wide receiver Eric Decker is moving up several all-time Big Ten statistical lists. He has 224 career receptions and needs 29 more to move into the top five in league history. Decker also needs only 376 more receiving yards to crack the Big Ten’s career top five in that category, and six more touchdown catches to become only the 10th player in conference history with at least 30 TD grabs.

** Minnesota sophomore Troy Stoudermire boasts a career kickoff return average of 25.7 yards, and that is good enough for sixth all-time in the Big Ten. The longstanding conference leader in career kickoff returns is Stan Brown of Purdue, who averaged 28.8 yards per return from 1968-70.

** The Gophers have a lethal punt return game and lead the Big Ten with a lofty average of 19.0 yards per return. That figure ranks sixth nationally. But it is a bit of a misnomer since Minnesota has returned only three of its opponents’ 30 punts all season. That could make for a bit of a boring afternoon tomorrow. Ohio State opponents have returned only three of 30 punts this season.

** Kickoff for tomorrow’s game will be shortly after 12 noon Eastern. ESPN will have the telecast with Dave Pasch doing the play-by-play while former Ohio State All-America linebacker Chris Spielman will share color analysis duties with former Purdue All-America quarterback Bob Griese.

** The game is also available on Sirius satellite radio channels 122 and 129 as well as XM channel 196.

** The Buckeyes complete the two-week home stand next Saturday when they host New Mexico State. Kickoff set for 12 noon Eastern and the game will televised by the Big Ten Network.

THIS WEEK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY

** Forty-four years ago today, Virginia Tech was riding high with a new facility and a victory over its instate rival. The Hokies, known then as the Gobblers, dedicated their new Lane Stadium on Oct. 23, 1965, and celebrated with a 22-14 win over Virginia. Tech rushed for 323 yards in the contest, but the decisive touchdown came on a 71-yard pass from quarterback Bobby Owens to receiver Tommy Groom late in the fourth quarter.

** Also occurring during this week in college football history: On Oct. 20, 1917, Washington beat Whitman College by a 14-6 score, extending its unbeaten streak to 63 games, an NCAA record that still stands; on Oct. 21, 2006, Michigan State engineered the biggest comeback in NCAA history, erasing a 38-3 deficit on the way to a 41-38 victory over Northwestern in Evanston; on Oct. 22, 1983, Nebraska scored 41 points in less than three minutes of possession time on its way to a 69-19 rout of Colorado; and on Oct. 25, 1947, Columbia scored a 21-20 upset over Army, ending the Black Knights’ unbeaten streak at 32 games.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

** The weekly count of undefeated teams at the Division I-A level is down to seven: Alabama, Boise State, Cincinnati, Florida, Iowa, Texas and TCU. Of those seven, it’s anyone’s guess who makes it to the national championship game. Last Saturday, Florida and Texas survived by a field goal, Boise State held on by a touchdown and Alabama couldn’t put away South Carolina until the fourth quarter. Anyone want to forecast a Cincinnati-Iowa championship game?

** Iowa looks to improve to 8-0 this week with a road contest at Michigan State. The last time the Hawkeyes started a season with eight straight victories? Never.

** To say Oklahoma is having a strange season would be putting it mildly. The Sooners have outscored their opposition by a 188-58 margin, yet sport a 3-3 record. Their three losses are each to ranked teams by a combined total of five points.

** With Sam Bradford done for the season, and Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow not exactly lighting things up, we Heisman Trophy voters have gone searching for new blood. The popular candidate of the moment is Alabama sophomore running back Mark Ingram, who had 246 yards last Saturday against South Carolina. Ingram, the son of former NFL receiver Mark Ingram, has rushed for 905 yards and eight TDs for the Crimson Tide, who moved past Florida into the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press writers’ poll.

** The triple option is alive and well and Georgia Tech used it to perfection to hand Virginia Tech a 28-23 upset loss last Saturday. The Yellow Jackets completed exactly one pass in the game for 51 yards – they also ran 63 times for 309 yards against the Hokies’ supposedly impenetrable defense.

** Georgia Tech’s victory over the fourth-ranked Hokies was the first at home for the Yellow Jackets over a top-five team since 1962. That season, Georgia Tech scored a 7-6 victory over top-ranked and defending national champion Alabama, ending the Crimson Tide’s 26-game unbeaten streak. The two head coaches patrolling the sidelines that day were legends – Bobby Dodd for Georgia Tech and Bear Bryant for Alabama.

** In case you wondered, his team’s loss to USC last weekend sent Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis’ record to 4-11 against ranked teams.

** Not that much of anyone is going to notice, but Illinois and Purdue square off this week in an unusual trophy game. The teams play for the Purdue Cannon. Not a trophy. A real cannon. In 1905, a group of Purdue students somehow thought it was a good idea to take the cannon to Champaign in anticipation of firing it after a victory. Although the Boilermakers won the game, Illinois officials confiscated the cannon and kept it. It was later moved to a farmhouse in Milford, Ill., before the universities agreed in 1943 to play for possession of the cannon. Purdue holds a narrow 29-26-2 advantage in previous cannon games.

** Illinois went to the Rose Bowl following the 2001 and 2007 seasons, going 13-3 in the conference those two years. Heading into tomorrow’s game, the team’s combined league record for the remainder of the decade is 11-49.

** You probably haven’t noticed it, but the best turnaround story in college football this season is happening at Idaho. After going a combined 3-21 the past two seasons, the Vandals are already bowl-eligible with six victories in seven games. Three of their victories have been by four points or less as the team averages 29.6 points per game on offense and gives up 25.1 on defense.

FEARLESS FORECAST

It seems whenever Ohio State loses, the old forecast suffers. After a great start on Friday night, picking the Pittsburgh-Rutgers final score on the nose, things went south in a big-time hurry.

Straight up, we were 6-3 while we suffered for the second straight week against the spread, finishing at 2-7. That puts the yearly ledgers at 48-15 SU and 20-31-1 ATS. All we can say is that we’ll try to do better this week.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

Illinois at Purdue: The Fighting Illini are no doubt eager to get out of Champaign for an afternoon so they don’t have to answer any more questions about how much longer Ron Zook will be their head coach. Not that those questions are going to go away anytime soon, especially if Illinois can’t stop its slide. Perhaps they can catch the Boilermakers still feeling good after last week’s upset of Ohio State, but it’s doubtful … Purdue 27, Illinois 17. (12 noon ET, ESPN2)

Louisville at No. 5 Cincinnati: The Bearcats are riding high with the best poll ranking in program history, and have some believing they have a real good shot at making the national championship game. We like Brian Kelly and what he’s doing at UC, but the Bearcats still have a lot of ground to cover before they can think about the title game. First and foremost is the health of quarterback Tony Pike, who had surgery this week to repair a dislodged metal plate in his non-throwing arm. With or without Pike, the Bearcats ought to be able to handle the Cardinals, who have lost nine of 11 dating back to last season … Cincinnati 31, Louisville 14. (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)

Tennessee at No. 1 Alabama: The Crimson Tide celebrate their ascendancy to the top of the AP poll by hosting the Volunteers, a team that more than held its own in last year’s 29-9 loss at Knoxville. Alabama running back Mark Ingram has a little something to prove, especially if he is going to be a bona fide Heisman contender. He rushed for a career-low 1 yard on four carries last year against Tennessee. Of course, this is a different Vols team under first-year head coach Lane Kiffin, a team that seems more preoccupied with offense. UT has had an extra week to prepare after its 45-19 pasting of Georgia, and the fact the Tide has several ailing defensive players may make this game a lot closer than some think … Alabama 26, Tennessee 20. (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)

No. 13 Penn State at Michigan: If there is one Big Ten team Joe Paterno doesn’t like to play, it’s the Wolverines. He is 4-10 lifetime against them, including 2-5 in Ann Arbor. Even last year’s 46-17 win that snapped a nine-game skid in the series wasn’t as easy as the final score may have indicated. Michigan led 17-14 at halftime before fading. All of that should give the Wolverines some comfort as they seek to snap their two-game conference losing streak. Unfortunately, all of the offensive fireworks they enjoyed last week during a glorified scrimmage against I-AA Delaware State (63 points and a team-record 727 total yards) won’t do them much good against JoePa’s defense, which has given up only three points in its last eight quarters … Penn State 31, Michigan 14. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC Regional)

No. 7 Iowa at Michigan State: Lost amid the euphoria of the Fighting Ferentzes’ undefeated start is just how close they have been skating to the edge. Six of their seven victories have been by 11 points or less, and they have had to come from behind in five of their games. The high-wire act could begin to stumble this week. The Spartans seem to have ironed out the problems that caused them to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in September, and the Green and White are now on a three-game winning streak. Add that to the fact the Hawkeyes have lost four in a row in Spartan Stadium and you get this week’s Upset Special … Michigan State 17, Iowa 16. (7 p.m. ET, BTN)

No. 10 TCU at No. 16 BYU: Rather than simply talking about how it should be in the BCS mix, the Horned Frogs actually try to do something about it. TCU takes on the ranked Cougars, who are trying to protect a Mountain West Conference-record 13-game home winning streak. That includes a 27-22 win over the Frogs in 2007. This should be an interesting matchup featuring the nation’s No. 4 team in total defense (TCU) against the No. 6 team in the country in scoring offense (BYU). The Cougars would seem to have the cards stacked in their favor, and they hold a 5-3 edge in the all-time series. Still, we like the overall strength of the Frogs … TCU 26, BYU 20. (7:30 p.m. ET, The Mtn)

No. 2 Florida at Mississippi State: The Gators remain undefeated but you get the distinct impression they may be living on borrowed time. They are not the offensive or defensive powerhouse from a year ago, and quarterback Tim Tebow (their spiritual leader on and off the field) is playing hurt. Will this be the week the defending national champs crumble under the strain? First-year Bulldogs head coach Dan Mullen knows Florida almost well as he knows his own team – he was Urban Meyer’s longtime offensive coordinator at Florida, Utah and Bowling Green. It reminds me a lot of the Washington-USC game earlier this season when first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian exploited all the weaknesses of the offense he used to run for Pete Carroll. You may also be interested in the fact Florida is winless in its last four trips to Davis Wade Stadium. Get ready for a shocker in Starkville. Here’s Upset Special No. 2 … Mississippi State 26, Florida 23. (7:30 p.m., ESPN)

Oregon State at No. 4 USC: The Beavers had their way with the Trojans last season, costing USC a shot at playing for the national championship with a 33-31 upset win in Corvallis. Oregon State usually plays the Trojans tough at their place. In the L.A. Coliseum? Not so much. USC will be looking for its 22nd consecutive home win in the series. It knows it will have to do a much better job containing OSU running back Jacquizz Rodgers, who ran for 186 yards and two touchdowns in last year’s meeting. Rodgers is coming off a career-high 189 yards and four TDs two weeks ago against Stanford, and stopping him will be the Trojans’ top priority. Boasting the nation’s No. 4 rush defense should help get that done … USC 27, Oregon State 23. (8 p.m. ET, ABC Regional)

No. 6 Boise State at Hawaii: The Broncos don’t get much respect in their quest for BCS recognition, but one thing you can’t take away from them – they’re willing to get on a plane and play anywhere in the nation. The team that has already made road trips this year to Fresno State, Bowling Green and Tulsa heads for Honolulu this week to take on Hawaii. Unfortunately, a game against the 2-4 Rainbows isn’t going to count for many style points. It could, however, push the Heisman candidacy of Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore, who currently leads the country in pass efficiency. Moore has completed 69.5 percent of his passes and thrown for 1,404 yards and 16 TDs against only two interceptions this season, and if he can solve the swirling winds of Aloha Stadium, those numbers should go up. The Rainbows rank 101st nationally in total defense … Boise State 38, Hawaii 17. (11 p.m. ET, ESPN 360)

Minnesota at No. 18 Ohio State: A week of overcritical analysis of Terrelle Pryor and the struggling OSU offense has overshadowed a few small facts: The Buckeyes still average 28.0 points per game on offense and surrender only 14.0 on defense. The last thing Ohio State needs to do with its young quarterback and offensive attack is panic. Simplify the playbook a little, return to establishing the run and continue to rely on defense. All ingredients for making things a little sunnier next week in the Buckeye Nation … Ohio State 34, Minnesota 14. (12 noon ET, ESPN)

Here are the spreads for the above games: Illinois at Purdue (-9½); Louisville (+18) at Cincinnati; Tennessee (+14½) at Alabama; Penn State (-4½) at Michigan; Iowa at Michigan State (+1); TCU (-2½) at BYU; Florida at Mississippi State (+23½); Oregon State (+21) at USC; Boise State at Hawaii (+24½); Minnesota at Ohio State (-16).

In case you care, Minnesota is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games against Ohio State while the Buckeyes are 4-2 ATS at home in their last six vs. Goldy. Enjoy the games.

First-Half Awards For Ohio State Football

We have reached the midway point in Ohio State’s 2009 season, a campaign already filled with highs and lows.

There has been plenty of angst throughout the Buckeye Nation this fall even though OSU is in its customary spot atop the Big Ten standings and inside the top 10 in all the major polls. The team is working on a fifth consecutive conference championship, has won 33 of its last 36 league games overall and eyes its 18th straight conference road victory at Purdue tomorrow night.

The offense remains a work in progress but the defense is quickly becoming one of the country’s best units. The “No Name No Blame” defense ranks seventh nationally in scoring (12.0 points per game), 11th in total defense (271.8 yards), 12th in rushing (89.2) and is tied for fifth in total sacks (18.0) and tied for 12th in sacks per game (3.0).

Once the conference season began, the Buckeyes got even better. Against its three league opponents so far, OSU’s averages have shrunk to 9.0 points, 72.7 yards rushing and 255.3 total yards per game. The defensive unit ranks first in the Big Ten in all of those categories as well as total sacks, sacks per game and lowest opponent third-down conversion rate.

Given how the defense has played, the aforementioned figures are not that much of surprise. But want a kick in the head? In league games, Ohio State currently ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring offense as well as second in pass efficiency offense. Not bad for a unit whose quarterback some believe is better suited to play receiver.

Rather than concentrate on the criticisms, however, we thought we would look back at the best of the first half of the season. See how our picks compare to yours.

Best Drive – Strangely enough, Ohio State’s best drive of the season’s first half came during the poorest offensive showing so far. It came last week at the end of the second quarter after Wisconsin had scored to take a 10-7 lead. To that point in the game, the offense had 31 total yards to show for its five possessions and nearly everyone in the stadium expected the Buckeyes to sit on the ball for the final 1:52 of the half.

Suddenly, Pryor began the possession with a 27-yard slash and dash on a first-down quarterback draw, a run that featured two separate cutbacks that caught most Wisconsin defenders going the wrong way. After his initial run, Pryor tacked on a 6-yard scramble and then flipped a 6-yard pass to tight end Jake Ballard before connecting for 22 yards with receiver DeVier Posey.

Two plays later (plus a 5-yard illegal shift penalty against the Buckeyes), Pryor threw his best pass of the game, finding a well-guarded Posey in the end zone for a 32-yard touchdown. Six plays, 88 yards (93 if you count the penalty) and a touchdown in 72 seconds. The only question: Why can’t the offense play with that sense of purpose more often?

Best Offensive Play – The Buckeyes have sometimes struggled with their rushing attack during the first half of the season, but there was a running play in the USC game that was executed just like it is on a meeting room blackboard.

With USC leading 7-0 in the first quarter, the Buckeyes put together a drive that had them knocking on the door of the end zone with second-and-goal at the 2. Usually, that kind of play is cause for concern since OSU has a recent history of short-yardage failures. This play was different.

Pryor handed off to Boom Herron, who took a half-step toward the line of scrimmage. That was enough to get linebacker Luthur Brown to commit to the inside, and by the time he recognized the play was going outside, it was too late. Freshman Zach Boren sealed off any strong-side pursuit from linebacker Jarvis Jones while right guard Bryant Browning pulled the other way to team up with Ballard.

Herron disappeared in behind the 6-4, 312-pound Browning and the 6-6, 256-pound Ballard, kept his legs churning and pushed his way into the end zone. There aren’t many picturesque 2-yard touchdown runs but that was one of them.

Best Defensive Stop – The Buckeyes were leading Toledo by a 31-0 score early in the fourth quarter when the Rockets were driving. Ahead by such a comfortable margin, most defenses would ease up in that situation. OSU did not.

Toledo put together its best drive of the game with quarterback Aaron Opelt completing short passes in the middle of a soft zone. From the Ohio State 27-yard line, Opelt connected on another short flip that was grabbed over the middle by receiver Eric Page.

As Page split the zone and headed for the end zone, safety Kurt Coleman closed in and met the Toledo receiver near the goal line. Coleman wrapped Page, spun him around and with the same motion ripped the football from the receiver’s grasp. Linebacker Ross Homan was there to pounce on the fumble in the end zone, ending the scoring threat and preserving the team’s first shutout of a Division I-A opponent since 2006.

Best Defensive Play – There are lots of candidates from which to choose, but I like this one in particular. With Wisconsin trailing 14-10 at halftime, the Badgers took the second-half kickoff and seemed intent on taking the momentum back from the Buckeyes. Jermale Hines had other plans.

Hines and cornerback Chimdi Chekwa had bracketed UW receiver Isaac Anderson along the sideline, and when quarterback Scott Tolzien tried to force the ball into that double coverage, Hines made him pay. The OSU junior leaped in the air, stuck out his hand – the one attached to the same arm with a painfully hyperextended elbow – and managed to tip the ball straight up into the air.

Hines then snagged the ball for an interception and headed back the other way on a 32-yard touchdown return. Along the way, he got help from Coleman, who obliterated Anderson along the sideline, and linebacker Brian Rolle, who blocked off a pair of would-be tacklers. Hines finished the play by knifing his way into the end zone between two more Badgers.

Not only was it a play showcasing several players’ athleticism, it was also a backbreaker for Wisconsin. After Hines’ return, the Badgers were never again seriously in the game.

Best Special Teams Play – Once again, we revisit the Wisconsin game because it would be hard to beat Ray Small’s 97-yard kickoff return.

Small often moves laterally on returns, and anyone will tell you the return man that goes east and west usually goes nowhere. Every once in a while, though, the 5-11, 180-pound speedster decides to head straight up the middle of the field and the results are spectacular. That’s exactly what happened against the Badgers.

The return call was so good that Wisconsin barely laid a hand on Small as he turned on the afterburners. The best OSU block came early from freshman Storm Klein, and Small had only defensive back Devin Smith and kicker Philip Welch to beat. Smith made a diving attempt just before midfield and got nothing but air while Welch pretty much just got out of Small’s way.

A great call, excellent blocking and a speedy return man. One plus one plus one equals six points.

Best Offensive Lineman – Bryant Browning. It’s amazing how much better Browning is performing this season over last. Well, maybe not so amazing. He is much better suited to playing a guard position rather than having to worry about protecting the entire edge. He is the team’s best pulling guard and has consistently graded the highest of the offensive linemen. But you don’t have to believe me. Ask the coaching staff. They have given out offensive lineman of the week only four times so far and Browning has won it twice.

Best Receiver – Dane Sanzenbacher. Not the fastest, not the most athletic, not the most physical. The kid is simply money in the bank when the football’s in the air. It was a close call with Posey, who is really coming on. But Sanzenbacher is the one who finished the first half of the season as the team leader in receiving yards, yards per catch, yards per game and TDs. I’d gladly go to war with 11 Dane Sanzenbachers on my team.

Best Running Back – Brandon Saine. Remember the speedster who scored a lightning-quick 37-yard touchdown two years ago at Washington? It’s been a long, hard fight against injuries but it appears that Saine is finally back and ready to become the Buckeyes’ No. 1 tailback. He doesn’t have the résumé yet, and he still has to prove he can stay healthy for an entire season, but Saine’s combination of hard running and pass-catching skills is beginning to remind some people of Keith Byars. Can Saine approach that kind of production? Stay tuned for the second half of his junior season.

Best Offensive Player – Terrelle Pryor. As with most quarterbacks, Pryor gets more credit than he deserves when the team is winning and more criticism than he deserves when things aren’t going so well. The fact of the matter is the sophomore is so physically gifted that 80 percent efficiency from him is better than 100 percent from a lot of players. Yes, he’s still a work in progress but I shudder to imagine where the Buckeyes would be without him.

Best Defensive Lineman – Thaddeus Gibson. On a line full of guys who have stepped up their games, I will take Gibson just because his presence disrupts what the opposing offensive coordinator wants to do. The 6-2, 240-pound junior was credited with only 16 tackles in the first half, but he made them count. Despite ranking 12th on the unit in total stops, Gibson had a team-high 6½ tackles for loss – many on backside pursuit because teams were usually running in the opposite direction.

Best Linebacker – Ross Homan. The quiet leader of the defense is a tackling machine who simply knows where the football is going at all times. That Homan tends to save his biggest games for the toughest opponents – nine stops vs. USC and a career-best 15 plus two sacks against Wisconsin – is no coincidence.

Best Defensive Back – Kurt Coleman. He is probably the Buckeyes’ best cover man, he is easily one of the team’s biggest hitters and he is a vocal leader as one of three team co-captains. Coleman has played well in the past but he has amped things up a notch or two this season with 43 tackles, two interceptions (including an 89-yard return for a touchdown against Wisconsin) and three forced fumbles.

Best Defensive Player – Brian Rolle. Admit it. You were skeptical of a 5-11, 221-pound guy trying to play middle linebacker at Ohio State. But all it takes is one look at what Rolle brings to the party and his approach to the game, and you quickly realize he is a leader on a defense that has plenty of them. He has a team-best 51 tackles, and everyone remembers his game-saving play in the opener against Navy. Rolle is an example of a hard-working player who maximizes every ounce of his talent.

Best Special Teams Player – Ray Small. You get the feeling that Small may have squandered a lot of his Ohio State career, but when he turns on the jets like he did on that 97-yard kickoff return against the Badgers, all is forgiven. Every team would like to have a home run hitter like Small. Just the threat of a lightning bolt like him makes the Buckeyes better.

Best Freshman – John Simon. Ten true freshmen got varying degrees of playing time during the first half of the season, including Zach Boren and Adam Homan who shared starting fullback duties. I happen to like Simon, though, for seamlessly fitting into a veteran defensive line rotation. The 6-3, 265-pounder is as strong as the proverbial ox and his value will only increase the longer Dexter Larimore has to be sidelined.

Best Scout Teamer(s) – Walk-ons Spencer Smith and James Georgiades. In six weeks, each has won scout team of the week honors three times. They must be doing something right.

Team MVP – Kurt Coleman. Yes, he cost himself – and his team – with his helmet-to-helmet hit late in the Illinois game against quarterback Eddie McGee. But Coleman took his one-game suspension like a man and swore to learn from his mistake. He returned against Wisconsin and played what could have been the best game of his life. There have been plenty of stars for the Buckeyes so far this season, but for sheer value to his team and his teammates, I’d pick Coleman as my first-half MVP.

OSU-PURDUE TIDBITS

** This marks the 52nd meeting between Ohio State and Purdue with the Buckeyes holding a 37-12-2 record in the overall series. That includes a 12-6 mark in West Lafayette although the teams have split the last four games played in Ross-Ade Stadium.

** Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel is 5-1 against the Boilermakers, including last year’s 16-3 victory in Columbus. That 13-point win was par for the course. Tressel’s five victories in the series have come by an average margin of 12.4 points.

** Purdue head coach Danny Hope is in his first year with the Boilermakers. At Ohio State, Tressel is a perfect 13-0 against opposing first-year head coaches. That includes a 38-0 win over Toledo and first-year head coach Tim Beckman earlier this season.

** With a victory at Purdue, the Buckeyes would tie the all-time Big Ten record with a 17th consecutive conference road victory. Michigan established the mark with 17 straight road wins from 1988 to 1992.

** Ohio State has an all-time record of 196-77-10 in conference road games. Under Tressel, the Buckeyes are 26-7 on the road in Big Ten.

** Purdue is looking to snap a 19-game winless streak against ranked teams. The Boilermakers last defeated a top-25 team in 2003 when it scored a 27-14 victory in West Lafayette over No. 10 Iowa.

** Ohio State is ranked No. 7 in most of this week’s major polls. The last time Purdue defeated a ranked OSU team was in 2000. That year, the 16th-ranked Boilermakers took a 31-27 decision at home over the No. 12 Buckeyes.

** The game will feature a pair of divergent passing attacks. Purdue ranks second in the Big Ten and No. 22 nationally in pass offense, averaging 265.0 yards per game. Ohio State ranks dead last in the conference and 108th in the country in pass offense with its average of 166.2 yards per game.

** Purdue’s current five-game losing streak matches a similar slide from last season. The Boilermakers haven’t lost six games in a row since 2005 when they won their opening two games, lost their next six and then finished with three consecutive victories. Purdue hasn’t had a losing streak of more than six games since 1993 when they lost their last nine in a row en route to a 1-10 finish. The head coach that year was former Ohio State offensive coordinator Jim Colletto, now the offensive line coach and assistant head coach at UCLA.

** Most of the Boilermakers’ problems this season have been self-inflicted. They have committed 20 turnovers, often deep in their own territory, and opponents have converted 13 of those miscues into points (eight touchdowns and five field goals). As a result, Purdue is minus-9 in turnover margin. The Buckeyes are currently plus-5.

** Despite its losing streak, Purdue has several players among the Big Ten leaders in individual statistical categories. Senior quarterback Joey Elliott leads the conference in passing yardage and total offense and is tied for the lead in touchdown passes while senior receiver Aaron Valentin is the league leader in all-purpose yardage as well as punt return average. Junior tailback Ralph Bolden is second in the Big Ten in rushing, junior receiver Keith Smith is second in receptions per game, junior defensive end Ryan Kerrigan is tied for second in sacks and senior linebacker Jason Werner is third in tackles for loss.

**The Buckeyes are working on a span of 16 consecutive games without allowing an opposing running back to crack the century mark. That is the second-longest such streak in the nation, second only to Alabama. The Crimson Tide have gone 26 straight games without allowing an opponent to rush for 100 or more yards.

** The game will showcase a pair of kickers with big-time legs. Senior Aaron Pettrey of Ohio State has six career field goals of 50 yards or longer while sophomore Carson Wiggs of Purdue has two, including a 59-yarder this year against Toledo. That is tied for the seventh-longest field goal ever by a Big Ten kicker. The longest field goal by a conference kicker came in 1981 when Morten Anderson of Michigan State drilled a 63-yarder at Ohio Stadium during a 27-13 loss to the Buckeyes.

** Purdue has many distinguished alumni including astronauts Neil Armstrong (the first man to set foot on the moon) and Eugene Cernan (the last man to set to set foot on the moon).

** Kickoff for Saturday’s game will be shortly after 12 noon Eastern. The Big Ten Network will handle the telecast with Wayne Larrivee doing the play-by-play, Chris Martin providing color analysis and Rebecca Haarlow reporting from the sidelines.

** The game is also available on Sirius satellite radio channels 127 and 153 as well as XM channel 196.

** The Buckeyes return home next week to host Minnesota. It is the annual homecoming game with kickoff set for 12 noon Eastern. The game will televised by ESPN.

THIS WEEK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY

** Thirty-three years ago today, Texas A&M kicker Tony Franklin showcased his strong right leg and set an NCAA record in the process. On Oct. 16, 1976, Franklin became the first kicker in college football history to boot a pair of field goals from 60 yards or longer in the same game. He had three-pointers of 64 and 65 yards during a 24-0 victory over Baylor in College Station. Franklin’s 65-yarder established a new NCAA record for the longest field goal in college football history, but the mark didn’t last long. Later that same day, Abilene Christian kicker Ove Johansson booted a 69-yarder against East Texas State. Johansson’s record still stands.

** Also occurring during this week in college football history: On Oct. 14, 1978, Cornell running back Joe Holland rushed for 244 yards on an Ivy League-record with 55 carries and led the Big Red to a 25-20 victory at Harvard; on Oct. 15, 2005, USC quarterback Matt Leinart was pushed across the goal line in the final seconds by teammate Reggie Bush and the top-ranked Trojans escaped South Bend with a 34-31 win over No. 9 Notre Dame; on Oct. 17, 1970, Southern Miss went into Oxford and engineered a 30-14 upset over fourth-ranked Mississippi and Heisman Trophy candidate Archie Manning; and on Oct. 18, 1958, No. 2 Auburn’s 17-game winning streak came to an end with a 7-7 tie against unranked Georgia Tech. The Tigers went on to close the 1958 season with six straight victories, but the tie with the Yellow Jackets cost them a second consecutive national championship.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

** The weekly count of undefeated teams at the Division I-A level was pared by another four teams last weekend and by one more last night. Only eight remain: Alabama, Boise State, Cincinnati, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Texas and TCU.

** Because of open weeks and other scheduling anomalies, Alabama, Boise State, Cincinnati and Iowa are the only four of the aforementioned undefeated teams with 6-0 records, and therefore the first officially bowl-eligible teams of 2009.

** Dating back to last season, Iowa has now won 10 games in a row for the first time in more than 85 years. The last time the team had a double-digit winning streak was between 1920 and 1923 when the Hawkeyes posted 20 consecutive victories.

** Iowa will try to extend its winning streak this week against Wisconsin in what is the closest series in Big Ten history. The teams have met 84 times previously with the all-time record dead even at 41-41-2. The Hawkeyes and Badgers will also by vying for the Heartland Trophy, the conference’s newest rivalry trophy. It was instituted for the 2004 season. Iowa broke a 2-2 tie in Heartland Trophy games with last year’s 38-16 win over Wisconsin in Iowa City.

** Congratulations to Bowling Green quarterback Tyler Sheehan and receiver Freddie Barnes, both of whom had school-record performances last weekend during the Falcons’ 36-35 win over Kent State. Sheehan set new single-season records for completions, attempts and yardage by connecting on 44 of 63 passes for 505 yards and four touchdowns. Barnes had 22 receptions for 278 yards (both new school records) and scored three times.

** The vaunted rushing attack at the U.S. Naval Academy is in full gear again. During last weekend’s 63-14 win over Rice, the Midshipmen rolled up 537 yards of total offense – 80 rushes for 471 yards and two pass completions for 66. Navy had 14 different players log at least one carry against the Owls, and seven of them totaled at least 25 yards.

** Was it worth it? The New Mexico football team needed two snowplows and a state highway patrol escort just to get to Laramie to play Wyoming last weekend. Then the Lobos proceeded to squander an early lead in a 37-13 loss that dropped them to 0-6. That record doesn’t figure to get any better in the second half of the season since New Mexico currently ranks 117th in the nation in scoring defense and 118th in scoring offense. There are only 120 teams playing at the Division I-A level.

** The loss continued what has been a rocky first season in Albuquerque for New Mexico head coach Mike Locksley. He has been suspended by the university for his role in a Sept. 20 staff meeting during which Locksley allegedly punched receivers coach J.B. Gerald. On Tuesday, Locksley received a 10-day suspension and the coach will not be allowed to have any contact with his team until Oct. 25, one day after UNLV visits New Mexico. The Lobos are off this week.

** Division II powerhouse Grand Valley State (Mich.) saw its conference winning streak snapped at 45 games last Saturday. The Lakers lost a 27-24 decision to Hillsdale (Mich.) in a contest that saw a thrilling finish. Hillsdale running back Billy Kanitz scored on a 1-yard run with 36 seconds left, and then Grand Valley State managed to get into field goal range but kicker Justin Trumble’s 49-yard attempt was wide to the right. The loss was the Lakers’ first in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play since 2004.

** The first official Bowl Championship Series rankings of the year are scheduled to be announced Sunday.

FEARLESS FORECAST

It was the old “best of times/worst of times” scenario with the picks last week. Straight up, it doesn’t get much better than 10-1. (Of course, 11-0 would have been nicer. Thanks to Mark Richt and his formerly relevant Georgia program.)

We were even pretty close on several of our scores including getting the Oregon-UCLA final right on the nose. The straight-up picks are now purring along at 42-12 for the season.

Against the spread … well, let’s just say it’s easier picking straight winners than it is picking spreads. They don’t build billion-dollar casinos because people are taking their winnings home. The awful truth is that we had one of the worst weeks in recent memory with a 2-8 finish. That makes us 18-24-1 ATS for the season with a lot of catching up to do.

Here are the games we like this week.

TONIGHT’S GAME

Pittsburgh at Rutgers: If the Panthers are truly going to take on Cincinnati for the Big East championship, they’re going to have to figure out a way to beat Rutgers. Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt is winless in four tries against the Scarlet Knights, and that includes a 37-29 loss in Rutgers Stadium in 2005 that was played on a Friday night. The Panthers are solid if unspectacular in several facets of the game, including an offense that averages nearly 35 points a game. But Rutgers knows how to throw a prime-time party in Piscataway, and after getting rolled by UC in the season opener, the Knights are on a five-game win streak. They are still suspect, however, especially on pass defense. The difference will likely be Pitt quarterback Bill Stull, who has thrown for 1,256 yards and 13 TDs against only three interceptions … Pittsburgh 24, Rutgers 17. (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)

SATURDAY’S GAMES

No. 20 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Texas: First of all, this game is, has been and always will be the Red River Shootout. No self-respecting Sooner or Longhorn would ever call it the Red River Rivalry. Now that that’s off my chest, you have to remember this is no ordinary game on the schedule for these two teams. It’s played at the Cotton Bowl on the Texas State Fairgrounds with one side of the old stadium bathed in red and the other in burnt orange. The Sooners know they can salvage their season by ruining the Longhorns’ path to the national title game, but it won’t be easy. Texas QB Colt McCoy leads the nation with a 73.4 completion percentage, and his team is the No. 1 scoring offense in the country. Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford is back and presumably healthy, but this game could come down to defense. That’s where the Longhorns have a slight edge, especially if the Sooners try to run the ball. To go along with its potent offense, UT also boasts the country’s best run defense. That makes the difference … Texas 27, Oklahoma 24. (12 noon ET, ABC)

No. 6 USC at No. 25 Notre Dame: If we asked you the national leader in pass efficiency, would you have guessed Jimmy Clausen? The Fighting Irish are 4-1 mostly because Clausen has thrown for 1,544 yards and 12 TDs against only two picks. Those numbers may be a bit skewed, though, since four of the five defenses Clausen has faced are ranked 75th or lower in the nation. The Irish won’t be so fortunate Saturday – the Trojans are sixth in the country in total defense and fourth in scoring, allowing only 8.6 points per game. If they struggle to score, the Domers will be in trouble. Their defense remains very much a work in progress, ranked 100th nationally in total defense and 110th against the pass. That is something the Trojans should be able to exploit with the dink-and-dunk attack they have employed with freshman QB Matt Barkley … USC 27, Notre Dame 17. (3:30 p.m. ET, NBC)

Marshall at West Virginia: The Thundering Herd are off to a 4-2 start this season and they would like nothing more than to knock off their big brothers from Morgantown. History in not on their side, however. Marshall has lost all eight meetings in the all-time series, including a 27-3 decision last season. Something else not on the side of our old friend Mark Snyder’s team is a struggling defense that ranks 91st nationally against the run. That should be music to the ears of the Mountaineers. They rank first in the Big East in rushing behind tailback Noel Devine, the nation’s No. 3 rusher with an average of 126.2 yards per game … West Virginia 30, Marshall 7. (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN GamePlan)

No. 18 BYU at San Diego State: The Cougars are tracking a milestone this weekend, looking for the 500th victory in program history. Their rivalry with the Aztecs dates back to 1922, and the Cougars are 25-7-1 in the series with seven wins in the last eight meetings. That includes last year’s 42-12 victory in Provo. BYU has one of the most potent one-two punches in college football this year with quarterback Max Hall (1,723 yards, 10 TDs) and running back Harvey Unga, who averages 6.5 yards per carry and a touchdown every 9.5 carries. If the Cougars have a weakness, it is a propensity to turn the ball over – minus-3 in turnover margin with 15 giveaways in six games. Even so, the Aztecs may struggle to keep up in this game. They are 114th in the country in rushing and 101st in total offense … BYU 37, San Diego State 17. (6 p.m. ET, The Mtn)

No. 4 Virginia Tech at No. 19 Georgia Tech: These two boast the best offensive attacks in the ACC – the Hokies are scoring a conference-best 34.2 points per game while the Yellow Jackets are averaging a league-high 426.7 yards per contest. What separates the two Techsters is defense. Virginia Tech has allowed 15 points or less in four of its six games this season while Georgia Tech has surrendered 27 or more to four of its six opponents. That includes 44 last week to Florida State even through the Jackets outlasted the Bowden Bunch with a 49-44 win. Don’t expect the Ramblin’ Wreck to come close to that total this week as the Hokies seek to eliminate another ACC title contender … Virginia Tech 31, Georgia Tech 17. (6 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

UAB at Mississippi: The Blazers have never been scared to play topflight competition, but perhaps they would do better to steer away from the Southeastern Conference. In 14 previous contests against SEC teams, they are 2-12. They have never faced Ole Miss, but it’s homecoming in Oxford and the Rebels have won 11 of their last 12 homecoming contests. QB Jevan Snead and his offense got most of the preseason publicity, but the Mississippi defense has outplayed the offense so far. That may change this week since UAB’s leaky defense ranks dead last in Division I-A against the pass. Look for Snead to finally get comfortable and begin padding his stats … Mississippi 35, UAB 17. (7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports South/ESPN GamePlan)

No. 17 Kansas at Colorado: The Jayhawks must be the most under-the-radar undefeated team in the nation. Of course, you don’t get (or deserve) a whole lot of respect when your five victories have come against teams with a combined record of 12-18 so far. Kansas finally gets to the meat of its schedule next week against Oklahoma, but the team had better avoid looking ahead. The Buffaloes may be 1-4 this season, but they showed signs of coming around last week against Texas, leading the Longhorns at halftime before a second-half collapse. Colorado has won five of its last six home games against the Jayhawks, but the Buffs have been so spotty on both offense and defense this year that it just doesn’t feel right to pull the trigger on an upset … Kansas 34, Colorado 21. (7 p.m. ET, FSN)

No. 7 Ohio State at Purdue: The OSU defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns last week, and now faces the Boilermakers who have committed a conference-high 20 turnovers. It wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination to believe the Buckeyes could score another couple of defensive touchdowns this week, and if the offense ever gets itself untracked, things could get ugly in West Lafayette … Ohio State 41, Purdue 14. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC Regional/ESPN)

Here are the spreads for the above games: Pittsburgh (-3½) at Rutgers; Oklahoma vs. Texas (-2½); UAB (+22½) at Mississippi; USC (-9½) at Notre Dame; Marshall at West Virginia (-20½); BYU (-17) at San Diego State; Virginia Tech (-3) at Georgia Tech; Kansas (-9) at Colorado; Ohio State (-13) at Purdue.

You might want to know that we’re flying in the face of the fact that Purdue is 4-1 ATS in its last five games against Ohio State. Enjoy the games.

To Redshirt Or Not To Redshirt

There was a spirited debate this week among Ohio State football fans regarding whether or not to take the redshirt off freshman tailback Jaamal Berry in week six of the regular season.

In case you have forgotten, Berry is a 5-11, 195-pound slasher/dasher out of Palmetto High School in Miami who has heretofore been unable to showcase his skills as a Buckeye because of a nagging hamstring injury. The injury had subsided, Berry had reportedly been lighting things up in practice, and head coach Jim Tressel indicated on Tuesday he would be inclined to use the freshman running back tomorrow against Wisconsin.

That was until yesterday when reports that Berry’s hamstring problem had flared up again. He likely will not be ready for action against the Badgers and his status moving forward remains firmly up in the air.

Nevertheless, the argument for and against taking the redshirt off Berry at the midway point of the regular season was one worth having. Before the hamstring injury recurred, opinions were running about 9-to-1 in favor of letting the freshman play. Among the many arguments for getting Berry on the field was the perhaps most salient one – if the young tailback is another piece in a championship puzzle, he needs to play. No one knows what the future may hold, so you win as many games every season as you possibly can. If playing Berry is a means to that end, play him. “Fire all of the bullets in your arsenal” was the way one poster put it.

Originally, I was in the minority. I have always felt that if a freshman didn’t play by week three of the regular season, he probably should be redshirted. In other words, if he wasn’t good enough to crack the rotation by the time one-quarter of the season was in the books, he probably wasn’t going to be able to contribute enough down the stretch to warrant the cost of a full season of his eligibility.

Berry is a unique case, of course. First and foremost, the hamstring injury is evidently the sole reason why he hasn’t been playing. From all indications, he would have been in the lineup long ago had he been at or near 100 percent. Secondly, if Berry is as good as his advance billing, saving an additional year of his eligibility could be moot. Whether he plays this season or not, NCAA rules would permit him to leave school early for the NFL following the 2011 season. If he does turn out to be as good as advertised, he may want to explore that option and the Buckeyes would do well to maximize his college playing time as much as possible.

Then, of course, there is the position Berry plays. Ohio State has gotten a mixed bag from its tailback spot this season. Dan “Boom” Herron started the first four games of the season and leads the team in touchdowns scored. But he sustained a sprained ankle against Illinois and didn’t play at all last week. The injury only underscores the whispers about Herron that perhaps his 5-10, 193-pound frame is not big enough to withstand an entire Big Ten season as the leading ball-carrier.

Brandon Saine had what could be described as a breakout game last Saturday night, powering his way to a career-high 113 yards against Indiana. The 6-1, 217-pound junior features a nice blend of power and speed – not to mention pass-catching abilities – and most people don’t realize he currently ranks second in the Big Ten only to Wisconsin’s John Clay in rushing average per conference game. The knock against the junior running back, of course, is an injury-checkered past, and the unfortunate truth is that no one knows if a healthy Saine can make it through an entire season.

The third man in the tailback mix has been freshman Jordan Hall, who didn’t see action until week three against Toledo. Since then, he has shown some flashes that he can be a very good complimentary back although at 5-10 and 190 pounds, he faces some of the same durability questions as Herron. It probably isn’t a coincidence that Herron and Hall have combined for an average of 3.8 yards per carry.

Herron, Saine and Hall have done well as a trio this season. Together, they average 126.0 yards per game – and when you throw Terrelle Pryor’s yardage into the mix, the Buckeyes are purring along at 187.2 yards rushing per game. Last season, with Beanie Wells as the primary back, the team was only slightly better at 192.5 yards on the ground per game.

So why do so many people believe Berry is needed? Maybe it’s because they know tailback depth in the Big Ten is a fleeting thing. Wells, Mike Hart of Michigan and P.J. Hill of Wisconsin were all tremendous running backs, but they each missed their share of playing time with injuries. When those big guns were on the sidelines, their respective teams suffered. That was partly due to a lack of depth but more so because the running backs behind them on the depth chart suffered from inexperience.

This season is looking more and more like the first since 2004 that Ohio State will have no 1,000-yard rusher. The problem five years ago was lack of depth at the position and subsequently the Buckeyes scuffled their way to an 8-4 finish.

This year, especially if/when Berry joins the backfield, depth at the running back depth could be one of the team’s strengths. Every team seeks that one dependable every-down running back, but who’s to say that approach trumps one where five or even six players on your roster have somewhere between 300 and 600 yards apiece?

That’s never happened in the Tressel era. (See stats below.) But as the offensive game plan continues to evolve this year, the head coach must believe it’s a path worth exploring.

LEADING RUSHERS BY SEASON

Here is a list of Ohio State’s leading rushers, by season, through the Tressel era so far. Listed are carries and net yards.

2008 – Chris Wells 207-1,197; Terrelle Pryor 139-631; Dan Herron 89-439; Maurice Wells 39-129; Brandon Saine 26-65.

2007 – Chris Wells 274-1,609; Maurice Wells 103-367; Brandon Saine 60-267; Todd Boeckman 56-63; Ray Small 4-49.

2006 – Antonio Pittman 242-1,233; Chris Wells 104-576; Troy Smith 72-128; Maurice Wells 46-171; Anthony Gonzalez 2-28.

2005 – Antonio Pittman 243-1,331; Troy Smith 136-611; Maurice Wells 61-199; Ted Ginn Jr. 12-83; Erik Haw 14-61.

2004 – Lydell Ross 117-475; Antonio Pittman 72-381; Troy Smith 82-339; Maurice Hall 52-216; Branden Joe 50-162.

2003 – Lydell Ross 193-826; Maurice Hall 97-316; Craig Krenzel 109-255; Branden Joe 27-99; Ira Guilford 28-64.

2002 – Maurice Clarett 222-1,237; Lydell Ross 166-619; Maurice Hall 78-370; Craig Krenzel 125-368; Chris Gamble 3-49.

2001 – Jonathan Wells 251-1,294; Lydell Ross 120-419; Sammy Maldonado 39-168; Steve Bellisari 83-107; Jamar Martin 22-86.

OSU-WISCONSIN TIDBITS

** This marks the 75th meeting of Ohio State and Wisconsin, and the Buckeyes hold a decidedly lopsided 52-17-5 record in the overall series, including 27-7-3 in Columbus. However, the Badgers have won three of their last four trips to Ohio Stadium and that has allowed them to close the overall gap in recent years. Since 1981, OSU has only a 13-10-1 advantage and the team have split their last eight games.

** Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel is in his ninth season with the Buckeyes. He has an 87-20 overall record, including 3-3 against Wisconsin. He is 54-12 in the Big Ten and 32-13 against ranked teams. The Badgers are ranked No. 25 in this week’s USA Today coaches’ poll.

** Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema is in his fourth season with the Badgers. He has a 33-11 overall record, including 0-2 against Ohio State. He is 17-9 in the Big Ten and 4-7 against ranked teams. That includes an 0-3 mark against teams ranked in the top 10. The Buckeyes are ranked No. 8 in this week’s coaches’ poll and No. 9 in the Associated Press writers’ poll.

** As it has been so many times in this series, the game will feature a classic matchup between the irresistible force and the immovable object. Wisconsin ranks first or second in the Big Ten in rushing, pass efficiency and scoring offense while Ohio State ranks first or second in each of those defensive categories.

** The Badgers have been able to achieve an almost unbelievable offensive balance over their first five games. They have 1,086 yards rushing and 1,080 yards through the air.

** In Tressel’s 107 games with the Buckeyes, opposing teams have totaled 175 or more yards on the ground only 11 times. Wisconsin has three of those 11 performances, including 179 last year. However, the Badgers weren’t so successful on the ground the last time they were in Columbus. Wisconsin netted only 12 yards rushing during a 38-17 loss in 2007, the team’s lowest total in the Bielema era.

** Wisconsin tailback John Clay, who leads the Big Ten and is fifth nationally with an average of 116.4 yards per game, will be trying to join an elite group on Saturday. Only 16 running backs have gained 100 or more yards in a game against the Buckeyes during the Tressel era – none so far this season and only three over Ohio State’s last 32 games. USC tailback Joe McKnight, who rushed for 105 yards in his team’s 35-3 win in 2008, was the last opponent to crack the century mark against the Buckeyes.

** Clay has a conference-leading 112 carries this season. Only five have gone for negative yardage.

** UW quarterback Scott Tolzien leads the Big Ten in pass efficiency and is completing 65.6 percent of his attempts so far this season. Tolzien has been especially lethal on third downs – he is 29 for 41 for 340 yards and three touchdowns on third down this year. On third and less than 10 yards to go, Tolzien has completed 23 of 29 pass attempts, and 21 of those 23 completions have gone for either a first down or touchdown.

** Ohio State has two shutouts this season, the most of any single season in the Tressel era so far. If the Buckeyes entertain any notions of getting a third whitewash of the year against the Badgers, they should know Wisconsin hasn’t been shut out since a 34-0 loss to Syracuse in the 1997 season opener. No Big Ten opponent has blanked the Badgers since Iowa posted a 31-0 win on Nov. 16, 1996.

** The Buckeyes haven’t been shut out since a 28-0 loss at Michigan in the 1993 regular-season finale. That represents a span of 195 games.

** Ohio State and Wisconsin are the most successful teams in the Big Ten since the beginning of the 2004 season. The Buckeyes are 55-13 (.809 winning percentage) during that span while the Badgers are 52-17 (.754). Wisconsin has also made seven straight bowl trips, and that is second in the conference only to OSU, which has gone bowling nine years in a row.

** Wisconsin has nine Ohio natives on its roster. Ohio State has no Wisconsin-born players.

** Last week’s win over Indiana was the 54th Big Ten win for Tressel and he moved into a tie for 17th place on the league’s all-time conference victories list with Ray Eliot of Illinois (1942-59). Tressel needs three more league wins to join a four-way tie at 57 wins with Bennie Bierman of Minnesota (1932-41, ’45-50), Fritz Crisler of Michigan (1938-47), Jack Mollenkopf of Purdue (1956-69) and Earle Bruce of Ohio State (1979-87).

** When freshman Zach Boren scored on an 8-yard touchdown pass last week against Indiana, he became only the third full-time fullback to cross the goal line in the Tressel era. In the 2007 season opener against Youngstown State, Trever Robinson scored on a 1-yard pass reception, and before that you have to all the way back to Tressel’s first game with the Buckeyes. Jamar Martin scored on a 10-yard pass from QB Steve Bellisari in the first quarter of a 28-14 win over Akron in the 2001 season opener.

** OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor had 222 yards of total offense against the Hoosiers and moved past the 3,000-yard mark for his young career, becoming the 21st player in school history to break the 3,000-yard barrier. Now with 3,094 yards, Pryor needs 49 more to move into 20th place all-time, currently occupied by Pepe Pearson (3,142, 1994-97). The OSU career leader in total offense is Art Schlichter (8,850, 1978-81).

** Kickoff for Saturday’s game will be shortly after 3:30 p.m. Eastern. ABC will broadcast the game on a regional basis with Sean McDonough handling play-by-play duties, Matt Millen providing color analysis and Holly Rowe reporting from the sidelines. The game will employ the reverse mirror, so if you don’t get the contest on your local ABC-affiliated station, it will be available on ESPN.

** The game is also available on Sirius satellite radio channel 127.

** The Buckeyes are back on the road next week to visit Purdue. Kickoff from West Lafayette is set for 12 noon Eastern, and the game will televised by the Big Ten Network.

THIS WEEK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY

** Sixty-six years ago today, an Indiana freshman quarterback celebrated a record-setting day. On Oct. 9, 1943, IU quarterback Bob Hoernschemeyer set an NCAA record for touchdown passes in a game by a freshman when he threw six as the Hoosiers took a 54-13 win over Nebraska in Bloomington.

** Also occurring during this week in college football history: On Oct. 5, 1991, Fresno State kicker Derek Mahoney tied the NCAA record for most PATs in a game when he went 13 for 13 as the Bulldogs rolled to a 94-17 win over New Mexico; on Oct. 7, 2000, No. 7 Miami (Fla.) upset top-ranked Florida State, 27-24, when Seminoles kicker Matt Munyon’s last-second field goal attempt from 49 yards sailed wide right; on Oct. 8, 1977, seventh-ranked Alabama squeezed out a 21-20 victory over No. 1 USC when the Trojans scored a touchdown with 38 seconds remaining but their subsequent two-point conversion try failed; and on Oct. 10, 1936, trumpet player John Brungart became the first member of the Ohio State Marching Band to dot the “i” in Script Ohio.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

** You probably know that Florida currently has the nation’s longest winning streak at the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Gators have won 14 in a row. Did you know which team currently owns the second-longest streak? That would be Iowa, which has won nine consecutive games.

** The weekly count of undefeated teams at the Division I-A level was whittled last week to 13. The list in alphabetical order: Alabama, Auburn, Boise State, Cincinnati, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, LSU, Missouri, South Florida, Texas, TCU and Wisconsin.

** Auburn head coach Gene Chizik has the Tigers off to a 5-0 start in his first season after posting only five victories total in two years at Iowa State. What’s the difference? Perhaps that Chizik hired Gus Malzahn away from Tulsa to be his offensive coordinator at Auburn. In five games this season, the Tigers have scored 207 points. They scored 208 all of last season.

** In addition to being undefeated, Wisconsin and Iowa are among the eight teams that are currently 5-0. This is old hat for the Badgers, who are 5-0 for the fifth time in the last eight seasons. On the flip side, the Hawkeyes are enjoying their first 5-0 start since 1995. The last time Iowa began a season with more than five victories was 1985 when the team started 7-0 on the way to the school’s last outright Big Ten championship.

**When Michigan State defeated Michigan last weekend, it gave Sparty his first back-to-back victories over the Wolverines since winning three in a row from 1965-67.

** I guess it’s never too early to make projections about bowl season. This week’s forecast, courtesy of CBSSports.com, has Florida and Texas on a collision course for the BCS National Championship Game, set for Jan. 8 in Pasadena. The other four BCS matchups – Oregon and Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, USC and Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, Alabama and Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl and Virginia Tech and Iowa in the Orange Bowl.

** With his team’s victory last weekend over Illinois, Penn State head coach Joe Paterno moved into a fifth-place tie on the all-time Big Ten conference win list. JoePa now has 81 league victories and that ties him with Lloyd Carr of Michigan (1995-2007). The top four coaches in terms of Big Ten victories are Woody Hayes of Ohio State (152, 1951-78), Bo Schembechler of Michigan (143, 1969-89), Amos Alonzo Stagg of Chicago (116, 1896-1932) and Hayden Fry of Iowa (98, 1979-98).

** A week ago today, Notre Dame unveiled a bronze sculpture of legendary Knute Rockne outside its stadium. The statue of Rockne, who was 105-12-5 with the Fighting Irish for an NCAA-record .881 winning percentage, shows the coach in his sweatshirt and baseball pants with his hands on his hips. Rockne is the fourth sculpture to be unveiled outside Notre Dame Stadium after Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian and Lou Holtz. Yes, you read that correctly. Notre Dame actually put up a statue of Lou Holtz before getting around to putting up one of Knute Rockne.

** ESPN.com has something it calls “The Heisman Predictor,” updated each week with standings based upon a formula that takes into account 11 different variables and awards points in a variety of ways. That may sound scientific until you realize you automatically get extra credit for playing quarterback at a BCS conference school. Anyway, this week’s standings have preseason favorites Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy in the top two spots followed Cincinnati quarterback Tony Pike, Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen, running back Ryan Williams of Virginia Tech and Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier.

** If your cable or dish provider carries CBS College Sports Network, and you like service academy football, Saturday is your day. The network will televise a service academy tripleheader tomorrow beginning with Vanderbilt at Army at 12 noon Eastern. That will be followed by Navy at Rice at 3:30 p.m., and wind up with TCU at Air Force at 7:30 p.m.

** Former Nebraska offensive lineman Aaron Taylor has revealed that he is bankrupt and will be auctioning off assets which include his 1994, 1995 and 1997 national championship rings as well as his 1997 Outland Trophy. The Oct. 31 auction was forced by the failure of the Husker-themed Scarlet and Cream Letter Club restaurant Taylor started in Omaha with other former players. Proceeds from the auction will help pay some of Taylor’s debts, estimated at more than $100,000, including $69,000 in federal and state taxes owed to the IRS.

** In case you missed it, former Muskingum College head coach and athletic director Ed Sherman died Sept. 29 at the age of 97. Sherman spent 22 years as head coach of the Muskies, capturing six Ohio Conference championships and compiling a 141-43-7 record from 1945 to 1966. When he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996, Sherman became the first Division III coach to be so honored.

FEARLESS FORECAST

Don’t know what it is about Houston. Last year, when we finally gave the Cougars some love, they lost. This year, same thing. We picked them to blow out a weak UTEP team and the Miners hung 58 on UH one week after it failed gain 58 total yards against Texas. Thankfully, that miss was not the norm and we finished with a 5-2 record. That moved us to 32-11 straight up for the season.

Against the spread, we didn’t do so well. After briefly popping our heads above water, we went 3-4 last week and are now a flat 16-16-1 ATS for the year.

Here are the games we like this week.

Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan: It’s homecoming for the Chippewas, who are seeking to go 5-1 for the first time since 1988. Although they are at the top of the MAC West standings and EMU is tied with Ball State at the bottom, these two teams usually wear out the scoreboard when they meet. In fact, Eastern has won the last two meetings – 48-45 in 2007 and 56-52 last season. I’m not sure those kinds of fireworks can be repeated, especially since the Eagles are struggling on offense. They rank 114th out of 120 Division I-A schools in total offense. On the other side, CMU still has quarterback Dan LeFevour, who is now the MAC’s all-time leader in total offense. He should be more than enough to keep the Chippewas rolling … Central Michigan 41, Eastern Michigan 24. (12 noon ET, ESPN 360)

Miami (Ohio) at Northwestern: There is a lot of synergy between these two schools not the least of which is the fact Ara Parseghian was head coach of both programs. Before gaining fame at Notre Dame, Parseghian followed Woody Hayes at Miami and compiled a 39-6-1 record from 1951-55. Then came eight seasons in Evanston from 1956-64 where he went 36-35-1 with the Wildcats. That may seem like a fairly pedestrian record, but Parseghian is the last Northwestern head coach to compile a winning record … at least until Pat Fitzgerald came along. Fitz is currently 22-20 with the Wildcats and he figures to better that mark this week against the winless RedHawks, who are 119th nationally in scoring defense and a dead-last 120th in scoring offense … Northwestern 34, Miami 10. (12 noon ET, BTN)

Eastern Illinois at No. 14 Penn State: What does it say about the Nittany Lions’ nonconference schedule that the I-AA Panthers are the best team on it? EIU is 4-1 this season, thanks in part to a pretty good offensive attack led by quarterback Jake Christensen (1,090 yards, 11 TDs). If that name sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the same Jake Christensen who was the starting QB at Iowa in 2007 before losing his job last year to Ricky Stanzi. It did seem that Penn State got itself untracked last week against Illinois, but we’re not sure how much of an indicator that is since the Fighting Illini seem to already be circling the drain. JoePa’s team still has some injury issues on defense, most notably linebacker Sean Lee’s continued knee problems, but the Lions – if they stay engaged – should have no problem with the Panthers … Penn State 31, Eastern Illinois 7. (12 noon ET, ESPN Classic)

Georgia at Tennessee: This game marks the first time since 1937 that these SEC rivals square off while neither is ranked by the AP or the coaches. Not that either of them seem to care. Fresh from a game against LSU that was all but taken from them by the officials for a ludicrous celebration penalty, the Bulldogs head to Rocky Top in a sour mood. That doesn’t exactly bode well for the Volunteers, who are 2-3 and trying to avoid their first back-to-back losing seasons in nearly a century. First-year Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin is getting his initial taste of the rivalry while UGA head coach Mark Richt is 5-3 against the Volunteers, and the Dawgs have won three of their last four overall at Neyland Stadium. Georgia has had a difficult time scoring points this season and that won’t change this week since UT has a pretty good defense. The home team is a slight favorite, but I have a feeling the Bulldogs get it done. Here is a mini-Upset Special … Georgia 17, Tennessee 14. (12 noon ET, SEC Network)

No. 3 Alabama at No. 20 Mississippi: There are a lot of college football observers who believe the Crimson Tide is the best team in the nation right now. They will get to prove it Saturday when they travel to Oxford. Bama appears to be the total package with a potent offense (40.0 points per game on average) and a punishing defense (14.4 points) that has smothered most of its opponents so far this season. That isn’t exactly music to the Rebels’ ears since one-time Heisman hopeful QB Jevan Snead has struggled lately. He has completed only 51.4 percent of his passes this season and pitched three interceptions last weekend in a 23-7 win at Vanderbilt. Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt usually has something up his sleeve – i.e. last year’s 31-30 upset of Florida in Gainesville – and that should at least keep things closer than some are forecasting. We don’t see an upset, though … Alabama 23, Mississippi 17. (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)

No. 13 Oregon at UCLA: The Ducks are suddenly the sexy pick in the Pac-10, but if Oregon is to avoid its annual swoon it will have to keep starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli healthy. Masoli banged up a knee during last week’s over Washington State and he is questionable for this week’s game. He ran for a career-high 170 yards in last year’s win over the Bruins, and it would be a decidedly different kind of Quack Attack if Masoli can’t go on Saturday. Even so, Oregon might be able to get by on defense. The Ducks completely shut down Cal and Heisman hopeful Jahvid Best two weeks ago, while UCLA has been struggling on offense. That is especially true when it comes to throwing the ball. The Bruins are last in the Pac-10 in passing … Oregon 24, UCLA 10. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC Regional/ESPN)

Colorado at No. 2 Texas: The Longhorns haven’t been tested all season, outscoring their four opponents by an average of 34.3 points. Coincidentally, the last four games in this series have each resulted in Texas wins by an average margin of 35.0 points. That is somewhat skewed by a 70-3 blowout of the Buffaloes in the 2005 Big 12 championship game. On the other hand, a similar stomp job is not totally out of the question this year. The Longhorns are the No. 1 team in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 49.5 points per game, while the Colorado defense has surrendered 28.0 points on average. That ranks 86th in the nation. Then when you consider the CU defense ranks 102nd or lower in every other major defensive category, you begin a smell a big-time rout … Texas 52, Colorado 7. (7:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)

No. 10 TCU at Air Force: The Horned Frogs are eager to prove their top-10 ranking is deserved and they face a major hurdle Saturday night in Colorado Springs. Not only will TCU will taking on a pretty good Air Force team, it will also have to battle the elements. The weatherman is calling for game-time temperatures in the low-20s, gusty winds and a rainy-icy mix of precipitation. That sounds like weather that favors the defense, and that’s where both teams excel. TCU is the nation’s No. 1 defense in terms of stopping the run which should make for some interesting moments since the Cadets feature the nation’s No. 2 rushing offense. But Air Force is also adept at stopping other teams – it is ninth nationally in scoring defense and No. 1 in turnover margin. The thing that sets the teams apart is the passing game. TCU has a big advantage there although it might be negated by the weather … TCU 24, Air Force 14. (7:30 p.m. ET, CBS College Sports)

No. 1 Florida at No. 4 LSU: With Tim Tebow’s status still uncertain until game time, it’s really anyone’s guess how this game will turn out. The Tigers have struggled mightily on offense all season, yet remain undefeated on the strength of a defense that allows only 14.8 points per game. There is also this little nugget – LSU has won 32 consecutive Saturday night games at Tiger Stadium. To win, however, you have to score and that has been difficult for any Florida opponent so far this year. The Gators are the nation’s No. 1 team in total defense and they’re No. 2 in scoring defense. Even so, their heart and soul plays on offense and they are a completely different team without Tebow. That nasty concussion he suffered was two weeks ago, and since the quarterback began practicing again on Tuesday, we expect Tebow to play. That makes the difference in what should be an entertaining battle of two heavyweights … Florida 16, LSU 7. (8 p.m. ET, CBS)

Michigan at No. 12 Iowa: As well as the Hawkeyes played while upsetting Penn State, they have been maddeningly inconsistent. That includes last week’s uninspired 24-21 win over Arkansas State in which the team nearly blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. Most of the inconsistency has come on the offensive side of the ball, however, as the defense ranks 10th nationally, surrendering only 13.4 points per game. Meanwhile, Michigan is coming off its first loss of the season, a 26-20 overtime defeat at the hands of instate rival Michigan State. Freshman QB Tate Forcier, who had engineered last-minute wins over Notre Dame and Indiana, rallied his team again last week with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes to get the game to OT. However, it was Forcier’s interception in overtime that cost the Wolverines the game. Was that a product of growing pains from a first-year starter playing his first road game or something more troublesome? We’ll see soon enough … Iowa 23, Michigan 14. (8 p.m. ET, ABC)

Wisconsin at No. 9 Ohio State: The game plan for the Buckeyes is pretty simple. Stop Wisconsin from running the ball and win the game. That’s easier said than done, of course, since the Badgers possess the Big Ten’s best rushing attack behind bruising tailback John Clay. Unfortunately for UW, their power pretty much begins and ends with Clay. Although he has some excellent numbers, quarterback Scott Tolzien is only slightly above average while the Badgers rank no higher than sixth in the conference in any of the major defensive categories. Look for the Buckeyes to hold Clay to about half his league average (163.0 yards per game) and keep their defensive roll going … Ohio State 31, Wisconsin 17. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC Regional/ESPN)

Here are the spreads for the above games: Eastern Michigan (+23) at Central Michigan; Miami (Ohio) at Northwestern (-19½); Georgia (+1½) at Tennessee; Alabama at Mississippi (+7); Oregon (-5) at UCLA; Colorado at Texas (-32); TCU (-9) at Air Force; Florida (-6) at LSU; Michigan at Iowa (-7½); Wisconsin (+16) at Ohio State.

You would probably like to know that the Buckeyes are 1-4 ATS in their last five home games against Wisconsin. Enjoy the games.

What One Week Of Big Ten Play Has Taught Us

Only one week into the Big Ten season and several conference teams have already distinguished themselves – both good and bad.

Penn State, which tied Ohio State for the league championship last season, is starting out behind the 8-ball after losing its conference opener at home to Iowa. Likewise for Michigan State, last year’s third-place team, who lost at Wisconsin and is 1-3 to start the season for the first time since 1998.

Michigan and Minnesota could be considered overachievers at this point, Illinois and Northwestern could be considered underachievers, and the remainder of the teams fit somewhere in between.

Here is a quick look at the Big Ten schools, in early conference standings order, and how they rank compared to preseason forecasts.

Iowa (1-0, 4-0) – The Hawkeyes weren’t exactly considered championship contenders since they lost running back Shonn Greene, last year’s Big Ten MVP, as well as defensive tackles Mitch King and Matt Kroul. So far, however, Kirk Ferentz’s team has found a way to win each week even though three of its four victories have come by 11 points or less.

Last week’s win over Penn State was an attention-getter, but considering the fact the Hawkeyes have owned the Nittany Lions in recent years makes one wonder if Iowa can truly build on that big upset. Going 5-0 shouldn’t be difficult with this week’s game against Arkansas State, but the Hawkeyes return to conference play Oct. 10 to begin a three-week stretch at home with Michigan and on the road at Wisconsin and Michigan State.

You would have to believe a team that ranks only eighth in the Big Ten in scoring offense and ninth in total offense will have to figure out a way to get more points on the board if it truly intends to make a serious play for the championship.

Michigan (1-0, 4-0) – Everyone figured the Wolverines would be better than last season. I’m not sure anyone outside Ann Arbor thought they would be undefeated at this point. Give props to Rich Rodriguez. He perfected a philosophy at West Virginia and has recruited players to Michigan who buy into that philosophy. The question remains how well that philosophy will work when the weather turns cold and bigger, stronger teams begin to pound on U-M’s undersized offensive line.

So far so good for freshman quarterback Tate Forcier, who has completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 671 yards and seven TDs against only two interceptions. He has also rushed for 127 yards, and that is second only to Terrelle Pryor of Ohio State among conference quarterbacks. The fact remains, however, that Forcier is still a freshman and has yet to play a road game. That ends beginning this week when the Wolverines head to East Lansing. Next week, they travel to Iowa City.

Additionally, if Michigan is going to continue to rack up wins, the defense must play better. The unit is ninth in the Big Ten in total defense and has surrendered yardage in chunks. Rodriguez has a pretty good thing going on offense, but how the Wolverines play on defense is what will ultimately separate them as contender or pretender.

Wisconsin (1-0, 4-0) – Not unpredictably, the Badgers have gotten things done so far with their running game. The team is second in the conference in rushing offense, averaging 197.8 yards per game. But Bret Bielema’s team has found that it can throw the football a little bit, too. First-year starter Scott Tolzien has thrown for 884 yards and eight touchdowns, and has led his team to an average of 428.0 yards and 36.0 points per game.

Defense? Well, that’s another story in Madison. For a team that excels so well running the ball, it’s perhaps a little bit of a mystery why the Badgers can’t seem to stop the run. They have allowed 145.8 yards per game to four opponents so far, a number that ranks next-to-last in the Big Ten and 73rd nationally in rushing defense. Those numbers are even more leaky when considering the fact UW’s first four opponents have combined for a 5-11 record.

The fun part of the season would appear to be over for Wisconsin, however. Over the next three weeks, the Badgers travel to Minnesota and Ohio State before hosting Iowa.

Minnesota (1-0, 3-1) – Are the Gophers truly overachievers or are they about where they should be? They scored a seven-point victory over Air Force – the only loss the Falcons have so far this season – and they played right with Cal when the Bears were a top-10 team. Last week, though, could have been a signal. After losing two straight games to Northwestern in the waning moments, Goldy finally got over the hump with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to overturn a 24-21 deficit.

Minnesota entered the 2009 season trying to retool its offense and breathe new life into a running game that finished dead last in the conference last year. So far, whatever Tim Brewster has tried hasn’t work. The Gophers remain last in the Big Ten in rushing and it’s really not even close. You have to wonder what happens when/if an opponent puts the clamps on senior wideout Eric Decker, who leads the league and is sixth nationally with 124.8 receiving yards per game.

Figure out a way to take Decker out of the equation and watch Minnesota struggle. Take his yardage away and the Gophers would be averaging just over 200 yards a game. Decker’s teammates are going to have pick things up, especially when back-to-back games at Penn State and Ohio State come around in mid-October.

Ohio State (1-0, 3-1) – Same old Buckeyes. A mini-scare against an early nonconference opponent, a loss to a top-five team and then some muscle flexing as the Big Ten season gets under way. Perhaps the only difference this season is the way the defense is playing. Ohio State has ridden the wave of an attacking defensive front to pitch consecutive shutouts against Toledo and Illinois – teams that have shown themselves to be pretty good offensively.

Not that the Buckeyes are not without question marks. The running game remains in flux as neither Boom Herron nor Brandon Saine have exactly distinguished themselves What does it say about them that Pryor is the leading rusher on the team? Still, the Herron-Saine combo has averaged 103.4 yards per game.

Likewise, Ohio State’s passing game seems a bit sparse. Dane Sanzenbacher and DeVier Posey have combined for 27 receptions – exactly one-half of the team’s total. No other wideout has more than five catches so far. Add in Pryor’s sometimes-maddening penchant for continued mental and physical mistakes and Buckeye fans may need to keep the Pepto-Bismol close at hand.

Purdue (0-0, 1-3) – The Boilermakers are like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get. Are they the team that gave Oregon all it wanted in Eugene before falling by only two points, or are they the team that lost to Northern Illinois, a MAC team that had a previous 1-32-1 record against the Big Ten? The Boilers are as hard to figure as head coach Danny Hope’s decision to call a defensive timeout right before Notre Dame scored the winning touchdown last week.

One thing you can figure on is Purdue to try and run up the score on every opponent. Sophomore tailback Ralph Bolden has been the league’s leading rusher all season, and his average of 122.0 yards per game is more than 20 better than anyone else. Meanwhile, first-year starting QB Joey Elliott has thrown for 963 yards and seven TDs this season.

What has kept the Boilermakers from achieving more this season is a porous defense that has allowed 421.5 yards and 30.2 points per game. Both figures are dead last in the Big Ten. Add in 11 giveaways (the most in the conference) and you have a recipe for disaster if those numbers don’t get better.

Indiana (0-1, 3-1) – Since the Hoosiers have had exactly one winning season since 1994, and haven’t won or shared a Big Ten title since 1967, it has been easy to dismiss the team’s good start. Another play or two going their way – not to mention that questionable simultaneous reception call – and IU could have claimed victory at Michigan and been undefeated.

The Hoosiers are a much-improved team, both on offense and on defense. Settling on Ben Chappell at quarterback has solidified what IU wants to do with its offensive attack, and a defense led by hard-charging defensive ends Jammie Kerlew and Greg Middleton have surprised some early opponents.

For all of their improvements, however, Bill Lynch’s team remains an unknown entity. With the exception of kickoff returns (first in the Big Ten) and rush defense (second), the Hoosiers are a middle-of-the-pack team in most categories. Given the lack of success in recent years for the program, however, Lynch would likely welcome a middle-of-the-pack finish in the standings.

Penn State (0-1, 3-1) – Sometimes we tend to dismiss Joe Paterno when he poor-mouths his team. In reality, when JoePa says he really doesn’t know how good his team is, he means it. No one knows how good – or how bad – the Nittany Lions are. When you put three creampuffs on your nonconference schedule, that’s how it’s likely to be.

Last week’s loss to Iowa exposed some possible problems moving forward. For example, the worst two games in quarterback Darryl Clark’s career have now come against Iowa. However, Clark has already pitched six interceptions this season after throwing only six all of last year. Meanwhile, running back Evan Royster’s production is down – way down – from a season ago when he averaged 95.1 yards per game and 6.5 yards per carry. This year, his averages are 76.2 yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry.

The Nittany Lions are probably good enough defensively to make up for a lot of offensive problems. They are No. 1 in the Big Ten in every defensive category so far. Still, with an offense that features Clark and Royster, you would assume the production gets better. Penn State will likely right the ship and get back on course to its Nov. 7 showdown with Ohio State in Happy Valley.

Northwestern (0-1, 2-2) – Time for a mea culpa. In the season preview issue of Buckeye Sports Bulletin, I picked the Wildcats as a dark horse title contender and actually had them playing in a BCS bowl. Then reality hit, the defense forgot to tackle and Northwestern is just trying to keep its hopes alive for any bowl game.

What happened? For starters, the defense has not played up to snuff and a rebuilt offense simply can’t be required to outscore the opposing team every week. The Wildcats are third in the conference in passing offense and second in scoring, but they’re also fifth in total defense and ninth in scoring defense. Turnovers have also been a problem – Northwestern already has 10 giveaways in four games.

On the bright side, dual-threat quarterback Mike Kafka is leading the Big Ten in passing and total offense. Conversely, teams are beginning to load up against Kafka as the Wildcats scramble to find offensive players who can take the burden off their quarterback. The upcoming schedule could help. Northwestern’s next three opponents are a combined 2-10 so far this season.

Illinois (0-1, 1-2) – Ron Zook may want to circle the wagons in Champaign. His team couldn’t have looked any more disjointed last week at Ohio State if it had been the first day of camp. His team’s Rose Bowl appearance in 2007 is beginning to look more and more like an aberration, and this year’s 1-2 start certainly isn’t helping.

Zook has long had the reputation of being an excellent recruiter who has difficulties coaching up the talent once it gets on campus. His record in three years at Florida was a pedestrian 23-14, but only two years after he left Gainesville, Urban Meyer guided a roster primarily made up of Zook recruits to the national championship. Now in his fifth season with the Illini, Zook has produced a record of 19-32. Throw out the Rose Bowl year and that mark plummets to 10-28, or a ghastly .263 winning percentage.

Zook’s contract calls for an annual salary of approximately $1.5 million and it runs through 2014, but he’s going to be awfully tough for university officials to defend if he doesn’t get his program turned around and turned around quickly.

Michigan State (0-1, 1-3) – They haven’t celebrated a Big Ten championship in East Lansing since 1990, but this was supposed to be Sparty’s year. Then came a fourth-quarter collapse in week two against Central Michigan and things have gone steadily downhill. Perhaps the most difficult part of the three consecutive losses is the fact the Spartans know they could have (and probably should have) won all three.

Head coach Mark Dantonio’s mission now is to get a win anyway he can and avoid the program’s first four-game skid since losing eight of the last nine in 2006. That got John L. Smith fired and Dantonio hired.

It’s not that Michigan State is devoid of talent. Kirk Cousins has done a creditable job in his first year as the starting quarterback, senior wideout Blair White is one of the most underrated receivers in the Big Ten, and linebacker Greg Jones is arguably the best defensive player in the conference. So, why aren’t they winning? Good question.

OSU-INDIANA TIDBITS

** Ohio State and Indiana will be meeting for the 83rd time on Saturday with the Buckeyes holding a lopsided 62-12-5 advantage in the series. That includes a 23-2-1 record in Bloomington, and OSU has won on each of its last seven trips to Memorial Stadium. Indiana defeated the Buckeyes by an 8-0 score in 1904 and then didn’t beat Ohio State in Bloomington again until a 41-7 pounding in 1988 … and the Hoosiers haven’t experienced a home win over OSU since.

** The Buckeyes are currently enjoying a 14-game winning streak in the overall series. You have to go back to a 27-27 tie in 1990 to find the last time Ohio State failed to come away with a victory over Indiana. The average margin of victory for the Buckeyes during their current win streak over the Hoosiers has been 22.7 points.

** Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel is a perfect 5-0 against the Hoosiers. The average margin of victory for the Buckeyes in those games has been 30.4 points.

** Indiana head coach Bill Lynch is in his third season with the Hoosiers and is playing the Buckeyes for the first time. He will be attempting to become only the second IU coach in the past 50 years to claim a victory over Ohio State. Bill Mallory, who coached the Hoosiers from 1984-96, claimed back-to-back wins over the Buckeyes in 1987 and ’88.

** Tressel has a 5-3 record in Big Ten road openers, including wins in each of the past three seasons. The Buckeyes haven’t lost a conference road opener since a 17-10 defeat at Penn State in 2005. All-time, Ohio State is 60-32-5 in conference road openers.

** The two teams haven’t met since the Buckeyes scored a 44-3 victory over the Hoosiers in 2006. OSU totaled 540 yards of offense – 270 rushing and 270 passing – as Heisman Trophy quarterback Troy Smith completed 15 of 21 passes for 220 yards and four touchdowns. Ted Ginn Jr. caught five passes for 72 yards and a touchdown for the Buckeyes, and he also threw for a 38-yard TD pass to tight end Rory Nicol.

** Indiana has 16 native Ohioans on its roster – six of which are projected to start against the Buckeyes – while Ohio State has only one player from Indiana. That is defensive tackle Dexter Larimore, who hails from Merrillville.

** Ohio State has won at least three of its first four games for the 19th consecutive season.

** IU redshirt freshman kicker Nick Freeland leads the Big Ten in scoring so far this season with 39 points. Last week, he matched a school single-game record with four field goals against Michigan. Freeland has become such an important  part of the offense this season that the Hoosiers have been able to convert 16 of their 18 trips into the red zone. Last year, when Indiana went 3-9, they finished dead last in the conference (and 117th of 119 Division I-A) teams in red-zone offense.

** OSU sophomore tailback Dan “Boom” Herron is currently first in the Big Ten in rushing touchdowns with five and tied for fourth in overall scoring with 30 points. A Buckeye hasn’t led the conference in either of those categories since 1995 when Eddie George rushed for 25 TDs and scored 152 points on his way to the Heisman Trophy.

** Another reason why Indiana has started 3-1 is improved play along the offensive line. The Hoosiers have given up only two sacks so far this season, and that not only ties them for the Big Ten lead with Wisconsin, it’s good enough for a tie for the national lead along with 11 other teams including Boise State, Auburn and Oklahoma.

** One problem the Hoosiers have had this season is with penalties. Through four games, they have been flagged more times (31) than any other team in the Big Ten. Conversely, Ohio State has been penalized only 21 times, and that’s tied for the third-lowest total among conference teams.

** Tressel is making a rapid rise up the ladder in terms of all-time Big Ten victories. Last week’s win over Illinois was the coach’s 53rd conference victory, tying him for 18th place with Joe Tiller of Purdue. Next up is Ray Eliot of Illinois (1942-59), who won 54 Big Ten games during his tenure. The legendary Woody Hayes is the career leader in conference victories with 152.

** Lynch is relatively new to the Big Ten, but he is currently in his 17th year as a head coach. He has a 94-83-3 career record with stops at Butler (his alma mater), Ball State and DePauw as well as Indiana.

** Memorial Stadium has been enclosed since the last time the Buckeyes played in Bloomington. The 138,000-square-foot Student-Athlete Development Center is situated in what used to be a vacant space past the north end zone. The two-year project was completed in July and features bowl seating with an outdoor club seating area that encloses the north end of the stadium.

** The Big Ten Network will televise the game with kickoff scheduled shortly after 7 p.m. Eastern. Craig Coshun will handle the play-by-play duties while former Minnesota head coach (and former OSU assistant and player) Glen Mason will provide color commentary. Rebecca Haarlow will report from the sidelines.

** The game is also available on Sirius satellite radio channel 126.

** The Buckeyes return to Ohio Stadium next to host Wisconsin. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. Eastern, and the game will televised by ABC and ESPN using the reverse mirror. That means most viewers will get the game on ABC while those outside what Disney determines to be the Big Ten viewing market will see the game on ESPN.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

** The 2009 Heisman Trophy would seem to be Colt McCoy’s to lose. With last year’s winner Sam Bradford still on the shelf with a shoulder injury, and the status of 2007 winner Tim Tebow up in the air after he suffered a nasty-looking concussion last weekend, McCoy is the only one of the preseason favorites left standing. The candidacies of three other contenders – Cal running back Jahvid Best, Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead and Miami (Fla.) quarterback Jacory Harris – took major hits last week.

** The 2009 season has reached the one-third mark and only 17 undefeated teams remain at the Football Bowl Subdivision (aka Division I-A) level. The alphabetical list of the unblemished: Alabama, Auburn, Boise State, Cincinnati, Florida, Houston, Iowa, Kansas, LSU, Michigan, Missouri, South Florida, Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, UCLA and Wisconsin.

** The much-maligned Big Ten is one of only three conferences to feature three or more 4-0 teams. The SEC and Big 12 each have four teams with 4-0 records.

** Congratulations to Cincinnati, which has reached its highest-ever ranking in the Associated Press poll. The Bearcats are No. 10 this week.

** Speaking of polls, the media-darling SEC holds down the Nos. 1, 3 and 4 spots in this week’s AP poll with Florida (first), Alabama (third) and LSU (fourth). That marks the first time any conference has held three of the top four spots since 1971 when Nebraska, Oklahoma and Colorado of the Big Eight were first, second and third.

** Nebraska reached a milestone last weekend with its 300th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium. The Cornhuskers have sold out every game in Lincoln since 1962, and their record during the streak is 261-39.

** With last week’s upset win at Penn State, Iowa is 4-0 for only the third time in head coach Kirk Ferentz’s 11 seasons. If the Hawkeyes can get past Sun Belt Conference member Arkansas State this week, they will have their first 5-0 start since 1995.

** It’s Paul Bunyan Week in the Big Ten. Michigan and Michigan State square off for the Paul Bunyan Trophy, a four-foot wooden statue of the mythical giant woodsman that has gone to the annual winner in the series since 1953. Meanwhile, Minnesota and Wisconsin will resume the longest rivalry in I-A history with Paul Bunyan’s Axe going to the victor. The Gophers and Badgers, who will mark the 119th renewal of their rivalry, first played one another in 1890 and have squared off every season since 1907. The two schools originally vied for the Slab of Bacon Trophy, which mysteriously disappeared in the 1940s. They started playing for the Bunyan Axe in 1948.

** While we’re on the subject of long rivalries, Cincinnati and Miami (Ohio) will meet this Saturday for the 114th time. The first meeting in the series was Dec. 8, 1888, and the first collegiate football game played in Ohio.

** Wisconsin kick returner David Gilreath needs only five more yards to become the sixth Big Ten player ever to record 2,000 or more career kickoff return yards. The all-time conference leader is Derrick Mason of Michigan State (1993-96), who returned kickoffs for 2,575 yards during his career.

** Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin is making the most of his first shot of directing a program after 20 years as an assistant. Sumlin, one of only a handful of African-American head coaches at Division I-A, posted an 8-5 record last year in his rookie season and has the Cougars off to a 3-0 record this year. If Sumlin’s name sounds familiar to longtime Big Ten fans, it’s because he was a three-year starter at inside linebacker for Purdue from 1984-86. His head coach with the Boilermakers was Leon Burtnett, who is now in charge of linebackers on Sumlin’s staff at Houston.

** Former Illinois offensive coordinator Mike Locksley is finding life as the lead dog comes with its own kind of pressure. Locksley was hired as head coach at New Mexico in the offseason and the Lobos are off to a 0-4 start. Things have gotten so bad that Locksley recently grabbed receivers coach J.B. Gerald by the collar and then punched him, giving the assistant a bloody lip. Gerald told police he didn’t want to file charges, but Locksley was officially reprimanded by New Mexico athletic director Paul Krebs. (Krebs served several years as an assistant athletic director at Ohio State.) Locksley has been in hot water almost from the time he arrived in Albuquerque. He was accused of sexual harassment, age discrimination and retaliation in an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint filed last spring by a former football administrative assistant. That case is still pending.

** A couple of streaks in the lower divisions of NCAA football are worth mentioning. NAIA member Saint Francis (Ind.) extended its home winning streak to 54 games with last week’s 28-7 victory over Marian (Ind.). At the other end of the spectrum, Division I-AA Indiana State dropped a 28-0 decision at home to Youngstown State last week. That extended the Sycamores’ losing streak to 31 in a row.

FEARLESS FORECAST

Last week was one to savor. The Upset Special was good as gold as Iowa knocked off Penn State, and the Hawkeyes finished off a perfect 7-0 week in the straight-up picks. We also finished a season-best 5-2 against the spread, moving the yearly totals to 19-7 SU and 13-12-1 ATS.

Let’s see if we can keep the hot streak going.

No. 22 Michigan at Michigan State: In rivalry games such as these, we are always taught that records should be thrown out the window. I think that is never more true with this year and these teams. As far as I’m concerned, the Wolverines have been doing it with mirrors. Four straight home games have helped, not to mention fortuitous bounces against Notre Dame and Indiana. We are going to get to see how good freshman quarterback Tate Forcier really is as he makes the first road start of his career. On the other sideline is a team much too talented to be 1-3. However, we have seen this act in prior coaching regimes in East Lansing. Unless Mark Dantonio wants to go the way of Bobby Williams and John L. Smith, he’d better get his team untracked sooner as opposed to later. A victory this week would heal a lot of wounds … Michigan State 34, Michigan 31. (12 noon ET, BTN)

No. 3 Alabama at Kentucky: With all of the love the SEC gets for its high-octane offenses, it’s nice to know someone in that conference still stresses defense. Nick Saban’s Tide ranks second nationally in total defense and allows an average of only 47.3 yards per game on the ground. The unit took a hit last week with a season-ending knee injury to linebacker Dont’a Hightower, but even with their leading pass rusher Bama should have enough to stop the Wildcats. Led by quarterback Mike Hartline (former OSU receiver Brian Hartline’s younger brother), Kentucky ranks next-to-last in the SEC in total offense and is coming off a 41-7 home loss to Florida during which it generated only 179 yards. The Wildcats usually keep things close against the Crimson Tide, but close generally isn’t good enough. Bama holds a 34-2-1 edge in the overall series … Alabama 34, Kentucky 7. (12:20 p.m. ET, ESPN 360)

No. 10 Cincinnati at Miami (Ohio): The Bearcats are getting a lot of ink this season and deservedly so. Quarterback Tony Pike is currently third in the nation in passing yardage and tied for second with 11 touchdown passes. He will likely pad his stats this week against the winless RedHawks, who rank 119th out of 120 Division I-A schools in scoring defense. Even if Pike should somehow struggle, however, UC should still be OK. Miami ranks dead last at No. 120 in scoring offense. Bearcats head coach Brian Kelly can pretty much name his own score. Here’s mine … Cincinnati 48, Miami 0. (1 p.m. ET, ESPN 360)

No. 15 Penn State at Illinois: The Fighting Illini are in desperate need of a victory and they draw the unfortunate task of trying to get one against a Nittany Lion team scratched raw from last week’s loss to Iowa. We still don’t really know how good Penn State is this season, and this is the team’s first road test of the season. There have been a couple of notable injuries on the defensive side of the ball for the Lions, but they doesn’t explain the inconsistent play of veteran quarterback Daryll Clark and running back Evan Royster. If they don’t get untracked, Penn State is going to continue to struggle. Still, the Illinois team that played Ohio State last week looked like a listless bunch that had little interest in playing a football game. At least the Nittany Lions still appear to be hungry … Penn State 31, Illinois 14. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC Regional/ESPN)

No. 4 LSU at No. 18 Georgia: While I was looking up stats for some of the other teams in the SEC, I discovered that LSU is dead last in the conference in total offense. Of course, the Tigers could get well this week since the Bulldogs are next-to-last in total defense. Helping make up for their relative lack of defense has been the play of quarterback Joe Cox and sophomore receiver A.J. Green, who leads the SEC with 25 catches for 428 yards and four TDs. You might be tempted to take the Tigers, who have the better defense. But UGA has practically owned SEC West opponents since Mark Richt arrived in Athens. Therefore … Georgia 24, LSU 20. (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)

No. 12 Houston at UTEP: The Cougars are quickly grabbing a lot of attention this season. Think of how much more they could grab if their games were televised, especially this one which figures to be a shootout. These two teams have combined for 144 points in their last two meetings, both Houston victories that have been decided by less than a touchdown. The Miners have the home edge in this series, and the Cougars should be on upset alert if they don’t have their heads in the game. But you would think QB Case Keenum (1,160 yards and eight TD passes already) and the nation’s No. 2 offensive team would be enough against a UTEP defense that ranks 109th nationally … Houston 41, UTEP 17. (9:05 p.m. ET, No TV)

No. 9 Ohio State at Indiana: Almost no one is giving the Hoosiers any chance in this game, and that seems reasonable since OSU is working on a 14-game winning streak in the series. But those of you who have been paying attention know this is no ordinary Indiana team. The defense is playing better and the offense can put some points on the board. That said, the Buckeyes are clearly the more talented team. If they can continue the momentum on defense that has carried them the last couple of weeks, the final score should be comfortable enough. Can they record a third straight shutout? Possible but unlikely … Ohio State 34, Indiana 10. (7 p.m. ET, BTN)

Here are the spreads for the above games: Michigan (+3½) at Michigan State; Alabama (-15) at Kentucky; Cincinnati (-28½) at Miami (Ohio); Penn State (-6½) at Illinois; LSU at Georgia (-2½); Houston (-14½) at UTEP; Ohio State (-17½) at Indiana.

I guess you would want to know that the Buckeyes are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against the Hoosiers while Indiana is 1-4 ATS in its last five home games against Ohio State. Enjoy the games.

Big Ten Zebras Simply Need To Do A Better Job

Consider this my semi-regular screed on Big Ten officiating on the day before Illinois running back Daniel Dufrene makes his return to Ohio Stadium.

You remember Dufrene, don’t you? He’s the guy who took a simple draw play and ran 80 yards against Ohio State on the Fighting Illini’s second offensive play in 2007. On the next play, Illinois scored a touchdown and went on to upset the top-ranked Buckeyes, 28-21.

Of course, Dufrene clearly lost control of the football when OSU cornerback Donald Washington pushed him from behind, but the officiating crew headed by referee Stephen Pamon made no fumble call. Members of the Ohio State defense protested to no avail and the play was never reviewed.

Pamon and his crew made other questionable calls in 2007 and were even suspended for the final week of that season. Additionally, the Big Ten came under scrutiny for even allowing Pamon to don the zebra stripes … but I digress.

I was under the impression that every play in a Big Ten game was under review and the game was stopped while any questionable call was scrutinized by replay officials. Evidently, I was under a false impression. If an important play such as that one is not subject to review, then I’m not sure why you have replay at all.

In the aftermath of the loss, some fans blamed Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel for not calling timeout at that point and asking for a review but that was ludicrous. Not only did the play occur on the far sideline, college assistants do not have access to television monitors in the press box – and even if they did, by the time ABC replayed the fumble, it would have been too late to ask for a review.

I am not suggesting for one second that the no-call on that play cost Ohio State the victory. My argument is that the replay system was initially installed so that officials could get calls right. In this case, they got it wrong and that was and still is unforgivable.

We always hear about how the officials are only human and mistakes are sometimes made. It just seems that mistakes are made at an alarmingly high rate in the Big Ten. The latest cases in point have come during the early part of this season.

Last week, Purdue offensive guard Zach Reckman was caught by television cameras putting a late hit on an opponent. Northern Illinois defender Sean Progar recovered a Purdue fumble at the end of last week’s game and slid along the turf to preserve his team’s 28-21 upset of the Boilermakers. Reckman dropped a forearm on Progar as he lay prone on the ground, after which Progar’s teammate Alex Kube pushed Rechman off.

Cooler heads prevailed and the situation did not escalate. I know it was the end of the game, but why were there no penalty flags thrown? The Big Ten office obviously thought something should have been done since it suspended Reckman for this Saturday’s game against Notre Dame.

That’s not the first time the conference office has doled out a suspension despite no infraction being called on the field. The Big Ten suspended Michigan linebacker Jonas Mouton for one game after he punched a Notre Dame player during the Sept. 12 contest between the Wolverines and Fighting Irish.

Television replays show, midway through the second quarter of that game, that Mouton took a swing at Notre Dame offensive lineman Eric Olsen as they got up from a pile. Later, when the conference announced the suspension, Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez said he never saw the punch and figured that an official would have called any infraction. That is probably the first time I have agreed with Rodriguez.

I realize that officials are not going to see every minute detail that happens on the field of play although that is supposed to be their job. But missing obvious fumbles and failing to see opposing players punch one another? That is simply unforgivable.

ELITE COMPANY

Dufrene’s long run against Ohio State in 2007 allowed him to join some elite company. He finished that game with 106 yards rushing, making him one of only 16 opponents to crack the century mark against the Buckeyes during the Tressel era.

The Buckeyes are 8-8 under Tressel when an opposing player rushes for 100 or more yards.

Anthony Davis of Wisconsin is the only player on the list to accomplish the feat more than once and he did it three times, rushing for 103 in 2001, 144 in 2002 and 168 in 2004. The Badgers beat Ohio State in ’01 and ’04, and lost a narrow 19-14 decision in ’02. (Davis was injured and did not play against the Buckeyes in 2003. His replacement, Booker Stanley, ran for 125 that year in a 17-10 win for Wisconsin.)

Garrett Wolfe on Northern Illinois holds the mark for most rushing yards by an OSU opponent in the Tressel era. Wolfe rolled up 171 yards in 2006, but his Huskies fell to the Buckeyes by a 35-12 score.

The most recent opponent to crack the century mark against the Buckeyes was USC tailback Joe McKnight, who had 105 yards in last year’s 35-3 win by the Trojans.

OSU-ILLINOIS TIDBITS

** Ohio State and Illinois will meet Saturday for the 96th time and the Buckeyes hold a 61-30-4 advantage in the series. OSU holds a 26-18-4 edge in Columbus although the Illini have won three of the four times they have been to Ohio Stadium, including a 28-21 upset of the top-ranked Buckeyes in 2007.

** Between 1988 and 1992, the teams met five times and Illinois won them all. In the 15 games since, the Buckeyes are 12-3 with all three losses coming in Columbus.

** The game will mark the Big Ten opener for both teams. Ohio State has a 69-23-4 record all-time in conference openers. Illinois is 46-60-7 all-time in league openers and has lost 12 of its last 13.

** Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel will mark his 300th game as a college head coach on Saturday. His career record is 220-77-2, good for a .739 winning percentage. Tressel was 135-57-2 (.701) in 15 seasons at Youngstown State and is currently 85-20 (.810) in eight-plus seasons with the Buckeyes

** Tressel is 4-2 against Illinois while Fighting Illini head coach Ron Zook is 1-3 vs. the Buckeyes.

** Tressel is 7-1 in Big Ten openers, with the only a 33-27 overtime defeat at Northwestern in 2004. The Buckeyes’ average margin of victory in the other seven games has been 24.6 points. Zook is 1-3 in his previous conference openers. The lone victory came in 2007 when the Illini took a 27-14 win at Indiana.

** Zook was defensive backs coach on John Cooper’s staff at Ohio State from 1988-90. Although those weren’t exactly the glory years, the Buckeyes were 3-0 against the Illini during that stretch.

** Zook’s career mark as a head coach is only 42-45 but he can boast one accomplishment most of his Big Ten counterparts cannot. Zook has coached his team to victories at Ohio Stadium and Michigan Stadium, and Joe Paterno of Penn State is the only other Big Ten head coach who can claim that feat.

** The Illini have faced a ranked OSU team on 36 occasions since 1942, and the Buckeyes have won 25 of those contests. In the Zook era, Illinois has a 3-12 record against ranked teams. Ohio State is 32-13 against ranked competition under Tressel.

** The Buckeyes and Illini vie for one of the more uncommon trophies in college football. Illibuck is a wooden turtle that goes to the winner of the game each year. The tradition began in 1925 with a live turtle being exchanged between the two schools. The turtle was selected because of its supposed long life expectancy. Unfortunately, the original Illibuck died only two years after the trophy game was inaugurated. Since 1927, nine wooden replica Illibucks have been carved, each with the scores from games on its back. The Illibuck is the second oldest trophy game in the Big Ten, surpassed only by the Little Brown Jug. Minnesota and Michigan have been vying for the Jug since 1903.

** Since 2006, Ohio State has held 42 opponents under 21 points. That is the best mark in Division I-A over that span, one better than Virginia Tech and three better than TCU. The Buckeyes are 39-3 in those games.

** The Illini offense enters the game ranked second in the Big Ten and 13th in the nation in rushing, averaging 247.0 per game. Ohio State enters the game having allowed only an average of 105.7 yards per contest to Navy, USC and Toledo.

** Sophomore quarterback Terrelle Pryor has played in only 15 games so far as a Buckeye, but he already has six with 200 or more total yards. Last week’s total of 372 against Toledo was the fifth highest single-game total in school history. Art Schlichter has held that record since 1981 when he totaled 412 during a 36-27 loss to Florida State. The OSU career mark for most games with 200 or more total yards is 19, held by Troy Smith (2003-06).

** Illinois senior quarterback Juice Williams needs only 171 yards of total offense against the Buckeyes to become his school’s all-time leader in that category. He needs 1,290 more to become only the sixth player in Big Ten history to amass 10,000 or more total yards in a career. The other conference players with that many total yards: Drew Brees of Purdue (12,692, 1997-2000), Brett Basanez of Northwestern (11,576, 2002-05), Curtis Painter of Purdue (11,511, 2005-08), Antwaan Randle El of Indiana (11,364, 1998-2001) and Chuck Long of Iowa (10,254, 1981-85).

** ABC and ESPN will telecast the OSU-Illinois using the reverse mirror method. ABC will show the game on a regional basis through most of Big Ten country, and the game will be available elsewhere on ESPN. Veteran play-by-play Ron Franklin and color analyst Ed Cunningham will have the call.

** The game is also available on Sirius satellite radio channel 123.

** Tressel and Zook will each wear patches on the sidelines in connection with the Coach to Cure MD project. College football fans around the nation on Saturday will be asked to donate to research projects supported by Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, the largest nonprofit organization in the U.S. focused entirely on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

** Next week’s game against Indiana will be the second and final prime-time affair of the year for the Buckeyes. Kickoff is scheduled in Bloomington at shortly after 7 p.m. Eastern, and the game will be telecast on the Big Ten Network.

THIS WEEK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY

** Sixty-one years ago today, Michigan head coach Bennie Oosterbaan started his coaching career better than anyone before him. On Sept. 25, 1948, the Wolverines took a 13-7 win over Michigan State in East Lansing, giving Oosterbaan his first victory in his first game as head coach. Michigan went on to finish the 1948 season with a perfect 9-0 record, marking the first time in college football history a head coach had achieved an undefeated season in his first year on the job. The feat has since been duplicated four times, most recently by Larry Coker of Miami (Fla.) in 2001.

** Also occurring during this week in college football history: On Sept. 22, 1956, Notre Dame lost for the first time ever in September when unranked SMU scored a 19-13 upset in Dallas over the third-ranked Fighting Irish; on Sept. 23, 1972, Purdue quarterback Gary Danielson ran for a career-high 213 yards but it wasn’t enough as 15th-ranked Washington erased a 21-0 halftime deficit and beat the Boilermakers, 22-21, in West Lafayette; on Sept. 26, 1992, Hawaii kicker Jason Elam hit three field goals, including a 56-yarder, to help the Warriors to a 36-32 win in Honolulu over BYU; and on Sept. 27, 1986, second-ranked Miami (Fla.) rolled to a 28-16 win over defending national champion and top-ranked Oklahoma. Three future College Hall of Famers were on the Orange Bowl sidelines that day – Miami safety Bennie Blades, Oklahoma tight end Keith Jackson and Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer – but the afternoon belonged to eventual Heisman Trophy winner Vinny Testaverde. The Miami QB threw for 261 yards and four touchdowns against the Sooners.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

** The Big Ten kicks off its 114th season on Saturday with 10 of the 11 member teams opening conference play. (Purdue is odd man out; the Boilermakers host Notre Dame on Saturday night.) Parity has reigned over the Big Ten during the new millennium with seven teams winning or sharing the championship since 2000. See if you can guess the four teams that have not won or shared at least one Big Ten championship since 2000. The answer comes later.

** By going after his fifth consecutive Big Ten championship and sixth overall in nine seasons, Tressel is trying to join some elite company. The legendary Woody Hayes is the only head coach in league history to win at least five straight titles, and he holds the record with six in a row at Ohio State from 1972-77. Additionally, Tressel can join Bo Schembechler and Bernie Bierman as the only conference coaches ever to take home at least six league trophies in their first nine seasons on campus. Schembechler won seven in his first nine years at Michigan from 1969-77 and Bierman won six during his first nine seasons at Minnesota from 1932-40.

** Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka had himself quite a game last Saturday at Syracuse. Kafka opened the game by completing a school-record 16 consecutive pass attempts, and accounted for five touchdowns as the Wildcats lost a wild 37-34 decision to the Orange. In addition to throwing for a career-best 390 yards and three touchdowns, Kafka also ran for a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass. He became the first Big Ten player to score passing, running and receiving in the same game since Penn State quarterback Zack Mills in 2004.

** Head-scratching stat of the week: His team’s loss to Washington last weekend gave USC head coach Pete Carroll a fifth defeat against unranked competition in his last 89 games. Carroll has lost only twice to ranked teams in 32 tries over that same span.

** Washington became the fourth team in the last half-century to break into the Associated Press national rankings the year after it experienced a winless season. The others: South Carolina in 2000, Florida in 1980 and Northwestern in 1958. Of those three, only South Carolina was ranked at the end of the season. The Gamecocks finished No. 19 in the final 2000 AP poll.

** Congratulations to North Carolina State quarterback Russell Wilson, who has established a new NCAA record for most consecutive pass attempts without an interception. Wilson’s new record is 329 – and counting – and hasn’t thrown an interception since Sept. 13 of last season during a 27-9 loss to Clemson. That pick was the only interception so far for the Wolfpack junior in 355 career attempts.

** The losses by Utah and BYU last Saturday temporarily derailed the Mountain West’s argument for being included in the BCS. Meanwhile, Utah’s loss to Oregon also ended the nation’s longest Division I-A winning streak at 16. Florida now owns the longest win streak at the I-A level. The Gators have won 13 games in a row.

** It has been a slow climb for Nebraska in its attempt to return to glory. Last week’s 16-15 loss at No. 14 Virginia Tech was the Cornhuskers’ 21st defeat in their last 22 games against teams ranked in the top 20.

** Here is the answer to our Big Ten championship trivia question: Wisconsin, Michigan State, Minnesota and Indiana have failed to win or share a league title since 2000. The Badgers won their most recent championship in 1999, their third over a seven-year span. The Spartans last won the crown in 1990 when they shared a four-way tie with Michigan, Iowa and Illinois. Meanwhile, the Gophers and Hoosiers haven’t won a Big Ten championship since 1967 when they shared the title with Purdue.

** The College Football Hall of Fame is on the move again. Situated in South Bend, Ind., since 1995, the Hall of Fame will move to Atlanta in 2012 in the hopes of drawing more visitors. The hall moved to South Bend from the Kings Island amusement park near Cincinnati primarily to take advantage of its proximity to Notre Dame. Supporters predicted it would attract more than 150,000 visitors a year, but it drew only about 115,000 people the first year and about 60,000 annually since. The National Football Foundation notified the city of South Bend in a letter Tuesday that it is terminating its agreement with the city when its current lease ends on Dec. 31, 2010. South Bend Mayor Stephen Luecke indicated his city could close the facility before the end of 2010. He added that he was told the facility in Atlanta probably won’t be ready until 2012.

** The nominees list for the 2010 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class includes 18 players already enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. They are Cornelius Bennett (Alabama); Tim Brown (Notre Dame); Jimbo Covert (Pittsburgh); Ray Guy (Southern Mississippi); Steve McMichael (Texas); Sam Mills (Montclair State, N.J.); Jim Plunkett (Stanford); John Randle (Texas A&M- Kingsville); Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State); George Rogers (South Carolina); Donnie Shell (South Carolina State); Emmitt Smith (Florida); Chris Spielman (Ohio State); Pat Swilling (Georgia Tech); Joe Theismann (Notre Dame); Herschel Walker (Georgia); Danny White (Arizona State) and Doug Williams (Grambling).

FEARLESS FORECAST

The forecast isn’t exactly purring along in midseason form. We would have had a better week had Michigan State been able to hold on in the Upset Special against Notre Dame, and if we’d had to courage to actually pick Washington over USC rather than just talking about it.

As it was, the picks were 8-4 straight up and only 5-6-1 against the spread. That gives us a yearly total of 12-7 SU for the year and 8-10-1 ATS. Once again, we’ll try to do better.

Fresno State at No. 14 Cincinnati: The Bearcats are gaining a lot of attention this year, especially for playing a tough nonconference schedule that has already netted victories at Rutgers and Oregon State. The young defense remains a bit of a question mark, however, but UC can answer that one this week as it goes against Fresno State and its powerful running attack. Tailback Ryan Mathews is the nation’s leading rusher, and he totaled 234 last week against Boise State. The question is whether or not the Bulldogs can slow down Cincinnati QB Tony Pike, who has already thrown for 923 yards and eight TDs, and favorite target Mardy Gilyard, who has 23 catches for 265 yards and four touchdowns … Cincinnati 34, Fresno State 24. (12 noon ET, ESPN GamePlan)

Indiana at No. 23 Michigan: Everyone who predicted these teams to be undefeated at this point, please raise your hands. Maybe Rich Rodriguez really does have the Wolverines back on track after last year’s woeful start. Freshman quarterback Tate Forcier has gotten his share of early ink, but it’s the rejuvenated running game that has fueled U-M so far. Tailback Carlos Brown had a breakout game last week with 187 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries against Eastern Michigan, and the Wolverines are averaging 270.7 yards per game on the ground. That should make for an interesting matchup since the Hoosiers are 15th nationally against the run, surrendering an average of only 76.0 yards per game. Many assume Michigan will win this game, mostly because it hasn’t lost to Indiana in Ann Arbor in 42 years. I favor the Wolverines, too, but don’t go to sleep on the Hoosiers. This could be a lot closer than most people think … Michigan 27, Indiana 24. (12 noon ET, ESPN2)

No. 8 Boise State at Bowling Green: With Utah and BYU going down last week, it’s up to Boise State to continue to carry the BCS-busting flag. And with all due respect to our BG friends, the Broncos shouldn’t have any trouble this week. Yes, it’s a road game far from home for Boise, yes, the Falcons would seem to be better than their 1-2 record might indicate, and yes, BG gave the Broncos all they could handle last year on the Smurf Turf before falling by a 20-7 score. Boise State should be able to stuff Bowling Green’s run game – like everyone else so far this year – and create some turnovers in the passing game … Boise State 37, Bowling Green 13  (7 p.m. ET, ESPN GamePlan)

Ball State at Auburn: If you wonder what happened to the Cardinals – last year’s MAC runners-up – the cold, hard truth is there wasn’t much left over after head coach Brady Hoke and quarterback Nate Davis left. It doesn’t help that Stan Parrish was named Hoke’s successor. Parrish’s first stint as a head coach came in the early 1980s at Kansas State where he posted an 0-26-1 record with the Wildcats before being replaced by Bill Snyder. With four more losses in as many games with the Cardinals – he took over for the team’s 45-13 GMAC Bowl loss to Tulsa – a Parrish-coached team is now winless in its last 31 games. And now it gets to face an undefeated SEC team on the road … Auburn 38, Ball State 10. (7 p.m. ET, ESPN GamePlan)

Notre Dame at Purdue: I’m going to confess that I’ve given up trying to figure out the Irish. They should have won at Michigan and lost, and they should have lost last week against Michigan State and somehow found a way to win. Of course, it’s not that easy to pin down the Boilermakers, either. They pounded on Toledo in the opener and played right with Oregon on the road before an inexplicable home loss to Northern Illinois. Notre Dame is banged up on offense – QB Jimmy Claussen has turf toe and top WR Michael Floyd is gone for the year with a broken collarbone – but Purdue has been struggling on defense. The Boilers are dead last in the Big Ten in scoring and total defense, meaning that if Claussen can walk at all, he’ll probably enough for the Irish … Notre Dame 35, Purdue 27. (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Iowa at No. 5 Penn State: Anyone other than me underwhelmed by the Nittany Lions so far? Although it has three victories by an average margin of 23.3 points, Penn State has looked almost disinterested against opponents that are a combined 2-6 so far this season. JoePa’s team says that’s going to change starting this week, but it’s often difficult to try and simply throw the switch on emotion. While the Lions have been underachieving, the Hawkeyes seem a little more battle-tested. The last two weeks have produced a big win over instate rival Iowa State and a 10-point decision last week over Arizona. Add that to the fact that Kirk Ferentz evidently has Paterno’s number – Iowa has won six of the last seven in the series – and you have the recipe for an Upset Special … Iowa 23, Penn State 20. (8 p.m. ET, ABC)

Illinois at No. 13 Ohio State: Look for the Fighting Illini to get their share of yards on the ground. But I just think Williams remains too mistake-prone, especially for a senior, and the Illinois defense is still suspect. Pryor ran for 110 yards in last year’s game in Champaign and I look for more of the same this year in Columbus … Ohio State 27, Illinois 20. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC Regional)

Here are the spreads for the above games: Boise State (-16½) at Bowling Green; Fresno State (+16) at Cincinnati; Indiana (+20½) at Michigan; Ball State (+33) at Auburn; Notre Dame (-7) at Purdue; Iowa (+10) at Penn State; Illinois (+14) at Ohio State.

You might like to know OSU is only 1-4 ATS in its past five home games against Illinois and that the Illini are 6-2 ATS in their last eight overall against the Buckeyes.

Focusing On Folly Of Fickle Fans

You may think Jim Tressel apologized yesterday for comments he made Tuesday about Ohio State fans.

Think again.

In case you need to be reminded, during his weekly press luncheon, Tressel mentioned some of the nasty comments and e-mails he had fielded in the wake of last Saturday night’s loss to USC. Of his poison pen pals, the coach said, “They’ve got to be some of the most unhappy people in the world, and I feel bad because we just made them less happy. I hate to be a part of making someone less happy. I mean, they’re already miserable.”

I don’t believe for a second the coach was talking about all Ohio State fans. Just the dim bulbs who think it’s OK to challenge Tressel’s coaching acumen, his approach to his chosen profession and probably even his manhood behind the anonymity of electronic mail.

Yesterday, the coach was asked about his Tuesday comments, and his reply was, “My dad taught me a long time ago, you’ll have a thousand chances to keep your mouth shut. Use every one of them.”

Later he added, “No one could have better fans than we do, and if anyone was half as miserable as we were on Sunday (and) Monday, I could understand them being miserable.”

A tinge of regret for what he said on Tuesday? Perhaps. An apology? I hope not because Tressel has nothing for which to apologize.

The truth is that a slice – thankfully a very small one – of the Ohio State fan base is radically fanatical, but that didn’t begin with Tressel.

Wes Fesler was a three-time All-American with the Buckeyes in the late 1920s and early 1930s, a conquering hero on the football field who was eventually enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. But when he returned as head coach of the team in 1947, the pressure from fans and alumni to win became so great that Fesler quit after only four seasons.

There were several times during Woody Hayes’ tenure when the seat under him got especially warm. That was never more true than the spring and summer months between the 1953 and ’54 seasons. In his first three years with the Buckeyes, Hayes compiled a 16-9-2 record and his team hadn’t finished higher than third in the Big Ten. A serious movement was afoot to get rid of Hayes before the 1954 season, a movement abated only by Ohio State athletic director Richard Larkins pledging to give the coach one more season to prove himself. The Buckeyes went on to win the national championship in 1954 and Hayes became a coaching legend. Imagine, however, what the Ohio State football program might look like today had the impatient critics gotten their way.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. The whispering campaign questioning Tressel and his program that began following the BCS title game loss to Florida has been ratcheted up a few decibels. And things are getting nasty. Tressel would never share what is contained in the e-mails he receivers, but it doesn’t take too much imagination to figure it out. I get e-mails, too, and I can guarantee you that there is a definite slice of the Buckeye Nation who could only be described as miserable. Their vitriol is exceeded only by the lack of civility with which they spew it.

We shouldn’t be surprised, I guess. After watching the likes of Serena Williams, Joe Wilson and Kanye West fill our television screens for more than a week, we can surmise that if civility isn’t dead it must certainly be on life support.

Personally, I have any number of beefs with the way Tressel game-planned against USC. The fact of the matter is I wonder if he had much of a game plan at all. The offensive attack seemed to have no flow, and there were long periods of time when it seemed the coach was simply trying different things just to see if they would work.

The decision to punt rather than attempt a long field goal in the fourth quarter, the reluctance to put the ball in Terrelle Pryor’s hands – either on a sneak or on the edge – at the goal line in the third quarter, and the sequence of plays at the end of the first half that left USC enough time to drive for a tying field – I take exception to all of those things from Saturday night.

Those are kinds of things we should be discussing – civilly – rather than engaging in a debate only a fringe handful think we ought to have.

As I wrote in this week’s BSB, it is simply the ramblings of a handful of dull-witted know-nothings who suggest that Tressel is nothing more than a I-AA coach, that he won his national championship with players recruited by another coach, and that the time has come for Ohio State to begin looking in another direction.

Get a clue, folks. Tressel isn’t going anywhere nor should he. These big-stage losses notwithstanding, he has accomplished every goal he was hired to do.

Don’t believe me? How would you like to go back to the days of players assaulting one another in practice? How about the days of players registering 0.00 grade-point averages? Maybe you prefer four Big Ten championships spread out over a 15-year period rather than four in a row? How about a win over Michigan just every so often rather than one year after year after year?

There is no way to soft-sell the fact that Tressel has lost each of his last six games against top-5 opponents and that the offensive output in those games has been woefully inadequate. There is no getting around that and I won’t insult your intelligence by pretending there is.

Likewise, don’t insult mine by suggesting the university fire a guy who does everything he’s been asked to do and has done it with class.

OSU-TOLEDO TIDBITS

** Ohio State and Toledo are squaring off for only the second time in history. The Buckeyes rolled to a 49-0 win over the Rockets in Columbus in 1998. The teams are scheduled to play again in Columbus in 2011.

** Ohio State is making its first-ever appearance at Cleveland Browns Stadium and playing its 16th game in Cleveland all-time. The Buckeyes have an 8-6-1 record in C-town. Their most recent appearance was in 1991 when they took a 34-3 victory over Northwestern at old Municipal Stadium. OSU hasn’t lost in Cleveland since a 30-7 defeat to fifth-ranked Purdue in 1943.

** Following last week’s loss to USC, Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel is now 28-4 against regular-season nonleague opponents. His record with the Buckeyes is 52-7 against nonranked competition.

** Toledo head coach Tim Beckman is his first season with the Rockets and his first as a head coach. His team has split its first two games – a 52-31 loss at Purdue and a 54-38 victory over Colorado.

** Tressel and Beckman are both products of Berea (Ohio) High School and that isn’t the only synergy between the two. Beckman served as cornerbacks coach on Tressel’s staff at Ohio State in 2004 and ’05 before leaving to become defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State for two years. Beckman’s father, Dave, was also an assistant coach at Baldwin-Wallace when Tressel’s father, Lee, was head coach there.

** The Buckeyes own a 176-48-5 all-time record against Ohio schools and are 25-1 against members of the Mid-American Conference. The only blemish on that record against the MAC is a 12-6 loss to Akron in a game played Sept. 15, 1894, and the Ohio State Fair.

** OSU hasn’t lost to an Ohio school since a 7-6 defeat to Oberlin in 1921. The closest any instate rival has come since was a 7-7 tie achieved by Wooster in 1924.

** Toledo is only 5-13 all-time against Big Ten schools, but all five of those victories have come since 1992. The Rockets have defeated Purdue twice (1992 and ’97) as well as Penn State (2000), Minnesota (2001) and Michigan (2008).

** Ohio State last played a nonconference opponent in an NFL stadium in 2002 when the Buckeyes escaped with a 23-19 win over Cincinnati in Paul Brown Stadium. Toledo’s most recent appearance at an NFL venue came in 2006 when the Rockets dropped a 45-3 decision to Pittsburgh at Heinz Field.

** OSU sophomore tailback Dan “Boom” Herron has a nice little streak going. His 2-yard scoring run against USC last weekend marked the sixth straight game in which Herron has rushed for a touchdown.

** The game will be televised by ESPN-Plus and will be available throughout on Ohio on various local stations. For those of you who live outside Ohio, ESPN GamePlan may be your only option. Michael Reghi will have the play by play and Doug Chapman will provide color commentary. Kickoff is set for shortly after 12 noon Eastern.

** Seventeen outlets sprinkled throughout the country are listed as outlets for the ESPN-Plus telecast. Those include six in Ohio – WEWS (Channel 5) in Cleveland, WSYX (Channel 6) in Columbus, WKRC (Channel 12) in Cincinnati, WRGT (Channel 45) in Dayton, WTVG (Channel 13) in Toledo and WYTV (Channel 33) in Youngstown.

** Ohio State returns home next week to kick off the Big Ten schedule against Illinois. Game time is 3:30 p.m. in the Horseshoe and the telecast will be handled by the ABC/ESPN reverse mirror. That means the game will be shown on a regional basis by ABC throughout Big Ten country while the rest of the country will see the game on ESPN or ESPN2. As they say in the TV biz, check your local listings.

THIS WEEK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY

** Forty-three years ago today, Joe Paterno made his debut as head coach at Penn State. On Sept. 17, 1966, Paterno led the Nittany Lions to a 15-7 victory over Maryland in Happy Valley. The Terrapins, coached by Lou Saban, made a last-ditch effort to ruin Paterno’s debut but backup quarterback Phil Petry threw incomplete on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line late in the fourth quarter. That victory was JoePa’s first of a Division I-A record 385 and counting.

** Also occurring during this week in college football history: on Sept. 14, 1991, San Diego State running back Marshall Faulk set an NCAA single-game record for freshmen by rushing for seven touchdowns during his team’s 55-34 win over Pacific; on Sept. 18, 1965, UTEP quarterback Billy Stevens established a new NCAA record for most total yards gained in a debut game with 483 yards in a 61-15 rout of North Texas; and Sept. 20, 1986, unranked Miami (Ohio) stunned eighth-ranked LSU, 21-12, in Baton Rouge. The Tigers committed seven turnovers in the game and had a punt blocked as Miami pushed its all-time record against SEC teams to an impressive 8-0-1.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

** ESPN analysts may love to bash Ohio State but the Buckeyes continue to be moneymakers for the self-appointed Worldwide Leader. The OSU-USC telecast on Saturday netted a whopping 7.3 rating, making it the network’s most-viewed college football game in history. The game was also the highest-rated program of the night on any network. The 7.3 rating was the highest for a college game – regular season or bowl game – in 15 years.

** From the file titled “At Least They Knew They Were In A Fight” comes this report from USC. Freshman QB Matt Barkley (bruised shoulder) and All-America safety Taylor Mays (sprained knee) were on the limited-duty roster for at least three days. Barkley was injured when OSU defensive end Nathan Williams planted him while Mays was injured on a sideline play when he tried to deliver a big hit against OSU quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Mays says he’s going to play this week at Washington, but look for the Trojans to rest Barkley and use backup Aaron Corp against the Huskies.

** One week after throwing the football all over the lot, the Big Ten reverted to tradition. Eight conference wideouts had 100 or more receiving yards during week one while only one running back cracked the century mark. Last year, the running backs wrestled the spotlight back with six performances of 100 yards or more. They were led by John Clay of Wisconsin with 143 yards in his team’s win over Fresno State. Purdue tailback Ralph Bolden ran for 123 yards against Oregon, and he leads the Big Ten and the nation with an average of 178.5 yards per game.

** Here’s a little trivia game you can play at your next tailgate. Name the four active coaches who are in the College Football Hall of Fame. The answer comes later.

** The Big Ten boasts several excellent kickers, including Philip Welch of Wisconsin, who booted a 57-yard field goal last week against Fresno State. As good as that kick was, it still is only the second-longest of the young season by a conference kicker. Purdue’s Carson Wiggs blasted a 59-yarder in the opener against Toledo.

** Welch’s field goal was the third-longest in Wisconsin program history. John Hall kicked a 60-yarder in 1995 while Pat O’Dea has held the school record for more than a century. O’Dea kicked a 62-yarder in 1899, and perhaps even more amazingly, it was a drop kick. O’Dea also drop-kicked a 60-yard field goal in 1899, giving two of the six longest field goals in Big Ten history.

** Speaking of kickers, Brett Swenson of Michigan State needs only four more field goals to become only the 10th player in Big Ten history with 60 or more career three-pointers. Swenson also needs only four more points to reach 300 points only nine conference kickers before him have reached that career plateau.

** Anniversary wishes to historic Franklin Field in Philadelphia. This weekend, the venerable old facility will kick off its 115th season of football when Penn hosts Villanova. Franklin Field is the NCAA’s oldest stadium still operating for football games.

** Longtime Chicago Sun-Times sportswriter Rick Telander recently had an interesting take on major college programs feasting on soft nonconference schedules. He said the small schools serving as sacrificial lambs should extract the maximum amount from their hosts: “Delaware State, a cupcake with a home stadium with a capacity (7,000) that would fit into Michigan Stadium (106,000) 15 times, is playing the Wolverines next Saturday in Ann Arbor and is taking home, for the sad satisfaction of all those whooping, belly-dragging, I-love-to-tear-the-wings-off-flies Michigan fans, $550,000. Not bad, but come on, Hornets – where’s your negotiating skill set? Montana State got $650,000 for lying down in front of Michigan State and allowing itself to be eviscerated. And Western Kentucky (that’s the part near Missouri, I believe) got $700,000 to let Tennessee eat its liver.”

** Here is your trivia answer: The four active coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame are Joe Paterno of Penn State, Bobby Bowden of Florida State, Chris Ault of Nevada and John Gagliardi of Division III St. John’s. The quartet has combined to win a mind-boggling 1,412 games during their collective careers.

FEARLESS FORECAST

The forecast got off to a shaky start, thanks mostly to late fourth-quarter leads neither Notre Dame nor Ohio State could hold. As a result, we were only 4-3 straight up and 3-4 against the spread.

We hope to do better this week, and we’ve got a full slate of games beginning with tonight’s West Coast battle.

TONIGHT’S GAME

No. 10 Boise State at Fresno State: The Broncos have been pretty much unbeatable in the WAC since 2002, winning 54 of their 56 conference games over the past seven seasons. One of their losses was in Fresno back in 2005 when the Bulldogs were ranked in the top 25. A lot has transpired since then – Boise has gotten better while Fresno has perhaps taken a step back. That was never more evident than in last year’s 61-10 blowout on the Smurf Turf. And the Broncos may be even better this season … Boise State 49, Fresno State 10. (9 p.m. ET, ESPN)

SATURDAY’S GAME

Tennessee at No. 1 Florida: Consider this week one in Lane Kiffin’s ongoing education. You may remember back in March when Kiffin, shortly after being hired at Rocky Top, said Florida head coach Urban Meyer was a cheater when it came to recruiting. Kiffin later apologized and received a reprimand from the SEC, but if you think Meyer and his team have forgotten, I have a bridge in Brooklyn that I’ll sell you real cheap. Expect the Gators to take Kiffin to school before taking his team out back to the woodshed for a different kind of lesson. I look for Meyer to put his foot on the gas coming out of the locker room and never let up … Florida 64, Tennessee 7. (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)

Texas Tech at No. 2 Texas: This going to be short and sweet. No Lubbock, no Michael Crabtree, no chance … Texas 45, Texas Tech 24. (8 p.m. ET, ABC)

No. 3 USC at Washington: Several teams need to be on upset alert this week and the Trojans are one of them. First-year Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian was formerly offensive coordinator in Hollywood for Pete Carroll, and if there’s anyone who should know USC and how they go about things, it would be Sarkisian. The question is whether he has enough talent to do anything about it. U-Dub quarterback Jake Locker is still one of the best-kept secrets in college football and he could do some damage with his arm and his legs. The Trojans went to Oregon State last year after their win over Ohio State and we all remember how that turned out. Something tells me Carroll will not let that happen again although this is going to be closer than a lot of people think … USC 34, Washington 13. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC Regional)

North Texas at No. 4 Alabama: The Crimson Tide haven’t exactly looked like the No. 4 team in the nation so far, and that probably continues this week. Their season-opening win over Virginia Tech was tidy enough but last week’s 40-10 victory over Florida International was not representative of the final score. This weekend, Bama gets another team from the Sun Belt Conference, and while there should be no upset alert, how interested Nick Saban gets his team will dictate the final margin of victory. North Texas is 0-13 against ranked teams since 1996, and the Mean Green has been outscored by a whopping 297-23 margin in its last five games against top-10 competition … Alabama 41, North Texas 7. (12:20 p.m. ET, ESPN GamePlan)

Temple at No. 5 Penn State: There really isn’t much to say about this one. You have to go back to 1941 to find a Penn State loss in this series. (Contrary to popular belief, Joe Paterno was not yet patrolling the sidelines in Happy Valley.) Since that loss 68 years ago, the Nittany Lions are 33-0-1 in the series and have outscored the Owls by a 122-3 margin in their last three meetings. Temple has had a week off to prepare, but the team might have been working on fundamentals after blowing a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead and losing to Sept. 3 to Villanova. This gets as ugly as JoePa wants it to get … Penn State 41, Temple 3. (12 noon ET, BTN)

Florida State at No. 7 BYU: The Cougars are riding the crest of two huge road victories to get their 2009 season started. Now, they return to Provo to see if they can protect their lofty ranking and an 18-game winning streak at LaVell Edwards Stadium. It shouldn’t be difficult. The Seminoles are but shadows of their former elite selves, losing in week one to Miami (Fla.) and then needing a pair of late scores last week to avoid a monumental upset loss at home to Division I-AA opponent Jacksonville State. BYU doesn’t get enough credit for its defense, which is giving up an average of only 77.5 yards on the ground this season. That doesn’t exactly bode well for FSU, which has a running game that is ranked 99th in the nation. Old Man Bowden will have to rely on quarterback Christian Ponder to get it done, and you remember what the Cougars did to Heisman winner Sam Bradford of Oklahoma in week one … BYU 28, Florida State 7. (7 p.m. ET, BTN)

No. 8 Cal at Minnesota: The Bears are one of the sexy picks as a dark horse for the national championship. Before that happens, of course, they’re not only going to have to get past USC, they’re going to have to learn how to win on the road. Jeff Tedford’s team has lost four in a row on the road and eight of its last nine. This week, they travel cross-country to take on the Gophers, who haven’t exactly set the world on fire. Nevertheless, Goldy has found a way to win its two season-opening contests. Syracuse and Air Force aren’t exactly in Cal’s league, though. The Bears, led by running back and Heisman hopeful Jahvid Best, are averaging 293.0 yards rushing so far this season. The Gophers are dead last in the Big Ten against the run, surrendering an average of 175.5 yards per game … Cal 31, Minnesota 21. (12 noon ET, ESPN)

Eastern Michigan at No. 25 Michigan: Are the Wolverines really back? My jury is still out because I don’t think a come-from-behind victory at home against Notre Dame is all that impressive. Still, to give Michigan its due, it didn’t fold against the Domers and any victory at this point in the Rich Rodriguez era is a good victory. The Wolverines had better guard against feeling too good about themselves, though. The Eagles gave Northwestern all it could handle in Evanston last week before losing on a late field goal, and Eastern head coach Ron English – Lloyd Carr’s defensive coordinator from 2003-07 – would like nothing more than to prove Michigan made a mistake when it passed him over to hire Rodriguez. This smells like a possible upset but U-M is 8-0 all-time against Eastern and it’s tough to go against that much history … Michigan 27, Eastern Michigan 24. (12 noon ET, BTN)

Michigan State at Notre Dame: Neither of these teams are where they thought they’d be heading into their annual showdown. Both suffered late hiccups last week at home and are looking for redemption. Sparty’s loss to Western Michigan exposed the relative youth and inexperience of Mark Dantonio’s team while the Irish defense collapsed late against Michigan and remains a work in progress. That doesn’t exactly bode well for the home team since MSU boasts quarterback Kirk Cousins. He leads the Big Ten in pass efficiency and is sixth nationally. The visitor has gotten the best of this series of late, winning seven of the last eight, and Michigan State is currently working on a six-game winning streak in South Bend, the longest of any opponent in the 78-year history of Notre Dame Stadium. Quite honestly, I don’t know what the oddsmakers are thinking about as they install the Irish as prohibitive favorites. I guess it just means this is your Upset Special … Michigan State 27, Notre Dame 24. (3:30 p.m. ET, NBC)

Northern Illinois at Purdue: I wonder if anyone else out there is wondering if the Boilermakers are truly for real. In their first two games under new head coach Danny Hope, the team skewered Toledo and then gave Oregon all it wanted last week before dropping a 38-36 decision. If you know anything about the Ducks, it is that there are nearly unbeatable in Eugene, so a two-point loss is nothing for Purdue to hang its head about. This week, Hope’s Eternals return to West Lafayette to host the Huskies, who have only one win and one tie to show for 34 previous games against Big Ten competition including a 28-20 loss to Wisconsin in the season opener. The Boilers are trying to start 3-0 for only the fourth time in the past 10 seasons … Purdue 31, Northern Illinois 20. (12 noon ET, BTN)

No. 11 Ohio State at Toledo: After last week’s loss and the ensuing wave of criticism enveloping their head coach, I believe the Buckeyes will do something they haven’t done in quite some time. I think they will avoid looking past a perceived lesser opponent and get the job done in Cleveland. If you’re looking for something else to hang your hat on, understand that the last four times a former Jim Tressel assistant has gone up against his old boss, Tressel has won every time and by an average margin of 24.0 points … Ohio State 38, Toledo 14. (12 noon ET, ESPN GamePlan)

Here are the spreads for the above games: Boise State (-7) at Fresno State; Tennessee at Florida (-29); Texas Tech at Texas (-17½); USC (-18) at Washington; North Texas at Alabama (-32); Temple at Penn State (-28); Florida State at BYU (-6½); Cal at Minnesota (+14); Eastern Michigan (+25) at Michigan; Michigan State (+10½) at Notre Dame; Northern Illinois (+13) at Purdue; and Ohio State (-20½) at Toledo.

Just so you know, the Buckeyes are 5-0 ATS in their last five road games. Enjoy the games.