People have a funny way of deciding who and who isn’t worthy of their adoration. That seems especially true in the provincial world of college football where following your favorite school is akin to a religious exercise and every opponent is an archrival to be loathed and scorned.

Penn State fans and alumni, blindsided by the scandal that has threatened to rip apart everything they came to know and love about their university and football program, are now mourning the passing of legendary coach Joe Paterno, who succumbed to lung cancer the morning of Jan. 22.

But as the Nittany Lions, the Happy Valley community and the entire Blue and White Nation begin the grieving process, they are essentially left to grieve alone – shunned by much of the current college football universe Paterno helped to create and nurture. While the coach’s legion of supporters attempt to highlight a life filled with laudatory accomplishment, many others are quick to point out the feel-good story had a decidedly sorrowful ending.

Ohio State fans know how Penn State fans feel. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the death of the most iconic coach in OSU history. Yet when the obituaries were written for Woody Hayes, all of the victories, all of the championships and all of the young men whose lives he positively impacted were mere footnotes to the blink-of-an-eye incident that occurred on a rainy December night in Jacksonville, Fla., in 1978.

There is no disputing Hayes and Paterno are two of the most successful coaches in college football history. Yet outside the confines of their own particular constituencies, legacies rich not only in winning but in philanthropy are forever tarnished by the way their careers ended.

A half-hearted slug at an opposing player abruptly ended Hayes’ 28-year tenure in Columbus, and an even more half-hearted response to what would become a burgeoning child sexual abuse scandal at Penn State brought Paterno’s career to an end after 61 years on campus, including 46 as head coach.

It seems odd the careers of the two coaches could have ended in such ignominy since there couldn’t have been two more divergent personalities than Hayes and Paterno.

One went to a small Baptist college with the thought of becoming a teacher; the other attended an Ivy League school with aspirations of a law career. One stressed the importance of blood and sweat; the other took a more cerebral approach to his profession. One had all the subtlety of a sledgehammer; the other preferred a genteel approach.

Both were consummate winners, however, and had a positive impact on the lives of thousands of young men for the better part of the last three-quarters of a century. Hayes began his coaching career as an assistant at Mingo Junction (Ohio) High School in 1935, while Paterno first arrived at Penn State in 1950. But there was much more to each man’s life than win-loss records or dusty awards locked away in the corner of some trophy case. Hayes and Paterno were real men – men’s men, if you will – who lent their considerable celebrity to worthy causes without ever asking what was in it for them.

Hayes gave his time and efforts to the March of Dimes, an organization that helps promote the health of mothers and their babies, as well as the Muscular Dystrophy Association long before comedian Jerry Lewis began hosting star-studded Labor Day telethons in 1966. Almost from the time Hayes arrived in Columbus in 1951, the charitable cause in Ohio was a rare one that didn’t have the coach serving as honorary chairman or celebrity spokesman.

He was also legendary for helping his players financially. Of course, that is and always has been a violation of NCAA rules, and Hayes served a one-year probationary period in 1956 and the Big Ten ruled Ohio State ineligible for the 1957 Rose Bowl because the coach had given some of his more impoverished players money from his own pocket.

Hayes never made more than $35,000 during his 28 seasons as Ohio State head coach – not that he ever seemed interested in money. After his death in 1987, his wife Anne cleaned out his desk and found a number of checks given to him for various speaking engagements. The coach had never cashed them. Whenever he did endorse one of those checks, the money usually went to a former player who has having financial difficulties.

Paterno, of course, made much more money than Hayes during the course of his career, but he was no less benevolent with it. He and his wife donated more than $4 million of their own money to Penn State, and helped raise more than $13.5 million toward renovation of the school’s library that bears their names.

Yet for all the acts of compassion and generosity each man did behind the scenes, for all the joy they provided their fans as they reached the pinnacle of their profession, all their triumphs and successes, all their achievements and all the goodwill they generated will always provide only a historical postscript to how their careers ended.

The same holds true for former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel, who enjoyed a 25-year career of unparalleled success marked by five national championships – the same number of consensus titles Hayes and Paterno combined to win. Tressel also became known as a generous benefactor, donating money for renovation of George Finnie Stadium at his alma mater Baldwin-Wallace and helping to fund a new indoor practice facility at Youngstown State.

At Ohio State, Tressel and his wife Ellen donated more than $1.1 million to Ohio State for various projects including renovation of the OSU Library and James Cancer Hospital. They also created a fund that has grown to more than $1.4 million for cancer prevention research.

And yet, a temporary lapse in judgment regarding improper benefits accepted by some of his players will forever taint everything else Tressel has achieved and likely everything else he ever will achieve.

Is that fair? Probably not, but there is simply no getting around the transgressions each man made. You can lead an exemplary life, but if in the flash of a nanosecond you take another person’s life, it is pretty much guaranteed your heretofore exemplary life won’t matter much to a jury of your peers.

Of course, none of the aforementioned coaches committed any crime. But the mistakes they made were amplified by the fact of who they had become. They had become our champions, our heroes, our idols – and that made their respective falls from grace that much more difficult to accept.

Rather than lionizing these men and making them the subject of our hero worship, perhaps we should simply take stock of the hard lessons taught by idolizing such admirable yet flawed men. Maybe the problem wasn’t that Woody Hayes slugged an opposing player or that Joe Paterno didn’t personally seek a resolution to what he was told was going on in his own team’s locker room. Maybe the problem wasn’t that Jim Tressel thought he could micromanage his way around blatant NCAA violations.

Perhaps the real problem rests at our own doorsteps. After all, we are the ones who made demigods of these flesh-and-blood individuals. If they turned out to be anything less than perfect, can we really blame anyone but ourselves?

How else would you describe the unthinkable fall from grace by Jim Tressel and subsequent smoldering fallout followed six months later by the hiring of a younger, potentially more successful version of the sweater-vested one himself?

No wonder why everyone else hates the Ohio State football program.

Urban Frank Meyer III has amassed a 10-year résumé that is the envy of his profession – two national championships, five conference titles, the second-best winning percentage among active coaches and a 7-1 bowl record.

And now he has his dream job. How fortunate can one guy and one fan base get?

After several weeks of being the subject of the worst-kept secret in Columbus, Meyer was officially introduced Monday as the 24th head coach of the Buckeyes. He succeeds Luke Fickell, who will thankfully remain on Meyer’s staff with a to-be-determined title of prestige.

Does it really get any better for Buckeye Nation, which has had to choke down every snide and spiteful epithet imaginable since Tressel was forced into early retirement due to the memorabilia-for-tattoos scandal?

Not only is Meyer the absolute level-best coaching option available, his career as a head coach has been nothing short of remarkable. He engineered a remarkably quick turnaround of a previously moribund Bowling Green program in the early 2000s before moving on to Utah and transforming the Utes from just another mid-major team to a national power.

Then he took over a flagging Florida program that had posted three consecutive five-loss seasons and produced two national championships in his first four seasons in Gainesville.

Championship rings and winning percentages are but the tip of the iceberg for Meyer. He has exhibited a passion for winning, a penchant for hiring the best assistant coaches on the planet, utilizing an attack-style on offense, defense and special teams, and is an absolute beast on the recruiting trail.

He swears the health problems that dogged him during his last couple of years at Florida are behind him because he has learned to delegate responsibility among his assistants – something he said he did better during the early portion of his coaching career.

The cherry on the top of this sundae for fans is that Meyer – like Tressel before him – fully understands and embraces what it means to be head football coach at Ohio State. He is a born-and-bred Buckeye who heaped equal parts boyhood hero worship upon Archie Griffin and Woody Hayes before embarking upon his college coaching career with two seasons on Earle Bruce’s staff at Ohio State.

That career has taken him to such far-flung places as Normal, Ill., Fort Collins, Colo., and South Bend, Ind., as well as Bowling Green, Ohio, Salt Lake City and Gainesville, Fla., but his admitted dream was always to sit the same chair once occupied by his idol Hayes and his mentor Bruce.

“Everybody says, ‘Is Ohio State your dream job?’ That’s a term that’s thrown around really loosely,” Meyer said during his introductory news conference. “To say I was this big and wanted to coach at Florida, (the answer is) no. I’m not from Florida. …

“(But) I wanted to coach there, I will always be a Gator, will always be a part of that situation. … However, this is my home state. And it’s great to be back home.”

And if that doesn’t convince you of Meyer’s affinity for Ohio State, remember back to his team’s 41-14 win over the Buckeyes in the BCS National Championship Game following the 2006 season.

The Gators had a 34-14 halftime lead in that game and Meyer had a first national title ring in his sights. Had he chosen to do so, he could have made a major-league statement by stomping the Buckeyes into submission. Instead, he chose to take his foot completely off the gas in the second half and coast home with the victory.

Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t want to like the guy.

Meyer has the reputation (some say well-deserved) for being media unfriendly, several times taking public umbrage with reporters who wrote something he did not particularly like. In this day and age, that might be a badge of honor for the average Ohio State fan still smarting from how ESPN, Sports Illustrated and other media outlets seemingly went out of their way to trash the Buckeyes over the past year. But that kind of behavior can also come off as thin-skinned and petty.

Then there was the litany of off-the-field problems Meyer experienced with his players while at Florida, something the coach tried to downplay during his Monday news conference. Nevertheless, if there is anything Ohio State does not need in its immediate future, it is players being arrested on a regular basis no matter how trivial the violation.

Of course, there are plausible explanations for both problems.

First, Gainesville is a small, close-knit community smack dab in the middle of the pressure-packed SEC where fans and their head football coaches have always had a love-hate relationship. If you don’t believe me, check out what Gator Nation has to say about Meyer taking the Ohio State job. Most cannot be repeated in a family newspaper, but the comments are peppered with such words as “quitter” and “traitor.”

Secondly, Meyer was forced to recruit the best athletes in the Sunshine State, and despite his protestations to the contrary, sometimes the best athletes are not the best character guys. One needs only to think of a certain former Ohio State quarterback’s off-the-field indiscretions and the firestorm it created.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, of course, we need to be reminded that Meyer is not Vince Lombardi, Bill Walsh or the second coming of Hayes. His tenure will undoubtedly feature its share of bumps along the road. That is the nature of the beast that is college football today. Meyer isn’t going to win every game and fans are going to question his every move – win or lose.

But I simply can’t escape the notion that the Ohio State football program is emerging from one of the darkest chapters in its long history having hit the coaching lottery, and a year for now, two at the most, the events of 2011 will be nothing more than an unpleasant memory.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

** LSU and Houston successfully negotiated the 2011 regular season as the only undefeated teams in Division I-A (aka the Football Bowl Subdivision). Both teams are 12-0 and play for their respective conference championships tomorrow.

** When LSU stampeded its way to a 41-17 win over Arkansas last Friday, it pushed the nation’s longest winning streak to 13 games. Houston is next, of course, with its 12-game win streak while Georgia – which faces the Bayou Bengals in the SEC title game – has won 10 in a row.

** Meanwhile, congratulations are in order for Florida Atlantic, which escaped a winless season thanks to last week’s 38-35 win over UAB. The longest losing streak in I-A football now belongs to Kansas and Tulane, each of which has dropped 10 in a row. Indiana is next with nine while Maryland and Akron will each head into 2012 with eight-game losing streaks.

** The Terrapins extended their losing streak last week with an epic collapse, blowing a 41-14 third-quarter lead as North Carolina State scored 42 unanswered points for a 56-41 win.

** I’m going to wait until after this weekend’s games to cast my Heisman Trophy ballot. I have eliminated a couple of players and have whittled my choices to Stanford QB Andrew Luck, Baylor QB Robert Griffin III, Alabama RB Trent Richardson and USC QB Matt Barkley. Yes, I know that RG-3 is the only one of that trio who is in action this weekend. His performance against Texas will help determine the 1-2-3 ranking on my ballot.

** Proof that no one plays defense in what is left of the Big 12: last Saturday’s game between Texas Tech and Baylor. The Bears took a 66-42 victory in Waco despite the fact Griffin spent the second half sidelined with a head injury. (He is scheduled to play this week.) The team combined for 1,061 yards of total offense

** Illinois is believed to be the first team in history to begin the season 6-0 and then finish 0-6. The collapse cost Ron Zook his job, a termination that might end the Zookster’s career as a head coach. He is 57-64 in three seasons at Florida and seven seasons with the Illini. On the bright side, someone in the NFL will likely hire Zook as an assistant. He spent 1996-2001 in the league at Pittsburgh, Kansas City and New Orleans.

** Look for Illinois to take a run at Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin, who has plenty of Big Ten experience. Sumlin was a linebacker at Purdue from 1983-86 and later spent time as an assistant coach at Minnesota (1993-97) and his alma mater, coaching receivers on Joe Tiller’s staff in West Lafayette from 1998-2000.

** Speaking of the league, congratulations to former Ohio State assistant coach Mel Tucker, who was elevated to head coach at Jacksonville when the Jaguars fired Jack Del Rio on Tuesday. Tucker was on Jim Tressel’s staff at OSU from 2001-04 and spent four seasons in Cleveland before joining Del Rio in Jacksonville in 2009.

** Michigan’s 40-34 victory over Ohio State was the first win for the Wolverines since 2003 and featured their first 40-point effort against the Buckeyes since a 58-6 win in 1946. It also featured the first time the Buckeyes had lost a game in the series when they had scored at least 34 points. They had topped that mark eight previous times against U-M, all victories.

** Now is a great time to be a quarterback in the state of Wisconsin. The Badgers’ Russell Wilson has a 28-to-3 touchdown-interception ratio, and his efficiency rating of 192.90 is on course to break Colt Brennan’s record of 186.0 in 2006. Just up the road, Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers has an identical 28-to-3 ratio, and his rating of 130.7 is on course to break Peyton Manning’s NFL record of 121.1 in 2004. (Thanks to USA Today’s Mike Lopresti for that nugget.)

** Junior cornerback Jemarlous Moten of Louisiana-Lafayette returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown during his team’s 45-37 loss to Arizona last weekend and tied a 40-year-old record in the process. The Ragin’ Cajuns returned seven interceptions for touchdowns this season, tying the mark established in 1971 by Tennessee.

** If you think time of possession is overrated, you’re right – especially if you have a quick-strike offense. Oregon ranks dead last among 120 Division I-A schools in time of possession at 24:46 a game. However, the Ducks are third in the nation in scoring at 45.9 points per outing.

** Kentucky hadn’t beaten SEC rival Tennessee in football since 1985 – until last week. Using converted receiver Matt Roark to quarterback and giving him a limited number of plays, the Wildcats somehow pulled off a 10-7 victory to end a 26-game losing streak in the series. Roark, pressed into service when UK’s top two quarterbacks were sidelined with injuries, went 4 for 6 for 15 yards passing but rushed 24 times for 124 yards.

** The loss to Kentucky dropped Tennessee to 6-7 and gave the Volunteers back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 1910 and ’11. The longest streak since consecutive losing seasons now belongs to Ohio State. The Buckeyes haven’t had sub-.500 seasons back to back since 1923 and ’24.

THIS WEEK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL

** On Nov. 30, 1935, No. 2 SMU scored a come-from-behind 20-14 win over No. 1 TCU, giving the Ponies an undefeated regular season, the Southwest Conference title and a Rose Bowl berth. It would be another 71 years until a major conference had two unbeaten teams with records of at least 10-0 playing one another. That came in 2006 when Ohio State pulled out a 42-39 victory over Big Ten foe Michigan.

** On Nov. 30, 1968, second-ranked USC and No. 9 Notre Dame played to a 21-21 tie in the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Fighting Irish took a 21-7 halftime lead behind quarterback Joe Theismann, who was making his first collegiate start. But the Trojans came back in the second half, thanks to a touchdown from senior tailback O.J. Simpson and a 40-yard scoring pass from QB Steve Sogge to Sam Dickerson. Notre Dame kicker Scott Hempel missed a 33-yard field goal attempt with 33 seconds to go to preserve the tie.

** On Dec. 1, 2001, top-ranked Miami (Fla.) held off No. 13 Virginia Tech, 26-24, in Blacksburg to clinch at spot in the Rose Bowl. The Hokies roared back from a 26-10 deficit starting the fourth quarter, but the Hurricanes preserved the win when safety Ed Reed picked off passes on Tech’s final two drives.

** On Dec. 2, 1978, No. 2 Alabama clinched the SEC title with a 34-16 victory over Auburn. Crimson Tide QB Jeff Rutledge threw for 174 yards and three touchdowns, and the win propelled Alabama into a 1 vs. 2 showdown with Penn State in the Sugar Bowl.

** On Dec. 3, 1999, ninth-ranked Marshall scored a wild 34-30 win over Western Michigan to claim a 12-0 regular season and the Mid-American Conference championship. The Broncos built a 23-0 third-quarter lead, but MU quarterback Chad Pennington rallied the Thundering Herd with three touchdown passes, the last one with four seconds to play.

** On Dec. 4, 1971, San Diego State and North Texas combined set a college football record for total plays in a regulation game during a 44-28 win for the Aztecs. San Diego State ran 99 plays while North Texas countered with 97 for a grand total of 196, a record that stood until 2003 when Arkansas and Kentucky combined to run 202 plays in a game that lasted seven overtimes.

FEARLESS FORECAST

We’re enjoying a season for the ages here at Forecast World Headquarters. Last week, for the third time this year, we had a perfect 10-0 record in the straight-up picks to go to 113-19 SU and moved back above 90 percent for the season.

Against the spread, it was another winner at 7-2-1 with the only losses coming when Notre Dame and Michigan failed to cover. Notre Dame and Michigan, huh? Figures, doesn’t it? Oh, well, we’re a solid 65 percent ATS this year with an 83-44-3 record.

Before taking a couple of weeks off in preparation for the bowl season, let’s see what’s on tap for this week.

TODAY’S GAME

UCLA at No. 9 Oregon: Conference commissioners should be careful what they wish for. The Pac-12’s inaugural championship game in football features a 6-6 team coming off a 50-0 blowout loss that just fired its coach. If you think the Quack Attack will have any sympathy for the Bruins, think again. Oregon has won 22 of its last 23 games in Autzen Stadium and will probably treat the Uclans as just another speed bump on the way to a second Rose Bowl in three years … Oregon 65, UCLA 10. (8 p.m. ET, Fox)

SATURDAY’S GAMES

No. 14 Georgia vs. No. 1 LSU: We like to give credit where credit is due, and congratulations are in order for Mark Richt and his Bulldogs who have rallied from an 0-2 start to win 10 straight games. Unfortunately for them, their reward is a ticket to the Georgia Dome to play the powerhouse Tigers. UGA quarterback Aaron Murray (2,698 yards, 30 TDs) has had a superlative season, and he leads an offense that averages 34.0 points per game. But Murray hasn’t seen any defense the likes of what LSU is going to throw at him. The Boys from the Bayou rank no lower than sixth nationally in any major defensive stat, including No. 2 in scoring (10.6 points per game). We look for the Tigers to stomp their way through Georgia, setting up a rematch with Alabama for the national title … LSU 34, Georgia 7. (4 p.m. ET, CBS)

No. 10 Oklahoma at No. 3 Oklahoma State: If you like offense, this is the game for you. They call this instate rivalry the Bedlam Game, but not matter what they call it, it’s going to be a good, old-fashioned shootout. Two of college football’s best quarterbacks will fill the air with footballs as OU’s Landry Jones and OSU’s Brandon Weeden have combined to throw for 8,163 yards and 62 TDs this season. The only separation might be at receiver – Jones lost his No. 1 target Ryan Broyles a couple of weeks ago while the Sooners have Justin Blackmon, who ranks among the nation’s best with 103 catches for 1,241 yards and 15 TDs. Oklahoma has won eight straight in the series, including its last four trips to Stillwater. The Cowboys always play OU close at home and can score with anyone, but we just don’t think they have quite enough defense … Oklahoma 47, Oklahoma State 42. (8 p.m. ET, ABC)

No. 5 Virginia Tech vs. No. 20 Clemson: The landscape surrounding these two teams has changed quite a bit since the Tigers’ 23-3 win on Oct. 1. The Hokies have won seven in a row while Clemson has dropped three of its last four, including a particularly ugly 34-13 loss to South Carolina last week. Despite the slide, the Tigers can salvage things with a victory and the automatic BCS berth that goes with winning the ACC title game. Unfortunately, they’re bucking history. The Hokies have twice before had a rematch with a team that beat them during the regular season and won both times. Look for them to run that streak to three … Virginia Tech 27, Clemson 17. (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Southern Miss at No. 6 Houston: No, Conference USA football is not the same as SEC football, but the league’s championship game should be entertaining just the same. The Cougars, of course, feature a high-flying offense with QB Case Keenum (4,726, 43 TDs) leading the way. Meanwhile, the Golden Eagles have their own excellent quarterback in Austin Davis (3,052 yards, 24 TDs), and the No. 12 pass efficiency defense in the country. Yet somehow, two weeks ago, Southern Miss lost a 34-31 decision at 3-9 UAB. Keenum and his Cougars should be able to get it done, but not only won’t it be easy, they’d better be on upset watch all afternoon … Houston 35, Southern Miss 27. (12 noon ET, ABC)

New Mexico at No. 7 Boise State: This one isn’t too hard to figure. The Broncos own the top offense and defense in the Mountain West while the Lobos have arguably the worst offense and defense in the entire nation. They have been outscored by a lopsided 455-144 margin, so the Boise offense and QB Kellen Moore (3,194 yards, 38 TDs) might be interested in making a statement while celebrating Senior Night on the Smurf Turf. Also, Broncos head coach Chris Peterson can tie the school record for career victories, and it might be his final night in Boise as well since Peterson’s name has been linked to opening at UCLA … Boise State 49, New Mexico 0. (6 p.m. ET, The Mtn.)

Iowa State at No. 11 Kansas State: Despite an offense that ranks ninth in Big 12 and a defense that ranks only fifth, the Wildcats find themselves gunning for their first 10-win season since 2003. They can also clinch a share of their first conference title in eight years in they can get past the pesky Cyclones, who have upsets of then-No. 19 Texas Tech and then-No. 2 Oklahoma State on their 2011 résumé. Iowa State is a scrappy team that has flourished since freshman QB Jared Barnett took over the starting job, but like all young teams the Cyclones are prone to making mistakes. That and the fact they have lost three of their five road contests this season leads to this pick … Kansas State 27, Iowa State 20. (12:30 p.m. ET, Fox)

No. 15 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 Michigan State: Six weeks ago, the Badgers were the No. 6 team in the nation and on their way – at least so they thought – to playing for the national championship. Then Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins threw a 44-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the game, and Wisconsin trudged their home following a 37-31 loss. Both teams lost the following week – UW to Ohio State and MSU to Nebraska – and then finished the season with four straight victories. Still, it seems Bucky is on the better roll, especially with the way RB Montee Ball has been punishing opposing defenses. Since being held to 85 yards vs. Ohio State, Ball has averaged 192.3 yards and nearly three touchdowns per game. Sparty has the Big Ten’s top rush defense, and they have Cousins (2,735, 21 TDs), who has by far had his finest season. But Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson (2,692 yards, 28 TDs) is the difference-maker. Russell has pitched only three interceptions all season, and two of them came in the loss to MSU. Don’t expect him to make the same mistakes again … Wisconsin 27, Michigan State 23. (8:17 p.m. ET, Fox)

No. 22 Texas at No. 17 Baylor: To say the Bears have struggled in their century-long series with the Longhorns would be an understatement. They are 23-73-4 against their neighbors to the south, and last year’s win in Austin snapped a 12-game losing streak in the series. Worse yet, Baylor hasn’t enjoyed back-to-back wins over Texas since 1991-92. That drought could be over this year, especially if QB Robert Griffin III (3,678 yards, 34 TDs) is ready to go after bumping his head last week and being held out of the second half of a 66-42 win over Texas Tech. While the Bears have a bona fide Heisman Trophy candidate in Griffin, the Longhorns have struggled to find their own offensive identity. Defense isn’t a problem, though. Texas has the best defense in the Big 12 and ranks eighth nationally in pass efficiency defense. It’s a pretty simple scenario – if Griffin does what he’s capable of doing, his team wins and he garners a bunch of Heisman support in the process … Baylor 38, Texas 31. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

UNLV at No. 18 TCU: Before they leave for the Big 12, the Horned Frogs have some unfinished business in the mighty Mountain West – namely a 23-game conference win streak. That shouldn’t be too difficult since the Runnin’ Rebels have been run over by most of their opponents this season. Vegas has lost 15 straight road games and is 0-4 lifetime in Fort Worth, getting outscored by a 168-47 margin. If that’s not bad enough, the Rebels rank 117th nationally in scoring defense while the Frogs own the country’s 10th-best scoring offense. We started this week’s forecast with a blowout and we’ll finish with another … TCU 49, UNLV 7. (2:30 p.m. ET, Versus)

Here are the spreads for the above games: UCLA at Oregon (-31½); Georgia vs. LSU (-10); Oklahoma (+3½) at Oklahoma State; Virginia Tech (-4½) vs. Clemson; Southern Miss (+17) at Houston; New Mexico (+52) at Boise State; Iowa State (+12) at Kansas State; Wisconsin vs. Michigan State (+9½); Texas at Baylor (-2½); UNLV at TCU (-38).

Enjoy the games and we’ll visit again in a couple of weeks.

With a new Urban Meyer rumor to chase down virtually every day, family Thanksgiving obligations outside the city and tomorrow’s Ann Arbor travel plans to finalize, I very nearly skipped my annual Michigan Week ritual.

Then I thought about how I would feel if I didn’t go on my annual pilgrimage, so while everyone else in my family settled in to watch another football game on Thursday evening, I sneaked away to drive past the little white house on Cardiff Road. Then it was on to Ohio Stadium for some reflection before traveling a well-worn path north on Olentangy River Road to Union Cemetery.

I arrived just as darkness was beginning to fall and I knew the cemetery would be closing soon. The freshening breeze caused a swirl of falling yellow and brown leaves as I made my way through the main entrance and down an ever-narrowing blacktopped road to Section 12.

It was a milder-than-usual Thanksgiving Day in central Ohio this year, so I left my coat in the car as I made my way to a familiar place – Lot 37, Space 4 – beneath the large pine trees off to the side of a black granite marker. I soon wished I had taken that coat as a cold wind began to blow, gently at first but growing into a chilly bluster.

I started back to the car when I heard a familiar sound.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Half-startled, I turned around and squinted against the dying daylight. It was the silhouette of a man that has become familiar to me over the years. He was stockily built and slightly hunched over, and as my eyes slowly adjusted to the increasing darkness, I could make out the red windbreaker, the gray trousers, the silver-rimmed glasses and the black baseball cap jammed low over his gray hair. I could also make out an angry scowl, lips tightly pressed together, and a jaw locked firmly into position.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he repeated. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Waiting for me?” I replied. “I’m sorry. I’ve always got the impression that you thought I was kind of a pest, showing up every year about this time and bending your ear like I do. I just kind of thought …”

“The only thing that bothers me,” the man interrupted, “is that you talk when you should be listening. But I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised given your profession. My experience always was that people in your line of work thought they knew more than they really did.”

With a sheepish grin, I nodded. But before I could say anything else, the old man began again.

“I’ve had a lot on my mind these past several months and I’m not very happy about what I’ve seen. Not very goddamned happy at all. Just what in the hell is going on over there? Has everyone lost their minds?”

“Well,” I said, “it is kind of mind-boggling to think all of this started when a couple of guys wanted some free tattoos.”

“Free tattoos?” he thundered. “Do you think that’s what this is all about? A couple of kids wanted free tattoos?”

He began to clench and unclench his fists as he inched toward me. His mouth drew even tighter, and his hollow eyes seemed to pierce right through me.

“It has nothing to do with any goddamned tattoos. I’m talking about doing the right thing. I’m talking about honor. I’m talking about leadership. I’ve seen none of that during this whole thing – at least none of it from the people who should have been showing it. Of course, I really shouldn’t be surprised. When the going gets tough, the cover-your-ass, ivory-tower crowd gets hard to find. Let me tell you something: I wouldn’t give a plugged nickel for any of them.”

“Well,” I interjected, “the university hasn’t exactly distinguished itself in terms of damage control.”

“Damage control?” he said with a laugh. “Their idea of damage control is fighting a forest fire with a goddamned squirt gun.”

He shook his head and looked at the ground. After a few moments, he looked at me again and I thought I could detect a glistening moistness in his eyes.

“A goddamned shame,” he said softly. “It’s just a goddamned shame what this great and wonderful institution has been through. I feel sorry for those players who had nothing to do with this mess. They are the ones who are suffering. Those players and that fine coach are the ones I think have lost the most.”

“That fine coach?” I said.

“Yes. Jim Tressel,” he said. “A fine, fine man. He didn’t deserve what happened.”

“Well,” I offered. “There are those who believe Tressel got what was coming to him.”

“Those people are goddamned fools and you can tell them I said so,” he said sternly.

I tried again. “He did knowingly use players that would have been ineligible and lied to the NCAA when … ”

I was quickly cut off.

“He didn’t lie to anyone. He did what he had to do.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. “What do you mean he did what he had to do?”

“He did what he had to do,” the man repeated. “If you knew what I know, you’d say the same thing. He did what he had to do, what we all would do given the same set of circumstances – if we had the guts.”

“Are you saying we don’t know the whole story? I asked.

Just then, I heard another sound. A lone car had appeared and a man rolled down the window.

“The cemetery’s closed,” he said. “You’ll have to leave.”

I nodded my head in his direction and then turned back to the man in the black ball cap. But he was gone.

“Hey!” I shouted. “Wait a minute. There’s so much more I wanted to ask you. So much more I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Who are you talking to?” the man in the car asked.

I turned around again as the wind began to rustle the trees.

“No one, I guess,” I said softly as I began to shuffle slowly toward my car.

The man drove off, and as I opened my car door, I looked back one last time, trying to make out the black gravestone in the darkness. Out of the shadows and gathering ground fog, the old man walked toward me.

“I have so many questions,” I said. “What did you mean about Tressel doing what he had to do? What do you think about the job Luke Fickell has done? What do you think about Urban Meyer?”

“I know you have a lot of questions,” he said softly. “I’ve been getting a lot of visitors these past few months and they all have the same questions. The best advice I can give them is among the words that are written right over there.”

He pointed back at the granite marker on which these words are inscribed: “And in the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening love hears the rustle of a wing.”

I heard a familiar church bell chime in the distance and I knew what that meant.

“Well, I have to getting back,” he said. He turned and began walking toward the shadow of the trees before turning around to face me one last time.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” he said. “There is one thing you could do for me. You tell those boys who are going to put on those scarlet and gray uniforms tomorrow that I’ll be watching. You tell ’em if there’s something they’d like to do to warm the soul of an old coach, they can go up there and knock the living daylights out of those sons-a-bitches.”

“I’ll tell them, Coach,” I said. “I’ll tell them.”

With that, he nodded and walked off into the mist, faintly talking to himself – words that sounded an awful lot like “Fight that team across the field, show them Ohio’s here.”

OSU-MICHIGAN TIDBITS

** Ohio State and Michigan will buckle it up tomorrow for the 108th 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 57-44-6 margin, including a 30-20-4 advantage in Ann Arbor – 4-0-1 at Regents Field, 5-2-0 at Ferry Field and 21-18-3 at Michigan Stadium.

** In the last 60 meetings overall, Ohio State holds a 32-26-2 advantage.

** Since 1919, when Ohio State scored its first-ever victory over Michigan, the overall series is dead even at 44-44-3.

** The Buckeyes have won each of the last three games in the series played at Michigan Stadium. They haven’t enjoyed that kind of streak in Ann Arbor against the Wolverines since winning four in a row between 1961 and 1967.

** Ohio State has won nine of the last 10 games in the series for the first time ever. The Buckeyes are also gunning for an unprecedented eighth straight victory over Michigan.

** OSU head coach Luke Fickell is making his first appearance vs. Michigan as a head coach, but he is 9-4 lifetime against the Wolverines. Fickell was 1-3 against U-M as an Ohio State player from 1993-96 and 8-1 as an assistant coach on Jim Tressel’s staff from 2002-10.

** Only four Ohio State head coaches enjoyed winning records against Michigan – Woody Hayes (1951-78) at 16-11-1, Jim Tressel (2001-10) at 9-1, 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 Brady Hoke is making his first appearance vs. Ohio State as a head coach, but he is 5-3 lifetime against the Buckeyes. Hoke spent eight seasons from 1995-2002 on Lloyd Carr’s coaching staff at U-M.

** Six Michigan head coaches had winning records against Ohio State – Fielding Yost (1901-23, ’25-26) at 16-3-1, Bo Schembechler (1969-89) at 11-9-1, Herbert “Fritz” Crisler (1938-47) at 7-2-1, Gary Moeller (1990-94) at 3-1-1 and Gustave Ferbert (1897-99) and George Little (1924) at 1-0 each.

** The game will feature two of the winningest college football teams in history. Michigan ranks first all-time with 893 wins while Ohio State is fifth with 836. Texas is second with 856, Notre Dame is third with 851 and Nebraska is fourth with 845.

** This marks the 18th time in series history that Ohio State and Michigan have played after Thanksgiving. The series is deadlocked at 8-8-1 when the game has been played after Turkey Day, but the Buckeyes have prevailed the last two times the two teams have met post-Thanksgiving. That included last year’s 37-7 win in Ohio Stadium as well as a 26-20 victory in Ann Arbor in 2001, 310 days after Jim Tressel made his now-famous speech shortly after being hired as OSU head coach.

** Both the Buckeyes and Wolverines have been eliminated from the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game, ending a decade-long streak during which either OSU or Michigan won or shared the conference crown. The last time neither team had at least a share of the Big Ten trophy was in 2001 when Illinois took home the outright championship.

** In addition to having its record-tying streak of six consecutive Big Ten championships snapped, Ohio State will fall short of at least 10 victories for the first time since an 8-4 season in 2004. The Buckeyes’ streak of six straight seasons with 10 or more wins is a conference record.

** The last time a ranked Michigan team lost to an unranked Ohio State squad was in 2004 when the Buckeyes erased an early 14-7 deficit for a 37-21 victory over the seventh-ranked Wolverines.

** Michigan is trying to win its eighth home game in a single season for the first time since 1917 when the Wolverines were playing at old Ferry Field.

** You probably should not expect a shutout tomorrow. The Wolverines haven’t blanked the Buckeyes since a 28-0 victory in Ann Arbor in 1993. OSU hasn’t recorded a shutout over U-M since a 28-0 win in Ann Arbor in 1962.

** During an 18-year span from 1975 to 1992, the record for the team entering The Game with the higher ranking was 12-4-1. (Neither team was ranked in 1987.) In the 18 games since, the higher-ranked team has managed only an 11-7 mark.

** Michigan is vastly improved on defense from a year ago. After allowing 35.2 points per game in 2010, the Wolverines give up an average of only 15.6 points this season and that ranks second in the Big Ten and sixth nationally. They have also gone from 108th in total defense (447.9 yards per game) a year ago to 14th this season (312.6).

** The game will feature a pair of slow-starting teams. Only 44 of Ohio State’s 267 total points (16.5 percent) have come in the first q          quarter. Only 72 of Michigan’s total of 370 points scored (19.5 percent) have come in the opening period.

** That said, both teams will be looking to score first. Ohio State is 4-1 this season when it scores first; Michigan is 5-1 when it puts up the first score of the game.

** The Wolverines have outscored their opposition by a 190-77 margin in the second half. The Buckeyes have outscored their opposition by a 139-100 margin in the second half.

** Since the two teams met in 1923 for the Ohio Stadium dedication game, a total of 7,743,542 fans have attended The Game. That’s more than any other college football game in America. Sixty-one of those 89 games have been sold out, including the last 42 in a row.

** Michigan Stadium is the site for the largest crowd ever to watch a college football game. A crowd of 114,804 jammed into the Big House on Sept. 10 to watch the Wolverines take a 35-31 win from Notre Dame.

** The Wolverines have 21 native Ohioans on their roster including six starters – tight end Kevin Koger (Toledo Whitmer), strong safety Jordan Kovacs (Oregon Clay), offensive guard Patrick Omameh (Columbus DeSales), receiver Roy Roundtree (Trotwood-Madison), linebacker Jake Ryan (Cleveland St. Ignatius) and running back Fitzgerald Toussaint (Youngstown Liberty).

** The Buckeyes have three players from Michigan – defensive back Dionte Allen (Orchard Park St. Mary’s), tight end Reid Fragel (Grosse Pointe South) and defensive lineman Johnathan Hankins (Detroit Southeastern).

** Don’t expect a close game. In the previous 107 contests between OSU and Michigan, only 17 have been decided by three points or less. The Buckeyes hold a 6-5-6 edge in those games.

** Michigan junior quarterback Denard Robinson has 3,046 career rushing yards. That is second all-time among quarterbacks in the Big Ten to Antwaan Randle El, who totaled 3,895 yards for Indiana from 1998-2001. Robinson is currently ninth on U-M’s career rushing list.

** Robinson gets more recognition for his running ability, but he has moved into the top 10 in many of his school’s passing categories. That includes a tie for seventh with Tom Brady (1996-99) with 35 career touchdown passes.

** In terms of career total offense, Robinson is third all-time at Michigan with 7,693 yards. Occupying the top two spots are Chad Henne (9,300, 2004-07) and John Navarre (8,995, 2000-03).

** OSU senior wideout DeVier Posey had four catches last week to move him into eighth place on the Ohio State all-time receptions list with 128. He broke a ninth-place tie with Dane Sanzenbacher (124, 2007-10) and also motored past Brian Robiskie (127, 2005-08). Posey needs 13 more catches to leapfrog Dee Miller (132, 1995-98), Ted Ginn Jr. (135, 2004-06) and Santonio Holmes (140, 2003-05) and into OSU’s career top five.

** Posey also made a leap in career reception yardage. His 66 yards against the Nittany Lions gave him 1,859 and pushed him ahead of Cedric Anderson (1,807, 1980-83), Jeff Graham (1,809, 1988-90) and Ken-Yon Rambo (1,849, 1997-2000) and into 12th place all-time. Posey needs only 21 more yards to move past Robiskie (1,866) and Sanzenbacher (1,879) and into the top 10.

** OSU junior tight end Jake Stoneburner notched his seventh TD reception of the season last week and the ninth of his career. That ties him with Chuck Bryant (1959-61), John Frank (1980-83), Rickey Dudley (1994-95) and Darnell Sanders (1999-2001) for second all-time in career touchdown catches among Ohio State tight ends. John Lumpkin (1996-98) is the career leader with 10.

** The Game will be televised for the 45th consecutive year and 56th time overall. The first OSU-Michigan game ever televised was a 21-0 win by the Wolverines in Ann Arbor in 1947.

** This week’s game will be telecast by ABC with the broadcast crew of Dave Pasch (play-by-play) former Ohio State All-America linebacker Chris Spielman (color analysis) and Quint Kessenich (sideline reports). Kickoff is set for shortly after 12 noon Eastern.

** The game will also be broadcast on Sirius satellite radio channel 138 and XM channel 91.

** Westwood One will also have the radio broadcast with Brian Davis on play-by-play and former Ohio State running back and 1995 Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George handling color analysis.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

** And then there were two. Oklahoma State went by the wayside last Friday night with its double overtime loss to Iowa State, leaving only LSU and Houston as the remaining undefeated teams at the Division I-A level. Both teams are 11-0 – the Tigers for the first time since their 1958 national championship team finished 11-0, and the Cougars for the first time in program history.

** LSU’s 52-3 romp over Ole Miss last Saturday pushed the Tigers’ winning streak to 12 games. That is the longest streak in the nation.

** Meanwhile, time is running out for Florida Atlantic to avoid a winless season. The Owls lost a 34-7 decision to Troy last weekend, dropping them to 0-10 this season and extending the nation’s longest losing streak to 13 games. FAU, which has been outscored by a 355-117 margin this season, finishes its season with home games against a couple of 3-8 teams – UAB (3-8) tomorrow and Louisiana-Monroe on Dec. 3.

** This year’s Heisman Trophy race went from a foregone conclusion to up in the air back to a three-horse race in the space of just two weeks. I have whittled my choices down to Stanford QB Andrew Luck, Alabama RB Trent Richardson, Houston QB Case Keenum, Baylor QB Robert Griffin III and Boise State QB Kellen Moore.

** Griffin likely worked his way up plenty of Heisman ballots with his performance last week in Baylor’s 45-38 upset win over Oklahoma. RG3 completed 21 of 34 passes for 479 yards and four touchdowns, the final one coming on a pinpoint 34-yard strike with eight seconds left in the game. Griffin’s stat line for the season: 245 for 346 (72.9 percent) for 3,572 yards, 33 TDs and only five INTs. He’s also rushed for 550 yards and five touchdowns.

** A couple more things about that Baylor win: The Bears entered the game 0-20 all-time against Oklahoma and hadn’t beaten a top-five team since a 20-13 win at third-ranked USC in 1985.

** One guy who probably should be getting more Heisman love is Wisconsin junior running back Montee Ball. He is the nation’s No. 3 rusher with an average of 133.3 yards per game and he is the top scorer in the country with 30 touchdowns. That is a new Big Ten record and only nine behind the NCAA record set in 1988 by Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders of Oklahoma State.

** The nation’s leading rusher is someone you’ve probably never heard of. Bobby Rainey of Western Kentucky has 1,468 yards this season, almost singlehandedly getting the Hilltoppers bowl-eligible for the first time. Rainey is also on the verge of a pretty significant milestone. He needs 32 more yards to become only the eighth player since 2000 to post back-to-back seasons of at least 1,500 rushing yards. The others: LaDainian Tomlinson of TCU, Steven Jackson of Oregon State, Ray Rice of Rutgers, DeAngelo Williams of Memphis, Garrett Wolfe of Northern Illinois, Darren McFadden of Arkansas and LaMichael James of Oregon.

** Two reasons why conference championship games are not such a great idea. Alabama, ranked No. 2 in the current BCS standings, likely needs only to beat Auburn tomorrow to virtually clinch a spot in the BCS National Championship Game. Meanwhile, top-ranked LSU – which beat the Tide three weeks ago – finishes its regular season today against No. 3 Arkansas and then has to play No. 13 Georgia in the SEC title game. If the Tigers lose either one of those games, they’re out of the national championship picture. There is a similar scenario in the Big Ten. If Michigan beats Ohio State and Michigan State loses in the league championship game, the Wolverines will be in line for an at-large BCS bid while the Spartans – who beat U-M by two touchdowns in mid-October – will not.

** Virginia had to beat Florida State three times last Saturday to finally chalk up a 14-13 victory. The Cavaliers appeared to have stopped the Seminoles’ last-minute drive, but a facemask penalty gave FSU one more play. On that one, a call was overturned by replay to give Florida State a 42-yard field goal try to win it. The three-point attempt missed, and the Cavaliers finally moved to 8-3 with a shot at the ACC title game if they can upset Virginia Tech tomorrow.

** ’Tis the season. The first bowl invitations of the year have already gone out, including one to BYU, which has agreed to play in the Armed Forces Bowl, set for a noon kickoff on Dec. 30. The game will be played at 32,000-set Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the SMU campus in suburban Dallas. (That’s Gerald J. Ford, by the way, not U.S. President Gerald R. Ford. The guy with the J for his middle initial is a Texas billionaire banker who put up most of the money for the stadium’s construction in 1999-2000.)

** Louisiana (which used to be known as Louisiana-Lafayette) has accepted an invitation to play in the New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 17 and Arkansas State will be one of the participants in the GoDaddy.com Bowl set for Jan. 8.

** Congratulations to College Football Hall of Fame coach John Gagilardi. The 85-year-old Gagilardi has announced he will return next season for his 60th year at Division III Saint John’s (Minn.). He is college football’s winningest coach with a current career record of 484-133-11. Gagilardi began his coaching career in 1949 at Carroll College in Montana.

THIS WEEK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL

** On Nov 23, 1957, Princeton knocked off unbeaten Dartmouth, taking a 34-14 victory and claimed the Ivy League title in the process. Princeton star Danny Sachs threw a touchdown pass, returned an interception 40 yards to set up another score and returned a punt 60 yards for fourth-quarter TD to lead the Tigers.

** On Nov. 23, 1984, Boston College quarterback hurled a 48-yard “Hail Mary” TD pass to wide receiver Gerard Phelan on the game’s final play, giving the Eagles a 47-45 win over Miami (Fla.) and sewing up the ’84 Heisman Trophy for Flutie.

** On Nov. 23, 1985, Iowa quarterback Chuck Long became the first player in Big Ten history to throw for more than 10,000 career yards when he led the Hawkeyes to a 31-9 victory over Minnesota.

** On Nov. 24, 1938, Texas scored a 7-6 upset win over Texas A&M, allowing the Longhorns to avoid a rare winless season.

** On Nov. 24, 1956, College Football Hall of Fame coach Lynn “Pappy” Waldorf made his final game a memorable one when his California team scored a 20-18 upset win over Stanford.

** On Nov. 24, 1973, No. 20 Kansas took a 14-13 win over No. 19 Missouri in the Border War. The Tigers held a 13-0 lead entering the fourth quarter, but Jayhawks QB David Jaynes threw a pair of late touchdown passes to secure the win. The one-point victory allowed Kansas to set an NCAA record by playing their sixth game of the season decided by two points or less. The Jayhawks beat Colorado and Iowa State by two points, beat Missouri by one, lost to Nebraska and Tennessee by one and tied Oklahoma State.

** On Nov. 24, 1979, third-ranked Nebraska and No. 8 Oklahoma squared off for the Big Eight championship in a battle of the unbeatens. The Sooners, led by tailback Billy Sims and his 247 rushing yards, eventually prevailed with a 17-14 win for their fourth outright conference title in seven years.

** On Nov. 25, 1916, Ohio State took a 23-3 victory over Northwestern to cap a 7-0 season and earn the school’s first Big Ten championship. It was the first of a league-record 18 outright championships and 34 overall conference titles for the Buckeyes.

** On Nov. 25, 1920, Texas defeated instate rival Texas A&M by a 7-3 score in the first college football game ever broadcast live on radio.

** On Nov. 25, 1950, Michigan and Ohio State combined for a Big Ten-record 45 punts during a game played in a driving snowstorm. The Wolverines won the game 9-3 in what has become known as the “Snow Bowl.”

** On Nov. 25, 1961, Rutgers completed its first undefeated season since 1876 with a 32-19 win over Columbia. The Scarlet Knights overcame a 19-7 deficit after three quarters, roaring to the victory by scoring four times in the fourth quarter.

** On Nov. 26, 1955, Tennessee halfback Johnny Majors and backup halfback Al Carter each threw fourth-quarter touchdown passes to rally the Volunteers to a 20-14 victory over No. 19 Vanderbilt. The outcome prevented the Commodores from winning the SEC championship and securing a berth in the Sugar Bowl.

** On Nov. 25, 1989, Bo Schembechler coached his final game in Ann Arbor, guiding his third-ranked Michigan team to a 28-18 win over Ohio State. The victory gave Schembechler’s Wolverines their second consecutive outright Big Ten championship, becoming the first team to win back-to-back undisputed league titles since Michigan State in 1955 and ’56.

** On Nov. 26, 1938, Georgia Tech became the first team in college football history to play back-to-back scoreless ties when the Yellow Jackets battled instate rival Georgia to a 0-0 draw in Athens. The previous week, Tech and Florida had played to a scoreless tie in Atlanta.

** On Nov. 26, 1988, for the first time in series history, Notre Dame and USC squared off undefeated and occupying the top two spots in the national polls. Irish quarterback Tony Rice rushed for 65 yards and a touchdown while cornerback Stan Smagala intercepted USC quarterback Rodney Peete and returned the pick for a score as No. 1 Notre Dame took a 27-10 victory.

** On Nov. 27, 1982, Auburn running back Bo Jackson rushed for 114 yards and led the Tigers to a 23-22 victory over Alabama. It was the final regular-season game for Alabama head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, who finished a 38-year career with 323 victories. The game also marked a milestone for Auburn head coach Pat Dye. He became the first of 30 former Bryant assistants who had tried to beat the legendary coach since 1970.

** On Nov. 27, 1998, Texas tailback Ricky Williams sewed up the Heisman Trophy with a 259-yard performance during a 26-24 upset of sixth-ranked Texas A&M. Williams broke off a 60-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to break Tony Dorsett’s NCAA career rushing record.

** On Nov. 28, 1942, unranked Holy Cross scored a 55-12 rout of No. 1 Boston College, the most lopsided loss ever for a top-ranked team.

** On Nov. 28, 1975, Texas A&M protected its No. 2 national rating with a 20-10 win over fifth-ranked Texas, the Aggies’ first win at home over the Longhorns in eight years.

** On Nov. 28, 1981, No. 11 Penn State trounced No. 1 Pittsburgh by a 48-14 score, the largest winning margin in NCAA history for a ranked team over a No. 1 team.

** On Nov. 28, 2008, Eastern Michigan quarterback Andy Schmitt connected on an NCAA single-game record 58 of 80 pass attempts during a 56-52 victory over Central Michigan. The performance came six days after Schmitt went 50 for 76 in a 55-52 loss to Temple, and his 108 completions over a two-game span is also a college football record.

** On Nov. 29, 1935, Chicago halfback Jay Berwanger was named the winner of the inaugural Downtown Athletic Club Trophy as the outstanding college football player of the year. The following year, the award would be renamed the Heisman Trophy.

** On Nov. 29, 1958, Auburn protected its No. 2 ranking and extended its winning streak to 24 consecutive games with a heart-pounding 14-8 win over Alabama. The Tigers needed a defensive stop with 1:26 remaining in the game to preserve the victory.

FEARLESS FORECAST

The dominoes are starting to fall at the top of the college football polls and that is having an adverse effect on the straight-up picks. We went 6-4 for the second week in a row and are now 103-19 SU for the season. That’s still a pretty good win percentage at 84.4, but not so great when you realize we were above 90 percent for a good chunk of the season.

Still, we can live with that ledger considering the way we’ve picked against the spread. We had another winning week at 7-3 and are now 76-42-2 ATS for the year.

Let’s see what we have on tap this week.

TODAY’S GAMES

No. 3 Arkansas at No. 1 LSU: Leftover turkey sandwiches, a frosty cold beverage and this game should make for a dandy little post-Thanksgiving treat. The Razorbacks take the SEC’s top-ranked offense into Death Valley to see what they can do with the nation’s No. 2 defense. The Hogs have pretty had their way in this series the past few years, taking three of the last four meetings including last year’s 31-23 victory. But Arkansas had veteran Ryan Mallett at quarterback last season and LSU was offensively-challenged and fumbled the ball away three times. This year, the Tigers are much more accomplished on offense – eight of their 11 victories this year are by 26 points or more – and with a defense like theirs, it means this game may very well turn out like LSU’s season-opener against Oregon … LSU 38, Arkansas 20. (2:30 p.m. ET, CBS)

No. 8 Houston at Tulsa: Perhaps you are one of those snobs who turns up their nose at the Cougars because they play in Conference USA. Granted, UH doesn’t play a schedule worthy of being in the national championship equation. But the Coogs are pretty darned entertaining if you like offense. QB Case Keenum is the NCAA’s all-time leader in just about every passing category there is, and he leads an offense that is No. 1 in the nation in yardage (618.3 per game) and scoring (53.1 points). Houston is no slouch on defense, either, and it will be in for a serious challenge from the Golden Hurricane, who are on a seven-game winning streak during which they have outscored the opposition by an average of 23.0 points per game. Tulsa beat the Cougars last year, 28-25 in Houston, but Keenum was sidelined with a knee injury. His presence this year makes the difference … Houston 41, Tulsa 31. (12 noon ET, FSN)

SATURDAY’S GAMES

No. 2 Alabama at No. 24 Auburn: It’s pretty straightforward for the Tide. Win the Iron Bowl and you’re playing for the national championship. As if that wasn’t enough incentive, ’Bama has been waiting a year for redemption after blowing a 24-0 lead during a 28-27 loss to the Tigers last season. Auburn doesn’t have Heisman winner Cam Newton at the controls this year, but the Tigers have still managed to win seven games thanks mostly to a potent running attack led by sophomore Michael Dyer (1,194 yards, 10 TDs). But Dyer and his offensive line will have their hands more than full with Alabama’s nasty defense, a unit that is the nation’s best in virtually every category … Alabama 34, Auburn 12. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

No. 5 Virginia Tech at Virginia: The Hokies have things right where they want them. A couple of major upsets and they could squeeze their way into the national championship picture. First things first, though, as they travel to Scott Stadium to take on the surging Cavaliers. UVA has won four straight and are just a win away from getting a berth in the ACC title game. Tech stands in the way, however, and the Cavaliers haven’t exactly distinguished themselves in the rivalry. They have lost seven straight in the series and 11 of the last 12. Those numbers don’t bode well, especially with the Hokies riding a six-game win streak and rested after being off last weekend … Virginia Tech 27, Virginia 20. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2)

No. 22 Notre Dame at No. 6 Stanford: The Cardinal still believe they have a shot at the national championship game although a lot of dominoes would have to fall exactly right for Stanford to get to New Orleans. More realistic goals would be to sew up a BCS at-large berth as well as the Heisman Trophy for QB Andrew Luck. The stiffarm trophy’s odds-on favorite didn’t have the best of performances the last time his team was on national television, committing three costly turnovers during a 53-30 loss to Oregon two weeks ago. Luck can, however, redeem himself against the Fighting Irish, who have won eight of their last nine. Notre Dame has not played particularly well on the road this year although they are 3-1 away from South Bend. This should be a pretty evenly-matched contest … Stanford 34, Notre Dame 30. (8 p.m. ET, ABC)

Wyoming at No. 7 Boise State: The Broncos realize they’re not going to get to play for the national championship, so the next best thing is to win out and secure an at-large BCS bid. It certainly could happen if the recent spate of late-season upsets continues. This week, Boise welcomes a surprisingly good Cowboys team to the Smurf Turf. Wyoming has won of its last five, losing only a 31-20 decision to TCU during that stretch. That’s the same TCU team that went to Boise and knocked off the Broncos two weeks ago. But the Cowboys are 0-5 lifetime against Boise State and probably still have bruises from last year’s 51-6 mugging in Laramie … Boise State 42, Wyoming 17. (2 p.m. ET, The Mtn.)

Oregon State at No. 10 Oregon: It seems odd that the Beavers and not the Ducks would enter this year’s edition of the Civil War with the momentum. Oregon State is coming off a 38-21 win over Washington last week while the Quack Attack suffered a 38-35 home loss to USC. Of course, those outcomes will likely have very little bearing on what transpires tomorrow. The OSU defense is really no match for the Ducks, who still have the third-best scoring offense in the country. Oregon has won the last three in the series, but the games have been relatively tight – as any good rivalry game should be … Oregon 41, Oregon State 20. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2)

No. 14 Michigan State at Northwestern: Good defense coupled with eliminating mistakes is usually a pretty good recipe for championship football. The Spartans have used that combination – the nation’s No. 3 defense and plus-9 in turnover margin – to punch their ticket to the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game. Meanwhile, the Wildcats are feeling pretty good about themselves with a four-game win streak although the four victims have a combined record of 15-29. Sparty has won four of the last five in the series, including three straight in Evanston … Michigan State 31, Northwestern 23. (12 noon ET, BTN)

No. 19 Penn State at No. 16 Wisconsin: Despite the ongoing turmoil in Happy Valley, the Nittany Lions can still get to the Big Ten title game with a win in Madison. They will have to try to get that done by pitting one of the conference’s best defenses against the Badgers, who own the Big Ten’s best offense. Bucky, whose only two losses this season were last-second defeats on the road, is practically unbeatable at Camp Randall. Wisconsin is a perfect 6-0 at home this season and has outscored the competition by a 314-68 margin. That’s no misprint. That is an average winning margin of 41 points a game. It’s doubtful things could get that far out of hand tomorrow. Then again, the Badgers absorbed a 48-7 loss in 2008 the last time Penn State was in Madison and UW head coach Bret Bielema has a long memory … Wisconsin 49, Penn State 17. (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Ohio State at No. 15 Michigan: As much pain as it brings us to admit it, there just doesn’t seem to be much of a path to victory for the Buckeyes. Since expending a tremendous amount of energy getting an upset win over Wisconsin four weeks ago, the team has played as if its emotional tank is on empty. That really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given all of the peripheral minefields through which the players have had to navigate. You would like to believe the Buckeyes can rally one last time around head coach Luke Fickell and keep the streak going against Michigan. But it just doesn’t seem likely, especially going against an opponent that appears to be more dialed in … Michigan 31, Ohio State 17. (12 noon ET, ABC)

Here are the spreads for the above games: Arkansas at LSU (-12); Houston (-3) at Tulsa; Alabama (-20½) at Auburn; Virginia Tech (-4½) at Virginia; Notre Dame (+7½) at Stanford; Wyoming (+33½) at Boise State; Oregon State (+28) at Oregon; Michigan State (-6½) at Northwestern; Penn State at Wisconsin (-14½); Ohio State at Michigan (-7).

Enjoy the games and have a safe holiday weekend.

Located at the very northeastern tip of the Purdue campus in West Lafayette and named for a couple of long-dead guys who had very little to do with the university football program, the quaint, little bowl-type structure is the place where a late-season Ohio State winning streak died in 2004 and the site of an inexplicable 2009 loss by a Buckeye squad on its way to the Rose Bowl.

Ross-Ade Stadium added to its list of OSU victims Nov. 12 with a 26-23 overtime victory, for all intents and purposes ending the Buckeyes’ record-tying streak of consecutive Big Ten championships at six.

As hurtful as that outcome was, it may yet claim one more victim – Ohio State head coach Luke Fickell.

Through no fault of his own, the first-year head coach was already the subject of conjecture and rumor regarding his job security. The university had seen to that after Jim Tressel’s forced retirement May 30, signing Fickell to a one-year contract and making it clear a nationwide search for a new coach would commence following the 2011 season.

Even before the Buckeyes’ loss at Purdue, some believed that search had already been completed and that only contract formalities were left to iron out between Ohio State and former Florida head coach Urban Meyer.

There were a handful, though – me included – who believed the university would not and could not show Fickell the door if he somehow got the Buckeyes to the inaugural Big Ten championship game and the Rose Bowl.

Of course, appearances in Indianapolis and Pasadena seem extremely unlikely now. So many dominoes would have to fall precisely Ohio State’s way that even the most optimistic of fans would have to admit the Buckeyes’ streak of conference titles and BCS game appearances has reached its end.

Additionally, the loss to Purdue was perhaps the final piece of evidence Fickell’s detractors needed in their argument that the former OSU player and longtime assistant is not yet ready to run his own big-time program.

For the second week in a row, the Buckeyes fell into an early 10-0 hole. While there is nothing especially wrong with that, it’s difficult to fathom how it could have occurred against teams that entered the game with losing records – Indiana at 1-8, Purdue at 4-5.

Moreover, it continued a disturbing season-long trend of falling behind early. Ohio State has faced first-quarter deficits in six of its 10 games, and the parallel that can be drawn from so many slow starts is that the team is simply not ready to play once the football starts to fly. You can point to any number of things as to the reason why, arguing that real competitors typically motivate themselves. Still, the ultimate responsibility for getting a team ready to play rests with only one man – the head coach.

I have been one of Fickell’s most vocal supporters, especially because of the type of team he took over on short notice in June. On top of the holes created by graduation losses of seven defensive starters – plus an eighth who suffered a season-ending knee injury in this year’s opener – Fickell inherited an offense that lost its three-year starting quarterback, its All-Big Ten left tackle for five games, its All-Big Ten tailback for six and its leading receiver for 10.

Taking all of that into account, it seemed borderline incredible that the Buckeyes were still serious Big Ten championship contenders into mid-November.

Still, playing and coaching football at Ohio State is much more about winning than making excuses, and despite all of the incessant bellyaching about the play-calling and how freshman quarterback Braxton Miller has or has not been utilized, the future of Fickell as head coach of the Buckeyes might have boiled down to one late-game decision against Purdue.

In overtime, after Miller had scrambled away from pressure for the umpteenth time in the game and somehow found freshman receiver T.Y. Williams for a 15-yard completion, the Buckeyes faced fourth-and-1 at the Purdue 16 with the game on the line.

That is a situation in which no coach likes to find himself, yet one that often separates the good coaches from the great ones. Roll the dice and go for it, or play it safe and kick the field goal. Fickell played it safe and that decision ultimately cost his team the game when Purdue followed with a touchdown during its portion of overtime.

While it is easy to second-guess that decision, especially with the benefit of hindsight, the flow of the game seemed to dictate the Buckeyes going for that fourth-and-1 would have been the prudent play. On six short-yardage situations against the Boilermakers – when distances of 3 yards or fewer were needed for a first down – the Buckeyes had converted three times.

Maybe 50 percent isn’t an overwhelming margin, but Ohio State had converted both of its third-and-1 situations during the game, and Miller’s game-tying touchdown pass to Jordan Hall came on a fourth-and-3 play.

Fickell could have asked game officials for a measurement to buy himself some extra decision-making time or he could have called his only overtime timeout. He did neither, though, opting instead for a 33-yard field-goal attempt, which was certainly no sure thing given the probable shaky confidence of kicker Drew Basil, who had missed a 50-yard field goal at the end of the first half and whose PAT attempt was blocked to force the overtime.

Did choosing the field goal over going for it on fourth-and-1 cost the Buckeyes the ballgame? Maybe, but in a game featuring so many missed tackles, missed assignments and missed opportunities, it is difficult to pinpoint the blame on any singular call or play.

Yet with everything that was riding on that decision – a fourth straight victory, a history-making trip to the first-ever Big Ten title game and a shot at going to the Rose Bowl not to mention some possible job security – it seems strange Fickell elected to play it safe.

Perhaps, though, that is valuable insight into a coaching philosophy that will help those in charge make the ultimate decision whether it is Fickell, Meyer or someone else at the helm in 2012.

With the way things played out at Purdue, though, I can’t help thinking the current coach did himself no favors.

TO BOWL OR NOT TO BOWL?

With only two weeks remaining in the regular season, Ohio State fans are beginning to formulate holiday travel plans for a bowl game.

For each of the past six seasons, the Buckeyes have played in a big-money BCS game, traveling to Phoenix three times, New Orleans twice and Pasadena once. Barring a loss by Wisconsin at Illinois tomorrow, that streak has likely come to an end, meaning OSU will play outside the BCS for the first time since an Alamo Bowl appearance at the end of the 2004 season.

Where are the Buckeyes headed for the holidays? The answer depends on a lot of variables.

For argument’s sake, let’s say Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Nebraska win out. Michigan State and Wisconsin would represent their respective divisions in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game with the winner earned the conference’s automatic berth in the Rose Bowl.

That leaves Nebraska with two losses, the title game loser with three losses and Ohio State with four losses (along with Penn State and Michigan). Now things get tricky.

Since it is a marquee program with a fan base that will travel, a 10-2 Nebraska team would make a possibility for an at-large BCS berth. Variables impacting that scenario are many, including the BCS selecting the Cornhuskers out of a pool that will likely include such one-loss teams as Stanford and Boise State, each of which are ranked far ahead of Nebraska in the latest BCS standings.

If the Cornhuskers go to the BCS, the Big Ten title game loser would likely wind up in the Capital One Bowl with Ohio State headed to Tampa and the Outback Bowl, set for Jan. 2. The Buckeyes would have the inside track on Penn State and Michigan because they would have beaten both teams, but more importantly Ohio State hasn’t played a bowl game in Florida since the Outback Bowl following the 2001 season.

Should Nebraska get snubbed by the BCS at 10-2, or the Cornhuskers lose to either Michigan tomorrow or Iowa on Nov. 25, the bowl picture muddies even more.

If the Cornhuskers finish 10-2 and that’s still not good enough for the BCS, they would likely be headed to the Capital One Bowl with the loser of the Big Ten Championship Game sliding to the Outback Bowl.

The Insight Bowl, played Dec. 30 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., has the next selection and there is serious doubt the Phoenix area would want Ohio State for the sixth time in the last 10 years.

Holding the next pick is the Gator Bowl, set for Jan. 2 in Jacksonville, Fla. Longtime OSU fans have a bitter memory of the last time the Buckeyes played in the Gator Bowl – head coach Woody Hayes’ last game, a 17-15 loss to Clemson in 1978.

Of course, should the Buckeyes stumble against Penn State and/or Michigan, the remainder of the Big Ten-affiliated bowls are (in order of selection) the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas on Dec. 31 in Houston, the Ticketcity Bowl on Jan. 2 in Dallas and the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl on Dec. 27 in Detroit.

There is one other scenario, of course.

If the rumors are true, and Ohio State is going to supplant Luke Fickell as head coach in favor of Urban Meyer soon after the completion of the regular season, it might make sense for the Buckeyes to stay home this postseason – especially if the NCAA decides to impose a one-year bowl ban.

I have always been of the opinion that since the NCAA has waited so long to render its decision in the tattoos-for-memorabilia case, Ohio State would appeal any postseason ban and this year’s team would play in a bowl. However, if a bowl ban is coming, and the Buckeyes are going to play in a so-called lesser bowl, wouldn’t it make sense to accept the ban this year and wipe the slate clean for next season with a new coach, new staff and renewed set of goals?

To be sure, accepting a postseason ban this year would be the final slap in the face to Ohio State seniors, most of whom had nothing to do with the circumstances the program has faced all year. Still, if the university is truly interested in distancing itself from the NCAA investigation as quickly as possible, the prudent move might be to stay home, regroup and come back stronger than ever in 2012.

OSU-PENN STATE TIDBITS

** This marks the 27th overall meeting between Ohio State and Penn State, and the Buckeyes enjoy a slight 14-12 advantage. OSU has a 9-6 overall edge in games played at Ohio Stadium, but a lopsided 8-1 advantage in games played at the Horseshoe since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993.

** Ohio State head coach Luke Fickell is making his first appearance against Penn State as a head coach, but he is 10-3 lifetime against the Nittany Lions as an OSU player and assistant coach. He was 3-1 vs. Penn State during his playing career from 1993-96 and 7-2 during nine years as an assistant on Jim Tressel’s staff.

** Penn State interim head coach Tom Bradley will be making his first appearance against Ohio State as a head coach. Bradley played for the Nittany Lions in 1977 and ’78 and then spent 33 years on Joe Paterno’s staff. Penn State was 1-0 vs. Ohio State during Bradley’s playing career and 7-12 during his time as an assistant coach.

** Ohio State will face a Paterno-less Penn State squad for the first time in nearly a century. Paterno had been on the Nittany Lions sideline as an assistant or head coach for 25 of the previous 26 games in the series. The only time Paterno wasn’t a part of the rivalry was a 37-0 win by Penn State over the Buckeyes at old Ohio Field in 1912. “Big” Bill Hollenback was at the helm of the Nittany Lions that year while John R. Richards was in his only season as head coach at Ohio State.

** The game pits two of the winningest college football teams in history against one another. Ohio State ranks fifth all-time with 837 wins while Penn State ranks sixth with 826. Michigan is first all-time with 892 followed by Notre Dame (852), Texas (850) and Nebraska (844).

** Five of the last 10 games in the series have been determined by seven points or less, but 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. Last year, the Buckeyes erased a 14-3 halftime deficit to secure a 38-14 win. Throughout the overall series, the average margin of victory for OSU is 16.0 points. When the Nittany Lions win, their average margin is 15.1 points.

** Penn State will be looking to keep things close tomorrow. The Nittany Lions are 6-1 while the Buckeyes are 3-3 this season in games decided by 10 points or less.

** One series trend would seem to favor Penn State while another works better for Ohio State’s hopes. The higher ranked team has won 18 of the last 20 meetings and the home team has won 13 of the 18 games played since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten. Penn State enters tomorrow’s game ranked No. 21 in the USA Today coaches’ and Associated Press writers’ polls as well as the BCS rankings. The Buckeyes are unranked for the eighth straight week, the program’s longest unranked streak since 1988.

** Penn State has won on just two of its previous 10 trips to Ohio Stadium, and the Buckeyes started a freshman quarterback in both of the Nittany Lions’ victories. In 1979, Art Schlichter threw a school-record five interceptions in his first collegiate start during a 19-0 PSU win. Then in 2008, Terrelle Pryor’s crucial fourth-quarter fumble led to a 13-6 victory for the Lions. It was Pryor’s fifth career start after taking over for Todd Boeckman earlier that season.

** With the exception of Ohio State, Penn State has had its way with Ohio teams over the years. The Nittany Lions are 20-2-1 against other Ohio schools with the lone blemishes a 24-6 loss to Toledo in 2000, a 14-3 loss to Cincinnati in 1983 and an 8-8 tie at Western Reserve in 1895.

** The Ohio State defense is always looking for interceptions, of course, but especially so against Penn State tomorrow. Since 2002, the Buckeyes have returned seven interceptions for touchdowns against the Nittany Lions and are 5-0 during that time span when they have at least one pick-six. Devon Torrence and Travis Howard each had fourth-quarter INT returns for scores last year to blow open OSU’s 38-14 victory.

** Since the beginning of the 2005 season, Penn State is 15-3 in its next game following a loss.

** Penn State is traditionally one of the least penalized teams in the nation and that is true again in 2011. The Nittany Lions are tied for fourth in the Big Ten with 47 penalties in 10 games and average only 41.2 penalty yards per game. In its last five games played against the Buckeyes, Penn State has incurred only 12 penalties for 81 yards. During the same five games, Ohio State has been flagged 31 times for 283 yards.

** Penn State is tied with Nebraska for the Big Ten lead in fewest sacks allowed with 12. Ohio State ranks last in the conference in that category, having surrendered 33 sacks this season.

** Penn State has four native Ohioans on its roster – running backs Brandon Beachum and Michael Zordich (Youngstown Cardinal Mooney), tight end Nate Cadogan (Portsmouth) and receiver Ryan Scherer (Avon Lake). The Buckeyes have seven players from Pennsylvania – defensive lineman Evan Blankenship (Monaca), defensive back Corey Brown (Monroeville), receiver Corey “Philly” Brown (Upper Darby), linebacker Chad Hagan (Canonsburg), running back Jordan Hall (Jeannette), tight end Kyle Schuck (Selinsgrove) and linebacker Andrew Sweat (Washington).

** When Purdue blocked Ohio State’s point-after attempt last Saturday, it marked the first time since the 2009 season opener the Buckeyes had missed a PAT. In between, OSU had converted 130 consecutive tries.

** Had the PAT been successful and Ohio State escaped West Lafayette with a 21-20 victory, it would have been the Buckeyes’ first one-point win since a 20-19 decision over Louisville in the 1992 season opener. OSU hasn’t been involved in a one-point game against a Big Ten opponent since losing a 10-9 game at Illinois in 1966. The Buckeyes’ last one-point conference victory? An 11-10 home win over Minnesota in 1965.

** Ohio State senior receiver DeVier Posey is expected to make his 2011 season debut after missing the first 10 games while serving two different NCAA suspensions. Posey is tied for eighth on the school’s all-time list with 16 touchdown receptions and tied for ninth with 124 career catches.

** Penn State senior receiver Derek Moye ranks among his school’s top five in most receiving categories. Moye, who has 34 catches for 592 yards and three touchdowns this season, is third all-time at PSU in career receiving yards (2,333), fourth in TDs (18) and fifth in receptions (138).

** Ohio State senior tailback Boom Herron was held to only 65 yards last week against Purdue, his lowest output since a 55-yard effort during last year’s 73-20 rout of Eastern Michigan. Still, the total against the Boilermakers was enough to push Herron into the top 10 on Ohio State’s career rushing list. He now has 2,674 yards and moved past Raymont Harris (2,649, 1990-93) into 10th place on the all-time list. Next up are Antonio Pittman (2,945, 2004-06), Michael Wiley (2,951, 1996-99) and Carlos Snow (2,999, 1987-89, ’91).

** Against Purdue, Ohio State freshman quarterback Braxton Miller established new single-game career highs with 18 attempts and 132 yards passing, and he matched previous highs with eight completions and two touchdown passes. Both TD passes went to junior tailback Jordan Hall, setting a new single-game career mark for him.

** Miller is one of six OSU freshmen who have started at least one game this season. The others are redshirt freshmen CB Bradley Roby, WR Verlon Reed and DE J.T. Moore and true frosh WR T.Y. Williams and OT Antonio Underwood. The number will likely climb to seven tomorrow when true freshman LB Ryan Shazier is expected to start on the weak side in place of senior Andrew Sweat, who suffered a concussion last week at Purdue.

** OSU senior center Mike Brewster made his 46th consecutive start last weekend, and if the Buckeyes do not play in the Big Ten Championship Game, he will fall short of the school record. Fickell holds that mark with 50 straight starts. Brewster needs to start each of the last two regular-season games and a bowl game to get to 49.

** Twenty-four Ohio State seniors will be honored prior to tomorrow’s game as part of annual Senior Day festivities. Making their final Ohio Stadium appearance as Buckeyes will be Mike Adams, Dionte Allen, Dan Bain, Joe Bauserman, Evan Blankenship, Mike Brewster, Bo DeLande, Garrett Dornbrook, Nate Ebner, Derek Erwin, Donnie Evege, Boom Herron, Tony Jackson, Don Matheney, Chris Maxwell, Tyler Moeller, Nate Oliver, DeVier Posey, Chris Roark, Donald Senegal, J.B. Shugarts, Spencer Smith, Andrew Sweat and Solomon Thomas.

** Ohio State has won eight of its last nine games on Senior Day. The only blemish on that record is a 28-21 loss to Illinois in 2007.

** This week’s game will be telecast by ABC and ESPN using the reverse mirror technique meaning if the game is not on your local ABC affiliate, it should be on ESPN and vice versa. Veteran play-by-play man Brad Nessler will have the call, color analysis will be provided by former Penn State quarterback Todd Blackledge, and Holly Rowe will file reports from the sidelines. Kickoff is set for shortly after 3:30 p.m. Eastern.

** The game will also be broadcast on Sirius and XM satellite radio channels 85.

** Next week, Ohio State finishes its 2011 regular season at Michigan for the 108th renewal of The Game. Kickoff is set for 12 noon Eastern from Ann Arbor, and that game will also be telecast by ABC/ESPN using the reverse mirror.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

** With the Boise State and Stanford losses last Saturday night, only LSU, Oklahoma State and Houston remain undefeated at the Division I-A level. All three teams are 10-0 – LSU for the first time since 1958, Oklahoma State and Houston for the first time in program history.

** Both LSU and Oklahoma State have potential roadblocks on the way to the BCS National Championship Game. The Tigers hosts Arkansas on Nov. 25, and before you pooh-pooh the Razorbacks’ chances for the upset, you might want to know the Hogs have won three of the last four in the series. Meanwhile, the Cowboys entertain Oklahoma on Dec. 3, looking to snap an eight-game losing streak in that series.

** Houston gets no love at No. 11 in the BCS standings despite being undefeated at 10-0. The Cougars finish their regular season at home against SMU (6-4) on Nov. 19 and at Tulsa (7-3) on Nov. 25, and will likely play Southern Miss (9-1) in the Conference USA title game.

** Stanford’s 53-30 loss to Oregon on Saturday night snapped the nation’s longest winning streak at 18 games. LSU and Oklahoma State now share the longest streak in the nation at 11 straight.

** Congratulations to New Mexico, which snapped the nation’s longest losing streak at 12 with a 21-14 win over UNLV on Saturday. The Lobos got the game-winning touchdown on a 2-yard touchdown run by sophomore Demarcus Rogers with 1:15 remaining. That means the nation’s longest losing streak now belongs to Florida Atlantic, which lost its 12th game in a row with a 41-7 loss Saturday to Florida International.

** This year’s Heisman Trophy race went from a forgone conclusion to decidedly less so immediately after Stanford’s loss to Oregon. Cardinal QB Andrew Luck remains the odds-on favorite, but he certainly didn’t impress any voters with a performance against the Ducks that included two costly interceptions and a fumble to go along with 271 yards and three TDs. Other viable candidates include Houston QB Case Keenum, Oregon RB LaMichael James, Oklahoma State QB Brandon Weeden and Alabama RB Trent Richardson.

** TCU’s 36-35 victory at Boise State ended the Broncos’ 35-game home winning streak, a 47-game home conference win streak and a 65-game regular-season home streak. Boise is 46-3 since 2008, and two of those losses are one-point defeats courtesy of the Horned Frogs.

** How explosive is Oregon’s offense? Explosive enough to hang 53 on Stanford despite going just 1 for 9 on third-down conversions. The Ducks were better than that (2 for 3) on fourth down, and they converted a two-point try following their first touchdown of the game, something that become customary under head coach Chip Kelly.

** The Big Ten has taken another beating from national pundits who claim the overall strength of the league continues to pale in comparison to other conferences. Be that as it may, the Big Ten can still boast eight members who have secured bowl eligibility this season and that is more than any other conference. Two more Big Ten schools – Northwestern and Purdue – can get bowl-eligible with victories this week.

** Wisconsin running back Montee Ball scored three touchdowns last weekend during his team’s 42-13 win over Minnesota and broke the Big Ten’s single-season record for touchdowns with 27. The old mark of 26 was established in 1975 by Ohio State fullback Pete Johnson and was equaled in 1988 by Indiana tailback Anthony Thompson and in 1994 by Penn State tailback Ki-Jana Carter.

** Ball has rushed for 23 of his TDs this season and that is still three behind the conference record of 26 set by Thompson in ’88 and matched by Carter six years later.

** The rumor mill has former Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez thinking seriously about taking over at Tulane. The Green Wave, whose 73-17 loss to Houston last Thursday night dropped them to 2-9, have already gotten rid of head coach Bob Toledo and Rodriguez already knows his way around New Orleans. He was offensive coordinator on Tommy Bowden’s staff in 1998 when Tulane went 12-0.

** Here’s another rumor that will get Big Ten tongues wagging. Penn State might look to former assistant coach Jim Caldwell as Joe Paterno’s successor. Caldwell is likely nearing the end of his tenure as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts and would bring what is considered an impeccable reputation with him to Happy Valley. Then, if Caldwell gets the boot in Indy, a possible replacement could be Jim Tressel, currently serving the Colts as a video replay consultant.

** What kind of odds could you have gotten back on Jan. 1 if you had suggested Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State would all have fired their head football coaches before the end of November?

** After last week’s 17-12 loss at South Carolina, Florida fell to 3-5 in the SEC and is assured of its first losing conference record in 25 years. At 5-5 overall, the Gators are also trying to avoid their first losing season in 32 years. They went 0-10-1 in 1979.

** Missouri’s 12-5 upset of Texas was tough on both teams. The Tigers lost star running back Henry Josey to a season-ending knee injury while the Longhorns lost tailback Fozzy Whitaker to a knee injury that will end his senior season.

** Navy failed to complete a single pass against SMU last weekend and still won, 24-17. The Midshipmen tried to throw only twice – one was intercepted – but ran it 64 times for 335 yards. Navy is the No. 2 rushing team in the nation with an average of 319.7 yards per game. Fellow triple-option team Army is No. 1, averaging 352.0 yards on the ground each week. Unfortunately, all that running doesn’t translate into many victories. Army and Navy are a combined 7-13.

** Quote of the week belongs to TCU linebacker Tank Carder, who tweeted following his team’s 36-35 upset of Boise State, “We didn’t shock the world. We just reminded them.”

** If you like offense, you should have been at last Saturday’s game featuring NAIA rivals Faulkner (Ala.) and Union (Ky.). In the fourth-highest scoring college football game in history, Faulkner outlasted Union by a 95-89 final in triple overtime. The contest was tied at 75 after regulation. Faulkner QB Josh Hollingsworth threw for an NAIA-record 637 yards and seven touchdowns, while senior receiver Courtney Pete totaled 19 receptions for 201 yards and three TDs. Pete also threw a touchdown pass to Hollingsworth. The teams combined for nearly 1,500 yards of total offense – 793 for Faulkner, 696 for Union.

THIS WEEK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL

** On Nov. 16, 1872, Yale played its first-ever football game, beating Columbia by a 3-0 score.

** On Nov. 16, 1940, No. 2 Cornell scored on a last-second touchdown pass to score a 6-3 victory over Dartmouth and extend the Big Red’s winning streak to 19 games. However, after a review of the game tape, officials determined the game-winning score had come after a fourth-down incompletion by Cornell and that Dartmouth should have taken over on downs. Cornell president Edmund E. Day, athletics director Jim Lynah and future College Football Hall of Fame coach Carl Snavely offered to concede the game, an offer Dartmouth accepted, and the contest went into the record books as a 3-0 victory for the Big Green.

** On Nov. 16, 1957, Notre Dame stopped Oklahoma’s NCAA-record winning streak at 47 games with a 7-0 victory over the Sooners in Norman.

** On Nov. 16, 1991, BYU and San Diego State combined to score 104 points, but finished deadlocked at 52-52, the highest-scoring tie in NCAA history.

** On Nov. 16, 1996, Washington running back Corey Dillon set an NCAA record with 305 total yards in one quarter – 222 rushing and 83 receiving – during his team’s 53-10 win over San Jose State. Dillon’s 222 rushing yards also established a new NCAA record for rushing yards in one quarter.

** On Nov. 17, 1906, Kansas took an 8-6 victory over Nebraska, beginning what was the longest continuous Division I-A series, one that ended this season when the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten.

** On Nov. 17, 1923, Kansas City University lost a 131-0 decision to St. Mary’s (Kan.), capping a winless 0-6 season in which KCU was outscored, 623-0.

** On Nov. 17, 1956, Syracuse halfback Jim Brown set an NCAA record for single-game scoring, accounting for 43 points (rushing for six touchdowns and kicking seven PATs) during a 61-7 win over Colgate. Brown’s record stood until 1990 and still stands third all-time.

** On Nov. 18, 1961, College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen led Utah State to a 17-6 win over intrastate rival Utah in Salt Lake City. The win moved Utah State to 9-0-1 for the season, the Aggies’ best record in program history and their only undefeated regular season since 1936.

** On Nov. 18, 1978, Oklahoma running back Billy Sims rushed for 209 yards in a 62-7 win over Oklahoma State and broke the Big Eight’s single-season rushing record in the process.

** On Nov. 18, 1995, Wake Forest quarterback Rusty LaRue established an NCAA record for most pass completions during a three-game span when he connected 50 times for a school-record 545 yards during his team’s 52-23 loss to North Carolina State. Coupled with performances the previous two weeks vs. Duke and Georgia Tech, LaRue completed 146 of 210 attempts (69.5 percent) for 1,524 yards during the record-setting three-game stretch.

** On Nov. 19, 1966, top-ranked Notre Dame and No. 2 Michigan State played to a 10-10 tie in East Lansing, a contest that has often been called “The Game of the Century.” Fighting Irish quarterback Terry Hanratty was knocked out of the game in the first quarter after getting sacked by Spartans defensive lineman Bubba Smith, and starting Notre Dame running back Nick Eddy missed the entire game after hurting his shoulder getting off the train in East Lansing. The Irish had the ball on their own 30-yard line with 1:10 to go in the game, but head coach Ara Parseghian chose to run out the clock, preserving the tie and his team’s No. 1 ranking. Notre Dame went on to win the 1966 national championship while Michigan State finished second.

** 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. 20, 1976, Kentucky took a 7-0 victory over Tennessee and marked its first victory in Knoxville in a dozen years. Running back Greg Woods raced 68 yards with a pass from QB Derrick Ramsey for the only score in the game, and clinched the Wildcats’ first bowl bid since 1952.

** 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” a.k.a. “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 on Nov. 20, 1982, Stanford band members entered the field to celebrate what they believed was an upset victory over California. As time expired, however, the Golden Bears used five lateral passes while weaving through the Cardinal band to score a touchdown as Kevin Moen mowed down a Stanford trombone player in the end zone. After five minutes of deliberation, officials awarded Cal the 25-20 victory, resulting in one of the most unorthodox victories in college football history.

** On Nov. 20, 1999, TCU running back LaDanian Tomlinson set the NCAA single-game rushing record when he carried 43 times for 406 yards during a 52-24 win over UTEP in Fort Worth. Tomlinson’s 287 second-half yards also tied an NCAA record for rushing yards in one half.

** 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.

** On Nov. 21, 1992, Washington State QB Drew Bledsoe threw for 160 yards and two touchdowns during a snowstorm in Pullman, leading the Cougars to a 42-23 upset of fifth-ranked Washington.

** On Nov. 22, 1875, Harvard took a 4-0 victory over Yale in the first-ever meeting of the Ivy League schools. They will celebrate their 128th meeting this year.

** On Nov. 22, 1958, Pacific succeeded on an NCAA-record seven two-point conversions in nine attempts during a 68-17 victory over San Diego State.

** 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.

FEARLESS FORECAST

You know how some weeks you’re just not feeling it? Last week was one of those weeks at Forecast World Headquarters. Nothing seemed to click and that was reflected in a poor 6-4 finish in the straight-up picks and a 4-5-1 record against spread.

We’re still pretty well off for the season at 97-15 SU and 69-39-2 ATS, but eager to put last week behind us. Here is what we’re looking at this week.

TONIGHT’S GAME

No. 2 Oklahoma State at Iowa State: It’s getting to be crunch time for the Cowboys as they prepare for one final hurdle before meeting instate rival Oklahoma on Dec. 3. First things first, though, as the Okies travel to Ames to take on the Cyclones, who have a pretty good pass defense. Pretty good might not be good enough, though, against Pokes QB Brandon Weeden (3,635 yards, 31 TDs) and the nation’s No. 1 receiver Justin Blackmon (93 catches, 1,142 yards, 14 TDs). Iowa State’s signature win this year was a 41-7 rout of then-ranked Texas Tech, but the Raiders have crated since then including a 66-6 loss to Oklahoma State last week. One more note: The Cowboys have won their last 10 road games … Oklahoma State 45, Iowa State 23. (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)

SATURDAY’S GAMES

No. 1 LSU at Mississippi: How much worse could it get in Oxford? Well, the Rebels have already announced head coach Houston Nutt will not return next year and now they draw the No. 1 team in the land without their starting quarterback and top rusher. QB Randall Mackey and RB Jeff Scott have been suspended for violating team rules, and that isn’t exactly what the No. 113 team in the nation in total offense needs going up against the nation’s No. 2 defense. Ole Miss has lost a program-record 12 straight SEC games and we see no reason why that number doesn’t go to 13 tomorrow night … LSU 42, Mississippi 0. (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

No. 5 Oklahoma at No. 22 Baylor: The Bears believe that if they are ever going to beat the Sooners, this is the year. OU is a perfect 20-0 in the series, including 10-0 in Waco, but Baylor does have a couple of things tilted in its favor. First, QB Robert Griffin III (3,093 yards, 29 TDs) is one of the top passers in the country and the Sooners have been susceptible at times through the air this season. Secondly, the Sooners lost a huge piece of their offense two weekends ago when WR Ryan Broyles suffered a season-ending knee injury. Unfortunately for Griffin and the Bears, their defense just doesn’t measure up and that’s putting it mildly. Baylor ranks 110th nationally in total defense and 108th in scoring, meaning the Sooners should still be able to score at will even without Broyles … Oklahoma 48, Baylor 35. (8 p.m. ET, ABC)

California at No. 9 Stanford: This is the week we find out how good Cardinal QB Andrew Luck really is. After committing three turnovers – two INTs and a fumble – in last week’s 53-30 drubbing at the hands of Oregon, Luck must regroup himself and rally his team for a possible at-large BCS berth. An emotional letdown after such a huge loss might be the norm, but letdowns are uncommon in rivalry games. These two teams have going at one another for more than a century as tomorrow night is the 114th renewal of what is known as The Big Game. The Bears are meandering along at 6-4, but they have won two in a row and beat the Cardinal in 2009 on their last trip to the Farm. This could be closer than a lot of people think … Stanford 31, California 24. (10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN)

SMU at No. 11 Houston: Running up huge scores on defenseless opponents has gotten the Cougars where they need to be to earn an automatic BCS berth. Now, they hit the meat of their schedule in an effort to stay there. First up is SMU, losers of a 24-17 decision to Navy last week. But don’t discount the Mustangs. Like any heavyweight with a good right hand, they have a puncher’s chance to take out anyone just like they did Oct. 1 with an upset win over TCU. Of course, Houston has won 23 in a row at home since Case Keenum has been the starting quarterback, and he is only seven completions and one 300-yard game away from owning all of the major NCAA career records for a QB … Houston 49, SMU 24. (3:30 p.m. ET, FSN Regional)

No. 13 Kansas State at No. 23 Texas: Offensive players are dropping like flies in Austin and that isn’t exactly the recipe for success with the Wildcats coming to town. The Mack Attack lost all-purpose senior Fozzy Whitaker to a knee injury last week, compounding a problem at the running back position where leading rusher Malcolm Brown and backup Joe Bergeron are iffy with injuries of their own. Top receiver Jaxon Shipley is also questionable because of a bad knee, meaning the Longhorns will have to rely on a defense that leads the Big 12 in nearly every major category. Still, Texas proved last week that you can’t win if you can’t score … Kansas State 17, Texas 10. (8 p.m. ET, FX)

Kentucky at No. 14 Georgia: There was no hotter seat in the SEC than the one under Georgia head coach Mark Richt just a few short weeks ago. Now, after reeling off eight straight victories, Richt’s Bulldogs have a chance to clinch a berth in the conference title game. Those who wrote off the Dawgs after their 0-2 start might be surprised to know the team features the nation’s No. 4-ranked defense, led by LB Jarvis Jones (10 sacks) and S Bacarri Rambo (7 INTs). The offense is no slouch, either, with QB Aaron Murray already breaking the school’s single-season record with 27 touchdown passes. None of that is very good news for Kentucky, which has been outscored by a 127-18 margin in its three conference road games this year … Georgia 41, Kentucky 10. (12 noon ET, SEC Network)

Indiana at No. 15 Michigan State: It’s Senior Day at East Lansing and Sparty can clinch at least a share of the Legends Division title with a victory over the lowly Hoosiers. MSU needs to be ready, though. IU is playing much better these days, especially on offense, and have had a week off to prepare for the Spartans. Still, you have to believe that a team on the doorstep of playing in their conference’s historic first-ever title game would avoid taking any opponent lightly – even one that hasn’t beaten a Division I-A opponent all season and has lost 18 of its last 19 Big Ten games … Michigan State 38, Indiana 14. (12 noon ET, BTN)

No. 16 Nebraska at No. 18 Michigan: This Legends Division elimination game features a pair of teams that still have question marks despite the lateness of the season. The Cornhuskers are coming off an emotionally-draining 17-14 victory at Penn State while the Wolverines are still trying to assess how much affect a sprained wrist on his throwing hand will have on QB Denard Robinson. Expect U-M to keep Robinson grounded for the most part, especially since Nebraska ranks only eighth in the Big Ten against the run. But the wild card here – as usual – is Huskers QB Taylor Martinez. If Martinez plays well, Nebraska usually wins. If he doesn’t, Nebraska usually loses. Michigan’s defense has improved this season, but not enough to contain Martinez if he’s on … Nebraska 26, Michigan 23. (12 noon ET, ESPN)

No. 21 Penn State at Ohio State: How much either of these teams has remaining in their emotional gas tanks is anyone’s guess. The Nittany Lions are coming off one of the most draining weeks in program history, the product of a child sex abuse scandal that is not going away any time soon. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes have to deal with their crushing loss to Purdue last week, a defeat that effectively ended any chance they had of repeating as Big Ten champions for a record seventh straight year. How does either team pick up the pieces? It will be interesting to see them try, especially since OSU can’t throw the ball and Penn State struggles to put points on the board. We’ll go with the Buckeyes, but only because it’s Senior Day … Ohio State 22, Penn State 17. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN)

Here are the spreads for the above games: Oklahoma State at Iowa State (+27); LSU (-29½) at Ole Miss; Oklahoma at Baylor (+16); Cal (+18½) at Stanford; SMU at Houston (-19½); Kansas State (+9½) at Texas; Kentucky at Georgia (-29½); Indiana (+28½) at Michigan State; Nebraska (+4) at Michigan; Penn State (+7) at Ohio State.

Enjoy the games and we’ll talk to you next week … from the graveyard.

I think you could have gotten astronomical odds this time last year had you suggested both Jim Tressel and Joe Paterno would be fired – with cause – within the subsequent 12 months. The two Big Ten head coaches with the most solid of legacies have been summarily dismissed, leaving the conference with no real pillars of college football.

I think anyone who wants to draw a parallel between the scandals at Ohio State and Penn State should seriously think look at themselves in the mirror and reassess their priorities. Trading memorabilia for tattoos against harboring a sexual predator of young boys? Seriously? That’s the comparison you want to make?

I think anyone who believes there is a rush to judgment regarding the Penn State situation ought to read the grand jury testimony. There is eyewitness testimony and the perpetrator has been charged with more than 40 criminal counts ranging from involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and corruption of minors to endangering the welfare of a child and indecent assault. These heinous acts began more than 15 years ago, and you want to talk about a rush to judgment? Spare me.

I think if Jerry Sandusky had made a one-minute phone call to a prospect during a dead recruiting period, the NCAA would have severely sanctioned him as well as the Penn State football program. But because Sandusky’s actions are not under the purvey of college athletics’ governing body, NCAA president Mark Emmert said his organization would wait until all of the details regarding the situation are known before it makes a decision if any NCAA rules were violated. The NCAA has no oversight regarding legal proceedings at schools, but it could certainly add some teeth to such a tepid statement. How about something regarding condemnation of child abuse? That might be a decent place to start.

I think if the Ohio State and Penn State scandals have taught us anything, it could be that more oversight is needed into big-time college football programs. Multimillion-dollar coaches wield too much power as well as too much autonomy. Their football programs become de facto fiefdoms over which the coach has total control. What exactly are athletic directors being paid to do?

I think every drunken idiot who protested Wednesday night in State College in favor of Paterno should be required to spend time working at a center for abused children.

I think Penn State’s heretofore squeaky-clean image has been stripped away, but people tend to forget the Rene Portland incident. Portland, who was women’s basketball coach at Penn State for 27 years from 1980-2007, was forced to resign following a lawsuit brought against her, the university and athletic director Tim Curley (yep, same Tim Curley) by a former player. Jennifer Harris claimed Portland discriminated against her because the coach falsely perceived her to be gay. The university reached an out-of-court settlement with Harris while Portland was reprimanded, forced to resign, fined $10,000 and ordered to take diversity training.

I think Luke Fickell has done an excellent job in first year as head coach despite being dealt a weak hand. Fickell took over the program in June, lost his three-year starting quarterback off the bat, lost the serves of his left tackle for five games, his top running back for six, his top receiver for 10 and arguably his best defensive player after just one game. I’ll go out on a limb and say that if Fickell gets the Buckeyes to the Big Ten Championship Game and wins it – earning a Rose Bowl berth in the process – that would be rather noteworthy.

I think those who compare Fickell to his predecessor are making an unfair comparison. While Fickell is in his first season as a head coach at any level, Tressel had 15 years experience and four national titles when he got to OSU. Of course, his first year at Youngstown State, his team went 2-9 and his first team at Ohio State went 7-5. I have no idea if Fickell will be the next Tressel or the next Randy Ayers, but I do know he’s Buckeye through and through, and that should be worth something especially if he gets this year’s team to the conference title game and wins it — something no one was predicting after Nebraska.

I think anyone the whole Urban Meyer thing is beginning to make me queasy. It just rubs me the wrong way the way some fans are so willing to dismiss anything Fickell does this season in favor of Meyer. I don’t like it when someone dances on another guy’s grave especially before he’s gone. Sure, I’ve been told that the higher-ups want to make a clean sweep of the coaching staff after this season regardless of how things turn out. But I still say it’s going to be tough to make a change if the team wins 10 games, takes home another Big Ten title and goes to the Rose Bowl. If they fall short of that, then yeah, I can get my head around making a change. But all of this talk is premature and counterproductive. IMHO, if the change is made and the job is offered and Meyer thinks it’s the right fit, he’ll take it. If not, he won’t.

I think anyone is delusional who believes Meyer is entertaining any thought of going to Penn State. By the time the smoke clears at Penn State, it will be lucky – very lucky – to get a mid-level Pennsylvania high school coach to go there. Can anyone truly believe that after the housecleaning there it will simply be back to business as usual? Penn State is looking at multiple criminal and civil lawsuits that will likely cost them tens of millions of dollars, an investigation coming from the U.S. Department of Education and quite possibly one from the U.S. Justice Department. The least of their worries right now is the NCAA, which is sitting back and waiting to see if it wants to do anything. Anyone who steps into that cesspool runs the very real risk of ruining his reputation for the sake of financial gain. If you lay down with skunks, it’s going to be awfully hard to ever get that smell off you.

I think the Penn State football program may sink to the lower regions of the Big Ten for quite some time and I use Kansas State as a perfect example. During Bill Snyder’s first go-round in Manhattan (a small, isolated town much like State College), the Wildcats posted a 108-29-1 record during an 11-year stretch between 1993-2003 and went to a bowl game every year during that time. After Snyder left following the 2005 season, the program meandered along at 17-20 for the next three seasons before Snyder returned in 2009. The only problem with that scenario repeating itself at Penn State is that Paterno is never coming back.

I think I have no idea if the next Ohio State head coach will be Meyer, Fickell or someone else. But if it’s not Meyer, a whole lot of people are going to have to be talked in off the ledge.

Finally, Sandusky faces up to 460 years in prison for his despicable acts. I think that’s not long enough.

OSU-PURDUE TIDBITS

** This marks the 54th meeting between Ohio State and Purdue with the Buckeyes holding a 38-13-2 record in the overall series. That includes a 12-7 mark in West Lafayette, although the Buckeyes are only 2-3 at Ross-Ade Stadium since 2000.

** In the previous 53 meetings, the Boilermakers have never experienced more than a two-game win streak over the Buckeyes. OSU has enjoyed series winning streaks of seven and six games as well as mini-streaks of three in a row on five separate occasions.

** Ohio State head coach Luke Fickell will be facing the Boilermakers for the first time as head coach, but he is 9-2 lifetime against Purdue as an OSU player and assistant coach. Fickell was 4-0 vs. the Boilers during his playing career from 1993-96 and 5-2 during nine seasons as an assistant on Jim Tressel’s staff.

** Purdue head coach Danny Hope is in his third season with the Boilermakers, compiling a 13-20 overall record and 8-13 mark in the Big Ten. He is 1-1 vs. the Buckeyes with his victory coming in 2009 in West Lafayette when Purdue took advantage of five OSU turnovers and scored a 26-18 upset over the seventh-ranked Buckeyes.

** The Boilermakers should have a good feeling about playing on Nov. 12. They are 11-4 all-time on that date, including a monumental upset of top-ranked Minnesota in 1960. Purdue was 2-4-1 heading into that game and knocked off the previously unbeaten Golden Gophers in Minneapolis. Despite that loss, Minnesota went on to capture the 1960 national championship, the most recent of the school’s six national titles.

** The game will feature two of the Big Ten’s more challenged passing offenses. Purdue ranks ninth in the league with an average of 192.2 yards per game while Ohio State is dead last, averaging a miniscule 115.4 yards through the air. In conference games only, the Buckeyes are even worse with an 82.4-yard average.

** Despite his team’s troubles in the passing game, Purdue wide receiver Antavian Edison enters tomorrow’s game against the Buckeyes with a streak of 17 consecutive games in which he has caught at least one pass. Even so, Edison is only the third-leading receiver on his team this season with 26 catches for 367 yards and two TDs.

** Ohio State’s offensive strength in running the football and the Buckeyes have moved up to fourth in the Big Ten with an average of 204.3 yards per game on the ground. Counting conference games only, the Buckeyes average 220.6 yards rushing, and counting only the three games since senior tailback Boom Herron has played, the team averages 275.0 yards on the ground. That’s not exactly what the Boilermakers want to hear – they are tied for 10th in the league in rush defense, giving up an average of 191.1 yards per game.

** The Buckeyes rushed for a season-high 346 yards last week against Indiana, their best single-game output since a 348-yard effort at Illinois in 1996.

** OSU’s ground attack was led by tailbacks Herron and Carlos Hyde and quarterback Braxton Miller, all of whom eclipsed the 100-yard mark. It was the first trio of players to crack the century mark on the ground for Ohio State since Dante Lee, Scottie Graham and Carlos Snow accomplished the feat during a 52-27 win at Northwestern in 1989. The feat has been accomplished two other times in Ohio State history – Leo Hayden, John Brockington and Rex Kern did it during a 34-10 win over Duke in 1970, and the triumvirate of Galen Cisco, Jim Roseboro and Don Clark each cracked the century mark in 1956 during a 35-14 win over Indiana.

** Miller rushed for a career-high 105 yards against the Hoosiers, marking the 18th time in program history an Ohio State quarterback had rushed for 100 yards or more in a game. The school single-game mark for QBs is 146, set by Cornelius Greene during a 52-7 win over Wisconsin in 1974.

** Much of Miller’s yardage came on an 81-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. That marked the sixth longest run from scrimmage in Ohio State history and the longest ever by a quarterback, wiping out a 76-yard run by Kern during a 48-29 victory at Illinois in 1970.

** When Miller and Indiana’s Tre Roberson squared off against one another last Saturday, it marked the first time since 1988 that a pair of freshman quarterbacks started for both teams in a Big Ten game. Brian Fox of Purdue and Lionell Crawford of Wisconsin started that ’88 game but didn’t generate nearly the offense Miller and Roberson did. The Boilermakers won a 9-6 decision in Madison.

** Herron’s 141-yard rushing effort last weekend pushed his career total to 2,609, good for 11th on the school’s all-time rushing list. Herron passed Jim Otis (2,542, 1967-69) and Calvin Murray (2,576, 1977-80) and needs only 41 more to move ahead of Raymont Harris (2,649, 1990-93) and break into the Ohio State all-time top 10.

** On Ohio State’s first play of the second half tomorrow, you might want to keep your eye on Herron. In his three games this season, Herron’s first touch of the second half has resulted in a 12-yard touchdown run vs. Illinois, a 57-yard run against Wisconsin and a 40-yard rumble vs. Indiana. That is a nice, tidy average of 36.3 yards per carry.

** OSU junior defensive lineman John Simon had a career-high 10 tackles against Indiana and also increased his team-leading totals to 12½ tackles for loss and six sacks. Simon now has 10½ career sacks which puts him into OSU’s all-time top 25 in that category. He needs only three more to pass Courtland Bullard (11, 1997-2001), Srecko Zizakovic (11, 1988-89), Kenny Peterson (12, 1999-2002) and James Laurinaitis (13, 2005-08) to break into the school’s top 20.

** OSU sophomore kicker Drew Basil’s field goals of 36 and 45 yards against the Hoosiers pushed his streak to 12 consecutive three-pointers, the third longest streak in OSU history. Mike Nugent (2001-04) holds the school record with 24 in a row while Vlade Janakievski (1977-80) had a streak of 15.

** Purdue sophomore punter Cody Webster leads the Big Ten with an average of 45.5 yards on 34 attempts. Better still for the Boilermakers, they rank first in the conference and 11th nationally in net punting at 40.0 yards per kick.

** Boilermakers sophomore cornerback Ricardo Allen knows what to do with the football when he gets his hands on it. His 37-yard interception return for a touchdown Oct. 8 against Minnesota was the third pick-six of Allen’s career. That ties him with All-America cornerback Rod Woodson (1983-86) and linebacker Mike Rose (1996-99) for the school record.

** PU freshman Raheem Mostert returned five kickoffs for 206 yards last week against Wisconsin, establishing a new single-game record for the Boilermakers. Stan Brown had 184 yards on six returns during a 42-14 loss to Ohio State in 1969. Mosert now ranks No. 6 nationally in kickoff returns, averaging 31.6 yards on 16 attempts.

** 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). Of course, Ohio can also claim Armstrong as a native son. He was born in Wapakoneta. Cernan also grew up in Big Ten country in suburban Chicago.

** This week’s game will be telecast on a regional basis by the Big Ten Network with the same announce crew as last week’s game with Indiana – Tom Hart (play-by-play), former Minnesota tight end/long snapper Derek Rackley (color analysis) and Lisa Byington (sideline reports). Kickoff is set for shortly after 12 noon Eastern.

** The game will also be broadcast on Sirius satellite radio channels 137 as well as XM channel 192.

** Next week, Ohio State returns home to face Penn State in what should be a crucial Leaders Division matchup. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. Eastern and the game will be telecast by ABC/ESPN using the reverse mirror.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

** Only five undefeated teams now remain at the Division I-A level – Boise State, Houston, LSU, Oklahoma State and Stanford.

** Stanford rolled again last weekend, taking a 38-13 victory at Oregon State to move the nation’s longest winning streak to 18 games. The Cardinal still have a ways to go to match Oklahoma’s all-time winning streak of 47 set between 1953-57. Most recently, the longest winning streak at the Division I-A level belongs to Miami (Fla.), which won 34 in a row between 2000-02.

** Time is running out for New Mexico to escape a winless season. The Lobos extended the nation’s longest losing streak to 12 games last weekend with a 35-7 loss at San Diego State. New Mexico has three games remaining – tomorrow vs. UNLV (2-6), Nov. 19 at Wyoming (5-3) and Nov. 26 at fifth-ranked Boise State (8-0).

** Congratulations to Houston QB Case Keenum, who became the NCAA’s all-time leading passer while throwing for 407 yards during his team’s 56-13 rout of UAB last Saturday night. Keenum pushed his career total to 17,212 and past Timmy Chang of Hawaii (2001-04), the previous career leader with 17,072.

** While congratulations are in order for Keenum, darts to his head coach Kevin Sumlin for ridiculously trying to run up the score on the 1-8 Blazers, who rank 119th of 120 Division I-A teams in pass defense. Keenum was on the sideline early in the fourth quarter, but Sumlin instructed backup QB Cotton Turner to continue throwing the ball on the Cougars’ final series of the game.

** Northwestern’s 28-25 upset win at Nebraska was the 38th for head coach Pat Fitzgerald and pushed him to No. 2 on the school’s all-time victories list. The career wins leader at Northwestern is Lynn “Pappy” Waldorf, who went 49-45-7 from 1935-46. In his sixth season in Evanston, Fitzgerald has a 38-34 record and is one of only five head coaches at NU since 1920 to sport a winning record. The others are Waldorf, Glenn Thistlethwaite (21-17-1, 1922-26), Dick Hanley (36-26-4, 1927-34) and Ara Parseghian (36-35-1, 1956-63).

** Wisconsin tailback Montee Ball scored three more rushing touchdowns Saturday during his team’s 62-17 rout of Purdue and upped his nation-leading total to 21. He needs six more to break the Big Ten single-season record of 25 set by Anthony Thompson of Indiana in 1988 and equaled by Penn State’s Ki-Jana Carter in 1994.

** Wisconsin travels to Minnesota this weekend to renew the nation’s oldest rivalry. It marks the 121st meeting in the series and the 64th time the schools will battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe, the trophy awarded to the winning of the contest since 1948. Goldy holds a 59-53-8 advantage in the overall series, but Bucky holds a 37-23-3 edge in the battle for the Axe.

** It was a good news-bad news week for Kansas. Good news: After giving up at least 42 points to seven straight opponents, the Jayhawks held Iowa State to only 13. Bad news: KU scored only 10 and dropped to 2-7 for the season. The Jayhawks’ seven-game losing streak matches the seven-game slide at the end of the 2009 campaign and means the team has now lost 23 of its last 28 games. KU hasn’t lost eight in a row in a single season since 1988, Glen Mason’s first year as head coach.

** Boston College’s 38-7 loss to Florida State last Thursday night officially put an end to the Eagles’ streak of 12 consecutive bowl seasons. BC slipped to 2-7 this season and needs to win two of its last three games to avoid its worst finish since going 2-9 in 1989.

** If you wonder how the Big East holds onto its BCS automatic status, you are not alone. Cincinnati leads the conference standings – the same Cincinnati team that lost a 45-23 decision to Tennessee back on Sept. 10. That’s the same Tennessee team that is presently 0-5 in the SEC.

** Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley suddenly ran out of kickers last Saturday after starter Michael Palardy was already sidelined and backup Chip Rhome pulled a muscle in pregame warm-ups. Dooley placed a telephone call to Derrick Brodus, a walk-on who practices with the Volunteers but never suits up for games – until last week. Brodus, who was at his fraternity house getting ready to watch the game on TV, got to Neyland Stadium less than an hour before kickoff and responded by booting three PATs and a 21-yard field goal during Tennessee’s 24-0 win over Middle Tennessee State.

** Speaking of kickers, Western Kentucky’s Casey Tinius is a model of perseverance. Tinius kicked a 34-yard field goal on the final play of the game Saturday to give his Hilltoppers a 10-9 win over Florida International. The winning kick came after Tinius had missed each of his previous seven field-goal attempts.

** The victory over FIU was the fifth in a row for Western Kentucky, which began the season with four straight losses. The Hilltoppers last won five in a row in 2004 when they were a Division I-AA program, and haven’t won more than five straight games since a 10-game win streak at the end of the 2002 season. The Hilltoppers captured the I-AA national championship that year under head coach Jack Harbaugh, father of NFL head coaches Jim and John Harbaugh.

** Unfair comparison of the week: Keenum has thrown for 17,212 yards during his career or about 9.8 miles. Notre Dame is dead last nationally in punt returns this season, totaling 3 yards on 10 attempts. That computes to an average of a little less than 11 inches per return.

** Over its last two games, Toledo has scored 126 points while its defense has allowed – strangely enough – 126 points. On the heels of last week’s wild 63-60 loss to Northern Illinois, the Rockets got into another shootout Tuesday night before pulling out a 66-63 victory over Western Michigan. The game featured 1,439 yards of total offense, 804 of it by Toledo. If you can believe it, that was not a school record for total yardage. The Rockets gained 812 yards during a 70-21 win over Northern Illinois in 2007.

** Did you know longtime CBS news correspondent and “60 Minutes” commentator Andy Rooney, who died Nov. 4 at the age of 92, was a college football player at Colgate? Before his career in journalism, Rooney was an undersized offensive lineman for the Raiders in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

THIS WEEK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL

** On Nov. 9, 1912, Carlisle (Ind.) used the double wing formation for the first time and rolled past a confused Army team, 27-6. Leading the Indians was legendary fullback Jim Thorpe while the Cadets featured a team that included nine future generals, including five-star general and future U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

** On Nov. 9, 1974, Baylor stunned No. 12 Texas with a 34-24 upset in Waco. The Longhorns built a 24-7 halftime lead after touchdown runs from future College Football Hall of Fame tailbacks Earl Campbell and Roosevelt Leaks. But the Bears stormed back in the second half led by QB Neal Jeffrey, who threw for 351 yards and three touchdowns. The upset marked Baylor’s first win over Texas since 1956 and led to the school’s first Southwest Conference championship since 1924.

** On Nov. 10, 1956, UTEP pitched a 28-0 shutout over previously undefeated Arizona State and clinched their first-ever conference championship. The Miners, who were members of the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association in ’56, were led by an outstanding defensive effort. The Sun Devils marched inside the UTEP 30-yard line on eight different occasions only to come away empty-handed each time.

** 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. 10, 2007, Navy and North Texas combined to score the most points in a regulation college football game when the Midshipmen outlasted the Mean Green, 74-62, in Denton, Texas. North Texas QB Giovanni Vizza threw for 478 yards and eight touchdowns while Navy rushed for 572 yards and scored eight TDs on the ground.

** On Nov. 11, 1939, Texas Tech and Centenary combined for an NCAA-record 77 punts in a rain-soaked, 0-0 tie in Shreveport, La.

** On Nov. 11, 1955, at a campus pep rally, Texas cheerleader Harley Clark became the first to raise his forefinger and pinky pointed upward and his middle two fingers curled under this thumb – the “Hook ’Em Horns” sign.

** On Nov. 11, 1967, Oregon State toppled No. 1 USC by a 3-0 score in Corvallis, finishing off an impressive three-game stretch. Before knocking off the top-ranked Trojans, the Beavers had beaten No. 2 Purdue and tied No. 2 UCLA. Kicker Mike Haggard’s 30-yard field goal in the second quarter accounted for all the scoring in the game as Oregon State won despite giving up 188 yards on 33 carries to USC tailback O.J. Simpson.

** On Nov. 11, 1989, Duke scored a 35-26 upset of North Carolina State despite Wolfpack QB Shane Montgomery throwing an NCAA-record 73 passes for a school-record 535 yards.

** On Nov. 12, 1966, quarterback Bob Griese led Purdue to a 16-0 victory at Minnesota and secured the Boilermakers’ first-ever berth in the Rose 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. 12, 2005, fifth-ranked LSU squeezed out a 16-13 overtime win over No. 3 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide enjoyed a 10-0 halftime lead, but the Tigers tied the game and then won it in overtime when QB JaMarcus Russell hit wide receiver Dwayne Bowe with an 11-yard touchdown pass.

** On Nov. 13, 1943, North Carolina and Penn combined to set an NCAA record that will likely never be approached again. The two squads combined for minus-13 passing yards on the day, the fewest passing yards in a single game in college football history. The Tar Heels completed 1 of 7 passes for a loss of 7 yards, while the Quakers connected on 2 of 12 attempts for minus-6 yards. North Carolina won the game by a 9-6 score in Philadelphia.

** On Nov. 13, 1982, Southern Mississippi engineered a 38-29 upset of Alabama, ending the Crimson Tide’s 57-game home win streak. The Golden Eagles were led by quarterback Reggie Collins, who rushed for 88 yards and three touchdowns, while tailback Sam Dejarnette added 153 yards and two scores. Before the loss to Southern Miss, Alabama hadn’t tasted defeat in Tuscaloosa since 1963.

** On Nov. 13, 1993, ESPN’s College Gameday made its first-ever on-campus broadcast. The popular college football pregame show debuted in 1987, but it wasn’t until six years later that Gameday got out of the studio and hit the road. The first telecast was from South Bend 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.

** On Nov. 14, 1959, No. 12 Georgia came from behind for a 14-13 victory over eighth-ranked Auburn and the Bulldogs clinched their first SEC championship in a decade. College and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton led the Bulldogs to the win, connecting with split end Bill Herron for a touchdown pass in the final 30 seconds of the contest.

** On Nov. 14, 1970, a charter jet carrying Marshall University’s football team crashed near Huntington, W.Va., on a return trip from a game with East Carolina. Everyone on board, including head coach Rick Tolley, team members, coaching staff and several Thundering Herd boosters, died in the single worst air tragedy in college sports history.

** On Nov. 14, 1992, Iowa State stunned seventh-ranked Nebraska with a 19-10 upset in Ames. Third-string quarterback Marv Seiler, starting only because it was Senior Day, bolted 78 yards to set up the game-clinching touchdown for the Cyclones.

** 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.

** 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.

** On Nov. 15, 1879, Princeton unveiled the novel approach of using blockers to help the ball-carrier advance the ball down the field. The new angle evidently was successful as the Tigers scored a 1-0 victory over Harvard. (In those days, you had to score four touchdowns to tally a single point.)

** On Nov. 15, 1941, College Football Hall of Fame head coach Eddie Robinson earned his first career victory as he led Grambling to a 37-6 win over Tillotson. Robinson eventually directed the Tigers to 408 victories in 55 years at Grambling.

FEARLESS FORECAST

The Forecast was back in the black last week despite some strange upsets. We were 8-2 straight up to move that yearly ledger to 91-11 while we ended an against-the-spread losing streak at one week with a 7-3 finish. That puts us at 65-34-1 ATS for the season and seriously thinking about starting one of those 1-900 numbers.

Before we quit the day job, though, here are the games we’ll be watching this week.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

Western Kentucky at No. 1 LSU: After such an emotionally-packed, hard-hitting game as the Tigers’ 9-6 overtime triumph over Alabama, the Tigers might be forgiven for experiencing a letdown. That’s why the Hilltoppers are the perfect opponent this week. LSU has won 36 straight regular-season games against nonconference competition, sports a perfect 34-0 all-time record against current Sun Belt conference members and Tigers head coach Les Miles is looking for career win No. 100. Meanwhile, WKU has won five in a row but it has not faced anything like the snarling defense of the Tigers. Look for LSU to put this one away early and then glide home on cruise control … LSU 45, Western Kentucky 0. (7 p.m. ET, ESPNU)

No. 3 Alabama at Mississippi State: The Crimson Tide can go one of two ways. Either they can sulk after last week’s loss to LSU or they can take their frustrations out on the Bulldogs. MSU gave a decent accounting of itself last year before dropping a 30-10 decision to the Tide, but Alabama played that game without star tailback Trent Richardson. The one-time Heisman Trophy candidate was held to 89 yards last week by LSU, but the Tigers have the No. 2 rush defense in the country. The Bulldogs are ranked at No. 66. If Nick Saban sticks to his core offense – something he inexplicably did not do last week – and keeps his bag of tricks closed, the Tide should roll away with this one … Alabama 38, Mississippi State 10. (7:45 p.m. ET, ESPN

No. 7 Oregon at No. 4 Stanford: After last week’s marquee matchup in the SEC, the Pac-12 gets the national spotlight with a game that should be in sharp contrast to the one played by LSU and Alabama. The Ducks and the Cardinal boast two of the country’s top offensive units, and two of college football’s major stars will be on display. Oregon RB LaMichael James (1,061 yards, nine TDs) is back after missing a couple of games with a dislocated elbow, while Stanford QB Andrew Luck (2,424 yards, 26 TDs) is the odds-on Heisman favorite. If you like offensive battles, you should have no problem being entertained. Last year, the Quack Attack wiped out an early 21-3 deficit en route to a 52-31 win, while the Cardinal outlasted Oregon, 51-42, in a wild one the last time the teams played in Palo Alto. Overtime anyone? … Stanford 59, Oregon 52. (8 p.m. ET, ABC)

TCU at No. 5 Boise State: Despite the fact these schools are located about 1,250 miles apart, they have struck up a nice little rivalry the past couple of years. The Horned Frogs spoiled Boise’s perfect season in 2008, and the Broncos did the same to TCU in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl. The Frogs hop into this one riding a four-game winning streak this season and they have won 21 in a row against Mountain West rivals. Of course, this is the first (and maybe last) season for the Broncos in the mighty MWC after three straight WAC championships, and they are nearly unbeaten at home. In fact, they haven’t lost a regular-season conference game on the Smurf Turf since 1998 … Boise State 31, TCU 24. (3:30 p.m. ET, Versus)

Tennessee at No. 8 Arkansas: The Razorbacks are feeling pretty good about themselves after a big 44-28 win last weekend over South Carolina. They can pretty much coast the next two weeks with home games against Tennessee and Mississippi State before a Nov. 25 showdown at top-ranked LSU in the regular-season finale. While LSU and Alabama are obviously the class of the SEC defensively, Arkansas leads the conference offensively, averaging 450.9 total yards and 37.7 points per game. With that kind of firepower, you have to wonder how the Volunteers can keep up with a scoring offense that ranks 96th nationally and a rushing attack that ranks 118th out of 120 Division I-A teams … Arkansas 38, Tennessee 22. (6 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

Wake Forest at No. 9 Clemson: The Tigers spent most of their off week concentrating on fundamentals and contemplating their first loss of the season, a 31-17 loss at Georgia Tech on Oct. 29. They had better have saved some of their focus for the Demon Deacons, who are a better team than their 5-4 record might indicate. Wake is 4-2 in the ACC Atlantic, just a game behind front-running Clemson, and the Deacons have played the Tigers tough in the past. But they usually fall flat in Death Valley. Wake hasn’t won there since 2001 and has been wiped out by a combined score of 82-13 on its last two trips. Look for the Tigers to bounce back and stay on track for an ACC title game berth … Clemson 32, Wake Forest 17. (12 noon ET, ESPNU)

No. 19 Nebraska at No. 12 Penn State: In what should be one of the most surreal Senior Days anywhere, the black cloud of the Penn State scandal will hang over this game like a shroud. Can the Nittany Lions players respond after such as emotional week? The scandal aside, this is the beginning of a three-game gantlet Penn State must navigate if it wants to get to the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game. Even before what has transpired, it looked like a monumental task. Now, it looks borderline impossible. Many a college football game has been won on sheer emotion, though, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Penn State get a victory and dedicate it to their longtime coach. Still, you wager your hard-earned money with your head, not your heart … Nebraska 24, Penn State 20. (12 noon ET, ESPN)

No. 17 Michigan State at Iowa: The Spartans haven’t exactly distinguished themselves the past two weeks with a loss at Nebraska and a narrow home victory over Minnesota. Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes dropped Michigan last Saturday only a week after losing to the Golden Gophers. To say these teams are hard to figure out would be an understatement. Be that as it may, Iowa is playing well right now, especially on offense with sophomore running back Marcus Coker (1,101 yards, 12 TDs) and WR Marvin McNutt (959 yards, 9 TDs). Then when you figure into the equation that Sparty has lost the last seven times he has visited Kinnick, you get this kind of prediction and an Upset Special … Iowa 27, Michigan State 23. (12 noon ET, ESPN2)

No. 18 Wisconsin at Minnesota: Trap game for the Badgers? That’s highly unlikely even though the Gophers seem to be playing better of late. They beat Iowa two weeks ago and went to the wire with Michigan State last Saturday before falling by a 31-24 score. They also always seem to play Wisconsin tough at home. The last 12 meetings in Minnesota have been decided by an average of 4.5 points, with the Badgers winning the last three by margins of seven or fewer points. No one expects Goldy to engineer the upset, but many believe Minnesota can keep it closer than the spread. We’re not among them, though … Wisconsin 56, Minnesota 13. (3:30 p.m. ET, BTN)

Ohio State at Purdue: Pound, ground and pound some more. That is what the Buckeyes are expected to do against the Boilermakers, who are tied for 10th in the Big Ten in rushing defense. There is no doubt OSU will try to ratchet up its passing game, which ranks dead last in the conference, but there really isn’t much of a need with a ground game that features Boom Herron, Jordan Hall, Carlos Hyde and quarterback Braxton Miller. The Boilers can score some points, and the Buckeyes have had some kind of bugaboo over the past decade about playing in Ross-Ade Stadium, but another 300-plus yard performance from the OSU running game should be more than enough … Ohio State 38, Purdue 23. (12 noon ET, BTN)

Here are the spreads for the above games: Western Kentucky at LSU (-41); Alabama (-17½) at Mississippi State; Oregon at Stanford (-3½); TCU (+16) at Boise State; Tennessee at Arkansas (-14); Wake Forest (+19½) at Clemson; Nebraska (-3) at Penn State; Michigan State at Iowa (+3); Wisconsin (-27) at Minnesota; Ohio State (-7) at Purdue.

Enjoy the games and we’ll see you next week.

Horrifying might be a better word, and even that doesn’t even seem able to describe the vile atrocities Sandusky supposedly perpetrated upon a number of helpless young victims over a period of several years.

For longer than I care to remember, we have been subjected to one stain after another in the world of college athletics. SMU got the so-called death penalty in 1987, USC is currently wading through sanctions levied in the wake of the Reggie Bush play-for-pay affair, and Ohio State is presently taking its turn in the NCAA meat grinder following a memorabilia-for-tattoos/cash scandal that threatened to turn the program upside down and cost head coach Jim Tressel his job and his legacy.

But none of those black marks, no matter how you perceive them, rises to level of what went on at Penn State. After reading the indictments against Sandusky, one is left with the impression that while his superiors likely did not condone his actions, they certainly did nothing to stop them.

For that reason and that reason alone, Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and university senior vice president of finances and business Gary Schultz should not have been allowed to step down in order to fight the charges of perjury leveled against them. They should have been summarily fired along with Penn State president Graham Spanier.

The contract of longtime head coach Joe Paterno should be immediately nullified as well.

Some have come to Paterno’s defense, claiming the coach did all he could by notifying his AD when he was told of one of Sandusky’s transgressions. One particular pundit – so idiotic I refuse to reveal his name – claimed Sunday on national television that at least Paterno notified his superior of wrongdoing, something Tressel did not do. Later, the pundit admitted he had made a poor reference but that he was simply trying to get in one last shot at “the phony Tressel.”

Let’s set aside for the moment the ludicrous comparison of trading a Gold Pants trinket for a tattoo to seven counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, eight counts of corruption of minors, eight counts of endangering the welfare of a child, seven counts of indecent assault and

10 other miscellaneous counts, many of which occurred on the Penn State campus.

Doesn’t it go without saying that Paterno had to notify his superiors? I’m left wondering why he didn’t call the police. After more than 50 years in State College, I’m betting the coach and the city police chief are on a first-name basis.

Paterno has been one of the pillars of college football for the past half-century, and I will admit I have admired all he has done for the sport as well as his university. The selfless time he has given to charitable organizations, along with the more than $4 million he has personally donated to Penn State, is equal parts laudatory and legendary.

But Paterno has also spent much of his time perpetuating a certain image of college football in general and Penn State in particular. If that image has even a scintilla of authenticity to it, however, one would have to believe the coach would have done more than simply pass a report of misconduct up the chain of command.

One would have to believe a molder of young men’s lives would have protected those who could not protect themselves – regardless of collateral harm to himself, his program or his employer.

One would have to believe a man of Paterno’s supposed integrity would have done all in his considerable power to put an immediate stop to Sandusky’s brutalities.

But because he did not, there can be no other course of action for Penn State. Paterno must go.

It will also likely determine how much longer Fickell will be head coach of the Buckeyes.

The outcome of the game is a foregone conclusion for many, but with more difficult opponents on the horizon – and his team back in the thick of the Big Ten title game chase – Fickell is charged this week with keeping his team’s focus on the Hoosiers. That might not be the easiest of tasks since the Buckeyes are coming off such an emotional high following last week’s last-second victory over Wisconsin.

A natural byproduct of the win over the Badgers would be a letdown this weekend, and that would be especially unsurprising with the opponent ranked near or at the bottom of the Big Ten in most offensive and defensive statistical categories.

However, the argument can and should be made that Ohio State is a team unable to afford the luxury of letting down against any opponent. The Buckeyes are just now beginning to show some life offensively and that uptick needs to continue. Likewise, it would be nice to see the defense – still the team’s strength – put together a complete four-quarter game even if it is against a lesser opponent.

That is Fickell’s main assignment this week. After eight games that have already featured a season’s worth of ups and downs, it will be interesting to see how focused on thumping an inferior opponent the Buckeyes will be.

Extrapolating that theory even further, let’s say the team is focused and takes care of business to the point that the game is out of hand by halftime. How much of a statement does Fickell want to make? Is he predisposed to taking his foot off the gas like his predecessor did so many times or does he more favor the more merciless style of Bret Bielema, who seems to delight in running up the score on lesser opponents.

One other thing to look for if the game gets out of hand early: Will Fickell rest his starters in favor of getting some meaningful playing time for his youngsters, i.e. new backup quarterback Kenny Guiton? One of the criticisms of Jim Tressel was that he sometimes stayed with his starters too long in games that were well in hand, sacrificing a chance to get some much-needed experience for part-timers.

Taking stock of the way the Buckeyes perform against Indiana will provide a window into Fickell’s coaching acumen as well as his philosophy, something we haven’t always been able to gauge because of the mostly frenetic nature of the past five months. It will be beneficial, of course, to dig a little deeper into the way Fickell goes about his business especially since every week from now through the end of the 2011 season will be a series of de facto job interviews for the coach.

Rumors persist that Urban Meyer will be head coach at Ohio State in 2012 regardless of how the Buckeyes finish this season. Yet, how could the university make a change if Fickell’s team wins its final six regular-season games and earns a berth in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game? Then, let’s say OSU wins that game and goes to the Rose Bowl. That would mean a season with 10 victories and a record seventh straight conference title with Fickell the odds-on favorite to win Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. How does Ohio State proceed with a coaching change then?

Someone told me the other day that you make the change based solely on the fact that anytime you can get a coach with Meyer’s impressive body of work, the number of victories, titles and awards don’t matter. If you can get Meyer, you get him. End of story. Furthermore, you can head off any criticism of that decision by offering somewhere in the neighborhood of $1 million annually to Fickell to stay on as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach.

The more I thought about that scenario – and the more I hear from people who should be in the know about these matters – the more I am inclined to think this is the path on which Ohio State is headed. Perhaps it will all work out for the best. Meyer can be the great savior everyone believes him to be and allow Fickell to remain in his hometown and work at his alma mater with the opportunity to continue to pad his résumé and perhaps become head coach again someday.

In the end, everyone wins.

If it’s such a great plan, though, why do I have such a sour taste about it?

OSU-INDIANA TIDBITS

** Ohio State and Indiana will be meeting for the 85th time on Saturday with the Buckeyes holding a lopsided 67-12-5 advantage in the series. That includes a 43-10-4 record in Ohio Stadium, including wins in each of the last nine games played in Columbus.

** The Buckeyes are currently enjoying a 16-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 Hoosiers’ most recent win in the series was a 41-7 decision in Bloomington in 1988.

** Since the Hoosiers took a 32-10 victory at Ohio Stadium in 1951, they have a 1-30-1 record in the Horseshoe. The lone victory was a 31-10 decision in 1987 and the tie was a 0-0 deadlock in 1959.

** Ohio State in its history has more victories over Indiana than any other team. The Buckeyes have 67 wins vs. the Hoosiers, 64 over Illinois, 59 over Northwestern, 54 over Wisconsin and 45 over Iowa.

** Since 2005, the Buckeyes are 17-1 during the month of November. During the same time frame, Indiana is 3-17 during November.

** Ohio State head coach Luke Fickell will be going against Indiana for the first time as a head coach but he is a perfect 11-0 lifetime vs. the Hoosiers as a player and assistant coach. Fickell was 4-0 as a player from 1993-96 and 7-0 during his nine seasons as an assistant on Jim Tressel’s staff.

** Despite its recent problems in the series, Indiana has historically made life difficult for Ohio State head coaches in their first season. Dating back to 1913, first-year OSU head coaches are only 4-4-1 against the Hoosiers. That includes losses by John W. Wilce (7-6 in 1913), Wes Fesler (7-0 in 1947), Woody Hayes (32-10 in 1951) and John Cooper (41-7 in 1988). Ohio State head coaches who beat Indiana in their inaugural seasons were Francis Schmidt (33-0 in 1934), Carroll Widdoes (21-7 in 1944), Earle Bruce (47-6 in 1979) and Jim Tressel (27-14 in 2001). Sam Willaman’s first team in 1929 played the Hoosiers to 0-0 tie, and in case you’re wondering about Paul Brown in 1941 and Paul Bixler in 1946, the Buckeyes and IU did not play in those seasons.

** Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson is in his first season with the Hoosiers and will be attempting to become only the second IU coach in the past 60 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. Before that, you have to go back to Clyde Smith, whose Indiana team took a 32-10 win over Ohio State in 1951.

** Wilson was offensive coordinator on the late Randy Walker’s staff at Northwestern from 1999-2001 and was 0-1 vs. Ohio State during that time. The Buckeyes took a 38-20 win over the Wildcats in 2001.

** Indiana has 16 native Ohioans on its roster – 11 of which are on the Hoosiers’ two-deep (including special teams) – while Ohio State has only two players from Indiana. They are redshirt freshman tailback/linebacker Rod Smith of Fort Wayne and freshman defensive lineman Joel Hale of Greenwood.

** Wilson also has three native Ohioans on his coaching staff. Co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Kevin Johns is from Piqua, running backs coach Deland McCullough is from Youngstown, and assistant head coach/co-defensive coordinator/safeties coach Doug Mallory hails from Bowling Green. Mallory is the son of former Indiana head coach Bill Mallory, who was a member of Woody Hayes’ coaching staff at Ohio State from 1966-68.

** Two more familiar names are serving on Wilson’s staff as graduate assistants. Chris Shula, whose grandfather is Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, is the GA in charge of defense while former Northwestern running back Noah Herron has the offense. Ohio State fans most likely remember Herron for his performance against the Buckeyes in 2004. He rushed for 113 yards and scored three times – including the game-winning touchdown in overtime – as the Wildcats scored a stunning 33-27 win in Evanston. That remains Northwestern’s only victory in its last 29 games against OSU.

** While an Indiana upset of Ohio State would be stunning enough, the odds of the Hoosiers shutting out the Buckeyes would be astronomical. Indiana hasn’t pitched a shutout against any opponent since a 10-0 win over Michigan State in October 1993 and hasn’t blanked Ohio State since that 0-0 tie in 1959. IU hasn’t won a game in which it shut out the Buckeyes since a 10-0 decision in 1937.

** OSU senior tailback Boom Herron’s 160-yard rushing effort last weekend pushed his career total to 2,468, good for 13th on the school’s all-time rushing list. Herron needs 182 more yards to pass Jim Otis (2,542, 1967-69), Calvin Murray (2,576, 1977-80) and Raymont Harris (2,649, 1990-93) and break into the all-time top 10.

** Herron failed to record a rushing touchdown last week for the first time in 13 games, so he remained 20th on the OSU career scoring list with 186 points. Immediately ahead of him on the list are Ryan Pretorius (190, 2005-08), Michael Wiley (200, 1996-99) and Chic Harley (201, 1916-17, ’19).

** Indiana quarterback Tre Roberson is only the second true freshman in program history to start at QB. The other was Tim Clifford in 1977, who started only one game for the Hoosiers that season.

** Roberson threw for 169 yards and rushed for 121 during last Saturday’s 59-38 loss to Northwestern. That marked the first time an Indiana quarterback had cracked the century mark through the air and on the ground since Kellen Lewis threw for 159 and ran for 148 during his team’s 42-20 win over Ball State in 2008.

** Roberson and sophomore running back Stephen Houston (151) both topped 100 yards on the ground against Northwestern, and that was the first time two Hoosiers had cracked the century mark in the same game since BenJarvus Green-Ellis (136) and Brian Lewis (128) turned the trick during a 37-31 overtime loss to Northwestern in 2003.

** Houston, a JUCO transfer from Independence (Kan.) Community College, has strung together five straight games with 60 or more yards rushing. That is the longest streak of its kind by an Indiana running back since Levron Williams did it during the final eight games of the 2001 season.

** OSU sophomore kicker Drew Basil’s field goals of 39 and 22 yards against Wisconsin gave him a streak of 10 consecutive field goals, making him only the fourth kicker in program history with at least 10 straight three-pointers. Mike Nugent (2001-04) holds the school record with 24 in a row while Vlade Janakievski (1977-80) had streaks of 15 and 10 straight. Dan Stultz (1996-2000) also made 10 in a row.

** Indiana sophomore kicker Mitch Ewald is a perfect 59 for 59 in career PATs. The IU school record of 107 extra points in a row is held by Pete Stoyanovich (1986-88), who never missed a PAT during his college career.

** This week’s game will be telecast on a regional basis by the Big Ten Network with the announce crew of Tom Hart (play-by-play), former Minnesota tight end/long snapper Derek Rackley (color analysis) and Lisa Byington (sideline reports). Kickoff is set for shortly after 12 noon Eastern.

** The game will also be broadcast on Sirius satellite radio channels 128 as well as XM channel 196.

** Next week, Ohio State travels to Purdue with kickoff time and broadcast affiliates still TBA. The Big Ten will not make an announcement regarding any its Nov. 12 games until after this weekend’s contests have been played.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

** And then there were six. Only a half-dozen teams remain undefeated at the Division I-A level as we head into November. They are Alabama, Boise State, Houston, LSU, Oklahoma State and Stanford.

** Stanford had to go to three overtimes against USC before extending the nation’s longest winning streak to 17 games. The Cardinal’s 56-48 win over the Trojans also snapped a streak of 10 straight games Stanford had won by 26 points or more, the longest streak of its kind since 1936.

** New Mexico extended the nation’s longest losing streak to 11 games when the Lobos dropped a 42-0 decision at home to Air Force. How bad has it gotten in Albuquerque? New Mexico has been outscored by a 160-7 margin the last three weeks. Meanwhile, Florida Atlantic didn’t lose Oct. 29 because the Owls didn’t play. The Lobos and FAU remain the only winless teams this season at the I-A level.

** Another losing streak of note: Duke’s 14-10 loss to Virginia Tech marked the Blue Devils’ 44th consecutive loss to ranked teams. Duke hasn’t beaten a top-25 team since a 21-20 win over No. 22 North Carolina State in November 1993 and hasn’t claimed a victory over a top-10 team since 1989 when Steve Spurrier was head coach. That was a 21-17 home win over No. 7 Clemson on Sept. 30, 1989.

** Top-rated LSU and second-ranked Alabama marks the 46th time in history No. 1 has taken on No. 2 and the top-ranked team has a 26-17-2 record in the previous meetings. Most recently, top-ranked Auburn took a 22-19 win over second-ranked Oregon in January in the BCS National Championship Game. The last time a 1 vs. 2 matchup was staged in the regular season (not counting conference title games): No. 1 Ohio State scored a 42-39 triumph over No. 2 Michigan on Nov. 18, 2006, in Ohio Stadium.

** How close are No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama? How about this: The Crimson Tide has scored 315 points and 40 touchdowns while the Tigers have 314 points and 41 touchdowns.

** You can argue all day and night about the level of competition against which he plays, but you cannot take the NCAA record for most career touchdown passes away from Houston QB Case Keenum. He shattered the mark last week by throwing for nine scores during his team’s 73-34 win over Rice, and Keenum now has 139 career touchdown passes. This year alone, he has completed 218 of 303 attempts (72.0 percent) for 3,219 yards, 32 TDs and three INTs. Those numbers, plus the fact he is No. 2 in the country in pass efficiency and his Cougars remain undefeated are enough to make me seriously consider putting Keenum on my Heisman Trophy ballot.

** Of course, topping my Heisman ballot is still Stanford QB Andrew Luck, who rallied the Cardinal last weekend to a three-overtime win over USC. Luck has completed 174 of 242 attempts (71.9 percent) for 2,218 yards, 23 TDs and four interceptions, and has added 113 yards and a couple of touchdowns rushing. But perhaps the best measuring stick of Luck’s leadership is how Stanford has performed this year in the red zone. The Cardinal are 45 for 46 in red-zone scoring chances, 36 for touchdowns.

** For everyone salivating over the prospect of Urban Meyer becoming the next head coach at Ohio State, we offer this nugget: Florida is in the throes of its first four-game losing streak since 1988 and the once-feared Gators offense scored a grand total of three touchdowns in four October games. That includes last week’s 24-20 loss to Georgia during which Florida totaled minus-19 yards rushing. Yes, Meyer is gone, but he recruited most of the underachieving players on this year’s UF roster.

** One of former Ohio State head coach John Cooper’s favorite sayings was “One week you’re sipping the wine, the next week you’re stomping the grapes.” Players and coaches from Michigan State, Miami (Fla.), Purdue, Syracuse and Texas Tech know what Coop was talking about. Each of those teams upset ranked opponents on Oct. 22 and then each of those teams lost last Saturday by a combined score of 156-55.

** In its 41-7 loss to Iowa State, Texas Tech failed to record a touchdown pass for the first time in 70 games. The last time the Red Raiders hadn’t scored a touchdown through the air was a 12-3 loss to TCU in 2006.

** By the way, that win over Texas Tech was the largest margin of victory over a ranked team for Iowa State in school history. The Cyclones’ previous best was a 36-14 win over No. 20 Nebraska in 2002. The win over Texas Tech was also monumental in another way since Iowa State went into that game unranked. In their history as an unranked team playing a ranked opponent, the Cyclones are now 13-135.

** Congratulations to Missouri for its 38-31 overtime win over Texas A&M. It was an NCAA record 14th overtime game for the Tigers and they are 10-4 when working OT.

** Would you believe lowly Minnesota has a 2-3 record over its last five Big Ten games? Not only is that factoid true, both victories have come at the expense of Iowa. The Golden Gophers’ latest success in the Floyd of Rosedale series, a 22-21 upset of the Hawkeyes last Saturday, gave Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz (he of the $3.7 million annual salary) a career Big Ten record of an extremely pedestrian 55-45.

** Congratulations to Ferentz anyway for coaching in his 100th career conference game, a milestone only 13 men before him have achieved – Amos Alonzo Stagg of Chicago (201, 1896-1932); Woody Hayes of Ohio State (196, 1951-78); Bo Schembechler (170, 1969-89); Hayden Fry of Iowa (164, 1979-98); Robert Zuppke of Illinois (150, 1913-41); Joe Paterno of Penn State (149, 1993-present); Barry Alvarez of Wisconsin (128, 1990-2005); Murray Warmath of Minnesota (126, 1954-71); Duffy Daugherty of Michigan State (125, 1954-72); Ray Eliot of Illinois (116, 1942-59); Bill Mallory of Indiana (105, 1984-96); Lloyd Carr of Michigan (104, 1995-2007); and John Cooper of Ohio State (104, 1988-2000).

** How bad has it gotten for Kansas? The Jayhawks totaled only 46 yards of total offense last weekend while the defense surrendered 590 during a 43-0 loss at Texas. Among the 120 schools playing Division I-A football, Kansas ranks 118th in pass defense, 119th in rush defense and 120th in both total and scoring defense.

** Finally, a shout-out to senior receiver Michael Zweifel of Division III Dubuque (Iowa), who has established a new NCAA all-division record with 440 career receptions. The old mark of 436 was held by Scott Pingel (1996-99) of D-III Westminster (Mo.). Zweifel has 117 receptions for 1,665 yards and 22 TDs for the Spartans, who were 8-1 through Oct. 29. Zweifel also carries a 3.90 GPA while majoring in health, wellness and recreation, and has been named a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete and finalist for the 2011 William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes the top scholar-athlete in the nation.

THIS WEEK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL

** On Nov. 2, 1985, eighth-ranked Ohio State toppled No. 1 Iowa by a 22-13 score in Ohio Stadium. Future College Hall of Fame linebacker Chris Spielman totaled 19 tackles, capped by a late fourth-down stop of Hawkeyes tailback Ronnie Johnson inside the OSU 10-yard line. Spielman also had two interceptions as the Buckeyes pressured Iowa QB Chuck Long into throwing four picks.

** On Nov. 3, 1962, third-ranked USC Trojans handed No. 9 Washington its first loss of the season with a 14-0 shutout in Los Angeles. Quarterback Pete Beathard threw and ran for a score to carry the Trojans to victory. The win helped propel USC to the first of four national titles won under College Football Hall of Fame coach John McKay.

** 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, 1967, Miami (Fla.) ended Virginia Tech’s regular-season winning streak at 14 with a 14-7 upset in Blacksburg.

** On Nov. 4, 2000, No. 23 Northwestern upset No. 12 Michigan in a 54-51 shootout in Evanston. Northwestern tailback Damien Anderson, who carried for 268 yards and two scores, dropped a fourth down pass in the end zone late in the game that seemingly sealed the Wildcats’ fate. But on the ensuing Michigan possession, cornerback Sean Wieber forced Wolverines tailback Anthony Thomas to fumble, which was recovered by cornerback Raheem Covington. The turnover set up an 11-yard touchdown pass from NU quarterback Zak Kustok to wide receiver Sam Simmons with 20 seconds to play to clinch the victory.

** Also 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. White rushed for 322 yards, totaled 134 receiving and added another 122 on kickoff and punt returns.

** On Nov. 5, 1938, sixth-ranked Tennessee began a streak of 17 consecutive regular-season shutouts with a 45-0 win over Chattanooga. During the streak, the Volunteers won three SEC championships and two national titles while outscoring their opposition, 479-0.

** On Nov. 5, 1955, three future College Hall of Famers – coaches Bowden Wyatt of Tennessee and Bobby Dodd of Georgia Tech as well as UT tailback Johnny Majors – were all at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville as the Volunteers and Yellow Jackets played to a 7-7 tie.

** On Nov. 5, 1960, third-ranked Minnesota forced three turnovers and scored a 27-10 upset of top-ranked Iowa.

** 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.

** On Nov. 6, 1971, Colgate and Bucknell combined to run the ball 141 times, setting an NCAA record for the most single-game rushes in college football history. The Raiders rushed 82 times while Bucknell racked up 59 carries, and the teams combined for 440 total rushing yards. Colgate won the game by a 47-24 score.

** On Nov. 6, 1976, Houston highlighted its first season as a member of the Southwest Conference with a stunning 30-0 victory over Texas. The Cougars were led by defensive tackle Wilson Whitley as the Longhorns were limited to only eight first downs in their worst conference loss ever under legendary head coach Darrell Royal.

** On Nov. 7, 1925, Andy “Swede” Oberlander threw a then-NCAA-record six touchdown passes as Dartmouth rolled to a 62-13 win over Cornell. One week later, the Big Green took a 33-7 victory over Chicago to finish the season with a perfect 8-0 record and the national championship.

** 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.

** On Nov. 7, 1970, Northwestern fullback Mike Adamle set a new Big Ten record for carries by rushing 48 times for 192 yards and four touchdowns as his Wildcats took a 28-14 win over Minnesota.

** On Nov. 8, 1947, Wisconsin and Iowa became the first teams to combine for three punt returns for touchdowns in a single game during a 46-14 win by the Badgers in Madison.

** 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.

** Also on Nov. 8, 1975, freshman cornerback Savann Thompson’s interception with 59 seconds left set up the game-winning field goal as Stanford shocked No. 9 USC, 13-10, in the Los Angeles Coliseum.

FEARLESS FORECAST

It had to happen sometime. The highly-flying Forecast was grounded last weekend thanks to some unbelievable upsets – Iowa lost (again) to Minnesota and Texas Tech celebrated its win over Oklahoma a little too much and forgot to show up against four-loss Iowa State, dropping a 41-7 decision in the process.

Straight up, those were the only losses in an 8-2 week that puts us at 83-9 SU for the year. Unfortunately, we finally stumbled against the spread after three glorious weeks. Even with Ohio State’s Upset Special win over Wisconsin, we were 4-6 ATS, leaving us still way ahead at 58-31-1 for the season but determined not to let one bad week turn into two.

Here are the games we like this week.

TONIGHT’S GAMES

USC at Colorado: Time of give the devil his due. Lane Kiffin has taken a USC program reeling from NCAA sanctions and turned it into a pretty decent team. The Trojans came within an eyelash of knocking off national title contender Stanford last week, and get to use any leftover pent-up frustration tonight on the lowly Buffaloes. Colorado ranks dead last in the Pac-12 in pass efficiency defense, something that ought to play into the Trojans’ strength, especially since QB Matt Barkley has thrown for 12 TDs in his last four games … USC 41, Colorado 14. (9 p.m. ET, ESPN)

SATURDAY’S GAMES

No. 1 LSU at No. 2 Alabama: You can still argue about the overall depth of the SEC, but the discussion about the nation’s two best teams begins and ends with the Tigers and the Crimson Tide. The game should be a black-and-blue defensive struggle. Bama boasts the nation’s No. 1 defense in all four major categories – rush, pass efficiency, total yards and scoring – while LSU is among the top five in the same four categories. Scoring will be at a premium, meaning turnovers may play the huge role in determining the outcome. Neither team played last week, so they should both be more than ready to provide quite a show … Alabama 23, LSU 17. (8 p.m. ET, CBS)

No. 14 Kansas State at No. 3 Oklahoma State: The Cowboys have won their first four home games by a combined score of 227-100, so you have to wonder how the Wildcats are going to slow them down especially after last week’s 58-17 loss to Oklahoma. The simple truth is that K-State will not be able to slow the Pokes down, but the Wildcats should be able to put a few more points on the board this week. While Okie State has one of the nation’s top offenses, its defense ranks 111th nationally in yards allowed. Even so, this one should be another clinic by Cowboys QB Brandon Weeden (2,710 yards, 22 TDs) and top WR Justin Blackmon (74 catches, 834 yards, 10 TDs) … Oklahoma State 56, Kansas State 27. (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2)

No. 4 Stanford at Oregon State: After last week’s triple-overtime scare at USC, you might tend to think the Cardinal will want to coast this week against the 2-6 Beavers. That shouldn’t be the case, especially since one of the few things Stanford QB Andrew Luck has never accomplished in his career is a victory in the state of Oregon. The Cardinal’s only blemish on last year’s record was a 52-31 loss to the Ducks in Eugene, and two years ago Luck was on the losing end of a 38-28 decision to Oregon State. He returns to Corvallis trying to further cement his front-runner status in the Heisman race and hoping to keep his team tuned up for next week’s home date against Oregon which will likely determine the champion of the Pac-12 North. It’s tough to envision any scenario in which the offensively-challenged Beavers could engineer the upset … Stanford 41, Oregon State 10. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2)

No. 5 Boise State at UNLV: The Broncos will be busy in Sin City, but you can bet they will have at least one eye on the Alabama-LSU scoreboard. The loser of that game will likely slip in next week’s BCS standings, meaning Boise can inch closer to crashing the national championship part by taking care of business against the Rebels. That shouldn’t be too difficult a task since UNLV doesn’t do anything particularly well – the team ranks 116th nationally in total offense, 118th in scoring defense. Also, a win by the Broncos would push QB Kellen Moore’s record as a starter to 46-2 and make him the winningest quarterback in NCAA history … Boise State 45, UNLV 13. (10:30 p.m. ET. CBS Sports Network)

Northwestern at No. 10 Nebraska: One thing we have learned about the Cornhuskers in their first season as Big Ten members – they are tough to beat at home. Ohio State had them by three touchdowns late in the third quarter and NU escaped with a 34-27 win. Then last week, Michigan State sailed into Lincoln as one of the hottest teams in the nation and sailed back out again on the wrong end of a 24-3 beatdown. Next up for Nebraska is Northwestern and its high-octane offense behind QB Dan Persa, who now seems fully healed from his Achilles heel injury. Persa leads a proficient offense; trouble is, the Wildcats can’t seem to stop anyone on defense. They average 31.6 points per game offensively and give up an average of 31.5 defensively. That kind of ratio isn’t going to get it done in Lincoln … Nebraska 37, Northwestern 24. (3:30 p.m. ET, BTN)

No. 13 Houston at UAB: Cougars QB Case Keenum already has the NCAA record for most touchdown passes in a career and he needs only 267 more passing yards to become college football’s all-time leader in that department. Keenum might get that in the first half against the Blazers, who rank an abysmal 116th nationally in pass efficiency defense. As if Keenum wasn’t enough, Houston also has KR Tyron Carrier, who has an NCAA-record tying seven career kickoff returns for a touchdown. This one should get ugly in a real big hurry … Houston 77, UAB 7. (7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network)

Minnesota at No. 17 Michigan State: The Gophers are feeling pretty good about themselves for a change after last week’s 22-21 upset of Iowa. Contrast that with how Sparty feels after being run over by Nebraska. Actually, we should have foreseen both outcomes. Goldy beat Iowa for the second year in a row while the Huskers beat the Spartans for the sixth time in as many meetings. Last week was last week, however, and the smart money says look for an MSU bounce-back at home … Michigan State 35, Minnesota 13. (12 noon ET, BTN)

Purdue at No. 20 Wisconsin: College football is a game of emotion, but how difficult is it going to be for the Badgers to pick up the pieces after having their hearts cut out two weeks in a row? Well, playing the Boilermakers in Camp Randall should be just the tonic they need. The Badgers have won the last five meetings in the series by an average of nearly three touchdowns, and Purdue has dropped 13 straight road games to ranked opposition. Expect to be close very early and then watch Wisconsin keep its foot firmly planted on the accelerator … Wisconsin 52, Purdue 13. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2)

Indiana at Ohio State: After last week’s emotion-filled victory over Wisconsin, the Buckeyes might be forgiven a little if they have trouble focusing this week. After all, the Hoosiers are likely the worst team in the Big Ten with a defense that would challenged to stop most high school teams. IU does have some offensive talent, most notably freshman QB Tre Roberson and JUCO transfer Stephen Houston at running back. Still, it’s difficult to imagine how IU could pull off the unimaginable, especially considering OSU’s current 16-0 run in the series … Ohio State 48, Indiana 14. (12 noon ET, BTN)

Here are the spreads for the above games: USC (-21) at Colorado; LSU at Alabama (-4½); Kansas State at Oklahoma State (-21); Stanford (-20½) at Oregon State; Boise State at UNLV (+42); Northwestern (+18) at Nebraska; Houston (-27) at UAB; Minnesota (+28) at Michigan State; Purdue at Wisconsin (-25½); Indiana at Ohio State (-27).

Enjoy the games and we’ll visit again next week.

That’s not exactly true. OSU could win out and still not make it to the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game. The Buckeyes are going to need some help from Illinois, Nebraska or Wisconsin – at least one of those teams will have to beat Penn State.

Here’s what we mean.

Ohio State goes into the Oct. 29 weekend 2½ games behind Big Ten Leaders Division pace-setter Penn State. The Nittany Lions have a perfect conference record of 4-0 with Wisconsin and Purdue a game and half behind at 2-1. Two full games back is Illinois at 2-2 while the Buckeyes are 1-2. Indiana is the division cellar-dweller at 0-4.

Remembering that interdivisional records don’t matter – the title game participants are decided by best overall conference record – the Buckeyes need to win their final five games for a best possible 6-2 finish. Obviously, winning out begins with knocking off Wisconsin tomorrow night, a tall order considering the Badgers are 7½-point favorites.

If OSU can register the upset, that would even the Buckeyes’ conference record at 2-2 while dropping the Badgers to an identical mark.

Before Ohio State and Wisconsin get together tomorrow night, Penn State will host Illinois while Purdue is at Michigan. Since it appears the Fighting Illini are on the verge of collapse after their early season run, we’ll give that victory to the Nittany Lions. Likewise, the Wolverines should rebound in their game against the Boilermakers.

If those games hold true to form, the division standings heading into November should have Penn State at 5-0 with Ohio State, Wisconsin and Purdue tied for second place at 2-2. Illinois would have fallen back to 2-3.

Not much would be decided during the first weekend of November. OSU and Wisconsin have fairly easy games – the Buckeyes host Indiana while Purdue travels to Madison – while both Penn State and Illinois have the week off. Still, victories by the Buckeyes and Badgers would inch them a half-game closer to the Nittany Lions.

Things begin to get interesting on Nov. 12.

Wisconsin has an easy contest that week, traveling to Minnesota, while Ohio State has a little tougher date at Purdue. Penn State, however, entertains Nebraska, which could be on a roll depending upon how the Cornhuskers do tomorrow against Michigan State. Should NU be able to go into Happy Valley and score the victory – and both Wisconsin and OSU take care of business – the Leaders Division would tighten considerably heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. Penn State would be 5-1 and its lead would be cut to a single game with the Buckeyes and Badgers are 4-2.

As far as Ohio State is concerned, that would set up a Nov. 19 showdown in the Horseshoe against Penn State. A victory would be extremely important since it would give the Buckeyes a 5-0 sweep of their division competition with head-to-head results still the No. 1 tiebreaker to determine championship game participants.

If all of the what we envision comes to pass, by the end of play on Nov. 19, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin will emerge with identical 5-2 conference records, but the Buckeyes would have the title game tiebreaker with wins in hand over the Nittany Lions and Badgers.

And still it would come down to the Ohio State-Michigan game Nov. 26. Since the league championship game is determined by which division leaders have the best conference records, the Buckeyes would still need to defeat their archrivals to get to the title contest because Penn State and Wisconsin will wage their own elimination game in Madison that same day.

Are there a lot of variables in what we have just set forth? Absolutely. An upset here or there could wreck the entire scenario. Likewise, Penn State has to lose at least two of their remaining four games – hence the Buckeyes’ reliance on Illinois, Nebraska and Wisconsin.

Obviously none of the aforementioned is possible if Ohio State doesn’t run the table beginning with tomorrow night’s must-win against Wisconsin since a loss to the Badgers would severely diminish any hope at the league title game.

But if what we have laid out does come to pass, and the Buckeyes qualify for the Big Ten Championship Game with what would be six consecutive victories to end the regular season, would the university still seek a change in head coaches?

BRUTUS-BUCKY TIDBITS

** This marks the 77th meeting of Ohio State and Wisconsin, and the Buckeyes hold a decidedly lopsided 53-18-5 record in the overall series, including 28-7-3 in Columbus. The Buckeyes have beaten the Badgers each of the last two times UW has visited Ohio Stadium (2007 and 2009), but Wisconsin won each of its previous three trips before that (1999, 2001, 2004). Since 1999, the overall series is tied at 5-5.

** Ohio State head coach Luke Fickell is making his first appearance as a head coach against the Badgers, but he is 7-3-1 in the series as an OSU player and assistant. Fickell was 3-0-1 against Wisconsin as a player from 1993-96 and 4-3 during his nine years on Jim Tressel’s staff from 2002-10.

** Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema is in his sixth season with the Badgers. He has a 55-17 overall record, including 2-3 against Ohio State. He is 47-5 against unranked teams including 5-0 this year. The Buckeyes are unranked for the sixth straight week, the longest streak out of the national polls for the program since a seven-week stretch in 1989.

** This marks only the fifth time in the series when Wisconsin is ranked and Ohio State is not. The Buckeyes are a perfect 4-0 in the previous games. That includes a 23-14 upset of the top-ranked Badgers in 1952 and a 14-7 win over a No. 5 UW team in 1962. Both of those games were played in Columbus. The last time Wisconsin entered the game as the only ranked team was in 1963. The second-ranked Badgers lost that one in Madison by a 13-10 score.

** The game will serve as the 90th homecoming contest in Ohio State history. The Buckeyes sport an all-time homecoming record of 65-19-5.

** The Badgers will be trying to get an early upper hand in the game. They are 42-6 under Bielema when they score first.

** 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 second in the Big Ten in rushing with an average of 252.1 yards per game while Ohio State ranks fourth in the conference against the run, surrendering an average of only 116.6 yards per contest.

** Wisconsin ranks among the top 10 nationally in 16 different statistical categories – fewest fumbles lost (tied for first), third-down conversions (second), punt returns (second), passing efficiency (second), fewest turnovers lost (tied for second), pass defense (fourth), fewest tackles for loss allowed (fourth), scoring offense (fifth), scoring defense (sixth), red zone offense (sixth), fourth-down conversions (tied for seventh), rush offense (eighth), total offense (eighth), total defense (ninth), red zone defense (tied for ninth) and fewest first downs allowed (10th).

** You should not expect a shutout in tomorrow night’s game. Wisconsin hasn’t been shut out since a 34-0 loss to Syracuse in the 1997 season opener and the Buckeyes haven’t been blanked since a 28-0 loss at Michigan in the 1993 regular-season finale.

** Ohio State will undoubtedly try to score as much as possible, but cracking the 20-point mark is imperative against Wisconsin. The Badgers are 37-2 under Bielema – including 14 wins in a row – when holding their opponent under 20 points.

** The Badgers have been remarkably balanced on offense during their first seven games. They have 1,817 passing yards and have rushed for 1,765. That computes to per-game averages of 259.6 through the air and 252.1 on the ground.

** Wisconsin has 15 Ohio natives on its roster. Ohio State has no Wisconsin-born players.

** OSU senior tailback Boom Herron has rushed for at least one touchdown in 13 consecutive games. That is the longest streak by a Buckeye since Keith Byars had a scoring streak of 21 in a row in 1983-84.

** Herron made his 2011 debut two weeks ago with a 114-yard performance against Illinois, upping his career rushing total to 2,308 yards. That ranks him second among active Big Ten players, trailing only Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, who has 2,769.

** Herron is also second among active Big Ten players in rushing touchdowns with 30. Wisconsin junior tailback Montee Ball is first with 39.

** Ball leads the nation with 19 TDs, at least eight more than any other player in the Big Ten. Ball is closing in on the Wisconsin single-season touchdown mark of 24 set in 2005 by Brian Calhoun.

** Ball also has a streak of seven consecutive conference games in which he has rushed for at least 100 yards. He is averaging 150.4 yards per game during the streak. Ohio State has allowed only nine opposing rushers to crack the century mark since 2007, but three of those performances have come this season.

** Wisconsin has made a bowl game and an NCAA men’s basketball tournament appearance every season since the 2002-03 academic year. UW is the only Division I school that can make that claim.

** OSU junior defensive lineman John Simon is coming off a superlative performance against Illinois. Simon recorded eight tackles, including four for loss. That tied him with several other players for the fourth highest single-game total in school history. Judah Herman set the record with five TFL against Iowa in 1991, a mark that was matched by Jayson Gwinn vs. Indiana in 1993 and by Andy Katzenmoyer vs. Arizona State in the 1997 Rose Bowl.

** Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 31 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the nation. The NCAA record is 36 by Graham Harrell of Texas Tech (2005-08).

** Wilson has 16 touchdown passes through seven games and needs only six more to break the Wisconsin single-season mark of 21 set in 2005 by John Stocco.

** Wilson also possesses the NCAA record for most consecutive passes without an interception. From the end of his freshman season at North Carolina State through the middle of his sophomore campaign, Wilson threw 369 straight passes without a pick.

** OSU junior kicker Drew Basil is working on a streak of eight consecutive field goals. He needs only two more to become only the fourth kicker in program history with at least 10 straight three-pointers. Mike Nugent (2001-04) holds the school record with 24 in a row while Vlade Janakievski (1977-80) had streaks of 15 and 10 straight. Dan Stultz (1996-2000) also made 10 in a row.

** Ohio State will recognize 1995 Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George at halftime, honoring him for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. George rushed for a school-record 1,927 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior in ’95, and finished his OSU career with 3,768 yards, second only to two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin. George’s No. 27 jersey was retired by the school in 2001 and he was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.

** The Buckeyes will also recognize Saturday night the 50th anniversary of the 1961 FWAA national championship team. Several members of that squad will be in attendance, and the Buckeyes will wear special Nike Pro Combat uniforms that were designed as a throwback of sorts to the ones worn by the ’61 team.

** This week’s game will be telecast by ESPN with the announce crew of Brad Nessler (play-by-play), former Penn State quarterback Todd Blackledge (color analysis) and Holly Rowe (sideline reports). Kickoff is set for shortly after 8 p.m. Eastern.

** The game will also be broadcast on Sirius satellite radio channels 91 and 92 as well as XM channel 91. Westwood One will also broadcast the game with Brian Davis and George on the call.

** Next week, Ohio State entertains Indiana at Ohio Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12 noon Eastern and the game will be televised by the Big Ten Network.

AROUND THE COUNTRY

** The list of undefeated teams at the Division I-A level was pared to eight last weekend when Oklahoma and Wisconsin went down. That leaves Alabama, Boise State, Clemson, Houston, Kansas State, LSU, Oklahoma State and Stanford as this year’s Elite Eight.

** Stanford extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 16 games with a 65-21 romp over Washington on Saturday night. The Cardinal has also won 10 straight games by 26 points or more, the longest such streak since 1936. During that 10-game stretch, Stanford has outscored its opponents, 466-114, an average margin of victory of 35.2 points per game.

** Meanwhile, the nation’s longest losing streak was extended to 10 games when New Mexico fell victim Saturday by a 69-0 score to TCU. The Lobos and Florida Atlantic – 38-14 losers to Middle Tennessee State – remain the only winless teams this season at the I-A level.

** Congratulations to Penn State head coach Joe Paterno for reaching another career milestone. When the Nittany Lions took a 34-24 win over Northwestern last weekend, it marked the 408th career victory for Paterno, tying him with Eddie Robinson on the all-time Division I coaching list. Robinson was 408-165-15 while coaching for 57 seasons at Grambling from 1941-97. Paterno is currently in his 46th season as head coach at Penn State and currently sports a 408-136-3 career mark.

** By the way, Paterno is now 12-3 in his career against Northwestern. In addition to his latest milestone, JoePa also got career win No. 400 against the Wildcats as well as victory No. 323, the one that allowed him to catch Bear Bryant as the winningest coach at the Division I-A level.

** You could argue from now until Christmas about the best big-game coach in college football and chances are the discussion would never get around to Tommy Tuberville. Nevertheless, a Tuberville-coached team pulled off another huge upset Saturday when Texas Tech scored a 41-38 shocker over Oklahoma. Tuberville, who is now 123-67 overall, has made a career out of engineering big upsets. He was 4-2 against top-five teams during his 10-year tenure at Auburn from 1999-2008.

** The victory over Oklahoma was especially sweet for Tuberville. His undefeated 2004 Auburn team was passed over for the BCS National Championship Game in favor of the Sooners, who got rolled to tune of 55-19 by USC in that contest. After his Tech team’s upset win, Tuberville said, “Payback sometimes works in mysterious ways. I don’t think anything will ever bring back that (missed) opportunity, but things have a way of usually evening out in sports.”

** Oklahoma State is 7-0 for the second time in four seasons, but the Cowboys are looking to win their first eight games since the 1945 team (then known as Oklahoma A&M) finished with a perfect 9-0 mark.

** On the other side of that spectrum is Ole Miss, which has lost 10 straight SEC games for the first time since the school joined the conference in 1933.

** Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck didn’t exactly put up Heisman-worthy numbers in his team’s 65-21 win over Washington – 16 for 21, 169 yards, two touchdowns – but he didn’t have to with the Cardinal piling up a school-record 446 yards on the ground. Stanford nearly had three running backs crack the century mark. Junior Stepfan Taylor led the way with 138 yards, junior Taylor Gaffney added 117 and sophomore Anthony Wilkerson had 93. Each also rushed for at least one touchdown.

** You might also be hard-pressed to name the first running back to 1,000 yards this season. It is David Wilson of Virginia Tech, who has 1,037 yards in eight games. The junior running back has been remarkably consistent all season with game totals of 162, 137, 85, 132, 123, 128, 136 and 134 yards.

** Next up in the 1,000-yard parade: Trent Richardson of Alabama (989), Robbie Rouse of Fresno State (979), Bernard Pierce of Temple (951), Ray Graham of Pitt (939) and Bobby Rainey of Western Kentucky (910).

** Meanwhile, there are 15 quarterbacks already over the 2,000-yard mark led by Case Keenum of Houston with 2,685. Keenum is also the new NCAA career record-holder in total offense (17,173 yards) and touchdown passes (150) following last Saturday’s 392-yard, six-touchdown performance against Marshall.

** Speaking of quarterbacks, Dominique Davis of East Carolina was a perfect 26 for 26 for 251 yards in the first half of his team’s 38-35 win over Navy. After completing his final 10 passes the week before against Memphis, Davis established a new NCAA record with 36 consecutive completions. That shattered the old mark of 26, set in 2004 by Cal QB Aaron Rodgers, now tearing things up in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers. Davis, whose 26 completions in a row also represented a new single-game NCAA record, finished the game 40 of 45 for 372 yards and two TDs.

THIS WEEK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL

** On Oct. 26, 1907, one of the all-time greats made his college football debut. The legendary Jim Thorpe took the field for the first time with the Carlisle (Pa.) Indian Industrial School, and led the Indians to a 26-6 upset of fourth-ranked Penn. The game was held before a crowd of 22,800 at Philadelphia’s historic Franklin Field.

** On Oct. 26, 1968, All-American defensive back Jake Scott returned two interceptions for touchdowns and led eighth-ranked Georgia to a 35-14 win over Kentucky in Lexington, Ky. Scott, who went on to become MVP of Super Bowl VII with the Miami Dolphins, set a UGA record with 10 interceptions that season and he still holds the school career mark with 16 picks.

** On Oct. 26, 1985, seventh-ranked BYU saw its 25-game conference winning streak end when UTEP handed the Cougars a 23-16 loss in El Paso. Miners DB Danny Taylor returned a Robbie Bosco interception 100 yards for a touchdown to provide for the winning points.

** On Oct. 27, 1923, the first night game in Big Ten history was held as part of a day-night doubleheader in Chicago. During the afternoon, Chicago took a 20-6 win over Purdue at Stagg Field, and then portable lights were installed at Soldier Field as Illinois shut out Northwestern, 29-0.

** On Oct. 27, 1979, Pittsburgh 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. 28, 1967, UTEP quarterback Brooks Dawson set an NCAA record for most consecutive passes completed for a touchdown when he threw six in a row during a 75-12 victory over New Mexico. Making the feat even more remarkable was the fact that the six touchdowns came on Dawson’s first six attempts of the game.

** On Oct. 28, 2000, Louisiana Tech quarterback Luke McCown set an NCAA freshman record with 72 passing attempts during the Bulldogs’ 42-31 loss at No. 2 Miami (Fla.). McCown completed 42 of 72 passes for 418 yards and three touchdowns in the game. His 72 attempts remain a single-season school record.

** On Oct. 29, 1960, future College Football Hall of Fame performer Pervis Atkins sparked New Mexico State to a 27-24 victory over Arizona State. Atkins returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and raced 70 yards to set up the game-winning score. Atkins went on to break the NCAA single-season record for most yards per play, averaging an amazing 14.7 yards on 110 combined runs, receptions and kick returns. The previous record was held by Army’s Glenn Davis, the 1946 Heisman Trophy winner.

** On Oct. 29, 1988, Oklahoma State running back Barry Sanders rushed for 320 yards to lead his No. 12 Cowboys to a 45-27 win over Kansas State. The performance began a five-game stretch during which Sanders rushed for 1,472 yards, the most rushing yards accumulated over a five-game span in NCAA history. He also became only the second player in college football history to gain more than 200 rushing yards in five consecutive games, and the streak propelled Sanders to an NCAA single-season record 2,628 rushing yards and the 1988 Heisman Trophy.

** Also 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.

** On Oct. 30, 1971, future College Football Hall of Fame tailback Ed Marinaro of Cornell became the first running back in college football history to break the 4,000-yard barrier, doing so during his team’s 24-21 win over Columbia, Marinaro ran for 1,881 yards that season for the Big Red – still a single-season Ivy League record – and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting to Auburn QB Pat Sullivan. Marinaro went on to play six seasons in the NFL after which he became a successful actor, best known for his portrayal of Officer Joe Coffey on “Hill Street Blues.”

** On Oct. 30, 1982, Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie threw for a school-record 520 yards, but it wasn’t nearly enough as Penn State scored a 52-17 blowout over the Eagles in Chestnut Hill. The Nittany Lions were led by quarterback Todd Blackledge, who threw for 243 yards and three TDs, and running back Curt Warner, who rushed for 183 yards and two scores.

** On Oct. 30, 1999, Washington quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo was a one-man wrecking crew against Stanford. 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.

** On Nov. 1, 1880, legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice was born in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Considered one of the greatest American writers of the first half of the 20th century, Rice penned arguably the most famous line in college football history when he wrote, “Outlined against a blue, gray October sky the Four Horsemen rode again,” dubbing the famed Four Horsemen of Notre Dame in 1924. Rice later joined with U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Army head coach Earl “Red” Blaik to create the National Football Foundation in 1947.

** 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.

FEARLESS FORECAST

Sometimes – not often, but sometimes – the planets simply align properly and everything goes right. That is the kind of year we’ve been having with the picks so far.

Last week featured another perfect 10-0 straight up that included the Upset Special of Michigan State over Wisconsin. Against the spread, we weren’t real confident going into Saturday and picked a bunch of underdogs. That strategy resulted in an 8-2 week, making us an almost unbelievable 25-5 ATS over the past three weeks.

For the year, we’re 75-7 SU and 54-25-1 ATS and tempted to quit while we’re ahead. But as we’ve said in the past, the only thing better than playing with house money and getting more house money. So, here are the games we like this week.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

Baylor at No. 3 Oklahoma State: This one should provide a nice showcase for quarterbacks OSU’s Brandon Weeden (2,436, 19 TDs) and Baylor’s Robert Griffin III (1,950 yards, 22 TDs). Griffin is the nation’s No. 1 signal-caller in terms of pass efficiency, but he doesn’t have the supporting cast Weeden enjoys. The Cowboys not only have the country’s No. 2 scoring offense, they are 20th nationally in pass efficiency defense. The Bears? They’re 97th in pass efficiency defense and 101st in scoring defense. Baylor and RG3 will score some points, but not nearly enough of them … Oklahoma State 45, Baylor 28. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2)

No. 6 Stanford at USC: The unranked Trojans have quietly put together a nice 6-1 season so far, most recently notching back-to-back road victories at Cal and Notre Dame. USC returns to the Coliseum this week, but it won’t be any party with the Cardinal there waiting for them. A primetime game with Brent Musberger on the play-by-play has cemented more than one Heisman candidacy, and that is undoubtedly what Stanford QB Andrew Luck (1,888 yards, 20 TDs) will be looking for tomorrow night. Not that Luck needs the help. The Cardinal also boast the second-best rushing offense in the Pac-12 and the No. 1 defense in the conference. And they’ve beaten SC three of the last four times they have played, including last year’s 37-35 squeaker that started Stanford’s nation-best win streak … Stanford 37, USC 23. (8 p.m. ET, ABC)

Washington State at No. 7 Oregon: The Ducks have recovered nicely from their season-opening loss to LSU, outscoring the opposition by a 310-102 margin during a six-game win streak. Making that even more impressive is that Oregon played last week without starting QB Darron Thomas while Heisman hopeful RB LaMichael James has missed the last two games with a dislocated elbow. Both players could return this week, which would not exactly be the best news for the Cougars. They surrendered 551 yards during a 44-21 loss to Oregon State last week, and the Beavers rank ninth in the Pac-12 in total offense and in scoring. If Wazzu couldn’t stop them, one wonders how they’ll slow down the Quack Attack, which is first in the conference in yardage and second only to Stanford in scoring … Oregon 47, Washington State 14. (3 p.m. ET, FSN Regional)

No. 9 Oklahoma at No. 8 Kansas State: This boils down to a Big 12 elimination game with two surprising teams – each for different reasons – facing a must-win situation. The Sooners stubbed their collective toe last week with a loss to Texas Tech that most likely knocked them out of the national championship race. Meanwhile, the Wildcats kept purring with a win over instate rival Kansas and preserving their best start to a season since winning their first nine games in 1999. K-State knows what it takes to beat Oklahoma although Bill Snyder’s team hasn’t accomplished that feat since its huge upset victory in the 2003 conference title game. Closer scrutiny of the Wildcats would seem to indicate they cannot throw the ball and their pass defense is surprisingly weak. That is combination that would seem to indicate an OU win … Oklahoma 52, Kansas State 35. (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

No. 12 Virginia Tech at Duke: Although the Hokies average 31.0 points per game offensively, their calling card has been a defense that ranks 10th nationally in scoring and No. 7 against the run. Attrition is beginning to wear on that defense, however, as Tech lost a third starter – LB Bruce Taylor, the team’s leading tackler this year and last – to a season-ending injury during last week’s otherwise unremarkable 34-10 win over Boston College. Those injuries will eventually catch up with the Hokies, but probably not this week. The Blue Devils feature a lowly concoction of ranking dead last in the ACC in rushing as well as pass defense, and they have lost 10 straight in the series to Tech by an average of more than 23 points … Virginia Tech 35, Duke 10. (12:30 p.m. ET, ESPN GamePlan)

Purdue at No. 18 Michigan: If the Wolverines are truly on their back to prominence, this would be as good as game as any to prove it. The Boilermakers aren’t exactly a juggernaut, but they can do some things on offense that could make things difficult for what remains a spotty U-M defense. Meanwhile, Michigan is at the same crossroads it has faced the past two seasons – undefeated records spoiled by instate rival Michigan State. In both 2009 and 2010, the loss to Sparty began a downward spiral – so much so that the Wolverines are a combined 3-11 the past two seasons after playing MSU. The Boilers haven’t had much success in the Big House over the years, but they did snap a long losing streak there in ’09 with a 38-36 victory. We can’t quite pull the trigger on an Upset Special here, but U-M definitely needs to be on the alert … Michigan 38, Purdue 31. (12 noon ET, ESPN2)

Iowa State at No. 20 Texas Tech: Double-T is feeling its oats for one of the first times in the post-Mike Leach era following last week’s huge upset at Oklahoma. Now, the Red Raiders have to guard against a letdown against what should be a rollover opponent. If the Raiders do have a letdown, it will be their own fault. Last year, the Cyclones raced out to a 24-0 lead and wound up with a 52-38 victory in Ames. It seems doubtful ISU could repeat that outcome this time around. The Cyclones are on a four-game losing streak, they have been outscored by a 171-74 margin in conference play, and they are winless on their five previous trips to Lubbock. They also have one of the worst defenses in college football while Double-T has one of the top offenses … Texas Tech 48, Iowa State 17. (7 p.m. ET, FSN Regional)

Kansas at No. 24 Texas: Does anyone in Lawrence miss Mark Mangino? The former Kansas head coach was forced out following the 2009 season amid somewhat fuzzy allegations of verbal and physical player abuse and the Jayhawks haven’t been the same since. They were 25-13 during the final three seasons of Mangino’s eight-year tenure and are just 5-14 since. That includes 11 losses in their last 12 conference games. Of course, the Longhorns aren’t any great shakes, either, coming off back-to-back losses to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, games in which they were outscored by a 93-43 margin. Mack Brown has had an extra week to prepare, however, and Kansas is certainly not on par with either Oklahoma team … Texas 44, Kansas 20. (7 p.m. ET, Longhorn Network)

Iowa at Minnesota: Don’t look now, but Kirk Ferentz is having another one of those seasons when his team piles up a bunch of under-the-radar victories. The Hawkeyes are 5-2 overall and only a game off the Legends Division lead despite ranking in the middle of the pack (or lower) in most of the Big Ten’s statistical categories. Meanwhile, Goldy is just trying to get to the barn in one piece. The Gophers don’t really do anything well as evidenced by the fact their offense has scored the least amount of points of any conference team and their defense has given up the most. Not much entertainment value in this one, we’re afraid … Iowa 35, Minnesota 10. (3:30 p.m. ET, BTN)

No. 15 Wisconsin at Ohio State: This is about as simple as simple can be. If the Buckeyes harbor even the slightest notion of a trip to the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game, they must beat the Badgers. And that task is not as difficult as some might think. The one chink in Bucky’s armor is rush defense. Coincidentally, that is Ohio State’s major offensive strength. If the Buckeyes can control tempo through their running game, they can win. In fact, that is probably their only chance. Yes, they are going to have to throw the ball at least a little to keep the Badgers honest, but I see a game plan much like the one OSU utilized at Nebraska until QB Braxton Miller went down. If that plan is executed similarly, it is the Buckeyes’ game to win. And banking on the hard lessons learned in Lincoln, this is your Upset Special … Ohio State 30, Wisconsin 28. (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Here are the spreads for the above games: Baylor at Oklahoma State (-14); Stanford (-7½) at USC; Washington State at Oregon (-32½); Oklahoma (-13½) at Kansas State; Virginia Tech (-14) at Duke; Purdue (+15) at Michigan; Iowa State at Texas Tech (-14½); Kansas (+28½) at Texas; Iowa (-15½) at Minnesota; Wisconsin at Ohio State (+7½).

Enjoy the games and we’ll see you next week.

The win produced a number of affirmatives for a team desperately in need of positive reinforcement. It mended a collective psyche quite possibly fractured by the second-half collapse at Nebraska. It proved the Buckeyes are still pretty good at basic Big Ten football – running the ball down an opponent’s throat and stonewalling said opponent on defense.

Perhaps best of all, however – and no one even dared think this after that dark night in Lincoln – the Buckeyes are back in the hunt for a berth in the first-ever Big Ten championship game.

Most of their hope hinges on a game the team can watch from the comfort of their own living rooms. While Ohio State takes the Oct. 22 weekend off, Wisconsin and Michigan State will get together in East Lansing for an ultra-important game that will go a long way toward determining who plays in spacious Lucas Oil Stadium in December with the Big Ten’s automatic BCS berth on the line.

After three weeks of conference play, the smart money has already been placed on Wisconsin representing the Leaders Division in the conference title game. After all, the No. 4 Badgers are undefeated and have largely been unchallenged in their first six games. Coming off a 59-7 pounding of Indiana, Wisconsin has outscored its opposition by a tidy 301-58 margin. Their closest game so far was a 31-point blowout of Nebraska.

The knock, of course, is that the Badgers haven’t played anyone yet. That changes in a big, fat hurry when the Spartans roll out the welcome mat anchored by a defense ranked among the nation’s top four in all five major statistical categories.

It might also interest you to know that Michigan State has beaten Wisconsin each of the last three times Bucky has visited East Lansing, including last year’s 34-24 triumph and a 49-14 trip to the woodshed in 2004 when the unranked Spartans upset the fourth-ranked Badgers.

Every member of Buckeye Nation should root for a Michigan State victory because that would pretty much put Ohio State’s destiny back into its own hands.

While it is true the Buckeyes came out of Champaign with a 1-2 conference record which was only good enough for fifth place in the six-team Leaders Division, three of the four teams ahead of them in the standings remain to be played – Wisconsin on Oct. 29, at Purdue on Nov. 12 and back home with Penn State on Nov. 19. OSU already has vanquished Illinois, the fourth team ahead of the Buckeyes in the Leaders standings.

A victory over Wisconsin won’t be easy, of course, since the Badgers have added quarterback Russell Wilson to their offensive arsenal. Wilson only leads the nation in pass efficiency and complements an offense that averages a nation’s-best 50.2 points per game.

How can Ohio State and its anemic offense possibly match that kind of firepower? Hopefully it won’t have to. If the Badgers have an Achilles’ heel, it would be their run defense. It ranks a middling fifth in the Big Ten, surrendering an average of 123.2 yards per game. Running the ball is an obvious strength for the Buckeyes, and it only stands to reason that strength is enhanced with the return of Boom Herron to the lineup.

Against Illinois, which entered the game against Ohio State featuring the nation’s ninth-best defense against the run, Herron chewed up 114 yards on 23 carries. Best of all, he picked up a lot of those yards after contact with a variety of spin moves and cutbacks.

Remember also that it was Herron who keyed last year’s comeback against Wisconsin. His third-quarter touchdown run out of the Wildcat formation and a fourth-quarter scoring plunge from the 1 allowed the Buckeyes to climb within 21-18 before the Badgers shifted gears and cruised to a 31-18 win.

Wisconsin will undoubtedly be a double-digit favorite when it comes to Columbus, and quite frankly no one will give Ohio State much of a chance to win. But even if the Badgers get past Michigan State, the Spartans are so physical this year that playing them on the road right before a game against an opponent bent on revenge – well, anything can happen.

Should the Buckeyes somehow pull off the shocker, they would have victories in hand over Illinois and Wisconsin with only divisional rivals Indiana, Purdue and Penn State left on the schedule.

Objectively speaking, the Boilermakers would represent the toughest test of that trio. The Hoosiers are a mess while the Nittany Lions are every bit as offensively challenged as Ohio State – perhaps even more so. An extremely weak schedule has led to a 6-1 record, but Penn State qualifies as one of the worst 6-1 teams in college football.

Meanwhile, Purdue would seem to be a pushover – especially in light of a 3-3 record with wins over Middle Tennessee, Southeast Missouri State and Minnesota, teams that have a combined record of 3-14 so far this season. But the Boilers historically play Ohio State tough, especially in West Lafayette, so anything is possible.

The point is that the Buckeyes have new life in a season that was supposedly circling the drain. And outside of the team that plays in Ann Arbor, whose dreams of glory would you rather crush more than Wisconsin?

AROUND THE COUNTRY

** The list of undefeated teams at the Division I-A level continues to shrink. Heading into this weekend’s game, there are 10 unbeatens remaining – Alabama, Boise State, Clemson, Houston, Kansas State, LSU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Stanford and Wisconsin.

** Stanford has another easy time of it last Saturday night, rolling to a 44-14 win at Washington State. That extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 15 games, also a school-record streak for the Cardinal.

** At the other end of the spectrum is New Mexico, which extended the nation’s longest losing streak to nine games with a 49-7 loss at Nevada. The Lobos are one of only two remaining winless teams at the I-AA level. Florida Atlantic is the other. UAB notched its first win of the season last night, a 26-24 win over Central Florida.

** Stanford gets most of its publicity from Heisman Trophy candidate Andrew Luck – and rightfully so – but the Cardinal defense is extremely underrated. They have a streak going during which they have allowed 20 points or fewer to 12 straight opponents. That is the longest streak of its kind at the school since 1941.

** Wisconsin doesn’t only beat its opponents, it bludgeons them into submission. The Badgers have won all six of their games by 31 points or more, becoming the first Division I-A team since 1950 to begin a season with six winning margins of 30 points or more.

** Sometimes the Big Ten gets wrongly accused for being old-fashioned because many of its upper-echelon teams win by running the football and playing stellar defense. That is a winning combination elsewhere, too, as evidenced by LSU’s 16-play, 99-yard touchdown drive during its 38-7 win at Tennessee. Every play during the march was a rush. Of course, LSU head coach Les Miles does have a Big Ten pedigree – born in Ohio, played and coached at Michigan under Bo Schembechler – so the way the Tigers go about their business shouldn’t be that much of a shock.

** Top to bottom, the Big Ten can still hold its own with any other conference. That was evidenced in the first BCS standings of the season. The Big Ten boasted six of its teams among the BCS top 25, more than any other conference.

** Oklahoma receiver Ryan Broyles totaled 13 receptions for 217 yards during his team’s 47-17 win at Kansas, and established a new NCAA career reception record in the process. Broyles now has 326 receptions, one more than previous record-holder Taylor Stubblefield of Purdue (2001-05).

** Boise State’s first game as a member of the Mountain West Conference resulted in a 63-13 smackdown of Colorado State. The Broncos piled up 742 total yards behind senior QB Kellen Moore, who completed 26 of 30 attempts for 338 yards and four TDs.

** Baylor QB Robert Griffin III threw for a school-record 430 yards during his team’s 55-28 loss to Texas A&M. Griffin became the third quarterback this year to break his team’s single-game yardage record against the Aggies, who are 4-2 despite ranking dead last in the nation in pass defense.

** Congratulations to Louisiana (which used to be known as Louisiana-Lafayette). The perennial Sun Belt doormats are 6-1 and off to their best start since winning their first eight in 1976. The Ragin’ Cajuns are also the only team in the nation with five interception returns for touchdowns.

** I guess it’s about time to roll out my Heisman Trophy favorites for the first time this year. Until something cataclysmic happens, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck will occupy first place on my ballot. After that, I will like choose between RB Trent Richardson of Alabama, Boise State QB Kellen Moore and Oklahoma QB Landry Jones. I am also intrigued by what Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson is doing, and I’ll be watching him more closely Saturday night when the Badgers travel to Michigan State.

** It is a pretty good time in college football to be a kick returner. Eleven kickoffs were taken back for touchdowns last Saturday including back-to-back returns in the Texas-Oklahoma State game. Then there was the Idaho-New Mexico State game, a 31-24 win by the Lobos during which the teams combined for three kick returns for touchdowns. The Lobos returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score and the Vandals took a 95-yard kickoff to the house as well as a 64-yard punt return.

** Another one bites the dust. Bob Toledo resigned Tuesday as head coach at Tulane, and offensive line coach Mark Hutson has been named interim coach. The 65-year-old Toledo was 15-40 in four-plus seasons with the Green Wave, and 93-108 for his 18-year college coaching career at UC-Riverside, Pacific, UCLA and Tulane. Toledo’s best years were back-to-back 10-2 seasons at UCLA in 1997 and ’98.

** The high school in Chapman, Kan., was destroyed by a tornado in June 2008 and a new facility opened in January. The school celebrated by featuring the new school on its website complete with its Fighting Irish logo. Trouble is, the school “borrowed” the logo from the University of Notre Dame, which evidently was not flattered. Chapman can keep the Fighting Irish nickname – wasn’t that extremely benevolent of the Domers? – but it must change the fighting leprechaun logo.

** Former Ohio State defensive back Kurt Coleman intercepted Washington quarterback Rex Grossman last Sunday during the Eagles’ 20-13 win over the Redskins and earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors in the process. Coleman became the first Philadelphia player to grab three interceptions in a game since Joe Scarpati did it in 1966 during a 31-3 win over the Giants. Not bad for a seventh-round pick making only his sixth NFL start.

** Ohio State is off this week. The Buckeyes returned to action Oct. 29 with a home game against Wisconsin. That game is set to kick off at 8 p.m. Eastern and will be telecast by ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 using the reverse mirror.

THIS WEEK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL

** On Oct. 19, 2002, Oklahoma State scored a 24-21 victory over Nebraska, marking the Cowboys’ first win over the Cornhuskers in 41 years. QB Josh Fields fueled the victory by throwing for 192 yards, most of it going to receiver Rashaun Woods, who finished with 11 catches for 134 yards. Later that season, Oklahoma State upset No. 4 Oklahoma, marking the first time in school history the Cowboys had beaten both NU and OU in the same season.

** 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. 20, 1944, Maryland and Michigan State combined for the fewest pass attempts in the modern era of college football during an 8-0 win by the Spartans. The Terrapins threw only one pass during the game while Michigan State attempted none.

** On Oct. 20, 1956, Texas A&M scored a 7-6 upset over No. 4 TCU is what has been called “The Hurricane Game.” Played in 90-mph wins, the Horned Frogs got inside the A&M 5-yard-line three times in the first half but failed to score.

** On Oct. 20, 1990, No. 6 Notre Dame scored a 29-20 upset of second-ranked Miami (Fla.) thanks to 268 all-purpose yards from wideout Raghib “Rocket” Ismail. Trailing 22-20 in the fourth quarter, the Hurricanes lost a chance to take the lead when tailback Leonard Conley fumbled at the 2-yard line. Miami defensive tackle Russell Maryland shook off a sprained foot to register 20 tackles, including three for loss, but Ismail rushed for 100 yards and returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown to lead the Fighting Irish.

** On Oct. 21, 1950, Tom Powers of Duke set an ACC single-game scoring record when he accounted for 36 points in a 41-0 win over Richmond. Powers ran for three touchdowns and also caught three TD passes against the Spiders.

** On Oct. 21, 1989, Alabama QB Gary Hollingsworth set a school record for completions, going 32 for 46 for 379 yards and three touchdowns as the Tide rolled to a 47-30 win over Tennessee.

** On Oct. 21, 2000, Indiana quarterback Antwaan Randle El had a history-making performance during his team’s 51-43 win over Minnesota. Randle El threw for 263 yards and ran for 210 to become the first player in Big Ten history to crack the 200-yard mark in both passing and rushing in the same game.

** 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, 1904, Minnesota’s Bobby Marshall set an NCAA record by scoring 72 points during the Golden Gophers’ 146-0 victory over Grinnell (Iowa).

** On Oct. 22, 1966, UTEP rolled to a 35-0 win over San Jose State in a game where the Spartans accounted for minus-102 rushing yards. UTEP wasn’t much better, totaling only 78 yards on the ground. The team’s combined total of negative 24 rushing yards set an NCAA single-game record for futility.

** 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.

** On Oct. 23, 1965, Virginia Tech was riding high with a new facility and a victory over its instate rivals. The Hokies, known then as the Gobblers, opened their new Lane Stadium 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.

** On Oct. 23, 1976, Pittsburgh running back Tony Dorsett pushed his season rushing total past the 1,000-yard mark during a 45-0 victory over Navy. Dorsett became the first running back in NCAA history to post four 1,000-yard seasons, and he also broke the NCAA career rushing record previously held by two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin.

** On Oct. 24, 1981, Stanford became the first team in college football history to have two players throw for 250 yards or more in the same game. Steve Cottrell threw for 311 yards while John Elway added 270, but it didn’t do the Cardinal much good. They lost a 62-36 decision to Arizona State.

** On Oct. 25, 1947, Columbia scored a 21-20 upset over Army, ending the Black Knights’ unbeaten streak at 32 games.

** On Oct. 25, 1980, SMU freshman quarterback Lance McIlhenny celebrated his first start by engineering a 20-6 upset of No. 2 Texas in Austin. Halfback Craig James, now a college football analyst for ESPN, ran 53 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter to put the Mustangs ahead for good.

** On Oct. 25, 1980, Purdue quarterback Mark Herrmann threw for 340 yards during his team’s 36-25 victory over Michigan State. Herrmann finished the game with 8,076 career passing yards which broke the NCAA all-time record. By the time he graduated, Hermann has totaled 9,188 passing yards and 707 career completions, both of which were NCAA career records.

FEARLESS FORECAST

Things keep humming along here at Forecast World Headquarters with another stellar week. We correctly picked a couple of undefeated teams to go down – Michigan State over Michigan (although that is becoming a regular annual occurrence) as well as Ohio State’s Upset Special win at Illinois.

All in all, it was a tidy 8-2 week straight up and a 7-3 mark against the spread. That means we’re still over 90 percent SU at 65-7 and an unbelievably robust 46-23-1 ATS.

Here are the games we’re going to enjoy watching from home this week.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

Tennessee at No. 2 Alabama: The SEC schedule-makers did the Volunteers no favors. After last week’s 38-7 loss to top-ranked LSU, Tennessee travels to Tuscaloosa to take on the No. 2 Crimson Tide this weekend. It marks the first time in school history the Vols have played the nation’s top two teams back-to-back and that doesn’t bode well for a team that has lost eight straight and 14 of its last 15 to ranked teams. Job No. 1 for Tennessee will be trying to stop Alabama RB Trent Richardson, who needs only 88 more yards to crack 1,000 for the season. Richardson had 119 including a 65-yard touchdown run against the Vols last season during a 41-10 romp by the Tide and you have to wonder how things will be any better for UT this time around … Alabama 42, Tennessee 7. (7:15 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

Air Force at No. 5 Boise State: The Broncos hope to keep their national championship game aspirations alive this week along with a home winning streak that is at 34 games and counting. Boise is coming off a 63-13 win over Colorado State last week that included a school-record 742 total yards, but the Falcons present a different kind of challenge with their quirky triple-option attack. Unfortunately, Air Force is 0-2 to start conference play for the first time since 1994 because it doesn’t have much of a defense. And when you don’t have much of a defense, the last team you want to play is Boise … Boise State 45, Air Force 21. (3:30 p.m. ET, Versus)

No. 6 Wisconsin at No. 16 Michigan State: The general criticism that the Badgers have yet to be tested is valid. After all, UW’s six victims – each dispatched by 31 points or more – have a combined record of only 16-23. The soft part of the schedule is over, however, and Bucky sails into East Lansing to play a Spartans team which not only beat Michigan last week, they beat up their so-called Big Brothers. For MSU to engineer the upset, it will have to figure out a way to neutralize Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson, tops in the nation in pass efficiency, and exploit what seems to be the Badgers’ lone weakness – rush defense. That was the blueprint Mark Dantonio used last year when his team took a 10-point win and we expect that will be the blueprint again this year. Here is your Upset Special … Michigan State 26, Wisconsin 22. (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)

No. 25 Washington at No. 8 Stanford: This should be an entertaining matchup featuring the Pac-12’s most established quarterback against one of the conference’s up-and-comers. Heisman favorite Andrew Luck (1,719 yards, 18 TDs) leads the Cardinal and ranks No. 3 nationally in pass efficiency while the Huskies have sophomore Keith Price (1,466 yards, 21 TDs), who ranks fifth. Any team with a quarterback like Price has a puncher’s chance for the upset, but before you crawl out on that limb and saw it off behind you, it’s worth knowing that Luck is a career 15-1 at home, where Stanford has won 10 straight. And if that’s not enough, Washington has dropped 14 of its last 15 road games against ranked opponents … Stanford 34, Washington 20. (8 p.m. ET, ABC)

No. 10 Oregon at Colorado: The Ducks are a little beat up right now, especially on offense. QB Darron Thomas (knee) will probably play this week while Heisman candidate LaMichael James is likely to miss a second straight game with a dislocated elbow. Oregon really shouldn’t need either player as they travel to Boulder. The Buffaloes are in the middle of a four-game losing streak during which they have been outscored by a 168-75 margin. Against a defense like that, even if Thomas and James can’t go, the Quack Attack should have more than enough in reserve … Oregon 42, Colorado 10. (3:30 p.m. ET, FSN Regional)

No. 11 Kansas State at Kansas: The Wildcats and 72-year-old head coach Bill Snyder keep doing it with mirrors. They stayed undefeated last week with a 41-34 shootout at Texas Tech that included a 24-yard interception return for a touchdown, a 100-yard kickoff return for another score and two blocked field-goal attempts by DL Raphael Guidry. Things shouldn’t be quite so difficult for K-State this week in the Sunflower Shootout, especially since the Jayhawks rank dead last in Division I-A in total and scoring defense … Kansas State 42, Kansas 20. (12 noon ET, FSN Regional)

Boston College at No. 12 Virginia Tech: The Hokies feature a pretty good defense, but one wonders how long that will last as the team begins to pile up injuries at an alarming rate. Tech had already lost a starting tackle and linebacker for the season with a defensive end shelved indefinitely when CB Jayron Horsley went down last week with a hamstring injury. Fortunately for the Fighting Beamers, the offense has been carrying its share of the load, especially first-year starting QB Logan Thomas (60.8 percent, 1,476 yards, 9 TDs). That should be more than enough against the struggling Eagles, who rank 96th nationally in total defense and 101st against the pass … Virginia Tech 34, Boston College 17. (3 p.m. ET, ESPN GamePlan)

No. 13 Nebraska at Minnesota: If you look at the history of this series, you might be surprised to learn that the Golden Gophers hold a 29-20-2 advantage over the Cornhuskers. That is even more impressive when you discover NU has won each of the last 14 times these teams have met although they haven’t met since 1990. More than two decades later, you can pretty much look for that streak to continue even though Nebraska has lost defensive tackle Jared Crick for the rest of the season to a torn pectoral muscle. Minnesota is about as disjointed as any team could be at the midway point of the season with problems on offense, defense and special teams … Nebraska 42, Minnesota 13. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2)

Marshall at No. 19 Houston: In the spirit of full disclosure, we stick a Houston game into the forecast at least once a year and that is usually the one where the Cougars suffer an inexplicable upset loss. We feel fairly certain that won’t happen this time although the Herd has a defensive star in Vinny Curry. The senior defensive end is second in the nation with 9½ sacks through seven games, and he could provide some problems for the Cougars. Still, if Houston QB Case Keenum truly is a Heisman candidate – and his numbers (70.9 percent, 2,309 yards and 17 TDs vs. 2 INTs) would seem to indicate that he is – the Cougars should take care of business … Houston 37, Marshall 27. (4:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2)

Indiana at Iowa: On the surface, this looks like a mismatch. The NCAA keeps track of 17 major statistical categories and the Hoosiers have a conference rank of ninth or lower in 15 of them. Not that the Hawkeyes are any great shakes despite a 4-2 record. Iowa uncharacteristically ranks dead last in the Big Ten in rushing and only ninth in total defense. The Hawkeyes own a 41-27-4 edge in the overall series, including six of the last eight overall and three of the last four in Iowa City. Just don’t expect a scintillating game … Iowa 20, Indiana 13. (12 noon ET, BTN)

Here are the spreads for the above games: Tennessee at Alabama (-29½); Air Force (+30) at Boise State; Wisconsin at Michigan State (+7½); Washington (+21) at Stanford; Oregon (-30½) at Colorado; Kansas State (-11) at Kansas; Boston College (+21) at Virginia Tech; Nebraska (-24½) at Minnesota; Marshall (+23) at Houston; Iowa at Indiana (+23½).

Enjoy the games and we’ll visit again next week.

The 2002 national championship team used a 31-28 loss in the Outback Bowl at the end of the previous season as a rallying point. Same with the 1994 team that got taken to the woodshed at Penn State to the tune of a 63-14 shellacking. John Cooper’s team that year responded with three straight victories to finish the regular season, including Coop’s first win over Michigan as OSU head coach.

You can go as far back as the 1957 season when Woody Hayes’ team was shocked by TCU in the season opener and used that loss as a pivot point to win its next nine games, including a Rose Bowl victory over Oregon, and capture the national championship.

No one believes the 2011 Buckeyes can rally to win the national championship, of course. Three losses pretty much puts an end to that discussion before it begins. But the fact remains Ohio State can not only be competitive, it can win more than its share of games during the back half of the season.

The promise of what kind of team the Buckeyes can be was on full display for 2½ quarters at Nebraska as OSU rolled out to a 27-6 lead. Not only were the Buckeyes winning the game, they were physically dominating the Cornhuskers as several NU players had to be helped off the field during the first half.

Despite some serious holes on both sides of the football, Ohio State has a lot of talent in a lot of places, and when things are clicking, the Buckeyes can be an exciting and efficient team.

Obviously, a lot of that excitement and efficiency centers around freshman quarterback Braxton Miller, for whom the light seemed to burn brightly against the Cornhuskers. The offensive coaching staff finally figured out a game plan tailored to Miller’s strengths, and the result was a three-touchdown lead over Nebraska that looked ridiculously easy.

Unfortunately, when Miller went out with an ankle injury late in the third quarter, the Buckeyes had no backup plan when fifth-year senior Joe Bauserman struggled. Sophomore third-stringer Kenny Guiton was available and presumably ready to play – he donned a headset and relayed offensive signals from the bench to the OSU huddle all night – but head coach Luke Fickell indicated there was no thought of ever putting him in the game.

From a fan standpoint, that seems ludicrous. If Guiton or redshirt freshman Taylor Graham cannot get playing time, especially with the way Bauserman has performed his last couple of times out, one has to wonder why they were recruited in the first place.

If Miller ever goes out again, and goes out for any length of time, the Buckeyes are going to have to formulate a Plan B and C and perhaps even a D. Maybe direct snaps to tailback Jordan Hall, who does have a touchdown pass on his college résumé.

Miller under center gives the team its best chance to win, of course, but even with the talented freshman doing his thing, the Buckeyes will have to play better on defense.

Yes, they were gassed in the fourth quarter against Nebraska, and a tired defense is at the mercy of a spread team such as the Cornhuskers. But even the week before, when it held Michigan State to only 10 points, the defense made some glaring errors that wound up being amplified by the fact the offense couldn’t muster any kind of punch at all.

The Ohio State defense is a unit populated by youngsters and first-time starters, but that excuse begins to ring hollow six games into the season. The message for those players – indeed any starter on a 3-3 team – is to grow up quickly or get out of the way for someone else.

With the 2011 season now at the midway point, all anyone can say with any certainty is that the Buckeyes remain a work in progress. That is a bitter pill for fans who have experienced almost nothing but success since 2002, but reality is reality.

Following the debacle in Lincoln, Ohio State travels to Illinois, a team that has started 6-0 for the first time since 1951. Even during the recent past when the Fighting Illini were struggling, they always seemed to play the Buckeyes tough. That includes a 28-21 shocker in 2007 when OSU was ranked No. 1.

Two weeks from now, after an open week, the Buckeyes host fourth-ranked Wisconsin, a team playing as well as any in the nation right now.

November opens with a home game vs. Indiana, a team that has lost 16 in a row to Ohio State, but the following week the Buckeyes must travel to Purdue, another team that gives OSU fits for no particular reason. The Boilermakers have won two of the previous five games in the series, including a 26-18 upset in West Lafayette two years ago.

Finally there is the final home game of the season against Penn State and the regular-season finale at Michigan.

The Nittany Lions are quite possibly the worst 5-1 team in the nation, but they will be exposed during a late-season schedule that features Illinois, Nebraska and Wisconsin as well as the Buckeyes.

Meanwhile, U-M is a team feeling extremely rejuvenated under first-year head coach Brady Hoke. Yes, the Buckeyes have beaten the Wolverines nine of the last 10 years, and the Michigan defense still isn’t where it needs to be. But does anyone seriously believe OSU can outscore a Denard Robinson-led attack especially if Miller’s ankle injury lingers for the remainder of the season?

And yet with all of that uncertainty there is hope – hope because of the way Ohio State toyed with overmatched Akron, hope because of the way the Buckeyes responded to late adversity vs. Toledo and hope because of the way the team clicked on all cylinders for the first 2½ quarters at Nebraska.

Make no mistake, though. During put-up-or-shut-up time, hope won’t get it done. The Buckeyes are going to have to figure out a way to put four quarters together or that hope won’t be worth a warm bucket of spit.

OSU-ILLINOIS TIDBITS

** OSU and Illinois will meet for the 98th time since the series was inaugurated in 1902. The Buckeyes hold a 63-30-4 advantage in the overall series, including a 34-12 edge in Champaign.

** Ohio State and Illinois have met only five times over the years when the Fighting Illini were ranked and the Buckeyes were not. Illinois holds a 3-1-1 edge in those games, including a 34-14 win at Memorial Stadium in 1989.

** Between 1988 and 1992, the teams met five times and Illinois won them all. In the 16 games since, the Buckeyes are 12-4 with a perfect 8-0 record in Champaign. The Illini’s last home win over Ohio State was a 10-7 decision in 1991.

** Ohio State’s Luke Fickell will be facing the Fighting Illini for the first time as a head coach although he was 3-1 against Illinois as an OSU player and 6-1 as an assistant on Jim Tressel’s staff.

** Illinois head coach Ron Zook is 1-5 vs. the Buckeyes. He was 0-3 against the Illini when he was an OSU assistant on John Cooper’s staff from 1988-90.

** The Buckeyes have won 21 of their last 24 Big Ten road games but have lost two of their last four. OSU has not had a streak during which it has lost as many as three of five road conference games since losing five of six between 2003-05.

** Illinois is 6-0 for the first time since 1951, a season during which the Illini started 7-0 and finished 9-0-1. UI is one of only 13 remaining unbeaten teams in the nation and one of only seven that are already bowl-eligible.

** Ohio State is 3-3 for the first time since 2004. The Buckeyes have not started a season 3-4 since 1988. That team finished 4-6-1 and marks the last losing season at Ohio State.

** Including last year’s 38-14 victory over Baylor in the Texas Bowl, Illinois has won seven games in a row. That is the third longest current streak in the nation and school-best streak since the 2001 team also won seven straight. No Illinois team has won more than seven in a row since 1983, a team that captured 10 consecutive victories.

** Zook’s career mark as a head coach is only 57-59, including 34-45 at Illinois. 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 Illinois defense has forced at least one turnover in 21 consecutive games, the longest current streak of its kind in the nation.

** Illinois has held Ohio State to less than 100 yards passing in each of the last three games in the series, and it should be noted that the Buckeyes enter this year’s matchup ranked dead last in the Big Ten in pass offense.

** After missing the first four attempts of his career, OSU sophomore kicker Drew Basil is now working on a streak of seven consecutive field goals. That ties him with several players for the 10th best streak in school history, but Basil has a way to go to catch the all-time leader in the category. Mike Nugent (2001-04) connected on 24 straight field-goal attempts between 2001 and ’02.

** Illinois senior kicker Derek Dimke has made 10 straight field goals and that ties him for the third longest streak in school history. Mike Bass (1980-82) holds the UI record with 13 field goals in a row.

** Dimke also has a streak going of 78 consecutive PATs and that is tied for the ninth longest in Big Ten history. J.D. Carlson of Michigan (1989-92) holds the conference record with 126 straight PATs.

** Dimke is currently tied for ninth on the all-time Illinois scoring list with 186 points. You might have heard the guy with whom he’s tied – the legendary Red Grange, who scored 31 touchdowns to account for his 186 points during back-to-back-to-back All-America seasons from 1923-25.

** Illinois sophomore QB Nathan Scheelhaase needs only 92 more to crack the Illinois career top 10 in passing yardage. Currently occupying the No. 10 spot is Dave Wilson (1980), whom Ohio State fans remember as the guy who put up 621 passing yards against the Buckeyes during a wild 49-42 Illinois loss in 1980. Wilson’s total remains the Big Ten record for most passing yards in a single game.

** OSU sophomore tailback Carlos Hyde notched the first 100-yard game of his career last week, totaling 104 yards against Nebraska. It was the first time an Ohio State player had cracked the century mark since Terrelle Pryor had 115 in the Sugar Bowl against Arkansas. The last OSU running back with a 100-yard game was Boom Herron, who had a career-best 175 yards last season in the 37-7 win over Michigan.

** Illinois has held four of its first six opponents to less than 100 rushing yards. The Fighting Illini haven’t allowed an opposing player to gain 100 yards since Mike Trumpy of Northwestern ran for 129 during UI’s 48-27 win over the Wildcats at Wrigley Field last year.

** Herron is scheduled to return to action this week after missing the first six games of the season due to NCAA suspensions. The Buckeyes are 18-1 during Herron’s career when he rushes for at least 55 yards.

** Coming into the 2011 season, Herron led all active Big Ten players with 2,104 yards. That distinction now belongs to Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson, who has upped his career rushing total to 2,773 going into this week’s game at Michigan State.

** Illinois senior wide receiver A.J. Jenkins ranks fifth nationally with an average of 135.8 yards per game. Jenkins had a school-record 268 yards Oct. 1 during his team’s 38-35 win over Northwestern, a yardage figure that was the fourth best single-game total in Big Ten history. The conference record-holder in that category is Chris Daniels of Purdue, who had 301 receiving yards during his team’s 52-28 win over Michigan State in 1999.

** OSU junior tight end Jake Stoneburner’s touchdown reception vs. Nebraska was the seventh of his career, moving him into seventh place all-time among Ohio State tight ends. John Lumpkin (10, 1996-98) is the career leader among OSU tight ends with 10 touchdown catches while Darnell Sanders (1999-2001), Rickey Dudley (1994-95) and Chuck Bryant (1959-61) are tied for second with nine. Jan White (1968-70) and Bob Grimes (1950-52) each had eight.

** When Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez and I-back Rex Burkhead each eclipsed the 100-yard mark last Saturday, it marked the first time in 23 years the Buckeyes had allowed two opponents to crack the century mark in the same game. The last duo to accomplish the feat against OSU was Leroy Hoard (158) and Tony Boles (103) during Michigan’s 34-31 win over the Buckeyes in November 1988.

** The Buckeyes and Illini square off for one of the most 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, but 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 that Minnesota and Michigan have been playing for since 1903.

** This week’s game will be televised by ABC/ESPN using the reverse mirror. (That means if the game is not on your local ABC-affiliated station, it should be available on ESPN and vice versa.) On the call will be Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), former Notre Dame head coach Bob Davie (color analysis) and Heather Cox (sideline reports). Kickoff is set for shortly after 3:30 p.m. Eastern. (That is 2:30 p.m. local time if you’re traveling to Champaign.)

** The game will also be streamed live online at ESPN3.com.

** The game is available to SiriusXM satellite radio subscribers on channel 85.

** Ohio State is off next week. The Buckeyes resume their 2011 season Oct. 29 with a home game against Wisconsin. That game is set to kick off at 8 p.m. Eastern and will be telecast by ABC/ESPN using the reverse mirror.

THIS WEEK IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL

** On Oct. 12, 1929, the University of Georgia dedicated Sanford Stadium with a 15-0 win over heavily favored Yale. College Football Hall of Famer Vernon “Catfish” Smith was the star of the game for the Bulldogs, falling on a blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown, hauling in a TD pass and tackling a Yale runner in the end zone for a safety. Sanford Stadium, which originally housed 30,000 spectators and cost $360,000 to build, has grown to a capacity of 92,746, the sixth largest on-campus stadium in the nation.

** On Oct. 12, 2002, Northern Illinois trailed Miami (Ohio) by a 27-14 score entering the fourth quarter. The Huskies proceeded to score a MAC-record 34 points in the final period to rally for a 48-41 victory. It was also the second-most fourth quarter points in a comeback win in NCAA history.

** On Oct. 13, 1979, unranked Stanford erased a 21-point deficit in the second half and achieved a 21-21 tie with defending national champion and No. 1-rated USC in the L.S. Coliseum. After falling behind by three touchdowns at halftime, the Cardinal rallied behind quarterback Turk Schonert, who threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for another in the second half. The Trojans had a chance to pull out the victory in the final seconds, but botched the snap from center on a field-goal try.

** On Oct. 13, 2007, Houston became the only team in NCAA history to have a 300-yard receiver and a 200-yard rusher in the same game as the Cougars scored a wild 56-48 victory over Rice. Houston wide receiver Donnie Avery caught 13 passes for 346 yards – a school and Conference USA record – while tailback Anthony Aldridge added 205 yards rushing.

** On Oct. 14, 1950, Penn halfback Francis “Reds” Bagnell accounted for 490 yards of total offense to lead the Quakers in a 42-26 win over Dartmouth. Bagnell threw for 276 yards and rushed for 214, making him the first player in college football history to crack the 200-yard mark in passing and rushing in the same game. The feat wasn’t matched again for another 36 years and has been equaled fewer than a dozen times since.

** 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, 1910, officials at the University of Illinois decided it would be a good idea to invite alumni back to the campus for a football game. More than 1,500 returned to Champaign and watched as the Fighting Illini beat Chicago, 3-0, in what is recognized as the first official homecoming game in college football history.

** On Oct. 15, 1977, Iowa State went to Lincoln and scored a 24-21 upset of No. 9 Nebraska, giving the Cyclones back-to-back victories over the Cornhuskers for the first time in 27 years. The final score wiped out a superlative performance by NU running back I.M. Hipp, who rushed for 165 yards and three touchdowns.

** 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. The play has come to be known as the “Bush Push.”

** On Oct. 16, 1937, two of the most famous teams in college football history collided as Fordham’s “Seven Blocks of Granite” took on Pittsburgh’s “Dream Backfield” in a game that ended in a 0-0 tie. Future College Football Hall of Famers were all over the field that day including Fordham offensive line coach Frank Leahy and Pitt head coach Jock Sutherland, while Fordham lineman Vince Lombardi went on to a Pro Football Hall of Fame coaching career with the Green Bay Packers. The scoreless tie was the only blemish on either team’s 1937 records. Pitt finished 9-0-1 and won the national championship while Fordham was 7-0-1 and was voted third in the polls.

** On Oct. 16, 1976, Texas A&M kicker Tony Franklin showcased his strong right leg and set an NCAA record in the process. 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.

** 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.

** 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

** Two more teams dropped off the list of Division I-A unbeatens, leaving the remaining number at 13 – Alabama, Boise State, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Houston, Illinois, Kansas State, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Stanford and Wisconsin.

** Stanford’s 48-7 stampede over Colorado on Saturday night pushed the nation’s longest winning streak to 14. That is a school record, eclipsing 13-game win streaks in 1904-05 and 1939-41. Meanwhile, New Mexico had an off week, so the nation’s longest losing streak remained at eight games.

** Congratulations to Miami (Ohio), Oregon State and Western Kentucky, each of which notched their first victories of 2011 last week. WKU got things started Thursday with a 36-33 win in double overtime over Middle Tennessee State. Then on Saturday, the RedHawks scored a 35-28 win over Army while the Beavers took a 37-27 win over Arizona, hastening the firing of Wildcats head coach Mike Stoops. That leaves only three winless teams at the I-A level – Florida Atlantic, New Mexico and UAB.

** After a rocky start, Notre Dame has now won four straight games. The latest win for the Fighting Irish was a 59-33 rout of Air Force on Saturday, the most points Notre Dame has scored in a game since a 60-6 romp over Pittsburgh in 1996. The Cadets hadn’t surrendered that many points since losing a 63-33 shootout to BYU in 2001.

** Utah should serve as a cautionary reminder to all the schools out there hot to realign themselves for a shot at college football glory. In their first season after leaving the Mountain West to join the Pac-12, the Utes are off to a 2-3 start, the school’s worst since 2007. Worse yet, after last week’s 35-14 home loss to Arizona State, Utah is 0-3 in the conference. The Utes haven’t begun a season with three straight league losses since 2002 – coincidentally the program’s only losing season since 2000.

** How the mighty have fallen. Florida State has started a season 2-3 for the second time in three seasons. Before 2009, the year they ran Bobby Bowden out of Tallahassee after 34 seasons as head coach, the Seminoles hadn’t started 2-3 since 1983.

** Last Saturday saw Texas faced with a fourth-and-49 situation against Oklahoma. That was longest fourth down we’ve seen in quite a while … at least until Georgia had a fourth-and-58 during its 20-12 win over Tennessee. How do you get fourth-and-58? Pretty easy evidently with three straight holding calls and a facemask penalty.

** Throwing the ball all over the field continues to get the most headlines while defense still wins championships. LSU and Kansas State remain undefeated despite national pass offense rankings of 100th and 115th respectively. On the other side of the ball, the Tigers are in the top 10 of most defensive categories while the Wildcats rank in the top 20.

** Speaking of throwing the ball, Houston QB Case Keenum is closing in on Division I-A career records with 15,895 passing yards and 124 TD passes. Timmy Chang of Hawaii (2001-04) holds the yardage record at 17,072 while Graham Harrell of Texas Tech (2005-08) has the TD mark with 134.

** We should probably start paying attention to Rutgers again. Following their 11-2 season in 2006, the Scarlet Knights fell off the college football radar. But they’re back this season at 4-1 following a good, old-fashioned 31-10 butt-whipping of Big East rival Pittsburgh last week. Rutgers is 2-0 in the Big East for only the second time since it joined the conference in 1991.

** When longtime Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis died Oct. 8 at the age of 82, most obituaries commented only on his professional football career. Davis also had a legacy at the college level beginning as a member of the junior varsity team at Syracuse. He also spent time as an assistant coach at Adelphia College and The Citadel as well as three seasons at USC from 1957-59 before beginning his pro career as offensive ends coach for the AFL’s Los Angeles Chargers.

FEARLESS FORECAST

There was nothing but sunshine and high-fives last weekend here at Forecast World Headquarters and we’re feeling a little guilty about it since there is so much gloom and doom in Buckeye Nation. We’ll get over our guilt, though, as we bask in the first totally perfect week in memory.

We were 10-0 in the straight-up picks and (more importantly) 10-0 against the spread, and that runs the yearly totals to 57-5 SU and 39-20-1 ATS. There is nothing better than playing with house money – unless, of course, you get more of it.

Here are the games we like this week.

TONIGHT’S GAMES

Hawaii at San Jose State: Although it goes against the purists in us all, we don’t mind admitting we kind of like to watch teams that put 100 percent of their emphasis on offense. The Rainbows are just such an example with senior QB Bryant Moniz averaging better than 315 yards per game this year. Moniz also averages nearly 42 attempts per game, meaning Hawaii isn’t exactly a juggernaut in the running game. Fact is, the Rainbows rank 110th nationally in rushing. Not that it should matter much tonight since the Spartans rank in the 90s in nearly every national defensive category … Hawaii 34, San Jose State 14. (9 p.m. ET, ESPN)

SATURDAY’S GAMES

No. 1 LSU at Tennessee: Volunteers head coach Derek Dooley has reached into his bag of tricks this week and decided to start senior backup Matt Simms at quarterback against the top-ranked Tigers. Simms was the guy who nearly engineered an epic upset last year before LSU squeezed out a 16-14 win. But Simms was also the guy who was replaced as the starter last year after eight starts, and he will be in charge of an offense that simply cannot run the football. Tennessee ranks No. 114 nationally in rushing after finishing with minus-20 yards on 23 attempts is last week’s 20-12 loss to Georgia, and you have to wonder how the Vols can do any better this week … LSU 34, Tennessee 7. (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS)

No. 2 Alabama at Mississippi: The Crimson Tide should stomp their merry way along to any victory this week mostly because the Rebels are helpless against running teams. Ole Miss ranks 10th in the SEC and 95th nationally against the run while Alabama has the services of junior tailback Trent Richardson, a Heisman Trophy candidate who already has 729 yards and 11 TDs in six games this season. Richardson has his sights set on a school-record tying sixth consecutive 100-yard game and he should probably achieve that goal in the first half … Alabama 38, Mississippi 0. (6 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

No. 3 Oklahoma at Kansas: If you think the Sooners were merciless last weekend against Texas, how do think they will treat the punchless Jayhawks? Last week, Oklahoma State put up 56 in the first half en route to a 70-28 win over Kansas. No way will Bob Stoops not want to better that … Oklahoma 77, Kansas 7.

Indiana at No. 4 Wisconsin: How ugly could this one get? As ugly as Bret Bielema wants it to be. If you recall, the Badgers stomped their way to 83-20 win over the Hoosiers in mid-November last season on their way to a Rose Bowl berth. Now, U-Dub is coming off an open week and eager to prove to the nation it belongs with LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma in the national championship discussion. Indiana has lost 14 of its last 15 conference games, 13 in a row to ranked opponents and each of its last six to Wisconsin by an average of 30.5 points. Bielema very rarely takes his foot off the gas and no one should expect him to this week … Wisconsin 70, Indiana 6. (12 noon ET, ESPN2)

No. 6 Oklahoma State at No. 22 Texas: The Longhorns jump this week from the proverbial frying pan into the fire. After being manhandled by Oklahoma last Saturday, the Mack Pack limps home to host the pass-happy Cowboys who have a high-wire act that will test anyone’s secondary. Texas does have history on its side – it lost a 33-16 decision to Okie State last year and has never dropped back-to-back games to the Cowboys. Still, it’s tough to envision any scenario in which the Longhorns can slow down OSU quarterback Brandon Weeden (1,880 yards, 15 TDs) and his talented receiving corps led by All-American Justin Blackmon (46 catches, 534 yards, 6 TDs) … Oklahoma State 45, Texas 24. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN)

No. 7 Stanford at Washington State: The Cougars feature the No. 3 defense in the Pac-12, but that’s a bit misleading in a conference where defense is an afterthought. Wazzu gives up an average of 363.6 yards per game and that isn’t exactly where you want to be when Heisman favorite Andrew Luck and the Cardinal come to town. Many opposing players seem to struggle playing in Pullman (affectionately known as “The Palouse”), but Luck isn’t one of them. He made his collegiate debut there in 2009 and led the Cardinal to a 39-13 win. It’s doubtful the outcome will be much different this time … Stanford 38, Washington State 14. (7:30 p.m. ET, Versus)

No. 11 Michigan at No. 23 Michigan State: The Wolverines have their swagger back with a first 6-0 start since 2006, but U-M takes on its toughest customer of the season in the Spartans. MSU is coming off an open week and angling for its fourth straight win in the series, something that hasn’t happened since 1959-62. Sparty has the nation’s top-ranked defense while Michigan has quarterback Denard Robinson, one of college football’s most electrifying players. The difference in this game will be how much improved the Wolverines are on defense. Last year, the Spartans pounded the ball on the ground and intercepted Robinson three times during a 34-17 win. If they follow the same blueprint, and QB Kirk Cousins keeps his mental mistakes to minimum, the Spartans should come out on top again … Michigan State 28, Michigan 24. (12 noon ET, ESPN)

No. 12 Georgia Tech at Virginia: The Yellow Jackets have a reputation of being a one-dimensional team but that isn’t exactly accurate. Yes, Tech ranks fourth in the nation in total offense thanks to a running game that averages 360.5 yards per game. But the Wreck can throw the ball, too, with junior QB Tevin Washington throwing for 1,052 yards and 10 TDs so far this season. Some observers believe Tech should be on upset watch this week, but although the Cavaliers are 3-2 and playing at home, they have yet to play anyone ever near the caliber of the Yellow Jackets … Georgia Tech 42, Virginia 20. (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU)

Ohio State at No. 16 Illinois: Like most young, relatively inexperienced teams, Ohio State has enough talent to win – it simply hasn’t yet learned how to win. That was never more obvious than last weekend in Lincoln when the Buckeyes rolled out to a 27-6 lead over Nebraska, and then watched the roof cave in over their heads after quarterback Braxton Miller went down with an ankle injury. Of course, nothing is so wrong with the Buckeyes that a victory wouldn’t help and they have a lot of things going for them this week. They have won eight straight in Champaign, Miller appears to be ready to go and senior tailback Boom Herron is finally back to give the offense some spark. In a season that has already featured more than its share of wild momentum shifts, we look for the pendulum to swing back the Buckeyes’ way this week with an Upset Special … Ohio State 27, Illinois 23. (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN)

Here are the spreads for the above games: Hawaii (-6) at San Jose State; LSU (-15½) at Tennessee; Alabama (-25) at Ole Miss; Oklahoma (-35½) at Kansas; Indiana at Wisconsin (-39); Oklahoma State (-7) at Texas; Stanford (-21) at Washington State; Michigan at Michigan State (-2); Georgia Tech (-7) at Virginia; Ohio State (+4) at Illinois.

Enjoy the games and we’ll visit again next week.