Article published September 12, 2008
OSU has tough road with voters
By DAVE HACKENBERG
BLADE SPORTS COLUMNIST
Idle thoughts from an idle mind … while ignoring another birthday. Don't ask how many.
Ohio State probably deserved to take a dip in the polls after struggling to a victory over The Ohio University, but the human voters, biased by the Buckeyes' two straight lopsided losses in the BCS championship game, may have had an ulterior
motive in sliding OSU into the No. 5 poll slot.
If Ohio State should somehow beat Southern Cal tomorrow night, the pollsters won't have to vault the Buckeyes back to No. 1. And if they lose, well, how low can the voters go?
The Buckeyes will have to be perfect from here on to negotiate a mine field back to the BCS title game. That means injured Beanie Wells needs to produce big numbers, Terrelle Pryor has to play more than the eight snaps he saw against Ohio, and the defense will have to put all kinds of pressure on USC quarterback Mark Sanchez.
I don't see OSU winning, especially if Wells can't go, but I also don't see last week having anything to do with this week. The Trojans in a 24-20 squeaker sounds right.
•My Notre Dame insider insists that if the Irish can avoid shooting themselves in the foot, ala the San Diego State game, Michigan might have its hands full tomorrow. (It says here there will be few weeks the Wolverines won't have their hands full).
Jimmy Clausen showed much-improved accuracy and wasn't responsible for either of his two interceptions, we're told. One went off a receiver's numbers, and the other was a broken route.
Still, a 21-13 win over the visiting Aztecs hardly disproves that the Domers have some of the same problems as a year ago, when UM beat them 38-0 in the Big House. Michigan's defense should be the difference in a low-scoring affair. Let's say 17-13 for the M&B.
•
Ohio State at USC isn't the only Big Ten-Pac 10 matchup of interest. Can Purdue put up points with visiting Oregon? And, just maybe, the biggest game in regards to the Big Ten's reputation might be Wisconsin at Fresno State. The Badgers, never to be confused with road warriors, probably should not be favored in that one.
•
Aside from Red Sox nation, is anyone not rooting for the Tampa Bay Rays? Jump on the bandwagon. It's the only way the Rays, who barely captivate
a city, might have their own
nation.
•
I like Tony Kornheiser sparring with Michael Wilbon and as a radio host and as a columnist. But get him out of the Monday Night Football booth. Like the Dennis Miller experiment, this is becoming painful to the ears.
•
The Lions kept 11 defensive linemen on the roster in order to stop the run, yet gave up 318 rushing yards to Atlanta. They are now 1-8 in the last nine games dating to last season. After watching game films, Detroit coach Rod Marinelli blamed the performance on poor tackling. Wow. He had to watch the films to figure that out?
•
Not to be overly dramatic, but is Toledo's game tomorrow at Eastern Michigan a must-win for coach Tom Amstutz?
•
Countless books have been written about the Ohio State-Michigan football rivalry, about Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler and their Ten-Year War. But there is a new and different tome in the bookstores, War As They Knew It, by Detroit Free Press columnist Michael Rosenberg, a good writer and a good guy.
This book explores the climate in which the two icons coached - Vietnam, Kent State, campus protests and demonstrations, racial clashes, a burgeoning drug culture - and how the rivalry between the two was affected. There's plenty of good, fresh football stuff too. A good read.
•
The NBA holds a "rookie symposium" every year at a resort near New York City. There is only one rule: no female guests. So ex-Kansas teammates Darrell Arthur and Mario Chalmers invite a couple of ladies to their room, perhaps to discuss the
old pick-n-roll. By the time
hotel and NBA security personnel gained access, there reportedly was a noticeable scent of marijuana. I don't think there are words for how stupid these guys must be. Well, there are. But I can't use 'em.
•
The LPGA's short-lived edict that international players (as in Koreans) must learn at least rudimentary English or face banishment from the tour was about as politically incorrect as anything we've heard lately. Of course, the tour was forced to back off. That's unfortunate, in a way, because the intent was good, just poorly implemented with the heavy hand of commissioner Carolyn Bivens.
•
Rick Reilly has an interesting column on espn.com, the premise being to decide which teams would survive and which would disappear if each city was limited to one franchise. It's all for fun, and it's all structured around big-league markets. But I wonder what Toledoans would most want - the Mud Hens, UT sports, or our soon-to-be-resurrected hockey team, the Fightin' Fish.
•
Has Syracuse football fallen off the face of the earth? If the Orangemen aren't the worst team in a BCS conference, then the honor must go to Washington State, which ranks No. 118 in scoring defense and No. 117 in total offense after two games. Of course, the Cougars have never been the regional power that Syracuse was for decades.
•
It's almost easy to feel sorry for Michelle Wie, whose career path has been misguided to say the least. Nothing is going to be handed to her, which is why she's finally being steered to the LPGA's qualifying tournaments.
•
So Tom Brady is done for the year and Bill Belichick and the Patriots will get a comeuppance? You want to bet?
•
Had I been making the captain's picks for the U.S. Ryder Cup team, Rocco Mediate would have been my first selection and Boo Weekley would have been right behind. If you're going to get pounded by the Euros, you might as well have some fun along the way. Chad Campbell? Spare me.
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