OSU Football Notes

Sorry for the delay in posts, it has been a busy time with Thanksgiving and I am preparing for finals. I thought I would put up a post to kill two birds with one stone.

Bill Willis
The Ohio State and Cleveland Browns communities are saddened by the death of Bill Willis, who had his number retired earlier this year at Ohio State. Click here to see my brief entry regarding his career and the number retirement. It was nice to hear that his 1942 College National Championship ring was found and returned to him before he died. Earlier this year the ring had been stolen and OSU presented him a replica at the Wisconsin, when his number was retired.

OSU Bowl Game
Hopefully you have not made any firm travel arrangements for the OSU bowl game this year. At this point Ohio State is in the Rose Bowl, but things may change. As I predicted, even after OSU fell after the Illinois loss, OSU has a decent chance of getting into the National Championship game. I am sure you already know this, but with the loss by Kansas and LSU last week, OSU just needs West Virginia to lose to Pittsburgh or Missouri to lose to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship. Vegas is saying Oklahoma will win, and Oklahoma beat Missouri earlier this year. Missouri is having a dream season, and it is possible they will win, but I think Oklahoma is too strong, and Missouri will run out of gas in the second half. It is less likely that Pittsburgh will beat West Virginia, although it is a rivalry game, and Pittsburgh would love to play the role of spoiler. Unfortunately I don't think Pitt coach Wannstedt does well in big games under the spotlight. If both teams lose, look for OSU to play an SEC team, either Georgia or LSU, if they beat Tennessee. If both West Virginia and Missouri win this weekend, they will be in the National Championship game, and it will compete for one of the lowest tv audience in title game history. If OSU and West Virginia play, it will be border war. If OSU is in the National Championship game, there is a chance Illinois could be in the Rose Bowl, against USC.

Guest Panel-Week 14 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well.

Standings:

1. Dr. Funkenstein (48-20) (4-2 last week)

2. Batman (46-22) (3-3 last week)

2. Philly Cheese (46-22) (3-3 last week)

2. Man Getting Hit by Football (46-22) (3-3 last week)

5. Nearsighted Nelly (45-23) (3-3 last week)

6. David Boston's Career (43-25) (2-4 last week)

7. Spamsandwichsan (42-26) (3-3 last week)

8. Pat Head (39-29) (5-1 last week)

Games for this week:

1. Oklahoma vs. Missouri

2. Boston College vs. Virginia Tech

3. Tennessee vs. LSU

4. Tulsa vs. UCF

5. Navy vs. Army

6. Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia

7. Miami vs. Central Michigan

And the oddball game this week is:

8. North Texas vs. Florida International

Guest Panel-Week 13 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well.

Standings:

1. Dr. Funkenstein (44-18) (4-1 last week)

2. Batman (43-19) (3-2 last week)

2. Philly Cheese (43-19) (3-2 last week)

2. Man Getting Hit by Football (43-19) (4-1 last week)

5. Nearsighted Nelly (42-20) (3-2 last week)

6. David Boston's Career (41-21) (3-2 last week)

7. Spamsandwichsan (39-23) (4-1 last week)

8. Pat Head (34-28) (1-4 last week)

Games for this week:

1. USC vs. Arizona State (Thursday Game)

2. Arkansas vs. LSU (Friday Game)

3. Connecticut vs. West Virginia

4. Missouri vs. Kansas

And the oddball games this week are:

5. UAB vs. Marshall

6. Utah St. vs. Idaho

OSU Wins!

Photos from the Columbus Dispatch

Prediction

Michigan needs Henne and Hart to play well if they want to beat Ohio State. Both players are questionable, but as seniors, you know they will play even if they are not 100%. I think the Michigan defense is still struggling with speed, as they have a hard time defending against the pass. They allowed Appalachian State to pass for 227 yards, Oregon to pass for 293 yards, Northwestern to get 289 yards, Purdue to get 253, and Wisconsin to get 245 in the air. The team has allowed 191 yards/game in the air and 143 yards/game on the ground. So assuming Michigan's offense will have trouble, due to the injuries to Henne and Hart, and because their defense will struggle with the pass, I think Ohio State will win. I am not saying Michigan can't win, but they just seem to have too much going against them. Ohio State could lose if they turnover the ball (see last week) or if the defense has another bad game. Look for Robiskie to have a 100 yards in the air, and Beanie should get 100-150 yards on the ground. Go Bucks!

OSU and Michigan Play for Big Ten and Rose Bowl

Ohio State and Michigan could each walk away Saturday with a victory and the outright Big Ten title along with a ticket to the Rose Bowl. If Ohio State wins, it would be four wins in a row over Michigan, something that has not happened since 1960-1963. If Michigan wins, it will break a three game losing streak, and put Lloyd Carr over .500 in the series against Ohio State. A victory over Ohio State will not save Lloyd Carr's job, because he will not be fired, but it may put a sour note on the end of his career if he does retire after the bowl game, as has been speculated. Ohio State still has an outside chance at the BCS Championship Game if they beat Michigan, and some teams above them lose. (Note #2 Oregon lost last night.)

Notes from Illinois Game

OSU lost the first game of the season to Illinois last Saturday, 28-21. Both teams traded two touchdowns in the first quarter. Although the run that setup up the Illini first touchdown, an 80 yard run by Dufrene should have resulted in a fumble, but in a questionable move the play was not reviewed by the officials. It appears the Ohio State defense went into the game with the mindset of forcing Juice Williams to win with his arm, and he ended up having one of the biggest games of his career, completing four touchdown passes. Who would have guessed, that Williams, a QB that typically wins with his feet and not his arm, could enter the game with eight passing touchdowns and then complete four against the highly ranked defense of Ohio State? Ohio State forced him to win with his arm, and that he did. With the success in the air, the ground game opened up and the nation's leading rush defense allowed the Illini to get 260 yards on the ground. The offense, in particular Boeckman, had a bad day. Boeckman threw three interceptions. Ohio State cannot win the game with three turnovers especially when Illinois did not turn the ball over.

Scouting the Wolverines

Thanks to a previous post we know what a Wolverine is, so now we can properly scout them...

Offense
It is not clear if QB Chad Henne or RB Mike Hart will be cleared to play and if so, if they will be anywhere near 100% for the game on Saturday. Henne has missed three games and saw limited action last week in the loss to Wisconsin, and by limited I mean five attempts and he was pulled. Henne had a shoulder injury in the Oregon game and it has cut back his playing time. This season he has completed 61.5% for 1497 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. His replacement, the 6'6 freshman Ryan Mallett has only completed 43.5% for 964 yards, 8 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Hart came into this season in the Heisman talks, but the team's three losses and his ankle injury have taken him out of consideration. He has missed three of the last four games and is still not cleared for this weekend. Super Mario Manningham has 1062 yards and 11 yards as a receiver.

This Season
Michigan didn't exactly start the season with a bang, in fact they lost two straight games, at home no less. The first loss was to Div I-AA Appalachian State. As I said in my blog, I was not surprised at the score at half time, but I was shocked when Michigan could not seal the deal in the fourth quarter. Going into this season no one expected Oregon to be in the National Championship talks, so Michigan's loss to them was a bit of a surprise (although at the time this was typed Oregon was losing to Arizona.) Michigan then ripped off seven straight wins over Penn State, Northwestern, Eastern Michigan, Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan State. Last week Wisconsin led the entire game, and Michigan did not score until past the midway point of the second quarter, at which point they were down 17-7. Wisconsin won 37-21.

Coach
Lloyd Carr is 121-29 in his 13th season at Michigan, and as a head coach. He was an assistance Bo Schembechler (1980-89) and Gary Moeller (1990-94). In 1995 he was given the head coach position. Under Carr the team has won or shared five Big Ten Titles and has one AP National Championship season. Carr has received criticism from the Michigan fans in recent years, although last year's regular season and the promise of this year took some heat off. After the first two losses of this season, especially to Division I-AA Appalachian State, the chopping blocks came out of the closets and people were calling for his head again. There was speculation before this season that Carr will retire at the end of this season. I assume Carr realized that this senior class gave him his last best chance at a successful season. Some people are already looking at possible candidates, and the biggest name is Les Miles, the LSU coach that previously played at Michigan. There have been rumors that his wife is already looking at houses in Ann Arbor, but I don't believe those rumors. Michigan will handle this in a professional manner, if Carr does indeed retire after the bowl.

What the Heck is a Wolverine

OK if you are an Ohio State fan you are tired of being asked, "What is a Buckeye?" We all know that the buckeye is a killer nut that grows on trees that are commonly found in Ohio. I enjoy making and eating the candy version. Those of you that have attended one of my tailgates in the past are quite familiar with the candy version.

Alright, so what is a wolverine? It is the largest land-dwelling member of the weasel family and is typically carnivorous, but occasionally will eat plants (but not buckeyes because they are poisonous killer nuts) It is a glossy brown with faded yellow stripes on the side. The animal appears to look like a small bear with a tail. It gives off an unpleasant odor, and is nicknamed the "skunk bear" and "nasty cat" (I couldn't make that up.) In North America the wolverines live primarily in isolated northern areas, in arctic regions in Alaska and Canada. It is not clear if the wolverines ever lived in Michigan, or if the nickname was attached to Michigan when fur traders from Canada came through the area with pelts of the animal. One was sited in the state in 2004, but it was the first confirmed siting in 200 years, and it was not clear if the animal naturally lived in the area or if it had come to the state with the assistance of humans. (research assisted by Wikipedia)

The Series

This will be the 104th game in what is considered the greatest rivalry in college football. The two teams first met in 1897 and have played every year since 1918. Since 1935 the game has been the last conference game of the season. Michigan leads the series 57-40-6, and leads 30-18-4 in games played in Michigan. As I have said in past previews, I think it is worth looking at the record since Woody Hayes first season at OSU. Since 1951, OSU leads the series 28-26-2. Before Woody Hayes Ohio State was considered the "graveyard of coaches." Starting with Woody Hayes, Ohio State took its rightful place in college football.

Ohio State has won the last three games over Michigan, including an exciting game last year when #1 Ohio State beat #2 Michigan, 42-39. Michigan's last win was a 35-21 victory in 2003, in Ann Arbor. Jim Tressel is 5-1 against Michigan, while Lloyd Carr is 6-6 against Ohio State.

Funny Pictures

Michigan Jokes

Ok, so most of these jokes are lame and old, but they are still entertaining. (It is likely Michigan fans use the same jokes, but with a different school name.)

Q: What's the difference between a University of Michigan fan and a carp?
A: One is a bottom-feeding, scum sucker, and the other is a fish.

Q: How many University of Michigan fans does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: One, but he gets 3 credits.

Q: Why do they throw out a sack of manure at University of Michigan weddings?
A: To keep the flies off the bride.

Q: Did you hear about the University of Michigan fan who locked his keys in his car?
A: He couldn't get his family out.

Q: Why do University of Michigan fans keep their diplomas on their dashboards?
A: So they can park in handicap spaces.

Two University of Michigan fans were walking down the street when they came upon a dog lying on the sidewalk licking and cleaning his groin like dogs do. The first University of Michigan fan says to the second, "Boy, I wish I could do that." The second University of Michigan fan replies, "Yeah, me too. But I wouldn't try it." The first University of Michigan fan asks, "Why not?" The second University of Michigan fan replies, "Because I'm afraid the dog might bite me."

Q: What do you call a good looking girl on the University of Michigan campus?
A: A visitor.

Q: Did you hear about the power outage at the University of Michigan library?
A: Forty students were stuck on the escalator for three hours.

Q: Did you hear about the fire in University of Michigan's football dorm that destroyed 20 books?
A: The real tragedy was that 15 hadn't been colored yet.

Q: Do you know why the University of Michigan football team should change its name to the "Opossums"?
A: Because they play dead at home and get killed on the road.

Q: Did you hear the story about the semi-truck carrying pigs that flipped over on the University of Michigan campus?
A: The officials had to check ID's before letting anyone back on board.

Q: What does the average University of Michigan student get on his SAT?
A: Drool.

Q: What should you do if you find three University of Michigan fans buried up to their neck in cement?
A: Get more cement.

Q: How do you make University of Michigan cookies?
A: Put them in a big Bowl and beat for 3 hours.

Q: What do you get when you cross a University of Michigan fan and a pig?
A: Nothing. There's some things that a pig will not do.

Q: How many University of Michigan freshman does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None, it's a sophomore course.

A guy in a bar leans over to the guy next to him and says, "Wanna hear a Michigan joke?" The guy next to him replies, "Well before you tell that joke, you should know something. I'm 6' tall, 200 lbs., and I am a Michigan alumnus. The guy sitting next to me is 6'2 tall, weighs 225, and he's a Michigan alumnus. The fella next to him is 6'5 tall, weighs 250, and he's a Michigan alumnus. Now, you still wanna tell that joke?" The first guy says, "Nah, not if I'm gonna have to explain it 3 times."

Lloyd carr is on the Ohio 5 yard line in the closing seconds of a game tied 14 - 14 and prays for inspiration. He looks to the heavens and says "God what play should I call." God answers "throw a flat pass to the right". Lloyd calls the play and it is intercepted and returned all the way for a touchdown giving Ohio State the win. Lloyd once again looks to the heavens and says "God why did you call that play". God pauses and says "Hey Woody why did we call that play?"

Directions to Michigan........ North till you smell crap, then West till you step in it.

A Michigan fan and an Ohio State fan go to the restroom and stand next to each other at the urinal. They finish about the same time. The Michigan fan goes to the sink to wash his hands and the Ohio State fan starts to walk out. The Michigan fan yells that the Ohio State fan and says hey in Michigan they teach us to wash our hands after going to the bathroom. The Ohio State fan replies back. At Ohio State they teach us not to pee on our hands...

4 college alumni were climbing a mountain. An Ohio State grad, a Michigan grad, a Penn State grad, & a Notre Dame grad. As they climbed they began to fight over who was the most spirited alumni & loved their school more. As they reached the top the Notre Dame grad hurled himself off the mountain. As he fell to his doom he shouted "THIS IS FOR THE FIGHTING IRISH!!!" Not wanting to be out done, the Penn State grad then shouted "THIS IS FOR THE NITANY LIONS!!!!" and hurled himself off the side of the mountain. Of course not wanting to be outdone the Ohio State grad shouted " THIS IS FOR THE BUCKEYES" & walked over and pushed the Michigan grad over the side of the mountain!!!!!

An Ann Arbor judge was ruling in the case of a ten year old boy who accused his parents of beating him. After reviewing the evidence, the judge announced that his intention to make the boy's grandmother his custodian. The boy protested this, stating that the grandmother also beat the boy. Finally, the judge awarded custody of the boy to Lloyd Carr and the Wolverines, since the judge rightly determined that they can't beat anybody.

Important Pictures

2006

2005

2004

2002-Championship Season

Guest Panel-Week 12 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well.

Standings:

1. Dr. Funkenstein (40-17) (2-3 last week)

1. Batman (40-17) (2-3 last week)

1. Philly Cheese (40-17) (3-2 last week)

4. Man Getting Hit by Football (39-18) (3-2 last week)

4. Nearsighted Nelly (39-18) (3-2 last week)

6. David Boston's Career (38-19) (2-3 last week)

7. Spamsandwichsan (35-22) (1-4 last week)

8. Pat Head (33-24) (1-4 last week)

Games for this week:

1. Ohio State vs. Michigan

2. West Virginia vs. Cincinnati

3. Boston College vs. Clemson

4. Purdue vs. Indiana

And the oddball game this week is:

5. Duke vs. Notre Dame

The Great Weis Hope

Ok, I have resisted putting up a Notre Dame post so far this season, but now that they sit at 1-8 I feel it is time to put up a post. I put up a post last year about Notre Dame being overrated (go figure.) Those of you that have read my preview for the past few years, know that I have questioned the hiring of Weis, and how I was shocked at the 10-year contract extension in his first year. I also remarked how I did not like the way Ty Willingham was treated, and felt that race may have played a factor. I have never liked Weis, and it is amazing how arrogant he is in press conferences, especially after some ugly losses this year. He will go down in college football and Notre Dame history books, but not in favorable terms. I have never been a Notre Dame fan, but it is hard to ignore them when the media pushes them down our throats. I feel Notre Dame is getting what it deserves for the treatment of Willingham and the false hope in a bumbling arrogant Weis. Perhaps he will turn it around next year, but I would not be surprised if the alumni step up and buy out his contract next year. Fox Sports had a good article up regarding Notre Dame and Weis. I borrowed the term Great Weis Hope from the article.

Notes from Wisconsin Game

OSU led at halftime 10-3, but Wisconsin scored on their first two possessions of the third quarter, taking the lead 17-10. Ohio State went on to score 28 straight points, with Beanie running three of those into the endzone. Beanie had a career game, not in yardage but in overall impact, running 169 yards, with some critical touchdowns in the second half. Boeckman had an Ok game, with 17 of 28 for 166 yards and two touchdowns. In an interesting change, Boeckman ran the ball 7 times for 27 yards.

Scouting the Fighting Illini

Offense
Leading the team at quarterback is sophomore Juice Williams. He is passing better this year, going 56% for 1138 yards, 8 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has 568 yards on the ground with five rushing touchdowns. The Illini like the run the ball, sitting at 6th in the nation with 261 yards/game, and junior Rashard Mendenhall leads with 1,314 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has five 150+ yard games. Illinois does not pass the ball much, but freshman Arrelious Benn leads the team with 573 yards. The team only averages 160 yards/game in the air, which is 116th in the country. Illinois's kicker Jason Reda is 13 of 14, hitting 3 of 3 from 50+ with a long of 50.

This Season
Illinois opened the season with a loss to Missouri, then won games against West Illinois, Syracuse, Indiana, Penn State and Wisconsin. Then they lost to Iowa and Michigan. The Illini are currently on a two game winning streak with victories over Ball State and Minnesota.

Scouting Report
Illinois will not win the game by depending on Juice Williams passing the ball, they need to establish a running game. OSU leads the nation in rush defense, only allowing 65 yards/game. Ohio State shut down Wisconsin, only allowing 17 yards rushing, although that number is a little misleading since there were 73 yards lost in ten sacks. I believe Illinois and Michigan will both get over 100 rushing yards against OSU, but hopefully it won't lead to touchdowns. Illinois has the 21st ranked defense in the country, only allowing 112.5 rushing yards/game, 242.5 passing yards/game and 19.1 points/game.

Coach
Ron Zook is 11-22 in his third season at Illinois. He is 28-33 at Illinois and Florida. Zook was a defensive back assistant coach under Cooper from 1988-1990 at Ohio State. He is from Loudonville, Ohio. Zook was a defensive back at Miami (not Florida) and the team went 32-1-1 while he was there.

The Series

This will be the 94th game between these two teams, with OSU leading 60-29-4. The Buckeyes lead 26-17-4 in Columbus. The series ran uninterrupted from 1914 until 2003, when the teams did not play for two years due to the Big Ten rotating schedule. Illinois's last victory was in 2001. OSU won a close one last year, 17-10 at Illinois. Many accused the #1 Buckeyes of looking ahead last year to the showdown two weeks later with Michigan. OSU had to recover an onside kick and run out the clock to secure the win last year.




Illibuck
In the Big Ten there are a lot of trophy games, but OSU only has one, and that is the game with Illinois. Starting in 1925 these two schools passed a real turtle, named Illibuck, to the winner of the game. However in 1927 the turtle died and was replaced by a wooden replica. At halftime of the game, members of two junior honorary societies, Bucket and Dipper of Ohio State and Atius-Sachem of Illinois meet to pass the the trophy to the winner of the game from the previous year.

OSU lost to D-II Findlay

I won't be able to do previews for all of the basketball games this season, but I will put up posts when I get a chance. I missed the exhibition game last night, because of Time Warner (a discussion for another day.) It sounds like Findlay was shooting well. It is funny, because the Dispatch had an article yesterday morning that said OSU could lose. Evidently Findlay was a strong D-II school last year and they almost beat Dayton last week. For comparison purposes, Michigan State also lost an exhibition game to a D-II school, Grand Valley State. Yes, we are are already starting to hear, "The Big Ten is Down..." I am not too worried since it is an exhibition game and Matta is doing a lot of substitutions to find the right combination. This team is not the same as last year, they will lose some games, but they should be competitive in the Big Ten. The success of this team will depend on how well the incoming freshman, namely Diebler and Koufos can adjust to college basketball. There is a lot of talent on the team, but they may be one year off of seeing success similar to last year. I think Lighty will have a great season. OSU is a host for games in the preseason NIT, starting next Monday.

Guest Panel-Week 11 Games and Standings

Here are the games for the Guest Panel to consider this week. Below are the standings as well.

Standings:

1. Dr. Funkenstein (38-14) (4-1 last week)

1. Batman (38-14) (4-1 last week)

3. Philly Cheese (37-15) (4-1 last week)

3. Man Getting Hit by Football (36-16) (3-2 last week)

5. Nearsighted Nelly (36-16) (4-1 last week)

5. David Boston's Career (36-16) (4-1 last week)

7. Spamsandwichsan (34-18) (3-2 last week)

8. Pat Head (32-20) (3-2 last week)

Games for this week:

1. Illinois vs. Ohio State

2. Auburn vs. Georgia

3. Michigan vs. Wisconsin

4. Arkansas vs. Tennessee

And the oddball game this week is:

5. Rice vs. Southern Methodist

OSU to Retire Number 99

This news was released back in October, but I decided to wait to post it this week, since the number is being retired at the Wisconsin game. OSU is retiring its seventh number in football, and it is only the second player to have a number retired that did not get a Heisman. Bill Willis played for Ohio State from 1942-1944. He was an integral part of the first OSU National Championship team in 1942. He was Ohio State's first black All-American. At Ohio State he played as a lineman on defense and offense. Willis broke the color barrier in the pros, being the first black professional football player, playing for the Cleveland Browns from 1946-1953. At Cleveland he was coached by the legendary Paul Brown, who had coached him at Ohio State as well. Willis was on the Cleveland team when it first entered the NFL and won the championship in 1950. He was in the first three Pro Bowls. He is a member of the football hall of fames at the high school level, college level and professional level. He is also a member of the Ohio State Athletic Hall of Fame. Willis grew up in the Columbus area, and still lives there. The 86-year old will accept the honor in person at half time this weekend.

Notes from Penn State Game

All that build up leading to this game, yet the "white out" crowd was silenced by halftime. OSU gave up a touchdown in the first quarter, but responded with a touchdown drive, and never trailed after that, finishing the game 37-17. Penn State scored a field goal and ran back a kickoff in the fourth quarter. Boeckman finished with 253 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Beanie ran for 133 yards and is only four yards shy of running for 1000 yards this season. Penn State's highly ranked defense allowed OSU to have 453 yards, with 253 passing and 200 on the ground. OSU allowed an above average amount of rushing yards, as Penn State had 139 on the ground and OSU on average only allows 70.9. Pretorius was three of three on field goals with a season high kick of 50 yards.

Scouting the Badgers

Offense
The team is led at quarterback by senior Tyler Donovan with 1855 yards, completing 59% with 12 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Sophomore running back PJ Hill had a sensational year last year with 1569 yards as a true freshman. This year he is not getting yards at the same pace, as he has had a nagging injury, so far this season he has 1066 yards, but he only has one touchdown. At the time this was written, Hill's playing status was not confirmed, as he recovers from a bruise that pulled him out of the game at Indiana. If Hill is not available, backup running back Lance Smith is not allowed to travel to away games, due to a punishment, so the team would rely on freshman Zach Brown. At receiver are Travis Beckum and Luke Swan, who have 625 and 451 yards consecutively.

This Season
Wisconsin had high hopes entering this season, being picked second in the Big Ten, behind Michigan, and was considered a possible National Title contender. They started the season 5-0 with wins over Washington State, UNLV, the Citadel, Iowa and Michigan State. When the Badgers hit the road for the first time in conference play, they lost twice in a row at Illinois and at Penn State. Wisconsin is back in the rankings after two victories at home against Northern Illinois and Indiana.
Wisconsin has been a bit of a disappointment this season, and is one of the reasons critics are saying the Big Ten is weak. Add in the fact that Michigan started the season with two losses, one being quite an embarrassment, and you can see the reason behind some of the criticism. That being said, both teams have a chance at the Big Ten title, and a great bowl game. Wisconsin could conceivably win the conference if they won the rest of their games, and Michigan lost to another team.

Scouting the Badgers
Wisconsin has trouble on the road, squeaking out a win at UNLV, with the winning touchdown in the last two minutes. UNLV by the way is 2-5 and headed for an oddball matchup in my weekly Guest Panel picks. At Illinois, Wisconsin had 519 yards, yet they had no touchdowns until the second half and at that point Illinois had control of the game. At Penn State Wisconsin only had one touchdown and committed three turnovers. I believe this team could knock off a highly ranked team, but it all depends on the team that decides to show up at the game. They do not have a convincing win over a quality opponent yet this season, but if they play like they have in the last two games against Northern Illinois and Indiana, they will get that quality win. Their biggest win was probably at home against Michigan State, but they barely won that 37-34, and they won with a field goal in the fourth quarter.

Coach
Brett Bielema is in his second year as a head coach, and is 19-3. He lead Wisconsin to a 12-1 last season, including a victory over Arkansas in Citrus Bowl. Bielema earned Big Ten Coach of the Year in his first season and was a finalist for national coach of year awards.

The Series

Ohio State leads the series, 50-17-5, going 27-7-3 in Columbus. In the last eleven games it has been 5-5-1. Wisconsin has won the last two games, in 2003 and 2004, with scores of 17-10 and 24-13, with the 2004 game being in Columbus. The teams did not meet in 2005 and 2006 due to the Big Ten rotating schedule. Wisconsin is 1-5 versus OSU, when the Buckeyes are #1, with their single victory being in 1942.

Buckeye Babes from 1987

Ok, I ran into this video the other day on YouTube. It is hilarious. Evidently it was a released for Michigan week back in 1987. There isn't much more I can say, just watch the video, haha.