The Sports Truth

It’s been almost a week since we witnessed what was billed to be The Game of the Century, and I finally feel ready to talk about it. Few would argue that the game did not live up to the hype. Anytime you have the top two teams in the nation battle in a three-point game, you have some great TV.

As a Michigan fan, I came into the game with mixed emotions. First, for about seven days leading up to last Saturday, I felt like I could throw up at any minute. The magnitude of this game and what it meant to us was almost unbearable.

The Wolverines were a disappointing 7-5 last year, including a bowl loss to the completely overrated Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Ohio State game gave us the opportunity of a lifetime. Vindication. Redemption after we gave the Buckeyes the game last year. And most importantly, a shot at the National Championship.

Surely if we went 12-0, there wasn’t a team in country that could stop us. USC? Ha. They couldn’t even beat Oregon State. Arkansas? Did you see what USC did to them? Florida? Surely you’re joking. The quarterback situation there is sure to ruin them eventually. I’m sorry, did someone say Notre Dame? For some reason, the numbers 47-21 come to mind… in South Bend!

The more we run through these scenarios, the more overwhelmed we become at the opportunity we have before us. We could be National Champions once more!

Then the slap in the face - more commonly known as reality - brings us back to earth. The scenarios are all dandy, but the problem is we have one game left to play. And not just any game… The Game.

The one we look forward to every year because of the pride it can bring us and the pain it can force us to come to terms with. Plus, this year was a little different. This was no ordinary Ohio State team. This was no longer the Buckeye team we could make fun of because of Maurice Clarett. He’s moved onto bigger and badder things in his life. This Buckeye team was a force. A Heisman lock at QB. A lightning-quick receiving corps that make a 4.4-forty time look pedestrian. A defense more intimidating than last year. And finally, a coach that has broken our hearts more times than we care to remember.

Suddenly, the room is closing in on us. We’re getting short of breath. Not only to we have to play the best Buckeye team we can remember, but we have to do it on their field, with their fans, and their stupid coach who has not given us one ounce of gratification since he got there.

To top it all off, the king of our storied institution - the guy that made us what we were and helped make this rivalry what it is - passed away the day before the game. We would be playing with extra motivation, of course, but also with heavy hearts because of this enormous loss. By now, the adrenaline that was making our hearts beat so fast had turned to fear and doubt.

Writing this means rehashing a feeling that I hoped I wouldn’t have for at least another 360-some days. Needless to say, the six days before the game were filled with the same feelings. It would be a waste of time to discuss those, but do know that it’s possible I lost 5-10 pounds because of all the pacing.

The game, as anyone who has a pulse will know because they watched it, was everything we could have hoped for. Big plays on offense, huge stops on defense, huge surprises along with some of the things we’ve come to expect from the rivalry. It was all there and it was grand. At this point, there’s no need to break it down for you. The professionals have already done that to a point of overkill.

We all saw Mike Hart have his way with the OSU front seven, just as we saw Troy Smith and Teddy Ginn do what they do best to the DBs that just can’t handle them. They’ve already told you how nasty Michigan’s front seven are, in spite of the score, as well as how uncharacteristic the turnovers for OSU and the penalties for Michigan were.

Yes, Chad Henne has grown into a reliable, yet none-too-special QB. And we were all surprised by how unimpressive two potential Bednarik Award winners (Leon Hall and James Laurinitis) were. This has all been covered, so my take on it is pointless. There were, however, quite a few things that I noticed throughout that game that I found moderately to unbelievably interesting. Those 10 things are, as follows:

1. Mike Hart (right) may very well be the best running back in college football. He picked a hell of a stage to put up those kinds of numbers.
2. Mike Hart may very well be the dumbest person in college football. After you get beat by your biggest rival, you don’t spout off in the news conference following the game about how they were not as good as you thought they were. Especially if there’s a chance you play them again.
3. Jim Tressel’s postgame interview consists of the same five phrases every week, only in different order. “Wow Lisa, that was a heck of a game out there, don’t ya think? I’ll tell you we’re proud of how hard our boys played today, and that’s a heck of a team Michigan’s got over there…”
4. Teddy Ginn, Jr., will never be a premiere wide receiver. I don’t care that he had a touchdown and 100+ yards receiving. You don’t drop that many passes and look that uninterested in a game of that magnitude if you want to be great. I know he has the raw talent to set the world on fire, but I seriously doubt that he has what it takes to be great.
5. Chris Wells is the biggest, scariest 18-year-old I’ve ever seen. That or he has the same disorder that Danny Almonte has.
6. Ohio State is the best team in the country and will win with the National Championship game by at least 20 points. We saw them beat the only team that could give them a challenge this weekend. What does that say for a USC/Notre Dame/Florida team with a much weaker defense?
7. Michigan is the second best team in the nation and will win the Rose Bowl by at least 20 points. They played Ohio State tough, and none of the other teams are that good. If I’m USC, I’m not looking forward to the postseason.
8. Lloyd Carr cracks me up. He’s what, 60 years old? Close your eyes and listen to him talk. He sounds like the 95 year old guy at the nursing home who wheels around talking to no one.
9. Troy Smith (pictured) is a big-game college quarterback. He has stepped up and done everything asked of him (including taking money from a booster). Low blow, but let me have my fun. However, when he plays in the NFL, he will have a jersey number between 20-49. Enjoy the defensive side of the ball, Troy.
10. This is the best rivalry in college football, and possibly all of sports. The thing that elevates this above rivalries like the Yankees-Red Sox is the fact that it happens once a year, and nine times out of 10 the Big Ten is on the line. You cannot get that anywhere else.

At the end of the day, Ohio State got it done and will now play in the big game. We don’t know who they’ll play, but I plead with you, USC. Please don’t blow it. My heart can’t handle another week like last.

Posted in College Football