Buckeyes can sit back and relax
All that's left is a date in Arizona in January.
By ROB TODOR
VINDICATOR SPORTS EDITOR
Probably the only people who saw Ohio State's high-scoring slugfest against Michigan Saturday are the same ones who are today rolling in the winnings of their Pick 4 tickets.
The Buckeyes' 42-39 victory -- the winning Pick 4 number, by the way, was 4-2-3-9 -- has the Big Ten champions of coach Jim Tressel safely tucked into the top spot in the BCS rankings and a reservation in Glendale, Ariz., for the BCS championship game.
Ohio State (12-0) was a unanimous No. 1 selection in all of the polls, and in all of the computer ratings -- even Kenneth Massey, whose machine last week somehow had Rutgers No. 2 and the Buckeyes at No. 6, now has OSU at No. 1.
So the Buckeyes can sit back and relax, figuratively speaking, while the rest of the big dogs in college football fight it out for two more weekends -- and Michigan begins its campaign for a rematch.
"There's [more] football to be played and we don't usually worry about things until [then]," said Tressel following Saturday's game. "I think Michigan is a very deserving team. There can't be many teams in the nation better than Michigan, but I'm not going to get into it. My opinion doesn't have a vote."
Hart's guarantee
The Wolverines (11-1) proved their worth by playing Ohio State right to the end of the game, and while coach Lloyd Carr sidestepped the issue of a rematch, some of his players were more forthright.
"Do I think there should be a rematch? Probably," said running back Mike Hart, who rushed for 142 yards and scored three touchdowns Saturday. "I think we're both the top teams in the country, regardless of what anybody says.
"If I won [Saturday's game] I'd probably be like, no, I don't want a rematch. Anytime you lose you want a rematch against that team."
Hart wasn't finished.
"I guarantee, if we play them again, it would be a whole different game," he said. "Guarantee that."
Buckeyes don't care
In the winning locker room, the Buckeyes echoed Hart's prediction about not having a rematch. Some, though, understood they can't control what's going to happen.
Ohio State sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis preferred to soak in the victory.
"None of us can control how people vote, or what they think, you know," he said. "Whatever people decide, whoever they send out to Phoenix, that's who'll we'll play. I don't even know how [the BCS] works."
Jay Richardson, the Buckeyes' senior defensive end, was more forthright.
"Right now, I can honestly say I don't want to play them again," he said. "That was the most physical game I've ever been a part of. I don't know if I could survive another one."
Once a year is enough
That makes for a compelling argument. Would a rematch in January take away from the intensity of the annual November grudge match?
"Knowing this was my last game in this stadium, playing Michigan, I really tried to put off my emotions all week," said Richardson. "Every time I talked to the younger guys, I kept telling them, 'You have to treat this as just another game.'
"But, as the final seconds went down and I knew we were going to win, I just couldn't control myself any more.
"It's amazing to me. Winning the [national] title in '02 was great, but coming back, being one of the few people in the history of Ohio State to beat Michigan three straight times, it makes all of this just so much sweeter.