The Biggest Game of the College Football season and while January 8th is where the National Championship game will be decided in the long run the focus of the football world will be as in tune with the results coming out of Columbus this weekend as they will be in Glendale come winter. This is my breakdown of positions granting edges for either squad as well as keys to the game.
Grading Out the Matchups
Beaware that I am in fact a huge Michigan fan even though I grew up and lived my whole life in Connecticut, I adopted them as my college team in 1992, when I was 9, because of the Fab Five and have stayed with them ever since. So while I will try to be unbiased in my grading of each squad, if its very close I will subconciously lean towards the Wolverines.
Quarterback: Troy Smith vs. Chad Henne
Henne has flown under the radar for the majority of the season and has come up very big in the important games. With a healthy Manningham Henne will have much more of an opportunity to spread the field than he was while Manningham was out. With that being said and my expectations that Henne will play well, Troy Smith is the best Quarterback in the country especially against the Wolverines as he has beat them twice making huge plays in both games. His accurate passing and even more so his ability to avoid the rush and by more time for his receivers to get open make him more dangerous than Henne. Edge: Ohio St.
Receiver Core: Ginn, Gonzalez and co. vs. Manningham, Breaston and co.
Manningham early in the season was playing like the best wideout in the country, he was burning everyone on deep routes and making clutch catches in the end zone. While he's been out Adrian Arrington has stepped up and played very well and will add a needed third option in the Wolverines passing attack in addition to the underutilized Breaston. The Buckeyes however have two terrific receiver. Ginn has the ability to break any play for a touchdown and Gonzalez is by far the most underappreciated superstar in the country. All Gonzalez does is get open and make catches. He's terrific and while he's not as lethal as Ginn, he is better overal. This would be closer if there was proof that Manningham is at 100% but without that knowledge this is an easy pick in favor of the Buckeyes. Edge: Ohio St.
Running Back: Antonio Pittman vs. Mike Hart
Antonio Pittman is a power runner and very good at running down hill and taking advantage of the other teams focus on stopping the Buckeye pass offense. Freshman Chris Wells, MVP of the Army Senior game last year, could be used and may have an impact as well. In comparison Hart is absolutely essential for the Wolverines to win this game and he is good enough to get it done against any defense. What Hart does is very similar to Curtis Martin, neither is over powering neither is really that fast in the open field, but both runners are shifty, have the ability to make the first tackler miss and always picks up positive yards. Edge: Michigan
Return Game: Teddy Ginn vs. Steve Breaston
Breaston had the bust out punt return last week and has been terrific in this role his whole career and will certainly be a good returner in the future in the NFL. But again Ginn is more of a threat to take one to the house than is Breaston. I wouldn't expect either to play a major role in the game with returns but if one does it will probably be Ginn. Edge: Ohio St.
Front 7: Laurinaitis, Mitchell and Co. vs. Woodley, Harris and Co.
The Buckeyes have the #1 scoring defense in the country and have forced a boatload of turnovers this season despite losing a ton of NFL draft picks last year. In particular their linebacking core led by Laurinaitis has a bunch of INTs. Michigan on the other handed is loaded with experience in the front 7 and has dominated the rushing attacks of every team that have come through its path. Ohio St. defense is very good but Michigan's front seven can be special. Edge: Michigan
Dbacks: Jenkins and Co. vs. Hall and Co.
This is arguably the most difficult spot on the field to try to clarify the difference of the squads. First neither team has consistantly given up big plays. Both squads have forced turnovers and been terrific in coverage. In the end I'll lean towards the squad with an unquestioned first round draft pick in Leon Hall. Edge: Michigan
Coach: Jim Tressel vs. Lloyd Carr
Both are national champs and both have had their success against the other schoo, but Carr had his success against John Cooper while Tressel has dominated Michigan during his time at Ohio St. It isn't an accident that Jim Tressel is A) The only coach to ever win National Titles at two different schools B) The only coach to National Titles in two different division levels C) Third in Overal Wins for Active Division 1 Coaches D) A holder of Five National Titles E) 4-1 vs. Michigan. Pretty good resume, don't you think. Edge: Ohio St.
Opportunistic Attitude: Ohio St. vs. Michigan
Some interesting statistics I heard while listening to the radio which showed how good the Buckeyes are in regards to turnovers. The Buckeyes have scored somewhere along the lines of 124 points off of 30 turnovers while their defense has not given up a single point on the 12 turnovers committed by the offense, that is terrific. Edge: Ohio St.
Extras: Ohio St. vs. Michigan
Ohio St. gets this game in the Horseshoe and both teams have everything on the line, including Troy Smith's clinching of the Heisman. The only thing that Michigan has going for them that Ohio St. does not is there feeling of being underappreciated and the underdog and the continuing bitter taste in their mouth from last season. Edge: Ohio St.
Edge Results: Ohio St. 6 - Michigan 3, this goes along with my preseason picks in which I predicted Ohio St. to make the title.
Five Keys to the Game
1. Turnovers - Turnovers are a key in every football game as they are almost always in favor of the winner. But in Ohio St. case its bigger than in any other game as they are so good at turning turnovers into immediate points. If Michigan wants to win this game they better not turn it over in their own half of the field.
2. Scrambling of Troy Smith - Smith's scrambling does many things to open up the offense for the Buckeyes. First of all Smith has the ability to avoid the sack and buy time while his receivers get more opportunities to get open down the field for big plays. Second, Smith has the ability like any scrambling QB to turn an ineffective play into positive yardage with his feet. Finally, if he does these things effectively Michigan may be forced to play a QB spy which takes a player out of coverage or the pass rush depending on Ron English's play calling. The Wolverines must bring an effective pass rush, and when they get to Smith they must take him down in order to slow down the Buckeye offense.
3. Leon Hall vs. Ohio St. Receivers - Who will Hall matchup with during the game? Widely regarded as the best cornerback in the country, if Hall can shut down one of the elusive Buckeye receivers than that could allow the Wolverines to focus on doubling the other receiver and getting pressure on Troy Smith. My guess is that he is more likely to handle Gonzalez one on one but only Ron English knows what he is planning to do.
4. Mike Hart and the Michigan Offensive Line - Last season Hart came back from injury to face the Buckeyes but he wasn't ready and he was completely ineffective. This season Hart has been fully healthy and dominant, and the Wolverines have even been afforded resting him in the 2nd half of some blowout victories. Saturday it will be essential for Hart to have a big game. A big game for Hart keeps Smith and Company off the field and will give Henne more of an opportunity to make a big play down the field.
5. Mario Mannigham - Speaking of big plays, Mario Mannigham is the Wolverines big play guy and he was crucial in both the ND and the Wisconsin winner. His health or lack there of is a big factor in saturdays game. Without Manningham the Wolverines turn into a ball control offense that methodically drives the ball down the field, with Manningham they can strike for a long touchdown at any point. I heard people comparing him to a faster version of Larry Fitzgerald, while I don't know if I would go that far, I know that a big play or two from Manningham would go a long way in clinching a Wolverine victory.
Final Thoughts
I have a hard time seeing either of these teams running away with the game. First off Michigan has shown little explosion or even desire to crush teams since the trip to South Bend and will rely more on the rush offense, the occasional pass, and their dominant defense. Ohio St. has a dynamic offense but even in the down year last year Michigan slowed down Smith for three quarters before his breakout 4th quarter to win the game. This game should live up to the hype of #1 and #2 and the matchup of the Super Ohio St. Offense and the Shutdown Smashmouth Michigan Defense will be a treat to watch. So on Saturday at 3:30 crack open a few Beers kick the feet up and enjoy what should be a phenomenally 3 and a half hours of classic football.
By the way Go Wolverines.
Grading Out the Matchups
Beaware that I am in fact a huge Michigan fan even though I grew up and lived my whole life in Connecticut, I adopted them as my college team in 1992, when I was 9, because of the Fab Five and have stayed with them ever since. So while I will try to be unbiased in my grading of each squad, if its very close I will subconciously lean towards the Wolverines.
Quarterback: Troy Smith vs. Chad Henne
Henne has flown under the radar for the majority of the season and has come up very big in the important games. With a healthy Manningham Henne will have much more of an opportunity to spread the field than he was while Manningham was out. With that being said and my expectations that Henne will play well, Troy Smith is the best Quarterback in the country especially against the Wolverines as he has beat them twice making huge plays in both games. His accurate passing and even more so his ability to avoid the rush and by more time for his receivers to get open make him more dangerous than Henne. Edge: Ohio St.
Receiver Core: Ginn, Gonzalez and co. vs. Manningham, Breaston and co.
Manningham early in the season was playing like the best wideout in the country, he was burning everyone on deep routes and making clutch catches in the end zone. While he's been out Adrian Arrington has stepped up and played very well and will add a needed third option in the Wolverines passing attack in addition to the underutilized Breaston. The Buckeyes however have two terrific receiver. Ginn has the ability to break any play for a touchdown and Gonzalez is by far the most underappreciated superstar in the country. All Gonzalez does is get open and make catches. He's terrific and while he's not as lethal as Ginn, he is better overal. This would be closer if there was proof that Manningham is at 100% but without that knowledge this is an easy pick in favor of the Buckeyes. Edge: Ohio St.Running Back: Antonio Pittman vs. Mike Hart
Antonio Pittman is a power runner and very good at running down hill and taking advantage of the other teams focus on stopping the Buckeye pass offense. Freshman Chris Wells, MVP of the Army Senior game last year, could be used and may have an impact as well. In comparison Hart is absolutely essential for the Wolverines to win this game and he is good enough to get it done against any defense. What Hart does is very similar to Curtis Martin, neither is over powering neither is really that fast in the open field, but both runners are shifty, have the ability to make the first tackler miss and always picks up positive yards. Edge: Michigan
Return Game: Teddy Ginn vs. Steve Breaston
Breaston had the bust out punt return last week and has been terrific in this role his whole career and will certainly be a good returner in the future in the NFL. But again Ginn is more of a threat to take one to the house than is Breaston. I wouldn't expect either to play a major role in the game with returns but if one does it will probably be Ginn. Edge: Ohio St.Front 7: Laurinaitis, Mitchell and Co. vs. Woodley, Harris and Co.
The Buckeyes have the #1 scoring defense in the country and have forced a boatload of turnovers this season despite losing a ton of NFL draft picks last year. In particular their linebacking core led by Laurinaitis has a bunch of INTs. Michigan on the other handed is loaded with experience in the front 7 and has dominated the rushing attacks of every team that have come through its path. Ohio St. defense is very good but Michigan's front seven can be special. Edge: Michigan
Dbacks: Jenkins and Co. vs. Hall and Co.
This is arguably the most difficult spot on the field to try to clarify the difference of the squads. First neither team has consistantly given up big plays. Both squads have forced turnovers and been terrific in coverage. In the end I'll lean towards the squad with an unquestioned first round draft pick in Leon Hall. Edge: Michigan
Coach: Jim Tressel vs. Lloyd Carr
Both are national champs and both have had their success against the other schoo, but Carr had his success against John Cooper while Tressel has dominated Michigan during his time at Ohio St. It isn't an accident that Jim Tressel is A) The only coach to ever win National Titles at two different schools B) The only coach to National Titles in two different division levels C) Third in Overal Wins for Active Division 1 Coaches D) A holder of Five National Titles E) 4-1 vs. Michigan. Pretty good resume, don't you think. Edge: Ohio St. Opportunistic Attitude: Ohio St. vs. Michigan
Some interesting statistics I heard while listening to the radio which showed how good the Buckeyes are in regards to turnovers. The Buckeyes have scored somewhere along the lines of 124 points off of 30 turnovers while their defense has not given up a single point on the 12 turnovers committed by the offense, that is terrific. Edge: Ohio St.
Extras: Ohio St. vs. Michigan
Ohio St. gets this game in the Horseshoe and both teams have everything on the line, including Troy Smith's clinching of the Heisman. The only thing that Michigan has going for them that Ohio St. does not is there feeling of being underappreciated and the underdog and the continuing bitter taste in their mouth from last season. Edge: Ohio St.
Edge Results: Ohio St. 6 - Michigan 3, this goes along with my preseason picks in which I predicted Ohio St. to make the title.
Five Keys to the Game
1. Turnovers - Turnovers are a key in every football game as they are almost always in favor of the winner. But in Ohio St. case its bigger than in any other game as they are so good at turning turnovers into immediate points. If Michigan wants to win this game they better not turn it over in their own half of the field.
2. Scrambling of Troy Smith - Smith's scrambling does many things to open up the offense for the Buckeyes. First of all Smith has the ability to avoid the sack and buy time while his receivers get more opportunities to get open down the field for big plays. Second, Smith has the ability like any scrambling QB to turn an ineffective play into positive yardage with his feet. Finally, if he does these things effectively Michigan may be forced to play a QB spy which takes a player out of coverage or the pass rush depending on Ron English's play calling. The Wolverines must bring an effective pass rush, and when they get to Smith they must take him down in order to slow down the Buckeye offense.
3. Leon Hall vs. Ohio St. Receivers - Who will Hall matchup with during the game? Widely regarded as the best cornerback in the country, if Hall can shut down one of the elusive Buckeye receivers than that could allow the Wolverines to focus on doubling the other receiver and getting pressure on Troy Smith. My guess is that he is more likely to handle Gonzalez one on one but only Ron English knows what he is planning to do.4. Mike Hart and the Michigan Offensive Line - Last season Hart came back from injury to face the Buckeyes but he wasn't ready and he was completely ineffective. This season Hart has been fully healthy and dominant, and the Wolverines have even been afforded resting him in the 2nd half of some blowout victories. Saturday it will be essential for Hart to have a big game. A big game for Hart keeps Smith and Company off the field and will give Henne more of an opportunity to make a big play down the field.
5. Mario Mannigham - Speaking of big plays, Mario Mannigham is the Wolverines big play guy and he was crucial in both the ND and the Wisconsin winner. His health or lack there of is a big factor in saturdays game. Without Manningham the Wolverines turn into a ball control offense that methodically drives the ball down the field, with Manningham they can strike for a long touchdown at any point. I heard people comparing him to a faster version of Larry Fitzgerald, while I don't know if I would go that far, I know that a big play or two from Manningham would go a long way in clinching a Wolverine victory.
Final Thoughts
I have a hard time seeing either of these teams running away with the game. First off Michigan has shown little explosion or even desire to crush teams since the trip to South Bend and will rely more on the rush offense, the occasional pass, and their dominant defense. Ohio St. has a dynamic offense but even in the down year last year Michigan slowed down Smith for three quarters before his breakout 4th quarter to win the game. This game should live up to the hype of #1 and #2 and the matchup of the Super Ohio St. Offense and the Shutdown Smashmouth Michigan Defense will be a treat to watch. So on Saturday at 3:30 crack open a few Beers kick the feet up and enjoy what should be a phenomenally 3 and a half hours of classic football.By the way Go Wolverines.
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