It’s the best time of the year.

Ohio State will be playing for a Big Ten title and a chance at a BCS bowl on Saturday against the most hated of opponents. The scarlet and gray will clash once more with the maize and blue in old Ohio Stadium.

Life is good.

Oh yeah, and the whole ‘not working for a few days and spending time with loved ones on Thanksgiving’ isn’t so bad either.

After all of the food related festivities, that school up north travels to Columbus with a 7-4 record, exactly one week after being thoroughly dismantled at home by Wisconsin. Ohio State comes into The Game following a close fought (confidence building?) victory at Iowa.

Ohio State has a lot on the line in this game. M*ch*gan does not, that makes them the spoiler, and that makes them dangerous.

Ohio State’s offense vs. M*ch*gan’s defense

Despite calling Ohio State’s offense “mediocre” in my Iowa post game thoughts and saying that the performance did not inspire confidence moving forward, I can’t help but feel confident as The Game approaches this weekend.

Yes, even about the offense.

First, looking back, Iowa’s defense was very good. The difference between Iowa and M*ch*gan in terms of defensive aptitude will be night and day. Against that quality Iowa defense, the Buckeyes did not perform that badly last week.

Yes, there were dropped passes… and penalties (some more legit than others)… and turnovers… but at the end of the day, Ohio State was able to sustain drives when they needed to against one of the better defenses in the country… on the road, and that ain’t bad.

Also, if you were worried about Pryor’s performance against Iowa (like I was initially), go back and re-watch the game, or just read this. I was surprised at how much better I thought Pryor performed on my second viewing of the game, and the ‘stats’ seem to support that.

But I digress…

Second, looking forward, the defense lining up against the Buckeyes this weekend will not be good. That does not mean it will come easily for the offense, but it should be a bit easier than last week.

On the other hand, M*ch*gan’s defense has nothing to lose (they are already the worst defense in the history of their school), and their coordinator has even less to lose (seriously, how is Greg Robinson not going to get fired after this season?). They will likely be throwing everything they’ve got at the Buckeyes with reckless abandon  all day.

The offense will need to be focused and eliminate the mistakes from last week in the face of this unrelenting onslaught of 3-3-5 defenders.

Not to worry though, M*ch*gan week will create a focus amongst the team unparalleled throughout the year. That focus and playing in front of the home crowd will hopefully help eliminate the false starts and dropped passes that plagued the team last week.

In the end, the offense’s success will boil down to the offensive line and execution. Whether it be in pass protection or the run game, how well the line handles the M*ch*gan blitzes will go a long way in determining the outcome of the game.

Last week, against the best defensive line they will face all season, the big uglies held their own. Mike Adams in particular performed exceptionally well against future first rounder Adrian Clayborn. When you go against the best and come out on the other end with a victory, that creates a lot of confidence for individuals and for the team.

If Adams and his fellow lineman can carry that confidence with them through practice this week and into the game on Saturday, there is little doubt that they can wear down M*ch*gan’s defense and pave the way to victory.

A solid running performance from Boom and a solid passing day from Pryor will be important as well, but it all starts up front, as they say.

Ohio State’s defense vs. tsun’s offense

On defense, the Buckeyes continue to play lights out each week. When the offense sputters, the defense has kept Ohio State in games, just like Jim Tressel likes it.

The Buckeyes need to forget past performances, however, as they will go up against one of the most dynamic play makers in college football this week in Denard Robinson. Lightning quick and with an arm just dangerous enough to make you worry, Robinson presents a daunting challenge for the Silver Bullets.

The Buckeye defenders have risen to the various challenges they have faced all season long, and this week should be no different. No matter how well the defense plays, however, tsun will get some big plays and they will score some points.

The most concerning thing will be if Robinson is able to orchestrate some quick points early while Pryor and the Buckeyes start slow once again.

The key will be to limit the number of big plays, early in the game or otherwise. If M*ch*gan is able to string together big play after big play, it could be a long afternoon.

With senior leadership aplenty, I am hopeful that the defense will be up to that challenge and then some. Even if they do give up early points, they should have the experience to come back, make adjustments, and allow the offense to win the game.

Watching the seniors on defense is one of the things I am looking forward to seeing the most this weekend. Jermale Hines and Brian Rolle in particular will need to have big games. They both have the quickness and speed to get sideline to sideline in a hurry, a necessity against a spread offense.

All of the senior’s will need to step up and have the games of their lives on Saturday. Against M*ch*gan, you know that is the goal of each and every one of them. It should be fun to watch.

Bottom Line

Cliches. This game will boil down to them.

The game is won in the trenches, the team that makes the fewest mistakes wins, defense wins championships, ect.

Beyond the game plans, the players, and even the cliches that will win or lose the game on Saturday, perhaps the biggest advantage for the Buckeyes will come from the head coaches leading their teams in practice this week and on the sidelines.

The Senator has had M*ch*gan’s number over the years, and it has been glorious. One of the keys to success has been Tressel’s focus on The Game year round.

Tressel just gets it, and whatever he has been doing each year to prepare for The Game, it has worked.

Patrolling the other sideline? Well, let’s just say he is no Bo Schembechler.

There are many things to be excited about this weekend, and many things to worry about as well. No matter what, though, Buckeye fans everywhere can be confident that Jim Tressel has got it covered.

After all, he has done this before.