COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Welcome to the heartland, home of the Big Ten, a league that doesn't deserve its own TV network and should respectfully reject a Rose Bowl bid on the basis of stodginess and cowardice. Ever wonder why the best talent routinely heads southward and westward? You should have seen the final minutes of the conference's unofficial title game Saturday evening, when two prominent head coaches laid down, played for overtime and reminded us why college football in these parts is maddeningly prehistoric.
There was Ohio State's Jim Tressel, the sweater-vested genius who writes self-help books about life, unable to help himself. Armed with a two-touchdown lead with 11:32 remaining in regulation, he watched the Buckeyes allow a 99-yard kickoff return for a score and have their own interception and touchdown return nullified by an offsides call. So what did Tressel do with 2:37 left and the score tied at 24-24? He shut down all creativity, went ultra-conservative in his own end and punted. In the process, he didn't utilize the running and passing talents of Terrelle Pryor, who might be one of the dynamic weapons in the college game if Tressel wasn't stuck in the 20th century and had a clue how to develop and utilize a two-way quarterback.
Every Thursday, Pickin' on the Big Ten previews the weekend's games so Big Ten haters can get even more nervous.
I don't know if you've noticed, but the rest of the college football universe is sort of obsessed right now. They have a deep, lingering fear of Iowa winding up in the BCS Championship Game. That, to them, could only mean one of two things. The Hawkeyes could get blown out in a total snoozer. That would be bad. They could also win, which would be worse. Now what conference would they have to say is overrated? Their own?
It took more than a half, but eventually Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor proved that he's not all hype. The Buckeyes totally routed Minnesota Saturday 38-7 in Columbus.
Pryor and his coach, Jim Tressel, spent last week under continual assault from all corners. Part of it was just another expression of the college football world's Buckeye Fatigue Syndrome, but most of it was the natural consequence of OSU's dreadful performance last week. The Buckeyes turned the ball over five times in a loss to Purdue.
Every Thursday, Pickin' On the Big Ten previews the weekend's action, settling the scores before the scores are settled.
Penn State has declared that Saturday night's game with Iowa will be a "whiteout" game. That distinction is usually reserved for games of the utmost importance, and if you don't know why this game is so important to the Nittany Lions, you must not remember what happened last year in Iowa City. A Daniel Murray field goal put the Hawkeyes on top and ended any hopes Penn State had of getting blown out by Florida playing in the BCS National Championship Game. It's time for revenge.
Penn State, however, is not the only Big Ten team with a little revenge on its mind this weekend.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- So what if he was surrounded by 106,000 loons, all standing and shaking and shrieking in the fabled Horseshoe, all sensing a merciful end to Ohio State's humiliating big-game-loss stigma? So what if the forbidding first few notes of the White Stripes screamer, "Seven Nation Army,'' kept pounding through the speakers like a throbbing headache? So what if USC was stuck at its 5-yard line, looking at second-and-19 and a five-point deficit with six minutes left?
And so what if Matt Barkley's throwing shoulder was aching, a victim of a throwdown by defensive tackle Nathan Williams? Somehow, none of these issues gave Barkley any reason for pause Saturday night. He wears No. 7, like another California-bred quarterback who once forged a legend deep in his own territory in a hostile environment. Just as John Elway told his mates that they had their opponents right where they wanted them, Barkley had calming words for the Trojans when all seemed lost. The difference between the two?
The embattled Ohio State football program -- losers of five straight against elite programs -- made its stand. Saturday night was going to be the place where they bucked history and reclaimed some former glory in toppling No. 3 USC. Over 106,000 fans, most in Ohio Stadium history, made life hell for the visitors from sunny California. The Buckeye defense made stop after stop, harassing the Trojan run game and freshman quarterback Matt Barkley over four solid quarters. They made their stand, but in soul-crushing fashion, they once again failed.
Trailing 15-10 and looking ready to wilt, USC mounted a 14-play, 86-yard, six minute touchdown drive to go ahead 18-15 with just over a minute left. Same. Old. Story. Not enough.
Jim Tressel may not have exactly had the weight of the world on his shoulders, but he certainly had the weight of everything between the Ohio and Lake Erie. As he sat at the dais in his familiar getup of squared eyeglasses and just plain square sweatervest, Tressel looked like a man that stood on 20 only to watch the dealer draw blackjack.
His eighth-ranked Buckeyes had just fallen to third-ranked USC 18-15 in the kind of loss that would probably keep a coach up for nights even with a barrel full of Sominex at his bed side, and Tressel wasn't much for the optimist role.
"All losses hurt," Tressel said, his voice sounding gray like his vest, "but this one hurts the most because it's today."
LOS ANGELES -- It's the fourth quarter of the 1980 Rose Bowl game and Ohio State has USC on the ropes. Coach Earle Bruce's undefeated Buckeyes lead the Trojans by six points and are one defensive stop from a win that will likely clinch a national championship.
Tailback Charles White and USC's offensive line had a different plan.
Over the final 5½ minutes, White carried the ball six times and gained 70 yards in a deciding 83-yard drive, which concluded with his one-yard touchdown run that gave the Trojans a 17-16 victory.
"It's special. I'm not going to lie to you," the 1979 Heisman Trophy winner, said about his signature game against the Buckeyes that saw him finish with a Rose Bowl-record 247 yards rushing on 39 carries.
The other day a commenter asked me what I thought the Big Ten needed to do to get back on track. Well, I've only thought about that question every day since the end of last season, so as you might suspect, I have a few ideas.
First off, let's put all the cards on the table. What is "broken" in the Big Ten? The league suffers under the perception/reality that, while its teams look very good against each other, they fold up in competition with teams from other conferences, specifically the Big 12, SEC and Pac 10.
Why? Because the Big Ten has become synonymous with a slow, plodding, and most of all boring style of football. Does this sound familiar to some of you? It should.
.jpg)
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Welcome to the heartland, home of the Big Ten, a league that doesn't deserve its own TV network and should respectfully reject a Rose Bowl bid on the basis of stodginess and cowardice. Ever wonder why the best talent routinely heads southward and westward? You should have seen the final minutes of the conference's unofficial title game Saturday evening, when two prominent head coaches laid down, played for overtime and reminded us why college football in these parts is maddeningly prehistoric.
Every Thursday, 
It took more than a half, but eventually Ohio State's 
Every Thursday, 
Every Thursday, 
Jim Tressel may not have exactly had the weight of the world on his shoulders, but he certainly had the weight of everything between the Ohio and Lake Erie. As he sat at the dais in his familiar getup of squared eyeglasses and just plain square sweatervest, Tressel looked like a man that stood on 20 only to watch the dealer draw blackjack. 
LOS ANGELES -- It's the fourth quarter of the 1980 Rose Bowl game and Ohio State has USC on the ropes. Coach Earle Bruce's undefeated Buckeyes lead the Trojans by six points and are one defensive stop from a win that will likely clinch a national championship. 
The other day a commenter asked me what I thought the 
