Ohio State University Shouldn't Worry, Just Win

Two weeks ago the Ohio State football team suffered a devastating loss to a pumped-up Wisconsin Badgers club, which all but eliminates the Buckeyes from contending for the national title.  The loss also dropped the Buckeyes into a tie with the Badgers for second place in the Big Ten, a game behind the undefeated Michigan State Spartans. 

Michigan State goes on the road this week to play fourth-place Iowa, and, if the Hawkeyes upset the Spartans, it is possible that OSU, Wisconsin, and Michigan State could all tie for the Big Ten title, as Michigan State and OSU do not play each other this season.

However, the Buckeyes cannot get wrapped up in the talk of who will win the Big Ten title, and instead must focus on the task at hand: just win, baby.  If Ohio State can finish the remainder of its season undefeated, then the Big Ten championship will sort itself out, and, with a little luck, the Buckeyes might just sneak back into the national title conversation a la 2007.

The biggest challenge that Ohio State faces in its quest to win out is "getting up," or, in other words, being mentally and emotionally ready to play their opponents in the season's final four weeks.

This weekend the Buckeyes go on the road again to play the Minnesota Golden Gophers Saturday night.  And while it is almost a certainty that head coach Jim Tressel has warned his players against a letdown, a one-win Gopher team playing at home under the lights might give his team problems.

The same could be said for OSU's opponent two weeks later, Penn State, despite starting a true freshman quarterback and having been blown out not only by Alabama but also Illinois at home.

Should Ohio State come out of these games victorious, they will then have to travel to Iowa in a rematch of last year's classic struggle that went to overtime.  The Hawkeyes will more than likely be out to avenge last season's loss, so the Bucks will need to dig down deep to leave Iowa City with a win.

All of this leads to the season-ending showdown with OSU's archnemesis, Michigan, who despite their recent history in Big Ten play will nonetheless be up for the annual renewal of 'The Game'.

On paper the remainder of their schedule appears easier than it was last year after the Purdue loss, but that's just it: the games are played on the field, and not on paper.  On paper Ohio State should have beaten Wisconsin.  Indeed, Ohio State's remaining schedule will be every bit as tough as the three games of last season where they had to go on the road to Penn State and Michigan, with a home contest against Iowa sandwiched in between.

The biggest asset the Buckeyes have this season as they wind down play in the Big Ten is the maturation of junior quarterback Terrelle Pryor.  It appears that at least through the first eight games of the season coach Jim Tressel has taken the reins off Pryor and allowed him to throw more than last season, and the results have been good to say the very least: almost 1800 yards passing with a 66% completion rate, and 18 TD passes against only 6 interceptions.

Pryor will need to continue his improved play if the Buckeyes are to win out.  Smart money says that trend will continue, and receivers Dane Sanzenbacher and DeVier Posey will help him on that front.  Daniel Herron's improved play in the running game should help as well, as teams will be more hestitant to blitz Pryor.

And it does Ohio State no good to wonder "what if" they had gone undefeated, what if they had had the chance to play for the national title.  The Buckeyes have been all but mathematically eliminated from that discussion.  So without that added pressure, they can go out and focus on what really matters—the game at hand.

Coach Tressel always says that he lets the voters decide who is number one, and now that his players don't have to worry about being number one either, maybe they'll play like it.  While that may not land them in the BCS championship, with a little luck it just might land them in a BCS bowl for the sixth consecutive season.

After the Buckeyes lost to the Badgers in Week 7 of the 2010 college football season, many people were quick to dismiss the team as being overrated.  They said Ohio State was not deserving to be considered among the top 10 teams in the nation, let alone number one. They also said that Ohio State was no longer the best team in the Big Ten.

Nonetheless, as 2010 comes to a close, the Bucks cannot worry themselves with what the critics may say about them.  They need worry about one thing and one thing only: winning.