Beanie-less Buckeyes Down—But Are They Out?

Coach Jim Tressel announced today that Ohio State star running back Chris "Beanie" Wells is doubtful for their matchup versus USC on Saturday.  Following the news, everyone not located in the state of Ohio lost all hope for a Buckeye victory in Los Angeles.

Even some in Ohio lost faith.

This is the BCS Championship curse.  Two straight losses has anyone not a Buckeye thinking Ohio State can't win the big one—so when their best player goes down, the naysayers get louder.

Guess what: Ohio State hasn't waved the white flag, and I don't foresee that happening either.  It turns out the Buckeyes didn't get the memo that they're supposed to get beaten in Los Angeles.  Thursday afternoon they got on a plane and flew to the West Coast.  Why bother, right?

ESPN.com has the following polls with these results this evening:

Which team will win Saturday's showdown in Los Angeles: 52 percent USC by 10+

Which team will win if Chris "Beanie" Wells doesn't play: 88 percent USC

Which coach would you hire if you were creating a program from scratch: 61 percent Pete Carroll

Someone forgot to tell Coach Tressel and his Buckeyes that football games are played on paper, ESPN.com polls decide the outcome, and sports anchors call the plays from the studio.

On Saturday, 93,607 fans in the Coliseum will be disappointed when Ohio State decides to actually take the field.  When the Trojans take their first offensive snap, they'll have 11 players on the other side of the ball, defending the opposing end zone.

On Saturday, Ohio State will play a football game against USC.