The Big Game is Still Big This Weekend

The Michigan Wolverines (3-8, 2-5) have struggled mightily in new head coach Rich Rodriguez's first year.

They have lost eight times, which is the most in school history, snapped a streak of 38 straight bowl games, suffered their first losing season since 1967, and to add insult to injury, lost to No. 15 Michigan State (9-2, 6-1) at home for the first time since 1990.

The transition into the Rich Rodriguez era has been rough. While a rocky year was expected, no one anticipated it would be this bad for Michigan.

The offense has been pitiful, averaging a mere 299.2 yards per game, which is dead last in the Big Ten. They are also tied for ninth in the Big Ten in scoring, with an average of only 21.5 points per game. 

Quarterbacks Steven Threet and Nick Sheridan have not been able to execute Rodriguez's spread offense. At times, both quarterbacks have had a tendency to be inaccurate and miss open receivers. 

YouTube legend Sam McGuffie has struggled in his freshman year with injury problems. Also true freshman wide receiver Darryl Stonum, out of Sugarland, Texas, has failed to live up to his billing this year, with only 13 catches for just 143 yards and one touchdown.

However much of these offensive struggles were expected in Rodriguez's first year.

The defense, which returned seven starters from last year's team was expected to be good enough to give Michigan chances to win games. However, that has not been the case.

The secondary has been terrible this season. The Wolverines are 10th in the Big Ten in pass defense, allowing 234.2 yards per game and just over seven yards per catch.

If you thought it couldn't get any worse, then think again. Michigan will have to travel to Columbus this weekend to take on their most hated rival, Ohio State (9-2, 6-1). The Buckeyes are ranked 10th in the BCS, and both of their losses were to opponents ranked inside the top three, USC and Penn State.

Highly touted true freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor has been a huge part of the Buckeye offense.

Pryor took over for the struggling senior starter Todd Boeckman after their loss to USC. Since then, he has thrown for 1125 yards, 10 touchdowns, only three interceptions, and has completed 64.7 percent if his passes for a passer rating of 152.2.

Pryor's strong suit, however, is running the football. He has a total of 560 rushing yards, six touchdowns, and averages 4.8 yards per carry.

Then there's Chris "Beanie" Wells, who is currently sixth in the Big Ten in rushing with 957 yards and has seven touchdowns.

A surprising stat is that the Buckeyes are 10th in the Big Ten in total offense. So how have they won nine games this year?

They have a great defense with standout seniors in linebacker James Laurinaitis and cornerback Malcom Jenkins. The Buckeyes rank second in the conference in pass defense and fourth in the conference against the run.

So Michigan fans have to be asking themselves: Is there anyway to salvage this season? Can Michigan beat Ohio State in Columbus and avoid losing to the Buckeyes for a record fifth consecutive time?

The answer is yes. While Michigan may not stack up to the Buckeyes on paper, they certainly have history on their side. As mentioned before, Ohio State has never beaten Michigan five times in a row.

More good news for Rodriguez is that the only coach in Michigan history to lose to Ohio State in his first year was Elton Wieman way back in 1927.

This game is still very important to both teams. Ohio State needs to avoid the upset in order to give themselves a chance to earn a Rose Bowl bid with a Penn State loss. They also have a good chance at an at-large BCS bid.

For Michigan, this win might not get them to the Rose Bowl, or any bowl for that matter. But for the Wolverines it would mean redemption.

It would mean they can salvage something from a clearly lost season and abysmal start to Rich Rodriguez's era at Michigan. It would end the Buckeyes' dominance of the Wolverines, for one year anyway.

This win could restore some pride to Michigan's football team and give fans a hope of the great things that are expected to come in Rodriguez's years at Michigan.

On a side note, the point spread for this weekend's game is 19 points. This equals the largest point margin in the history of the rivalry.