The Buckerine Files: Day 2- No, it won't be the game of the week

Well, I gave a rah-rah speech about the Ohio State-Michigan game in my last post. Now I have to accept that the 2007 game may not measure up to lasts year's all-timer. The set up for 2006 was like something out of Hollywood. A heated rivalry, the top two teams by consensus, weeks of build-up for a high scoring spectacular. Even the usually cynical Sunday Morning Quarterback had to agree that it had all the makings of a true Game of the Century. Then things went into a bit of a decline. No matter what happened in the bowl games last year, The Game of 2006 stands out as one of the most anticipated and exciting games I ever saw. The thrill of watching both schools go through a dream season and cap it off with a terrific game was almost enough to last me through December. So I can say with all confidence that no matter what happened after The Game it was still the highlight of the season for me.

This season fans of Michigan and Ohio State are faced with a similar problem. It is possible to consider The Game of 2007 diminished by the fact that both the Buckeyes and the Wolverines lost in the preceding week for the first time since 1959. This Saturday will mark the first time in over 20 years these two teams have played for the Big Ten championship with no implications for the national championship. Many who have a low opinion of the Big Ten conference already are dismissing it out of hand. With Ohio State no longer playing for a guaranteed slot in the BCS National Championship game, it seems like The Game has become just a game. Less of a "game of the week" and more of a "game of the weak". Well, I assure you that this game still has plenty of relevance. It's no mistake that the infamous ESPN College GameDay crew will be broadcasting live from Ann Arbor next Saturday. Just as what came after The Game last year did not tarnish what it meant, so too, this year, does The Game still stand out as one of the most important games of the season.

Let's start with the redemption factor for both teams. Each of these teams and their fans should feel a little embarrassed by what happened last week. Michigan let Wisconsin utterly control the game. Their offensive star essentially sat out the game even though earlier reports were that they would both play. The defensive did their best impersonation of fluffy clouds barely tickling the Wisconsin offense as they marched toward the end zone over and over again. This is all in front of a fanbase known for using cheese wedges as hats in a stadium so bereft of diversity they have to doctor photos of home games for their promotional materials. Just minutes after that game ended Ohio State put on their own gridiron calamity. It's not even watching Illinois backfield slowly and steadily push the ball upfield against the Buckeye's over-aggressive and egregiously held defense that's upseting. Even if you consider the game very poorly officiated, that still shouldn't get you down. After all it's not new. No what really irks the Buckeye fans is that Jim Tressel, the new patron saint of Ohio football, winner of multiple Coach of the Year trophies, who lead his teams to national title games 8 times was beaten by this man.


Ron Zook, the college football equivalent of Reese Bobby. A coach so underwhelming fans from his last job at Florida still refuse to use his name. Coach Tressel practically handed the game over to the Zooker when he called an ill advised time out that gave Illinois an opportunity to convert on 4th and inches rather than punt. That time out will definitely earn a place in Time-Life's Bad Calls by Great Coaches: The Complete Collection. After their respective games each team finds themselves in a hole they are desperate to dig themselves out of.

It extends beyond this season though as Ohio State and Michigan both want to prove their bowl losses at last season weren't representative. The fan bases of both teams have had to put up with a lot of flack (some of it deserved) from opponents fans and media pundits since their embarrassments in January. They would love nothing more than to end this season with a solid victory over a respected opponent in the Rose Bowl. For many this game is going to help them put away some demons that having been hounding them the entire calendar year.

You can easily put this game in a larger framework and still see it as important. For Michigan they have to put a stop to Ohio State's three year long win streak. For seniors like Ohio State's Kirk Barton (openly upset about the Illinois loss) it is the opportunity to end their last regular season with a win. For the Michigan trio of Mike Hart, Chad Henne, and Jake Long it has been noted many times in many places that beating Ohio State was why they came back for a fourth year. For Lloyd Carr he is 6-6 against Ohio State in his career at Michigan and if he can retire with a winning record in the rivalry if he wins today. For fans from both schools it is about feeding a life time passion that at times looks like an obsession that largely hinges on this one game each year. For the fans who remember the Ten Year War (like my father) or even stuck it out in the Snow Bowl (like my grandfather) it is about history and a win-loss ledger that has marked each year of there life.

In the end fans from both sides should be grateful that we'll be visited by Fowler, Corso and Herbstreit it is a nice gesture for ESPN to give The Game that coveted "game of the week". Match-ups like Boston College at Clemson, Kentucky at Georgia, and even West Virginia at Cincinnati may be sexier or have more national importance. Still this is neither a "game of the weak" nor a "game of the week". For fans it will always be the game of the year. For players it may be the game of their career. For the Michigan seniors who have never won against OSU it may be the game of their lives. Above all it is and always will be The Game.