ESPN College Football

Ohio State-Michigan doesn't matter.

That's the general sentiment around the country this week as college football's greatest rivalry gets ready to resume Saturday at Michigan Stadium (ABC, noon ET). One of my esteemed colleagues called this the "most uninspiring November weekend in recent memory." There are valid reasons for this belief, namely Michigan's 5-6 record, Ohio State's guaranteed BCS bowl berth and the likelihood that Wolverines head coach Rich Rodriguez will be safe no matter what takes place between the lines on Saturday.

I say let them thumb their noses at The Game. You and I know better. The Game always matters.

As I watched the end of the 1987 Ohio State-Michigan game (Earle Bruce's final triumph) and the start to the high-scoring 1988 contest on ESPN Classic during lunch Thursday, I started to get excited about Saturday's contest.

Here are some reasons why:

Throwback jerseys: Ohio State will don helmets and uniforms honoring its 1954 national championship team, a decision that drew mixed reviews from Buckeye Nation. The helmets certainly give the players a different look. Ohio State just hopes there won't be a different result after dominating Michigan under head coach Jim Tressel.

Justin Boren: Boren's departure from Michigan and his parting shot that the team's "family values have eroded" was in many ways the first of several public setbacks for Rodriguez. It didn't help when Boren transferred to archrival Ohio State. He now leads an improving Buckeyes offensive line into the Big House, where he figures to receive a rough reception from the crowd. I'm definitely excited to see Boren take on Michigan star defensive end Brandon Graham.

Last stand for Wolverines: A Michigan loss ends the season for the Wolverines, who seemed destined for a decent bowl game after a 4-0 start. The sense of urgency in this one certainly rests with the Wolverines, who try to end a five-game slide against their archrivals in most unlikely fashion. A win doesn't wash away a miserable Big Ten season, but it certainly eases the pain and allows Michigan the right to celebrate.

Terrelle Pryor and the spread offense: When Pryor sputtered midway through the season, people started buzzing about how the quarterback would have been better off in Rodriguez's offense at Michigan. Last year's Wolverines didn't have the trigger man to effectively run the spread, but freshman quarterback Tate Forcier fits the scheme. It will be interesting to watch how Pryor fares against Michigan's vulnerable defense and contrast that with how Forcier fares against Ohio Sate's D.

Ohio State vs. another young QB: It's hard to explain, but Ohio State's defense has performed much better against experienced quarterbacks than young ones this fall. The Buckeyes shut down Penn State's Daryll Clark, Minnesota's Adam Weber and Illinois' Juice Williams, but they struggled at times against USC true freshman Matt Barkley and Iowa redshirt freshman James Vandenberg, who made his first career start last week. Forcier comes off of a solid effort against Wisconsin, but he needs to have his best performance of the season to give Michigan a shot.

Ohio State aims for outright title: The Buckeyes already have clinched at least a share of the Big Ten title for the fifth consecutive season, but they want more. A victory Saturday clinches the Big Ten title outright for the third time in the past four seasons. An Ohio State loss means the Buckeyes might have to share the crown with as many as three other teams (Iowa, Penn State and Wisconsin).

Michigan players have selected defensive end Brandon Graham, left tackle Mark Ortmann, linebacker Stevie Brown and punter Zoltan Mesko as captains for the 2009 season, head coach Rich Rodriguez announced Thursday. Rodriguez had previously named captains for each game this fall.

No major surprises here, as all four seniors served as game captains on multiple occasions. Graham is a candidate for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors, while both Mesko and Ortmann are candidates for All-Big Ten honors.

"Stevie, Brandon, Zoltan and Mark have played at a high level all season and received the greatest honor that a player can receive, selection as captain by your peers," Rodriguez said in a statement. "They, and our other seniors, will lead us into Michigan Stadium Saturday to play the greatest rivalry game in college football."

Michigan finishes the regular season Saturday against No. 10 Ohio State (ABC, noon ET).

The team also issued its official injury report for the Ohio State game.

OUT

• C David Molk, knee
• RB Brandon Minor, shoulder

DOUBTFUL (25 percent chance of playing)

• S Mike Williams, ankle

PROBABLE (75 percent chance of playing)

• WR Martavious Odoms, knee

Minor's absence will sting, as he might be the Big Ten's most dominant runner when healthy. Injuries have dogged the Wolverines senior all season, limiting his availability. Selfishly, I really wanted to see Minor out there one more time, especially against a great defense like Ohio State's. Carlos Brown likely will be the featured back for Michigan, though freshman Vincent Smith got a lot of playing time last week. Williams' absence reduces the depth in an already suspect secondary. Freshman Brandon Smith likely will get the start if Williams can't go, but Michigan has all sorts of problems in the back four. Odoms' presence gives Michigan another weapon on offense.

Time is running out for Brandon Graham at Michigan, and he knows it.

Graham will play his final game at Michigan Stadium on Saturday as the Wolverines take on No. 10 Ohio State (ABC, noon ET). And if Michigan doesn't pull off a major upset, Graham's college career will be over.

"My days are numbered here," Graham told ESPN.com on Wednesday. "I don’t think I’m going to cry. But I don’t really know what to expect. I know that when I'm finally done, when I can’t take any classes here or anything like that, I might cry then. Other than that, I'll be OK. I'm going to be tough."

Graham has not only been a pillar of toughness for Michigan this fall, he's been quite possibly the Big Ten's best player.

For a minute, forget about Michigan's 5-6 record and its mostly miserable performance on defense. Graham has been absolutely unstoppable at defensive end, and he's got the numbers to back it up.

• His 21 tackles for loss lead the FBS
• He's tied for second in the Big Ten and tied for 24th nationally in sacks with 8.5
• He's the only FBS player to rank among the top 10 nationally in both sacks and tackles for loss in each of the past two seasons
• He has at least one tackle for loss in nine of his past 10 games and six games of two or more tackles for loss this season
• He has blocked two punts and returned one for a touchdown
• He has forced two fumbles, one of which teammate Ryan Van Bergen recovered for a touchdown last week at Wisconsin

"He's doing all he can," Wolverines head coach Rich Rodriguez said. "But he knows, too, he's surrounded by inexperience. The thing about Brandon, he's still being a team guy and playing with the framework of the defense. We try to do some things scheme-wise to free him up, to use his ability. He's had a great senior year."

For much of the year, Graham has been a one-man show for Michigan's defense, which allows more than 400 yards and more than 28 points a game. The unit's struggles don't stem from a lack of effort.

Just the opposite, as Graham explains.

"A lot of people want to make big plays and be the savior," he said. "Sometimes a lot of people are outside their gaps, stuff we went over in practice. A lot of people want to be that superstar. But if you do what you’re supposed to do, then you'll be that much better."

In other words, do as Graham does. Michigan tries to free him up as much as possible, but opponents also counter by dispatching as many as four players to block Graham.

And he still produces, in large part because of a quicker burst off the line.

"I was slow off the ball and had a lot of big questions about me [after the 2008 season]," he said. "I just tried to take all the criticism I could and step it up in all areas. Just being a step late can hurt you."

Graham could have left for the NFL following his junior season, but he has no regrets about returning to Michigan, as he "didn’t want to grow up too fast anyway." He's certainly ready for the next level -- ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. projects him as the Big Ten's top draft pick in 2010 -- but he doesn't want to put away the winged helmet just yet.

Graham relayed his wishes to his younger teammates during a players-only meeting earlier this week.

"It was just, ‘Lay it out on the line. This is our last go-round,'" Graham said. "'This is our way out. You’ll have to wait 300-and-something days until this game. Right now, leave a mark on [Ohio State] for a whole year until that next game because we beat them.’

"A lot of people were into it. They were ready."

As they do every season, Ohio State fans had plenty of burning questions about a Buckeyes running back this fall.

Jaamal Berry.

They wondered when Berry would see the field, how his injured hamstring was progressing and whether head coach Jim Tressel would end up redshirting the highly touted freshman from Miami. These questions peppered Tressel at his weekly news conference and filled up my inbox.

As the wait for Berry continued, it was clear that many Buckeye fans had seen enough of running backs Brandon Saine and Dan Herron. Chris "Beanie" Wells was sorely missed, and for the first time since 2004, when Lydell Ross and Antonio Pittman shared the carries load, Ohio State lacked a dominant runner.

Could the Buckeyes win the Big Ten without a bell cow in the backfield? The answer arrived last Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

Saine and Herron turned in their best performances of the season in the biggest game of the season. The two backs combined for 200 rush yards and three touchdowns against a stout Iowa defense as Ohio State rode a run-heavy offense to a 27-24 overtime victory.

"Those are two tough kids and the seniors mean a lot to those two," Tressel said after the game. "They were not going to let those seniors down."

Ohio State didn't hide its intentions on offense from the get-go. Tressel didn't want to throw downfield against an Iowa defense that ranks second nationally in interceptions (19).

So the Buckeyes ran the ball a season-high 51 times, with 43 attempts going to either Saine or Herron. Ohio State's offensive line, which, like Saine and Herron, has drawn plenty of criticism this season, imposed its will against the Iowa defensive front.

"Boom [Herron] and Brandon were running the ball," quarterback Terrelle Pryor told reporters. "We really didn't need to pass."

The two backs accounted for almost all of Ohio State's big plays on offense.

Saine gave the Buckeyes their first lead with a 22-yard scoring burst late in the second quarter. After Iowa tied the score at 10-10, Herron sprinted 11 yards to the end zone out of the Wildcat formation. Moments later, following a Ross Homan interception, Saine scooted down the sideline for a 49-yard score.

"We were really just having fun out there and stepping up and doing what we knew how to do," Saine said. "We weren't trying to overthink anything. We were trying to be in the moment the whole time."

It has been a mixed bag this year for both Saine and Herron. Both have had decent performances -- Saine against Indiana and Illinois, Herron against Illinois and New Mexico State -- and both have battled injuries (concussion for Saine, ankle for Herron).

But when Ohio State needed to lean on the run game, both backs stepped up.

"They both learned their way as they backed up Beanie over the years," Tressel said. "They waited their turn and kept trying to improve along the way, and they're playing good football."

Let's be clear: a win against Ohio State won't salvage Michigan's season.

The Wolverines still would have six losses on their record, including three defeats of 21 points or more. They would still finish no better than 2-6 in Big Ten play for the second straight year. They would still have a ton of blemishes on defense that couldn't be washed away. They would still be nowhere near the league championship.

Here's what a Michigan victory Saturday against its heavily favored archrival would do:

• End the program's first five-game slide against Ohio State, a losing streak that stretches back to Nov. 22, 2003, nearly 2,200 days ago
• All but assure Michigan of its first bowl appearance since the 2008 Capital One Bowl
• Ensure Michigan didn't finish last in the Big Ten for the first time since 1962
• Give Michigan its first win against an FBS opponent since Sept. 26 (Indiana)
• Allow a group of players and coaches who have seemingly been under siege all season a few moments to exhale and celebrate

Perhaps the last point is the most vital.

"More than anything, from a selfish standpoint, [a win] would allow us as players and coaches to feel good for the first time in a long time, and let our seniors to feel good," head coach Rich Rodriguez said. "Singing that fight song in the locker room and in front of the student section is, to me, the greatest thrill that we have in coaching and probably in playing.

"It would, more than anything, let our guys have some enjoyment for a change."

Rodriguez spoke candidly this week about the toll the team's struggles are taking on him and his family. Though Michigan AD Bill Martin and university president Mary Sue Coleman have reiterated their support for the coach, a second consecutive losing season combined with the ongoing NCAA investigation into the football program would keep Rodriguez's seat very warm.

A win Saturday would cool things down a bit.

"It eats at your soul because I don't coach football, I live it," Rodriguez said. "My family lives it, every one of our staff's family lives it as well. ... If you love it that much and you put so much into it, you don't have success, it certainly eats at you.

"I'm not used to this. My staff is not used to it. So it just gnaws you to the bone."

For Michigan's small senior class, like their predecessors last year, Saturday's game represents one final chance to beat Ohio State. Several seniors called a players-only meeting Monday to discuss what the game means.

Getting bowl eligible would be nice, and getting over the hump against the Buckeyes carries even more weight.

"What's a better way than to beat O-State and get into a bowl game off them," Wolverines defensive end Brandon Graham told reporters Monday. "That would feel so much better and everything else would erase itself. You're always thinking about, we might have had a bad year but we beat O-State."

Both Rodriguez and Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel downplayed the effect The Game has on recruiting. But for a Michigan program still very much in transition, a victory Saturday would give Rodriguez and his assistants a strong selling point that progress is, in fact, being made.

When the team met Monday, the message was simple.

"If we’re going to put it all together," Rodriguez said, "let’s do it this week."

You could hear the frustration in Rich Rodriguez's voice Monday when he once again had to reiterate the obvious.

Michigan-Ohio State is a big deal. Um, yeah.

"Just because I did not coach here before, I did not play here, I'm not from the state of Michigan, doesn't mean I don't understand the rivalry," Rodriguez said. "I understand it as well as any coach can understand it. I've only [coached] in it in one game. Trust me, I understand the importance of the rivalry."

The fact that Rodriguez has to keep defending himself on this issue is ridiculous, and it perpetuates the argument that Michigan will always be skeptical of anyone outside the fraternity.

Yes, Rodriguez has changed some time-honored traditions (the way captains are picked, etc.) at Michigan. There's a different feeling around the program, one that many don't like. But he's not stupid or blind to the obvious. He knows Ohio State isn't just another game.

Rodriguez has repeatedly told the story of having a "Beat Ohio State" button slipped inside his coat pocket before his introductory news conference as Michigan's head coach in December 2007.

How many more times do people need to hear it?

I asked Rodriguez on Tuesday if he looked forward to the day when he wouldn't have to prove he understood the rivalry.

"It's kind of amusing," he said. "I kind of expected it the first year, coming from outside. But even then it was like, 'Geez, I think anybody in college football understands it.' And certainly after you’re here a while, whether you’re here a year or a month or a day, you’re going to hear about the rivalry and the importance of this ballgame.

"It'll pass in time, I'm sure."

Perhaps only after he beats the Buckeyes.

Jim Tressel may go on to win another national championship at Ohio State.

He'll likely win more BCS bowl games and more Big Ten titles. When he's finished coaching, he might enter politics or open his own sweater vest manufacturing company.

But when we look back on Tressel's place in college football history, he will always be remembered for this week. Michigan week.

No one does it better.

Head coaches of national powerhouses are judged primarily on their ability to win games in early January, and Tressel is no exception. But their records against archrivals aren't taken lightly, either. Tennessee's Phil Fulmer got the axe last year largely because of his struggles against rivals Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Florida's Urban Meyer wins national titles, but he also pleases fans by beating rivals Georgia, Tennessee, Miami and Florida State.

You can knock Tressel for his three-game losing streak in BCS bowls, his consecutive double-digit losses in the national title game, his management of quarterback Terrelle Pryor or his conservative play-calling. On those topics, swing away.

But when it comes to the Ohio State-Michigan game, Tressel is king. He boasts a 7-1 mark against Michigan, including wins in each of the last five games. He has beaten Michigan when Ohio State is the better team (2008, 2007, 2005, 2002) and even when Michigan might be the superior squad (2001, 2004). He beat Michigan in the most hyped regular-season game in recent years, the No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in 2006 at Ohio Stadium.

Tressel is one of the reasons Lloyd Carr no longer coaches the Wolverines. Carr went 1-6 against The Vest. In Rich Rodriguez's first game against Tressel, Ohio State spanked Michigan 42-7.

And it's not just the record. Tressel plays up this rivalry the right way. He makes it a big deal without inciting the opponent. He doesn't need unique circumstances -- like Justin Boren's transfer from Michigan or Pryor's flirtation with Rodriguez -- to get his players motivated.

"It's an exciting week," Tressel said last year at the start of Michigan week. "Our guys can feel the excitement on the campus and in the community. It's the reason many of them chose to go to Ohio State or to go to Michigan was so they could be a part of this game for four or five years and it's just a little bit different feeling. It's a hard one to explain unless you've been there."

You can feel it at Ohio State.

Seven months before The Game, you walk into the office of co-defensive coordinator Jim Heacock. On the wall, Heacock has a sign that reads, "No Ohio State team has defeated Michigan 5 times in a row."

The 5 is crossed out and replaced with a 6.

Tressel puts this game on a pedestal, and it trickles down throughout the rest of the program. Ohio State already has a Rose Bowl berth essentially locked up, but if you think the Buckeyes will come out with any less fire Saturday at Michigan Stadium (ABC, noon ET), remember who coaches them.

After Saturday's overtime win against Iowa, Tressel said his players could enjoy the win until midnight.

"When the clock strikes 12, we know what week it is," he said, "and that's exciting."