Let's go bowling

By Cal Remkey

Nationally, Saturday December 3rd, 2005 went by like a typical weekend day in late autumn.

The weather was cold, families were entrenched in the Christmas shopping season, and somewhere in New York, Fox News was busy ignoring the money laundering allegations against Tom DeLay. In Columbus, Ohio, things were a little different. As the day turned into night, Ohio State fans’ uncertainty about a Bowl Championship Series bid changed from probable to definite and an impending figurative battle along Ohio’s western boarder is looming.

With Georgia crushing LSU, and Florida State outlasting Virginia Tech, Ohio State moved up two spots in the BCS standings to number four. This guaranteed their place in the one of the four major bowls for this season, and made for an easy off-season for the BCS. I personally learned two different lessons from Saturday.

The first lesson is more like one of those philosophical moments of clarity… If Marcus Vick did not have an older brother named Ron Mexico, er, Michael,would anyone know who was under center for the Hokies? I can’t believe that this guy is hyped at all.

The second lesson learned is that conference championship games are absolutely pointless. Yes, it benefited Ohio State this season and I am thrilled that it worked out the way that it did, but how long before Ohio State ends up on the short end of the deal? It could have happened on Saturday had Texas lost to Colorado.

After the BCS pairings came out on Sunday, the leftovers made their final bowl arrangements and that made for some of the most intriguing match ups that I can ever remember. Starting with the BCS, three of
those games make bowl promoters and travel agents jobs very easy leading into the holiday season. One of which, and the most intriguing match-up for the purposes of this website, is the meeting of Ohio State
and Notre Dame.

Notre Dame vs. Ohio State

This is the rubber match in this series and to the victor will go the spoils. This is a crucial game for Ohio State and the only way to put a bump in the recruiting inroads that Charlie Weis has made this season in Ohio. I for one am extremely pleased with this match up for a couple of reasons. As I mentioned before, the recruiting aspect is huge for Ohio State. I would hate to play this game in three years when
Weis has had his pick of talent all of the country. Jim Tressel needs to showcase to the nation, and especially to the Ohio recruits, his coaching abilities. My hope is that Tressel does not appear to be out of his element going head to head against Weis.

Ted Ginn Jr. may be the most crucial player on the field in this game. He can change the game in one play, either positively or negatively. He presents a high risk on punt returns as was displayed in his -32
net return yards against TSUN, which cost Ohio State vital field position on more than one occasion. But he also has so much upside as was evidenced last year and, in spurts, this year. I would expect him to be back there fielding punts, but one error, and he will probably be pulled.

Football games are decided by match-ups and who can exploit where they have an advantage. It is not Troy Smith vs. Brady Quinn because these two will never once step on the field together. It will be Smith vs.
the ND defense and Quinn vs. the OSU defense. Each team has its advantages and I will try to shed some light on where each team can exploit the other.

The match up that scares me to death is ND’s tight end, Anthony Fasono vs. Ohio State MLB Anthony Schlegal. The Irish are very creative with their tight ends, especially around the goal line. Ohio
State needs to find the proper mixture of getting pressure on Quinn and dropping linemen into coverage to disrupt the passes to the tight end.

Many are talking about the match up between Irish WR Jeff Samardzija and OSU DB Ashton Youboty. Those same people are pointing to Youboty’s troubles against Minnesota where he was torched time after time going up against a taller receiver. I don’t anticipate Youboty being exploited against ND because the situations will be different. Against Minnesota, the Buckeyes sold out to stop the run. Nate Salley played up to stop Laurence Maroney. The scheme should be different against the Irish who will deploy a very elaborate passing threat, in which Salley’s roaming capabilities will be required. Look for Charlie Weis
to approach this game in the same fashion that he did Southern California. He will try to shorten the game, and keep the Ohio State offense off of the field.

On the Ohio State side, I see the Bucks being able to move the ball up and down the field. The important thing will be to counteract the ND scheme and control the clock. Get the ball to the playmakers and
continue to let Tony Pittman take the team as far as he can carry them. There is no room to turn the ball over and if the Bucks are as sloppy with the football as they were up at TSUN, then look for the Irish to win going away. ND will put points on the board, so it is important for OSU to score early and often. Ohio State IS more talented than Notre Dame,
so give the ball to people who will make things happen. And one last thing: Make sure Santonio Holmes gets in the end zone in his last game wearing the scarlet and gray.

Catholics vs. Convicts? Maybe, but don’t let your Notre Dame friends (and relatives) forget about what the tarnished dome looked like during the Lou Holtz era of Notre Dame football history. These are just some counterpoints to anything that an ordinarily outspoken Domer, or a righteous relative, could throw at you at Christmas dinner:

>>> Up to this point, there has not been one major NCAA violation committed under Tressel’s reign at Ohio State. This is not something that usually justifies ethical superiority, but the same could absolutely not be said about Holtz’s teams at ND.

>>> There are people who went to jail over what happened in South Bend over the past decade, and there were favors given that would undoubtedly make the Archbishop blush. If you find yourself on the losing end of an argument concerning Maurice Clarett, or Robert Q. Baker, just throw out the name Kim Dunbar. Watch them scurry like cockroaches under the fridge when the light goes on.