Alright, it's time to weigh in on the Big Game.

First off, let me say that I wished they could have played this damn game on Tuesday. I'm so sick of hearing about it, honestly. It's already been broken down from every possible angle, and reading Steve's posted article mentioning that the band Nickelback was trying to get tickets tells me all I need to know about what this game has become. Nickelback?? Really?

At any rate, being a lonely Michigan fan living here in Columbus, this week has been difficult. My own wife and I have made separate plans to watch this Game of the Century, due to my desire to be able to actually root for my team out loud. I'll be joining a small cabal of Michigan fans at an undisclosed location (lest our cars be flipped and our couches burned by the impending mob, regardless of outcome) and Melissa will be watching with friends and/or family. It kind of sucks that we won't be watching it together, but I think it's for the best, as both of us might be prone to saying things we later regret to each other during this game. Not that I'm overly competitive and sick and tired of the unnecessary bile spewed by EVERY OSU fan regarding anything Michigan.....

Here are two things I'd first like to get out in the open, just for the record:

• I'm first going to go on record (in the hopes that I won't have to hear so much about it if OSU wins) that I THINK OSU IS GOING TO WIN. Troy Smith has killed us every year, he's on some kind of mission, Michigan's secondary is weak, yadda yadda yadda. Please, Buckeye fans, spare me on Monday, should your team win the game. I'm pretty sure there are no stupid little "Don't give a damn about the whole state of Michigan/Carr should spell his first name with three 'L's HAAHAHAHA I'M FUNNY!" jokes that I haven't heard. I've lived in Columbus now for seven+ years, and believe me: they stopped being funny the 36th time I heard them five years ago. Seriously. You need some new material. And, let's be honest: It's a fucking football game! I want my team to win, too, but when the entire population of Columbus KNOWS ahead of time that there will be some kind of couch burning, car flipping riot after the game, it does not speak well of your fan-base. When you hear stories of people's cars being shellacked with rocks and bottles *just* because the license plate is from Michigan (never mind that it could be an OSU student who actually *gasp* lives in Michigan), and you yourself are tired of being called a "fucking pussy" (true story) by a total stranger for wearing a Michigan cap in the middle of summer, it goes beyond football rivalry.


• Along that same line, OSU fans need to fucking admit that Michigan is pretty good this year (I'm looking mostly in your direction, 1460 The Fan's Bruce Hooley). There are a lot of Columbus-ites already worried about getting airfare to Glendale, AZ, and who they will be playing in the National Championship. OSU is the most complete team I've seen this year, but Michigan is no slouch. Again, I'm NOT predicting any upsets, but let's be realistic; yes, your offense is good, but you've not yet played a team with a front 7 anywhere near as good as Michigans's.

Okay, all whining and griping aside, here are my keys to the game:

• Mike Hart: For Michigan to have any chance of stopping Ohio State's offense, the best course of action would be to keep that offense on the sideline. It's not a coincidence that, as Mike Hart goes, so goes the Michigan offense. They lead the nation in time of possession. Hart doesn't lose fumbles. Those two factors will come in very heavy in keeping OSU's offense off the field. If Hart can help to grind out long, time-consuming, and most importantly SCORING drives, Michigan has a good chance.


• The O-line: This goes along with the previous point. On these time-consuming drives, Michigan's senior-laden O-line has the potential to wear down a defense. Talk all you want about Joe Thomas, but Jake Long belongs in a discussion as the top tackle in the conference. Mark Bihl, Ruben Riley, and Adam Kraus are no slouches either.


• The Front 7: Michigan's front 7 is widely regarded as one of the--if not THE--best units in the country, and has masked some issues in the secondary all season. If they can slow Antonio Pittman (which I think they can do), then they must also get some pressure on Smith without having to continually blitz (thus having the ability for Shawn Crable or David Harris to "spy" him). If they can do that, they have a better chance of disrupting his uncanny rhythm. If they can't get pressure on Smith without having to sell out and bring the house, it's going to be a long day.


• Alex Boone vs. LaMarr Woodley: This is one of the key matchups. Boone hasn't played in three weeks. Woodley is one of the best defensive ends in the country, and is lining up most of the time next to Alan Branch, who commands a double team. How healthy is Boone? Will he be forced to stop Woodley one-on-one all day? If so, can he do it? Woodley played hurt in last year's game, and almost single-handedly kept UM in the game on defense.


• UM Secondary vs. OSU Receivers: This is the other key matchup. UM's secondary has been much maligned most of the year, and the receivers of OSU present many matchup problems. I imagine it's going to be Leon Hall on Anthony Gonzalez and Morgan Trent on Ted Ginn (based on Hall being our best cover CB and Gonzalez being the best pure receiver, and Trent and Ginn being the fastest but less "technical" of their respective units). Beyond that, Michigan's safety play is suspect, and OSU has other weapons at wide receiver that will also demand some attention (keeping UM from playing a cover 2 zone exclusively). If UM's front 4 can get pressure consistently and allow the outside backers to help clog the shorter routes on passing downs, that would be ideal for them. If they have to blitz and Smith has his bevy of wide receivers all one-on-one, it's going to be a long day.

What it all boils down to for me are the three keys to victory for UM:
1. Run the ball effectively with Hart
2. Control the clock
3. Get pressure on Smith without having to blitz

If Michigan can do those three things effectively, I think they can come out with the win. My heart says "Go Blue!" but my head says....

OSU 31, Michigan 24