The final stretch of the college football season is finally here and with bowls and BCS berths looming, the conference championship games are here and on Saturday when the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan State Spartans meet in the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium, ESPN College GameDay will be there and the crew is going to get things started up at 9:00 am on TV and on the WatchESPN website.
The Buckeyes are coming into the game with plenty on the line, as a win would clinch them a spot in the national championship game against Florida State and a loss could spin the whole BCS on its head just one week after a defeat for the Alabama Crimson Tide did that for Ohio State. The Buckeyes come into the game undefeated and now that streak stretches back two full seasons and all of that will be on the line when OSU meets the Spartans on a neutral field in Indy and even if MSU loses, there is a good chance they will make it into the Rose Bowl with Ohio State likely moving onto the national championship game. Ohio State has been one of the best teams in the nation this season, but much has been made about their schedule in the Big Ten and a win over a top 10 team in MSU could quiet some of those critics who say their conference has been a weak one this year.
Check here for the ESPN GameDay coverage.
Ohio State won its rivalry game on the road against Michigan in very exciting fashion, as the team had a back and forth type of game before the Wolverines stormed down the field with the closing minutes ticking off the clock. Quarterback Devin Gardner had one of his best career games with 451 passing yards and he brought Michigan on a scoring drive near the end of the game that gave the Wolverines a chance to tie the game with less than a minute left, but Brady Hoke decided to be a big risk taker and put it on the line for a two point conversion, knowing that OSU was running all over the team in the game. The Wolverines had a solid chance to get it, but the play never materialized and Ohio State ended up picking off the pass, effectively ending the game and giving the team a stressful 42-41 win and it clinched an undefeated regular season for the team and now they can get into the national championship game against FSU if they win against the Spartans.
Michigan State has an excellent defense, but Ohio State is one of the most productive offensive teams in the nation, gaining over 500 total yards per game and they rush the ball better than anyone. Carlos Hyde has been fantastic this season, rushing for over 1,200 yards and he had 226 against Michigan last week and he will be a focus for both teams and he has helped the Buckeyes rank second in the nation in rushing with 321 yards per contest. Braxton Miller has 1,759 passing yards this season and he is directing an offense that ranks third in the nation in scoring with 48 points per game, but it should not be so easy to put up 50 on the Spartans with their defense.
The Buckeyes didn't play a "tough game" all season apart from a stretch of two games against ranked opponents in Wisconsin and Northwestern and now they will get the chance to play their third ranked team of the year in Michigan State. The defense is allowing just 20 points per game and are facing a Michigan State team that is even better, holding opponents to under 12 points per game to rank third in the nation in scoring defense. The team only lost to Notre Dame and that was when they were ranked and now the Spartans and the Buckeyes will play for the Big Ten championship.