It's worth it for Ohio State fans to take note of what's happening to the Texas Longhorns this season.
When Oklahoma's Jeremy Beal sacked Texas' Garrett Gilbert, it reflected another difficult loss for the proud Longhorns -- and a cautionary tale for a talented Big Ten power.THIS WEEK’S BEST NATIONAL GAMES
1. No. 1 Alabama at No. 19 South Carolina, Saturday, 3:30, CBS: The last of three straight games against ranked opponents for the Crimson Tide. They won the first one by four points and the second one by 25. The Gamecocks could be in trouble.
2. No. 7 Nebraska at Kansas State, Thursday, 7:30, ESPN: One of two games this week matching unbeatens, these two 4-0 teams are the class of the Big 12 North and the winner gets an early inside track to the conference title game.
3. No. 12 LSU at No. 14 Florida, Saturday, 7:30, ESPN: LSU is in the running as the least impressive undefeated team in the country. After being drubbed by Alabama, Florida coach Urban Meyer might work out some frustrations on Les Miles’ crew.
THIS WEEK’S BEST BIG TEN GAMES
1. No. 17 Michigan State at No. 18 Michigan, Saturday, 3:30, ABC: The other unbeaten showdown. Both teams are ranked in the top 20 for their meeting for just the fourth time in the last 31 years. Michigan holds a 2-1 edge the previous three instances.
2. Indiana at No. 2 Ohio State, Saturday, noon, ESPN: Indiana quarterback Ben Chappell has thrown for an average of 396 yards in his last three games. Ohio State has allowed 162 passing yards per game.
3. Purdue at Northwestern, Saturday, 7:30, Big Ten Network: The Wildcats are 5-0, but against an FCS team and four FBS teams with a combined record of 5-14. Three wins have been by five points or fewer. Now they get a Purdue team that has lost its best quarterback, running back and receiver to torn ACLs. Hello, 6-0.
HEISMAN WATCH
1. Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan, Soph., Odds: 5-2, vs. Michigan State: Became the first player in major college history to run for 200 yards and pass for 200 yards in the same game twice in his career, and he did it twice in four weeks. He’s pulling away approaching the halfway mark.
2. LaMichael James, RB, Oregon, Soph., Odds: 6-1, at Washington State: He’s like if Denard Robinson played running back. James sliced up Stanford for 257 yards and three TDs on 31 carries in Saturday’s game of the day.
3. Terrelle Pryor, QB, Ohio State, Jr., Odds: 7-1, vs. Indiana: Limited by the wind and a strained thigh against Illinois, he still ran for 100 yards for the third time this season, but will that thigh issue linger?
4. Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State, Jr., Odds: 8-1, vs. Toledo: Threw just 18 times in a 59-0 win over New Mexico State, but three were for touchdowns.
5. Cameron Newton, QB, Auburn, Jr., Odds: 15-1, at Kentucky: Joins Denard Robinson and Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick as one of three QBs with at least 1,400 passing yards and 400 rushing yards.
6. Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama, Jr., Odds: 18-1, vs. South Carolina: Has 355 rushing yards, teammate Trent Richardson has 419. They combined for 111 yards on 22 carries in the big win over Florida, but both may be too good to let either win this individual award.
7. Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford, Soph., Odds: 25-1, vs. USC: Threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns against Oregon, but he also threw two interceptions and his team lost. He needed that win to make a big move.
-- Doug Lesmerises
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Mack Brown's Texas is Jim Tressel's Ohio State -- the size, scope and success of the two athletic departments and football programs serving as reliable standards of comparison over the last decade. That's why it's worth it for Ohio State fans to take note of what's happening in Austin this season.
After losing to Oklahoma on Saturday, the 3-2 Longhorns on Sunday dropped out of the Associated Press rankings for the first time in 162 weeks, dating back to Oct. 15, 2000, Brown's third season at Texas. Ohio State's streak of 90 consecutive weeks in the AP Top 25 now leads the country.
On Saturday, Tressel will aim for his 100th victory with the Buckeyes when Ohio State hosts Indiana. Since taking over in Columbus, only three major college football programs have better winning percentages -- Boise State, Texas and USC. Lane Kiffin and the Trojans may only hold their edge on the Buckeyes for a few more weeks, after USC's holes were shown in their first loss of the season to Washington.
Texas in 2010 could be Ohio State in 2011. That's why the Buckeyes need to make sure their 2010 is like the Longhorns' 2009, when they reached the national title game.
Texas entered this season ranked No. 4 in the AP poll, but after losing their quarterback, best receiver, three starting offensive linemen and their top two tacklers from last season, the Longhorns have been dropping passes, committing penalties and losing physical battles on defense.
Austin American Statesman columnist Kirk Bohls wrote "Alamo Bowl on line 1 for you, Mack," after the 28-20 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday.
The Buckeyes are starting seven seniors on defense this season and four on offense, and if any significant number of juniors leave early for the NFL, 2011 could include a few lumps for the Buckeyes.
That's why Tressel will sit on this season like a mother hen on a golden egg. That's why he protected Saturday's 24-13 win over Illinois with a style that many found maddening. The running game must find its footing, and Terrelle Pryor's strained thigh needs to allow him to remain a threat to run, at least to some degree.
But by this point, though Pryor's progress will continue to remain a topic, the coaching staff knows what kind of team it has. It knows what flaws it has to hide and which strengths it can lean on.
Eighteen unbeaten teams remain in college football. Thirteen of the top 20 teams from the AP preseason poll have already lost, including Iowa and Wisconsin, the teams picked to finish second and third in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes realized early on Saturday that a big win wasn't on the table. It was win ugly or lose.
Steaming Texas fans, preparing for a bye week, get No. 6 Nebraska on Oct. 16 and could be facing their first three-game losing streak since 1999. They'd embrace an ugly win right now.
After a Saturday when a lot went wrong and a lot looked bad, Ohio State is lucky that a shot at a season like Texas had in 2009 is still alive.