A.M. Ohio State links: Raucous Camp Randall, brotherly love (Boren style) and Badger beliefs

Top-ranked Buckeyes get ready to pay a visit to the No. 18 Badgers at their rowdy home stadium.

Remember those Readers Digest stories, the ones that introduced us to different parts of the anatomy? "I Am Joe's Hypothalamus." "I Am Jane's Bile Duct." Well, the folks at USA Today might want to resurrect the series (if indeed it ever ended; Starting Blocks hasn't had time to check out a Readers Digest since ESPN37 was launched). The title of the first installment? "I Am USA Today's Right Hand." The next one? "I Am USA Today's  Left Hand."

Apparently, those appendages have never met, at least judging from today's prediction story for this weekend's slate of college games. In the opening salvo of the story, setting up the game-by-game predictions, the writer notes the changes in the rankings following South Carolina's upset win over Alabama last week. And then comes this paragraph:

It would not be a shocker if there were a new No. 1 after this week with Ohio State going on the road to Wisconsin. The Badgers will challenge the Buckeyes with their running tandem of John Clay and James White and there will be a raucous crowd awaiting at Camp Randall Stadium.

OK, fair enough. It IS a pretty topsy-turvy world right now in college football. And, to paraphrase a line from the pros -- "on any given Saturday ..."

The fun comes later on, in those game-by-game snippets, where we find:

No. 1 Ohio State at No. 16 Wisconsin, 7 p.m.: The left thigh of Terrelle Pryor will be the biggest factor in this game. With limited mobility, Pryor had no yards in three carries against Indiana last week. OSU needs his running threat or the Badgers could beat a top-ranked team for the first time since 1981. Ohio State 24, Wisconsin 19.

Of course, that's just the condensed version. The Readers Digest version, per se.

The sweet life of Zach and Justin
Zach Boren, the Buckeyes fullback, was named the team's player of the week for his work against Indiana last Saturday. The person least surprised: his big brother, left guard Justin Boren, according to a story in the Columbus Dispatch.

"People said he was only getting a scholarship because of me - whatever," Justin said. "He got here, and I knew he was going to prove himself. I knew he was going to play right from the get-go. He's just an amazing athlete. He does whatever needs to get done."

Zach won the lineman of the week award for his blocking at Illinois. With quarterback Terrelle Pryor hobbled by a strained quadriceps, the Buckeyes still were able to grind out rushing yards in the fourth quarter to secure a 24-13 victory.

Last Saturday against Indiana, Boren got to showcase his wild side, making a one-handed catch in the flat, then turning upfield and hurdling over cornerback Adrian Burks for a 15-yard gain.

"I guess I took on a different role this week," Boren said afterward. "I guess they call the fullback a glorified offensive lineman, so I guess I got to get a little glory today by catching a pass."

Anyone else smell a cable TV sitcom in the Boren Bros.' future?

Badgers believe
Jeff Potrykus, who covers Wisconsin for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, is not among those forecasting a Badgers victory. Far from it. But the tone in his blog, while honest, indicates that he and the Wisconsin team won't be surprised if No. 18-ranked Badgers upset the top-ranked Buckeyes.

I think UW is going to lose Saturday -- that is a change from my view before the season began -- but it is clear the UW players believe they are capable of handing the Buckeyes their first loss of the season.

(The Badgers) suffered a humbling loss in their league opener at Michigan State, which remains unbeaten and appears stronger than most had expected, showed some improvement last week against the Gophers but to date have yet to put together a solid, 60-minute performance against an FBS program.

Anything less than an outstanding effort for four quarters won't cut it against the Buckeyes. I have my doubts this UW team is capable of putting together such a complete game (offense, defense and special teams) on Saturday.

Yet it is clear the players and coaches think otherwise.

Saturday night should be interesting.

Yeah, it should. For at least the first five minutes.

Wise beyond his years
Mike Fiammetta is a writer for his college paper, The Badger Herald. And yeah, that's the University of Wisconsin Badger Herald. The kid took a look at the game coming up Saturday night at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison noted right away the biggest threat to the No. 18 Badgers:Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

Thus far in 2010, Pryor has lived up to every bit of the hype, throwing for 1,349 yards, 15 touchdowns and only three interceptions, good for a 170.47 quarterback rating. On the ground, the Pennsylvania native has gained 354 yards on 57 carries (6.2 yards per) and has rushed for 3 touchdowns. Impressively, Pryor has zero fumbles this season, a testament to improving on his turnover-ridden 2009 campaign.

“This year, I would say he’s a whole lot smarter than he was last year,” (safety Aaron) Henry said. “He isn’t making lazy throws like he was last year, but it’s still a whole bunch of opportunities there. A lot of announcers have announced him as one of those guys to go out there and make plays. He’s become a better passer, and I think he’s become a better passer because the wide receivers, they put him in good situations.”

True. Being the quarterback for the No. 1 team in the country IS a pretty good situation.

From The Plain Dealer
Beat writer Doug Lesmerises talked a little history with Buckeye defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, and it wasn't a happy history lesson; it was all about the big Badger offensive line blowing up the Ohio State D-line two years ago to let running back John Clay drive for a go-ahead touchdown.

Never again, or so vows Heyward.

Lesmerises' Ohio State Insider column has news the Badgers definitely didn't want to hear: Quarterback Terrelle Pryor is once again a running threat.

"It (his strained left quadriceps muscle) has gotten a lot better," Pryor said. "Last week it was still a little tender, and we had a passing plan during the game and we didn't have to run the ball with me. This week it's full go.

"Any time you get injured you're never 100 percent. I'd be lying to you if I told you that. But it's enough to carry as much as I have to carry the ball and do what I have to do to try to help the team win."

Columnist Bill Livingston plays a particularly poetic tour guide through the cities and towns that make up the Big 10, paying special homage to the paths fans take to them.