Michigan-Ohio State pregame ponderables
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Hello from the Horseshoe, where one of the best rivalries in sports is about to kick off with some extra meaning.
Nebraska's win against Iowa took a little bit of drama away from the proceedings, as Michigan now cannot make the Big Ten title game. In another situation, you might wonder how that would affect a team's motivation. But not this one. The records don't really matter in The Game.
But one record does matter to Ohio State: 12-0. The Buckeyes are one win away from perfection, and while they can't go bowling, finishing up the season with a victory against the Wolverines would be better than just about any bowl victory.
We've got some perfect Big Ten late November weather here, with temperatures in the low 30s and a light snow. The snow isn't sticking, so it shouldn't have too much impact on the game, except maybe adding some moisture to challenge ball carriers. I still expect Brady Hoke to come out in short sleeves.
It just doesn't get much better than this rivalry. Some Michigan fans already fired the first shot by writing "Beat Ohio" and a giant "M" in chalk on the south stadium wall this morning.
A key question looming over this game is the health of John Simon. Reports surfaced Friday that Ohio State's star defensive end is injured and might not play. We have confirmed that Simon is a game-time decision with a knee issue. It's hard to imagine the senior not trying to go on senior day if there's any way his body can be held together. But if he's missing or at far less than 100 percent, that's a big loss for a Buckeyes defense going against an explosive Michigan attack led by Devin Gardner and Denard Robinson.
Both teams have had some trouble stopping spread offenses and containing the perimeter on defense this season. Both offenses will look to exploit that weakness. Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller has been a little more cautious with his running style since suffering an injury against Purdue, trying to stay healthy for the rest of the season. But there is no more season to worry about after today, and the Michigan game is where Buckeyes players build their legacies, so I'd expect the sophomore star to play with abandon this afternoon.
But will Miller be able to throw effectively against a Michigan team that leads the nation in defending the pass? The Wolverines have not allowed anybody to pass for 200 yards this season.
Speaking of passing games, Michigan's has gotten a lot better since Gardner took over the quarterback job. But receivers Jeremy Gallon and Roy Roundtree will face a good challenge today, going up against certain first-team All-Big Ten selection Bradley Roby and teammate Travis Howard. The Buckeyes' cornerbacks have been ball-hawks, and should give Gardner more of a test than Minnesota, Northwestern and Iowa did.
There are great matchups all over the field, as you'd expect, and another great one on the sidelines between Hoke and Urban Meyer. Can't wait to get this one started.
The junior defensive end from Woodbridge (Va.) High named a top 10 and is primarily considering Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Virginia Tech.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Critical areas for the Buckeyes as they welcome Michigan looking to close out a perfect season at home with a win over their hated rival. The game will be televised live on ABC at noon ET Saturday from Ohio Stadium.
FIRST DOWN
Keep it in check: A perfect season, a rivalry, the last game for the seniors and a chance to send a message to poll voters are all out there looming as potential distractions. And if Ohio State gets too wrapped up in any of them, everything could slip away from them.
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Picks to click: Bucks to watch vs. Michigan 
Carlos Hyde
- The basics: The sophomore running back didn’t hide his frustration with not getting the football more often last week, but the Buckeyes won’t hold it against him. Urban Meyer admitted almost as soon as the victory over Wisconsin was over that Hyde needed more touches to spark the rushing attack, particularly because he only gets more difficult to bring down the deeper a game gets with his unique combination of size and undervalued speed.
- By the numbers: With the benefit of a conference championship game and a bowl appearance, Hyde would be in line to go over 1,000 yards pretty easily -- even after missing two full outings and part of another. He’s still got a shot at hitting that milestone, but he’ll need a steady diet of carries to get the 176 yards necessary to cross that barrier.
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Five storylines: Ohio State-Michigan
On the line: The division title is already locked up, but there is absolutely no shortage of things for Ohio State to play for. At the top of the list is bragging rights over the Wolverines, obviously, but the Buckeyes could potentially make a case for a split national championship if they finish off their perfect season. There's also the matter of building a little extra momentum heading into the offseason, both for workouts for the returning players and in terms of recruiting. And Braxton Miller also has one final shot at impressing Heisman Trophy voters. All those other motivators, though, pale in comparison to simply knocking off a hated rival.
Campaign stop: The rough personal outing for Miller last week at Wisconsin certainly put a damper on his chances of winning the most famous bronze statue in college football, but he's not totally out of the picture yet for a couple reasons. Another of the presumptive finalists struggled with Kansas State and Collin Klein getting throttled by Baylor, and Miller's team still won and remains unbeaten. Quarterbacks for teams without a loss typically fare pretty well in the Heisman race, and Miller has more than enough impressive numbers to garner votes. If he goes out with an impressive outing against Michigan in a high-profile game, he figures to be on his way to New York.
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Close to commitment? Timmons talks OSU
"No, not until my mother sees it," the four-star prospect from Frankfort (Ky.) Franklin County said about possibly committing during the trip. "She won't be coming with me this weekend."
Still, the Buckeyes should feel good about their standing with Timmons. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound junior has spoken glowingly about potential opportunities in Ohio State's offense. He also repeatedly has complimented the game-day experience at Ohio State.
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Watch List S Jalen Tabor will not take visit
Jalen Tabor, however, will not be one of the them. The ESPN Watch List safety from Washington (D.C.) Friendship originally was scheduled to make the trip but will not, because his school has a game this weekend.
Tabor visited Maryland on Saturday, which was a rare trip for the junior prospect. Tabor hasn't taken many visits this fall.
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Meyer keeps pumping out great classes
Meyer has long been known as a tireless recruiter and will work until the last possible second to either flip a prospective commit or land the big name. His recruiting class in February ranked sixth -- the highest it has been since 2008 -- as his resume no doubt brought some of the bigger name recruits from other programs.
Taylor Decker, Kyle Dodson, Se’Von Pittman, Joey O’Connor, Tommy Schutt, Armani Reeves and Camren Williams were all destined for other universities before becoming Buckeyes nine months ago. Meyer had similar success at Florida as the Gators were almost always in the upper echelon of the class rankings.
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Senior sendoff: Looking for happy ending
A tight end made a transition to right tackle, struggled early and became one of the most important blockers on the team. A fullback moved over to defense in the middle of the season and became a starting linebacker after three days of practice.
A cornerback overcame an up-and-down career to lead the team in interceptions, much like a linebacker who took his time developing finally emerged as a marquee playmaker. A defensive end battled back from microfracture surgery and played almost the entire season. A two-time captain is playing at perhaps the highest level of his career and reaching rarified air in school history.
The Buckeyes have special stories all over the place, and of course, they've all added up to something pretty magical in the win column as well. Their collective tale won't exactly be cheapened if it doesn't end with a victory in the blood feud with Michigan on Saturday at Ohio Stadium, but the coach who has only been with them for one season would clearly prefer to help write a happy ending.
"What they’ve done, I know this is a very proud tradition here at Ohio State, but what they’ve done -- I want to do the best I can that they can find a way to win this game," Urban Meyer said. "And they could go down in the history books as one of the greatest senior classes of all time."
First things first, the Buckeyes have one more major hurdle ahead of them in the bid for a perfect season. But heading into the last game in the careers of those seniors, three of them have stood out this year as perhaps under-appreciated for what they've offered compared to some higher-profile veterans.
Nathan Williams
- Position: Defensive end
- Stats sheet: 39 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 4 quarterback hurries, a pass broken up and a forced fumble
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Star recruits psyched for OSU-Michigan
In fact, it would have been even stronger if some individuals weren’t still in their respective high school playoffs.
Still, with names such as ESPN 150 linebackers Daniel McMillian and Trey Johnson, and wide receiver James Quick scheduled to make official visits, it’s an impressive collection.
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LB Martrell Spaight to visit OSU, WVU
It was Spaight’s all-in play that made him the Jayhawk Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Spaight’s 130 tackles ranks him fourth on the school’s all-time list for single-season performances.
Now, it’s time for the former North Little Rock (Ark.) standout to look at FBS programs. Spaight will visit Ohio State this weekend and has a visit set for West Virginia the weekend of Dec. 8.
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Ohio State offers 2014 LB Kyle Berger
Kyle Berger (Cleveland/St. Ignatius) picked up his first offer, but the 6-foot-3, 205-pound outside linebacker will likely get plenty more after a junior season that put the Wildcats in the Division I state quarterfinals.
“It’s awesome just thinking you’re possibly going to be playing football in college and it’s possibly going to be for a school like Ohio State,” Berger said. “It’s always been my goal to play Division I football.”
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Video: Michigan-Ohio State preview
Michael Rothstein from WolverineNation and Austin Ward from BuckeyeNation preview this weekend’s annual edition of “The Game.” Michigan is looking for its second win in a row and its first win in Columbus since 2000, and Ohio State is looking to complete an undefeated season and beat Michigan for the eighth time in nine years.
OSU's season to bring recruiting success
The third commit in the 2013 class said yes to the Buckeyes back when they were coming off a 6-7 campaign. With the school headed into Michigan week this season at 11-0, the defensive tackle is obviously a little biased, but he is all smiles as he travels to the Horseshoe for “The Game.”
What Price sees is a formula in which winning breeds winners as he thinks Ohio State has an advantage by being unbeaten this late in the season when it pertains to recruiting his class and the next.
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Buckeyes add energy guy in 2014 SF Tate
At 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds, Tate brings toughness and competitiveness to the floor. He runs the floor hard and finishes above the rim with power in transition. He is a slasher in the half court and finishes through contact with ease. He rebounds and blocks shots in and out of his area and is capable of defending all three perimeter positions. Tate plays hard and is not afraid to do the dirty work help his team. As his skill develops, his offensive production will increase rapidly.
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ABOUT BUCKEYE NATION
Austin Ward
Austin Ward joined ESPN.com in 2012 after five years as a college football writer at the Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune and the Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel. The award-winning journalist lives with his wife in Columbus, Ohio. Email him at ajward.espn@gmail.com.
Brad Bournival
Brad Bournival, a lifetime Northeast Ohio resident, joined ESPN in 2012 and is the recruiting writer for BuckeyeNation. He has covered sports at the professional, college and high school level for 16 years. Recently, Bournival was a freelance writer for The Plain Dealer, The Medina Gazette and SportsInk.com. Email him at bradbournival.espn@gmail.com.