thelantern
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
THELANTERN.COM
THE STUDENT VOICE OF THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
YEAR 135, ISSUE NO. 45 @THELANTERN
Collision course Ohio State and Michigan State headed toward season-defining matchup
No. 2 MSU
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No. 1 OSU
No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan State are two trains charging toward each other for a head-on Nov. 21 collision. Amid years of criticism about the overall strength of the Big Ten, the Buckeyes and Spartans are trying to buck that trend with strong play on both sides of the ball. “Just seeing our conference build and improve upon what we did last year, it’s great to see for the conference,” OSU sophomore linebacker Raekwon McMillan said. While the engines of the two teams are what got them to the top of the rankings, as much as anything it’s the obstacles standing in their ways that have a No.1 vs. No. 2 matchup seem like fate. The only other currently ranked school on each team’s schedule is No. 22 Michigan. Northwestern (No. 16) and Wisconsin (No. 19) are the other two Big Ten teams in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, but the only way OSU or MSU would meet one of them would be in the Big Ten Championship Game — likely to be represented by the winner of the OSUMSU game. The Buckeyes entered the season seeming like they might very well coast their way back to the College
Football Playoff. In the preseason AP poll, OSU received all 61 first-place votes — the first team ever to achieve the feat. Fast-forward to the poll heading into Week 5, and the Scarlet and Gray have lost 16 of those votes — with five shifting to the team directly under them, MSU. The Spartans have trended up since opening the season at No. 5. After an unconvincing 37-24 victory at Western Michigan — which OSU beat 38-12 in Week 4 — MSU turned heads nationally by topping then-No. 7 Oregon 31-28. Double-digit victories over Air Force and Central Michigan followed, led by redshirt senior Connor Cook, who is considered by many to be the top quarterback entering the 2016 NFL draft. OSU, on the other hand, has faced a downward spiral in perception, especially on offense. After scoring 42 points at Virginia Tech in the opener, it put up a misleading 38 against Hawaii — which included no passing touchdowns — and just 20 against Northern Illinois. The 38-point performance against Western Michigan alleviated many of the players’ concerns for the time being, players such as senior linebacker Joshua Perry said he knows the current trend won’t cut it in Big Ten play. “The way that we’re playing right now, I don’t know if we can (win the Big Ten). All phases — offense, defense, special teams — we have to know that we’re going to have some big challenges in the Big
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RYAN COOPER Sports Editor cooper.487@osu.edu
COLLISION CONTINUES ON 2
Opinion: Big Ten held back by its lesser teams ANDREW SCHULMAN Lantern reporter schulman.45@osu.edu With the advent of the College Football Playoff, the question as to the best conference has become much more prevalent. Over the past decade, the Southeastern Conference has undoubtedly reigned superior, winning seven national championships in a row
from 2006 to 2012. However, many would argue that college football is beginning to establish a sense of parity, as Florida State claimed the national title in 2013, followed by Ohio State’s eighth national title in 2014 in the first SEC-free championship game since 2005. Moreover, the Sept. 27 Associated Press poll pits two Big Ten teams — No. 1 OSU and No. 2 Michigan State — at the pinnacle,
followed by TCU of the Big 12, before finally finding an SEC team in Mississippi at No. 4. All this considered, the difference between the Big Ten and other Power 5 conferences is definitely diminishing — and might already be gone. First, the Big Ten’s record in bowl games last year should be examined. While the 5-5 mark might not blow minds away, it should be
noted that Las Vegas oddsmakers labeled all 10 bowl-eligible teams as underdogs in their respective games. Additionally, the upper-echelon Big Ten teams (OSU, Wisconsin and Michigan State) all won their bowl games, with two of those being against SEC West opponents (Alabama and Auburn) and the other being against a formidable Big 12 opponent in Baylor. While some of the mediocre
teams in the conference struggled during last year’s bowl season, the top teams more than made up for it in what might have been the best New Year’s Day for the conference in several years. Next, let us look at the Big Ten nonconference schedule against Power 5 conferences. To date, Michigan State might own the most impressive nonconference BIG10 CONTINUES ON 2