For a week now I've had to listen on assorted radio talk shows - local and national - read in papers, magazines and whatnot that the Michigan Wolverines deserve a rematch in the BCS National Championship Game Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz.

I've not passed judgment on that possibility, opting to wait for what happened between USC and Notre Dame last night on ABC.  Ummm yeah…Watching USC dissect the Fighting Irish in the second half was a bunch of fun.  Almost as much fun as having to sit through Steubenville's stomping of Aurora in the Ohio Division III playoffs last night.

In short:  the Trojans deserve their shot at the Bucks, and despite being somewhat young, could actually win that game.  If they beat UCLA Saturday, their appearance in the championship game is a foregone conclusion.  Given that it would have been the traditional match-up in the Rose Bowl, prepare - once again - for uber hype, this time courtesy of FOX which mortgaged their future for the rights to most of the BCS games.

Ummm…yeah there probably should have been more than an few more Roman numerals in these takes, but I kinda got wrapped up in something like the feature story that will run in Sunday's ABJ.  Oopps.

In my mind, Troy Smith just won the Heisman tonight and deservedly so.  The Buckeyes came into the season ranked No. 1 and had to contend with having a bullseye on their backs for every single game.  Despite one mental area, and two fumbles that werne't his fault, he rallied his team to go 29 of 41 with four TDs (settting one Bucks record) and 316 yards.  He was downright freaky at times hitting eight different receivers.  Any future QB at OSU will be hard pressed to match his efforts against Michigan.

But let's talk about that Akron connection that provided a huge spark tonight.  Antonio Pittman showed why he's talking about sticking around next year in pursuit of the Heisman Trophy; he'd be in serious contention. As I mentioned in an earlier post Chris "Beanie" Wells, gives the Bucks hope for the future at the position as long as he's got his fumbleitis cured.

But enough of what could be.  My mind is completely focused on what could happen Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz.

Why is Troy Smith going to win the Heisman?

That drive just showed why.  Pinned inside their own 10-yard line, Smith shows how incredibly elusive he is to buy time and hit Brian Robiskie for a 39-yard gain. Then, a few plays later, on a masterful play fake when we see Akron's Beanie Wells dive into the pile, he hits his best friend, Ted Ginn Jr. for a 39-yard pass TD.

It completed a 94-yard drive.  It's also clear that with Robiskie, Beanie Wells, Hartline and such, the future could be illuminous for the Bucks.

Very savvy play calling …five wideouts at the one yard line…third and goal and they throw the ball.

You had to know that the Wolverines were more concerned with Smith running the ball as opposed to throwing it.

I'll confess to being a bit skeptical had the offense not answered the bell here.  My initial impression is that this is akin to last year's Fiesta Bowl.

Wolverines with an impressive opening drive.  Of course I had to endure a Brent Musberger cliche about Bo Schembechler smiling some place or another.

It's clear that the Wolverines plan to pass to set up the run as Henne goes 4 for 4 for 67 yards.  An initial observation:  Michigan coaches paid attention to that Northwestern game.

Game's on folks.  It ain't gonna be a cakewalk, rarely are OSU v. Michigan games are.

Yeah, I'm here.  In the pressbox at Ohio Stadium in what could be termed a dream assignment.  Pity I have to work

Why is this a dream gig?  I spent two years in my early 20s matriculating at OSU, to be back in this capacity would be any writer and football fan's idea of heaven.

No. 1 v. No. 2.  OSU v. Michigan.  National Championship on the line.  Emotions running high on both sides, but possibly more so for the Wolverines because of the death of football program patriarch and Barberton native Bo Schembechler.

An Oscar winning screenwriter couldn't craft a better drama than this. I'll report with an objective eye, but it won't exactly be easy.

Yes, I sat through that debacle last week known as the Bucks vs. The Illini.

That 17-10 victory by Troy Smith and the boys should have never played out that way.  The Illini is a team that the Bucks should have dominated from start to finish and I have to bet that Coach Jim Tressel knows that.

And it's not difficult to figure out what exactly happened - the Bucks were looking ahead to Nov. 18.  The same can be said as Michigan came close to falling asleep in the closing moments against Ball State University. But that's no excuse.  Everyone knows that should both teams remain undefeated, this version of OSU vs. Michigan will be the battle in the schools' long and storied histories.

Northwestern won't be a pushover by any stretch of the imagination.  Until last week, the Buckeyes played like the nation's No. 1 since being tested by Penn State.  Time to wake up and remember that.   Otherwise we members of the media won't have a lot to hype other than a great rivalry game next week. 

One thing you never have to worry about with the Ohio State Buckeyes as long as Jim Tressel leads the football team - they will maximize their rep with prospective recruits.

In the coming weeks the best way to do that - OSU-Michigan weekend.  According to assorted sites, the Bucks will host seven recruits whom they have already tendered scholarship offers.  The most coveted - Kristofer O'Dowd, Salpointe Catholic High School, Tuscon, Ariz., a blue chip center prospect who is the top rated center in the country, according to Scouts.com.

Five four-star prospects - defensive tackle Joseph Barksdale, Detroit, Mich.; safety Major Wright out of Ft. Lauderdale Fla.; cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke, Miami, Fla. (who could renege on a verbal to the Miami Hurricanes now that their program is in turmoil); wide receiver Leonard Hankerson, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. and defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, Suwanee, Ga. - are slated to take in OSU's sprawling campus along with three-star prospect linebacker Brian Rolle out of Immokalee, Fla.

Let's call it deliberate seduction.  Think of it.  If the Bucks and the Wolverines succeed in not looking past Northwestern and Indiana respectively this coming week and actually meet as the top two ranked teams in the country, Columbus will be college football nirvana Nov. 18.  There's no better way to show bright-eyed recruits the passion for football at Ohio State and how almost every year there's a reasonable shot at the team working its way into national title consideration.