EAST LANSING, Mich. -- A funny thing nearly happened on the way to The Game weve all been waiting for.Both No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan almost spit the bit. The Buckeyes had to intercept a two-point conversion try at Michigan State to escape with a 17-16 victory, while the Wolverines trailed Indiana into the third quarter before pulling away at home.Whew. What a downer it would have been if both teams had suffered their second losses of the season on the Saturday before their long-awaited showdown (ABC, noon ET). ESPNs planned five-hour College GameDay extravaganza from Columbus would have needed a sad trombone soundtrack.But both teams stayed alive in the College Football Playoff chase. It was survive and advance, Big Ten football style. And now we can finally look ahead to a potentially epic confrontation.Its going to be intense, Ohio State defensive end Jalyn Holmes said. The Game of the Century.Well, The Game of the Decade, perhaps. The 2006 meeting, when the Buckeyes and Wolverines were 1-2 in the rankings, will be hard to top. This years version also brings back memories of 1997, when both teams ranked in the top four, and a do-it-all defensive back (Charles Woodson) led Michigan to a national title en route to winning the Heisman Trophy.This will be the first time in a decade that Big Ten and national championship stakes ride on this rivalry. It feels like weve been headed for this since Jim Harbaugh was hired on Dec. 30, 2014. Two days later, Ohio State beat Alabama on its way to a national title.For all the hoopla and hard-earned success Harbaugh has already brought to Ann Arbor, he ultimately will be judged on whether he can beat Ohio State. His first time around didnt go so well, as the Buckeyes won 42-13 last year in the Big House. Michigan has lost 11 of the last 12 in this series.But Harbaugh has the maize and blue back on more equal footing with the Buckeyes. One of the best Big Ten parlor games this year has been comparing scores between the two superpowers. Michigan beat Wisconsin by seven at home. Ohio State needed overtime to beat Wisconsin by seven on the road. The Wolverines trounced Rutgers 78-0, one week after the Buckeyes stomped the Scarlet Knights 58-0. Ohio State hammered Maryland 62-3, exactly three points better than Michigans results against the same Terrapins a week earlier.Now these teams can finally measure up against each other. In the waning moments against Indiana, the Big House crowd starting chanting, Beat Ohio! (At least something remains from the Brady Hoke era.)Ohio State and Michigan, the greatest rivalry in sports, how can it not be in the back of your mind from right after the day you played last year? Michigan senior defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow said. I wouldnt hesitate to say thats the biggest game we play in every year.Its awesome when [the Big Ten title and playoff] comes down to that. It puts a little oomph in it.Neither team aced the playoff eyeball test on Saturday while playing about 70 miles apart. But November weather emphatically arrived in the state of Michigan, bringing wet, blustery conditions best-suited for old-school football. In East Lansing, 30 mph wind gusts made bubble-screen lobs float like bubbles.Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer ran J.T. Barrett 24 times into the teeth of a defense that knew what was coming, while Ohio State mustered just 86 passing yards.Well lose next week if we play like that, Meyer said.The Buckeyes have had some passing game issues this season and must find ways to throw against the nations top pass defense, led by All-American cornerback Jourdan Lewis. Then again, Michigan must deal with an Ohio State defense that grabbed two more interceptions on Saturday (17 for the season) and another pick that didnt officially count, on Michigan States two-point try. The Wolverines may again be without injured quarterback Wilton Speight; John OKorn started against Indiana and struggled to connect with his receivers through snow flurries.There are plenty of compelling storylines to go around. The Big Tens most versatile offensive player (Ohio State H-back Curtis Samuel) goes against its most versatile all-around player (Michigans do-everything LB?Jabrill Peppers, who modeled his game on Woodson). OSU redshirt freshman RB?Mike Weber, whose recruiting battle between the teams sparked Harbaughs infamous tangled web we weave tweet, makes his debut in the rivalry. The Big Tens East Division could be decided on the field, or both teams could stay home and watch Penn State go to Indianapolis.Add it all up, and the usual craziness that already is Michigan-Ohio State week will be ratcheted up to an 11 out of 10.Ive never been in a top-five Michigan game, Holmes said. But we could either both be in the top five or we could both be 0-11. Its still going to be intense.Saturdays struggles will be relegated to a mere footnote if Michigan and Ohio State stage a thriller next week in the Horseshoe. The Game weve all been waiting for is almost here.Its officially rivalry week, Meyer said. Our eyes are forward, and lets go.Air Max Plus Tn White . The FA rejected Wilsheres appeal that the length of his punishment was "clearly excessive" and said Thursday his suspension begins with immediate effect. He will miss league matches against Chelsea on Monday and West Ham on Dec. Air Max Plus Store . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. http://www.airmaxplusstoresale.com/air-vapormax-plus-cheap.html . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. Vapormax Plus Discount . Mickelson barely made the cut but had the best round of the day with nine birdies and an eagle coupled with two bogeys to sit two shots behind leader Craig Lee of Scotland. Lee shot a 69 for a 12-under 204 total. "I just love the fact I am in contention and have an opportunity in my first tournament of the year here in Abu Dhabi," Mickelson said. Air Max Plus Tn Cheap . -- The Missouri Tigers might not have a roster full of superstars.Cowboys?icon Roger Staubach has seen this movie before. Back in the day, he represented one half of a Texas-sized quarterback controversy with Craig Morton. Had Tom Landry turned to the more athletic Staubach earlier, those Dallas teams might have won three Super Bowl rings instead of two.Staubach hasnt met current Cowboys quarterback?Dak Prescott, but he has admired him from afar. Roger the Dodger appreciates the rookies?elusiveness and his split-second choices that have contributed to his interception-free start.You can tell that the players respect the heck out of him and that hes already a leader, Staubach told ESPN by phone. He is amazing at making decisions when ... theres a difficult situation there and he needs to dump the ball off. He also can throw to lead a receiver. Sometimes he throws the ball a little low, and I dont know if its intentional, but hes right on the money in allowing his receivers to make tough catches.Hes got something ticking up there, and you know youve got to get rid of the ball pretty quick in the NFL. He makes good, solid decisions. I think weve got a wonderful quarterback for the future.But is the future now for Prescott? Should he remain the starter if he beatts Green Bay on the road? Should the?Dallas Cowboys?deliberate over the bye week and conclude that a healthy?Tony Romo?is better off as a second-string Romo against the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct.dddddddddddd 30?If anyone deserves the last word on those questions, its the 74-year-old legend who knows a bit about playing quarterback for the Cowboys. Listen to his words closely for a clue or two.Its still all about winning football games, Staubach said, and Tony deserves to get back in there eventually. We have a great one in Tony and a future great one in Dak. If I was in the atmosphere of the Cowboy locker room, which Jason [Garrett] will be, hell get a sense of whats the right thing for the team. They all like Tony, whos a heck of a football player, but they also love Dak right now and what hes doing. Hes got the team behind him.If they beat Green Bay, there will be a lot of controversy to it. Im a Romo fan, too, so I dont want to say anything against Tony. But the way Daks going, its all about the team and whats the best feel for the team at this particular point. ' ' '
