With the passing of Bo Schembechler, it was evident that Michigan and Ohio State were not ready to play Big Ten football. So they played WAC football instead.

OSU's 42-39 win was exciting, but holy hell that game had more scoring than Spring break. In fact, it was the highest-scoring game (81 points) in the rivalry's history since the closely-contested match of 1902 when Ohio State just barely lost, 86-0.

But while the game was certainly exciting, it wasn't exactly riveting. After Michigan scored on the first drive, Ohio State rattled off 21 straight points and was always at least half a furlong ahead of Michigan. At the same time, you could tell that the game would never be out of reach. It was the perfect kind of game for TV ratings - you couldn't turn it off, yet you weren't glued to the set, leaving you free to, for example, play some Flash games.

Glendale Isn't Exactly A Great Championship City Name

So now Ohio State will travel to the desert in January and play for the national championship. It will also be their fourth bowl game in Phoenix in the last five years. Buckeye football may as well be considered Arizona's second largest demographic of immigrants. But who will they play, now that Ohio State's regular season is over? Will it be USC, with quality opponents left on their schedule? Florida, with an SEC Championship yet to claim? Arkansas, Rutgers, Notre Dame? What about a Michigan rematch?

Well, forget about the BCS. What about Troy Smith? He's clearly the best quarterback ever to play in the 6-1-4. He's full of toughness, strength, mobility, accuracy, and intangibles (known in Columbus as "Olentangibles"). He's the first Ohio State signal-caller in 70 years to beat Michigan three times. And the prestigious program really hasn't had many great quarterbacks — and unless you're Bobby Hoying's mother, it's tough to argue. ABC even had a Heisman trophy on the sidelines during the broadcast of the game, so I suppose Smith doesn't have to go all the way to New York to claim it.