Just to point this out. When compared to their 2002 National Championship team, they are easily similar.

1. Both teams began the season ranked outside the top 10 and moved into position by winning their games while those ahead fell around them.

2. Both are led by top notch, smothering, nation leading defenses.

3. Both have "game manager" type QB's.

4. Both offenses are led by young, powerful RB's, that were the #1 player in the nation out of high school.

5. Both had top WR's that were big, strong route runners with decent speed and great hands (Jenkins and Robiskie).

6. Both played great special teams.

7. Both will need to run the table to get to the big show.

8. Both teams have dominant O-lines.

9. And both teams were considered a year away from making a run at it, returning the bulk of their starters the following year.

***The stars are aligning...

It is yet to be seen if their RB is a gun enthusiast, NFL dropout, crazy person yet though. That may be key.

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Andy Rooney= biggest PUTZ of the dead

That would probably put OSU over the top.

Which shouldn't be a problem this year in the down Big Ten...well and they duck Iowa

They still have Penn St, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan - obviously some of these teams are not as good as projected, but I wouldn't call them cakewalks.

The team I saw against Purdue was better than the 2002 OSU team that came to Ross-Ade stadium. I would be shocked if OSU loses a game this year, and if South Florida wins out then OSU win the national title.

Another LSU loss and OSU is the favorite to win the title.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

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And they have her...
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OSU will be healthy this week as they take on the Michigan State Spartans.

The Bucks have had James Laurinitis practicing all week after leaving last week's game with a hip pointer.

DT Todd Denlinger will play on Saturday, as well, after missing last week's game.

And the big one, FS Anderson Russell could be back in the lineup. The rumors of a high ankle sprain proved unfounded, as Tressel said Anderson rolled his ankle a little bit and he expects him to be on the field on Saturday.

The Bucks should be at about 100% (other than Lawrence Wilson, who is out for the year with a broken leg, and Curtis Terry, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury, but who has chosen to redshirt this year rather than miss half his season and return into a rotation at outside LB. Terry will replace Grant at OLB next year, after starting last year. Wilson, a starter last year and this year, will replace Gholston if he leaves next year, with Heyward and Rose getting more PT.

Back to back shutting down of the top offense in the Big Ten. But pundits continue to say the Big Ten is down, so their top offenses are garbage. No big deal. Now they are saying that OSU can run through their schedule and they would still be unconvinced. Sounds like 2002.

I hate this crap. I think this "Big 10 is down" talk is garbage. Just because we have more parity this year... and that somehow equates to us being down. You can blame Michigan losing to Appy State and Oregon for that. I suppose you can blame NU for losing to Duke, but no one expects anything from us. We need dOSU to win the NC if we are going to dispell the rumor of the B10's demise. I never thought I'd ever say this, but "GO BUCKS!"

Damn right! Welcome aboard!

Purdue not competing against Michigan and OSU hurt the league too. If Purdue beats Penn State(they won't) they will be the third best team in the Big Ten. Even if they lose, they will be no less than 5th unless things go horribly wrong.

Saying the Big Ten is down is always popular to say. I wouldn't care if OSU was in the MAC, they are for real.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Purdue can beat average/below average teams, but when they play the good teams, their offense has gotten exposed - I hope they finish the season strong now that they have gotten through their rough patch of Ohio St/Michigan.

Exposed is the wrong word. Purdue is a good team. dOSU is just better. I'm not sure Michigan is better... Purdue just played poorly that game.

They generally play poorly whenever they play any good team.

In a matter of a few posts you say that Ohio State shuts down some of the best offenses in the Big Ten and complain about how the media says the offenses aren't very good and then you go and basically say that Purdue's offense isn't very good. Which is it? Do you give Ohio State credit for causing Purdue to have a poor offensive game or are they exposed when playing a good team? You can't have it both ways.

Purdue did not show up to play in those two games, but your use of the word "exposed" is the exact same stuff the media says that you are complaining about. Purdue hasn't won at Ann Arbor in forty years. For some reason, they can't win up there. OSU deserves to be the number one team in the country.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

If Purdue wins every game they will be favored in, they will finish 9-3 and 5-3 in the Big Ten which will most likely be good for fourth place in the Big Ten. So basically you are saying that the fourth team in the Big Ten isn't very good. I think that shows that the Big Ten is not that good.

The previous two years, we didn't beat anyone who was good, but that is because we weren't very good. I think it is a little early to say that this year's team plays poorly against any good team. You may be right but pretty much every other team in the Big Ten is going to lose to both OSU and Michigan unless they don't have them on the schedule. By the same logic, every team in the Big Ten plays poorly against any good team.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Ohio St. deerves credit for shutting down Purdue, and they shouldn't be criticized for their schedule. Purdue does have a good offense - it usually works fine, but they haven't played well against the better defenses. Maybe that's expected, but it's also keeping them from taking a step up in the conference.