Finally it is game week. The long wait is over.  The hype is about to become meaningless.  It is time to strap on the old Riddell(do they still make helmets?) and get it on.  Our Buckeyes open with the Northern Illinois Huskies of the MAC.  The MAC  has gained a lot of respect in recent years; deservedly so.  They play solid football and are very capable of upsetting one of the big boys every now and then. NIU has beaten Alabama, Maryland and Iowa State in recent years.  They played in the so-called Big House just last season.  So, no they won’t be terribly intimidated and they have a good team, maybe the best in the MAC.  That having been said, let me make a couple of things very clear.  I’m referring to rules of the universe here.  Ohio State should never lose to a directional school. EVER! Yes, Northwestern, that includes you.  Ohio State should never lose to a MAC school.  Come on Buckeye fans we can’t have it both ways.  We cannot talk of national championships, and then in the next breath tell everyone that Northern Illinois is a real threat to beat us at home.  

            The Huskies come to Columbus with the NCAA’s leading rusher from 2005, Garrett Wolfe,  a veteran QB,  Horvath, who led the NCAA in passing efficiency, before getting injured late in the season and a solid coach in Joe Novak.  They come to Columbus with one of the MAC’s best teams.  They will leave Columbus with an 0-1 record  and some serious questions about starting their seasons with the Big Ten’s elite.  This will be the Husky dogs versus the  really, really Big Dogs.  The Buckeyes will be ready to prove they are worthy of their #1 ranking. 

            Offensively, our O-line should dominate as the game moves into the third quarter.  Our One-Two punch at running backs should show Mr. Garrett Wolfe(is he a wolf in Huskies clothing?) to be the third best back in the stadium(maybe # 4 if Buckeye recruit  Brandon Saine is in attendance).  Troy will make some plays and miss some too, as he knocks the rust off and  settles in. 

            Our young defense will make mistakes and look their age at times and look like the Steel Curtain at other times.  The lack of experience will be most evident on third down.  It will be interesting how many times the Huskies convert on third down. I imagine it will be more than we’d like. The offense will work the kinks out and the defense will gain a lot of needed game experience.  We will win 31-17. Fans will come away saying that if we play like this next week we’ll never beat Texas.  Here is the deal.  We don’t have to beat Texas this week, we have to beat Northern Illinois.  We will go through the same growing pains and jitters and endure the same mistakes as Texas will against North Texas A&P or whoever they play in Austin on Saturday.  We will have some new stars emerge.  Look for Marcus Freeman and James Laurinitis to shine on defense.  Chris Wells will give us a taste of things to come.  Pittman will be solid.   I think Troy will not be at his sharpest, but will lead us to the win.    All in all the Buckeyes will win but not look much  like the number one team in the nation. Not  to worry. I think we proved in 2002 that winning is enough.  Pretty doesn’t matter that much. 

            Around the country we’ll see the Domers handle Georgia Tech.  How can you beat a genius coach and a QB who seemingly has already accepted the Heisman Trophy.  Cal and Tennessee both need to win their contest for different reasons.  Cal needs to prove they are a real contender, not just for the PAC 10, but for national recognition.  The Vols need to make like Phillip Fullmer’s belly and bounce back.  If they don’t,  things could get ugly in Rocky Top. USC travels to Arkansas, for a mildly interesting  intersectional match-up.  Any contest which pits a guy with  sword on a horse against a pig is just not fair.  The Trojans, despite massive losses to the NFL will be makin’ bacon. Then, in the weekend’s big game we have Florida State visiting Miami.  This is a weird situation.  The loser of this game is going to considered a program in steep decline.  The winner will be in the thick of the national title hunt.  High stakes for a season opener.  I like the Canes to get it done at home.  If things go bad for the Seminoles will Bobby fire his son, the offensive coordinator, or just look to find a more stupid looking hat to wear on the sidelines?  Maybe we need Queer Eye for the Old Guy” to get him on the road to sartorial excellence.  Who cares it’s college football season at last!