They all have the date memorized.
But even if they couldn’t identify Nov. 17 on a calendar, the Buckeyes would know exactly when this year’s Ohio State-Michigan game will be played.
“Thirty-two days, 20 hours 33 minutes and 55 seconds,” Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis said Tuesday night after practice.
Laurinaitis isn’t Rain Man. He merely looked at one of the many “countdown clocks” in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
“Nov. 17 means a big game,” Laurinaitis said. “It’s real, and it’s something we have to be prepared for.
“You have to believe that no matter where the teams are ranked or what the records are, it will be the most physical football game you’ll ever play in. It’s the best rivalry in college football, and it’s an honor to play in that game.”
Laurinaitis’ teammate, fellow linebacker Marcus Freeman, also immediately knew what Nov. 17 represents.
“That’s the biggest game in college football,” he said. “People can say they’re not thinking about it, but we think about it 365 days a year.”
You know college football has turned freaky when teams such as South Florida, Kentucky and Appalachian State demand our attention.
But in a world of “Extra” and “Access Hollywood,” the Ohio State-Michigan game is “60 Minutes:” It always matters — and it usually delivers.
The game has played a direct role in determining the Big Ten title every year since 1999. Last year it decided which team would play in the Rose Bowl and which eventually would challenge — OK, maybe that’s not the best word — Florida in the BCS Championship Game.
Both teams are 3-0 in the Big Ten, alone at the top of the standings. If Michigan beats Illinois and Ohio State gets past Michigan State on Saturday, the Wolverines and Buckeyes will have a two-game lead on the rest of the league.
But while the Buckeyes freely discuss a game that’s four weeks away, Michigan’s players take a different tack.
Asked what Nov. 17 means to him, left tackle Jake Long replied: “Right now, nothing. I’m not thinking about that, I’m thinking about Illinois. They’re a great team and this is a championship game.”
Safety Jamar Adams responded much the same way, insisting that all his focus was on Saturday’s opponent.
“The date that comes to mind is Saturday of this week against Illinois,” he said. “It’s too talented a group to even consider that date down the line.”
Ohio State players didn’t mean to be disrespectful to their Saturday opponent, Michigan State.
Freeman said that at the top of his team’s agenda is “realizing how good a team Michigan State is.” But that agenda stretches past Saturday to a game that has been played 103 times. (Michigan leads the series 57-40-6, but Ohio State has won five of the last six.)
“Michigan started a little slow but is coming on now,” Freeman said. “It’s an excellent football team, and we expect that, when that game comes up, it will be for the Big Ten championship.”
Like Andy Rooney being crabby, you can count on it.
Here are five reasons Ohio State and Michigan perennially vie for the Big Ten title:
1. Tradition: Ohio State and Michigan have dominated the Heisman Trophy balloting among Big Ten schools. Ohio State has produced seven winners, Michigan three.
Since 1955 the only Big Ten Heisman winner not from Ohio State or Michigan was Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne. Recruits view Ohio State and Michigan as schools that will help them achieve their loftiest goals.
2. Recruiting base: Ohio and Michigan annually produce a bumper crop of elite players, way more than Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin or Minnesota. And Ohio State has virtually no in-state competition for blue-chippers.
3. Coaches: Jim Tressel won four Division I-AA titles at Youngstown State before succeeding John Cooper. Tressel is an outrageous 69-14 (.831 winning percentage) as the Buckeyes’ coach.
Lloyd Carr put in 15 years as an assistant under Bo Schembechler and Gary Moeller before assuming the top role in 1995. He won his first nine games against opponents ranked in the top 10 and has a career winning percentage of .756.
4. Resources: Neither school has to sweat over its recruiting budget. Michigan has approved a stadium renovation that will cost at least $226 million. Ohio State spent $194 million to expand and spruce up Ohio Stadium and recently pumped $21.5 million into its 86,000-square-foot Woody Hayes Center, adding amenities such as in-water treadmills, an Xbox arcade, pool tables and a juice bar, according to ESPN.com.
5. The cumulative effect: Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo said the advantages for Michigan and Ohio State make it nearly impossible for another Big Ten team to beat them consistently.
“They have to falter for someone to catch them,” said DiNardo, who coached at Indiana from 2002-04. “Penn State has the best chance.”
Ohio State is rolling so well, DiNardo joked, the Buckeyes will remain in command at least until “Tressel runs for governor.”
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tgreenstein@tribune.com
