The Split Personality Round Table is a weekly column where I let my split personalities argue about sports topics. Sometimes I’m an optimist, sometimes I’m a pessimist, and sometimes I’m a realist. Most of the time, I’m all at once. Continue at your own risk.

The Buckeyes officially bounced back after their debacle in Miami with a 37-17 victory over Colorado, improving to a 3-1 record on the year. With their non-conference opponents in the rear-view, the Buckeyes can now look forward to the meat of their schedule -- the conference slate.

Ohio State’s Big Ten schedule begins this Saturday when the Buckeyes host the Michigan State Spartans. Sparty will bring the best overall defense in the country (statistically) to the ‘Shoe -- a defense that has held four opponents to an average of just 172 yards of offense per game. Granted, those four opponents (Youngstown State, Florida Atlantic, turnover-happy Notre Dame and Central Michigan) aren’t really the hardest teams to stop, but it’s not like the Buckeyes offense is scaring anyone these days. And that brings us to this week’s debate topic..

Debate Topic: Ohio State has dominated Michigan State over the last decade, beating the Spartans all six times they’ve played since 2002. Will that stretch continue this week?

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If you’re old enough as a fan, you remember a time when Colorado was regularly one of the most talented teams in college football. With names like Darian Hagan, Eric Bieniemy, Kordell Stewart, Michael Westbrook and Rashaan Salaam on offense, and Alfred Williams, Chad Brown, Ted Johnson and Deon Figures on defense, the Buffs of the early ‘90s were annually in the mix for conference titles and big-time bowl berths. They even won a piece of the National Championship in 1990 (albeit a tainted piece.)

The Colorado team that ventured to the Horseshoe for the first time since 1986 is a faint shadow of those Bill McCartney-coached powerhouses of two decades ago. These Buffaloes haven’t had a winning season in six years, are 22-45 since the start of the 2006 season and currently in the throes of an eighteen-game road losing streak, longest in the nation. Darian Hagan and Eric Bieniemy aren’t walking through that door.

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Youth was served in Ohio State’s 37-17 win over Colorado Saturday, as Braxton Miller threw two touchdown passes to fellow freshman Devin Smith in his first start as the Buckeyes’ quarterback. Junior tailback Jordan Hall added 231 all-purpose yards, including a 90-yard kickoff return and a rushing touchdown, and the Buckeyes dominated special teams play and field position to help them finish their non-conference schedule with a 3-1 record.

The new OSU quarterback didn’t complete a pass until the second quarter, but he established himself early as a dynamic running threat, with 78 net rushing yards in the first half while the Buckeyes were building a 20-7 halftime lead. Hall (84 rushing yds, 1 TD) and Carlos Hyde (40 yds, 1 TD) took over most of the rushing duty in the second half, and Miller finished with 83 yards rushing and 83 yards passing on 5 of 13 with the two TD throws, and no interceptions.

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- Saturday, September 24, 2011

- Ohio Stadium - Columbus, Ohio

- 3:30 p.m. (ET)

- TV: ABC (Regional) ; ESPN2 -



The Colorado Buffaloes come to Columbus Saturday for a game with the Buckeyes that was scheduled on the fly just a year ago, but now has added meaning, as it presents several more “firsts” for an Ohio State team playing a season full of them. To name a few....

- It’s the first time this season, (and the first time in 11 months, since Wisconsin on 10/16/10) that the Buckeyes (2-1) are preparing to play a game coming off a loss. How Luke Fickell and his charges respond to their first taste of failure could have important consequences for the team’s state of mind, and for Fickell’s coaching future, here or elsewhere.

- It’s the first time since 2004 that Ohio State finds itself looking up at the nation’s Top 25 from the outside. Their chances of rejoining that group this season will be largely determined by the results of the next three Saturdays, and a strong rebound against the Buffaloes is absolutely necessary to generate momentum toward dates with Michigan State and Nebraska.

- It will be the first career start for freshman quarterback Braxton Miller, who was named the starter by Fickell on Thursday. An OSU offense that had been flying too close to the ground in the first two games finally crashed and burned against Miami last week, and Fickell had little choice but to make the change and try to jumpstart the future, come what may. We’ll refrain from capitalizing the word “era” after Miller’s name...at least until he starts consecutive games.

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