Well, the regular season flew right by, and instead it was the bowl games that seemed to last for thirteen weeks. Somehow, a system that used to close up shop on New Year's Day with its signature bowl games has now decided it prefers something closer to MLK Day for its curtain call.

The powers that be extended the bowl bash from New Years Day all the way out to January 10th this year, and scheduled bowl games on seven of the eight days in between. They could learn a thing or two about building to a thrilling climax though, after filling space with Pitt-Kentucky, Nevada-BC, and Middle Tennessee-Miami (OH) in the first week of January.

Not that those were bad games, but at that point, with bowl fatigue setting in just a bit, they had the feel of games for games' sake. Following the Granddaddy with the grandnephew is bound to take some of the luster off the former. I hear there are even people who got sick of it all after about thirty bowls. That never happened to me, although there's only so much Mark May any man can take.

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Duke’s loss to unranked Florida State Wednesday night opened the door for Ohio State to earn its first No. 1 ranking since the 2006 season. The Buckeyes likely locked up the top spot with their 69-66 win over Penn State on Saturday night.

Ohio State (18-0) outlasted a feisty Nittany Lions team that gave the Buckeyes all they could handle. Although Penn State hasn’t defeated the Buckeyes in 14 attempts, they nearly pulled off a stunning upset inside the confines of Value City Arena. It took consecutive “and 1” buckets from Jared Sullinger in the final minute to secure the victory:

With the game tied at 63, Ohio State had possession of the ball and momentum going against them. The Buckeyes forced the ball down low to Sullinger and he came up huge with a hook-shot jumper that went in despite being fouled. Moments later, Sullinger hit the free throw that put the Buckeyes up by three with 60 seconds left.

On Penn State’s next possession, David Jackson converted a three point play of his own after being fouled on a put-back layup. With 44 seconds left on the clock and the game tied at 66, Ohio State went back to the freshman phenom. As the shot-clock ticked down, Sullinger made a clutch low post bucket, again while being fouled, and converted the second three point play that sealed the game.

Sullinger broke down the last two plays after the game, “They stopped double-teaming, which gave me the chance to go up the middle. [Aaron] Craft was hitting shots, and without the double-team I could take my time in the post.”

Ohio State head coach Thad Matta just wanted Sullinger to take care of the ball, "On the last one, I told him, 'Don't try to draw the contact, just make the shot,' " Matta said. "As only Jared can do, he did both."

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For the second time in as many games, the Ohio State Buckeyes (17-0) had to withstand a late rally from an overmatched opponent to remain unbeaten. On Sunday afternoon, the Buckeyes held off Minnesota. Last night, they avoided the upset by beating Michigan 68-64 in Ann Arbor.

The Wolverines came as close as any team has to beating Ohio State. With 12 seconds remaining in the game, Michigan had clawed their way back from a double digit deficit to within two points of the Buckeyes. Clutch free throws from junior William Buford and freshman Aaron Craft secured the 68-64 victory.

Michigan coach John Beilein talked about his team’s near-stunning upset, "We're close, but to get over the hump, you've got to be better than the breaks, you've got to be better than the other team," He later added, "You've got to stay so focused. You've got to be better than any calls that don't go your way."

Whether the calls went their way or not, the Wolverines had plenty of other things going for them last night. Michigan shot the ball extremely well from the three point line, connecting on 11 of their 24 attempts. The Wolverines lit it up early by hitting four of their first five 3-pointers, all within the first five minutes of game time.

Michigan’s hot shooting gave them a six point lead early, but Ohio State was able to fight back after the Wolverines went (momentarily) cold from behind the arch. After the Buckeyes tied it at 16, Ohio State wasn’t able to build a lead bigger than four points. Michigan was constantly putting pressure on Jared Sullinger by double teaming the post. They used a few zone schemes that Sullinger hadn’t seen at any point this season, sending the weak-side defender as the second man to double down. Sullinger was flustered by the defense and committed six turnovers. Coach Matta thinks Sullinger will grow from the experience, "They were basically running the kitchen sink on Jared," Matta said. "I think he'll learn from this game."

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The day after.

It feels a whole lot like last night, only a little worse because you wake up and realize this wasn't just a bad dream. You won't turn on SportsCenter and you probably won't eat breakfast. You'll drive to work with no music playing in your car. You'll be alone with your thoughts and that final score will haunt you for days, weeks... years.

I've been there. I'm an Ohio State fan.

I became familiar with the football culture surrounding your team leading up to last year's Rose Bowl game. I enjoyed the way you folks cheer for the Ducks. I followed your team this year and I was pulling hard for you guys last night. Unfortunately things didn't end the way we wanted them to.

From a die-hard fan who has watched his team lose two national championship games, I come to you with a guide for how to cope with this loss. You might say you don't need my help -- that you have experienced this kind of pain just last year after the Rose Bowl. Let this be my first warning -- it's not the same. It's much worse.

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