Ohio State didn’t need the legs of Terrelle Pryor to get Jim Tressel’s 100^th career win at Ohio State- and to vault themselves to the top of the polls.

Instead the Buckeyes used Pryor’s arm and a nasty defense to overwhelm Indiana, 38-10 at the Horseshoe. Coupled with top-ranked Alabama’s loss at South Carolina, the win moves Ohio State to the number-one spot in the national rankings… for now. Next week the Buckeyes will be in Camp Randall Stadium, at night, for their first major road test of the season. And they’ll arrive in Madison with the biggest of targets on their backs.

 

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The Ohio State Buckeyes started Jim Tressel's 100th victory celebration early by roaring out to a 31-0 halftime lead, and then coasting home to an easy 38-10 win over the Indiana Hoosiers Saturday in Columbus. Then when Alabama stumbled later in the afternoon, the Buckeyes whole perspective changed...from No. 2 and trying harder...to what will probably be the top spot in the national polls this week.

Ohio State (6-0, 2-0) beat Indiana for the 16th consecutive time to reach the halfway point of the schedule unbeaten, and they put Tressel into the record books for reaching 100 wins faster than all but two Big Ten coaches in league history. Bill Lynch's Hoosiers (3-2, 0-2) were the unwitting victims of what had the feel of a statement game for the Buckeyes, as they dominated in all phases, and stopped the high-functioning IU offense in its tracks.

Tressel's milestone shared top billing with Terrelle Pryor's injured thigh on this afternoon, and the junior quarterback responded with an impressive passing performance in the first half...which earned him lots of time off in the second. After driving the Buckeyes to a touchdown on their first second-half possession to make the score 38-0, Pryor spent the rest of the day watching from the sidelines.

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Saturday, October 9, 2010

Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

Indiana at Ohio State

12:00 p.m. (ET)

TV: ESPN


The Indiana Hoosiers bring their pass-happy offensive attack into Ohio Stadium on Saturday as the unbeaten Buckeyes try to extend the nation's third-longest winning streak and give Jim Tressel his 100th victory as OSU head coach. No. 2 Ohio State (5-0, 1-0) has dominated the series with the Hoosiers for decades, but Indiana has shown an explosive passing game this season, and they'll look to exploit a Buckeye secondary thinned by injuries.

All eyes will be on quarterback Terrelle Pryor to see if he shows any lingering effects of the strained quad muscle suffered in last week's 24-13 OSU win at Illinois. Tressel said Thursday that he expects Pryor to be ready for Indiana. "He's been 100%," Tressel said, going on to say of Wednesday's practice that his quarterback had "as crisp a day, footwork-wise in the passing game...and the sets and the delivery...I thought he had as sharp a day as we've had."

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The BCeStimation is a weekly column that predicts which 10 teams will make it to the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Rose Bowl and National Championship game. 

I just want to throw this out there before we get started -- how terrifying would Michigan be if they had a decent defense? Notice that I didn't say "good" or "great" defense, but decent. Regardless of how you feel about the Wolverines competition so far this season, what Denard Robinson has been able to do with Rich Rod's offense is simply remarkable. If I could close my eyes and picture Michigan stopping any opposing offense from having their way, they would (begrudgingly) be a part of this article. Unfortunately for them, I can close my eyes and imagine an organized and well-coached pack of squirrels getting 200+ yards on the ground and at least 28 points, so there you have it. *Squirrels have great lateral movement and fantastic jukability, but lack "bruising power" and breakaway speed... yeah, I guess they're exactly like Appalachian State. 

Now to the picks -- there is quite a bit of movement in this week's BCeStimation. Let's jump in!

Orange Bowl: Miami vs. West Virginia

Why Miami? Because the Hurricanes have the most impressive resume of any team from the ACC. They were able to overcome some adversity (a 12 point loss to our Buckeyes) and finished their road trip by thumping Pittsburgh and beating one of the better teams in the ACC (Clemson). Jacory Harris continues his push for the coveted Indian-Giving-Quarterback-Trophy; an annual reward for the quarterback who gives his offensive coaches the most hope in any game by tossing multiple brilliant touchdown passes, then taking that hope away with multiple mind-numbing interceptions. He won the trophy last year in a landslide, and is looking to be the second quarterback in college football history to win the award two years in a row (Anthony Morelli, Penn State QB, was the only other repeat winner from 2006-2007).

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