No 1 Ohio State faces No. 24 Penn State tonight in State College, and things are crazier than ever:
Led by its vaunted defense, undefeated Ohio State is in a familiar position - at the top of both the AP Poll and BCS standings.
The top-ranked Buckeyes have not lost a regular-season game in more than two years, but will revisit the site of that defeat Saturday night when they visit 24th-ranked Penn State at Beaver Stadium.
Ohio State (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) maintained its position at the top of both the AP rankings and BCS standings after defeating Michigan State 24-17 last Saturday. The Buckeyes have been No. 1 in the BCS for 10 straight weeks after holding the top spot in all eight BCS polls last season and each of the first two of 2007.
They can claim their third consecutive Big Ten title and a spot in the BCS title game for the second straight season by closing out the regular season with four straight victories.
Ohio State has won a school-record 26 straight regular-season games since a 17-10 loss at Penn State on Oct. 8, 2005.
The Buckeyes avenged that defeat with a 28-6 win over the Nittany Lions last Sept. 23 in Ohio Stadium, but this will be their first trip to Happy Valley since losing there.
“Anytime you lose to a team, you want to redeem yourself. Penn State and Ohio State the last couple years have developed a little bit of a rivalry,” Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins said. “This year, there’s going to be a lot of hype around the game. It’s going to be a very intense environment.”
The Buckeyes will be the first No. 1 team to visit Beaver Stadium since top-ranked Notre Dame beat Penn State 34-23 in 1989. The Nittany Lions are 4-9 all-time against No. 1 ranked teams, including a 2-2 mark at home.
“Obviously, everyone says you have to remain the same, that it’s just another team,” Penn State cornerback Justin King said of playing a top-ranked team. “But of course, we’ll approach it with more intensity, and be ready to play. You only get the No. 1 team so many times.”
The Buckeyes have won four of their last five meetings against the Nittany Lions overall, but Penn State has won four of the last five matchups at home and is 5-2 all-time against Ohio State at Beaver Stadium.
The Nittany Lions have won all five of their home games this season, and 18 of 19 at Beaver Stadium since 2005.
On paper, this shouldn’t even be a contest, but its clear that a lot of people think the Buckeyes have had a pretty easy schedule so far this year and that they’ve coasted to the No. 1 spot thanks to the fact that more than one previous occupant of that spot has been knocked off. A win tonight would prove that the `07 Buckeyes are for real, and that the only thing standing between them and another chance at the National Championship is, yet again, the Michigan game.
