Below The Beltway

With all due respect to Michigan, there are really only two teams in the Big Ten that will pose a real challenge for the Ohio State Buckeyes this year. One is Joe Paterno’s Penn State, which is having a pretty good year so far.
The Buckeyes faced the other team last night and beat them 20-17:
MADISON, [...]

This season is falling in to a depressingly familiar pattern for the Scarlet Knights:
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — From the banks of the Raritan River to the foot of the Allegheny Mountains, the gloom of unmet expectations has linked Rutgers and West Virginia as both teams struggle to find their footing.
For the Scarlet Knights, Saturday was an [...]

It may have been against a mis-matched opponent, but Rutgers’ first win of the season is nonetheless welcome:
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Bad weather joined forces with a bad team to keep many fans away from Rutgers Stadium on Saturday. What they missed was their team finally providing a performance that restored some good vibes and lifted [...]

Beanie Wells returned after three weeks off, and the Buckeyes had a good start to the Big Ten season:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -Woody Hayes would have loved the Beanie and Terrelle Show.
Tailback Chris ”Beanie” Wells rushed for 106 yards in his first game in a month and quarterback Terrelle Pryor ran for two scores and threw [...]

I had a feeling that the lack of Beanie Wells would be bad news for the Buckeyes, and I was right:
LOS ANGELES — As college football scripts go, this potential blockbuster never would have made it to the big screen.
When No. 1 Southern California met No. 5 Ohio State in the first marquee event of [...]

Well, this is definitely bad news for the Buckeyes:
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ohio State running back Chris “Beanie” Wells will not play for the fifth-ranked Buckeyes against No. 1 Southern California on Saturday night because of his injured right foot.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel made the announcement late Friday afternoon after the team went through [...]

Things aren’t starting out well for the Scarlet Knights:
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Mason Robinson squirted through the line of scrimmage, found an open spot and thrust up his hands to snag what was no more than a 5-yard pass from Mike Teel. But there was no such thing as an easy play for Rutgers on Thursday [...]

Contrary to previous reports, it looks like Beanie Wells may not be ready to play on Saturday against USC:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said Thursday it is doubtful that starting tailback Chris “Beanie” Wells will play Saturday night against No. 1 Southern California.
Tressel said there was lingering soreness for Wells in [...]

Saturday night will be the Ohio State Buckeyes’ chance to show the critics that have been following them for two years now that they do belong at the top of the NCAA:
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The last two times Ohio State stepped onto college football’s biggest stage, the Buckeyes imploded famously.
In the Bowl Championship Series title [...]

It looks like Beanie Wells will be ready for Saturday night’s game against USC:
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel said on Tuesday that he expected running back Chris (Beanie) Wells to play against No. 1 Southern California on Saturday.
After missing the Buckeyes’ sluggish victory over Ohio with an injured right big toe on [...]