The Game of the Century

It is "The Game of the Century."

Regular season games don't get any bigger than the one you are going to see this coming Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State and Texas are arguably the two most storied programs in all of college football. Amazingly, this will be the first contest between the two powers. But, there is no better time to play than when Rose Bowl and national title hopes are on the line. Texas has won three national championships over the years and have had two players win the coveted Heisman Trophy. Ohio State has had similar success. Six times an Ohio State Buckeye has won the Heisman Trophy. They have also won the national championship seven times.

The eyes of Texas will be focused on Columbus, along with the eyes of the entire college football world. The game will be nationally televised on ABC, and ESPN College GameDay will set up shop in it's usual place on the South side of St. John Arena. An estimated 20,000 fans are expected to go down just to tailgate and take in the atmosphere.

No. 2 Texas is led by Heisman hopeful quarterback Vince Young. The Longhorns enter the game with an eight game winning streak, including a classic over Michigan in last year's Rose Bowl. In week 1 of the season, Texas drilled Louisiana-Lafayette 60-3.

Ohio State played in-state foe Miami. The game was never in doubt from the beginning, as the Buckeyes got up 34-0 and won 34-14.

Another intriguing bit of information about this game:

In 2002, Ohio State had the number 1 recruiting class in the nation. Texas was second. Those players are now seniors.

I have been to a countless number of Ohio State games, and never before has a single regular season game received so much hype from the fans and the national media. Ohio State and Texas fans have literally been waiting for and chatting about this game since it was signed over 6 years ago. The media has been talking about it ever since last season ended. Now, it is finally here.

The anticipation from myself has been unprecedented, too. It has now been weeks since I could just get in bed and go to sleep. Every night, I play every possible scenerio out in my head. It usually takes me about 2 hours to get to sleep. By that time, "Hang On Sloopy" is ringing in my ears. There is no doubt that Ohio Stadium will be rockin' come 8 P.M. this Saturday. When Dave Kaylor utters those words that Ohio State fans die to hear, "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Pride of the Buckeyes...The Ohio State University Marching Band," bedlam will ensue.

O-H...

From my dorm room in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on a campus where football is also King, Kyle Rowland reporting.