In my opinion, this Buckeye team is not as good as some of the heralded teams of the mid-90s. The difference is clearly in the quality of the coaching staff.
I never really cared for John Cooper's handling of the game itself. He was a tremendous recruiter, but when it game to gametime, he always seemed befuddled.
Jim Tressel and his staff are focused, and have the players fully aware of the prize at hand.
Can the Buckeyes win this game? Yes. Will they? Maybe. They stand a very good chance. Miami has spent the last six weeks feeling neglected and disrespected, which I think plays right into the hands of Ohio State.
The 'Canes have a problem on the defensive side of the ball, and that is that they overpursue too much. They fail to stay in their lanes and tend to go for the big hit. I look for them to key on Maurice Clarett early in the game, which will leave Michael Jenkins, Chris Vance, Chris Gamble and Ben Hartsock open for Craig Krenzel to hit with short passes. I think that the Buckeyes will operate a little differently on offense tonight. My feeling is that they will come out throwing, even if it's throwing the ball to Clarett out of the backfield.
Tressel's team wins, not because they stick to the same gameplan week in and week out, but because they outcoach their opponent every week.
I would really like to see the Buckeyes win tonight, but if they don't, I just hope they don't embarrass themselves - like Iowa last night, or Nebraska in last year's title game.
But I'll be a good Buckeye fan and say that I see them winning tonight. 24-17.