Here we go with the Nov. 19 edition of the Daily Battle Cry:

Translating Tressel

We thought it would be interesting again today to take some snippets from Coach Tressel’s press conference as he previewed the Michigan game on Thursday (click here for video and Dave Biddle’s report).

Here, we will supply what the coach said and provide our translation of what the big picture meaning might be. So here we go:

* The  coach was asked for an injury update heading into the Michigan game.

Tressel: “Everyone will be ready. The trainer spent less time in our meeting than they have spent any time this season. We’re as healthy as we could be in terms of readiness to play in the game. I don’t know after 12 straight weekends if you took a poll of our team or Michigan’s that any of them would tell you they are as healthy as they’ve ever been. But everybody on both team will tell you they are ready to go.

“Everyone wants to suit up for this one. (This game) is too much fun. Adrenaline is a pretty good healer.”

Translating Tressel: If you can run out on that field, you will be in this game. This is The Game, after all.

* Tressel was asked about competitive balance in a rivalry where one team is dominant over a period of time.

Tressel: “I think when it’s this game and it’s passed the test of time, I don’t think anyone could question ... I saw a statistic that from the mid-1920s until now, it is pretty much even. That’s pretty significant data.”

Translating Tressel: Hey, this is still the greatest rivalry in not only college football and college sports, but in the history of the world. We aren’t taking anything for granted. We could beat them 20 times in a row – and believe me we’re gonna try to – or they could beat us 20 times in a row and it would still be the greatest rivalry in the history of the world.

* On whether there is a hatred between the two states and/or the two schools.

Tressel: “My perspective on it has been totally a football one. It’s been a great rivalry. I don’t know that there has been a dislike. Neither of us would have this opportunity if it wasn’t for the other.”

Translating Tressel: Hatred is for the fans. If we let blind hatred dictate our actions, we’ll be jumping offsides and making mistakes. We prefer a controlled aggression. That’s what has served us well these last nine years, certainly.

* We noted that Michigan has been outscored 21-7 on average in the second half of its six Big Ten losses this year. We asked if that was a function of youth, inexperience or an inability to close out games.

Tressel: “They’ve had some incredibly tight ballgames. There have only been a game or two that I can think of where they were in the last five minutes and it was totally decided, but at a point a little earlier it wasn’t. Look at the game last week (at Wisconsin). It was 28-24 late in the third quarter. They’ve just had some tight ballgames and not won as many as they’ve lost. You watch the end of the Notre Dame game, they’ve had some battles. No matter how they turn out, you get better with battles.”

Translating Tressel: Yes, their record the last month and a half doesn’t look very good. That’s real. But they have been in almost every game they played. (OK, Illinois whacked them pretty good.)But by and large they have had some tough games where some breaks went against them late in the game. You will have that when you play a lot of first- and second-year guys.

* We asked about the tradition of Senior Tackle. Under Earle Bruce and John Cooper, it was a largely a public event. But Tressel’s teams have generally held it as a private function for just the team and invited guests.

Tressel: “It hasn’t been a real big crowd-drawing type thing. It’s just something we do at the end of the Thursday practice before we play the Ohio State-Michigan game. It’s really just for the group that participates.”

Translating Tressel: Hey, we play our games in huge stadiums and on television. Isn’t that enough? Can’t we have something that is just for our own group to enjoy?

Uniform: ‘Modern Classic’

When Nike and Ohio State officials unveiled the specially designed uniforms Ohio State will wear on Saturday at Michigan, they used the term “a modern classic.”

That’s because the uniform contains state-of-the-art fabric that Nike designers hope will aid in performance. At the same time, they look somewhat like the uniforms worn by OSU’s 1954 national championship team.

To a man, the OSU players surveyed about the uniform do not believe it will be a distraction. They think it is neat they get a chance to wear something a little different if not special.

“I’m pretty excited about it,” said defensive end Lawrence Wilson. “We took a look at them a few days ago and they are pretty nice with all the different color schemes and everything. So, they are really nice jerseys.

“But we’re not worried about the jerseys. We’re worried about preparing for them as much as we can so we can play well on Saturday.”

Nike is also unveiling a special new style of football cleats that OSU players will also be able to wear on Saturday.

“I haven’t really thought about (the shoes) too much,” Wilson said. “We haven’t tried on the cleats or anything. We just saw them and they look nice at least. But we haven’t really tried them on or played with them yet or anything. So, I’m going to have my other cleats handy so if I do need to switch at halftime, I’ll have an opportunity to switch them.”

Linebacker Austin Spitler also liked what he saw with this one-time look.

"I'm all for it,” he said. “Those new uniforms are awesome. I can't wait to strap up. It's just the change that's so nice about it. It's so different. I like the white helmets, all white with the numbers on the side. The seniors, the captains have had a lot to do with the decisions with a lot on the uniform. Everything is different, the cleats -- the whole outfit. I guess it'll be nice to get something new on.”

Safety Kurt Coleman, like Spitler a co-captain, is also happy with the uniform.

“I love them,” he said. “I think it’s a great look. Honestly I was telling Lew (VanHoose), our equipment manager, that I kind of wish this was our alternate uniform maybe now and again. But I love the helmets. The helmets turned out great. I think this is going to be nice little game for us to look good, but we have to come out and play good.”

Coleman was asked why the team opted to commemorate the 1954 national champions.

“That team was undefeated and they had a lot of things we wanted to accomplish,” Coleman said. “What we set out when we prepared for (this season) was our two main goals: win the Big Ten and win a national championship. That’s kind of what we were looking at as a blueprint of what we wanted to do. We liked the uniforms, the way looked back then, and (we wanted to) bring them back in style.

“I think these uniforms look like the 1954s, just with a newer edge to it.”

Defensive tackle Doug Worthington, a captain, was asked about the decision to style these uniforms for such a big game like Michigan.

“They'll probably be amazed at them,” Worthington said. “They're nice jerseys. I’m not really worried about their reaction. I don’t really care what they think about what we wear. It represents a great team that deserves the recognition.”

Worthington agreed with Wilson that the players have the option to wear their favorite shoes.

“I haven’t put the cleats on yet,” he said. “I dont know exactly if there’s any issue with them. I know they’re a little bit different than we're used to, and we need to break them in. But I’m sure if anything is wrong with them we'll go back to our other cleats. The only thing that matters is getting that W.

“If the shoes don’t fit, take them off. If they feel funny, take them off. If they’re not as comfortable as your shoes, take them off. That's the message handed down to us.”

The Earle Of Bruce

As everybody knows Michigan week was made for Earle Bruce. He remains an enduring tie back to the Woody Hayes era. And, of course, he was the head coach at OSU for nine years (1979-87) and led the Buckeyes to five wins, himself, over Michigan.

“We want to beat them every year, every year, every year,” Bruce said. “That’s what we’re doing. I’m all for five in a row, six in a row, seven in a row, and I’d be fine with a couple of good coaches getting fired. That wouldn’t be bad either.

“I know you hear it’s not a rivalry when one team dominates, but we’ve done that, too (lose a lot of games in a row), especially before the 1930s. I would like to see a better (Michigan) team and they will probably play better than they have all year. I’d like to see a rivalry where who’s going to win is up in the air at kickoff. The point spread was never more than one or two points and every game was nip and tuck.”

Bruce was asked about his annual visit to speak with the team on the Sunday before the Michigan game. Offensive lineman Jimmy Cordle said “Hurricane Bruce” blows through the Woody Hayes Athletic Center every year.

“Maybe I blow like an old hurricane,” Bruce said. “I hope it’s a good thing, not a bad thing.

“I always like to talk to young people and talk about football. I don’t know what good I do. I’ve probably seen more Ohio State football than anyone, since 1949. I get to speak about  what’s been done. I love the Michigan game. It’s the greatest rivalry in college football.”

Bruce was asked what Tressel’s enduring legacy would be if he were to suddenly retire after beating UM on Saturday. Would it be the 2002 national championship, his five straight Big Ten titles or the 8-1 record against Michigan?

“For me, at the top of the list would be beating Michigan,” Bruce said. “That’s the feather in the cap. That’s what he made important his first day on the job. And when you win that game, you usually win the conference.”

Michigan comes into the game with a dismal 5-6 record after losing its last six Big Ten games. But Bruce said that record and this team can’t be taken lightly.

“What makes them dangerous is this rivalry,” Bruce said. “Neither team ever concedes defeat. I would point out that in 1996 we had clinched the Big Ten title and the Rose Bowl the week before against Indiana and then got Michigan in our stadium. They were only 4-3 in the league and beat us 13-9. Nothing’s a given.

“It’s not what they do, it’s what we do. You can’t take them lightly. We’re not going to lose because of their effort; we’re going to lose because of our effort.”

Cordle, a fifth-year senior and a veteran of the Sunday night Bruce speeches, was asked to assess this year’s version.

“He was funny,” Cordle said. “He’s always funny. This year he came in and he was kind of somber. The hurricane hadn’t boiled up quite yet. He brought in some roses and he was like, ‘I grow roses, and a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose, a win is a win is a win is a win.’

“And then he threw the roses and he was like, ‘YOU HAVE TO FORGET ABOUT IT FOR A WEEK. YOU’RE JUDGED BY THIS GAME!’ and he smacked the table. He always says, ‘IF YOU DON’T WIN THIS GAME, YOU’VE GOT TO BE ON THE BACK ALLEYS. YOU CAN’T WALK HIGH STREET OR BROAD STREET.’

“Then he always tells a little story about a game. Obviously he energizes us and got us going and made us forget the Rose Bowl for a week and made us remember what this game means.”

Ballard said Bruce may sometimes recycle a story, but he always keeps the message fresh.

“He tells some of the same stories, but he adds something new every year,” Ballard said. “He just talks with a passion about the game and passion for Ohio State. It’s not something that everybody gets to experience. I’ve been lucky to hear him speak four or five times now. It’s something you never forget.”

Ballard was asked what the first-year players think after hearing Bruce speak.

“I lot of the freshmen might not understand it or know where Coach Bruce is coming from,” he said. “But once the coaches tell them what Earle is all about and Earle tells them what it’s all about, they gain respect for him.

“I wouldn’t mind playing for a coach like Earle Bruce. But at the same time, it’s nice to have a coach who is cool, calm and collected like Coach Tressel.”

Ballard was asked about his favorite Bruce story.

“He always talks about losing to Michigan in ’69 and how that was one of the best teams he (was apart of),” he said. “You can tell that was 40 years ago and he’s still passionate about it and how it is one of the saddest memories he has had. To hear him talk about a loss like that is incredible and it shows how much it means to him.”

Coleman added, “Coach Bruce has seen a lot of Ohio State-Michigan games. We talk about as a class, juniors and seniors, about what it takes to beat Michigan. What is it going to take? He basically reiterated what we were thinking. Who wants it more? Who is going to be tougher?

“It’s going to come down to who has the will to play all 60 minutes to the fullest. Who’s not going to budge? Coach Bruce has a little more enthusiasm than what I’m saying, but he really breaks it down – especially for the young guys that haven’t had a chance to talk to him. Everything that we do, you understand why this rivalry is so important to each other.”

Picks and Viewers Guide: Week 12

In the picks I posted last Thursday, I was 22-4 straight-up and 14-10-1 against-the-spread. That makes me 181-65 straight-up for the year and 116-114-4 against-the-spread on the season.

* Colorado at Oklahoma State (-17), Thursday, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) – Oklahoma State needs a win to keep its BCS at-large hopes alive. Colorado, at 3-7, is playing out the string in its fourth straight losing season. Cowboys QB Zac Robinson could be limited after an injury suffered in last week’s win over Texas Tech. OSU won 30-17 last year at Colorado. Oklahoma State 31-20

* Boise State (-23 ½) at Utah State, Friday, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2) – Boise State will be after an 11-0 start. Kellen Moore has been on fire in his last five games, throwing 19 touchdowns and one interception. Utah State has lost eight in a row to the Broncos. Boise State 44-17

* Duke at Miami (Fla.) (-20), Saturday, noon (ESPNU) – Miami is 5-1 all-time in this series. The lone Duke win was in 1976. Last year, Miami scored 35 unanswered points in a 49-31 win at Durham. Miami wants to rebound after a loss to North Carolina. Duke must win one of its last two games to become bowl-eligible. Miami (Fla.) 36-20

* Minnesota at Iowa (-10), Saturday, noon (ESPN) – Iowa wants to wrap up a 10-2 regular season and make its case for a BCS at-large bowl bid. Minnesota is bowl-eligible on the back of last week’s shaky 16-13 win over Division I-AA South Dakota State. Can QB James Vandenberg take the next step and lead the Hawkeyes to a big win? Minnesota leads the all-time series 59-41-2, although Iowa won 55-0 last year in the final game at the Metrodome. Iowa has won seven of the last eight in the series. The Gophers are looking to halt a 13-game skid against ranked opponents that dates to a win at Michigan in 2005. This game is for the coveted Floyd of Rosedale Trophy. Iowa 27-20

* North Carolina at Boston College (-3 ½), Saturday, noon (ESPN2) – BC is 0-7 all-time against teams coached by Butch Davis. UNC won 45-24 last year at Chapel Hill. UNC leads this all-time series 3-2. The Tar Heels have won three in a row and four of their last five. Boston College 26-21

* Ohio State (-12 ½) at Michigan, Saturday, noon (ABC) – Ohio State goes for an unprecedented sixth straight win in the 106-game history of this rivalry. A victory would give OSU an outright Big Ten championship. Michigan must win to get to 6-6 and become bowl-eligible. UM has lost six straight Big Ten games for the first time since 1958-59. OSU already has its Rose Bowl ticket punched. Will the Buckeyes finish the season off in style with a third straight win at Ann Arbor? Michigan leads the all-time series 57-42-6. Ohio State 31-13

* Florida International at Florida (-44 ½), Saturday, 12:30 p.m. (ESPN GamePlan) – The top-ranked Gators are done with their SEC schedule. They have this tune-up and the rivalry game against Florida State in two weeks. This would be a good game to groom Tim Tebow’s successor. Florida 48-10

* Connecticut at Notre Dame (-6), Saturday, 2:30 p.m. (NBC) – UConn has lost three in a row and four of its last five. Notre Dame had BCS bowl aspirations before back-to-back losses to Navy and Pittsburgh dropped the Irish to 6-4 and put Charlie Weis’ status at the school in doubt. This is the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Notre Dame 27-17

* LSU at Ole Miss (-4), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (CBS) – The winner should be assured of a Jan. 1 bowl, either at the Capital One Bowl or the Cotton Bowl. Ole Miss snapped a six-game losing streak to the Tigers last season but still trails in the overall series 38-55-4. The Rebels have not won at home in this series since 1998. LSU 24-21

* Penn State (-3) at Michigan State, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (ABC) – Penn State can get to 10-2 and make its case for a BCS at-large bid with a win over Michigan State. This game is for the Land Grant Trophy. Penn State holds a narrow 13-12-1 edge in the series, including a 49-18 win last year at State College. MSU has won four of the last six in the series in East Lansing. MSU became bowl-eligible with last week’s come-from-behind win over Purdue (40-37). QB Daryll Clark had a career day against the Spartans last season and will need to avoid the turnover this year. The Nittany Lions are 12-0 the past two seasons when Clark doesn't throw an interception. This ought to be a pretty good game. Penn State 31-30

* Purdue (-3) at Indiana, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (BTN) – The Old Oaken Bucket will be on the line when these two 4-7 teams collide in Bloomington. Purdue leads the series 69-36-6 and won 62-10 last year in Joe Tiller’s send-off at West Lafayette. Purdue has won three of its last five, while IU has lost four games in a row. Purdue 31-24

* Virginia at Clemson (-21), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (ABC) -- Clemson can wrap up its first ACC division title when the Tigers host Virginia. C.J. Spiller has keyed Clemson's resurgence, rushing for 95.2 yards a game during Clemson's five-game win streak. Virginia hasn't visited Clemson since a 30-27 overtime loss in 2003. If Clemson loses, the Tigers need a Boston College loss to North Carolina to still clinch the division. Clemson has won two of the last three in the series, including last year’s 13-3 defensive struggle. Clemson has scored 38 or more points in its last five games. Virginia has lost four games in a row. Clemson 38-21

* Wisconsin (-7) at Northwestern, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (BTN) – Wisconsin has won two of the last three in the series, although the teams have not met since 2006 (41-9 Wisconsin win). UW holds a 55-32-5 lead in the all-time series. Wisconsin has won three games in a row. Northwestern has won three of its last four. Ought to be a good one. Go with John Clay and the running game. Wisconsin 37-27

* California at Stanford (-7), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. (Versus) – This is the 103^rd edition of The Big Game. Stanford leads the series 50-42-10, but Cal has won six of the last seven meetings. Cal won 37-16 last year at Berkeley. Stanford needs a win to keep its Pac-10 championship and scant Rose Bowl hopes alive. Stanford has taken back-to-back wins over top-15 teams in Oregon and USC. Cal will be without RB Jahvid Best. Stanford 29-24

* Kansas State at Nebraska (-17), Saturday, 7:45 p.m. (ESPN) – The Big 12 North title is on the line. The winner will advance to the conference title game. Nebraska has won four straight in the series, including 56-28 last year at K-State. Nebraska has won three games in a row, while K-State has lost two of its last three games. Nebraska 31-21

* Kentucky at Georgia (-8), Saturday, 7:45 p.m. (ESPN2) – This game matches up a pair of 6-4 teams hoping to improve their bowl positioning. Georgia is 16-2 since 1991 in this series. Kentucky’s last win was in 2006. Georgia 26-21

* Kansas at Texas (-27 ½), Saturday, 8 p.m. (ABC) -- With a win versus Kansas on Saturday, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy would close out his final home game as the winningest quarterback in NCAA history. Kansas has not won since starting the season 5-0 and the Jayhawks are dealing with an internal probe of coach Mark Mangino’s conduct. Texas 41-17

* Oregon (-6) at Arizona, Saturday, 8 p.m. (ABC) – The winner would take another step toward the Rose Bowl. The Ducks come into the game with the nation's sixth-best ground attack, and the Wildcats boast the 20th-ranked rushing defense. These two always play entertaining games. In 2007, Arizona spoiled Oregon’s BCS hopes with a 34-24 win in Tucson. Last year, Arizona rallied from down 45-17 at halftime to within three points before losing 55-45. Oregon 34-25

Quite A Spread

Ohio State is favored by double digits (12-1/2 points) in a game at Michigan for the first time in recent memory and probably ever.

OSU was an unprecedented 20-point favorite last year when the Buckeyes won 42-7 at home. That win (and “pointspread win”) made OSU 6-2 against-the-spread in Michigan games under Tressel.

This marks the third straight time OSU has been favored to win a game at Ann Arbor. OSU was favored by four points two years ago, when the Buckeyes took a 14-3 win in Ann Arbor. Here is a look at the other games OSU has played against Michigan since Tressel’s arrival in 2001:

2001 – Michigan was an 8-point favorite, but OSU won 26-20.

2002 – OSU was a 4-point favorite and won 14-9.

2003 – Michigan was favored by seven points and won 35-21.

2004 – Michigan was favored by 5-1/2 points in the game at OSU. But the Buckeyes pulled off the 37-21 upset.

2005 – OSU was favored by three points at Ann Arbor. OSU won 25-21.

2006 – OSU was favored by six points at home and the Buckeyes won 42-39.

Bring On The Tar Heels

Be sure to stay up tonight and check it out as the OSU men’s basketball team tackles No. 6-ranked and defending national champion North Carolina in the 2K Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden (9:30 p.m., ESPN2; hey, Bobby Knight will be on the call and we’ll see what he has to say with his alma mater playing a great opponent in a big game).

This will be a great litmus test early for Thad Matta’s team, which took easy wins over Alcorn State (100-60) and James Madison (72-44) last week. UNC lost a good bit of its firepower – think Tyler Hansbrough, Tywon Lawson and Wayne Ellington – off last year’s national championship team. The Tar Heels struggled a bit last week in wins over Florida International and Valparaiso.

I’m not sure UNC’s young backcourt is where coach Roy Williams wants it to be at this point. If there was a time where I would want to play UNC’s relatively young team, this would be it.

Meanwhile, several of the OSU players – Evan Turner, Jon Diebler, David Lighty and Dallas Lauderdale – have already played four games at MSG (remember  the two NIT runs in 2007-08?). They will not be in awe.

UNC is listed as a slight two-point favorite. That tells me that nobody has a real firm idea of what to expect.

The key for OSU will be containing the frontcourt of 6-8 Deon Thompson, 6-10 Ed Davis and 7-0 Tyler Zeller. I don’t think Turner will hold up to his average of 17 rebounds a game. But a nice 17-point, 10-rebound double-double might be enough to get the job done.

I am going to go off the board here and say Ohio State pulls this one out, say, 77-73.

One thing to remember: When Ohio State beat Miami (Fla.) and Notre Dame in early season games last year, OSU was considered an NCAA Tournament lock all season long. When they hit that icy patch in the Big Ten, they were still considered an NCAA team. So a win in this game is the gift that would keep on giving all the way until they release the brackets on March 14.

Publication Updates, Chats, Media Appearances

* The December edition of Bucknuts The Magazine has been released online for our magazine subscribers. Click here for a look at it.

This edition is our Basketball Preview issue. We have features on DeVier Posey/Dane Sanzenbacher, Bryant Browning and Doug Worthington for football; Tyrone Williams and Roderick Smith for football recruiting; and Evan Turner, David Lighty and P.J. and Tayler Hill for basketball.

Our next Bucknuts The Magazine online edition will be our Rose Bowl preview released in mid-December. Click here for subscription information and, remember, it is only $29.95 for six issues annually. Bucknuts.com premium subscribers can have it for just $19.95 a year – and that includes the Football Preview we mail each June.

* If you missed it, here is our exhaustive look at the history of this great rivalry.

* I invite you to check out this week’s Michigan preview edition of the Bucknuts Radio Hour. This show has our weekly update on recruiting with Bill Kurelic. Plus, we have audio sessions with Terrelle Pryor, Jim Heacock and Kurt Coleman. Good stuff indeed. Click here for that special show.

Plus, Dave Biddle and I will host a special live edition of the Bucknuts Radio Hour Friday from 10 a.m. to noon as we will preview the Ohio State-Michigan game. Click here for details on the show. Be sure to join us for that special show. We will have Bruce Hooley from 97.1 The Fan, Adam Rittenberg from ESPN.com, Jerod Smalley from NBC 4 Columbus and Sam Webb from GoBlueWolverine.com as guests.

* There is a small quantity of my book on the 2003 Fiesta Bowl book, "The Greatest Game Ever Played," available for purchase.

To get a copy of the book, send a check or money order for $21 ($18 for the book, $3 for shipping) to:

Steve Helwagen
P.O. Box 34
Pataskala, OH 43062
Allow 2 weeks for shipping.

* We also have some left over Bucknuts golf shirts from our recent golf outing. We have a few shirts left in the extra large and double extra large sizes. They are $33 each ($30 for the shirt, $3 for shipping). Send orders to the same address above. We will donate proceeds from these sales to Children’s Hospital and Kids ‘N Kamp. Send check or money order to Bucknuts Ventures, PO Box 34, Pataskala, OH 43062.

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