Brian Rolle

Despite a couple of stumbles this season, Ohio State is still in position to have a special year.

But because of those losses – one at home to USC and another at Purdue – Ohio State has very little margin of error as it heads toward the final three games of the regular season.

The Buckeyes (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten) can wrap up their fifth straight Big Ten championship and a berth in the Rose Bowl if they can run the table in the month of November. That could be easier said than done as OSU, now ranked 15^th in the Associated Press poll, faces three tough challenges.

That stretch begins with Saturday’s game at No. 11 Penn State (8-1, 4-1). It continues with the Nov. 14 home finale against No. 8 Iowa (9-0, 5-0) and the Nov. 21 match-up at rival Michigan (5-4, 1-4).

By winning all three of these November games, OSU would reach the Rose Bowl for the first time since Jan. 1, 1997. One or more losses in this final month would probably relegate OSU to one of the Big Ten’s Florida tie-ins at the Capital One Bowl (Orlando) or the Outback Bowl (Tampa).

OSU coach Jim Tressel, speaking after his team’s 45-0 decimation of New Mexico State on Saturday, set the tone for the weeks to come.

“As you go down the stretch and you know what kind of games are coming up, you know they're going to be knock-down, drag-out games,” Tressel said. “We're going to need everybody.”

Tressel and his Buckeyes have bounced back fairly well from the crushing 26-18 loss at Purdue on Oct. 17. OSU came right back and defeated visiting Minnesota 38-7 on Oct. 24 and followed that up with a complete smothering of lightly regarded New Mexico State.

But Ohio State’s recent pedigree against top competition has been anything but stellar. OSU has lost its last six games against teams ranked 11^th or higher. That string dates to a Nov. 18, 2006, win over then-No. 2 Michigan at Ohio Stadium. Tressel knows his team will be put to the test in the weeks to come.

“Are we consistent enough right now to be the contending champions for the Big Ten?” Tressel asked rhetorically. “Not yet, but that's why we're going to practice like crazy on Tuesday and get ready for the Nittany Lions.”

OSU defensive end Thaddeus Gibson and his teammates are excited about the challenge ahead.

“It’s going to be fun,” Gibson said. “We have to prepare and get everybody to be on the same page so we can have that November to remember, like the coaches say all the time. It will take hard work and great preparation and great teamwork.”

Quarterback Terrelle Pryor helped lead OSU to a share of the Big Ten title when he took over as the starter a year ago as a freshman. He wants a second conference championship ring in as many seasons.

“This is why you play, for these type of games coming up,” Pryor said. “We’ve been looking forward to it. This is it. This is what we all trained for with the Penn State and the Iowa games and definitely for Michigan always. These last three games are going to be big.”

Pryor said the Buckeyes need to pay no attention to the critics or naysayers who don’t believe they have a chance.

“I don’t read the newspaper or go on ESPN,” he said. “I think we’ll all be fine with it. Sometimes if you read stuff, you’ll believe it. That stuff will get to you.”

Safety Kurt Coleman, a senior co-captain, said the Buckeyes have to take advantage of the opportunity they have for redemption this season.

“This is what we wanted since the beginning,” Coleman said. “We felt if we kept on winning we would control where we want to go. We have to take it one game at a time and Penn State is next.”

Wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher said he likes the way OSU has responded the last couple of weeks.

“Now we have that momentum,” he said. “We have those three tough games in front of us. It’s nice to get the confidence up as an offense before we go into those tough games. We know all three teams will play physical. They will be tough Big Ten games. We just have to get prepared for each one at a time.

“We’ve put what happened in the beginning of the season behind us. We were able to take a step forward with this game and we’re ready.”

Defensive tackle Doug Worthington, also a senior co-captain, wants to end his career on a high note.

"We still have a chance of doing something great in the Big Ten,” Worthington said. “This upcoming game should be an all-around challenge for our special teams, offense and defense. I think we're up for it.

“It is a very tough November. We face three tough teams and three great opponents. It will be something where we will have to do what we have to in the film room and the weight room so we have a November to remember.

“We know the level of competition we will be going against and just how important these last three games will be for all of the teams in the Big Ten. Each team has a chance to do something great. We want to put ourselves in the best position. We control our own destiny and we want to go out there and produce.”

Tailback Boom Herron, who returned from an ankle injury against NMSU, added, “It’s time that we really have to focus. We have to take them one game at a time. These last three games are very important. We just have to focus on Penn State. The crowd there is loud and always into the game. It will be a tough environment to play in.”

A Visit To The Valley

It will be an interesting visit to State College for Pryor, the Jeannette, Pa., native who picked Ohio State over Penn State. He will have plenty of incentive to try and even the score with the Nittany Lions: He had a fourth-quarter fumble and interception in last year’s 13-6 win by Penn State at Ohio Stadium.

“The crowd will be against us and definitely against me as an individual,” Pryor said. “But it really doesn’t matter. I will have my family with me – all 75 that will travel – and we’ll be ready to rock. I can’t wait. I’m looking forward to it.

“I will probably get booed as soon as I go to warm up. It is what it is. I’m happy I’m here and we’re ready to go. They’re going to tear me up. That was one of my (college choices). I am sure they will be saying a lot of things, but I won’t hear any of it.”

Pryor said he can’t allow himself to get caught up in what the Beaver Stadium crowd may be doing or saying.

“As a quarterback, you can’t let anything get to you,” he said. “I’ll probably enjoy it. When people are against you and you have your teammates and coaches with you, there’s nothing like it. I like playing away even better. There is more of an adrenaline rush. You have to be on you’re A game at somebody else’s house.”

As a one-time Penn State recruit, Pryor is well aware of what a game at the 109,000-seat Beaver Stadium is all about.

“I’ve been to Penn State a lot of times,” Pryor said. “It is a crazy stadium and it’s just going to be a lot of fun. We’ll be ready to go. I’ll make sure the guys are ready to go on the offensive side and our defense is always ready to go. We just have to try and battle them as much as we can.

“I’ve been there when the stadium was shaking. It was crazy. I always want to play in tough stadiums and in tough environments. That’s where you measure yourself. We have to work as hard as we can this week to get ready.”

Herron is sure his quarterback will handle the pressure.

“He’s a great player and he works hard, so he’ll be ready,” he said.

Coleman was a starter two years ago when the Buckeyes took a decisive 37-17 win at Penn State.

“I love their crowd,” Coleman said. “Their team will be ready. They are experienced. They have Daryll Clark, their senior quarterback, ready to lead them. It will be a challenge for us. It’s not a night game as it was there two years ago. But the atmosphere will be the same. Coming out of the locker room, you have the fans on both sides of you. It’s going to exciting.”

Gibson said the Buckeyes have to block out the crowd and just concentrate on the task at hand.

“It’s going to be brutal,” Gibson said. “It’s going to be anything and everything you can imagine as far as them yelling at us and saying crazy things to us. But as Coach Fick (Luke Fickell) says all the time, it’s about what we do. It’s going to be a real big game for us and as for them also, so may the best man win.”

Sanzenbacher added, “We know it’s always crazy. I think that is one of the toughest places to play. I went there my freshman year. Their fans love them. Just like everybody else that comes in there, it will be a loud and crazy environment. That’s exciting for us.”

Worthington was asked what he recalled of last year’s loss to PSU. That game was a taut defensive struggle until the Lions capitalized on the Pryor fumble to take a late lead.

“Basically, I remember that we lost last year and their defense did better than we did,” he said. “They won that battle. We have to go out there and play our brand of ball. They have a great offense and a great offensive line. We have to play physical and have fun out there. That stadium is a hostile environment. We just have to stay poised and do our job.

“We know they will want to get after it. They have a chance to win a Big Ten championship. Every game is a Big Ten championship game so we have to prepare hard and go out there and play our brand of ball.”

Charting The Stretch Run

No. 15 Ohio State (7-2, 4-1) controls its own destiny regarding the Big Ten championship and the conference’s Rose Bowl berth.

If the Buckeyes can win their final three games, they will succeed in extending their conference championship streak to five seasons. That would be one year shy of the conference record of six straight titles set by OSU between 1972-77. OSU would also reach the Rose Bowl for the first time in 13 years.

It will not be easy, though, as it will require wins at No. 11 Penn State, at home over No. 8 Iowa and at rival Michigan. Here is a look at the stretch run for the Buckeyes.

* Penn State (8-1, 4-1), away, Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ABC – Penn State was as high as fifth in the AP poll earlier this year before its Sept. 26 home loss to Iowa (21-10). Since that loss, Penn State has won five straight games. That string includes four straight Big Ten wins by an average of 21 points.

As things stand, Penn State would be a strong BCS at-large consideration at 11-1 or even 10-2. The Nittany Lions need to win out and hope for an Iowa loss to get a share of the Big Ten title. They would need to win out and have Iowa lose twice to get to the Rose Bowl.

Penn State will be going for a second consecutive win over Ohio State for the first time since PSU joined the Big Ten in 1993. The all-time series between the schools is knotted at 12-12. OSU leads the Big Ten series at 10-6 and has won five of the last seven meetings.

* Iowa (9-0, 5-0), home, Nov. 14, 3:30 p.m., ABC – Iowa rallied from a 21-7 halftime deficit to defeat Indiana 42-24 and reach 9-0 in a season for the first time in school history. It marked the eighth time this year Iowa has trailed in a game but still won. The Hawkeyes, winners of 13 consecutive games overall, are ranked fourth in the new BCS rankings, sixth in the USA Today coaches poll and eighth in the AP poll.

Iowa is two wins away from its first Big Ten title since 2004. The Hawkeyes, who host Northwestern this Saturday, are also holding out hope for a shot at the BCS national title game. A Rose Bowl berth would be the school’s first since the 1990 season.

OSU has not faced Iowa since 2006, when the Buckeyes took a 38-17 win at Iowa City. OSU has won 10 of the last 11 meetings with Iowa and five in a row in Columbus dating to a 1991 loss.

* Michigan (5-4, 1-4), away, Nov. 21 – The Buckeyes are hoping that the 106^th rendition of The Game will have Big Ten championship implications for them.

Michigan opened the season 4-0. But it was a dismal 1-4 October for the Wolverines, who secured their only win for the month against Division I-AA Delaware State (63-6). UM hit rock bottom this past Saturday with a 38-13 loss at Illinois, which not beaten a I-A opponent yet this season.

OSU won a fifth consecutive game in this series for the first time ever with last year’s 42-7 win over UM in Columbus. Tressel is 7-1 against Michigan in his tenure at Ohio State. OSU will be going for a third consecutive win in Ann Arbor since it won four straight between 1961-67.

This game is typically played at noon in Ann Arbor and will likely be televised by some combination of ABC and ESPN. (The official announcement should be made next Monday.)