When Ohio State announced it wanted all its fans to wear red to its football game against Penn State tonight, one question came to mind.
What have you guys been looking at? Math wasn't my best subject, but when I look around Ohio Stadium any Saturday OSU is at home, I estimate 95 percent of the crowd is already wearing some shade of red.
Asking Ohio State fans to wear red is a little like telling professional athletes to buy more luxury cars. They're going to do it anyway without being told.
Ohio State is calling this attempt at wardrobe coordination "Scarlet Fever,"
which makes you wonder who thought it was a good idea to name a promotion after a disease.
Regardless, it is another in a long list of "outs"
at sporting events.
Penn State famously called for a "white out"
in its student section when it beat Ohio State in State College in 2005.
All the students wore white T-shirts, screamed their heads off from warm-ups through the final play and jumped around to a cool techno song, "Kernkraft 400,"
by Zombie Nation.
It was a great atmosphere. Would the game have turned out any differently if the students hadn't all worn the same color? Probably not.
The Chicago White Sox called for a "black out"
for their one-game playoff for the American League's Central Division title earlier this month. The Johnny Cash look worked and they won the game.
On the other hand, Georgia was much less successful when it tried a "black out"
for its football game against Alabama. When Alabama took a 31-0 halftime lead, all those black T-shirts matched the Georgia fans' mood.
Middle Tennessee University called for a "black out"
for one of its football games this season even though black isn't one of the school's colors and its teams are called the Blue Raiders.
So, how will the call for everyone to wear red affect tonight's game between No. 3 Penn State (8-0, 4-0 Big Ten) and No. 10 Ohio State (7-1, 4-0 Big Ten).
Probably very little, if at all. In the end, talent is color blind.
Ohio State needs to pay attention to the guys in the white jerseys, not the people in red.
This will be the first time the Las Vegas betting line has installed a visiting team as a favorite in a game at Ohio State since Michigan was a five-point favorite in 2004.
Penn State, which was relegated to fourth or fifth in most people's preseason Big Ten predictions, is suddenly everyone's hot choice as the Big Ten team with the best chance to play in the BCS national championship game.
Ohio State, which got a lot of preseason BCS play, has pretty much been dropped from that conversation after a 35-3 loss at Southern California and some other underwhelming performances.
So, how can Ohio State re-establish itself as the top team in the Big Ten?
First, get Penn State quarterback Daryll Clark to play like a first-year starter. He hasn't yet, completing 63 percent of his passes, accounting for 19 touchdowns (11 passing, 8 rushing) with only two interceptions.
Second, keep Terrelle Pryor from looking like a freshman in a huge game and see if he can throw the football. The freshman from Jeannette, Pa., has handled semi-big games at Wisconsin and Michigan State. Now he has to do it on the really big stage against one of the better defensive lines in the country.
Third, keep Chris "Beanie"
Wells healthy. Wells has been at his best in big games, averaging 164 yards rushing in his last six games against ranked teams. If he goes out of the game, Ohio State's running game is scary bad, as in nine carries for four yards by his backups at Michigan State last Saturday.
Fourth, don't let the game become a shootout. Penn State has shown more offensive firepower than Ohio State so far this season. OSU's defense and offense have to combine to nullify that advantage.
Fifth, it starts with the lines. Ohio State's defensive line is dealing with a Penn State offensive line Kirk Herbstreit called maybe the best in the country earlier this week. So it will quickly become apparent if the improvement OSU's defensive front showed the last two games was real or illusory.
The strength of Penn State's defense is its line. If Ohio State's offensive line can neutralize that front wall, the Buckeyes might be able to do some damage against the linebackers and the secondary.
Ohio State hasn't lost to Penn State in seven games at Ohio Stadium since the Nittany Lions entered the Big Ten in 1993. Will that streak continue or come to an end?
The prediction: Penn State 24-20
