It’s coming down to the wire, CCHA fan, just as it does every year in this tight, competitive league.
Congratulations to the No. 2 Michigan State Spartans, who clinched the regular-season CCHA title and the NCAA bid that goes with it.
Congratulations to the No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes, who secured home ice for the playoffs. This marks only the second time in OSU hockey history that the Bucks have stayed home–and played–for the first round of CCHA playoff action in two consecutive years.
Congratulations to No. 8 Michigan, Northern Michigan, Notre Dame, and Ferris State. The Wolverines, Wildcats, Irish, and Bulldogs are each assured of playing in the first round of the CCHA playoffs.
And congratulations to the Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks. While the Nanooks will not see post-season play, they went out fighting, upsetting the top-ten Buckeyes and winning in Columbus for the first time since 1996.
Four games left. So much at stake.
With a 3-1 win over Notre Dame and a 3-1 win over No. 8 Michigan–coupled with OSU’s 3-2 loss to UAF–the Spartans clinched the league title for the second consecutive season. Michigan State now travels to Ferris State and hosts Western Michigan, each of which teams has something to play for.
While Ohio State clinched home ice, where the Buckeyes will finish is still by no means set. After splitting last weekend–defeating Ferris State 4-1 but losing 3-2 to Alaska-Fairbanks–OSU needed help from Michigan, and got it. When Michigan lost, Ohio State was guaranteed a league finish no lower than fourth.
There are, however, four other teams within striking distance of a top-four finish.
Ohio State has 37 points, four more than the Michigan Wolverines. But Ohio State is idle this weekend, and the Wolverines, Wildcats, and Irish each have two more games to play–with four more possible points–than do the Buckeyes.
OSU has the tiebreaker over Michigan, Northern Michigan, and Notre Dame. Ferris State is in sixth place and capable of a top-four finish, but cannot catch Ohio State.
With 33 points, the No. 8 Wolverines are in second place. Michigan’s slump continues: the Wolverines tied Western Michigan 5-5 last weekend before Michigan lost to Michigan State 3-1. Michigan hosts the red-hot RedHawks twice this weekend.
The Wolverines and the Wildcats have yet to play their last game of the season, and their season series is tied. Michigan and Notre Dame tied this season (1-1-1), and the Wolverines have the tiebreaker over Ferris State (2-1-0).
Northern Michigan climbed to fourth place with three points last weekend, tying Lake Superior State 2-2 before blanking the Lakers 4-0. Northern has 30 points, and a very slim hold on fourth place. It is possible for Notre Dame, Ferris State, and Bowling Green to overtake the Wildcats.
Northern and Notre Dame tied the first time they met this season, and the two teams will square off for two games in South Bend this weekend. Both Ferris State and Bowling Green hold tiebreakers over the Wildcats, with each team posting a 2-1-0 record against Northern this season.
The Irish dropped a pair of games last weekend, 3-1 to Michigan State and 5-1 to Bowling Green. Notre Dame is one point ahead of Ferris State, but the Bulldogs own that season series, 2-1-0. The Irish are six points ahead of Bowling Green and own that tiebreaker, 2-1-0.
The sixth-place Bulldogs lost 4-1 to Ohio State and 2-1 to Miami (OT) last weekend. With 28 points, Ferris State is still fighting for a top-four finish. The Bulldogs will have a tough time making progress toward that goal this weekend as they host Michigan State and Bowling Green.
The Falcons helped their own cause last weekend by beating Notre Dame 5-1. It is mathematically possible for eighth-place Miami, ninth-place Lake Superior, and tenth-place Western Michigan to overtake Bowling Green–but it’s extremely unlikely. With 23 points, BG can catch Ferris State, Northern Michigan, and Notre Dame.
BG has the 1-0-1 edge against Ferris State so far this season, and is tied (1-1-0) so far with Western Michigan. The Falcons are 2-0-1 against Miami on the season. This weekend, Bowling Green travels to Western and Ferris State before heading to Columbus on Tuesday.
With 20 points, the RedHawks hold on to that coveted eighth place. Miami took a pair of games last weekend, beating Alaska-Fairbanks 4-3 and Ferris State 2-1 (OT). The ‘Hawks can catch Bowling Green, but they’ll be hard-pressed to do so with two games in Ann Arbor this weekend.
Both Lake Superior State (17 points) and Western Michigan (16 points) will try to push ahead of Miami in their four remaining regular-season games. The Lakers took a point from the Wildcats last weekend, tying 2-2 before losing 4-0, and the Broncos tied Michigan 5-5.
Miami has the tiebreaker over Lake (2-1-0) but not over Western, which have the season series two games to one.
The Lakers have defeated and tied the Broncos, and one game remains in their season series.
This weekend, Lake Superior travels to Alaska-Fairbanks for two games. The Nanooks will try to play spoiler after losing 4-3 to Miami last weekend and upsetting Ohio State 3-2.
The Broncos host Bowling Green and travel to Michigan State.
Last week’s record in picks: 5-5 Overall record in picks: 98-76
Northern Michigan (18-10-4, 13-9-4 CCHA) at Notre Dame (16-11-4, 13-10-3 CCHA) Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., Joyce Center, South Bend, IN
Last weekend, Notre Dame lost 3-1 to No. 2 Michigan State and 5-1 to Bowling Green. "We didn’t play well defensively Saturday," says Irish head coach Dave Poulin. "We looked okay even strength."
The Irish have lost four in a row and, in the past 13 periods of play, have scored twice on 134 shots. During that span, Notre Dame went scoreless for over 200 minutes (92 shots) of hockey.
The Irish power play is 0-for-25 in the past four games. For a team that was once leading the conference in scoring, this is a bit surprising.
"It’s something everyone goes through," says Poulin. "Let’s just hope that it’s coming at the right time for us."
Andy Jurkowski (1-1–2) and David Inman (6-6–12) are the two Notre Dame players to most recently light the lamp. Ben Simon (14-18–32), Brian Urick (11-18–29), and Aniket Dhadphale (12-9–21) lead the Irish in scoring, and despite the scoring slump comprise one of the most dangerous lines in college hockey. Simon is fourth among league scorers.
Irish netminder Forrest Karr (2.12 GAA, .911 SV%) has the third-best goals-against average in the conference, and the fifth-best save percentage.
Poulin says that he expects his team to be up for the two games against Northern Michigan this weekend. "If you’re a hockey player, you want to play for it this time of year. And it’s seniors’ weekend and parents’ weekend, so it will be emotional."
Notre Dame can say goodbye to home ice if it can’t find some offense against Northern Michigan, a team that rarely has a problem finding the net. Last weekend, six different Wildcats scored in Northern Michigan’s 2-2 tie with Lake and the 4-0 win over the Lakers.
Buddy Smith (4-25–29), Tyson Holly (7-5–12), Mike Sandbeck (2-1–3), Ryan Riipi (2-2–4), Roger Trudeau (12-8–20), and Brad Frattaroli (5-5–10) accounted for those six goals. Smith, J.P. Vigier (17-3–20), and Trudeau are the top three scorers for the Wildcats; Vigier is tied for fifth among conference scorers.
Dan Ragusett (2.30 GAA, .912 SV%) saved 49 shots in the two games. His save percentage puts him just in front of Forrest Karr.
Picks
On Jan. 22, Notre Dame tied Northern Michigan 3-3 in Marquette, in a game in which the Irish held a 3-1 lead going into the final five minutes of regulation. Lee Ruff (1-3–4) and Fred Mattersdorfer (6-8–14) scored late in the third to send it into overtime.
The Wildcats lead this all-time series 6-3-1, but are 0-3-1 against the Irish since rejoining the CCHA.
Wildcat head coach Rick Comley says, "It certainly is a critical series for both teams, and I’m sure there will be an almost playoff-like atmosphere to the two games. Notre Dame has been struggling to score goals as of late, but they do have a lot of offensive firepower and we will have to play very well defensively if we’re going to be successful."
Staying out of the penalty box will be important for the Wildcats as well. Even though the Irish have been slumping, if that power play gets going, watch out. Notre Dame has slipped from the top spot in league power-play performance, but even with the recent slump, the numbers say Notre Dame converts nearly 20 percent of the time.
There’s a lot riding on this one, but this weekend may not actually decide who’s at home at the end of the season and who travels. This may, however, be a trailer for upcoming attractions.
Northern Michigan 4-2; Notre Dame 4-3
Miami (10-17-5, 8-14-4 CCHA) at No. 8 Michigan (17-9-6, 14-7-5 CCHA) Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m., Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, MI
Congratulations to Jason Deskins, who became the league’s only four-time Offensive Player of the Week this season with his performance in the red-hot RedHawks’ 4-3 win over UAF and 2-1 overtime win over Ferris State. The sophomore had the game-winners in each contest, and was 3-1–4 on the weekend.
Deskins (16-10–26) is part of one of the most productive lines in the CCHA. Since Dec. 27, the line of Deskins, Mark Shalawylo (11-14–25), and Pat Leahy (7-13–20) has combined for 28 of Miami’s 39 goals, and 59 of the RedHawks’ 100 points. Miami was 2-10-3 in the CCHA before this trio was formed, but 6-4-1 since.
This line knows how to step it up late in the game, as well. Shalawylo has six third-period goals, Deskins has nine and Leahy has one. Deskins and Shalawylo each have three game-winning goals.
Also helping the Miami cause is junior goaltender Andy Marsch (3.13 GAA, .895 SV%), who has six wins in 11 starts.
"We’re in this thing," says Miami head coach Mark Mazzoleni, "but we’re still a little up and down. We’ve had real good goaltending in the last few months. And that one line has been playing so, so well."
The RedHawks travel to face the ailing Wolverines, who haven’t had a win in nine games.
"We’re playing better," says Michigan head coach Red Berenson. "We don’t have much to show for it of late."
Michigan tied with Western 5-5 last weekend before losing 3-1 to Michigan State. The Wolverines were up 5-2 going into the third period against the Broncos, but allowed three unanswered goals to tie the game.
Josh Langfeld (14-8–22) had two goals in the Western game; Bubba Berenzweig (4-14–18), Justin Clark (2-1–3), Sean Peach (1-6–7) had the other goals against the Broncos, and Scott Matzka (3-9–12) dented twine in the game against the Spartans.
Langfeld’s two goals gave him the lead in that category for the Wolverines, marking the first time this season that someone other than Mike Comrie (10-16–26) has led the team in goals scored.
Like the Irish, the Wolverines are in a scoring slump. "We’ve given up too many goals and we’re not scoring. Josh Langfeld has been scoring, but he really hasn’t come into his own yet."
Berenson says that the Wolverines played a good game against the Spartans, and that his team really has nothing to be down about. "It’s not a matter of being discouraged. It’s a matter of motivation. It’s not like we’re in last place.
"We haven’t won for a while. Are we playing well? Yes. Are we playing hard? Yes. Are we scoring? No."
Picks
Mazzoleni says that Michigan has an advantage playing at home. "This is going to be a tremendous challenge for our team. Everyone knows how good they are at home. The crowd will sense that they need a pick-up, and we’ll see how we respond."
The crowd will have plenty to cheer for, as the Wolverines say goodbye to their seven-man senior class of Berenzweig, Clark, Greg Crozier, Greg Daddario, Bobby Hayes, Sean Ritchlin, and Dale Rominski.
Miami comes in with a three-game win streak, and a 4-1-0 record in February. The Wolverines are 0-3-2 in February, and are 4-6-4 in 1999, winless in their last eight games.
The last time the Wolverines went winless in a month was February, 1986. And, incidentally, the loss to Michigan State last weekend means that Michigan will have fewer than 30 wins in a season for the first time since the 1989-90 season.
Miami is the league’s least-penalized team, and Michigan is the league’s most-penalized team. Miami’s power play isn’t anything to write home about, converting at just 11.9 percent, but with an 86 percent success rate, the Wolverine penalty kill isn’t all that great, either. Penalties have cost the Wolverines dearly; Michigan allowed three power-play goals in the game against Western Michigan.
On Dec. 4, Michigan won 1-0 in Oxford when Sean Ritchlin scored with 24 seconds remaining in regulation play. Miami has not won at Yost since Nov. 18, 1994, when head coach Mark Mazzoleni won his Michigan debut, 4-3.
Michigan wants to catch Ohio State, but the RedHawks are fighting to play, period. On paper, the Wolverines have many advantages, including goaltender Josh Blackburn (2.30 GAA, .905 SV%) who is fifth among league goaltenders in conference play.
Miami 3-2; Michigan 3-1
No. 2 Michigan State (24-3-6, 18-2-6 CCHA) at Ferris State (13-12-5, 12-10-4 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., Ewigleben Arena, Big Rapids, MI Bowling Green (14-5-3, 10-13-3 CCHA) at Ferris State (13-12-5, 12-10-4 CCHA) Saturday 7 p.m., Ewigleben Arena, Big Rapids, MI
Last weekend, the Bulldogs lost 4-1 to Ohio State and 2-1 in overtime to Miami.
Assistant head coach Drew Famulak calls Saturday’s game "a defensive battle. Neither team really created a whole lot of offense."
As with the Irish and the Wolverines, the Bulldogs are not finding the net. "We have to find a way to score some goals. It’s not like we’re giving up a lot," says Famulak.
Brent Wishart (7-8–15) had the goal against Ohio State; Casey Harris (4-5–9) scored against Miami.
Brian McCullough (9-12–21), Kevin Swider (8-7–15), Joel Irwin (8-8–16), and Jim Dube (4-12–16) are among the leading Bulldog scorers in a season in which Ferris State is being outscored by opponents 57-68.
One bright and steady spot for the Bulldogs has been the goaltending of Vince Owen (2.22 GAA, .920 SV%), who is third among CCHA goaltenders in goals against. Owen was relieved Friday night by Phil Osaer, who’s posted a save percentage of .955 in 120 minutes of play.
No. 2 Michigan State vs. Ferris State
With a pair of 3-1 wins last weekend and a little help from the Buckeyes, the Spartans clinched their second consecutive CCHA title.
"The win was what was so important, and the championship was a nice bonus," said Spartan head coach Ron Mason after the Michigan game. "It took a really unselfish approach to win, and this team has that. It starts with an unselfish person like Mike York at captain, and everyone else has followed his lead."
Just how big a factor is York (10-20–30) in this Spartan team’s success?
York has had a hand in almost as many goals (38) as Spartan opponents have scored (43).
He leads the CCHA in overall plus/minus with a +28 and has been on the ice just once when an opponent has scored a five-on-five goal. That’s once–in over 700 shifts.
York is often the player who makes a difference in a Spartan game. Nearly half of his goals (eight of 17) have come in the third period, and he has four game-winning goals. Fifteen of his 17 goals have come when the game is tied or when MSU trails or leads by a goal.
Another big factor in the success of the Spartans is team defense. The Spartans have allowed more than one goal just nine times this season. The last line of the D, netminder Joe Blackburn, has the best numbers in the league, and he has finally, finally, finally been named CCHA Defensive Player of the Week.
Blackburn allowed two goals in the two games against Notre Dame and Michigan, saving 51 shots on the weekend. In CCHA play, Blackburn has a .933 save percentage and a league GAA of just 1.38.
Another Spartan earned weekly honors, as CCHA Rookie of the Week. Adam Hall (9-3–12) had the game-winner and an empty-netter against Michigan Saturday.
Pick
This is the first meeting between the Spartans and Bulldogs. Pity the Bulldogs, who play three of their last four against the current CCHA champs.
"What they do defensively is almost unheard of," says Famulak of the Spartans, "and here we are trying to turn it around offensively."
That may well be the story of the game. The Spartans are outscoring opponents 81-34, and are an incredible +164 as a team. The Bulldogs are a team that scores by committee, and if the Spartans play their game, that committee will have a tough time getting to Blackburn.
Michigan State 3-1
Bowling Green vs. Ferris State
The Falcons are flying.
After a four-game slump, Bowling Green has returned to its scoring ways. BG beat Notre Dame 5-1 Saturday; the Falcons have scored 15 goals in their last two games, 19 in their last three.
Junior Adam Edinger (16-22–38) extended his point streak to 12 games with a goal and an assist Saturday. Edinger is currently tied with OSU’s Hugo Boisvert for the lead in CCHA scoring, and the Falcon forward has a good chance to surpass Boisvert this weekend as BG plays and OSU sits.
Another Falcon in the hunt for the scoring title is senior Dan Price (13-24–37). Price had a goal and two assists Saturday, including an assist on Mike Jones’ (8-16–24) game-winner. In fact, Price has had a hand in six of BG’s 14 game-winners this season.
Jones had two goals on the night, and Chris Bonvie (11-9–20) accounted for the other Falcon goal. Edinger’s goal and Jones’ second of the night were power-play goals, as the Bowling Green power play now leads the league, converting at over 20 percent.
Mike Savard (3.35 GAA, .885 SV%) made 39 saves in the effort against Notre Dame. Savard is capable of playing stunning hockey, but has been inconsistent this season as the Falcons have been outscored by league opponents 108-114.
Pick
This game pits the best power play against the second-best PK in the league. Even more interesting is the matchup between the league’s best line and one of the league’s most consistent and best goaltenders.
Bowling Green leads this all-time series 44-27-8, and leads the season series 1-0-1 with a 2-1 win and a 4-4 tie earlier this season, both games at home. BG is 6-3-3 in the last 12 meetings with Ferris State.
Drew Famulak says that Ewigleben will be rockin’, as the weekend is sold out. After Bowling Green Ice Arena, there may be no more difficult little rink to play in than Ewigleben when it’s sold out, but the Bulldogs will need more than the home-ice advantage to beat this fast-flying Falcon team.
This one could be a shootout, if the Bulldogs can penetrate the BG defense and if Owen gets a little help from his own.
Bowling Green 3-2
Bowling Green (14-5-3, 10-13-3 CCHA) at Western Michigan (5-17-8, 4-14-8 CCHA) Friday, 7 p.m., Lawson Ice Arena, Kalamazoo, MI Western Michigan (5-17-8, 4-14-8 CCHA) at No. 2 Michigan State (24-3-6, 18-2-6 CCHA) Saturday, 7 p.m., Munn Ice Arena, East Lansing, MI
"We’re fighting for our playoff lives," says Western interim head coach Jim Culhane, and he isn’t kidding.
Just four points behind Miami, the Broncos can conceivably catch eighth place, and they put themselves in this position by playing incredibly well in February. After an 8-0 embarrassment in Columbus the last weekend of January, the Broncos are 2-1-2 in February, including two consecutive ties against Michigan.
"Our whole focus was on that one game," says Culhane. "We knew from the week before we could at least tie them."
Michigan was leading 5-2 going into the third period of last week’s contest when Ryan Crane (1-4–5), Corey Waring (8-7–15), and Mark Wilkinson (1-6–7) scored in the third period for Western to take the game into overtime and take a point from the Wolverines.
Senior netminder Matt Barnes (3.26 GAA, .885 SV%) had 25 saves in the game as the Broncos outshot the Wolverines 34-30.
"Our fans here on Friday night wouldn’t sit down in that third period," says Culhane. "They were bananas. If we had gotten that sixth goal, they would’ve lifted the roof off the building."
Culhane knows that it will be difficult for the Broncos to muscle their way into the playoffs, but he says, "At this time of year, the kids are really eager to play."
Culhane says that the line of Steve Rymsha (5-6–11), Chad Kline (4-6–10), and Anthony Battaglia (0-3–3) is playing especially well.
Bowling Green vs. Western Michigan
Culhane says that the Broncos know they won’t be able to outgun the Falcons, but he hopes they can at least contain them. "They’re going to get their goals," he says, referring to the first Falcon line of Price, Edinger, and Murphy.
"We’re going to have to stay out of the penalty box and try to limit their chances. They’re going to get their chances because they’re good players. All we can hope to do is limit them and score off of their defensive mistakes."
Bowling Green is scoring an average of 3.42 goals per game to Western Michigan’s 2.31. The teams are first and last, respectively, in conference scoring this season.
But the Falcons allow a lot of goals as well, giving up on average 3.69 to Western’s 4.00 per game. If this game comes down to goaltending, Western has a clear advantage in Matt Barnes, who is far more consistent than is BG’s Mike Savard.
Culhane isn’t kidding when he says the Broncos have to stay out of the box. Western Michigan kills penalties at a rate about 83 percent, while the Falcons are scoring more than 20 percent of the time with the extra man. And the fast-moving Falcon power play is tough to defend for its speed alone.
Bowling Green leads this all-time series 64-36-3, and the two teams split earlier in the season in Bowling Green, with the Falcons taking the first game 5-3 and the Broncos winning the second 4-1. BG is 6-5-1 in its last 12 contests against the Broncos.
Pick
This is a crazy call, but if the Broncos can come back against Michigan at home, they can beat Bowling Green as well–if they stay out of the penalty box.
Western Michigan 4-2
No. 2 Michigan State vs. Western Michigan
The Spartans are riding a 27-game unbeaten streak (22-0-5), which includes a 17-game unbeaten streak against CCHA opponents.
Michigan State leads this all-time series 48-19-4, and the season series 1-0-1. The Broncos tied the Spartans 1-1 in Munn on Oct. 16, and Michigan State won 4-1 in November in Lawson. The Spartans are 5-0-2 against the Broncos in their last seven meetings.
Pick
Unless the Spartans experience a meltdown, this one is in the bag. Why? Defense, defense, defense…and Mike York.
Michigan State 4-1
Lake Superior State (8-20-4, 7-16-3 CCHA) at Alaska-Fairbanks (10-21-1, 7-20-1) Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. AT, Carlson Center, Fairbanks, AK
The Lakers are 5-8-1 in 1999. The Nanooks are 5-12-1 in 1999. This could be a battle royale.
Last weekend, Lake Superior State tied Northern Michigan 1-1 before losing 4-0. Matt Frick (1-1–2) and Chris Thompson (2-4–6) had the goals in the tie. Jayme Platt (2.91 GAA, .901 SV%) had 40 saves in the tie and 27 in the loss.
The Nanooks split in Ohio last weekend, losing 4-3 to Miami before beating Ohio State 3-2 in overtime. Jamie Coady (8-3–11) and Chris Marvel (4.26 GAA, .872 SV%) had solid weekends for the Nanooks.
Bobby Andrews (4-8–12), Sjon Wynia (7-7–14), and Coady had the goals in the Miami game. Marvel, in relief of the injured Ian Perkins, stopped 11 of 13 shots on goal.
Coady, Darren Tiemstra (3-5–8), and Daniel Carriere (3-4–7) had the goals in the OSU game, while Marvel made 49 saves on 51 shots on goal.
These two teams are evenly matched. The Lakers are being outscored by conference opponents 77-112 this season, while the Nanooks are doing much the same, by the margin of 69-118.
The Lakers’ power play is ninth in the league, the Nanooks’ 11th. Lake State’s penalty kill is eighth, while UAF’s is 10th.
The Lakers are playing to make the playoffs, while the Nanooks know these last four games are their last four of the year, period. Alaska-Fairbanks is a bigger, tougher team that stick-checks like nobody’s business.
Picks
UAF has the advantage at home, but the Lakers won’t go away without a fight–or two.
UAF 4-3; Lake State 4-3
Bowling Green (14-5-3, 10-13-3 CCHA) at No. 10 Ohio State (19-12-4, 17-8-3 CCHA) Tuesday, 7 p.m., Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH
Once the second week of March rolls around, these two teams will be glad to be rid of one another. In all likelihood, the Buckeyes will finish second in the league and the Falcons seventh, which means that this is game two of a potential six the teams will play within a month.
The Buckeyes handled Ferris State 4-1 last Friday before forgetting how to play against the Nanooks Saturday. Ohio State lost for only the second time at home this season, this time to UAF by a 3-2 score.
On Tuesday, the Bucks will host Bowling Green in a rematch of the 3-2 contest Ohio State stole away with just 15 seconds remaining on Feb. 5, when Brian Morrison (2-3–5) notched his first of the season on the then-clicking Buckeye power play.
The Falcons lead this all-time series 84-46-5, but the Buckeyes have won the last four meetings.
Ohio State had difficulty adjusting to BG’s style of play for the first two periods of a 3-2 win in the BGSU Ice Arena. The Falcons play a more aggressive brand of hockey than anyone else in the league; the Buckeyes prefer to play a more patient game that takes advantage of opponents’ defensive breakdowns.
If Ohio State can dictate the pace of the game and avoid the penalty box, this one belongs to Ohio State. The Buckeyes, 2-2-0 in their last four games, are often victims to their own state of mind. When the Bucks play their game, they’re hard to beat; when they think it’s going to be easy, they beat themselves.
Pick
The Falcon first line is the best in the league, but the Buckeyes have more depth at every position, and the clear advantage in net. The last home game of the season and knowing they’ll probably have to get through the Falcons to go to the Joe are two big motivators.
Ohio State 4-2
