Buckeye Nation

(AP/ESPN) In one of the best played games of the last fifty years, the Ohio State Buckeyes clinched the Big 10. Assured Troy Smith the Heisman Trophy. Most importantly, they clinched the first birth in the inaugural Bowl Championship Series Championship Game by defeating the Michigan Wolverines, 42-39, on a beautiful evening in Columbus. With all the pressure and hype that comes with a normal OSU-Michigan game and added pressure of the championship stakes attached, both teams exceeded the hype and threw up an offensive explosion not seen on this side of the Mississippi in ages. Smith, playing his last game on the home grass of Buckeye Stadium, stood and delivered. The senior quarterback carved up the Wolverines secondary for 29 of 41 passes for a whopping 316 yards, four touchdown passes and an interception. All four scores were to different receivers on an afternoon that saw both teams combine for 900 net yards. In a gallant effort, Michigan's Chad Henne went 21 of 35 for 267 yards and running back Mike Hart scored three times and ran for 142 yards, one of the rare times the Buckeyes allowed a one hundred yard rusher this season. OSU's Atonio Pittman rushed for 139 yards himself, including a 56 yard touchdown romp. Smith had two scoring drives in the second quarter in the last 6:20 to put Ohio State up 28-14 at the half. But, OSH coughed up the ball twice early in the third quarter leading to 10 Michigan points early. Both teams settled the nerves and went back and forth on offense that would have amazed and pleased their late patriarch coaches, Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler. Ohio State cliched the game by capitalizing on a helmet to helmet penalty go against the Wolverines on 3rd and long. Replay clearly showed that Smith was hit as he was going out of bounds after an incomplete pass, going up 42-31 with 5:38 to go and Michigan down to one time out. After Henne hit Tyler Ecker with just over two minutes to play, then converting a 2-pt ry to Steve Breston, the onside kick was recovered by Teddy Ginn Jr. and Ohio State ran out the clock and ran all the way to Glendale, where they will be the prohibitive favorite.