Buckeye Bits

The End Zone: 09-09

Since most of the current Ohio State players were studying earth science in junior high the last time the Buckeyes faced Miami, a history lesson: Know thine enemy.

Miami gets its nickname froma blossoming meteorologicaldepression. The Hurricanes claim five national championships since 1983, although one was a partial. Miami owns the longest homewinning streak — 58 straight at the Orange Bowl.

But there have been stormy times. In 1978 three Miami players tossed a Jewish man on his way to religious services into a campus lake. In the 1991Cotton Bowl,Miami took nine penalties for personal fouls and had a player shoot the opposition with pretend pistols after a touchdown. That prompted the "Miami Rule" to penalize taunting.

Also: a raunchy rap video made by Miami players in 2005, the alleged cash payments by rapper Luther Campbell for big hits and touchdowns, and a 2006 brawl with neighboring Florida International.

But the biggie came before the 1987 Fiesta Bowl, where the Hurricanes showed up wearing combat fatigues, while Penn State's players were in jackets and ties. Miami's players were questioned for walking out of a formal dinner with their opponents, so Miami defensive lineman, the late Jerome Brown, asked: "Did the Japanese go sit down and have dinner with Pearl Harbor before they bombed them?"

The answer was an obvious "huh?"

The End Zone: 09-02

College football’s most-prized rivalry took a hit when the Big Ten put Ohio State and Michigan in different divisions as the conference moves to that format next season. They still will play each other every season, and that meeting takes place on the final week of the season, at least for the next two years. Beyond that, who knows?

The Big Ten wisely chose not to enter the open minefield that would result from moving the Ohio State-Michigan game from its historic place on the calendar. The notion that such a jolt to tradition was being discussed had fans in both camps grabbing the torches and pitchforks. At the start of what could be a national championship-caliber season, Buckeyes fans were preoccupied with protecting that Holy Grail.

You have to wonder how long “The Game” will stay in that end-of-season slot. The Big Ten has a potential Big Quandary brewing, because its championship game has to be the league’s crown jewel. And if Michigan regains its power status, and Ohio State maintains its position of strength, then “The Game” could be bigger than “The Championship,” which would be unacceptable.

The best rivalry in sports has been tinkered with, and the full results of that are yet unknown, but it could be set up for a bigger hit down the line. “The Game” ultimately might be too big for the new Big Ten.