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By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Friday, Sep 12, 2008
Win or lose, Ohio State and the Browns will force Northeast Ohio fans to come down from a serious self-induced football buzz Monday morning.
This is one of those weekends that would have been perfect had the games been played in mid-October with an ever-so-slight chill in the air, but who the heck am I to quibble with near perfection?
The most pressing question of the weekend for both teams: which team will show up?
With the Buckeyes battling No. 1 Southern Cal at 8 p.m. Saturday (actual kickoff is slated for 8:20 p.m.) on ABC (WEWS Channel 5), fans don't know if a championship caliber team will thrash the Trojans or bow to their will.
Why the uncertainty?
All you have to do is look to that performance against Ohio University last week in a game Ohio should have won. Given what the OSU football program has done the past two years, you would think that it would be able to swoop into this game with the wind at their backs, but no. They find themselves with more pressure, former Buckeyes receiver Cris Carter said.
''They lost the last two national championship games, so this is important, not only for their program in terms of this year and trying to get to the national championship, but I also think in their national recruiting,'' he said.
In Ohio State's case, perception is reality, and the reality is — whether right or wrong — a lot of college football fans are not too keen on seeing the Buckeyes playing in the national championship game again. Witness the drop in the polls from No. 3 to No. 5 after the pathetic showing against the Bobcats.
Is there a bias against OSU?
''I wouldn't say a bias, but I think that people should, as far as evaluating them, you have to put that in the equation,'' Carter said. ''They've been in the last two national championship games, and they've looked bad.''
Carter said the Buckeyes shouldn't concern themselves with national rankings right now.
''I know they're not concerned. Because if they win all their games, they will be No. 1. I think it's a huge opportunity for Ohio State with regards to what people have to think. In their matchup on the national stage, it's very critical that they show well.''
And the Browns?
Well, the lights get flipped on for a game televised in prime-time in Cleveland for the first time since 2003 when they lost to the St. Louis Rams. Yes, Northeast Ohio, that's an extremely long drought.
That also is the most recent time that Al Michaels and John Madden have called a Browns game. Then with ABC, Michaels and Madden currently call NBC home and announce NBC's Sunday Night Football at 8 on WKYC (Channel 3).
Please take note that in this game, the Browns are an afterthought. Given the way that they played last Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, that's not surprising. The Pittsburgh Steelers looked dominating, and the Browns . . . well . . . not so much.
Madden and Michaels have taken note.
''I'm looking forward to this one. I've always enjoyed the Pittsburgh Steelers because they're always going to play a tough game, and it's always going to be very physical,'' Madden said. ''It starts with the run, good defense, getting turnovers, and the more we watch football, the more we realize that there's really a place for that.''
And Michaels: ''Everybody kind of overlooks the Pittsburgh Steelers. They were dominant on Sunday, and [Ben] Roethlisberger was almost perfect.''
Guess we know what they're expecting Sunday night.
Truck full of goodies
NBC will show up with a load of technological gizmos and gadgets to help cover the game. Much of it will enhance the experience of Sunday Night Football Extra, the streaming Web cast that can be seen on NFL.com and NBCSports.com. Fans will be able to choose from multiple viewing angles, in game highlights and other toys.
Of course, you have to pay attention to two screens to do it, but I've seen people do stranger things while watching television.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/sportsblitz/
Win or lose, Ohio State and the Browns will force Northeast Ohio fans to come down from a serious self-induced football buzz Monday morning.
Get the full article here.
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