There is nothing, and I mean nothing I love more in college football than seeing Michigan get humiliated at the hands of Ohio State. This year however, the Wolverines have been so overwhelmingly humiliated already that it sort of takes the fun out of it. How do you beat a team that has already beaten themselves so badly. What do you do with a team that is so far down, it is getting harder and harder to see a return to the greatness they once knew.

But here we are, just days before “The Game” and as loyal Buckeye fans, we have a duty. And don’t think for a minute the Michigan fans aren’t feeling the pain of this season. Sure, they may be quick to jump to the defense of their multi-million dollar mistake of a coach but dig past the surface and it’s not only the coach who is beyond help.

It start’s with Rodriguez telling fans they need to “get a life.” This of course sets off a stream of fan on fan attacks within the Michigan brethren (although to be honest, this has been going on all season). Bloggers are going after other bloggers (although I’ll give them this, those last two are two great posts).

One Michigan fan has even gone so far as to sell his allegiance on Ebay. It is important to note that while the bidding is up above $180, there was only one Ohio State fan who bid and they stopped at $25. And while we all know that most Michigan fans secretly want to be Buckeyes, it is they who need to pay us to get in, not the other way around.

After a while, it just becomes too painful to look at. Yeah right.

But let’s take this a step further and look at the players. While Michigan fans will be quick to tell you that Justin Boren, who transferred to Ohio State, was a whimp and wasn’t good enough to be a Wolverine, as the Michigan season draws to an end, Michigan players are running from the program like rats jumping from a sinking ship. We’re not talking recruits here. We’re talking current Michigan players. They have started bailing out even before what should be the one of the biggest games of their career.

So between the lackluster comments of Coach Rodriguez and the general acceptance in Anne Arbor that the Buckeyes are going to kick their ass, there is no wonder there is a 19 point spread on this game — tied for the highest spread in the history of the series.

And Ohio State will beat that spread. Why? Because Ohio State still sees this as a game. Their players understand the importance of this game. They are driven by a coach who knows that the number one thing that every Ohio State coach must do is to beat Michigan.

Just take a look at James Laurinatis’ comments in the Columbus Dispatch about this years game:

“You just know that in this game people are going to be fighting to the whistle,” Laurinaitis said. “You’re playing for something much more than yourself, much more than your team. It’s your whole alumni, your whole fan base, your whole state.

“Really, the mood of your state depends upon the outcome of this game.”

When asked about playing against a struggling Michigan team he added:

“You’re still going to see that the most physical game of this weekend will be Ohio State-Michigan,”

This is the attitude that every single Ohio State player brings to this game. Twenty points may be a big spread but there is no way you are going to stop these players when they hit the field. The only thing that can slow them down is a tough Michigan team and that is something we lack this year.

There has also been a lot of talk about Todd Boeckman starting the game at quarterback — something of a thank you for showing the leadership he has shown this season as he enters his last regular season game as a Buckeye.

I don’t believe he will start the game but the minute the Buckeyes get comfortably ahead, Tressel will start putting in the second string. Not because he doesn’t want to humiliate the Wolverines but because Tressel knows the value of playing time. If he can give younger players a taste of the Ohio State/Michigan experience now, they will be that much further ahead when the games get tougher down the road (yeah right).

So know you have Boeckman and others getting long awaited field time against Michigan. Not only will they be fighting against Michigan, they will be fighting for future playing time. They will be fighting for a piece of a win against their most hated rival. Even if Tressel didn’t want to run the score, do think he could stop them? How successful was he at stopping the second string from driving the score against Northwestern. Just think what they will do if given the chance against Michigan.

So much of this game has always come down to who wants it more regardless of talent or past records. The Buckeyes come into this game prepared for a tough game and a big win. Michigan quit before they even hit the field. Both teams are creating their own destiny.

It is a long standing tradition that if given the chance, you run the score against Michigan because we all know that they would do the same to us. Unless Rodriguez has done a great job of hiding his card, which nobody believes he has, expect the Buckeyes to beat the spread.

Why, because as Woody Hayes once said, “Because I couldn’t go for three.”