THE GAME........Let's face it, when Michigan took the opening kickoff and breezed through the Ohio State defense for a quick touchdown it was cause for alarm........cause for alarm during most seasons........however.....for this team.......no problem....as OSU's team trotted onto the field for their first possession, led by Troy "I Clinched the Heisman Trophy Today" Smith, there was joy in columbus as he quickly led Ohio State to a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7 and the sprint had begun...and when the game was over and OSU had scored 42 points to hold on for a win despite 3 Ohio state turnovers in the second half it validated the feeling all along that you just knew that somehow, someway, Ohio State would win if Troy stayed healthy....plus....let's face it....the "Tressel Factor" vs Lloyd Carr is starting to play a big factor (OSU fans can reflect back to the late, not so great Cooper ERA to get a full understanding of this situation)...Ohio State is now 5-1 versus Michigan since coach Tressel took over..........Coach Tressel has owned Michigan since he took over for Cooper.....and the U of M fans KNOW that all too well..................

THE OFFENSE: A sensational 52 yard run for a TD by Chris Wells, a 53 yard TD run by Antonio Pittman, 4 TD passes by Troy Smith, and over 500 yards on offense turned out to be a lethal combination for OSU. Although Michigan running back Mike Hart became the 1st Michigan player to run for 3 Touchdown's in the OSU vs Michigan rivalry, it wasn't enough.

PLAY OF THE GAME..........The play of the game was easily an incomplete pass on a 3rd and 15 play by Troy Smith late in the 4th quarter that resulted in a 1st down........on that play Smith showed why he deserved to win the Heisman as he was forced out of the pocket and used his athletic ability to escape two Mich tacklers.......which forced a Shawn Crable "helmet to helmet" hit (Note to MICH fans: That's a big no-no)that resulted in a 1st down.....OSU then went on to score the "clinching" TD.

POSTGAME............The OSU victory gives them an overall record of 12-0 and their first outright Big Ten Title since 1984......Michigan sinks to 11-1 and a tie for second place with Wisconsin.......The win also clinches a spot for Ohio State in the 2007 BCS Championship game at Glendale, Arizona on January 8th......and......the OSU opponent SHOULD be Michigan......but either USC, Florida, Notre Dame, or Arkansas will likely be their opponent.

TID/BITS
1. The Lloyd Carr "Jinx" in this series is now in full blossom. Coach Jim Tressel is now 5-1 versus Carr in this rivalry.
2. This was the first time since 1975 that the two teams had come into the game undefeated. OSU won that one 21-14. The two teams have now met as undefeated squads 5 times, and Michigan has never won.
3. There have been 14 games where the Buckeyes have gone into their season ending clash with Michigan undefeated. OSU has a 9-4-1 record in those meetings.
4. With the win, Ohio State has moved ahead in the series 28-25-2 since 1952.
5. There were over 105,000 people in attendance...it was the largest crowd EVER at an Ohio State game.
6. The 42 points scored by OSU were the most points scored by either team since the 1968 game which Ohio State won 50-14 with the "infamous" two point conversion at the end of the game......that was also the year BEFORE Bo Schembechler took over at Michigan.
7. Michigan's 39 points was the most points scored by Michigan in 60 years as they scored 58 points in 1946 in a 58-6 win over OSU.
8. The 39 points scored by Michigan also set a record in the series for most points scored by the losing team - Ohio State previously held the dubious honor as they scored 31 points in a 34-31 loss to Michigan in 1988.
9. Ohio State has a 19 game winning streak. The OSU record is 23 - set in 1967-1969.
10. Former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler died the day before the game at the age of 77 of congestive heart failure.