Ohio State's coaches and players are banned from saying the name of the school they play every year at the end of the regular season, which makes saying their opponent this week somewhat of a problem.
“I’m not sure what the rules are about that so I just call them ‘That Team Up North State’ right now," Ohio State junior linebacker Joshua Perry joked Monday. "No, I mean Michigan State is a really good team and we’re gonna prepare really hard for them.”
Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer made it clear Monday the Buckeyes' one true rival is and always will be Michigan.
What has also become clear over recent years is their biggest game of the season — in terms of national prominence and Big Ten title implications — is against Michigan State.
"I'd love to have our players have a very clear understanding of rivalry games, the pageantry of it and when you come back to understand the rivalry. We have one rival here," Meyer said during his weekly press conference. "What's happened in this situation is you have an excellent team. After watching them on film, they're a great team and they stand in the way of Big Ten championship. They stood in the way last year and we failed."
The Buckeyes and Spartans head into Saturday's primetime showdown as the only teams still undefeated in Big Ten play. They're also one of three Big Ten teams who still have hope to qualify for the first-ever College Football Playoff.
Both teams will need to win out to be considered for one of those four final playoff spots and, obviously, one team will leave Spartan Stadium a loser Saturday night.
“There’s a little added intensity. We understand that this is a pretty pivotal game in our season," senior defensive tackle Michael Bennett said. "They’re the highest-ranked opponent we’ve had all year and it kind of is a deciding factor in how this season’s gonna go.”
A pair of 7-1 teams going head-to-head in primetime. It's the perfect opportunity for the 16th-ranked Buckeyes to earn a statement win on a national stage — something they haven't done yet in Meyer's three years as coach.
“These are the games that you get excited for. When I came to Ohio State I knew I wanted to play in games like these. That’s gonna put a little bit more on it," Perry said. "I know that our older guys, they’re gonna put their all into it because they obviously don’t have a lot of chances to win those championships and compete the way that we want to. Our young guys always play hard for us and they’re always hungry. It’s gonna be good to see how guys can come together on the field.”
