The Dubgate Salutes

You're the perfect Buckeye fan. You've shut out critics and the intellectually lazy punditry and appreciate this Ohio State season for what it is – a wildly enjoyable ride, the likes of which we may never see again.

Today's a big day for you and the team you pour so much of your heart into.

Not only is today Senior Day at Ohio Stadium, where 17 seniors and at least one very talented junior will be playing their final game in front of home fans, but the Buckeyes are also one win away from establishing a new program record in not knowing what it's like to lose.

First, the seniors.

These young men, most of whom enrolled in 2009 and 2010, signed up to play Tresselball, for a coach that wore a sweater vest, never said a lot, and was universally loved by his players. Not long after, the program crashed down upon itself, and the man they had come to school to play for was gone.

They were dealt an interim staff and a forgettable losing season in 2011. They adjusted to a mellowed, yet still hardass new coach and said all of the right things about NCAA sanctions that caught everyone in the program by surprise.

They took it to heart when they were referred to as a "clown show" but worked to shed that description. They found a way to help win every game last season, and again said all of the right things when they had to sit home and watch a good, but not great Notre Dame team play in the national championship.

They bought into Mickey Marotti's strength and conditioning program and worked to improve for an even better run in 2013.

And now here we are.

They're part of a school-record-tying 22 game winning streak, equaling the streak set by Woody's great teams of the late 60s.

The 2013 senior class is part of 40 wins on the playing field against just eight losses – seven of which came during the disastrous 2011 campaign. They've enjoyed 23 consecutive weeks nationally ranked in the Associated Press Top 10.

And they're on the precipice of something even greater.

A win against Indiana would clinch the Leaders Division for Ohio State – the team's second in as many years – and a date with Sparty in Indianapolis in two weeks.

A win would also be No. 23 in a row, which would qualify it as the longest winning streak in the Big Ten in 64 years. 64 years.

The group includes guys like Jack Mewhort, Andrew Norwell, Corey Linsley and Marcus Hall, all part of the best Ohio State offensive line in a generation.

There's Kenny Guiton, the best closer in the country. C.J. Barnett and Christian Bryant, the heart and soul of the defense. Philly Brown, amazing trash-talker and stamping his name all over the Ohio State receiving record books. Chris Fields and Jordan Hall, integral members of the offense for what seems like forever.

There's Bradley Roby, a senior academically, who brought elite cornerback play back to Ohio State. His special teams work won't soon be forgotten, either.

And then there's Carlos Hyde. It's Hyde, suspended for the first three games of his senior campaign for a mistake he'll regret for the rest of his life, who has emerged as the heart and soul of this team. He'll look to become Urban Meyer's first 1,000-yard running back today and will one day be the subject of yarns told by old men. You see, son, I was sitting in C deck when I saw El Guapo shred Penn State's defense. Damn near killed all of them.

Outstanding work, gentlemen. It's been insanely fun, and for that, we salute you.

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD RECORDS. Last week, Ohio State broke the school record for touchdowns scored in a season with 67 on the year. The old mark, 64, was set by the 1995 team that featured Eddie George, Terry Glenn, Orlando Pace, Bobby Hoying, Rickey Dudley and other greats.

Today, Urban Meyer's team should break another school record – this one for points in a season. The team is 10 points short of the 504 scored by the 1998 team, which means they could own the mark in the first quarter if today plays out like most Ohio State games seem to do lately.

Ohio State has 179 points in the last three games (63 vs Penn State, 56 vs Purdue and 60 vs Illinois), the most ever scored in a three-game span by the program.

This team is still on pace to break the school record for total yards in a season, too. The offense is getting 536.9 yards per game, which projects to 6,442 yards by the end of the regular season, well ahead of the 6,222 yards registered by the 1995 team.

Fireworks. All of them.

MOVEMBER IS FOR CHAMPIONS. Urban Meyer is a stellar 32-3 in November games since becoming an FBS head coach at Utah in 2003. His secret? Strong mustache work in his younger days.

EARLY GAMES YOU WON'T WATCH. While today's early slate may not pack ranked matchups, it does provide a few other opportunities.

Like, the opportunity to scout Michigan State ahead of the B1GCG. Or the opportunity to cheer for Iowa to cover the six against Michigan. Or even the opportunity to tune into the Illinois–Purdue game, even if just for a minute, to take in the Big Ten cripple fight. And we can't forget about the opportunity to pull for Mississippi State at Arkansas, because #karma.

You get it.