Ohio State's known all along it would come to this. Frankly, the Big Ten and college football world knew it would come to this.
Michigan State and Ohio State. Urban Meyer and Mark Dantonio. The defending national champions of the sport battling the last — and only — team to beat them in conference play in Meyer's tenure.
"To win the next week, we’re going to have to be nine strong," Meyer said Saturday after leading the Buckeyes a 28-3 victory at Illinois. "That’s something we’re going to continue to hammer."
"Nine Units Strong." It's the credo Meyer instilled after Dantonio and the Spartans ripped away his chances at capturing the Big Ten Championship in 2013. The mantra led to a national title one year ago — and a resounding 49-37 victory in East Lansing — and provided a base to his program moving forward.
Ohio State's head coach doesn't like to talk about defending titles. He's learned to deal with the pressure of having a loaded team once he reached the pinnacle of the sport differently than in year's past; to appreciate every win and enjoy it with your teammates, coaches and families.
“We know what’s coming down the road next week and we have to be a little bit more balanced than we were and that starts with pass protection. That was the only negative.”– Urban Meyer
"Defending championships isn't a big topic of conversation," Meyer said Wednesday. "A lot of times, it's survival."
The Buckeyes have done more than that in 2015. Even though they had a few escapes earlier in the season, the first formidable, crucial and central challenge wasn't coming until No. 21 when the Spartans paid a visit to Ohio Stadium.
"We never want to get bored with being 10-0 and being the top team in the country. Coach Meyer is always talking to us about that," redshirt freshman defensive end Sam Hubbard said Saturday. "But these are the big ones, these are the ones that we train for and the ones that we’ve been waiting for.
"It’s finally time to go."
Finally time after 30 consecutive regular season conference victories. Finally time after putting a checkmark in the left-hand column 23 straight times overall. Finally time after J.T. Barrett's off-field "speed bump" and one-game suspension. It's finally time.
The Buckeyes have their ducks in a row when it comes to conference positioning, and all must be present Saturday against the Spartans and the following weekend in Ann Arbor.
"These two games coming up, they’re the two biggest games of the year for us. If we don’t perform in those, we can’t accomplish our goals for the season," left tackle Taylor Decker said. "It’s going to be a big test, it’s going to be a good measure of where we’re at."
Michigan State doesn't house the same brilliant defense that thwarted Braxton Miller and the Buckeyes that December night in Indianapolis nearly two years ago, 34-24, but getting back atop the Big Ten remains in play for not only the Spartans but also the Buckeyes and Michigan.
Spartan quarterback Connor Cook is second in the Big Ten in passer rating and passing yards, though he left Saturday's victory against Maryland with a shoulder injury. Cook said he'll play Saturday, and if he does, he'll be the best quarterback a strong Buckeye defense has seen so far this season.
"This is why you come to a place like Ohio State, to play in big games and just crazy that we have these two back-to-back," running back Ezekiel Elliott said.
The Spartans enter the clash 9-1, following a heartbreaking loss at Nebraska two weeks ago. It appeared the referees made a mistake that allowed the go-ahead touchdown late, but a loss is a loss. The Wolverines experienced their first Big Ten loss under coach Jim Harbaugh in perhaps the most stunning way imaginable nearly a month ago to the Spartans, but remain in contention.
How things shake out as November ends will determine how the Big Ten East is won.
"You cannot take these two games light. They're great opponents, and great defenses. Both of them," Billy Price said. "They're both playing very well right now so you just have to go and attack them and give them everything you got."
Ohio State's relied heavily on its talent and power run game to win games often in 2015, as Meyer yo-yoed Barrett and Cardale Jones at quarterback. It's now the former's job for good, but the unit struggled Saturday to throw the ball consistently against the Illini. Pass protection was an issue, as Ohio State leaned on Elliott's 181 rushing yards and two touchdowns to put the game away.
"We have to be more balanced," Meyer said. "We know what’s coming down the road next week and we have to be a little bit more balanced than we were and that starts with pass protection. That was the only negative."
There are other negatives to Ohio State's team — like the struggle to find consistency in the kicking game, for example — but a stout defense and proficient rushing attack has been enough for it to not experience a loss in the first two-and-a-half months of the season.
Whether or not those fallacies result in a different outcome Saturday remains to be seen. It'll go a long way to determining Ohio State's season.
"We have to play as a whole; it’s a team sport," wide receiver Michael Thomas said. "We have to protect, we have to catch the ball and we have to make plays. That’s what we’ll get corrected and we have great coaches that will get us ready."
Added Barrett: "Not a lot of people can say they're 10-0. So with that I feel like we're in a good place. The greatest thing about it, you don't have to be your best right now. That's the greatest thing about it. You don't have to be your best, you got two games left in the season."
He's not wrong, but with how Meyer drives home the importance of being nine units strong in order to be in position to win championships in November, the Buckeyes need to be their best to beat the Spartans.
"Pretty close (Saturday), though. On defense, all four units played well," Meyer said. "I think the receivers played well today, every opportunity they got. I think our quarterback did pretty good. It was just pass protection issues that we have to get fixed."
