Then there is a trip to surprisingly tough Minnesota followed by the last home game of the year, against hapless Illinois, before a trip to fifth-ranked Michigan. They're all big.
Every game is very, very important.
He knows his team still needs a lot of help to regain control of its destiny and jump back into the race for a return trip to the Rose Bowl. And surprising Purdue, which Ohio State does not play this year, must lose at least once. All that considered, it doesn't change Ohio State's basic challenge. It seems like, for a moment, the road has gotten a little less steep. The Buckeyes put together their best game of the season, scoring on six straight possessions the last part of the first half through the middle of the fourth quarter, in ripping to their 20th straight win over Northwestern.