Rarely does a well-hyped game like yesterday afternoon's battle between the Buckeyes of Ohio State University and the University of Michigan Wolverines live up to its reputation. Both teams entered the game with perfect 11-0 records and knowing that the winner would have a guaranteed berth to the BCS national title game, as they were rated no.1 and no.2 in the Bowl Championship Standings (BCS). Add to that the weight of one of the nation's biggest college football rivalries and the possibility of an OSU player cementing his position as the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy and the anticipation for yesterday's Clash in Columbus honestly could not have been higher. And luckily for college football fans, diehard and casual alike, this one did not disappoint.

It seemed, at one point, that all of the hype and excitement would have been lost in the death of legendary Michigan football Head Coach Bo Schembechler, whose tremendous wealth of knowledge attracted numerous talented athletes to his program. The 20-year Wolverines coach was so respected that even some future OSU players visited Michigan during the recruiting season just to pick his brain, despite having no intention of attending the school. The ball coach didn't mind.

But the death of a legend seemed to only add to the game, reminding OSU and Michigan fans of the older good 'ole days of Woody Hayes-Schembechler and cluing in the rest of the nation even further into the rivalry that began before the turn of the 20th century. A few UM signs seen at the Horseshoe, or as it's officially known, Ohio Stadium, displayed messages along the lines of "Win it for Bo!"

The atmosphere was somber but still ecstatic.

Most fans tend to ignore the beginning of athletic events because it is the ending, and not the beginning, that really matters. This explains why the stands at any baseball, football, basketball or hockey game almost always seem more packed in the second quarter or inning and midway through the third period. Heck, remember back to 2004 when the Pittsburgh Steelers played the New England Patriots in a Halloween NFL game? Steelers Head Coach Bill Cowher had to ask the fans prior to the game to show up in the stands early to help Pittsburgh get some early momentum over the then-undefeated Patriots. (The Steelers jumped out to a 21-3 lead by the end of the first quarter and a 24-3 advantage midway through the second.)

Michigan fans that showed up late to their seats ended up missing out not only on the first score of the game but the only time that the Wolverines had the lead. And the rest of the fans across the nation, OSU included, that did not tune in to the first quarter missed out on a classic punch, counter-punch, punch, counter-punch battle.

Wolverine quarterback Chad Henne threw for three first downs, two of them to talented wide receiver Mario Manningham, to push Michigan to the OSU 1-yard line. A simple handoff to running back Mike Hart and an extra point by kicker Garrett Rivas put UM up, 7-0, only 2:28 into the game.

Punch.

Ohio State responded by opening up the passing game, testing the touted Michigan defense, which had allowed only 231.5 yards per game (passing and rushing combined) and 12.1 points per game. OSU quarterback Troy Smith went 11-for-13 on the drive for 69 yards, was sacked once and only handed the ball off to running back Antonio Pittman twice (and for good reason, initially--the Wolverines had allowed a mere 29.9 rushing yards per game, which was on pace to be the lowest in major college football since 1959). The drive was finished when Smith completed a 2-yard pass to receiver Roy Hall, who had only 10 catches on the season going into the Clash in Columbus, for the score. Kicker Aaron Pettrey booted the ball through the goalposts to tie the game, 7-7.

Counter-punch.

The defenses took over on both team's next possessions. Michigan's was a six-play drive that went for 15 yards before Wolverine punter Zoltan Mesko (what a cool name, by the way) gave the ball back to the Buckeyes, who saw nearly the same amount of success on their ensuing seven-play, 22-yard series before punting the ball off back to Michigan.

Punch, counter-punch.

The second quarter was a slightly different story, however. It was the point in the game where the Buckeyes gained the lead and extended it to a point that Michigan would not be able to overcome as the game proceeded.

After the Wolverines punted the ball after going four-and-out, OSU went on a two-play drive that featured a 52-yard touchdown scamper (nearly double the amount of rushing yards the Wolverines allowed in a single game) by running back Chris Wells. A little over six minutes later, the Buckeyes scored again, as Smith hooked up with speedy receiver Ted Ginn Jr. for a 39-yard touchdown pass two plays after connecting with sophomore receiver Brian Robiskie for a 40-yard completion.

At that point, with Ohio State leading 21-7, it appeared that the game would slide into a blowout, potentially opening the door for other high-rated BCS teams to leapfrog the Wolverines if the pollsters and computers had punished them for losing in such a disgraceful fashion. But that would have meant that this game would not have lived up to the hype. The Wolverines clawed back.

A 30-yard run by Hart, a key pass interference call on the Buckeyes helped lead Michigan down the field, where, on 2nd and 20 on the OSU 37, Henne found receiver Adrian Arrington for the score to pull UM within a touchdown of tying the game.

The punch, counter-punch relay of the first quarter had extended into the second. But there would be one more meeting of the fisticuffs before the half would come to a close and it would be a yet another statement drive by the Buckeyes and the Heisman Trophy hopeful Smith.

Never once handing the ball off to his running backs, the senior went 8-for-9 through the air, connecting with Robiskie twice and receiver Anthony Gonzalez four times, the last being an 8-yard score that put the Buckeyes up 28-14 at the half, as Michigan had no time left on the clock to work with the ball after the OSU kickoff.

Despite the 14-point lead the Buckeyes had over their hated rival at the half, it still seemed that the game could swing in either team's favor in the second. Both teams had seen a reasonable amount of success on offense and a shootout seemed like a certainty. And a shootout is exactly what America and the OSU/UM faithful got.

Smith, after being nearly pin-point accurate in the first half, opened the second by going 0-for-3 on the Buckeyes' first possession, forcing OSU to punt. It was then that Michigan turned to its ground game and a stroke of luck to once again climb back into the game.

After Manningham failed to advance the ball on a reverse on 1st down, Michigan Head Coach Lloyd Carr turned to Hart, who carried the ball on each of the next five plays for a total of 60 yards, capped off by a 2-yard score. The ensuing OSU drive was abruptly ended when a pass by Smith on 3rd down was tipped and fell into the hands of Michigan's Alan Branch.

It was only Smith's fourth interception of the year but the senior treated it as if it was a game-loser, hanging his head on the sidelines and refusing to listen to the consoling of his teammates as the Wolverines capitalized on the OSU turnover by converting a 39-yard field goal by Rivas to trim the Buckeye lead to 28-24.

The Michigan field goal was only the first time this season that an opposing team had turned an OSU turnover into points.

Smith didn't need to worry much longer, after Ohio State again pushed its lead to 35-24 off a 56-yard run by Pittman and a Pettrey extra point.

Once again, the Ohio State offense had made the plays it needed to. And again, the OSU running game torched the highly-touted Wolverines rush defense.

The Wolverines would gamble on their next possession, going for it on 4th and 11 on the OSU 34 after moving the ball from their own 20 yard line. Henne completed a pass to receiver Steve Breaston, but the senior came up five yards short of the first down line, turning the ball over to the Buckeyes.

The teams traded four-and-outs before OSU re-gained the ball, only to hand it back over to the Wolverines when Smith fumbled deep in OSU territory and Branch was there to fall on the ball. It was another costly turnover that led to another Michigan score, as Hart crossed the goal line for the third and final time to again cut the OSU lead to four.

The running back finished the game with 142 yards on 23 carries.

Nearly 10 minutes elapsed between the Michigan TD and the next score, highlighted by yet another Smith fumble, this time inside Wolverine territory that was not converted into points as UM punted after going four-and-out.

The next two drives for both teams seemingly took an eternity to complete, perhaps because of the hype behind the game or because they started at the OSU 17 and the Michigan 19, respectively. The OSU drive turned into another touchdown, as Smith found a falling Robiskie near the left forward pylon of the Michigan end zone to tack on the final score of the evening for the Buckeyes and push their lead to 42-31.

The Wolverines would need a touchdown, two-point conversion, a successful onside kick and a field goal just to tie the game. Problem with that was that Michigan only had 4:56 left to go in the game and the odds of getting all four to go their way was extremely slim.

Carr's squad managed to pick up the first two items on the list, scoring on a 16-yard pass by Henne (who was 21-of-35 for 267 yards and two TD's) to tight end Tyler Ecker and succeeding on a Henne pass to Breaston for the two-point conversion, but was unable to recover the onside kick, which flew threw the air right into the hands of Ginn Jr., who was OSU's top reciever, catching eight balls for 104 yards and a score.

Pittman, who finished the day with 139 yards and a touchdown off of 18 carries, ran out the rest of the gameclock to secure the OSU victory and clear the benches for the handshakes, hugs and handshakes (as odd as that may seem for this rivalry) and interviews that followed thereafter. The stands also began to empty, as the victorious Ohio State faithful leapt onto the field to celebrate.

The goalposts were under the protection of game security and police, forcing OSU fans to find a different method of celebration--tearing up pieces of the Ohio Stadium turf as souvenirs and headgear.

With the win, OSU will most likely advance into the title game and Smith, who finished the day 29-of-41 for 316 yards and four touchdowns, will be awarded the Heisman. That sentiment was shared by Buckeye Head Coach Jim Tressel.

"I would think he clinched the Heisman Trophy, I don't think there'd be any question about that," Tressel said.

The only question left to be answered is who the Buckeyes will play in the BCS Championship game in January. Discussion on that issue had been going on for weeks prior to the game. Some around the nation argued that Michigan, even with a loss, should stay as the no.2 spot ahead of teams like Southern California and Florida, Notre Dame, Arksanas and West Virginia. Others, mostly traditionalists, claimed that would not be fair (or proper) to rematch two teams who had just played each other.

Admittedly, I was a part of the latter camp, but after yesterday, I became a believer in a rematch. Ohio State is clearly the best team in the nation and proved it today but the second-best team, in my mind, emerged today in the form of the Michigan Wolverines.

One of the other reasons is that the other highly-rated teams, in my mind, are simply not good enough.

Southern Cal has been way overrated this season, living off of their legacy over the past few seasons instead of their body of work this one. The pollsters seem to have forgotten that gone are the days of Carson Palmer, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and LenDale White. Those folks moved onto the National Football League where they have already begun to implant their names into NFL history. (Bush is in the top 10 in the NFL in receptions, Palmer is regarded by most as one of the top five QB's in the league and Leinart has taken over the reins as the quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals from former starter Kurt Warner. White has found himself stuck behind in the depth charts behind Tennessee Titans running backs Chris Brown and Travis Henry.) So, please scratch USC from the list--they don't deserve it. Next season, the Trojans will be one of the better teams in the nation but this year, they are hidden behind a large smokescreen made by guys from the past that is still yet to dissipate in the minds of the pollsters.

The Florida Gators are right behind the Trojans in the BCS rankings and I would not mind seeing Head Coach Urban Meyer’s team play in the title game if it ended up happening. The Gators have (finally) emerged as the team many thought they would be last season--the cream of the crop in the Southeastern Conference. Quarterback Chris Leak has still underachieved a tad but I guess that's just a part of his M.O.

The only reason I'm putting the Wolverines ahead of Florida is just a matter of taste. I think Michigan made a statement yesterday with their near-upset of the Buckeyes and should deserve a spot in the title game, even if it means playing a team that just beat them. Who knows what could happen on a neutral field?

I could go on about how each team is less deserving of the bid to the title game but the answer would still boil down to the same common response: Michigan is just better. Now, it would be interesting to see how the Buckeyes would deal with the most explosive offense in the nation--West Virginia's two-headed monster of quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton, both who should get a good amount of Heisman recognition behind Smith come award time--but two costly Slaton fumbles that came as a result of an injury to the star running back's hand during WVU's 44-34 Nov. 2 loss to the Louisville Cardinals put the Mountaineers out of the title picture.

One last thing to consider for the traditionalist who would argue that a rematch would be such a horrible thing: if OSU had defeated Michigan the first game instead of the last game of its regular season, would people still be clamoring that a rematch would be wrong? I doubt it.

And as a result, we should be seeing the Buckeyes and Wolverines once again play another instant classic come January.

Photo Credits: Getty Images