Tick. Tick. Tick.

I think the clock is slow, gimmie something to write on man!  Legendary lyrics from Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" describe the tick tick ticking clock in my head.  Ever creeping toward game day at a snails pace.  For fans ten days is a long time to wait for a Championship Game after the high of beating Alabama.  Coaches may disagree. I assume players are split on the wait, but one thing is for sure, this game will be an event never seen before!  As long as my brain doesn't explode from all the media coverage it should be great.

Speaking of the media...wow.  I'm not sure how many on air personalities just ESPN has in Fort Worth but it seems like anyone that has ever appeared on screen mentioning college football gets at least one hour on air a day.  I have seen and heard so much analysis, so many analysts, so many stats, and so many graphics illustrating said stats and analysis that my Vizio just SAP's itself, slaps "No Mas" on the screen and shuts itself off.

A lot of the stats and analysis say Oregon is good.  An equal amount of stats and analysis say Ohio State is good. Surprise!  Two good teams are playing for a National Championship and that's the way it should be.  Yet one thing that I feel is a big reason that The Buckeyes are in this game seems to have been largely overlooked by the paid talkers.  I wonder if there has ever been a team more filled with 5 star, 4 star, 3 star recruits that has embraced a "Blue Collar" attitude more than these Buckeyes.

All teams work hard to win, this is nothing new.  All teams have many personalities to mesh together during a season.  Many teams even take on the personality of their head coach.  But this team from Columbus is something different.  Maybe because the teams biggest star went down without ever seeing the field any cockiness that may have existed never came to life.  But Braxton was never a prima donna.  I can't put my finger on it without actually having been around the team, but from a fans perspective I can't remember seeing any sign of a "me" attitude from a player on this team all year. 

This group of guys are sold out for each other in every way.  Maybe the passing of Kosta Kerageorge cemented the bond between these players.  If that's the case then that is a small sparkle of positivity form a horribly sad situation.  On a side note, I hope Kosta's parents are in attendance in Ft. Worth if they wish to be.  He is still a member of this team. 

Watch the Sugar Bowl again (I know you have it DVR'd like I do).  Watch the defense jumping up and down on the sideline watching the offense roll!  Watch JT support Cardale.  It seemed like every single player slapped Jalin Marshall on the ass for his masterful TD pass and mobbed Thomas after possibly the catch of the year before the half.  Watch the entire sideline erupt with every defensive stop or turnover.  Players not dressed for the game constantly led cheers of the massive Buckeye base in the crowd and those maniac Ohio State fans proved without a doubt that truly EVERY game is a home game! 

Fans are united around this group as much as always.  Opposing teams sometimes still don't get how we roll into "away" games and take over the scene.  At Maryland this year we fans completely took over entire parking lots to tailgate before the game.  I remember how taken back the Terps were on their first offensive possession by the crowd noise in their stadium!  Their O couldn't hear the check downs and they were the home team!  I personally saw the same deal last year at Northwestern.  The Cats were pumped to play the Buckeyes in Prime Time but looking into the crowd of Scarlet and Grey and hearing the deafening roar of Buckeye Nation deflated that enthusiasm early in that game!

  Dosen't it feel great to know you make a difference in your devotion?  This game should be no different.  If your lucky enough to be going to this game be loud like never before.  Oregon has no idea what you are about Nation, LET THEM KNOW!  Jerry's World shall be known as "The Shoe South + Bigscreen" Monday!

I have no desire to add the the stats you have been inundated with these last few days but I will pass on one interested thing I learned this week.  Coaches Meyer and Herman but spent ten days with former Oregon coach Chip Kelley this past offseason.  Coach Meyer also spent a week with the Ducks program during his "offseason" between leaving Florida and taking The Ohio State job.  That makes me feel good knowing that our staff knows Oregon's offensive style as good as anybody who is not around it everyday! 

I feel good enough about these "Blue Collar" Buckeyes to turn my attention to the NFL for the rest of this weekend. I don't expect any players to do or say anything crazy from now until Monday.  They are too focused for that.  I'm confident Ohio State football is going to be champions again this year and I am absolutely HYPED for the future of Urban Meyer's program!  I hope we all are dancing Monday night and freezing our butts off on Wednesday at the parade!  See you there Buckeye Nation!