Joey Johnston

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State Buckeyes wanted celebration, not speculation. Good luck with that, Buckeyes. Even though top-ranked Ohio State held off the No. 2-ranked and previously unbeaten Michigan Wolverines 42-39 in a game-for-the-ages that lived up to the hype, the Buckeyes weren’t even allowed to take a deep breath.

Nobody knows — yet — who Ohio State (12-0) might face in the Jan. 8 BCS Championship Game at Glendale, Ariz.

One thing is certain: That opponent won’t be mere target practice for the Buckeyes. It has hope. No longer can this season be considered a slam dunk for Ohio State.

Yes, Ohio State played superbly Saturday in building a two-touchdown first-half lead against the Wolverines. The Buckeyes made plays down the stretch when they needed them desperately. And nobody can dispute the greatness of senior quarterback Troy Smith, who blitzed Michigan with four touchdown passes and essentially clinched the Heisman Trophy. 

But Michigan didn’t blink.

The Wolverines gained 397 yards of total offense and scored 39 points against the Buckeyes, who came in allowing a national-low 7.8 points per game.

“I guarantee if we play them again, it would be a whole different game,” said Wolverines junior running back Mike Hart, who rushed for 142 yards and three touchdowns. “We should have got them the first time around. We didn’t.

“Do I think there should be a rematch? Probably. I think we’re both the top teams in the country, regardless of what anybody says.”

Get in line, Michigan.

• The Wolverines (11-1) may have the best case, even though they won’t be a conference champion. But they provided a season’s worth of anxiety for the consensus No. 1-ranked team – on the road, to boot. And here’s a score from Sept. 16 – Michigan 47, Notre Dame 21 at South Bend, Ind. – that could be a trump card (more on that later).
  

• More on BCS championship game No. 2 LSU 38, No. 1 Ohio State 24 Slide show: Top images  |    Discuss game Tigers dominate as Flynn tosses 4 TD passes Opinion: Easy to see why LSU is best team SN: LSU brings order back to college football Opinion: You can call Buckeyes The Buffalo Bills Celizic: Another year wasted without a playoff Special teams turn tide for Tigers Opinion: OSU ‘D’ falls flat  |  Another BCS bust Opinion: Third time will be charm for OSU in '08 LSU first 2-loss champs |  AP, coaches' polls NBC Sports: Resilience pays off for LSU Newsweek: Another BCS dud, and it's our fault Votes: Who's No. 1? |  LSU repeat?  |  Playoff? Special feature: Team of the decade?

  USC (10-1) has a case if it runs the table. Saturday night’s victory against the California Golden Bears was largely underwhelming, but there’s the opportunity for an exclamation point by defeating Notre Dame next weekend in a prime-time showcase.
• Notre Dame (10-1) definitely has a point if it defeats USC. Ah, but Michigan may have the counterpoint.
• The SEC champion — a potential 12-1 team in Florida or Arkansas — has a case. No doubt, the league will begin banging its drum (loudly) and reasserting its claim of being best conference in the land. The survivor of that season-long gauntlet deserving of a national-title shot. The SEC says it’s a fact.

Who knows how it will shake down?