Brian wants a few words and a prediction out of Blogpollers about some game that’s going down this weekend. Assuming he’s not talking about the Grey Cup matchup between B.C. and Montreal (B.C. 33, Montreal 29), I’ll see if I can squeeze a few paragraphs of “I really don’t know what the hell to think” out of here.

So yeah, I really don’t know what the hell to think. I think that Ohio State has been lights out good this year, but I also think Michigan can play that well, too. Thing is, as a Michigan fan, I tend to not notice things like that. Even in 1997, Michigan was ranked #1, (granted, OSU wasn’t #2, obviously) and had been picking up steam, yet the game felt very losable. In ’95 and ’96 it was the other way around, OSU had spent the year steamrolling teams and building up the hype to a point where there was no way UM could win. 313 yards and Tai Streets later, the Maize and Blue won them both.

This year, the focus seems to be on Michigan’s defensive backfield. While I think they’re good enough as a unit to compete with any group of WR’s for the bulk of any game, there have also tended to be some nervous moments (see: Ball State, although that was mostly on the backups. see also: shaky PI calls). In a rivalry game where big plays turn the momentum 180 degrees, they’ll need to play nearly perfect, if not 100%. All while keeping an eye on the backfield. Michigan’s front seven is quick, and should give Troy Smith more fits than he’s seen most of the season, but his elusiveness is out of control. Obviously, that and the way he’s handled The Game the past two years concerns me. He’s jumped out to a big lead and won (’04) and led two TD drives into the teeth of a prevent defense and won (’05). Fortunately, should UM find themselves in the lead late, they appear to have learned the “STOP LETTING THEM GET 10 YARDS AT A TIME!!!” lesson.

Prediction? Who the hell knows. Walking the fine line between homerism and not wanting to jinx anything… 27-23 Michigan.

Oh, and YouTube is back up.

Go BG! Beat Miami(OH)!

(BG 31, Miami of Ohio 17, for the record)