Maybe the Motivation Michigan needs to beat OSU?

[Aardor]

Do it for God's quarterback!

Attention, Michigan Wolverines. Jon Kitna needs the help of your football team on Nov. 22. That's when Michigan visits Ohio State. If the Wolverines lose their fifth straight to the Buckeyes, the Lions quarterback faces another year of scarlet-and-gray misery because his best friend will force him to use an OSU bag, as he did during his pro-am round. "We have a standing bet every year on the Michigan-Ohio State game," Kitna said. "The loser has to carry the opposite bag for a whole year. So that bag's been with me for two years now. "I keep having to answer the same question over and over. But at some point, when Michigan wins, he's going to have to carry that maize-and-blue bag, and it's going to be awesome."

[Zamtuk]

lol, at some point.

maybe next year fellas

[Sylvus]

mike barwis' boys are going to eat your face

[Zamtuk]

maybe if your coach had the balls to predict a win against us i would be worried!

[Gzette]

they both suck. Big 10 = overrated!

[Winnow]

OhioSU has other things to worry about this year.

They made the top ten big games for college football in 2008...so did Arizona State! #3

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/w ... ml?eref=T1

A year ago this time, no one would have predicted a Thanksgiving weekend game between Missouri and Kansas would wind up one of the most highly viewed of the season. Or that USC's game against Stanford would carry greater implications than its subsequent trip to Cal.

But who are we kidding? We're college football fans. We're still going to circle certain games on the calendar months before their arrival with the anticipation that these showdowns will carry monumental stakes by the time they're played.

Here are 10 potentially season-defining games in 2008:

1.Ohio State at USC, Sept. 13. This showdown of likely top five teams is as much about credibility as anything. After consecutive BCS title game whitewashings, the Buckeyes desperately need a win, or at least a down-to-the-wire finish, to show they're capable of competing at the highest level. New Trojans starting QB Mark Sanchez, meanwhile, will be under the prime-time spotlight.

2.Florida vs. Georgia, Nov. 1. While the annual Cocktail Party in Jacksonville is always a huge deal for Dawgs and Gators fans, rarely has it garnered the type of national attention that will likely surround the game should both teams maintain their hold in the national-title race. Florida has won 15 of the past 18 meetings, but Georgia seemed to break the hex with an emotional 42-30 win last season.

3.Georgia at Arizona State, Sept. 20. Long before the Dawgs get their shot at the Gators, they'll need to survive both the desert heat and a program on the rise in a rare (for Georgia) intersectional matchup. Sun Devils QB Rudy Carpenter is a proven commodity, but he'll need a dramatically improved offensive line to survive Georgia's suffocating defensive front. ASU allowed 55 sacks last season.

4.Oklahoma vs. Texas, Oct. 11. While it's no guarantee the two Red River rivals will make it to their Shootout unscathed -- Oklahoma faces early challenges from Cincinnati, Washington and TCU; Texas faces old nemesis Arkansas -- they're still likely to be vying for no less than a Big 12 championship. Between them, the two schools have won five of the past six crowns (though the Sooners claimed all but one of those).

5.Ohio State at Wisconsin, Oct. 4. While many cynics assume the loaded Buckeyes will once again cruise through the "soft" Big Ten, this game represents an unquestioned challenge. The last time these teams played in Madison, in 2003, the Badgers snapped a 19-game Ohio State winning streak -- and that was before Wisconsin began its current run of four-straight seasons of nine or more victories.

6.LSU at Auburn, Sept. 20. No SEC rivalry has been more intense in recent years than this one. The winner has gone on to claim the West Division title in six of the past eight seasons, and the past four meetings have all been decided by six points or less. Whoever wins will pave the path for even bigger games later on -- both face Georgia and Alabama, while Auburn hosts Tennessee and LSU visits Florida.

7.Texas at Texas Tech, Nov. 1. The schedule sets up favorably for the Red Raiders -- who return QB Graham Harrell, WR Michael Crabtree and eight other starters on offense -- to make a run at their first Big 12 South title, but to do so they'll almost certainly have to snap their five-game losing streak to the Longhorns. The ever-outspoken Mike Leach claims poor officiating contributed to the past two defeats.

8.Missouri vs. Kansas, Nov. 29. It is highly unlikely this year's Border War will carry quite the same gargantuan stakes as last season, particularly for the Jayhawks, who play a much tougher schedule this season. Don't be surprised, however, if Chase Daniel and the Tigers go into this game with multiple title aspirations, especially since they face neither Oklahoma nor Texas Tech during the regular season.

9.Auburn at West Virginia, Oct. 23. While the game has no bearing on the Mountaineers' attempt to repeat as Big East champs, a victory over a respected SEC foe would do wonders for their résumé should they enter the national-title discussion. This Thursday-night showcase is also likely to play a key role in West Virginia QB PatWhite's quest for the Heisman.

10.BYU at Utah, Nov. 22. If the pundits are correct, the highly touted Cougars (22-4 over the past two seasons) could go into their season-ending rivalry game with a BCS berth on the line. It's not inconceivable, however, that the Utes could be playing for the same stakes. They return nearly the entire offense after winning eight of their last nine a year ago -- the sole defeat coming on a last-second touchdown by BYU in Provo.

[Boogahz]

That shows that the game is important for Georgia, not ArizonaSU.

Texas has two of the top 10 games

Nothing about that list makes #1 more important than #10

You're still a clueless fanboi when it comes to sports

[Winnow]

That shows that the game is important for Georgia, not ArizonaSU.

The game wouldn't be important if the sports writer thought it would be a blowout.

ASU lost several good players to the draft. Erikson had a good recruiting season but I'm not sure how they'll do this year. I'm guessing bounce around the bottom half of the top 25.* They'll be better than Michigan. Of course, USC will be better than OhioSU! I'm expecting this article to be recalled and then re-released with three Michigan games and a Notre Dame game in the top 10.




*and then win the championship in 2010!

[Sylvus]

They'll be better than Michigan.

Yeah, good luck with that. This is the only chance ASU is ever going to have to be better than Michigan, so hopefully they'll capitalize on it for you.

It's not going to happen though.

[Zamtuk]

We will be facing USC in LA. Feel free to gauge your teams greatness against us on your USC matchup regardless of locale.

[Winnow]

We will be facing USC in LA. Feel free to gauge your teams greatness against us on your USC matchup regardless of locale.

Way to set yourself up for a can't lose scenario.

We lost..oh, it was their home field, they're supposed to make fools of us...we won...greatest upset since Al Bundy scored 4 TDs in one game!

[Zamtuk]

Yeah, you did lose, at reading comprehension. I was clearly talking about this year you dipshit. What sense would comparing this years OSU team to last years ASU team make?