COLUMBUS, Ohio - Sunday night, the new BCS rankings will likely have Ohio State at No. 2 and in position to play for the national championship with one more win.
Sometime Sunday afternoon, Ohio State will hold a full-squad meeting. The BCS standings and the events of one of the wildest college football Saturdays in recent memory will be discussed.
Very briefly.
"We'll spend six or eight seconds on that," Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said. "We'll make sure there's no talking about it, no social media (discussion) of it, that the focus is only on this game."
Saturday night, Ohio State plays Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game. Lots of people will be watching, for lots of reasons.
"The bottom line is that Ohio State isn't in any conversation unless we can figure out how to move the ball against the No. 1 defense in America," Meyer said.
Michigan State comes in at 11-1, having lost only to Notre Dame back in September. Ohio State is on the verge of playing for college football's biggest prize because it got to 12-0 by holding off Michigan, 42-41, on Saturday.
The new coaches poll, which is part of the BCS criteria, has Ohio State at No. 2 and Michigan State at No. 9. No. 3 Auburn isn't far behind Ohio State, and Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs has been on a media campaign over the last 20 hours druing which he's said that a one-loss SEC champion deserves to play in the national championship game over Ohio State.
That's exactly what Meyer doesn't want to talk about -- and what he doesn't want his players thinking about. On the Big Ten Championship Game teleconference Sunday, Meyer declined comment on anything Jacobs said and said he hasn't seen enough of the nation's other top-ranked teams to have a strong opinion.
"I'll take my team anywhere," he said.
Asked his opinion of the gap between the SEC and the Big Ten because he's coached in both, Meyer said he "hate(s) to talk about it when we have a game to play."
Next Sunday there will be plenty to talk about. Meyer hopes Ohio State will be 13-0 for those discussions.
"My message will be real clear about focus," Meyer said. "We have a very purpose-driven team, a very intelligent team. I don't worry a lot abut focus. My biggest worry is facing a Michigan State team with great players."
