Oh, what a difference a few months can make. Just ask Spartans quarterback Connor Cook who was spinning round-and-round on the Michigan State quarterback carousel earlier in the year. The Spartans were desperate to find any sort of identity as an offensive unit and continued to switch back-and-forth, specifically with fifth year senior Andrew Maxwell and Cook while letting their number one ranked defense take care of the real business. Finally, showing some consistency and leadership, Cook took over the reigns for good starting against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Since then the sophomore has averaged 214 yards and a 60 percent completion ratio. More importantly he has thrown 12 touchdowns to just four interceptions making smart decisions and avoiding costly mistakes, both key attributes when playing with such a dominant defense.
Let's not kid ourselves though. This game won't be won or lost on Cooks arm. The headline heading into this title game is the ability of Ohio State's rushing attack which ranks first in many statistical categories to continue to be successful against a Spartans defense that ranks first in almost every statistical category. The Buckeyes lack of balance on offense is due in large part to a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality. During their second perfect season Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller have been virtually unstoppable while putting up numbers one should only witness in "Madden", combining for 691 yards and nine-touchdowns in just their past two games. The amount of success on the ground Ohio State has enjoyed has turned their passing game into a non-existent realm, being tossed in their storage closet to collect dust next to old shoes and unused Christmas presents from the crazy aunt. Last week against Michigan, the Buckeyes put up 42 points yet completed just six passes. Against Indiana two weeks ago they scored another 42 points and had just 11 completions, and the week prior against Illinois they put up 60 points with just 13 passes converted.
Urban Meyer and crew better have a "Plan B" heading into the title game however, as the Spartans will be eagerly waiting to flex their defensive muscles right back at the red and white while giving them their biggest challenge defensively during their 24-game winning streak. A true "strength" versus "strength" match up as both teams rank at the top nationally at their respective sides of the ball. Rushing yards per game: Buckeyes offense ranks 2nd while the Spartans defense ranks 1st. Yards per rush: Buckeyes offense ranks 1st while the Spartans defense also ranks 1st. 10-yard rushes: Buckeyes offense ranks 1st while the Spartans defense ranks, yeah you guessed it, number one in the country. Back and forth they go as Ohio State abuses their opponents on the ground wearing them down and grinding out one-dimensional wins. Yet Michigan State is known for standing teams up at the line of scrimmage like the great wall of China no matter the opponent big or small. Against the Wolverines talented offense, Michigan State destroyed their running game as they finished with -48 yards on the ground.
Stemming from their dominance on their respective sides of the ball in the run game also goes hand and hand with the total team statistics. Ohio State ranks third while averaging 48.2 points per game while Michigan State ranks fourth defensively with 11.8 points allowed per game. Much is the same in total yards as the Buckeyes rank sixth in the country with 530.5 yards while the Spartans are allowing a nation low 237.7 yards per game.
The Buckeyes own the nation's longest active streak with 24 straight wins, which is although impressive, the Spartans have won their last eight games and you could argue have won with more dominance over their opponents than Ohio State. Michigan State hasn't allowed a touchdown in five of their last six games while their running back Jeremy Langford has ran for more than 100-yards in his last seven games in a row helping his offense improve every week.
Langford could be a huge factor during Saturdays game in Lucas Oil Stadium. If Langford can continue his success on the ground it would mean the Spartans are chewing and chomping a mouth full of clock. In turn keeping the Buckeyes potent offense off the field while keeping the country's best defense fresh and energized; a scary thought for any opposing player.
It all adds up to an exciting game with plenty on the line for both teams. A win for Ohio State would secure their spot in the BCS Championship game, while a loss would certainly drop them out of national title hopes. Many have argued a win or a loss for Michigan State wouldn't matter as they should have the Rose Bowl locked up after Saturday. Their are some that have even gone as far as saying the 11-1 Spartans who possess the nations best defense should be in the BCS Championship talk with a win over the second ranked team in the nation. Although a leapfrog in the standings like that isn't likely, it's certainly something that needs to be considered. With such an important game at stake these teams don't have the luxury to look that far into the future, and we shouldn't either. A bigger fundamental question will be answered Saturday that we all need to pay attention to, and that is if the old saying still stands true.
"Offenses win games, defenses win Championships"
Follow Luke Inman on Twitter @luke_spinman