COLUMBUS — Moments after No. 14 Ohio State beat Minnesota 34-21 early Saturday in both teams’ Big Ten opener, the Buckeyes had already shifted their focus to the next task on their to-do list.
“Wisconsin is a challenge. It’s a huge game,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “They deserve every bit of respect we can give them.”
A few hours later, that last statement was open to some debate.
The ninth-ranked Badgers piled up a 19-0 lead on downtrodden Michigan, seemingly the latest batch of bad news for Wolverines fans since Rich Rodriguez was hired last winter to some fresh air to the UM program.
But instead of wilting as they had done in lopsided losses to Utah and Notre Dame, the Wolverines ran off the next 27 points and then weathered a disallowed 2-point conversion pass in the final seconds to stun the Badgers 27-25 late in the twilight at The Big House.
All of a sudden, Ohio State’s not the only Big Ten power licking its wounds.
“It just kind of got away from us in the end,” a disconsolate coach Bret Bielema said.
Voters in The Associated Press Top 25 quickly downgraded the Badgers. They dropped from ninth to 18th in the latest poll. To put that into perspective, Ohio State only dropped eight spots after getting lashed 35-3 at top-ranked USC two weeks ago, and USC also dropped just eight spots after it was manhandled 27-21 at Oregon State last Thursday night.
Maybe the Buckeyes are the only people who are giving Wisconsin “every bit of respect.”
Regardless of where the Badgers are ranked or what happened in the previous week, the Buckeyes have been conditioned to give Wisconsin its due.
Since taking over in 2001, Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel is 75-14 against the rest of the Big Ten (.843). Against the Badgers, he’s 2-3 (.400).
“We have to study hard and practice hard for the game coming up,” tailback Chris “Beanie” Wells said.
The Buckeyes are a better team than they were two weeks ago, too. Wells rushed for 106 yards and looked like his old self against Minnesota after not playing for a month because of a foot injury. He was sidelined for three games by a muscle injury that also included ligaments and his big toe.
Wells is joined in the Ohio State backfield by freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who has five TD passes and has run for two scores in his first two collegiate starts.
“I love getting the ball and running it,” Pryor said. “I love to set the tone for the offense.”
Ohio State hasn’t played at Camp Randall Stadium in six years. It has lost its last two games in that decidedly partisan old venue.
“It’s going to be a whole new thing to go up there and go into that environment because we’ve been hearing a lot about it,” wide receiver Brian Robiskie said.

BUCKEYE PERISCOPE

BUCKEYES BUZZ: It wasn’t a great 48 hours to be a Buckeyes fan.
First there was Thursday night, when No. 1 Southern California lost at Oregon State. Asked how he felt about USC’s loss, OSU LB Malcolm Jenkins didn’t hide his emotions.
“(I’m) upset, because I guess from a poll standpoint it makes us look even worse,” he said. “But it just lets you know that anybody can be beat depending on the day.”
Like, uh, Saturday?
Still, Ohio State is right on pace for the showdown with unbeaten and No. 9 Wisconsin.
But while fans were still celebrating the victory at some of the watering spots on High Street or along Lane Avenue, the jailers at The Big House were pulling off another shocker.
Michigan was booed in the first half but came out of nowhere in the second to upset the Badgers, 27-25, thanks to a penalty on a successful two-point conversion by Wisconsin with 13 seconds left.
This is bad news for the Buckeyes on two fronts: One, now Wisconsin figures to be one angry and desperate football team on Saturday night. Two, the Wolverines perhaps showed they will not be the pushovers many considered them.
Get out the red pen. Circle Nov. 22, the game at Ohio Stadium. Michigan isn’t dead yet.
POLLING PLACE: Ohio State stayed 14th in the AP’s Top 25, while Wisconsin dropped nine to No. 18. Previously top-ranked Southern Cal slipped to ninth and still unbeaten Penn State, which will roll into Columbus on Oct. 25, climbed 10 at No. 6 with a 38-24 win over Illinois.

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