In the ultimate battle of all battles, Ohio State is set to take on Michigan tomorrow afternoon at 3pm EST. Not everyone can possibly understand all the hype, so I figured it would be in my readers’ best interest to line-up the best of the best coverage stories and throw in a few headliners to read up on before kick-off.

Trust me, you’ll be a better person for it and I, the doer of good, will have completed my e-community service requirements as stated by the state of Virginia for that infamous… forget I said it. But here we go…

• ESPN Page2’s Kurt Snibbe and Patrick Hruby pit the OSU/Michigan game up against the TomKat (Tom Cruise and baby momma Katie Holmes) Wedding. Everyone who attends both events comes out a winner as they will both, respectively, be entertaining and something coverage and replay on a syndicated “Classics” channel.
• If you’re a true OSU/Michigan historian, you’ll appreciate Thomas Neumann’s All-Time OSU & Michigan rosters, headlined by the recently deceased, highly-respected former head coach Bo Schembechler.
• ESPN’s Ivan Maisel says that this is the biggest Big Ten match-up of all-time.
• Gene Wojciechowski tells us more about how former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler knew more than just pigskin. Ask Steve Fisher and Rick Majerus, Bo knew hoops.

NFL Picks

Believe it or not, more than one football game will take place this weekend. But as a side-note, Oakland is rumored to be terrified of the outcome of the OSU/Michigan game. Talking heads have mentioned a possible team-swap between the winner and Al Davis’ silver-and-black crew. I say green light it. Although that would instantly affect the strength of schedule adversely of whomever would have to take on the Rr-rr-rr-rraiders! (think: Berman voice)

Speaking of the Berm’, let’s take a look at the games this week in the No Fun League and see if we can’t make a prediction or two.

(losers dramatically marked off using the wonderful “strikethrough” type)

Washington at Tampa Bay
The Washington Redskins reach into their bag of inspirational tricks and pull out an actual positive spark for the team, starting third year quarterback Jason Campbell Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now benched QB Mark Brunell said all of the right things, but what he should’ve said was something along the lines of, “What do I look like, Trent Green? Drew Bledsoe? Now those guys know how to launch a youngin’s career!”

St. Louis at Carolina
Every week Steve Smith yells out, “No one can guard me!” and every week I’ve been sure that someone would triple team him and/or get amazingly brutal on the 5 foot 9 Pro Bowl receiver. My suggestion for St. Louis is to acquire a defensive specialist to get physical and downright dirty with the unbelievable tiny but amazing WR. I say go avant garde and steal Bruce Bowen away from San Antonio for a day. Same goes to everyone else facing the Panthers for the rest of the season. Until then… challenger, you’re most likely going to get the “strikethrough”.

Cincinnati at New Orleans
If last Sunday’s game were an indicator, ex-Charger Drew Brees should put up serious numbers against a very inconsistent Bengals D. Ifhe is unable to do this, I suggest booing him like a starter in Madison Square Garden, and joke the fact that whether it be young QB Philip Rivers, Brees or yours truly, any of us can hand the ball over to LaDainian Tomlinson and win games. That said, look for Bush to have a great day, but Chad Johnson will double last week’s 200+ yard output. Yep. Look for a single-season record of 400+. You heard it here first, folks. *Note: My picking against the Saints at home does not make me a terrorist, nor does it make me a proponent of Hurricane Katrina*

Tennessee at Philadelphia
Despite their record of 2-7, the Titans have the amazing ability to make their opponents play down to their skill level. That said, if the Eagles can’t beat rookie Vince Young and the awful Tennessee squad, they should be sentenced to a year of dealing with the ownership of Washington owner Dan Snyder, who produced one of the most expensive teams in the league - that already lost to the Titans this season.

Chicago at NY Jets
Seeing as how I’m not sold on the Bears’ O (and no one should be) because of their tendency to start awful quarterbacks like Rex Grossman, I think it’ll be a close game. But in the end, Pennington cannot withstand 239203 blows to the head from Urlacher and the boys.

Minnesota at Miami
I know Miami is on a hot streak right now, but that’s not why they’ll win. Culpepper’s old squad gets to head into the town of Culpepper’s new squad and mock them for falling into the trap of acquiring the still-injured QB in the off-season. The hilarity of the case will cause the Vikings’ focus to shift and, when no one’s looking, Joey Harrington will actually put positive points on the board.

Oakland at Kansas City
One of the storied rivalries gets an added story line with the return of Trent Green to the starting line-up. Read Jason Whitlock’s piece in the Kansas City Star where he compares the Damon Huard/Green ordeal with trying to turn a fling into the “real thing.” Couldn’t have said it better myself, sir.

New England at Green Bay
In the game pegged as new flava versus old, Tom Brady faces Brett Favre in a game where not only will a pivotal game be on the line, but the loser has to share their significant others’ phone number with Bill Belichick. I’m rooting for the Packers, but Brady’s faced similar odds before and has found a way to win. Why do you think he’s won all those Super Bowls? It can’t be because of a laser-rocket arm because I don’t know about you but I haven’t seen his commercial confirmation of his skill set yet.

Pittsburg at Cleveland
Cleveland could slide in and steal this one away from the defending champs who are off to one of the worst title defenses ever. But the problem is that Willie Parker is faster than the average player and contrary to what you’ve heard, the Browns are stacked with many, many average players. Prediction: Parker pulls a Jamal Lewis against the Browns’ D. No, not broker a coke deal over the phone. I mean put up lots of yards against them, silly.

Atlanta at Baltimore
Vick’s amazing talent as a newly reformed pocket passer will be set back in reverse as he will not be able to recognize what a “pocket” looks like, as it will be filled with Bart Scott and the rest of the non-injured amazing Ravens’ D. So pretty much it’ll be Mike Vick of four weeks ago. Before we realized he was the greatest thrower like, of all-time.

Buffalo at Houston
I cannot believe J.P. Losman is still a starting quarterback in the NFL. I hereby announce my eligibility for the 2007 NFL Draft, assuming my 2007 flag football career isn’t shortned by any fluke incidents. *knock on wood* Or maybe I should forego the draft and just road trip it up to Buffalo, take the football out of my trunk and throw it forward, while in plain sight of the G.M. and then sit back and wait to sign the contract. I won’t forget the little people, don’t worry.

Detroit at Arizona
It’s games like this that make me wonder if, just like NBC’s game-swap, we could just have the outcome of the game determined by silly obstacle courses and memory games. Or maybe something in the form of The Price Is Right. Detroit’s Roy Williams will promise an even 40 points for his Lions squad and he will, personally, score 39 of them. Extra points included. That is amazing stuff. Amazing enough to make me “strikethrough” Arizona’s now-irrelevant team name.

Seattle at San Francisco
Seeing as how this will be played on the west coast, us east costerners couldn’t care less. But if last year’s exposure of a west costerner in the Super Bowl was any indicator, the refs will inevitably blow every call and hand the game over to whomever Seattle is playing. So if San Francisco can’t take advantage of that, they don’t deserve to win.

Indianapolis at Dallas
Terrell Owens started the week off predicting big things against the Colts’ D, whom they face on Sunday. It’s almost like going up against the Raiders and guaranteeing Fantasy Football geeks your D will be the top-scorer of the week. Difference is that against the Colts, they’ve got 9 points to answer your 7. How they get 9 per score, I do not know. I believe it has something to do with Peyton Manning’s offensive total control, excellent D-reading abilities and, of course, that amazing laser-rocket arm his cocky twin brags about on TV.

San Diego at Denver
As great as everyone says Denver’s D is, who, pray tell, wil prevent LT from breaking the 100 TD mark this Sunday? Anyone? Thought so. Side note: If Julius Peppers isn’t defensive MVP, Champ Bailey most definitely is. Don’t say Merriman because he’s a ‘roid head.

NY Giants at Jacksonville
Byron Leftwich is likely to have surgery. I’m thinking this situation with the Jags can be compared to Kansas City’s. Look for Garrard to slip up even more now that Jack Del Rio’s attempted to make him the “real deal” for the second time in as many years.

With a football in his hands, he was untouchable.

Without it? Oh my, oh my.

Orenthal James Simpson had it all. Orenthal James Simpson lost it all. And as if that wasn’t enough, he refuses to go into permanent hiding. And his latest stunt rehashes old memories as well as accusations which reek fresh of the same old stink from the infamous ’95 trial.

Why OJ wrote the book, “O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here’s How It Happened” I cannot explain. Why he would bring back into fresh media eye old pains and emotions some still won’t let go, I have no idea. But in two nights, November 27th and 29th (just in time to boost book sales, as the release is November 30th), FOX will attempt to answer these questions and more as Simpson sits down for an interview with Judith Regan, publisher of “If I Did It” and known in the print world for publishing the memoirs of Drew Barrymore, Howard Stern and Rush Limbaugh, among others.

On Wikipedia, you get a sense of what various forms of print media think of her, as she is “affectionately” (not so much) referred to as the “angriest woman in the media” and a “foul-mouthed tyrant.” And in 1978 she landed a job as a reporter for the National Enquirer.

Foul-mouthed, angry former gossip reporter? Sounds like the perfect OJ interviewer.
Great choice, Juice.

FOX found a much-needed “winning lotto ticket” here, to say the least. For as much disgust “If I Did It” (the book) conjures up, “If I Did It” (the interview) will have no problem reeling in viewers, appalled or no.

I can only conclude that OJ has completely lost “it,” with “it” being sanity in general.

What else could possibly explain why a person who vehemently denies murdering his wife and her friend – despite what a civil trial and half of the American public concluded – would bring such an awful memory back into public view? And to do so both on TV and in writing is just baffling.

Many black folks cheered when the verdict was read on October 3rd, 1995. Many white folks screamed in anger at the same moment. But I’m sure that now people of all races are shaking their head in shock and dismay, for this latest embarrassment by the person we all used to love.

No action could be less appropriate than putting his family and friends back through this same cycle of rehashed questions and accusations they dealt with years ago. And the sickness in describing how he would have killed his wife and her friend goes beyond comprehension. Maybe OJ had too much time on his hands. Maybe he lost a bunch of money on the golf courses and needed to find a way to make more money.

Whether you were there on verdict day rooting for or against OJ, you can’t deny that the desperation shown in his latest stunt deserves nothing but ridicule.

No one has been shamed as much from a not guilty verdict. But no one to my knowledge has ever followed up a not guilty verdict with a book deal admitting, hypothetically, to how they would’ve committed the crime for which they were accused, in detail, in a television interview for a more in-depth sharing.

The jury didn’t find him guilty so I was prepared to leave it there. O.J. won’t.

I cannot imagine what it is like to lose a wife to murder.

I cannot imagine what it is like to be accused of that same murder.

I cannot imagine how haunting it would be, guilty or not, to have such horrible things lingering over and in my head.

Few of us can.

Because of that, I cannot empathize with the former football and movie star.

I can, however, sympathize that even though none of us can say for certain if it was of his own doing, OJ’s world came crashing down around him. And now, he’s officially buried himself deep under it all for good. And it’s a pity he’s still in clear view.

Maybe someone should put a football back in his hands.

O.J. will never lose his fame. But the one thing he did lose long, long ago was his dignity. And if it wasn’t clear before, it sure is now.

Some of us take our dignity for granted. OJ puts his out in the open with a “For Sale” sign attached.

If you believe the negative ad campaigns, this election year was more about the tough personal decisions – choosing between bigot and sexist, dope and dunce, unlawful and unethical – and less about the country’s pressing issues.

In keeping up with this year’s election, it’s easy to understand why people don’t respect American politics. Actually, it’s shocking that Americans don’t just leave ballots completely blank. Maybe the Americans who choose not to show up all altogether are onto something.

Unfortunately for Americans, this election year will be remembered mostly for scandals that led into Election Day. And much to the Republican Party’s chagrin, those scandals were key in the handover of congressional seats, as well as the House majority, to the Democratic Party.

Texans in the 22nd district elected Nick Lampson, its first Democrat since 1984, in large part due to former majority leader Tom DeLay’s link to lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s corruption scandal.

Disgraced former congressman Mark Foley saw his Florida congressional seat handed over to a Democrat, Tim Mahoney, following Foley’s resignation in September after being confronted with lurid computer messages he sent to male teenage pages.

As of this morning, Democrats gained 28 seats in the House of Representatives, while Republicans lost 27, and the Independents 1. 13 precincts remain undecided.
On the Senate side, Democrats gained 4 seats so far with two seats currently hanging in the balance.

In Virginia, Democratic challenger Jim Webb is looking to take the spot of incumbent Republican Senator George Allen who, until earlier this year when he withdrew the possibility amid controversy, had been considered a possible candidate for the 2008 presidency. In certain parts of Virginia, election officials called in the FBI to investigate suspicious calls to citizens, falsely claiming that their polling stations had been moved. But as it stands, Webb is in the lead going into what looks to be a recount upcoming.

In Montana, Democratic challenger John Tester is leading Republican Incumbent Conrad Burns by a slight margin with a few more precincts still finishing up their counts.

Record dollar amounts were spent on this year’s elections, which appears to have paid off more for Democrats than Republicans.

I’d love to say that both sides need to take a step back, when the thick, suffocating election smoke is cleared, and rethink their respective campaign strategies. But the problem is that negative campaign ads slinging mud on opposing candidates’ names work.
This is where Americans must step in and take a stand.

As we’ve learned though the George W. Bush era, actions taking place inside our country’s beloved government have a great impact on our relation with the world around us. How we are viewed is immensely important not only to the prosperity of the economy and well-being but to the overall safety of our country as well.

This election proved that voters aren’t afraid to step up and ask for change when they aren’t satisfied with the way leadership runs the country.

For as much good as American politics does, election years reveal the uglier side of democracy. The biggest vulnerability in any country’s government will always be the constant struggle for power. Americans are well aware of this but also realize that as much as the government constantly fights among each other, they are still fortunate enough to have a democracy where diverse choices can be made about the direction in which the country is headed.

Assuming the Democrats secure a majority in both the House and Senate, all eyes will be glued to what their next step will be. They have the chance to offer up viable solutions to the problems they toted against their opponents during their campaign period.

They did the talking. Now it’s time to do the walking.

Americans are a smart people. They made a huge change this election and, in two years, if promises made are not followed through with there will be even more changes.

Democratic leader Howard Dean appeared on MSNBC’s election coverage and said that his party had important tasks to step up and complete if they obtain power. He said they plan on increasing the minimum wage for the first time in ten years, working on bills that bring accountability to those in office who abuse their power and then, addressing the most important issue among Americans, figuring out a solid exit strategy for Iraq.

Those are only a handful of the country’s issues, but they are still just empty promises until they are put into action. Politicians have a long way to go before anyone will – or should – take them for their complete word.

Missouri is known as the “Show Me” state, but the entire country is inhabited by real “Show Me” types of people. And we rightfully hold the “suits” in office on The Hill and in The White House accountable for their actions.

If there’s one thing to be especially thankful for headed into Thanksgiving, it’s that we don’t have to listen to anymore campaign ads. For a country as beautiful as the U.S.A., Americans sure do know how to show off our ugly side.

Let’s hope the rest of the world turned their head through this whole nasty process.

But in the end, be very proud that American voters paid full attention.