Column: Status quo vs. Michigan just fine with OSU

COLUMBUS - In almost two decades of covering college football, a lot of things have changed.

Night games were a rarity, not a regular feature of every season at the beginning.

If you had suggested something called the Internet to me in 1992, it would have drawn a quizzical look and a question something like, "Huh. What's that?"

There was no BCS championship in those days. The polls ranked teams, they went to bowls based on conference tie-ins, sometimes it worked out well, other times it didn't.

But some things don't change and I like that.

I like that Ohio State and Michigan play on the final Saturday of their regular season every year.

And I like Senior Day. After four years of watching players without ever meeting the parents in most cases, I like to see them run out to midfield at Ohio Stadium to greet their parents before their final home game.

It's just the briefest of snapshots, but it's interesting to see if the big guys have big parents or if they hit the jackpot in the genetic lottery to become college football players.

It's interesting to see if the boisterous players have demonstrative parents or if in that moment they are more reserved than their offspring.

And I just like sentiment. The cheers these guys get from the crowd fade with the first interception, first fumble or blown coverage. With the parents, it's real. They are always there.

With this in mind, and not wanting to be accused of falling behind the times, I have a suggestion.

Maybe it's time to start a new ceremony. You could have Too Good To Ever Be Seniors Day for the players who will be in the NFL by the time Senior Day rolls around for their class.

Whether OSU fans want to hear it or not, they have a prime candidate for that honor this season.

Take a good look at Chris Wells today. It would be surprising if this isn't his last game in Ohio Stadium.

Some scouts say the 6-foot, 1-inch, 237-pound junior tailback could be a top five pick in the NFL draft if he passes up his senior season.

The only question is why wouldn't he go. Running backs have only so many carries in their bodies, so you might as well be highly paid for them instead of expending another 300 of them for free.

But that's in the future. The more pressing concern for Ohio State is how Wells will do with the 20 or more carries he can be expected to get today against Michigan.

He was pretty much Ohio State's whole offense when he ran for 222 yards on 39 carries in a 14-3 win over Michigan last season.

If Michigan (3-8) has a shot at Ohio State (9-2) today - and it probably doesn't - it would be to keep the game low-scoring. To do that, the Wolverines have to put up a big stop sign in front of Wells.

As Wells goes, so goes Ohio State today. If he's healthy, he probably goes for more than 100 yards and Ohio State gets its fifth straight win over Michigan.

The prediction: Ohio State 24, Michigan 7