Ohio State vs. Purdue Preview

From: CBSSports.com -

Ohio State’s stay at No. 1 didn’t last long, with a loss that all but ruined its chances of playing in its third BCS championship game in five years.

The Buckeyes’ half-decade stay atop the Big Ten might be in just as much jeopardy.

The 11th-ranked Buckeyes need some help to claim at least a share of a sixth straight conference title, and they’ll look to bounce back Saturday against visiting Purdue as they try to avoid their first back-to-back losses in six years.

Ohio State (6-1, 2-1) ascended to the top spot in the poll after Alabama lost Oct. 9, but Jim Tressel’s team failed its first test as the new No. 1 in Madison. Wisconsin returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and built a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter en route to a 31-18 victory.

“We just blew it as a team,” said quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who was 14 of 28 for 156 yards and an interception.

Ohio State is 10th in the initial BCS rankings, meaning it needs lots of teams above it to fall to even have a chance at sneaking back into the national championship picture.

The Buckeyes aren’t even guaranteed a piece of the Big Ten crown if they win out. They host Purdue (4-2, 2-0) on Saturday and visit No. 13 Iowa on Nov. 20, but the third team with a perfect conference record - eighth-ranked Michigan State - isn’t on the schedule.

Ohio State has won three of the past five Big Ten titles outright and shared the others. Tressel, though, is simply concerned about his squad avoiding its first losing streak since a three-game slide in October 2004.

“We didn’t talk anything about what remains and what’s still out there,” Tressel said. “Again, that’s way further down the road than we typically talk about.”

Of immediate concern is shoring up the special teams, among the…….

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