MADISON, Wisc. – The story could not have run at a worse time for Ohio State or a better time for the run amok conglomerate known as Walt Disney.
Smack dab on the cover of ‘ESPN The Magazine’ is Ohio State freshmen phenom running back Maurice Clarett with the message “ONE & DONE?” stripped across his No. 13 red and silver Buckeye’s jersey.
The subtext reads, “OSU’s Maurice Clarett is good enough and bad enough to crash the NFL now – and he’s only 18.”
The problem for Ohio State is that it doesn’t play in the NFL, although it might be able to give the Bengals a game. The undefeated Buckeyes play in the Big Ten. Today they put their undefeated season on the line at Wisconsin, which would like nothing better than to stop Clarett and end the Buckeyes’ run at a national championship.
The game will be televised on ABC, which is owned by Disney, just as “ESPN The Magazine.” This is good hype for Disney properties and bad timing for the Buckeyes, who could be distracted by the future of their star running back and not focused on the Badgers.
“It hasn’t been [a distraction] for me, because I’ve been too busy working on what we need to do,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel told reporters in Ohio. “Has it been for anyone else? That’s up to those individuals. I sure hope not.”
After two straight Big Ten losses which dropped the Badgers (5-2) out of The Post’s rankings and the league title race, they will be focused on beating the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes (7-0), ranked 6th, better be focused on the Badgers, who play throwback Big Ten football.
“It’s important for our mental state, our morale,” Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez said of the game. “And it would be important, no matter who we’re playing, because we’ve lost the last two games.”