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The question will be heard all week around Columbus: Who do we root for this weekend?

Fans itching to redeem a tarnished national reputation will scream "Oklahoma, Oklahoma!" If the Sooners repeat their early season beating of Missouri in the Big 12 title game, Ohio State's charter plane will be heading south instead of west.

But before you buy a crimson sweatshirt and Google the definition of a "sooner," you'd better make sure you really want your beloved Buckeyes in the BCS National Championship Game.

How could you not, you ask? Well, how much faith do you have in these coaches and players to prevent a meltdown similar to the one you saw in January? Or, say, the near carbon-copy defensive effort they threw against the Illini this season?

If Missouri does lose, we will most likely face the West Virginia Mountaineers. All geographic joking aside, this team is good...really good. And they run that wild and wacky spread option attack that seems to be the only way one beats Ohio State these days. (The team has lost exactly four times in three years and each time by a team directed by a dual-threat QB).

Remember Juice Williams? Tim Tebow? Troy Smith, circa 2005? West Virginia's QB, Patrick White, is a potent mix of all three. The Moutaineers laid 66 points on a ranked opponent last week...that's nine TDs and a field goal for those scoring at home.

I'm not saying the Bucks would lose the title game in New Orleans. I'm just saying the last two times Ohio State saw this style of offense, it wasn't pretty and it did not seem to improve from January (Florida) to November (Illinois).

On the other hand, if Missouri wins and heads to the Big Easy, we take our ball and head west to Pasadena. Call me a traditionalist but there is something special about the Rose Bowl. Plus, it's the one thing Jim Tressel hasn't done yet and it would be nice to round out his resume so there is no longer any doubt as to who the best coach in Ohio State's history really is. (In this day and age of parity, what this staff is accomplishing right now is ridiculous.)

Of course, a national championship would accomplish that same goal with the added benefit of redemption on the national scene. Plus, it would be nice to hear announcers say things like this next season: "Ohio State, the only team to appear in a BCS title game from the Big Ten...and they've done it three times!" Or this: "The Buckeyes are the only Big Ten team to win a national title in the 21st century; of course they've done it twice!"

So I am conflicted. I'd really like to see this team back in the national title spotlight and I have to assume they would figure out how to contain the spread option attack in the 50 days between now and the game.

But again, a trip to southern California is always great for New Year's Day. I like the Buckeyes chances much better against a more traditional offense like USC or Arizona State or UCLA or whomever is left holding the short straw from the Pac-10. Plus, if USC is the opponent, we go back to Los Angeles in September with either bragging rights or revenge on the brain, depending on the outcome of the Rose Bowl.

So go Tigers! Or Sooners! Or, if you're really looking for some BCS confusion and fun, go Panthers!

Tags: bcs national championship game, ohio state football