Jeff Budlong, On the Rebound

Maybe it&8217;s just me but can anyone else believe that the college basketball season is under way? I am a big college basketball fan, but I&8217;m sorry I don&8217;t care who is playing in the preseason NIT or any of the other interesting questions like can Florida repeat as the NCAA champions with all five starters back.

This is still football season in my mind. How can I truly get into college basketball when one of the biggest college football games in recent memory is going to be played Saturday when unbeaten Big Ten powers Michigan and Ohio State square off for the right to play in the BCS championship game.

Both teams are 11-0 and this will mark the first time that they have squared off as undefeated teams this late in the season.

Michigan used to own the series when John Cooper was the Buckeye coach. Cooper would bring in an immense amount of talent from around the country but he struggled mightily trying to get past the Wolverines. Enter Jim Tressel and all of the sudden it is &8220;Meeechigan&8221; which is experiencing the frequent late-season letdown. The difference? Tressel has put a wall around the state of Ohio and has gifted locals like Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr.

The game is being billed as &8220;The Game of the Century&8221; to which there will be dozens more to follow but I am just hoping for a close game.

I don&8217;t know who has the advantage whether it is Ohio St. with its Heisman front-running QB or the Wolverines and a defense that can get after him, but I do know the unfortunate thing is the loser of this game has almost no shot of playing for a national title. Thanks BCS.

Granted, if either team gets blown out there is no need for them to play for a title but if it is close I don&8217;t think enough of the voters will give the loser enough credit in the polls to offset the computers and whatever else goes into creating the annually tweaked BCS formula.

While USC and Notre Dame may be the two most interested teams not playing in the game I have to think Irish QB Brady Quinn is the most interested player.

After this Big 10 battle is waged either USC or ND, who will meet in their own big game in a week, will have the upperhand to make it into the title game if they can knock off the other. And if you are like me, should the Irish lose, they may still be in the title game given all the love they receive from pollsters, computers, rankings and the such.

While those two teams will face each other on the field, Quinn is fighting a battle with Smith to try to get back into the Heisman race. Smith has led ever since Quinn started slow against Georgia Tech and was mauled by Michigan. Now, he has to hope that Ohio St. loses, Smith looks bad in doing so and maybe that will even them up if Quinn looks good in defeating USC. Awh, I love the Heisman race.

For now I think I will just sit back, relax and enjoy one of the best matchups between two football powers. Best of all I don&8217;t like either team so I don&8217;t care who wins.

While Michigan-Ohio St. is the big news this week it is just the tip of the ice berg with the always eventful and debated end of the college football season.

I love college basketball but can we please hold off for just a little bit longer.

(Sports editor Jeff Budlong&8217;s column runs each Wednesday.)