Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
Some more bowl banter in your Tuesday lineup of links.
- Rich Rodriguez admits Michigan has lost its mystique, but the first-year coach needs to call upon the program's storied tradition as the Wolverines visit No. 10 Ohio State, Bob Wojnowski writes in The Detroit News.
"The New Michigan should be good in a year or two. At least, it had better be good by then. But this week, the Old Michigan is needed, the defensive toughness, the aversion to mistakes, the will to make a statement in the grandest rivalry."
- Like many of his colleagues, Ohio State president Gordon Gee opposes a playoff system in college football, but he looks forward to discussing the topic with playoff-advocate Barack Obama, Ken Gordon writes in The Columbus Dispatch. Ohio State seniors will play their final game at The Shoe on Saturday, but don't expect former starting quarterback Todd Boeckman to be part of the mix, Doug Lesmerises writes in The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- Michigan State is rested and recharged for Saturday's showdown at Penn State after a week off, Shannon Shelton writes in the Detroit Free Press.
- Thanks in part to a prized pig, the Minnesota-Iowa rivalry has become more civil than it once was, Rachel Blount writes in the Star Tribune.
- Northwestern isn't focused on an upcoming bowl game just yet, Lindsey Willhite writes in the Daily Herald. The Wildcats are more concerned with Illinois, which is favored in Saturday's game despite winning three fewer games.
- Wisconsin is bowl eligible, but Badgers players know nothing is guaranteed, Jeff Potrykus writes in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Adam Rittenberg joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four years at the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald, where he covered sports at Notre Dame, Northwestern, DePaul and several other colleges. He lives in Chicago.
