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Columbus, Ohio • In a close game, nothing can be left to chance.
No wonder Urban Meyer is making sure to go over all the details before his fourth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes host No. 23 Wisconsin on Saturday night.
"It is very much a game that I think our players and their players know that it's going to come down [to the finish]," Meyer said. "This will be a classic game."
The game will be the Big Ten opener for Ohio State (4-0) and its first real test after slicing through four subpar nonconference cupcakes.
"We have to take our games to a different level," Buckeyes linebacker Curtis Grant said. "Anybody who gets in that game has to maximize their talent and just go out and play. We're in the Big Ten now and nothing's guaranteed, nothing's promised."
Wisconsin (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) and Ohio State have a history of playing tight games.
Two years ago, the Buckeyes' Braxton Miller avoided a rush and hurled a 40-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds left to win it 33-29 after Wisconsin had taken the lead with a touchdown with 1:18 remaining. Last year the Badgers' Curt Phillips flipped a 5-yard TD pass to Jacob Pedersen to force overtime, where Ohio State won 21-14.
"It's going to be a tough game," center Corey Linsley said. "I've watched them on film. I mean, typical Wisconsin. The defense is tough, hard-nosed, they come at you, never take a play off."
Typical Wisconsin, except that the Badgers have a new coach. Gary Andersen is a former assistant to Meyer at Utah, and remains a good friend. One thing that hasn't changed is that the Badgers do not ever seem to be intimidated by the Buckeyes. Ohio State has gone 5-3 over the last decade against Wisconsin. Four of the games have been decided by seven or fewer points.