Big Ten Control on the Line: Iowa/Ohio State

 #10 Iowa @ #11 Ohio State

Controlling your own destiny. Both the Hawkeyes and the Buckeyes are in that position as Saturday's pivotal Big Ten showdown approaches. The winner will have the track to Pasadena while the loser can only ponder what might have been.

Especially Iowa. Entering last week game against Northwestern, the heavily favored Hawkeyes seemed to have the rest of the Big Ten right where it wanted them, chasing. Then, a season ending ankle injury to QB Ricky Stanzi, and the Wildcats pull off the 17-10 stunner. That loss also evaporated any hopes of a shot at the National Championship. But the Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl bid are well within the Hawkeyes grasp.

The Buckeyes saw their chance of a National Title game shot go out the window upon their visit to West Lafayette. The Purdue Boilermakers shocked all of college football and the Buckeyes, 26-18. The sloppy Buckeyes handed the game to Purdue in the manner of committing 5 turnovers and being the receiving end of 5 sacks. Despite an early season loss to USC, the Buckeyes still held out hope of that NC shot, although that hope was extremely minute.

The major key to the game will be how Iowa's redshirt freshman QB James Vandenberg handles the hostile environment in Columbus. Stanzi's not the only Hawkeye that won't be playing. Running back Adam Robinson, the Hawkeye's rushing leader, will be sitting this one out as well. Iowa has other starters that will not be playing, and that makes Vandenberg's job all the tougher against the Buckeyes defense.

As it always is with OSU, only one name always gets mentioned, Terrelle Pryor (left). All Pryor did last week was lead the Buckeyes into Happy Valley and pull of an upset that not a whole lot of us saw coming. While Pryor didn't put up stellar numbers, he did not commit a single turnover, unlike the Penn State game last season.

Here's a quick peek at Pryor's numbers: 121-224 (54.02%), 1,668 yds., 15TD, 9 INT, 115 car., 604 yds., 7 TD.

What do you see? Not very accurate. Deadly on the ground (Pryor leads the Buckeyes in rushing). Pryor has accounted for 339 total offensive plays either by passing or rushing. Too much of the game is getting put on Pryor's shoulders. Where's the running game? Outside of Pryor, that is. Not very visible, is it?

Are we seeing a different Buckeye offense? Possibly, but Pryor still holds the key to a Buckeye victory.

There are other games this weekend with BCS implications. #25 West Virginia pays a visit to #5 Cincinnati on Friday night. #1 Florida gets a look at the Ol' Ball Coach Steve Spurrier at South Carolina. #2 Alabama goes to Mississippi State. #16 Utah and #4TCU battle in Fort Worth. #6 Boise State hosts Idaho. #7 Georgia Tech makes its way to Durham and a clash with Duke. Notre Dame will be at Heinz Field for a game with #12 Pittsburgh. #14 Miami (FL) travels Chapel Hill as former Hurricanes coach Butch Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels await.