The Front Row with Tim Dahlberg September 13, 2010
LeBron James should have stopped by to see the quarterback who looks up to him so much. If nothing else, he might have enjoyed watching an Ohio team that can win a big game.
James was a no show Saturday, though it's doubtful many of those crammed into the Horseshoe cared. They might have liked to boo the King, but they liked what they saw in the field a lot more.
No early season stumble for Ohio State this year. No tumble from their lofty spot in the AP Top 25 poll, either.
Just a win over No. 12 Miami that was convincing enough that some in the massive crowd of 105,454 might have pulled out their phones and started scouting reservations for Arizona the second week of January.
Boise State seems so last week. The 36-24 win over Miami that could have been a lot more lopsided except for some lapses on special teams ensured one of college football's traditional powerhouses it won't have to worry much about losing ground to the Broncos for some time now.
Keep winning, and the No. 2 Buckeyes won't have to worry much about their postseason plans, either. Boise State certainly isn't going to ride its easy schedule past an undefeated Ohio State team into the national title game in Phoenix, especially after Virginia Tech got upset Saturday by James Madison.
The argument could be made that Ohio State always had its fate in its own hands, after opening the season ranked No. 2 in the AP poll. But the ranking was shaky after Boise State thrilled the country with a comeback win over Virginia Tech, and the Broncos actually got twice as many first place votes (eight) this week as Ohio State did and nearly moved past the Buckeyes in the rankings.
Voters are human, though, and generally remember the last thing they saw. In this case it will be an Ohio State team with a dominant defense and a quarterback who just keeps getting better with both his decisions and his feet.
Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org.