No. 6 Ohio St. ignores sideshows as Big Ten title game looms

Meyer may not believe his team needs in style points. His players understand, though.

“I think it’s very important,” senior wide-receiver and team captain Terry McLaurin said. “In situations like this it’s great to get the win because you have a conference championship in your belt. But it’s pretty obvious that the committee looks on how you beat teams and how you look collectively on offense and defense.” HEISMAN HOPEFUL >> Haskins was the obvious choice as this season’s top Big Ten player. How obvious?

“If I had a Heisman vote, I would have voted for him,” Fitzgerald said Friday. “He’s a complete player and you watch the type of leader that he is and you hear a young man who says ‘I’m at 60 or 70 percent of what I can be,’ that’s scary.” ALL GOOD >> Meyer’s anguished sideline demeanor has sometimes led to speculation he could soon retire. He has acknowledged a cyst in his head flares up and causes severe headaches during stressful times. One such headache dropped him to a knee during an October game.

The stress was compounded by a three-game suspension to start the season for his mishandling of a now-fired assistant who was accused of domestic abuse.

When asked how he felt earlier this week, Meyer said “good” before steering the conversation back around to football. BIG STAGE >> While Fitzgerald said he treated this week like a normal road game, it’s not.

Fifty buses full of students are expected to make the trek from Evanston, Illinois, to Indy and Fitzgerald hopes the school’s men’s basketball team will swing by Lucas Oil Stadium on its way home from Bloomington.

For Northwestern, all this is new.

“They have been in some bowl games and we’ve found a way to get on the podium in two big games, last year in Nashville and two years ago in New York City,” Fitzgerald said. “Those were great opponents and atmospheres. We’ve been in some big games, been on the short end of it this year obviously, but I think our guys have learned from it.”

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DARRON CUMMINGS — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer speaks during a news conference for the Big Ten Conference championship NCAA college football game, Friday in Indianapolis. Northwestern will play Ohio State on Saturday for the championship.