What: University of Miami @ Ohio State University
When: Saturday, September 11th; 3:40 P.M. EST
Television: ESPN, Brad Nessler and Todd Blackledge
Weather Forecast: Low- 60s, High- 80s. 40% chance of rain

The season may have started last week, but it starts Saturday. And this is The Game, the one everyone circled on their calendars, the one Randy Shannon's deepest and most experienced team have been dreaming of since spring. You can project the infamous 2002 debacle onto this technical rematch, though that would be unfair -- those Hurricanes had the chance to leave nothing to it, these boys were in junior high, and there's enough riding on the game anytime a recovering superpower takes on the no. 2 team in the nation at home in a stadium that seats over 100,000 of its loudest fans.

Not that senior running back Damien Berry was nervous.

"They must want me to say I'm afraid of the noise," he wrote on Twitter. "C'mon, I got four 15" [speakers] in my trunk."

Another Silly but Unavoidable Comparison
Jacory Harris and his OSU counterpart, Terelle Pryor, are both heralded young quarterbacks with tons of upside. They are from the same class, face the same expectations, and even toss up similar stats: While Pryor has two inches taller and 40 pounds on Harris, he's combined to run and pass for 5,079 yards and 46 touchdowns in his 27 games played. No. 12 has 4,636 yards and 42 touchdowns in his. Let the commentators meltdown!

"I don't look at it as a challenge between me and him," Harris said this week. "It's a challenge between two teams, not individuals. We're just going to go out there and have a good showdown between both teams, Ohio State and Miami. That's what we'll settle from there."

Pre-Game Pump-Up Song
The Playmaker has a pep talk. Don't think he didn't time it to a Phil Collins drum tumble, because he totally did.

Humiliating Opponent Video

It's Ohio, so this was probably filmed last fall.

The Buckeyes
This may not be Ohio State's most talented team ever, but it is one of its most sound and certainly one of its most experienced. Add a would-be Vince Young clone entering his prime in Terelle Pryor, and there's a reason the Buckeyes are rated the second-best team in the land.

OSU sports a very formidable defensive line that should pose problems for the Canes' willing but patchwork front five. They don't don't turn the ball over much, and what has long been a ground-heavy program is expected to start opening things up now that Pryor has improved beyond one quick read and a scramble.

Their offensive line, however, gave up three sacks to Marshall -- and that's a battle Miami can win, as well.

The Canes
The Hurricanes enjoy a very, very deep defensive line. Opposite senior hulk Allen Bailey on the end is Olivier Vernon, a surprising sophomore who won the sack contest against FAMU with 3.5. The monster duo -- joined by backups Adewale Ojomo and speedy Marcus Robinson -- should eat mobile Buckeyes quarterback Terelle Pryor alive if he tries to scramble behind the line of scrimmage.

Tackles Marcus Forston, Josh Holmes, Luther Robinson, and Micanor Regis will look to do business inside. And this is where it could get hairy: if Pryor gets chances up the middle -- if the defensive tackles don't stay very, very disciplined -- it could make for an uncomfortable night. But this is a group with the potential to be in the backfield all night long, and they have the bodies to keep things very, very fresh. Positively gropey, if you will.

The Hurricanes' offense is too high-powered to stop -- it just might be forced away from the long bombs Jacory lived and died by last season. Ohio State will not let Miami go deep, so expect lots of passes underneath, to those shifty enough to make something out of short-yardage passes like Travis Benjamin or Kendal Thompkins. And if Harris gets the chance, new clutch Leonard Hankerson has two inches on either Ohio State corner.

The special teams advantage isn't even a question -- K/P Matt Bosher is a team MVP (no, really), and either Lamar Miller or Travis Benjamin is capable of housing a return against any team in college football.

It all starts Saturday night.

Jimmy Johnson's Prediction
"It will be difficult, but I think we have the talent to run with them and score some points.”

Not So Fast, (OS)You
Courtesy Dr. Saturday: 

Actually, the Horseshoe hasn't been all that hostile lately in big games: In the last five years, the Buckeyes have dropped hard-fought, high-profile showdowns in Columbus to then-No. 2 Texas (2005), Rose Bowl-bound Illinois (2007), No. 3 Penn State (2008) and No. 3 USC (2009), all of them effectively knocking Ohio State out of the national championship picture at the time. 

In three of those four games, OSU blew a fourth-quarter lead, yielding to late, game-winning touchdown drives. 

Know who loves the fourth quarter? This guy.

Best Feel-Good Quote
Marcus Forston: “We go up against the best quarterback in the nation every day. Going against Jacory every day, we can be ready for any quarterback.”

This, Too, Is About Lebron
Pryor's "mentor" is a possibility to attend, and Ohio State has already made public pleas for decorum.

"If LeBron does come just treat him with respect, and respect his decision," Pryor begged in the press. "Please, no name calling, or booing, or anything like that. Because that's my mentor, and I’ve got a lot of respect for him, a lot of love for him."

There is no escape.

Final Word
Miami can win this. They will score; Harris has the nerves and the firepower. It's just a matter of how well Miami's defense can perform against the type of quarterback that has long given them fits.

And if not, there are no moral victories. But a solid showing will say almost just as much about how far this program has come -- and just how capable Miami is of taking care of the rest of the schedule and still reaching that elusive BCS bowl or ACC championship game.

Pick: Miami 31, Ohio State 24

Janie Campbell is a Florida native who believes in the pro-set and ballpark hot dogs. Her work has appeared in irreverent sports sites around the internet.