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No. 25 Northwestern played its way out of the Top 25 today, losing to Ohio State 48-7 on Senior Day in Columbus.

OSU looked impressive, once again putting 40-plus points on the board. But, Northwestern pretty much rolled over and died on the field at the Horseshoe. The Wildcats did themselves in with special teams problems, weak run coverage, and an offense that basically headed back to Chicago after scoring its only touchdown.

Michigan will pose a much bigger test for the Buckeyes next week. A lot is at stake, as a win means OSU gets at least a share of the Big Ten title, and could get the conference's automatic BCS berth if Penn State loses.

"As soon as the clock struck zero and the game was over, your mind goes straight to Michigan," OSU center Nick Mangold said in published reports after today's game. "It's always in the back of your mind through the season. Now it's at the front of your mind."

I think it had to be on the front of the Buckeyes' minds during today's game. I know I was thinking about the Michigan game, instead of being happy that OSU avenged last year's loss to Northwestern in prime time.

Logo courtesy of The Ohio State University.