No. 1 ranking, title hopes on line in OSU-Texas clash

Though always a threat to run, Ohio State QB Troy Smith will lead the Buckeyes to the win with his arm. John Biever/SI

This, if there ever was one, is a big-money weekend in college football. Only those with bulging bankrolls can afford to buy their way into Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium for Saturday night's epic showdown between Ohio State and Texas. On eBay Thursday, someone forked over $1,575 for two prime seats on the 40; another dropped $2,400 for four tickets in the end zone (and a parking pass). For just $25 more that afternoon on the auction site, that guy could have become the proud owner of a 1989 Mercedes.

Buckeyes fans, undeterred by the demand for seats, are arriving in Austin in droves -- so many that the OSU alumni association paid $10,000 to rent out Texas' basketball arena for a Friday-night pep rally. Of course, those willing to ante up for ducats not only will see a meeting of No. 1 vs. No. 2 but also have the privilege of viewing replays on UT's brand-new, $8 million Godzillatron, which offers 7,370 square feet (55x134) of high-def viewing pleasure. And if you think that's expensive, consider how much money is at stake when these amateur athletes finally get down to business in Austin: The inside track to the BCS title game in Glendale, Ariz. That'll earn your conference a cool $17 million -- enough to erect a Godzillatron at both ends of the field, put a flat-screen in every stadium bathroom and still have cash left over to hire a guy whose sole responsibility is to fill out the coaches' poll ballot exactly the way you want it -- with Texas at No. 1. Coach Tressel, is that something you might be interested in?

Marquee Matchup (1) Ohio State at (2) Texas 8 p.m. ET (ABC) Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium

Things you should care about

1. Is too much emphasis being put on Troy Smith's mobility? He is arguably the nation's best dual-threat quarterback, and when he made the assertion in the offseason that he prefers to pass, "every time," rather than run, it was easy to write off as NFL draft-stock posturing more than anything else. This was a QB, after all, who ran 136 times in 2005 (an average of 12.4 carries per game), and never took off fewer than seven times in one contest.

Then Smith went out in the season opener against Northern Illinois last Saturday, passed 25 times and ran ... once. For negative-one yard. The designed run played no role in the Ohio State offense. As long as Smith has adequate protection -- against NIU it was superb, as he was never sacked -- it seems that he prefers to act more like Matt Leinart than Vince Young. "It feels good when Troy is not saying, 'I need a little more time,'" center Doug Datish told the Columbus Dispatch after beating the Huskies 35-12. "That was never mentioned today."

If Smith has time, he will try to pick teams apart. Given the state of Texas' secondary (more on that in item No. 2), that could very well happen. If Smith does get flushed from the pocket by the 'Horns, however, they are uniquely equipped to stop him. They're the fastest defense he'll face all year. Many of them have spent years practicing against Young. They even have a fleet-footed freshman QB, Sherrod Harris, simulating Smith on the scout team.

The bottom line: Smith is more capable of shocking Texas through the air than on the ground. Which means the 'Horns' pass rush and secondary are more important factors than Troy's toes.