By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer

COLUMBUS - Ohio State's long climb up the Bowl Championship Series ladder reached a surprise rung Monday: No. 2. Yet that doesn't mean the Buckeyes will be assured a Sugar Bowl berth simply by beating Michigan.

"Ohio State does not control its own destiny," BCS guru Jerry Palm said. "This (jump from No. 3) means nothing. It just shows us how a No. 4 team in the polls can get to the Sugar Bowl, but that would still be an extreme circumstance."

A day earlier, OSU (9-1) had been figured to remain third behind Oklahoma (11-0) and Southern California (9-1) when BCS standings were announced. But a slip by USC in some of the last computer ratings to be announced - including a drop from No. 3 to No. 5 by the New York Times' computer, a spot behind 8-3 Florida - dropped it behind OSU.

OSU has 7.52 BCS points to USC's 7.71. Last week, USC was 1.56 points ahead of the Buckeyes.

How can a team two spots behind USC in both Top 25 polls pass it in the BCS? OSU is ranked No. 2 by six of seven computers, and it has nearly a full BCS-point lead on USC for schedule strength. Even by beating Michigan, OSU couldn't increase its advantage in schedule strength. It might need help from Louisiana State in one of two ways, Palm said - the Tigers losing to help OSU climb in the polls, or LSU jumping over USC in some rankings.

"What is most important at this time is the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry and the Big Ten championship," OSU coach Jim Tressel said. "Right now, the BCS rankings are secondary."

LSU remains No. 4 in the BCS, and with a 12.21 total wouldn't pass OSU or USC unless those teams lose.

Texas Christian (10-0) saw its odds of a BCS bowl berth fade, falling two spots to No. 8. It needs to finish in the top six to be assured a BCS bowl.

No. 4 OSU at No. 5 Michigan

Kickoff: Noon Saturday.

TV: Channel 9.

Radio: WBOB-AM (1160).

Series: Michigan leads 56-37-6.

Last year: OSU won 14-9.

BCS standings

	AP	USTA/
	Poll	ESPN	BCS Tot.
1. Oklahoma	1	1	1.80
2. Ohio State	4	4	7.52
3. Southern Cal	2	2	7.71
4. LSU	3	3	12.21
5. Texas	7	7	16.35
6. Georgia	6	6	16.73
7. Tennessee	9	11	18.15
8. TCU	10	9	19.27
9. Michigan	5	5	19.73
10. Washington St.	8	8	21.03
11. Florida St.	11	10	24.25
12. Miami	13.5	13	24.70
13. Florida	13.5	14	26.91
14. Miami	18	19	30.53
15. Mississippi	15	15	34.11
16. Purdue	16	16	35.10
17. Virginia Tech	12	12	36.07
18. Iowa	17	17	37.52
19. Kansas St.	19	18	45.55
20. Bowling Green	22	25	47.27
21. Oklahoma St.	24	24	48.94
22. Nebraska	23	23	50.61
23. Boise St.	20	20	50.69
24. Utah	29	26	51.38
25. Pittsburgh	21	21.5	52.48

Schedule

Wednesday, Nov. 19
SOUTH

Marshall (6-4) at UCF (3-7), 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 20
SOUTH

TCU (10-0) at Southern Miss. (7-3), 7:30 p.m.

SOUTHWEST

Middle Tenn. (3-8) at Arkansas St. (5-6), 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 21
FAR WEST

Boise St. (9-1) at Fresno St. (7-4), 9 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 22
EAST

Rhode Island (4-7) at Massachusetts (9-2), Noon
Maine (6-4) at New Hampshire (4-7), Noon
West Virginia (6-4) at Syracuse (5-4), Noon
Brown (4-5) at Columbia (4-5), 12:30 p.m.
Princeton (2-7) at Dartmouth (4-5), 12:30 p.m.
Colgate (11-0) at Holy Cross (1-10), 12:30 p.m.
Lafayette (5-5) at Lehigh (7-3), 12:30 p.m.
Fordham (8-3) at Towson (6-5), 12:30 p.m.
Harvard (6-3) at Yale (6-3), 12:30 p.m.
Georgetown, D.C. (4-7) at Bucknell (5-6), 1 p.m.
Monmouth, N.J. (10-1) at Duquesne (7-3), 1 p.m.
Pittsburgh (7-3) at Temple (1-9), 1 p.m.
Cent. Michigan (3-8) at Navy (6-4), 1:30 p.m.
Cornell (1-8) at Penn (9-0), 4 p.m.
Delaware (10-1) at Villanova (7-3), 4 p.m.

SOUTH

Howard (3-7) at Delaware St. (1-9), Noon
Northeastern (7-4) at James Madison (6-5), Noon
Rutgers (4-6) at Miami (8-2), Noon
Georgia Tech (6-4) at Virginia (5-5), Noon
Kentucky (4-6) at Georgia (8-2), 12:30 p.m.
La-Monroe (1-10) at Troy St. (5-6), 12:30 p.m.
Tenn. Tech (2-8) at E. Kentucky (6-5), 1 p.m.
The Citadel (6-5) at ETSU (4-7), 1 p.m.
Savannah St. (0-11) at Hampton (6-4), 1 p.m.
Norfolk St. (1-10) at Morgan St. (5-5), 1 p.m.
Duke (3-8) at North Carolina (2-9), 1 p.m.
William & Mary (4-5) at Richmond (2-8), 1 p.m.
Vanderbilt (2-9) at Tennessee (8-2), 1 p.m.
Coastal Carolina (5-5) at Charleston Southern (1-10), 1:30 p.m.
Hofstra (2-9) at Liberty (5-6), 1:30 p.m.
Cincinnati (5-5) at Memphis (7-3), 2 p.m.
N. Carolina A&T (10-1) vs. S. Carolina St. (7-4) at Charlotte, N.C., 2 p.m.
Gardner-Webb (8-3) at W. Carolina (4-7), 2 p.m.
Ark.-Pine Bluff (4-6) at Alabama A&M (7-4), 2:30 p.m.
Alcorn St. (6-5) at Jackson St. (2-9), 2:30 p.m.
Tenn. St. (6-5) at Murray St. (4-7), 2:30 p.m.
East Carolina (1-9) at Tulane (4-7), 2:30 p.m.
Houston (6-4) at Louisville (7-3), 3 p.m.
Furman (5-5) at Chattanooga (3-8), 3:30 p.m.
Florida Atlantic (8-2) at Fla. Int. (2-9), 3:30 p.m.
LSU (9-1) at Mississippi (8-2), 3:30 p.m.
Maryland (7-3) at N.C. State (7-4), 3:30 p.m.
Boston College (6-5) at Virginia Tech (8-2), 3:30
Bethune-Cookman (8-2) at Florida A&M (6-5), 4
Stephen F.Austin (6-4) at Northwestern St. (6-5), 4 p.m.
McNeese St. (9-1) at Nicholls St. (5-5), 7 p.m.
Clemson (7-4) at South Carolina (5-6), 7 p.m.
UAB (4-6) at South Florida (6-3), 7 p.m.
Alabama (4-7) at Auburn (6-5), 7:45 p.m.

MIDWEST

Northwestern (5-6) at Illinois (1-10), Noon
Purdue (8-3) at Indiana (2-9), Noon
Ohio St. (10-1) at Michigan (9-2), Noon
Penn St. (3-8) at Michigan St. (7-4), Noon
Bowling Green (8-2) at Ball St. (4-7), 1 p.m.
Morehead St. (8-2) at Valparaiso (7-4), 1 p.m.
Iowa St. (2-8) at Kansas (5-6), 2 p.m.
E. Michigan (3-8) at N. Illinois (9-2), 2 p.m.
Jacksonville St. (7-3) at SE Missouri (5-6), 2 p.m.
Samford (6-4) at E. Illinois (4-7), 2:30 p.m.
Miami (Ohio) (9-1) at Ohio (2-8), 2:30 p.m.
Iowa (8-3) at Wisconsin (7-4), 3:30 p.m.
Buffalo (1-10) at Kent St. (4-7), 4 p.m.
Missouri (7-3) at Kansas St. (9-3), 7 p.m.
W. Michigan (5-6) at Toledo (7-3), 7 p.m.

SOUTHWEST

Oklahoma St. (8-3) at Baylor (3-8), 12:30 p.m.
Mississippi St. (2-8) at Arkansas (7-3), 2 p.m.
UTEP (2-9) at Rice (3-7), 3:30 p.m.
Oklahoma (11-0) at Texas Tech (7-4), 3:30 p.m.
Sam Houston St. (2-8) at Texas St. (3-8), 7
Alabama St. (6-4) at Texas Southern (5-5), 8

FAR WEST

Montana (9-2) at Montana St. (6-5), 2 p.m.
New Mexico (7-4) at Wyoming (4-6), 2 p.m.
Utah (8-2) at BYU (4-7), 3 p.m.
Tulsa (7-4) at San Jose St. (3-7), 3 p.m.
Oregon St. (7-3) at Oregon (7-4), 3:30 p.m.
UCLA (6-5) at Southern Cal (9-1), 3:30 p.m.
California (6-6) at Stanford (4-5), 3:30 p.m.
Humboldt St. (3-6) at Cal Poly-SLO (6-4), 4 p.m.
Weber St. (7-4) at St. Mary's, Cal. (1-10), 4 p.m.
Utah St. (3-8) at Idaho (2-9), 5 p.m.
Washington St. (9-2) at Washington (5-6), 6:30
Colorado St. (6-5) at UNLV (5-5), 7 p.m.
S. Utah (4-6) at Idaho St. (7-4), 8:30 p.m.
Air Force (7-4) at San Diego St. (5-6), 9 p.m.
Army (0-11) at Hawaii (6-4), 11 p.m.

2003-2004 Bowl schedule

Subject to change

All Times EST

December 16

New Orleans Bowl, Sun Belt champion vs. CUSA No. 4, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)

December 18

GMAC Bowl at Mobile, Ala., CUSA No. 2 vs. MAC or WAC, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

December 22

Tangerine Bowl at Orlando, Fla., ACC No. 4 vs. Big 12, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

December 23

Fort Worth (Texas) Bowl, CUSA No. 6 vs. Big 12 No. 8, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

December 24

Las Vegas Bowl, MWC No. 2 vs. Pac-10 No. 4/5, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

December 25

Hawaii Bowl at Honolulu, CUSA vs. WAC, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

December 26

Motor City Bowl at Pontiac, Mich., MAC vs. Big Ten No. 7, 5 p.m. (ESPN)

Insight.com Bowl at Phoenix, Pac-10 No. 4/5 vs. Big East No. 3, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

December 27

Continental Tire Bowl at Charlotte, N.C., Big East No. 4/5 vs. ACC No. 5, 11 a.m. (ESPN)

December 29

Alamo Bowl at San Antonio, Big Ten No. 4 vs. Big 12 No. 4, 9 p.m. (ESPN)

December 30

Houston Bowl, SEC vs. Big 12, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Holiday Bowl at San Diego, Pac-10 No. 2 vs. Big 12 No. 3, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

Silicon Valley Classic at San Jose, Calif., WAC vs. ACC, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

December 31

Music City Bowl at Nashville, Tenn., SEC vs. Big Ten No. 6, Noon (ESPN)

Sun Bowl at El Paso, Texas, Big Ten No. 5 vs. Pac-10 No. 3, 2 p.m. (CBS)

Liberty Bowl at Memphis, Tenn., MWC champion vs. CUSA champion, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Independence Bowl at Shreveport, La., Big 12 vs. SEC, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

San Francisco Bowl, MWC No. 3 vs. Big East No. 4/5, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

January 1

Outback Bowl at Tampa, Fla., Big Ten No. 3 vs. SEC No. 3, 11 a.m. (ESPN)

Gator Bowl at Jacksonville, Fla., ACC No. 2 vs. Big East No. 2 or Notre Dame, 12:30 p.m. (NBC)

Capital One Bowl at Orlando, Fla., Big Ten No. 2 vs. SEC, 1 p.m. (ABC)

Rose Bowl at Pasadena, Calif., Big Ten champion vs. Pac-10 champion, 4:30 p.m. (ABC)

Orange Bowl at Miami, BCS vs. BCS, 8:30 p.m. (ABC)

January 2

Cotton Bowl at Dallas, SEC vs Big 12 No. 2, 2 p.m. (FOX)

Peach Bowl at Atlanta, ACC No. 3 vs. SEC No. 4, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Fiesta Bowl at Tempe, Ariz., BCS vs. BCS, 8 p.m. (ABC)

January 3

Humanitarian Bowl at Boise, Idaho, WAC vs. ACC No. 6, 1 p.m. (ESPN or ESPN2)

January 4

Sugar Bowl at New Orleans, BCS 1 vs. BCS 2, 8 p.m. (ABC)