OHIO STATE INSIDER
Bucks, Wolverines dominate honors
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus- If you had any doubt that Ohio State and Michigan were the best two teams in the Big Ten, check out the all-Big Ten teams announced this week.
The 12-0 Buckeyes had nine first-team selections on the coaches' team, while 11-1 Michigan had eight. Ohio State had eight first-team picks on the media team, while the Wolverines had seven. No other Big Ten team had more than two first-teamers on either list.
The best players in the conference represented the two best units - Ohio State's offense and Michigan's defense.
Quarterback Troy Smith was named the offensive player of the year for both teams and was a unanimous pick by the media, while Michigan defensive end LaMarr Woodley was named the defensive player of the year.
Seven Buckeyes were first-team selections for both teams: Smith, center Doug Datish and guard T.J. Downing on offense and tackle Quinn Pitcock, linebacker James Laurinaitis and cornerbacks Malcolm Jenkins and Antonio Smith on defense.
Running back Antonio Pittman was a first-team pick by the coaches and a second-team selection by the media. Interestingly, Ted Ginn Jr. was a first-team receiver according to the media and second-team for the coaches, while Anthony Gonzalez made the first team for the coaches and was an honorable mention pick by the media.
OSU defensive end Vernon Gholston and safety Brandon Mitchell made the second team on both squads. Defensive tackle David Patterson also was chosen for the second team by the coaches. Offensive tackle Kirk Barton was a second-team pick by the media.
Awards ahead:
Smith will start a whirlwind awards tour next week, attending several All-American banquets before heading to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony on Dec. 9. The finalists for the Heisman will be announced on Dec. 6.
Laurinaitis will attend award ceremonies as a finalist for the Nagurski Award, for best defensive player, and Butkus Award, for best linebacker. Pitcock is one of four finalists for the Lombardi Award, presented on Dec. 6.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is also eagerly anticipating Smith's expected honor as the winner of the Silver Football, handed out to the Big Ten MVP since 1924.
"We haven't had a Silver Football winner since Joe Germaine in 1998," Tressel said. "So I'm hoping we can get another one of those hanging up."
Reliving the rematch:
Tressel continues to dance around the idea of a Michigan rematch. But at the very least, he doesn't believe this is what the BCS was built for.
"If that's what the system spits out, then I don't think it's wrong," Tressel said. "I don't know that the intention of the system was to have it end up being one conference with their first-place and second-place teams playing, but that doesn't mean it's wrong. I don't know if that was the intention."
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