Is it only me here who is thinking Det@Cle '54 finale when thinking tonight's #2 IU vs #1 OSU?

[74_75_78_79_]

I know this isn't a college football forum, and I know one game was a regular season game while the other is a post-season game, but I can't help to think of them both in the same light. The loser of the college game mentioned, especially if the loser is Ohio St (and even if it's by a TD, or two), will likely still get a 1st-Rd bye anyway. So why risk injury? Why should a fan 'get up' for the game despite it actually being a battle-of-unbeatens'/#1vs#2/conference championship? Why 'get up' for Lions at Browns who are already playing in the League Championship Game next week, same venue? Why should Parker and Brown play their starters? If both IU & OSU meet again in the playoffs, I wouldn't be surprised if the winner of tonight's game loses the rematch for the same possible psychological reasons as 71 years ago this very month.

Yeah, both of these games are reminding me of one another. Not really sure I'm going to bother watching tonight's game as I'm sure I wouldn't have had I been around for the other.

Thoughts?

EDIT - yes, I still watched it last night and thoroughly enjoyed! I am rooting for the Hoosiers football team to finish as undefeated National Champions (and to do so with, now, a...Tournament to also get through)!

This is the first time since '67 that Indiana even won so much a share of the Big Ten. They three-way tied it with Purdue & Minnesota (nope, not Michigan or OSU), but were the ones representing at the Rose Bowl. Adding pro ball into this, they faced off against John McKay's USC Trojans. OJ was the game's MVP scoring two TDs in a 14-3 win.

As for their first out-right Big Ten title? That'd be 1945. 9-0-1, #4 finish under Bo McMillin who up until now would have to be seen as the school's best football HC ever. Bringing it all back to the '50s Lions, he would end up the Lions' HC the three years leading up to Buddy Parker hopping onboard. Lions improved each of the three years, finishing 6-6 in 1950. Do you all see him as having 'set-the-table' for Parker?

Fred Bruney ('85 finale) and Pat Shurmur ('15 finale) each with their unbeaten-with-Philly 1-0 record, but Bo is all-time unbeaten at 2-0 with the Eagles. Only this was the first two games of the '51 season before health reasons immediately ended his coaching career.