OK. It took a while, thanks to this nasty bug, but I’m finally there.

I’m watching a stream of the Buckeye Bash in Glendale. My folks got out to Phoenix today, and I’m looking for them in the crowd shots. But I’m also watching guys from the 2002 team speaking to Buckeye Nation, and I just finished watching a video highlight package from this year’s regular season.

And I’m finally – finally – where I want to be.

As I was watching pep rally stuff on the tiny Windows Media Player window of my work computer, I finally felt the familiar knot in my stomach. My knee started bouncing underneath my desk. I don’t need a mirror to know that I’m starting to smile like I did the entire week leading up to the Michigan game.

Hoo boy.

Whatever bug I had to deal with last week really put a damper on my mental preparations for tomorrow’s game. I was actually concerned over the weekend because I wasn’t responding to a potential national championship as I should have been.

Anticipation.

This has been an amazing season. The Wife and I got to every home game and the surprise trip to East Lansing was a spectacular addition to the schedule. We made it through the most important edition of the best rivalry ever.

There’s one more to go, starting in about 26 hours from now.

I came to work today wearing a white No. 7 jersey, along with a pair of red OSU socks that were a Christmas gift from Fred and Ethel. The small Sunday evening newsroom crew expects this of me, so they’re not too impressed. The assistant photo editor did ask me if I was going to call in sick tomorrow; she laughed when I said I had already scheduled a vacation day. Then the assistant sports editor told me he had just finished speaking with Rory Nicol, a Pittsburgh kid who also happens to be Ohio State’s starting tight end. He said Rory sounded like he was ready.

And now I’m ready too.