Look for the presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain to take a back seat to Saturday's Sept. 13 matchup between the Ohio State Buckeyes and USC Trojans. This primetime event will be the only thing on the minds of patriotic football fans come game day.

Just in case you're here from another planet, USC is ranked No. 1 in the nation while the Buckeyes are ranked No. 5.

If you think the fans are jacked up about this clash of the titans, imagine the adrenaline high the players must be on.

I found out firsthand during a phone interview with linebacker and former Wayne High School standout Marcus Freeman on Tuesday night. He was upbeat, positive and talked about the magnitude of the big game.

"Many people would be lying if they said this was just another game because it is not," Freeman said. "It's the biggest game in the country this weekend, and many people will be watching. I think once the whistle blows, then it will be just another football game. There's a lot of hype going into the game and we are extremely excited, but at the same time it's still football and we have to play our game."

The 6-foot-2, 239-pound Freeman is the cornerstone of the team's linebacking corps in my opinion. He finished last season second on the team in tackles with 109 and has 12 tackles in two games this season. He is one of the unsung heroes on defense, getting the job done game after game. Freeman's presence on the field is cause for concern among opposing offenses. He's fast, quick, strong, very athletic and is highly intelligent.

The senior linebacker knows exactly what it will take for the Buckeyes defense to contain USC's high-powered offense.

"First, we are going to have to be able to tackle," he said. "They have a very talented football team and you don't want a lot of missed tackles giving them a second chance to make plays. That's something that we cannot afford to do.

"Another thing is we've got to have gang tackling," Freeman said. "There are going to be some missed tackles, and we have to make sure that we have a group of guys flying to the football to make up for those missed tackles."

Freeman said it's not in the team's mindset to lose, but if by chance that should happen, the Buckeyes will not return home to Columbus with their tails between their legs. In other words, the Trojans will know they've been in a dogfight when the play clock reads zeros across the board.

Some in the media have accused Ohio State of looking past underrated Ohio and looking ahead to highly touted USC. The Bobcats gave the Buckeyes all they could handle until the fourth quarter.

Freeman set the record straight about the team's sputtering performance against Ohio.

"Last week was our first test of the season," he said. "We were tested in an adverse situation. Although we didn't plan to be in that situation, I think it showed the character of our football team. No matter what the situation looks like, we're going to keep fighting.

"As far as some people saying that we looked past Ohio and were looking at USC, I feel that's a little disrespectful to the way that OU played. They played a tremendously good football game. Ohio is a good football team and they played extremely well. I think we really prepared well for them but just didn't play well."