Well, The Game is over. Last weekend, Ohio State defeated Michigan to win the Big Ten Championship and lock themselves into the BCS title game that will be played January 8th.

The question that remains, however, is whom they will play for the national championship. Right after the game in Columbus last Saturday, the Wolverines remained in second place in the BCS title chase, but their margin over the University of Southern California narrowed to a hair's breadth.

The regular season is over for Michigan but several contenders still have a couple of games on their schedule, giving them a chance to perform in front of those who will be choosing the Buckeyes' opponent.

USC takes on Notre Dame Saturday. Experts seemed to agree this past week that if the Trojans win, it will put them in Glendale, AZ for the title game. If the win goes to the Fighting Irish, voters will look east to the South East Conference.

Florida meets Arkansas the same afternoon.

Now, the Trojans already routed the Razorbacks earlier in the season. Should Notre Dame top USC, voters will have to consider the fact that the Wolverines handled the Irish easily back when the weather was warm.

Therefore, wins by ND and Arkansas could well put Michigan into the title game against OSU. If USC and Florida win, the Trojans would likely get the trip to Glendale.

The conventional wisdom seems to be that a USC loss and a Gator victory would put Florida into the championship game.

But then, Arkansas plays LSU next weekend. A Razorback loss in that game would dim Florida's projected win this weekend.

Most "experts" writing this weekend discount the likelihood, or even the justice, of an OSU-Michigan rematch.

Live bait fishermen can breathe a little easier now. The Feds have relaxed a little their ban on shipment of live fish from Great Lakes states and provinces.

The original order, issued October 14th, had put a stop to interstate movement of 37 species of live fish from the eight Great Lakes states and the two Canadian provinces on the other side of the water.

The revision that was announced this past week allows some of those species to be moved across state lines … if they have proper documentation … and depending on for what they are to be used.

At the time of the original order, it was intended to try to control the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia. VHS causes internal bleeding in fish and is blamed for fish kills in Lake Erie, as well as Lake Ontario, Lake St. Clair (which is not a Great Lake) and the St. Lawrence River. So far it has not been shown dangerous to humans.

The order from USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service was seen as a real roadblock even for the states' fisheries. They swap a lot of gamefish fingerlings for stocking projects. Not to mention tackle shops that get most of their live baitfish from Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Bait wholesalers from several of the Great Lakes States held a meeting soon after the original order to try to come up with ways to supply the demand this winter.

Fishing in the states and provinces affected by the order generates as much as $4.5 billion dollars a year.