Forget the luck theory. There's a lot more to the Ohio State Buckeyes success the past two seasons.

From Woody Hayes to Lou Holtz to Bob Lutz, the philosophy is to play hard, don't make mistakes, and if you're around the football good things will happen.

Of course, that's what logical people think determines success. How little they know.

There are a lot of factors out there, ones that are unexplainable, that determine the outcome of a football game.

For instance, the word Ohio means beautiful. On the other hand, one definition for Michigan is a gambling card game. So tell me, which one is a more acceptable, politically correct term? I think we all know the answer to that one.

And then there's the nickname. As a buckeye grows older, it becomes a tall, strong oak tree that lives for more than 100 years. As a wolverine gets older, it gets frail and eventually dies young.

But those aren't the best examples. There are a lot of other reasons that go beyond even having better players or coaches. Here are the top 10 reasons why Ohio State will beat Michigan.

10. City officials haven't worked out traffic flow problems because they've spent most of the week trying to figure out who this Ann Arbor is. (Actually, Ann Arbor was founded by John and Ann Allen.)

9. One has a lake as its namesake while the other has an entire river named after it.

8. Tressel rhymes with vessel, which reflects smooth sailing, while Carr rhymes with par which is a term for just breaking even.

7. Big Blue banner Michigan players jump up and touch before the game hasn't been washed since the last time the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes three years ago. Talk about germ infestation.

6. Michigan coach Lloyd Carr has been fretting all week that Ohio State fans will make fun of him because he resembles a former Monty Python cast member.

5. Emblem on Michigan helmet wasn't designed to make it look good, but rather to point the right direction the players are to run.

4. We're talking about a state where the best pro teams they can offer are the Lions and Tigers.

3. If the Japanese can kick their tails making automobiles, surely a bunch of Ohioans can whip them at football.

2. Ohio produced the musical group Rascal Flatts. Michigan gave us Michael Jackson.

1. Woody still doesn't like that team up north.

Whatever the reason, go with the Buckeyes.

Jim Walker is sports editor of The Ironton Tribune.