COLUMBUS, Ohio – Classes haven’t even started at Ohio State, and already there’s a big test.

Almost every year, early in the season, the Buckeyes put their season on the line against a non-conference football power. It’s risky business when the goal is a national championship, but it’s something No. 2 Ohio State – and Saturday’s opponent, No. 12 Miami – have being doing for years.

Buckeyes receiver DeVier Posey wouldn’t have it any other way. And he’s miffed that programs such as Boise State can climb in polls and prestige while tiptoeing through a schedule with only one or two difficult games.

“To be a national champ, you have to play against the best people and the best teams,” Posey said, “No disrespect to Boise, but I wouldn’t trade our schedule in for anybody’s – for an easy ride to a national championship.”

There is no question that Ohio State doesn’t hide from big non-conference games. Miami never has, either.

During a quarter-century of national prominence from 1980-2005, the Hurricanes never ducked a top opponent. They played Notre Dame when both were title contenders, and had their annual showdown against Florida State with occasional matchups against Florida, Oklahoma and Penn State.

The past two years, the Buckeyes have played USC, and before that, it was Texas. Next year, they play at Miami, and they will have future home-and-home dates with Cal, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

When athletic director Gene Smith came aboard in 2005, it was already Ohio State’s philosophy to offer the school’s huge fan and alumni base a chance to see their favorite team in the far reaches of the country, in addition to spicing up the home schedule.

On top of that, playing top-notch competition can also pay benefits in a Bowl Championship Series world.

“You could go the route of not playing that level of a team, but I think it helps you,” Smith said Wednesday. “If you want to have a chance to be national champions, you’ve got to go outside your league and play somebody tough.”

The meeting – the teams’ first since Ohio State’s 31-24 double-overtime win in the 2002 national championship game – has been on some players’ minds for years.

“This game can set us up for what we’ve been working for,” Miami defensive tackle Marcus Forston said. “I remember I was in the U.S. Army All-American game, playing with some of those (Ohio State) guys. We were saying it then: ‘Our junior year, it’s going down. It’s going down.’ ”