Hey fellow Buckeyes! My name is Molly Gray. First I would like to thank Massey for inviting me to become a member of the Buckeye Commentary team.

Before I jump headfirst into my article, I thought I should introduce myself and let you all know a little bit about the girl behind the words. So here are five things I think you should know:

5. I have lived my whole life in a beautiful suburb of Los Angeles, CA, within walking distance of the Rose Bowl. I am 19 years old, and will be a returning sophomore at The Ohio State University as a member of the class of 2011. I am a journalism and international studies major.

4. Before my junior year in high school I didn’t know much, if anything at all, about Ohio State or the state of Ohio, having never been there. That all changed when I met a dear friend of mine, Paul Kolbe, a Dayton-native and Buckeye enthusiast.

3. After finally visiting Ohio State during my senior year of high school in quest of the perfect college, I fell in love.

2. As a freshman, out-of-state student, I got Block O tickets. Yes, you should be jealous. I sat in Block O for every home game, except of course the Kent State game, which I spent on the field.

1. Although I will always bleed Dodger blue (a brighter, happier blue than the blood we spill up north every year) I will forever breathe, drink, and of course, bleed Scarlet and Gray.

So, without further adieu, for my first contribution to Buckeye Commentary, I would like to honor the first Ohio State team to win a Conference Championship.

In 1916, the Ohio State Buckeyes were playing in the Western Conference, which they had joined in 1913. The Western Conference was nicknamed the Big Ten Conference, and has been widely known as such since 1917, though they didn’t officially change the name until 1987. Read More...

I was starting to question Jim Tressel. I was curious as to how he planned on getting 27-28 recruits in this upcoming class. I looked at the team, I looked at the recruits, I looked at the numbers, and it didn’t add up. Then came Antonio Henton’s departure, which truth be told, it wasn’t a gigantic surprise with the incoming Terrelle Pryor and surprisingly good Joe Bauserman. Add in an early departure and/or an early departure for the NFL Draft and finally the numbers start to seem a little more plausible.

Then comes word out of Cincinnati that backup safety Eugene Clifford had be charged with 2 counts of assault after punching two employees of a bar in the face while they were trying to break up a fight. One thing we know about Jim Tressel is: bar plus fight plus two charges does not equal more playing time. In fact, Buckeye Commentary would not be surprised if the last time Eugene Clifford put on his Buckeye uniform was in fact his final time. We’re all about second chances and maybe thirds, but we’re definitely not about fourth chances. Read More...

Most folks have a list of places they want to visit and events they would like to attend before they are too infirmed to do so. Sitting ringside at a great heavyweight title fight and and running out of the tunnel at Ohio Stadium are close to the top of most reasonable folks' lists.

Another item frequently appearing on lists belonging to the male variety is attending a party at the Playboy Mansion. And, no matter how many times they imagine that night, it probably never ends like it apparently did for Malcolm Jenkins. Internet reports indicate that this man in the straw is Ohio State’s All American cornerback.

It is unclear exactly what led Mr. Jenkins to that dubious two-point stance, but we seriously doubt it was good. In addition, all other pictures of have been removed from online forums.

Update (11:03 p.m.): This was not a good news weekend for Ohio State defensive backs as Eugene Clifford was arrested for punching some folks at the Holy Grail. Apparently, the unlucky recepients of Eugene's handy work were trying to break up a fight.

We had to take down the previous picture of Jenkins evacuating his stomach on the sidewalk but we are sure you can find a copy somewhere on the Interweb. Not like we have one. In the meantime, here are some additional pictures of James Laurinaitis and USC linebackers, as well as Ohio State players hanging out at the aforementioned Playboy Mansion.

In case you were wondering, the Big Ten Conference and television both existed prior to 2006. You would not know that, however, judging from the TV Guide listings for the Big Ten Network over the last month. Evidencing an incredible dearth of programming, the Big Ten Network resorted to showing a marathon of marathons of The Big Ten’s Greatest Games. Apparently, they want to challenge TNT as the cable network most likely to be comprised solely of marathons.

If you were lucky enough to flip to channel 220 on DIRECTV (Comcast channel TBD) in June, you were treated to encore presentations of games you did not care about the first time. The BTN is guessing the marginally relevant interviews sprinkled throughout the broadcast will make all the difference. Oh, and they never seem to show an Ohio State game.

This got us thinking, what are Ohio State’s greatest games. The BTN has only gone back couples of seasons, but we thought we would expand that a little. We considered the entire Tressel era.

Greatest Regular Season Game: 2006 v. Michigan – You could choose any of Troy Smith’s games against Michigan, but this one really stands. The first ever #1 v. #2 game in the history of The Game; Bo’s death days before; and a national title game berth on line. What more could you ask for? Michigan played a nearly perfect game, executing their game plan flawlessly. With the exception of the some third quarter turnovers which let Michigan back into the game, Troy and the Buckeyes were more than equal to the task. The 3:30pm kickoff added to the intensity as the majority of the game was under the lights. In our opinion, Troy’s play action pass to Ted Ginn is one of the best looking plays in Ohio State history. Read More...

Poe loves rumors. Good rumors, at least. There’s a little one running around pertaining to Ohio State. I’d say it’s pretty darn good.

You may or may not know that Joe Daniels, Ohio State’s QB coach for the past seven years, has been struggling with his health as of late and recently had a cancerous kidney removed (doing ok. He had a big say in the development of Troy Smith, was a main recruiter of Terrelle Pryor, and was a guy named Dan Marino’s position coach at Pitt.

However, because of his health, rumor has it that he may need some help around the office. You know, someone with an offensive mind. Someone that means something to Ohio State football. One name that often comes up in this discussion, naturally, is Walt Harris. If you do a quick Google of Walt, you will find he was Ohio State’s quarterbacks coach from 1995-1996 and was offered Cooper’s offensive coordinator’s position before taking the head job at Pitt. His name was also thrown around in, oh I don’t know, 2001 when OSU went looking for a new head coach. (FYI, we hired Jim Tressel instead). Read More...

How many other players reported with Terrelle Pryor? -Mario E., Toledo

In addition to Terrelle Pryor, other incoming freshman arriving this past week included Lamaar Thomas, Willie Mobley, Devier Posey, Travis Howard, Keith Wells, and Ohrian Johnson. By our unofficial total, that means that 11 of the members of the 2008 recruiting class are on campus. Adams, Brewster, and Sabino enrolled early and took part in spring drills.

The real question is the payoff for the players and ultimately the team. That evaluation can only done on a player-by-player basis. Players like Maurice Clarrett enrolled early, learned the playbook, and became accustomed the physicality of the college game. The early involvement translated into a starting position for Clarrett and a National Title for the Buckeyes. But for every Clarrett, there are many players that enroll early and never see the field. If memory serves, LB Mark Johnson from Los Angeles enrolled early in 2006. He was as highly rated as anyone in the Buckeyes recruiting class, yet you rarely see his name mentioned in the two deep. That is not to say that he will not turn out to be a great player for the Buckeyes, but the early enrollment does not seem to have provided him with a big advantage.

Another potential effect of early enrollment is injury, i.e., Mike Adams. He had experienced some shoulder problems before and there is no guarantee that he would not have injured himself this summer in workouts, drills, or all-star games, but playing right away certainly increased those odds.

I saw that the Big 33 All Star Game was played recently as well as the Ohio North South All Star Game. I know they changed the dates of these games to conflict with one another and not it seems that neither one of them is very good. Are they likely to last? -Jennings B., Akron

You are right. The timing of the Ohio North South All Star Game was moved in 2006. They used to be far enough apart to allow Ohio players to play in both. Honestly, these types of games have never been of great interest to us. Read More...

Occasionally we frighten ourselves. Earlier today was one of those times. We did not commit any heinous crime or illicit act, but the resulting emotion was equally soul robbing.

We went to Hulu and watched the video below (work safe – may cause severe depression).

Admittedly, this is the first time that we watched the game since the evening of January 8, 2008. They say time heals all wounds, but they did not mention that 168 days was not enough time.

After watching it again, I am more convinced of three things: (1) Beanie Wells is the best tailback in the country; (2) Boeckman is more liability than asset; and (3) that soft zone coverage is a game loser.

We appear to be the only folks not taking a summer vacation. Judging by the lack of news, the entire college football world is taking a break these days. They may not be a bad thing as we could all stand to take a step back now and again. Still, when we are trying to crank out palatable pieces we feel the strain.

On to other people’s news:

The Mendenhall Brothers really do not like Ron Zook. First, Walter Mendenhall, the younger brother of Rashard, transferred to Illinois State. Now his older brother, Rashard, is speaking out against his former coach. His statements make it clear that disdain for the Zooker runs in the family.

"To tell you the truth, as long as Ron Zook is there it will be hard for me to support the University of Illinois football team."

At the very least, Mendenhall has made himself some new friends down south.

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Let us start by saying that we have never heard of the Tuscaloosa News, but this is the best introduction we have had in a while.

The T-Town News has designated The Ohio State University as the No. 1 program in college football. We have no idea what formula they use. All they will say is that it is “an elaborate formula, with half of the categories based on the previous season and the other half all-time.” Uh huh. Still, we’ll take it.

We have hypothesized on the best team of the decade and Black Shoe Diaries ruled in our favor. But, this is better …and far less likely.

We can only assume that if the Buckeyes defeat USC and have another great season they will remain #1 for a long time. Surely, this grates on SEC country. In fact, I bet Tommy Tuberville had to replace the battery in his pace maker after his home state declared the Buckeyes king of the hill.

You know him, you love him. Trev Alberts is back on the (Internet) air. Ever since Alberts first appeared on ESPN, when his sole purpose seemed geared towards belittling Mark May, he has inspired a strange following. He is now doing these short pieces for FoxSports and he is starting to get more attention, and not just for his tremendous height.

This installment of Sprint Sports has Trev talking Buckeyes v. Wolverines. Sure, it is June and The Game is over months away but, for Trev, it is never too early to talk about the greatest rivalry in sports.

In more uplifting but no more relevant news, LeCharles Bentley’s return took a major step yesterday. The former Ohio State Captain and standout participated in drills for the first time in nearly 700 days. The Browns already have a great line, but according to the Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto, you can never have too many linemen.

In fact, no one would have been surprised if the Browns released Bentley after four knee surgeries and a staph infection. After Bentley failed these exact same drills last year because of a lack of strength in his leg and knee, the Browns still assembled one of the best offense lines in the League.

So, it seems that, in Ohio, the way to football success these days is stockpiling offensive lineman. Just look at Tressel’s plan. Aside from Pryor, almost all of the hype afforded to the Buckeyes’ 2008 recruiting class was given to Mike Adams, Mike Brewster, and J.B. Shugarts, dubbed by many as Block O.

It appears Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel took a trip down I-71 and realized that if it is good enough for Ohio State, it is good enough for the Browns. Now all they have to do is get to back to back Super Bowls.

It has been almost three years since Justin Zwick played meaningful minutes for the Buckeyes, but that has not stopped him from getting plenty of headlines. Once again, Zwick is flirting with Arena Football League face time and, according to the Dispatch, J.Z. will get some playing time this weekend.

We have said it before and will say it again: Zwick is a classy kid and we wish him good luck. And, if nothing else, we hope that he does not end up doing local car ads like his predecessor, Craig Krenzel. Wasn’t Krenzel majoring in molecular cellular and developmental biology and planning to cure Maple Syrup Urine Disease? How did that go so wrong, so fast? Sure, he played a few seasons in the League, but that should not derail medical career. Instead, he occasionally appears on our television preaching the good deals on the lot of local car dealerships. (Bonus points for anyone who can tell me the name of the dealership. Huge bonus points for producing a YouTube video.) Ugh. But, I digress.

If you are jonesing for a forward pass, strange formations, or just want to get drunk at a sporting event, head on over to Nationwide Arena and check out the Zwickers…I mean Destroyers. Their schedule can be found here.

The network cable hybrid ABC/ESPN (“ASPN” for short?) has released their initial 2008 college football schedule. We already knew that Ohio State had primetime games against Southern Cal, Wisconsin, and Penn State. The Michigan game will get a national audience as well, of course.

The real question is which OSU games will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. If we had to guess the Troy game will make it as well as the league game at Northwestern. The BTN has a big incentive to put the Buckeyes on considering their fan and alumni base. If the 2007 Akron game did this well, it is only a matter of time until the BTN puts a real Ohio State game on the network.

One thing that this schedule makes clear is the lack of a need for ESPN Gameplan. We have ordered it for the last time. With the advent of 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. kickoffs and the proliferation of Fox Sports channels, rarely is there a game you want to see is not available somewhere on your television provider. And, while we are on the topic, would it have killed ASPN to provide the Gameplan programming in HD? We know the game is being broadcast in HD in its main market, so why is the picture in horrible SD on Gameplan? There is no way we will pay for this package again until they remedy the problem. Okay, rant over.

Nittany White Out recently offered a nice breakdown of Big Ten venues and their attending advantages. According to their formula, Ohio Stadium is the top venue in the Big Ten. The best part? They did not have to appear on Bravo to win it.

As faithful Buckeye Commentary readers know, we love graphs and charts, and we think Ohio Stadium is the best venue in the country, so reading this post was music to our occipital cortex.

Still, we were a little puzzled at the scoring and breakdowns in a few categories. The one that jumped out the most was the “fans” category listed in the first chart. I think Penn State has great fans and we know a few. But white t-shirts does not a great crowd make. The “White Out” is a cute idea and takes all the thinking out of the pressured-filled gameday outfit decisions, but its advantages end about there.

I suppose NWO is entitled to a little bias, as we would certainly tout Ohio State fans as the tops. Perhaps they should have broken the fan category down into smaller slices. For example, fans most likely to throw urine and batteries at you? Wisconsin. Fans most likely to pick a fight with a pregnant woman? Wisconsin (we have seen it). Fans most likely to get black out drunk and vomit a partially digested cheese product? Wisconsin (we have not seen but, come on, you know it happens).

Despite our informal questioning of the efficacy of this post, we graciously accept the award on behalf of Ohio Stadium.

Award Circuit: Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith and former U.S. Senator John Glenn will be honored at the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame’s induction ceremony.  Smith will receive the John L. Toner Award given to a top athletic director.  Glenn will be honored with the foundation’s Gold Medal, the foundation’s highest honor. 

I read this post on JTH about Malcolm Jenkins and his alleged slow footedness. It made me think about why players are measured in the same way (statistically speaking). In the broadest terms, tackles, sacks, and/or interceptions measure all defensive players. For offensive players, it is yards and TDs. When they move on to the league, they are similarly measured again – 40-second times, bench reps, and (gasp!) Wonderlik Test results. All men are created equal, but not all college football positions should be measured so objectively.

In an effort to remedy this scourge, I thought I would adopt new statistical categories to recognize on-field excellence in a different way. Here are a few ideas for NCAA and conferences.

Defense Linemen

New baseline stat: They say it is all about sacks and tackles for loss but that is only part of the story. They need to track the total number of downs played by a lineman as sign of stamina and ability to play every situation. Also, false start penalties induced should also be considered. Causing 15 yards of penalties per game is the equivalent of two additional sacks.
Bonus points: Tearing off the helmet of an opposing offensive lineman.

Linebackers

New baseline stat: Solo tackles, sacks, and fumbles caused are big ones for LBs. But tackles from behind (a demonstration of athleticism and speed) and pass break ups should be considered as important more considering the proliferation of spread and misdirection offenses.
Bonus points: Any sideline hit on a ball carrier resulting in an observing opposing player or coach taken out like a 7-10 split.

Defensive Backs

New baseline stat: Interceptions and pass break-ups are the industry standard now. Tackles count for some safeties or aggressive corners, but takeaways are the name of the game for most stat watchers. But the true measure of a stellar CB/DB is the number of times, or rather lack thereof, the ball is throw to his coverage target. Just like golf, a lower number is better.
Bonus points: Jamming the receiver out of his route at the line of scrimmage. This is an undervalued skill at the college level. Read More...

Sunday Morning Quarterback has a running feature on the Contenders and yesterday it was Ohio State’s turn. SMQ offers its assessment of Ohio State in a way that only they can - with a William Burroughs stream of consciousness infused with football analysis. I like to think of SMQ as a website serving innovative college football analysis with natural curiosities and statistical breakdowns. Typically in huge portions. But I digress.

The piece can be fairly summarized as Beanie is devastating, Boeckman is shaky, and the USC game means everything to the season (and possibly beyond). But, we knew that already.

Therein lies the blessing and the curse of being an Ohio State fan in this era. Every season, the Buckeyes have huge expectations and the biggest non-conference game of the season. First, it was Texas, now USC, and then Miami, California, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. That means every season the Buckeyes have the opportunity to play on the biggest stage.

You have so much to look forward to and much more additional spectator stress (is there such a thing?). None of us would trade that feeling for anything, but it adds a level of anxiety to the season that most fans never experience. That stage magnifies everything. A win and they are unstoppable; a loss and they are also-rans from an inferior conference. No other team plays games with such a wide swinging pendulum. Few teams have the emotional peaks and valleys of Buckeye Nation. Read More...

You may have already seen ESPN's oddly timed interactive, promotion "Face of the Program." It simply allows users to comment. No word if their decision (if coming) will take those comments into consideration. You can follow that link if you want, but there are already 170+ comments there. Instead, I thought I would hijack the conversation and bring it over here.

It was not that long ago when I wondered out loud if we are currently living through the Golden Age of Ohio State football. But this is a different question and many factors can lead to a different conclusion to the Face question. For starters, the face of the program can largely depend on the age of the fan pontificating. Personal memories will have a great impact on your choice. On the other hand, the media - both local and national - will have as great an impact in many cases. If you are constantly reading stories from a bygone era you are likely to give greater weight to those participants because they have stood the test of time.

Here is my (ultra-brief) look on the candidates and their credentials (in chronological order):

Woody Hayes - For many older fans Hayes is revered and remembered fondly, despite his dubious exit. He was the architect of Ohio State's first sustained period of success. He won national championships and Big Ten Titles in bunches. But for all of his success, he may be best remembered for his wild temper and assorted controversies. Whether he was throwing punches at sports reporters, shredding the down and distance markers with his hands, or threatening conference athletic directors, Almost everyone old enough has one regrettable memory of Hayes. Perhaps, the greatest evidence of Hayes place in Ohio State football history is that Ohio Stadium sits on Woody Hayes Drive.

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You watch a lot of college football and you never miss an Ohio State game. In fact, you have been to a game or two in your life. You understand the complexities of the sport, and know what separates a great player from the good ones. You are confident that you can talk the college game with the best of them.

So, it has probably been obvious to you that Ohio State’s official statistician has been generously padding the stats of the Buckeyes. In case you did not notice, Black Shoe Diaries is happy to point it out for you. In fact, the stat padding has gotten so out of control that Laurinaitis finished 44th in the country tackles! If that is not evidence, I am not sure what is. Interestingly, both Ohio State and the NCAA credit Laurinaitis with the same number of tackles (121). But you know what they say: never let the truth get in the way of a good accusation.

I am sure the conspiracy runs very deep. Here is how it works: The statistician bumps up player stats in an effort to fool those clueless NFL scouts whose teams proceed to use top draft picks and overpay for players not worth their weight in shoulder pads. Then, those players turn around and give a little kickback to the stat guy. With all the OSU players getting drafted these days, he is bound to be one of the richest guys in Columbus. In fact, I would not be surprised if this is his house.

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Michigan may have found the next Chad Henne. No, Michigan’s next quarterback will not play in the style of Henne – a pure drop back passer – but he will likely start his career versus the Buckeyes in the same manner Henne began (and ended) his days as a Wolverine starter … with a loss.

At the moment, Steven Threet is the frontrunner for the starting spot in the fall with Nick Sheridan and Justin Feagan being the backups (photo gallery). Threet is big – 6’5”, 228 lbs. – which is not typical for a running quarterback (save for Vince Young). And, he is not a burner. I doubt the Buckeyes coaches are nervous about a player, whose former high school coach calls him a “mid 4.7 guy.” He seems to be winning the job because of his stronger arm and greater grasp of the offense.

But that grasp sounds pretty tenuous according to Threet. He said the spring wasn’t pretty, but progress was made. Still, Threet is expecting to win the job and the eventual right to be pummeled by Laurinaitis and company in November. “‘If I don’t win the job, I’m going to be very disappointed in myself. If I don’t win it then it’s basically a letdown.’” Perhaps, he is attempting to adjust to the pressure he will see from the Silver Bullets this fall but putting undue pressure on himself.

As the Detroit Free Press points out, he is not the prototypical spread quarterback but he did run a little spread in high school. It remains to be seen exactly how well he can operate the offense. He will need to learn quickly because he will face a challenge from incoming freshman Justin Feagan, a more natural fit for Rodriguez’s offense. So, making it to the end of the season is not a given for Threet. Read More...

It has to be one of the five most awkward looking trophies ever awarded: The Rimington Trophy. Design aside, Jim Cordle is probably pleased with the nomination he received on May 7, 2008. He was one of 44 nominees, so he is a long way from winning the award but it is another Buckeye nominated for a national award.

By my extremely unofficial count, seven Buckeyes will most likely be considered for twelve awards. Laurinaitis will be nominated for the Nagurski, Bednarik, and award formerly known as Butkus. Jenkins is the front-runner for the Thorpe; Beanie will get serious traction from the folks handing out the Heisman, Doak Walker, Maxwell, and Walter Camp. A.J. Trapasso should get a look for the Ray Guy, while Alex Boone may have a chance at a Lombardi nomination. Of course, the above-mentioned Cordle is already nominated and Robiskie may even make one of the early lists for the Biletnikoff. Read More...

The Atlantic Coast Conference recently toyed with the idea of adding a ninth conference game. The ACC’s 12-team membership means that each team misses three other conference opponents. Because the Big Ten has one less team, there are only two absent teams on each schedule.

I will start by looking at the common arguments against conferences (and the Big Ten) adding a ninth conference game. They vary in degrees of legitimacy.

For starters, some opponents say that adding only one conference game makes an imperfect system only less imperfect. Unless you are going to solve the entire problem (play a round robin schedule) why mess around with it? If this argument has any merit, it is slight. If you can reduce the odds that two undefeated Big Ten teams miss each other by 50%, why would you not want to do that? Let’s be realistic, too. Even the most casual fan can identify the teams that are going to challenge for the league title every year. Schedule makers can skew the schedules two to three years in advance to make sure Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Illinois play each every season. It may seem like an unfair handicap for the top teams but it is also a boost to the lesser teams that receive a bonus, albeit slight, in missing one of those teams.

One common reason proffered by Big Ten school officials is that the budgets are so huge that they cannot afford one less home game per season. I find this argument to be disingenuous. For example, Ohio State plays seven home games this season, eight in 2009 and 2010, and seven again in 2011. As the format stands now, every time they play a big-name non-conference opponent on the road they only have seven home games. If OSU dropped one of the lightweight opponents each year and scheduled their major non-conference road games in years when they have five home Big Ten games, the athletic department would guarantee themselves a minimum of seven home games each season. (The opposite years would be feature four home conference games and three home non-conference games.) Essentially, that means they give up two quarters of home football per year compared with the current scheduling. Read More...

We all know the economy is tightening up. As a result, those little side projects we have wanted to tackle for a while keep getting pushed to the side. Repair the deck? Hopefully, next month. Finish that Buckeye-themed basement with scarlet and gray shag carpet? Maybe, next season. Put 20s on our 1986 OldsmoBuick? We can only dream.

It seems tough economic times have come to the Ohio State Undergraduate Student Government (USG). In fact, times are so bad they have had to shelve an approved plan to build a statue of Woody Hayes. Despite the monetary pressures felt nationwide, some outrage is being voiced and demands for the statue made.

Perhaps we should follow President Bush’s cue and use his tax rebate to stimulate the statue building economy in Columbus? Just think, we could take half of that hefty check and pay off our student loans and donate the other half to the Woody Hayes Statue Fund (or, an actual, worthwhile charity – your choice, really).

In more scantily clad news, Playboy Magazine has selected its All American team and the gathering took place in Phoenix last weekend. It is, without question, the least exciting “photo shoot” in that magazine, year after year. Not surprisingly, the Dispatch has not covered this story, but plenty of other papers have so we have some details (and one photo – work safe).

No word on other Buckeyes selected by Hef (he chooses them, right?), but this is Laurinaitis second consecutive selection. Other likely All Americans include Wells, Jenkins, and Boone has an outside shot.

We have our sources snooping around the Mansion, as we speak, trying to gather more details. (Damnit, we should have taken that assignment ourselves.) The All-American team will be in the magazine’s September issue, which hits newsstands around Aug. 15.

Spring practice is over for every team, important position battles have been waged, players have been arrested (everyone is doing it) and some even dismissed from their squad. That means there is only one thing left to do: make ridiculously early Top 25 predictions. Hey, if players can practice year round, we can prognosticate year round.

Luckily for you (and me), five respected institutions have obliged with some paid-by-the-word breakdowns of the Top 25 teams in college football - at least as it stands four months prior to the season. Other polls are sure to follow and we can update this data accordingly. As history has taught us, no players will be injured, arrested for assault and/or resisting arrest or suspended for soliciting prostitutes between now and August 30, 2008.

A couple of the rankings are in need of updating (CFN and ESPN), but when you are dealing with an inexact science’s second cousin, what is a few months? The other three were composed after the conclusion of spring practice and two after Perrilloux’s fate was decided.

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Last season: We have all read about the lack of interceptions from the defensive backs last season. The Buckeyes only had 11 picks and Anderson Russell believes they dropped an additional 15. Those numbers are troubling, but not the end of the world. After all, the Buckeyes finished in passing defense (as measured by yards allowed) and we know it was not because teams were busy running on them (they only gave up 83 ypg on the ground). When measured by passing efficiency, the Buckeyes finished 4th.

As you can see from the chart, Ohio State typically held their opponents well below the average passing numbers. Only Washington and Wisconsin fared better than averaged.

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Last season: By almost any measuring stick, this group had a terrific season and I am not about to dispute that. James Laurinaitis would have been a first round choice had he decided to leave and Marcus Freeman would likely have been a day one selection. Larry Grant graduated and the 49ers drafted him in the seventh round.

Laurinaitis won the Butkus Award (controversy aside) for being the nation’s top linebacker, while leading the team in tackles for the second straight season (121 tackles). If Laurinaitis leads the team again this season it will the second consecutive three-year stretch where one player led the Buckeyes in tackles each year. (A.J. Hawk led the team in tackles from 2003-2005.) Another similar year from Lil’ Animal should land him inside the Top 10 for career tackles at Ohio State.

Marcus Freeman finished second in total tackles (109) and led Ohio State in solo tackles (66). He also forced two fumbles and broke up more passes than any player other than Chekwa.

This season: This is the definition of a logjam with a ton of talent in the linebacker meeting room each week, but there little experience and certainty beyond Laurinaitis and Freeman. Including incoming freshmen, the Buckeyes have 12 candidates for playing time this fall. Representative of this stockpiling, at least three players have practiced at and/or are said to be switching positions – Tyler Moeller (to safety), Curtis Terry (to fullback), Thaddeus Gibson (to DE). Read More...

We previewed the NFL Draft in historical terms late last week. With the 2008 version of the NFL Draft in the books we can briefly describe what transpired over the last two days.

Most impartial observers expected three, possibly four, former Buckeyes to be drafted this weekend. Gholston was a Top 10 lock, Barton was a certain second-day pick, and Larry Grant was likely to get picked up late in the proceedings. Even Dionte Johnson had some, albeit small, hope of being drafted. Here is how the two days unfolded for the former Buckeyes.

Starting at the top, Gholston went 6th overall to the New York Jets. Several mock drafts had predicted the Patriots would snatch Gholston up at No. 7. As it turned out, Mangini and the Jets had designs on the Ohio State sack leader. Despite being ranked as the 3rd best DE by ESPN, many speculate that Gholston will project as an OLB in the Jets 3-4 scheme.

An incidental benefit of the Jets pick? You may get to see more photos like the one above if Chad Henne wins the job in Miami. Only in different colors. Sweet, huh?

So far, so good. Right?

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Yesterday, we took a look at when and where Ohio State players have historically been drafted. Today, we examine what happens once the Buckeyes make the league. Obviously, some positions have more players in the league (21 defensive backs led the way) so that can skew the results a little bit.

How long do they play?

Overall, the 104 Ohio State players drafted since 1990 have played 455 seasons in the NFL for an average of 4.4 seasons per player. When you look at the players by position the averages hover right around that number with one notable exception: defensive lineman.

Former Buckeyes playing along the front four beat the average by more than one full season at 5.6 seasons per defensive lineman. I am not sure what the average is for defensive lineman is league-wide, but defensive line is one of the more physically grueling positions on the field. Constant double teams and chip blocks by RBs take their toll. Of course, ending up at the bottom of every pile and other players rolling up on their knees makes for shorter careers as well.

Wide receivers placed second with an average of five seasons played.

How well did they play?

As we have discussed, Ohio State sends tons of talented players to the league. So, you would think that a handful of them end up in Honolulu at the conclusion of each season. If you did think that, you would be wrong.

Of the 455 seasons played, only 23 of those seasons have ended with a Pro Bowl appearance. That is a 5% conversion rate. At first glance that rate seems brutally low. But, then again that is more than one player per season. I am still undecided on what that %5 rate truly signifies. What do you think? Good, bad, or typical?

Interestingly, 18% of all seasons in this span played by offensive lineman resulted in a Pro Bowl appearance. Orlando Pace accounted for the majority of these seasons (7), while LeCharles Bentley (2), and Korey Stringer (1) provided the other Pro Bowl seasons.

Running backs had the second highest conversion rate at 11%, with Eddie George (6) and Robert Smith (2) producing the entire total. Quarterbacks, linebackers, and special teams players have not netted a Pro Bowl appearance in the last 17 years.

Most surprising is the dearth of Pro Bowl appearances by defensive backs. Only Shawn Springs (2) and Nate Clements (1) have made it. How was Antoine Winfield been snubbed over all of these years?

Draft Update: Vernon Gholston will soon be adding to these totals, as he was drafted 6th overall by the New York Jets today. Because the jets run a 3-4 scheme Gholston will most likely be playing from a two-point stance instead of the down position he occupied at Ohio State.

Troy Smith did not exactly receive a vote of confidence today as the Ravens spent their first round pick on Joe Flacco, QB from Delaware. To add insult to injury, Flacco’s alma mater wears virtually identical helmets (and uniforms) to that team up north.

Ohio State fans (myself included) are living in the present (and even future) more than ever these days. With this awareness of the moment comes a forgetfulness of the past or, shall we say, non-future.

That non-future now is the NFL Draft, which is fast approaching on April 26-27, 2008. You have not heard too much about in Buckeye Nation. I know I have not. Aside from Vernon Gholston’s bench press record and Pro Day at Ohio State, the 2008 Draft has received little fanfare in these parts. While a great deal of time and energy has been devoted to the Terrelle Pryor saga, spring football practice, and even the NIT, four former Buckeyes have been preparing, and performing, in anticipation of the next phase of their (football) lives.

What follows is historical look at former Ohio State players in the NFL Draft since 1990. Why 1990? For starters, it is a nice round number. Second, 1990 was John Cooper’s third season as head coach, which would have given him some time to bring in players. Love him or hate him, Cooper brought in some of the finest talent and assembled a few of the greatest teams in Ohio State history. (In my mind, his hiring signals the beginning of the most modern era of Ohio State football.) Finally, this period encompasses a significant and sufficient number of players and provides me with a good sample.

I am going to break this down in two parts. Part One will take a look at the actual draft. Part Two I will focus on the players after they were drafted. Read More...

Ohio State officially won the Justin Boren Sweepstakes yesterday. The Buckeyes were running unopposed from the moment Boren made his fateful comments about the new Michigan regime and the speculation turned to reality.

Judging from readers' comments about Boren's potential transfer, Buckeye Nation is conflicted on Boren’s arrival. Jim Tressel, on the other hand, is very sure of his feelings. The head coach said Boren “is a fine young man and an excellent football player. We are happy that he has decided to continue his career at Ohio State and ultimately earn his degree in his hometown.” In case you are wondering, Boren was undeclared at Michigan. Read More...

Last Tuesday, the venerable College Football News answered a question in their regular “Ask CFN” feature regarding the “Team of the decade.”  CFN’s answer will not surprise you: USC. To their credit, they stated there was no right answer to the question – as there never is to any time traveling, “what would happen if,” hypothetical.

This question struck me as more objective than the usual ultra-subjective, offseason debate, and CFN threw some of those numbers out there – championships, title game appearances, BCS wins, etc. Still, the analysis seemed incomplete – not wrong – just a brief answer commensurate with a passing question. I wanted to take a closer look at the comings and goings of the decade so far.

This breakdown focuses more on losses in an attempt to discover a quality of loss index. Because each of the top 10 teams play in a major conference (with the exception of Boise State), go to major bowl games each season, and have a top 10 winning percentage, we can assume that each team has defeated many quality opponents along the way. I was more interested in whom these teams lost to when they actually lost.

A quick disclaimer: I skewed this analysis a little by only measuring since 2001. (I initially only intended to measure since Tressel’s arrival and I really did not feel like recalculating.) This means a few teams benefited by not having additional losses in the mix (Ohio State, Southern Cal, and Auburn were among the benefactors) while others were negatively impacted. I understand this and it is a valid complaint if you chose to make it. However, only two teams had their winning percentage increase when I included 2000 – Oklahoma and Miami. Finally, I will keep my analysis brief. I will let you look at the numbers and draw your own conclusions. I am sure you will come up with many more observations than I could. Read More...

The Ohio State football Buckeyes officially added their 10th commitment today. Dorian Bell, a big time LB prospect from Gateway High School in Monroeville, PA made the announcement today during a press conference at his school. Bell is getting some rave reviews, whether it is from Rivals (5-Star), Scout (5-Star), or ESPN (Top150).

Perhaps more impressive than Bell, is Ohio State’s ability to continually recruit top shelf linebackers. The litany of Buckeye ‘backers is well documented, but this is getting out of control. The talent currently on the roster is more than impressive. In 2008, the Scarlet and Gray signed Etienne Sabino (5-Star) and Andrew Sweat (4-Star) to add to the mix. Moreover, prior to Bell’s commitment the 2009 class already included Storm Klein and Jordan Whiting (both 4-Star) as well as Adam Homan. Bell is considered the #1 strong side linebacker by Scout, which should pair nicely with Whiting (#3 MLB) and Klein (#7 MLB). With all of this talent, the Buckeyes could be the first college team to sport the 2-7-2 defense.

Here is a brief snapshot of the Buckeyes’ 2009 recruiting class to date (that is a lot of stars): Read More...

First Percy Harvin’s heel, now this.

Orson Charles, a Tampa area recruit, shattered the crystal football while touring the football stadium. Charles was posing for a picture with Tim Tebow’s Heisman and bumped the table - with his ass - with the trophy.

A couple of Florida coaches, including Urban Meyer, joked that Charles had to commit to the Gators to pay them. Apparently, “you break it, you buy it” applies to SEC football.

The best line, however, belongs to Plant High School coach Robert Weiner. Before Charles broke the trophy, Weiner said Meyer asked him to describe Charles. Weiner told Meyer that Charles was a “physical specimen” but sometimes a “bull in a china shop.”

“After what happened,” Weiner said, “I'm sure Urban now thinks I'm an excellent evaluator of talent.”

Know thy enemy: Mark Sanchez has secured the starting quarterback job for USC. Read More...

Last Season: For the most part, the overall defense performed better than the 2006 version. So, why didn’t always feel that way? Why was Jake Locker moving the ball at will in mid-September? How was Wisconsin cranking out multiple 70+ yard drives in the first half? Why was Illinois’ running gaming unstoppable in the fourth quarter? I know those are isolated incidents but they have stuck out for me this off-season.

In an effort to help, I will continue with the budget graphic illustrations. They help me reconcile the Buckeyes performance over the past few years. Let me know how you feel about them.

Let’s start with what I consider the most basic defensive line statistic: rush yards against per game. Most defensive tackles are not sack machines. They clog two gaps and break down running games. Sure, many ends are terrors off the edge, but in college football, where quarterbacks are more mobile, the ends top job is to stop the run.

The Ohio State defense improved against the rush on per play and per game bases. I think the Buckeyes faced higher quality rushing teams in 2006, but I view these statistics as equivalent over then last two season. But what about 2003 and 2005? Was the talent level that much better in those years? The 2003 yards per game stat is ridiculously low.

Read More...

Last season: The Ohio State offense virtually reinvented itself in 2007. The O-line was no exception. There were personnel losses but the all-important tackles returned, which allowed the Buckeyes offensive line to put up substantially similar numbers.

The following graphs illustrate the 2007 offensive line's results, and in a couple of categories the results are almost identical to the 2006 offensive line. The 2007 version continued the trend of the last few years.



The Buckeyes finished 29^th in the nation in sacks allowed. Not too bad. And, many of the teams finishing ahead of Ohio State had a more mobile quarterback or used that position as a rushing option (see West Virginia). Read More...

It was a topic of some interest a few weeks back and Ken Gordon of the Columbus Dispatch was kind enough to clear of it up for us this week. Terrelle Pryor will be roaming the Horseshoe wearing No. 2.

Gordon reports that Pryor wanted to wear a single digit and that fellow incoming freshman Jake Stoneburner took his high school number (11). Other options believed to be possibilities were #1 and #10. Numero uno disappeared just as #2 freed up because Boom Herron halved his former number.

We have a winner: A belated congratulations to TX Buck, the winner of the Buckeye Commentary NCAA Tournament Pool. While there is no formal prize this time, TX does have the satisfaction of beating 36 other entries. TX Buck pulled out the victory thanks in large part to the last second heroics by Kansas coupled with the collapse of the Tigers. WIthout a Kansas victory, Minnesota Buckeye would have prevailed.

In addition to this prideful moment, TX Buck shall now be addressed as Sir, champion, sir whenever you run into him on the street, if you know who he is. Congrats! Read More...

We debated it earlier this year, but it is nearly official now. Joe Paterno channeled his internal Lloyd Carr and put off his contract negotiations until after the 2008 season. From where I sit, this can only mean one thing: Joe Pa is retiring at the end of this season. You heard it hear first. (Maybe not.)

Similar to last season when Lloyd decided to “rework” his contract prior to the season, Paterno is ignoring his contract in an attempt to overlook the inevitable. Just like Carr, this will only cause more speculation and attention to be paid to his employment status. What else are we supposed to believe? Obviously, he has enough time and clout to negotiate a new contract before the season begins. Read More...

Here is the bad news: The Big Ten Network will be broadcasting the Ohio State spring game on April 19th. Here is the worse news: It will be tape delayed until 11:00 p.m. that night with an encore presentation on at 6:00p.m. on the 20th.

And, the kicker? You will only be able to watch the game live online at BTN’s site. I am sure no one will have problems with that.

The BTN is hosting Big Ten Tonight: Spring Football Showcase on April 19th at 1:00 p.m. It is a 3 ½ hour extravaganza with the crack staff of Dave Revsine, Gerry DiNardo, and Howard Griffith covering the action from the spring games at Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin (all while wolfing down Jimmy John’s, of course). The other three schools - Michigan, Minnesota and Northwestern – are holding their spring games on different dates, which will be covered accordingly. Sorry Michigan fans, because you are holding your game at Saline High School, the BTN will only be showing highlights and interviews from the game on that evening's Big Ten Tonight program. Read More...

You know the saying, if you have two quarterbacks you have zero quarterbacks. Looks like the Wolverines like nice round numbers. The Detroit Free Press reports that the Maize and Blue may trot out more than one QB this fall … on purpose.

"If you have two quarterbacks that are good enough to win with, then you play them both," Rodriguez said following Thursday's practice. "If I have one that's good enough to win with, I'll only play one."

Huh? Did anyone follow that? If you have two that are good enough to win, then you obviously have one that is good enough to win, right? Rich, you are going to have to show your work to get full credit for that one. Read More...

Beanie has been in the news a lot recently. From his impending Heisman campaign to his burgeoning scouting prowess, the All Beanie Network has it covered.

Heisman Hopeful: Nary has a season passed without Ohio State players being mentioned as serious candidates for the litany of awards given out each year. Watch list members turn into semifinalists; semifinalists into finalists, finalists into winners. You typically find Buckeyes at every stage of the way.

The Heisman Trophy is no exception. So, it should come as a shock to no one that Chris Wells is already being mentioned as a serious candidate for the award given to America’s best amateur quarterback or running back (occasionally wide receiver). The junior-to-be had a breakout sophomore season and he appears poised for even better numbers this fall. Winning the award will not be easy, however. Another junior-to-be with a loaded offense on a national championship caliber team returns this season. He already has one Heisman.

I have no problem with individual players striving for individual awards. Football is the most team-oriented game, by far, but individual motivations can become infectious in the weight room and practice field. One player’s tenacity can drive an entire squad. If the already great players (Wells, Jenkins, Laurinaitis) work even harder in an effort to achieve personal accolades (Heisman, Thorpe, Butkus), it will be impossible for others not to notice and set a good example for younger players. Read More...

Last season: For the fourth consecutive year, Ohio State did not produce a 1,000-yard receiver. Not since Michael Jenkins’ 1,076-yard season in 2002, has an Ohio State wide out cracked the mega mark. And, it took Jenkins 14 games to get there. In fact, the Buckeyes have only had four 1,000-yard receivers ever (Jenkins, David Boston, 1998, Terry Glenn, 1995, and Cris Carter, 1986). I cannot believe I just typed that.

In that span, the Buckeyes have produced seven first-round draft picks at the position (not including Cris Carter), as well as a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback. By contrast, Michigan has had twelve 1,000-yard receivers in its history, with one every season since 1998 with the exception of 2006.

As Vince Lombardi would say, “What the hell is going out there?”

The easy answers include Ohio State’s balance, depth, and inclination to run the football. Nevertheless, if run-first teams like Michigan could do it, why not OSU? Read More...

In an obvious response to Buckeye Commentary’s piece on the OSU running backs and Wells’ potentially final season, Beanie told the media today just the opposite.

"No, it's not going to be my last year," Wells said. "I plan on being here four years."

Around the office we have long suspected that the Buckeyes turn to “The Commentary,” as the kids call it, for the latest news on their careers and lives. Thanks for confirming that Beanie.

Zinger, Tressel-style: On Wednesday Tressel presided over the 17th Annual Ohio State Spring Football Preview Luncheon. At one point, the coach took some questions from the audience, served up as softballs from television’s Jeff Hogan. Or so it seemed. Read More...

In case you missed it this past Wednesday, Malcolm Jenkins held an online chat, albeit brief, on the Ohio State website. Jenkins talked about hope of becoming a captain this season (a near lock in my estimation), the fastest defensive back on the team, as well as his view on Terrelle Pryor.

There was also a piece on James Laurinaitis, in which the Buckeyes’ middle linebacker talks about teaching younger players and some of the reasons why he came back for his senior season.

“It’s really tough to get to the national championship game,” he said. “So to say you came back to try and win that game ... you have to be realistic and realize how hard it is just to get to that game. That wasn’t a big factor at all. If we would have won that game it would have been the same thought process.”

Uh, Jim. I am not sure everyone is buying that. I am pumped, psyched, ecstatic, in fact, that you came back for another season, but come on. If Ohio State had defeated LSU a few months back, I am sure the calculus used by the Little Animal, Jenkins, Boone, and even Marcus Freeman, would have been markedly different. After all, it is the dream of many players to go out on top. Read More...

When was the first time Ohio State appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated? October 24, 1955, of course. And, now you can browse all of the SI covers graced the Buckeyes. SI has opened up their copious vault of covers, photos, and articles with an extension of SI.com called, aptly enough, SI Vault.

The digital Vault collects more than 150,000 stories, 2,600 covers and a half-million photos spanning the magazine’s 54-year archive. You can search the database that links articles, video, and statistics. Perhaps the coolest feature is the user-generated Wiki-style content enabled by the Vault. When I searched a few days, the Ohio State wikipage had been filling up with opinions from around the country, so feel free to hop over to it and help craft Ohio State’s story online. Read More...

Last season: Move over theory of special relativity. The most popular equation on campus this fall is (B + b) c = yards. In 2007, giving Beanie giving the ball led to 1,609 yards, 15 TDs, and a 5.9 yards/carry average. This season (Beanie + ball) carries should create equally outstanding results.

Despite finishing 11^th in the nation in rushing, averaging 124 yards/game, it seemed like many overlooked Wells’ season while it was happening. Yet, Wells was the first Ohio State RB to have two games with more than 200 yards since Eddie George had four such games in 1995, and Wells’ 15 TDs were the most since George had 24 his senior year.

This season: Expect to see Wells get fewer carries this season, if only slightly. Beanie got stronger as the season wore on, averaging 161 yards/game over his the six games, but he was also dinged up down the stretch. So, look for the coaches to give him more rest in the face of any nagging injuries. Maurice Wells is back (for what seems like his 8th season) along with Saine as the only other backs with experience. Boom Herron used the redshirt last season, so it is time for him to see some action. Read More...

Ohio State announced today a scheduled home and home series with Tennessee. The Volunteers become the latest team to join a murderer’s row of non-conference opponents for Ohio State. Starting this fall, the Buckeyes play Southern Cal (2008-2009), the University of Miami, FL (2010-11), California (2012-13), Virginia Tech (2014-15), Oklahoma (2016 – 2017), and now Tennessee (2018-2019).

In my opinion, this is unprecedented in modern college football. Sure, there are intense non-conference yearly games like Florida v. Florida State, USC v. Notre Dame, and Michigan v. Notre Dame that happen every year but those are as much a part of the schedule as those teams conference games (ND excluded). Some teams go out and schedule a tough opponent occasionally - VT v. LSU, last season – but they quickly gravitate back to the likes of Appalachian State, North Texas, Troy, and Tulane (yes, LSU plays all four in 2008). Read More...

The coach is coming off of another disappointing 9-4 season where his team challenged for nothing meaningful. In the last five seasons, his squad is 36-25. His teams have won a couple of National Championships over the years (and were robbed of another), but it has been 22 years since the last one. In the meantime, he has taught hundreds of young men, has been a great ambassador for his university, and a wonderfully cranky media target. Still, sizable portions of his fans believe the team would be better off without him.

The year is 2034. The coach is Jim Tressel. Read More...

As Ohio State prepares to start spring practice starts on Thursday I thought it would be beneficial to take at look, in segments, at what the Buckeyes have heading into the first pad popping of 2008. Tonight, we take a look at the quarterbacks.

Last season: Todd Boeckman started every game in 2007 and finished 13th in the nation in pass efficiency. Interestingly, and perhaps disconcertingly, Boeckman threw more interceptions than every other QB in the top 15 with the exception of Tulsa’s Paul Smith and Colt Brennan (they had nearly twice as many attempts, however). Even more noteworthy, at 4.7% Boeckman had the highest interception percentage/attempt among the top 15, by more than one percentage point. But he led his team to the national championship game, something no other QB in the top 60 accomplished (Matt Flynn was 64th). That may be the most important stat of all.

This season: Boeckman is back as the starter for a second full season. Assuming he maintains the top spot on the depth chart, he will be the third quarterback to start for two full seasons under Tressel along with Krenzel and Smith (give or take). While Krenzel had a less spectacular second season (how could he not?), Troy blew up and led the most explosive offense Ohio State had seen since 1998, while winning the Heisman. So what is in store for Boeckman? Will his second season trend more towards Krenzel’s or Smith’s? Read More...

I wanted to give Terrelle Pryor a break (as well as the “e,” “r,” and “l” keys on my computer). But it is still the hottest topic in Buckeye Nation. Instead of droning on and on about how soon Pryor will play, whether his throwing motion needs a bunch of work, or if his perceived ego will get in the way I thought I would defer to these articles.

ESPN’s Ivan Maisel takes a quick look at whether Pryor should follow a path similar to Vince Young or Tim Tebow. Personally, I would like the Tebow approach. I think Pryor is too talented to keep off the field. Then again, I just sit in the stands each week and Tressel and staff know the score. Judging from this article, it sounds like Tressel thinks he is as good as we hope.

A Rivals Roundtable also takes a look at Pryor’s impact this fall. Nothing earth shattering, but a nice, short discussion.

Unfortunately, the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Tony Barnhart, self-proclaimed Mr. College Football, posted on his blog last Thursday that he believes Terrelle Pryor is going to be a problem once he arrives on Ohio State’s campus. Why, you ask? Because he held a couple of press conferences. Huh?

I am disappointed in Mr. Barnhart because I always enjoy his pieces and I really liked his former role on ESPN’s College Gameday. But his post smacks of inflammation. Why else would he write, ostensibly, that Pryor will be harm than good for the Buckeyes? Barnhart’s only mention of Jimmy Clausen’s announcement after appearing for his announcement in a limousine was this (over a year later). It is fashionable to pile on the Buckeyes these days, especially in SEC country, but claiming Pryor is going to be the next Ryan Perrilloux seems to be self-serving and short sighted. Read More...

Updated: There is no way to know if Terrelle Pryor will turn out to be the best Ohio State player in recent memory. One thing is for sure, however, he is Tressel's most celebrated and most well known recruit to date. That is saying a lot considering the recruiting haul the Buckeyes typically bring in. If Pryor is the most high profile recruit during Tressel's tenure, who are the runners up? There are a lot of names to choose from , but he is my stab at the five best recruits under Tressel, at the time they were recruited.

5. Chris Wells - He was a 2006 Parade All-American and named the top running back in the nation by many recruiting experts. Wells rushed for 2,134 yards and 27 touchdowns (9.6 avg) as a senior. He was named the 2005 National Player of the Year and the No. 1 prospect in the nation by several publications. A soft-spoken kid, he has been the real deal since day one and he is only a junior.

4. Justin Zwick - Prognosticators called him one of the top QB prospects in the nation and the best QB prospect to come out of the state of Ohio since Art Schlichter. Unfairly, Zwick was widely heralded as the savior for Buckeye Nation and, at the time, saddled with more pressure than Terrelle Pryor. If memory serves me correctly, The Dispatch deified him within moments of his commitment. Although he endured a career less-imagined, he handled every twist and turn with class.

3. Maurice Clarett - A great running back from Tressel's former stomping ground, Clarett immediately committed to Ohio State upon Jim Tressel being named head coach. Maurice rushed for 2,200 yards averaging over 12 yards per carry his senior season, scoring 40 touchdowns and was named the Offensive Player of the Year nationally by USA Today and The Touchdown Club of Columbus. Sadly, his stats belied an undercurrent of petulance that would derail his career.

2. Ted Ginn, Jr. - Ginn was initially known as the next Deion Snaders although he never played one down on defense for the Buckeyes. Still, he was the most sought-after defensive prospect in the country, earning USA Today First Team All-USA honors in addition to being named the USA Today Defensive Player of the Year. Ginn, Jr. was considered a top 5 player nationally by virtually every recruiting publication known to man. The cherry on top was Ginn, Jr.'s performance as a high school track star. As he entered Ohio State, he was the reigning high school national champion in the 110-meter high hurdles and was timed at Olympic caliber speeds.

1. Terrelle Pryor - Pryor was a household name by the end of this recruiting adventure. In some ways that journey has overshadowed his incredible physical gifts. I will spare you the litany of accolades, but he was widely considered the second coming of Vince Young - a skill set rarely seen at the high school level. For now, it seems like the sky is the limit.

I usually take a late lunch around 1:15pm. I like the way it breaks up the day, the lines have dwindled to a reasonable length, and the employees are in better moods after the rush has stopped.

But, not today, baby!

Nope, I will be sitting squarely in front of the tube watching Terrelle Pryor announce his decision to attend The Ohio … er, his college of choice. Sure, I know this is a little presumptuous and I will look like an idiot if he does not commit to the Buckeyes. But the way I see it, how can I not be watching? I have been following this saga for weeks. Actually, months.

I would be a fool to miss the final scene in what has to be considered one of the most intriguing recruiting episodes of all time. It is like one of those classic Magnum P.I. episodes where he cannot quite escape and capture the baddies in one hour, so you received the cryptic “To be continued…” at the credits. You had to wait an entire week to find out how the mustached sleuth was going to solve it.

Admit it, just like those episodes you thought you had the Pryor situation all figured out on February 5th. The next day you would eventually read the headline “Nation’s No. 1 recruit headed to Ohio State.” Instead, “to be continued…” Now, you have waited the entire week and the second episode is about to finish. You are not totally sure what is going to happen but you have confidence that the protagonist will make the right move (minus the mustache).

Here’s hoping tomorrow’s lunch break ends as well as those Magnum episodes. Just don’t expect a Ferrari or helicopter to play a role.

[Full disclosure: The author is not old enough to have watched first run Magnum P.I. episodes.]

When I read that the Alabama spring game was going to include a concert I was surprised for a couple of reasons. First, I continue to be amazed at the crowds that schools are able to draw for scrimmages. I understand many fans do have access to tickets during the season and that spring games give them an opportunity to watch their favorite team in a stadium atmosphere. I am wowed, however, that 54,000 showed up in the cold to watch Nebraska scrimmage in 2006 and that the Crimson Tide sold out their spring game last season (92,000). And the crowds are growing as well as evidenced by this (out-of-date) graph; Ohio State packed in an additional 12,000 in 2007. It goes to show that the level of passion for college football is at an all-time high, and increasing.

My second surprise was that Ohio State was not on the list of 20 schools hosting a Gridiron Bash event. Many of the schools hosting an event are in warmer climates, but Kansas State, Colorado, Penn State, and West Virginia are all participating and the weather in those locales can leave a lot to be desired. Besides, Ohio State's spring game is on April 19, when the average temperature is 54. Ohio State had to be high on the promoter's list with a huge student body in a large urban area.

I contacted Steve Snapp, assistant Ohio State AD, to see if I could get any information. He told me that Ohio State was approached but decieded against it "for a number of reasons." I can only assume those reasons included, among others, a combination of scheduling, facilities use, and money.

Buckeyes Spring Calendar:

Spring Practice Starts: March 24
Scarlet & Gray Draft: April 16
Spring Game: April 19
NFL Draft: April 26 and 27

Wednesdays are boring. You have been at work for a few days but you are still too far from the weekend to get excited. In an attempt to spice things up in the middle of the week, I am going to publish a weekly list on Wednesdays. It may be 5 or 10 items long, and it may not always be original, but it will be here. If you have ideas for a list just click on the 'contact' link above and shoot me an email.

I like Ohio State's offense. I like pro-style, play-action offenses and that is essentially what the Buckeyes run. That being said there are always a few plays I think Ohio State could run well. Over the years Tressel has done a nice job of saving new formations and plays for big games, especially Michigan. So, my first list is one of plays I would like to see inserted in the playbook.

1. Screen Pass: This is one of the most basic plays in the book and can be used aggressively or defensively. For 20 years I have watched Michigan run the screen pass to perfection, but chances are that is gone now with Rodriguez in Ann Arbor. The Buckeyes should steal it and keep it in the conferenc, which means they could run the bubble screen, middle screen, slot screen, or even the slip screen. Ohio State would put a lot of pressure on opposing defenses if Beanie slipped out of the backfield for a simple screen a couple of times a game. I think this would slow down their opponent's pass rush and make play-action more effective. I was praying for one against LSU.

2. Toss Sweep: Eddie George turned this play into an art form and Wells' skill set is remarkably similar to George's with his deceptive speed for a big guy. The Buckeyes started running this play more last year and I loved it every time. Beanie is a powerful inside runner but allowing him to get up to get a head of steam before encountering defenders makes him even more dangerous. His stiff arm allows him to break early tackles and hit full speed in the open field. We will certainly see it in 2008 but I can stand to see it have a larger role.

3. Rollout Pass: How many times do you see a quarterback take the snap on third and short, sprint to his right, and hit a receiver for a 4 yard gain and 1st down? It happens all the time in the NFL. Sometimes it appears virtually impossible to stop. Boeckman does not get a ton of credit for being mobile but he can move his feet well enough and his height enables him to view the field very well when he is out of the pocket. This play could be used on first down as well.

4. Direct Snap to Beanie: In the 5 or 6 games I watched Florida play last season the Gators faced a lot of third and short situations. Each time I saw that situation come up I looked at my friends and said, with the utmost confidence, "Shotgun snap to Tebow for a quarterback draw and a first down." While it may have happened, I cannot remember Tebow and the Gators failing to get the first down. My point is that if I knew it was coming, Florida's opponents knew it was coming and still could not stop it. Tebow may have won the Heisman, but he is a not a better runner than Beanie. I recognize the threat of a pass, in theory, keeps the linebackers from creeping up the line but I do not remember Tebow throwing it too much in those situations. So, next time the Buckeyes have 3rd and 2, line up Wells in the shotgun and have him plow straight ahead. Defenses may know it is coming, but I seriously doubt many will be able to stop it.

5. Wild Buck?: Okay, let's take this a step further (and, probably, too far). Arkansas' Wild Hog formation was devastating last season. I often questioned why they did not run that formation every play. Casey Dick should have been the change of pace, not the other way around. What would happen if Beanie lined up with Brandon Saine flanked to his side, took direct snaps, read the DEs, and operated accordingly. It is a brutally simple offense. There is only one read to make. I know what you are thinking, "McFadden could throw. Can Beanie?" Honestly, I doubt it. At least, not as well as McFadden. One other drawback is that Wells does not have that burst of speed that McFadden does but I think his power can overcome that to some degree. I am not advocating the Buckeyes go with this formation full time but I think this would be effective a couple of times per game.

Ohio State does not start spring practice for a while. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes return the majority of its statistic-producing players from last year. In fact, the team returns almost identically in most categories. Ohio State returns 95% of its passing yardage (2436/2565 yards), 99% of rushing (2532/2563 yards), and 99% of receiving (2551/2565 yards). The defense is stacked as well with 762 of 850 tackles returning (90%).

Those are incredible numbers. After initially looking at those figures, I thought there was no way I could write this piece. "How could there be any position battles on a team that returns virtually intact; one that went to the National Title game, to boot?"

By virtually anyone's standards, Ohio State was great last year. For the players, coaches, and many fans the Buckeyes came up just short. Therefore, maybe a little shakeup is necessary. In fact, I heard rumblings of Antonio Henton getting some snaps in practice and potential playing time in the title game. Does that suggest the coaches were looking for new answers before last season was even over? And, what will they do with an entire off season to think about it?

Here is a look at some potential battles in spring practice and beyond:

1. Kickoff Returner: Ohio State finished 117th in the nation in kick returns. Seriously, only New Mexico State and Northern Illinois were worse (they won 6 games combined). The Buckeyes averaged only 17.6 yards/return. That is unbelievably bad for team that is overwhelmingly talented. In addition, it is a great departure from previous seasons (2006 - 34th; 2005 - 18th; 2004 - 11th). Sure, Ginn was not back there anymore, but these numbers are even lower than could be expected.

Their average was four yards less than their opponents were averaging. On its own, that is not a huge deal, but for a coaching staff that puts such a premium on field position, having to start "score-answering" possessions at your 20 (or less) is difficult for any offense. I am not sure if it is the blocking, returners, or both, but I hope something remedies it this spring. No player is off limits to put back there.

2. Outside Linebacker: Quietly, Larry Grant was very good. At least I thought so. Grant's 51 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 5 sacks, and 1 interception seem to support that conclusion, too. There are plenty of candidates to take over at his position outside – Ross Homan, Austin Spitler, Thaddeus Gibson, Brian Rolle, and even Curtis Terry. Homan and Gibson were the most highly touted, Spitler saw the most time in 2007, and Terry has been with the program forever. Gibson, Terry, and Rolle seem better suited to play outside, while Spitler and Homan are more MLB-type players. Then again, I think you put your best 11 defenders out there regardless of the physicals. Gibson seemed to be coming on at the end of the year, so I would look for him to make a move in the spring. No matter what, this will produce a very good starter.

3a. Tight End: Remember all the talk of getting the tight end position more involved in the 2007 offense? Apparently, that involvement meant 32 receptions for 263 yards. Jake Ballard (13-149) and Rory Nicol (16-84) are difficult matchups for LBs, and Brandon Smith (3-30) is capable. So, what gives? Their production did pick up over the second half of the season (19-159), but Nicol's performance at Penn State (39 yards) was the best performance of the season. Yikes!

Without a consistent No. 3 WR (see below), the spotlight shines brighter on the tight ends. If Nicol and Ballard can stay healthy and improve their all-around games, the Buckeyes' ability to throw to the middle of the field would increase dramatically. In addition, it would allow Robiskie and Hartline to work some deeper routes, which is Boeckman's best throw.

3b. No. 3. WR: I thought Ray Small would have this locked up by now (along with return duties). Small had 20 receptions for 267 yards and 2 TDs in 10 games last season, but I rarely felt his impact. Down the stretch, it seemed like he and Sanzenbacher were neck and neck. Taurian Washington and Devon Torrence have a year under their belts, so they may be ready to make a big splash this spring. This is Small's position to lose, but he is going to have plenty of competition.

4. Defensive End: Gholston took his 15.5 sacks and bench press record to the NFL, so the Buckeyes need a new defensive end. As long as Cameron Heyward (editor's note: he is my favorite player) is on the team, half of the DE tandem is all set. But the other side is a little up in the air. Lawrence Wilson has the first shot at reclaiming his starting spot, but that injury was tough and you never know how players will bounce back. I am hoping Wilson makes a total recovery because of his combination of skill and experience. Robert Rose and Alex Barrow will fill the two-deep in the spring, but Ohio State is thin at this spot right now. Wilson and Rose have had injuries recently, so I see a nice opening for Keith Wells, Willie Mobley, and Nathan Williams to see time early.

5. Kicker: I am not unhappy with Ryan Pretorius but I could help noticing that Aaron Pettrey was getting kickoff duty down the stretch. So, I am guessing he has the stronger leg. Pettrey is most likely not the next Nugent, but I think Pettrey will be doing everything he can to reclaim the job he lost before the 2007 season. I think this could be the most underrated battle in the spring.

6. Quarterback: I have no credible evidence that the coaches were toying with the idea of giving Antonio Henton snaps in the BCS Championship Game. But I do have credible evidence that Boeckman struggled down the stretch. Personally, I would love to see Henton (or possibly Pryor) get serious playing time in 2008. The dual threat quarterback, or at least the dual QB system, is helping teams from Florida to Oregon, LSU to Illinois. It goes back to something I said earlier in this post - putting your best players on the field. If Henton is bringing a productive, unique wrinkle to the offense I think he should be out there.

Finally...

Oden For Obama: For the political junkies among you, I received notice from a reader today that Greg Oden endorses Barack Obama.

National Signing days are becoming somewhat boring affairs for Ohio State fans. On the one hand, we didn't have any major players fall in our lap nor did Terrelle (we're on first name basis now) make is final decision. Conversely, all previously committed player faxed in their letter of intent as expected. No defections. No cold feet. In fact, they were all in rather early. The class size stands at 19 with, obviously, the hope of one more.

The NCAA lifts the coaches gag order today as well. Jim Tressel spoke at 4pm presser and highlighted various aspects of the class. If you missed it, Press Box Productions has you covered with the archived audio. Ohio State only hosted official visits for 26 players and they signed 19 of them. That's what you call efficient. But, looking at the team rankings by Rivals and Scout, you'll quickly notice we have the fewest number of recruits of any team in the Top 12 (Scout). Only USC (18) has fewer of any team in the Top 25.

Speaking of Rivals and Scout, both services have the class ranked in the Top 10. There's little discrepancy too as Scout checks us at #7 and Rivals one spot down. From a conference standpoint, the Buckeyes take the imaginary crown with Michigan close behind. Interestingly, Michigan took surprising commitments from two Ohio players today, both of whom were not offered scholarships by Ohio State. So, back to Ohio State's class; here's our position according to Scout:

First off, I have no idea why Texas A&M's class is highlighted along with ours. Pay no attention. Do pay attention to the quality of our class. If one sorts the classes by 'star rating', Ohio State's suddenly vaults to #2 behind only Notre Dame. If you do the same rearrangement for the Rivals rankings, we hop to #5. In other words, these rankings you see listed and spit out by various media outlets, your local paper, your local Buckeye hater value not only the quality of the player but the number of commitments. Quick example, LSU is ranked one spot ahead of us in the graphic above only because they signed 7 more players.

The class is excellent in quality, though one could have hoped for another offensive lineman (or two). Even still, should Pryor commit, the class would be one of Ohio State's best.

Tomorrow represents, in some fashion, the end of the madness that is college football recruiting. Most players with scholarship offers will choose their school and sign the Letter of Intent. Some won't, opting to delay their announcement because they're unsure or simply enjoy the spotlight. Terrelle Pryor will not be one of them. He will announce tomorrow just past noon (EST) on ESPNU. I have read all the rumors and speculation, including those that say he's destined for Ohio State and others who say Michigan will land the prospect (including this obsure post). The needle seems to point most to the Ohio State side by my estimation. Then again, one cannot rule out Penn State either.

There are others Ohio State covets and the small board has changed with recent developments. We know Keith Wells is in the fold but a recent news tonight should all but remove offensive lineman Josh Jenkins as possibility. An online article reports that Jenkins has selected West Virginia, his original choice months ago before the RichRod fiasco. Earlier events today foretold of this news as it was learned the Buckeyes offered DeSales offensive lineman Patrick Omameh, something they probably wouldn't have done if Jenkins was heading to Columbus. At this time, Omameh is committed to Michigan.

On the positive side, the staff seems to have made up ground on a few recruits. Brandon Harris, one of the top rated corners in the country, faces a tougher decision tonight than most anticipated. Harris is down to Ohio State and Miami, and there's been some message board rumblings that Ohio State may win the battle. I don't necessarily share this view but it's gained enough traction to elicit a mention. Also, a new name has cropped up as a safety prospect Orhian Johnson. Though listed as a QB, he's being recruited as a safety at Ohio State (in the Nate Salley mold). Bill Kurelic thinks chances are high that Johnson signs with Ohio State.

For those scoring at home, announcments times look like this (all times Eastern):

• Terrelle Pryor - 12:05pm
  
• Brandon Harris - 1:05pm
  
• Orhian Johnson - ?

In the unlikely event that seemingly everyone wants to commit to Ohio State tomorrow, space shouldn't be a concern. We were already well below the 85 limit last year and new word suggests wide receiver Albert Dukes is leaving the team. Like all speculation, I offer this at face and let you render your own value judgement. I tend to think it's looks pretty credible. BuckeyePlanet thread, too.

Off the radar, off the table or being slow played are: Cordale Scott, Dawawn Whitner, Steve Gardiner. Essentially, the Ohio State staff is waiting to hear from Pryor, Harris and Johnson tomorrow unless something changes.

Update 11:57pm: Something changed. According to Mike Farrell of Rivals.com, Terrelle will not announce tomorrow. He's changed his mind and may visit Penn State and Oregon. Alrighty then.

Keith Wells made it official today by verbally committing Ohio State. The 6'6" defensive end will compete for playing time as a true freshman and has no intention of redshirting. This normally isn't all that out of the ordinary but some concerns have been raised about his weight.

Wells is listed at 211 lbs by some services which is vastly undersized for a defensive end. However, the listing reflects his junior year numbers; a more accurate figure is approximately 235 lbs which is perfectly fine even for a player of his height. In fact, some will remember a defensive end out of Detroit Cass Tech who enrolled at Ohio State weighing roughly 235 lbs. Vernon Gholston.

While Ohio State fans debate the weight issue, the fine marketing folks of bd mongolian barbeque were the recipient of unexpected publicity. Wells announced his selection and conducted a Rivals.com interview wearing a bd's t-shirt. I have no witty remark here other than I thought it was kind of funny. Then again, maybe it's message he's working on increasing the lbs. By the way, that Rivals.com interview can be viewed in entirety here.

Pryor Watch: The nation's top recruit made some news today by confirming he'll probably sign on Wednesday afterall. A few hours later, he took it back and said the original Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story was incorrect. Isn't this fun kids? Some recruiting guys think Pryor will still announce on signing day and intimate the latest retraction is just a smoke screen of some sort. Why all the machinations, I have no idea.

Fringe Ohio State news involves two former players. Former player and legendary coach Bobby Knight has abruptly retired at Texas Tech. Former wide receiver Chris Carter was not first ballot inductee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

If you've been following our recruiting coverage, you know Ohio State's recruiting class is waiting on three players to pledge. One of those players is defensive end Keith Wells of Gainesville, Georgia. It's been recently learned the 6'6" ultra athletic pass rusher will announce his choice Monday morning at 11:30am (sub. req). Want to know more about Keith, below is a video from a few weeks back:

Keith Wells talks relationships in recruiting

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Wells is rated by Rivals.com as the 15th ranked weakside defensive end and the 24th best prospect in his home state. While not exceptional numbers, his offer list - a better gauge of potential - is top notch. What was thought to be a two team race between Ohio State and Tennessee has suddenly become a three with the addition of Notre Dame. The Domers represent Wells' last official visit whereas Tennessee had the last in-home visit. Make of that what you will. I still feel positive about Ohio State's position and Wells seems to genuinely feel connected to JT (see above vid, OSU & JT mentioned toward the end).

Elsewhere, Josh Jenkins has narrowed his list to two: Ohio State and West Virginia. Florida State gets dropped. It's also looking more and more likely Terrelle Pryor will not announce his final decision on signing day. For those keeping score, I mentioned this possibility a week ago.

Ken Gordon writes an almost-good piece on Ohio State's recruiting philosophy. Points given for actually knowing and explaining correctly that the Big Ten can oversign in football. Negative points for failing to mention how far off we are in terms of scholarship players (roughly 10 short of the 85 limit). In other words, we aren't playing with a full deck which creates infinitesimal margins for error (ie; see offensive line recruiting/numbers).

Ohio State football has 18 commitments on the year. The class ranks 6th by Rivals and 12th by Scout. As we discussed last year, don't read too much into these rankings because they are skewed by class size, not ranked strictly by class talent or value. Nevertheless, Ohio State haul is looking good no matter the criteria and national signing day is drawing year.

There's still room for others, including some of the most sought after players in the country. I decided to list the remaining few players on Ohio State's list in order of importance. I also included basic information, computer probability modeling created by a few mathematic types from Mercer College and then my own guesstimation. Here we go:


Who: Terrelle Pryor - Computer Probability: 36.6% - My Guess: 90%
Ever heard of him? Compares admirably to the great Vince Young in a number of ways. They're almost exactly the same size, both gifted runners and both mediocre passers. Pryor has only taken two official visits: Ohio State and Michigan. Michigan has entered the picture late only because of RichRod's hightail out of Morgantown. The general consensus among recruiting experts (if there is such a thing) is Ohio State leads and has led for some time. Whether than translates to a letter of intent remains to been seen on February 6th, ESPN live...or maybe even later than that.


Who: Keith Wells - Computer Probability: N/A - My Guess: 50%
Ohio State has had some good luck with Georgia of late: Anderson Russell immedately comes to mind. Keith Wells is the prototypical defensive end of the future: tall, long and rangy. He's only 225-235 lbs but will bloom into a 255 truck without too much effort. In a recent BuckNuts.com article, he said he's up to 6'6", 235lbs. And, if you haven't noticed, we are desperately thin at defensive end. Vernon Gholston is off to the NFL and Alex Barrow has given up football. For this reason, I list Wells as our second most important priority. Although he's most likely going to visit Notre Dame, just about everyone feels this is a battle between Ohio State and Tennessee. UT Coach Phil Fulmer has the last in-home visit.


Who: Josh Jenkins - Computer Probability: 31.9% - My Guess: 75%
One has to feel somewhat bad for Josh Jenkins. The Parkersburg, WV native was set to go to West Virginia before RichRod's move. Since then, the offensive lineman has narrowed his choices to mainly Florida State and Ohio State. I personally think he favors Ohio State based on his closeness with already committed players like JB Shugarts, Micheal Brewster and Mike Adams. Jenkins is not only highly rated but he's a low center of gravity guy, perfect for the interior of the offensive line (guard, center). He'll likely wait until signing date before announcing.


Who: Brandon Harris - Computer Probability: 20.0% - My Guess: 10%
With an excellent update, the Miami Herald reported today Harris has narrowed his final list to Ohio State and Miami(FL). Landing Harris would mean Ohio State pulling in two of the more gifted corners in the country. The Buckeyes already landed Travis Howard from Miami Krop HS in late October. Howard was begged by Miami (FL) but the Buckeyes won out. But, the Hurricanes are likely to exact a bit of revenge by signing Harris who is the higher rated of the two prospects. He'll announce on signing day.


Who: Dawawn Whitner - Computer Probability: N/A - My Guess: 99%*
First, yes, he's the brother of Donte. And, the asterisk next to my guesstimate is crucial. Dawawn doesn't have an offer from Ohio State at this time. If and when one is floated his way, he'll almost assuredly accept. There's really no other reason he's waited this long to commit elsewhere - he's waiting for the Buckeyes. He'll likely get one if two or more of the above decide against Ohio State. Just from measurables alone, I like what Whitner brings to the table. He's a short, heavy defensive tackle. I tend to like defensive tackles a bit shorter because it aids in the leverage war where the lower man almost always wins. Make no mistake, this really wouldn't be a reach offer. He's a Glenville product who has waiting schollies from Illinois, Michigan State, Louisville, West Virginia and others.

---

Those are the main five still on the small board. Others omitted included DT Corey Liuget, LB Steve Gardiner and Cordale Scott. Liuget and Gardiner are still possibilities technically but the likelihood seems very remote. More remote than even Brandon Harris. Scott I think could be swayed but JT probably hasn't had the time to double-back and take another crack at changing his mind.

Should the staff receive commitments / letters of intent from Pryor and one other, the class ranking will jump into the top 5(if that means much to you). More importantly, it'll mean we've addressed needs with players of exceptional caliber. One negative trend that's consequential here is Tressel's track record of finishing recruiting classes on a weak note. Trends are meant to be bucked.

According to a Rivals.com article, Devon Lyons may be looking to transfer to West Virginia. The article doesn't quote Devon himself but West Virginia Sports Report says they talked to his father who confirmed the interest.

Lyons Sr., told West Virginia Sports Report Wednesday morning that Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel, assistant head coach Darrell Hazell, and Stewart were working to make the connection.

And, it makes sense. Lyon's has been unable to see the field with any degree of regularity despite his top billing coming out of high school. Plus, his younger brother Wes is already a two year letter winner for the Mountaineers.

Mark this on your calendars. Ohio State and Oklahoma have scheduled a home and home series starting in...2016. We'll travel to Norman first and they'll return the favor the following year. This totally evokes memories of 1977 and 1983, Ewu von Schamann be damned. A trip down memory lane complete Keith Jackson, Keith Byars and the wishbone.

1977:

1983:

This particular schedule change is on the heels of a pending deal to schedule TCU in 2009. By that time, we'll be free from our ball and chain that is Youngstown State. All good news and with USC home and home starting next year, along with Miami(Fl) in 2010, the critics should be relatively quiet as far as our schedule is concerned.

Tuesday represents the deadline for loads of college players to officially enter the NFL draft. James Laurinaitis is one of them as he contemplates returning to Ohio State for his senior season or making the jump to the league. By many accounts, Laurinaitis is a first round lock and even a Top 15 pick according to some mock drafts. I'm not sure I agree but that's an entirely different argument.

While James is still undecided, other Ohio State players have made up their mind. The only defection to date is Vernon Gholston who announced his intention to enter the draft a few days back. Gholston capped off a great junior year by setting the single season sack record. On the same day he announced, corner Malcolm Jenkins picked the opposite path shocking many as it was given he would leave early as well.

Jenkins' quick choice may have helped spur others to comeback. Marcus Freeman made it official today he's coming back. So did Alex Boone which may be the biggest of all considering we have absolutely no talent behind him at left tackle. All of the players coming back would have been first day picks and some may have jumped into the late first and middle second round. Only Laurinaitis has yet to make his decision final.

Recruiting: Ohio State has received a commitment from another Glenville HS player. Fullback Jermil Martin received an 11th hour offer from Jim Tressel and immediately backed out of his verbal commitment to Iowa. This commitment has Buckeye fans talking because it's bizarre on a few levels. First it signals current fullback heir Aram Olson isn't living up to billing. Secondly, we just accepted a fulllback in the 2009 class in Adam Homan (Ross' brother). Homan commited on the 29th. Lastly, the fullback is on the endangered species list so it's curious to have three on scholarship at a given time.

The number of the scholarships brings up another point. The 2003 class really put us behind the eight ball in terms of numbers. Each team can have 85 players on scholarship and Ohio State has about 74(ish). Four of them are kickers or punters. I've already talked about the high number of fullbacks in 2009. Unfortunately, Big Ten football programs cannot grossly oversign recruits as commonly done in the SEC and other places. Correcting the double digit shortage of scholarship players should be priority number one for the staff and apparently it is. They just offered another player at the 11th hour - Zach Domicone. It's likely he'll officially commit very soon.

Transfers: Recently demoted quarterback Robbie Schoenhoft is likely to transfer to the University of Delaware. Other transfers possibilities exist but the veracity is dubious at this point. Nevertheless, for your edification, here they are: Albert Dukes (read the whole thread), Eugene Clifford, Mark Johnson and Thaddeus Gibson. I hesitate to list Johnson and Gibson because all I've seen is message board speculation and nothing else. Actually, with Gibson it's a bit more. Two people were somehow routed to this site by searching in Google for "Thaddeus Gibson - Ball State". I don't know what it means. Probably nothing. Just making it known.

A night's sleep and I've decided to start with the positive. Beanie Wells was the best player on the field. I guess we can be happy about that but really it provides little comfort. His touchdown run actually short circuited my thinking process at the time because he scored on a Power play which is the most basic staple of all plays Ohio State runs. My goodness, if LSU can't stop what they know is coming, what will happen when we mix it up? We found out.

The staff had over 50 days to prepare a gameplan that would show diversity and break tendencies. It did neither. The Brandon Saine wheel route and offset tight end formation was a nice throwback but we've done it before. LSU had it charted, they just busted a coverage on the one long completion to Saine. Apparently, the other variation we attempted was lining up Beanie wide and about 5 yards off the line of scrimmage. This too did nothing. The Fox announcers were correct, LSU pressed up our wide receivers and dared us to get separation. We couldn't. This put pressure on the offensive line because manning up our wide receivers allowed LSU to attack with their front seven. In some ways, the offensive line is to be commended for holding up as well as they did.

But, If a person ever decides to go back and chart all Ohio State games under Jim Tressel, there'd be little surprise if last night comes out on top for the most undisciplined play. Five personal foul penalties including a spine breaking roughing the kicker infraction. Two LSU touchdown drives were each aided by two personal foul penalties. We still have yet to cover the TE - not that we can't - our entire defense just thought someone else was covering him. The result was nobody checked him on either of his TD receptions. The Robo touchdown drop was rather critical as well seeing as it was one of the few perfectly thrown passes by Todd all night. And, I'm not even going to get into the blocked field goal and the 4th down fumble that went the other way for 20 or 30 yards or whatever it was.

Losing always exposes weakness and offers time for self-evaluation. There was much made about the speed factor. It didn't materialize. When safety Craig Steltz can't close the gap on our 240lbs running back, you know speed isn't the problem. But, straight line speed is only one component. We were lacking and clearly deficient, when compared to LSU, in the quickness department. The ability to sink a foot in the ground and change direction ultra fast isn't our strong suit. This goes for both sides of the ball; wide receivers getting in and out of their breaks without loss of speed and defensive backs and linebackers breaking on routes and thrown passes. We're good at it. LSU is great at it.

As bad as it was, it's damn near amazing chances still flickered in the fourth quarter. That light was blown out by an LSU defense which impressed me. Glenn Dorsey is tremendously gifted player - the quintessential defensive tackle. The Tiger secondary lost one of their best players in Steltz and may have actually gotten stronger with the replacement. And I tip my cap to Les Miles and offensive coordinator Gary Crowton for using a slightly spiced up attack and just the right amount of Ryan Perrilloux. Refreshing to see what a staff can do when they let loose and think positively.

So here we are again with the same feeling and disgusting memories. Memories are a funny thing. A few years ago, Jim Carrey starred with Kate Winslet in the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless MInd. Yeah, if only the procedure highlighted in the movie actually worked. Instead, the closest I could come was aborting my dvd recorder and throwing the discs in the trash. There will be no game breakdown.

We're breaking the mold here at Buckeye Commentary. I asked all of the contributing writers to pen some thoughts and prediction for the game. I add mine at the very bottom. Without further ado:

John Russell:
The last time Jim Tressel faced Les Miles in a bowl game, his Buckeyes were able to out-athlete Oklahoma State on their way to an easy victory. He will not have that luxury this time, as LSU is easily the most talented team OSU will face this season. The key to the Buckeyes' attack will be the ability of the offensive line, particularly on the interior, to give Todd Boeckman time to pass. If they succeed, Boeckman and his receivers have the ability to do some damage against the LSU secondary. However, if the pressure gets to Boeckman, Buckeye fans are all too familiar with what can happen (see: Illinois). The effective threat of the pass will only help Beanie Wells as he does the rest of the work to carry the Buckeye offense.

On defense, OSU should match up far better with LSU than they did Florida a year ago. LSU tends to feature a more traditional attack. While their athletes are very talented, they have not been quite as explosive as one might initially expect. For example, Early Doucet, widely regarded as one of the top senior WRs in the country, has in fact only averaged 9.5 yards per catch in what has been an injury plagued season. Jacob Hester, while a tough and hard-nosed runner, had only one run longer than 22 yards all season. If the Buckeyes can keep LSU from converting any big trick plays, they should at least be competitive in containing the LSU offense.

LSU has everything going for them in this game. The home crowd. A talented roster. Veteran leadership. A fiery coach. But the Buckeyes seem focused and ready for redemption. The prediction of an eternal optimist: 24-17 Ohio State.

Prediction: Ohio State 24-17

Sam Anderson:
When I watched LSU play earlier in the year I thought to myself, “we are two touchdowns better than that team.” I am not going to stray away from what I thought then. There is no better game strategist in college football than Jim Tressel.
It doesn’t help that the game is 80 miles away from LSU, however, with trips to Washington, Purdue, Penn State, and Michigan this team is prepared to play on the road. Also, is there any doubt that there will be 100,000 Buckeye fans making a pilgrimage to New Orleans in order to support Tressel and Crew?

Prediction: Buckeyes: 31-14

Massey:
Whether you like it or not, these teams are very even.   Since 2002, Ohio State is 66-10 (.868) and LSU is 63-15 (.807).  Each team has had great success in BCS Bowls (Ohio State 3-1, LSU 3-0), each with a Crystal Football on their mantle.  And, the last team to defeat each squad just got punished in their respective bowl game.  

So, what can I use to determine advantages in this game?  I will not bore you with OSU stats and player match ups.  If you are reading this, you know it all.  This time it is nothing scientific, just instinct.  There are a few thing that keep floating to the front of my mind.  The first makes me confident and nervous at the same time (and I imagine it does the same for LSU fans).  It's that gambler's streak that Miles seems to have passed along to the team.  They appear to be confident at all times and are willing to risk everything.  That is a great swagger to have but it can get you in trouble in a hurry.  In my mind, LSU's 11-2 is as close to being 13-0 as it is to being 7-5.  They were 12 for 15 on 4th down this season.  At first blush I say, "Wow, that is really impressive."  And, then I think, "Why do they have to go for it on 4th down so often?"  Because they are often losing late in games.  Of course, if they continue to be so successful on 4th down then the Buckeyes' defense is going to have a tough time getting off the field.  Still, I love Ohio State's chances if they have a fourth quarter lead in the game.  

Second, they are too careless.  Don't get me wrong, they are very talented, but they make a lot of mistakes.  Did you know that  LSU led the SEC in penalties with 113 for 844 yards on the season.  By contrast, Ohio State only had 65 for 491 yards.  With the way Tressel play field position, penalties can have a magnified effect on the game.  

Finally, what is going on with their red zone defense?  On the season, LSU's opponents were 30 for 35 in the red zone (86%) scoring 22 TDs (63%).  Yikes!  Their opponents' numbers are even more impressive when they were ranked opponents (14 for 16 for 12 TDs) and when LSU lost (11 for 11 for 9 TDs).  And, at home with the Death Valley crowd howling?  Their opponents were 15 for 16 for 12 TDs.  Goodbye Superdome home field advantage.  

There are hundreds of other factors I could focus on, but those are the three that keep coming up in my head.  In the end, a couple of costly penalties and a big stop by the Buckeyes' defense on 4th down will seal the victory.  

Prediction: Ohio State 21, LSU 18

Keith Courter:
The others have condensed it very nicely. The only thing I'll say is I'm excited and nervous and I can't help but think this time will be different.

Prediction: Ohio State 27-21

It's almost a given that, if Ohio State is to win tomorrow night, Todd Boeckman needs to play well. By extension this also means the offensive line needs to protect to provide time for Todd to find open receivers. For me, however, the most important player on our team tomorrow night will be Beanie Wells.

Wells is the one guy who will help all others. Todd will get more time if Beanie has established the run. He'll help the offensive line if he breaks tackles and a few long runs to the point where it saps some of the aggressiveness of the Tiger defensive front. Though only a true sophomore, Wells has the rare opportunity to cap off a season with roughly 1600 yards and a crystal ball trophy. It's one thing to know he's critical to our success, it's something else to understand why and how he does it.

So, what makes Beanie special? I've made a quick image on the right which highlights three of his most important physical traits. We know he's big, strong and relatively fast but how about specifics. Below is my deconstruction of Beanie Wells:

a) Vision - Perhaps the most important of all is Beanie's vision. All great backs have it and Wells is no different even though this is rarely mentioned by the analysts. He's adept at finding the hole and setting up blockers. And, when the play totally breaks down he's shown the ability to make something out of nothing. He doesn't do it all the time but enough where weakside contain must mind responsibilities.

b) Power - Let it be known there is a vast difference between running with strength and running with power. A lot of running backs run with strength (Mike Hart) which allows them to churn out an extra yard before going down. But, Wells runs with strength and power which helps him break tackles and run over would-be tacklers.

c) Feet - Most of us know his measurables: 6'1" and 240lbs but the biggest tangible attribute for Beanie are his feet. He has relatively thin ankles and light feet to the point where he can high knee and chop step through debris at the line of scrimmage. Some excellent examples of this can be seen in my Michigan highlights video (youtube version).

If these traits are on display Monday night, one has to feel pretty good about our chances. But, naturally, Wells and Boeckman aren't the only determining factors. A 50+ day layoff gives opposing staffs enough time to chart every play run from the scrimmage this year based on down and distance. Using a game plan devised to break tendencies - without deviating from our basic identity - will put Wells (and Boeckman) in the best position possible to showcase their talents.

It should come as no surprise that LSU has tremendous players all over the field. The offense uses a multi-dimensional rushing attack and their passing game uses all parts of the field. On the other side of the ball, they attack with what some consider the best defense in the country led by crushing defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey. They are complete team and they let you know it.

One of the more unsung but dangerous players on the team is wide receiver Demetrius Byrd. He's ultra fast and has a knack for making the big play as evidenced by his touchdown in the waning moments against Auburn. Immediately after making the catch, Byrd displayed a signal that, until now, was a mystery to me. A recent article at thenewsstar.com describes LSU's "Can't See Me' hand sign and the meaning behind it. Rather than paraphrase, I'll let some of the Tiger's define it in their own words:
Byrd:

"It means I just made a great play. It means I'm better than you or I'm so much faster than you or have better moves that you can't even see me."

Chevis Jackson:

"We all just started doing it after we make a big play. A lot of guys on the team like to do it. It's not an individual thing. You can't see our team, really. We're better."

Jacob Hester:

"We're better than you. We're faster than you and you can't see us. It started with just a few guys doing it. Now everybody's doing it."

I offer this not as an example of their bravado but more a public service announcement. The piece from thenewsstar.com goes into further detail in terms of the origination. It's enlightening especially when it happens tomorrow night. And, it will. Do don't come asking. We just need to minimize the number of times it happens and let our play on the field define our team and its individuals.

For those of us who cannot make the trip to the title game, we can live vicariously through the Bourbon Street webcam. We are t-minus 48 hours until the clash of pads begin.

Non-Title Game Related: The annual Army All-Star game was played today with eight Ohio State commitments selected for the game. There were at least two others - Terrelle Pryor and Josh Jenkins - who may become Buckeyes. Pryor was named the MVP and created a brouhaha by playing with Buckeye leaf on his helmet. He also acknowledged the leaf for the cameras which palpitated hearts across all Buckeye nation. This kid is either a Buckeye to be or setting us up for the biggest recruiting fall in years. A few thoughts on the commitments who played:

• JB Shugarts - Huge, lean and strong. Plays with a nice flat back and was positioned at guard during this game though he'll likely be a tackle at Ohio State. Seemed to have trouble with footwork on occasion.
• DeVier Posey - Didn't see many passes his way after having a stellar week in practice. Wore #85 after striking up a friendship with OchoCinco earlier this year.
• Mike Adams - Played at left tackle and dominated. He dominated all week during practices too and was named captain of the team. Unlimited potential.
• Jake Stoneburner - Played exclusively at tight end which I think will be his future position. For some reason, this rankles people. Yes, I know he's got wheels but he has legs like Ben Hartsock (read: thick) . Similar day to DeVier Posey.
• Etienne Sabino - Started and was in on a few tackles before the rotation of players began. Really nice size and speed combination.
• Lamaar Thomas - Played running back though he's being recruited mostly as a wide receiver at Ohio State. Thomas is much more built than I thought for a player with 10.3/100 speed. Reminds me an awful lot of Percy Harvin in terms of being a versatile player at both the RB and WR positions. Broke off at least two lengthy runs in the game.

A couple of the players did not play due to injury. OL Michael Brewster has a shoulder injury and K/P Ben Buchanan has a foot problem.

Youngstown Connection: The northwest part of Ohio is known for steel, blue collar and an uncanny amount of football icons - ahem, Paul Brown! This bowl season carries that legacy with Jim Tressel taking his team into the national title game for the third time in six years. What has slipped past some, including most in the mainstream media, are the other coaches with Y-Town roots. It's an uncommonly high number. A quick glance reveals in addition to Tressel, Mark Mangino at Kansas, Mark Dantonio with Michigan State and Bob Stoops at Oklahoma all have ties. Mangino and Dantonio were assistants under Tressel at Youngstown State (MD at OSU, too) and Stoops is just a good ol' fashioned Ohio boy from the rust belt. For those keeping score, of the 10 head coaches in the BCS Bowls, 3 have a Youngstown connection.

Honorary Captain Is...: Sack master Will Smith. Smith plays for the New Orleans Saints which makes the choice all the more sensible. It's also plausible Smith selection harkens back to the 2002 title game, a victory where the defensive end created all kinds of issues for the Hurricanes. There's been an avalanche of sideline pass requests from a dozen or two of past players who hope to be on the sideline for the game. How many actually get passes is another story.

Third Party Breakdowns: The ever thorough Sunday Morning Quarterback has his breakdown of the BCS Championship Game. It's a two part series (Part 1, Part 2) which relies heavily on statistical analysis. Keep in mind these aren't your boxscore-like stats but rather information that you actually have to research to compile. That alone makes it a worthy read but be warned: you need a good 20 minutes to get through both parts. At least I did. For another flavor, LSU's Dandy Don has daily updates and breakdowns.

The Orange Bowl tonight reinforces an annoying production issue I have FoxSports. And because the Ohio State/LSU tilt will be broadcast on Fox's airwaves, this is a particularly relevant gripe. So here it is: While their HD product is top shelf, their graphics package is horrendous and there is no better example than the obnoxiously gigantic scoreboard graphic. Here's a quick picture I took last night while it was bothering the hell out of me:

For the life of me, I can't reconcile why they need to take the entire horizontal width of my 16:9 screen. I cannot fathom why the scoreboard 'ribbon' isn't at the very top rather than lowered a few inches which takes up further precious screen real estate. It's the new craze apparently because ESPN does the same thing but not quite as bad.

Sure, it's a trivial bitch but I'm not kidding. In the picture above, you cannot see the far sideline coaching staff signaling in plays or maybe calling a timeout. In fact, you can barely see any of the sideline at all. You can't see the side judge in case he throws a flag. You even can't see the endzone pilons. If that weren't enough, I love graphic that's CGI'd on the field which tells me it's 2nd and 6...which is the same information I get in the scoreboard ribbon.

As we near Monday night, the speculation is building regarding what Coach Tressel may have in store for the LSU Tigers. Gadget plays, personnel switch-ups and tactical shifts are all possibilities. This speculation is a natural phenomenon mostly because we've had six weeks of idle time. Our minds wonder, various news nuggets drift to the surface and the process begins. It's sexy and fun so I decided to delve into two of the more popular new wrinkle discussions.

I focus on only two because they are both grounded in some basis of fact and/or reality We can hypothesize all day long who will have a 'coming out party' but that's more guesswork not to mention, it's really not a 'wrinkle' either. For those who crave that science, however, take a look at this BuckeyePlanet thread. For all others, the two possible new wrinkles:

• 
  
• Consistent Dose of Gibson. DE Robert Rose suffered a shoulder injury in the second half of the year. It stunted his improvement and limited his play. He had surgery after the Michigan game and will not play against LSU. This is a considerable loss that's getting very little play in media. Consider we already lost our starting defensive end - Lawrence Wilson - the beginning of the season, so the scratch of Rose is significant in terms of depth and rotation. It leaves Ohio State with two legitimate defensive ends who have seen worthy time in Cameron Heyward and Vern Gholson. Beyond them, we have players like Alex Barrow and, well, nobody.
  
  Enter Thaddeus Gibson.
  
  Gibson, when he's not walking out of practice, can be a terrifying force on the opposing offense. He plays in the old school mold of Na'il Diggs in that he has a linebacker's body but excels at rushing the quarterback from a standup position on the edge. We saw how effective he can be against Wisconsin and I see no better fit Monday night in an effort to minimize the loss of Rose. The use of Gibson is less a new wrinkle more than the a re-establishment of an effective defensive tactic and I think it's highly probable Gibson plays considerably.
  
  
• Henton is Second String! Presumably the implication here is that Henton's promotion is a signal he'll get snaps versus the Tigers. I mean, what better way to trip up the Tigers than to throw the Troy Smith clone into the game to run some spread, chew up large chunks of yardage and cause mayhem in Les Miles' mind? Won't happen.
  
  I suppose I can see JT using Henton as a decoy or maybe for a few quarterback sweeps but it stops there. Anything more than that - where he's actually throwing passes and stuff - would be Hindenburg-esque. Unmitigated disaster. Henton hasn't seen anything other than a practice field since September. His last snap was against Northwestern and to insert him into the game would throw caution to wind. Probability and sanity have to win out here, right?

Whatever the case is on Monday night, we all hope and expect success. Just because I think playing Henton would be a mistake doesn't mean I hope he fails just so I'm right. Or maybe Gibson won't play at all because the staff has another ace up their sleeve. One thing you can count on is LSU will have something prepared for us. Whether it's going for it 4th down a half dozen times or faking a punt or FG (or both), we have to be ready. By the way, on the latter part, LSU did just spend a whole practice focusing completely on special teams.

We are now less than seven days away which officially makes it game week. Tressel and the boys leave town tomorrow for a trip to the Bayou to hopefully right a lot of wrongs from a year ago. If nothing else, the team has the motivation for it. Not only is last year's game a reminder, so is just about every talking head, including Kirk Herbstreit, who keep citing the mythological speed advantage. Certainly speed can be a factor when one team is unsure of their assignments. As Mark Dantonio used to say when he was our defensive coordinator, we play our best when we play fast, we play fast when we know our keys, we know our keys with excellent preparation. Here's hoping for excellent preparation.

At this point, I don't have a lot ready to post but I hope to bring something new each day this week. I did, however, watch an inordinate amount of football the last few days. I especially focused on the Big Ten teams and if there's one takeaway to be remember, it's turnovers are gigantic momentum shifters. Sure, that's cliche but Michigan State would have a victory and Michigan would have had a rather simple win over Florida if only they could have held onto the ball. Fortunately for the Wolverines, they won despite Mike Hart. Ohio State doesn't need to play perfect Monday night but they can't win if they turn it over 4 times.

Before the Holiday break, the Donald Washington situation was, as far as I'm concerned, up in the air. Initial reports had the starting corner suspended for the bowl game. New reports surfaced a day later saying that only Eugene Clifford was suspended. When athletic director Gene Smith was asked to confirm and clarify he only responded there was still "work to be done."

Despite the team having reconvened for bowl practice, we still have no official word. Insiders are saying Washington will play and the situation is resolved. These are the same insiders that started the gossip originally so their knowledge on this matter is less than ideal. That's not to say there aren't others corroborating. In fact, a recent post on the OZone by a long time poster (read: credible, not some fly by night newbie), says Washington is playing. The source? Washington's Father:

I live in Indy and spoke to Donald Washington's Father 5 minutes ago..He wanted me to tell everyone concerned that he is heading to NO and looking forward to the game and his son is playing for sure.

By the way, DW is from Indianapolis in case you were wondering why the geography is significant. As I mentioned, Carver79 has been around the OZone for eons and is not the type to randomly make up a story. This passes the smell test though we'll all feel total relief once confirmed by Ohio State.

The title is a Woody Hayes-ism and it's fitting tonight. Rumors are rampant that starting corner Donald Washington and reserve Eugene Clifford have been suspended for the title game. I don't typically post rumors but it's been confirmed by supposed 'insiders' (sub. req.), boosting its possible authenticity.

Determining the replacements is hearty exercise because the (alleged) loss of Washington impacts both his spot and our nickel package. And dime package should we need it. The most recent depth chart suggests Chimdi Chekwa, Andre Amos and Jamario O'Neal may be called upon to step up. I'm not sure how one doesn't shudder.

Update: Confirmed by The Dispatch, NBC4 and Newark Advocate.

The search for a Michigan football coach is over. Rich Rodriguez has accepted the offer and will be formally introduced tomorrow morning. He will not coach West Virginia in their bowl game. This makes the second coach Michigan has pilfered from the Morgantown university, the first being basketball coach John Beilein who left WVU in April of this year.

Undoubtedly Rodriguez will bring an entirely different brand of football to Ann Arbor. He is one of the leading minds on the spread option (or read option) offense which gives teams (ie: Ohio State) so many problems. And, while this is a good hire for blue, don't fret just yet if you're an Ohio State fan. This offense usually takes time to implement not only in terms of design but also personnel. Seeing Ryan Mallett run the spread option would be a humorously welcome sight. To that end, West Virginia was just 3-8 in Rodriguez's first year in Morgantown.

The impact of this coaching change has already reverberated to the recruiting world. An Illini messageboard post reports that QB John Wienke has decommitted from Michigan and will now attend Iowa. Unfortunately for Buckeye fans, all-world QB Terrelle Pryor has added the Wolverines to his short list. No word on how the coaching change may effect Josh Jenkins who is formally committed to West Virginia but has been wavering for months. Many feel he was already on cusp of switching his commitment to Ohio State before Rodriguez bailed.

Jim Tressel addressed the media today and several players were made available for interviews. A summary of the event can be found at Bucknuts.com but perhaps the most asked question has finally been answered. We're wearing our home Scarlet. Yet another difference from last year! (OZone photos)

The Vest also tackled several other topics including the status of Lawrence Wilson. Reading between the lines it pretty clear that he'll play barring any major setback or aggravation. Other items receiving lip service included the 13 juniors who applied for feedback on NFL draft status, Schoenhoft to tight end rumors and the coaching situation at LSU. Bonus!: Bucknuts video of the Tresser Presser.

Elsewhere in the clarification file, many of you have probably received the Tyson Gentry/Tressel email which described the coach buying a special machine for Tyson for his rehabilitation and attaching a special note. It's an urban legend, according to Todd Porter's article in the Canton Rep. Gentry did receive the machine but is a little 'irritated' that someone concocted a story to surround it. In more important news, Tyson continues to improve which gives him "real hope that one day I will walk away from this."

Update 12/14, 7:27pm: Ken Gordon says jerseys have not been officially decided. OZone says they got the info from an sports information director. So there.

James Laurinaitis walked away with the Butkus Award last night beating out Penn State's Dan Connor and Colorado's Jordan Dizon. Presented annually to the top linebacker in the college game, Laurinaitis is only the second Ohio State player to win the award. The junior linebacker led the team in tackles, second in interceptions and third in sacks. Andy Katzenmoyer was the first Buckeye recipient in 1997.

Winning the award was a surprise to many, including Laurinaitis himself:

I feel like I've stolen it from these two guys and am taking the trophy back to Columbus.

Perhaps. His numbers were the lowest of the finalists and that has perturbed some Penn State fans who think Connor was jobbed. But there's a healthy dose of poetic justice here. Two years ago, AJ Hawk was egregiously passed over in favor of Paul Posluszny for Butkus. Wrong righted.

Fox drug out the telecast as long as possible but finally made the official announcement: the Buckeyes will play LSU for the title. By virtue of their schedule strength and overall team ability, LSU moved into the #2 spot jumping a few teams in the process. Truth be told, I don't have any problem with that as I feel the system probably does have the two best teams matched up. Virginia Tech was third and didn't really challenge LSU.

Points of interest:

• This is the 3rd BCS Title game appearance in the last 6 years for Ohio State. The Buckeyes won the title in 2002 and missed their flight out of Port Columbus in 2006.
• Jim Tressel is no stranger to Title games (and Championships) in his coaching tenure. Today's selection makes the 9th time in his 22 years of being a head coach that's he's reached the championship game. When you're almost batting .500, that's stellar.
• It is a home game for LSU. Silent count here we come.
• Both teams have won the BCS Championship previously and the winner will be the first to have won the BCS Championship twice.
• There's an element of Michigan/Ohio State in this game with Miles' Wolverine roots. Tressel is 1-0 vs Les having won the 2004 Alamo Bowl 33-7.

We know our history with SEC teams. The onslaught of statistics will remind us often. Somewhere Bobby Olive is sending his tremendously good karma our way.

Update: Work calls and I'll be in Seattle all week. No posting until Saturday-ish.

We're in the national title game. The opportunity has presented itself to redeem last year's no show. The next 20 hours will be highly interesting as we learn who our opponent will be. Coaches are lining up on ESPN to politic for their team. Georgia, Kansas, Oklahoma, LSU and even Virginia Tech are in the mix for the last spot. In the end, expect a big change in the human polls allowing LSU climb to #2 in the final BCS poll.

Update: Les Miles has no shame and is starting to arbitrarily make up football rules. Because their 2 losses happened in overtime and because they were tied at the end of regulation, Miles reasons, those each really kinda only count as a 1/2 loss. Add them together and LSU really, kinda only has 1 loss which puts them on the same level as the other one loss teams...even though those teams really (no kinda) lost only one game. Got that? I dunno, seems like slippery slope to me. Can't one just bring up the point they were down to Florida and Auburn in the final seconds of regulation?

Update: Entry title has been changed. Some sentiment floating around that we may get jobbed this afternoon. I just assumed with two teams losing above us, we'd move up two spots but this thing as a seedy underbelly. I expect some jacked ballots but there may be more than I originally anticipated. Then again, I could be overreacting. Sagarin ELO_CHESS is out and we actually dropped a spot and we were hopped by LSU.

Update: BCS Show is on at 8pm, Fox and my confidence level is back up. Coaches poll came out a few hours ago and we were at the top. LSU is second. BCS predictors seem to indicate it will be an OSU/LSU matchup. Tellshow's BCS poll confirms and the #3 team isn't all that close. Jerry Palm's site is down apparently due to the flood of traffic.

This has been a relatively quiet week but there are chunks of Buckeye centric items to pass along. I'll yield the podium for your comments:

James Laurinaitis and Kirk Barton were named First Team All-America by the American Football Coaches Association. Brian Robiskie was named to the academic All-America team. Hard to argue with the selections though one could say Laurinaitis was relatively quiet the second half the season. His Washington game, however, was perhaps his finest as a Buckeye.

Miami coach Randy Shannon granted an 'exclusive' interview with the Miami Herald. The topics were wide ranging but when it came to player misconduct at Miami and off campus housing, Shannon somehow drug Ohio State into the conversation. We've apparently had all kinds of recent trouble with our players - like "bar fights" and such. The outburst was bizarre - and wrong - and now the Herald has edited the interview and removed the Ohio State references. Luckily a few good souls saved the passage before being scrubbed away in cyberspace. Here's the excerpt:

Q: Obviously, though, there are kids that live off campus. What do you tell parents about that?
A: We show them the neighborhoods. Everybody else in the country lives off campus and they still have the same problems. But their newspaper don’t beat them up about it. Like our newspaper beats us up about it. I know you guys are doing your job, you got to beat us up about it. But then understand we just want a fair shot. At Ohio State, do you realize you had more things happen at Ohio State more than anything. You think we’ve been bad? Go check out Ohio State, guys who have been arrested, bar fights. Look at everything at Ohio State and you’d think the University of Miami was angels. Florida, the same. There’s going to be two guys let back on that team because of a gun charges and one who unloaded it in a club. What would happen if I do that?

When you get past the awful grammar, one has to decide whether to give the benefit of the doubt to Shannon. Maybe he meant to single out Penn State.

Fat and outshape is no way to play football, at least according to current members of our football team. What has been widely speculated has now been confirmed - some (many?) players didn't take conditioning as serious as they should have last year leading to the BCS Championship game. The long layoff didn't help either but compounding that problem was a logistical error on Ohio State's part leaving too soon for the desert. Apparently provisions have been put in place for it to never happen again.

Who has permission to take the lid of the basket? In Ohio State's two losses this year on the hardwood, they've suffered mind-numbing droughts from the field. Against Texas A&M, a 6 point halftime deficit quickly grew to 30-ish because the Buckeyes missed 17 of their first 18 shots of the second half. An almost identical stretch happened Wednesday night against #2 North Carolina. Leading 35-31 early in the second half, Ohio State went more than 10 minutes without a field goal. During that span, they missed 17 straight. On the bright side, Jon Deibler broke out of his slump hitting five 3s including one at the hash. No, really. The hash. He's a streaky player and more of a scorer than a shooter. Eleven Warriors has some excellent commentary, too.

Bill Willis, an Ohio State football legend, passed away tonight at the age of 86. He was recently honored a few weeks ago in Ohio Stadium during the Wisconsin game where his #99 jersey was retired and his name permanently installed in the ring of honor. Willis was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1971. That was followed up with the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in 1977. One of the all-time greats.

Last week, the path to New Orleans was outlined after our convincing win at Michigan. That path was further cleared today when LSU lost at home to Arkansas - or, as Les Miles says, ar-Kansas - in triple OT. We still must ask for more help from Oklahoma in the Big 12 Title game. If Oklahoma wins (in a game I believe they'll be favored), Ohio State, barring any poll wackiness, is all but assured a return trip to the BCS Championship game.

In case you were wondering, the odds have been calculated for you math types. As of games which ended today, Ohio State stands a 59% chance of getting to the BCS Championship game which is second only to West Virginia's 83%. So, the probability of our return to the national title game has quickly gone from longshot to on the cusp. Maybe ending the regular season before Thanksgiving isn't so bad after all?

Somewhere in the decrepit visitors locker room on Saturday, Beanie Wells stepped up big time even before the game started. The usually quiet phenom was heard imploring his team (yes, his team) to leave it on the field during an emotional speech. There are no do-overs. There's no reset button. There's no second chances to beat your arch rival four years in a row. That was the message.

Simply put, Wells delivered the message and then delivered on the field. The performance was so good that it deserves to be spelled out: thirty-nine carries and two hundred and twenty-two yards. He scored the game's only touchdowns and nearly punched in a third as time ticked off. It will go down in Buckeye lore and it mattered little that Michigan knew he was getting the ball almost every down, they still couldn't stop him - especially UM safety Brandent Englemon. Some of you may only know Englemon by number - 31 - because it was he who was stepped over, run over and brushed aside on several of Wells' most successful carries. It was enough to make Michigan fans cry:

Yeah, we've been there before, in darker times. The victory isn't sweet because it brings pain to Michigan fans. It's sweet because the roles have been reversed and now Michigan's in the quicksand of repeated defeat. Consider this was a Michigan team which included their all-time leading passer, all-time leader rusher and, if Manningham stays, all-time leading receiver. Yet, they managed 91 total yards and 66% of their plays went for a loss or no gain. Mike Hart is the 'heart' of their team, and that just may be one of the problems. Not that I'm giving advice or anything.

It should be noted that injuries played a factor. Chad Henne, if it was any other opponent, would not have been playing. Hart wasn't full go but this isn't a one-sided story. Beanie played with a severe bone chip in his ankle the last half of the year, plus a sprained right thumb and also, we come to find out, a broken left wrist. Warrior. I'll reiterate on the defensive side of the ball, we played the entire year without two starters (Lawrence Wilson, Curtis Terry) but this never, ever gets pub in the national media.

Surprsing to some, there were no special plays, formations or tactics this year from Coach Tressel. The weather dictated a ground attack and we obliged lining up in double tight-end formation often. We also ran the ISO probably more in this game than any other all year. I think it was pretty evident the staff didn't think the Michigan linebackers could fill properly and there seemed to be little worry over usually-tough-to-handle Terrance Taylor. Full game analysis here.

Anyone else think something spiritual was in play when Woody won the coin toss?

Todd Boeckman made one bad throw which goes against almost every evaluation I've read since Saturday. Let me be clear, I'm not saying he played good but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as some lead you to believe. Consider Boeckman started the game 6 for 7 passing, three of which went for first downs and another he picked up scrambling. The lone incompletion was the intermediate ball to Hartline which could have been called pass interference. The team did draw a pass interference on a very well thrown ball to Brian Robiskie later in the first quarter. At least 3 of his incompletions were throwaways. The lone poor throw was the interception late in the half. Not a good day, not terrible either when you factor the conditions and the slip 'n slide field.

Enjoy Thanksgiving and the weekend. I'll be off for a few days, so blogging will be light if not nil. I am still working on a highlight video of The Game. We'll also be devoting our attention to basketball as well. By the way, Bucks and the Cuse tip off tonight at 9pm, ESPN2.

If you're a Time Warner Cable (TWC) customer, hope for the addition of the Big Ten Network this year is fading at a rapid rate. Mark Silverman, president of the Big Ten Network (BTN) addressed media members (I'm not sure how I was invited but I was) during a teleconference today and provided an update on cable negotiations. During the call, Silverman spoke specifically about Time Warner and gave this cold water quote:

"With Time Warner, we have not have conversations of any substance for several months now."

Lovely. We knew this weeks ago, but we didn't know it hasn't changed one iota. Good to also know that my cable company, Time Warner, is so vested in my interest that they either don't have the time to chat with the BTN or they bring such ridiculous offers that they're termed, in so many words, unsubstantive.

It was clear during the call that Silverman thought the BTN and TWC were the furthest apart of all the major cable operators. Even Comcast, Charter and Mediacom are in active talks and recently. Perhaps things will change but it will have to happen fast as mid-December is the soft date for deals to be finalized to carry the network this year.

The regular season is over so the accolades begin to roll in. The all-Big Ten teams were released today and James Laurinaitis has been selected as the conference Defensive Player of the Year by both the coaches and media. The linebacker led the Buckeyes in tackles with 103, collected 5 sacks, 8.5 TFL's and two interceptions. Joining him on the first team were fellow Buckeyes Vernon Gholston and Malcolm Jenkins. Marcus Freeman was a second team selection on the coaches team.

On the offensive side of the ball, Beanie Wells was a first team selection on both ballots. Kirk Barton was the other unanimous choice and a few folks remembered Todd Boeckman led the B10 in passing efficiency by a wide margin as he was a 1st team pick by the media. Alex Boone was second teamer. Brian Hartline was singled out for his sportsmanship.

The nature of all-conference selections usually opens a firestorm of critique. A quick glance with my scarlet color glasses yields no glaring omissions but one could say Anderson Russell deserved more than Honorable mention. On the other hand, Penn State fans will be livid that Dan Conner was not the POY rather than JL. They may have a valid point.

Play of the Week is up: See Beanie Run. Also, should you be so kind, our online store has Big Ten Championship merchandise ready for purchase.

Weird how college football works. The Rose Bowl is guaranteed for Ohio State but, if possible, we'd just rather bypass it altogether. Not that the Rose Bowl is some second rate option but Ohio State still harbors title hopes and rightfully so. That goal became a touch easier following our win in Ann Arbor and because of two important losses from teams ranked ahead. Oregon lost earlier in the week to unranked Arizona and Oklahoma went down to Texas Tech late Saturday. The shake up allowed Ohio State to move up to #5 in the latest BCS Rankings.

To state the obvious, there is still work to do. A lot, in fact, and the downside of this is our hope rests on the shoulders of others. We lost the opportunity to control our own destiny last week but we'll feel no shame battling another one loss team for the championship (unless Kansas wins out and even then, we still won't feel bad). In order for that to happen, there are some key points to remember:

• We only need to get to #2 in the BCS.
• Kansas and Missouri play each other this coming weekend.
• The Big Twelve and the SEC have Championship games.

Before we move on any further, it's important to look at the schedules:

• LSU: Arkansas, at SEC Championship Game
• Kansas: Missouri, Big 12 Championship Game
• WVU: Connecticut, Pitt
• Missouri: at Kansas, Big 12 Championship Game
• Ohio St: In the Clubhouse

Like I said earlier, either Kansas or Missouri will be out of the picture next week. The winner will advance to the Big 12 Championship game to face, hopefully, Oklahoma. I say hopefully because the Sooners present the best chance of knocking off the opponent, be it Kansas or Missouri. And, Oklahoma will almost certainly have QB Sam Bradford back after missing most of the Tech game with a concussion.

This is relevant because it gives basis for what needs to happen following Ohio State's rise to #4 in the BCS. In a nutshell, the Buckeyes need any two of the following three (HT: Chris Stassen):

• Big XII out. Oklahoma wins at Oklahoma State to get to the Big 12 Championship game, and then beats the Kansas-Missouri winner.
• Louisiana State Loss. LSU loses in the SEC title game, or to Arkansas the week before the title game.
• West Virginia loss. West Virginia loses to either UConn or Pitt.

Admittingly, the probability on this is low but it's not all that absurd. In fact, I think it's quite likely at least one will happen. There has been talk by some (Mark May) that if Arizona State wins out, they could find themselves back in the thick of things. To squash this from happening, we probably should root for USC to win their remaining games.

It's a lot to process and whatever the case, we're off the a BCS bowl for the fifth time in seven years on JT. More on Michigan tomorrow.

The constant cold rain kept handcuffs on any possible aerial attack so Ohio State turned to Beanie Wells. Michigan was in the same predicament and they turned to Mike Hart...or tried to anyway. It sounds trivial but it came down to which team could run the ball? Who has the best back? And the emphatic answers were Ohio State and Beanie Wells.

Indeed, Wells was the man of The Game. His 222 yards on 39 totes came largely against a sold out run defense from Michigan. Move over Troy, Beanie is the new Michigan assassin.

The 14-3 victory was more than just Wells, though. On the other side of the ball, Michigan was harassed and beaten by a swarming Silver Bullet defense. The numbers are strong if not staggering: 91 total yards for blue, Vernon Gholston with 3 sacks and additional TFL and - for good measure - two more dropped interceptions. The Buckeyes are Big Ten Champions and hope is still alive for a trip to New Orleans.

I'm finding it incredibly difficult to get a feel for this game. We've already talked enough about Carr's retirement and its possible effects. Beyond that, specifically what will happen on the field, is damn difficult to forecast. Michigan's last outing was as listless as I've seen from a Michigan team in a long time. Sure, Henne and Hart didn't play but Wisconsin was without major contributors themselves. Ohio State lost to another read option team. Thankfully, Michigan does run the read option.

Tressel has been exceptional devising gameplans for the Wolverines. These gameplans usually don't deviate much from our identity but are varied just enough to mystify any bead Michigan thinks they have on our tendencies. In 2001, we saw the use of the throwback screen. The following year, the Clarett "wheel route" was 'the play' in the game and in '04 Troy and the spread were unleashed. The following year saw minor tactical changes to counter Michigan's advantages like substituting an extra tackle in Andre Tyree so he could workover Alan Branch time and time again. And, last year we saw the overload formation that Michigan jumped because we ran a different play from the same set the week prior.

But, what about Saturday? Rather than special plays, there are key points that help put a team in position to win:

The Gameplan:

• Remember our Identity. This specifically references the Wisconsin game where the staff became entirely too pass happy and let Beanie collect dust. They rediscovered him in the 4th quarter and the rout was on. Let's not have to rediscover him again.
• Beanie's Health. Establishing the run is all great and stuff but it isn't going to happen with Mo Wells or Brandon Saine. Beanie needs to stay healthy and when I say healthy, I mean missing zero plays because of bumps and bruises. If he aggravates the ankle or thumb and cannot continue, say goodnight to our chances.
• Playaction and Boots. Michigan will come with pressure and Shawn Crable will draw a personal foul with a shot to the head. These are givens. To help alleviate the Michigan pressure, I'd like to see us roll the pocket with bootlegs which will give Todd the choice to scamper for 5 yards or hit the primary route. When we don't boot, carry out playaction because it will be there.
• Where's 86? From a defensive prospective, Mario Manningham needs to be pointed out on every play like the center points out the Mike linebacker. And, for crying out loud, stay patient in coverage and don't bite on the double move. Watch the slant, too.

Most of these, as you can tell, focus on our offense because if Henne and Hart play, as I believe they will, we'll need to score points. We simply cannot think the defense will hold the Michigan offense to 14 points. And, just because I don't list something doesn't mean it's not important like the defensive needs to get pressure and all happy stuff. They do and I'd be delighted if Vernon Gholston gets to flex for the camera while those behind him actually catch some interceptions for a change.

The Concerns:

• Defensive Trust Waning. I'm not so much concerned about Michigan's run game as I am with our secondary. Everyone just assumes Malcolm Jenkins will follow Manningham around but I don't think that happens because it didn't last year and Jenkins now plays safety in our nickel package. We had major issues last week covering.
• Turnovers. I know it's cliche but it's true. The last two years, the three games we've had problems (Michigan, Florida, Illinois), we are minus 8 in turnover margin. We cannot have Beanie putting the ball on the ground because of his thumb and Todd cannot be throwing punts.
• The Carr Factor. Nothing more needs to be said.
• The Senior Factor. Hart, Henne, Long - 0/3.

On top of this, I fully expect the human landfill - otherwise known as Michigan Stadium - to be as loud as it ever has been. The students are all excited, planning special chants and getting all 'creative' with the Maize Out. I do not envision, however, the place to be any louder than Beaver Stadium where Ohio State used a silent count which led to almost no false starts and generally the best performance of the year from the guys up front.

In keeping up with the enemy, Brian gets some answers to his OSU questions though many of the answers look awfully familiar. I think it's an oversight not mentioning Jenkins' position switch. Elsewhere, 11W and BuckeyePlanet have their excellent previews up.

While the Big Ten office continues to swallow their collective whistles and while we wait for them to make decision on the midfield machismo match, we are only days away from The Game. The emotional backdrop of this year's contest is different in a least two ways and they both favor Michigan: the Wolverine seniors have never beaten Ohio State and it's their last time to do so with Coach Carr at the helm.

Combating that emotional edge will be perhaps the toughest challenge for Ohio State. There is already talk of the team coming out flat having suffered a severe setback in achieving their goal of returning to the BCS National Title game. I cannot think of a worse combination than an amped up Michigan team facing an Ohio State club that's still wishing they can have a do-over against Illinois. But, the Big Ten Title is still at play as is the chance to validate the quality of this defense.

It was with Michigan last year who put up substantial yardage and 39 points on an OSU defense that previously had made every team work just to get into double-digits. We still won and as the team was celebrating the victory, Mike Hart was telling anyone who would listen about 'next year':

"You want to beat Ohio State. I got one more year left. I'm going to get them next year."

This was said on top of other rich commentary and declarations such as:

"There's nothing special about that defense."

and

"You know, but if we played them again, it would be a whole different game. Guarantee that."

This final quote is actually more about the rematch which was a possibility for a few days following last year's Ohio State win. Nevertheless, the words grated on Ohio State players and, if nothing else, they'll be rekindled by Ohio State coaches in an attempt to galvanize and focus the team. Just maybe it'll somewhat help offset the emotional edge for tsun.

By the way, the OZone scrapped together some baseline stats for each team and did a quick comparison. No surprise Ohio State is ahead in nearly every category - unfortunately, the game isn't played on paper.

Other stuff...
HBO Documentary: Last night was the public premiere for the new HBO documentary on the Ohio State - Michigan rivalry. I watched it even missing most of the second half of the men's basketball game against Columbia to do so. The hour long special is well done with a decent background of the rivalry, excerpts from past players and alumni and, I can confirm, it does seem to slightly 'favor' (not that right word, but you know what I mean) Ohio State. If you have HBO, you need to watch. Mandatory.

Henne - Hart: Why the charade from Michigan staff regarding the status of Mike Hart and Chad Henne? Both will play in the game, all game provided they don't re-injure themselves.

Remember 1998?  The Buckeyes were cruising along at No. 1 until unranked conference opponent wandered into the Horseshoe and stole the Ohio State's thunder.  Kind of like this season.  

Let me stop you here.  I know you are cursing me under your breath, wondering why I would bring up one of Ohio State's darkest hours at a time like this. (And, you are probably wondering why I linked to that picture at the start, too.)  

If you take a deep breath and remember the conclusion of that season you will find something beyond the beat down of Texas A&M.  Something far more very precious.  Hope.  

Hear me out on this one.  Ohio State had been the consensus No. 1 all season and was atop the BCS standings.  Yet, after the Michigan State loss, Ohio State had fallen from 1st to 8th when the 3rd edition of the BCS standings came out on November 7, 1998.  Tennessee, UCLA, and Kansas State were each undefeated and ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, respectively.  Florida State, Florida, Texas A&M, and Arkansas (also undefeated) were all in front of the Buckeyes. It was hopeless, the pundits said.  There was no way Ohio State could make it to the title game with multiple teams from the same conference in front of them.  Sound familiar?  (By the way, Michigan was ranked 19th in those same BCS Standings.)

But a funny thing happened on the way to the Fiesta Bowl (that season's championship game).  The teams in front of the Buckeyes started dropping out of the way while the Buckeyes finished the season in dominating fashion.  

Arkansas lost the very next week.  Ohio State moved to 7th.  The next week Florida lost.  Now the Buckeyes were sixth.  Then the real fun started.  The Aggies lost the last week of the regular season, but were still guaranteed a spot in the Big12 Title Game.  Ohio State moved up to 5th in the BCS Standings.  

With one week to go the Buckeyes were finished playing with no foreseeable chance of playing for the BCS Title.  Then, at noon, on the last Saturday of the year, No. 2 UCLA lost a heart breaker to Edgerrin James and Miami.  A few hours later, Texas A&M beat previously undefeated, No. 3 Kansas State in overtime.  By 8:00 p.m. that evening, two of the four teams ahead of the Buckeyes had fallen.  

If somehow, some way, Mississippi State could beat Tennessee in the SEC Title Game, Ohio State would most likely play Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl for the national title.  Sure enough, midway through the fourth quarter, Tennessee was b ehind 14-10.  Unfortunately, Tennessee scored two late touchdowns to hold off a tenacious Mississippi State squad, and Ohio State was forced to  pummel Texas A&M.  

What does this all mean?  The point is that Ohio State is not done yet.  Was that a crazy finish to the 1998 season?  Yeah.  But, was it crazier than the 2007 season?  Nope.  Could that one last team fall this season?  Absolutely.  So, don't despair Buckeye fans.  

Of course, it will all be for naught without a win this weekend.  Once again, The Game is for more than just a Big Ten Championship.  It is for Hope, too.  

Plan B: Of course, if you find the preceding too much to believe in, just go to PoorSportz to relieve some stress (and exact some Internet revenge).  

The Game just got a little shot of adrenaline. MGoBlog reported earlier today that Lloyd Carr will announce his retirement after Saturday's Ohio State-Michigan game. I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of the report as Brian has three independent sources and his track record of inside info is excellent. Plus, it's been hinted the entire season this would be Carr's last at Michigan. So, it should go without saying, the atmosphere this weekend will be charged.

Beanie's Brace: Wells was injured early in the Illinois game causing him to miss several series before coming back. The injury was to his right wrist or thumb, the hand he usually uses to tote the ball. New pictures today by Jim Davidson from OSU's Monday press conference shows Wells in either a soft cast or brace that extends around the wrist and thumb. I don't expect him to miss the game.

Henton Suspension Lifted: Backup QB Antonio Henton wrapped up his legal issues today by pleading to a lesser charge of loitering. He was fined $156 and reinstated to the team, having been suspended since September 24th. Tressel issued this statement:

"After serving a seven-game suspension, Antonio is a member with full privileges of the Ohio State football team. Antonio has handled the situation properly."

Apparently, the audio tape from the police actually helped Antonio's defense.

Other Stuff: No word on the Maurice Wells injury. If post game reports are accurate, he was seen walking in a boot and limping considerably. Speculation would seem to indicate he will not be available for the game. I repeat that is only speculation at this time. Brandon Saine suffered a concussion on Saturday but should be ready to go for Michigan (Thanks to reader Matt D for this tip). Also, no game analysis from me because I can't bear to watch that game again.

I'm not one for full out game previews. I did, however, late Thursday night, write a few words about expectations for Illinois and they now haunt me:

J Leman is an outstanding player (as is Vontae Davis) but the most concern for me when I look at Illinois is their offensive attack. Mendenhall is a fine back but the occasional zone-read and option can cause any defense problems especially one too anxious to make the big play. And, when there are two and sometimes three choices per play, the defense has to mind responsibilities.

and...

Don't be shocked either to see a little bit of hurry-up to throw off our defensive substitutions.

Ugh. Not that this is terribly specific but it does bring to light a few questions for our defensive coaches. If a casual fan like myself can predict what Illinois is going to do, why can't our coaching staff? Or maybe they can but the scheme implemented was woefully inadequate? This is all the more perplexing because at some point we knew how to stop the read option attack (Texas '05) but more recent read option teams (Florida & Illinois) have largely toyed with our defense. Perhaps an answer is found in personnel weakness along the interior as I wrote about last night.

I'm Just Sayin: This doesn't take anything away from Illinois but in case anyone is unsure whether Daniel Dufrene fumbled the ball:

Instead he was ruled down and, for the record, the whistle did blow before the Buckeyes recovered in the endzone. It's one thing to miss a call, it's worse when you prevent replay from working as designed. In the you-can't-make-this-up-file, this is the same crew that's already facing suspension and possible termination for their egregious performance during the Purdue/Penn State game just last week. Compare names with the boxscore. Again, not that it would have made any difference, just a factoid worthy of mention.

Scoreboard Operation: I have to join Ramzy's bandwagon in suggesting for a major change in the scoreboard operation at Ohio Stadium. There's been a longstanding policy not to show controversial plays on the video board. That is, until last week when they decided to show a close play in the favor of Wisconsin. Who's the home team here, Mr. Scoreboard operator? Which brings me to my point: Jim Tressel said the coaches in the box don't have television monitors to know whether he should challenge a ruling on the field. Yet, we have 10 million dollar scoreboard with the biggest replay screen in Ohio that does nothing more than to show goofy OSU animation.

Polls Somewhat Kind?: The loss to previously unranked Illinois dropped Ohio State to #7 in the Coaches, AP and BCS Polls. I expected us to come in around #9 based off of the seemingly default #1 status according to so many pollsters. If you are eternally optimistic, I guess it is still possible to make it the the BCS Championship game but it's a long shot. The Game will still determine the Big Ten Championship and the winner is off the Rose Bowl.

The spread this, the spread that. If the loss isn't enough, listening to these announcers reason our defeat is brutal. For the record, it was not "the spread" that was the problem, but rather the read option. We have faced a bazillion spread teams under Tressel and have fared very well. We have faced spread teams this year. Purdue practically re-invented the spread years ago - basketball on grass - all that garbage. We, for crying out loud, run the spread on occasion.

The difference is a team can run the spread but not the read option. And, the read option was the difference in this game because it forced our defense to take a wait and see approach. Juice Williams was extremely effective carrying out fakes or keeping the ball if he saw the defensive line/defensive end react in a particular way. This permeates to the second level and defensive backs because they cannot read run too quickly, else be sucked up into the wash only to have playaction strike deep.

We really have no better illustration of the defensive problems than the last first down Illinois picked up. With Illinois bleeding clock, the entire nation knows they will not pass the ball. Can't risk an interception or incompletion which would stop the clock. So, it's run all the way and they did but the read option froze Marcus Freeman. For a split second he wasn't entirely sure which player had the ball simply because of the handoff fake by Williams. It sounds so elementary but the execution was perfect. By no means am I picking on Freeman because the entire defense struggled which is stating the obvious since we. could. not. get. off. the. field. in the 4th quarter.

So, this is a high level view of what went wrong. When you drill down to pinpoint the root causes you have to begin with the interior of the defensive line. All year we have done a great job covering up our deficiencies in this group. Almost no playing experience across the board among players who are undersized. Todd Denlinger, in my opinion our best defensive tackle, has played a handful of snaps in the last 5 or so games. So we have a long, lean Doug Worthington at one spot and Nadar Abdullah, normally a backup, at the other. Doug lacks weight and Nadar for all his intensity lacks strength and push. Behind them we throw in true freshmen Dexter Larimore. Dexter will be a fine player but these three don't scare any offensive line. We miss Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson in the worst way.

That doesn't mean there weren't other problems. The read option alone would have been a challenge but not insurmountable. Tack on a bevy of plays and choices that make you sake your head in disgust and it becomes a loss. Things like the missed fumble and Buckeye recovery on the Illini's first drive. Beanie hurting his hand. Beanie hurting his left leg. Maurice Wells spraining his left ankle. Illinois, the 3rd most penalized team in the Big Ten, flagged once. Todd Boeckman throwing three picks - one of which came in the endzone and the other two being horrific throws. And, then the timeout that made Ron Zook reevaluate his original choice to punt. The timeout was a result of having too many men on the field but from several accounts of folks at the stadium, our players made it off in time. We still called timeout. First down picked up. Main problem is back in play again and Illinois runs out the clock. Over 8 minutes worth of clock.

And yet it all started so well. Two plays; touchdown. Illinois spotted us 7 and we still lost. They deserved this win and that makes it a little more bearable. Just don't tell me we lost because of "the spread".

Some Illini fans have latched onto this notion that Ohio State will be looking past their team this Saturday. Forgotten is the fact this is the rallying cry every year for the fanbase of whichever team precedes our Michigan game. It's natural but it's rarely the case - even in years where we've actually lost the week prior to Michigan (ie: 2004 Purdue). The loss wasn't because we were looking ahead, the loss was because we simply got beat, sans excuses. The fans might be looking ahead - slightly - but not the team nor would Tressel let them.

The distinction here is this: though some fans may be looking ahead, doesn't mean the team is. In fact, in a recent Dispatch article, it's quite clear they are doing everything but looking head. The resolve and focus is apparent:

All I care about is beating Illinois this week, to be honest with you. We just want to get back to where we want to go and make some amends for what happened last year.

That quote comes from Kirk Barton, a senior who, along with several other Buckeyes, will be playing his final home game on Saturday. This game represents a lot and an important step in advancing.

But, what about Illinois? Distill Zook's club and you're left with essentially a four-headed crew. LB J Leman, WR Arrelious Benn, QB Juice Williams and the shredded RB Rashard Mendenall are the pulse of the team. Mendenhall, in particular, has quietly put up outstanding overall numbers this year including a gaudy 6.8 yard/carry avg - which is actually down from last year. He is the engine of the team and as he goes, so does the Illini offense. So, it's not surprising that, in their 3 losses, Mendenhall's numbers were fairly pedestrian. In none of those games did he gain more than 85 yards which suggests may struggle against the Buckeyes who are 3rd nationally against the run.

J Leman is an outstanding player (as is Vontae Davis) but the most concern for me when I look at Illinois is their offensive attack. Mendenhall is a fine back but the occasional zone-read an option can cause any defense problems especially one too anxious to make the big play. And, when there are two and sometimes three choices per play, the defense has to mind responsibilities.

Of some help is the fact we faced Jake Locker earlier in the year, who is a stronger, faster player than Williams. However, despite Williams' horrific struggles last year throwing the ball, he is probably the better passer. I would not be surprised if the Illinois tries to attack vertically initially to alleviate some of the pressure of the running game as we may walk a safety in the box for run support. Don't be shocked either to see a little bit of hurry-up to throw off our defensive substitutions.

Etienne Sabino, the top rated inside linebacker in the country, verbally committed tonight to Ohio State on ESPNU. He makes the 14th commitment of the 2008 class which is rocketing up the recruiting charts and building as one of, if not, the best recruiting classes under Jim Tressel.

Sabino's brings prototypical linebacker measurables being 6'3", 228lbs. He has been clocked in the 4.6 range and received scholarship offers from USC, Florida, LSU, Miami, Georgia Tech and a host of others. Recently, he had narrowed his list to Ohio State and USC. For on the field highlights, InsideTheU.com has a single video though of shoddy quality.

Sabino's ESPNU segment (higher quality version here):


It's not hard to see why Sabino chose the Scarlet and Gray. On top of a great program, the linebacker position at Ohio State will soon see an exodus of talent. Larry Grant is finishing his short but productive career and both James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman are juniors set to leave next year, if not sooner. There are some young, talented players behind but infusion of new talent (especially of the 'southern speed' variety) is always welcome.

Although often times accurate, I don't rely a lot of player rankings from the various services. Rather I feel it's best to first look at a player's offer list and Sabino's really is second to none as outlined above. The major powers all thought he's a player worthy of an early offer and not simply someone they'd offer late in the recruiting cycle if room permits. And Sabino joins his high school teammate, CB Travis Howard, who committed to the Buckeyes about two weeks ago.

My Wisconsin game analysis is posted for all. Those who are a little resourceful probably already saw it as I uploaded it last night. This wrap up is much like Penn State in that it was written completely from memory since I don't have the Big Ten Network (and thus, no game tape). Typically I review each game at least once the day after and many times it's reviewed more than that with copious note taking and my best attempts to wear out my slow motion and rewind features. Even without those luxuries, I still have stuff to say, particularly in regards to our vapid special teams play which ranks near the bottom in at least one category.

On a more positive side, Thaddeus Gibson has reappeared from the doghouse. Although 'only' a backup, his on the field return isn't to be discounted based on the defensive injuries we've sustained. And now that we are in the final two games of the regular season, his reemergence couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. He doesn't get many snaps yet when he's on the field he almost invariably makes impact plays, like his one-arm tackle-discard and sack of Tyler Donovan in the second half. Many people didn't see this play but a person using the screen name 81alum snapped a few sequence photos that capture the essence. Below is one and the others are in the thread.

Clearly you can see the tackle (#78) to the far left after being flung by Gibson and then, of course, Gibson about the drop the hammer on Donovan. I don't know why but I love the arm position of Thad, like he's mere moments from enveloping his prey. The result was not only the sack but fumble and recovery by the defense.

While we prepare for Illinois, Wisconsin has to move on to Michigan without PJ Hill and potentially three players who left the Ohio State game injured. That's not to say Brett Bielema is completely focused on the Wolverines because he's now complaining about what he thought was an illegal block by Brian Hartline. Bielema has sent the tape of the play to the Big Ten offices for review because that's what he does, apparently. Bielema says he sends about a 'half a dozen' plays a week to the B10 offices.

Watching some Ohio State games these days is a story in and of itself. If you're like me, you fall into the category of fans who cannot get WOW Cable or Insight or DirecTV. This leaves you cursing all parties involved and heading off somewhere, anywhere the game is shown. For me, I found myself this week at Chubby's Sports Bar on Smokey Row and Hard. They unlike, BW3s in Dublin, weren't turning people away at the door so I got in even though I didn't have a seat. Forty-five minutes later and just after kick off, I found myself with seat at a table of people I've never met before. Interesting but better than standing.

What I've noticed about myself is I act completely different when around a group of people I don't know. My language is much better and I'm more positive about what's happening in the game. This was especially hard to do though when Wisconsin came out and ripped off back to back touchdowns to take a 17-10 lead in the 3rd quarter. I just got quiet and muttered to myself: "Why the hell does Beanie only have 7 carries in the game?" or simply "Where's Beanie?" Then, I got my answer in movie like fashion as Beanie Wells emerged from the clouds and shimmering crepuscular rays to rip off three runs of 20 yards or more, each ending in a touchdown. The staff had rediscovered Beanie and he had enough of this thing called a deficit.

The 38-17 victory over Wisconsin marked a record 20th consecutive conference win (photos). As we know, PJ Hill did not play and physical nature of the game resulted in three other Badger players leaving because of injury. No question this changed the tactics of coach Brett Bielema and it wasn't all that surprising to see his team pull out just about every gadget play (2 fake punts and a trick play) to keep Ohio State uncomfortable. Wisconsin carried no kryptonite but even if they did, one can help but think it would have proved ineffective with the way Wells was running and Vernon Gholston was getting to the quarterback (4 sacks for VG, 10 for the team). Behind that, James Laurinaitis recorded 19 tackles, a sack, 2 TFLs and a fumble recovery for good measure.

Other stuff:

• Tressel said on his coaches show Wisconsin, on the first possession, lined up defensively as they thought they would. The Buckeye scored easily to take a quick 7-0 lead. In particular, Todd Boeckman picked up corner Allen Langford before Langford left with an injury. After Langford left, Wisconsin switched up their defensive scheme which forced Ohio State to adjust (slowly).
  
• The score was 10-3 at the half but Ohio State dominated the play. We had basically doubled up Wisconsin in first downs, total yardage, etc. The field goal to end the half was particularly disappointing.
  
• Mega Props to Brian Hartline for gutting one out. Dinged his left ankle/leg more than once in the game. You can tell he was hurting but he worked through it. Probably the same injury he first tweaked at Minnesota.
  
• Front seven really got hammered on Wisky's power running play. You would think we see it enough in practice (since we run almost the exact same play frequently). This success made Zach Brown - who sported a 3.4/carry avg coming in - look like Jim Brown.
  
• Two of the better corners in the game - who happen to be clones of each other - both had mediocre performances. Badger corner Jack Ikegwuonu was juked by Brian Robiskie on our first touchdown and later victimized again on another TD by Robo (unfortunately called back). Malcolm Jenkins, on the other hand, let a 400lb fullback leak by him for a score and a poor tackle attempt allowed Wisconsin TE Travis Beckum to break free for a long gain.
  
• Speaking of Beckum, he is a stud. For anyone who questions if a TE can block, who cares - look at what a guy like Beckum can do for an offense. That catch in the back of the endzone was exceptional. However, by the middle of the second half, Beckum was all that the Badgers had. We had them figured out.
  
• What's with Beanie's odd reaction after tying the score at 17? I understand wanting to be all business in finishing out the game. I don't understand running away from teammates who helped you get to the endzone.
  
• Thaddeus Gibson's sack and forced fumble was delicious. He Reggie Whited the right tackle with a simple one arm get-the-hell-outta-my-way move. He really is an impact player when on the field.
  
• Count me in the group who is okay with neither Todd nor Beanie getting much Heisman love. I know Todd's name has popped up on a few lists but I'd rather we play as much under the radar as humanly possible for a No. 1 ranked team.

Game video from ESPN is in the sidebar. Additional video can be found in the libraries of the Big Ten Network. I hope to have my game analysis up in the next day or so. Lastly, a big round of applause for Bill Willis, who had his number officially retired and his name placed in ring of honor inside Ohio Stadium. A two time All-American and near unblockable defender, Willis broke the color barrier into the NFL.

The status of big, talented running back PJ Hill is still unclear. The official diagnoses according to cheeseland newspapers is a deep bruise on a leg he previously broke. He tried to practice on Tuesday but was seen limping noticeably. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinal is already on record saying barring signficant improvement, Hill 'won't be healthy enough to play' and if that's the case, his replacement is likely to be freshman Zach Brown. Quincy Landingham is another option but he's coming off an injury of his own.

They're still other alternatives. The staff could also shuffle up things and invert the attack, choosing to use fullbacks more than tailbacks. Whatever the case, Wisconsin staff is exploring all avenues. In some ways, a healthy PJ Hill would have made game planning easier for Ohio State based on fewer unknowns. But again, this is all based on Hill not playing or being limited in doing so - two scenarios I fail to accept as legitimate possibilities. Wisconsin may not be trying to dupe or hoodwink the Buckeyes but they are keeping information purposefully scarce. I just can't see Hill skipping this game - against this defense.

Elsewhere, Gonzo clone Luke Swan talks about his hamstring tear which has sidelined him for the season.

Update (10:01pm): Bielema says Hill hasn't practiced but is improving each day:

"All week he has gotten better every day, and hopefully he will continue to get that way. Saturday will be a game-time decision in his hands whether he can go or not."

There you have it.

Flag Conspiracy: Obviously said in jest but what the hell is going with the officiating of Ohio State football games? I know, I know, my good blog buddy John Gasaway, formerly of the Big Ten Wonk and now with Basketball Prospectus, taught me long ago that complaining about the refs is a tired pastime left best alone.

But, I can't help it.

The opponents of Ohio State are the least penalized of any Big Ten team...for the third straight year. Conversely, we've had the most flags against us (flags, not penalty yards). Nothin' to see here. Carry on.

Major Award: AJ Trapasso has been named a semi-finalist for the Ray Guy Award which goes to the nation's top collegiate punter. Brian Robiskie made the semi-finalist cut for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the top receiver.

I'm not even going to pretend to know what the deal is with Wisconsin. For some reason, in recent history, they have dominated Ohio State winning four of the last six including two straight in Ohio Stadium. On top of that, two other Badger wins came after the Buckeyes jumped out to 17-0 leads. To get all Superman on you, the Badgers are Kryptonite for Ohio State. Being off the schedule the last few years suited me just fine.

The series picks up again this Saturday and Wisconsin would like nothing more than continue their assault. Ohio State needs to be emotionally charged for the game even though natural reaction dictates a letdown coming off a big win. This is easier said than done, especially for Jim Tressel as the cheeseheads are the only team who can say they sport a winning record against the Vest. But, there's hope. Not only is Ohio State the better team this year, Kirk Ferentz and Iowa have apparently drafted the blueprint on beating the Badgers.

Iowa's Success

• 2002 - Iowa 20 Wisc 3
• 2003 - Iowa 27 Wisc 21
• 2004 - Iowa 30 Wisc 7
• 2005 - Iowa 20 Wisc 10

Iowa beat Wisconsin four years in a row from 2002-2005 (a quick look didn't yield another team that matched this). In 2006, they lost a close one and this year a vastly inferior Iowa team took the Badgers deep into the 4th quarter before losing 17-13 in Camp Randall. That should have never happened. I mean, this Hawkeye team completed all of 4 passes in regulation against Michigan State.

Ferentz, however, knows the secret potion to get the Wisconsin out of sync. Even in the loss last year, Iowa averaged 7.1/carry against a pretty decent Wisconsin defense. Albert Young is good but he's no Darren McFadden or Chris Wells for that matter. So, it may be beneath us but someone better take a look at the Iowa tapes; take a cue from our fellow four letter state brethren. Look at the offense and defense, pick up some nuance that we might be able to employ because if Wisconsin is our Kryptonite, Iowa is for the Badgers. Maybe it was only an Alvarez thing but but it can't hurt, even if PJ Hill's availability is in question.

According to the national media, Penn State represented the biggest challenge for Ohio State. JoePa's team came in with an excellent defense and an offense ironically sparked by the unfortunate suspension of running back Austin Scott. The stage was set with a night game in front of a national audience and the second largest crowd in Beaver Stadium - an environment ripe to explode with an upset. After all, the Lions were somebody, a team dramatically different than what the Buckeyes have seen in previous weeks based on a schedule chock full of weakness. So, it was with great pleasure that I watched Ohio State prove critics wrong again in their thorough 37-17 beating of Penn State.

The genesis of the pleasure was more than just exalting in victory. One has to remember what occurred the last time we played in Happy Valley, when Troy Smith was blind-sided on what could have been a game tying drive. The fumble recovery closed out the loss and punctuated a miserable trip where the band was treated in despicable fashion. Seeing as how the offensive line performed, it's appropriate to let Kirk Barton explain, as only he can, that the victory was for the team and others:

"Real quick before I go on, I just want to say we dedicated this to our band, well, that's something I came up with because they couldn't come back after they had like piss bombs and blood balls thrown at them last year, so this is for our band. It's not all Penn State fans, it only takes a couple, but it spoils the whole experience of college football for our band. Just let them know we're thinking about them (the band)."

Of course, they were playing for themselves more than anything. The offensive line in particular felt the desire to amend some breakdowns that occurred against Michigan State. From Barton to Boone and everyone in between, Todd Boeckman barely had a hand on him through much of the game. This protection provided the time for Todd to surgically shred the Nittany Lion defense with passes of all types: dump offs, intermediate routes and the deep ball. Third down conversions were staggeringly successful mainly because of the efficiency of Boeckman and the playcalls from Jim Tressel.

The arial attack was balanced with a healthy dose of Beanie Wells. Though he never had a run more than 17 yards, Beanie churned well over 100 yards on very consistent running. Even Mo Wells looked sharp providing the type of substitute this team needs when Beanie needs a break. Put it all together and the attack left Penn State defenders questioning their play and solemn in defeat. Or as one PSU fan described the loss:

Empty 55 gallon drum of WHOOP A$$ on the visitors sideline.

You'll find no disagreement here. Kudos, too, for descriptive writing example.

This all brings me back to the national media The convincing win has activated a subtle movement from uncertainty to mild praise. Various media outlets actually believe in this team which is notable considering the bevy of naysayers from coast to coast just a few days ago. With each week, we keep taking care of our business and moving on. And, no matter what cockamainy spin someone tries to put on it, winning is always better than a loss - no matter how pretty the loss was our who it came against. Some just take longer to understand this lesson.

My game analysis is up with the caveat it was written without a game review. I do, however, have some thoughts on the play of Marcus Freeman as it relates to James Laurinaitis. I have some game video from ESPN in the sidebar. No play of the week as I don't have video which is fine. BCS Standings have changed little and game time and channel for Wisconsin has been announced: Noon on the Big Ten Network.

To Penn State's credit, their white out idea has been habitually repeated the last two ears by various teams. The central idea is the same, only the color changes. We even tried it once in Ohio Stadium with moderate success. Yes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery as they say but the Nittany Lions may be trying to one up themselves. There is at least one Facebook group dedicated to enhancing this year's white out with...glow sticks. The Daily Collegian even gives a mention. I guess it will be interesting to see if this actually pulled off, or if it's just a small faction of people who follow through.

It doesn't stop there. Coach Joe Paterno will be lathering up a pep rally crowd on Friday night - much like he did in 2005. In some ways, the Ohio State game represents salvation for many Nittany Lion fans because a win over the top ranked team gets their team back into the thick of things and maybe even the top 15. And should Ohio State lose, prepare yourself for a unprecedented free fall drop in the polls.

Beanie's bone chip turns out not to be one. That's the story from Ohio State anyway as posted by Dispatch writer Ken Gordon. It was Gordon who first broke the news of the bone chip injury (which is different than bone spur, I don't know why Ken is using both terms interchangeably) told to him by an anonymous source. Now Coach Tressel and Beanie himself are playing coy forcing Gordon to issue his mea culpa. Which brings me to my point: he really may have a bone chip in his ankle. The only difference now is some interference has been run casting uncertainty.

Sunday Morning QB has issued some thoughts on Ohio State and their legitimacy as a true #1. HIs blogpoll ballot actually clues us in on what side he's one - he OSU staggeringly low. Anyway, this new article is based entirely on statistics because, as he admits, he's barely seen 'one snap' of Ohio State. That doesn't mean there isn't some good data to chew on - there is and a lot of it - and it should confirm the Buckeyes will only convince some if they win it all.

If there was ever a time to use the internet acronym OMG, it occurred late in the third quarter during Ohio State's 24-17 victory over the Spartans. Three minutes of pure craziness turned a 24-0 beating into several tense moments which, depending on your personality, was punctuated by either the most vile cursing you could muster or just general mouth agape speechlessness. I know which side I was on.

What happened cannot be explained other than to say the Ghosts of '98 swept into a perfectly tranquil Ohio Stadium and disrupted things for short period of time when five snaps from center resulted in an interception and two fumbles. Two of the three plays wound up as turnovers and 14 points for Michigan State. We were apparently and unfortunately in the gift giving mood so it should be noted our offense really scored 38 points. It was so extraordinary it's worth showing how the play-by-play boxscore read because if there's ever a sequence of events to learn from it's this:

My initial reaction was to cast all blame to the offensive line. Initial reactions can be wrong though and after further processing, Todd Boeckman really shoulders the interception almost completely. Michigan State sent a blitzing linebacker who wasn't picked up, Todd made the correct hot read but the throw was painfully behind Brian Hartline which made easy work for Otis Wiley. However, I think the offensive line is to blame for the sack and forced fumble and, apparently, Kirk Barton agrees:

It's hard to go out there with your family after a game like this, when you're outclassing a team, and all of a sudden they come back because you give them a couple easy bunnies. Our defense has been lights out, as they have been in every game, and our offense was doing a couple stupid things. It's hard to be calm and not throw a hissy fit right now, but I'm not happy."

And this:

“When your foot is on that jugular, you have to kill that fool. You don't just back off, let him stand up and punch you a couple of times and then knock him back down."

More than anything, I think the offensive line was confused on what would have been a screen to the left side of the field. The entire right side of the line mismanaged their blocks leading to the sack and Boeckman fumble. Sure, Todd could have seen it coming but then again, he barely finished his drop before being blindsided and that has to be on the guys up front. Oh and "kill that fool" (metaphorically speaking) should become the team motto from this point forward or, if not the team, the offensive line at the very least.

The good thing is these three plays, for the most part, were pretty much all that was wrong with the day. I thought the offensive line played very well, especially the first half. It helped that we boot-legged Todd quite a bit and the misdirection confused the Spartans. He started out hitting his first 10 passes including a sterling strike from his own endzone to Brian Robiskie on third and long. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the reemergence of the toss sweep, which helped jumpstart Wells' day early. Overall, It was about as effortless of a 24 point lead as one team could build - and it likely should have been more. I still cannot get over the blatant incorrect ruling in regards to Javon Ringer's fumble. Ruled correctly and Ohio State has the ball again inside MSU's 30 and up 17-0.

And That Defense: Say want you want about who've played, but Michigan State, from all accounts, possesses a fine offense - one that is balanced and has rolled up almost 600 yards on three occasions. Against Ohio State, they scored 3 points and ran only 7 plays on our side of the 50. They also were held to less than 80 yards in the first half and 185 overall. We do this with two starters out for the year - Lawrence Wilson and Curtis Terry.

Trapasso's Value: Special teams players get precious little pub and when they do, it's usually for something bad like a missed FG or blocked punt so I think it's worthwhile to point out the double duty AJ Trapasso's been putting in the last few weeks. We know he's been doing a great job punting the ball but he has now taken over full time kickoff duties as well and to our surprise, he has a cannon attached to his hip. While most teams struggle with the new kickoff rules, AJ can bomb it into the endzone pretty much when he wants. About the only thing that can stop it is a 30 mph north-south wind like the kind we had Saturday.

31/221: The 221 rushing yards by Beanie is good for ninth best all-time at Ohio State. It's even more impressive considering he was docked 13 yards for the fumble, forced by Hilliard graduate Antonio Jeremiah, and subsequent backwards travel until Beanie recovered his own mistake in one of the more fortuitous breaks of the year. All this production from a player with an injury officially diagnosed as a bone chip in his ankle.

Still working on game analysis and accompanying video.

Troy Smith championed an OSU era of nearly unparalleled success at the quarterback position. The once dodgy and erratic passer blossomed into a complete player, one who would win the Heisman and ride off with the all-time highest passing efficiency rating in Big Ten history. To say his departure left an unsettling void would be an understatement, and certainly the replacement couldn't begin to approach the numbers and level of play Smith displayed.

Or so most thought.

Todd Boeckman has taken over the reigns and offers a style of play that's almost completely different than Smith. He's bigger, much taller and a classic pocket passer who patiently waited through greyshirt and redshirt years. He was a player who'd attempted only a handful of passes and was more known for his age than his ability. But, that has quickly changed through the first seven games of the year. He's suddenly become a player who is so vital to our success, I quiver with the thought of having to win games with one of the backups.

To be perfectly clear, Boeckman really hasn't played at the level of Smith and that surprises no one. However, he has surpassed the expectations of most and the numbers so far, as shown in the graphic, are quite impressive. I went back and compiled Smith's data through the first seven games last year to get a comparison of the job Todd's doing. Sure, the level of competition should be rightfully noted (Smith had played 3 ranked teams, two on the road) but for a quarterback with precious little opportunity before being thrust into the spotlight, Boeckman has played outstandingly well.

Clearly the biggest difference between Smith and Boeckman isn't reflected in the graphic. Troy's running ability was the wildcard that froze defenses and occupied the mind of opposing coordinators. But, Todd's passing numbers are worthy of highlight, starting with his pass efficiency stat which leads the Big Ten by nearly 20 points and isn't too dissimilar to Smith. Boeckman also sports a nifty 16-6 TD/INT ratio and when you remove the 3 virtual punts at Purdue, it's even better. But, without question the best number of the group has to be his completion percentage. Todd doesn't have Troy's luxury of throwing to a mature receiving group that included two first rounders and a fifth round selection. So, with basically all new receivers, Boeckman has still put up numbers which are near the top of the league.

None of this is to say, Todd doesn't have improvement to make. We've seen his propensity to under throw the deep ball and it bothers us despite Tressel ordering the tactic. We also have yet to see him 'win' a game for us when it's on the line, but I can do without this scenario as long as we're winning big. Beyond that, we should be thrilled with the quietly successful season we're getting and the numbers bear it out. There will be a natural dip as the competition ratchets upward but sustaining some semblance of this start will be crucial to our end of year success.

The Plain Dealer's Doug Lesmerises reported late today that Anderson Russell will be ready to play against Michigan State. Color me surprised since Russell didn't put any weight on his leg as he was being helped off the field. The source is unnamed but quoted:

"The doctor said he's lucky he didn't break his leg, but that's the kind of stuff he's made of."

Anderson is lucky but so too is the Kent player who torpedoed his knees. For those who haven't seen the video, YouTube comes to the rescue with the footage. It may not really be a dirty play but it was something more than just illegal (no flag, by the way naturally). And no, I'm not going to debate intent or malice. The video and Russell's forward fall speaks for itself.

Elsewhere, James Laurinaitis' injury is officially a hip pointer. He has already declared he'll be fine for practice on Tuesday which assumes he'll be ready for Michigan State as well. Also, Brandon Saine says he feels no pain and his injury is behind him.

Kent State represented the final game in a trilogy of awful in state opponents and the 48-3 victory was methodical and rather uneventful. But there were a few noteworthy performances. Todd Boeckman helped guide the Buckeyes to a 35-0 halftime lead on the strength of 13-16 passing. His two touchdowns and 184 yards will fortify his hold on the passing efficiency lead. Brian Hartline got things started with a touchdown reception to open the scoring and then followed up with a 90 yard punt return, the longest in Ohio Stadium. Elsewhere, the defense caught an interception and actually ran it back for a score. This is progress!

In an obvious planned move, the running game was virtually non-existent with Beanie Wells getting only four carries and Brandon Saine with nine – half of which came late in the 4th quarter. Saine, in fact, lead the team in rushing and receiving - something that hasn't been done in six years. Wells, for his part, did score on a 7 yard run where he ran over not only Kent defenders but also his left guard, Steve Rehring. Whatever it takes big fella!

The lack of carries may have been a tactic to prevent further injury, but we were still bitten by the bug. Anderson Russell went out of the game in the second quarter with an ankle problem. It was an aggravation of the injury he sustained at Minnesota which I highlighted a few weeks ago. Russell wasn't the only one as linebacker James Laurinaitis left the game near the end of the first half with either a hip problem or lower abdomen issue There are two stories floating around. Neither player returned.

The loss of Russell and Laurinaitis had little impact on Jim Heacock's defense. While they allowed for some movement between the 20s, Kent never threatened to score except their late FG as time was running out. One could have asked for a little crisper tackling and better breakdown fundamentals in the open field because Golden Flash running back Eugene Jarvis bounced off a horde of would-be tacklers. The diminutive runner - who is 5'5" in cleats on concrete - compares favorably to former Northern Illinois back Garrett Wolfe. His first half success wasn't all that unexpected as he helped Kent put up 453 yards of total offense on Kentucky. Kent can move the ball and showed for a period of time today.

Other Stuff

• I must have the damnedest luck because, for all those touting the reliability of DirecTV, we had no feed for the first 10 minutes of the game. Hartline scored his first TD and the only thing we saw was a message from DirecTV that basically said: "We know there's a problem. Don't call us." Nice.
  
• Despite walking out of the locker room with crutches, Anderson Russell's injury is apparently not a worry according to his parents, if you believe this post. This is what makes the internet great; a Buckeye fan happens to be watching the game in Atlanta, next to his table is Russell's parents who seemingly received updates on their son via cellphone. Those updates were relayed to nearby tables. That information was uploaded to the internets. Again, if you believe the post.
  
• More on Russell's injury: Do you think he got an apology from Kent's Derek McByrd? That was one of the dirtiest blocks I've seen this year.
  
• And a final thought: on AR: Who replaced him could be an important factor for Michigan State (if Anderson can't go). It seems like when we're in base, the player in the game is Jamario O'Neal. However, when we're in nickel, Shaun Lane appears to get the nod with Chimdi Chekwa also coming onto the field.
  
• Ryan Pretorius has quietly put together a very good season to date. 12-14 FGs including a 49 yarder today; plus he was doing an admirable job on kickoffs before we made the switch to Andrew Good and AJ Trapasso (both of whom handled the duties again today).
  
• Maybe we now understand why Rob Schoenhoft completed passes at a 45% clip in high school. With Antonio Henton still suspended, Schoenhoft played the entire second half. Currently, he's good for a minimum of two throws 5 yards short of his intended receiver...and for no reason at all. I mean, do we have mechanical problems, release problems, mental problems or what?

Other instant analysis can be found at 11W. I will probably post a condensed game analysis tomorrow because video is lacking and it's not really worth tracking down.

On the heels of LSU's loss and Cal's defeat, Ohio State will be the new #1 in just about any poll with sanity. This setups up a rematch of sorts with Michigan State who, in 1998, beat the #1 ranked Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium 28-24. Oh yeah, we remember. It was the first thing that crossed my mind when time expired on the Cal Bears. The architect of that Spartan defense? Mark Dantonio.

Nevertheless, we control our own destiny which is about all you can ask at this point in the season. Most of the media hates it and I love that.

Edit (10/14): Ohio State is atop all the major polls, including the BCS, after a topsy turvy weekend of college football. The polls offered little surprise outside one writer still voting LSU in the top spot, despite losing yesterday to a team who had already lost once themselves. Makes perfect sense. Your top 10:

So, it's good to be in the top 2 but the poll means little if we don't win out. In fact, there is so much OSU angst among national pundits, a loss will send us plummeting. If you missed the BCS Show, video here.

The Dispatch has you covered for just about any detail of this game. The Big Ten Network interrupts routines again. Sports bars flourish.

Kent State head coach Doug Martin apparently likes to go against the grain. While Ohio State is the team suffering through numerous injuries and would benefit holding some players out, it's actually Kent State who will be trying to preserve health. Martin has vowed to play anyone with a pulse against the Buckeyes regardless of the score. Read through the fluff and he's essentially conceding defeat, collecting the university's paycheck and readying for their own conference slate. Right?

I'm not so sure I believe what this old ball coach is trying to sell. I've never seen a coach say something like this heading into a game his players have probably pointed to all summer. It reminds me of the Lou Holtz 'tout-your-opponent-into-oblivion' method of gamesmanship. This is a Kent team, while not ranked, that has played some decent football this year. They went into Iowa State and won and they were tied with 17th ranked Kentucky in the third quarter. Hey, they're better than Appalachian State.

For his part, Tressel hasn't bought into any of it either. Beanie Wells is going to play (until we have a comfortable lead) and the team appears to be saying all the right things. And this is a good thing because Martin's snake-in-the-grass tactics shouldn't work even with effective runners like Eugene Jarvis and QB Julian Edelman.

More relevant news and notes...
Site Updates: The Purdue game analysis is finally done and has been uploaded. In a nutshell, the defense and special teams were flawless. Offense needs to find some consistency but that will probably only come with some health. Also, you can listen to me again at CFB Weekly. It's a little dated but you can pick up my portion of the interview at the 32 minute mark. Twang. Twang. Twang.

Big Ten Network Free Preview: The title says it all. The free preview will be delivered tonight via live streaming from the official BTN site and it will feature the show "Big Ten Tonight: Basketball Tip Off Edition". Ought to be interesting seeing if this actually works without a stuttering feed.

Worthy Cause: We Suck at Sports has a humorous and hopefully effective petition going to keep Michigan coach Lloyd Carr (and others). Many feel this is Lloyd's last season at UM based on his lack of success against Jim Tressel and being part of perhaps the biggest upset in college football. You can read the petition and add your name and get a chuckle out of some of those who have signed before you.

The IAA Rule is True: Most know I'm not a fan our our schedule with the three in state opponents in the same season. Now it's been brought to light the scheduling of Youngstown State, because they are a IAA team (FCS to use the new terminology), can come back to bite us in the ass. First mentioned by Jim Carty of the Ann Arbor News and subsequently verified by MVictors, the new tiebreaker rule could affect the conference's automatic BCS selections. It applies only to the Rose Bowl but still it raises the damn good question why we (or any B10 team) would schedule Appalachian State or YSU? The reward is positively dwarfed by the risk.

What are the odds Gene Smith knows about this? Even Tressel for that matter? The rule in all its glory is here (Item B, Section 3):

If there is still a tie for the championship, or if the tied teams did not play each other, the team that played more games against Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams shall be eliminated.

Just say No to IAA. Look for this rule change to gain some traction in the media as the season goes on and then look for it to be removed completely in 2008.

I read this on a number of sites today so attribution is difficult and, beyond that, this needs no ramp up anyway. Let's get right to it:

Ohio State opponents have more punts (57) than points (45)!

This ri-damn-diculous stat is made even more impressive when you subtract the amusingly late garbage touchdowns (2 - Washington & Purdue) and the safety the offense allowed against Akron (Edit: plus NW kickoff return. Thanks, zb). It would be a notable statistic only one game into the season, let alone six. And, there's a good possibility it will still hold true after this weekend.

We salute the Silver Bullets...at least two of them anyway:

Edit: The blogpoll ballot below has been updated with comments.

Seemingly the entire country - at least the college football experts - had Ohio State undefeated through the first eight games. Though I did not disagree, I thought it was a little premature to so egregiously look past the Boilermakers considering our recent history. I even wrote as much earlier in the week but it only took about ten minutes beyond kickoff to ease my trepidation. In the end, the gimmicky "Blackout" was avoided with an elementary 23-7 victory.

The storyline begins and ends with the defensive effort. Purdue's high powered offense came into the game averaging 45 points and bazillion yards. They were roundly throttled to the tune of 90 total yards in the first half and several instances of outright displays of frustration by various Boilermakers. And, who can blame them when you put up zero points until a meaningless 88 yard drive at the end of the game. That drive was capped by a touchdown with 10 seconds to play and it propelled them over the 200 total yard mark. They also didn't cross our 40 yard line until 1:14 remained in the game. Dorien Bryant, so fearsome, was held to two catches for minus 4 yards. I could go on but I'll stop there.

Pinpointing what specifically troubled Purdue can be hard for us layman. We mostly see a defense that is in position, making plays and rarely missing tackles. But Purdue head man, Joe Tiller, goes a bit further and singles out the speed and skill of our linebackers:

"Unless you were watching a different game than I was, it was apparent how fast their linebackers are. They were able to get underneath our routes, and we haven't played an opponent yet that's been able to do that. Their linebackers took away our underneath stuff, and we thought that would be there. (That defense) overpowered us at times."

That they did and, in fact, while I thought the linebackers were exceptionally good, the secondary was maybe even better. My Play of the Week video salutes the defense with special emphasis on the secondary. Donald Washington may be our most underrated player on defense and Chimdi Chekwa, a player most in the Big Ten haven't heard of, was simply the conference player of the week. Now we know why JT recruits so many DBs.

If Only the Score Told the Whole Story: Nary a word has been written about the offense but they were on the field. It's just that we were largely inconsistent which left most longing more points. The first half was perfectly acceptable with well over 200 yards and 14 points in a little over 10 game minutes. In and of itself, these quick scores were crucial because it sobered up the raucous crowd at Ross-Ade Stadium. However, the later 23-0 margin simply didn't define the how significantly we were battering Purdue. Beanie's tender ankle and Todd Boeckman's punts er - interceptions - stymied likely scoring drives.

"And Almost Intercepted": This phrase would be the oft repeated one as delivered by Brent Musberger during the telecast. Ohio State, led by Anderson Russell, dropped SIX interceptions which leads me to ask: Can we get some pass-catching practice time up in here? Along with Russell's two drops, four other players had one drop each: James Laurinaitis, Marcus Freeman, Larry Grant and Dexter Larimore. Larimore's pained me the most as it would offered a last second prevention of Purdue's garbage touchdown.

Squashing Distractions: First off, the Buckeyes were battling bulletin board material provided by Kirk Herbstreit. On last week's GameDay when talking about Purdue, he said "they suck" when expectations are high. That probably made it back to Purdue coaches, I'm not sure. On top of that, those who read the site just before kick off heard about two rumors, both of which started to circulate on Friday night.

Both turned out to be true for the most part.

The first was the team having to check out of their rooms by noon...for an 8pm game. Tress handled it with class but talk about adjusting schedules. Also, super-star-to-be linebacker Thaddeus Gibson got into a huff and left the team during practice last week. He thought better of it, returned and was welcomed back but was not allowed to trip to West Lafayette. With Ross Homan out and Curtis Terry redshirting, losing Gibson would have been the epitome of horrible timing.

Master of his Domain: Jim Tressel's domain would be special teams and he made an effective strategy change Saturday night. The