As an Ohio State fan, I've spent the last few months trying to justify to myself that it wasn't that bad, that things were inevitably at their lowest today and in no way could they stumble further into the cellar tomorrow. Oops.

Now? Yeah, whatever. They did it. They did everything. Terrelle Pryor fights dogs with Michael Vick, robs stage coaches and eats baby brains? Sure. I'm buying. Jim Tressel worships Satan and drinks cases of Busch Light by himself at home in his garage? Sounds perfectly plausible. Ohio State football will field a team of Yorkshire Terriers next season? I can totally see that.  

Why the hell not? Pryor is already apparently breaking every other rule possible - including getting somewhere between $20-$40K for autographing memorabilia for an Ohio State booster who gave him cash and, oh yeah, checks. (Seriously, do we not know that checks are easily traced? We have to be the worst cheaters ever.)

Of course, Pryor will have to sell his autographs somewhere else since he won't be doing it in Columbus anymore. The quarterback declared his eligibilty over for Ohio State - just before the NCAA was about to do the same.

As more and more pieces become public, Tressel's resignation becomes clearer. Things are bad. This football program at OSU is undergoing a pre-emptive internal strike to avoid the NCAA's even more epic wrath. Tressel's gone. Pryor's gone. A lot of wins from the past two seasons will be gone. AD Gene Smith, despite anything you read, is also gone. Luke Fickell is a true interim coach and will be gone next year because nobody associated with this mess will survive. Scholarships will be gone and probably any chance at playing in a bowl game next year.

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So I was waiting to write something about Jim Tressel's resignation until the Sports Illustrated bombshell hit the interwebs tonight. After Tressel's sudden and reportedly forced resignation Monday, the timing seemed more than coincidence with the upcoming release of the SI piece. Common sense dictated to most of the college football world that some charge of damning evidence had convinced Ohio State higher-ups that Tressel couldn't survive the looming NCAA hearing in August.

But, if you read the linked piece, you won't find a ton of SMU-in-the-80s info. Yeah, turns out Jim Tressel hasn't received his angel wings. And he conveniently ignores his player's transgressions. And it tuns out maybe more than the original six players were involved in trading stuff for tats, cash and weed.

Okay. Sure there's some damaging stuff there. But after that build-up and the constant stream of press over the past few months, it wasn't quite the hammer most expected.

It's a bit puzzling. Just two weeks ago Ohio State AD Gene Smith was still standing behind Tressel. What exactly made the Ohio State administration and Board of Trustees do such an about face?

Was it the news that QB Terrelle Pryor is now the target of a new and more in-depth investigation?

(By the way, Pryor, for good measure showed up at a team meeting tonight driving a 350Z with temporary tags. Oh, AND WBNS-TV in Columbus had footage of Pryor driving a brand-new Dodge Challenger with dealer tags this week).

Pryor's seemingly long list of indiscretions could have put the administration over the edge, especially if you consider the NCAA's ruling against USC and Reggie Bush that essentially said more successful players must be monitored more.

More likely, though, it was death by a million paper cuts (and slightly larger knives) of bad public relations. Three months of negative media coverage with many more months to come. It seems OSU's leadership finally realized that no matter the outcome of the NCAA investigation - this whole thing was never going to go away as long as Tressel was coach.

If that's the case, then it seems pretty plausible that AD Smith and most of Ohio State's compliance department should be rewriting their resumes as well. It's difficult to imagine anyone involved surviving this mess. no comments

Saturday's Ohio State spring game was probably the most interesting since 2002 when everyone wanted a look at Maurice Clarett. Of course, it shouldn't have been interesting at all. If it wasn't for the looming five-game suspension of the Tat 5, including starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor, Saturday's scrimmage would have been the typical "who should be the third-string strong safety?" kind of stuff that comes about every spring.

Instead, 40-some thousand Ohio State fans shelled out $15 (WHAT THE!?) to watch four quarterbacks slug it out in an attempt to get a leg up heading into the summer practices.

Most who left - and the legion watching at home via the Big Ten Network - came away a little giddy with the performance of true freshman Braxton Miller. An early enrollee, Miller looked composed, led the offense on two scoring drives and looked, well, competent.

There are caveats, of course.
A) It was the Spring Game, virtually meaningless to everyone except fans desperate for a glimpse of something, anything.
B) The Ohio State secondary was beyond banged up. There were more pads left at the practice facility then on the field.
C) Did I mention it was the Spring Game?

Yet Miller just looked like a quarterback (and a lot like a QB named Troy Smith from a few years ago.) The rest of the field was up and down.
Senior Joe Bauserman remains a veteran with a scattershot arm - capable of drilling it into a window 30 yards downfield on one play and into the first row of B Deck on the next.
Sophomore Kenny Guiton looked better than his reviews coming into the game, but doesn't have the physical skills of the others.
Redshirt freshman Taylor Graham is a dead ringer for his Dad, Kent and lacks all the same mobility. (I was hoping Elliott Uzelac would start calling option plays for the kid just for a stroll down memory lane.). Graham has a big arm and threw a nice touch pass for a 68-yard TD pass. But he took five sacks - and really, how many non-mobiile QBs have seen consistent playing time under Tress?

Lots of time between now and the fall, but it's hard to envision Braxton Miller NOT involved in the offense the first fives games.

Other thoughts:

- The Buckeye defense will again be very good, if not a dominant force. A nice rotation of plenty of guys up front, some good linebackers finally getting their turn (Etienne Sabino in the middle) and lots of competition in the defensive backfield.
- Safety play may remain a concern, but most of those guys were watching from the sideline today.
- Running backs look strong with the trio of Jordan Hall, Rod Smith and Jamaal Berry providing a nice versatility of styles and strengths until Boom Herron comes back in game 6. Carlos Hyde was the second back in, but didn't have a great day. Still, he's the only true thumper and he'll get some carries.
- Wide receiver wasn't as bad as advertised. There were some drops, but there's talent. Enough to get through the first five games without Devier Posey? Maybe.
- The offensive line struggled with the first-team defensive unit, but was without starting tackle J.B. Shugarts. Either way, spring games are never easy on offensive lines.

So, things aren't as bad as I think most had feared. Too bad this wasn't one of those boring spring games where the vets are in place. But, it was a little more interesting than usual. no comments

Who needs the camouflage helmet more? Terrelle Pryor or Jim Tressel?

It's probably a toss up, but only Pryor will be wearing the Ohio State special digital camouflage helmets during spring practice.

The Buckeyes have their reasons for wearing them this spring, but I ask you what are your thoughts on the look? no comments

It wasn't that big of a surprise when the appeal of Ohio State's Tat 5 (QB Terrelle Pryor, RB Dan Herron, WR Devier Posey, OT Mike Adams and DE Solomon Thomas) was denied by the NCAA in an attempt to have their five-game suspension reduced.

But the second bit of news that came out ... sort of was as head coach Jim Tressel asked, yes REQUESTED to have his previous two-game suspension increased to five games.

"Throughout this entire situation my players and I have committed ourselves to facing our mistakes and growing from them; we can only successfully do that together," Tressel said in a statement. "Like my players, I am very sorry for the mistakes I made. I request of the university that my sanctions now include five games so that the players and I can handle this adversity together."

Look, I'm an admitted Ohio State grad and fan, but how much of this baloney are we supposed to swallow? Somehow they're spinning this that Tressel is a hero who wants to stand by his players? Or could it be that the NCAA made it clear that two games was not going to be nearly enough of a suspension for Tressel's transgressions and Ohio State just tried to get out in front of the story and increased suspension?

Either way, Tress is sitting for five games. Just tired of all the BS. Say you messed up. Take your suspension and stop with all the horribly poor public relations maneuvering. no comments

Ugh. Sometimes being a college football fan sucks. (And if you think it won't happen to good 'ol State U. where you attended - just wait.)

After Yahoo! Sports initial report that Ohio State head football coach Jim Tressel knew of the NCAA violations of the last year's Tatgate in Columbus almost nine months before admitting it, the school has suspended Tressel for two games and fined him $250K.

In a very awkward press conference Tressel attempted to explain that he received an email from an attorney in April of 2010 informing him that two players (the number would later grow to six) were connected to a federal drug investigation of tattoo parlor owner in Columbus. Tressel claimed he didn't inform anyone because the attorney asked that he keep the fact in confidence so as not to endanger the federal investigation. In doing so, Tressel violated NCAA rules by not informing college football's overlords that some of his players had potentially violated the rules.

Frankly, watching the press conference, Tressel's excuses came off as a bit contrived, especially when asked why the named players were permitted to play during the 2010 season despite the head coach being aware they may not be eligible. Tressel gave an answer that essentially said he didn't want to give away the secrecy of a federal investigation.

I guess there's no way that can be refuted but it seems a pretty far-fetched of an excuse. And why did it take until January for this to be outed when Ohio State held a press conference on the subject in mid-December? To me, Tress tried to cover for his players' stupidity with his own stupidity. Stupid is what I'm saying. I think "Uh, I forgot." would have been more believable.

For now it's two games, but the NCAA hasn't had a whack at this one yet. Wouldn't surprise me to see Tressel's suspension upped to four games or maybe five to match his players. no comments

I'm all for college football traditions and even a little bit of insanity when it comes to a fan's passion for his team.

Well, meet uber Ohio State-fan Paul Janssen. He's beyond dedicated. The dude actually built a Lego-replica of Ohio Stadium using million pieces. How long did it take him? Oh, he started planning it in 2005 and started construction in 2009.

Janssen, who is an associate professor in Ohio State's Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, has a nifty plan. He hopes to display it at OSU and use it as a fundraiser for his research on heart failure and muscular dystrophy.

Good luck Dr. Janssen.

(HT: Columbus Dispatch) no comments

Allstate Sugar Bowl

Superdome, New Orleans

Ohio State (11-1) vs. Arkansas (10-2)
Time: 8:30 p.m.
Date: Jan. 4
TV: ESPN
Line: Ohio State -3.5

About Ohio State: “How to get to 11 wins without beating anybody” by Jim Tressel. That’s the Buckeyes story this year. Everybody Ohio State beat turned out to be pretty much a pile of crap. To their credit Ohio State took care of business. To their discredit, their one significant game – on the road at Wisconsin – was a physical beatdown. QB Terrelle Pryor is good, but not great. The defense is good, but not great. And then there’s the whole tattoo, memorabilia thing to suck the life out of Ohio State fans.

Intangibles:
Gold Pants +2
Gold Pants on EBay +$950
Jim Tressel +2
Still not John Cooper +50

About Arkansas: The Razorbacks put up lots of points this year and they play in the S!E!C! for God’s sake, so you know they’re good. Ryan Mallett is 6-foot-6 of cannon arm, southern swagger and nearly unintelligible speaking. It doesn’t matter, coach Bobby Petrino points at a spot and Mallett throws it there. Tight end D.J. Williams is a threat and the defense, well, they’ll field 11 players. Arkansas fans are mildly excited about their first BCS bowl. You can tell because the state is empty today.

Intangibles:
Bobby Petrino +1
Bobby Petrino speaking with an agent -3
Woo Pig Suey! +2
At least it’s not LSU +3

Impact player: Arkansas RB Knile Davis. Davis came on in the latter half of the season and provided actual offensive balance. Plus, if you took the ‘l’ out of his name and put it in an ‘f’, it would be ‘knife’ and that’s awesome.

Bowl slogan: “Relax, have another Hurricane. Your mugger will be with you shortly.”

Little Known Fact: Don’t know if anyone has mentioned it, but the B1G TEN is having kind of a shitty bowl season. No pressure, Buckeyes, but if you don’t win all is lost and the B1G will likely drop football.

Watchability (1-5): 4.6

The pick: Buckeyes 27, Razorbacks 24 no comments

These gloves somehow ended up being the most interesting part of yesterday's Ohio State-Michigan game. As the Buckeyes rolled to their seventh straight win, three excessive celebration penalties caused Jim Tressel to nearly lose his infamous calm demeanor. The culprit? The new Nike Pro Combat gloves, which when holding the hands together form a block 'O'.

After each Ohio State touchdown a Buckeye player inevitably held his hands together to form the 'O'. Referees, who had obviously seen Boys in the Hood a few too many times, apparently considered this some kind of insane gang hand symbol and decided to stop the Crips in their tracks by penalizing them 15 yards. Drew Basil spent a lot of time kicking off from his own 15 yard line.

Oh yeah, the actual game. Fun, of course, from my perspective. Michigan moved the ball to the tune of more than 350 yards of offense, but only managed seven points. And once Denard Robinson was knocked out of the game and replaced by Tate Forcier, Michigan's offense was in trouble. Senior linebacker Brian Rolle continued his stellar play and safety Jermale Hines was terrific.

Offensively, the Buckeyes were once again slow starters, but eventually seemed to find their rhythm. Michigan changed to a four-man front from their usual three-man look and it took awhile for the Buckeyes to adjust. Boom Herron rushed for 170 yards and had a 98-yard TD run changed to an 89-yard run after a late holding call. Michigan's defense might have played one of it's better games of the year, but that's not saying a whole lot.

Jim Tressel is now 9-1 against Michigan, meaning he's won more times against his biggest rival then UM coach Rich Rodriguez has won against the entire Big Ten in three seasons. Most of the postgame questions were about Rodriguez' future at Michigan.

Rumors about current Stanford coach and Michigan alum Jim Harbaugh replacing Rodriguez are flying around the internet, but it's unclear whether it's anything more than wishful thinking by UM fans. Harbaugh would certainly be a home run for Michigan considering the job he's done at Stanford.

Rodriguez' teams at Michigan have improved from three wins, to five to seven and a bowl game. But at the same time, they have only won once against an upper echelon team in the league beating Wisconsin last season. In person it's hard not to notice how Ohio State has physically dominated these three games, moreso than even the final score. Rodriguez does returen Robinson, who is an extraordinary talent who likely couldn't play QB in any other system. But is that enough to save his job? no comments

Since Phil shies away from anything that appears to be bragging or snobbery when it comes to Michigan Week, I thought I'd do it for him.

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