@KyleRowland, a writer at Buckeyegrove.com recently posted this picture of the 2012 Ohio State football schedule which hangs in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. I don’t know if Meyer had anything to do with it but it goes a long way in my book.

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Although I tend to shy away from the madness that has become college recruiting, this has been one of the wildest recruiting seasons for the Buckeyes that I can remember. Things looked much different back in October when Brady Hoke was rampaging through the state spreading stories about NCAA violations and lost playing time with the Buckeyes? You’ll recall that as the Buckeyes struggled through the season and tattoogate was still hanging over our heads, it looked like the Buckeyes could be in for a long slump.

What a difference an Urban makes!

I have to say that although it was frustrating to see Hoke pulling recruits out of Ohio, it was good to see that there was somebody at that school up north that understood that The Game starts somewhere around the junior year of high school (if not earlier). But it appears that Hoke has met his match against the recruiting dream team of Meyer, Fickell and Vrabel. When it’s all said and done, it’s looking like both the Buckeyes and TSUN will come out with recruiting classes in the top ten (if not top five) nationally.

One of my biggest disappointments with losing Coach Tressel was that we would never get to see Coach Tressel line up across the field from Hoke in what could potentially become a second 10 year war. Watching Meyer and Hoke go at it though, I may not be so disappointed. Add in the fact that Wisconsin lost most of their coaching staff and Penn State is dealing with Penn State and suddenly there is some open recruiting ground in the Big Ten. Although I’m not the first to say it, the good old days of the Big Two may be back, at least for the moment.

According to Rivals.com at the time of publishing this post, the Buckeyes have landed 14 four-star commits and 2 five-star commits currently making them Rivals’ No. 4 ranked recruiting class.

So which of Meyer’s new Buckeyes are you most excited to see play?

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.

(Oh…and there was a basketball game too.)

The Ohio State men’s basketball team, who kindly scheduled their game Sunday afternoon around Urban Meyer’s halftime introduction, entertained a capacity crowd at the Schott with a convincing 80-63 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers.

Part of what made last year’s Buckeye team enjoyable to watch (besides being intermittently treated to Jared Sullinger, Jon Diebler, and Aaron Craft attempting to “sing” Miley Cyrus songs) was the fact that someone new seemingly stepped up to shoulder the load in every game. Sure, Sullinger was technically the star, but it was a pretty safe bet that somebody else was putting up big numbers on any given night. This hasn’t quite been the case as much this year, but Lenzelle Smith Jr. did his best to change that, leading the way with a career high 28 points.

Smith Jr. certainly had help, with Sullinger scoring 16 points, William Buford adding 12, and Deshaun Thomas chipping in 11. But that’s not what I want to talk about. Aaron Craft’s defense (I know, tell me what else is new), particularly while defending Hoosier guard Jordan Hulls, was just downright awesome. I don’t really have another word for it (after all, I certainly wasn’t going to call him a crafty defender), but Craft set the tone right from the start.
Immediately after OSU scored its first basket, Matta’s point guard threw unsuspected pressure at Hulls, forcing a travel and immediately getting the raucous crowd into the game. Craft never eased up on the defensive intensity, even launching himself into the first few rows of the crowd at one point in an effort to retrieve a loose ball. In fact, the only thing I enjoyed more about the afternoon than watching Craft play defense was watching Gene Smith get heartily booed by the majority of the crowd as he took the microphone at halftime.

But I digress.

Clearly bothered by the Buckeye defense, Indiana only managed 14 first half points, and the contest was essentially over. The Buckeyes fixed the turnover problem that plagued them on New Year’s Eve in Bloomington (Craft, who had a career high six turnovers in the first meeting with the Hoosiers did not turn it over once Sunday) and enacted their revenge on Tom Crean’s Indiana squad.

The second half defense wasn’t quite the same from the Buckeyes, but it almost seems like nitpicking after a double digit margin of victory over a top ten ranked team. In fact, my only real concerns about the game were my realization that, between all his whining and “coaching,” Tom Crean is not reprimanded for spending more time on the court than his actual players, and the fact that an Indiana fan ended up winning the American Airlines free flight coupon prize given away during one of the timeouts. That is inexcusable promotional staff. Just inexcusable.

I know, this is supposed to be about basketball, but you didn’t really think I would just leave out anymore mentions of the halftime introduction of our new fearless football leader, did you? After all, how many basketball halftime presentations do you see where nobody gets up from their seats?

After dealing with Gene Smith for a few seconds, the crowd greeted Urban Meyer and his new coaching staff with an extended and passionate standing ovation. Luke Fickell’s reception, consisting of cheers and a “Luuuuuuuke” chant, was so loud that Meyer himself commented on it. Frankly, if you are not excited about the direction that the Buckeye football program is headed under this staff, you may need your Buckeye Nation membership card revoked. Sure, the buzzkill NCAA levied its punishment, but bowls are for cereal anyway, not football teams.

So when it was all said and done, between Meyer, Craft’s defense, Lenzelle Smith Jr. setting a career high in points scored, and some revenge on the pesky Hoosiers, it was a good day to be a Buckeye. But the best part? The free fries at the end. Just make sure you keep scoring 70 points guys, and we’ll all be happy.

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.

As Florida Gator fans sped out of Jacksonville Monday night proudly waiving their middle fingers and cussing at Buckeyes fans who happened to cross their path, they placed the final touch on a weekend that clearly defined the difference between these two schools. Traditionally, Buckeye Nation turns to their football team as a representation of the greatness which is The Ohio State University but every now and then we must look beyond the events on the field. We must look to the bigger picture. We must look to the pride, the traditions and the people that make The Ohio State University, “THE Ohio State University.”

While the rest of the college football world may cite the struggles of our football team in the Gator Bowl, by the time our young men walked onto the field Buckeye fans had won something much bigger. Although this “something” transcends mere words, it was readily apparent for those who were there to bear witness.

Ohio State Band Director Jon Woods Marches in his last football game

One would think that after the difficulties of this season and the let down of playing in the Gator Bowl, Ohio State fans would take a year off from their annual bowl travels and enjoy the New Year holiday at home. Add the fact that Jacksonville is about as far from Gainesville as Columbus is from Cincinnati and it would be easy to assume that the 2012 Gator Bowl would amount to a home game for the Florida Gators. I assure you, this was not the case. Buckeye fans were there in force and provided nothing if not a lesson for Gator fans in how to support your school.

The glaring difference in these two schools first became apparent at the Gator Bowl parade. As The Ohio State Marching Band passed it was immediately obvious to those who were new to TBDBITL that this was no ordinary marching band. Legendary band director Jon Woods lead the formation and you could see that this was a highly polished group. Lines were tight and the step was perfect. Assistant directors were evenly spaced along the rows with eyes forward at strict attention. When they played, their sound filled the streets with a power that rivaled the hot rods and Harley Davidsons which had passed earlier in the parade.

Buckeyes don't play no clarinets.

Then came the Florida Gators Marching Band. Assuming that they too enjoyed traditions as much as the Buckeyes, I turned to a group of Florida fans and asked them if the band had a nickname expecting them to respond with the Florida equivalent of TBDBITL. They all looked at me somewhat puzzled and laughed saying…uhm…”The Florida Marching Band?”

For the record folks, they are “The Pride of Sunshine.” And to the Gator fan who didn’t know, your mascot is named “Albert” not “Alfred” and his girlfriend is “Alberta.”

Suffice it to say that although I’m sure they do their best, the “Pride of Sunshine” is not a college marching band in the sense that Buckeye fans have come to know college marching bands. Without going into it any further than I already have, I will leave it to the pictures to tell the story.

Dr. Gordon Gee

A Tale of Two Pep Rallies
If you’ve never been to a pre-bowl pep rally, they are a sight to behold — at least for Ohio State fans. At this year’s Gator Bowl pep rally, two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin spoke to the crowd about how Ohio State made him the man he is today. Ohio State University president Gordon Gee spoke about the future of this great university and Ohio State football coach Luke Fickell told the crowd that he is and always will be a Buckeye exclaiming, “To go anywhere else would be an impossibility.”

Dressed in sports coats and ties the band played the pregame show and the crowd (which one Florida fan estimated to be in the thousands — a very unscientific count to be sure) sang along to the lines “We’ll win the game or know the reason why.” As they played, President Gee walked amongst the crowd talking to the fans, Archie Griffin signed autographs and even Coach Fickell stopped to shake a couple of hands before heading back to the team and pre-game preparations. As fans made their way back to the car celebrity fans Buck I Guy, Big Nut and BuckeyeMan could be found walking among the crowd stopping to pose for a picture or two or just share their love for Ohio State with a fellow Buckeye.

At the Florida pep rally, well, the band played.

There were no dignitaries, no Florida Gator legends and no dramatic speeches. If the university president was there, his presence was not noted. The cheerleaders did their best to sway a crowd eager to return to the neighboring strip mall in search of post Christmas bargains.

Hang your head proud Boom Herron for you are and always will be a Buckeye.

Game Day
If you happened to walk through the hotel of the Hyatt Regency Monday morning around 10 a.m., you would have seen an endless parade  of Ohio State Alumni decked out in their best game day colors as they headed up the escalators to the Alumni brunch. At the brunch they would once again hear Archie talk about growing together as a family as we worked through this difficult year and have a chance to talk for a few moments with Dr. Gee or Athletic director Gene Smith.

Florida fans were few and far between. I thought at first they were off at their own alumni brunch but at least the alumni I spoke to knew nothing of such organized alumni events.

A Tale of two Football Teams
Although I had hopes that the Ohio State offensive coaching staff would pull out all the stops in hopes of leaving some sort of legacy as they went out the door. Unfortunately, I think Jim Bohlman and the rest of the offensive coaching staff had already left the building. And for that much, the players on the field may have been looking past this game to the future that will become The Ohio State Buckeyes. The players were well aware that Urban Meyer had scheduled an early meeting the next morning and they were to go straight from the locker rooms to the airport to Columbus. I have the utmost respect for Coach Fickell but I think the Gator Bowl demonstrated again the coaching hierarchy in the 2011 Ohio State coaching staff. Fickell was the head coach but I can’t get over the sense that he didn’t have much pull with the Coach Tressel left overs.

We are in good hands Buckeye fans.

So as the Florida Gators take great pride in the fact that they are now 2-0 against Ohio State in recent bowl games, it is also important to step back and take a look at the context of these two games. The Florida Gators had good fortune to meet the Buckeyes directly after both the highest point in the history of Ohio State football and also after the lowest. In 2007, the BCS national championship was a mere afterthought to the true national championship game which had been played against Michigan in November. This year’s Gator Bowl saw an Ohio State team looking to put a difficult year behind them and already moving on to the glory that will come to the 2012 Ohio State Buckeyes.

Although there may be disappointment in the loss suffered in Jacksonville, take pride in the fact that there is much more to a great university than a football program. At the 2012 Gator Bowl, Buckeye Nation once again proved that The Ohio State University is in fact the TBDUITL.

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Just when things were starting to look up for the Buckeyes, the NCAA has issued a very painful, if not purely symbolic statement by banning Ohio State from post season play in 2012 (along with other penalties). After the self-imposed sanctions and the impact of Ohio State’s infractions (loss of Coach Tressel) upon the Ohio State community to continue to penalize is almost absurd. In a year of college scandals and inconsistency by the NCAA the penalties handed down are an attempt to maintain relevance in a world where they are losing control.

Although I’m not entirely convinced that Urban Meyer may stick around without the opportunity for post season spotlight (yes, I’m still struggling with the Urban Meyer decision but I’ll work through it), I don’t think this will have a big impact on recruiting. If anything, it should solidify the situation for Meyer and allow all to move forward.

So let’s review. As per the NCAA report filed today, 14 members of the Ohio State football team committed the following violations:

Over a period of two years, eight Ohio State football players sold memorabilia to a Columbus tattoo shop owner for a total of $9,950 in cash and tattoo discounts. One of those players also received a “discount” of $2,240 on the purchase of a used vehicle from the tattoo shop owner and a loan of $800 for vehicle repairs from the tattoo shop owner.

Three of the players above along with another two received a total of $1,605 (avg. $365 each) for work not performed while employed at a family business over the course of three summers. One of the players who sold memorabilia along with three other Ohio State football players received $200 for their help at a charity function.

Total benefits received: $13,990.

As a result of those violations and with today’s NCAA penalties the Ohio State University has:

1) Lost one of the best coaches in college football

2) Lost one of the best quarterbacks in college football

3) Accepted the suspension of one of their top players for 6 games

4) Accepted the suspension of one of their top players for 10 games

5) Accepted the suspension of three other players for 5 games

6) Vacated all wins during the 2010 football season including the BCS Sugar Bowl Win

7) Lost a total of 9 scholarships over the next 3 seasons (today’s NCAA ruling adding another 4 scholarships to the self-imposed five)

8 ) Forfeited a total $338,811 that was earned from the Sugar Bowl appearance — an amount nearly 25 times the money accounted for in the violations

9) Been banned from post season play in 2012 including the Big Ten Championship game (per today’s NCAA ruling)

10) Received another 1.5 year probation in addition to the self imposed probation offered by Ohio State

This is in comparison to the following violations:

Cam Newton – Father received approximately $180,000 in a pay to play recruiting scheme
Penalty – Newton left year early for NFL. Father gets early retirement bonus.

University of Miami (via NY Times):
Alleged payments amounting to “hundreds of thousands” of dollars to Miami players
Services of prostitutes offered to players
“Bounties” placed on opposing players (ie. Tim Tebow)
Total players involved: 72 – one of which allegedly accepted $50,000 as a player at Miami

Penalty received to date: 8 players suspended 1 game. One player suspended six games
Investigation Pending.

Penn State and Syracuse:
Refuse to make comparison for these offenses

I could go on citing Texan “scouting consultants,” California beach-front homes and others but you get the idea. The Buckeyes have paid dearly for violations that pale in comparison. Yes, the rules were broken but at some point, the punishment must fit the crime.

It’s over. Let’s look forward to the Gator Bowl and let’s blow them out of the water in 2012.

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.

From the Dec. 29, 1978 Toledo Blade. Shockling ironic in hindsight.

With Urban Meyer scouring the country stealing recruits and hiring new coaches and Buckeye Nation turning its eyes toward the 2012 season, it is easy to forget that we’ve still got a bowl to play. No, the Gator Bowl doesn’t provide the BCS glitz that Buckeye fans have become accustomed to over the years but it does provide the chance to notch a winning season and rinse out lingering BCS Championship frustrations.

Like the Buckeyes, the Gators are coming off a rough year and facing the possibility of their first losing season since the late ’70s. Florida coach Will Muchamp is struggling to rebuild a program somewhat decimated after the loss of their all-star quarterback. A win in the Gator Bowl would provide a much needed momentum boost as they head into the 2012 season.

Florida Offense
Florida offensive coordinator and former Notre Dame flop Charlie “insert joke here” Weis has left to start a five step year program at Kansas. Running back coach Brian White will be stepping in to call the plays. Weis has given the Gators nothing to brag about in the way of offensive play calling during the past season and White knows that this is his audition for the full-time position. It will be interesting to see if he takes an aggressive approach or settles back into a conservative, Jim Bollman style offense.

Florida quarterback Johnny Brantley has tried his hardest to fill the giant shoes left by his predecessor and he’s had his moments. He’s also been susceptible to fairly significant downfalls. As a senior, Mushamp has tagged Brantley as the starting quarterback but that doesn’t mean we may not see freshmen backups Jacoby Brissette or Jeff Driskell take a few snaps.

A healthy Buckeye defense, a defense like we saw in the first three quarters of the Nebraska game or against Wisconsin, should be able to give Brantley trouble and control the Gator offense. Shake him up, limit Florida’s ability to adjust and in turn, keep them off the field and the Buckeyes should be in for a good day.

Florida Defense
Although the Gator defense is ranked 9th in the country, they are 40th against the rush and have given up their share of big plays. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes are starting to find their own rhythm when it comes to big yards. It may well be that the home run play could be the clincher for the Buckeyes — either in the air or on the ground. Against Michigan, we saw the potential of the Braxton Miller/DeVier Posey connection. We’ve also seen Miller’s speed in an open field and his ability to salvage a broken play. Add a hungry Boom Herron looking to end his career on a high note and the Buckeyes could find the combination they need.

Thoughts?
How about it Buckeye fans (and any passing Gator fans). With both teams looking to the future, will there be enough excitement there to mentally get up for this game? If they do, what will it take to end this season on a high note.

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Let’s just get this out of the way. From this point on, I absolutely refuse to refer to the 2011 Gator Bowl as the Urban Meyer Bowl, the Urban Bowl, the Meyer Bowl or any other variation of the term. One of things that worries me most about Meyer is that as opposed to other Ohio State coaches that were about Ohio State first and the coach second, Urban Meyer seems to be all about Urban Meyer. I just don’t see Myer as one to initiate traditions such as the singing of the Carmen Ohio after games. I don’t know about you but I’m having a real hard time picturing Urban locked arm in arm with his team fighting back the tears after the team wins a historic victory over Michigan or secures a national title for the Buckeyes (o.k. so maybe I’m the one who has to fight back the tears but you get the picture).

Sort though the coaches at Ohio State, Woody Hayes, Earl Bruce, Jim Tressel, Luke Fickell (am I missing someone?). All of them were Buckeyes first and foremost. There is a reason coaches end their career at Ohio State. For most, coaching at Ohio State is the pinnacle of a dream. The top of the mountain. The culmination of a vision first played out in the back yards and vacant lots of some small Ohio town. They were Buckeyes from the day they were born and remain Buckeyes until the day they die. Sure, you can point out that Earl Bruce coached elsewhere after leaving Ohio State but who does Earl Bruce identify with and where is his presence still felt the most?

The question I have yet to see is if Urban Meyer will be that man. Yes, he was born in Ohio and yes, he coached under Coach Bruce and yes, he considers Coach Bruce a mentor and yes, Coach Bruce thinks of him as one of the best coaches in the business. Even with all that evidence stacked against me, my verdict still lingers.

So What’s the Problem Naptown?
To be honest, I have no solid argument. Maybe it’s my memories of Meyer complaining about how tough it was in the SEC. Maybe it’s deeply held frustrations over the BCS Championship loss to Florida. Maybe it’s the shambles Florida finds themselves in now. Maybe it’s just a gut feeling. I have no doubt that Urban Meyer will have an amazing run at Ohio State but there is more to being a Buckeye than winning games. For the true Buckeye fan, those of us who fight back tears during the singing of Carmen Ohio, there is something that transcends a mere victory. It is this “something” that hurt us all so bad when the tattoo scandal broke. I know that Meyer can bring us wins. The question is, can he build a dynasty?

Gator Bowl
Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, let’s all hope that Urban Meyer finds a cave somewhere locked far away from media access where he can watch the Gator Bowl. If not, once again the game will be all about Urban and not Ohio State/Florida. This may actually be a good test.

Many will say that the Gator Bowl selected Ohio State/Florida over a possibly better deserving teams (Purdue, Penn State) due to the Urban Meyer factor but I don’t agree. The coaching decision was merely icing on the cake (and that’s a lot of icing to be sure). It was fairly well known that the Gator Bowl had their sites on Florida some time out and Ohio State was an early call for the Gator Bowl dating back to preseason. Even without the Meyer factor, the opportunity to create an ’07 rematch was a great opportunity for the Gator Bowl.

And so there we are. Two 6-6 teams coming off one of their worse seasons in years squaring off in what may prove one of the biggest bowl audiences of the season. And although many Buckeye fans were secretly hoping the NCAA would finally make a decision and hold us out of this year’s bowl game, it won’t happen now. There is too much money at stake.

Home run for the Gator Bowl

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Photo stolen from our friends at The Buckeye Battle Cry

Although I want nothing more than to get into the hate that is the Ohio State/Michigan week, the Urban Meyer rumors just continue to grow. Although our friends at The Buckeye Battle Cry have done a much better job at keeping on top of this story better than I ever will, at some point you just throw in the towel.

First there were the rumours that Meyer turned down the head coaching position at Arizona, then the denial that Meyer ever talked to Arizona and had not talked to Ohio State followed by this mornings news that Meyer has agreed to a $40 million, seven-year deal with Ohio State “in principal.”

Meyer of course is denying this also. Expect to hear an announcement shortly after the Michigan game.

I’ve expressed my opinion of Urban Meyer many times on this blog. I guess we have the offense in place for an Urban Meyer style coaching. Seven years though?

Convince me people as to why I should jump on the Urban Meyer bandwagon. I seem to be about the only one still not on board.

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Can anyone out there remember the last time Ohio State came in as an underdog to Illinois? You’ve got to go back to the early 90s and those dark days of Coach Cooper. Well folks, those dark days are here again as we find ourselves 4 point underdogs to the Illini. Not only are the Illini favorites, they are 6-0 and ranked No. 16 in the AP poll. Granted, Arizona State was probably the toughest team they’ve faced so far this year but there is no question they are a potential sleeper in the Big Ten.

You can’t look at this game without nightmares of last year’s Ohio State/Illinois matchup. You remember the one. The game where Terrell Pryor went out late in the third quarter and Joe Bauserman proceeded to throw a pass directly into the arms of an Illinois safety. Things were so bad in the backup position that after holding the Illini to three and out, Pryor limped back onto the field and basically handed the ball off to Herron for a couple of long slow drives to run out the game.

Sound familiar?

Once again we’ve got a mobile young quarterback who isn’t afraid to take risks. He’s also made it painfully clear that if he goes out, the Buckeyes are in serious trouble. With a tender ankle and facing an Illini defense that is leading the Big Ten in sacks, might as well paint a big bulls eye on Braxton Miller’s helmet. Hopefully, the offensive line can show the protection they did against Nebraska and not the lack thereof that they showed against Michigan State.

Where’s Kenny G?
You would assume that by this point, the coaching staff would place a pair of headphones on Bauserman and use him as side line decoration but that does not appear to be the case. The depth chart still shows Bauserman as the backup to Miller and there is no metion of Kenny Guiton. We did see signs of Guiton warming up late in the fourth quarter against Nebraska and word is that he is taking snaps this week in practice.

I can’t possibly imagine what Guiton has done during practice to show that he is a bigger risk than Bauserman in the back up position. If anything, I would think that his style matches Miller’s a little better and unless we start putting recievers in the stands, he’s got to have a better passing game. Other than spring game, he’s completely untested but at this point, I think all of Buckeye Nation is ready to give him a shot.

Best bet, pray that Miller stays healthy and puts in a game like he did against Nebraska.

Boom?
No sign of Herron in the depth chart either. The running game may be the best thing we have going against an Illinois defense that hasn’t really been tested on the ground. If it looks like the ground game is working, I can’t believe we won’t see him back in the game.

Defense…again…and special teams
Buckeye defense is again going to be key to this game. Illinois will be bringing a pass rush and doing everything they can to pressure Miller (or worse…I can’t say it) so field position might be key. The Illini have one of the worst records in all areas of special teams in the country. Kick returns might be one place where we see Herron get himself back into the game. In Tuesday’s press conference, Coach Fickell said that we might see Herron in on special teams. What a great way to get him back in the swing of things than by turning it on against a struggling Illinois return coverage.

So there it is sportsfans. Defense combined with field position and long slow drives on the ground with a little bit of punt/kick return theatrics and we may actually pull off the upset (“upset”…did I just say that?).

Rumors of Meyer
Sports writer Jeff Rapp got a lot of attention on his blog last week when he published an in-depth report stating that Urban Meyer and Penn State have been batting eyes at each other across the coache’s recruiting table. As can be expected, all parties involved from Meyer to the Penn State athletic office are in full denial. Considering that Joe Paterno has to step down someday (doesn’t he) it’s reasonable to speculate that Penn State might be interested in a high profile coach like Meyer. Of course, this sort of talk get’s in the way of Ohio State’s apparent interest, at least on the fans part, of bringing Meyer back to the Buckeyes.

I’ve expressed my opinion of Meyer many times on this blog and to be honest, I thought he had a reserved begging spot just outside of President Gee’s office. With the never-ending NCAA investigation however, it is easy to understand why Meyer might stray.

This of course leads us to the bigger picture question regarding who will hold the head spot come next Sept. and in the years to come. As much as I want to give Fickell the chance, he continues to show a competency to completely collapse and it’s going to take some serious turn around to get the fans back on his side. I can’t get over this sense that Fickell is just being propped up as the guy to stand behind the podium until all this blows over. The outcome will have a a big impact on any coaching decisions from both sides of the table.

That said, a high profile coach like Meyer would have a big impact on the road to recovery.

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.

The NCAA has dropped yet another penalty on Ohio State telling Davier Posey he must sit for five more games and repay $720 for work not performed. Marcus Hall, Melvin Fellows and Dan Herron all must sit out for today’s game against Nebraska and also repay the $200-$300 they received.

This has gone beyond the absurd and I agree with Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith who said in regards to the penalty imposed on Posey, “”This penalty is harsh considering the nature of the violation and the five-game suspension already served by this student-athlete.”

Smith is  exactly right. At some point, we need to recognize that these athletes are training for careers in professional sports. Posey could have gone to the pros this year but made the decision to stick around for his senior season. In exchange for his decision, he has been suspended for all but two regular season games.

Total compensation that Posey would have received playing the pros – $1 million+. Total compensation received for sticking around for another year of college football, less than $2,000. What exactly are are we teaching our athletes?

Larry James, Posey’s lawyer,  is speaking out on the situation and if anyone has a case, if anyone has a reason to sue the NCAA, it has to be Posey if for the reason noted above. However, James is saying that he has documentation demonstrating the hours Posey and the other suspended athletes worked the hours for which they were paid and the hours in dispute amount to less than five hours.

According to a report on ESPN.com, James said, “We were able to document that all these players had worked the hours that they had said. Even if we were to concede where there might be holes, less than five hours are in dispute. That takes them under 100 bucks. In DeVier Posey’s situation, (the NCAA) just absolutely disregarded evidence that any person with common sense would accept. Why they did it, I do not know.”

James went so far as to accuse the NCAA of unfairly punishing Posey because of his relationship with Terrell Pryor although he admitted he had no evidence proving a potential bias.

An interesting point in the NCAA’s response to James’ comments is that they say that they go upon the evidence presented by the University stating, “The staff carefully reviews all information that the university puts forward during the reinstatement process.”

This brings the question of the role of the University into play. If James does in fact have evidence justifying the payments to Posey and the other suspended athletes,  then did the athletic department submit all possible evidence or did they act in a rush in an attempt to maintain President Gee’s designation as a  “poster child of compliance.”

Even if Posey and the others did take over payments. If they did accept $200-$300 for work not done and even if Posey took a $720 for nothing more than placing his name on the payroll, the penalty is too harsh. Posey will miss all of his senior season. He will miss the opportunity to demonstrate his talents on a national showcase in front of the scouts. As a result of the penalties, his NFL draft status will take a serious hit that could potentially cost him millions in the years to come.

©2012 The Buckeye Blog. All Rights Reserved.