Friday's Buckeye Bits

Welcome to your morning bits. Things are beginning to heat up on the football front as Spring practice continues and the Spring game is only a couple weeks away. It's a welcome change from the constant media attention concerning Urban Meyer and Ohio State.

I'm sure other schools feel the same way but you would be hard pressed to find another that gets drawn through the mud as much as Ohio State. It's just something you have to deal with I guess. Lets get to the links.

Bri'onte Dunn looking good - Dunn is beginning to turn heads this Spring. He is catching the attention of Meyer as well as his fellow teammates with his solid work on the practice field. OSU has a deep backfield and competition will be tough. Dunn looks like he's throwing his hat in the ring early for playing time behind Braxton. Something to watch.

Urban is a little salty - Urban seems to be quite annoyed with this latest "story" to come out about his Florida days. I read the article and it really didn't tell us anything of substance. It was a bunch of speculation and "unnamed sources". I'm no journalism major or anything but that doesn't sound like credible information. The whole article just felt like sour grapes.

Tuesday's Buckeye Bits

Good Morning Buckeye fans. Hopefully the disappointment from Saturday is starting to wear off. I'm not the biggest basketball fan on earth but really took that loss to Kansas hard. OSU had more than enough chances to seal the deal and let it slip away in the last minute.

A final four appearance is nothing to laugh at but the thought of "what could have been" will be sticking around for awhile. Anyway, off to the bits.

Matta feels the heat- This story in the dispatch gave a clear indication of the disappointment in Thad Matta and the Buckeye's. I think that Thad is starting to feel a little pressure concerning his difficulties in the NCAA tournament. By no means is his job in jeopardy but the masses are getting a little restless. It will be interesting to see how is squad handles a virtually brand new team next season.

More sorrow- This was a well written article but lets face it. It was like twisting the knife in my heart even more. When OSU loses on the gridiron, I tend to go into "media blackout" mode for a few days. For whatever reason, I was seeking out stories today for the basketball bucks. I don't know why. I'm a glutton for punishment apparently.

Tuesday's Buckeye Bits

Good morning fellow Buckeye honks! Welcome to your Tuesday edition of the bits. There is lots going on this week so let's skip my regular "random link" and get right to it shall we?

Hey, I remember him!- All Buckeye fans, and most other fans, know Mark Titus by now. He was a benchwarmer for OSU a few years back but developed a cult-like following for his blog Club Trillion. That cult-like following quickly turned into millions of followers.

 The guy is a blog sensation at this point (if you can be such a thing). He has parlayed that success into a contributing role over at Bill Simmons' Grantland.

Whatever you think of Bill Simmons, Grantland is a good place to stop on your daily internet adventure. I stumbled upon this cool piece by Titus overviewing the first weekend of the tournament. It's pretty funny. Give it a look.


Good Overview- The tournament started out a little slow but picked up as the weekend approached. I know that thoroughly enjoyed watching Michigan go down in ball of flames. That game was quickly followed by another epic collapse as Duke went down at the hands of Lehigh. That was possibly the greatest 15 minutes of sports in the past 2 months for me. Eamonn Brennan had a great first look for this weekends games.

Tuesday's Buckeye Bits

Good morning Buckeye fans. Welcome to your Tuesday morning Buckeye Bits. If your new to this daily feature we here at ITS attempt to scour the web for interesting stories for you to read. Think of it as a quicker way to get your sporting fix before the boss makes his/her morning rounds.

The basketball Bucks are a #2 seed this year and open up play this Thursday. We have some great writers that will have tons of info on the upcoming game and tournament as it approaches. With that said, I thought it would be nice to keep it on the football side of things today. Off we go!

Butch Davis Leaves His Mark- Well, it's probably not his fault entirely as Butch hasn't been linked to any of the problems at North Carolina but as a Browns fan I don't miss an opportunity to slander his name. I found it extra hilarious that this story was buried down the page on ESPN. Where is all the outrage that was expressed during Tatgate? How much do you want to bet this story doesn't come up until half way through Sportscenter? Ahh, got to love that bias.

Tuesday's Buckeye Bits

Good morning fellow Buckeye honks! Welcome to yet another addition of Buckeye Bits.

Basketball Fever- It's tournament week! Well, it's the tournament before the real tournament but a tournament nonetheless. It was nice to win the showdown in East Lansing over the weekend but to secure a #1 seed next week, the Buckeyes will probably have to advance to the Big Ten title game.

 They might even have to win it to earn that coveted seed. Oh well. As long as Buford shows up like he did on Sunday, I'm fairly confident that the Buckeye's can make a run this March.

Are you going to the games?- Columbus will once again play host for a portion of the NCAA tournament. Attending one of these is definitely on my bucket list. I'm not sure I can concinve my boss that this is a good reason to call off this year but if your in a better situation, here is where you can find ticket info.

Tuesday's Buckeye Bits

Hello again fellow Buckeye fans. Welcome to another edition of "Buckeye Bit's". We are here to scour the Internet in an effort to pick out some interesting tidbits for you, our loyal reader. Hopefully you find our efforts worthwhile in this barren wasteland we call the offseason. Let's get to it. 

Armageddon? While wasting away at my office on Monday, I came across this scary little article. I am a total space, history and sports buff so anything that falls within those categories quickly catches my eye. What does it have to with the Buckeye's you might ask? 

Hell, I don't know but it's interesting nonetheless. If scientists just found this thing last year, imagine how many other threats exist out there in space. I'm going to need at least 2 championships from Urban before we all die in a hail of asteroids so let's get to it coach! Oh, looks like he has. 

Tuesday's Buckeye Bits

Welcome to your Tuesday version of Buckeye Bits, and Happy Valentines Day Buckeye fans! We are in the midst of what can only be described as a sports apocalypse. Fairly meaningless college basketball, NBA games and the NHL are the only things out there to quench your sporting thirst.

Hopefully these links can get you through another cold February day. I know this is the only thing getting me through another horrible February. I hopped on a plane last year to check out the Tribe in Arizona. I highly recommend checking out your team during the Spring some day if you get the chance. Just make sure you bulk up on the sunscreen if you head to warmer climates. I learned that lesson the hard way last year.

Anniversary Of A Legend. As you may or may not know, today is a special day in Buckeye lore. The anniversary of Wayne Woodrow Hayes birthday has been reached. During his 28 seasons as the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes football program, Hayes's teams won five national championships (1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1970), captured 13 Big Ten Conference titles, and amassed a record of 205–61–10. Woody also sparked a fire under the belly of what is now arguably one the greatest rivalries in all of sports. He would be 99 years old today, having died in 1987. Happy birthday to one of the greatest coaches in history. You will never be forgotten.

Shooty Hoops- The Buckeyes played an inspired and sloppy game against the Spartans last Saturday in Columbus. I realize it's hard to get up for every game on your schedule but this was the Spartans! The Buckeye's have to give a better showing than that. It's performances like this that have me worried about what may happen in March. There are only a handfull of games left on the schedule to work out the kinks.Let's hope Matta and the boys get serious about this season or they will be watching the Final Four on TV in early April. Here's my go to column at the start of the week for OSU Hoops.

Tuesday's Buckeye Bits

Good morning fellow Buckeye's and welcome to your Tuesday Buckeye Bits.

Super Bowl!!- This past weekend was a sad one as it marked the final football being played until the spring game in April. The Super Bowl lived up to the hype as the game in Indianapolis turned into a thriller at the end. Watching Tom Brady and company lose was pretty satisfying to me. As a Browns fan, I must use the misery of other's as fuel to make it through a football season. Mmmmm, that misery tasted good. I guess we can't expect anything more from a guy who couldn't beat out Drew Henson while in college.

Foot meet your friend Mouth- After the game, his billionaire girlfriend Gisele Bundchen tried to take some heat off her beau as she claimed it was Tom's receivers that let him down all night. Umm, Gisele honey, I don't think that was the right play. If anything that will intensify the heat on your boy toy. People in Boston aren't interested in your "professional" opinion about football. They would've been happy to bitch and moan about the Welker drop but you just threw your family's hat in the ring. I will just sit back and laugh at what becomes of this story in the coming days.

Tuesday's Buckeye Bits

Good morning Buckeye fans. Welcome to your Tuesday Buckeye Bits. Unfortunately we are entering the worst month on the sporting calendar tomorrow. February is the worst.

College basketball is still weeks away from the greatest tournament on earth, the NFL will be coming to a close with this weekend’s super bowl, pitchers and catchers are still a couple weeks away from reporting and it’s COLD.

Don’t fret Buckeye fans! I am here to scour the internet in hopes of finding some interesting tidbits for you to read. Let’s get to it.

Buckeyes continue their hot streak- National signing day is only a few days away and the Buckeyes continue to pull in the blue chippers. The latest commit was corner Armani Reeves out of West Roxbury, MA. Depending on what recruiting site you look at, Reeves is listed anywhere from the 17th to 8th best corner available. It came down to OSU and Michigan in the end and I think we all know he made the right choice. It probably didn’t hurt that his high school teammate Cam Williams signed on last week but we’ll take them any way we can get them.

Tuesday's Buckeye Bits

Happy Tuesday Buckeye fans! Glad to see you made it through another Monday. I know it’s still the dead of winter but we’re another week closer to Buckeye Football. Sure, we’re still closer to the last game of the 2011 season than the first game of next season but this is my column so leave me alone!

I’m sorry for yelling. As a token of good faith, I give you this. No need to thank me. The increased page views for ITS will suffice. I figured I already crossed into the “creepy old guy” zone last week with my comments about Urban’s daughter so might as well go all in right? Right. OK, enough of that. Let’s get to the bit’s baby!

Wismar: Recruiting Wizard. I often think about attempting to write a recruiting column but the sheer volume of research and pure insanity needed to do it right scares me off every time. The recruiting world is a dark and murky place where obsessive dudes hover over their laptops while perusing YouTube for the latest bits of shaky high school footage. I just can’t be one of those guys. Don’t get me wrong, I love those guys. I just can’t become one if I want to stay married.

There are many good bloggers out there with their finger on the pulse of this niche area of college football but none better than Dan Wismar over at The Cleveland Fan. The guy wrote a great piece the other day detailing the amazing turn around for the 2012 recruiting class. His writing is succinct, easy to read and has loads of information. If you can get past the serial killer profile picture (I kid Dan, I kid), I recommend you check out his stuff on a regular basis.

Tuesday's Buckeye Bits

Good morning Buckeye fans. Congratulations! Why am I congratulating you? It’s because you survived the most depressing day of the year yesterday. That’s why!

Personally, I think all Monday’s are depressing (especially in the dreaded off season) but apparently the third one on the calendar takes the cake. That’s what some crazy British Scientist says anyway. Have no fear though. Another edition of “Buckeye Bits” is here to help ease the pain of the work week. Let’s get to it.

Urban Meyer Has Entered The Building. Urban Meyer, along with his coaching staff, was officially introduced at the last home Basketball game against Indiana. Obviously Urban has been heading the program for the last month+ but it was nice to give a formal introduction to the fan base. I’m sure you have seen the video by now but if by chance you just emerged from a cave, here’s the link to check it out.

Tuesday's Buckeye Bits

So many Bits..

Welcome to your Tuesday morning Buckeye Bits here at ITS. During the painfully long College football offseason things can get pretty slow. 

The mythical national championship has been played with Bama outlasting LSU 21-0. As for non-SEC football, besides recruiting news, there isn’t much to discuss and or argue about until the spring game chatter heats up. Have no fear fellow bucknutters! ITS is here to scour the news wire for you to uncover any interesting tidbits to quench your thirst for Buckeye news (or anything else that we find funny/exciting/interesting). Let’s get to it!

The BCS Is A Joke.  I continually pile on to the current system we have for choosing a national champion every chance I get. I think most would agree that using computers and biased voting is the most un-American selection process out there. Once the current television deal is up, the college football brass will once again sit down and discuss tweaking the format. I guess it is a step in the right direction but there are many roadblocks ahead (cough.. Jim Delany.. cough) before we get the playoff that the nation has been clamoring for. Why can’t these fools see there is even more money to be made from a true playoff? Sigh…

Gator Bowl Live Blog: Ohio State vs. Florida

The 2011-2012 Gator Bowl is finally upon us. Jim Bollman is coaching in his final game. 'nuff said. Enjoy the game, as Ohio State will not be attending a bowl game next year. Join us down below!

The live blog starts at 12:45 PM EST. We hope to see you there cheering on the Buckeyes!

Reaction Time: Ohio State Receives Bowl Ban

He's got to go

Bowl Ban! You’re kidding me right NCAA? I just want to get this straight before I move on. Ohio St. players trade some tattoos for signed memorabilia. Tressel receives and email that clues him in on the infractions which also lets him know the guy giving the tattoos is being investigated for drug trafficking.

None of the players are thought to be involved in the drug angle of this investigation but they are receiving tattoos for free or at a discounted price. Tressel drags his feet on letting anybody know because he realized it may cost his team valuable players for the upcoming season.

The email implicating the players is uncovered by the media and a shit storm ensues. Pryor bolts for the NFL. Herron, Posey, Adams, Whiting and Thomas all sit out various amounts of time because of the tattoo incident and some free golf and small appearance payments. Tressel is then forced to resign and Ohio St.’s 2011 season is basically ruined before it could even begin. The university vacates the whole 2010 season along with the only victory over an SEC team in a bowl game. OSU also takes away a number of scholarships from itself in an act of contrition to show the NCAA it means business. That’s the basic gist of the whole situation right?

Where in that paragraph did you see anything about hookers, drug use, drunk driving, booster payments to players or any other egregious act that takes place on college campuses across the country? I know there were mistakes made. Tressel deserved to lose his job over the lies and deceit he exhibited throughout the investigation with the NCAA. The university showed remorse over the situation and levied heavy penalties against itself. How does taking away post season play from players and a coaching staff that had nothing to do with any of it seem like a just punishment?

Recap: Urban Meyer's First Month As Ohio State Head Coach

Never gets old

Urban Meyer is awesome. Sure he was public enemy #1 around these parts for the latter part of the past decade but I have a forgiving heart (especially when he is pulling the strings for your favorite football team). We are not even a month into this new regime but I think Urban has this team going in the right direction even before holding his first official practice.

With the NCAA’s blessing, Meyer has been able to hit the recruiting trail while is counterpart focuses on getting the Buckeyes ready for their showdown with the Gators. Even though this is a common practice among transitioning coaching staff’s in college football, some have expressed their displeasure with the arrangement. Well, “some” isn’t quite right. In reality the only person to speak up is Dave Brandon from Michigan. The fact that he is the only person to publicly complain about this makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

The recruits have been signing with the Buckeye’s at a furious pace since Meyer has taken over in Columbus. Some have been poached from other schools (thanks PSU and MSU), Brionte Dunn returned from the dark side and other top prospects are taking a closer look at the Scarlet and Gray. If I were a fan of another Big Ten team, these new developments would have me quite worried.

First Look: Gator Bowl

All of your recruits are mine

It has now been over a week since the announcement Urban Meyer would be taking over as head man in Columbus. The rumors began to fly a week before (H/T @11W!) said announcement and for once in my life, those rumors ended up as fact. I am giddy with anticipation as to how fast Urban can turn things around and what the offense might look like next season. I don’t see how this hire won’t be a slam dunk. Urban also brings some much needed sex appeal to the Big Ten which is often viewed as plodding and slow to the rest of the country. I don’t think that is a fair assessment but once you’re labeled as such it is tough to shed that stigma.

The NCAA recently granted the university permission to expand their coaching staff for the bowl season. Fickell will be concentrating on game planning for the Gators while Meyer hits the road in an effort to salvage our recruiting season. I know the NCAA probably would’ve done this for any school but it felt good for our overlords to do something nice instead of launching more investigations. I still think that the Buckeyes are treated unfairly by the NCAA but such is life as a football powerhouse. I’m not the type of person who delves into the world of conspiracy theories. Well, that’s not entirely true. Who doesn’t like a little mystery in their life to keep the wheels turning? I just have a hard time believing that Urban won’t have any input into the game planning for the Gator Bowl.

Let's Go Bowling

So.Much.Football.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! College football is set to embark on yet another bowl season which means games on almost every night starting next week. I’m not going to bore you with another BCS rant because we all know how I feel about the matter… it sucks!

This system is the most un-American way to decide a national champion that I can think of. This country, which was built on the sweat and blood of great men, still lets the BCS get away with this travesty after 13 years. A system that is decided by computers and sports writer/AD opinions is no system at all. I can’t even begin to tell you how lame it is. Would getting ready for a 16 or 8 game playoff this week be any fun?

Would a playoff bracket make any money or cause any excitement? Am I laying on the sarcasm enough? The answer is a resounding YES to all of those questions but apparently my bitching and moaning here at ITS for the past 2 seasons has fallen on deaf ears. I guess some dude in NW Ohio screaming into cyberspace hasn’t made that much of a difference. Oh well. Since we have to live with this unfortunate system for now, I wanted to cover the best of this year’s bowl games. Every year there are intriguing matchups that you wouldn’t have otherwise seen during the regular season.

Those oddball games are great entertainment and a spectacular reason to stop talking to your co-workers and family during holiday gatherings! That reason alone is worth its’ weight in gold. So plant your ass in a favorite recliner, grab a cold one and get ready for the last of college football until next fall. Disclaimer #1- This is an Ohio St. blog (if haven’t already noticed). I will not include the Gator Bowl because it is obvious that contest is the best game to watch. There will be tons of pre game coverage on this blog and others so I don’t want to attack this one just yet.

Even though 6-6 wasn’t what we had in mind, the Gator Bowl offers a rare opportunity for retribution and revenge against those swamp rats from Gainesville. You don’t often get opportunities for a rematch when over 100 teams play in your sport so let’s hope the Buckeyes can get that monkey off their back. I really want this win even if it is on a slightly smaller stage than in 2006. Disclaimer #2- I refuse to include the MNC because it is bullshit that Alabama got another shot at LSU. Not only did the Tide not win their conference, they failed to even win their own division. While LSU was busy earning their way in the SEC championship, Bama was at home resting in preparation for the game they already knew they were going to. How on earth is that fair? If I were an Oklahoma St. fan I would be irate with anger.

The SEC bias in this country (ahem.. ESPN) is totally nuts. Alabama had their shot and they lost. Nobody can tell me otherwise. This year’s game is a sham. OK, without further adieu, I give you the best 3 bowl games this holiday season in no particular order.

3 Burning Questions About The Big Ten And College Football

This combo is dangerous.

The Big Ten wrapped up its' inaugural Championship game this past weekend in Indianapolis as the Wisconsin Badgers squeaked by the Michigan St. Spartans in a thriller. The game was a classic back-and-forth contest that featured numerous lead changes, stellar running back play and some big hits that are commonplace here in the Midwest. I thought it was a great showcase game for the Big Ten which allowed our great conference to remain in the discussion one precious week later than years past. I believe that extra exposure was instrumental in getting the conference 2 BCS bids for yet another year even when it appeared the Big Ten was a little down this season. It didn't hurt that the game was a barn burner as well.

As I sat watching the game unfold in the Mandalay Bay sports book in fabulous Las Vegas on Saturday, I pondered some questions to discuss for Inside the Shoe. Is Wisconsin the right team to represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl this year? Did Michigan deserve to get a BCS bid? Does Monte Ball deserve to be a finalist for the Heisman? Finally, why did I bet football parlays instead of just sticking to the Blackjack table? I have definitive answers for the first three but am still dumbfounded by putting my hard earned Blackjack money on College Football. Lesson learned I suppose so let's get back to football rather than discuss my foolish betting practices. Early on this season Wisconsin looked as if it could waltz into the National Championship game with ease. They were destroying opponents with the running game and signed..err gained access to a stud quarterback without having to wait a year.

My Thoughts On Urban Meyer, Michigan, And The BCS/SEC

Here we go again

Before we get into the possible title game rematch between LSU and Alabama (Yawn) I wanted to give some quick hitters on the Ohio St/Michigan game from last weekend.

1) Braxton Miller still has a long way to go with that throwing motion. I counted at least four separate throws that could’ve gone for touchdowns or at the very least big gainers that definitely would’ve switched the momentum. The guy has unimaginable talent in those legs but you have to be the complete package when playing big boy football. I think he has the skill in that right arm of his but it’s yet to be coaxed out by the coaching staff. Luckily there is a new sheriff in town who knows how to handle this type of dual threat quarterback.

2) The defense this year is the worst I have seen at Ohio St. in some time. I know that they are young and another year of experience will do wonders next season but I didn’t expect the difficulty stopping the run. In years past it didn’t matter that OSU had a sub-par offense because all they needed to do was score 14-21 to win. Usually the defense would add another 7-14 and that was the ballgame.

OSU was constantly ranked in the top 10 and the offense just had to do enough to post a W on Saturdays. The turmoil surrounding the program didn’t help but there were way too many big 3rd downs given up on Saturday. If they could’ve stopped Denard on half of those runs I think the outcome is way different.

3) The Urban Meyer fiasco completely overshadowed the game after the whistle finally blew on Saturday. The next two days, all anybody could talk about was the new hire. That must have driven those mouth breathers from up north MAD. They finally get over on us after 7 years and the opposing fan base couldn’t have cared less. I shouldn’t say we didn’t care but the vast majority of our attention was focused on the media frenzy happening in Columbus.

All my Michigan friends could do was try and tell me how “bad” this hire was.  Are you kidding me guys? Our new coach is a home run and it drives you nuts that nobody wanted to talk about the game. A game that you almost lost to a 6-5 team I might add. Ah, the rivalry is back folks. It took a loss by the bucks and a coaching whirlwind to get it back but I think the next five years are going to be fun. If you want to read more on the game there are countless talented writers with way better insight on the contest that I can give you. I spent the day sulking inside of a bottle and haven’t watched the replay yet so let’s move on shall we?

Just a Matter of Time For Urban Meyer

How does Brady always know?

The last 2 weeks has seen a flurry of activity concerning the impending head football coach vacancy at The Ohio State University. Luke Fickell may have had a shot to retain his position if he had been able to win out after the Wisconsin game but we all know how that has turned out over the last couple weeks.

Uninspired losses against Purdue and a scandal ridden Penn St. team at home have all but sealed the young coaches’ fate. I think the fan base was rooting for Fickell because he was one of our own but in the end, wins are the only thing that matters around these parts. Luke has a chance to be a good coach in the future but taking off the training wheels under the bright lights of Ohio Stadium is not conducive to success.

2011 will be remembered as a lost year when we all look back 20 years from now. It isn’t only the head coaches fault. He was thrust into an impossible situation and did the best he could. I wish him well in his future coaching endeavors and even think it is a possibility that his services are retained in some capacity next season.