Tressel's contract extended. Shocker.

In news as unexciting as his demeanor, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel's contract was extended Wednesday. Apparently Tressel turned down a raise on the new contract which will run until 2015.

In coaching contract extensions are pretty much worthless and amount to legalese translation of "here's what we're going to pay you when we fire your ass." But in this case, the extension is probably more about recruiting as the Tressel retirement rumors will likely begin to start in a couple years.

But the interesting part, according to a tweet from OSU beat writer Ken Gordon of the Columbus Dispatch, is that this new contract contains a provision that if Tressel doesn't finish this entire extension, he gets a job as an assistant athletic director.

That's interesting on two fronts: A) Tressel was the AD at Youngstown State and reportedly loved the work and B) his previous contract guaranteed Tressel a spot on the faculty.

Seems to indicate the Senator is thinking about retirement. Maybe not next year, but coming sooner than most Buckeye fans are prepared for.

Bowl Preview: Rose Bowl presented by Citi

Rose Bowl presented by Citi
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
Ohio State vs. Oregon
Date: Jan. 1
Time: 4:30 p.m.
TV: ABC
Line: Oregon -4

About Ohio State (10-2): The Buckeyes discovered a running game in the second half of the year. Good thing, because the passing game has been missing all year. QB Terrelle Pryor didn't take the giant leap forward people were expecting. Instead it's been very small steps. Jim Tressel remains his ever-boring, ever-conservative self.

Intangibles:
1997 Rose Bowl: +3
Rest of David Boston's career: -2
"Rivalry" uniforms: -5

About Oregon (10-2): The Ducks' offense has been on fire the second half of the season, lighting it up with their wacky spread and wackier uniform combinations. What's this week? Retro - a salute to October 2007? Anyway, Chip Kelly's done a nice job since LeGarrette Blount coldcocked a Boise player.

Intangibles:
Phil Knight: +$120 million
Phil Knight's soul: -3
Chip Kelly in visor: -4

Impact player: Oregon RB LaMichael James. OSU needs to slow this little shit down to have a shot.

Little known fact: The Rose Bowl used to be very important back when Nixon was President and wide collars were in.

Watchability (1-5): 4.9

The Pick: Ohio State 31, Oregon 27

Warning: Homer whine coming

The All-Big Ten teams were announced today, courtesy of the Big Ten Network. (See, we've got a purpose even when there AREN'T games being played!)

Interesting stuff the All-Big Ten teams. As many of you know, Ohio State won the Big Ten - again. What kind of hardware did that earn the Buckeyes from the media and coaches? Two first team performers - OG Justin Boren and S Kurt Coleman. Yep, top five defense in the country and the best defense in the Big Ten got ONE all-league performer. Meanwhile, 5-7 Michigan, home to the worst defense in the league, got two all-league performers. Wisky, who limped to the finish with a loss to Northwestern, had four first team all-league performers.

Oh yeah, and the Sweater Vest was once again not named B10 Coach of the Year. He's got five straight titles and has never won the award.

I give up.

Could someone shoot me in the face?

If you're an Ohio State fan, unless you've been living under some kind of large rock (and even those people probably heard about it) all the talk has been about the "throwback" uniforms the Buckeyes will don for the game against Michigan.



Of course, there are a few catches.

A) This uniform doesn't really look much like the 1954 uniforms at all except for the while helmet.

B) Nike, king of all, is offering several schools new uniforms made of the "lightest material ever" for their new "rivalry" series. Here's Florida State's version. Side note: is the weight of a uniform that big of a concern now? If I were a football player, I'd much rather hear the phrase "we put jets in your shoes."

C) Can someone explain why Ohio State has chosen to "honor" the 1954 team with throwback jerseys on the 55th anniversary of its national championship? Does anyone ever get honored for the 55th anniversary of anything?

D) The answer to this is, of course, that the "throwback" part of this is bullshit. Nike approached several schools and said "Dear Athletic Director, we give you XXXX millions of dollars each year and all that free pullovers you can wear. We want you to wear these and we will give you even more $$$$."

Ohio State AD Gene Smith, dollar signs filling his eyes, then embarked on a plan to figure out exactly how he could sell it to the fan base. LIGHTBULB! Hey, these almost nearly resemble old uniforms! Let's call them throwbacks!

So, it all sucks.

But, as an Ohio State fan, the most offensive part of this joke is to wear these unis during the Michigan game. What I loved about The Game is that there was no trophies, no special night start times, no playing it at neutral sites, none of that shit. Nothing is bigger than The Game. The folks at Uni Watch say it better than I can.

This is just hokey.

Saturday thoughts Oct. 10

- Even though the score was only 13-3, it never felt like LSU had a chance to beat the top-ranked Gators Saturday night. Florida just ran the ball, controlled the clock and let their defense pick apart LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson.

- Rich Rodriguez just injected a quarterback controversy into a team that's lost two straight after the loss to Iowa. Rodriguez chose to yank a struggling Tate Forcier late in the game in favor of Denard Robinson. Robinson responded with a quick TD drive, but hit late-game interception when the Wolverines just need a field goal was an enormous mistake. Perhaps Forcier was hurt, but it's still going to bring up a lot of questions.

- Texas recovered after messing around with Colorado for awhile. Jordan Shipley for Heisman?

- Didn't see much of the day games as I was watching Ohio State blow out Wisconsin despite a pathetic offensive display. Two interceptions returns for TDs and a KO return for a TD were all OSU needed. Terrelle Pryor struggled badly and looked like he had seriously regressed. That defense is nails though.

- From the scores and highlights I've seen, I'm guessing Virginia Tech and Alabama were both impressive.

Game Day - thoughts so far

- What in holy hell is Oregon wearing now?

- If I thought Tennessee could move the ball at all in this game, I might have been tempted to pick them...to cover. Now that I say that, the Vols are moving down the field...

- Ohio State recovered fairly well with a 38-0 shutout of Toledo, but man, the Rockets defense is horrific. HORRIFIC. I don't know exactly what that says about Colorado.

Pryor ran, threw, etc. but there are still a lot of problems with this offense. Namely the lack of a steady running game. Really like freshman RB Jordan Hall, who looked the most natural RB the Bucks have. The defense was outstanding again. Frustrating to watch Tressel discover the QB sneak - a week too late. Still, a good win heading into Big Ten play.

- nice effort by Minnesota against Cal, but not quite enough. Gophers hurt themselves with some dumb penalties and missed opportunities. Loving the new stadium.

- Michigan struggled to stop the run against Eastern Mich in the first half, but made some adjustments and have now equaled their win total from last season.

I'm not settling in for the afternoon.

Thursday night musings

As I watch 'da U screen and crossing route Georgia Tech into oblivion, my ears are beginning to bleed from the cliche assault of The Pony and The Bachelor. Yikes. Yes, Jesse, speed does indeed kill. Or so I've heard.

Anywho, some notes and thoughts from around CF:

- Matt Barkley didn't throw again today, calling into question whether he'll play this weekend at Washington. Interesting. So what happens if Aaron Corp comes out and lights it up while Carroll's Golden Child watches from the sideline. Hmmmm. Oh yeah and Taylor Mays is dinged up.

- Other injuries: Illinois linebacker Martez Wilson is out for the season. Which means the Illini defense will get, uh, worse?

Ohio State loses starting right tackle Jim Cordle for a month. Buckeye Nation yawns, although are somewhat concerned which player on the line can step up to become the whipping boy. Bryant Browning, do you hear me?

- Interesting stuff from Doc Saturday with this post previewing the Texas-Texas Tech game. Turns out Mike Leach's six plays can be hard to stop for the 'Horns. Of course, Leach is better at stopping himself when he goes for it on fourth and eight from his own six-yard line in the first quarter. But hey, he really likes pirates!

Miscellaneous game-watching commentary section:

- The whole Dr. Lou thing should keep The Lisping Leprechaun Holtz out of the College Football Hall of Fame. Dammit. He's already in.

- Dave Matthews is evil. Pure f*ing evil.

- Pre-teen girls slobbering over Papa Johns crap-ass pizza does not make me want a slice.

- Next week I'm going to count how many times Jesse Palmer says "speed."

First Saturday thoughts

While the 'Eye is finally back from Ohio State's Salute to Navy Day, the 'Eer is off in Athens, Ohio enjoying his $5 tickets as the Bobcats try to knock off UConn.

While Ohio State's escape against Navy was worrisome enough, it was the non-stop salivating over sportsmanship and Navy salutes that got on my nerves. Bizarre. I'm not pro-booing any opponent, much less a service academy. But it was like Hug A Middie Day. One stop Naval salute.

Anywho, some thoughts:

- Ohio State played a nice first half, then decided to sleepwalk through the second half, including Tressel's bizarre decision to for a 4th and 2, including an equally-bizarre decision to run the ball between the tackles where OSU had been unable to run the ball all day. Next week's game with USC is not looking promising for the Buckeyes.

- Are Michigan and Notre Dame better than the 'Eer and I thought? Both had solid outings against overmatched opponents.

- The Big Ten. Yeesh.

- Mizzou looks like they're not missing a beat in pummeling Illinois.

- Big win for Okie State. Wish I had gotten to see more of that one.

= BYU is hanging tough against Oklahoma in a penalty and turnover-filled first half. BYU QB Max Hall is killing 'Homa's blitz scheme.

-

Bringing boring football practice into your living room since 2008

The Big Ten Network has had its share of detractors (ahem, yours truly), but even I will admit that the preseason traveling show "Big Ten Tour" has sucked me in. (I'm not sure if that's more of an indictment of my lack of personal life or that I'm just excited for football. I will neither confirm nor deny that I'm currently watching a Purdue pass rush drill.) The show itself is standard fare Big Ten Network clatter - cliche-filled coach interviews, cliche-filled player interviews, cliche-filled analysis. BUT, if you're a fan of a program that locks down preseason practice like it's a CIA black ops (I'm looking at you, Jim Tressel) it's a rare chance to see players in action. If it were up to Tress, I'd imagine the non-conference games wouldn't even be televised just to keep Big Ten opponents from discovering he enjoys running the Power O on first down.

So, rock on, Big Ten Network.

And for the love of God, Revsine, put on some damn socks.

Podcast: Episode 34

Phil and Tom put down their Xbox wireless controllers long enough to give you 30-plus minutes of College Football banter. We both believe Urban Meyer wants to stay at Florida, but what if Notre Dame comes calling with $8 million a year? It would be tough for the good Catholic boy to pass up the "Dream Job." It's not a shock that Joe Paterno is on Bobby Bowden's side and thinks the NCAA is wrong to strip the FSU coach of 14 victories. Our question is when was the last time Paterno or Bowden actually earned a victory. Shouldn't most of those wins the past few years go to an assistant coach? We also unveil our top three college games we attended in person. Enjoy the show.

Much ado about summer newspaper filler

Using a ridiculously long list of factors, The Tuscaloosa News came up with its annual list of college football's top programs. The ratings include recent results, historical results, recruiting, attendance, grades and everything in between. Apparently, there's not a lot of sports news to write about in Tuscaloosa in the summer.

Still, it's interesting reading for us college football nuts.

The top three?
1. Ohio State
2. USC
3. 'Bama

Naturally, the SEC is rated the top conference and SEC schools dominate the high end of the list.

Old Italian man whines to media

Joe Paterno's talking about stuff again. That means it's time for the national media to get in a tizzy and everyone else to roll their eyes. He's kind of like the Marge Schott of college football. The more he talks, the crazier you know it's going to get.

So, old Joe says it's time for the Big 10 to add a 12th team.

And preferably someone from the east, such as Rutgers, Syracuse or Pitt. Wow, Pitt fans must be scratching their heads since Paterno won't bother to schedule the Panthers at all, effectively destroying a once-great rivalry. Maybe Joe wants to run it up on poor ol Rutgers like the golden days.

But the best part of the story is this, as Paterno discusses the reaction of Big Ten higher-ups to his suggestions:

"You know, it's a conference that's dominated by a couple of people," Paterno said. "If I start talking, they're polite, but they snicker.

"They don't know I know they're snickering, but they're polite. ...I wish I were younger and going to be around [another] 20 years."

Nice paranoia there, Joe. This guy is treated like Jesus H. Christ incarnate and he thinks everyone is laughing at him. (Okay, well maybe I'm laughing.)

No, Joe, the Big 10 doesn't need a 12th team and it doesn't need a championship game. The only thing it needs is for you to retire and let Tom Bradley rightfully be the head coach at Penn State. You know, the job he's already doing.

Early entrants

Well, Ohio State took it a bit on the chin from early entrants to the NFL Draft this year. While running back Beanie Wells was certainly no surprise, it was the departure of WR Brian Hartline and CB Donald Washington that was unexpected. Rumors had flown for awhile that both would be leaving this season, but it was still in kind of a "really?" sort of way.

I'll try to not judge their decisions as I'm certainly not privy to anyone's financial situation or personal history within the program. Hartline was OSU's big play guy this year at times, but struggled with consistency and was reportedly unhappy after the QB change was made from his friend Todd Boeckman. Washington was suspended for two games this year and never took back his starting job from Chimdi Chekwa, but he played frequently.

Both players were redshirt juniors, so perhaps they felt attached to the large senior class. Hartline I can somewhat understand as his draft position was unlikely to change next year. But Washington could have put another full year as a starter under his belt and likely been OSU's top corner, improving his stock from a late rounder to perhaps as high as the third round.

Oh well.

Here's the complete list of early entrants.

Did a tight end from Rice actually declare early?

I'm already whining

Let me get this out of the way now and you won't hear from me again about it..


Be careful what you wish for...

The Big Ten was all grins after getting two teams into the BCS bowls for the fourth straight year. It means a nice bit of extra money.

Now for the bad news. In a year where the league was improved, the bowl matchups now stink.

Rose - Penn State vs. USC. ugh.
Fiesta - Ohio State vs. Texas. ugh.
Capital one - Michigan State vs. Georgia. ugh.
Outback Bowl - Iowa vs. South Carolina. eh.
Alamo Bowl - Northwestern vs. Missouri. eh.
Champps Sports - Wisconsin vs. Florida State. eh.
Insight Bowl - Minnesota vs. Kansas. ugh.

Get ready for the anti-Big Ten sentiment to be on the rise this bowl season, thanks to some bad matchups.

The most fun...

I have ever had at an Ohio State-Michigan game came on Nov. 22, 2008. Sorry for the delay on posting as I've been in recovery mode for about 24 hours now.

For me, OSU-Michigan games are usually nervewracking affairs. Yesterday's second-half laugher was downright fun. A 42-7 final seemed like it should have been even worse. (Should have been 44-7, no way was that NOT a safety.)

I wasn't surprised at the outcome as I didn't think UM could score enough points, especially with walk-on Nick Sheridan forced in at quarterback. But I was surprised that except for UM's defensive line, the Buckeyes were FAR more physical. Usually, this is a game filled with big hits both ways, but it was the Buckeyes that handed out the beating Saturday.

I don't know if it was youth, a lack of understanding of how this rivalry is played or just a team that was ready for the offseason to start a couple hours earlier. Seemed to be a combination.

Patience with Rich Rodriquez is running thin in Ann Arbor already, not just because the Wolverines are losing, but HOW they're losing. It's ugly. Real ugly.



By the way, strictly from a fan perspective, the most enjoyable line from yesterday's game was last in the third quarter as Rich Rodriguez debated going for it on a fourth down when my cohort in the stands yelled "Punt that sh$t, Ricky! Punt it!"

He did.
hehehehe.

Recruit rankings don't mean crap

While reading Dr. Saturday earlier today, Mr. Hinton had a small note about the injury-plagued career of UCLA quarterback Ben Olson, who was considered a can't-miss prospect in 2002.

So I thought I'd look at the Top QBs of 2002 according to Rivals.com. Impressive group, heh?

1. Ben Olson (five stars), UCLA
2. Trent Edwards (five stars), Stanford
3. Justin Zwick (four stars), Ohio State
4. Anthony Martinez (four stars), Virginia
5. Matt Gutierrez (four stars), Michigan
6. Drew Stanton (four stars), Michigan State
7. Marc Guillon (four stars), Miami-Fla.
8. Drew Olson (four stars), UCLA
9. Brandon Cox (four stars), Auburn
10. Joe Tereshinski (four stars), Georgia

Not a star in the group. The closest being Edwards. Here's a look at the class.

Ben Olson is with UCLA, but has been out all season with an injury. May still get a shot at the NFL.

Trent Edwards, current quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, is clearly the cream of this class, so the No. 2 ranking is right on. So how about the rest?

Zwick plays for the Columbus Destroyers of the Arena Football League. Martinez left the UVA program after his sophomore season and I'm not sure what happened to him after that.

Gutierrez transferred to Idaho State and now is the third string QB for the New England Patriots, thanks to Tom Brady's injury. Stanton is the second string QB for the Detroit Lions.

Guillon never matured at the collegiate level. He left Miami soon after Larry Coker limited his playing time and he ended up at Alabama, where the results were poor at best. Drew Olson played briefly in the NFL with the Ravens, Panthers and 49ers, while Cox had a nice college career but never made it in the pros. Tereshinski had a mediocre career with the Bulldogs.

This is just a simple lesson in not getting too excited about where your team ranks in recruiting each year. As a WVU fan, I've watched the Mountaineers' classes never rank in the Top 20. When they would get a top recruit (e.g., Jason Gwaltney) it never worked out. But still the Mountaineers have managed to be a consistent winner now for the past decade. Clearly these rankings are way too subjective.

A lesson for Justin

Now-Buckeye, former Wolverine Justin Boren dressed up like Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez for Halloween.

Dude, that's just bad karma. Something akin to Ohio State taking a former UM lineman as a transfer.

Stay classy Penn State

I have never forgotten what a Penn State student said to me when I was an undergraduate at WVU. She was visiting friends in Morgantown and she looked right at me and said, "When I graduate I'll get a good job because of my Penn State degree. A degree from WVU doesn't impress anyone."

Maybe. But today, Penn State's undergraduates don't look too impressive following an evening of property damage around State College. This followed a nice come-from-behind 13-6 victory at Ohio State last night.

The Centre Daily Times said in this morning's newspaper that, "A celebration of Penn State’s 13-6 win over Ohio State on Saturday turned destructive as people pulled down light poles and street signs, climbed atop cars and tossed objects off balconies in downtown State College."

I know all about burning couches at WVU. I'm not ignoring that fact. All I'm saying is there's not much of a difference between the two universities (I bet I had a hell of a lot better time in my four years, though).

Love that SEC humor

I know Phil won't find this too funny, but it's pretty good. I guess until Ohio State beats a team from the SEC the Buckeyes will have take this type of criticism.

Buckeye Legend is Born

Not that Ohio State fans (as well as Jim Tressel) had not already declared Terrelle Pryor a savior, but his performance against Wisconsin last night is the stuff of legends. He will win a Heisman Trophy before he departs. It may have been nothing more than an 11-yard TD run, but Pryor led the Buckeyes on this late scoring drive for a huge win. What a performance by a true freshman in hostile Camp Randall.