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Interesting Tuesday in college sports, to say the least. We’ll get to all the movers and shakers, but first a little traveling music.

Buckeye 411

• Out In The Cold- Monday’s Heisman announcement that Braxton Miller would not be getting an invite to the Downtown Athletic Club in New York spurred a mixed bag of emotions for Ohio State fans. On the one hand, if it’s unlikely that he’ll be in the top three, it makes sense to not include him- Football is not about “participation” trophies. On the other hand, though, many Buckeyes saw this as another slight at the program and a way for “the media” to disregard the hard work that Miller and his teammates accomplished this season.

Most of the frustration was aimed at the inclusion of Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o, who we’ve argued here before is only a finalist due to his team’s success, solid (but not great) numbers, and the great “story” that his season has been- both for him and as a heart of the awakened echoes of the Irish program.  Tony Gerdeman from the OZone compared Te’o to AJ Hawk, the last linebacker to be seriously considered for the Heisman, and found that Hawk’s numbers eclipsed the Irish’ star. He, along with the guys at Land Grant Holy Land (check out the infographic) continue to compare his numbers to Ohio State’s Ryan Shazier- Gerd points out that, in the last three games of the season, Shazier outplayed Te’o and almost doubled his statistics, minus the interceptions. Given that Te’o plays in a variation of the Tampa 2 defense which requires more coverage, this might make sense- different roles for both players. But it does highlight the fact that Te’o is a debatable finalist… and as such, might have just as well been left home with Miller and Marquis Lee (who I believe is the best player in the country this season).

• Buckeye Pride- Believe it or not, Ohio State is the example of what the NCAA wants its programs to represent this season. That’s according to Deadspin’s Jonathan Mahler, who points to the following regarding this season-

With no hope of a national championship, the Buckeyes saw excellence as its own reward—and achieved it. What better example of pure sportsmanship could there be? Next year, Ohio State will once again be jockeying for a high-profile bowl berth and all the cash that flows from it. This year’s team, by contrast, will stand forever as the one that played not for money but for pride.

• Selling Out- Not the Buckeyes, but Buckeye Nation, who have now snatched up all of the available tickets for this Friday’s celebration in St. John’s to honor the 2012 undefeated team, as well as impress the heck out of a ton of recruits. We’ll have a quick look at who’ll be in the building on that front later this week.
• We’re Number 4! Nope, not football… they’re Third in the latest AP poll. Men’s hoops drops to Seventh after the loss to Duke. Your Wrestling Buckeyes, though, are Fourth in the nation this week. W00t!
• Also? Vibe’s got your back as well, Buckeye Fans.
• The Heart Returns- Here’s a look at the new Basketball Floor that’s set to be unveiled for the Kansas game later this month… pretty nice!

No "#Swoon" Hashtag?

• Eddie! Eddie! On Tuesday, the University announced that Heisman Trophy Winner Eddie George would be returning to Ohio State as an “Associate VP for Business Advancement”. In other words- “Help The Campaign Raise Money”.  No word on what impact this will have on his role with Fox Sports’ College Football team, although I can’t imagine he’d miss the chance to get away from Joey Harrington.
• Also Significant- Mr. George wasn’t the only Buckeye running back making news on Tuesday; this great article talks at length at the impact that Butler By’note’s message to the team, particularly their head coach. Read More

Tags: 2012-13 Bowls, Arkansas, BCS, Bert Bielema, Bowls, Braxton Miller, Bret Bielema, Butler By'note, Charlie Strong, Darrell Hazell, Eddie George, Gus Malzahn, Heisman Trophy, Manti Te'o, Paul Chryst, Purdue, Ryan Shazier, Schott, Steve Addazio, Wisconsin, Wrestling
Categories: College Football, Humor, Ohio State Football

Win/Win Scenario?

Yup, it’s that week again- we find ourselves looking to the skies and hoping for an astronomical event to head toward… let’s see… this year the game is in South Bend, so that will do just fine. Just think, if Notre Dame’s previous coach was still on the sidelines, there just might be enough gravitational pull between the two head men to facilitate this.

Buckeye 411

• Injury Update- Not much new on this front this week: We know that Carlos Hyde won’t be participating this Saturday, and there’s been no update on John Simon’s shoulder. That’s not totally true: the best thing to come out of Coach Meyer’s Monday press conference was commentary that Simon’s shoulder was a long way from his heart… meaning that he could work though the pain. Meyer then went on to comment that Michael Bennett was still injured, and that “He’s got to play some time. So I don’t know how far that groin is away from the heart.” If you needed proof that Urban Meyer understands the Ohio State legacy- his paraphrase of Woody Hayes’ famous quote regarding what his ’74 class should use to think with should seal the deal.
• Bombs Away- One thing that Coach Meyer is concerned with against the Blazers of UAB is the deep ball. Several times over the past week, he’s talked about the strength of quarterback Jonathan Perry’s arm. This has to be a point of emphasis for the Buckeye secondary, who have given up their share of big passing plays during the first two games of the season thus far.
• Good Hands, People- When the season started, Ohio State was looking for “playmakers”, and it seems that they’ve found a few. Corey Brown has shown flashes as a dependable “pivot” player in the new offense, and receiver Devin Smith continues to shine as a reliable option for the big play.  Wonder how long it is until he earns Cris Carter’s moniker of “only catching touchdowns”.
• Bloody Tuesday- From what we’re hearing, Tuesday’s emphasis for the defense was… you guessed it… “Tackling”. And not just on the field, but in the weight room and film room as well.  In talking with a couple of folks, and in looking at the game again, the “chicken and egg” argument of “was it poor scheme or poor execution?” on Saturday is answered by “Yes”, although there are a number of clearly missed assignments on the big touchdowns that made everyone’s nightmare list Saturday afternoon. So, in at least the big play categories, it seems to be execution that was at issue.
• On To The Next One- If you’re not following Samuel Silverman on twitter, you’re missing out on great Ohio State graphics- like this one: Read More

Tags: 2012 Season, Academics, Corey Brown, Devin Smith, Duron Carter, Economics, ESPN, John Calipari, John L Smith, John Simon, Kentucky Wildcats, Michael Bennett, NCAA failures, North Carolina, Oregon, SBP, Schott, SEC, Texas Tech, UAB Blazers, Urban Meyer
Categories: Analysis, College Football, Humor, Michigan Football, Ohio State Football

This morning we bring you a new feature here at tBBC. Of course, we try and bring you the latest in recruiting on the basketball front from time to time. There is no doubt that it could be touched upon even more, especially in the off-season as we prepare for the 2012 season on the hardwood. As always, the future is bright for the Buckeyes, but everyone is wondering what is the next move on the recruiting front. With the recent addition of Amedeo Della Valle, three more open spots remain in the class of 2012. Will the Buckeyes look to fill them? We find out on today’s tBBC Recruiting Report.

Thanks to Grant Edgell of Buckeye House Call for creating the great header!

Now that it seems that the rest of Ohio State’s open scholarships will be turned down for other programs across the country (Amile Jefferson, Anthony Bennett), Thad Matta and company will be looking at the best transfer options and gauging interest in the upcoming month.

Yet, there is still one more interesting option that has evolved from the class of 2012.

Read More

Tags: Class of 2013, Matt Humphrey, Rodney Hood, Schott, Sindarius Thornwell, Tobe Okafor
Categories: Basketball Recruiting, College Basketball, Miscellaneous