Welcome to Wednesday, the first of May… it’s officially grilling season (unless you live in California, where it’s always that time). Here’s today’s soundtrack; if you don’t know why, then… well… keep reading.

Archie’d

Buckeye 411

• Is The Right Time- The ABC/ESPN/Disney schedule for college football came out on Monday, the the Buckeyes will get to show their stuff in prime time on at least three occasions this upcoming season: Against Wisconsin, at Northwestern, and again when Penn State comes to town. Some interesting history with those teams- Obviously, the Badgers and Buckeyes have loads of fun under the lights, and I think Jim Tressel is still trying to run up the score for the last night game in Evanston. The Lions were gracious hosts last year for a late game, certainly a payback for the darkness in the ‘Shoe back in 2008. While it hasn’t been announced as of yet, there’s also the possibility that the Cal game could end up as a 7:30 or so kick off on the East Coast.
• Why? Recruiting. Urban Meyer loves the big game atmosphere, and having the Buckeyes on TV with the eyes of the nation’s top recruits on them cannot be a bad thing. Also- With Ohio State’s “questionable” schedule strength next season, the more exposure they can build will certainly help toward addressing any rankings situations for the end of the season.  C’mon, Pasadena…
• Congrats- To all the 2013 graduates from THE Ohio State University, particularly the bros who got Heisman Bombed above.
• The Future- With top QB recruit Deshaun Watson sticking with his commitment to Clemson, it seems that Ohio State has started to look more closely at Louisiana’s Brandon Harris.  Worth keeping an eye on.
• Hoops Updates- Our friends over at The Buckeye Room are hosting Evan Ravenel for autograph sessions; and your Aaron Craft adorable meter needs recalibration.
• Also? Evan Turner doesn’t like geese. So there’s that.
• Design Du Jour- From the mind and computer of Ohio State’s graphics guru: Read More

Tags: 21013 Season, Archie Griffin, B1G, Brandon Harris, Duke, ESPN, Evan Turner, Mark Emmert, Mike Krzyzewski, NCAA, Northwestern, Oregon State, Penn State, Sammy Silverman, SBP, The Buckeye Room, Wisconsin
Categories: NCAA Investigations, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football, Recruiting

A great game on Monday night led to a great result- Michigan didn’t win.  I’m sure that was as exciting for you as it was for Rick Pitino, right?

Congratulations to the Louisville Cardinals on their season, and to Columbus’ Trey Burke on his college career. Thanks, too, for deciding to go pro so I can actually enjoy your talent without being sick to my stomach.

Closer to home, the BBC Bracket Challenge has a winner… artist extraordinaire, Kevin Dearth, whos “RIP Homer” entry won by one point over two other challengers. The neat thing about this entry- it’s named in honor of his step father, a Louisville fan who passed away earlier this year.

Kevin wins the prize package- a shirt from The Buckeye Room, an autographed copy of Maurice Clarett’s new book, some swag from our friend Mekka Don, and the chance to grace the pages of tBBC with a guest post.

For staff bragging rights, The Wonder From Down Under edged out yours truly by one point as well- I knew Charles had some of that Australian mojo going for him.

Thanks for participating in this year’s event… Go Bucks!

Tags: 2013 March Madness, Gambling? Us?, Kevin Dearth, Louisville, Maurice Clarett, Mekka Don, The Buckeye Room
Categories: Administrative Whatnot

This week’s soundtrack takes you back to 1978, well before vampires were sparkly and werewolves were dreamy. Happy All Hallows Eve, folks…

Useful, that.

Buckeye 411

• Meaningful Awards- This week, we more about how well Ohio State’s players are being perceived nationally, as several more “just happy to be nominated” lists included Buckeyes. Jonathan Hankins is one of 16 being considered for the Bednarik award, given to the nation’s best defensive player, while Roby is one of 15 being looked at for the Thorpe trophy as the nation’s top defensive back. Braxton is getting some national appreciation as well, and is one of the 16 folks up for the Maxwell award this season.
  
• Walking Wounded? Coach Meyer said on Tuesday that Etienne Sabino will miss the game against Illinois, which isn’t a surprise to those of us paying attention- the additional two weeks will be helpful for his recovery for the last part of the season. Zach Domicone, though, may be back this week against the Illini, which will certainly help on special teams. Also, for the first week this season, Jordan Hall is not listed on the depth chart- speculation that he might seek a medical redshirt are pretty strong at this point.
• Awards, Continued- The B1G recognized Ryan Shazier on Monday as it’s co-defensive player of the week. If nothing else, it’s good that he’s getting kudos for joining Pick Six University’s fraternity.
• In Case You Forgot- This weekend is the “Battle For The Weird Wood Turtle”. Wheee!  The newest (and only?) Illini blog on the web gives us a little history into the background of this fanciful beast.
• Meyer’s Musings- Coach agreed that Shazier played his best game of the season, and said Tuesday that he’d finally settled down, and is playing like a safety more than a linebacker. He talked candidly about the punt issues, have all been due to missed assignments, in spite of the fact that the coaching staff continues to simplify things. Coach Meyer said that he was “disappointed: in Braxton’s progression as a passer, because he knows he can be much better, with no ceiling on his abilities. He finished his time on the B1G chat by owning that the team is tired, beat up, and looking forward to a break next week, but are first and foremost focused on getting to 10-0.
• Word To The Wise- Coach Vrable takes his pumpkin carving pretty seriously. Good to know.
• Honor. Don Steinberg, member of the 1942 championship team, died Monday at the age of 90.
• Tricks? Nope. Treats- Our friends at the Buckeye Room have an amazing deal for Ohio State fans on Halloween- 50% off in-stock merchandise. 100% better than stale circus peanuts in the bottom of your bag. Read More

Tags: 2012 Season, Bill O'Brien, Bradley Roby, ESPN, Illinois, Jonathan Hankins, Mike Vrable, NCAA penalties, Officials, Penn State, Ryan Shazier, SBP, The Buckeye Room, Urban Meyer
Categories: College Football, NCAA Investigations, Ohio State Football

Here's your chance Sponsored Post: Our partners at The Buckeye Room have put together a Star Studded lineup of Former Ohio State Buckeyes to sign autographs at multiple store locations over the next week.  Jared Sullinger will be signing autographs at 4 different stores and they will be hosting a 1997 Rose Bowl Champions Reunion Signing that includes Orlando Pace, Stanley Jackson, Greg Bellisari, Pepe Pearson, & Ryan Miller.  The signing dates are listed below.This is a great opportunity to see some of Ohio State’s Legends and get signed memorabilia at great prices.  “We are happy to be able to offer this opportunity to meet some of the players that Buckeye fans get to watch on TV but never have a chance to meet in person” says Johnny Campbell, President of the Buckeye Room & Cardboard Heroes. They will have 8×10 photos, OSU Basketballs, OSU Footballs and Mini Helmets available at the signings for purchase.  They also give fans the opportunity to purchase autographed items even if they can’t make an event.  You can call their Internet Sales Division @ 1-800-930-4591 to place an order and have your item autographed, personalized and shipped to you immediately following the event.  That is definitely “Buckeye Friendly” service. Jared Sullinger Signing Dates & Prices 4/14-Buckeye Room at Tuttle Crossing in Dublin from (Noon-2PM) 4/14-Cardboard Heroes at The Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek (6-8PM) 4/15-Cardboard Heroes at Franklin Park Mall in Toledo (1-3PM) 4/16-Buckeye Room at Polaris Mall in Columbus (6-8PM) **All Autograph tickets are $20 with Inscriptions being an additional $10 1997 Rose Bowl Reunion Signing 4/15-Buckeye Room At the Polaris Mall in Columbus (2-4PM) Orlando Pace- $45.00 Greg Bellisari- $15.00 Pepe Pearson- $15.00 Stanley Jackson- $15.00 Ryan Miller- $15.00 **Super Ticket-Gets all 5 autographs for only $75, save $30.

Tags: Greg Bellisari, Jared Sullinger, Orlando Pace, Pepe Pearson, Rose Bowl, Ryan Miller, Stanley Jackson, The Buckeye Room
Categories: Miscellaneous, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football

Things that go "Swoosh!"

Tonight is the last LiveBlog of the season as the Kentucky Wildcats and Kansas Jayhawks do battle for the College Basketball National Championship.

As with each round, we’ve got to give a huge “Thank You!” to our BBN Bracket Challenge sponsors- the semis and finals are brought to you by The Buckeye Room. They’re having a sweet deal right now where you can get 20% off your gear by using “MADNESS2012” as the checkout code- even for the cool Nike shirt you see on the right there.

While you’re waiting for the game to start, go check out our partners in the BBN! the Buckeye Blog, OSU Silver Bullet, Buckeye House Call, Our Honor Defend, and Men of the Scarlet and Gray. Fox Sports Ohio also joins us as usual.

All of these blogs deserve a lot of thanks for making these chats a success. Thanks Guys!

Tags: buckeyes, Cardinals, Final Four, Jayhawks, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, National Championship, NCAA Tournament, Ohio State, The Buckeye Room, Wildcats
Categories: Basketball Live Chats, College Basketball

Things that go "Swoosh!"

We’re continuing the Madness here with the BBN!  Kentucky and Louisville get going at 6:09 PM EST, with the Buckeyes and Jayhawks tipping shortly after, currently approximately 8:49 PM EST. The liveblog will start at 6:00 PM EST to get you ready for the first of the excellent double-header.

As with each round, we’ve got to give a huge “Thank You!” to our BBN Bracket Challenge sponsors- the semis and finals are brought to you by The Buckeye Room.  They’re having a sweet deal right now where you can get 20% off your gear by using “MADNESS2012” as the checkout code- even for the cool Nike shirt you see on the right there.

If you find time during the games, you should check out our friends in the Buckeye Bloggers Network! the Buckeye Blog, OSU Silver Bullet, Buckeye House Call, Our Honor Defend, and Men of the Scarlet and Gray. Fox Sports Ohio also joins us as usual.
Go Bucks!

Tags: buckeyes, Cardinals, Final Four, Jayhawks, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, National Championship, NCAA Tournament, Ohio State, The Buckeye Room, Wildcats
Categories: Analysis, Basketball Analysis, College Basketball, Ohio State Basketball

After last night’s big win, most Buckeye fans spend all night celebrating with friends and family. Luckily for us, though, our friend Kevin Dearth spent time creating this great March Madness wallpaper for your enjoyment:

Dancing On Bourbon Street

Also- don’t forget that The Buckeye Room has a March Madness special so you can get ready for the finals- when you order online, just use MADNESS2012 as the coupon code when you check out for a 20% discount.

Go Bucks!!!

Tags: 2012 Final Four, Kevin Dearth, Kevin's Graphics, New Orleans, The Buckeye Room
Categories: Administrative Whatnot, Ohio State Basketball

We told you earlier that we were in process of coming up with some cool swag for the winners of our BBN Bracket Challenge, and now we’ve got enough that we can let you in on the awesome.

It's Italian

Our overall winner will get their choice of a shirt from the guys at Fresh Brewed Tees, their choice of Buckeye Flag from CVS Flags, a Cholula Hot Sauce Gift pack, some goodies from Fox Sports Ohio, and the opportunity to write a guest post here at tBBC. There may be a couple of things we’ll throw in here as well, but this is what we’ve got for now.

UPDATE:  Since I posted this, we were given a $25 gift card for The Buckeye Room- they’ve also got a promo where all OSU fans can get 10-20% off on purchased during March- Use the promo code MADNESS2012 when you buy gear online!

UPDATE2: We’ve also been given a “Rise And Grind” shirt from the guys at Time and Change for the winner!

If you’re in the #2-#5 spot, you’ll win one of the CVS Flags; if you’re #6-#10, you get one of the gift packs from Cholula. Huge thanks to Annapolis at The Buckeye Blog for coordinating the giveaways.

In the case of any ties, we’ll go with best first round score as the tiebreaker. After that, we’ll draw names from a pith helmet we’ve got laying around the office (don’t ask).

IMPORTANT: When you sign up, PLEASE don’t forget to include your email address so we can get in touch with you if you win.

Here’s the important details again: Our boycott of the four letter network continues, so we’re using Yahoo for our contest. For reference, here’s the group information.

Group ID#: 78517  Password: sw00n&su11y

Deadline is 12:15 Eastern on Thursday- That’s TOMORROW. Good luck!!

Tags: 2012 NCAA Tournament, BBN, Fresh Brewed Tees, Gambling? Us?, March Madness, The Buckeye Room, Time and Change Clothiers
Categories: Administrative Whatnot, College Basketball