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Royster overshadows how good Stephfon Green really is // mlive.com
Dave and Drew Thurman (7:41 pm)

When people talk about the Big Ten there are several names that get thrown around quite frequently. Names like Juice Williams, Daryll Clark, Evan Royster, Arrelious Benn, and Terrelle Pryor resonate in the minds of midwest football lovers. There are a ton of other players that have big play potential that are flying under the radar though, players who fans should fear more than they do. So, let's take a look at six offensive players who probably should get more acclamation:

Stephfon Green/ Running Back/ Penn State

After a 1,266 yard campaign, Evan Royster obviously deserves to consume most of the hype when talking about Penn State's rushing attack. The Nittany Lions have another scary weapon though in Stephfon Green, who rushed for 588 yards and four touchdowns and had 268 yards receiving with a touchdown in his freshman season. The thing that should strike the most fear in Big Ten opponents is Green's 4.29 forty time speed. He may not be that big at 5'10'' 192 pounds, but could break a long one at any moment as a change of pace back. Just as a defense gets tired of Clark and Royster pounding the ball, watch for Green to take one to the house!

Hayo Carpenter/ Wide Receiver/ Minnesota

Much like the previous situation, Golden Gopher fans are incredibly excited about the return of wideout Eric Decker. His insane 84 receptions for 1,074 yards and seven touchdowns put him on the map as one of the Big Ten's premier receivers. Watch out though, Brewster adds JUCO transfer Hayo Carpenter to the mix in 2009. He was one of the top JUCO recruits in the country, and had 173 catches for 3,079 yards and 28 touchdowns in his junior college career. Carpenter can boast 4.37 speed, and is someone Big Ten defenses need to game plan for.
 
 
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Big game losses have left a nasty impression // Photo via LATimes.com
Dave Thurman (1:03 pm)

Mark Schlabach at ESPN recently ranked college football's conferences and the news wasn't good for us Big Ten fans.  In case you haven't seen the piece, Schalbach's top two were predictable (and can't really be debated), as he placed the SEC on top, followed by the Big 12.  But  at number three, he shockingly picked the ACC, followed by the PAC 10, at fourth, with the Big Ten next, just slightly ahead of the Mountain West.

Now my purpose in writing is not to debate the rankings, although there is certainly room for that.  I did notice that the other ESPN bloggers all had the Big 10 ranked fourth, ahead of the ACC.  That seems to make more sense to me.  With the recent demise of Florida State and Miami, there hasn't been an elite team in the ACC in quite some time, although there have been a plethora of good teams who have offered some interesting parity.

Still my aim is not to debate the rankings, but rather, to discuss what the Big Ten needs to do to become an upper echelon conference once again.  Nobody can debate the fact that the SEC and Big 12 are miles ahead right now.  Meanwhile the PAC 10 reminds me of a long distance race, where nine runners are closely bunched, but all a full lap behind the leader.  However, that leader is USC, who annually places more talent on the field than anyone else in the country, and there's always somebody else (California, Oregon, Oregon State) who mounts a pretty good charge.  No doubt about it - the Big 10 is no better than fourth right now - so what needs to happen in order for midwest football to rise again?
 
 
For those of you who follow our blog closely, you remember our "Looks Test" post from check in a year ago. The idea finds its roots from John Cooper's quote of a player physically passing the "looks test." So let's take a look at seven players who caught our eye in the pictures from check in:
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Jermil Martin: It's always a nice sign when one of the running backs looks physically impressive. No one knows how big Martin's role will be since he is making the shift from fullback to running back, but he looks like he has the body to be the "big back" option the staff wants him to be. Not that Herron looked weak by any means, but I have to give the nod to Martin. He passes the "looks test!" 
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Brian Rolle: This is Rolle's second time passing the "looks test" with us here at The Silver Bullet. He might not be the tallest guy around, but I don't think there are too many guys that want to mess with him. Just as his shirt suggests, he will take you "any time, anywhere!" The defense needs Rolle to step up, especially considering the linebacking core took a hit with the injury of Tyler Moeller. Rolle is a heat-seeking missile, and should have no problem becoming a star at Ohio State.  
 
 
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Joshua Shaw loved his visit to Buckeye Country // Photo via cltv.com
Drew Thurman (12:19 am)

The Buckeyes have nabbed three prospects quickly in DE Darryl Baldwin, WR James Louis, and S Chad Hagan. That brings the total to 11 commitments in 2010, but it also means the staff is running short on scholarships to give out. So it is important to start paying attention to names, and to start piecing together how this class will fill out. Luckily for the staff, there is still lots of quality left on the board. Let's take a look at some of those hot names... 

Jordan Hicks // Linebacker:

This list obviously has to start with Hicks. Not only was he recently named the No. 2 overall prospect in the country by ESPNU, but he also resides in the Bucks backyard (West Chester, Ohio). His film is incredibly impressive, and he is being hailed as one of the best linebackers to come out of Ohio in quite sometime. His extensive list of offers would seem to back up that claim. Adding Hicks is obviously a high priority, and would honestly bump this class up from good to great. The staff still seems far from getting a commitment though, so it is important to keep watching his name.  

Seantrel Henderson // Offensive Line

Henderson, like Hicks, was recently named as a top ten prospect according to the ESPNU 150. The St. Paul, Minnesota prospect has all the intangibles you dream about in a offensive linemen, and his size makes you drool. Unlike Hicks though, Henderson isn't a player that Buckeyes seem to have a solid handle on. Obviously anything can happen, but unless something drastic takes place he will probably be headed elsewhere.
 
 
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Today the Buckeyes picked up their 11th commitment in the class of 2010 from Chad Hagan (6'1'' 210 pounds) of Canonsburg, Pa. Hagan has played both running back and safety at his high school Canon-McMillan, but is being recruited just as a safety for the Buckeyes. His highlights are much more impressive in the secondary, where he shows a lot of intincts and hitting ability. He held offers from Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and NC State. Nice pick up for the Bucks!
 
 
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Jordan Hicks finds himself at #2 overall // Photo via Scout.com
Drew Thurman (8:13 pm)

The new ESPNU 150 came out today, and the Buckeyes were not exactly shown lots of love. Only four of the Buckeyes 10 early commitments found themselves on the list, and the highest ranking came to Roderick Smith at No. 58. The other three Buckeye commits on the list are James Louis at No. 83, Darryl Baldwin at No. 112, and Andrew Norwell at No. 115. I was very surprised to see Norwell so low on the list, especially considering his hype by the other services. 

There are also a whole host of potential prospects that found themselves on the list, highlighted first by Jordan Hicks who came in at No. 2 overall. He in fact was one of only 12 prospects given a five star ranking. Two other Buckeye prospects found themselves with a five star ranking; Seantrel Henderson who came in at No. 4 overall and Lamarcus Joyner who came in at No. 12. 

Some other notables on the list are Michigan State commit William Gholston at No. 33, Illinois commit C.J. Fiedorowicz at No. 86, Michigan commit Devin Gardner at No. 117, and WR/ RB prospect Corey Brown at No. 150.     
 
 
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Rose's career hasn't met expectations // Photo via Buckeye50.com
Dave Thurman (5:33 pm)

"What's in a name?  That which we call a rose would by any other name smell as sweet." (William Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet)

What's in a name?  With recent news that two Buckeyes might not be eligible this fall, I took a moment to reflect on this question:

Robert Rose - I guess most women would say that a rose is the "diamond" of the flower family.  But this "Rose" hasn't smelled too sweet in his OSU career.  I saw one post on another site where someone commented that he "looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane." Unfortunately that has been the case.  He arrived amid great fanfare, having wreaked havoc at the 2005 US Army All-American game.  But he has never been a difference maker in his Buckeye career.  To be fair Rose has suffered from an assortment of injuries, and it was my hope that he might be healthy this year and have a great senior season.  I hoped he might even help the Bucks get to the "Rose" bowl!  Now it looks like he might not play at all.

Ray Small - Unlike Rose, Small has had no problem living up to his name.  His talent is large but his contributions on the field have too often been small.  It would also seem that he spends far too small amount of time hitting the books.  This one could really hurt, so all Buckeye fans are holding their collective breath, hoping that he will be clear to play.  Although he has not maximized his talent and has often been in the doghouse, there is no doubt that Ray can be a difference maker as a wideout and a punt returner.  It would really help the OSU chances of winning another Big Ten title if he would come up "big" in '09.

Let's keep our fingers crossed that this Glenville duo can take care of business and get back on the field right away!
 
 
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Yep...Beanie has already gotten hurt. // Photo via LATimes.com
Fresh off his new contract and ready to claim the starting running back job for Arizona, Beanie was carted off during his first practice. He apparently rolled his left leg after having a collison with defensive end Jason Banks. The seriousness of the injury has not been disclosed, but the reports are that Beanie had a smile on his face as he was carted off. No surprise there though, Beanie should learn to smile as many times as he has been carted off. Get ready for the durability jokes to start all over again...