Drew Thurman (9:29 am)

In December when the Big Ten announced that they were pursuing adding more teams, Notre Dame and AD Jack Swarbrick made it clear that they wanted no part of it. Just four months later though, the Irish may be more interested due to trying to stay relevant. The Pac-10 has also announced that they want to add teams as well, which means a massive power shift could be about to happen in college football. So, though Notre Dame wants to stay independent, they could be forced to get over their preference.

“I believe we’re at a point right now where the changes could be relatively small or they could be seismic,” Swarbrick said. “The landscape could look completely different."

Swarbrick and the Irish are worried about the possibilities of seismic changes. This would have huge implications, the biggest being the economics of being part of a power conference. The Big Ten, for instance, may be too lucrative of a deal for the Irish to pass up (not that they aren't now).

"I think seismic is a possibility,” he said. “I don’t know where the spectrum falls out. You have such an interesting media environment here. It’s having such an impact on people. You have two conferences who have separated themselves economically. And you have all the other conferences lined up in successive years for broadcast negotiations. That’s a tough situation for everyone in that position. The bar has been set so high, and the media market is so tepid, that it creates tension.” 

The Big Ten could be totally changing the landscape of college football, will Notre Dame jump on board? Well, it appears things could be slowly heading in that direction.

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/10740/bt-expansion-push-could-force-nds-hand

Drew Thurman (7:18 pm)

The NFL combine in Indianapolis didn't produce many headlines for Buckeye players. Some of that can be credited to Kurt Coleman (strained abdominal) sitting out the 40-yard dash, while Doug Worthington sat out a majority of the drills thanks to a strained muscle. Not only that, but Aaron Pettrey under performed, showcasing his inconsistency.

One guy that did build some momentum in Indy was Thaddeus Gibson. He was a top performer in three of the drills, and had the lowest 3-cone drill time of any defensive lineman. Here is what Steve Muench had to say (via Adam Rittenberg):

"Ohio State's Thaddeus Gibson looked smooth and comfortable dropping into coverage, which came as little surprise given how often he dropped into coverage in college. However, his footwork was a little sloppy during lateral bag work. Gibson is so explosive that his momentum often carried him past the bag and forced him to gather himself before redirecting. We've seen this on film as well, and Gibson needs to play more under control.

"Michigan's Brandon Graham is ranked ahead of Texas' Sergio Kindle and Ohio State's Thaddeus Gibson because he's the better player on film in our opinion. However, the combine is the perfect venue for Kindle and Gibson to showcase their talents because they are better athletes than Graham." 

Just when we thought the 2010 class was done, Tressel signs RB/DB Adam Griffin from Columbus DeSales. It probably doesn't hurt that he is the son of Buckeye great, Archie Griffin! Here is what Tressel said:

"Adam Griffin has a passion to be an Ohio State Buckeye," says Coach Jim Tressel. "He will add a great deal to our football family on the field, in the locker room and on our campus. Adam clearly understands the privilege of being an Ohio State Buckeye."

Source: http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=204885382

Drew Thurman (7:25 pm)

Ratings...

Looking at the Scout 150 or Rivals 250 over the past few months has been nothing short of disappointing. Not only did the Buckeyes fall short of the top five classes they accumulated in '08 and '09, but the whole state of Ohio wasn't that impressive in the 2010 class.

The 2011 class looks like it will redeem both parties though. The state of Ohio is loaded with talent, and the national recruiting services are taking notice. In the recently released Scout 150, the Buckeye state has 13 guys (up from nine a year ago), and that talent is much higher up on the list. Braxton Miller (QB), Trey DePriest (OLB), and Ryan Kelly (C) all come in at No. 1 at their given positions, while Doran Grant is listed as the No. 2 corner. Believe or not, Glenville product Shane Wynn doesn't even make the list! The Rivals 250 also is a good showing for Ohio boys (and Wynn does get some love from them!)

More importantly for those of us in scarlet and gray, it appears as if the Buckeyes will do a better job of keeping the best players in the state this year. Braxton Miller, Trey DePriest, Doran Grant, Eilar Hardy, and the Glenville crew (Sturdivant, Walker, and Wynn) are all showing major interest. It doesn't hurt that the staff has already locked up defensive ends Ken Hayes and Steve Miller (both guys on Rivals and Scout's lists). One has to wonder if the Rose Bowl victory will leave a larger impression for the guys in '11.