Buckeye Nation lost one of it's greatest members today, Jack Tatum, to a heart attack at the age of 61. Tatum played under Woody Hayes from 1968-1970, was a two-time All-American, and helped the Buckeyes win a National Championship in 1968. Though he will always be known as "The Assassin" for being one of the most feared hitters in football, many knew how good of a man he was off the field. Former Buckeye teammate John Hicks had this to say to the Plain Dealer:

"He endured a lot of problems, and it's unfortunate he passed away so young," Hicks said. "He was a tremendous athlete and a great person."

Tressel also released this statement. 

“We have lost one of our greatest Buckeyes. When you think of Ohio State defense, the first name that comes to mind is Jack Tatum. His loss touches every era of Ohio State players and fans."

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5413917

Drew Thurman (1:52 pm)

Don't give up Duron Carter just yet. The latest update from Carter at Coffeyville Community College seems pretty positive. I just watched this video over OKBlitz.com, and it's nice to see Duron at least saying that right things. He is admitting that he messed up at tOSU and now knows that this is his last chance. Maybe the most encouraging words coming from Carter's mouth was this:

"I'm a Buckeye in my blood, I'm a Buckeye all the time." 

As for now he's stuck in the middle of nowhere in Kansas, and has some hard work ahead of him. Let's hope the freshman mistakes are behind him, and he can follow up what was looking like a very promising career.

Head over to OKBlitz.com for the full video and story...

Drew Thurman (4:37 pm)

Nebraska has made it official, they will leave the Big 12 and head to the Big Ten. They still must be accepted by the Big Ten presidents, and that should come very quickly. If their application does go through and the are accepted, they plan on jumping in starting in 2011. The question now remains, will the Big Ten stop at 12 teams? Probably not!

As for Nebraska, they feel very little concern for the future of the Big 12. Chancellor Harvey Perlman had this to say:

"One school leaving a conference does not destroy a conference."

There are some rumors starting to surface that the ten remaining Big 12 teams might be able to salvage the situation, as Oklahoma State has already made known. It may ultimately hinge on the decisions of Texas and Texas A&M this coming week.

Update (6:05 pm): Nebraska has been accepted by the Big Ten.

Further Reading:

Nebraska officials gush about Big Ten
Nebraska applies Big Ten membership
Nebraska bolts for the Big Ten
It is done: NU to Big Ten in 2011

Drew Thurman (12:03 pm)

After two insane days of news and rumors, here is the latest...

1) Adam Rittenberg is breaking down the preseason 25 best players in the Big Ten. Today, DeVier Posey comes in at No. 17 on the list. He is the second Buckeye to appear on the list (Brian Rolle at No. 20), and there should be a handful of guys still appearing including Ross Homan, Justin Boren, Cameron Heyward, and Terrelle Pryor. 

2) Last night, Deadspin listed all the rumors and predictions of things that were reported to happen today. Most of these rumors surround where the current Big 12 teams will end up, and it's pretty comical to see the contradictions. For instance, sources reported yesterday that Texas A&M would join the Pac-10, the Big Ten, and the SEC. The college sports world is definitely in chaos, and I'm ready to see some of this play out.

3) Glen Mason is worried about Minnesota's chances in a bigger Big Ten. Personally, I don't like their chances right now!

4) Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune says that Notre Dame may be forced to join a conference (aka the Big Ten) because of the BCS.

"If the Pac-10 does plump to 16 teams (by adding Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State), conference officials reportedly will push for two automatic bids to Bowl Championship Series games.

"That threat might help push Notre Dame into accepting a Big Ten bid. Herbstreit believes Notre Dame "has to" go the conference route because of that BCS instability and the extra revenue derived from the Big Ten's lucrative combo TV deal (ESPN/ABC and the Big Ten Network)."

5) The big news today is that USC juniors and seniors will be able to transfer without sitting out a year according to NCAA. The rule will not apply to underclassmen, in particular freshmen who have signed their letter of intent. So while the Buckeyes are playing in a BCS bowl (maybe the national championship), Seantrel Henderson and company will be enjoying the time off. Good thing his dad knew what he was doing!

Drew Thurman (8:24 pm)

Twitter and news feeds have been overloaded with news that Nebraska could very well be headed to Big Ten very soon. Expansion rumors have been a dime a dozen over the past few months, but this is more than a rumor. In fact, multiple sources are reporting that this deal could be done by the end of the weekend.

While I'm excited at the tradition and possible matchups that a team like Nebraska brings to the conference, we all know that it won't stop there. Actually, the mad scramble for conference superiority is just beginning. Rumors are already surfacing that Notre Dame, Syracuse, Rutgers, and Maryland are also jumping on board for a sixteen team conference.

That's just the Big Ten.

The Pac-10 is trying to keep pace by offering the rest of the current Big 12, and the SEC will refuse to be outdone. Nebraska joining this weekend could very well be the college sports version of the "shot heard round the world." Like it or not, college sports is on the verge of never being the same again. Many are predicting four superconferences will be all that is left when the dust settles. Personally I have a hard time accepting that. I think I agree with David Jones of The Patriot-News:

"Are four superconferences really better for the game, better for fans, better for the players? It's hard to see the advantages."

Let's get one thing straight though, this isn't about fans or what is better for the game!

It is Twitter, but it's hard to deny the language coming from Mr. Martin. We all thought that one of the running backs would transfer with all the depth, and Martin would make sense. Just one more thing to follow this summer. (ht Nick Smith)

Drew Thurman (12:01 pm)

ESPN has started this project to find out which NCAA school is the best pipeline to the NFL. They scored teams based on the 1979-2009 NFL Drafts, and the Buckeyes came in at a No. 12 seed. I was a little shocked at the low ranking, especially considering the amount of players the Buckeyes have put into the draft the last two decades. I was especially surprised to see the Buckeyes third in the Big Ten, and also behind teams like Arizona State (sorry that is garbage).

The Buckeyes face No. 5 seed Tennessee in their first round matchup. Rather than letting the general public vote (like with the helmet contest), ESPN has wisely left it up to experts. Personally, I think UT versus OSU in terms of NFL talent is not even close, and it was nice to see the experts back that up. Matt Williamson of Scout Inc. (former NFL and college scout):  

"The Buckeyes win on sheer volume. Peyton Manning is an extremely formidable opponent, but he can't do it alone. Clearly, Ohio State cannot compare at the quarterback position, but its offensive linemen are extremely impressive. The Buckeyes just bring more to the table on a position-by-position overview. I will contend that Tennessee has a little more NFL upside based on the past handful of draft classes. If these two meet again a few years down the road, the results might be different. For this battle, it is just too difficult to go against Ohio State's volume in favor of what is pretty much a one-man show for the Vols."

So, I'm still not sure how the Buckeyes got the No. 12 seed. Anyways, this is just something fun to watch this week since there isn't a ton of news coming out. The Buckeyes will next face No. 4 seed Florida State...

Drew Thurman (3:02 pm)

The news has been pretty slow this week, after what has proven to be an exciting spring. There are a few things that have caught my eye or ticked me off though...

1) Ohio State recruit, Braxton Miller, is going to get a chance to show what he is made of on ESPN. Right of the gate Miller and the guys from Wayne High School play Moeller and McKinley in weeks one and two. The game against Moeller is part of the annual Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown, while the McKinley game is part of Herbstreit Varsity Football Series at Ohio Stadium. If Braxton wasn't in the limelight enough already, he will have lots of talk surrounding his play in both games.

2) Everyone is looking to break the pipeline between Ohio State and Cleveland Glenville High School. Outside of a few prospects giving the Buckeyes the cold shoulder, the staff has pretty much gotten who they have wanted there. The latest attempt has Michigan and Michigan State chasing QB Cardale Jones. Jones has yet to get an OSU offer, thanks to the aforementioned Braxton Miller, but this is story is still noteworthy. Both the Wolverines and Spartans are hoping this is a way to break in with the Tarblooders, and hopefully steal some of the talent from the Buckeyes. Obviously, there is nothing to worry about with Rodriguez, but Dantonio has proven his recruiting pull the last few years. In fact, the Buckeyes are battling the Spartans for several other prospects in Ohio currently.

3) Cameron Heyward is getting lots of love in the mock drafts for 2011. SI's latest mock draft has Heyward going fourth to the Detriot Lions, while McShay at has him fifth to the Browns. I thought Heyward really didn't get the respect he should of last season, and it is nice to see some experts noticing his dominance. 

4) I have made it clear that I already sick of expansion talk, but this topic is only going to gain more momentum over the next few months. The latest chapter in this story is that the SEC is looking at expanding if others do. As many have predicted, this will be a battle that will have all the major conferences trying to outdo each other. SEC commissioner Mike Silve said this:

"We've always been known to be a creative league, be on the cutting edge," Slive said. "We're not going to allow ourselves in any way, shape or form, to be anything less than what we are now."

In other words, get ready for a war when the Big Ten expands. When the dust settles, college football will have a much different look and feel.

Yesterday, the Big Ten announced kickoff times and TV plans for 12 different games. As one would expect, the Buckeyes are the front runner for prime-time games. Here are the Ohio State games that were released:

Sept. 2: Marshall at Ohio State, Big Ten Network, 7:30 p.m. ET
Sept. 11: Miami (FL) at Ohio State, ESPN, 3:40 p.m. ET
Oct. 16: Ohio State at Wisconsin, ESPN or ESPN 2, 7:15 p.m. ET
Oct. 30: Ohio State at Minnesota, ABC or ESPN or ESPN 2, 8 p.m. ET

Without even including the Iowa, Penn State, or Michigan games, it's easy to see that the Buckeyes are going to have a tough schedule ahead of them. Besides the battle with Miami (FL) of Sept. 11th, the Buckeyes will have a hostile environment awaiting them in Camp Randall Stadium on Oct. 16th.

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/11802/big-ten-reveals-three-more-primetime-games

Dave Thurman (8:19 pm)

The annual draft for the Scarlet and Gray Game is in the books, and as always there were a few choices that caused me to sit up and take notice and some others that caused me to scratch my head.  Here is my quick analysis by position and then a predicition for Saturday's contest.

Quarterback: Guiton going ahead of Bauserman was a mild surprise, though probably good news for the future.  The fact that Terrelle Pryor was the very first player taken was expected by most everyone.  In fact the only other logical choice would have been for Scarlet to open at wide receiver and take DeVier Posey.

Tailback: I can't believe that Jermil Martin went before Jamaal Berry who had a pretty good spring.  Maybe Scarlet wanted a big, short yardage back since Gray already had Carlos Hyde.

Fullback: This one was a no-brainer with Boren going first.

Wide Receiver: Went as expected.

Tight End: Walk-on Spencer Smith was taken before Nic DiLillo which got my attention.

Center: No big surprises.

Tackle: I think it is a good sign that Mike Adams went first, as I would have expected Shugarts to go ahead of him.