Dave Thurman (9:51 am)

Another week has reached the halfway point, and the good news is that Buckeye football is only 38 days away!  Of course the Penn State/Paterno scandal continues to dominate the college football world, but there is some other interesting stuff to sort through.  This week we'll start with some truly important (and life-changing) information, move on to some bad news from up north (which may be considered good news for OSU fans), and take a look at some B1G predictions concerning title game participants, best players. etc.  Oh, yes, we will also recommend a couple of links on good reads regarding - you guessed it - the PSU aftermath.  

World's Largest Buckeye Necklace:  Our good friend (and occasional contributor) Ken Kohl is a cancer survivor who keeps us up to date on news regarding the amazing efforts of the Arthur G. James Cancer Center and the Stefanie Spielman Fund.  The latest news on this front concerns a ceremony to unveil the world's largest Buckeye necklace at the Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Cancer Center at 4 PM on July 31st.  The necklace will fill a 7-foot Block-O display that will showcase the necklace which will weigh about 1200 pounds when completed.  Those who purchase a ticket will be forever linked to Buckeyes For a Cure by having their name engraved on the display which will reside permanently at the Stefanie Spielman CCC at 1145 Olentangy River Road in Columbus.  

The Lantern recently published an article that provides details on this exciting fundraiser, including how individual buckeyes can be purchased for $2.50 apiece.  Additional information is available here, through the official press release.

One more resource worth checking is the Team Buckeye site, which encourages bike rides to help bring about a cancer free world.  

Thanks Ken for keeping us up to date on this opportunities to join a Great Buckeye, Chris Spielman, and many OSU fans in making a difference.  Lives are being saved through these efforts!

Two Michigan Players in Trouble: In case you haven't noticed, TSUN has had two players run afoul of the law. Back on June 20th, defensive end Frank Clark was arraigned on a charge of second-degree home invasion.  The charge was the result of an incident June 14, with initial reports indicating that he’s been accused of stealing a Macbook Air from a dorm room.  However, none of this was reported to the media until this week.  Then, on Monday it was announced that starting running back Fitzgerald Toussaint was indefinitely suspended following a drunken driving arrest.  It will be interesting to see how strict Brady Hoke is in handing out punishments.  Although I take no joy in seeing any college student involved in criminal activity, it is nice to know that Ohio State isn't the only school plagued by such silliness.  

B1G Season Predictions: A poll of 24 reporters from newspapers covering B1G football reveals some interesting prognostications including who they think will play in the Big Ten title game.  Here are the results tabulated by the Champaign News-Gazette:  B1G Title Game - Wisconsin vs. Michigan; Final Standings (Leaders) - 1) Wisconsin; 2) Ohio State; 3) Purdue; 4) Illinois; 5) Penn State; 6) Indiana... (Legends) 1) Michigan; 2) Michigan State; 3) Nebraska: 4) Iowa; 5) Northwestern; 6) Minnesota; Offensive MVP - Montee Ball; Defensive MVP - William Gholston.  As for Buckeyes garnering notes, Braxton Miller finished a distant third for offensive MVP with one vote, while Johnathan Hankins (3 votes) and John Simon (2 votes) finished third and fourth for defensive MVP.

Interesting Takes on the PSU Mess: A plethora of articles have been written following the handing down of sanctions by the NCAA earlier this week, including one by our own Zach Clark.  There are a few journalistic efforts that have especially caught my attention, and while I have not ruled out writing my own take on the whole thing, I echo the sentiments shared by the following men.  First Dave Biddle, expresses his feeling that the NCAA overreacted with their ruling, which I heartily second.  Then, Rob Oller waxes eloquent in stating that the NCAA is seeking to play the role of parent in correcting PSU.  I especially like his opening line: "Hypocrisy runs rampant at the top of amateur athletics..."  Who wouldn't agree with that?

Finally, Todd Jones speculates on how the sanctions will affect the Big Ten in a negative fashion. Although none of us likes that thought, there is no doubt that the B1G will lose a little more luster and that is a tragic realization.  Guess it is time for Team Urban to up the ante and restore dignity to the conference in the next few years!