Eleven Warriors

Goofus and Gallant and the NCAA

Johnny — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Last week we once again discovered that Ohio State is the Mos Eisley Cantina that detractors have always said it is, as the dread pirate Gene Smith and E"vil" Gordon Gee admitted to the NCAA that 46 secondary violations had taken place across 21 different sports. That's a lot of violations, and certainly not what we've come to expect from the fine, upstanding institutions associated with the heartland. What would our mothers say about this? For shame.

Still, the most important part of making mistakes is learning from them. Ohio State could just go on and keep being the same ol' troublemakers that we've always been, OR, having done a fair bit of corn and gumption fueled introspection, we could change ourselves for the better. Transform our collective grandma-shaming Goofuses into graduate-level Gallants, so to speak.

So that's why today I'd like to use real, actual examples from the 300+ page document that explained in excruciating detail the egregious wrongs committed by the Ohio State athletic department, and show you just how all this unpleasantness could've been avoided. Hopefully it'll be a learning experience for us, the fans, and for any coaches or administrators who happen to be reading today.

Because after all: winners never cheat, and cheaters never give impermissible benefits to potential recruits including expenses of 61 dollars rather than the 60 that is allowed.

PROBLEM 1

During a lacrosse summer camp, one of the teenaged campers lost their lacrosse stick on their way to lunch and doesn't have one of their own to replace it! Oh no!

Goofus notices the student looking forlorn, and offers a replacement stick to help demonstrate leadership and trust. The student happily accepts the offer, and the camp goes on unimpeded.

But wait! Gallant understands that providing a recruiting-age camper a new stick is a violation of NCAA bylaws 13.2.1 and 13.2.1.1, and correctly denies the camper the equipment needed to participate. To further ensure that there's no potential culpability or possible misinterpretation of the camper/university relationship, Gallant repeatedly tells the camper that he "sucks," "is a giant baby idiot," and continues to taunt and mock him until his mother comes and picks him up. Gallant refrains from hitting on the camper's mother because this is not a Wisconsin football camp.

PROBLEM 2

Great job, kids!

Before the big game, a football recruit spies a college coach and waves a hearty "Hello!" to him. Uh oh!

Goofus nods and says "Good luck," before walking by and attending to other business.

Tsk tsk. Gallant sees this and shakes his head, because his headstrong friend has just violated NCAA rules by communicating with a recruit on the day of competition. Instead of making such a horrible breach of NCAA etiquette, Gallant rightly ignores all overtures from recruit and quietly asks the recruit's coach to bench him for the entirety of the game. Later in the parking lot, when the recruit is suffering a severe allergic reaction to a bee sting, Gallant reminds himself of NCAA bylaw 13.1.6.2 and puts away his EpiPen as he walks briskly by. Way to avoid possible impermissible contact, Gallant!

PROBLEM 3

During a recruiting visit, a recruit wants to go to a Halloween party, but doesn't have a costume. He doesn't think this is a problem, as he'll just use his allotted entertainment money to buy one. His host athlete is conflicted.

Goofus goes ahead and spends 8 dollars from the entertainment stipend on a cheap costume for the recruit. They go to the party and have fun.

Gallant knows better. Even though he does allow the recruit to use the entertainment stipend to buy the costume, Gallant knows that NCAA bylaw 13.6.7.5 allows for covering the cost of entertaining a recruit, but not buying them mementos. Therefore immediately after buying the polystyrene Spongebob costume, Gallant forces the recruit to eat it, counting it as a meal rather than a souvenir. The pair continue on to the party where Gallant makes sure that the recruit has a miserable time, knocking beverages out of his hand and telling every girl that the recruit talks to about said recruit's "stank farts" in the car. The recruit later dies of an intestinal blockage. Well done!

PROBLEM 4

The women's volleyball team is hungry at an away game and there's no meal service. Their coaches are considering giving each player 10 dollars to go out and eat something so they aren't hungry.

Goofus gives each player 10 dollars. The players then buy food, which they then eat. They are no longer hungry.

Gallant, having read NCAA bylaw 16.5.2 (d)(3), understands that money cannot be given in lieu of meals before a game, even if there is no food service. This comforts Gallant as he watches his team of gaunt and spindly-legged volleyball players wince their way through a bus ride. Halfway through the trip Gallant the other coaches leave the players on the bus as they go eat; when they return they then stand in front of the team, rubbing their tummies and loudly proclaiming how those ribs from Applebees were "soooooo good!"

PROBLEM 5

The family of a recruit is unsure how to enter the stadium to watch a scrimmage. They send a text message to a coach, asking how they can get in. Oh brother!

Foolishly, Goofus answers the request by giving brief instructions on how to enter the stadium. The family enters the stadium and watches the scrimmage.

Angrily turning off his phone, Gallant makes sure that not only will he never get another text message about stadium entrances from players' parents, but that he'll never have to interact with anyone outside of NCAA-approved football personalities ever again by throwing his phone into the nearest lake/river. Thank goodness for NCAA bylaw 13.4.1.2! The recruits' family becomes lost, but Gallant and the rest of the universities' employees correctly refrain from any kind of contact not permitted by the NCAA. When the family finally escapes from the drug cartel that kidnapped them as they looked in vain for the stadium entrance, they'll be happy to know that an NCAA-approved e-mail has informed them that they can enter through Gate 15 on the west side of the stadium.

I think we all learned a little something today, especially all of those college sports Goofuses out there. Hopefully in time Ohio State staff and administration will one day learn to suppress those feelings of basic human decency and fairness, and start doing things the NCAA way. Because it's the only way to be!

Big Ten Releases 2015-2016 Schedules

11W Staff — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:04:53 +0000

Link:

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/052112aaa.html

The Big Ten released the 2015 and 2016 conference schedules earlier today and below is the release from Ohio State. The Buckeyes avoid Nebraska, Iowa, and Northwestern during the B1G regular season, although the possibility to square off with those teams in the conference championship is a possibility. Also of note, the 2015 schedule is nearly complete with just one game TBA, while the 2016 schedule has two open games to fill.

Buckeyes’ 2015 & 2016 Big Ten Schedules Announced
Ohio State won’t play Iowa, Nebraska and Northwestern these two years

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Big Ten Conference released its 2015 and 2016 football schedules today and Ohio State will open each of those Big Ten campaigns with games against the Purdue Boilermakers.

Ohio State will play at Purdue Oct. 3 to kick off the 2015 Big Ten campaign and Purdue will come to Columbus Oct. 1 for the start of the 2016 conference slate.

Ohio State’s 2015 conference schedule will also include home games with Penn State, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Indiana and road contests at Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan.

The 2016 schedule features Ohio Stadium games against Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan and road games at Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Indiana.

Teams the Buckeyes will not meet these two seasons: Iowa, Nebraska and Northwestern. Big Ten teams Ohio State will not play during the 2013 and 2014 seasons are Michigan State, Minnesota and Nebraska.

Non-conference games for the 2015 and 2016 games are still being scheduled. Ohio State has one date still to be filled for the 2015 season and it has two openings that are yet to be scheduled for the 2016 campaign.

2015 Ohio State Schedule

Sept. 5 – North Carolina

Sept. 12 – Northern Illinois

Sept. 19 – at Virginia Tech

Sept. 26 - TBA

Oct. 3 - at Purdue

Oct. 10 - Penn State

Oct. 17 - Michigan State

Oct. 24 - open

Oct. 31 - at Minnesota

Nov. 7 - Wisconsin

Nov. 14 - at Illinois

Nov. 21 - Indiana

Nov. 28 - at Michigan

Dec. 5 - Big Ten Championship Game

2016 Ohio State Schedule

Sept. 3 – Bowling Green

Sept. 10 - TBA

Sept. 17 – at Oklahoma

Sept. 24 - TBA

Oct. 1 - Purdue

Oct. 8 - open

Oct. 15 - at Michigan State

Oct. 22 - Illinois

Oct. 29 - at Penn State

Nov. 5 - Minnesota

Nov. 12 - at Wisconsin

Nov. 19 - at Indiana

Nov. 26 - Michigan

Dec. 3 - Big Ten Championship Game

Do Not Play in 2015 and 2016…

Illinois: Michigan State, Minnesota and Nebraska

Indiana: Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota

Iowa: Indiana, Ohio State, Wisconsin

Michigan: Indiana, Penn State and Purdue

Michigan State: Illinois, Purdue and Wisconsin

Minnesota: Illinois, Indiana and Penn State

Nebraska: Illinois, Ohio State and Purdue

Northwestern: Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin

Ohio State: Iowa, Nebraska and Northwestern

Penn State: Michigan, Minnesota and Northwestern

Purdue: Michigan, Michigan State and Nebraska

Wisconsin: Iowa, Michigan State and Northwestern

Mount Buckmore of the Decade: 1980s

Chris — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Mount Buckmore for the 80s features Cris Carter, Marcus Marek, Keith Byars and Chris Spielman.

Continuing our plow through the off-season waiting for fall camp to start, it's time for the latest installment of Mount Buckmore.

The Buckeyes have been competing on the gridiron since 1890, racking up a filthy tradition including seven national titles, 34 conference crowns, 78 All-Americans, an all-time winning percentage of 72% generating 819 wins and seven Heisman Trophy winners. As Woody preached, you win with people and there have certainly been some special ones pass through Columbus.

In an effort to separate the legends from the stars, the goal is to isolate the fab four Buckeyes from each decade.

If you'll recall, we kicked things off with a 60's wall that featured Jack Tatum, Jim Stillwagon, Rex Kern and Bob Ferguson. Not too shabby.

Last Monday, the 70s were up and so was the competition for real estate though the final four of Archie Griffin, John Hicks, Tom Counsineau and Randy Gradishar is packing all kinds of heat.

Now we turn our attention to the 80s and though the Buckeyes won just three league titles, a number of elite players donned the scarlet and gray.

break-->

cris carter - wide receiver - 1984-86

Carter's hands and body control were second to none

With Carter taking money from and signing with notorious agent Norby Walters, costing himself and OSU his senior season, I was 10% iffy about putting him on the wall but the fact is his onfield exploits make him impossible to exclude.

An All-B1G and All-American selection in 1986, Carter is one of only four Buckeyes to to register a 1,000 yard receiving season with 1,127 in '86 on the heels of a 950 yard effort in '85. His 69 receptions in '86 are the 3rd most all-time in a single season.

Despite missing his senior year, Carter racked up impressive career numbers ranking 2nd in total receptions with 168, 4th in receiving yards with 2,725 and 2nd in TD catches with 27. Clearly, even in college all he did was catch touchdowns.

A circus catch waiting to happen, the Middletown HS product ranks 3rd all-time with nine career 100+ yard receiving games and owns the school record for consecutive 100+ yard receiving games with five.

Unbelievably, Carter was just scratching the surface while in Columbus. After being selected by Philly in the '87 NFL Supplemental Draft, Carter went on to have a stellar pro career featuring eight pro bowl nods and having his jersey retired by the Vikings.

Not yet enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame due solely to off field transgressions, Carter ranks 2nd all-time in both receptions and touchdowns, right behind the greatest receiver ever born in Jerry Rice.

marcus marek - linebacker - 1979-82

A three time All-B1G selection and a 1st Team All-American in '82, Marcus Marek is another in a long line of stud linebackers to grace Ohio Stadium.

Captain of the '82 squad, Marek is the school's all-time leading tackler with 572 stops and owns the 3rd, 8th and 16th most prolific tackling seasons in OSU history with 178 in '82, 148 in '81 and 140 in '80.

In his senior year, he picked up 21 stops and a key 4th quarter interception leading to the winning field goal against a previously undefeated Michigan team in Ann Arbor setting up a 30 point win over Steve Young's BYU Cougars in the Holiday Bowl.

Marek's 316 assisted tackles rank 1st all-time.

While I feel pretty secure in my decision to include him on the mountain, he's definitely the last man in and worthy of the most debate.

A member of Ohio State's All-Century Team, Marek boasts one of the truly legendary perms in OSU annals.

Keith byars - running back - 1982-85

Keith Byars was the best player in college football in 1984. He only finshed 2nd in the Heisman voting thanks to some voters being mesmerized by Flutie's heave against the 'Canes and the notion that Byars would surely win the stiff-arm in '85, his final season at Ohio State.

In his magical '84 campaign, Byars chewed up 1,764 rushing yards averaging 147 yards per game, both good for the 2nd best single season totals in Buckeye history. He also set a school record with 2,441 all-purpose yards thanks in large part to being an outstanding receiver out of the backfield. The signature game of Keith's ridiculous season came as he almost singlehandedly erased a 24-0 Illinois lead rushing for 274 yards and scoring five TD's, the 4th sans his left shoe on a 67 yard scamper, in a 45-38 win on Homecoming.

For his Buckeye career, Byars is the 5th leading rusher all-time with 3,200 yards and ranks 2nd with 42 rushing TDs and 50 TDs total. Those numbers are especially impressive when you consider he injured his foot three separate times in an injury plagued '85 campaign that limited him to four games.

Despite the injury, the Dayton native was the 10th pick in the NFL Draft earning All-Pro honors in '90 and a Pro Bowl selection in '93.

Chris Spielman - Linebacker - 1984-87

My favorite Buckeye of all-time, Spielman is more than just a candidate for his particular decade. The legendary player and person can make a strong case for a place on the Final Four in Buckeye history.

A crazed, tackling machine from Massillon, Spielman was a three-time All-B1G performer in addition to being named All-American after both his junior and senior seasons.

Spielman led the Buckeyes in tackles in both '86 and '87 and his 29 stops in the '86 version of The Game remains tied for the school record.

His monster junior season featured 205 total tackles, the 2nd most all-time in a Buckeye single season, and his 546 overall stops are good for 3rd place in OSU history.

Setting bar ridiculously high heading into his senior year, all Spielman did was capture te Lombardi Award.

A captain of the OSU All-Century Team, Spielman was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2009 and went on to become a four time NFL Pro Bowler prior to retirement which he now spends throwing haymakers at breast cancer in honor of his late wife.

The Notables

As with the previous decades, I feel pretty good about those chosen to take a spot on the wall though the 80s definitely brought some stiff competition.

Pepper Johnson is probably my first alternate. I loved watching him wreck ball carriers as a kid and and he's got some credentials as a two year captain and All-B1G selection in addition to being named an All-American in '85.

Tim Spencer also deserves a mention as a two time all-conference performer and captain of the '82 squad. He always felt like a homerun threat running on the old super thin Astroturf and had a nice pro career.

John Frank is another personal favorite of mine. The tight end was elected to two All-B1G teams, was captain of the '83 team and was a two time Academic All-American.

The best of the rest include Jim Lachey, John Uhlenhake and Tom Tupa.

YouTube Gold: The Woody Hayes Show (11/4/1978)

Jason — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Woody is in good spirits following a 49-14 drubbing of the Badgers and it shows as he cheerfully (for him, anyway) diagrams the triple option on the blackboard.

Lee Vlisides' hair is just a bonus.

Monday Skull Session

Jason — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

It's been two years since Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany kicked off expansiongeddon and we've yet to go a single month without talk of a team (or teams) swapping affiliations.

Last weekend, Andy Haggard, chairman of the Florida State Board of Trustees, seemed to legitimize some of the smoke surrounding an FSU move to the Big 12. When asked about the potential addition, Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas responded with the semantically slick "Have we had any conversations with Florida State? No."

The uber-connected Neinas, the first man blue bloods call when looking for an elite coach -- he placed Mack Brown at Texas, Urban Meyer at Florida, Bob Stoops at Oklahoma and Les Miles at LSU -- has done a remarkable job of turning around the Big 12's fortunes. It wasn't too long ago, the conference, under previous commissioner Dan Beebe, was hemorrhaging teams, having lost Nebraska to the Big Ten, Colorado to the Pac-12 and Missouri and Texas A&M to the SEC.

Neinas has reversed the league's run of bad luck and then some. The Big 12 and SEC recently forged an agreement to have their two champions meet in a bowl and some are saying FSU to the Big 12 "is inevitable" with a transition set to begin next month.

And now this:

My sources confirm an agreement in principle has been reached for Clemson to join the Big12. @TruthOrBear247 @theDudeofWV @GSwaim
— Cory Fravel (@CoryFravel) May 20, 2012

Who is Cory Fravel? He works in business development for Simply Green Lawn Care in Atlanta and moonlights as an author on a lightly trafficked Clemson blog.

Does he have something? Your guess is as good as mine. His tweet was retweeted by Clemson's flagship FM station, so there's that. One thing is for certain: public "nos" from those that would know mean very little and the Big 12 looks to be back from the dead.

TRUBISKY TO NORTH CAROLINA. Mentor junior quarterback Mitch Trubisky, a four-star quarterback and Ohio State target, has chosen to become a Tar Heel.

The Buckeyes are in pretty good shape at quarterback next year with four-star J.T. Barrett of Wichita Falls, Texas already in the fold, but were looking to maybe take a second quarterback in the class of 2013. Alter's Malik Zaire pledged to Notre Dame in late March, leading most observers to think Trubisky would be the guy, but the slow play put on by the staff and the prospect of competing with Barrett may have been too much:

"When they got (J.T. Barrett) that told me they weren't that interested and I wanted to the program that really wants me,'' said Trubisky. "I was fair and honest with all the colleges that recruited me, and I realize it's a business but I've got to do what I feel is good for me.''

It will be interesting to see whether Meyer and his staff go after a second quarterback now.

Why is Dan Beebe still smiling?

SELF DISCIPLINE = FLAWLESS VICTORY. The Dispatch's Bill Rabinowitz wrote about the demand for players to improve on their own until fall camp kicks off, as NCAA rules ban coaches from giving on-field instruction until camp starts. It's a good thing the players know where they stand heading into summer:

"I tell them exactly where they’re at," Meyer said. "Sometimes it’s very uncomfortable. (But) I’ve always believed one of the worst things that can happen between a coach and a player is some misunderstanding or cloudiness about what’s going on. We try to eliminate that with all the different evaluations."

There's no doubt in my mind that Jim Tressel delivered similar summer assessments during his time in Columbus, but his "and so forth" now likely comes out "you have to get better, and now."

ONE OUT, ONE IN. The fifth-ranked men's tennis team dropped a 4-2 decision to #4 UCLA in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship, finishing the season 34-4. While losing is never fun, it was the seventh consecutive year that the team advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, the baseball Buckeyes earned a #6 seed in the Big Ten tournament, despite dropping their final three games of the regular season. Ohio State finished tied for sixth in the Big Ten with Illinois and Minnesota, but earned the final seed in the tournament thanks to having a better record against common opponents. As you may recall, this is the same tie-breaker that earned the men's basketball team a #3 seed in the conference tournament despite winning a shared regular season championship.

Action kicks off Wednesday at Huntington Park with #4 Nebraska squaring off against #5 Michigan State at 12:05pm. The Buckeyes will face #3 Penn State at 3:35pm. Tickets are available here.

11W SUMMER OF CODE This summer will be a busy one for us. Not only are we hiring a beat writer, but we're also writing and editing the Lindy's Ohio State season preview magazine. We also have some big plans for the site and we're making incremental progress on those plans.

First up is our revamped category pages. Previously, they looked a lot like the front page with no real soul or mission to them. Now, they're convey more information while looking dap. See for yourself: Football, Hoops, Recruiting and Podcast. Click the gray pills next to the byline of any story to see more examples.

We also revamped the profile pages. Here's mine. The new look should make it easier to ~~stalk the comments of your nemesis~~ get to know each other a little better. Be sure to refresh your profile when you get a chance by clicking MY ACCOUNT in the user box in the top right.

We have a few other big initiatives to roll out, so stay tuned.

ETC: Archie's mother passed away at 84... Remember Latwan Anderson... Jon Kitna, high school match teacher... Former players vs EA marches forward... Even gangstas grow old... The eclipse from space... David Cameron and Angela Merkel photographed after Chelsea scored a late goal to beat Bayern Munich to win the Champion's League... Another legendary aquatic coach retires... Pretty much.

Sunday Skull Session

David Sokol — Sun, 20 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Good morning Buckeye faithful and welcome to your Sunday Skull Session. We hope you've been having a great weekend.

Now that spring football is over, the majority of Buckeye fans (perhaps a generalization) have been scouring the web looking for any bits of football information to hold them over until the fall.

For me personally, I have been able to curb my "no-osu-athletics-until-fall-depression" with Reds baseball and jumping on the New York Rangers bandwagon.

Okay, I admit it, I also jumped on the 76ers bandwagon but solely because of Evan Turner. It's just impossible not to thoroughly enjoy watching him, especially after being in Columbus during his three years at Ohio State. I truly feel like I watched him grow up, despite not knowing who he was until Thad locked him down in 2006. Anyway, watching him come into his own during the playoffs has been great.

Besides watching the MLB (I'll be tweeting from the Reds @ Yankees today), bandwagoneering the NBA/NHL and working, I've spent the last few days analyzing the post-spring depth chart, just like all you people out there (you know who I'm talkin' about). I have nothing left to think about and can't wait until all the summer news and hype kicks off. Just a matter or time..

DOSE OF ROUNDBALL RECRUITING. Scout has released an update for their top 100 for 2013. Ohio State commit, Marc Loving, dropped down to 35th overall (originally 26th).

Several other Ohio State targets made moves as well. Chicago Simeon SF Jabari Parker (6-7/215) remained the overall number 1 and SI has said that he is the best high school baller since Lebron. This kid is a must get for Thad, but he has every major program in his ear. Jabari has multiple major decisions on the horizon with choosing a school, but he also has a Mormon mission that could delay his jump to the pros. That'll be a very interesting story.

Several other Buckeye prospects made the list including Florida C Chris Walker (6-10/205) sticking at #6 overall, Michigan SF James Young (6-6/190) moving up to #7, Maryland C BeeJay Anya (6-8/255) moving up to #11, and South Carolina SG Sindarious Thornwell (6-4/175) up to #19.

With plenty of time remaining before the first signing period, you can definitely expect many changes after the AAU season this summer.

HONORING OHIO. Ohio Governor John Kasich held an event to honor Ohio's success in the NCAA Tournament. Representatives from all Ohio Sweet-16 schools, including Ohio, Ohio State, Xavier, and Cincinnati attended the event. In addition Wittenberg University and the College of Wooster as well as the women’s teams from Division II Ashland University and Division III University of Mount Union were present as well.

During the event, Aaron Craft was able to team up with Cincinnati's Cashmere Wright in a H-O-R-S-E game vs. Gov. Kasich and Buckeye-Alum and CBS personality Clark Kellogg. Fortunately, someone was able to capture a cool video including Craft sinking a three in his polo:

URBAN DOESN'T AGREE. With the Big Ten ADs now in agreement that college football should have a four team playoff, Coach Meyer doesn't necessarily agree with his boss.

"You play in one of the bowl games and then it's (teams seeded) 4 vs. 1 and 2 vs. 3 and then you go play the championship game. I can only imagine the workload that's going to be on that coaching staff and those players. I can't even fathom that you're trying to get ready for a national championship in two days — because that's what you've got because of travel."

You also have to imagine that winning a title now can be perceived as being more difficult, especially coming from the SEC. In my opinion, winning the Big Ten is obviously way more obtainable than winning the SEC. So, instead of winning the Big Ten leading to a chance to win one game for the title as opposed to potentially playing two additional games to win it seems way more difficult than the former. I tend to agree with Meyer.

For entertainment purposes, add a playoff! For Ohio State championship purposes, keep it as is!

NBA BUCKEYES CRACKING THE LIST. With the first round of the NBA playoffs in the books, I came across this cool graphic of top NBA schools, by minutes, for the playoffs. Obviously the numbers are slightly different for the second round with Memphis done (Mike Conley), but a cool graph nonetheless:

TO ROCK OR RHYME THAT'S RIGHT ON TIME, IT'S CLICKY! Reds relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman could be the best arm in the game and he's only pitching in the 8th inning. The NCAA won't be putting stickers on the court anymore for tournaments. A cool video on the new recycling project at Ohio Stadium. Of course, Texas and Ohio State are 1, 2 on the athletic budgets.

Saturday Skull Session

Sarah — Sat, 19 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Happy weekend, Buckeye fans! I'm making a special guest appearance for your Saturday Skull session, which gives me the opportunity to wish everyone a pleasant Saturday night, though unlike Elton John, I cannot endorse fighting.

Some of you are probably watching Hang Time and California Dreams on TNBC¹ this morning. I'm assuming those are still on, anyway. I haven't been up before noon on a Saturday since 1996.

If you don't keep up with the NBA playoffs, or you only pay attention when it's a close game with a couple of minutes left like I do, you might have missed the 76ers overcoming an 18-point deficit to beat the Celtics. The series is now tied at two games apiece.

The Sixers were terrible in the first half, and Evan Turner struggled mightily with his shot. Despite only going 5/22 from the floor, Turner did lead his team with 16 points and also grabbed nine boards.

Somehow, the Lakers avoided falling into a 3-0 hole to the Thunder, but since no former Ohio State player did anything of note, I don't care.

ALL THINGS MUST PASS. Living up to his middle name, Urban Frank Meyer is not one to mince words, especially when it comes to criticizing the receiving corps. Jon Spencer of CentralOhio.com praised his candor when discussing the passing game, which the new coach continues to describe as "not very good right now."

Meyer puts most of the blame last season on the inexperience and lack of leadership at the QB and WR positions. Since his staff is limited in their coaching duties until August, that means players have to take charge and build chemistry:

"What I'm hearing is that our quarterbacks (Miller and backup Kenny Guiton) have taken a leadership role, the receivers are working on things, and they're starting to figure things out."

Based on his comments, it sounds like the QBs have come a long way in that category, but there is still much progress to be made. Hopefully that happens, considering Ohio State is, according to former Wolverine Steve Everitt, "stuck" with Braxton Miller. I will remember that remark the first time Denard Robinson gets dinged up next season and Devin Gardner has to come in to replace him.

THE INCREDIBLE HOKE. Everitt was not the only former UM player to bring the asinine, although at least they raised money for charity while doing so. Yesterday at the WTKA radiothon, whose proceeds benefited Mott Children's Hospital, Dhani Jones could not stop complimenting Brady Hoke. As Angelique S. Chengelis of The Detroit News shared, Jones even went as far as to claim, "There's no coach out there right now in college football that's better than him."

Well, he does boast all those conference titles and national championships...oh wait. Never mind. Since becoming one of the weakest teams to ever win a BCS game, Michigan seems to have their pre-Rich Rod arrogance back².

Charles Woodson got in on the action, too:

Charles Woodson on @michiganinsider re: Urban/OSU "I think they'll be good under coach Meyer but we've got a great coach"
— angelique (@chengelis) May 18, 2012

I guess Weight Watchers buddies need to support one another.

Jeff showing off his long jump skills. Violation!

A FISTFUL OF PAINTBALLS. After reporting Thursday night on Ohio State's secondary violations, Doug Lesmerises further examined them yesterday.

Other than the occasional misleading headline, most agree that almost all of the offenses were of the innocuous variety, the kind that every major university commits.

While it's important to report them, particularly for a school like Ohio State that's on probation, they also exemplify one of the failings³ of the NCAA:

But a compliance department bogged down in paperwork dealing with emails and voicemails and text messages that really have no effect on anything is a compliance department that may have a little less time to actually monitor and attempt to prevent the kind of violations that actually do matter.

According to Lesmerises, many of the violations are simple humor error or coaches accidentally breaking bureaucratic technology rules, such as Dick Tressel replying to a text from Warren Ball's parents, who needed directions when they were visiting the Shoe.

My favorite transgression, though, was this gem:

A recruit playing paintball with the track team on an official visit was a violation because the recruit was "allowed to demonstrate his athletic ability in the presence of an assistant men's track and field coach." An event viewed as entertainment is OK for a recruit. Paintball is not.

Apparently the the NCAA has never seen Community⁴ because I consider paintball very entertaining.

RANK IT UP. This time of year, polls are only useful for debating purposes and to remind us of how much longer we have until college football season begins. Still, it's a more preferable topic for discussion than what we had to deal with a year ago.

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg and Brian Bennett compiled their post-spring power rankings for the Big Ten. Michigan State tops their list due to the strength of their defense while Michigan's offensive duo of Denard Robinson and Fitzgerald Toussaint places them right behind their in-state rivals.

After Wisconsin and Nebraska, Ohio State checks in at #5, as they mentioned Miller's improvement and the dominance of John Simon and Johnathan Hankins on the DL.

Meanwhile, their WWL colleague Matt Schlabach offered his Way-Too-Early Preseason Top 25. Filling out the top three spots are, in order, LSU, USC, and Alabama. Calling Michigan "the team to beat in the Big Ten in 2012", he put them at #9 on the list, and based on his top ten, I hope Schlabach is a crap psychic.

Following Michigan State (#11) and Wisconsin (#15), he ranked Ohio State at #17 and then Nebraska at #24.

TOP OF THE LINE. Apparently this was also the week to rate B1G offensive linemen, both separately and as a unit. BTN's Tom Dienhart looked at them individually and concluded that Ricky Wagner's, Wisconsin's senior LT, was the conference's best. Another LT, Michigan's Taylor Lewan, a noted tandem bike enthusiast, came in second.

Ohio State was represented on his list by #3 Jack Mewhort and #8 Andrew Norwell. Dienhart referred to both of them as versatile players who can line up at different positions on the OL. Even though Norwell will return at left guard, where he started last season, Mewhort has moved from RG to LT.

The Daily Northwestern evaluated the OL as a whole and determined that Wisconsin, Iowa, and Ohio State earned the 1-2-3 spots, respectively. Their analysis of OSU's:

Miller’s speed and coach Urban Meyer’s offense don’t require as much from the offensive line as a typical pro-style offense, but the unit should still be solid and will give Miller ample time to throw.

Now, if only he had the jump-ball technique of Denard, right Steve Everitt?

LADIES LINK FOR FREE. A few Buckeyes hanging with kids on the Oval... Greg Oden's controversial knee procedure... Charles Eric Waugh was indicted... A breakdown of Indiana's crowded basketball roster... Evil Abed's take on the Dan Harmon news... You're lion if you don't enjoy this... The Marvel universe timeline... 27 Shocking TV Deaths (spoilers for almost every show ever).

¹ Skip Saved by the Bell: The New Class and all its bastardized awfulness.
² Though, a trait so inherent probably never left.
³ Of which there are many. Oh so many.
⁴ My reaction to this.

11W Digest: May 12-18

Corey — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Your Friday 11W Digest catches you up on the content you might have missed or need to read again for your own good.

This Week in Skull Sessions

Saturday's Skull Session on our cool coach, Mary Sue Coleman admits hiring Rich Rod was a mistake, TBDBITL's new Director, Harvey Updyke still being creepy and what will Mike Leach do at Wazzou. (Johnny)
Sunday's Skull Session on The Sporting News ranking of college football coaches, the downfall of the Big Least, Jim Delany's stance on a playoff and nationally ranked NC TE Josh McNeil has OSU on his list of 12. (David)
Monday's Skull Session on the benefits of Ohio State's switch to semesters, Sweat passes on a potential NFL career, beer sales at the 'Shoe, Tom Herman doing work in Texas and Florida State doesn't know which way to go. (Jason)
Tuesday's Skull Session on the academic success of the football team, Ohio State playing at Duke in the B1G/ACC Challenge, Buckeyes on the College Football HOF balleot, Tate Forcier now in the CFL and ten defensive players who could garner Heisman votes.(Danny)
Wednesday's Skull Session on Urban's town hall meeting, B1G meetings, Orlando Pace's snub, Zach Boren's surprising spring and Ohio hoops teams hanging at the Governor's mansion. (Sarah)
Thursday's Skull Session on B1G AD's being wussies on home playoff games, spring two-deep, sanctions helping USC?, the Weis debacle at Notre Dame and more on Sweat choosing law school over the NFL. (Chris)
Friday's Skull Session on more of the wussification of B1G ADs, Urban has a change of heart, relegation in college football and defending the threeball in college hoops. (Johnny)

15 Fridays until Gameday Eve.

This Week in Editorials

Mount Buckmore, the 1970's, Griffin, Hicks, Cousineau and Gradishar...oh my. (Chris)
A Modest Proposal, how former football players can help our energy crisis. (Johnny)
Strike Your Gait and Win, an inspiring piece on Adam Taliaferro. (Ramzy)
Breakfast Served Cold, the College Football HOF simply doesn't like pancakes. (Jeff)
Urban's First Depth Chart, how much will change when fall camp starts? (Chad)

This Week in Recruiting

Catching up with Michael Ferns. (Alex)
Catching up with Da'Shawn Hand. (Alex)
Hoops Class of 2012: Ohio State missed on some big time prospects. (David)
Catching up with Clifton Garrett. (Alex)
Forecasting 2013: Wide Receivers, who will join Jalin Marshall in the class of 2013? (Alex)

Best of the Rest

Ohio State to travel to Duke for ACC/B1G Challenge.
Stat Session: Meyer and Tressel, a continued look at the offenses with really cool stats. (Chad)
Around the Oval: May 15, a look at the women's track team winning back-to-back B1G titles, a big weekend in Bloomington for baseball and men's tennis advances in the NCAA'a against Notre Dame. (Kyle)
Team Player, an insightful look at the pride of St. Clairsville, Tim Spencer. (Joe)
Post-Spring Depth Chart Released, 'nough said. (Jason)
Late Night Stealth Contest: Still time to tell us what's in the SEC van. (Jason)
Meyer's 'Pivot' Players, what to expect from players with versatille skill sets in Meyer's offense. (Ross)
OSU reports 46 minor violations, The Plain Dealer's Doug Lesmerises doing public records work. (11W Staff)
Buckshot: We Love the Rose Bowl.
Buckshot: Weatherspoon heads to Toledo.
Buckshot: 30 for 30 Vol. II is coming, one of which will star Clarett

The people's champ for the week of May 12-18, 2012: Conference Winners Only, by YANKEESCUM, should a school be allowed in the Final Four, if they didn't win their conference?

Town Hall Days

Sarah — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Brutus and company practicing their chair pose

In the Ohio Union on Tuesday evening, Urban Meyer held his first town hall meeting with nearly 800 Ohio State students. Like last month when he invited them to watch practice one morning, it was all part of his effort to reach out to the student body and grant them another peek behind the football curtain.

As he previously said, "what's every student want? They want ownership and access. We're going to give it to them."

At the 90-minute long event, Meyer was joined by his wife Shelley, Luke and Amy Fickell, Mike and Jen Vrabel, and Mickey Marotti, who led the crowd, along with Zach Boren and Brutus, in a high energy drill. The team already performs the drill before practice to get themselves in the right mindset, and once the season starts, the students will also participate:

"Right before we go back into the locker room, I'm going to bring the whole football team and coach (Marotti) right in front of the student body," Meyer said. "We are going to teach the students (the drill) and that is going to be our new tradition. You do that with your football team, we will go back in (to the locker room) and we will come back out and kick a little ass for you guys."

Later, Braxton Miller, Etienne Sabino, and John Simon made an appearance and appropriately closed out the affair with a rendition of "Carmen Ohio".

Much like a Comic Con panel except presumably no one was dressed as Wonder Woman or Inspector Spacetime, the purpose of the forum was to embrace the students and to build even more excitement for a much-anticipated season. The intent was not for the coaches to answer hard-hitting questions such as "Why did Jeremy Cash really transfer?" and "Vrabel, how badly did you want to punch Jim Bollman last season?"

Instead, they handled softballs about their preferred date night locations, which caused Vrabel to overshare as he replied, "If I have purses, shoes, or Mexican food, I'll have a good shot at the end of the night."¹

If you are left wondering, "but where do the Meyers and Fickells like to dine? I MUST KNOW!", then I can help you with that particular cliffhanger, based on nothing but assumptions.

Other than what was reported in the articles linked above, I don't know for certain what else happened because I am no longer a student and when I was, Jim Tressel never organized a town hall of his own. Nevertheless, I can still offer my imagination.

Moderating the evening was student leader Jared Kamrass, and after The X-Factor portion² and the introductions were over, he directed questions from the audience. Here's a selection of some that maybe possibly could have been posed and the exchanges that potentially might have followed, perhaps:

QUESTION #1

Jared: First up, we have Paul, a third-year marketing major.

Paul: Coach Meyer, what did it feel like when you first took the field for the spring game?

Urban: To coach for The Ohio State University? It was a moment I had been waiting for my entire life. Just magical. My father was a huge Buckeye fan and passed away right before I took the job, but I could feel his presence and I knew we were sharing this together. I was so overjoyed that I got a little choked up. It was sort of like when your kids are born...I'm guessing. I wasn't actually there for their births.

Shelley: He wasn't!

Urban: Recruiting never sleeps.

QUESTION #2

Jared: Next is Lisa, a first-year in communications.

Lisa: Coaches Vrabel and Fickell, do you two ever hit the recruiting trail together?

Fickell: Once in a while, but we usually go out on our own, thankfully. I can only listen to "Call Me Maybe" so many times in one road trip.

Vrabel: Hey, it's better than Taylor Swift! (to the audience) He's the one who really wanted to go to the concert last year, not his daughter.

Fickell: Well he only pretends to chew. It's actually just bubble gum.

Vrabel: He started Joe Bauserman at quarterback! More than once!

Fickell: HE MADE OUT WITH GREG BELLISARI'S GIRLFRIEND SOPHOMORE YEAR!

Vrabel: BRO CODE, BRO!

Amy and Jen, simultaneously: That's enough, boys.

QUESTION #3

Jared: Moving on to Isaac, a grad student in political science.

Isaac: Did Stan Drayton move to running backs coach because the wide receivers are so bad?

Urban: No, he was actually in charge of the running backs at Florida for a few seasons. It's a better fit for him. Besides, in my offense, running backs basically are wide receivers...wait, Bri'onte Dunn isn't here, is he?

QUESTION #4

Jared: Now it's time for a special guest caller from Georgia Tech.

Nicki: Hi, mom and dad. It's Nicki.

Shelley: Hi, sweetie!

Urban: Who?

Nicki: Your daughter, Nicki Meyer. You know that contract you signed? Well, I was wondering if you've eaten three meals today.

Urban: Yes, ma'am, I have. Thanks for checking...Nicki?

Nicki: Great. Bye, love you!

Urban, after she hangs up: I wasn't about to tell her, but all I had for lunch was some Bazooka I stole from Vrabel.

QUESTION #5:

Jared: Next is Chance Frenlm. No year or major given.

Chance: What's so bad about corn syrup? It's natural. Corn's a fruit. Syrup comes from a bush.

Looks like they've got the "H" in "O-H-I-O"

Marotti: Well, sugar is sugar and too much of it leads to obesity—

Chance: We should eat ham and mayonnaise sandwiches. Ham and mayonnaise! Ham and mayonnaise! Ham and mayonnaise!

Marotti: Please stay away from Johnathan Hankins.

QUESTION #6

Jared: Speaking of food, Kevin, a second-year in psychology, has something to ask the head coach.

Kevin: Are you worried that Brady Hoke thinks your name is Oscar Mayer and will mistake you for a hot dog?

Urban: The only thing That Team Up North will be tasting this year is the salty tears of defeat.

Ten minutes later, after the cheers have finally subsided

QUESTION #7

Jared: Abby, a fourth-year engineering student, has a query for the men.

Abby: What's your opinion on Lena Dunham and Girls?

Urban: I don't understand the question and I won't respond to it.

Fickell: Is that the lady from 300?

Vrabel: Hot.

Fickell: "Girls" is a pretty sweet jam, but "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" is my personal favorite.

Vrabel: R.I.P. MCA!

QUESTION #8

Jared: It's Lawrence's turn, a second-year in economics.

Lawrence: This is for the Mrs. Coaches: what's your husband's worst habit?

Shelley: I like John Simon. He's a wonderful young man, but sometimes Urban talks about him way too much. And if you thought ESPN never shut up about Tebow, you can't even imagine what I've had to deal with.

Amy: He's no help with decision-making. If I ask him, "should we paint the bathroom eggshell or cucumber" or "what do you want for dinner: meatloaf or spaghetti?", he just freezes up and won't give me an answer.

Jen: Mike still says "winning".

QUESTION #9

Jared: Here's Priya, a third-year in biology.

Priya: What do you really think about Bret Bielema?

Urban: I wouldn't let my daughter—

Shelley: Daughters.

Urban: I wouldn't let my daughters within a 100 miles of him.

QUESTION #10

Jared: We have another special guest, this one via satellite. Please welcome cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs.

Coombs: HELLO EVERYONE!

Urban: Sorry, we wouldn't let him come in person because we were afraid that with the drill, there'd be enough energy in the room to make us all combust.

Coombs: EXCLAMATION POINT!

Jared: Well, coach, Mark, a fifth-year English major has a question for you.

Mark: What's it like going from Cincinnati to Ohio State?

Coombs: AWESOME!! IT'S A DREAM COME TRUE TO BE COACHING AT A REAL FOOTBALL SCHOOL! I LOVE OHIO STATE! GO BUCKS!!!

Vrabel: I have something to ask him, too. What's it like having a girl's name?

Coombs: YOUR MOM DIDN'T SEEM TO MIND IT LAST NIGHT!

Vrabel: Oh, you just wait until Fight Club meets again.

Fickell: First rule, dude!

BONUS QUESTION

And finally, resolution to the restaurant mystery:

Shelley: The last time we dined out, it was at Cheeseburger in Paradise. Urban only wanted to go there because it's the name of his favorite song.

Urban: The frickles were good, though.

Amy: Every once in a while, we like to eat dessert for dinner and Jeni's is, hands down, the best.

Fickell: Once Tom Herman tried to argue that Amy's in Texas is better. I like the name, but that's just ridiculous. I used the crossface cradle to pin him at that night's Fight Club.

Vrabel: First rule, dude!

Whether any of the above even came close to happening³ doesn't really matter. Urban Meyer has sought out ways to court the student body and allow them more access to his squad. For a football-crazy university like Ohio State, many students already felt like part of the team. Now, the relationship can only be stronger.

¹ The subsequent fist bump from Fickell is implied.
² I'm not making up the part about jump ropers, rappers, and a mandolin player.
³ I think it's safe to say that it did not.

B1G's Master Plan

Kyle Lamb — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Does B1G Commish Jim Delany have something up his sleeve?

Once a decade or so, the pragmatic Jim Delany comes out from his time-deprivation chamber to advance the plodding Big Ten a revolutionary step forward. Inexplicably, Delany then crawls back into his shell like a frightened turtle where the league hibernates for an indeterminate amount of time.

This cycle is as predictable as the day is long.

Last month, Delany took a small step forward – a large leap for Delany-kind – by offering his support for a prospective four-team playoff model that began percolating of heightened anticipation. He suggested, though, that he preferred a model that included higher-seeded teams hosting the semifinals.

B1G athletic directors emerged from meetings this week in Chicago with the league now staunchly against the idea and instead prefer to utilize BCS bowls. This turnabout could be a bargaining chip, the product of calculated genius. It also could be tomfoolery and caving to what Death to the BCS author Dan Wetzel calls the ‘bowl cartel.’

“For us, it’s critical to keep the Rose Bowl in the equation,” Michigan State AD Mark Hollis told reporters on Tuesday.

Twitter sensation Fake Dan Beebe responded most aptly yesterday when he tweeted, “direct Message to Jim Delany: I wish I knew 3 years ago that I could make you do whatever I want if I just called myself the Rose Bowl.”

It appears the cartel won, for now. But if this is just a thinly-veiled bluff, perhaps Delany should work on his poker face.

Much of Delany’s nearly quarter-century spent as the head of the Big Ten’s political machine has been directed with conservatism not seen since the formation of the Whig Party. When Delany’s Model-T gets to sputtering too loudly, though, the sand-bagging son-of-a-gun surprises us with some blockbuster that screams, “gotcha!”

Such was the case in 2007 when, against dire prognostications of industry experts, he spearheaded the launch of the Big Ten Network. Last month’s comments were a cursory step forward, but akin to a flat-earth believer finally confessing the earth is round.

Maybe Delany was merely opining when he came out in support of playing semfinal games on home sites. However, before going on record, you can wager any amount you’ll blow on today’s Facebook IPO that he wouldn’t make such proclamations without support of his conference constituents.

It well could be the work of a tactical ploy; a Jedi mind trick.

In Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker arrived in Tatooine with their droids looking for an experienced pilot. When imperial storm troopers showed up suspicious of the droids, Kanobe swiftly used the mind trick to get out of a sticky situation.

“Let me see your identification,” a trooper demanded of Luke.

“You don’t need to see his identification,” Kenobi said to the trooper, gentling rotating his palm toward the trooper.

“We don’t need to see his identification,” the trooper acquiesced before giving in to further sorcery, “you can go about your business.”

This kind of manipulation might work on the non-AQ conferences, or the equivalent of Tatooine rent-a-cops like, apparently, the ACC’s John Swofford, but one wonders if such a ploy will work on Delany’s arch nemesis, Mike Slive.

Unlike Swofford, Slive has equal or greater clout than Delany. His conference, the SEC, is the only one that can go toe-to-toe in revenue mentioning nothing of the many trophies they’re amassing when Alabama isn’t breaking them.

These mind tricks won’t work on Slive. Nor did they work on Jabba the Hut when Luke tried it in Return of the Jedi.

Skywalker returned to Tatooine to save Han Solo and Princess Leia from Jabba’s palace. To force entry and confront Jabba, he uses the mind control tricks taught to him by Kenobi on the guards. Jabba, though, is too wise to be influenced and is furious at the unsuspecting guard.

“You weak-minded fool! He’s using an old Jedi mind trick.”

Slive is the only match for Delany, the gatekeeper of major college football. Perhaps Swofford’s sudden support of a Delany-backed plan to have only conference champions in a playoff system is anecdotal evidence Delany is having his cake and eating it too; staying slaves to BCS bowls and using the semifinals as leverage toward the champions-only model. Slive has publicly admonished such a proposal.

What’s the endgame here? What’s up Delany’s sleeve? Perhaps the same object of desire as has been for 20 years: Notre Dame.

The B1G’s flirtation with the Irish has long passed the point of desperation. It’s the pimply-faced teenager that asks out the head cheerleader to every homecoming and prom for four years, though constantly being rejected. That would be noble persistence, except now he’s asking out the homecoming queen after she’s had three kids, put on 40 pounds and is living off food stamps.

An all-champions’ playoff would be Notre Dame’s death knell associated with an already-weakened Big East. It would mean losing their privileged BCS existence they’ve enjoyed for two decades as an independent.

One hopes this is the case otherwise their expansion motives are suspect.

Adding Nebraska to the fray has been a net positive for the conference. With the minor exception of the whole Legends-Leaders snafu, the transition has largely gone without a hitch. But while expanding just to expand doesn’t make sense, eye brows were raised when the B1G let Missouri run off to the SEC without even so much as a, ‘hey, can we talk?’

A super-conference model has been the clear destination for college football since expansion exploded two summers ago. Accordingly, despite the Big Ten’s lust for Notre Dame, it never made sense not to have viable backup plans for members 14-16.

In Delany’s delusions of grandeur, he has been doing the Texas two-step with the Longhorns while promenading with the Irish. The Big 12’s newfound stability seems to suggest the possibility of a shotgun marriage between Texas and the Big Ten has been all but swallowed whole by Bevo himself.

Last week, the conference agreed to a new 13-year deal with ESPN/Fox that is worth a reported $2.6 billion. The deal also reportedly extends the league’s grant of rights, which means if any team were to leave for another conference, money paid by those networks to the departing team would be forfeited to the Big 12. This leaves the door slightly ajar for Texas and the Big Ten, but more on that in shortly.

The Big Ten can snap its fingers and solicit an application from Rutgers on command. Finding other (qualified) candidates might be a bit tricky.

The most oft-mentioned targets have been Maryland, Connecticut and Georgia Tech. When the ACC voted last summer to increase its buyout provision to $20 million, reportedly Maryland and Florida State were the only two schools to vote against the measure. An East coast expansion including Maryland, Connecticut and Rutgers could be a feasible scenario for the Big Ten if or when the Irish commit.

The ball, though, is in the court of Notre Dame.

Delany can afford to wait them out a little while longer, as the conference media rights with ABC/ESPN don’t expire until 2016. Letting a decent addition like Missouri go without a fight, though, seems a bit risky especially if the Domers bolt for the ACC.

The ACC is thought to be a legitimate possibility for Notre Dame if they abandon independence. But two recent developments have Delany assuredly smiling: the mediocre deal signed by the ACC this past week with ESPN and the subsequent anger expressed by Florida State over the league’s direction, or perceived lack thereof.

Reportedly the deal will net the ACC $17 million per school per year on average over its life through 2027 – a $4 million increase. The stunning revelation, though, is this increase won’t be realized until nearly nine years into the deal. This was the extension that was triggered after adding Syracuse and Pittsburgh.

With an FSU trustee going full Mark Cuban-mode this week and openly acknowledging they would explore the Big 12, the ACC is suddenly looking both unstable and unattractive financially to Notre Dame. Former trustee Derrick Brooks doused the flames further this week by adding the Big 12 has contacted the Seminoles. If Florida State and/or Miami left, setting off departures by Georgia Tech, Maryland and others, the ACC would assuredly be checked off Notre Dame’s real estate watch list.

Meanwhile, the Big Ten is set up for a windfall of gargantuan proportions.

The B1G’s biggest ally in 2016 is going to be supply and demand itself. In 2009, Comcast purchased NBC Universal from General Electric and last year acquired sports network Versus with the idea of rebranding it NBC Sports Network. The goal was to go mono-y-mono with the Worldwide Leader in Sports.

So far, NBC has only added lightweights Ivy and Colonial to its college athletics inventory. With the SEC signed with ESPN through 2024, the Pac-12 and Big 12 with ESPN & Fox through 2025 and the ACC through 2027, the Big Ten is NBC’s only hope of landing a big fish for the next decade. The courtship of the Big Ten is about to become bigger than Brad and Angelina.

Comcast will give the moon to the Big Ten to land its tier-1 rights. It has to if it wants to be seen as a legitimate competitor. NBC already holds the rights to Notre Dame, which expires after 2015, so a Big Ten-Notre Dame merger would be ideal.

NBC could offer the league an unobstructed doubleheader for football and basketball, a tripleheader on NBC Sports and tier-3 games remain on the Big Ten Network. Delany’s craving for maximum exposure would be served with a Comcast deal, as they could be the lone major tenant for nearly a decade.

Even if Comcast struck out with its bid, the mere leverage should force ESPN to pony-up dearly.

Going to NBC could also allow for a loophole that allows Texas to bolt for the Big Ten, should the sneaky horns get bored with the restructured Big 12. The grant of rights deal would apply to ESPN/Fox, which has rights to every other major conference, but if the Big Ten left for Comcast, it's believed the grant of rights would not apply. So theoretically, the Longhorns could leave for the Big Ten without paying a penny.

Is this why Delany has been so coy? Perhaps not, but it is one plausible theory of the Big Ten’s contentment with 12 teams.

None of this guarantees this latest playoff concession is anything more than a public relations blunder. It does give hope though that Delany hasn’t gone deadbeat on us and he’s merely plotting his attack like a snake in the grass. The concession itself isn’t dire, but it’s strange to say the least.

There aren’t many other explanations for why the Big Ten has backed off its desire of having teams host the semifinals; certainly not many good. Notre Dame, carrying extra baggage since high school as she might be, would still be marrying up for the Big Ten.

Ignoring Missouri removes what would have been a nice secondary option with or without Notre Dame. Though the Irish aren’t the powerhouse they used to be, they and Texas are the only two possible home runs the Big Ten can hit. Now, if the league is looking to score, it must entrust its expansion plans to either the virgin pledging lifelong conference abstinence or the two-timing harlot that would sell its body to the most available suitor.

This latest obstacle might not be an unprecedented foray for calculating Delany. He is, though, dealing with the only people in athletics that know how to manipulate as well as he does.

Is all of this part of a master plan? God be with the Big Ten if it isn’t. It would be back into Delany’s shell for 10 more years.