By: RUSTY MILLER (StarTribune.com) -- COLUMBUS, Ohio - Moments after No. 14 Ohio State beat Minnesota 34-21 early Saturday in both teams' Big Ten opener, the Buckeyes had already shifted their focus to the next task on their to-do list. "Wisconsin is a challenge. It's a huge game," linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "They deserve every bit of respect we can give them." A few hours later, that last statement was open to some debate. The ninth-ranked Badgers piled up a 19-0 lead on downtrodden ... Read More

By: Austin Cumblad (MNDaily.com) -- COLUMBUS, Ohio — When a player has an explosive quality you can’t quite put your finger on, it’s called an “’X’ factor.” There’s not a name for an entire offense that has it, but after Ohio State’s performance on Saturday, perhaps there should be. Here’s an idea: the “Beanie factor.” The Buckeyes lost running back Chris “Beanie” Wells to a toe injury in the third quarter of their season-opening victory over Youngstown State on Aug. 30. It was ... Read More

By: Pete Fiutak (FoxSports.com) -- So now what? The No. 1 (USC), No. 3 (Georgia), No. 4 (Florida) and No. 9 (Wisconsin) teams all took it on the chin this week, and now the college football world is in upheaval even before October has rolled around. Are we destined for a BYU vs. Boise State national championship? Is there going to be another two-loss team playing for the national title? Did these teams lose early enough for everything to change back around? Here's what ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland.com) -- Ohio State moved up one spot to No. 12 in the coaches poll released today while holding tight at No. 14 in the AP poll. In the coaches poll, the one that will factor into the BCS standings, the Buckeyes moved up by sliding ahead of Florida, which suffered its first loss of the season to Ole Miss. The Buckeyes are the third-ranked one-loss team, behind No. 9 USC, which lost to Oregon State on Thursday, and No. ... Read More

By RUSTY MILLER – 1 hour ago COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Beanie and Terrelle show debuted to rave reviews. Tailback Chris "Beanie" Wells rushed for 106 yards in his first game in a month and quarterback Terrelle Pryor ran for two scores and threw for another to lead No. 14 Ohio State to 34-21 victory over Minnesota on Saturday. It was the first time the two had started in the same backfield. Wells, out after injuring his right foot in the season-opener, carried 14 times ... Read More

The former Wayzata star believed he could make the grade at Ohio State. He took the chance and became one of the Buckeyes' few two-time captains. By: PATRICK REUSSE (StarTribune.com) -- James Laurinaitis could have taken the easy way out. He could have stuck with a verbal commitment to Minnesota and earned starting status in a program where playing at home against Florida Atlantic can be considered a revenge game. Laurinaitis chose a greater challenge. He took a recruiting visit to Ohio State, and ... Read More

By: Jim Naveau (LimaOhio.com) -- COLUMBUS - Ernie Banks, ever the optimist. The Baseball Hall of Famer toiled his entire career with mostly lousy Chicago Cubs teams in the 1950s and 1960s. But he remained one of the sunniest personalities in sports - if not in the world - throughout all the strikeouts, all the botched grounders, all the bad pitchers and all the losses around him. "Let's play two today," was his motto as the Cubs lost 272 games more than they won during ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland.com) -- I think Ohio State is in for a big win. Or least the Buckeyes, 19-point favorites, need to be. At 4-0, Minnesota is just good enough to keep the Buckeyes' attention. And that's a good thing for OSU fans. "I think you can just see they're flying around, they're hitting guys, they have a fire underneath them, they're running around and hitting people," OSU left tackle Alex Boone said this week. "Last year when we watched them, it was kind ... Read More

By: Bryan Leonard (10starpicks.com) -- Ohio State has had two weeks to think about that loss to USC, and they will be ready to take it out on Minnesota. Back the Buckeyes as big home favorites vs the Gophers. This is a big step up in class for the Golden Gophers who have played twice against the MAC and faced teams from the Big Sky and Sun Belt Conferences. Minnesota's offense has looked good but they have taken advantage of a whopping ... Read More

Hotshot recruit Terrelle Pryor has taken over as the starting QB for the Buckeyes, adding an athletic dimension that senior Todd Boeckman couldn't. By MYRON P. MEDCALF (StarTribune.com) -- About six months ago, the most pressure Terrelle Pryor faced was choosing the right tux to wear to his senior prom. Today, the Ohio State faithful -- one that has been teased over the past two seasons with national title game disappointments -- wants a freshman to deliver what two upperclassmen couldn't. The freshman dual-threat ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland.com) -- What the USC loss to Oregon State means for Ohio State and the national title picture: * It's the first step toward BCS chaos, and that should benefit Ohio State. The team everyone had ticketed for a national title game spot just lost to an unranked team. Can Ohio State reach the national title game as a result? I still say no. The Buckeyes would need USC to lose again and the contenders in the SEC and Big ... Read More

BY: Austin Cumblad (MnDaily.com) -- He’s back. After missing three weeks with an injury to his right big toe, Ohio State’s star running back, Chris “Beanie” Wells, is scheduled to return to the field this weekend. Good news for State; bad news for Minnesota. The Gophers open their Big Ten slate Saturday at 11 a.m. C.D.T. at Ohio Stadium against the Buckeyes, who will have their most explosive player on the field for the first time since Aug. 30. Head coach Tim Brewster said he knows ... Read More

By: Adam Rittenberg (ESPN.com) -- Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said Tuesday that if starting running back Chris "Beanie" Wells made it through the practice week without any issues, he would return to the field for the Big Ten opener against Minnesota. Wells and his ailing right big toe avoided any setbacks, and he'll play for the first time since Aug. 30. "He's ready to go," Tressel said earlier today. "He needs to pass protect better, I told ... Read More