By: Adam Rittenberg (ESPN.com) -- SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- They have dominated a league that many no longer respect. They have dominated a rival that no longer carries mystique. They have won national awards, made their mark in the classroom and generally stayed out of trouble, which was a problem for some of their predecessors. They own a 43-7 record, four Big Ten championships, four BCS bowl appearances, four wins against Michigan and two trips to the national title game. And yet, it's not enough. ... Read More

By: Adam Rittenberg (ESPN.com) -- SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- It's been 43 days since Ohio State's last game, but running back Chris "Beanie" Wells hasn't spent all this time preparing one of his patented pre-game pep talks. "It ends up happening at the moment," Wells said. "I don't pre-write anything. I just say how I'm feeling." Wells' off-the-cuff style resonates with his teammates, who look forward to hearing from their emotional leader, especially before big games like Monday's showdown against No. 3 Texas in the ... Read More

By: AP via SportingNews.com -- When the talk turns to the potential of Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor, people tend to reach for words to describe him. Freakishly athletic. Smart. Sprinter-fast. Gifted. Invariably, though, the best description comes down to two choice words: "young" and "Young." The best comparison for the Buckeyes' 19-year-old, 6-foot-6 freshman always ends up being Texas' Vince Young, the prototypical signal-caller with like abilities, now with the Tennessee Titans. Pryor, like Young, can do things with his feet that other ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland.com) -- COLUMBUS -- Bowl season is always the start of next season as much as the end of this one. That means the Fiesta Bowl is both a farewell to the 28 Ohio State seniors and the start of Terrelle Pryor's team. Three years ago, a dominant group that included future first-round NFL picks A.J. Hawk, Santonio Holmes, Nick Mangold, Bobby Carpenter and Donte Whitner said goodbye in Arizona and passed the torch to freshmen James Laurinaitis, Malcolm Jenkins, ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland.com) -- COLUMBUS --The term student-athlete won't apply to 16 of the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 5. (Insert cynical comment on big-time college athletics here.) In this case, graduate-athlete will be more appropriate. Defensive tackle Nader Abdallah, tight end Rory Nicol, fullback Brandon Smith, linebacker Marcus Freeman and guard Steve Rehring are among the starters with degrees in hand, so they won't have to worry about the way the bowl system will mess with their ... Read More

By: John Maher (STATESMAN.COM) -- It's not only Terrell Owens and Chad "Ocho Cinco" Johnson who think more passes ought to come their way. Rory Nicol said that's the way every receiver thinks, even if he happens to play tight end for Ohio State. "A tight end is someone who catches the ball and blocks. When I'm more involved in the passing game, I play better as a blocker," Nicol said. "That's just the way it's been." The upside about being a tight ... Read More

By: JON SPENCER (NewarkAdvocate.com) -- COLUMBUS -- "What About Brian?" is more than the name of a forgettable and short-lived ABC drama. It sums up the struggles of Ohio State's passing attack this season after incumbent quarterback Todd Boeckman was benched in favor of freshman Terrelle Pryor. With Pryor more of a running threat at this stage of his career, receivers Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline played a reduced role in an offense that failed to score a touchdown in three games. After combining ... Read More

By: MATT MARKEY (ToledoBlade.com) -- COLUMBUS - The finality of it all keeps bouncing around in the minds of the Ohio State seniors. This is it. The Fiesta Bowl game with No. 3-ranked Texas in about 10 days is the last rodeo for 28 Buckeyes - their final curtain call. One more time sitting on the training table and getting the ankles taped, a last chance to carry that helmet and cinch up the pants. And just one more march in unison, with arms ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland.com) -- Columbus - Just 371 days ago, Illinois devastated Ohio State on Senior Day, ruining an undefeated OSU season with a 28-21 upset. "This was our season," OSU captain Kirk Barton said after that loss. Except it wasn't. The crushing defeated turned out to be a minor inconvenience. The Buckeyes still won an outright Big Ten title and still made it to the national championship game. They got everything they wanted, and there turned out to be no difference between ... Read More

By: Jim Naveau (LimiaOhio.com) -- COLUMBUS - Hitting the big time is one thing. Almost hitting the big time is something else. Earlier this week, several national news outlets reported that Tony Dow, who played big brother Wally on the 1950s television series "Leave it to Beaver", would have one of his sculptures displayed at the Louvre. As it turns out, Dow's bronze sculpture of a warrior with no arms will be displayed at a show in an exhibition hall at a Paris shopping ... Read More