By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland.com) -- COLUMBUS -- Jim Tressel sits behind his desk, a Diet Coke at his side, flipping through a copy of "The Winners Manual." "You know, this really is well written," Tressel mumbles to himself as the door of his office swings open. In strides freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor, his face twisted in consternation, a look that indicates he has something very interesting, and very private, to say, something he'd never tell reporters. "T, what's up?" Tressel says. "Coach Tress, we have ... Read More

By: Matthew Hager (Scout.com) -- Several OSU verbal commitments are in the midst of their postseasons. Three future Buckeyes in Kentucky and Maryland will begin their playoffs, while eight others continue their runs in Ohio and Pennsylvania. • WLB Dorian Bell and CB/WR Corey Brown, Monroeville (Pa.) Gateway – The Gators will take on Pittsburgh Penn Hills in a Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League Class AAAA semifinal at West Mifflin on Friday. The game will be a rematch of both teams’ Aug. 29 ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland.com) -- Columbus- Ohio State has been beating conference opponents on the road for three years. Now everyone else is doing it, too. For the first time since 1999, Big Ten teams have a chance to produce a winning road record in conference games, which can be either a good thing or a bad thing, depending how you look at it. So far, teams are 17-17 on the road this season, after going 17-27 on the road a year ago. The ... Read More

By: AP via Cleveland.com -- COLUMBUS, Ohio — What's brewing today with the 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes ... BUCKEYES BUZZ:@ Rory Nicol says he doesn't have time to think about anybody else but himself and his teammates. It's almost an indoctrination for a college athlete. He said coaches try to get players to focus, focus, focus to the point where they have little time or energy for anything outside their sphere. "We're like these trained dogs. We're trained to think about ourselves," he said. "But ... Read More

By: Jim Naveau (LimaOhio.com) -- COLUMBUS - It might be just the sort of things coaches always say, but Illinois football coach Ron Zook insists the Illini are better than they were at the start of the season. No. 10 Ohio State (8-2, 5-1 Big Ten) will find out if that is true when it goes to Illinois (5-5, 3-3 Big Ten) on Saturday. But it seems like a pretty bold statement for a Big Ten coach to be making the week after ... Read More

BY: TODD PORTER (CantonRep.com) -- COLUMBUS Before the Ohio State football team returned from beating Northwestern, the Buckeyes' season changed. The buses carrying Buckeyes still were rolling toward campus Saturday when Iowa kicked a field goal to beat Penn State, giving Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan State all one loss in the Big Ten. Head Coach Jim Tressel has said the same thing every season: November is when it counts most. He was right — again. "Typically, if you go through history, the team that ... Read More

By: Teddy Greenstein (ChicagoTribune.com) -- It's not to the point where Kirk Ferentz could spin a globe, point to a spot and wonder if that will be the bowl destination for his Iowa Hawkeyes. But with just two games to play, there is a wide range of potential destinations for 6-4 Iowa and fellow Big Ten teams such as Northwestern (7-3), Minnesota (7-3) and Wisconsin (5-5). "Basically, all I know," Ferentz said, "is we could end up anywhere from Detroit to Florida." The league has ... Read More

By: JOHN SUPINIE (The State Journal-Register) -- CHAMPAIGN — The objective for Illinois remains another upset over Ohio State. Yet before Illinois (5-5 overall, 3-3 in the Big Ten) hosts No. 10 Ohio State (8-2, 5-1) Saturday (11 a.m., ESPN) on senior day in Memorial Stadium, the Illini already know a win against Ohio State could backfire on their bowl hopes. By losing, Ohio State could get knocked from a BCS bowl, thus eliminating one bowl berth available for a Big Ten team. With ... Read More

By: AP via SportingNew.com -- COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State's darkened team bus was on its way back from the airport to campus on Saturday night when word spread that unbeaten Penn State was on the ropes at Iowa. The Buckeyes, on the last leg of a trip back from a lopsided win at Northwestern, took notice. The bus driver had a small radio that he handed to coach Jim Tressel. Everyone else used cell phones to get updates. Penn State led 23-21 ... Read More

By: John Ourand via SportingNews.com -- The BCS is considering a proposal from ESPN that would see all BCS bowl games, including the championship game, wind up on ESPN, sources familiar with the negotiations are saying. If the BCS ultimately accepts the bid, it would mark the first time all games in a major championship were not available on an over-the-air broadcast network. If the BCS opts to move to ESPN, it would continue a trend that has seen other leagues migrate ... Read More

By: Jim Naveau (LimaOhio.com) -- COLUMBUS - Last summer at the Big Ten's annual summer preview, Illinois quarterback Juice Williams talked about how his mother watched a tape of the Illini's stunning 28-21 upset of Ohio State every night before she went to bed. If Ohio State's players are immersing themselves in that game as much as Williams' mom, they're not talking about it, heading into Saturday's rematch with Illinois. For the most part, various degrees of collective amnesia seemed to be the favored approach ... Read More

By: STEVE PORTER (TheTelegraph.com) -- CHAMPAIGN - Ohio State is aiming to get even here Saturday. Illinois, meanwhile, is seeking to get going. It appears to be a clash of cultures. The skidding Illini, 5-5 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten Conference, await powerful Ohio State, 8-2, 5-1 for an 11 a.m. kickoff (ESPN) at Memorial Stadium. The Buckeyes boomeranged back into the conference chase after Iowa upset leader Penn State 24-23 last weekend. Illinois, coming off a disappointing 23-17 loss to Western ... Read More

By Mark Tupper (Herald-Review.com) -- Here’s a column I wrote for Wednesday naming five reasons for an Illini football season that has been disappointing. Those of you wanting Ron Zook’s job need to look in another direction. He won’t be fired this season or next and things would have to get pretty grim for him to be fired then. Look for other, more reasonable solutions. If Mike Locksley leaves, it will be because he got a very good head coaching job. That’s entirely possible, ... Read More

By: AP via Cleveland.com -- COLUMBUS, Ohio — What's brewing today with the 2008 Ohio State Buckeyes ... BUCKEYES BUZZ:@ Unlike last week, when he wheeled and walked away from reporters when grilled about WR Ray Small's playing time, Jim Tressel kept his cool Tuesday when asked a question about the in-the-doghouse player. Last week, Small's father, Ken Small, blasted Tressel for benching his son, who was the team's second-leading receiver and top punt returner. Ken Small said Ohio State players have been arrested ... Read More

By: Herb Gould (SunTimes.com) -- Before Illinois shocked Ohio State 28-21 last year, it was coming off its two biggest rushing games of the season (324 and 448 yards). Another difference was that Juice Williams was not as accomplished a passer. That added up to a Buckeyes' defense that was stacked up against the run. Dared to throw, Williams responded with four passing touchdowns. Entering this year's game (11 a.m. Saturday, ESPN), with Illinois' running attack sputtering (263 yards in the last three games) and ... Read More