By: Sean Jackson (BleacherReport.com) -- Ohio State has seen many different types of offenses over the year. None will match what they will meet in Pasadena. Oregon possesses a different style of zone read the Buckeyes have not seen. Teams like Michigan use the zone read to try and deceive the defensive ends. Oregon tries to deceive the defensive line and draw plays vertically. They also run a zone option that is unique in that they will fake the hand off to LaMichael James ... Read More

By: John Cupps (BuckeyeCountry.net) -- With Alabama upsetting number one Florida, a few changes took place in the top 10 of the AP and USA Today polls, including the Gators falling to the no. 5 spot. Alabama slid into the top spot followed by Texas, TCU and Cincinnatti. The top eight in each poll are mirror images of each other with Boise State coming in at six followed by Oregon then Ohio State. The Buckeyes season ended two weeks ago with a victory ... Read More

By: MATT MARKEY (ToledoBlade.com) -- COLUMBUS - Earle Bruce is clearly no Martha Stewart, but the crusty former Ohio State coach grows roses in his garden, just like the famous horticultural maven. Roses mean a lot to Bruce, and not just for their brilliant hues and subtle perfume. In the botanical plot in his mind, roses to Bruce signify what at Ohio State was traditionally the ultimate accomplishment - a trip to the Rose Bowl. This year, the Buckeyes are back in ... Read More

By: Joshua A. Davidson (TheLantern.com) -- Sean Duddy was loaded into an ambulance in front of his somber teammates and coaching staff. That was the scene for the Ohio State men’s hockey team in Alaska last January. Duddy had just broken his leg in a game against the Nanooks, an injury that would sideline him for the rest of the season. Ahead would be six long months of rehab. “You just have to focus on one week at a time is what I figured out,” Duddy said. ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) -- COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Breaking down the 11th edition of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. • The background: This could be the year. At least that was the thought before the season started. The 11th edition of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge may finally see the Big Ten prevail after a decade-long beatdown by the ACC. Many college basketball analysts are calling the Big Ten the nation's best conference, but 10 straight years of losing is a lot to ... Read More

By: Allyson Kraemer (TheLantern.com) -- As 105,455 spectators held their breath, Devin Barclay sent a 39-yard field goal soaring through the uprights. The junior kicker had sealed the Buckeyes’ fifth straight Big Ten Title with his overtime kick against Iowa. Fans rushed to the field and surrounded Barclay. The emotion of a Rose Bowl berth was palpable throughout Ohio Stadium. Barclay was at a loss for words. “Unbelievable. I’m pretty speechless,” he said following the game-winner. When ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) -- COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Jim Tressel likes to say that the most important stat for a quarterback is wins. By that standard, Terrelle Pryor's 10-2 record and No. 8 ranking isn't bad for sophomore. The only sophomore quarterbacks above Pryor in the BCS rankings are Kellen Moore for undefeated and No. 6 Boise State, and Cincinnati backup Zach Collaros, who played very well while stepping in for injured starter Tony Pike for undefeated No. 5 Cincinnati. But there ... Read More

By: John Cupps (BuckeyeCountry.net) -- Even though Ohio State's season ended with a 21-10 victory over Big Ten foe Michigan on Nov. 21, the Buckeyes seen some changes in the latest AP and USAToday Polls. The Buckeyes, coming off their fifth straight conference title, moved up one spot to No. 8 in the AP Poll. Ohio State had 1103 points, just one less than No. 7 Oregon. Nothing changed in the top six of the AP Poll with Florida holding on firm to ... Read More

By: Angelique S. Chengelis (DetNews.com) -- No one ever knows for certain how a football season will go, even in late July as preseason camp is about to begin on college campuses across the country. At Michigan, though, the assumption was always that each season would end with some sort of bowl destination. A bowl was among the goals this year. "If we're not in a bowl game, we're all going to be ticked," Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez said in late July during the Big Ten ... Read More

By: John Cupps (BuckeyeCountry.net) --Ohio State picked up their sixth straight win over Michigan, 21-10, and fifth consecutive Big Ten Conference championship on Saturday but remained idol in the polls. The latest USA Today Polls kept The Buckeyes at No. 8 while the AP Poll held OSU at No. 9. In the BCS rankings, nothing changed in the top three, with Florida holding firm on to the No. 1 spot and Alabama and Texas followed. Ohio State remained at No. 10, sandwiched between ... Read More

By: Mike Lopresti (Cincinnati.com) -- This is what defeat looks like, at a place that has never known days so dark. The freshman receiver for Michigan has tears in his eyes after losing to Ohio State. “It hurts a lot,” Ray Roundtree says, “saying next year, next year.’ ‘’ The senior defensive end is somber, understanding he has never beaten the Buckeyes and now never will. “I just think it was a humbling season for us,” Brandon Graham says. “I cried a little bit. I’ll probably cry ... Read More

By: Tom Archdeacon (DaytonDailyNews.com) -- ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The final sheet of statistics from this one will show Kurt Coleman had two interceptions, but in truth, he had three. Thanks in part to his two picks, the Ohio State football team pushed aside Michigan 21-10 on Saturday, Nov. 21, at Michigan Stadium. As soon as the game ended — before he and his teammates began the traditional serenade of their followers with “Carmen Ohio” — the senior safety and team captain out of Northmont ... Read More

By: Tom Archdeacon (DaytonDailyNews.com) -- COLUMBUS — He’s the guy who saved the Ohio State season — the player who kicked the Buckeyes past Iowa a week ago and into both a berth in the Rose Bowl and at least a share of the Big Ten title. And yet there’s not a more unlikely hero than Devin Barclay. At 26, he is the oldest Buckeye, but he’s also the player with the least football experience on the team. A month ago, only the most ... Read More