I'm trying to decipher what's going on in C-bus lately.

Why?

Because I think the OSU schedule gods are finally listening to the naysayers. You know, the ones who dissed that thing called a schedule last year. Although, in all fairness, that line-up of cream pu…errr…ummm football teams was set up to help a team that was viewed to be in a rebuilding year.

Those critics were right. Last year's schedule wasn't befitting a football program that views itself as a perennial powerhouse. Apparently, however, the times they are a changin'.

The Buckeyes, who previously announced a home-and-home match-up with the Oklahoma Sooners, just announced the same deal with the Tennessee Volunteers. Yes, those Volunteers. That would be an SEC team. In the regular season.

Perhaps they got tired of hearing about all of the experts proclaiming the SEC the best conference - even if it is correct. Even if that is the case, this continues to be a step in the right direction for Buckeyes. It gives them legitimacy in one respect.

However, they will continue to beat up on the state's usual suspects. I have no way of knowing what the future holds, but with these other powerhouses, the Buckeyes need to add one team just below the likes of the Oklahomas and Tennessees to add further legitimacy. The Tennessee series begins in 2018. Gee, get your tickets now.

Apparently there is no winner, not just yet.

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Terrelle Pryor won't be signing nothing today. No how. No way.
And if you read that particular story, what you will find is a young man seemingly being tugged a million different ways.

He apparently has made his decision, but it's different from his father's. Take this paragraph from the story, for example:

"When we talked (Tuesday morning), I gave him my choice and he gave me his," said Pryor's father, Craig. "They weren't the same. But it's his decision."

Craig Pryor said he did not pick Ohio State, but he did not indicate what school his son chose.

Never underestimate the appeal of pleasing a parent. And given past stories where Pryor said Penn State had been "creeping up" on him and that Joe Paterno and his staff had spent more time talking to his parents. That, as they say, is the benefit of geography.

I wrote this the other day in a story that ran in the ABJ. With parents, colleges and Charlie Batch looking out for Pryor it's kind of weird that there is no choice, no?

I have to wonder if everyone is working from a different agenda. Terrelle says that he's made his decision. Some will argue that it should be based on where he can get the best possible education and I would argue that that is extremely naive. The sanctity of the student-athlete and how the emphasis should be on the ''student" has tragically evolved into the myth in the age of sports cable networks and the huge dollars being paid to the NCAA.

If it's the Michigan Wolverines he gets the chance to play right away in Rich Rodriguez's spread-option offense. If he has little interest in playing pro sports in any form or fashion after getting his degree and doesn't really expect to win for at least three years more than likely, by all means that's the decision he should make.

If it's the Penn State Nittany Lions, three quarterbacks stand in his way. Additionally, can anyone define the PSU offensive philosophy for the past three seasons other than it be Anthony Morelli on his rear end? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? Quick name the last successful Penn State QB? Kerry Collins comes to mind. He led the Giants to the Super Bowl seven years back.

If it's Ohio State he can point to the fact that they developed someone shorter of stature with the same skills as Pryor, Troy Smith, into a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback. They have displayed that with Smith they're willing to shape the offense around its strength and, they turned a barely 6-foot passer into someone who will likely challenge for the Baltimore Ravens starting job next year.

I have two sons and I do know one thing. As much fondness as I have for one particular school, if they were in this situation I'd want them to go where they are comfortable and happy. Looking at this tug-of-war, it doesn't appear that is the case with Terrelle Pryor. And that, as they say, is tragic.

I do know one thing, however. This drama that has been playing out over the course of the past five months, is getting older than watching reruns of The Andy Griffith Show.

The Ohio State Buckeyes football team landed another prized recruit today when Keith Wells out of Gainesville, Ga. committed to the team.

Wells is a 6-foot-5-inch defensive end who weighs about 207 pounds. Apparently current Buckeye Cameron Heyward helped him to feel comfortable during his officila visit here. OSU beat out Notre Dame among others with this pick up.

Currently the Buckeyes have 18 players in its fall class after jettisoning DeVoe Torrance last week. Scout.com currently has them ranked as having the 17th best class in the country. Rivals.com has them ranked seventh. All of that changes in a major way if Terrelle Pryor should choose the Buckeyes Wednesday.

The experts in the national media are already beginning to jack their jaws about whether the Ohio State Buckeyes deserve to be in the BCS National Championship Game in January when they haven't even moved into the No. 2 slot in the BCS polls yet.

For anyone who listens to Colin Cowherd on KNR2 or streams him via the Internet (I do), the ESPN Radio sports talker's theme yesterday was "I don't want to work; I just want to bang on the Bucks all day." Cowherd said more than once that he doesn't think it's fair for OSU to get into the championship game.

Right now, the only way they get in is if either West Virginia loses against Pitt (unlikely) or Missouri gets bounced by Oklahoma (more likely considering the Sooners beat up on the Tigers earlier this year).

In one respect, Cowherd has a point in that the Buckeyes non-conference schedule this year could have been played by a high school football team and they may have actually have been competitive. Youngstown State (they're back on the schedule next year)? The Akron Zips? The Kent State Golden Flashes? And when you can claim this year's version of the Washington Huskies, that's not much to brag about. For that the Buckeyes can only blame themselves for scheduling those teams. In any given year when does Athletic Director Gene Smith and Coach Jim Tressel believe the Penguins, Zips and Golden Flashes will offer any competition?

Looking at the way this junior-laden team is built it's clear that Tressel constructed it to win it all next year. This was supposed to be a down season and I can buy into the notion that they schedule was set up with that belief in mind. However, you are only as good as your competition and what the heck was wrong with schedule another decent opponent outside of the state of Ohio?

But when you look at Cowherd's rant, it falls apart. First of all, the Buckeyes haven't backed into anything yet. Secondly, they clearly thought they were done after an inexcusable loss against the Illinois Fighting Illini. There was one simple way to keep the Ohio State Buckeyes out of the national championship spotlight - all the teams ahead of them when they fell to No. 7 had to do was keep winning.

Well, guess what? They didn't. And the consistency of teams ranked in the top two spots in college football this year has been akin to the U.S. stock market. It's a topsy turvy kind of thing. So with with a dominating win over Michigan (again) they sneaked back into the picture. Once again there is a simple way to keep OSU out of the game Jan. 7 in New Orleans.

If West Virginia loses to a Dave Wannstedt coached Pitt team Saturday, they have no one else to blame but themselves. If Missouri loses to Oklahoma, they can pin the stupidity on the Big 12 Conference which, in an effort to make more cash, went to a two-division conference so they could have a Big 12 Championship Game.

If one of them loses I see no reason why the Buckeyes shouldn't sneak in there - they, after all, are playing by the rules as they stand now. What this all really means is that there should be some sort of playoff system, but the NCAA wouldn't want to look greedy, right?

No, I'm not recovering from quarter beer night.

I'm here at Ohio Stadium, bright eyed and bushy tailed.

I sit here as Meeeessshhheegan is losing to the Badgers big time past the midway mark in the third quarter. I guess we know that they're looking ahead.

But what about the Buckeyes? I can only get a sense of what they are going to be like from talking to the players and they are all business. They remember last year's game that almost cost them a shot in the championship game. If you can judge the attitudes of Kirk Barton, Dionte Johnson, Brian Hartline and others, they will do everything in their power to make sure the team doesn't stumble.

Mke no mistake about it, they could easily slip up should they not contain Rashard Mendenhall and Juice Williams. The Illini are fully capable of hitting homeruns on offense and the Buckeyes need to be aware of that fact.

Defensively, you can pass on this team and pass a lot, but I suspect that the Buckeyes will stick with what's been working for them for the past four games - Beanie Ball. Wells left. Wells right. Wells up the middle.

Score 10-3 and as good as the Buckeyes offense looked last week, they look just as mediocre.

Quarterback Todd Boeckman is getting pressure up the middle effectively limiting his effectiveness. The minute Chris "Beanie" Wells gets it going, they shift gears and go back to passing.

Perhaps Jim Tressel is just having his team feel the Badgers out, or perhaps this is a team that's lost some of the trademark focus that they've had for the past few weeks.

It's also fairly obvious that Badgers coach Bret Bielema doesn't believe his team can win this game straight-up as his game plan reeks of one word - trickeration.

Tressel is great at halftime adjustments. Time and the final score will tell whether he gave his team an attitude adjustment.

So far I've managed to ignore that 10-ton gorilla in the cyber room.

Are the Ohio State Buckeyes overrated? That's the prevailing opinion of the pundits and powers that be in college football. They point to the cupcake schedule the Buckeyes have played and say: "See, they haven't played anyone."

And they're right. And they're wrong.

They're right for three reasons: Youngstown State, University of Akron and Kent State. Cupcakes? Hell, creampuffs they are. It's a way to provide in-state colleges a huge payday for the willingness to take a beating and in the process we process we won't beat up on you too bad. The lone "real" football school in the Buckeyes non-conference schedule was the Washington Huskies and the Buckeyes smacked them on the nose like the pups they were.

The point is that OSU can control that portion of the schedule - easily. And the team's worthiness wouldn't come into question if they dared to schedule just two cupcakes and two programs that are actually competitive.

Those pundits are wrong in this respect: OSU cannot control the rest of the schools that occupy the Big Ten. You can't help that prior to this year that Illinois, Purdue, Indiana and the rest of the Big Ten were pretty much also rans. Michigan State hit a rough patch and, as much as it pains me to say this, Penn State isn't likely to be a force again until Joe Paterno is gone. Michigan will always be Michigan and that's why I wagged my index finger at fans who want to see them collapse.

When you're in a conference where there are only two national powerhouses - unlike the Southeastern Conference which has five or more - you're only as respected as your closest competitor or, in this case, rival.

Kent State University Coach Doug Martin could have allowed sportswriters to have some hopes and dreams that we'd have a competitive game today. Then he had to open his mouth.

For the record Martin told reporters earlier this week that he wouldn't be playing his front line players because he wants to save them for the final games in the MAC. Oh that's just ducky. So instead of a Waterloo, we get to witness a Little Big Horn. How do I contain my enthusiasm?

Nevermind that this "game" comes in the middle of the conference schedule, but it's against the Kent State Golden Flashes. That in itself assures that I will need mega doses of stimulants to stay awake.

In reply to Martin resting his players, OSU Coach Tressel adopted the philosophy that if "you rest, you rust." That means his front line players will be in the game until KSU is suitably beat into submission.

For anyone sitting and watching this, it could be a long afternoon. Of course, the broadcast will have one saving grace - it's on the Big Ten Network. Not many folks will see it.

After watching Illinois effectively smack the Badgers on the nose earlier this afternoon, I'm beginning to believe the Big Ten Conference is up for grabs.

Certainly the Ohio State Buckeyes can take a big step toward claiming the title by dispensing with Purdue tonight, but it's seriously beginning to look like a cage match or some serious cannibalization as the conference's also rans - Indiana, Illinois, Michigan State - are beginning to show some bite this year.

What is certain is there's nothing a given this year. If I'm going to give anyone an advantage, however, it's going to be the Buckeyes, primarily because they have a coach in JIm Tressel who keeps his team on an even keel. Talk to them and they come off like a bunch of Stepford Kids, and that's primairly due to Tresselization. And I'm sure most Buckeyes fans don't care as long as they win.

I believe that Wisconsin was unmasked today, but they certainly aren't out of it. But the team the Bucks need to watch for is the Illinois Fighting Illini, who for some inexplicable reason play the Buckeyes tough every time they meet. And no one should ever believe that the Wolverines are out of things, despite the fact they've still looked iffy in the past couple of weeks.