Bad snap in the shotgun inside the 10 yard line, ball in the endzone, boom, score Ohio University 14-6 OU. To say this is not good would be mild. Extremely mild.

This is the No. 2 or No. 3 team in the country? After the butt whupping that USC laid on Virginia last week we're supposed to believe this is a contender for a national championship? Even if they pull this out, they're not contenders for a national championship. Right now, they look like a loosely assembled group of ball players looking for someone to step up and show them how to win. This is not what you expect from a team that returns more than 20 starters on both sides of the ball.

Yes, it's beginning to look as if the Buckeyes will eke out a win here, but I'm almost fearful of what will happen next week in SoCal. Gee, couldn't you guys tell that from other comments? Jim Tressel likes to talk about learning from every game. The Bucks will have plenty to learn about themselves from this one.

One person who really needs to study the film is quarterback Todd Boeckman whose decision making has left a lot to be desired. He's thrown into double coverage more than a few times, including on a pass in the endzone that could have easily been picked up.

As Buckeye Nation holds its breath.

Literally, as I sit here Ohio Stadium is silent as Chris Wells gets worked on. He and fumbled the ball as he rushed near the goal line. It didn't look good as teammates helped him off the field. Wells had to eventually be helped to a cart where it can only be presumed he's heading for X-rays.

Wells eventually came back in an orthopedic boot. X-Rays taken in the locker room came back negative.

A couple of observations:

Despite a 26-0 lead the Buckeyes look far from impressive. The two TDs they scored came outside the redzone - one courtesy of a Chris Wells 43-yard-TD run and the other a 31-yard Todd Boeckman to Brian Robiskie TD pass.

The went 0-4 inside the redzone. Not good. Not inspiring because there will come a time when the offense has to come up big inside the 20 and if they can't do it against YSU, then they won't be able to do it against a USC or a lot of Big Ten teams.

Injury update: at one point in the first half Beanie Wells pulled himself out of the game and Robiskie wasn't out at mdifield for the the start of the second half. Considering he's a team captain. He should have been. That shoulder-arm injury looks troublesome.

Terrelle Pryor's stats in his first drive: 3 of 3 passing, 25 yards and he rushed for 16 yards on 4 carries including a long of 14.

Pryor flashed the skills that made him last year's most wanted recruit, but you can definitley see that when it comes to the passing game, he will need work. He took a sack looking to make something happen. Admirable, but he needs to know when to get rid of the ball

It's the first game and the Buckeyes have a comfy 16 point lead, but here's hoping a trend isn't developing. They are 0-for-3 in the redzone. Sure, they'll get away with it against YSU and OU next week, but the likelihood that they will against USC…ummm…NO.

After dealing with parking issues and the like I finally hit Ohio Stadium and it would the Buckeyes already realize that they are playing an inferior opponent.

This is one of those games - as well as next week's - when they should take the opportunity to get their kinks worked out. Settling on for a field goal on the first drive doesn't qualify.

In this very game last year, Akron's Chris Wells looked uninspired and unimpressive. Not so today. Four carries 55 yards and a score. 'Nuff said.

Now the crowd cheers as Jim Tressle give sthe crowd what they want on the third drive of the game - Terrelle Pryor - the QB phenom out of Jennette, Pa.

Sources familiar with negotiations said that the Big Ten Network and Time Warner Cable have reached an agreement in principle for carriage of the year-old cable network in time for this weekend’s Ohio State Buckeyes season opener against Youngstown State Saturday.
The deal calls for Time Warner to carry the channel on expanded basic on all of its systems in the eight-states where Big Ten schools operate. As recently as Friday, it looked as if an agreement wouldn’t be reached in time to broadcast the game.
‘’We have a handshake deal with Fox (the Big Ten Network’s partner) that will ensure that Time Warner customers will be able to watch the game this weekend,’’ said Bill Jasso, Time Warner’s vice president for government affairs and media relations. ‘’And ware are confident that we’ll reach a deal for carriage shortly.’’
BTN and Time Warner have been locked in a battle over the station since the network began. When Comcast, the nation’s top video provider reached a deal last spring, an agreement with Time Warner seemed to be a foregone conclusion.
That’s not been the case and in recent days negotiations had grown a bit contentious with both sides taking their respective cases to the media. In fact, Ohio State University athletic director Gene Smith sent an open letter to Buckeyes fans advising them to switch video providers.
No details of the deal were available.

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?

Far be it for me to second guess a coach that's already won one national championship and played for two, but I'm a sportswriter. That's why they pay me the chump change.

But I don't get some moves Jim Tressel made while up in the second quarter. There's some serious inconsistencies. For example, after recovering a fumble on a kickoff return at the Purdue 33 and going a mere eight yards on the drive, Tressel elected to go for it on fourth and two instead of kicking a field goal. Beanie Wells promptly lost three yards and they turned the ball over on downs.

Yet when the Buckeyes got the ball back with 1:47 left on their 36 with plenty of time to mount some kind of drive and essentially put the game way, they come out running and that drive eventually stalled. Gambler or conservate cleric? A little consistency please. They may have missed an opportunity to go up by at least 20.