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.

If you've paid attention to today's Buckeyes' notes or tomorrow's for that matter, you will read mention of a DVD that Ohio State Buckeyes' Coach Jim Tressel gave his players to motivate them for their game against the LSU Tigers come Monday night.

In what will be a mystery, a portion of the video made its way to YouTube. You can click here if you want to see it. The DVD was a total of ten minutes long, only the first three appear through that link.

It's essentially ten minute of national media types saying "Hey, Buckeyes: you suck!" I'm sure Camp Tressel would have rather not this been made public, but it's a delicious little tidbit that makes this interesting.

Arrived in New Orleans today after getting up at the ungodly hour of 4:30 and staying at the Cleveland Sheraton Hopkins last night because of the first snowout of '08. Happy New Year from Old Man Winter, now take THIS Northeast Ohio.

In New Orleans it's a balmy 44 and I can only laugh as the locals chatter while their teeth click together because it's so cold. Ummm…yeah…come visit Northeast Ohio. Initial impressions of this city? I haven't been here in almost 20 years and given that I spent a lot of time on Bourbon Street, the memory is a bit hazy.

But the first thing I noticed upon taking my taxi ride in were the billboards heading into downtown. What distinguished them from say the boards in Northeast Ohio? Booze, beauties, gambling and, well, beauties. Devastated by Hurricane Katrina a couple of years back, it would seem that New Orleans has little problem with getting to the heart of what makes America tick. And for those individuals out there who prefer to live with their heads in the ground, a glaring reality of tourism and life in America is that sin sells.

Of course, sin has always sold in this part of the South, a kind of paradox if you ask me given the strong religious roots all of the Deep South has. Bourbon Street has never been for the puritanical. What I do remember, however, is that it wasn't this glaring when I was here before.

Is it a problem? Not for me. And I'm certainly sure that more than a few fans of the Hawaii Rainbows and Georgia Bulldogs enjoyed their share of sin. Good for them.

It's 2008 and we've been hearing about the upcoming election for a year now. We're all stressed by gas prices, the drag on the economy caused by the virtual collapse of the housing market. Hell, I've learned what my mother meant when she told me more than once to not be in a hurry to grow up.

Some say that football and sports in general are taken far too seriously in this country. They may be right. But perhaps, just perhaps, we take life too seriously and never really stop to enjoy it. This is why I believe I have a dream job. Six days in NOLA - what I hope to be a great football game between the OSU Buckeyes and LSU Tigers and a little sin. Will there be stress involved? Yup, in the form of work and writing my butt off. Heck, I might even blog everyday. But what I do know is that I will also blow off some steam after a busy work day. Gee, did I mention there's a Harrah's Casino not more than a five minute walk from my door?

Sin, gotta love it.

There will be some out there in Buckeye Nation who downplay the Rich Rodriguez's arrival at the University of Michigan. Do so at your own peril.

I'll be honest, a week ago I would have put cash on Les Miles taking the job on Jan. 8 after the BCS National Championship Game. I was wrong. And I'm sorry I was wrong, because I thought had Miles come to Michigan, Jim Tressel might have spent the next decade rolling his teams.

Rodriguez is a different story. With him comes an offense that should scare the bejesus out of every Buckeye fan. That spread offense with an athletic quarterback beat them this season when Illinois shocked them in the Horseshoe and it got them in Glendale, Ariz. when the Florida Gators took a huge bite out of them.

To be honest, the Buckeyes defense in its current incarnation don't match well against it. That's a big reason that OSU fans should be relieved that they're not facing the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Additionally, Rodriguez could end up bringing the No. 1 prospect in Terrelle Pryor of Jeannette, Pa. to Ann Arbor as well. Pryor is a dual threat - he can pass, he can run. According to reports, the Buckeyes have told Pryor that they are willing to structure an offense around his skills. The difference between OSU and Michigan with Rodriguez? Rodriguez already has the offense that Pryor likes.

It will interesting to watch this one play out.

The Ohio State Buckeyes received a commitment from Willie Mobley, a four-star prospect at defensive tackle, from Eden Prarie, Minn. today. Here's the rundown on him from Scouts Inc.:

Biography:
Led Eden Prairie to 14-0 mark and a Class 5A title as a junior. Named All-Metro by the Minneapolis Star Tribune and First-Team All-State. Mobley had 74 tackles, 12 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Partial senior (9-0) stats: Eden Prairie defeated Hopkins High School 56-14 in the playoffs on Oct. 27. Mobley had three tackles, one sack and one six yard rushing touchdown in that game. For the season he has 10 sacks and 21 tackles for loss.

Mobley reports a 2.7 core GPA and is retaking his ACT on Dec. 8. "I'm fine, but I just want to keep my test score confidential."

Mobley: "I feel like I'm a great athlete. I learn things quickly and am very confident. I have great strength (benches 305 pounds, squats 405) and good quickness. I run the 40 in about 4.85 seconds. I get the job done and leave it all on the field. I have heart.

"I'm improving every year and I'm working on getting even faster. Speed kills in football and my main focus is speed and agility."

How much of an impact did Bill Willis have in the sport of football? He has a permanent place in both of the sports prominent halls of fame - the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

He was the first African-American All-American to come out of Ohio State and had his number retired in the Horseshoe earlier this season. He went on to star with the Cleveland Browns where he dominated

I'm too young to have seen him play, but like many Browns fans I saw plenty of the scratch B&W footage.

Here's what OSU Coach Jim Tressel had to say about Wills' death:
"Bill Willis made a profound impact on the game of football throughout his lifetime. Even as recently as this fall, Mr. Willis was serving as a powerful role model for our players and coaches.
Number 99 will be missed greatly, but we will draw strength from his life, accomplishments, and his Ohio Stadium recognition. Our thoughts are with the Willis family at this difficult time."

From Browns Coach Romeo Crennel:
"Bill Willis was one of the pioneers of the game of football," said Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel. "Everyone associated with the Cleveland Browns is saddened by his loss. His hard-nosed play on the field, coupled with the manner in which he conducted himself off it, epitomized what it is to be a Cleveland Brown. We send our thoughts, prayers and condolences to the Willis family."

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.