Injuries Sideline Key Players

OHIO STATE RB BEANIE WELLS HEARS POP
An eerie silence descended on Ohio Stadium when Ohio State's Heisman Trophy prospect Chris "Beanie" Wells went down with a foot injury in the third quarter of the second-ranked Buckeyes' 43-0 victory over Youngstown State on Saturday. "First and foremost, you really can't replace Beanie," wide receiver Brian Robiskie said. The star tailback was hurt in the third quarter after taking a handoff from Todd Boeckman on first and goal at the Youngstown State 2. His feet slipped underneath him as he planted to make a cut, with the ball rolling free as he hit the turf. Wells was helped off the field, and later returned to the bench in the fourth quarter wearing a boot on his right foot. "I may have rolled it or planted wrong a play or two before," Wells said through Ohio State spokeswoman Shelly Poe. "Something just didn't feel right. Then I think I felt a pop. But the X-rays are OK, so we'll see how it feels in a day or two." Before the injury, Wells ran for 111 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown run. Boeckman tossed two touchdown passes and freshman quarterback phenom Terrelle Pryor looked solid in his college debut.

GEORGIA DT OWENS LIKELY OUT FOR SEASON
Georgia suffered a potentially serious injury, losing starting defensive tackle Jeff Owens to a right knee injury in the opening quarter. He did not return. Owens' status will be determined by tests, including an MRI, but Richt said it could be a season-ending. "I doubt he'll be playing anytime soon," Richt said. "It was sad and I went in there and saw him at halftime." Owens has not had a redshirt season, so he could return in 2009 if he has to miss the rest of the year. "He'll probably be stronger next year and he'll be in better condition if in fact he has to go through that type of rehab," Richt said. Owens, a senior, started all 13 games last season and had 27 tackles. The loss of Owens cut into Georgia's depth on its defensive front. Backup Kade Weston was held out of the game with a sprained knee.

MISSOURI WR MACLIN SUFFERS ANKLE INJURY
Jeremy Maclin, who finished with 234 all-purpose yards, lost his balance while running a pattern away from the play. He covered his face with a towel while being carted off the field from the Missouri sideline. He returned to the sidelines on crutches and still in uniform, his foot wrapped in ice, but the team said X-rays showed no damage. "It's a scary moment when an impact player like that goes down," said quarterback Chase Daniel, 26-for-45 for 323 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. "He'll be out practicing Tuesday. He's fine." Maclin had a 99-yard kickoff return and 45-yard punt return before leaving in the fourth quarter with a sprained left ankle in No. 6 Missouri's 52-42 victory over No. 20 Illinois on Saturday night.

Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media

Two for (No.) One

By KENNY FRANEK

Two straight Big Ten Conference championships, two straight National Championship game losses for the Buckeyes. Being dominant in the Big Ten but getting dominated by the SEC does not sit right with this year’s Buckeyes team. If Jim Tressel and his team would like to reverse their fortunes (in national championship games), then they may want to take a page out of the books of the last two teams to beat them in the title game; Florida and LSU.

The thing Florida and LSU had in common that Ohio State did not have was the implementation of a two quarterback system. Last year LSU utilized Ryan Perrilloux and Matt Flynn. The year before, Florida utilized Chris Leak and a Heisman Trophy winner named Tim Tebow. Both sets of quarterbacks possessed two facets of the game that are truly hard to find in one quarterback; the ability to run and the ability to stand in the pocket and deliver. For LSU, Perrilloux was the one with the ability to get out of the pocket and make plays. He rushed for over 200 yards on the season while scoring two touchdowns. Flynn, on the other hand, gave LSU its pocket passing presence, throwing for over 2,400 yards and 21 touchdowns. Florida had Chris Leak as their pocket passer and Tim Tebow playing the role of out of the pocket playmaker.

Both teams not only had dominating seasons using this system, but they also played like champions in the BCS title game against OSU. Ohio State now has a chance to use this system during the upcoming season. They have a freshman quarterback, Terrelle Pryor, who is regarded as the number one prospect coming out of high school. His play resembles that of Michael Vick and Vince Young; a very gifted playmaker with the ability to make something happen when the pocket collapses. They also have veteran senior quarterback, Todd Boeckman, a solid pocket passer. This may be the last chance for Ohio State to show that they can get things right--that they can not only get to a title game and avoid getting blown out, but actually win the game and the title.

If they should happen to meet another SEC foe in that game, the chance to give their former conquerors a taste of their own medicine would make it even sweeter. Only time will tell how much Tressel will use this system this upcoming year, but it may be his only option to get restore their recently blemished name.

CFI RANKINGS: #1 OHIO ST. BUCKEYES

2007 RECORD: 11-2; BIG TEN: 7-1
Lost BCS Championship Game vs. LSU 38-24
LOCATION: Columbus, Ohio
STADIUM: Ohio Stadium (102,329)
HEAD COACH: Jim Tressel
OVERALL: 208-73-2 (22 seasons)
AT OHIO ST.: 73-16 (7 seasons)

The last two seasons Jim Tressel has led his Buckeyes all the way to the BCS Championship game, only to be thrashed by an SEC team each time. Several players seriously considered declaring for the NFL draft, going so far as to send their names to the NFL for evaluation. Ultimately, only Vernon Gholston made the jump. Whether they didn’t like their grade or the call of a potential National Championship was too strong to pass up, the return of several key senior starters makes OSU the team to beat.

WHEN THE BUCKS HAVE THE BALL

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Jim Bollman (8th Season)
OFFENSIVE STARTERS RETURNING: 9
KEY LOSSES: Kirk Barton

Lost in last season’s run was the outstanding job by signal caller Todd Boeckman. He was taking over a team that had lost in the BCS Championship game the previous season and for Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith. Boeckman rallied the troops and brought them to the brink of a national championship. He has a good arm and is a better athlete than he’s given credit for. Eight Buckeyes caught 10 or more passes a year ago and all eight are back, led by senior Brian Robiskie. The son of a coach, Robiskie runs crisp routes, has reliable hands, and plays faster than his 40-time. Four of five blockers return along the line, led by senior LT Alex Boone. He possesses the size and mobility to protect the QB and lead the way in the rushing attack, which leads us to the focal point of Ohio St.’s offensive attack. Junior TB Chris “Beanie” Wells tops several Heisman lists and depending on how many touches he receives, Wells could make a run at 2,000 yards. The fact that legendary Buckeye Archie Griffin would even mention Beanie’s name in the same breath as Jim Brown’s tells you all you need to know about this tailback.

TOP PROSPECTS: 1) QB RB Chris Wells (JR), 2) OT Alex Boone (SR)

WHEN THE OTHER TEAM HAS THE BALL

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Jim Heacock (4th Season/13th at OSU)
DEFENSIVE STARTERS RETURNING: 9
KEY LOSSES: Vernon Gholston, Larry Grant

The two players that surprised the NFL the most by returning were MIKE James Laurinaitis and cover corner Malcolm Jenkins—a duo that many had slotted as first round picks. Their time will come, but not before they try to capture a third straight Big Ten title. Laurinaitis is a speedy playmaker who can do it all—stop the run, get after the quarterback, and drop into coverage. Not too far behind is fellow senior Marcus Freeman, who possesses excellent size and speed. He may be overshadowed, but Freeman is one of the top linebackers in the Big Ten, if not the country. Jenkins leads a stellar and experienced secondary. The senior corner can lock people down or drop into a zone and read the QBs eyes. He is a solid tackler and can play some safety if need be. That shouldn’t be too much of an issue with returning starters Kurt Coleman and Anderson Russell manning the safety positions. Keep an eye on sophomore Chimdi Chekwa, the next in the line of outstanding Buckeye corners. Up front, they will miss Gholston’s pass-rushing ability, but may have the answer in Lawrence Wilson if the senior can return to 100 percent. The top talent along the line is sophomore end Cameron Heyward, who is both powerful and quick—another star in the making.

TOP PROSPECTS: 1) CB Malcolm Jenkins (SR), 2) LB James Laurinaitis (SR)

THE SCHEDULE

With the Big Ten down, many view the Buckeyes as having a one-game season. Go into the Coliseum and beat the USC Trojans on their field and OSU can punch their ticket to a third straight title appearance. Is it that simple? Of course not. Is that their biggest game of the year? You can bet your bottom dollar. In the Big Ten they still have to play Wisconsin, Penn St., Illinois and Michigan, all of whom are ranked, thank you very much. Illinois knocked them off last season in Columbus and Madison is never an easy place to go to. In 2003, No. 23 Wisconsin knocked off the No. 3 ranked Buckeyes—the two schools have not squared off the last two seasons. Another potential road bump is a trip to East Lansing to take on an improved Spartans squad.

PIVOTAL POINT

The Regular Season: Yes, this is the part of the schedule that the Buckeyes have conquered in each of the past two seasons. However, any athlete will tell you one of the most difficult things to do is understand that you do not start where you left off the previous year, especially when you’ve come so close to reaching the pinnacle. Ohio St. did exactly that last season…can they do it again? James Laurinaitis leads a group of players who dabbled with the idea of jumping to the NFL, but ultimately decided to return to Columbus. The Butkus and Bednarik Award winner can say that they did not return just to finish the job, but winning the title has to be on their minds. They have the team to it, as long as they follow the coach’s cliché and take it one game at a time.

CFI FINAL ANALYSIS

It can only be about the title for the Buckeyes this season—there are no more moral victories. They return nine starters on both sides of the ball from a team that made the BCS Championship for a second straight season. It is time to get out there again and, this time, finish the job. In “Beanie” Wells they have a difference maker who can elevate an already great team to even higher levels. Expect Boeckman to be better in his second year as starter and their defense to be even more dominant. This is the year Tressel claims his second national title.

Photo Credit: Collegiate Images

Ohio St. Makes Tressel Top Paid Coach

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has agreed to contract revisions that will make him the highest-paid football coach in the Big Ten Conference. Tressel's compensation beginning in February will be $3.5 million, a $1 million increase, the school said Friday.

Tressel will receive annual increases of 3 percent to 4 percent. He has a 73-16 record at Ohio State and is under contract until 2013. Tressel begins his eighth season as coach of the second-ranked Buckeyes. The team opens Saturday at home against Youngstown State.

MONEY ESCALATES HOME GAMES

Money talks with college football `guarantees'.

DALLAS -- Monetary guarantees for non-conference home football games are rising at "a fairly alarming rate," according to a top athletics director, and in some cases are approaching or topping $1 million.

Ohio State, for example, will pay $1.4 million for Navy to come to Columbus in 2009. Wisconsin will pay "just under $1 million" for each of two games against Northern Illinois, Badgers athletics director Barry Alvarez said. Texas is paying $900,000 to Florida Atlantic this fall. Arkansas is paying Tulsa $850,000.

"I would say it has been building over the last five to eight years, and I think what really triggered upward mobility of guarantees was the addition of the 12th game (in 2006)," Kevin White, new AD at Duke and president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, said at the group's convention in Dallas. "I think it's just subject to whatever the market will bear. There is no way to legislate against this kind of escalation."

Major powers pay guarantees instead of giving a return game because they take in several million dollars for each home game, not to mention the impact in their towns from a crowd of 90,000 or 100,000. It also gives them a competitive advantage that could have implications for Bowl Championship Series spots.

Less-successful teams or those with smaller athletic budgets see guarantee games as a way to build their coffers and give players the chance to face a major power in a big stadium.

"You talk about coaches' salaries skyrocketing," Georgia AD Damon Evans said. "Now the guarantees are just skyrocketing."

Alvarez said Wisconsin paid no more than $300,000 for a guarantee in 2000.

Ohio State's Gene Smith calls Navy a "special situation." The payout came because another school pulled out of a deal with Ohio State, leaving a hole in its schedule. But Navy had to buy its way out of a contract to do it, and Ohio State's guarantee will in effect cover the Midshipmen's buyout.

"We've always wanted to play a service academy," Smith said. "This is our opportunity and we can afford it."

(Contributing: Steve Wieberg, Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY)