OSU Buckeyes

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Updated injury information for Ohio State after coach Urban Meyer's Monday news conference:

• Jordan Hall: The projected starting running back has made it through the initial 10-week recovery period prescribed after the surgery to repair a torn tendon in his foot, but that doesn't necessarily mean Hall will be available against California this week. Meyer indicated that Hall worked out on Sunday, "so there's a chance" he could return this Saturday.
• Carlos Hyde: The injury could have been worse for the next guy in line in the backfield, but the sprained MCL suffered in the second quarter is still expected to keep him out for at least one game and potentially more.
• Nathan Williams: The defensive end's status will be monitored again throughout the week, and Meyer suggested that could be the case throughout the entire season as Williams works his way back from microfracture knee surgery. He did not dress against UCF.
• Michael Bennett: The Buckeyes will likely be without another end expected to be a significant contributor with Bennett's groin injury apparently more serious than originally thought. He hasn't played in either game yet, and it could possibly be a couple of weeks until he's ready.

After the disaster that was Week 2, the Big Ten could use a bunch of home games and chances to pile up some needed victories. That's where Week 3 comes in, as every league team is at home and should be favored.

Here's a sneak preview of what's on tap this Saturday (all times ET):

No. 20 Notre Dame (2-0) at No. 10 Michigan State (2-0), 8 p.m., ABC: This will be the showcase game for the league this week, and the last time these two teams met at night in East Lansing, this happened. Michigan State is the clear leader in the clubhouse right now for the title of the Big Ten's best team, and it needs to come through here.

California (1-1) at No. 12 Ohio State (2-0), Noon, ABC: The Golden Bears have struggled on defense, giving up exactly 31 points to their first two opponents (Nevada and Southern Utah). Not they have to cross three time zones and play at 9 a.m. Pacific time. If the Big Ten can't get a win over the Pac-12 in this scenario, things are worse than we thought.

Boston College (1-1) at Northwestern (2-0), 3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network: If Northwestern can start off 3-0 against Syracuse, Vanderbilt and Boston College, that will be a solid accomplishment. The Wildcats defense played well on Saturday and will need another good effort against an improved BC offense that has put up more than 30 points in each of its first two games.

Navy (0-1) at Penn State (0-2), 3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN2: The Nittany Lions desperately need a win here no matter how it's done. Navy hasn't played since getting drubbed in Dublin by Notre Dame. The option attack meets a Penn State defense whose main weakness so far has been stopping the pass.

Utah State (2-0) at Wisconsin (1-1), 8 p.m., BTN: I figured one of these teams would be coming off a Pac-12 win. Just didn't think it would be Utah State, which stunned Utah on Saturday. The Aggies have more momentum than the suddenly stalled Badgers, but Camp Randall Stadium should help.

Northern Iowa (1-1) at Iowa (1-1), 3:30 p.m. BTN: The Hawkeyes are a play or two away from being 0-2 or 2-0. They're not good enough to get separation from many teams right now, and Northern Iowa showed in its opening performance against Wisconsin that it is not to be taken lightly.

Western Michigan (1-1) at Minnesota (2-0), Noon, BTN: Can the Gophers get to 3-0? It would make for a great story. Western Michigan tries again for a Big Ten win after falling at Illinois in Week 1.

Arkansas State (1-1) at Nebraska (1-1), Noon, ESPN2: The bruised and battered Cornhuskers defense now must try and stop a Gus Malzahn offense. Arkansas State got bloodied on the road by Oregon but came back to beat Memphis in Week 2. Could be interesting.

Ball State (1-1) at Indiana (2-0), 8 p.m., BTN: Indiana will look to triple its win total from last year and get some real momentum going at home. But this won't be easy, as Ball State beat the Hoosiers last year and have a strong offense, led by a rushing game averaging 290 yards per game.

UMass (0-2) at No. 17 Michigan (1-1), 3:30 p.m., BTN: The Minutemen have been outscored 82-6 in their first two games as a FBS member, losing to UConn and Indiana. Michigan can pretty much name its score here, and if Denard Robinson plays much beyond midway through the third quarter, it will be an upset.

Eastern Michigan (0-2) at Purdue (1-1), Noon, BTN: The Boilermakers can take out some of their frustrations over the Notre Dame loss against this winless MAC squad. Things don't get any easier for former Michigan defensive coordinator Ron English, who has to take his EMU team against Michigan State next week.

Charleston Southern (0-2) at Illinois (1-1), Noon, BTN: Remember when we said the league needed some chances at victories? They don't come better than this. Charleston Southern was 0-11 in the FCS last year and was outscored 80-24 by Jacksonville State and The Citadel in the first two weeks. This isn't quite as bad as the Savannah State situation, but it's awfully close.

There are are two types of visits high school prospects can make to colleges recruiting them: the "official visit," which is paid for by the school and allowed during a prospect's senior year, and the "unofficial visit," which is paid for by the prospect and isn't restricted to the senior year. Official visits are pretty cut and dry. They are also -- given the modern recruiting trend of prospects committing to schools early in their careers -- passé.

The imbalance this rule causes -- wherein prospects from wealthy families can go anywhere and see any school, while prospects of limited means have to find other ways -- is obvious. That imbalance has also placed an undue amount of influence on the unofficial visit, providing a way in for infamously scurrilous prep hoops go-betweens, who can offer influence and access to schools in exchange for helping prospects find their way to campuses. It's not supposed to happen, but it does, and it no doubt happens more frequently than is ever reported.

How do you regulate this? Bylaw Blog's John Infante (along with the aforelinked Mike DeCourcy) has taken on the issue before, arguing that unofficial visits should be banned. The issue is not uncomplicated, as Infante's explanation shows; it would involve a ream of rule changes and restructuring to avoid negative unintentional consequences. The solutions aren't obvious.

Which is why a third way -- which Infante wrote about Thursday -- sounds so very promising. In a landscape in which prospects' increasing willingness to be aggressive in their own pursuit of a college scholarship (the "good old days" of prospects waiting around for coaches to come visit are over, and "probably never existed" in the first place, John writes), some are using Kickstarter-clone web fundraising tools. One such player is football prospect Marcus Rose, who began his own Indiegogo campaign to help pay his way to a camp. And it's legal:

Rose’s fundraising campaign used to be against NCAA rules, but is now allowed by Bylaw 12.1.2.1.4.5.1. As long as the funds do not come from an agent, NCAA member institution, or a booster of an NCAA school, athletes can find “sponsors” to help cover the cost of practice and competition in athletics events.

As of right now, fundraising for recruiting travel is not permitted. While you could put the same restrictions in, there is a much greater temptation to break those rules for boosters and agents when it means the chance to direct an athlete to a certain school rather than just to finance their athletic development. Allowing for fundraising campaigns without close regulation would be difficult.

First of all, that bylaw -- 12.1.2.1.4.5.1 -- is amazing. And people wonder why the NCAA rule book requires so much explanation.

Anyway, it would be very difficult to allow athletes to start raising money directly for recruiting, but not impossible, and that's where John's other idea comes in:

The NCAA could run a fundraising site where athletes could sign up to get recruiting expenses like trips to camps or unofficial visits covered. The best way to do it would be not to allow individual fundraising campaigns, but rather allow individuals to donate collectively to the athletes in the pool. That way money is not directed toward an individual athlete, even if say a recruit considering Kentucky encourages Kentucky fans to contribute.

Prospects would be given the funds for recruiting trips, then required to show the money was spent on recruiting expenses like travel, lodging, and meals. Failure to do so would require the prospect pay the money back and potentially face other penalties when he or she starts school.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Only one Big Ten team is left ahead of Ohio State after just two weeks.

The upsets and a win over perhaps the most difficult nonconference opponent on the schedule have the Buckeyes knocking on the door to the top 10 as well.

The 31-16 victory over Central Florida, which had been receiving votes in the AP poll heading into Saturday's game at Ohio Stadium, included plenty of flaws for new coach Urban Meyer to pick on when it was over. But it was still impressive enough to help the Buckeyes climb a couple more spots when the new rankings were released on Sunday, moving up to N0. 12 after their second win in as many tries.

As it stands right now, the Buckeyes won't have another crack at a team in the top 25 or receiving any voting points until their trip to Michigan State to open Big Ten action on Sept. 29. But that one is shaping up to be a big one with the N0. 10 Spartans currently rated as the best team in the league, according to the ballots.

A glimpse at how the ranked opponents on Ohio State's schedule fared over the weekend and where they are rated now:

Michigan

• Rank: No. 17
• Date: Nov. 24
• Where: Ohio Stadium
• Last week: Ranked No, 19; won 31-25 against Air Force

Wisconsin

• Rank: Received 44 voting points
• Date: Nov. 17
• Where: Camp Randall Stadium
• Last week: Ranked No. 13; lost 10-7 at Oregon State

Michigan State

• Rank: No. 10
• Date: Sept. 29
• Where: Spartan Stadium
• Last week: Ranked No. 11; beat Central Michigan 41-7

Nebraska

• Rank: Received 79 voting points
• Date: Oct. 6
• Where: Ohio Stadium
• Last week: Ranked No. 16; lost 36-30 at UCLA

Central Florida

• Rank: No longer receiving votes
• Last week: Received four voting points; lost 31-16 at Ohio State