OSU Buckeyes

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There will be a trophy on the line this season after all.

Banned from the postseason and initially expected to be barred from officially winning its division because of it, Ohio State instead will be eligible to collect a little hardware if it wins the Big Ten Leaders Division.

The Buckeyes would obviously prefer to play for a few awards after the regular season ends, and a division title hasn’t suddenly become a carrot coach Urban Meyer will dangle for his team. But after the league confirmed to ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg on Wednesday that Ohio State would potentially be recognized for finishing in first place, the program at least went to practice with something more tangible to play for then it had when the season started.

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Every week, RecruitingNation sends out a fleet of writers to report from high school football games across the country. From the Road breaks down the top performances by the recruits they saw in person over the weekend.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The first crack at the starting job for Carlos Hyde didn't do anything to persuade Ohio State he didn't deserve it.

Now the Buckeyes will be getting an evaluation that is potentially much more meaningful for the running back.

Miami (Ohio) made Hyde work for his yardage, and he fought through enough tackles that coach Urban Meyer estimated 70 percent of the junior's production came after contact in the opener. But those initial hits might come closer to the line of scrimmage against Central Florida's stingy rush defense, which should offer a better indication of how much work Hyde will get when Jordan Hall returns from injury.

"This will be a much firmer defensive front," Meyer said during his weekly appearance on the Big Ten teleconference Tuesday. "This is a Big Ten outfit on defense. I mean, they led their league three years in a row, they’re big, they’re strong and two 300-pound-plus defensive tackles. We’ve got our hands full just trying to move people at the line of scrimmage.

"But he played well (last week), and Carlos about maxed out as far as yards after contact. I was real impressed with that."

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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The first look at Ohio State's new offense turned a few heads nationally.

It also helped earn the Buckeyes a few more votes in the first rankings released since the season started.

The 56-10 thrashing of Miami (Ohio) helped Ohio State climb four spots to No. 14 in The Associated Press college football poll released on Tuesday afternoon, the third-highest position among programs in the Big Ten after the opening weekend of action.

Michigan tumbled in the rankings after losing handily to Alabama, which took over the No. 1 spot in the country. And the Buckeyes jumped over Nebraska, which moved up a spot itself but didn't pick up enough voting points to stay ahead of Urban Meyer's new program.

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. 19
• Date: Nov. 24
• Where: Ohio Stadium
• Last week: Lost 41-14 to No. 1 Alabama

Wisconsin

• Rank: No. 13
• Date: Nov. 17
• Where: Camp Randall Stadium
• Last week: Beat Northern Iowa 26-21

Michigan State

• Rank: No. 11
• Date: Sept. 29
• Where: Spartan Stadium
• Last week: Beat Boise State 17-13

Nebraska

• Rank: No. 16
• Date: Oct. 6
• Where: Ohio Stadium
• Last week: Beat Southern Miss 49-20

Central Florida

• Rank: Received four voting points
• Date: Saturday
• Where: Ohio Stadium
• Last week: Beat Akron 56-14

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A glance at the Ohio State players named to preseason watch lists and how they performed in the opening win over Miami (Ohio) on Saturday:

QB Braxton Miller, So. (Maxwell, O'Brien): Miller might not be as established as other candidates at quarterback, but he put up the kind of numbers that are going to draw significant attention if he can keep posting them. The marriage of his athleticism and the spread is off to an impressive start, with the honeymoon officially starting with 161 rushing yards and a touchdown to complement 207 yards passing with two more scores.

DE John Simon, Sr. (Bednarik, Lombardi, Nagurski, Lott IMPACT): The senior didn't have the kind of statistical impact that wins trophies, but the Buckeyes won't always be facing a pass-happy spread that helps negate their edge with Simon and the defensive line rushing the passer. He was still effective supplying pressure and chipped in a couple hits on the quarterback while finishing with three tackles.

DT Johnathan Hankins, Jr. (Bednarik, Lombardi, Nagurski, Outland): The Miami passing game was even more effective at keeping Hankins from impacting the game since it was seemingly making a point not to run the ball at him, and the quick throws kept him from making plays in the backfield. Like Simon, Hankins will have much better outings than his two-tackle performance over the weekend.

WR Corey "Philly" Brown, Jr. (Biletnikoff): Building off a productive training camp, Brown showed good chemistry with Miller and paced what already appears to be an improving passing attack with seven receptions for 87 yards with a touchdown. The Buckeyes have made it a point under Urban Meyer to find playmakers on the perimeter, and Brown's first audition was a clear success.

TE Jake Stoneburner, Sr. (Mackey): Meyer and coordinator Tom Herman have big plans for the versatile offensive weapon, but they seemed to be keeping them under wraps against Miami. Stoneburner made two catches for 28 yards while splitting time as an attached tight end and lining up at receiver, though the Buckeyes figure to want more production than that.

SS C.J. Barnett, Jr. (Thorpe): Pretty much everybody that lined up in the Ohio State secondary had a chance to contribute something against Miami's aerial attack, and Barnett was steady in the back end. There was nothing spectacular about his two tackles and a pass breakup, and he'll need to have a bigger impact to bring home a trophy.

K Drew Basil, Jr. (Groza): Basil did his job as a kickoff man, delivering three touchbacks when called on to boom it deep and placed several balls inside the 5-yard line when Meyer wanted it kicked short. He drilled all eight extra points and didn't attempt a field goal.

LB Etienne Sabino, Sr. (Butkus): Partnered with sophomore Ryan Shazier to get the linebackers off to a productive start. Working much of the time in the nickel, Sabino was active in the second level and finished with five tackles -- four of them solo efforts.

RB Jordan Hall, Sr. (Walker): The projected starter in the backfield was on the sideline as he continues to recover from a torn tendon in his foot. He could possibly return to practice this week, but he's not expected to be available against Central Florida on Saturday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There wasn't much for Urban Meyer to enjoy during his first quarter with Ohio State.

In hindsight, the new Buckeyes coach is looking back at it and smiling about the opportunity it gives him moving forward.


Eventually the offense started clicking and cruised to an easy win in Meyer's debut with the program, but as Ohio State goes back to work preparing for a tougher test on Saturday against Central Florida, he's got plenty of teachable moments to help make his point about how much work is still left to be done.

"At the end of the day, I’m pleased with what happened," Meyer said during his Monday press conference. "I’m pleased we got thrown around a little bit. We were actually losing in our home stadium in the first quarter, and I didn’t like it at the time, but now that you look back, I think everybody got hit in the face a little bit and responded well.

"I’m glad after we evaluate it now that it happened. It gives us an opportunity to coach very, very hard and get some things corrected."

Meyer and his staff wouldn't normally ease up on the Buckeyes early in the week anyway, though they do have the option of making the already infamous "Bloody Tuesday" workout even more difficult if it's necessary.

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Ohio State isn't bowl-eligible. Their goal is to go undefeated. Mark May and Lou Holtz debate if the Buckeyes are on the verge of becoming a powerhouse after their 56-10 victory over Miami (Ohio).