BuckeyeNation Week in Review

• Last season, the Buckeyes were missing from the top of the recruiting rankings. That's changed this year, write Sam Khan Jr. amd Jared Shanker in an ESPN The Magazine piece.
• Running back commit Ezekiel Elliott is visiting Missouri, but he tells Buckeyes fans to just "chill."
• This is a big weekend in recruiting, of course, with the Buckeyes looking to close on a receiver/athlete type of player and perhaps an offensive lineman.
• OL Dan Skipper visited Arkansas and Ohio State last weekend.
• WR Ryan Timmons finally got his offer from Ohio State, but it might have come too late.
• The Robinson twins aren't coming, but the Buckeyes still have a shot with Ducks commit Darren Carrington, who is planning a visit, and Dontre Wilson is in this weekend.
• Vonn Bell visited Alabama, and could announce his choice this week.
• There are two more spots to fill as linebacker Conner Crowell and lineman Joey O'Connor are leaving the program.
• Austin Ward counted down five early developments for the Buckeyes heading into 2013: Carlos Hyde's return, Johnathan Hankins' departure, pickups at linebacker, Bradley Roby's return and continuity with the coaching staff.
• Four years later, we can look at the hits and misses from the 2009 class, part of an extensive RecruitingNation package on the class.
• Also, Brad Bournival looked back at the top Ohio State sleepers and recruiting misses since ESPN started ranking recruits in 2006.
• The pipeline from Cleveland Glenville shows no signs of stopping its flow of top recruits.
• Braxton Miller changed the game when it came to Ohio State recruiting.
• In the 2014 class, OSU target Nile Sykes collected some hardware, athlete Lonnie Johnson still has the Buckeyes on top, LB Clifton Garrett is planning a visit, OT Jamarco Jones is looking forward to another visit, WR Dominique Booth has Ohio State in his top seven (without an offer yet) and Georgia WR Demarre Kitt has OSU in his top two.
• In the 2014 class, another Georgia DB got an OSU offer, as did a defensive end from North Carolina, an emerging WR talent from California and an offensive lineman from close to home. And a 2015 receiver from Florida also got an offer.
• Adam Rittenberg wrote that the Big Ten's bowl lineup will change next year.

Football

• Ohio State's football program is a money-maker on all levels, but the trustees are considering a major price hike for football tickets, and might include a premium game subcharge. Basketball, too. (Dispatch, Lantern)
• A couple of lackluster games weren't sellouts last year, so doesn't that mean demand has met supply? It's a strategy fraught with risks, writes Bob Hunter. (Dispatch).
• Five reasons Ohio State is Alabama's biggest threat in 2013. (Athlon Sports)
• The always outspoken OSU president E. Gordon Gee hints that the Big Ten isn't likely to stay at 14 schools for long. (Dispatch)
• And if you really need to see Urban Meyer, you can watch him fish with his son on the Outdoor Channel. (Toledo Blade)

Basketball

• The Buckeyes took care of business this week against lower-division Big Ten foes Iowa and Penn State.
• Thad Matta got a big raise.
• Scoring will be the biggest challenge for Ohio State down the stretch, writes Bob Baptist. (Dispatch)
• But that defense is pretty good. (Lantern)
• The Eleven Warriors crew had a lengthy roundtable on what we know about the Buckeyes. (Eleven Warriors)
• And is there a place for Aaron Craft in the NBA in a couple years? Andy Katz chimes in.

The Gang's All Here

• A German prospect is joining the OSU hockey team. (Land Grant Holy Land)
• Injuiries have derailed what looked like a promising season for the OSU women's basketball team. (Dispatch)
• And while temperatures are frigid in Ohio, the baseball team is practicing. (OSU)