[JonDMiller]

Here's the lede from the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

The NCAA's Committee on Infractions today gave Ohio State's football program a one-year bowl ban and a total loss of nine football scholarships, sources have told The Plain Dealer.

The severe penalties have surprised OSU, which had hoped something close to its self-imposed sanctions would be enough to satisfy the committee.

My first reaction to this is the phrase 'severe penalties' and 'surprised'.

Perhaps the only people surprised by these sorts of penalties reside in the Buckeye State. Many around the nation feel the Buckeyes either got what they deserved or got off light. That's at least how it looks at first blush from twitter verdicts.

USC lost 30 scholarships and had a two-year bowl ban. Then again, they hired Lane Kiffin to be their new coach, who was also under NCAA investigation for his time at Tennessee. So, USC basically whizzed all over the NCAA's desk while it was meeting with them and they got the hammer.

Ohio State basically ushered Jim Tressell out the door and the NCAA likely took that into consideration for a lesser penalty. The NCAA was tough on Tress, slapping him with the 'show cause' tag which makes him too toxic to hire for a while.

Ohio State's B1G mistake, as I see it, was not self imposing a bowl ban for 2011 right about the time they lost on the road at Purdue. Had they done that, they might have been able to avoid the bowl ban for 2012 altogether.

They didn't do that, perhaps thinking they were going to get off light. Urban Meyer was telling that sort of story to recruits, that nothing more was going to happen to Ohio State. He either believed that and is really surprised right now, or he didn't tell the truth. Then again, he's a college football coach and many of them don't deal in whole truths.

I am one who feels Ohio State got off light. These penalties aren't that big of a deal. Ohio State won an unprecedented six straight Big Ten titles, which meant six straight BCS bowl games. Missing one bowl season isn't that big a deal and Ohio State was not going to compete for the national title in 2012, anyway. They should have fallen on their own sword this year and taken the bowl ban, hoping to stave off future bowl bans. I am glad they didn't, because the NCAA could have let them off the hook if they accepted such an offer.

This is good news for Wisconsin, who will be favored to make their second straight appearance in the Big Ten Championship game. Next year's Badger team will not be as good as this year's Badger team, but they could play for the Big Ten title with a 5-3 Big Ten record, or something like it.

That's also good news for the Big Ten Legends Division champion, who will be a much better team than what I expect Wisconsin to be. If I had to make a Legends Division pick right now, I'd choose Michigan with zero hesitation. If things fall right for Michigan next year, they might be a nice darkhorse pick for the national title game.

This bowl ban also means that most teams in the B1G who qualify for a bowl next year will be playing in a better bowl game. The folks at Little Caesar's might not like this ruling, as the league may not have a team play in that bowl game next year.

[hawkfan340]

Is it me, or will the entire Leaders division be crap-tastic next year?

[JonDMiller]

Also, if people say this bowl ban will hurt B1G financially, I am not buying that. If league gets two teams in BCS next year, it may mean no B1G team to Detroit....so look at that bowl payout, deduct what the B1G team's allowance is, and that is your penalty..maybe a few hundred thousand, split 12 ways.

[H8IAST8]

Does OSU still get bowl money if they are not bowl eligble?

[JonDMiller]

Originally Posted by H8IAST8

Does OSU still get bowl money if they are not bowl eligble?

Good question..teams that don't go to bowls get the same B1G payout as those who do go to bowls...but I could see the B1G not giving OSU any funds next year.

[Hawkeye11en1]

Originally Posted by JonDMiller

Good question..teams that don't go to bowls get the same B1G payout as those who do go to bowls...but I could see the B1G not giving OSU any funds next year.

Not making a bowl and being banned from a bowl are two very different things. I would hope they understand that.

[DFaceHawkeye]

Originally Posted by JonDMiller

Good question..teams that don't go to bowls get the same B1G payout as those who do go to bowls...but I could see the B1G not giving OSU any funds next year.

I would hope the B1G withholds their portion. That would make up for some of the money that others don't earn for the Little Ceaser's.

[homes]

Originally Posted by JonDMiller

If I had to make a Legends Division pick right now, I'd choose Michigan with zero hesitation. If things fall right for Michigan next year, they might be a nice darkhorse pick for the national title game.

Yikes! The kiss of death for Michigan. Bad for them, good for Hawk fans. Would you mind making a Nebraska and Michigan State title prediction since you're at it?

[vegashawki]

I don't think Michigan would be a darkhorse next year after the year they just had. If anything will put more of a spot light on them/more pressure if you will since O$U will be outta the picture.

[sportstalent]

It is my feeling that OSU wasn't going to get rid of JT. It took more and more information coming out for them to finally push him out. Fighting for Posey didn't do them any favors either.
They got off very light, for people to say...don't punish the kids that are there now, please there is no other way to punish the Universities unless the NCAA starts handing out fines, or allows teams to go to bowls, but have to forfeit their bowl money. Look at the USC debacle, it took how many years and those kids are facing punishment. It is the system there is right now.
To plead ignorance is not the answer and I am really hoping the NCAA continues to hand out punishment to the blind ignorance because it is getting old seeing these administrators hold up their hands in disbelief. The fact is, it happened and the NCAA needs to step up the punishments more, with the 500 bowls that are out there now, there are going to be bowl eligible teams to fill those spots.
OSU is lucky, I am actually surprised to a point they got as much as they got even though it should be much worse. OSU put themselves in this situation by pushing the NCAA to make a ruling on the Tat 5, it worked in their favor and the NCAA looks like idiots yet again because they didn't do their job initially and made a rush to judgement when there was no reason. The whole situation is frustrating because there have been rulings and more rulings when it has been handled terribly, but that is the NCAA.

[Golfer]

Punish next year's team for what last year's and this year's players did. Like the NCAA didn't know they were going to do this 2 weeks ago, before tOSU ended up in Florida at 6-6, and we ended up in crappy Arizona.

What a joke.

[Clark]

Looks like Fufred was a little too far into the forest to see the trees on this one (and his Tressel call from last spring)

He's a good poster but like Jon said, everyone outside of the Buckeye state saw this one coming.

[ColoradoHAWKEYE]

I hate fOSU anyhow.

Also isnt there something said about contact for five years with Pryor?

[OO44]

Compared to this, USC got hosed. Note a 5 year ban on Jim Tressell. Gene Smith got nothing. Refer to him as "The Teflon AD".