Luke Fickell Can Learn From Lloyd Carr & Pat Fitzgerald

Newly appointed interim Ohio State head coach Luke Fickell has received an opportunity at his dream job, albeit in a way and fashion he never wanted. Ascending to the head coaching job at Ohio State is one of the top positions in college football, and Luke Fickell now has a chance to make his mark with the Buckeye faithful.

To remove the interim tag associated with his current title, I suggest Coach Fickell dial up two men who have dealt with being quickly promoted, in less than ideal circumstances. In 1995, Michigan promoted Lloyd Carr to take over from Gary Moeller, and in 2006, Northwestern promoted Pat Fitzgerald to take over from Randy Walker.

In the spring of 1995, Michigan accepted the resignation of head coach Gary Moeller, after Moeller had a drunken outburst that led to his arrest. Defensive coordinator Lloyd Carr was named interim head coach, with no promises of becoming the full-time head coach.

In a painful memory for all Ohio State fans, Carr's 1995 Michigan team defeated Ohio State 31-23 behind the running of Tim Biakabutuka. Carr later led Michigan to a share of the 1997 national championship, and was recently named as an inductee into The College Football Hall Of Fame.

If looking to That School Up North is too painful for inspiration, perhaps Coach Fickell can look to one of his contemporaries. Pat Fitzgerald was a star linebacker for Northwestern in 1995 and 1996, when Luke Fickell was a defensive lineman for Ohio State. Fitzgerald was the linebackers coach for Northwestern, who became head coach upon the sudden death of Randy Walker.

Pat Fitzgerald has rebounded nicely from two subpar seasons in 2006 and 2007 by leading Northwestern to three straight bowl appearances. While Fitzgerald's record is a modest 34-29, it is worth noting that Michigan was interested in hiring Fitzgerald as head coach, before selecting Brady Hoke.

Make no mistake about it, Ohio State fans - the 2011 season is going to be one long, hopefully successful job interview for Luke Fickell. To ensure Fickell aces the interview, it would not hurt to consult with some people like Lloyd Carr and Pat Fitzgerald who have been in comparable situations and came out fine.

Originally posted on Along The Olentangy, 05/30/2011

[ESPN.com - Big Ten Blog]: Small's comments add to OSU's troubles

You'd have to be pretty naïve to think memorabilia sales at Ohio State were tied to Terrelle Pryor and his crew. This has been a problem for years, not only at Ohio State but at other big-time programs around the country. You can buy championship rings and other memorabilia items on the Web at sites such as this one. Former Ohio State wide receiver Ray Small provided more evidence in an illuminating interview with The Lantern, Ohio State's student newspaper. Small, always one for colorful quotes during his turbulent Buckeyes career, continued to generate buzz by saying he sold memorabilia items for cash and received car deals while at Ohio State. And according to Small, "everyone was doing it." Some tidbits from Small in The Lantern: "I had sold my things but it was just for the money. At that time in college, you're kind of struggling." "We had four Big Ten rings. There was enough to go around." "It was definitely the deals on the cars. I don't see why it's a big deal," said Small, who identified Jack Maxton Chevrolet as the players' main resource. "If you go in and try to get a tattoo, and somebody is like 'Do you want 50 percent off this tattoo?' You're going to say, 'Heck yeah.'" "They have a lot [of dirt] on everybody, 'cause everybody was doing it." What about the NCAA rules? Weren't players aware? "They explain the rules to you, but as a kid you're not really listening to all of them rules," Small said. "You go out and you just, people show you so much love, you don't even think about the rules. You're just like 'Ah man, it's cool.' You take it, and next thing you know the NCAA is down your back." Former Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins also talked with The Lantern and said players were informed about what they could and could not do. "What the players go out and do on their own time and make their own decisions is on them," Jenkins said. "I know [the compliance department] puts things in place to give us knowledge of the rules, give us education on how to deal with those situations, but what the players do with that is another story." Jenkins brings up a good point. Ohio State can't have compliance staffers following players around 24-7. The culture of entitlement exists in Columbus -- not unlike many places immersed in college sports -- and Ohio State players are treated as royalty. It's tough for young men to turn down benefits, especially men struggling to get by financially. But it's clear Ohio State didn't get a handle on this issue until it was too late. Now the NCAA is involved and coach Jim Tressel, as well as the compliance department, seem to be in the crosshairs. Tressel will go before the NCAA's Committee on Infractions on Aug. 12, and investigations into the used-car transactions are still ongoing. In December, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith had this to say: "There are no other NCAA violations around this case. We're very fortunate that we do not have a systemic problem in our program. This is isolated to these young men, and isolated to this particular instance." Well? Some might point to Small's credibility as an issue here. He was in Tressel's doghouse for much of his career and struggled to stay on track academically. But aside from publicity, what incentive does Small have to lie? Small's comments are noteworthy, but they're not surprising after what we heard from Antonio Pittman and others after the tattoo story broke. It's just another layer to a story that just isn't going away.

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Eddie George Selected For College Football Hall Of Fame

From a very inauspicious beginning in 1992, Eddie George truly saved his best for his last season at Ohio State in 1995. Eddie George was not the fastest running back, nor the most elusive, but I would argue nobody worked harder than Eddie George. Eddie George was a constant in the weight room, and clinched the Heisman with his performance against Illinois in 1995 with 314 yards on the ground in the bitter cold of Ohio Stadium.

Congratulations on your accomplishment, Mr. George.

[Blogging the Buckeyes]: OSU to play Nebraska, Wisconsin at night

By Tim May THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Ohio State will make it first ever trip to Nebraska to take on the newest member of the Big Ten on Oct.8, and it was learned this afternoon the game will be televised in prime time. The kickoff is set for 8 p.m., and it will be carried by either ABC, ESPN or ESPN2, to be decided at a later date, the Big Ten announced. The Buckeyes' homecoming game Oct.29 with Wisconsin – the only team to beat Ohio State a year ago --will be start at 8 p.m., and carried by one of those three networks. That's at least three prime-time games for the Buckeyes this coming season, since it was announced Wednesday that OSU's trip to Miami on Sept.17 will start at either 7:30 p.m. or 8 p.m., depending on whether it's carried by ESPN or ABC.

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Ohio State @ Miami (FL) is a night game

Official word from ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, courtesy of this link. Kickoff could be 7:30pm or 8pm EST, and will be on ABC or ESPN on September 17th. The other night game will be Oklahoma @ Florida State.

ESPN.com video ~ NFL gets expedited hearing for appeal

[ESPN.com - Big Ten Blog] 9-game sked on B1G spring meeting agenda

Primetime games for 2011 could be announced by the end of next week, according to this…

Feed: ESPN.com - Big Ten Blog
Posted on: Tuesday, May 03, 2011 10:30 AM
Author: Adam Rittenberg
Subject: 9-game sked on B1G spring meeting agenda

This post isn't a knock on Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez, but I needed to follow up on what Alvarez told Wisconsin's athletic board last week regarding the ongoing discussion about nine-game conference schedules in the Big Ten. From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Alvarez said the topic isn't set to be discussed during the league meetings next month in Chicago and a nine-game schedule likely wouldn't be implemented until at least 2017. "That's not on the docket," he said. "We won't do anything or be serious about that for several years." Actually, after checking with the Big Ten, I've learned the nine-game discussion will continue May 17-18 at the league's spring meetings of coaches and athletic directors in Chicago. Big Ten senior associate commissioner for television administration Mark Rudner, who puts together the league schedules, will talk with the ADs about whether to implement a nine-game schedule or remain at eight. Rudner told me in an email message that the athletic directors want to see a financial analysis of schedules with nine league games versus eight league games. The Big Ten staff will provide them with the breakdowns at the spring meetings. The Big Ten schedules are only approved through the 2014 season, so if approved, a nine-game slate could be implemented as early as 2015. The big issue, as most of you know, is structuring things so most Big Ten teams still could have seven home games even when they play five conference games on the road. Alvarez is among the ADs in favor of nine Big Ten games, noting last week that it could create the possibility for a second protected crossover game. There could be a resolution on the nine-game issue at the meetings, so stay tuned. Also, the Big Ten primetime schedule for 2011 could be announced by the end of next week. If not, we should know it the week of May 16.

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