M-Borg vs. THE Flavortown U Thread, Orig. by Buckeye Paul, absconded w/by talent.

[iam416]

especially considering NCAA president Mark Emmert and other university presidents have publicly stated that rules violators must be dealt with severely

Indeed. I expect the NCAA to drop the hammer on Coach Tressel so as to deter coaches in the future from not disclosing all tips. It's a bit sad, but I understand it's something that has to be done.

But ohio needs Michigan more than Michigan needs ohio. Take Michigan off ohio's schedule, and ohio has nothing to play for.

Eh, just B10 titles, national championships, BCS Bowls ... garden variety stuff for OSU that has been off the menu for M for some time. Ohio State has managed just fine with M's program in the pits of suckery.

Now, to an important bit of "gossip":

Dan Wetzel, the Yahoo writer who "broke" the Tressel story (to the extent something already reported to the NCAA weeks prior can be "broke") says:

"Unless Tressel unexpectedly drops a bombshell, hearing OSU in fine shape today w NCAA; additional sanctions unlikely"

Wetzel, to his credit, by and large stuck to the facts in his reporting. His opinion on OSU may be up their with the likes of Dodd, Forde and other members of the "intelligensia" -- "Michigan Men" include -- but, he's refrained from reporting beyond the facts.

[iam416]

Also, since OP is insistent on hitching his dreams to the genius Pat Forde "report," I guess I'll take that "report" to mean that the NCAA is continuing its thorough and complete investigation of Ohio State. So that when the final penalties are issued, we can all rest easy knowing that the NCAA investigated the crap out of this issue and scrutinized all available evidence. I like that. I *really* like that.

[Optimus Prime]

Be sure to wear two shirts today when you step on the gallows, wouldn't want the morning chill to be mistaken for fear.

As I've said repeatedly, Tressel's resignation is the plum pudding, anything more is simply an added benefit......it sure is fun though.

[hack]

Of course Michigan can recruit without OSU getting its just desserts. It's a friggin magnet, in the end. The kids John Beilein is recruiting weren't even alive when UM basketball was last relevant, and look how well he's recruited recently -- coming to Ann Arbor is like rolling down a hill. Every organisation has a weakness, and the question now is whether UM's arrogance will continue to hurt it, or whether administration has lucked into a pair of programs in the two main sports that will save it from itself.

For OSU, the question is whether the utter lack of principles will catch up with it or not. Odds are that weakness won't, which puts a lot of pressure on the players and coaches. When everyone knows you're cheating, you damn well better deliver 9*-1. When you don't, (and once this rivalry returns to a sense of normalcy you won't), everyone's going to wonder why you cheat and still can't get the better of UM. That's laughingstock material.

[iam416]

Hilarious. In so many ways.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Actually, I think talent's take on ESPN having an interest in the B1G being disgraced and becoming less relevant in the CFB landscape going forward is a pretty good one. Thus, the report yesterday from ESPN should be taken with appropriate skepticism regarding it's accuracy and validity.

Nevertheless, I still think that the COI, when it is all said and done, is going to do some supposing and come to a deductively reached conclusion that osu's shit does stink. I would hope we can read retrospectively some of osu's arguments (as to the facts of course) and those of the COI which are going to be, by nature, based on supposition.

As I have said, and regardless, osu's record and it's reputation is stained, tressel is gone. Neerdowells hailing from osu will never hear the end of this refrain from me. Certainly, in a world where a story has a 5 day shelf life, all will be forgotten in a matter of weeks, despite the efforts of ESPN to keep the stink in c-bus on the front burner. It will become old news.

Which brings us to the meat of the matter. Hoke and company, if they have any hope of returning to relevance in the B1G HAS TO BEAT osu this season and continue to get the upper hand for a few years to come. Period.

I think it is safe to say that the perfect storm has advantaged M's recruiting in the state of ohio ...... temporarily ..... but things will return to normal in a year or two recruiting wise and talent in ohio will return to favoring the hen house despite the mounds of chicken shit underpinning it.

[iam416]

Nevertheless, I still think that the COI, when it is all said and done, is going to do some supposing and come to a deductively reached conclusion that osu's shit does stink

It's possible that the NCAA will latch onto the "repeat offender" status to add some additional penalties. It's not possible for them to deduce from supposition. It's possible, that they'll use weak-minded inductive reasoning: Tressel didn't disclose the Cicero e-mails; not disclosing the Cicero e-mails is bad; Tressel worked for OSU; OSU IS BAD! But I rather doubt it.

Hoke and company, if they have any hope of returning to relevance in the B1G HAS TO BEAT osu this season

Boy, I hope to god this bit of analysis is right. Heh. Certainly worth quoting.

Ohio State will be back to normal in the 2013 recruiting class, Buchanan. Don't worry. And the B10 Flagship Power will keep on rolling. The only question is who is coaching for OSU in 2012?

[Optimus Prime]

AP News flash.....Tressel bolted from the hearing, climbed out of a hotel window, authorities in pursuit, film at 11.

.

[Jeff Buchanan]

A post from Rivals from a poster I respect:

They have not received another NOI (Notice of Allegations). OSU's public smoke screen is another message: "there's nothing to see here, move along." No question recruiting has suffered and they're trying to minimize the damage.

If there is another NOI it goes beyond Tressel's lying and the chances are much greater they get hit with a LOIC charge -- in which case they are royally screwed. If Forde and ESPN are right about an ongoing investigation, that's where things are likely headed.

If Forde is wrong and it ends with today's NCAA hearing then OSU has been damaged but they escape the worst case scenario and recover much quicker. They won't get hit with major sanctions and their problems potentially blow away as quickly as December when they hire a new coach. The story line will be "hey we're clean, it was all Tressel's fault and we fired (retired) his lying ass." It will be a miscarriage of justice sure but not a shock if it happens.

[hack]

First scenario = doing the right thing.

Second scenario = OSU in a few years will have to explain why the don't dominate UM any more even though they cheat and UM doesn't. That will be quite embarrassing.

Either way works out fine. What's sad, however, is that it looks like what OSU is really dedicated to isn't football or tradition or excellence, but cheating. The cheating will continue, and The Game will suffer. More and more I'm with Buchanan in imagining a future in which UM/OSU is just another game. It can't be meaningful if one team is outside the rules -- that's just how sports works. It'll be fun bashing them on the field, but there's less joy in beating an opponent you can't respect.

[Optimus Prime]

Keep your chins up DSL!

[iam416]

It can't be meaningful if one team is outside the rules -- that's just how sports works

Eh, it was still meaningful to me when OSU whipped the piss out of M team that had desperately avoided NCAA rules to gain a competitive advantage on the field. I mean, had they just been hanging out at a tattoo parlor, that's one thing. But to so flagrantly violate COMPETITIVE BALANCE rules? Man. I don't know how OSU managed to win those games. I mean, I bet without that cheating M might have only scored a total of 14 points against OSU under the genius of RichRod instead of the gaudy 24 points RichRod and his unstoppable offense hung on OSU....in THREE years.

[iam416]

BTW, Forde is not right. It's not a NOI. It is, as I said the other day, almost certainly the same letter M received when they went before the NCAA to address M's FAILURE TO MONITOR violations.

More or less, "the hearing is Friday -- just so you know -- we're only dealing with certain issues -- we reserved the right to hammer you if should find any other issues." As a lawyer, I'd bet my bottom dollar that's the basic content of the letter sent to Gee on the 3rd (which is the basis of the Forde "report").

[Jeff Buchanan]

In Forde's article, he quoted an osu spokesman thusly:

"The university has not received any additional allegations from the NCAA." Lynch said. "As a member institution, we are committed to working together with the NCAA to examine any information concerning potential violations of NCAA legislation. We do not anticipate discussing any additional allegations with the Committee on Infractions on Friday other than those self reported in March, 2011."

Having become intimately familiar with double speak when it comes to official statements (I mean, high visibility organizations have an office full of media types with legal advisers who frame these responses), I would say that osu is fully aware that the NCAA is still a threat to hammer them and they are on very thin ice should another NOA be issued ..... very thin.

The thing that bothers me the most is that osu officials in the person of andy gieger and his staff KNEW tressel wasn't doing the kind of job the NCAA expected in the area of reporting. The response from smith: less monitoring .... at least it appears that way to me.

I get talent's point about monitoring emails when he asks what more could they have done? I think a good portion of the outcome of the current COI - apart from the threat of another NOA which I suspect is present - is how osu officials from 2005 out, answer that question ...... what DID YOU DO to improve the atmosphere of compliance within which coach tressel was operating. Did you make him more accountable? How? ..... and so forth.

[whodean]

Once again, the swine are attempting to deflect.

This is OlieO's day in court, not M's.