GATOR BOWL: THOUGHT OF MEYER MAY POWER BUCKEYES TO WIN

Braxton Miller
TBT/Darla Dunkle-Hudnell

JACKSONVILLE — Boy, how the mighty have fallen.

Just five years ago Jim Tressel and the Ohio State Buckeyes faced off against Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators in the BCS Championship game in Glendale, Arizona. Each were sitting atop the college football mountain. Both powerhouse programs with head coaches to match.

Now each are relegated to playing in Monday's TaxSlayer.Com Gator Bowl in Jacksonville. Not exactly the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, but certainly not a national title game either.

TBT Q&A: QB MILLER WILL BENEFIT FROM MEYER'S HIRING IMMEDIATELY

Urban Meyer

Due to my inbox and Twitter accounts pushing occupancy limits, I must act as a cyber-world firefighter and extinguish some of the questions and comments from my readers and followers about Ohio State football.

As in the past, I will use full names from Twitter and initials/first names from e-mails (Note: if you don't want your e-mail or tweets to possibly appear in my stories, do not write to me.) ...

SMITH COULD HAVE PREVENTED THE DISAPPOINTMENT AND CHOSE NOT TO

Gene Smith

COLUMBUS — "We are surprised and disappointed with the NCAA's decision."

Those words were uttered Tuesday by Ohio State director of athletics, Gene Smith, following the NCAA's ruling of a one-year bowl ban for the football team, among other penalties.

The sad thing about it is, Mr. Smith himself could've avoided all of this disappointment. He had the power to soften the blow, to nip things in the bud, to take a real stand as a leader of the program. Instead, his arrogance prevented him from doing what was right. He thought the team and the school was bigger than the game. He found out Tuesday, that certainly isn't the case.

BUCKEYES RECEIVE SANCTIONS, INCLUDING A ONE-YEAR BOWL BAN

COLUMBUS — After a year of investigations surrounding the Ohio State football team, the NCAA finally handed down punishment to the Buckeyes on Tuesday afternoon, sanctions which include a one-year bowl ban effective the coming season.

MEYER HIRES MICKEY MAROTTI AS DIRECTOR OF SPORTS PERFORMANCE

Mickey Marotti

COLUMBUS — Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer added another to his football staff on Thursday afternoon, naming Mickey Marotti as his assistant athletic director for football sports performance.

The former director of sports performance at the University of Florida (2005-11) will head up the football team's strength and condition program effective Jan. 2, 2012.

Meyer, who worked with Marotti at Florida — as well as Notre Dame and OSU (as grad assistants) — praised the Buckeyes' new strength staff leader.

MEYER SNAGS TWO DE-COMMITS; HIRES TWO MORE TO HIS STAFF

COLUMBUS — Urban Meyer's hiring at Ohio State as head football coach is already reaping huge rewards on the recruiting front for the Buckeyes.

On Monday, Tommy Schutt — a star defensive tackle out of Chicago's Glenbard West High School — pulled his commitment from Penn State and declared that he would be playing his collegiate football for the Buckeyes instead.

BUCKEYES HIRE TOM HERMAN AS NEW OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/QB COACH

Tom Herman

COLUMBUS — Ohio State named former Iowa State assistant Tom Herman as its new offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer announced on Friday.

Herman, who held the same position at Iowa State for the past three years, is considered one of the top young assistants in the country according to Meyer.

TEN BUCKEYE FOOTBALL PLAYERS MAKE ALL-BIG TEN ACADEMIC TEAM

COLUMBUS — Ten members of the Ohio State football team were named Academic All-Big Ten, the conference announced on Wednesday.

In order to qualify for all-conference honors, the student-athlete must be a letterwinner in at least his second year at the institution and carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

The Buckeyes who were honored by the conference for their scholastic achievements were Ben Buchanan, Dominic Clarke, Zach Domicone, Nate Ebner, Derek Erwin, Adam Homan, Chris Maxwell, Tyler Moeller, Chris Roark and Andrew Sweat.

BCS GOT IT WRONG ... AGAIN

Once again, the Bowl Championship Series and college football got it wrong.

Alabama — and not Oklahoma State — was selected on Sunday night to play in the BCS Championship Game against No. 1 LSU (Jan. 9, 2012 in New Orleans), even after failing to score a touchdown in their 9-6 loss to the Tigers earlier this season in Tuscaloosa.

BUCKEYES TO FACE FLORIDA IN 2012 TAXSLAYER.COM GATOR BOWL JAN. 2

COLUMBUS — Ohio State has accepted an invitation to play the University of Florida in the 2012 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl in Jacksonville on Jan. 2, the school announced on Sunday evening.

The Buckeyes (6-6) — who have suffered three-straight losses — will face a Florida team (6-6) which has fell to defeat in six of their last eight games.

It will be the first time the two teams have faced each other since the 2007 BCS Championship Game in Glendale (Ariz.), where the Gators won 41-14.

The kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be televised nationally on ESPN2.

STOOPS VISITED WITH URBAN MEYER, MAY HAVE BEEN OFFERED DC JOB

Mike Stoops

COLUMBUS — Former Arizona head coach Mike Stoops confirmed Thursday that he has visited with newly hired Ohio State head football coach Urban Meyer about the defensive coordinator position, according to The Oklahoman.

Stoops, 49, told the Oklahoma news outlet that he did make a trip to Columbus this week to meet with Meyer but wouldn't confirm whether he was offered the DC role by the Buckeyes' boss.