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The following is a list of players from Ohio schools who were selected in this past weekends’ NFL Draft. All draft pick data is courtesy of our friends at Pro Football Fans.

• 1st Round - New York Jets - #6 - Vernon Gholston - DE - Ohio State
• 3rd Round - St. Louis Rams - #65 - John Greco - OT - Toledo
• 4th Round - Denver Broncos - #108 - Kory Lichtensteiger - C - Bowling Green 
• 4th Round - Buuffalo Bills - #114 - Reggie Corner - CB - Akron
• 4th Round - Denver Broncos - #119 - Jack Williams - CB - Kent State
• 6th Round - Miami Dolphins - #176 - Jalen Parmele - RB - Toledo
• 6th Round - Indianapolis Colts - #205 - Pierre Garcon - WR - Mount Union
• 6th Round - Baltimore Ravens - #206 - Haruki Nakamura - S - Cincinnati
• 7th Round - San Francisco 49ers - #214 - Larry Grant - OLB - Ohio State
• 7th Round - Detroit Lions - #216 - Landon Cohen - DT - Ohio
• 7th Round - Cincinnati Bengals - #244 - Angelo Craig - OLB - Cincinnati
• 7th Round - Chicago Bears - #247 - Kirk Barton - OT - Ohio State

A few of the undrafted free agents from Ohio schools that we have found include:

• CB Andrew Hawkins - Toledo - Cleveland Browns
• LS Ryan Senser - Ohio - New Orleans Saints
• RB Kalvin McRae - Ohio - Kansas City Chiefs
• CB Jerrid Gaines - Miami - Cleveland Browns
• P Brett Kern - Toledo - Denver Broncos
• WR Jabari Arthur - Akron - Kansas City Chiefs
• DE Collin Ferrell - Kent State - Indianapolis Colts

VanDelay Sports, a popular fan site for the Mid-American Conference (MAC), has released their annual MAC Recruiting analysis. The 2008 MAC Football Recruiting Report includes team capsules for all 13 MAC football programs including the 6 Ohio MAC schools - Ohio, Bowling Green, Miami, Toledo, Akron and Kent State. The annual recruiting report also ranks the MAC football recruiting classes each year. Last season the Miami RedHawks topped VanDelay’s 2007 MAC Football recruiting report as the top class of recruits. This season, Miami’s MAC East rival Kent State took the top spot for the first time since the VanDelay Sports MAC Recruiting Reports were first launched in 1999.

The expectations in Columbus continue to climb as Jim Tressel has had his Ohio State Buckeyes in the BCS National Championship game for two straight seasons. Unfortunately for Ohio State and their crazy fans, neither of the past two seasons ended with a win. Any concerns over Tressel and the Buckeyes restocking their talent pool should not be a major concern however, as Ohio State is ranked in the Top Ten yet again this season in the 2008 college football rankings.

The 2008 Hula Bowl was played on Saturday and featured several Ohio college football players looking to make a name for themselves with NFL scouts and further their careers. Early in the game, Cincinnati’s Angelo Craig forced a fumble by the West (Kai). On the ensuing drive, Ohio RB Kalvin McRae and Akron WR Jabari Arthur both caught passes to help lead the East to a early 7-0 lead. Toledo punter Brett Kern handled the punting duties for the East while Toledo RB Jalen Parmele led the East with 46 yards rushing and scored a TD in the 4th Quarter. The East (Aina), coached by Ron Zook of Illinois, defeated the West (Kai) 38-7.

It’s early in the 4th Quarter, and the #1 Ohio State Buckeyes trail the #2 LSU Tigers by a score of 31-17. Ohio State has trailed by as many as 21 at 31-10 in the 3rd Quarter, but Jim Tressel’s Buckeyes are back in the game.

Find Ohio State Championship appareal & clothing online from DFN Sports sites.

If you’re a fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes or LSU Tigers, or if you simply love the competition and thrill of college football, then a new site launched for the BCS Championship game is perfect for you. OSULSU.com is a new fan site designed to cover the BCS National Championship game between the OSU Buckeyes and LSU Tigers on January 7th, 2008. Fans can now logon to OSULSU.com for the latest team news headlines, fan and media day photos, season stats, interactive fan polls and more.

It’s official. In the year where only one team earned a perfect record, the Ohio State Buckeyes somehow backed their way into a #1 BCS ranking and will face an even more improbable #2 LSU in the BCS Championship bowl game in January. How LSU jumped to #2 is still hard to figure out. After a 21-14 win over Tennessee in the SEC Championship, the Tigers somehow jumped from #7 in the BCS standings to #2. While West Virginia & Missouri did lose to fall out of their spots, Georgia, Kansas did not play and Virginia Tech had an impressive ACC Championship win over Boston College. At the end of the day, however, the LSU Tigers and the Ohio State Buckeyes are the 2007-2008 BCS Championship match-up as Ohio State apparel & LSU gear is flying off the shelves in and around both campuses.

2007 was a crazy year for college football across the nation and in the state of Ohio, and the weekly Ohio college football rankings proved difficult throughout the season. As we head into the MAC Championship the Miami RedHawks are the lone Ohio team to play in a Championship Game as the Big Ten and Big East do not have the necessary 12 members to warrant a Championship match-up.

Up to 4 Ohio college football teams will likely participate in postseason bowl games as Ohio State, Cincinnati and Bowling Green seem to be bowl locks. Miami’s future depends on the result of Saturday’s MAC Championship game.

1 - Ohio State - 11-1 - At 7-1 in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes won yet another Big Ten title finishing 11-1 in 2007. Now the Buckeyes, #3 in the BCS, hope for losses by #1 Missouri or #2 West Virginia on Saturday to vault OSU into the BCS Championship game.

2 - Cincinnati - 9-3 - The Bearcats have had a fantastic season and have finished their season at 9-3 including 3 wins over ranked opponents. At 4-3 in the Big East, the UC Bearcats finish the regular season tied with South Florida for 3rd in the Big East.

3 - Bowling Green - 8-4 - BG’s 4 straight wins to end the regular season put them in great position for a bowl bid, likely in the International Bowl in Toronto against a Big East opponent.

4 - Miami - 6-6 - Despite winning the MAC East, the RedHawks proved to be rather mediocre in losing 3 of their final 5 games. At 6-6 heading into the MAC Championship, the RedHawks will receive a bowl bid should they win the MAC Championship. However, a loss would end Miami’s season at 6-7 and the RedHawks would not be bowl eligible.

5 - Ohio - 6-6 - Despite defeating the #4 RedHawks in their season finale, the Bobcats come in at #5 thanks to Miami’s MAC East title. While 6-6 is a huge disappointment for Bobcat fans, recovering from a 2-4 start is something for Frank Solich and his staff to build upon in 2008.

6 - Toledo - 5-7 - After a 2-5 start, Toledo showed signs of life with 3 straight wins in the middle of the season. But 2 losses to end the season, including a 37-10 blowout loss to rival Bowling Green, have the Toledo faithful concerned about the Rockets’ future.

7 - Akron - 4-8 - Akron had 5 losses in their final 6 games as the Zips completed a disappointing season. After an amazing 39-38 road victory @ Western Michigan, Akron’s inability to build off of their then 3-3 record proved to be the Zips downfall.

8 - Kent State - 3-9 - Picked as the MAC East favorite in 2007, the Golden Flashes impressed immediately with a opening win over Iowa State. Kent showed signs of life by defeating Ohio in late September, but followed the win with 7 straight losses to close a ugly 3-9 season.

9 - Dayton - 10-1 - The 10-1 Flyers face 8-3 Albany in Saturday’s 2007 Gridiron Classic at Welcome Stadium.

10 - Youngstown State - 7-4 - The Penguins finished the season 7-4 after a strong 4-1 start. After several fans criticized Ohio Sports Time for not including YSU in our rankings. Then, after adding the Penguins we have received nothing but harsh words including the most recent comment from John which was posted on our site and read “You are a tool. You are an idioit and know nothing about sports. YSU last is a joke. The MAC sucks your site sucks and you are just a moron. You know nothing no one reads your web sites, just stop you know nothing.” Thanks John, your classy comments show a lot about you. Also, look into the spelling of the word “idiot.”

By now everyone knows that the Ohio State Buckeyes lost on Saturday, falling at home to Illinois by a score or 28-21. Throughout the game you could see the fans were struggling with the way the game was playing out, and at the end of the game the frustration spilled over into a on-field scuffle between Ohio State and Illinois players. While watching a ESPNU replay of the game today it got me thinking. The Ohio State Buckeyes are not used to adversity. Not like this anyway. Jim Tressel may be, thanks to his many years as a top coach at both Division I-AA and I-A (FBS), but how many of the players currently playing key positions for OSU have faced true adversity in college athletics? How about in high school?

Last year Ohio State’s lone loss was in the National Championship game to Florida where the #2 Gators pounded the #1 Buckeyes 41-14. With the loss, the Buckeyes’ season was over and the only chance to “prove themselves” was in 2007 with a new cast of characters and a newly-built offense. Add to this that many of the Ohio State recruits come from the top high school football programs where losses are not common. These recruits immediately come into a atmosphere in Columbus where a single loss is a disappointment.

The point I am trying to make is this - the Buckeyes are, to a large extent, in uncharted water for most players on their football team. The saying goes that adversity builds character, and this is definitely adversity that Ohio State is facing currently. My mother has always said to me that “anyone can handle the good times, it’s the bad times that show your true character.” For Ohio State, this is one of those rare “bad times” for these players in their mature lives. How will the Buckeyes respond? How will the Ohio State fans respond? A win over arch-rival Michigan on Saturday will cure a lot of ills heading into bowl season, but a loss will eliminate a Big Ten Championship and likely a BCS Bowl berth.

Time will tell on the response from Tressel’s crew and we’ll know in less than a week. Whether you love OSU or hate them, you have to respect how good Jim Tressel is at coaching college football players. If the Buckeyes bounce back and win Saturday it will be because of Tressel. If they do not, expect the fans and media to go crazy.

2007 has been a crazy year for college football in the state of Ohio, as our weekly Ohio college football rankings will show. The mediocrity (or parity, call it what you like) of Ohio’s MAC teams has been disappointing as Ohio State and Cincinnati are far ahead of the rest of the pack. Meanwhile, it’s tempting to place Dayton and possibly YSU ahead of Kent State after the Golden Flashes lost to NIU, one of the Football Bowl Subdivision’s worst teams in 2007.

Look for this week to separate the teams a bit, but with so many records at 4-6 to 6-4, all it takes is a win or two to move any of the MAC schools up 3-4 spots.

1 - Ohio State - 10-1 - The Buckeyes were shocked at home by Illinois 28-21 on Saturday, dropping Ohio State from #1 to #7 in the BCS rankings and likely eliminating the Buckeyes’ shot at a National Championship. Next up for Ohio State is the annual rivalry match-up with Michigan in Ann Arbor at 12 noon on Saturday.

2 - Cincinnati - 8-2 - After 6 wins to start the season, the Bearcats followed with 2 losses to fall from the Top 25. Since that point UC has picked up consecutive Big East wins defeating ranked USF and UConn teams resulting in the Bearcats climbing to #22 in the BCS rankings. Next up for UC is a Saturday night home match-up with #6 West Virginia.

3 - Miami - 5-5 - Despite a 1-4 record out of conference (all against BCS conference competition) Miami has learned from their tough competition going 4-1 against MAC opponents and 3-1 against the MAC East. If the RedHawks win out they will represent the MAC East in the MAC Championship on December 1st, but first they have to get past Akron on Wednesday night and win @ Ohio on November 24th.

4 - Toledo - 5-5 - After an 0-3 start the Rockets have won 5 of 7 to draw even at 5-5, thus edging their rivals from Bowling Green. Toledo can make a push for a bowl berth with wins over Ball State Tuesday night and @ BG on November 23rd.

5 - Bowling Green - 6-4 - The Falcons come in at #5 thanks to 3 wins in their past 4 games, but BG needs to keep winning to ensure themselves a bowl bid from one of the 3 MAC bowl tie-ins. BG travels to Buffalo on Saturday for a 1 pm game that is essential to UB’s MAC East title hopes.

6 - Akron - 4-6 - The Zips take the #6 spot based on head-to-head competition by beating Ohio 48-37 last week, but it was tough to differentiate between these two teams. Akron looks for a 6-6 season with a Wednesday night game @ Miami and a November 23rd game against MAC West Champion Central Michigan.

7 - Ohio - 5-6 - Ohio’s 2007 season has been a roller coaster winning 3, losing 4, then winning 3 of 4. A 5-6 record at this point was not what Bobcat fans had expected after winning the 2006 MAC East title, but compared to where the Bobcats were before Solich, how can Ohio fans not be pleased with the direction of this program? A win over rival Miami on November 24th could ruin the RedHawks’ MAC East title hopes and give the Bobcats a 6-6 season.

8 - Kent State - 3-7 - Injuries or not, the Golden Flashes were supposed to be a MAC title contender in 2007. How does this team lose to Northern Illinois at home? It’s painful to even write about Kent State in 2007 so that is all I have to say.

9 - Dayton - 10-1 - The Flyers won their 6th straight by winning @ Drake by a score of 34-27 on Saturday and tied for a share of the Pioneer League Championship. As a result, Dayton will represent the Pioneer League against the Northeast Conference Champion in the Gridiron Classic bowl hosted by Dayton on December 1st.

10 - Youngstown State - 7-4 - YSU ended the regular season by picking up their 7th win of the year in defeating Western Illinois 31-24.

Past Ohio college football rankings:

• Ohio college football rankings after Week #9
• Ohio college football rankings after Week #8
• Ohio college football rankings after Week #7
• Ohio college football rankings after Week #6
• Ohio college football rankings after Week #5
• Ohio college football rankings after Week #4
• Ohio college football rankings after Week #3
• Ohio college football rankings after Week #2
• Ohio college football rankings after Week #1
• Preseason Ohio college football rankings