ESPN College Football

It's going to be a rough Christmas in Columbus.

After several days of rumors and speculation, Ohio State announced Thursday that the NCAA has suspended five football players for the first five games of the 2011 season for selling items and accepting improper benefits. A sixth football player will miss the 2011 season opener for receiving discounted services, a violation of NCAA rules.

These aren't just any players. The list included four starters -- quarterback Terrelle Pryor, running back Dan "Boom" Herron, receiver DeVier Posey and left tackle Mike Adams -- as well as reserve defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. Linebacker Jordan Whiting, a redshirt freshman, is the player who will miss only the first game next fall.

Wow. Huge news indeed.

The twist is that all the players will be eligible for the upcoming Allstate Sugar Bowl matchup against Arkansas. According to Kevin Lennon, the NCAA's vice president of academic and membership affairs, the players are allowed to participate in the Sugar Bowl based on several factors, which include "the acknowledgment the student-athletes did not receive adequate rules education during the time period the violations occurred."

From Ohio State's news release:

NCAA policy allows suspending withholding penalties for a championship or bowl game if it was reasonable at the time the student-athletes were not aware they were committing violations, along with considering the specific circumstances of each situation. In addition, there must not be any competitive advantage related to the violations, and the student-athletes must have eligibility remaining.

The policy for suspending withholding conditions for bowl games or NCAA championship competition recognizes the unique opportunity these events provide at the end of a season, and they are evaluated differently from a withholding perspective. In this instance, the facts are consistent with the established policy, Lennon said.

Hmmm. This seems like a very creative way for the NCAA to defer punishment.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith contends that the players were only specifically educated on the consequences of selling items in November 2009, after they had committed the violations. Players cannot sell items given to them by the university while still eligible, but they can sell them after their eligibility is up.

"We were not explicit with these young men that you could not resell items that we give you," Smith said. "We began to be more explicit in November 2009."

Ohio State will appeal the NCAA's decision in hopes of getting the number of games reduced for the suspended players. This case sounds very similar to what happened with Georgia receiver A.J. Green, who received a four-game suspension for selling his bowl jersey. I wouldn't be surprised to see the suspensions reduced from five games to four.

There's a lot to discuss, so I'm going to break things up into categories:

SMITH'S ECONOMIC ARGUMENT

Smith said the players sold championship rings and other items to help their families during a rough economic time. While not condoning players' actions, Smith said they went into the decisions "with the right intent, to help their families."

This situation certainly refuels the debate about whether college players should be paid -- Ohio State safety Jermale Hines defended his teammates here and here -- but it's a tough argument for Smith to win. Pryor and his teammates get a lot of perks simply for being Ohio State football players, not the least of which is a free education. And they're certainly not the only people in Columbus dealing with a tough economy.

While a lot of folks are jumping on the tattoo thing, this situation was about money.

"The discount on tattoos is not as big as the other pieces," Smith said. "The cash was relative to family needs. The bigger violation is the cash."

I don't buy the fact that the players didn't know that their actions violated NCAA rules. Smith and the other Ohio State officials can fall on their sword as much as they want, but these guys had to know the consequences.

THE NFL QUESTION

Before Thursday's announcement, Ohio State didn't seem like a team that would be heavily impacted by juniors entering the NFL draft.

That has changed.

Four of the five players receiving the stiffest penalties -- Pryor, Herron, Posey and Adams -- are candidates to go pro after the bowl game. I had heard Herron was the likeliest to do so, but he'll probably have some company. I just can't see all of these players coming back to miss what likely will be at least one third of their senior seasons.

“I’m not sure this would be the most advantageous time to have a job interview," coach Jim Tressel said.

That's true to an extent, but I doubt it's enough to keep players in Columbus, especially if they can finish their careers with a Sugar Bowl championship.

Whether or not there's an exodus, Ohio State will be impacted by these suspensions in 2011. The first five games aren't too severe -- Akron, Toledo, at Miami, Colorado, Michigan State -- but Pryor's absence will loom large, and the same goes for Adams, who really came on strong.

SELLING TRADITION

The worst part of this mess is what the Ohio State players sold to the individual now under federal investigation.

It's one thing to sell a jersey or a pair of cleats. Those are individual things. But selling Big Ten championship rings and Gold Pants (given to Ohio State players for beating archrival Michigan) won't sit well with Buckeyes fans. Pryor, Adams, Posey and Solomon sold their 2008 Big Ten championship rings, while Pryor and Solomon sold their Gold Pants from the 2008 Michigan game.

Those are items won as a team. They're special. They're integral to Ohio State football and what it stands for.

"I suppose the older you are, the more you understand the difficulty of what’s gone into having a chance to earn those things," Tressel said. "I don’t know what's in the minds of a 19-year-old. It might be, 'I'm going to win four more of these, so I’m going to help out at home [by selling] this one.'"

It will be interesting to see how Ohio State fans view the players after finding out what they sold.

WHAT'S NEXT

Ohio State reconvenes as a team Sunday and will fly to New Orleans on Wednesday. Today's announcement certainly could be a distraction, or it could bring the team closer together.

Smith sounded confident this incident is isolated to these players and to the individual under investigation. This isn't a criminal case or one related to agents or boosters. The person under investigation isn't connected with Ohio State.

"There are no other NCAA violations around this case," Smith said. "We do not have a systemic problem in our program.

Tressel said it's good he'll have a few days at home to think about the situation before seeing the players on Sunday.

"These guys feel terrible," Tressel said. "If you said go run 50 miles before you come to practice tomorrow, they would go run 50 miles."

The players likely won't face further disciplinary action from Ohio State. Their focus will turn to the bowl game, in which they're amazingly allowed to participate. The NCAA certainly will take more heat than Ohio State in this case.

What a day in Columbus. Stay tuned for more.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

While I weave my way through the Pennsylvania back country, you read this.

D.J. from Richfield, Minn., writes: Hi Adam:I was just wondering what your thoughts were on why Eric Decker doesn't get more national pub? Please don't tell me "because he plays for Minnesota", there has to be more to it than that.

Adam Rittenberg: That's part of it D.J., but not everything. Decker has been more of a possession-type guy at Minnesota and doesn't make the 80-yard touchdown catch that often. He's not as flashy as some of the more hyped wideouts (Dez Bryant, Julio Jones, A.J. Green, even Arrelious Benn). I've always considered Decker one of the nation's most underrated players. But I'll tell you this: the more games Decker has like last Saturday's against Cal, the more he'll get noticed. Obviously, it would help if Minnesota wins more this season and gets into the Top 25, but people know who Decker is after what he did against Cal.

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Eric from Indianapolis writes: How is Iowa's OL suspect? Yes, Bulaga is hurt but Riley Reiff hasn't missed a beat. UA's DE was all Pac 10 last year and had one assist last weekend.Our OL is the least of my concerns Saturday night. My biggest worry is that Stanzi play well the whole game. If he does I see us winning easier than anyone thinks. This Iowa squad has improved each week and we look like a KF team in late October already.Yes, I'm an Iowa fan but I am also pragmatic and really, really like this team.

Adam Rittenberg: Reiff has done a nice job so far, but he hasn't seen a defensive line like Penn State's yet. Arizona boasts a decent defense, but the Wildcats don't really compare to Penn State, which has one of the nation's elite defensive fronts year in and year out because of Larry Johnson. Jack Crawford will test Reiff on the edge. That said, your concerns about Stanzi are justified. He probably can't afford many first-half mistakes on the road and have a chance to rally. Iowa does appear to be hitting its stride earlier than normal, which bodes well for Saturday night.

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Dale from San Marcos, Texas, writes: Seriously,dude, what's the deal with Jamaal Berry (Freshman Running Back, Ohio State). Is the kid still at Ohio State because I haven't seen any indication that he is on the team. Is he in Tressel's Doghouse or what, help me out Rittenberg because it doesn't make sense.

Adam Rittenberg: Berry has been slowed by an ankle injury the first three games and won't be ready for at least another week. He definitely is on the team, but he won't be a factor for a little bit longer. It's a good sign for Berry that the Buckeyes are giving Jordan Hall, another freshman, some carries at running back.

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Jim from Tolland, Conn., writes: I'm a huge Sooner fan and I completely agree with your OSU/OU comparison. In fact I often wish we would meet OSU in a BCS Bowl, just so OU would finally pick-up a win. I do disagree that OU gets a pass. I routinely get grief for their BCS lapses and the "Big Game Bob" title has been removed, excluding Big12 games, for at least 3 years. I wish I lived where you do and OU still gets love, it doesn't happen in my neck of the woods.

Adam Rittenberg: Thanks for the level-headed response, Jim. The backlash thing really depends on where you live. Oklahoma fans are going to think they get it worse in their local market; same with Ohio State fans. But as someone who reads a lot of national media coverage, I would say Ohio State takes at least a little more and possibly a lot more criticism than any other team in college football. The one way to tick off reporters is to struggle in the national championship game, much less two years in a row.

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Dan from New York, writes: Michigan State over Wisconsin??? Really??? Last time I checked the Badgers took down an underrated Fresno State and they didn't spoil their cupcakes like Michigan State did.Sure, Michigan State looked solid and had a few close loses, but I don't think you should count out Wisconsin (AT Camp Randall) just because Michigan State might "want it more". Do remember Bret Bielema needs to start producing in the Big Ten before angry alumni (like myself) start making phone calls..7-6 last season, thats not Wisconsin.

Adam Rittenberg: If it makes you feel better, it was a very tough call on that pick. I just think Michigan State will be a desperate team on Saturday, and the Spartans have been tested a bit more than the Badgers. Still, I think Wisconsin has turned a corner after emphasizing accountability throughout the offseason, and the Badgers are awfully tough at home. Could really go either way, but Michigan State might be finished if it doesn't win Saturday.

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John from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, writes: Please stop blaming Clark QB play last year on a concussion he got two weeks prior. I have had four concussions and never was I still out of it two weeks later (headaches yes). How about start blaming his bad QB play on a great Iowa defense.

Adam Rittenberg: Thanks for the insight, John, but you don't know how he felt that day. You don't know how much the concussion affected his vision and instincts. Sure, Iowa's defense had plenty to do with Daryll Clark's performance, but he didn't look anything like the quarterback who led a dominant Nittany Lions offense for most of the season. His decision-making was very out of character. There was clearly something wrong with him, no matter the opponent.

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi didn't help his conference in the never-ending Big Ten-SEC debate when he provided his scouting report of Georgia's offense to head coach Mark Dantonio.

"Their skill guys, their receivers, their running back, their quarterback, it's like the Big Ten All-Star team that we get to play against," Narduzzi told Dantonio.

Georgia wide receivers A.J. Green and Mohamed Massaquoi matched or surpassed any pass-catching combo Narduzzi saw in Big Ten play this year. Bulldogs quarterback Matthew Stafford trumped first-team All-Big Ten quarterback Daryll Clark of Penn State.

And while Narduzzi, like everyone associated with the Spartans football program, thinks the world of Javon Ringer, Georgia's Knowshon Moreno isn't too shabby. If Georgia has a weakness on offense, it's the offensive line, and that's largely because of youth.

"It's obviously going to be a challenge for our defense," Narduzzi said. "Everybody's got to step up. Certainly, if you're looking at something that might be their weakness, you look at their O-line. I don't know what they see as our weakness, but obviously pressure on the quarterback and pressure at the line of scrimmage by our linebackers and defensive line is going to be a key in the game."

Narduzzi's unit lacks the headliners of Georgia, but it has helped Michigan State to nine wins and a Capital One Bowl appearance Thursday against the preseason No. 1 team (ABC, 1 p.m. ET).

This fall, the Spartans held eight teams to 24 points or fewer, including two bowl champions (Notre Dame and Florida Atlantic). What happened in the other four games, though is a cause for concern.

Michigan State struggled against elite offensive competition, allowing a combined 94 points in losses to Ohio State and Penn State.

(Read full post)