Jim Tressel

Two days after several Ohio State freshmen proudly displayed wristbands supporting deposed football coach Jim Tressel , the university took them away and refunded the players' money. Jerry Emig , a spokesman for the school, said officials were looking into whether players' wearing the wristbands — which carried the initials "JT" — could be an NCAA violation. He added that Ohio State decided to take a cautionary approach after the wristbands, which were sold by an Ohio State employee, were mentioned prominently in media reports.

When former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel was under attack in 2010 for potential NCAA violations he was vehemently defended, at least at first, by his school president. "I'm just hopeful the coach doesn't dismiss me," Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee quipped at a press conference. Maybe now we know why. Without Ohio State, how would Gee pay for his bow ties? While Tressel's ultimate firing led to major sanctions, including a bowl ban this season, Gee is getting along just fine.

Unbuckling the mailbag: Question: Has anyone mentioned Jim Tressel as a possible UCLA candidate? Martin De Wan Torrance Answer: So far it's you and Mrs. Tressel. There were actually Internet rumors Tressel was seen on UCLA's campus. My sources say it was only to take advantage of a close-out sale on Rick Neuheisel sweater vests. The idea of Tressel coaching UCLA while he awaits word from the NCAA infractions committee is about as unlikely as USC hiring Lane Kiffin while he was being investigated by the NCAA.

Let's see, we've had the Ohio State/ Jim Tressel mess, the Rich Rod debacle at Michigan and the Jerry Sandusky scandal that all but leveled Penn State. And now … we have a lot of uninspired football being played all across the Big Ten Conference. Last week, no Big Ten team was ranked in the national top 15, a first since 2001. And for good reason. The Big Ten has a combined record of 6-8 against teams from the six Bowl Championship Series conferences. Three of those wins were by Northwestern - against Syracuse, Vanderbilt and Boston College.

After Sunday's spirited two-hour practice at the Home Depot Center in Carson, the Ohio State football team took a bus to Beverly Hills for the Lawry's Beef Bowl. A day before, the Buckeyes visited Disneyland. And tonight they'll take in a comedy show at the Improv. It's all part of the traditional buildup to Friday's Rose Bowl, where eighth-ranked Ohio State will meet No. 7 Oregon. And while it has nothing to do with football, Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel considers the hoopla a just reward for a long, hard season.

Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel said Troy Smith would start at quarterback Saturday against San Diego State. Justin Zwick -- the starter the first two games -- will be the backup as the No. 9 Buckeyes try to rebound from a 25-22 loss to Texas. Smith was five for 11 for 78 yards and a touchdown and had 27 yards rushing. He led Ohio State to points on five consecutive possessions and a 19-13 lead, then was replaced by Zwick. The Buckeyes scored three points on drives with Zwick at quarterback.

Five things to watch this week in college football: 1. Texas vs. Texas A&M might be on last legs as a storied series, but it appears the Big 12 preservationists club will be able to save Texas-Oklahoma. This week's Red River Rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl gets cranked up a few deep-fried turkey legs as both teams enter undefeated. 2. Florida had the misfortune on this year's Southeastern Conference schedule to be the school designated to play Alabama and Louisiana State in consecutive weeks.

When former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel was under attack in 2010 for potential NCAA violations he was vehemently defended, at least at first, by his school president. "I'm just hopeful the coach doesn't dismiss me," Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee quipped at a press conference. Maybe now we know why. Without Ohio State, how would Gee pay for his bow ties? While Tressel's ultimate firing led to major sanctions, including a bowl ban this season, Gee is getting along just fine.

Admittedly, the 2010-2011 bowl season wasn't kind to the Big Ten, whose teams finished with a mediocre 3-5 record. The fact that Big Ten teams were underdogs in six of the eight games in which they participated hasn't been mentioned much in the national media, which as usual have pounded on the venerable conference, calling it overrated, if not second-rate. The Big Ten hasn't helped itself much in this regard either: The proposed names for the league's new divisions -- Legends and Leaders -- were tailor-made for parody, and readily morphed on the internet into Losers and Laggards, to the amusement of the league's many detractors.

How tough is the Bruin defense? Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel counts the ways. "I know them by numbers more than names, quite honestly," he said. "No. 8 is considered one of the finest linebackers in the country. No. 7 and No. 4 the safeties, No. 9 the corner, and No. 99 the defensive end have been multiple-year starters. "So you see a mature team. You see excellent technique." No. 8 is middle linebacker Robert Thomas, who leads UCLA with 16.5 tackles, three sacks and six tackles for loss. No.

With Urban Meyer rejuvenated after a self-imposed health exile and paid ESPN internship, it is only a matter now of Ohio State's serving out a jury's sentence before he leads it back to the Big Ten Conference title and beyond. Meyer tried to stop and smell the roses, but they reminded him too much of the bowl game. Every opened jar of peanut butter, to him, was a variation of the spread. The worst-kept secret in sports was that Meyer would take over in Columbus after Ohio State fired Jim Tressel for lying to the NCAA.

Our local leather-heads are off to rough training camp starts. The players are holding up fine under barometric pressures in oppressive heat - the problem is at the leadership level. Fresh-start Jim Mora, looking to change UCLA's cozy-club culture, took his team to swelter box San Bernardino to get away from all the distractions. "No friends, no girlfriends, no parents," Mora said. He should have added "no radio shows. " Mora became the distraction Thursday, a day after going on KLAA-AM (830)

A good coach can go a long way in this business. Last year, for example, Brady Hoke went all the way from San Diego to Michigan to turn the Wolverines back into winners. Anyone who thinks Nick Saban wasn't worth the Brink's truck Alabama backed up for him probably has a stake in Shula's Steakhouse. Those were a couple of hits. And then, there are misses: Mike Price to Alabama sparks a five-alarm memory, followed by George O'Leary to Notre Dame, Howard Schnellenberger to Oklahoma, John Mackovic to Arizona, Tom Holmoe to California, Bill Callahan to Nebraska and Bobby Petrino to Arkansas (read: The Motorcycle Diaries)

The biggest winner coming out of college football's national signing day Wednesday had to be Thursday, the day it would finally be over. Hats off to anyone who survived it — and hats on to every player who couldn't decide which one to put on his head. The experts tell us Alabama won the day, or Texas, followed by Florida State or maybe Florida. Or was it Texas first, followed by Alabama and then Ohio State? Actually, the school that best captures the premise of signing day is: Slippery Rock.

A yearlong investigation into Ohio State's football program ended Tuesday when the NCAA's Committee on Infractions handed down sanctions that include a one-year bowl ban and the loss of nine scholarships over the next three years. Ohio State was cited for failure to monitor, which is not as serious as lack of institutional control, the finding that doomed USC in 2010 after a five-year investigation centered on former tailback Reggie Bush and former basketball player O.J. Mayo. The penalties against Ohio State came after a controversial 12 months.

Unbuckling the mailbag: Question: Has anyone mentioned Jim Tressel as a possible UCLA candidate? Martin De Wan Torrance Answer: So far it's you and Mrs. Tressel. There were actually Internet rumors Tressel was seen on UCLA's campus. My sources say it was only to take advantage of a close-out sale on Rick Neuheisel sweater vests. The idea of Tressel coaching UCLA while he awaits word from the NCAA infractions committee is about as unlikely as USC hiring Lane Kiffin while he was being investigated by the NCAA.

Our local leather-heads are off to rough training camp starts. The players are holding up fine under barometric pressures in oppressive heat - the problem is at the leadership level. Fresh-start Jim Mora, looking to change UCLA's cozy-club culture, took his team to swelter box San Bernardino to get away from all the distractions. "No friends, no girlfriends, no parents," Mora said. He should have added "no radio shows. " Mora became the distraction Thursday, a day after going on KLAA-AM (830)

The Columbus, Ohio, lawyer who tipped off Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel that two of his players were involved in a federal drug trafficking case has received death threats and now says he regrets ever contacting the Buckeyes coach. "I'm not the Judas in this situation. You know, I feel like Peter, but I'm not the Judas," attorney Christopher Cicero said in an interview Friday with ESPN's "Outside the Lines" and reported on ESPN.com. Tressel has admitted he violated NCAA rules by not disclosing information Cicero e-mailed to him. He repeatedly refrained from telling Ohio State's compliance department or his superiors about potential NCAA bylaw violations involving some of his players.

Break out the chips and cold drinks, but let Chris Dufresne handle the remote. Each Friday, The Times' national college football writer handicaps what's worth watching, and skipping, on the weekend's menu of games: Friday EARLY No. 8 Houston (11-0) at Tulsa (8-3) 9 a.m., FS West Brilliant scheduling, as thousands waking from a post-turkey, tryptophan coma should get an adrenaline jolt from this Conference USA matchup of scoring machines. Houston leads the nation in total offense and scoring, and the teams combined are averaging 1,083 yards and 88 points per game.

Five things to watch this week in college football: 1. Texas vs. Texas A&M might be on last legs as a storied series, but it appears the Big 12 preservationists club will be able to save Texas-Oklahoma. This week's Red River Rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl gets cranked up a few deep-fried turkey legs as both teams enter undefeated. 2. Florida had the misfortune on this year's Southeastern Conference schedule to be the school designated to play Alabama and Louisiana State in consecutive weeks.