The Bucks Stop at Second

Even after "Tattoogate" ripped through the Ohio State football program, then head coach Jim Tressel remained a popular and revered figure in Scarlet & Gray grid circles. After 11 games into the Urban Meyer era in Columbus, Tressel's name is a distant memory. I have stated repeatedly that Meyer and Nick Saban are by far the two best college grid coaches in the nation. No brainer. Meyer reinforced his highly regarded coaching ability after a one-year self-posed coaching hiatus by leading Ohio State to an 11-0 record with one game remanning: that being against the "Team Up North." I believe the Buckeyes will have little troubling disposing of Brady Joke's Wolverines, dotting the I on a perfect season. Only Tattoogate will keep Ohio State out of the BCS championship game. Having said that, the Buckeyes are allowed to be rated in the Associated Press poll. After upsets to Oregon and Kansas State, Ohio State finds themselves fourth in the AP poll. After the bowl games play out, with the Buckeyes mandated to stay home, Ohio State will come up one place short of winning the AP national title. I foresee the Bucks finishing second to -- you guessed it -- Saban's Crimson Tide. I am calling for Bama to best Notre Dame in the championship tilt. A second-place national finish is a pretty lofty achievement following the misdeeds of Tressel and Tattoogate. It will only be a short time before Meyer captures a national crown in Columbus.