You may recall a year ago when Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee said he was such a fervent supporter of the Bowl Championship Series that "as far as a playoff system, there will not be one. They'll have to wrench a playoff system out of my cold, dead hands."
Well, his hands are warmer, apparently.
Gee was asked by The Associated Press on Monday how that view correlated with President-elect Barack Obama's recent call to give the American people what they want and to establish a playoff system in major-college football.
"Three things I'll say about that. No. 1 is the fact that I am a very strong supporter of Barack Obama. I believe in him, I believe what he's about. And I believe he's going to exert great leadership,"
Gee said. "Second of all, I'm absolutely delighted that we have a president interested in intercollegiate athletes because I believe intercollegiate athletics represents the spirit and culture of this country. There's so many ways that we deeply need that."
"Third, is the fact that the collective presidents of America's major universities believe that the playoff system is not in the best interest of intercollegiate athletics or our universities. And frankly, knowing what I know of him, I look forward to having an opportunity ... to talk to him about that issue."
THEY MOVED IT?! At the top of the release from Michigan's athletic media relations department, in big, bold letters, it says that Michigan and Ohio State are meeting Saturday at 12:08 p.m. in Ohio Stadium. It lists the stadium in "Ann Arbor, Mich."
LOSE THE BLUE: Ohio State is having a clothing drive - with a wrinkle.
Buckeyes fans can donate gently used items of blue clothing at Ohio State's official team shop located on the concourse of the Jerome Schottenstein Center and receive a free "Beat Michigan"
T-shirt.
Fans can also trade a blue item of apparel at several business locations near campus. They can then purchase a T-shirt for $10.
TRESSELESE: Coach Jim Tressel, on that special feeling that comes this time each year: "That you could just simply feel the difference between that week and - you know, all the weeks are exciting and all the weeks are a grind and all the weeks are a battle and every team you play is good and can beat you and you feel you can beat them, but there's something in that Ohio State-Michigan week that you can just feel, whether it's the attentiveness of the players or the attentiveness of the media or the attentiveness of the people walking on campus bumping into the guys in class, you know, or you turn on the radio station or the TV station in the morning and, "
Good morning, it's 5:00, it's Ohio State-Michigan week." And for a while it was all, hey, we're ready to have an election or something, but now, this morning - so you can just feel it."
WITH HONORS: CB Malcolm Jenkins was the Big Ten's special-teams player of the week for blocking a punt through the end zone for a safety in Saturday's win at Illinois.
Other conference award winners included Iowa RB Shonn Greene and Wisconsin DT Mike Newkirk.
Ohio State's coaching staff also selected team awards from the Illinois game.
S Kurt Coleman was the honoree on defense, QB Terrelle Pryor on offense and K Aaron Pettrey on special units.
Scout team awards went to: QB Joe Bauserman, DB Nate Oliver and RB Joe Gantz. The top defender in the front seven was LB Tyler Moeller and the best OL was Alex Boone.
QUOTABLE: Michigan NT Terrance Taylor, on what a win over Ohio State would do for the 3-8 Wolverines: "It wouldn't justify the season. But it would sure make it a little better."
