COLUMBUS -- The air in the room was tight with tension, anxiety, apprehension, and a dose of fear of the unknown.

When Urban Meyer had his first meeting with the Ohio State players on the same day he was announced as their new head coach, his initial words were not what they had expected.

No rah-rah stuff, no litany of the things they would do differently, and no fire, no brimstone.

He walked in the room and told them to sit up straight.

"You knew [right away] he was all business," said sophomore offensive lineman Jack Mewhort, "which was good to see."

Mewhort, a St. John's Jesuit grad who has played in 22 games in his Ohio State career, said that after a year's worth of turmoil and scandal within the program, and several weeks worth of rabid speculation about Meyer possibly returning to coaching and taking over the OSU program, the scene was somewhat surreal.

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Week in review:

Ohio State went 2-0 this week with relative ease, as expected. Jared Sullinger looked healthy, Thomas continued playing well, and Buford shot .500 for the first time since Duke but the nicest plays we saw during those two games happened during the last 2 minutes of Thursday’s night game. First watching LaQuinton Ross hit the first shot of his career and then watching another J.D. Weatherspoon highlight-reel dunk. It’s evident that this year's team is going to rely on defense and scoring by getting to the rim and not the three ball. Even though the games weren’t all that entertaining and they were blowouts us Buckeye fans should be thankful, especially after this past football season.

B1G Season Preview:

Ohio State starts out the Big Ten being the favorite to win the championship. Without a top 10 team or a team even close to the amount of proven players Ohio State has, on paper the Buckeyes are a shoe in. The Buckeyes have the best player in the Big Ten, the best perimeter defender, probably the best wing player, and this doesn’t even include Des\Shaun Thomas, who won Big Ten Player of the Week last week. Ohio State isn’t a proven road team yet, so their schedule consisting of 5 away games against ranked opponents is a concern.  Not only does Ohio State play tough road games but half of their opponents in the Big Ten schedule are currently ranked. That should tell you something about the state of the conference, the depth of quality teams is the best amongst the nation. So, with Ohio State having an extremely tough conference and Wisconsin having a relatively easy schedule, the Big Ten title isn’t necessarily a given. Wisconsin plays 7 ranked teams, 3 of which are on the road, the least amount of ranked games in the Big Ten. Anyway, there are unknowns. What will the rotation be? Who is going to be coming off the bench? My best guess is we’ll see Sibert and Ravenel often with sprinkles of Williams, Thompson, Scott and Ross.

For most 2013 Heisman hopefuls, the first significant step towards their campaign for college football’s most prestigious award won’t happen until the first game of the 2013 season, almost two years from now. Braxton Miller’s happened on November 28, 2011, the day Urban Meyer was introduced as the Buckeyes’ head football coach.

2011 was a crucible for everyone invested in the Ohio State football program. The Buckeyes suffered six losses, most in devastating fashion. The program was publicly raked over the coals. A legendary coach was fired.

But despite all of the gloom in the present, there were very few times when the Buckeyes’ future felt dark. There was a distinct feeling that the suffering would be contained to this season. Every conference loss was followed by promises for vengeance in 2012 by the Buckeye fan base. Confidence in this year’s Ohio State team was shaken, but faith in the program as a whole held steady.

If you ever find yourself in northeast Ohio, take a little drive on Route 5 going east. Keep following 5 and you’ll eventually come to Route 82 east. Take that road and you’ll come to Parkman Road, from their just follow that until you reach the final destination. Warren, Ohio. If there ever was a place to see a visual representation of today’s economic struggle, look no further than this. With roads full of pot holes, abandoned buildings and homes, and crime abundant, you might wonder about what could be so special about this place.

If you manage to work your way through its busy streets, you’ll eventually find Molenkopf Stadium, and Warren G. Harding High School, home of the Raiders. The stadium itself is old, but sturdy, and fairly good size compared to other stadiums in the area. Walking along its artificial turf you can almost feel the history of the teams and players that have played here. Names like Paul Warfield, Korey Stringer, Maurice Clarett - all Buckeyes - to others such as Mario Manningham and Prescott Burgess, both Wolverines.

Northeast Ohio has boasted a rich tradition of athletes, most notably on the gridiron. But as of the moment, one name stands out more than those. One name that depending on who you ask, is either a good-for-nothing cheater, or just a young kid still trying to become a man.

This week I want to talk about the sanctions we received which included, among other things, a one-year bowl ban. As terrible as this is, it's not going to effect anything. I love Ohio State so much. But the thing I love more than Ohio State is the "Buckeye Nation," which at the end of the day is who every athlete should be playing their heart out for. The reason I feel athletes come to Ohio State is because it has always been a dream to go. I myself am the type of person that always dreamed of going to Ohio State, and no matter if we're winning or losing I will always be proud to say, "I am a Buckeye."

On Tuesday I had a lot of interviews after the NCAA ruled on our sanctions. Most of the reporters already knew what I was going to say, but they asked me, "how do you feel about the sanctions? Does it change your mind?" My response was simple...

"I committed during a time when everything was bad. Why would I leave now?"

Buckeye Nation I committed during the bad times because I wanted to show the world that no matter what happens I still will be a Buckeye. I cut myself the other day and guess what? The color of my blood was Scarlet and Gray lol!! I recall a message I sent on Twitter back in July which stated, "I don't care if Bill Cosby becomes the coach or if we get a Billion years of bowl game suspension, I will still be a Buckeye!!"

Buckeye Nation I truly love y'all and I will do whatever it takes to bring victory and success to The Ohio State University. I talked to a lot of the recruits and they still want to be Buckeyes too. I truly believe that my future teammates all feel the same way about OSU that I do.

After graduation from OSU, my plan is to create a foundation that will fund kids that really would like to go to Ohio State but can't afford to go. I believe everyone should be able to attend the university that they always dreamed of. People who love something would never do anything to hurt what they love, but they will do everything to make it better. 

 feel so much better now that I've completed high school. It's official, Buckeye Nation I will be there on January 1st!!! I'm anxious to get going. See you soon...

PS... THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO CONTRIBUTED TO MY "OPEN LETTER". Your words were so kind. I teared up when I read it. I promise I won't let you down!!!

- Tyvis

When the NCAA levied their penalties against The Ohio State University football program yesterday it sparked outrage from all sides. Buckeyes fans cried foul while other fan bases claim they got off easy for everything that has occurred:

- Tattoos for memorabilia; Paychecks for a charity event appearance; Paid too much for too little work at summer jobs; Jim Tressel lying about what he knew -

The self-imposed sanctions Ohio State placed on itself – vacating twelve wins from 2010 and their share of the B1G championship; reduction of five scholarships over three years; repayment of Sugar Bowl earnings; probation through 2012 – apparently weren’t enough even though they based those decisions off of precedent set by the NCAA themselves from similar cases.

Yesterday the Committee on Infractions took away four more scholarships over three years (totaling nine), extended the probation period through 2014, slapped former coach Jim Tressel with a five year show-cause label, and banned Ohio State from the right to earn a bowl invitation after the 2012 season. It would seem to end there. Closure, right? Not really.

Nearly a year to the day that the Ohio State football world was turned inside out the NCAA passed out the penalties. At 3pm Eastern it became official: Four additional scholarships lost over the next three years (on top of the five OSU self imposed), an additional year of probation, and a one-year ban from participating in any bowl games (to be served after the 2012 season).

Shortly after the penalties were made official, new head coach Urban Meyer released the following statement:

“I agreed to become the head football coach at The Ohio State University because Shelley and I are Ohio natives, I am a graduate of this wonderful institution and served in this program under a great coach. I understand the academic and athletic traditions here and will give great effort to continue those traditions.

“It is still my goal to hire excellent coaches, recruit great student-athletes who want to be a part of this program and to win on and off the field. The NCAA penalties will serve as a reminder that the college experience does not include the behavior that led to these penalties. I expect all of us to work hard to teach and develop young student-athletes to grow responsibly and to become productive citizens in their communities upon graduation.”