The Buckeyes did everything but take the B1G by storm in 2011. The team finished a disappointing 6-7 overall and an almost unheard of 3-5 in the conference.The good news is, the situation this team finds themselves in now compared to last year is light-years better. There's no coaching uncertainties, poor offensive schemes or freshman quarterbacks. There's no long-term suspensions, inexperienced coaches or uneventful offenses. Now I'm not saying this team is primed for a national ...

For schools like Alabama, the primary target in recruiting is the nation's top-rated recruit. Alabama swung and missed on Robert Nkemdiche, but their efforts might be better served going after defensive tackle Montravius Adams. Nkemdiche's commitment to Clemson likely won't change. He likes their defensive scheme better and wants to play as a pass-rushing 4-3 defensive end. Alabama will pursue him, certainly, but their energy should be focused on a much more dire need: A new, promising ...

Let's face it, with just six teams remaining in the College World Series, there are certain matchups we would much rather see than others in the finals. There's no question that whoever makes it to the championship will provide both excitement and drama. It's college kids and a championship that we are talking about, after all. That's the perfect combination for must-see sports. Still, some matchups will rank just a tiny bit higher on the drama scale. ...

Here at YB11, I will be covering the Big 12, Pac-12, ACC and Big East conferences. Each week, we'll put two of the conferences in a head-to-head battle and break down specific players, coaches and anything else we feel like comparing.As college football fans, we like to compare. We compare coaches, strategies, wins and losses. We even like to peg one player against the next.Taking the Big 12 and the ACC, let's look at the ...

There are surprises in every recruiting cycle, as that is just norm. With surprising commitments, decommitments, schools with great classes, schools with bad classes, coaches doing well and more, surprises take place each cycle.For this read, I'm going to give you the 15 surprises thus far in the 2013 recruiting year. We're almost halfway done with this cycle, yet much has already happened to our surprise.Let's get started.Begin Slideshow

With the college football season right around the corner, the LSU Tigers must put last year behind them and focus on the 2012 season. Although LSU fell short of a national championship victory, it does return 13 starters from that squad and may be even better than it was a season ago.But before we declare the Tigers SEC champions once again, they must overcome another tough SEC schedule. While this schedule is nowhere near as ...

The Alabama Crimson Tide have lost only six games in the last four years because Nick Saban and his staff know exactly how to get not only what they want, but what they need.That doesn't mean it always works out for every recruit who commits to play for the reigning national champions, but if a player is meant to be there, they have a great chance to succeed.Unanimous 4-star receiver Taj Williams of Lincoln High ...

With Stony Brook now eliminated from the College World Series, the label of "Cinderella" in this year's tournament has now been passed to the Kent State Golden Flashes.Kent State pulled off the upset of the CWS to this point by eliminating top-seeded Florida with a 5-4 victory on Monday. If the Golden Flashes are going to keep their improbable run alive against South Carolina, then the team must improve rapidly on offense.Granted, Kent State scored ...

There has been a bundle of shining defensive plays, clutch hits and even an upset or two in the 2012 College World Series. The stars of the series have provided many moments of glory, and that won’t change as we draw closer to the Championship Series on June 24. Top-seeded Florida was eliminated by Kent State on Monday, and the Golden Flashes will continue their improbable CWS run in Game 10 Wednesday against No. 8 ...

Everything is working against the Atlantic Coast Conference right now. The SEC and Big 12 have arranged to play a shared bowl game ("The Champions Bowl") paralleling the Big 10 and Pac-12 champions' Rose Bowl. It appears the winners of both bowls will play for the national title each year. Currently, the discussion centers around whether the two bowls will feature the champions of those four conferences or the four highest ranked teams in the country.  ...