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Joey Bosa Will be Freshman to Watch on Defense for Ohio State Buckeyes


urban meyer

The Ohio State Buckeyes lost a big chunk of their defensive front seven from 2012 and will be looking for fresh faces to step up in a big way next fall. Urban Meyer has always been a major proponent of playing the best players on his roster, which bodes well for the incoming freshman class [...]

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Ohio State Quarterback Braxton Miller Will Be Heisman Trophy Favorite Entering 2013


Braxton Miller Ohio State

Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller enters his third season as one of the best players in all of college football. After a strong 2012 campaign in which he led the Buckeyes to a 12-0 record, he has to be an early favorite for the Heisman Trophy. Last season, Miller finished with an Ohio State record [...]

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Of Course, Gordon Gee Tucks His Tail and Runs From Ohio State Buckeyes


Gordon Gee at an OSU Basketball Game

This last week has been a whirlwind for Gordon Gee, but quite frankly, he deserves all of the scrutiny that the NCAAF media can conjure up. A week ago, I referred to the Ohio State Buckeyes president as a bigot, but now the only word that seems to do him justice is coward. College football is as crooked [...]

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Gordon Gee Retiring from Ohio State


Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Well Big 10 and Ohio State Buckeye fans, it’s official. Gordon Gee has announced his retirement from the university as of July 1. “Without question, the university has achieved remarkable success, and it has been my honor and calling to lead it,” Gee’s email reads, via The Columbus Dispatch. “Ohio State is well-positioned for the [...]

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Top 5 Big Ten Running Backs For 2013


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Top 5 Big Ten Running Backs For 2013

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Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The 2012 Big Ten football season was a very different year in terms of normal Big Ten football when it came to running the football. Out of the top five rushers in the entire conference, two were quarterbacks in Braxton Miller of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Denard Robinson of the Michigan Wolverines.

As for actual running backs, the two leading rushers, Montee Ball and Le’Veon Bell, have both moved on from college football to the NFL after stellar Big Ten careers putting up big numbers for both of their schools.

The Big Ten has always been known for having bruising running backs amassing many carries and being big and physical, but times are changing around the conference as more spread offenses develop. Backs like Venric Mark and Ameer Abdullah, the two leading rushers returning to the conference this season, are both quick, speedy backs who play in a spread out offensive system.

Although they are the speedsters of the conference, that doesn’t mean the tradition of between the tackle running backs are gone. James White of the Wisconsin Badgers is a tough runner and has put up solid numbers as a backup during his time in Madison. Carlos Hyde of Ohio State is another big, punishing running back who fights for every yard he gets and is a mean runner.

Other backs around the conference that will put up big numbers come 2013 are guys like Donnell Kirkwood of Minnesota, Mark Weisman of Iowa and Thomas Rawls of Michigan. Each one of these running backs are potential breakout stars in the conference.

Here are the top 5 running backs heading into the 2013 season for the Big Ten.

Erik Sargent is a college football writer for RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Erik_Sargent, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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5. Zach Zwinak, Penn State Nittany Lions

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Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Of all the problems surrounding the Penn State Nittany Lions football program in 2012, Zach Zwinak was not one of them. He provided a solid rushing attack for a Penn State offense that lacked true star power. He ran for exactly 1,000 yards last season to go along with eight touchdowns and had over 100 yards rushing in six games throughout the year. Zwinak is an old-school runner and is a lot of fun to watch. He is also a good back in passing situations, possessing good hands and is a solid pass blocker. With Penn State looking to break in a new quarterback, look for Zwinak to take some pressure off of whoever the quarterback is.

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4. Carlos Hyde, Ohio State Buckeyes

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Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Carlos Hyde has the potential to be one of the best running backs in the Big Ten this season. Playing in the high powered Urban Meyer spread offense, there will be lots of room for him to gain big yards, especially with defenses being forced to focus on quarterback Braxton Miller. Hyde is one of the toughest runners in the conference, and he has great speed to back it up. He is almost a lock to score if the Buckeyes get in the red zone, and Hyde should be well over 1,000 yards rushing this season if he stays healthy.

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3. Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska Cornhuskers

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Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Ameer Abdullah quietly put up 1,137 yards rushing and eight rushing touchdowns last season while filling in for the injured Rex Burkhead all year. While most of the attention was put on Burkhead’s injury and the play of quarterback Taylor Martinez, Abdullah was tearing up defenses with his great speed. He had six games of over 100 yards rushing and finished sixth in the conference in rushing. With a lot of attention focused towards Martinez and Burkhead graduated, look for Abdullah to have another solid season.

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2. James White, Wisconsin Badgers

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Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

After being the backup in high school to now NFL running back Gio Bernard and then coming to Wisconsin and being the backup for John Clay and Montee Ball, it is finally time for James White to be the number one guy. White has run for over 2,500 yards in his career and has never been the starter, which is astonishing. He is a between the tackles runner and is a perfect fit as a Wisconsin running back, although it will be interesting to see if new head coach Gary Anderson changes the offense at all. Look for White to be among the top running backs at the end of the season.

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1. Venric Mark, Northwestern Wildcats

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Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Venric Mark was one of the most electrifying players in the entire Big Ten conference last season, running for 1,371 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season. He also had 104 receiving yards and a touchdown out of the backfield. Mark is one of the fastest players in the entire conference and is able to find major seams in the Northwestern spread offense. He can outrun anyone on the field and is a threat to score the ball every time he touches it. He is also a serious return game threat, returning two punts for touchdowns last season.

Venric Mark Northwestern Wildcats

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How Big Can College Football Stadiums Get?


Randy Sartin-USA Today Sports Images

Ohio State University is adding 2,500 more seats to their already gigantic stadium. This will put the Buckeyes at 104,000. This brings to mind a question I have often pondered. Why are NFL stadiums so much smaller than college stadiums? In 2008, the Indianapolis Colts built Lucas Oil Stadium, but it was barely bigger than the RCA [...]

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Why Should We Ignore Ohio State’s Gordon Gee


Greg Bartman-USA Today Sports Images

Unfortunately, we live in a world today that is so sensitive that you can’t walk placing your left foot before your right because you will probably offend someone somewhere. Do I agree with what Ohio State President Gordon Gee said? Of course not, however, do I think that the universities trustees should be “embarrassed”? No. That in [...]

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Gordon Gee of Ohio State Buckeyes Proves Bigotry Is Alive and Well In College Football


Gordon Gee at the Ohio State Buckeyes Basketball Game

The level of crookedness, bigotry and downright selfishness prevalent in the game of College Football is getting more disgusting by the day. When millionaire coaches are telling their players that they don’t deserve to make any money off of the sport they make famous, were you at all surprised by Gordon Gee‘s recent comments? I [...]

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After Most Recent Comments, Ohio State President Gordon Gee Must Go


Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

Gordon Gee, the time has come for you to resign as president of the Ohio State University.  After the most recent comments made public, there’s no doubt the time has come. No one doubts the guy can run a school, especially financially (Gee is currently overseeing a $2.5 billion fundraising campaign for OSU and oversaw a [...]

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Ohio State President Gordon Gee Needs to be Removed From Office Following Comments


Jeff Hanisch- USA TODAY Sports

Back in December, Ohio State University president Gordon Gee, while attending the school’s meeting of the athletic council, made some comments that I’m sure he figured would never leave that room. I’m sure that he was able to get a chuckle out of some of his Buckeye peers with him on that night. I’m sure [...]

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2013 College Football Power Rankings: Top 30
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