Football

The Cleveland Browns are gambling that Penn State running back Austin Scott has left his troubles behind. Scott, who started at tailback for the Nittany Lions at the start of the 2007 season, is an extremely talented running back. Problems off the field off the field have plagued him and nearly ended his football career.

Scott was kicked off the Penn State football season last season when he was out until 4 am during a weeknight before the Iowa game. His troubles didn't end there when the following week he was charged with rape. Those charges were dropped last week and the Browns are taking a gamble on the player.

The wait is over. Terrelle Pryor, after mulling over his decision 6 weeks later than anticipated on where to play college football, has decided to play for Jim Tressel and the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Pennsylvania prep star has been long regarded as the #1 prospect quarterback in the entire country.

"When I called Coach Tress he welcomed me to the Ohio State family," said Pryor.

The signing not only helps the Buckeyes but is truly painful to their arch-rival Michigan Wolverines. The Wolverines new coach Rich Rodriguez had courted Pryor but lost him to the OSU sqaud.

"Coach Rod was still recruiting me this morning, saying all the things," Pyror said in his announcement.

So it looks like Tressel already has the incoming Michigan coaches number before they even meet on the gridiron.

The much talked about All American Football League may not get off the ground, according to the a press release that was issued today. The culprit? The sub prime loan mess. Here is the statement the league issued:

In an attempt to secure kickoff of its inaugural season as well as its long-term future and success, the All American Football League has begun discussions to explore multiple financing options.

Since inception, the League's finances have been indirectly tied to the $300 billion federally guaranteed student loan asset backed securities market. In August, the subprime mortgage crisis began spreading into other sectors such as municipal bonds and federally guaranteed student loans. The situation, which was considered to be temporary at the time, has continued to worsen.

Despite the fact that the Federal Reserve has repeatedly lowered interest rates during this financial crisis, their efforts have not yet restored liquidity in many asset backed markets, including municipal bonds and student loans.

The League held its inaugural draft in January, and the team rosters and staffs are all in place. All teams are scheduled to open training camp Wednesday if liquidity can be immediately restored.

If yesterday was 'Super Tuesday' in the political world, 'Super Wednesday' was suppose to tell us where the coveted quarterback prospect Terrelle Pryor would sign to play college football. Like 'Super Tuesday', however, we will have to wait for an answer as Pryor declared he needed more time to make a commitment.

"I really haven't had the time to get involved in the recruiting process and check it out," Pryor told the stunned media. "I'd like to give everyone the same time."

Ohio State was in the lead for the Pryor sweepstakes along with Big Ten arch-rival Michigan. Jim Tressel had been courting the USA Today national Offensive Player of the Year for months and indications were pointing to the star quarterback to become a Buckeye. Another Big Ten school, Penn State, jumped into the mix at the last minute which has muddled the process. Oregon is also hoping the Pennsylvania prep star will head west to join the Ducks.

"They're definitely in the picture. I'll be taking a flight out there to check it out," he said when asked if Oregon was still in the running.

The Ohio State Buckeyes football program is once again looking to Glenville High School in Cleveland for new talent and recruits. On Sunday, the Bucks accepted a commitment by Jermil Martin, who had previous committed to Iowa.

Martin is reported to have told OSU head coach Jim Tressel of his intentions to become a Buckeye this morning over breakfast.

Martin confirmed his commitment to OSU, stating:

"I did commit to Ohio State this morning. I had a great visit at Ohio State, and I told Coach [Jim] Tressel that I wanted to be a Buckeye. Ohio State is the school I wanted to go to all along. I spent time at the Woody Hayes Complex and it was beautiful. That caught my attention immediately. I love the academic opportunities at Ohio State."

Martin, 6'0 and 225 pounds, spoke of his former commitment to Iowa and about why he decided to switch to Ohio State:

"Academically, I felt both schools were pretty similar. Ohio State was just my dream school. I've been an Ohio State fan all my life. I was very impatient and wasn't willing to wait on Ohio State. Truthfully, I really jumped the gun by committing to Iowa, but everything has worked out for the best now. I still need to take the ACT test again, and raise my score a little bit. I told Coach Tressel that I will get that done."

At OSU, Martin says that the plan is to play him at both fullback and tailback.

"I'm not sure which one I will start out at when I actually get there. My position isn't that important to me. I just want to thank Ted Ginn for all he has done for me as a coach, and as a mentor. I also need to thank God for giving me this opportunity," said Martin, who rushed for 500 yds in his senior year at Glenville.

As Yogi Berra would say, it was deja vu all over again. A fast start in the BCS Championship game had Ohio State Buckeye fans thinking this was their year but costly mistakes and a stellar LSU defense would prove to be the demise of OSU Buckeyes.

The game started with a bang for Ohio State fans as sophomore sensation Beanie Wells galloped 65 yards for the first score of the game. The Buckeyes would add a field goal and feel comfortable with a 10-0 lead. LSU would answer by grinding out a long drive that would culminate in a 32 yard field goal making it a score of 10-3.

LSU would have a penalty aided drive that helped them convert their first touchdown or of the game and make the game 10-10 in the beginning of the second quarter. With the score tied, the Buckeyes looked to answer right back with a touchdown but Brian Robiskie had a critical drop on third down and the field goal the Buckeyes settled for was blocked which sent the Buckeyes momentum and game into a downward spiral.

The Louisiana State squad would then go on a flurry of an attack unleashing on defense and providing enough offense to go to halftime with a 24-10 lead.

Get ready for tonight's big Ohio State vs. Louisiana State BCS Championship game, and make sure you know the Ohio State Fight Song! Take a look at the video below to learn the lyrics and tune to the best-known OSU fight song.

Maybe things won't turn out so bad at West Virginia after all. A day after losing their head coach Rich Rodriguez to Michigan, Terry Bowden threw his hat in the ring to become the next coach of the Mountaineers.

Terry Bowden had a successful stint with Auburn which included an 11-0 season in 1993. Even more appealing for WVU fans is the fact that his father, legendary coach Bobby Bowden, coached at the school from 1970-1975. Bobby Bowden was 42-26-0 before he departed for greener pastures at Florida State.

"I made a full commitment to get back into coaching almost two years ago. Coming home to West Virginia would obviously be the dream job for me," Bowden said in a statement released by his publicist.