IT'S A YEAR-ROUND BUSINESS

Earlier this month, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer briefly discussed his thoughts on college football's new early signing period that will go into effect this December. He'd been an outspoken opponent of the proposal since it was introduced, but lightened his stance considerably when put on the spot by the local ABC affiliate at a charity event.

“I was really opposed to a June and August [signing period],” Meyer said. “I think December is OK. There's a lot of good things coming... early visits. I just worry about the calendar and everybody moving things up. I just don't want these kids to be rushed because once you sign, you can't change.”

Meyer again offered his opinion in an interview with Cleveland.com on Wednesday, and with more time to gather his thoughts on the matter, backtracked a bit on early visits.

“I think the biggest issue is going to be the early visits now in April, May and June,” Meyer said. “Our coaches just went through spring practice and I took away every one of their Saturdays for spring practice. Then immediately after that they went on the road and the only time they can see their families is Saturday and Sunday. A lot of us coaches don't necessarily like all this early stuff, and now we're going to be in the office for official weekends [in the summer].

“When does a coach — this may not be important to some people, but it's very important to me — when does a coach get to go watch his daughter play softball?”

Meyer, as you all know, signed a contract written by his daughter, Nicki, upon taking the head coaching gig at Ohio State. Above all else, the contract states that his family comes first.

Maintaining that work-life balance won't get any easier with the new rules in place, which is why I'm one of the few people who voted in our poll yesterday convinced Meyer has only two or three years left in Columbus before he hangs up his headset for good. 

MOTHER KNOWS BEST

Though Laurinburg, North Carolina, Scotland County five-star running back Zamir White is set to make his college decision a month from Saturday, he doesn't get too wrapped up in the recruiting process like so many other top prospects. He's never asked for Twitter followers, rarely grants interview requests and just goes about his business on and off the football field.

His mother, Shanee, has sort of become his official spokesperson as a result. The two are very close, as I've detailed previously, and she's been at Zamir's side for trips to Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Ohio State this spring.

“It was nice up there,” Shanee White told Dawgs247 when asked about her first trip to Columbus. “All the coaches are real nice guys and all of them seem down to earth. Urban Meyer, I met him and we sat in his office and talked, and then we went to the game. He was out there trying to get my attention in the middle of the game. [I'd] never seen that before.

“I think it's a good program,” she continued. “A nice place, a good atmosphere [and] their fans are crazy. Their fans are everywhere for just the spring game.”

Most prognosticators, including myself, believe White will pick the Bulldogs next month because they were one of the first programs to offer him a scholarship and campus isn't all that far away from home. His mom is a big fan, too, and it's hard to see him going against her favorite team on her big day.

“I want him to make his own decision because if he gets there and does not like it, he is going to stay because it he chose it,” Shanee said. “It is going to be his decision [though] I tell him what I think of each program because I am pretty good at reading people.

“I think [his decision] is going to be about family,” she continued. “Zamir likes to be around his family. He is a momma's boy. I think it is going to boil down to can momma get to me or not.”

She didn't seem too keen on the eight-hour trip to Columbus, either.

“It's something you have to get used to because once you go through West Virginia, all those country roads, it seems like it takes forever to get out of there.”

Those close to the program told Eleven Warriors that Ohio State continues to feel confident in its chances, though, which is why my colleague Andrew Ellis placed his 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction in favor of the Buckeyes yesterday. If the staff can convince White's mother that her flight from Charlotte to Columbus would take the same amount of time as her trip to Athens, maybe then they'll have a chance to pull the upset.

TOP TIGHT END IN THE CLASS, IMO

Ohio State didn't take a single tight end in this year's recruiting class, so the staff would like to add two in 2018.

It's widely assumed Lindenhurst, New York, four-star Jeremy Ruckert will be one, but Missouri City, Texas, Ridge Point four-star Mustapha Muhammad could certainly be the other, as he included the Buckeyes in his Top 10 on Wednesday night alongside Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA and USC.

From 36 to 10... Let's Get it
I would like to announce my official Top of schools of interest..
Please respect my decision.#DNApic.twitter.com/43QltpHLDD

— Mustapha (@MustaphaM_) May 25, 2017

“Their success [is a big reason],” Muhammad told Eleven Warriors. “Seems like they just find a way to win games [and] I want to win at the next level.”

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Muhammad is considered the 4th-best tight end and No. 91 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, having recorded 29 receptions for 430 yards and four touchdowns in the Panthers' run-heavy offense last season.

Michigan has become the presumed favorite since his trip to Ann Arbor for the Spring Game last month, but Muhammad remains high on Ohio State, as well. He was in Columbus for the Buckeyes' double-overtime win over the Wolverines last November, and hopes to return again this summer.

“Coach [Kevin] Wilson, [Urban] Meyer, [Mark] Pantoni and a lot of other assistants [keep in touch],” Muhammad said. “They just keep me updated with info about the university and program.”

Muhammad plans to narrow things down to five schools on Aug. 10, his birthday.

GOTTA GET DOWN ON FRIDAY

Ramsey, New Jersey, Don Bosco Prep four-star defensive tackle Tyler Friday also narrowed things down on Wednesday evening, listed Ohio State in his Top 15 alongside Alabama, Boston College, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Penn State, Rutgers, Syracuse, Tennessee, UCLA and Virginia Tech.

Updated TOP 15 (No order ) pic.twitter.com/hyrCLCLa6w

— Big Smooth (@almighty_ty5) May 25, 2017

The 6-foot-3, 263-pound Friday is considered the fourth-best defensive tackle and No. 56 rospect overall in the Class of 2018. The Wolverines are considered the heavy favorite for Friday, as well, though he has been to Columbus twice since the Buckeyes offered in December 2015.

Ohio State already holds a commitment from five-star defensive tackle Taron Vincent and remains in pursuit of four-stars Aeneas Hawkins and P.J. Mustipher, both of whom sit higher on the staff's board than Friday at the moment.

THEY MAKE EVERYONE'S TOP 10 LIST, HUH?

Orlando, Florida, Dr. Phillips three-star offensive tackle John Campbell also released his Top 10 on Thursday afternoon, at which time he listed Ohio State alongside Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Miami, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee and UCLA.

Top 10 Schools pic.twitter.com/yoGZkZhgaZ

— John Campbell (@_jcamp74) May 25, 2017

The 6-foot-5, 284-pound Campbell is considered the 29th-best offensive tackle and No. 380 prospect overall in the Class of 2018. He's never been to campus, and the Hurricanes are considered the favorite in his recruitment.

Of course, Ohio State already holds a commitment from Tennessee four-star offensive tackle Max Wray and remains in the hunt for five-star Jackson Carman, but the staff will likely want to take a third tackle thanks to the overall lack of depth at the position. We'll have to see if the staff can convince Campbell to make a trip to Columbus.

GOING FOR TWO IN A ROW

Much to everyone's surprise, Ohio State went into Oklahoma last month and landed a commitment from Owasso four-star safety Josh Proctor. The Buckeyes would like do it all over again next year, which is why defensive coordinator Greg Schiano offered a scholarship on Wednesday night to Tulsa Booker T. Washington four-star safety Daxton Hill.

Blessed to have received my 10 offer from Ohio State University!! pic.twitter.com/6nBEtGqt4W

— #DaxHill (@daxhill5) May 24, 2017

“I was [excited] knowing they've been the top football program for many years,” Hill told Eleven Warriors.

The 6-foot-2, 182-pound Hill is considered the second-best safety and No. 29 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he pitched in 67 tackles and two interceptions for the Hornets last season. He also holds offers from Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Texas, TCU and Tulsa. 

Hill hopes to visit Ohio State for the first time this summer and then return for a game this fall.

Ohio State football's storied tradition features eight national titles, 35 Big Ten championships and a host of other team and individual accolades. No matter how successful a program, however, bad things still happen along the way. 

As noted the past few weeks, with the offseason in full force, I'm filling my Thursday posting slot bastardizing my postgame Five Things article with offshoots looking at various aspects of Buckeye football history. 

Kicking things off a few weeks ago, I examined the most impressive individual streaks of greatness in school history before last week selecting the five most ridiculous receptions. 

Today, it switches as we walk down a dark path and revisit Five Stings, aka the most gut-wrenching losses over the last 25 years. 

2007: FLORIDA 41, OHIO STATE 14

The 2006 edition of Buckeye football was shaping up to be one of the most elite in school history before it all came crashing down via a 41-14 spanking doled out by Urban Meyer's Florida Gators in the 2007 BCS Championship. 

Behind Troy Smith's Heisman-worthy season-to-date, the Buckeyes chewed through the regular season slate scoring at least 35 points in nine of the first 12 outings including a 42-39 decision over then-No.2 Michigan and entered the title tilt as 7-point favorites. 

The betting line looked solid after Teddy Ginn ran back the opening kick for six but not only did Ginn's wheel fall off when Roy Hall twisted it during the post-score celebration but so did the collective wheels of Ohio State's entire team. 

Florida raced out to a 34-14 halftime lead and Meyer could've made it far worse but instead called off the dogs. 

Ohio State's offense moved the chains a mere eight times, tallying a grand total of 82 yards while Smith, looking a tad hefty after enjoying the banquet circuit and forced to run for his life on virtually every snap, went 4/14 through the air for 35 yards with a pick and five sacks. 

Even worse, the win vaulted the SEC to new heights while launching the shit-eating the B1G would endure basically until Meyer signed on as Ohio State's head coach in time for the 2012 season. 

1998: MICHIGAN STATE 28, OHIO STATE 24

The 1998 team remains the finest Buckeye squad I've ever seen that didn't win a national title. I'm sure many will argue others, 2015 even, but I'll take '98. 

Already 8-0 and ranked No. 1 in the land, the Buckeyes welcomed Nick Saban's Spartans into the Shoe as more than a two touchdown favorite. 

John Cooper's juggernaut had already banked three wins over top-21 teams including No. 11 West Virginia (34-17), No. 21 Missouri (35-14) and No. 7 Penn State (28-9). 

This one started out like virtually every other game that year with the Buckeyes boasting what seemed like a commanding 24-9 lead late in the 3rd quarter. 

From there however the collapse was on as what ended up as a bowl-less 6-6 Sparty scored 19 unanswered points to win 28-24. 

Huge fumbles by Mike Wiley and Joe Germaine down the stretch fueled the heartbreaker but even with those miscues it still appeared Ohio State could salvage the season after gaining possession at midfield with just over a minute to play. 

Germaine quickly advanced the Buckeyes to the Spartan 15-yard line on back-to-back completions but three straight incompletions followed before a 4th down toss toward Dee Miller at the front left pylon of the end zone was intercepted by Renaldo Hall sending the Neutron Man and the rest of Buckeye Nation into shock. 

The crushing defeat became increasingly painful over the following weeks as the Buckeyes smoked Iowa (45-14) and No. 11 Michigan (31-16) before taking care of No. 8 Texas A&M in the Sugar Bowl (24-14) but ended the season No. 2 in the polls behind an undefeated Tennessee Volunteers squad. 

It still stings to think/talk about how the 1998 Buckeyes let a natty slip away. 

1996: MICHIGAN 13, OHIO STATE 9

The slip. The end. 

#WellActually the 1996 version isn't quite that simple. 

Ohio State entered the '96 clash ranked No. 2 in the land on the strength of a 10-0 record including wins over No. 5 Notre Dame (29-16), No. 4 Penn State (38-7) and No. 20 Iowa (38-26) behind a lethal defense featuring names like Katzenmoyer, Springs, Vrabel, Finkes, Winfield, Moore and others. 

Meanwhile No. 21 Michigan arrived in the Shoe as 17-point underdogs thanks to an 8-3 record including losses to barely-ranked Northwestern and unranked Purdue. 

Even more ridiculous, the Wolverines were forced to lean on backup Brian Griese under center due to Scott Driesbach's elbow injury. Griese had attempted 10 passes heading into The Game. 

The opening half saw the Buckeyes build a 9-0 lead but there was definitely a sense of frustration after three trips inside the red zone (2, 4 and 19 yard lines) failed to produce a touchdown. 

Sure enough, the second play of the 3rd quarter saw Griese hit Tai Streets for a 68-yard slant for six after Shawn Springs slipped on the Ohio Stadium turf cutting the lead to 9-7. 

Later, Michigan would cap the 3rd quarter with a field goal to take a 10-9 lead before breaking Ohio State's back with a 12-play, 67-yard field goal drive that stretched from the 6:52 mark to the 1:16 mark of the 4th quarter. 

The Buckeyes had plenty of chances starting three possessions inside Michigan territory during the 2nd half but the offense simply couldn't get anything going totaling  84 yards including five on the ground. 

Meanwhile Michigan, behind Chris Howard who became the only back that season to rush for more than 100 yards against the Silver Bullets, chewed up 237 2nd half yards on the way to the winner's circle.

The agonizing defeat ended another bid at an undefeated season and potential national title and only became more tormenting as the Buckeyes rebounded to take down No. 4 Arizona State and Jake Plummer in the Rose Bowl to once again finish as bridesmaids in the national polls. 

2015: MICHIGAN STATE 17, OHIO STATE 14

Similar to the '96 loss to Michigan, the 2015 squad saw a heavy underdog Spartan team invade the Shoe with a backup quarterback and escape with an upset. 

This time around the Buckeyes entered No. 3 in the CFP rankings while the Spartans slotted a respectable No. 9. 

Also similar to '96 Michigan, the offense stunk out loud managing to run only 45 plays for the entire freaking game. 

Of course, the lack of total plays contributed to the problem of Ezekiel Elliott earning just 12 carries for 33 yards ending his streak of 15 straight 100-yard outings and causing him to blow a gasket postgame proclaiming the obvious that this would be his last season in scarlet and gray. 

While the rant was lauded by some and frowned upon by others there's no question the Buckeyes beat themselves that day with frightened playcalling (132 total yards of offense) and an inability to get off the field when it mattered most. 

Ohio State's two scores came via short fields including a 10-play, 32-yard touchdown drive to go up 7-0 and a 1-play, 6-yard drive to go up 14-7 in the 3rd quarter. 

Unfortunately, the Buckeye defense allowed Sparty to answer each OSU touchdown with a 75-yard march to the end zone tying the game both times before the green and white finally ended Ohio State's hopes of repeating as national champs with a walk-off 41-yard field goal to prevail 17-14. 

Like the '98 loss to MSU and the '96 loss to Michigan, this '15 decision to Sparty only burned hotter as the Buckeyes followed up the dreadful day with a 42-13 blistering of No. 12 Michigan and a 44-28 schooling of Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl to finish the season with a 12-1 mark.   

2008: LSU 38, OHIO STATE 24

All right. Last one, I promise. 

A season after Florida punked Ohio State in the BCS Championship the Buckeyes found themselves back in the national title game despite losing to an unranked Illinois squad the second-to-last week of the regular season. 

Entering as roughly a touchdown underdog the Buckeyes actually held a 10-3 lead after one quarter of play but unfortunately the 2nd quarter turned out to be one of the biggest floating turds in school history. 

The Bullets would yield three touchdowns over the 15 minute span including two via Matt Flynn passes capping 84 and 66 yard drives, respectively, before Jacob Hester capped a short drive with a one-yard plunge making it 24-10 bad guys at the half. 

The quarter featured a handful of stupid penalties extending scoring drives, a blocked field goal attempt by Ryan Pretorius and a Todd Boeckman interception. That might've also been the quarter Brian Robiskie had a great shot at a touchdown catch in the end zone but.. no dice. I don't even want to check. 

I do know the 3rd quarter saw Austin Spitler somehow miss blocking a punt that must have went through his soul resulting in a roughing the kicker penalty setting up another LSU touchdown and a 31-10 lead. Curtains. 

The game was also frustrating in that Beanie Wells did work totaling 146 yards on 20 carries including a 65-yarder to open the scoring but too often he was split wide while Boeckman was scrambling for his life. 

And then of course the S-E-C chants began to swirl from a fanbase too lit to realize conference pride is lame. 

You know what, I'm done. List over. 

Tom Carey vividly remembers the moment he realized he wanted to be a college lacrosse player at the highest level. It was seared into his brain at the same location Ohio State is set to put its season on the line this weekend.

“I can remember back in 2009, I think it was one of the last times it was held at Gillette [Stadium], I remember going up with my dad and brother and seeing that game,” the Ohio State redshirt senior men's lacrosse goalie said on Thursday. “Soaking in that atmosphere, hoping and imagining that someday I'd be there.”

That day is nigh. The Buckeyes boarded a plane Thursday afternoon and headed east to Foxborough, Massachusettes, where the Final Four is slated to be held at the House of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.

In 2009, Syracuse drilled Duke 17-7 in the semifinals before inching past Cornell in overtime, 10-9, in the final. An east coast native from Connecticut, Carey had a front row seat.

“It's challenging to beat a team twice.”– Nick Myers

Now, he and the rest of his teammates are set to live out their dreams, forged as they grew up watching the lacrosse national championships on television every Memorial Day weekend. Ohio State is about to play in it for the first time in the program's 64-year history, starting Saturday at noon against Towson.

“I couldn't be more excited,” Carey said.

“That's when you'd see some of your heroes going out and battling for national titles. It was on ESPN, you'd sit there, watch the semis and pick a team,” added senior midfielder JT Blubaugh. “Then watch the finals on Memorial Day. It's a really special weekend for our sport and being a part of it is so awesome.”

To advance to Monday's national championship match, the Buckeyes must take care of business against Towson, a team who entered the season unranked but has won eight of its last nine contests. Ohio State beat the Tigers once this season, doing so in Maryland by a score of 6-3.

That came in March, however, what feels like a lifetime away for head coach Nick Myers.

“It's challenging to beat a team twice,” Myers said Thursday. “We had the situation with [Johns] Hopkins and certainly Maryland, so we're familiar with that second time against a team.

“I don't think there is a lot of comparables in the sense that both teams have changed a fair amount. I know we have and looking at film, they certainly have. They're playing their best lacrosse right now, we feel like we are. I think you have to look at the last two- or three-game spreads on both teams to get a better sense of their true identity as we go into this weekend.”

The Buckeyes fell to No. 1 Maryland 10-9 in the Big Ten Tournament final on May 6, the second time they had faced the Terrapins this year after beating them in overtime a month ago. Ohio State then topped Loyola (Maryland) 7-6 in the NCAA's opening round before it blew past Duke in the quarterfinals, 16-11. For Towson, the Tigers won the CAA Championship game 9-4 over then-No. 3 UMass beat No. 8 Penn State in its backyard 12-8 and then held on for a major upset over No. 2 Syracuse 10-7 in the quarterfinals.

Like Myers said, both teams are clicking at the right time.

“They know who they are. This is a Towson team that has a clear identity. I give their coaching staff a lot of credit for that,” Myers said. “Offensively, defensively, special teams and we feel the same way about ourselves.”

Big Ten Freshman of the Year Tre LeClaire scored three goals against Loyola in Ohio State final home game of the season.

Film study is helpful, especially when facing a team that was found on your schedule at the beginning of the season. Though Carey noted that Towson has shown changes since the last time they played Ohio State, 72 days ago.

“I think we definitely try to take something from it, he said, “but we went back and looked at the tape and there were things that they did differently that we're going to be aware of.”

Added Blubaugh: “We played them on a really cold day, really tough elements for us and them, obviously. We expect a cleaner game than we had last time. They're a really good team across the board, we have a lot of respect for them as a team.”

So while dreams will come true for a program and set of players participating in their first Final Four ever, staying the course is essential. Towson is no joke, and Myers knows the Buckeyes must not let the grandeur of the moment and Gillette Stadium overwhelm their attention to the task at hand.

“I think that the Big Ten, the exposure we've gotten this year, we've been in big stages, we've been in big games, played a ranked opponent every week for 10, 12 straight weeks,” he said. “Having played every team left on the board, we feel right now like our biggest opponent is ourselves.”

“We know as a team if we want to achieve our goal of being a national champion then we have to stay the course and have that tunnel vision,” senior midfielder Jake Withers added. “Not let other stuff that doesn't matter cloud our vision and our motivation.”

A few days ago, the Ohio State football media dudes watched the trailer for season seven of HBO's Game of Thrones, and within approximately 36 seconds, had ripped some audio from it to create a super badass 2017 football trailer. We reported on that here, but you can go ahead and watch it at your leisure.

#GoBuckspic.twitter.com/P3fvxGKTuh

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) May 24, 2017

As per usual, they did an incredible job! It wouldn't be a stretch to say that the people in charge of promoting the hell out of Ohio State football are the best in the business, as evidenced by some really fantastic graphic packages, near-instant acknowledgment of Buckeye achievements in all sports, holiday greetings, and some cool candids from all over the place. Their game trailers during the football season are especially crazy, and you'd be hard pressed to find a lot of people who take any issue with what they do and how they do it.

And yet, here I am. The thing about being a card-carrying nerd is that you have a duty to pick as many nits as you humanly can for the honor of obscure bits of random television, film, and comic book trivia that you hold as sacrosanct as the Bill of Rights or the Gettysburg Address or something, you know, important.

So when I watch an Ohio State football video that positions the Buckeyes in the place of the Lannisters, a fictional ruling family teetering on the verge of collapse as the only thing keeping them together is a tenuous and incestuous relationship between twin siblings, I could just keep my mouth shut about how said "enemies to the north" are actually the heroes of the whole story and by making this video you're really just setting yourself up to look very silly (so tremendously silly) when Cersei ends up getting eaten by Drogon or something.

But I refuse to silence myself! This matters, kind of, and I'd hate to sit on the sidelines as the Buckeyes make fools of themselves to a handful of people for whom Buckeye football fandom and hardcore Game of Thrones fandom happen to intersect.

Here's another example of what I'm talking about:

#MayThe4thBeWithYou#GoBuckspic.twitter.com/LXNPyhwcMj

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) May 4, 2017

Okay, I will grant that Darth Vader is cool, and just because he's a bad guy doesn't mean that you can't reference him. But that's not what this Tweet does, you fools! To begin with, an unstable red lightsaber indicates a reference to Kylo Ren, a tremendous dork who also killed Han Solo. He sucks. Secondly, the music used sure sounds a whole lot like "Duel of the Fates" from The Phantom Menace, during the battle with Darth Maul (who ends up cut in half). Point is, this is mixing motifs from two different movies and still manages to avoid hitting the coolest single character in the Star Wars universe.

Another one:

Happy #NationalMarioDay from the Buckeyes and our own Super De-Mario!@DemarioMccallpic.twitter.com/SCd7NZYQX1

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) March 10, 2017

Okay, neat right? Except the trained eye will of course notice that in the original Super Mario Brothers, Mario pulls the flag down the pole as he slides, which Super De-Mario does not so here. Boy, I really hope somebody got fired for that blunder.

These are egregious, unforgivable errors. Luckily I'm here to help. The following are a few upcoming movie and television premiers this summer that the Ohio State media people will be sorely tempted to use to promote OSU football; without my guidance, they might stumble into a critical blunder like, say, attempting to care about the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. With it, they can be authentic, dyed-in-the-wool dorks.

THE DEFENDERS

Marvel's Netflix superhero universe is a tempting morsel to leech off of, but it also is filled with potential landmines for the uninitiated. The Defenders are a team consisting of Daredevil, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones, all of whom kick and punch and say badass stuff while fighting space ninjas or something. The naive might consider them all interchangeable, but there's a few things to consider before you fire up the ol' meme machine.

First, the Iron Fist series sucked. Danny Rand is an okay character, but had a terrible show and barely did anything cool. Plus, his whole thing is yellow/gold, which is almost an automatic disqualification. Second, while Luke Cage has similar issues, as a character he's way more badass than Iron Fist, so Cage along with either Daredevil or Jessica Jones could be proxies for the Ohio State football team. Just avoid whiny trust fund babies that don't actually punch anything.

SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING

While this one pretty obviously sets you up for a homecoming gag later in the season, just remember that no one at Ohio State actually cares that much about it. I mean, I know that you're contractually required to care, but spending precious waking hours working on a video or .gif referencing what at that point will be a months-old movie probably isn't worth it.

Also the Vulture was originally an elderly man that kept himself alive by sucking out the life force of those around him, making him much more appropriate for a Kansas State promo.

DUNKIRK

You might be tempted to use whatever dramatic ticking sounds or explosions or dramatic speeches you hear in this Christopher Nolan jam about the historic evacuation of Dunkirk at the dawn of World War II, but since football isn't actual war and nearly 100,000 people died there, I'd stick with the fake stuff.

THE DARK TOWER

Stephen King's epic tale of good versus evil in the American West (kind of) is going to provide some great content, but just remember:

And of course you've got a new Planet of the Apes movie, Wonder Woman, some animated crap about emojis, and all kinds of other pop culture ephemera you'll be tempted to latch on to. You could go it alone, but capturing the zeitgeist is always easier with a guide.

Usually at the end of one of my articles I try and include some kind of deeper point that I was striving for, or some kind of larger issue that relates to the topic at hand. Which is why it is extremely important that I point out, in no uncertain terms, that this is entirely for my own indulgence and sanity. There is no universe in which it actually matters if the masterminds behind promoting Ohio State football understand the ins and outs of the pop culture media that they co-opt to get some precious retweets online.

Unless you want to look as cool as possible. Although if there's a recruit that ends up rejecting the Buckeyes because the team didn't show proper deference to Davos Seaworth's mission to Skagos in The Winds of Winter, Urban Meyer probably wouldn't have the required patience to understand why it's important that Wyman Manderly is playing the long con against the Boltons, and how said knowledge could be used to win back this hypothetical mega-nerd five star recruit.

Which frankly is a tremendous shame, and why I'm offering my services as Executive Pop Culture Content Evaluator for every potential Tweet, video or image designed to appeal to all those Fellow Kids out there on the 'net. Any Ohio State representatives reading this can contact me at johnny@elevenwarriors.com. You are welcome.

The Ohio State men's lacrosse team faces Towson in an NCAA semifinal on Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

Normally the stadium plays host to the reigning world champion New England Patriots. Friday, five-team Super Bowl champion and Patriots coach Bill Belichick stopped by Buckeye practice to speak to the team ahead of the program's first national semifinal.

Belichick, of course, is good friends with Ohio State head football coach Urban Meyer. His daughter, Amanda, coaches the Holy Cross women's lacrosse team and his son played at Rutgers.

From the lacrosse Twitter account:

Ohio State faces Towson, a team it beat 6-3 back in March, at 12 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN2.

Most of the rosters around college basketball are solidified spare a handful of late additions via graduate transfer or commitment from a 2017 prospect. For the most part, we know what we've got.

With that, let's take a way-too-early look at how things stand heading into the Big Ten season with a May version of power rankings that will surely be 100 percent accurate come the end of next season.

Let's get to it, shall we?

14. Rutgers 

Key returners: Corey Sanders, Deshawn Freeman, Mike Williams, Shaquille Dorson

Additions: Souf Mensah, Myles Johson, Geo Baker

Who's gone: Ibrahima Diallo (transfer), C.J. Gettys, Nigel Johnson (transfer), Jonathan Laurent (transfer)

Outlook: There weren't really many other options here. Steve Pikiell's team showed improvement last season — his first at the helm — but frankly, up was the only way the Scarlet Knights could go. Rutgers just doesn't have enough talent to be projected anywhere other than this spot, and Pikiell's mission is to try and get the Scarlet Knights out of the cellar. 

13. Nebraska 

Key returners: Glynn Watson Jr., Jack McVeigh, Anton Gill, Jordy Tshimanga 

Additions: Thomas Allen (top-100 prospect), Nana Akenten, Duby Okeke (Winthrop grad transfer), James Palmer (Miami transfer), Isaac Copeland (Georgetown transfer, eligible midseason)

Who's gone: Tai Webster, Ed Morrow (transfer), Michael Jacobson (transfer), Jeriah Horne (transfer), Nick Fuller (transfer)

Outlook: The losses of Webster and Morrow cannot be understated, and though Nebraska returns Watson, McVeigh and adds a top-100 player and a few transfers, there's too much turnover for the Huskers to be picked much higher than here preseason. This is a critical year in the Tim Miles era. 

12. Illinois 

Key returners: Michael Finke, Kipper Nichols, Leron Black

Additions: Mark Smith (top-100 prospect), Trent Frazier, DaMonte Williams, Mark Alstork (Wright State graduate transfer)

Who's gone: Malcolm Hill, Tracy Abrams, Maverick Morgan, Jaylon Tate, Mike Thorne, D.J. Williams (transfer), Jalen Coleman-Lands (transfer)

Outlook: Smith, Frazier and Alstork will be welcomed additions to the backcourt, but Illinois lost quite a bit of production from a team that didn't make the NCAA tournament a year ago. There isn't much of a frontcourt presence for Brad Underwood in his first year at the helm and the Illini could struggle.

11. Ohio State 

Key returners: Jae'Sean Tate, Keita Bates-Diop, C.J. Jackson, Kam Williams, Micah Potter, Andre Wesson

Additions: Kaleb Wesson (top-100 prospect), Braxton Beverly, Derek Funderburk (coming off redshirt)

Who's gone: Marc Loving, Trevor Thompson, David Bell (transfer), JaQuan Lyle (left program)

Outlook: Perhaps this is a bit of an optimistic position for an Ohio State program that's a bit of a mess at this current point in time. But if the Buckeyes can keep Tate and Bates-Diop healthy all season that gives them a solid 1-2 punch in the frontcourt. Guard play is a huge question mark, however, as is depth at the center position with just two bigs currently on the roster. 

10. Penn State 

Key returners: Shep Garner, Tony Carr, Josh Reeves, Lamar Stevens

Additions: Trent Buttrick, John Harrar, Jamari Wheeler, Satchel Pierce (Virginia Tech transfer)

Who's gone: Payton Banks (transfer), Terrence Samuel (transfer), Isaiah Washington (transfer)

Outlook: Penn State is a team on the rise, but this is a big season for Pat Chambers' team and if the Nittany Lions are going to break through this might just be the year to do so. Penn State has talent but now needs to figure out how to win games.

9. Indiana 

Key returners: Robert Johnson, Josh Newkirk, Juwan Morgan, De'Ron Davis, Collin Hartman

Additions: Justin Smith (top-100 prospect), Aljami Durham, Clifton Moore 

Who's gone: Thomas Bryant, James Blackmon Jr., OG Anunoby, Grant Gelon (transfer)

Outlook: Archie Miller has to replace a monster trio of Bryant, Blackmon and Anunoby so his hands are full in Year 1. The Hoosiers have a nice core returning in Johnson, Morgan, Hartman and Co., but those losses cannot be understated. 

8. Wisconsin 

Key returners: Ethan Happ, Khalil Iverson, D'Mitrik Trice, Brevin Pritzl

Additions: Nathan Reuvers (top-100 prospect), Brad Davison, Kobe King

Who's gone: Bronson Koenig, Nigel Hayes, Zak Showalter, Vitto Brown, Jordan Hill (transfer)

Outlook: Happ is a preseason Big Ten Player of the Year candidate, but the Badgers lost their other four starters from last season. It's hard to imagine a scenario where Wisconsin doesn't take a significant step back this season.

7. Iowa 

Key returners: Jordan Bohannon, Nicholas Baer, Ahmad Wagner, Dom Uhl, Tyler Cook

Additions: Connor McCaffrey, Luke Garza, Jack Nunge

Who's gone: Peter Jok, Dale Jones (transfer)

Outlook: The loss of Jok is obviously massive, but Iowa returns just about everyone else and that includes a core of young talent. This is a darkhorse team for a top-four finish in the Big Ten. 

6. Michigan 

Key returners: Moe Wagner, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman, Duncan Robinson, Xavier Simpson

Additions: Charles Matthews (Kentucky transfer), Jaaron Simmons (Ohio graduate transfer), Jordan Poole (top-100 prospect), Isaiah Livers, Eli Brooks

Who's gone: Derrick Walton Jr., Zak Irvin, D.J. Wilson, Mark Donnal (transfer)

Outlook: Michigan must replace two seniors in Walton and Irvin and one of the Big Ten's most versatile players in Wilson, but the Wolverines getting Wagner to return was huge. Simmons and Matthews, a pair of new faces, will be key in how good this team becomes.

5. Northwestern

Key returners: Bryant McIntosh, Vic Law, Scottie Lindsey, Dererk Pardon, Gavin Skelly

Additions: Anthony Gaines

Who's gone: Sanjay Lumpkin, Nathan Taphorn

Outlook: Northwestern doesn't add a ton but didn't lose a ton, either. How do the Wildcats handle the success they had a year ago? McIntosh, Law, Lindsey and Pardon give Chris Collins quite the core to contend, though.

4. Maryland

Key returners: Justin Jackson, Anthony Cowan, Kevin Huerter, Michal Cekovsky, Jared Nickens

Additions: Bruno Fernando (top-100 prospect), Darryl Morsell (top-100 prospect), Sean Obi (Duke grad transfer)

Who's gone: Melo Trimble, Damonte Dodd, L.G. Gill, Jaylen Brantley (transfer), 

Outlook: I thought Maryland would take a step backward last year after losing four starters but Trimble and a young core of freshmen had a very solid campaign. Trimble is now gone but Maryland's core of Jackson, Huerter and Cowan is very strong and the Terps add a pair of top-100 players who could have an instant impact. 

3. Purdue

Key returners: Vince Edwards, Carsen Edwards, Isaac Haas, Dakota Mathias, P.J. Thompson, Ryan Cline

Additions: Nojel Eastern (top-100 prospect), Matt Haarms, Eden Ewing, Aaron Wheeler, Sasha Stefanovic

Who's gone: Caleb Swanigan, Spike Albrecht

Outlook: The loss of Swanigan, last season's Big Ten Player of the Year, is massive, but Matt Painter got a huge bump when Vince Edwards opted to return to school. It'd be disappointing if Purdue finished outside the top-four at the end of the season. 

2. Minnesota

Key returners: Nate Mason, Amir Coffey, Jordan Murphy, Reggie Lynch

Additions: Isaiah Washington (top-100 prospect), Jamir Harris, 

Who's gone: Akeem Springs, Ahmad Gilbert (transfer)

Outlook: After a remarkable turnaround, Minnesota made the NCAA tournament last season and, with the majority of its core returning, the Gophers should be even better next year. Mason, Coffey, Murphy and Lynch are a versatile group for Rick Pitino and Minnesota has a chance to contend in the Big Ten, which sounds weird to say. 

1. Michigan State

Key returners: Miles Bridges, Nick Ward, Josh Langford, Cassius Winston, Tum Tum Nairn, Matt McQuaid, Gavin Schilling, Kyle Ahrens, Kenny Goins

Additions: Jaron Jackson (top-10 prospect), Xavier Tillman (top-100 prospect), Ben Carter (UNLV transfer)

Who's gone: Eron Harris, Alvin Ellis, Matt Van Dyk

Outlook: The runaway favorites in the Big Ten reside in East Lansing. Tom Izzo's team, which returns nearly everyone from last season — including Miles Bridges — is absolutely loaded. Add in an incoming McDonald's All-American in Jackson and top-100 prospect in Tillman and anything other than a Big Ten title is a disappointment for the Spartans. 

Cavs Causing Chatter

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics last night 135-102 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, propelling the franchise to its third straight NBA Finals. With that being said, LeBron James and Co. were a hot topic on Twitter among Buckeyes throughout their series with the Celtics.

Twitter is fun to read tonight pic.twitter.com/9OuGUGEPIK

— Mark Pantoni (@markpantoni) May 20, 2017

I tell you when the Cavs lose you don't hear the end of it lol it's cool we'll silence you haters here very soon..

— Darius Slade (@Darius_Slade) May 22, 2017 

When they was wining y'all couldn't stop talking ? So it balance out lol https://t.co/FwZxUilXBH

— QB KILLA (@JayHolmes_) May 22, 2017

They was winning by 44.. that would be trending if it was a middle school game score.. https://t.co/7k6thSNI1d

— Darius Slade (@Darius_Slade) May 22, 2017

@Darius_Slade The celtics won let them have they lil shine

— QB KILLA (@JayHolmes_) May 22, 2017

IT:"Cavs aren't the Monstars"
Cavs/everybody: pic.twitter.com/xjktUbhkur

— Terry McLaurin (@TheTerry_25) May 20, 2017

Turned the game on late and was not expecting this! #DefendtheLand

— Cameron Johnston (@Cam_Johnston) May 20, 2017

Specifically, James received some love.

@KingJames you

— Johnnie L. Dixon III (@YoungKing_JD5) May 20, 2017

 But Kyrie Irving earned more during his 42-point performance in Game 4.

Kyrie is takin overrrr

— Jake Hausmann (@Jake_Hausmann) May 24, 2017

How does someone move like that after spraining an ankle

— Justin Hilliard (@JHilliard47) May 24, 2017

THE EARTH IS FLAT @KyrieIrving

— QB KILLA (@JayHolmes_) May 24, 2017

Kyrie= Mamba Mode

— Tracy Sprinkle (@TSprinkle93) May 24, 2017

Kyrie snapping

— Eli Apple (@EliApple13) May 24, 2017

Kyrie in God Mode right now. Sit this one out Bronny

— Darron Lee (@DLeeMG8) May 24, 2017

Football Plays Paintball

On an overcast Thursday in Columbus, the football team decided to take a trip to a paintball course to have some fun.

It's about to go down. pic.twitter.com/0OwS1h4wtg

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) May 25, 2017

When you see the paintball dual's in a little bit... just know we are Shooters in @Zone6_OSU

Ask @BinjimenVictor

— Zach Smith #Zone6 (@CoachZachSmith) May 25, 2017

Straight up https://t.co/umQmpX9DCj

— BenVictor (@BinjimenVictor) May 25, 2017

Congrats to @Jkdobbins22, the winner of the RB/Safety Paintball duel we had today #ToteNationpic.twitter.com/VhbivzotCB

— Tote Nation tOSU (@ToteNation) May 25, 2017 

Don't believe us? Ask @CoachBillDavis and @da3_ysn .... #Shhhpic.twitter.com/tSrt33S45y

— Zach Smith #Zone6 (@CoachZachSmith) May 25, 2017

https://t.co/iG9Ccd94WR

— QB KILLA (@JayHolmes_) May 25, 2017

Went 0-4 & got shot between the eyes from 100 feet by @book_dont_lie, but I had a gr8 time paint ballin' w/the @OhioStateFB Specialists! pic.twitter.com/ZFZwMeoLnK

— Adam Scheier (@CoachScheier) May 25, 2017

Not everyone had a great day, however. Liam McCullough took a nice headshot with pride.

.@LiamMcCullough2 has seen better days pic.twitter.com/9RyV93i7kg

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) May 25, 2017

Crouching was a bad idea https://t.co/wSj6nRippb

— Liam McCullough (@LiamMcCullough2) May 25, 2017

Siri throws shade

iPhone's "built-in assistant" Siri is making fun of the Ohio State football team, but not in a way you would expect. It was recently discovered that if you ask, "what year did Michael Jordan retire?", Siri responds with the final score of the 2016 Fiesta Bowl.

Michigan fans are going to get a kick out of the way Siri trolls Ohio State https://t.co/zQPbZT1GU6pic.twitter.com/34nmidHjc5

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 24, 2017

 And as you could probably guess, these Buckeyes were not too happy about it.

But.... nvm https://t.co/Gjqy9cDLKO

— Johnnie L. Dixon III (@YoungKing_JD5) May 24, 2017

Come on really @Applehttps://t.co/AyaNXEisiO

— Michael Jordan (@BigMikeJ73) May 24, 2017

i walk into the room and @BigMikeJ73 goes "bro, ask siri when Michael Jordan retired..."

all i'm gonna say is just try it

— Tate Martell (@TheTateMartell) May 24, 2017

 Tweet of the Week

This week's tweet of the week goes to our friend Kyle Snyder, and a picture of the newest and most innovative storm tracking technology.

In the country, you don't need a weatherman pic.twitter.com/JXxcPH07IM

— Kyle Snyder (@Snyder_man45) May 21, 2017

Go Bucks!

No better team-building activity than simulated violence.

The Buckeyes took to Battlegrounds Paintball in Canal Winchester this week to blast each other with plastic balls filled with a colorful (and environmentally safe!) liquid.

Activities included drilling a longsnapper in the face, a duel between two early enrollees and of course, a steak dinner.

Looks like the Buckeyes are enjoying the offseason.

Follow Eleven  WarriorsFacebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube

LET'S DO IT AGAIN

Ohio State landed three of the top six players from the state of Texas earlier this year, a feat that's not going to be easy to repeat in 2018. If there's any school that can do it, though...

The Buckeyes are already among the leaders for Houston Lamar five-star cornerback Anthony Cook and recently made the cut for Houston Alief Taylor five-star wide receiver Brennan Eagles. On Thursday night, four-star wide receiver Al'vonte Woodard— Cook's teammate — also included Ohio State in his Top 5 alongside LSU, Ole Miss, Texas and Texas A&M.

Now wouldn't that be quite the haul?

TOP 5! TOP 5! TOP 5! pic.twitter.com/aogqou6E43

— A.Woodard (@Vonte_4) May 26, 2017

The 6-foot-1, 193-pound Woodard is considered the 12th-best wideout and No. 70 prospect overall in the Class of 2018, as he caught 42 passes for 909 yards and 15 touchdowns to help the Texans to the third round of the state playoffs last season.

The Longhorns, naturally, are the overwhelming favorite to land Woodard's pledge, but he doesn't plan on making a decision on his future until after his senior season. He'll take an official visit to Columbus this fall, which will undoubtedly put the Buckeyes in the conversation late — and it could possibly be a package deal.

ONLY A MATTER OF TIME?

Since Meyer's first recruiting class at Ohio State in 2012, we've seen a gradual decline in the number of in-state prospects signing with the Buckeyes. And even though that number dipped from 16 to seven this year, it's hard to argue with the staff's approach given the fact that the 2017 recruiting class is arguably the greatest haul of all time — that is unless you'd rather see a three-star defensive end from Toledo in the class instead of a five-star from Maryland.

The staff typically hands out offers to out-of-state prospects first for two reasons: 1. You have to get your foot in the door earlier in process because of distance and the lack of a relationship with the players and their families, and 2. A kid from any corner of Ohio is 10 times more likely to commit the moment an offer is extended.

That strategy goes out the window, though, when one of the best players in the country is in Ohio State's back yard. Such is the case with Cincinnati Anderson offensive guard Zeke Correll, whom Meyer offered over the phone on Thursday night.

I AM JUICED to announce that I just got offered by THE Ohio State University!!!! GO BUCKEYES BABY #GoBucks#BuckeyeNationpic.twitter.com/fmXngKHSFi

— Zeke Correll (@zekecorrell) May 25, 2017

“It's been an awesome experience [getting to know the staff],” Correll told Eleven Warriors. “I really like the coaches. They are very personable and are all in for the Bucks. I'm looking forward to building relationships with them.”

The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Correll is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but there's no doubt in my mind that he's going to be one of the best prospects in the country for the Class of 2019 after seeing him hold his own against Cincinnati Walnut Hills four-star defensive tackle Jowon Briggs at Nike Football's The Opening Cleveland Regional last month. He also holds offers from programs such as Cincinnati, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Northwestern and Vanderbilt.

So, being an in-state kid, did Correll have any thoughts of committing on the spot?

“[I] definitely have to venture all of my options before making any decisions to go anywhere,” he said, “but I am definitely going back for a visit sometime [soon]s. Building relationships with coaches is the key to a successful recruitment and maybe even your future team.”

Correll plans to be back on campus for a one-day camp next month, which will mark his third trip to Columbus in as many months.

MY TWO CENTS

I've talked at length about Ohio State's pursuit of Murfressboro, Tennessee, Blackman three-star running back Master Teague III. And while I fully expect him to get an offer from the Buckeyes in the coming weeks, I want to take a minute to discuss his teammate, four-star wide receiver Trey Knox, too.

The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Knox is considered the 21st-best receiver and No. 137 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he hauled in 54 receptions for 669 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Blaze last season. He holds offers from Florida, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Mississippi State, Ohio State, South Carolina and Tennessee, among others, but previously told me the Buckeyes and Gators stand out early in the process.

The staff has been in constant contact with Knox since offering him a scholarship following his visit for the win over Northwestern last season, and running backs coach Tony Alford has traveled to Tennessee a handful of times this offseason to meet with his coaches or watch him practice. Knox also returned to Columbus for a spring practice last month, at which time he toured the facilities and had a sit down with Meyer.

It's clear forging a relationship with Knox and his family is a priority for the staff, and that's why I recently placed my 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction in favor of the Buckeyes.

“He's nearly a lock to Ohio State,” a source told Eleven Warriors. “Florida was his childhood school, but they don't cover their bases like Ohio State's staff. Nobody does it like [director of player personnel Mark] Pantoni and Urban, and it's not close. Their whole life seems to be recruiting.”

There are a lot of talented receivers in the Class of 2019, but Knox looks every bit the part of a go-to wideout. He's expected to attend camp this summer, and I wouldn't be surprised one bit if he became the Buckeyes' first pledge at that time.

PLENTY OF OPTIONS

Ohio State quarterbacks coach Ryan Day offered a scholarship on Friday morning to Port Neches, Texas, Groves four-star Roschon Johnson.

Truely honored and extremely blessed to recieve an offer from The Ohio State University!! #GoBuckspic.twitter.com/0omAcmetRy

— r_johnson1 (@RoschonJ) May 26, 2017

“[I] definitely was pretty excited,” Johnson told Eleven Warriors.

The 6-foot-1, 192-pound Johnson is considered the third-best dual-threat quarterback and No, 143 prospect overall in the Class of 2019, as he recorded 2,364 yards and 29 touchdowns through the air and 1,653 yards and 26 touchdowns on the ground for the Indians last season.. He holds more than a dozen offers from programs such as Florida, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M.

Day has now offered scholarships to the top four dual-threat quarterbacks in the 2019 cycle, including Allen four-star Grant Tisdale, whom I've already pegged to land with the Buckeyes after talking with sources close to the program. That said, it's probably still too early to guess how the quarterback chase will transpire over the next year or so.

“I just got his number last week [so] I'm just now really getting to know him,” Johnson said.  

Anybody reading today's Skull Session should consult a doctor. It's one thing to read an Ohio State morning roundup typed by a functionally literate degenerate during the offseason.

It's another echelon of depravity to do so on one of the most sacred Saturdays on the American laborer's calendar.

I mean that in the nicest way possible, of course. Anybody reading today is welcome to break bread at my BBQ in Piqua.

Programming:

• Men's lacrosse faces Towson, a team it beat 6-3 in March, in the NCAA Tournament semifinals at noon ET on ESPN2. The Bucks earn their first championship game trip in program history with a win.

ICYMI:

• Bill Belichick spoke to the lacrosse team ahead of the big game.
• Ohio State's hip social media presence is missing one thing: a nerd.
• Way-too-early Big Ten basketball power rankings (spoiler: Ohio State is not No. 1).
• Help put a life-size statue of Woody Hayes in his hometown of Newcomerstown, Ohio.

Word of the Day: Brickbat.

 GOD BLESS AMERICA. America isn't a perfect country, but I'll be damned if it ain't the best humanity has to offer. One such example, out of the thousands I could pull from the haunted ruinations of my brain, is it's possible in America to earn a living by wagering on college athletics.

Sure, only a few chosen souls make a career of it while others stay content throwing disposable income at a bookie they see once a week in a suburban Home Depot parking lot, but it's possible. Warren G. Harding, the 29th and greatest President of the United States of America, proved that in these very halls a few fabled years back.

Perhaps an aspiring soldier of fortune is reading right now, pondering putting their child's college fund on the big game this fall. Well, here are the newest lines on opening weekend's biggest games.

From sportingnews.com:

Thursday, Aug. 31

Ohio State (-21) vs. Indiana
Minnesota (-31) vs. Buffalo

Friday, Sept. 1

Washington (-33) vs. Rutgers
Navy (-21) vs. Florida Atlantic
Wisconsin (-37) vs. Utah State
Colorado vs. Colorado State @ Denver (OFF)

Saturday, Sept. 2nd

Michigan State (-18) vs. Bowling Green
Iowa (-11.5) vs. Wyoming
Clemson (-40) vs. Kent State
Penn Sate (-39) vs. Akron
Louisville (-27) vs. Purdue @ Indianapolis
Nebraska (-19) vs. Arkansas State
Northwestern (-28) vs. Nevada
Illinois (-11) vs. Ball State
Oklahoma (-48) vs. Texas-El Paso
North Carolina (-14) vs. California
Southern California (-19) vs. Western Michigan
Louisiana State (-8) vs. Brigham Young @ Houston
Texas (-23) vs. Maryland
Notre Dame (-11) vs. Temple
Georgia (-11) vs. Appalachian State
Michigan (-3) vs. Florida @ Arlington, Texas
Alabama (-4) vs. Florida State

Sunday, Sept. 3

Virginia Tech (-5) vs. West Virginia @ Landover, Maryland
UCLA (-4) vs. Texas A&M

Monday, Sept. 4

Tennessee (-3) vs. Georgia Tech @ Atlanta

Ohio State (-21) at Indiana seems like free money.

You know what seems easier? Wyoming (+11) at Iowa. In fact, that seems so easy it might be a law enforcement honeypot. Compunction, however, won't stop me from pawning my car to risk it all on the Cowboys this fall.

I also have no idea what to think about the Alabama–Florida State game, other than it'll be a blessing to see one of them start 0-1.

 BEANIE: GIVE YOUR ORGANS TO STRANGERS. Former Ohio State running back Beanie Wells is here to tell you why you should become an organ donor:

Disclaimer: I too checked organ donation box at the BMV. Though I ritualistically rub anti-aging cream into my ham-fist of a face, I've always said feel free to throw my corpse in a field for the bacteria and ravens to feast upon or whatever science seems most academically prescient.

 PAYBACKS A NIT. Last year Ohio State fell short in the fourth quarter against Penn State in Happy Valley.

Though the Buckeyes did enough to win, Penn State made enough plays to muster a win.

It wasn't a cosmically unfair result either, despite State College's shitty accommodations forcing Ohio State into walk-throughs in a hotel parking lot a week after an overtime night game victory in Madison, Wisconsin.

The Big Ten hit the Nittany Lions with the other shoe this year, though. They host Michigan the week prior to coming to Columbus and play in East Lansing the week after that.

It's an unprecedented stretch for the Nittany Lions.

From statecollege.com:

But the true test of the Nittany Lions this season begins in 149 days, on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 21.

That's when they begin a three-game, 15-day stretch hosting Michigan in a Beaver Stadium Whiteout, followed by consecutive contests on the road against Ohio State and Michigan State.

[...]

That trio of games is the first time since Penn State began playing football in the Big Ten in 1993 that it will face the Wolverines, the Buckeyes and the Spartans in back-to-back-to-back contests. In any order.

The 2017 season will mark the 20th time that Penn State has faced all three of the aforementioned Big Ten foes in one season. Twice they've run the table, going 3-0 vs. the three teams in a season — in 1994 and 2008. Six other times they've gone 2-1 in round-robin play. That includes 2016, when James Franklin's Nittany Lions, demoralized by injuries and a fast 28-0 Wolverine start, lost 49-10 to Michigan, but rebounded three weeks later to beat second-ranked Ohio State, 24-21, then capped the regular season with a 45-12 victory over Michigan State.

Good, I say. Let PSU eat cake. (Don't forget, Ohio State comes off an open week before hosting Penn State.)

Last year, James Franklin and the gang snuck up on the Big Ten (outside of Michigan, who obliterated them). Sober Johnny Manziel threw enough Hail Marys to win the Big Ten title by definition, if not by spoils of campaign. Credit where it's due.

But they're not sneaking up on anybody this year, which made it a different type of hunt even before factoring in playing their three big divisional foes in three weeks.

At least they get to host Michigan before going on the road to Ohio State. The Buckeyes didn't have that luxury last year. PSU should be thankful it doesn't have to do walk-throughs at a Wendy's in Newark.

 CHIP BACK (KINDA). Chip Kelly finally found a job for the 2017 NFL season. The notoriously taciturn coach will join ESPN to give insight into college football as well as the league he flamed out of.

From the Associated Press:

Former Oregon coach Chip Kelly is joining ESPN as a studio analyst next season.

ESPN announced Friday it has signed Kelly to a multiyear deal.

Kelly will primarily be part of Saturday pregame, halftime and wrap-up shows on ESPN2. He'll also provide NFL analysis on Sundays during SportsCenter.

Kelly should just be thankful he didn't roll with the Browns when he broke into the league. His psychological profile wouldn't be able to manage a Kinko's right now.

 OLD COLUMBUS TOWN. Perhaps you're not lucky enough to live in or travel to Columbus this Memorial Day weekend. Perhaps you're not lucky enough to have been inside its graceful confines in over two decades.

If so, well, a lot has changed. Here's an aerial tour:

The evidence is clear: Columbus > New York City.

 THOSE WMDs. Why the classic English pub won't make it in America... Kafka in Vegas... For Army Infantry's 1st women, heavy packs and the weight of history... Don't use "flack" when catching flak... Instagram for 18th century tourists... Man steals 800 pairs of Nikes.

He is thrilled his Ohio State men's lacrosse team is in the Final Four for the first time in program history. But his players shouldn't settle for that as the season's ceiling.

“We posed the question to them earlier in the week and just said, 'Listen — at the end of the day this is going to go down as the most successful, competitive season of Buckeye lacrosse. That's done. You've already checked that box,'” Myers said. “'Do you want to be remembered as the first Final Four team or do you want to be remembered as the first national championship team?'”

Myers took over the men's lacrosse program ahead of the 2008-09 school year after serving as an assistant for three seasons. Since then, the Buckeyes have made it to the NCAA quarterfinals twice. Ohio State lost by 10 to Cornell in 2013 and then fell by two goals to Denver two seasons ago.

TOWSON TIGERS

12-4, 4-1 CAA ROSTERSCHEDULE

12:00 PM – SATURDAY, MAY. 27 GILLETTE STADIUM FOXBOROUGH, MA

ESPN2 WATCHESPN

The No. 3 Buckeyes finally scaled the proverbial Elite Eight mountain last weekend with a 16-11 defeat of Duke and turn their attention to Towson, a team they beat on the road in March that upset No. 2 Syracuse last weekend in the quarterfinals. While downing the same team twice in one season is challenging enough, refocusing on playing in the moment instead of the moment is most important to Myers.

And when the ball drops on Saturday at noon in Gillette Stadium, Myers believes his team will be ready.

“We understand that it's an opportunity here in front of us and we're going to attack it like we have every other game this year,” he said. “The quarterfinals was kind of the hump, if you will, that we needed to get over. We checked that box last week. So I think the guys are loose, they're focused, they understand the challenge that lies ahead.”

Towson Breakdown

As mentioned above, No. 11 Towson reached the Final Four with a 10-7 upset victory against No. 2 Syracuse. It is the first time the Tigers have moved past the quarterfinals in 16 years. Unranked to start the season, Towson is one of the hottest teams in the country and the winner of eight out of its last nine matches.

“I think we expect to be here,” Towson senior attackman Joe Seider said this week.“I’m sure there will be nerves just to be out in that atmosphere, but I think as soon as the whistle blows the first time, everyone will settle in as soon as they touch the ball.”

Seider is a pillar of Towson's balanced offensive attack, leading the Tigers with 32 goals. He is second on the team in points with 42 behind Ryan Drenner (55 points). Seider led the way with four goals and Drenner tallied four assists in the team's quarterfinal victory over Syracuse. The two are easily the most dangerous offensive weapons the Tigers deploy.

“I think we noticed that last weekend when they played Syracuse. They got some guys that can sling it,” Ohio State goalie Tom Carey said on Thursday.

Though seven players have at least 15 points this season, Towson doesn't score a ton overall and averages below 10 goals per game. The Tigers instead win with their defense, which is ranked third nationally at allowing just 7.4 goals a game.

“I think we expect solid defense,” senior midfielder JT Blubaugh said on Thursday. “They've got a really good core line of defensemen.”

The Tigers also have an excellent goalie in senior Matt Hoy, who head coach Shawn Nadelen made the starter in place of junior Josh Miller midway through the season. Hoy is 7-1 as a starter and allows under seven goals per game. He did not play against Ohio State in March when the Buckeyes traveled to Maryland and left with a 6-3 victory on a cold and blustery day on the east coast.

“Those first seven games when I was sitting on the bench, it made me go back to why I play lacrosse in the first place,” Hoy said this week.“Early on in the season, I was putting so much pressure on myself to make saves where now I feel a little looser in the net, a little more athletic, trying to put my own stamp on the game.”

Hoy's change in mindset helped Towson reel off five consecutive victories on its way to the CAA Tournament Championship, during which the Tigers ran through Drexel and UMass. Ranked No. 4 and No. 3 in the country at the time, both teams managed just four goals against Towson — well below their season averages.

Four- and three-point victories at Penn State and then against Syracuse in the tournament kept the Towson train rolling. One that Nadelen built to leave the station starting six years ago.

“Not just this team but the guys before them and the work ethic that's been instilled, the culture that's been instilled, understanding that you put the work in, you put the preparation in, you got the talent together in the locker room and if you put that together good things can happen,” he said. “This team is kind of reaping the benefits of that. But now we've gotta continue to push forward.”

Ohio State Breakdown

In a rugged Big Ten conference, Nick Myers and Ohio State are used to facing the top teams in the country. Five out of the six schools in the league — Maryland, Penn State, John Hopkins, Ohio State and Rutgers — find themselves among the top 20 in the latest NCAA rankings.

“We've been in big stages, we've been in big games, played a ranked opponent every week for 10, 12 straight weeks,” Myers said. “Having played every team left on the board, we feel right now like our biggest opponent is ourselves. We've felt that way from the beginning.”

Myers knew he had something special with his group before the season opener in January. With key seniors in tow and an influx of great talent like eventual Big Ten Freshman of the Year Tre Leclaire, Myers forced his guys to think big.

“[We] look back to the beginning of the year and our first team meeting in August. Coach Myers imploring to us how important it is to win the national championship,” Carey said. “He made us say it. We said it and we believed it and I think that's true today.”

With Carey in net, Ohio State has its chance. The Buckeyes allow 8.3 goals per contest, good for ninth in the country according to NCAA.com. Carey is 12-4 as a starter this year, sports a save percentage of 54.7 and helped shut down high-scoring Loyola (Maryland) in the tournament opener with 12 saves. Ohio State won that match 7-4.

“We trust our guys and we play with seven on the defensive end,” he said.

Offensively, Myers directs 11 players who have at least 10 points this season. Led by senior attackman Eric Fannell's team-high 63 points and Leclaire's 45 goals (eighth-most in the country) the Buckeyes have a bevy of shooters to test Hoy and Towson's stiff defense. Six Buckeyes were named to All-American squads earlier this week, led by senior defenseman Ben Randall. Randall became the first player in Ohio State history to be named first-team All-American.

After ranking fourth in the country at faceoff winning percentage, two-time Big Ten Specialist of the Year Jake Withers received second-team All-American honors. Leclaire and Carey made the third-team, while Fannell and freshman midfielder Ryan Terefenko earned honorable mention.

The Buckeyes are 15-4 and No. 3 in the country. Myers said multiple Ohio State coaches of other programs came and spoke to his team this year, like wrestling's Tom Ryan and Andy Teitelbaum from women's rowing. Both programs have won national championships in recent years and compete for them annually. Just like most all programs at Ohio State, a result of expectation.

“We understand as a Buckeye the responsibility that we have. These men made the decision to come to Ohio State to compete for a championship and be part of something bigger than them,” Myers said. “With 36 sports, Buckeye Nation, it's very humbling as far as our athletic department. You realize very quickly that everybody is competing for championships. It kind of raises the bar.”

And while there will be awe and amazement for everyone wearing the Scarlet and Gray on Saturday because it is the first time the program reached the big show, Myers insists it is what they have been planning for all along.

“There's no gray area. And these guys will tell you that. We have never wavered from that goal,” he said. “When we came into the season No. 22 with no preseason All-Americans for the first time in my tenure here. I'd be lying if I told you that wasn't something we took personally. The rankings are what they are, it's all about how you finish.”

How To Watch

An annual tradition, the NCAA men's lacrosse Final Four is set for broadcast on ESPN2 and the WatchESPN app.

Ohio State and Towson lock horns in one semifinal at noon from Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The second semifinal is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. between No. 1 Maryland and No. 5 Denver.

The Buckeyes' backfield could be a bit murky following the 2017 campaign. Mike Weber made a splash a season ago and will be eligible to enter the NFL Draft if he so chooses. This summer will be a pivotal one for Antonio Williams as the sophomore has already been passed by true freshman J.K. Dobbins. He's only been on campus for a few months, but the early enrollee from La Grange, Texas is already turning heads.

Still, with Demario McCall's move to H-back and the uncertainty surrounding Weber's future, it's imperative that Ohio State's 2018 recruiting class adds a least a pair to the backfield for Tony Alford and Tote Nation.

Things are already off to a tremendous start for the No. 2 class in America. Seffner, Florida's Brian Snead has been on board since Friday Night Lights, and the nation's No. 4 tailback has seemingly shut his recruitment down since then. Westerville's Jaelen Gill– the No. 34 overall prospect in America – brings more of an all-purpose element to the table and could end up in role similar to that of Curtis Samuel.

The focus of Ohio State's running back recruiting efforts has been on the same player for quite some time now, and with a decision date just a month away, it's officially crunch time for Urban Meyer and Tony Alford. 

Back in February when we started to piece together the 2018 running back board, it looked as though the Clemson Tigers were way out in front for Zamir White, the nation's No. 5 prospect. White released his top four schools in late February and the Buckeyes didn't even make the cut. Clemson, Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina were the programs standing out. 

A lot has changed since then. 

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs now look to be the leaders, but a spring game visit to Columbus has had the Buckeyes surging ever since. There are some folks out there who believe Ohio State is right where it needs to be with one month left until the five-star makes his highly anticipated announcement. 

Alford and the Buckeyes' staff have clearly honed in on White. Dayton's Tavion Thomas was offered shortly after signing, but there hasn't been a whole of movement on that front. The Buckeyes would likely be a top contender for Master Teague– the No. 9 tailback in the country according to 247Sports– but an offer has yet to be extended. Meanwhile, Teague looks to be trending toward Georgia and is expected to announce within the next few weeks.

Whether or not the Bulldogs land Teague before the White announcement may mean very little as the plan has been for them to take multiple players at the position. Still, if you're Ohio State, it would level the playing field a little bit as there's no doubt other teams are attempting to use Snead and Gill as ammo against the Buckeyes.

Perhaps the biggest factor in this recruitment is one that most should be able to understand and respect — Family. 

@KirbySmartUGApic.twitter.com/RlmV9dvkPu

— Zeus34 (@zeus1_34) January 28, 2017

Zamir White hails from Laurinburg, North Carolina, which is about 90 miles east of Charlotte. As it pertains to the ultimate college destination, his family's ability to watch him play looks to be a pretty big factor and his mother has understandably been an important figure in the recruitment.

This is one area that the Ohio State staff is going to have to visit over the next four weeks and possibly even beyond. It's about a five-hour drive to get from Laurinburg to Athens. The trip to Columbus takes about eight hours. Flying into Atlanta and making the drive to Athens would take about two hours. A flight to Columbus is about three hours. 

White is scheduled to make his intentions known on June 27, which is also his mother's birthday. Right now it doesn't look like any other visits are on the horizon, but it's reasonable to expect the Ohio State staff to make a trip to North Carolina at some point. The Buckeyes will look to show the family why coming to Columbus is the best fit for the next three to four years and for the long haul.

The Bulldogs also have a lot to prove as Kirby Smart is coming off an 8-5 debut season but is struggling mightily on the recruiting front. Signing day is a long ways away, but right now Georgia has just two commitments and its class is ranked No. 74 in the country. That's one spot ahead of a Rutgers team that won just two games last season. 

Perhaps even worse is that Georgia's top high school prospects aren't exactly flocking to Athens right now. Five of the state's top-10 players have made commitments already and – unless things change – not a single one of them is siding with Kirby Smart. The Buckeyes already have commitments from Emory Jones and Brenton Cox, the state's fifth and sixth-ranked prospects.

With a decision just four weeks away, there's still a lot left to unfold. Ohio State, Georgia, and a number of other programs will make their final pitches to the country's top-rated back. The Buckeyes will look to do what they've been so successful at doing in recent years: sealing the deal with one of the nation's elite prospects.

When Oklahoma comes to Ohio Stadium on Sept. 9 this fall, it will be the first non-conference, power-five opponent to play in Ohio Stadium since 2014. With that in mind, let's dive into all of these types of matchups for Ohio State football at home since 2000.

Texas Tech: Aug. 24 2002 (W, 45-21)

In the final matchup of the Pigskin Classic, the No. 13 Buckeyes hosted Texas Tech in what would be the first of two non-conference home games this season. The key to this win for Ohio State was the ground game, as four players combined to run for 323 yards including five total touchdowns from Lydell Ross and Maurice Clarett – all with Archie Griffin on hand. Backup quarterback Scott McMullen punched in a score in garbage time to put the Scarlet and Gray up 45-15 late in the fourth quarter to conclude the Ohio State domination.

No. 10 Washington State: Sept. 14 2002 (W, 25-7)

This top-10 clash between the No. 6 Buckeyes and the Cougars was a big reason for why Ohio State went on to win the national championship this season. Washington State took a 7-3 lead with 8:34 remaining in the first quarter that carried into the second, but that was the last time the visitors would lead. From there on, the Cougars had no answer for Clarett who rushed for 236 yards and two touchdowns en route to the win.

No. 17 Washington: August 30, 2003 (W, 28-9)

In the first game since taking out Miami (FL) in the national championship, No. 2 Ohio State picked up right where it left off even without Clarett.  Quarterback Craig Krenzel threw for 203 yards but let his legs do the scoring in this one, as he racked up two touchdowns on the ground while running backs Maurice Hall and Lydell Ross each scored on the ground once. The Buckeye defense was very impressive in this one, holding the Huskies to just seven rushing yards and recorded three sacks for the team’s first win of 2003.

No. 24 NC State: Sept. 13, 2003 (W, 44-38 - 3 OT)

The second top-25 matchup of the season from No. 3 Ohio State pitted them against No. 24 NC State – and this game might be the most exciting of all of these non-conference home games.  Behind the athleticism of Krenzel, the Buckeyes took a 24-7 lead with 11:25 left in the fourth quarter. The lead, however, would disappear throughout that time, as the Wolfpack and quarterback Philip Rivers mounted a 17-point comeback that concluded with a Rivers touchdown pass with 21 seconds left to knot the score at 24 and take us into overtime. Krenzel and Rivers went back and forth with scoring plays before the Buckeyes held a 44-38 lead in the third overtime. On fourth-and-one from the one yard line, Rivers pitched it to T.A. McLendon who was stopped short of the goal line to give Ohio State the thrilling victory.

No. 2 Texas: Sept. 10, 2005 (L, 25-22)

A top-5 matchup at Ohio Stadium featured Troy Smith and No. 4 Ohio State welcoming Vince Young and the No. 2 Texas Longhorns. In a sloppy game of four total turnovers (three by Texas, one by Ohio State), both teams relied heavily on their kickers. The Longhorn’s David Pino went three-for-three while the Buckeyes’ Josh Huston went five-for-six – which ultimately made the difference on the final scoreboard.

No. 3 USC : Sept. 12, 2009 (L, 18-15)

One year after meeting at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, No. 8 Ohio State and No. 3 USC clashed in Ohio Stadium during week two of 2009. In a game where both Buckeyes quarterback Terelle Pryor and Trojans quarterback threw for over 150 yards and an interception, each touchdown came courteously of the ground game. USC’s Stefan Johnson and Ohio State’s Daniel “Boom” Herron each rushed in for six in the first quarter, and a field goal each in the second had these two tied at 10 heading into the locker room. After a Scarlet and Gray safety and field goal, the visiting Trojans found themselves down 18-15 late into the final frame. Johnson, however, would end up being the difference as he danced into the end zone with just 1:05 remaining. A Barkley to Joe McKnight connection for the two-point conversion put USC up for good, as they moved to 2-0 with the 18-15 escape.

No. 12 Miami (FL): Sept. 11, 2010 (W, 36-24) VACATED

For the first time since 1977, Ohio State and Miami (FL) met in Ohio Stadium in the program’s first matchup since the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. In a top-12 matchup, Pryor led the No. 2 Buckeyes with 233 yards in the air and one touchdown, along with 113 yards rushing and a touchdown. Herron also scampered into the end zone for a touchdown of his own, while the Scarlet and Gray defense racked up four interceptions to help lead the Buckeyes to a 12-point win.

California: Sept. 15, 2012 (W, 35-28)

In Urban Meyer’s first season at the helm, his third game was one that provided plenty of fireworks from then-quarterback Braxton Miller. The Ohio-native tossed for 249 yards and four touchdowns, two to wide receiver Devin Smith and two to tight end Jake Stoneburner, and ran for one with the help of a nasty juke to carry the No. 14 Buckeyes to the victory. The key play came just 3:26 remaining in the fourth quarter with the scored tied at 28, when Miller found Smith alone down the sideline for a 72-yard score and the eventual game-winning touchdown.

Virginia Tech: Sept. 6 2014 (L, 35-21)

This game hurt me personally, as it was my first home game as a student as The Ohio State University. Despite accounting for two total touchdowns, quarterback J.T. Barrett’s first home game as a Buckeye was one to forget as he went 9-29 on passing and threw three interceptions — none more costly than the Hokies’ cornerback Donovan Riley’s pick-six with 46 seconds left with the Buckeyes down 28-21. Virginia Tech, in spite of winning the game, did not play well either, but made key plays when they needed to in order to shock Buckeye nation.

Ohio State had the last laugh, however, as they would go on to win the first ever College Football Playoff National Championship with the best quarterback room in the country. Long live the 12 Gauge legend.

Oklahoma will be looking for vengeance after they were trounced in Norman last season in primetime. Playing under the lights in Ohio Stadium can get to anyone’s nerves, but if Sooners’ quarterback Baker Mayfield ability to run from law enforcement reflects his play on the field, the Buckeyes should win easily.

He's from Columbus. He's a huge Ohio State fan. His godfather is Jack Hanna. And like you, he's got Buckeye football on the brain.

Rahal is attempting to win the Indy 500 as his father Bobby did 31 years ago. If he's successful, the Rahals would join the Unsers as the only father-son combo to ever win racing's biggest prize.

But all he could talk about during his Saturday media junket was Ohio State football, as he relayed to ESPN's Marty Smith in the clip above. He also took exception to Smith spending so much time with Jim Harbaugh in Italy and let him know his thoughts on his spring break choices.

The Buckeyes were both flat and tentative during the 2nd quarter of the national semifinal against Towson, a team it had dispatched 6-3 back in March. By the time halftime arrived, Ohio State was trailing the Tigers 7-3 - and just barely escaped allowing an eighth goal as time expired.

Jack Jasinski, Tre LeClaire and Logan Maccani tallied scores for the Buckeyes in the first two frames on just 12 shots, compared to Towson's seven goals in a 25-shot barrage. The 3rd-seed appeared to have stage fright against the unseeded Tigers, who came out confident and aggressive to start the game and kept that aggression through halftime.

But after allowing that eighth goal early in the 3rd quarter, that skittish Ohio State team abruptly vanished and the monster that advanced to the Final Four finally arrived.

The Buckeyes seized momentum with three straight goals, including a beautiful behind-the-back assist from Eric Fannell to Austin Shanks that cut the deficit to three.

Ohio State took complete control of the game from that point going forward, scoring eight of the final 10 goals on the afternoon to complete a stunning comeback, seal a thrilling 11-10 victory and punch its ticket for Monday's national championship game against the winner of the Maryland-Denver semi-final.

It was the first time in 29 games the Tigers had surrendered a third-quarter lead and they did it in style.

Big Ten Freshman of the Year Leclaire finished the day with three goals and an assist, while Fannell and Shanks notched two goals and an assist each for the Buckeyes.

Tom Carey stopped 10 shots between the pipes.

The WarriorsTigers dominated the 2nd quarter and came out strong out of halftime, but the Buckeyes flipped the switch and ended Towson's season in advancing to Monday's national championship game.

Here are some of today's highlights:

 Eric Fannell goes behind-the-back to Austin Shanks that cut the 2nd half deficit to three. 

Another angle:

Minutes later, Fannell goes top-shelf:

Tre LeClair ties the game at 9:

Here's J.T. Blubaugh's game-winner, Ohio State's 11th goal on the afternoon and eight of that furious 2nd half rally:

An hour earlier Ohio State's fans were silent. Eight goals later:

Here's how the game ended:

Here's the wild finish! @OhioState_MLAX rallies past Towson for miraculous #NCAALax National Semifinal Game victory. pic.twitter.com/bOxPT6BkgF

— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAA_Lax) May 27, 2017

Buckeyes win!

It will be the first NCAA Men's Lacrosse National Championship Game appearance for @OhioState_MLAX. #NCAALaxpic.twitter.com/s0lVnVkRNA

— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAA_Lax) May 27, 2017

Thank you Buckeye Nation! Your inspiration today was phenomenal!! See you Monday!!! #GoBucks@OhioState_MLAXpic.twitter.com/OPhcQ57MkW

— gene smith (@OSU_AD) May 27, 2017​​

Ohio State quietly entered the locker room at halftime down 7-3. The walk back to the locker room after the game finished was...a little different.

Title bound!@OhioState_MLAXpic.twitter.com/6hWbESnlXL

— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAA_Lax) May 27, 2017

Feels good, man. pic.twitter.com/3VTi9BqmVz

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) May 27, 2017

​

Buckeyes will play for the national championship on Monday against the Denver-Maryland winner.

The Buckeyes topped the Terps 11-10 in overtime back in April, putting them in the driver's seat for the regular-season Big Ten championship at the time. When the team's met again in the Big Ten Tournament championship game, it was Maryland who got the victory, downing Ohio State 10-9.

On Monday, the two teams will go at it again for a rubber match, this time with the national championship on the line. If the team's previous match ups are any indication, it will be an absolute thriller.

Maryland and Ohio State met for the first time this season in the Horseshoe in a late-season, top-10 matchup with Big Ten title implications. The No. 2 Terps came to Columbus looking to lock up the conference title while the No. 7 Buckeyes looked to steal the driver's seat for the Big Ten championship and defend their home field against a second top-2 team in one season.

After the teams traded early goals to make it 1-1, Maryland took control. The Terps went on a tear, scoring six of the next seven goals to take a 7-2 lead just three minutes before the half, but the Buckeyes wouldn't die.

Ohio State rattled off seven unanswered goals to take the lead. The Buckeyes notched two goals just before the half to cut the lead to 7-4, then scored the only four goals of the third quarter to make it 8-7.

The Terps finally found the back of the net again in the fourth, knotting it up at eight. The teams each scored two more in the quarter to make it 10-10 and each made a clutch defensive stand at the end of regulation to send it to overtime.

In overtime, the Buckeyes won the face off and Johnny Pearson found the back of the net thanks to a rebound from Eric Fannell's shot that went off the post. It was the game-winner, giving Ohio State an 11-10 win.

Johnny Pearson wins it in OT for @OhioState_MLAX, 12-11 Final. The Big Ten runs through Columbus. pic.twitter.com/lNd4jtoWMi

— Dan Aburn (@danaburn2423) April 22, 2017

The teams met for a second time less than three weeks later in the Big Ten Tournament championship game with Maryland as the No. 1 seed and Ohio State as the No. 2. While it didn't have the dramatic momentum swings of the first matchup, it was no less exciting.

Ohio State hopped out to a 3-1 lead early in the first quarter, and the was the only time in the game a team would lead by more than one goal. Maryland scored the next three to take a 4-3 lead, but the Buckeyes responded with another goal to tie the game at four entering halftime. The teams each scored just once in the third quarter before both offenses caught fire in the fourth.

The teams nearly doubled their scoring output for the game in the fourth quarter, combining for nine goals in a back-and-forth scoring barrage. The Terps scored first to make it 6-5, then Ohio State scored twice to go ahead 7-6, then Maryland scored twice to retake the lead at 8-7.

The teams traded goals until the score was even at nine and the Terrapins notched a game-winner at 3:27 to give them a 10-9 win and the Big Ten title.

@11W those were two excellent games this year. I don't know if you all are that into the sport, but your team is good at it.

— Scott Van Pelt (@notthefakeSVP) May 7, 2017

As Scott Van Pelt put it, these are two incredibly good lacrosse teams that played two incredibly good games this season. And it's to our great pleasure that they'll play one more, this time for a national title on Monday afternoon.

So whether you love the sport, watch it on occasion or know nothing about it other than ball + back of net = points, tune in. These teams deserve your viewing eyes and based on the quality of their battles earlier in the season, you won't be disappointed.

However, Ohio State is certainly doing their best to close the gap as they earned a verbal commitment from Top 20 upperweight Gavin Hoffman on Saturday. 

Hoffman became the first wrestler from Montoursville, Pennsylvania to win two state titles, and the incoming senior in the Class of 2018 has another season to fill the program's record book with his name. Hoffman is within striking distance of his brother Garrett's school record of 167 career wins after a junior season where he went 42-1. 

I am excited to announce that I have decided to continue my athletic and academic career at The Ohio State University. Go Bucks! pic.twitter.com/3YnnjaPt4p

— Gavin Hoffman (@gavinhoffman_) May 27, 2017

Gavin joins Grove City Central Crossing's Jaden Mattox as Buckeye verbal commits in the Top 20 of the Class of 2018. Hoffman finished his junior season sixth in InterMat's rankings at 195. 

Hoffman has shown that he isn't afraid of a little competition with an NHSCA Junior Nationals title and runner-up finishes at the Cadet National freestyle tournament and the Super 32 Challenge. 

Hoffman projects as a 197 lb wrestler, and will have time to develop in the practice room with guys like Kollin Moore, Myles Martin, and Kyle Snyder. 

For Ohio State, in 2017, just about everyone has the same three marked on their calendars: Sept. 9 vs. Oklahoma, Oct. 28 vs. Penn State and Nov. 25 at Michigan.

The Week 2 matchup against the Sooners is one of college football's marquee non-conference showdowns. Ohio State routed Oklahoma a year ago in Norman; the Sooners will surely be looking for revenge in this top-10 matchup. 

The game against Penn State figures to be the key contest in the Big Ten this season. The Buckeyes were stunned a year ago in Happy Valley; this time around the game is in Columbus.

The late-November showdown against Michigan is circled because, well, you know why.

There are a pair of other games on Ohio State's schedule — one in mid-October, the other in early-November — that won't necessarily grab preseason headlines, but perhaps should. The Buckeyes travel to both Nebraska and Iowa around that matchup against Penn State and Ohio State fans should be wary about those two matchups.

For one, both Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City and Memorial Stadium in Lincoln are two of the more difficult places to play in the Big Ten. And though it has been some time since the Buckeyes played at either venue, their last trips to each weren't exactly pleasant.

Ohio State last played at Nebraska during its miserable 2011 season and, in a lot of ways, that night in Lincoln summarized the Buckeyes' season. Ohio State held a 27-6 lead in the third quarter before the Huskers rallied to score 28 unanswered points for the 34-27 victory. 

The Buckeyes last played in Iowa City back in 2010 and it took a 1-yard touchdown run by Dan Herron with under two minutes to play that lifted Ohio State to a 20-17 victory. 

Those games mean nothing now as both teams are much different, but they just help illustrate the point: Weird things tend to happen under the lights — we're assuming both will be night games since anytime Ohio State comes to town it seems to happen — happen at both Kinnick Stadium and Memorial Stadium. Just ask Michigan, which entered last year's game at Iowa with a 9-0 record and left with a loss after a last-second field goal. The Hawkeyes entered that game just 5-4 on the year.

Under Urban Meyer, Ohio State has lost exactly one true road game in five seasons. That came last year in Happy Valley when the Buckeyes were stunned, 24-21. So, Meyer's track record is pretty good in these things.

But that doesn't mean the mid-October matchup against Nebraska will be easy or the early-November tilt in Iowa City will be a cakewalk. Ohio State, despite a massive talent advantage on paper, will need to be ready for those two somewhat under-the-radar games. And realistically, they probably will be as Meyer is one of the sport's best at getting his team prepared. 

But when you're glancing down the Buckeyes' schedule this offseason and circling games on your calendar, make sure you don't skip over those two matchups against the Huskers and Hawkeyes. They may not be as easy as they seem.

Much has been said about the lack of homegrown talent in Ohio State's most recent recruiting class, but it's hard to argue with the staff's national approach given the fact its 2017 haul finished with the highest per-prospect rating of all time. 

But if we must nitpick, seven Ohioans out of 21 signees is far from ideal. 

Several factors are at play when determining how many in-state prospects eventually land with the Buckeyes, most notably the amount of local talent at any given time. Yet critics seemingly point to the number of offers being handed to out-of-state kids by comparison.

There's good reason for that, though. 

"Sometimes you have to offer a guy early out of state to get in the game," Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said last spring. "In-state, you've just gotta be very cautious because when that offer goes out, you can't pull it. You're in it. Out-of-state, if you offer a guy and he has a bunch of other offers, than you can just kind of move on. In Ohio, you have to be very careful."

It takes time to build a relationship with an out-of-state prospect and his family, and an offer is used more so as a lure to gauge his interest in the program. If you can get him on campus for an unofficial visit on his family's dime, then his recruitment becomes something to pay attention to.

Most in-state prospects, meanwhile, grow up dreaming of one day playing for Ohio State. They're more likely to commit soon — if not immediately — after an offer is extended, and accepting their pledge earlier in the process would, in turn, fill the class sooner. 

The recent introduction of an early signing period seems to have thrown a bit of a wrench into that strategy, though. The 72-hour signing period in mid-December, as well as the ability to take official visits from April through June of their junior year, will only force Ohio State's staff to speed up their evaluation process — especially for those in-state prospects who would typically not receive an offer until the summer before or during their senior seasons. 

We have already seen the effects of the early signing period, as the Buckeyes offered a scholarship late last week to Cincinnati Anderson offensive guard Zeke Correll. The 6-foot-4, 270-pounder is not yet ranked by any major recruiting sites, but showed at last month's The Opening Cleveland Regional he could develop into one of the top-rated prospects in the state for the Class of 2019.

In the past, Meyer and Co. would have waited to see a prospect like Correll play in person or perform at camp before pulling the trigger. But now they run the risk of another school beating them to the punch and using the early signing period to their own advantage.

"Some schools come in and offer — I can name off seven schools that offer probably 100 players in our state. We can't offer 100 players in our state," Meyer said. "They'll come back and say, 'Why did we not offer this guy?' We certainly think he's a fine player, we're just a little slower to offer."

An offer from Ohio State will always hold significant weight within the state's borders, and you'd be hard-pressed to bet against the Buckeyes when it comes to landing a prospect they want — regardless of how late the offer comes. But, then again, we're entering uncharted territory on the recruiting trail, and locking down the best prospects in the state as soon as possible might not be a bad strategy, either.