Each week during the off-season we will be doing this feature that will simply be called "This Week In College Football". We will cover the biggest news and stories of the past week and give some opinions and analysis. In addition to covering the weekly happenings we also have started our Pre-Season Previews and we have several up already. This week we previewed Ball State, Marshall, East Carolina, New Mexico, FIU, Louisiana, and San Jose State. Next week Army, Clemson, Minnesota and Western Kentucky will be among the teams that we preview. If you missed it we also took a look at the upcoming Ohio State/Wisconsin game, gave you 5 breakout players in the Big Ten this year and took a first look at Fall Practice at UGA. Now let's talk about what happened in college football this past week:

THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY CAN'T STAY OUT OF THE NEWS

Since I started writing this weekly column tOSU has given me a lot to talk about. And this one just simply isn't going to go away like a lot of Buckeye fans are hoping. Earlier this week there was an article published in The Lantern, Ohio State's Student Newspaper, that quoted former WR Ray Small as saying that everyone was selling memorabilia. Later that day tOSU fans and former players swallowed him whole and spit him out. On Friday, he changed his story to saying that it was only him that sold his ring because he needed money and says he didn't say that anybody else was doing it.

The tattoo parler owner who was connected to the "Tattoo Five" has been charged for drug trafficking and money laundering in federal court. Ouch. While that does not directly affect or involve tOSU it's a sign of the company that the players were keeping and who they were doing business with. It's a very slippery slope, as is keeping tabs on teenagers and young adults who are out of the house for the first time. 

In what may be the most damning news of all this week the car salesman who has been linked to tOSU says that he has talked to tOSU compliance director over 50 times. Why is this important? Because tOSU Compliance Director, Doug Archie, told the Columbus Dispatch that he had spoken to Archie only once. That should be pretty easy to verifying if someone wants to give up their phone records. Somebody is definitely lying on this one and if it's the tOSU Compliance director then ish is about to hit the fan. Big time. Ohio State administrators have proven that they will back a liar as long as he wins. But would they back a liar whose job is to tell the truth?

USC PENALTIES STAND

Earlier this week, the NCAA infractions appeals committee notified USC that all of their penalties would stand. If you don't remember, that's 30 scholarships over the next three years and the inability to play in this year's Pac-12 title game or a bowl game. It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy than Lane Kiffin. Kiffin must have really changed his ways over the last year or two because he said that he's committed to make sure USC is "winning the right way." Then again, his "right way" could be vastly different from ours. Before the scholarship losses, USC is the third best team in the Pac-12. What's going to happen after they lose all of those scholarships?

2010 Record: (1-12, 0-8 in WAC)

Head Coach: Mike MacIntyre (1-12 at San Jose State)

Last Bowl Game: 2006 New Mexico Bowl: beat New Mexico 20-12

Schedule

9/3: at Stanford (2009 result: lost 42-17)

9/10: at UCLA

9/17: Nevada (2010 result: lost 35-13)

9/24: New Mexico State (2010 result: lost 29-27)

2010 Record: (3-9, 3-5 in Sun Belt)

Head Coach: Mark Hudspeth (66-21 at North Alabama)

2010 Pre-Season Preview

Schedule

9/3: at Oklahoma State (2010 result: lost 54-28)

9/10: at Kent State

9/17: Nicholls State

9/24: at FIU (2010 result: lost 38-17)

10/1: FAU (2010 result: lost 24-23)

10/8: Troy (2010 result: lost 31-24)

Spring football is in the books. College Football Zealots everywhere are waiting on their favorite preview magazines. We've even started our own previews. Kids are getting out of school and summer has started. What else is there to do now but start dreaming about fall practice. Few are looking forward to the fall as much as the fans of the Georgia Bulldogs. Last year, Georgia went 6-7 and had their first losing season since Jim Donnan's first year in 1996 when the Bulldogs went 5-6. Georgia started out 1-4 before rebounding to go 5-2 in their next seven. Unfortunately, Georgia didn't show up for the bowl game and suffered an embarrassing 10-6 loss to UCF. That is the last thing Georgia fans remember about last season. So it's time to turn the page and start thinking, dreaming and hoping as we wonder what will happen when fall practice starts. Let's take a look at the most interesting storylines for Georgia this fall:

The Arrival of Isaiah Crowell and the Legacy of Caleb King

I really didn't follow recruiting until I started up this blog a little over a year ago so it's hard for me to compare Isaiah Crowell with previous RB recruits that have come to Athens. But what I can say without a doubt is that he's one of the most heralded to come down the pike for Georgia for quite some time. He was a rock star on the sidelines when he showed up at Georgia's G-Day game this spring. A lot of people are hoping for big things for Crowell this fall. There is no doubt that Mark Richt is going to give Isaiah every chance to get on the field early and often. When Georgia released it's latest depth chart it had Carlton Thomas as the #2 back behind Caleb King. To me, that means that this position is absolutely wide open. Crowell must put in the work this fall to learn the offense and blocking assignments if he wants to get on the field and stay on the field. Out of all of the Georgia Bulldogs, the most eyes will be on this young man and if he can become an instant impact for the Dawgs.

The man that currently sits at the top of Georgia's RB Depth Chart was also a highly thought of RB coming out of High School. Caleb King was rated by Scout.com as a 5-star prospect and they pegged him as the #4 RB in his class. Since Caleb has been at Georgia he's been plagued with injuries, inconsistent play and a few off the field issues. From all reports it seems like Caleb understands that this is his senior season and it's his last chance to make an impact on the field for the Bulldogs and for his future. When he's seen the field, King has not been that bad the last two years. Last year King only played in 8 games but he did lead the Bulldog rushers in yards per carry at 5.3. In his career Caleb has never really been given a chance to be the #1 RB for the team. Maybe it's the injuries that have held him back, maybe his performance didn't dictate that he get that chance. Only three times in his collegiate career has he toted the rock more than 15 times and they all came in his junior season when he led the Bulldogs with 7 rushing TDs. Like it or not, Caleb is the best all-around back that Georgia will have in 2011. He won't be Trent Richardson or Marcus Lattimore but I think there is a pretty good chance that this year we will see the best Caleb King that we've seen. 

2010 Record: (7-6, 6-2 in Sun Belt)

Head Coach: Mario Cristobal (16-33, 13-17 in Sun Belt)

Last Bowl Game: 2010 Little Caesars Bowl (lost to Toledo 34-32)

CFBZ FIU Links

2010 Exit Survey

Schedule

9/1: North Texas (2010 result: won 34-10)

9/9: at Louisville

9/17: UCF

9/24: Louisiana (2010 result: won 38-17)

10/1: Duke

2010 Record: (1-11, 1-7 in MWC)

Head Coach: Mike Locksley (2-22)

Last Bowl Game: 2007 New Mexico Bowl: beat Nevada 23-0

2010 Season Preview

Schedule

9/3: Colorado State (2010 result: lost 38-14)

9/10: at Arkansas

9/17: Texas Tech (2010 result: lost 52-17)

9/24: Sam Houston State

10/11: New Mexico St (2009 result: lost 16-14)

2010 Record: (6-7, 5-3 in C-USA)

Head Coach: Ruffin McNeil (7-7 All-Time, 6-7 at ECU)

Last Bowl Game: 2010 Military Bowl: lost to Maryland 51 to 20

2010 ECU Preview

CFBZ East Carolina Links

College Football Roundtable: Conference USA Edition

East Carolina 2010 Exit Survey

Schedule

9/3: at South Carolina

9/10: Virginia Tech (2010 result: lost 49-27)

9/24: UAB (2010 result: won 54-42)

10/1: UNC (2010 result: lost 42-17)

10/8: at Houston (2009 result: won 38-32)

So far we've discussed eight of the fifteen games that we feel will define the National Champion this year. When we last left off we made our first voyage to Big Ten land as we debated Ohio State versus Nebraska and what impact that game might have on the Big Ten and the National Championship. Out of this fifteen game series we only hit the Big Ten twice and this game is the second one. The Wisconsin Badgers against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Wisconsin Badgers at Ohio State Buckeyes

When: October 29th

Where: Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio

2010 Record: (5-7, 4-4 in C-USA)

Head Coach: Doc Holliday (5-7 All-Time)

Last Bowl Game: 2009 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: beat Ohio 21-17

Schedule

9/4: at West Virginia (2010 result: lost 24-21 OT)

9/10: Southern Miss (2010 result: lost 41-16)

9/17: at Ohio (2010 result: won 24-23)

9/24: Virginia Tech (2009 result: lost 52-10)

10/1: at Louisville

10/8: at UCF (2010 result: lost 35-14)

Last month we featured "5 Players Ready To Breakout In the SEC". Now it's time to look at five guys from the Big Ten that are ready to bust out into the spotlight.

Marcus Coker, RB, Iowa

Coker had his coming out party in the Insight Bowl, when he ran for 219 yards and 2 TDs in a 27-24 Iowa win.  He's poised for big things in 2011.  After overcoming a collarbone injury early in the fall, Coker emerged as Iowa's starter by the end of the season and racked up and looked good doing it: he ran for 129 yards against Indiana, 90 against Minnesota, and was Iowa's most effective runner against Ohio State, bruising them for 70 yards and a timely touchdown.  And then the Insight Bowl happened.  Coker enters 2011 as the unquestioned starter on a team that features an experienced offensive line (three starters return, plus two other players who have started multiple games in the past), an inexperienced quarterback, and an offensive philosophy that loves to pound the rock.  If he can stay healthy (always a major concern with Iowa RBs), Coker could definitely run for 1200 yards and 10-12 TDs and be the top running back in the Big Ten.

Nathan Scheelhaase, QB, Illinois

Scheelhaase was  thrown into the fire from the get-go last season and emerged as a solid starter: 1825 yards, 17/8 TD/INT, plus 868 yards rushing and 8 TD on the ground.  Another year of molding from Illinois OC Paul Petrino should help Scheelhaase become an even more prolific passer, especially with Illinois possibly being more reliant on him with last year's other offensive star, Mikel LeShoure (1697 yards, 17 TD), off to the NFL.  Of course, there's always the chance that Scheelhaase could level out or even regress in his sophomore campaign, especially without LeShoure to shoulder some of the offensive load -- he wouldn't be the first Illinois player to come up short under Zook.  Still, he has the talent to excel and, with a coach like Petrino in place, possibly the coaching to overcome the usual Illinois backslide.