Ohio State Buckeyes: Pac-12

Who really deserves to claim the title of “Offensive Line U” for the 2000s? 

OFFENSIVE LINE1.  Alabama (242 points): Nick Saban (whose first season at Alabama was 2007) has been the Crimson Tide’s coach for only half of the time period that we examined.  But that’s when nearly all of the noteworthy accomplishments have occurred in the 2000s for the Tide’s offensive line: three national awards, seven All-America picks, 11 all-conference selections, four first-round picks and eight linemen drafted.  Saban teams win by dominating the line of scrimmage, and the offensive line results reflect why Alabama has been so successful. 

2.  Michigan (238 points): If any program was going to threaten Alabama’s claim on the top spot, it was Michigan, which has enjoyed a ridiculous run of success along the offensive line.  Four first-round picks (Jeff Backus, Steve Hutchinson, Jake Long and Taylor Lewan) include one (Long) who was the No.  1 overall pick in the NFL draft.  Throw in five consensus All-Americans, two national award winners and 21 All-Big Ten selections.  The 2000s were truly a great time to be a Michigan offensive lineman. 

3.  Wisconsin (192 points): Although Wisconsin placed well behind the juggernauts from Alabama and Michigan, the Badgers have a ton to brag about.  Joe Thomas and Gabe Carimi were both Outland Trophy winners, consensus All-Americans and first-round draft picks.  In fact, Wisconsin had a total of 14 offensive linemen drafted in the 2000s, four of whom went in the first round (with Kevin Zeitler and Travis Frederick joining Thomas and Carimi). 

4.  Oklahoma (186 points): With four first-round picks and four consensus All-America selections, Oklahoma has had a great run along the offensive line in the 2000s.  And the Sooners have been consistent throughout that time period, placing at least one lineman on the all-conference team in every season except 2000 and 2002.  In some years, there were as many as three on the all-conference first team. 

5.  USC (182 points): Considering how much success it experienced in the early and mid-2000s, it seems strange that USC didn’t have a first-round offensive lineman until Sam Baker in 2008 (the first of three, as Tyron Smith and Matt Kalil have since joined him).  Nonetheless, the Trojans churned out six second-round picks, 17 all-conference linemen and a trio of All-Americans, so there has been plenty of acclaim for the group in the 2000s. 

6.  Florida State (166 points): FSU has only one first-round draft pick and one national award winner (Bryan Stork, who won the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center last season) along the offensive line in the 2000s.  But with three All-Americans and 13 all-conference selections in the 2000s, the Seminoles still rank among the nation’s better programs for linemen. 

7.  Miami (158 points): The Hurricanes were nearly unstoppable at the turn of the century, thanks in large part to a supremely talented offensive line.  Between 2000 and 2002, Miami had eight first-team all-conference players, two All-Americans and two national award winners.  The Hurricanes have been successful along the line here and there since then, but their spot in the top 10 is largely because of those outstanding days in the early 2000s. 

8.  Texas (150 points): Texas would have ranked higher on this list had we compiled it a few years ago.  The Longhorns haven’t had a first-team all-conference pick or a draft pick since 2008, nor a consensus All-American since 2006.  They were good enough in the early 2000s that the Longhorns still cracked the top 10, but Texas needs to turn it around under Charlie Strong if it intends to stay there over the next few years. 

T-9.  Iowa (144 points): No.  2 overall pick Robert Gallery, who won the 2003 Outland Trophy and was an All-American that season and a two-time all-conference pick, is the big point winner for Iowa, but the Hawkeyes have produced a considerable number of productive offensive linemen.  They can claim 13 drafted offensive linemen in the 2000s, including three first-rounders (Gallery, Bryan Bulaga and Riley Reiff). 

T-9.  Ohio State (144 points): With 13 draft picks -- but just one first-rounder, Nick Mangold -- and 14 all-conference picks, Ohio State built a solid résumé for offensive linemen in the 2000s.  Center LeCharles Bentley, a Rimington Trophy winner, is the only All-American, but the Buckeyes have turned out plenty of outstanding players along the line. 

Throughout this recruiting cycle, Recruiting Nation will profile several ESPN 300 prospects in the 2015 class, including an inside look at the prospect, his recruitment, a scouting report and what college program could benefit when he ultimately makes his decision. 

ROSWELL, Ga. -- One of the top juniors in the nation, Kevin Toliver II, made the trip from his hometown of Jacksonville, Fla., to Atlanta to compete against some of the best athletes in the country at the Atlanta Nike Football Training Camp this past Sunday. 

The Early Offer is RecruitingNation's regular feature, giving you a daily dose of recruiting in the mornings.  Today’s offerings: The Class of 2014 will go down as one of the wildest recruiting rides in recent memory.  With so many players switching commitments and some elite prospects still left on the board, here are five things to keep an eye on heading into recruiting’s biggest day. 

With the door closed on the 16-year reign of the BCS, we dove into the 72 BCS bowl games to find the 10 most memorable moments of the BCS era. 

10.  Utah’s hook-and-ladder: The first team ever dubbed a “BCS Buster” was the Urban Meyer-coached and Alex Smith-led Utah Utes in 2004.  In the 2005 Fiesta Bowl, Utah led Pittsburgh 28-7 late in the third quarter and lined up at the Panthers’ 18-yard line.  Smith swung it left to Steven Savoy, who lateraled to Paris Warren, who ran it in for the score as the Utes completed a 12-0 season. 

9.  Peerless Price down the sideline: Tennessee led Florida State 14-9 with 9:29 remaining in the fourth quarter in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl with the first BCS Championship on the line.  UT quarterback Tee Martin found Price down the right sideline, and Price took it the distance for a 79-yard score.  Price had 199 receiving yards for the winning Vols, the most ever in the BCS title game. 

8.  Ginn’s costly return: Ohio State received the opening kickoff from Florida in the 2007 BCS Championship game, and Ted Ginn Jr. wasted no time in getting the game’s first score on a 93-yard return.  What will always be remembered, however, is that Ginn suffered a foot injury on the ensuing celebration and was out for the rest of the Buckeyes’ 41-14 loss. 

7.  Warrick's juggling score: Though the championship of the 1999 season was marked by Virginia Tech freshman QB Michael Vick, it was Florida State’s Peter Warrick who was named the most outstanding player.  He had a punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter, and his juggling catch on a 43-yard score midway through the fourth served as the dagger. 

6.  Vince Young, Part I: Facing Michigan in the 2005 Rose Bowl, Young was responsible for all five Texas touchdowns in a 38-37 win.  Though he had runs of 60, 23 and 20 yards, the most impressive was a 10-yard run in which Young escaped the tackle of Michigan lineman Pat Massey before scampering to the right pylon. 

5.  Dyer isn’t down: Tied at 19 with Oregon with just more than two minutes remaining in the 2011 BCS Championship Game, Auburn running back Michael Dyer appeared to be tackled for a short gain at the Auburn 45-yard line.  Having rolled over the defender, Dyer was never ruled down, and ended up gaining 37 yards on the play before he was taken down at the Oregon 23-yard line.  Auburn would win on a field goal as time expired. 

Steve Grayson/WireImageIan Johnson's two-point conversion run in overtime propelled Boise State over heavily favored Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. 

4.  Winston to Benjamin: Trailing Auburn 31-27 in the final BCS Championship Game, Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston drove the Noles 78 yards in less than a minute to the Auburn 2-yard line.  Receiving the snap with 17 seconds left in a wild fourth quarter, Winston threw a perfect pass to Kelvin Benjamin, who brought it down for the game-winning score to complete an undefeated season. 

3.  Was it pass interference?  Some will remember Maurice Clarett’s game-saving strip of Sean Taylor, but the lasting legacy of the game is the dubious pass interference call in overtime.  Miami led 24-17 and Ohio State faced fourth-and-3 from the 5-yard line.  Glenn Sharpe was called for pass interference, giving the Buckeyes new life in a game they would win 31-24. 

2.  Boise State’s trick plays: In the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, Boise State trailed heavily favored Oklahoma 35-28 with 18 seconds left and facing fourth-and-18 from the 50-yard line.  Jared Zabransky completed a pass to Drisan James just short of the first down, but he lateraled it to Jerard Rabb, who took it the rest of the way for the tying touchdown.  In overtime, down 42-35 on fourth down, wide receiver Vinny Perretta completed a 3-yard pass to Derek Schouman for a touchdown.  Chris Petersen elected to go for two, and Zabransky faked a throw to his right before handing it behind his back to Ian Johnson on the Statue of Liberty play for the winning two-point conversion.  Johnson would propose to his girlfriend, a Boise State cheerleader, on the sideline after the game. 

1.  Vince Young, Part II: After a Longhorns touchdown and key fourth-down stop, undefeated Texas trailed undefeated USC 38-33 with 26 seconds remaining and faced fourth-and-5 from the 9-yard line, with the 2005 BCS championship on the line.  Vince Young dropped back to pass but saw nobody open, and immediately sprinted for the right pylon for the title-winning score in the marquee game of the BCS era. 

The college football regular season has come down to this.  Plenty is on the line tonight as the Pac-12, ACC and Big Ten hold their title games and we’ll be here with you every step of the way. 

So head on over to Campus Connection at 7:45 ET and follow the action along with several of our on-site reporters, including Ted Miller (Pac-12), Andrea Adelson (ACC), David Hale (ACC), Brian Bennett (Big Ten) and Adam Rittenberg (Big Ten).  Post your comments and questions and we’ll include as many of them as possible. 

Will UCLA score enough points to somehow beat Oregon?  Will Missouri all but clinch the SEC East against South Carolina?  Will Ohio State remain unbeaten against the rival Nittany Lions?  Head on over to Campus Connection at 7 ET and follow the evening action along with 10 of our reporters, including Mark Schlabach at UCLA-UO, Chris Low at SC-Mizzou, Max Olson at Texas-TCU, Greg Ostendorf at FAU-Auburn and Austin Ward at PSU-OSU. 

Post your comments and questions and we’ll include as many of them as possible. 

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Kenny Guiton had waited -- and prepared -- for the opportunity to start at quarterback for Ohio State for more than four years. 

Boarding the plane to California, he sensed that opportunity was upon him -- he had practiced with the first team all week -- but it wasn't until coach Urban Meyer made it official on game day that he knew for sure. 

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty ImagesKenny Guiton had a career-best passing day in Ohio State's win over Cal. 

Was he ever. 

Stepping in for Braxton Miller (who remained sidelined with a sprained medial collateral ligament he suffered last week against San Diego State), Guiton turned in a brilliant performance, leading No.  4 Ohio State (3-0) to a 52-34 win over California (1-2). 

Buckeyes fans did their part in making it a welcoming atmosphere for Guiton, as nearly half the sold-out crowd of 62,467 at Cal's Memorial Stadium came decked in scarlet and gray. 

"That was tremendous," Guiton said. " That's one thing Coach Meyer just told us about.  We're blessed.  We're all the way on the West Coast, and we have half the stadium filled with scarlet and gray." 

It didn't take long for the crowd to sound decidedly pro-Buckeyes. 

After Cal opened with a three-and-out, Ohio State needed just two plays to take a 7-0 lead, as Guiton found Devin Smith for a 90-yard touchdown -- the longest play from scrimmage in Ohio State history. 

Less than a minute of game clock had ticked away before Ohio State got it back, and again, the Buckeyes needed just a pair of snaps to find the end zone, this one capped by a 47-yard pass from Guiton to Smith. 

Four offensive plays, 167 yards of offense and a 14-0 lead less than four minutes in. 

By the time it was over, Guiton had completed 21 of 32 passes for 276 yards and four touchdowns without an interception.  Not bad for a fifth-year senior who had just 317 career passing yards coming in.  He also added 92 yards rushing on 14 carries as Ohio State piled up 608 yards of total offense. 

Braxton who? 

OK, maybe that's a stretch, but Saturday's result couldn't have been much more lopsided for the Buckeyes if their Heisman hopeful had been on the field. 

At minimum, Guiton's play Saturday -- and in long relief in the Buckeyes' 42-7 win against San Diego State -- gives Meyer more to consider when putting together his game plans. 

"I think [Guiton] will be in the game a little bit [when Miller returns]," Meyer said. "[ Guiton] has been throwing the ball better than he has and throwing the ball downfield, so that's something I'll need to think about." 

Despite the loss, Cal true freshman quarterback Jared Goff continued a torrid pace to the start of his career.  The nation's leading passer coming in finished 31-of-53 for 371 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.  He became the first Cal quarterback since Aaron Rodgers in 2003 to throw for more than 300 yards in three consecutive games. 

Afterward, Meyer made a point to find Goff and convey to the 18-year-old just how impressed he was. 

"I'm glad we're not playing them for a while," Meyer said. " That quarterback is a good player, and that tempo and style of offense -- you can see why they led the nation at Louisiana Tech and why they lead the nation right now in throwing." 

Three games into the Sonny Dykes era at Cal, and the Golden Bears already have adopted the reputation of Dykes' teams at Louisiana Tech: all offense, no defense. 

And that doesn't bode well for Cal's first road game of the season in two weeks at Oregon. 

Cal has been torched for 556.3 yards and 42 points a game through three games, and those numbers don't figure to improve after a trip to Autzen Stadium, where Cal plays a Ducks team averaging 672 yards and 61.3 points through its first three games. 

"It will be a challenge, but our guys will be excited to play, and when you are playing against a good offense, defense or team, you get excited to play," Dykes said. " Your guys are fired up, and we know we are going to be challenged and get better." 

Getty ImagesTajh Boyd, AJ McCarron and Marcus Mariota all rank near the top of Brock Huard's top 10. 

The 2013 NFL draft featured a weaker-than-usual class of quarterbacks, to be sure, but there was another reason why EJ Manuel was the only QB taken in the first round: NFL teams knew that the 2014 class of passers is loaded with intriguing talent that comes in a variety of sizes, skill sets and experience levels. 

Which brings us to the preseason edition of ESPN Insider Brock Huard's QB rankings.  Unlike his Insider colleagues Todd McShay and Mel Kiper, who will be projecting these signal-callers (and all the 2014 draft-eligible prospects) all season long based on their NFL potential, and unlike analysts who are ranking them based on their collegiate performance, Huard is setting out to do a little of both. 

This is the last year of the BCS, and our writers look at its impact on college football:

From Ivan Maisel: The BCS has moved NCAA football forward in a way no system before it could and given it a national stage, but along with exposure comes greater pressure and expectations, which in the end the series couldn't overcome. 

From Mark Schlabach: As we prepare for the final season of the BCS, let's take a look back at its highs and lows. 

From Brian Bennett: Five of the last seven national champions have had at least one loss, and with a playoff looming, going undefeated will be harder than ever. 

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Class of 2014 safety Quincy Wilson won’t be announcing his decision until the first week of August, but he has narrowed his list of schools to Florida, Notre Dame, Ohio State, South Carolina and USC. 

The 6-foot-1, 197-pound standout from Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) University School of Nova South -- whom ESPN ranks as the No.  12 safety in the country -- made that announcement after participating in Florida’s Friday Night Lights one-day camp.  Wilson said he had a good time at Florida Field and spent a lot of time with UF commits Will Grier (Davidson, N.C./Davidson Day), J.C. Jackson (Immokalee, Fla./Immokalee), Dalvin Cook (Miami Central), and Duke Dawson (Cross City, Fla./Dixie County) as well as fellow uncommitted recruit Adoree' Jackson (Gardena, Calif./Junipero Serra), the nation’s No.  5 overall player and No.  2 cornerback. 

BRADENTON, Fla. -- ESPN 150 wide receiver Artavis Scott (Tarpon Springs, Fla./East Lake), as expected, was one of the top wideouts in attendance at the IMG 7v7 Southeast regional championships over the weekend. 

The four-star wide receiver visited Michigan recently and said he enjoyed his experience in Ann Arbor. 

Until a couple of weeks ago, the Oregon Ducks had been looking at three offensive linemen in order to round out their class with one or two more players at that position.  Then two new recruits came into the picture and received offers almost immediately. 

Erik McKinney/ESPN.comESPN 300 OL Cameron Hunt has set up official visits to Oregon, Michigan and California. 

Both of the new offers were big, as one led to a commitment and the other has one of the top players in the West seriously considering the Ducks. 

California commit and Under Armour All-American OL Cameron Hunt (Corona, Calif./Centennial) recently began to explore other options after Cal had a coaching change.  Hunt remains committed to the Bears but is giving a good look to three other programs.  Nebraska, Michigan and Oregon all offered the ESPN 300 prospect within days of Jeff Tedford being let go.  Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer also stopped by the week before Hunt and his Centennial squad took on Concord (Calif.) De La Salle in the state championship game. 

As the Oregon Ducks try to piece together a huge recruiting weekend, one of the rumored visitors was LB Mike Mitchell of Plano (Texas) Prestonwood Christian Academy.  The No.  121 player in the ESPN 150 has the Ducks among his top four schools, along with Ohio State, Oklahoma and Texas A&M. The Ducks currently trail favorite Ohio State, as well as the Sooners and the Aggies, and seem like a long shot.  By Mitchell's own admission, the Ducks are running fourth, but mostly due to the fact that he knows less about them than his other finalists. 

Tom Hauck for ESPN.comContrary to some reports, LB Mike Mitchell won't be visiting Oregon this weekend. 

Mitchell was rumored to be heading to Oregon for an official visit this weekend.  But like so many other potential visitors, Mitchell is focused on the playoffs and will not make the trip to Eugene according to his father, Ken. 

"I'm not sure where that rumor came from really.  He is only focused on football right now.  During the football season it's really just school work and football for Mike," Ken Mitchell said. " I believe he has been in contact with Oregon but he will not be visiting there this weekend or any other weekend until his season is over." 

Trailblazers: Doug Williams And Cardale Jones Conversation Part 2

Jay Harris sits down with Doug Williams, the first African-American QB to win a Super Bowl, and Cardale Jones, the young QB who seemingly came out of nowhere to lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship.