Here is how it happened:
After Maurice Clarrett shared with the world the crazy cheating that goes on in Columbus, the NCAA searched for evidence. Ohio State had become so good at covering up their tracks from years of boosters hiding their corruption in clever ways the NCAA was unable to find anything of substance.
Under normal circumstances, a player’s word about improper benefits would probably be enough, however Maurice Clarrett’s “unique” off-the-field incidents made him just a tad less trustworthy than O.J. Simpson.
With that in mind, the NCAA starting tapping the phones of all people involved with “one of the: Ohio State University Football teams (in this case the Columbus branch). They wanted to hear what they said, hoping to get leads, hoping they would slip up.
Courtesy of the fine people at the NCAA I have managed to piece together the conversations that led to “one of” the Ohio State Universities (the one in Columbus) paying the University of Cincinnati $1 million to move their 2012 meeting from Cincinnati to Columbus.
Their hope was to avoid the ass-beating that was bound to ensue. I doubt it will work, but here is how everything transpired.
A Worried Nancy Zimpher Calls Some Old Friends in Columbus:
Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee: NZ, to what do I owe this great pleasure?
Nancy: Gordo, it’s been too long. Honestly, I hate to call under this kind of circumstance, but I have been doing some thinking. You remember my original plan to sabotage UC sports?
Gordon: Yes, it’s been working wonders for the basketball program, but you’ve got some trouble brewing in football. Who would have thought that pushing Michigan State to hire Dantonio would have been the end?
I know you don’t know much about football, but how could you let them get Brian Kelly? Have you been pushing for him to take other jobs?
Nancy: So far I’ve pushed, but nothing's come. Nebraska wanted to talk to him among other schools. Brian seems intent on making this team a winner. That is why I am calling.
If Brian Kelly is the coach of the University of Cincinnati in 2012, I can conceive of no way the Buckeyes can get out of Cincinnati with a victory. You need to consider calling off the game.
Gordon: Is it that serious, NZ?
Nancy:
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3 months ago
That's pretty bad that they are willing to pay so much to avoid playing Cincinnati, but at least Ohio State is challenging themselves against USC.
3 months ago
So the Bearcats were willing to take a bribe to avoid getting their asses kicked. What else is new?
Do your parents know where you are tonight?
from 3 months ago
joe, did you even read the article? Being a suckeye fan you probably can't read. my bad. Also, you shiftless idiots, the conversations in this article are fictional, a satirical view of the ultimate manhater Nancy Z. and and the continuing cowardice in Ohio State Bitcheye scheduling. I could put together a team of my buddies and beat half the teams Ohio Skank plays.
3 months ago
Cincinnati football rides the coattails of its basketball program into a BCS conference, and all of a sudden they are "big time" and "deserve" peer status with Ohio State. Doesn't make sense to me. As much as I'd like to see it, Ohio State doesn't "owe" Cincinnati anything, and doesn't "need" Cincinnati for anything. Why help an irrelevant program 90 miles away in its quest to become relevant?
3 months ago
The very comment about needing anybody misses the entire point. Ohio State signed a contract to come play at Paul Brown Stadium and then backed out. They payed what they owed for that, but it was still a Bush League move.
It has nothing to do with deserving, or being big time. It has everything to do with what would be a great game, what build exposure... etc. OSU is missing a great opportunity, because they are two stubborn and have an enormous suppiority complex...that simple.
Louisville and Kentucky play, Michigan and Michigan State play, Purdue and Notre Dame play, Tennessee and Vanderbilt play, Illinois and Missouri play (though not same state that is a border war). Florida/Florida State play, Florida/Miami play, Georgia/Georgia tech play. Kentucky did not want to play Louisville in basketball...they were eventually forced into. Now they would never not playing.
UC does not need OSU just as OSU does not need UC. UC has scheduled home and homes with Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, Purdue, Miami, Oregon State, etc. It is not a matter of needing to play OSU... it simply comes down to the fact that the opportunity is there to make it an awesome game that the state would love (and trust me as UC continues to move forward as a BCS program the state will love it). But just like in Basketball OSU is too full of themselves to see it.
from 3 months ago
Now you're repeating the same erroneous UC talking point that seemingly their entire fan base buys into. Ohio State did not "back out" of anything. Ohio State followed the letter of the contract that they (and Cincinnati) signed. UC granted Ohio State a buyout opportunity, and Ohio State exercised it. Call it bush league all you want, it doesn't make it so. And if UC could do the same thing to get an extra home game - you better believe they'd do it. You're only setting yourself up to be called an outright hypocrite when UC eventually and inevitably does the same thing to a lesser program like Miami OH or Marshall or something.
As far as building exposure...try to take off your UC-colored glasses for a second. Does OSU really need more exposure in Ohio? Can they actually get more exposure than they already get? Any game with UC in Cincinnati benefits Cincinnati two million times more than it benefits OSU.
And like I said - I want to see this game happen every year. But I understand OSU's perspective.
3 months ago
Defend it however you want... They backed out. Yes they were contractually allowed to, but it was a Bush League move designed to avoid a tough road game in place of a home cup cake.
What did I say about building exposure? I said it would be an awesome game that both fan bases could get excited about (and ultimately would..though OSU would see it as less relevant at first)... No one is saying OSU did not follow the letter of the contract..just that they wimped out.
Who cares who it benefits more? It would be a cool game to have every year. It certainly would not hurt OSU.
from 3 months ago
I guess we'll just agree to disagree on whether or not it's "bush league". They made a business decision, first and foremost. I'm sure you're well aware of how much revenue OSU generates in just one home game. It will be interesting to see if the shoe is ever on the other foot, and if you start referring to your own program as a "bush league" program.
As far as exposure building, I thought you wrote that the game would be great and build exposure in your previous response...in fact you did, but maybe you just meant it in a different context. My point is, build exposure for whom? UC, that's who. I'm pretty sure that everyone in the state of Ohio has been plenty exposed to OSU in their lifetime.
Good luck in Norman.
3 months ago
Mark, get a grip. Your auguments are slanted and without substance. You are arguing too much with your heart and not your mind. UC gave OSU an option to play the 2012 game in Columbus. Why? Because they were interested in getting the financial incentive to go to Columbus. Let's see, Nippert Stadium with a 35,000 seat capacity, or rent Paul Brown with a 65,000 seats (less rental costs), or Ohio Stadium with capacity at 106,000+ and higher average ticket prices than you will ever see in Cincinnati. It is a no brainer.
Before you start thumping your chest, let UC become a common fixture in the top 20 each year, let them consistently schedule and knock off top 20 teams and make a BCS bowl or two. Let them participate in a post season bowl game where more than 5,000 of their fans actually attend (sure UC sold close to 10,000 tickets to the PapaJohns Bowl this year, but how many of them actually attended, and how many people bought the tickets to support your program but stayed home?)! You want to know why the Fiesta Bowl is dying to get OSU every year? It's because they can count on getting AT LEAST 40,000 OSU fans traveling 2,000 miles, selling out their hotel rooms and filling their restaurants and bars, and dropping a bundle of $'s in their local economy each year. The Bearcats have the making of an excellent program with the potential of competing with the Big Dogs year-in and year-out. Time will tell, but a couple of decent seasons does not a dynasty make. Take the $1,000,000 from OSU, build your practice fields, build your fan base so that you can actually afford to build a Big Time stadium that you will need to fund a top program, THEN AND ONLY THEN can you start thumping your chest at OSU!
3 months ago
Who is thumping anyone's chest?
The article was tounge and cheek... UC would have loved to play OSU down here as was in the contract, but OSU decided they did not want to risk it. So it goes. I have confidence in UC and Brian Kelly but all Bearcat fans realize we have a while to go to become a consistently good team. OSU fans need to relax. Your school inexplicably is afraid to come play in Cincinnati. So it goes.
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