Ohio State Football: How Much a Sanctioned Buckeye Team Affects New Big Ten

It's no secret that Ohio State is in some trouble with the NCAA and we won't know how much until the August 12 meeting in front of the Committee on Infractions.

But the big question is, how much will the Big Ten, arguably the second-toughest conference in the country behind the SEC, be affected by a weakened Ohio State program?

The answer depends on who you ask. But it certainly doesn't help the conference's stock by any stretch.

And unless Nebraska or newly-rejuvenated Michigan steals the spotlight within two years and the NCAA drops the hammer on Ohio State, the answer is that it could be very rough times.

The addition of Nebraska adds another power to some good teams in the midwest including Wisconsin, Michigan State, Iowa and Penn State.

As of right now, Ohio State's future outside of this season is so unpredictable that even Miss Cleo might not be able to say what the future holds.

But the biggest difference with a weakened Ohio State is that the Leaders Division becomes dramatically weaker.

Wisconsin and Penn State would typically be the biggest obstacles to go through for an OSU team to reach the Big Ten Championship Game. But a sanctioned OSU would not only make the Buckeyes worse, it would make the Badgers and Nittany Lions stronger by default.

And among the likely sanctions could be an undetermined loss of scholarships per season if the violations stand as is without further allegations.

But there is no doubt that the biggest winner in the Big Ten if OSU is penalized heavily is Michigan, and there are reasons their fans hope that OSU gets crippled.

The biggest reason is that historically, their best players have come from Ohio, from Charles Woodson to Desmond Howard to Dan Dierdorf. 

And so far, Brady Hoke's first full recruiting cycle includes a pair of talented Ohio prospects in OT Kyle Kalis and DE Tom Strobel.

Now if Ohio State doesn't get the hammer, it's likely one of those two could come back to Columbus, especially when the coaching situation is sorted out.

In other words, Michigan's best chance to rise again quickly is if Ohio State is significantly limited in scholarships for two or three years, and if Urban Meyer or Jon Gruden doesn't become the new coach.

But the biggest thing that can vault the Big Ten to the SEC-level is if Michigan returns to what it was, at worst, in the Lloyd Carr era before the loss to Appalachian State in 2007.

And they do need Ohio State to stay relatively intact. If there is a hit, it can't last for more than two to three years.

If it does, the strength of the conference diminishes significantly and OSU's quest to get back to the top will be that much tougher.

But as much as the Big Ten has needed Michigan to be Michigan again, even with Nebraska, they still need Ohio State to stay where they are, or at worst be a 9-win team for two or three years.

If they sink, it is bad for the reputation of the conference as a whole. 

And for a conference that fancies itself as the top challenger to the SEC as far as depth is concerned, Ohio State's future is very much intertwined with the goals of each individual team in the Big Ten.

But although Jim Delany, much like Mike Slive, is a powerful commissioner who has some plans to modernize college football's rules, he doesn't have any control over Ohio State's fate.

Time is Ohio State's master now. Time, and only time, will tell the immediate tale of the state of the Big Ten as a result of what happens to Ohio State.

For more college football news and updates, visit The BCS Blitz and follow me on Twitter @bielik_tim.