Oregon vs. Ohio State: Who's Getting the More Serious NCAA Sanctions?

In 2010, Oregon and Ohio State got together, playing against each other in the Rose Bowl. Fast forward to today, and these teams are once again being linked but for something much more serious. While Auburn fans had to endure a few months of scrutiny, other fans sat back and were thankful it was not them. The time for sitting back for Oregon and Ohio State fans is over.

After an offseason that would make most cringe, the Oregon Ducks bounced back from their Rose Bowl loss and off-field issues to go undefeated and land in the BCS National Championship Game. The 2010 season showed that the Ducks had character and resolve and that they were certainly a program that was looking to reach elite status.

Ohio State has continued to cruise along, picking up Big Ten title after Big Ten title. The Buckeyes are beginning to shake the label of not being able to win the big BCS games. In 2010, Ohio State captured a Rose Bowl victory over Oregon, and this year, they were able to secure a hard-fought victory over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl.

Coming into the 2011 season, these two teams could not have a more different outlook on the field and off the field. While one team ended the year on a loss and the other a victory, both ended on a negative note.

Oregon fought hard but ended up watching Auburn kick a field goal with no time left to win the National Championship. The upside for Oregon is they return most of the big pieces to their title run, including Heisman finalist LaMichael James and sophomore phenom Darron Thomas. With the talent that Oregon is returning, they could easily find themselves returning to the title game.

Ohio State ended the year with a victory, but also the realization that they would be without four star players, including quarterback Terrelle Pryor, for the first five games of the 2011 season.

While the first five weeks include games against Akron, Toledo and Colorado, they also have to travel to play Miami and host Michigan State in their Big Ten opener. For a team that has a goal of a National Championship every year, this will be a stressful five week stretch.

The problems these teams may or may not face on the field are currently being overshadowed by the issues they are running into off the field. Both teams are in the media crosshairs but for very different reasons that should also yield very different results.

Oregon looked to enter the offseason and move past their last second defeat for the national championship. In the past few weeks, reports have begun to leak out that Oregon has paid for two recruiting services that have ties with recruits that have landed at Oregon.

The more concerning part of this story was assumed to be the $25,000 payment Oregon made to Will Lyles, owner of Complete Scouting Services. While it was originally reported that many teams use these types of services but at a small fraction of the price, it has later come out that these prices are not that unreasonable considering Oregon paid for a 22-state package.

Not only does the issue of price seem to be less and less of a shock, reports are now starting to come out that other teams used the same service and landed recruits with ties to Lyles. LSU is the most recent team to be pointed at, and there are rumors surfacing that a power in the Big 12 has also used Lyles recruiting service.

When looking at serious recruiting violations, it is best to report on the side of truth and fact. Oregon has had no issue passing over the invoice for payment as well as admitting all actions were approved through their compliance office.

They are also currently complying with any requests made by the NCAA for further information. For the time being, the only thing Oregon can be accused of based off of facts is using a man who has a sketchy background while still working within the NCAA guidelines.

On almost the other side of the country, Ohio State is weeding through an entirely different mess. Major players on the Ohio State football team were found to have sold memorabilia and jerseys in exchange for cash or trade, an NCAA violation.

This error in judgment led to a five game suspension for all players involved. Just when OSU fans might have thought this was a dead issue, more information has come to the surface which could cause further and more serious damage.

Reports have come out that OSU head coach Jim Tressel was made aware of the actions of his players months before they became public knowledge and chose to keep that information private. To make things worse, the man involved with buying or trading for these items is also involved in a federal investigation.

Jim Tressel and Ohio State have already held a press conference to acknowledge the mistake but followed it up with a laughable two game suspension against the talents of Akron and Toledo. Since that press conference, OSU has upgraded the suspension to five games to match the players involved. The NCAA is starting to dive deeper into this issue and could face serious sanctions for this incident.

While both teams face possible issues in their future, when looking at the facts as they are, it would be hard to argue against the idea that Ohio State is in more serious trouble. Ohio State has already admitted to the violations and offered the suggestion of a two-game suspension for Tressel. With one violation already on the books, the NCAA will look to dig deeper.

Out on the west coast, Oregon, on the surface, played in a grey area but still was within NCAA regulations. While the NCAA may choose to look into this matter further, the crux of the issue will come down to what Oregon got for $25,000.

If Oregon can produce video tape highlights, names, information and more, they can prove the validity for the cost, without it they could have some explaining to do. Ultimately, I expect that the result from this, especially with more and more teams being linked to these types of services, will be the NCAA needing to approve certain services.

While the season is still five months away, the Ducks and Bucks cannot wait for the focus to go from off the field issues, to on the field performance. The one thing we know for sure is that these investigations can turn on a moments notice. In the meantime, Oregon and Ohio State fans will continue to check under their beds, in their closets and keep a light on to make sure that the NCAA boogeyman is not waiting for them.