Ohio State Bowl Ban: How Does It Impact Penn State in 2012?

One of Pen State's biggest rivals, Ohio State, was handed a one-year bowl ban as a result of an NCAA investigation Tuesday afternoon. The Buckeyes will be prohibited from postseason play by the NCAA in 2012 as a result of Jim Tressel hiding information form the school and NCAA and players receiving extra benefits dating back to 2010.

So, even if Ohio State puts together the best team in the Big Ten, or at least the Leaders Division, in 2011, the Buckeyes will suffer the same fate USC did this season in the Pac-12 and will be unable to compete for the conference championship.

For Penn State, this could be good news.

For the moment, let's assume that the NCAA investigation currently ongoing for Penn State does not result the same kind of punishment by the NCAA and that Penn State will be eligible for postseason play.

As long as this is the case, then it looks once again as though the biggest threat in the Leaders Division will be Wisconsin, who will be out to defend their Big Ten championship reign for a third-straight year.

Penn State will host Wisconsin and Ohio State. Even though the Buckeyes will be prohibited from postseason play, the head-to-head matchup will carry the same weight as it normally would in the Big Ten standings.

A loss would count as much as a loss to any other team, so the importance of winning that game still remains high.

As for bowl games, the lack of Ohio State benefits everyone in the Big Ten pecking order when it comes time to bowl selection. We saw this year how some bowls shied away from Penn State given the dark cloud flying over the university, and the hope is that a year from now that cloud will dwindle or be removed.

If Penn State does not play for the Big Ten championship, then the odds become very good that they would play in a better bowl destination than the TicketCity Bowl this season.

Penn State in the Gator Bowl? Perhaps the Capital One Bowl?

Clearly it is too much of a stretch to realistically predict bowl slots for the 2012 season now, but with the loss of one of the biggest names and fanbases in the Big Ten ranks like Ohio State, most of the rest of the Big Ten members look to take a step forward with the bowls.

There is some speculation that the NCAA issued a bowl ban on Ohio State for 2012 because they did not follow the example set by Miami, rocked with a damaging investigation of their own.

Miami, despite being bowl-eligible, pulled themselves from bowl consideration, with the idea being that it may lessen the blow handed down by the NCAA when the time comes to learn their likely punishment.

If Ohio State had pulled out of bowl consideration this season, then the Gator Bowl would have had to select another program. We don't know if they would have selected Penn State to play Florida for a second straight bowl season, but the odds would seem pretty good that Penn State would have been playing in a bowl game other than the TicketCity Bowl on Jan. 2.

As for recruiting, Urban Meyer seems to be doing pretty well with his new job at Ohio State hauling in top talent right now, and a one-year bowl ban probably will not have a huge impact on high school seniors this season.

Most of the incoming recruits can still travel to four bowl games if they take a red-shirt year in 2012, so the bowl argument probably won't be very effective from opposing coaches and recruiters, including Penn State.

But if there was ever an importance on signing a new head coach for Penn State, the time is now. Despite a dead period now in effect for recruiting Penn State needs to figure out who will be coaching their team in 2012, in hopes of passing the Buckeyes for at least one more season.

Kevin McGuire is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook and add him to your Google+ circle.