End Zone: OSU 9-06

9/6/2012

For the bowl representatives in gaudy blazers who crash college press boxes ostensibly in a scouting capacity, Ohio State's game against Central Florida at Ohio Stadium does not exist.

Kind of like the accomplishments Knights coach George O'Leary once listed on his resume.

There is reason for the rest of us to watch this Ineligibowl between two teams banned from the postseason because of NCAA infractions.

I suspect this game will tell us if the No. 14 Buckeyes are for real or a slightly improved knockoff of last year's team. After their season-opening rout of Miami (Ohio), coach Urban Meyer warned the Knights are a "whole different animal."

Led by O'Leary, who lost his dream job at Notre Dame five days after he was hired in 2001 for lying on his resume, Central Florida poses Ohio State's most heavyweight nonconference test. Literally. The Knights routed Akron 56-14 and are considered a fringe top-25 team, with size and athleticism up front belying their Conference USA affiliation. Guru Phil Steele picked them to finish 15th nationally as the top non-BCS team.

It is the first true measuring stick of the Meyer Era. If the Buckeyes dust UCF, write them down for at least nine wins. Struggle, and they'll want to borrow a page from O'Leary and rewrite history.