Our picks for Ohio State football's Mount Rushmore

In case you missed this earlier in the week, we're partnering with the Big Ten Network to help figure out which Ohio State football greats should be on Ohio State's proverbial Mount Rushmore. BTN helped narrow the huge list down to ten candidates, and needs your votes to narrow the field down to their final four, which they will announce on Wednesday, December 17th on BTN at 6 PM Eastern. You can vote below.

But in case you're having trouble making up your mind on who to vote for, the staff here at LGHL has our endorsements. After talking it over as a team, here is who we're voting for:

Archie Griffin

This is probably the biggest no-brainer on the entire list, for nothing other than his crowning achievement, being the only player in college football history to win the prestigious Heisman Trophy not once, but twice, during his illustrious career. Archie. Griffin's teams were extraordinary successful at Ohio State, as his squads won four Big Ten titles in a row, and he became the first player to start four Rose Bowls. Griffin in a College Football Hall of Famer, the first player to ever have his number retired by the university, and beloved by all. In a long line of successful Ohio State running backs, Griffin's legacy is supreme, making him an easy choice for any historical honor.

Plus, while this technically isn't supposed to matter for this voting, Griffin's off the field work for Ohio State makes him one of the most beloved figures in school history. It's hard to think of too many more folks who are more "Ohio State" than Archie Griffin.

Orlando Pace

Pace isn't a flashy skill position player. He didn't score bunches of touchdowns (at least, not directly), but he was one of the most dominant players at his position in all of college football. Pace didn't allow a sack during his last two years at Ohio State, managed to crack the top four in the Heisman vote, (the best showing by an offensive lineman since 1980), and helped bring the term pancake out of the kitchen and into the college football vernacular. Pace went on to win essentially every award a lineman can get in college before becoming the first overall pick in the NFL draft. He's a College Football Hall of Famer too, and deservedly so. Ohio State will crank out more exceptional linemen, but they'll never have another Orlando Pace.

Chris Spielman

Spielman is another example of somebody whose off the field accomplishments and contributions would allow us to make an even stronger case, but what he did while wearing the Scarlet and Gray is more than enough to get him on this list. Spielman is yet another College Football Hall of Famer, and for good reason. He still holds Ohio State's record for solo tackles (283 in his career), and holds the school record for most tackles in a game, with 29 on the biggest of stages, against Michigan in 1986. Spielman was a two time consensus All-American, a Lombardi award winner, and one of the greatest Buckeye defensive players ever. His statistical accomplishments, along with his personality, make him a relatively easy choice as well.

Troy Smith

From here, it gets really tricky. As a staff, we struggled to decide between Smith, Cassidy, George or Tatum, as all would be excellent choices. In the end, we went with Smith, a Heisman winner and one of the greatest QBs in Buckeye history. As a starter, Smith was undefeated against Michigan, including leading a 42-39 win over the No 2 ranked Wolverines to send the Buckeyes to the national championship game. He held the Ohio State passing touchdowns in a season record until J.T. Barrett broke it this season, and is in the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame. Considering what he meant to the Buckeye teams of that era, you can't go wrong voting for Troy.

Ohio State fans have been spoiled for options over the years, and there are plenty other folks on this list would make excellent choices, and maybe even a few who aren't on this list. Let us know who you're voting for, and don't forget to follow BTN for the final results.

Vote here: