Why is this news?: Cousineau & Otis denied, keeping Braxton healthy, OHSAA rule change

Tom Cousineau and Jim Otis not selected for 2014 College Football Hall of Fame class.

-College Football Hall of Fame

The 2014 College Football Hall of Fame class was announced Thursday, and while they were nominees, linebacker Tom Cousineau and running back Jim Otis didn't make the final cut. Among those selected there were two former Big Ten players, Purdue defensive tackle Dave Butz and Penn State linebacker Shane Conlan, along with other notable names such as Derrick Thomas, Willie Roaf, Dre Bly, Tony Boselli, and LaDainian Tomlinson. The two former Ohio State standouts were looking to add to the 30 Buckeyes already enshrined in the hall of fame.

Cousineau is one of the best linebackers in Ohio State history, registering a school record 211 tackles in 1978, as well as 569 career tackles, which ranks second in Ohio State history. The Lakewood, Ohio native was taken first overall by the Buffalo Bills in the 1979 draft, but chose to start his career with the Montreal Alouettes before making his NFL debut with the Cleveland Browns in 1982.

Running back Jim Otis played for the Buckeyes from 1967 to 1969 and led Ohio State in rushing in each of those years. In 1969 Otis was named a first-team All-American and finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting. For his career Otis ranks second all-time in rushing yards in Ohio State history and played in the NFL from 1970 to 1978.

"Ohio State has obvious concerns elsewhere, especially as it tries to stabilize the back end of its defense, but none are more pressing than making sure that Miller stays in the lineup and is healthy enough to play at full capacity."

-Matt Brown, Sports on Earth

While it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out just how important Braxton Miller is to Ohio State's hopes of earning a bid to the inaugural NCAA Football Playoff, Matt Brown (no, not our Matt Brown) of Sportsonearth.com takes a look at what lies ahead for Miller this coming season. With the losses of Carlos Hyde and four of the five starters on the offensive line, Miller will see some new faces when he leads the team out to take on Navy in late August.

Luckily for Miller is he has Urban Meyer as his coach so it's not like the Buckeyes are rebuilding, but more like reloading. With the addition of Alabama offensive line transfer Chad Lindsay, as well as Ezekial Elliott and Dontre' Wilson entering their sophomore seasons, he won't have to do it all himself. Going into his senior season, Miller ranks first among active quarterbacks and fifth among all players with 557 career rushing attempts. Last year Ohio State had the luxury of having backup quarterback Kenny Guiton for the time that Miller missed, but with Guiton graduating it is even more imperative that Miller be able to stay healthy. With no margin foe error in not only his Heisman hopes, but also Ohio State's dreams of a national title, you know the coaching staff is preaching to Miller just how important his presence and senior leadership on the field will be.

"The downtown was so much more vibrant and happening than I expected it to be."

- Desiree Friedman, USA Track and Field

Over the past few years downtown Columbus has hosted a number of big events, but now they are angling for more. In early 2015 Columbus will finally host the NHL All Star Game, after it was cancelled by the NHL lockout in 2013, as well as the second and third rounds of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

But those events are just a couple what the city of Columbus is hoping to entice to the capital city. In early June the Association of Chief Executives for Sport will hold their annual meetings. ACES will bring in chief executives from around 30 sports governing bodies, with some of the notable organizations being represented include USA Volleyball, U.S. Equestrian Federation, USA Gymnastics, and USA Basketball. The meetings will hopefully showcase Columbus and make it a desired destination for some of those organizations.

Columbus has already thrown their hat in the ring for the NCAA Women's Final Four along with cities such as Dallas, Houston, Pittsburgh, Tampa, Nashville, and New Orleans. In the fall the NCAA will announce the sites for the 2017-2020 Women's Final Fours. While residents, and those that have visited Columbus and the downtown area, already know how much the downtown area has going on, the rest of the country is starting to notice as well.

"Lopsided games aren't good for anybody. The risk of injury goes up, and it can be a tense situation for coaches and players."

-Beau Rugg, OHSAA assistant commissioner in charge of officiating

High school football games in Ohio will have a new rule this fall that will try and cut down on injuries in blowouts. In the second half when a team is winning by 30 or more points the only times the game clock will stop is on a team or official timeout, at the end of a quarter, and after a score. If the score dips below a 30-point margin then normal timing rules will resume.

This will be beneficial in protecting players on the field from possible serious injuries when games are well in hand. Also in games where there is a serious talent discrepancy this will help to speed up the games where there is no doubt in the result. Now if we could only get that rule enacted for all Purdue games regardless of the score.

STICK TO SPORTS:

• "I'm innocent, Roll Tide" . Now if only Urban Meyer could take credit for something called "Operation Urban Strike".
• Betty White and Jack Hanna opened a new section of the Columbus Zoo earlier today.
• Not that we needed it, but here is another reason to root against Mexico in the World Cup . They outlawed fun during the competition.