Why is this news?: A look at projected Big Ten stipends, Raekwon McMillan has most to prove

"Also know this: Schools with a higher 'cost of attendance' figure to use it as a recruiting tool. Heck, Jones of Pennlive.com says Penn State coach James Franklin is on record recently as saying the stipend is definitely a recruiting factor. (Man, I love Franklin.) So, will coaches at schools with a low stipend lobby their athletic directors to increase it? You betcha, is my guess. Urban Meyer probably is knocking on Gene Smith's door as I type this."

- Tom Dienhart, BTN.com

A list of hypothetical stipends for Big Ten schools surfaced on Tuesday, when BTN.com aggregated a list originally projected by PennLive. A student-athlete's stipend would also depend on which school they attend, including in-state and out-of-state tuition fees. Based off the list, Penn State can offer players a $4,788 stipend, which is the highest in the conference. Wisconsin is the only other school that is above $4,000 with a $4,265 stipend. From there, the numbers drop off quite a bit.

Ohio State ranks as the eighth-highest school as far as how much the school is able to offer, with a $2,454 stipend. The lowest in the Big Ten goes to Michigan State, which offers a $1,872 to players. As the quote from the article says above, it is possible for this to be used as a recruiting tool, so I have to agree with Dienhart in that it won't be long until coaches are lobbying their athletic directors to shell out more money for the players' stipend.

"Ohio State LB Raekwon McMillan: The jewel of Ohio State's 2014 recruiting class stepped into the fire last season and had respectable results (54 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, one interception). He now must take on a bigger role as Ohio State has a hole to fill at middle linebacker and undoubtedly sees McMillan, a freakish athlete, as the future."

- Adam Rittenberg, ESPN

ESPN is continuing their spring previews across the college football landscape, and for the Big Ten, the latest piece asks which Big Ten players have the most to prove in 2015. For Ohio State, sophomore linebacker Raekwon McMillan was the player chosen for the most to prove, and I think I can agree with that. Earning some time as a true freshman last season, McMillan fought for the starting middle linebacker spot against Curtis Grant, but couldn't quite overcome Grant's improved play. McMillan was still impressive during the times he was in, showing a glimpse of what could be a very bright future at Ohio State.

This season, middle linebacker is McMillan's to lose. If he plays as well as he did when he was on the field last season, there shouldn't be much trouble. Alongside Joshua Perry and Darron Lee, McMillan won't have to worry about shouldering the load, but instead gets a chance to shine from the start as opposing teams try to figure out how to attack this Buckeye defense.

"We'll admit we're not quite as impressed with Ohio State's resume as many bracket folks -- including our own Joe Lunardi, but others too -- seem to be."

- Eamonn Brennan, ESPN

The latest bubble watch was released, and Ohio State found themselves in a better spot than they have been all season. The top of the conference remains the same, as Wisconsin and Maryland have locked in a spot in the NCAA tournament. Now, however, the Buckeyes have been upgraded to the "teams that should be in" category, which is a step up from the "work left to do" category. Ohio State is joined by Michigan State and Iowa in teams that should be in, while Indiana, Purdue, and Illinois still have work left to do to make the NCAA tournament.

Currently, the Buckeyes are listed as a 7-seed in the West for the NCAA tournament in Joe Lunardi's Bracketology, which has them playing a 10-seed in their first game, which is currently N.C. State. If they were to win, Ohio State would have to face either 2-seed Arizona or 15-seed New Mexico State in the next round. It's almost tournament time and as we draw closer, we'll get more of a clearer picture where Ohio State will be placed in the bracket.

"At least 14 cities are considering whether to bid for the 2018, 2019 or 2020 College Football Playoff championship games, sources told ESPN."

- Brett McMurphy, ESPN

Cities are starting to place their bids to earn the right to host the College Football Playoff national championship game for the next couple of seasons. Of the 14 cities, seven already have decided to bid. Atlanta; Charlotte; Jacksonville, Florida; South Florida; Minneapolis and San Antonio will bid, according to ESPN, while the Associated Press reported that Santa Clara, California, also will bid.

While the first championship was held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, between Ohio State and Oregon, the next two title games have been awarded to Glendale, Arizona, and Tampa, Florida. Arlington still isn't sure if they'll try for the the next round of title game bids, but officials from both Arizona and Tampa said they would not bid on the next three title games.

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