The Front Row

Wow, this pisses me off. Not the fact that they are getting bowl money. But the fact that the NCAA probably thought they were punishing OSU by a bowl ban which would ultimately lose the school money. Actually, as the below article points out, OSU will probably SAVE money by not spending money on tickets, travel, etc. The whole bowl ban is such a joke. What's the point of it? It hurts fans and current players and staff more than anything. If the NCAA legitimately thought OSU would lose money from the bowl game - and that was the reasoning for the bowl ban, and now this comes out - I am beyond pissed.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/43736/buckeyes-will-still-get-2012-bowl-money

By Brian Bennett
The NCAA-imposed 2012 bowl ban won't hurt Ohio State in the pocketbook.

The Associated Press reports that the Buckeyes will still receive their share of the Big Ten bowl payout after next season, even though they are ineligible to play in a postseason game. The Big Ten has no rule against ineligible teams receiving a share of the league's payout, which comes from a common pool and is divided equally among the 12 conference teams.

In fact, Ohio State might end up doing better financially in 2012, because schools often spend so much money on travel, tickets and other expenses on their bowl trips that they are lucky just to break even. This time, the Buckeyes can just sit home, incur no expenses and cash the check.

The school's big financial hit actually came at the end of the 2010 season, as Ohio State voluntarily forfeited its $389,000 share of the Big Ten payout as a self-imposed penalty in response to the NCAA investigation.

The Buckeyes are spending more this season on their staff, too, the Columbus Dispatch reports. Urban Meyer officially completed his staff on Thursday, and the nine assistants are making nearly $1 million more than last season's staff. Former head coach Luke Fickell is the highest-paid assistant, making $750,000 as defensive coordinator. Co-defensive coordinator Everett Withers is next at $450,000, and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tom Herman will make $420,000.

The Dispatch reports that Ohio State's staff now would rank fifth nationally in pay, based on last fall's salary database compiled by USA Today.