Part of Big Ten Week.

Move over Hands Across America, Ohio State is rolling out an early version of the Tunnel of Pride.

For the Buckeyes' season opener against Akron, 1,500-2,000 former Ohio State athletes are going to line the southwest tunnel of Ohio Stadium and show the world that they stand by their football team.

It takes more than a national scandal, a disgraced football coach and a banned quarterback to keep these alums down.

The Tunnel of Pride is usually reserved for Michigan football games, but the alums said they need to let the current Buckeyes know that they're behind them right now.

"First of all, we all love (former coach Jim) Tressel, and as far as I'm concerned, he got shafted because of the actions of (former quarterback Terrelle) Pryor, for one, and a few others," Pandel Savic, 86, who quarterbacked 1949 Big Ten championship team that won the Rose Bowl, told the Columbus Dispatch. "I just don't like the idea of him being let go. I think the world of

The least you should know about the 2011 Nittany Lions. Part of Big Ten Week.

• Never can say goodbye. Joe Paterno is heading into his 46th season with Penn State, and he's not talking retirement. He knows this year's Nittany Lions are going to be a work in progress and could have a tough row to hoe right out of the gate, especially with an unsettled quarterback situation, and he's not about to go out on another mediocre note.

The schedule does not set up nicely. After opening against Indiana State, the Nittany Lions have a brutal test against Alabama. The schedule lightens a bit before a November that includes games against Nebraska, at Ohio State and at Wisconsin.

The Lions have 12 starters returning, but a lot of question marks at major positions, including the offensive and defensive lines, and this can't be stressed enough, quarterback.

While things look rough, it's important to note Penn State hasn't had a losing season since 2004. In fact, last year's 7-6 campaign was the first

Newton_Card 1Is it possible Cam Newton's season at Auburn didn't exist?

No national championship; no Heisman Trophy; no scandal-ridden fall?

Could it all have been made up? Was it a dream that every college football fan had at the exact same time? Is the NCAA in preparation to wipe the 2010 slate clean?

Well, that what Topps wants you to think with its new limited-edition football trading card.

The Cam Newton Red Zone Rookie Autographs card, which was unveiled Thursday on YouTube and went for $499 at auction, shows Newton on the front in a Carolina Panthers uniform and then lists his collegiate stats on the back.

Newton_Card 2The problem? There's no mention of Auburn. The card lists Newton's collegiate career as follows:  A member of the Florida Gators in 2007, 2008, a year stint with Blinn College in 2009, and then back to the Gators in 2010.

If this is true, was the Blinn College year his demotion to the minors before he was called up again?

Topps' printing gaffe is sure to delight all of those who thought

It's never too early to start pimping players for postseason awards.

Forget the fact that camp hasn't even started yet, Hawaii wants you to know who quarterback Bryant Moniz is and is doing so with its "Mighty Mo" video campaign on YouTube.

Warning: If you ever regretted not going to Hawaii for college, don't watch this video. It will just make you sad.

Moniz opens the two-minute spot talking about his love of Hawaii. Then the Hawaii marching band breaks into the "Hawaii Five-O" theme song and we watch Moniz doing all sorts of bodacious Hawaii-like things such as surfing and throwing up the "Hang-10" sign.

We also watch him show why he was the nation's leader in total offense with 367.29 yards per game and total passing yards with 5,040.

It's easy to understand why Hawaii wants to get the word out early on Moniz. Since many of his games are played late Saturday night, few people, especially those on the East Coast, get to watch him play, which is a total bummer. However, if he puts up

The least you should know about the 2011 Cornhuskers. Part of Big Ten Week.

• Blackshirts being Blackshirts. While the Blackshirt title was stripped from the Nebraska defense for awhile, there's no doubt the group has earned it back. A year ago, the Huskers ranked 11th nationally in total defense, ninth in scoring defense and fifth in passing defense. The only defensive category in which Nebraska struggled was rushing defense, where they gave up 153 yards per game. Six of last year's starters are back and Carl Pelini said this could be the best defense he's had during his tenure. The Huskers are three-deep at defensive tackle and two-deep at defensive end and has enough talent at linebacker to keep Big Ten running games quiet. Linebacker Lavonte David, who set the single-season school record last year with 152 tackles.

• You call that a passing game? There were few passing offenses more disappointing than Nebraska's last year. While the Huskers did get back to their rushing roots, the

The highly publicized recruitment of top quarterback Gunner Kiel has come to a shocking conclusion that few saw coming.

Instead of making his mark with a major established program, Kiel has decided to stay close to home and play at Indiana.

Yeah, you read that right, Indiana, a school that has had one winning season in the past 16 years.

"It came down to gut feel and where he felt most comfortable," Kip Kiel, Gunner's father, told the Indianapolis Star. "With Alabama there's obviously a lot of tradition. But coach Wilson has done a great job and there's a lot of excitement in Bloomington right now. I think Gunner felt that."

Kiel is easily the biggest recruit to pledge to the Hoosiers since Antwaan Randle El chose them over several other national offers. The difference is that Randle El ended up in Bloomington because no other school wanted him as a quarterback.

As a junior, Kiel passed for 2,645 yards and 36 touchdowns. He also rushed for 238 yards and seven scores. He's considered

The least you should know about the 2011 Spartans. Part of Big Ten Week.

• We're still here. Don't let Michigan State's 49-7 loss to Alabama fool you. That was the effort of a team that thought it's 11-1 record, complete with a win over Wisconsin, was good enough to secure a BCS bowl bid. It wasn't and the disappointment of being left out of the conversation showed in the Capital One Bowl.

Now, the Spartans have an opportunity to turn that frustration into fulfillment this year as they return a team that will no doubt be in contention for their second consecutive conference title.

2010 was no fluke. After years of scraping by, Michigan State finally put all the pieces together and had their first double-digit win season since going 10-2 in 1999. And now that the Spartans know what winning feels like, they're not turning back.

The Spartans return 12 players, including quarterback Kirk Cousins, who should be one of the top signal callers in the conference. The biggest obstacle to a

After more than 17 years, John Barresi's Big Eight Championship ring has finally been returned to its rightful owner.

Barresi_RingThe ring, which was stolen from the late Oklahoma defensive tackle in 1993, was found on the finger of a truck driver after a routine stop by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

"I feel like I won the lottery," Barresi's wife, Janet, told the Associated Press. "It is of such strong sentimental value to us. It symbolizes the hard work that John did. It's just like a little bit of him being back."

Barresi's ring was stolen during a burglary of his Oklahoma City home in 1993. His 1974 national championship ring also was taken. Barresi died in 2009 never knowing the fate of his championship jewelry.

Luckily for the family, an alert Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper noticed the ring on the finger of a truck driver and started to ask questions.

Trooper Jason McAlister pulled the truck driver over after his taillight had gone out. When McAlister questioned the driver, he noticed