Below The Beltway

Stewart Mandel profiles the Ohio State Coach on the eve of his second trip to the National Championship Game, and it’s clear that the key to his success isn’t just a bunch of lucky breaks:
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Sitting in the front row of stands at University of Phoenix Stadium on Friday, Ohio State offensive coordinator [...]

The Ohio State Buckeyes aren’t the only Ohio team playing in a bowl game this weekend, but you wouldn’t know it:
ATHENS, Ohio ? The Bobcats have waited 38 years for this, but now, as their moment arrives, the shadow of the state?s biggest school is stretching to this southeastern Ohio campus.
In Mobile, Ala., on Sunday, [...]

If the Ohio State Buckeyes win the National Championship on Monday, Head Coach Jim Tressel stands to benefit financially:
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — If top-ranked Ohio State beats Florida to win the national championship on Monday night, coach Jim Tressel will likely get a lot richer.
Tressel’s current contract specifies he can begin negotiations on a new [...]

The Washington Post profiles Troy Smith, who hopes to avoid the fate of previous Heisman winners who’ve made it the National Championship Game:
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 3 — All season long, Troy Smith has been the unflappable face of top-ranked Ohio State. His leadership and nearly flawless performances in the Buckeyes’ most significant games helped the [...]

This is just funny. In anticipation of Monday’s BCS Championship matchup between the Buckeyes and Florida Gators, some Ohio retailers are stocking up on alligator meat:
NEW YORK (AP) — Some Ohio stores are stocking up on alligator meat in anticipation of demand from Ohio State fans planning pregame feasts for Monday’s championship between the top-ranked [...]

The New York Times has an interesting, if not entirely sympathetic, article about Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel on the eve of the BCS Championship Game next week.
COLUMBUS, Ohio ? Jim Tressel?s six years of coaching Ohio State have presented a jarring contrast of Ozzie and Harriet virtue and Ozzy Osbourne excess.
If the top-ranked Buckeyes [...]

The Rose Bowl this year features a match-up between two also-rans in the race for the BCS Championship:
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Dec. 31 ? Even Chad Henne, the Michigan quarterback, called this year?s Rose Bowl ?almost like a consolation match.? And Henne is as enthusiastic as anyone about Monday?s game between the Wolverines and Southern California [...]

In light of the success of the Ohio State Buckeyes this year, your new dollar bill will look like this:

Heh

From The Onion:
COLUMBUS, OH?In what many BCS officials are citing as “proof that their flawless system indeed works,” no Division 1-A college football team was found to possess the sheer excellence required to face Ohio State, the No. 1 ranked team since the season began, in this year’s BCS Championship game.
“The main job of the [...]