Ohio State thoughts
In Cleveland, you get a fill of moral victories.

Ohio State doesn't have a Cleveland curse. What it did have was back-to-back years of getting whipped in title games. Add that to a miserable showing by the Big Yen in bowl games this year, and Ohio State was playing for respect as much as anything else.

Late in the third quarter, it appeared another drubbing was in the offing. But the Buckeyes battled back. Todd Boeckman and Terrell Pryor combined to lead a 15-point comeback.

But the end was the same -- a loss.

Texas deserved to win. Colt McCoy shredded OSU's defense for most of the game, and when the Buckeyes needed a big stop in the final seconds, they couldn't get it.

OSU got some short term praise for almost winning, but no one will remember that in two weeks. The score is all that remains.

Jim Tressel is a great football coach, but what he has isn't enough to win another national title. Since that seems to be the goal of most Buckeye fans, it seems reasonable to say that any year without a No. 1 standing is a disappointment.

Tressel needs to make a few changes, either in recruiting or in his staff, to reach the final level.

We'll see what happens.