Daily Bears Report 12/21: THE Ohio State = Bulletproof. NCAA = Gutless.

I've been somewhat under the weather the last few days, so I'm sure you've noticed the lack of content. That, my friends, is about to change! Let's get into the links first, though. We'll begin with the biggest next from yesterday in college athletics, the NCAA deciding to slap Ohio State on the wrist rather than actually dole out a meaningful punishment. That the NCAA went so easy on Ohio State after having been so hard on USC demonstrates that the NCAA doesn't really care about enforcement of the rules at all, it cares about pride. Ohio State complied with the NCAA, didn't fight what they were trying to do, and was rewarded for that. USC didn't and was punished. The lesson? Bend over and take your medicine, schools, or the NCAA will make an example of you.

• Ohio State Buckeyes football penalties include bowl ban - ESPN- The bowl ban is the only arguably harsh measure since it keeps Ohio State from possibly playing for the B1G Championship, but schools almost always lose money on bowls anyway, so this isn't that big of a deal. Recruiting won't change for Urban Meyer (who is allowed to run a second shadow staff specifically for recruiting while the first staff prepares for the bowl game) and after one year, things will basically be back to normal. The 3 schollies per year won't really change anything either except 3 guys who probably weren't going to play anyway now won't get their school paid for.
• While we're on the topic, let me say that I think the entire premise of the "you're punishing people now for what others did back then!" argument is ridiculous. You both are and you're not. You are in the sense that many of the people that were responsible for the prior conduct have been fired (like Tressel, who received a 5-year show cause for his role in the debacle), but you're not in the sense that it ultimately is incumbent upon the school and its administrators to make sure that their athletic programs play by the rules. The line of thinking that says its unfair to punish people now for what others did in the past leads to the point where a guy like Tressel gets rightfully fired for what he did but the school gets to keep all of the benefits with no cost. Tressel and the players involved are the scapegoats and THE Ohio State University keeps on keeping on. The next time something happens they do exactly the same thing, keep the ill-gotten rewards and nobody is the wiser. That obviously can't be allowed to happen.
  
• Ohio State? Nothing to see there, USC fans! - College Football Nation Blog - ESPN - I really can't say it any better than this guy did, so I won't. USC fans should be irate that their program received such steeper penalties than Ohio State's when OSU's violations were almost certainly worse. Once again, it's about the pride of the NCAA. Consistency and logic are secondary to everyone knowing who butters the bread.
• 2012 NFL Mock Draft - Quarterbacks rule in Todd McShay's initial first-round projection - ESPN - That link doesn't show anything pertinent to Baylor unless you have Insider, but this one does...
• Draft Watch: McShay's first mock is up - NFC East Blog - ESPN - I would rage so hard. And then cry. And then rage some more. And then cry even harder.
  
• NCAA College Basketball Preview - St. Mary's Gaels at Baylor Bears - Dec 22, 2011 - CBSSports.com - Go Baylor! Beat the ... Gaels ...? All I know about St. Mary's is that they had that one big guy who played the 4 two years ago. And Josh Lomers dominated them.
  
• The Baptist Standard :: The Newsmagazine of Texas Baptists - Baylor University releases draft of strategic plan. Whatever. I found it interesting. If only because I just found out there is such a thing as a "Newsmagazine of Texas Baptists."
• Updated 2012 Big 12 recruiting scorecard - Texas Longhorns Blog - ESPN - Ugg.
• College Basketball Rumors - Rumor Central - NCAA - ESPN - Don't have Insider, but Pras clipped it, so I post it. It's Pavlovian, almost.
• Big 12: Preseason polls vs. final finish - Dallas Colleges Blog - ESPN Dallas - Ubby Ubbs takes a look at how the preseason Big XII football polls worked out. NOT SO GREAT FOR YOU, TEXAS A&M.
  
• CBB - Despite success, lingering questions for Indiana, Baylor, Pitt - ESPN - Again, don't have Insider. Says Baylor in the title, though, so I imagine it's interesting.
• Chad Ford's Top 100 - ESPN - Kinda wish I had Insider right about now.
• Big Ten No. 1, Summit League makes leap - College Basketball Nation Blog - ESPN
• NBA Draft - Perry Jones III claims the No. 2 spot among top 100 prospects - ESPN - Really wishing now.