CHICAGO -- Ohio State will face one of its toughest tests of the season without its best defensive player and three talented receivers.
The Buckeyes suspended All-America defensive end Joey Bosa, receiver Corey Smith and H-backs Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson for their opening game at Virginia Tech because of unspecified violation of athletic department policies.
"Violation of team policies," Buckeyes Coach Urban Meyer said Thursday at Big Ten media days. "That's as far as I'll go."
Meyer did say the violations had nothing to do with players breaking any laws. He said he has known for a while that the suspensions were coming and that he is "100 percent supportive" of the policies.
Ohio State opens its season Labor Day night, Sept. 7, in Blacksburg, Va., looking to avenge a 35-21 loss to the Hokies. The Buckeyes have won 13 consecutive since.
"We're pushing forward," Meyer said. "We're playing an extremely talented team on the road in a tough environment."
Bosa had 13 1/2 sacks as a sophomore and enters his junior year as one of the top NFL prospects in college football.
Meyer said the Buckeyes will look toward sophomore Jalyn Holmes and redshirt freshmen Sam Hubbard and Darius Slade to help pick up the slack for Bosa.
Marshall was second on the team in receptions as a freshman with 38 and was also the team's best punt returner.
Wilson and Smith combined for 41 catches for 555 yards.
The Buckeyes were ranked No. 1 in the preseason coaches' USA Today poll released Thursday and are likely to be top-ranked in The Associated Press preseason Top 25 when it is released Aug. 23.
ILLINOIS
Coach: Focus on future
CHICAGO -- Illinois Coach Tim Beckman said he is concentrating on moving forward, while speaking to reporters for the first time since the university launched an investigation into claims of player mistreatment.
"You handle it," Beckman said Thursday at Big Ten media day in Chicago. "You focus on the future. You focus on the current football team. You respect what other people might be saying, but you focus on making this team better."
Beckman is entering his fourth season at Illinois with a 12-25 record and his job is widely considered in jeopardy without a winning season. But off-the-field allegations have dogged him this offseason as well.
Illinois hired a private law firm in Chicago to investigate claims by former offensive lineman Simon Cvijanovic of being forced to play while injured. Other players said they also were forced to play while hurt and were threatened with the loss of scholarship, while Beckman faces allegations of physically confronting two players.
Beckman dodged the most specific questions about the claims while speaking for nearly 12 minutes from a podium. He reiterated that he and the players remain focused on the 2015 opener Sept. 4 against Kent State.
Players were always welcome to discuss issues with him, he said.
"That's why our players, if there is any issue whatsoever they are having, that door is always open and we are there to help them," he said.
Beckman said the topic of the allegations has not arisen with recruits.
"People understand this is a quality education, and they understand this program is moving forward and has become better and better each year," he said.
UCLA
Back to business
BURBANK, Calif. -- After a tumultuous offseason at UCLA, Coach Jim Mora and the Bruins are eager to get back to football.
The Bruins were in the news for all the wrong reasons in recent months, from the suspension and reinstatement of offensive line coach Adrian Klemm to the arrest of incoming freshman Soso Jamabo in Texas.
But for all of the accompanying media spotlight, nothing compared to hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs' arrest for an alleged fight with assistant strength coach Sal Alosi in the UCLA weight room last month. Diddy, the father of defensive back Justin Combs, is still waiting to hear whether he'll face misdemeanor charges.
Mora provided no revelations about the incident Thursday at the first day of the Pac-12's football media days. While declining several invitations to discuss the dust-up, Mora confirmed Justin Combs is still on the team heading into his junior year, saying the Bruins "have had no changes to our roster."
"Well, really nothing has changed," center Jake Brendel said. "It's just been business as usual, really. We got a new lock on the weight room, but that's it."
PAC-12
Commissioner: No expansion
BURBANK, Calif. -- Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott envisions fierce competition, Heisman Trophy challengers and national championship bids for his loaded football conference in the next few years.
Scott doesn't expect any new members, however.
"I do not see us expanding in the foreseeable future," Scott said Thursday while opening the Pac-12's media days. "We are delighted with 12 schools. It's worked exceedingly well for us."
Scott projected optimism and contentment at Warner Bros. Studios as the Pac-12 heads into its 100-year anniversary celebration. He believes the league is gaining the national respect it deserves, and he is optimistic that AT&T's merger with DirecTV will allow the Pac-12 Networks to increase its distribution to a less embarrassing portion of the nation.
But the conference hasn't expanded since adding Utah and Colorado before the 2011 season, and it won't be putting out the welcome mat soon. After considering additional expansion in previous years, particularly when the Big 12 appeared to be on the verge of disintegration, Scott now believes the current format provides an optimal balance of tough league games and nonconference opportunities.
"As a 12-team conference playing nine conference games, this is an interesting distinction between us and some other conferences," Scott said. "This is why I'm confident standing up and saying no one has got a tougher schedule than the Pac-12, and the Pac-12 champion has got the toughest road, because there aren't many misses that you can have within your conference."
Sports on 07/31/2015