Recruiting, winter conditioning, spring practice the spring game…..  then what?  Buckeyes fans, basking in the glow of 14-0, are going to be in for some serious withdrawal.  After the championship thrill ride of last season, we only had to go 32 days until our next fix, which came on February 5th, in the form of national letter of intent day.  Initially, due to the low volume of the recruiting class, that seemed weak as NA beer.  Not the high powered juice we were used to.  Tress came to the rescue, though, and explained his theory of speed, big speed and power guys, and that we seemed well-stocked in all catogories.  Buzz retained.  Reports of winter conditioning, and views of Tress accepting hardware various coach of the year only slowed the onset of  the  chills and shaking of withdrawal.  Maybe, methadone to bridge the gap.  Arena Football…. Tried it, but it was too like watching Purdue play Texas Tech every week.  Flag football with weird helmets(check out the helmets of the Iowa Barnstormers). NFL Europe?  42 guys on a team, each caring only about getting to the NFL and not one bit about the game, the score or their team.  Reminds me way too much of the Cooper era.   Where have you gone Ken Yon Rambo?  Baseball is good for naps on summer afternoons. On April 26 came the double dip of watching our departing heroes in the NFL draft and our future icons perform in the spring game.  Then came the problem.  Four months and four days until the Washington game.  Three months until fall camp. Where will we get our next fix?  How can we feed the habit?  Are we really expected to go the months of May, June, July without Buckeye football?  Betty Ford had better start painting a wing scarlet and gray.   Maybe it is time to go to the meeting and say “My name is Mike and I am an addict”.  However, about the time they start telling me about a 12 step program though, my mind races ahead to the 12 game regular season next fall.  If we can just get by the Huskies and NC State, we should roll til we get to Madison.  I don’t think this is exactly kicking the habit.  Speaking of kicking, Nugent is back, but wait, who will fill amazing shoe of Andy Groom?   BJ has looked good, but can he handle the pressure.  I’m starting to shake again.  Who will the new leaders be?  How can I make it through the summer? I could search for the humility I lost in Tempe.    Maybe if I could just watch some game films from last year.    Wait, I need exercise, anyway, so I can work on my national championship swagger .  I could catalog my treasure trove of national championship memorabilia.    I could finally get that national championship tattoo.  But wait, who will replace Wilhelm and his absolute gift for making big stops.  Who will be the emotional leader?  Can Mo C.’s legs out run his mouth.  What about his shoulder?  Didn’t he really need surgery? Will I be proven wrong and we will actually miss Donnie Nickey?  Will a year of experience make the O-line better or just older?  If anything happens to Krenzel, how long will we go with McMullen?  Will other teams learn from Miami’s experience and hold us on every play. My mind is racing and my palms are sweating.

Speaking of sweating, think what this off-season is like in some other places.  In Ann Arbor, Lloyd Carr is reminding everyone that he is doing just fine in his big rivalry game.  After all he has beaten Michigan State one year in a row.  He has is trying to convince people that having John Navarre back is a good thing.  In Miami, Brett Romberg is looking for someone he can actually block as well as a job.  Hey Brent! Think french fries. Barry Alvarez is looking to add a bail bondsman to his staff. Joe Paterno is just looking….. at something… and drooling a bit.  Alabama is hoping they can get a coach to stay long enough to actually coach a game.  Iowa is looking forward to playing Michigan again almost as much as we are.  The Hawks are also looking for a bag of miracles,  which they’ll need when they come to the Shoe on October 18th for the Craig James Bowl.  Gerry DiNardo, in Bloomington, is yearning for the good old days of the XFL and when LSU fans wanted to burn his house down.  The teams left in the Big East are looking like fat girls at a junior high dance. Most of the SEC is either on probation or under investigation.  Bobby Bowden has his QB on trial for gambling and his son under indictment for embezzling from, among others, Bobby himself.  In another sunshine state mishap, Ron Zook broke his leg water skiing. The boat was driven by some disgruntled alums who were later overheard discussing the fine line between water skiing and trolling for alligators.  And don’t worry about the Washington Huskies, by August 30 their coaching situation will have resolved itself,…..you can bet on it.  I must admit while I don’t like Neuhisel’s chances in Columbus on August 30, but I know where I’m going for advice when I fill out my NCAA brackets next March.

 All in all, Columbus is a pretty good place to be.  We can relax and get a tan from the glow of our championship.  We can think of a gold pants hat trick.  We can shop for the college football preview magazines and count whether Krenzel or Clarrett has more covers.   Ah yes, a summer of gloating and strutting. Of hearing the words “Defending National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes” uttered in every preview.

Life is good, and August 30 is now only 83 days away.