Imrem: Ohio State rules them all in Big Ten
When Big Ten football really did have 10 teams, Ohio State and Michigan were the Big Two and the others were the Little Eight.
Now OSU is the Big One and the rest of the expanded conference is the Little 13.
How else can you assess the Buckeyes' 24-0 conference record during Urban Meyer's three seasons in Columbus?
Judging by Wednesday's national signing day, the Buckeyes won't lose a conference game the remainder of this decade.
Actually, smart money is November of 2025.
Ohio State signed a Top 10 class, and according to most analysts no other Big Ten school was close.
It's the old saying that Ohio State recruits prep All-Americans and other teams in the league recruit all-staters.
Meyer isn't planning to graduate to the NFL - "not right now," as he puts it - but other Big Ten schools should pray and maybe even pay to be rid of him sooner than later.
The closest a Little 13 team came to beating Ohio State the past three seasons was Penn State's double-overtime loss in 2014 … a fluke if ever there was one.
Now that the Buckeyes beat Alabama and Oregon to win the first College Football Playoff, the rest of the Big Ten has no chance against them during the next handful or couple handfuls or few handfuls of years.
Meyer promised his players that he would get a tattoo if they won the national championship. Heck, he might look like Dennis Rodman by the time he leaves Columbus.
The Little 13 are basking in the glory of a 4-5 record during the 2014 bowl season.
Big deal. The Big One is surging so far ahead that the rest of the conference might as well be puppies chasing an Indy car down the street.
With Urban Andretti behind the wheel.
Which one of those pups is capable of catching Ohio State in our lifetimes? Can't think of one, can you?
Start with the traditional national powers: Jim Harbaugh will need time to rebuild Michigan; Penn State only now is beginning to recover from the Jerry Sandusky scandal; Nebraska is adjusting to another new coach.
Current challengers Michigan State and Wisconsin have upsides lower than OSU's upside, especially with Meyer still in the league.
The rest - Northwestern, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland and so on - good luck to them.
The scary aspect to all this is that Meyer had to steer Ohio State out from under its own restrictive probation left over from the Jim Tressel era.
This national championship was serendipitous in a way, a season before its time, a young roster rallying behind a third-string quarterback to go on a magical run.
Ohio State likely will begin next season ranked a legitimate national No. 1 and favored to repeat as CFP champions.
The Big One is going to get bigger. With the exposure Ohio State received the past few weeks and will receive the next few seasons, recruits will line up to become Buckeyes. (Some might even learn what a Buckeye is before leaving Columbus for the NFL.)
OSU always has been the Big Ten school with the best chance to reach the level of the SEC's premier teams. Ohio State benefits from the combination of a talent-rich state for high school football and network connections to recruit nationally.
Now the Buckeyes have Urban Meyer aggressively - even ruthlessly - pursuing top recruits.
Better make that 2030 before the Big One loses a Big Ten game to a Little 13 opponent.
mimrem@dailyherald.com