Running back Roderick Smith of Fort Wayne (Harding), Ind., yesterday became the seventh commitment to Ohio State's 2010 recruiting class. Smith, who was being sought by almost every school in the Big Ten, including Michigan State and Michigan, committed to coach Jim Tressel during an unofficial visit to the football facility. A member of the ESPNU 150 watch list, Smith -- 6 feet 2 and 220 pounds -- is considered "a potential early impact player" by recruiting analyst Bill Kurelic because of his combination of power and speed. Smith rushed for more than 1,200 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.
¢ Florida State officials say it's unfair to take wins off the individual records of football coach Bobby Bowden and other coaches and athletes who had no role in an academic cheating scandal.
In an appeal to the NCAA, the university argued that a proposal to strip the school, its coaches and athletes of victories in several sports is too harsh and should be reversed.
If not, the penalty would cost Bowden up to 14 wins. Taking that many victories off his record would give Bowden little chance of catching Penn State's Joe Paterno as major college football's winningest coach. Paterno has 383 wins, just one more than Bowden, who is entering his 34th season at Florida State.