An early look at the Big Ten: Ohio State

The Ohio State Buckeyes

Location: Columbus, Ohio

Distance from Lincoln: 817 miles

Best way to get there: There are several different connecting flights from both Omaha and Lincoln that will get you to Columbus, otherwise the driving distance is about 13 hours.

Offensive scheme: Multiple

Defensive scheme: 4-3

Rivals.com past recruiting rankings: No. 25 (2010), No. 3 (2009), No. 4 (2008) and No. 15 (2007).

The Buckeyes have 17 total commitments, eight of which are four stars and nine that are three stars.

Nebraska's history against Ohio State

Nebraska and Ohio State have not played one another in over 50 years. The schools have met just twice, with OSU winning both meetings in 1955 and 1956. It's pretty hard to believe NU and Ohio State have never cross paths since then.

Why this game could be a potential rivalry

First and foremost Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini is a former Buckeye captain that played for both Earl Bruce and John Cooper from 1987 to 1990. This alone will make the game special for Pelini and Husker fans.

Both Bo and Carl Pelini, along with running backs coach Tim Beck are also from Youngstown, Ohio, giving this game even more of a rivalry feel for the coaching staff.

Even without this angle, NU and OSU are very similar programs with proud traditions that include national championships, Heisman Trophy winners, legendary coaches and big time stadiums. There's no question this game will immediately become one of the best match-ups in the Big Ten once these two schools begin meeting on a regular basis. Especially if this becomes a regular match-up in the Big Ten championship game.

Stars to watch for in 2011

Ohio State will lose four starters on offense and seven on defense from their 2010 team when Nebraska enters the Big Ten.

However, the big question will be if quarterback Terrelle Pryor will enter the NFL draft after his junior season. If Pryor comes back to Columbus in 2011 for his senior year, OSU should be a national championship contender again.

OSU will return a solid core of offensive linemen in 2011, including Mike Adams, J.B. Shugarts and Michael Brewster. There's no question they are the class of the Big Ten right now.