DaytonDailyNews.com

CHICAGO — Ohio State wasn't picked by the media to finish in the top two in the Big Ten preseason poll for the first time since 2001, but the team still managed to rake in its usual individual accolades.

Junior linebacker James Laurinaitis was named preseason defensive player of the year after leading the Buckeyes with 115 tackles and five interceptions last season.

OSU has had either an offensive or defensive preseason player of the year for five straight seasons. Running back Maurice Clarett was picked in 2003 (but never played a down), while linebacker A.J. Hawk earned nods in '04 and '05 and quarterback Troy Smith in '06.

"James made a lot of plays," OSU coach Jim Tressel said. "I'm not sure who votes on that, but he raised awareness for whoever cast ballots.

"He's a good, tough player and deserving of notice. But I'm sure he'd rather be noticed at the end of the season than the beginning."

Michigan was picked as the preseason favorite, followed by Wisconsin and OSU. Only the top three teams in the balloting are revealed.

Point-shaving a concern

The NBA has been rocked by gambling allegations involving one of its referees, and Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany considers the scandal a wake-up call.

"I've always said there's one issue that could bring intercollegiate athletics to its knees, and it's the gambling issue — because it goes right to the heart of the integrity of the game," Delany said.

The Big Ten has safeguards in place to make its sports less vulnerable, including background checks on officials. But Delany said no league is capable of policing all its athletes.

Other topics addressed by Delany:

• Big Ten schools currently test for performance-enhancing drugs, but the conference will also screen 10 percent of athletes each year. First-time offenders will be slapped with a one-year suspension.

• Delany said he regretted that a letter he posted on the league's Web site implied that the SEC has lower admission standards than the Big Ten.

In response to a Chicago newspaper story saying the Big Ten needs to recruit more speed if it wants to compete with the SEC, Delany wrote: "I love speed and the SEC has great speed, especially on the defensive line, but there are appropriate balances when mixing academics and athletics."

Delany backpedaled Tuesday, saying, "We wouldn't be playing the SEC as much as we do if we didn't have great respect for them."

• Delany said the Big Ten is considering an optional bye week in 2009. The season normally ends the Saturday before Thanksgiving, but teams may be allowed to take a week off and play that game after the holiday.

Fitzgerald empathizes

If anyone knows what new Indiana coach Bill Lynch is going through, it's Pat Fitzgerald.

Northwestern was about a month away from fall practice last year when Randy Walker died unexpectedly, forcing Fitzgerald to take over the program — becoming the youngest head coach in the nation at age 32.

Lynch, 53, must replace his mentor, Terry Hoeppner, who died this summer of a brain tumor.

"The book hasn't been written on how you handle these situations," Lynch said. "We're learning as we go."

Fitzgerald was one of the first to call to offer support, and the two talked about making the transition during a round of golf last week.

What the Wildcats learned while finishing 4-8 last season is that the grieving process takes time.

"One thing we did a great job of as coaches and players was communicating with each other," Fitzgerald said. "Our kids communicated verbally when they were struggling."

Badgers have tough stretch

Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema is glad to be playing Ohio State again after a two-year hiatus — just not the week before the Michigan game.

"I'd love to see the computer that spit out Ohio State and Michigan back to back," he said sarcastically. "That's a nice random draw — especially when some teams don't play either one."

Big Ten schools face only eight of 10 conference foes each year, and Iowa and Indiana avoid OSU and Michigan this season.

Carr not talkative

Michigan has gone a combined 0-6 against Ohio State and in bowls the last three years, and coach Lloyd Carr gave a clipped answer when asked what he's going to do to end those late-season swoons.

"I think we're doing the best we can to win every game we play — that's always our goal."

BY THE NUMBERS

8 — Teams that have won or shared a Big Ten football title in the past 10 years

9 — Consecutive wins for Wisconsin entering the season, the highest Big Ten total

11 — First-team All-Big Ten selections who are returning to their teams this fall

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or at dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.