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What's brewing today with

the Ohio State Buckeyes:

Buckeyes buzz

They call him "The Senator" but he's staying clear of political candidates.

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said he's frequently asked to back candidates for public office. But he has continued a policy set when he came to Columbus and declines to speak out on individual races.

"When it comes to political endorsements about candidates, it's out of bounds," he said on Thursday. "About causes, I've been on mental retardation levy campaigns and school levies, you know, things I believe in. I have a belief in certain causes and I'm a part of education. So I feel strongly about endorsing those or lending support, just like someone who pounds a sign in the front yard."

He added, "When it comes to candidacy and that type of a thing, I think that would be stretching from an ethical standpoint what I should do."

Tressel also said there's one thing that really annoys him about election time.

"Get rid of those commercials," he said of the constant bombardment of advertising, mostly negative, on television. "You watch a game and I hate to say it, but whew, it's amazing."

Trailing in another poll

According to the NCAA Graduation Rates Report released earlier this month, Texas Tech was No. 1 in terms of the graduation rate for football players the past four years among Top 25 teams.

Texas Tech, No. 6 in the AP poll, graduated 78 percent of its 2001-2002 freshman class. The national Division I average is 56 percent. Penn State was tied for second with North Carolina, a point back at 77 percent.

If you're wondering where Ohio State stands, the Buckeyes were not among the 16 teams listed in an NCAA release. Ohio State's football graduation success rate is 52 percent — 25 points worse than the team it lost to on Saturday night.