Spring practice is always a time to look forward to the upcoming season, learn who some of the new players are and more important than anything else, pray that nothing bad happens.

The Buckeyes did not even make it out of their first practice before running back Master Teague's status went from available to unavailable and it appears that it will be a somewhat lengthy absence for a player who was supposed to step into a starting role in 2020.

Now, the details are still kind of sketchy and Ohio State certainly is not looking to put much out there but what we do know is that he won't be part of spring ball and from talking to Kevin Wilson earlier this week, this looks like something that will go up to the start of the season, but there is reason to be optimistic that it won't cost Teague the season.

So after that roaring start, let's jump into our weekly column. In this week's edition of the 3-2-1 brought to you by our friends at Hague Water Conditioning, we take a look at the start of spring practice. We also take a look at the Ohio State men's basketball team as they are on the eve of their Senior Day and coming down to the wire in the Big Ten basketball season and we get angry about Ohio's current unwillingness to install spring football on the high school level.

1 - Teague forced to the sidelines

Master Teague must be a lot tougher than anyone thought or Ohio State is incredible at keeping things on the hush-hush with most of the Ohio State media beat in attendance at the practice where the Ohio State running back was injured and falling into the unavailable category.

Nobody on the coaching staff had named Teague the starter, being the guy to fill the void left by the departure of JK Dobbins, but it seemed as if it was just a matter of time. That doesn't mean that Steele Chambers was not going to fight for the spot, but with Marcus Crowley injured as well, set to miss spring and likely a good portion of the summer, the position was there for the taking for Teague and his 2019 season of 789 yards, and four scores on 135 carries as Dobbins' primary back-up.

Of course as the news started to trickle out about a prolonged absence by Teague, Buckeye Nation immediately started to try and figure out who was next up, what this meant for 2020 and who was going to run the ball against Oregon in week two.

This news is less than 72 hours old and when we are talking about an injury on a "months" timeline rather than "weeks" or "days" there is plenty of time to sort through everything and figure things out.

Firstly, you have to feel bad for Teague as everything was finally starting to shape up for the Murfreesboro (Tenn.) product, a member of a two-back class that seemed to be more of the afterthought to Ohio State fans with the higher-regarded Brian Snead in the same class. Snead is now in the JUCO ranks after things did not work out at Ohio State and the quiet Teague really moved into that next man up role.

Knowing what we do about Teague however, this setback may make him even more dangerous when he does return to the field. And that is a WHEN and not IF. We are not going to play the whole 'underdog story' here with Teague but it seems to fit in a lot of regards. Teague wanted that Ohio State offer when he was still a recruit and had to fight and earn it. We have seen players like that including former receiver Terry McLaurin and things worked out pretty well for him.

That does not mean that Teague is set to be a day two NFL draftee all of a sudden and one of the biggest surprises in the NFL out of the rookie class. But these two young man have a lot in common about being action first types of players and not ones to announce their presence, knowing that their deeds will speak so much louder than anything they could ever say would.

So just keep Teague in your thoughts as he will have a significant rehab of some sort awaiting him as he gets himself right after he is medically able to go down that path. The Spring Game may look more like a Pac-12 game with all of its passing than a typical Big Ten game with the Buckeyes being down to one-ish scholarship backs (yes, it is just a matter of time for Demario McCall to move back to the position, at least in the interim).

But this won't be some sort of season-defining catastrophe. Better March than August. And even if it were August, we heard a story about a team that lost its starting quarterback in fall camp, had to go to a bit of an unknown quantity...

2 - Buckeyes continue to navigate tough schedule

The Big Ten schedule has been a blessing and a curse for teams so far this season. A 20-game schedule against the deepest and most unpredictable competition has created a race that will produce a champion with no fewer than six conference losses.

If the winner of the league stays at six losses and therefore has a 14-6 record, that means the champion of the league will have won only 70-percent of their league games. Where I come from, that is a C-minus, but we know that this Big Ten season needs to be graded on the steepest of curves.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Buckeyes were up to No. 15 in the NET rankings (click here to see updated rankings after Wednesday night action) and somehow the No. 2 team in the league by this one metric.

As we know, the NET is not the only determining factor when it comes to what the NCAA Selection Committee looks at when they sequester themselves into an Indianapolis hotel and hopefully do a better job than their College Football Playoff counterparts do in determining teams that are worthy of vying for a national championship, and who is left out on the bubble and beyond.

With the cannibalistic nature of the Big Ten, there are not as many teams ranked in the human polls as you would expect out of a league that should send 10 teams to the Big Dance, but Ohio State certainly has faced about as tough of a stretch as possible since bouncing back from a dismal January, and Ohio State will have to end the year against a pair of ranked teams with Illinois checking in at No. 23 and then Michigan State at No. 16, in their building no less.

Make no mistake, the Buckeyes are a lock to make the NCAA Tournament field, even if the team were to lose these two games and their first game in the Big Ten Tourney. But you certainly don't want to go into the NCAA Tournament with a three-game losing streak. Sure, only one team per conference is going to come in with a winning streak by nature of the conference tournaments, but three might be a little much to overcome.

The Buckeyes and the Fighting Illini are close to one another in the human polls, just a few spots away, but are almost 20 spots away from one another in the NET rankings. When you look at the Big Ten standings, the Illini are vying for a Big Ten regular season championship while the Buckeyes are on the wrong side of the cut-line for the potential double-bye in the tourney. Again, it just goes to show the weird nature of this season to date.

Look no further than Indiana to show how unpredictable this season has been with the Hoosiers sitting at 9-10 in league play but still very much in the conversation for playing their way into the NCAA Tournament.

At this point it is just important for the Buckeyes to continue making shots, keeping everyone healthy and not picking up any bad habits down the stretch. A couple more wins would be great for the NCAA seed line but we have seen this Ohio State team turn it on when need be (outside of January) and they are going to prove to be a tough out and whoever is set to potentially draw them will be all-in for stumping for the Buckeyes to get bounced in the first round as Ohio State will prove to be about as tough of an out as any team in the field of 68.

3 - Spring football coming?

For being one of the biggest talent producing states in the nation and a state that is known for having some of the highest level of high school football, it is still strange that Ohio does not have any sort of spring football practice while many other states do.

Sure, the weather in Ohio is unpredictable, it is not uncommon to have snow well into April on the odd year or temperature swings of 30 or 40 degrees within 24- 48 hours.

But it does not change the fact that the state of Ohio is woefully behind many other states with his resistance to adopting some sort of period for high school football teams to work together under the supervision of coaches before everyone goes their separate ways in the summer.

It should come as little surprise that college coaches would like to see something in place. As it stands now, Ohio State coaches are on the road during the evaluation period to states that DO have spring practice, checking out athletes and having a chance to see how players are developing and such. Coaches that recruit the state of Ohio would like to have the opportunity to spend some of that time within the state of Ohio, checking out various programs and keeping tabs on players throughout the state.

"I think I made it public that I proposed a five-day spring practice schedule or practice for high schools," Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said earlier this week. "And they're in the process of kind of voting on that. And hopefully we can get that passed as soon as possible because I do think it matters and I do think it's good for the state of Ohio to evaluate these guys whether it's Ohio State or any colleges, but also for the development of football players throughout the state."

While this has been held up by the membership of the OHSAA, the argument has been made that the ban on spring activities is in place to protect spring sports and to 'encourage' athletes to play multiple sports while in high school. Ohio State, for one, has always placed a premium on multi-sport stars and has never given any sort of indication that it is only interested in football-only athletes.

Other arguments have been made about the cost of catastrophic insurance for more days of football activities, the fact that it opens athletes up to more days of contact and because of that the potential for more serious injuries and the fact that many coaches who are involved with football are also involved with spring sports.

While some validity could be given to a couple of those arguments, it really comes down to an 'old guard' of coaches that just have been used to doing things one way and their resistance to changing how things should operate, even at the detriment of their athletes.

Kentucky has spring practice. So does Indiana. Both states have arguable seen a rise in terms of their depth of talent in the recruiting ranks. Indiana will always be known as a basketball state but more and more players are picking football and going on to play in college on full rides.

Many states have a two-week window for spring practice and Day's proposal is only for five days, a nice entry point into catching up with other states. There are still enough days on the calendar to make things fit without gutting other sports that are in their championship weeks by this point of the year.

As more of the 'old guard' hits retirement age, it is not a matter of 'if' but rather 'when' the state of Ohio will adopt spring practice. But even one player not getting the opportunity to maximize his high school football experience and have the shot of playing at the next level is one too many. It is time to stop this foolishness and outdated mentality and time to bring spring football to Ohio.

1 - Portal watching?

We have already talked about it earlier this week, does Ohio State need to really keep an eye on the portal this offseason? Ohio State currently sits at 86 on the count of 85 toward scholarships according to our unofficial count and that count is without a decision being known for C.J. Saunders, who is hoping to return for a 6th year of eligibility this season, a decision that may drag out until April.

With some unforeseen depth in the secondary with a couple of dismissals before the start of spring practice and then an injury to Master Teague, do the Buckeyes have to look at the NCAA Transfer Portal for more than one position?

As it stands now, Ohio State will have to shed at least one player off the roster to get to 85, with no portal movement. Two, if Saunders is granted a 6th year and returns to Ohio State.

Obviously things worked out well in terms of transfers with the additions of Jonah Jackson (graduate transfer) and Justin Fields (traditional transfer- granted immediate waiver). But now that the NCAA has decided to tackle the transfer eligibility rule and a potential one-time transfer could be granted to all players, but an effective date is still in the air, it limits some of the options as fans are quick to point out where the Buckeyes might need to add bodies.

Head coach Ryan Day was asked about the portal, with no position being mentioned, prior to the news of Teague's injury leaking out and even at that point, admitted that the numbers are quite tight for the Buckeyes.

"We're pretty full right now, but you always have to look at it and be a part of it," Day said. "I think that it's changed. I think probably even three to four years ago it was almost like taboo to talk about something like that. But that's the way things are going. So you always have to keep an eye on it."

We won't known an answer on this one for some time, but it is something worth keeping an eye on.

2 - Familiar season finale at Michigan State?

The Buckeyes will end the season playing Michigan State, as we had mentioned before. If it feels like the Buckeyes end the season all the time against the Spartans, that is not entirely true, but it sure does feel that way. Why is that?

Of course the Buckeyes ended their Big Ten Tournament last season with a loss to the Spartans, but that does not count when looking at the regular season. But beyond that, Ohio State and Michigan State have ended the regular season with one another three times in the last 10 years.

Strangely enough, the Buckeyes are 2-1 in those three meetings, dropping the 2016 game at Michigan State, in a stretch where the Buckeyes would drop three games to the Spartans in a 17-day stretch due to a scheduling anomaly. All three games were decided by an average of 17 points in Michigan State's favor and that is about all we want to say about that one.

The two teams played in Columbus to end the 2014 season, Aaron Craft's home finale with the Buckeyes. Ohio State would hold Michigan State scoreless for the final 4:30 of the game as Craft would have 12 points and LaQuinton Ross would have 22 to power the Buckeyes to the 69-67 win, with Ross hitting the tying bucket at the 3:48 mark and then the two teams combining for just two points the rest of the way, each coming on Ohio State free throws (Amir Williams and Craft).

The third time was the end of the 2012 season when William Buford buried a dagger in the Spartans at the Breslin Center with less than a second left in the game.

Ohio State would get a share of the Big Ten championship, but would lose to the Spartans in the Big Ten Tournament championship game. Ohio State would go on to make it to the national semifinals in New Orleans, before falling to Kansas.

Now, the Buckeyes can go for the third time in 10 years for the win, the second in East Lansing. But they have to get past Illinois first.

Okay, as of the time that I am writing this, Ohio State is a 6.5-point favorite over the visiting Illini, but let's not forget that Illinois is in the mix fighting for a Big Ten Championship.

Illinois has won four-in-a-row but only one of those games honestly were against an upper-division team with a great win at Penn State to start the streak. This streak is on the heels of a four-game losing streak by the Illini as well.

After that win at Penn State? Wins versus Nebraska, at Northwestern and then a one-point win over Indiana in Champaign (Ill.).

Sure, Ohio State is playing with a dangerously thin bench, if we had to guess we would not expect to see Kyle Young in this game. But Ohio State had the same roster and beat the visiting Wolverines of Michigan by 14 points.

The emotion of senior night, the way that Ohio State has been playing as of late in winning eight of its last 10, we like Ohio State to not only beat the Illini but to double the line in this one. Ohio State 76 Illinois 63