Ohio state sanctions : Ohio State Receives 1-Year Bowl Ban, Ohio State football will learn the penalties from a year-long NCAA investigation Tuesday afternoon.

The NCAA committee on infractions will hand down its final sanctions against the Buckeyes' program at 3 p.m. Five players were suspended last Dec. 23 for the first five games of the season for accepting cash and tattoos from the owner of a tattoo parlor. Coach Jim Tressel was eventually forced to resign for knowing about the violations, but never reporting them to his superiors, then playing the athletes throughout the 2010 season when it looked like the Buckeyes had a chance to win the national title.

Tressel likely will receive a "show-cause" charge, meaning any university wishing to hire him will need to make a strong case to the NCAA. NCAA investigators later uncovered two more violations involving Buckeyes players accepting improper benefits, each time leading to suspensions. The NCAA has tagged Ohio State with a "failure to monitor" charge - the second-most serious charge it can levy against an institution - in light of the additional violations. Ohio State has offered to vacate the 2010 season, return its share of bowl money, go on probation and have minor recruiting restrictions, costing it five scholarships over the next three years. The NCAA could add to those penalties, possibly piling on more recruiting restrictions or even a bowl ban.

The Buckeyes struggled through a 6-6 season this season under interim coach Luke Fickell. They wll play Florida on Jan. 2 in the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl.

Interestingly, new coach Urban Meyer, who was hired last month, has said he was given indications - but no promises - that the penalties would not be severe.

"I just did a lot of research. I contacted people outside of Ohio State before I accepted the position and I wanted to hear from some trusted people that I have within the NCAA and other people who dealt directly with the NCAA," Meyer said. "It came back - I wouldn't use the word 'assurance,' because who knows? - but when you start talking about the overall integrity of the institution, it's a positive. There were some mistakes made that were serious. I haven't had any assurance about what's going to happen."

This will be a litmus test on whether the NCAA is serious about reform or just offering lip service.

Athletic officials at USC, who saw their program decimated with four years of probation, the loss of 30 scholarships over three years and a two year post-season ban plus forfeits of an entire year's games for improper benefits to Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush dating back to the 2004 season, will be particularly interested in the outcome. USC was penalized for the same lack of institutional control.