Cincinnati hired Ohio State defensive coordinator Luke Fickell as its head coach, turning to the Buckeye state native to re-establish a program that has slipped in recent years.He agreed to a six-year deal on Saturday, pending approval from the board of trustees. Hell continue to coach the Buckeyes through the playoffs.Few have invested as much time and effort and passion into Ohio State and its football program than Luke, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said. We all knew this day was coming.Fickell, a former Ohio State defensive lineman from Columbus, has been a coach with the Buckeyes since 2002. He spent one season as head coach in 2011, taking over after Jim Tressel was fired during the offseason and going 6-7.When Meyer came to Ohio State in 2012, Fickell was retained and has been part of a staff that has won a national title and two Big Ten championships.Im not going to stand up here and promise you wins and championships, but I am going to promise you that we are going to put a product on the field that you will be proud to call your own, Fickell said at a news conference .Fickell replaces Tommy Tuberville, who stepped down after four seasons at Cincinnati. The Bearcats went 4-8 this season and 29-22 under Tuberville.Cincinnati had five double-digit victory seasons in a six-year span (2007-12) under former coaches Brian Kelly and Butch Jones.Under Tuberville, Cincinnati won nine games in each of his first two seasons, but then dropped to just 11 total victories in the final two seasons.His extensive ties to the state of Ohio, experience at a championship-level program in Ohio State, ability to evaluate and develop talent, energy and leadership are all qualities which set him apart, Cincinnati athletic director Mike Bohn said of Fickell.The 43-year-old Fickell has shared the defensive coordinator role the past three years, first with Chris Ash and this season with Greg Schiano.Since 2005, defenses coached by Fickell at Ohio State have ranked among the top 40 in the country in yards allowed per play every year, averaging a ranking of No. 17. The Buckeyes are ranked No. 3 in the nation this season.Fickells one season as head coach came under difficult circumstances. Tressel was fired for lying to NCAA investigators and the school about violations involving players trading memorabilia and gear for tattoos and cash.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP---More college football coverage http://collegefootball.ap.org/ Packers Jerseys 2020 . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. Fake Packers Jerseys . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. https://www.packersjerseysale.com/ .com) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer were easy first-round winners Tuesday at the Australian Open. Custom Green Bay Packers Jerseys . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break. Cheap Packers Jerseys . The Dutchmans tenure got off to a poor start when referee Guido Winkmann awarded a penalty within two minutes for Niklas Starks clumsy challenge on Alexandru Maxim. This story is part of ESPN The Magazines Oct. 31 NBA Preview Issue. Subscribe today!Detroit LionsOverall: 112 Title track: 119 Ownership: 89 Coaching: 103 Players: 115 Fan relations: 117 Affordability:?95 Stadium experience: 112 Bang for the buck:?43 Change from last year:?-23For years now, the Detroit Lions have been toward the bottom of these rankings. Most of it has to do with the years -- decades, really -- of losing. They have had two of the best players in NFL history, and both retired close to their prime with only one sniff of a chance at a Super Bowl between them. They are a franchise that has shown loyalty to their front-office employees, sometimes to a fault. While some of that is changing, with new leadership in owner Martha Ford, team president Rod Wood and GM Bob Quinn, it is way too soon to tell the long-term effects of their presence with the franchise.Whats goodNFL tickets are usually pretty pricey, but if you can deal with the losing and the fact that youre watching a team that is unlikely to reach the playoffs on a yearly basis, Detroits average ticket price of $79.16 is not a bad deal, explaining a 43rd-place ranking in bang for the buck. The amenities inside the stadium, from Slows BBQ to gear that can only be purchased inside Ford Field, are good. Theres a zip line outside, a somewhat horrific looking Big Blue Donut to eat inside, and Detroit has cheerleaders now for the first time in decades. Its worth taking a game in at the stadium -- so long as youre not banking on a Lions win.dddddddddddd.Whats badA title track ranking of 119th -- better only than the Browns in the NFL -- isnt exactly a surprise. The Lions are really no closer to winning a title this season than they were last season, or most any season since Barry Sanders retired. Its a franchise that hangs banners to celebrate playoff appearances and has won one playoff game in the Super Bowl era ... 25 years ago. The Lions have hired people with winning pedigrees, including Quinn, but the combination of the roster and the coaching is not there yet. With Quinn, the goal is to actually compete for a championship. Making the playoffs consistently and winning a playoff game first would be a start.Whats newAfter the Lions hired Quinn, they decided to keep Jim Caldwell for the 2016 season. The coordinators, Jim Bob Cooter and Teryl Austin, are the same. Not much changed with the coaching staff other than a new running backs coach, David Walker. So this 41-spot drop in coaching -- all the way to 103rd -- really comes down to how much you believe in Caldwell and whether he is more the coach that went 11-5 in his first season or 7-9 in his second one. Hes clearly on the warm-to-hot seat this season, and if Detroit doesnt do well, it could be searching for a new coach in 2017.Next: San Diego Chargers?| Full rankings ' ' '