COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Recent history shows no college football program is immune from an extended slump. The mighty have fallen in unprecedented numbers, and last summer, Ohio State appeared doomed to be the next to serve its sentence in the shadows.

Urban Meyer's presence has given the Buckeyes an immediate lift. AP Photo/Jay LaPrete

The previously bulletproof Buckeyes stared down the barrel of NCAA investigators, who were dissecting a series of violations committed by players and, the most egregious, a cover-up committed by former coach Jim Tressel. The man some used to call Teflon Tressel had stepped down under pressure. Luke Fickell, a 37-year-old assistant and former Ohio State lineman who had never served as a head coach, received the unenviable task of guiding the team through choppy waters.

The list of college football brand names enduring downturns has swelled: Miami, Notre Dame, Florida State, Florida, Washington, Nebraska, Michigan and, most recently, USC, to name a few. The reasons vary -- NCAA violations and penalties, coaching changes, poor coaching hires, poor recruiting, poor performance, greater parity in the sport -- but the fundamental theme is that anyone can be brought down. Programs had plummeted because of a lot less than what had transpired at Ohio State.

But the dark clouds above the Woody Hayes Athletic Center didn't linger. Three days after Ohio State completed a 6-6 regular season, its worst in 12 years, the school introduced Urban Meyer, a two-time national championship winner, as its coach. Although more bad news arrived weeks later, when the NCAA surprised Ohio State's brass by handing down a one-year postseason ban for the 2012 season, the sting began dwindling when Meyer introduced a recruiting class that ESPN rated as the best in the Big Ten and the sixth-best nationally. The momentum continues as Meyer and his staff have secured verbal commitments from seven recruits ranked in the ESPN 150 for 2013.

Ohio State's protracted penance has been put on pause, and if Meyer works his magic, the Buckeyes could be back among the nation's elite in '13.

"There are very few programs," Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith told ESPN.com, "that can recover so fast."

What makes Ohio State's situation unique? Smith lists the reasons: history and tradition; a huge athletic department flush with resources; a massive alumni base and fan base; top facilities; a location in a state filled with top high school players. He recites a familiar refrain regarding the NCAA violations, calling them "an isolated, individual mistake with individual people," not indicative of a systematic problem.

A few blemishes couldn't take the shine off the scarlet and gray.

"We're still The Ohio State University, a great brand," Smith said. "It's not a program that's been devastated by the challenges we have. When you can attract a good leader like Urban on a platform like The Ohio State University ... we weren't going to spiral."

It begs the question: Is Ohio State football simply too big to fail?