With the NFL's conference championship games coming up this weekend, a slew of former Buckeyes are making noise in the playoffs. Perhaps none more so, both on and off the field, than Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Eli Apple.

Following the Bengals' 27-10 win over the Buffalo Bills under the snowfall in Orchard Park last weekend, a game in which Apple was instrumental in slowing the Bills' typically high-octane pass attack, the former OSU DB took a long victory lap on Twitter.

Leaning into the flack Apple caught for his social media smack talk, Apple's mother, Annie Apple, turned the whole matter into a charitable cause.

Apple's fellow Bengal and former Buckeye quarterback Joe Burrow is making plenty of noise on the field in his own right. And in case anyone was still wondering where the Athens native stands on whether or not Ohio State fans have a right to claim the LSU national champion, we'll just leave this right here:

One Bosa brother was knocked out of the playoffs in the wild card round as the Los Angeles Chargers crumpled in the second half to concede a victory to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Jan. 14. But that didn't stop Joey Bosa from supporting his younger brother as Nick Bosa helped lead the San Francisco 49ers past the Dallas Cowboys last weekend en route to a spot in the NFC Championship Game. 

Back in the college ranks, Michigan star running back Blake Corum reportedly had his tricked-out, camo-colored Camaro stolen from a parking lot in Ann Arbor. While some assumed the eye-catching vehicle came into Corum's possession through NIL sponsorships, he said his parents actually bought him the car after graduating high school.

In another Michigan-related news, the man who helped deliver the Wolverines' first rivalry win in 10 years – and essentially called Ohio State soft afterward – was fired after one year as Miami's offensive coordinator. 

We doubt many Buckeye fans will be too broken up about it.

The Ohio State men's basketball team has fallen on hard times this month, but if there's one ray of sunshine for the program, it's got to be the continued excellence of its star freshman. Brice Sensabaugh started the week by earning his fourth Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor of the season.

If you're searching for more feel-good stories in the Buckeye program amid its recent string of losses, look no further. Cincinnati native and former OSU walk-on Owen Spencer earned a surprise scholarship from the Buckeye coaching staff following its win over Iowa last Saturday.

Now back to the bad news for the BasketBucks. To add insult to injury amid its six losses in the past seven games, KenPom's analytics placed Ohio State as the unluckiest team in the country following its latest defeat.

Even the women's basketball team, which started the season with a program-record 19 straight wins, has now lost its last two games in a row. But there's a palpable excitement around Kevin McGuff and company nonetheless, as evidenced by the sell-out crowd at the Schottenstein Center for Monday's matchup with Iowa.

Both Ohio State's men's and women's swim and dive teams made some history last Saturday as they captured dual meet wins against Michigan. For the women, it was their first-ever win in Ann Arbor, and the men had their first since 1951.

Add the wrestling team to the list of Ohio State squads to knock off its archrival over the past week, as the Buckeyes picked up their first win in Ann Arbor in four years on Friday.

Chris Olave didn't just put up impressive numbers on the field in his rookie year in the NFL. The former Buckeye wideout also spread his wealth around his native California, as documented by his brother, Isiah Olave.

Highly-touted wideout prospect and 2023 Buckeye signee Brandon Inniss hasn't even enrolled at Ohio State yet, but the four-star wideout already has his sights set on a college career that will make him draft-eligible after just three seasons.

And speaking of Olave, Inniss isn't ruling out the possibility of returning for a fourth season – not that his first has even begun.

Paris Johnson Jr. is headed to this April's NFL draft, but his mother announced on Twitter that the Buckeye left tackle is continuing his education at Ohio State as a grad student.