Grad - the only significant question you left hanging was where the rigors of admission for SA entry at Ohio State stack up against those for the other member institutions of the Big Ten.
It is worth clarifying for bucksfan79 that, due to APR, and the resulting change in SA recruiting, it is nearly impossible to state what schools are adopting freer entry and which are more close doored (and why).
Taking the last issued APR data might seem like a good read on what went on in the past - but that is also it's weakness, it is the past. The current APR data is really a moving average you see. So it gives a score computed from the progress rate to graduation from classes beginning with '03-04. Now, not to knock any particular group, but we know that there were more likely to be some SAs in the group that should have graduated in 03 and 04 who were academic casualties. They were in admitted to campus under the previous, Cooper, administration.
That said, one thing we can glean is that Ohio State became more selective after Tressel arrived, and certainly became more careful with SA recruiting early in Tressel's tenure.
The proof is in better classroom performance, the proof is in an improving APR - which is happening in the face of a high rate of early departure to the Professional Leagues.
Now, other schools do have higher APR scores from th latest data than does Ohio State. Some, like Northwestern, have certainly taken significant care to ensure a close match with the academic rigors on their campus - even if it means a weaker showing on the field. Northwestern's APR is also boosted by the realtively low rate of early departure for the Professional Leagues.
Then there are other schools that consistently show a lagging and problematic APR, the Spartans are close to that cusp being below the 925 cut-off, as is the University of Minnesota and, most surprisingly Purdue. It probably isn't an exaggeration to state that Ohio State has sent more SAs to the Pros, during the time years from which the APR data was culled, than all three Universities combined. So, in the case of those three is this an instance of taking athletes that wouldn't have worked out at other more stringent institutions? (Amongst which more stringent group you can now count Ohio State). Is it some other factor not accounted for?
Keep watching those APR scores, count the Juniors to the Pro Leagues. Between these two data points - I think you will discern the real trend in SA selection amongst the Big Ten schools.