The BCS Bowls Are All But Set

With yesterdays much expected wins by Auburn, Oregon, and Virgina Tech, the BCS bowls have finally shaped up for good. Barring anything insane happening the BCS Bowls are set, and ready to go. Here's what they look like right now:

BCS Championship: #1 Oregon vs. #2 Auburn

Rose Bowl: #3 TCU vs. #4 Wisconsin

Sugar Bowl: #6 Ohio State vs.#8 Arkansas

Fiesta Bowl: #9 Oklahoma vs. UConn

Orange Bowl: #13 Virgina Tech vs. #5 Stanford

At first glance, these are pretty decent match-ups. Oregon vs. Auburn is going to be a fun one to watch, because of the no defense policy they strictly enforce there. I honestly think that Oregon wins because they have a slightly better defense. TCU gets the first "At Large" bid for the Rose Bowl and will get a true test against Wisconsin (please, god Wisky, don't screw this up). Obviously the Sugar Bowl has been looked at, but it's still a very nice game. I might be a little of a homer, but this one should be a Buckeyes win as long as they can do what they have done in November.

The Fiesta Bowl this year is a scrub, and UConn literally has little to no chance against Oklahoma. The Orange Bowl to me seems like a very good match-up. Virgina Tech isn't someone to sleep on, but Stanford is obviously going to be the favorite in this game. The Cardinal have Andrew Luck and a stout defense. I want to see how these play out.

Of course, nothing is set in stone, until the BCS Countdown tomorrow. After that, we're going bowling!

Referees, BCS Thoughts

Just that stud.
AP Photo/Amy Sancetta

All during the game on Saturday against Michigan, referees were like hawks when it came to unsportsmanlike conduct. This included fighting (which, there was plenty of) excessive celebration, and holding up gloves to the 7th largest crowd for the OSU-Michigan game. Wait, what?

Yes, the referees had the balls to penalize Ohio State players all game long for holding up their hands and with the Nike provided gloves that formed a block "O". Of course, this didn't stop the Buckeyes, because hell, this is THE Game, and nothing was going to stop them from celebrating like they were supposed to. Look, I don't have a problem with referees flagging players for excessive celebration, but holding up your hands and forming a Block O isn't anything against the opposing team. Mr. Jay Z, sir, that is a penalty.

If Nike gives Pro Combat uniforms, and they also hand out the gloves, then the team in question also has to wear the gloves. It's just how it works. So why is that every time they did what they were told, Ohio State was penalized? Obviously it's not Nike's fault. They've done it before, and here, and here, and here. This is a lot of penalty's waiting to happen. There were no flags at all in those games, everyone seemed to think it was the next big fashion statement for the NCAA. Which by the way, I think the gloves look amazing and wish they would wear them every game.

ITS's Top 25: Week 13

#1 Oregon (-) - BYE

#2 Auburn (-) - BYE

#3 TCU (-) - BYE

#4 LSU (-) - A close win over Ole Miss moves LSU to a 10-1 record.

#5 Boise State (-) - Easy 51-0 win over Fresno. Broncos face their final test against Nevada, so we'll see where they land.

#6 Wisconsin (-) - A bigger win over Michigan than some folks realize. They've beaten Iowa, OSU, and Michigan in same season since awhile!

#7 Ohio State (-) - Big win at Iowa 20-17. Pryor had good leadership in the 4th quarter, willing their way to victory.

#8 Stanford (-) - The Cardinal demolished the Bears defense, 48-14.

#9 Oklahoma State (-) - Justin Blackmon isn't getting enough credit for this team, as they continue to roll.

#10 Michigan State (-) - The third Big Ten team in the Top Ten since about Week 5. MSU has won every game since their loss to Iowa

Troy Smith Shines Again, BCS Thoughts

Is there anyone else you would rather see?

Troy Smith got his first start 2 weeks ago in London. Many didn't expect much, because this was Alex Smith's team. With the 1-6 49ers trailing early, Troy Smith started to make his comeback, and not just for that game. He lead his team to a 24-16 victory over the Broncos, while going 12/19 for 196 yards and a Touchdown in running and passing. Also, he had no interceptions. It was a great performance, but everyone thought that it was a one time showing by Smith.

Yesterday, Troy got the start again, this time against the St. Louis Rams (a game filled with Buckeyes). With another outstanding performance, (he went 17/28 for a career high 356 yards and a touchdown), ESPN gave this quote:

"After getting back into the NFC West race with two gutsy performances by their new starting quarterback, the San Francisco 49ers think they've finally found the right Smith for the job."


A starting job? For the man that you said couldn't start, because he was too small and wouldn't be able to see over the offensive line, and that his running ablilty was overrated? How's this possible?


"Coach Mike Singletary wouldn't pick his starter for next week, but it's fairly clear Troy Smith energizes his teammates in ways Alex Smith hasn't mastered."


I think it's obvious who he should go with. Buckeye Nation is proud of Troy Smith, and we're all rooting for the man that brought Ohio State a great season and a Heisman Trophy. He proved he's still got it.

It's Penn State Week, BCS Poll

Come to Penn SCHATTTE

The Nittany Lions are coming to Columbus Saturday, and the last time they were here it ended in a 13-6 loss to Penn State. This is a different Terrelle Pryor, and a completely different team, as fans found out in the 24-7 domination.

For the Buckeyes to even have a shot to get a the Rose Bowl they need to win out in November, and it starts with Penn State. Apparently this is the most intriguing match up this weekend, because College Gameday is comin' to your city. The last time College Gameday had the Buckeyes on it, Ohio State got smashed 31-18 by the hands of Wisconsin, losing our #1 ranking, and knocking us out of the National Championship race.

Random Thoughts: Blog, BCS

Happy birthday, us. Yeah, I can't believe that last Friday, the 29th, was our birthday. Inside The Shoe is now 1 year old. I'm pretty proud that we have come this far. We now have a total of 2 3 whole readers compared to 0, and we're not at .blogspot.com anymore. People are starting to take notice of our blog, thanks in large part put forth by out outstanding crew, SBB, Danny, and Brady. They continue to put up phenomanal work and are able to help me run this blog. Although we didn't get the Blogpoll for this year, next year is right around the corner, and we might just end up on that. I would first like to thank the people that helped make this blog a success, at least in my eyes, through the first year. Eleven Warriors, for giving me some advice, posting some links from our site to theirs, etc. The Buckeye Battle Cry, for becoming our first "friends" on the blog-o-sphere and giving us many, many appreciated pointers. (Some of you might remember when our blog color was bright red, don't ask me what I was thinking!) Finally, all the people at Off Tackle Empire, for listening to my irrational thoughts, and even checking out our blog from time to time. Of course, I need to thank all our readers or fans. Whether it be the conversations on Twitter or the likings on Facebook, you guys make this blog very interesting. There are plenty more years under my belt, so stick around, we plan to be the best. (No shot to any of the other Buckeye blogs, it should be their goal too.)

Alright, now that the teary thank you is over, back to some more football.

The BCS Standings came out last night and the Buckeyes stayed at 11th. 11th!! It's madness in my eyes that LSU and Nebraska could jump up that high in front of the Buckeyes after they smeared Gopher all over the road. Obviously the media has a serious problem once more, because they don't like to see the Buckeyes in the Top 10 after a loss. It's the same thing every year. Oregon got the #1 spot, which they deserved in the first place, and I'm telling you right now that Oklahoma is going to lose another game. Maybe even two!

Alabama is sitting in the damn drivers seat, they are #6 and are just waiting for a couple more teams to fall. Luckily they have LSU and Auburn (plus SECG if they make it) to stand in the way of going back to the Championship game. Overall, I'm pretty bitter about what has happened to the Buckeyes in the polls, because in both human polls, (AP, Coaches) they stand at 8th, where they should be.

ITS Blog Update, etc

First off, the recap for the Wisconsin game should be up by today, if not it will be up tomorrow.

Inside The Shoe is looking for a football writer to join our staff, and if you think you fit the bill, please leave a comment below or email us at insidetheshoe2009@hotmail.com. Looking forward to hearing from you!