How Jim Delany Finds Traction On The Slippery Slope

More Money - More Headaches

Our friend ProveIt has dropped by again for his third article on ITS. Today he covers just how Delany is working the playoff/BCS scene.

Portions of Delany’s playoff model were recently leaked - a seeded 4 selected using the BCS formula with the 1st round played at the home field of the top 2 teams. The location of the title game would be bid on by prospective hosts.

The Slippery Slope
From the initial SEC proposal to the present, the majors have said they don’t believe a seeded 4 or plus 1 would appreciably impact yearly revenue. They believe a seeded 4 risks becoming a slippery slope to larger formats. They believe larger formats would result in a decrease in revenue for the year. This is the common findings of the networks, bowls, and independent research groups. When dropped like a hammer to the head of mid major commissioners, they have never denied this, choosing instead to quickly change the topic.

It is worth noting:
1. Nobody with access to, and the ability to project from, pertinent information has ever claimed a plus 1 or seeded 4 playoff would result in a notable change in revenue for the year for the majors. They have all claimed a larger format would result in a yearly loss in revenue for the majors.

2. Prior to the recent talks (and perhaps still now), no major had ever stated their conference supports a playoff of any size – this includes the SEC and ACC.

 - If you have a link to show otherwise, it would be greatly appreciated. If you have a series of unsupported plausible sounding statements, you have something anyone could make up.

This is not the 1st Time Delany Walked the Slippery Slope
Courtesy of Pariahwulfen at Off Tackle Empire, Delany promoted a true Plus 1 format to the B1G in 2005.

“Henry Bienen, president of Northwestern University, told Yahoo! Sports that Delany actually favored a playoff-type system that Delany decried in 2005… the so-called Plus-One model, the two top-rated teams that emerged after the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Orange Bowl were played would advance to a national championship game. “

Recap: Urban Meyer's First Month As Ohio State Head Coach

Never gets old

Urban Meyer is awesome. Sure he was public enemy #1 around these parts for the latter part of the past decade but I have a forgiving heart (especially when he is pulling the strings for your favorite football team). We are not even a month into this new regime but I think Urban has this team going in the right direction even before holding his first official practice.

With the NCAA’s blessing, Meyer has been able to hit the recruiting trail while is counterpart focuses on getting the Buckeyes ready for their showdown with the Gators. Even though this is a common practice among transitioning coaching staff’s in college football, some have expressed their displeasure with the arrangement. Well, “some” isn’t quite right. In reality the only person to speak up is Dave Brandon from Michigan. The fact that he is the only person to publicly complain about this makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

The recruits have been signing with the Buckeye’s at a furious pace since Meyer has taken over in Columbus. Some have been poached from other schools (thanks PSU and MSU), Brionte Dunn returned from the dark side and other top prospects are taking a closer look at the Scarlet and Gray. If I were a fan of another Big Ten team, these new developments would have me quite worried.

Initial Gator Bowl Impressions: My Take

Chill, we got thisss

Wow, Gator Bowl against the Gators, this could get interesting. Urban Meyer’s old team against, Urban Meyer’s new team. A rematch of the 2007 National Championship, debacle!!

Let’s be honest two of the more disappointing teams in the nation this year. I have been reading a lot of people saying they have no desire to watch the game, some say the Buckeyes shouldn’t even have accepted a bowl bid. Well, to them I say: “Go Away!” (I could use much stronger language, but anyone could be reading this article).

The players, on this team, not Jim Tressel, not Terrelle Pryor earned this bowl bid. 95% of the players on this team (not exact math) had absolutely nothing to do with the penalties or infractions of the past year, they were innocent bystanders caught in an awful web of lies and deceit. They fought hard all year, won a game (Wisconsin) or two that they shouldn't have, and achieved the necessary 6 wins to become bowl eligible.

ITS's BlogPoll Ballot: Week 15

No explanations this week, except that Oklahoma State deserves to play LSU in the championship game. They demolished Oklahoma, who was a preseason #1 candidate (at least in the media polls, not our BlogPoll ballot). It's unbelievable that LSU and Alabama will play again for the title. Incredible, and I'm not OK with it.
   

 

 

Inside The Shoe Ballot - Week 15

Rank	Team	Delta
1	LSU Tigers	--
2	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	6
3	Alabama Crimson Tide	--
4	Stanford Cardinal	--
5	Oregon Ducks	2
6	South Carolina Gamecocks	3
7	Arkansas Razorbacks	3
8	Boise St. Broncos	3
9	Virginia Tech Hokies	-7
10	Kansas St. Wildcats	4
11	Wisconsin Badgers	4
12	Georgia Bulldogs	-6
13	Houston Cougars	-8
14	Michigan Wolverines	2
15	Baylor Bears	2
16	TCU Horned Frogs	2
17	Clemson Tigers	4
18	Michigan St. Spartans	-5
19	West Virginia Mountaineers	--
20	Nebraska Cornhuskers	--
21	Oklahoma Sooners	-9
22	Southern Miss. Golden Eagles	3
23	Penn St. Nittany Lions	-1
24	Florida St. Seminoles	-1
25	Cincinnati Bearcats	--
Dropouts: Virginia Cavaliers

 

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

Official: Ohio State Will Play Florida In The Gator Bowl

Greg Smith, Chairman of the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl and Jacksonville & NE Florida President of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, announced today that the Ohio State University will play the University of Florida in the January 2, 2012 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl.

The last meeting between these two storied programs was in the 2007 BCS National Championship game, which Florida prevailed in a 41-14 victory.

The Ohio State Buckeyes are the Big Ten representative, and this match up will mark Ohio State’s second appearance in the Gator Bowl. Their first and only other appearance was in 1978 Gator Bowl (You might remember that game). Ohio State has appeared in 12 different bowl games and the TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl will be their 42nd bowl game in their history. 

This is widely considered the "Urban Meyer Bowl" because Buckeye coach Urban Meyer will be coaching against his former team, which he led from 2005-2010. Ohio State is 1-9 vs. the SEC (0-8 if you're not counting the vacated win over Arkansas last year)

The game between the Gators and Buckeyes will be played on January 2nd, mentioned above, at 1:00 PM EST in Jacksonville, Florida. 

If you want to buy tickets, they are going on sale Monday, December 5th (tomorrow) starting at $60 per ticket. 

We'll have all the coverage and info here at ITS, so stay tuned for analysis and news. 

Make Your Picks: Bowl Week 1

It's time for the Bowl season, it's finally here! If you're competing in the ITS Bowl Challenge, then these picks might help you decide where to go if you're stuck. Bowl Week 1 goes all the way through December 24th.

New Mexico Bowl: BYU vs. UTEP

Ian: BYU

SBB: BYU

Brady: UTEP

Danny: UTEP

uDrove Humanitarian Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State

Ian: Northern Illinois

SBB: Fresno State

Brady: Northern Illinois

Danny: Fresno State

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Ohio vs. Troy

Ian: Ohio 

SBB: Ohio 

Brady: Ohio

Danny: Ohio

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg Bowl: Southern Mississippi vs. Louisville

Ian: Southern Mississippi

SBB: Southern Mississippi

Brady: Louisville

Danny: Southern Mississippi

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl: Utah vs. Boise State

Ian: Boise State

SBB: Boise State

Brady: Boise State

Danny: Boise State

Poinsettia Bowl: Navy vs. SDSU

Ian: Navy

SBB: SDSU

Brady: SDSU

Danny: Navy 

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii vs. Tulsa

Ian: Hawaii

SBB: Tulsa

Brady: Tulsa

Danny: Hawaii

Current Records are reset, and good luck to everyone!

Big Ten Bowl Game Countdown

Uhhh, Go Legends & Leaders?

With bowl season approaching at a breakneck speed (that last statement is dripping with sarcasm), it is time to look at the teams that our Big Ten brethren will be facing this holiday season. Obviously the most important and entertaining contest will be in New Orleans on January 4 but I wanted to rank the other conference match ups from “watching paint dry” territory (cough… Illinois… cough) to "extremely relevant and compelling" territory.

While the top of this list was fairly easy to iron out it got a lot tougher towards the end. There are some great games to be played this bowl season and the Big Ten will have its’ hands full trying to come out with a winning record. So, without further adieu, here is my Big Ten bowl list for the 2010 season.

ITS's Bowl Challenge 2010

The Bowl season is upon us, and college football is almost over. It's time for the first College Bowl Mania challenge!

Info:

There is a prize for whomever wins the challenge, and that is a free t-shirt (of your choice) from our ITS Shop!

Go to this link (you need an ESPN account, and they are free if you don't have one)

Password is "sugarbowlbound"

There is no age limit, but please only use one entry.

Good luck, and have fun!

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!

ITS's Top 25: Week 11

Last week, we were having trouble getting the Top 25 post up, so I apologize for that, Blogger tends to screw us over from time to time. I have the rankings, they just weren't posted, so I'll still have the teams rising from where they were and falling from where they were.

 

#1 Oregon (-) - A 53-16 shellacking (yes it's a real word) of Washington just keeps moving the Ducks forward towards a national championship.

#2 Auburn (-) - It was Chattanooga. Calm yourselves SEC.

#3 LSU (11) - It took a 4th down, but so did pretty much every other win, as the cardiac cats continued to win games, this time against Alabama. Yeah, Alabama.

#4 TCU (-) - A fantastic win over Utah would normally make them go up a spot, but LSU beat Alabama!

#5 Boise State (-) - Wow, Boise came this close to dropping out of the Top 5. They really play no one. Nevada has the best shot, and they'll probably get blown out 35-3.

#6 Wisconsin (-) - This whole Top 10 is just a big cluster of teams that could be in the championship game. I said could, calm down Madison.

#7 Ohio State (-) - BYE


#8 Nebraska (6) - A 1 point win over Iowa State isn't going to cut it for a Top 5 team.


#9 Stanford (11) - Beat the tar out of one of the better opponents they will face, 42-17. Arizona never stood a chance.


#10 Michigan State (15) - 3 Big Ten teams back in the Top Ten for awhile, it seems. Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan State are all vying for the Rose Bowl. Many think Ohio State will jump Wisconsin, but I can't be too certain of that.

Final Thoughts: Oregon

Well, that was pretty freaking’ awesome. Ohio State and Jim Tressel came out with a plan on offense. Pass, when they expect run. It’s a really simple concept, but Tressel hasn’t really gotten that until now. Speaking of Tressel, did you see his face once it was over? I haven’t seen him that happy since the 2002 National Championship game against the U. Terrelle Pryor came out looking to prove he is a QB, and not just a running back that has good arm strength. He threw for career highs in attempts and more importantly, yards. I know that Thad Gibson is a man, as is Cam Heyward, but if we get them back next year as well, I don’t see why we couldn’t take it to the BCS Championship game. That’s not an opinion really, they will have so much talent next year.

You may not remember, but last year’s loss to USC, before the game, all the experts were talking about the stable of running backs that they had. Hmm, Brandon Saine, Boom Herron, Jaamal Berry, Carlos Hyde, Jermil Martin, and finally Jordan Hall. Out of all those RB’s only one is not on the team at this moment due to academics, and that is Hyde. It would not surprise me to see Brandon Saine or one of the other smaller backs be moved to a WR spot. We could use a 4th option in there, as we will have Sanzenbacher, Posey, and Duron Carter. I hope to see T Wash in the mix, but there is no word yet. Laamar Thomas is in the same situation, unfortunately.

On defense, we come back reloading, depending on some NFL decisions. If, in fact, we do happen to get Heyward and Thad back, that would leave Jermale Hines, who really has a legitimate shot at the pros, and Chimdi Chekwa. I highly doubt Chekwa would go, simply because he has a lot to learn, and he has simply not lived up to expectations so far. If we keep all of those, which leaves a free safety spot open in place of Anderson Russell, who really shouldn’t be TOO hard to replace.

Oregon played a heck of a game, but we had our way upfront. I don’t know if you all noticed, but every one of our guys was so much bigger than theirs. Look back to the only sack of the game, and Heyward barely shoved him, and Masoli went down without another thought. That’s ok; I would have done the same thing if I saw all of that steam-train coming at me. I tip my hat to Oregon’s third option, Barnes. Inside The Shoe did not really mention him during the preview, or the Matching up posts. He defiantly earned a mention.

Final Bowl Week

The final destination

Well folks, we've reached it. It is the last week of predictions. We started here way back in October, and have done fairly well until the bowl games. Now that they have come to pass, our bowl game record stands at 28-21. The end is now here, with the national championship holding all the glory for either Texas or Alabama. Before we get to that though, there is still a tale of two cinderellas, a rushing attack vs. a run defense, and a small bowl game. Let's get started.

Today

Fiesta Bowl: Boise State vs. TCU – 8:00 p.m. (FOX)

Otherwise known as the cop-out bowl by the BCS. I am a supporter of the playoff system, and honestly, this really is a cop-out. Now, that being said, it will still be a fun game to watch. Heisman canididate Kellen Moore threw for over 3,000 yards this season, and expect him to put a run in the Heisman next year. Meanwhile, TCU comes in bringing in a top 5 offense and defense, and I have to say, they look like they could have beaten anyone this season, and I believe they should have had a shot at the MNC. TCU proves a point, 35-21.

Tommorow

Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Iowa – 8:00 p.m. (FOX)

With Iowa's run defense vs. Georgia Tech's flexbone package coupled with QB Josh Nesbitt, makes for a long, long, long game. Iowa likes to run the ball usually, but with Shonn Greene taking the NFL, they have thrown for quite a bit this year. Their only losses came due to the fact that their QB Ricki Stanzi went down in the Northwestern game, and that Ohio State was, well, Ohio State. This game will be dragged along, but look for the Big Ten to go 4-3 in bowl games this year as Iowa wins a close one, 24-20

Wednesday

GMAC Bowl: Central Michigan vs. Troy – 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)

Even with the fact that Central Michigan's head coach Butch Davis is packing his bags to head to Cincy, Dan LeFevour will lead his high powered offensive unit to victory as the Troy Trojans fail to stop them when it matters most. 31-14

Thursday

Citi BCS National Championship Game - No. 1 Alabama vs No. 2 Texas - 8:00 p.m. - ABC

The BCS National Championship game features to high powered offenses led by their quarterbacks Colt Mccoy, and Greg McElroy. On defense, Mount Cody represents the Crimson Tide. Jordan Shipley looks to help Colt with the load of taking down the Bama defense. Of course, you can't forget Heisman winner Mark Ingram either. Although Suh should have won it, Mark Ingram put up great numbers as a sophmore, and now will try and accomplish what Tebow could not. It all starts here for him, and for a Heisman running for others. Although I'm going aganist the Heisman curse, (hey, Matt Leinart did it..) Inside The Shoe gives you the Alabama Crimson Tide as your 2010 BCS National Champions. Even though we have no control over what happens. Good luck to both teams.

Bowl Week 3 (part 3)

On the aftermath of a great Rose Bowl game, and Florida took care of buisness, finally shutting up those darn Bearcat fans, and talking about how they could easily take on a good defense. Their are still games to be played, including another Big Ten team. As of right now, Inside The Shoe´s record stands at 25-19. It looks like our losses are catching up..lets get started!

Today

International Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. USF – 12:00 p.m. (ESPN2)

Northern Illinois has the 17th best rushing attack in the nation, and USF will look to slow down the attack, while Northern Illinois will look to focus on shutting down do-everything QB B.J. Daniels. Look for some talented play, and USF to win, 17-7.

Cotton Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss – 2:00 p.m. (FOX)

At the beginning of the season, this could have been an easy OK St win, but now with injuries, and their best passing attack receiver gone, Zac Robinson will be running for his life, as Ole Miss´s Jevan Snead looks to make a good impression on pro scouts. Ole Miss will take their second Cotton Bowl, 38-24.

PapaJohns Bowl: UConn vs. South Carolina – 2:00 p.m. (ESPN)
UConn will want to prove a point early, but South Carolina´s Stephen Garcia looks to avoid the bust label, and the talent and (i can´t believe i´m saying this) speed of the Gamecocks will be way to much for the team that will be playing in memory of Jasper Howard, as they win it 28-17

Liberty Bowl: Arkansas vs. East Carolina – 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)

East Carolina comes off a CUSA championship win, but has to face the Arkansas Hogs and their SEC speed. ECU will give it their best, but i don´t see how their defense can stop former Michigan QB Ryan Mallet, who has been absolutely monstrous this season. With it being ECU, though, look for Arkansas to sleep until near the end, and finally pull it out, 31-24.

Alamo Bowl: Michigan State vs. Texas Tech – 8:00 p.m. (ESPN)
Before the unfair firing of Mike Leach, I would have picked TT. Now, without their head playcaller, Texas Tech has to imporvise, and that generally leads to mistakes. Look for them to have a couple of INT´s or fumbles, as Mark Dantonio´s defensive squad takes advantage, and wins a close one, 21-19

Enjoy watching some good bowl games! The rest of the bowl game predictions will be in Bowl Week 4.

Bowl Week 3 (part 2)

I won´t really give an introduction, other then after part 1, Inside The Shoe is now 21-13.

Today

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl - Air Force vs Houston - 12:00 PM EST - ESPN

In a re-match of last year´s bowl game, Houston´s best passing attack in the nation, will take on Air Force´s best passing defense in the nation. Houston will be led by quarterback Case Keenum, who was in the top 10 Heisman voting. Houston´s ability to run up the score has helped them, and their offense get even better. Meanwhile, Air Force has the 4th ranked rushing attack, while Houston is terrible at defending the run. With that being said, Houston will be to much for Air Force, 31-20.

Brut Sun Bowl - No. 21 Stanford vs Oklahoma - 2:00 PM ET - CBS

If your a Sooner fan, your probably feeling a bit down, not being ranked, not in a BCS bowl, and playing in El Paso. If your a Cardinal fan, you are ranked, you have one of the best backs in the nation, and your playing a former Big 12 powerhouse. Nevertheless, look for this to be a good game as Toby Gerhart and Sam Bradford lead their offenses. I see Stanford winnnig a competieve game, 28-17.

Texas Bowl - Missouri vs Navy - 3:30 PM ET - ESPN

Buckeye fans got a nice look at the triple option aganist Navy, as Navy came very close at the end to upsetting the Buckeyes. We know that Missouri is in the process of rebuilding, and that Navy fights for a whole 60 minutes, without rest, as the Buckeyes learned. So in this situation, I really like Ricky Dobbs and that crazy option attack, as Navy gets the win, closing a fantastic season, 24-10.

Insight Bowl - Iowa State vs Minnesota - 6:00 PM ET - NFL Network

After a little persuasion, and some outcrys by their fans, Iowa State fought their way into the Insight Bowl to take on the Golden Gophers. Minnesota brings in a mixed attack, with wideout Eric Decker being out to injury. Adam Weber has had a mixed season, along with the offense, as they can score points, but not many. The key is stopping ISU´s rushing attack, which Minnesota is actually good at doing. I see the Big Ten going to 2-0 after this one, 17-10

Chick-fil-A Bowl - No. 11 Virginia Tech at Tennessee - 7:30 PM ET - ESPN

With the losses to Georgia Tech, and Alabama, Va Tech will look for it´s first win in Atlanta this year, and they have to do it aganist Lane Kiffin´s Volls. Tyrod Taylor leads the attack, and I have to say, Tennessee won´t be able to stop him, or running back Ryan Williams. Virgina Tech wins a close one, 24-17

New Year´s Day

Outback Bowl - Auburn vs Northwestern - 11:00 AM ET - ESPN

Even after dropping it´s last 5 of 6 games, hopes are high at Auburn, the reason being they almost upset Alabama. Northwestern, on the other hand, has won four of it´s last 5 games, and they look to continue winning. With an SEC vs. Big Ten game, expect a bit of mouthing off to each other, but look Northwestern to pull the upset and unbelivably, the Big Ten going 3-0, 35-31.

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl - No. 16 West Virginia at Florida State - 1:00 PM ET - CBS

In Bobby Bowden´s last game as a head coach, a lot will be said about his storied career. He faces his old WVU team, and looks to go out with a bang. I hate to say they will have a tough time stopping the 3rd ranked rushing attack. WVU gets the win, 38-24.

Capital One Bowl - No. 12 LSU vs No. 13 Penn State - 1:00 PM ET - ABC

LSU wanting another 10 win season under Les Miles, looking to take care of a PSU team that lost to the Buckeyes, 24-7. Oh, I didn´t have to add that, did I? PSU´s Darryl Clark will want to go out with a win aganist an SEC opponet, but will just fall short, 24-21.

Rose Bowl

Inside The Shoe will cover this game the day of it.

Allstate Sugar Bowl - No. 3 Cincinnati at No. 5 Florida - 8:30 PM ET - FOX

A game in which both head coaches are new, due to the old ones having health problems, and getting a new job at Notre Dame. Cincy comes in looking for it´s first BCS bowl win, while Florida, looking to send Tebow on a rainbow to the NFL, where he will be, umm, no one really knows. Florida has an outstanding defense, while Cincy has a high powered offense. Florida will take this because Cincy has no defense, and Florida has one of the best. 42-21.

Part 3 will come the day after the Sugar Bowl, keep it here folks! Enjoy your New Year.

Matching Up: Special Teams

Kicking/Punting

Advantage: Ohio State

Pettrey/Barclay/Thoma: As far as the OSU kicking game goes for 2009, Jim Tressel probably was a little dissatisfied with how it ended up. After a dirty block on kicker Aaron Pettrey during the NMSU game, Devin Barclay had to fill in fast. The 23 year old kicker then proceeded to kick a simple game winning, rose bowl clinching, field goal in ovetime aganist Iowa. I think that Barclay is reliable, but I think we need to use Pettrey in long FG oppritunites, while using Barclay in shorter ones. As for punting, during the course of the season, the punting has been solid by Jon Thoma, but nothing compared to what usual Ohio State punting is. He has gotten the job done, and it has worked out just fine so far.

Rice/Flint: With Flint being the kicker, last year he had trouble getting them in, especially the 35-40 yarders, but this season he has done a pretty good job going 15 of 17 giving him an 88 percent. That is pretty darn good, and should help in the long run aganist Ohio State. Jackson Rice, the freshman punter, earned his starting spot in a duel with the other punter, and has a average of 40.3 yards a punt. For a freshman, that's not something to scoff at, and he will play a key role for the Ducks, because of Ray Small being suspended.

Returning

Advantage: Oregon

Ohio State: With Ray Small, and Duron Carter being gone, the Buckeyes will have to get creative on the punt returns. Laamar Thomas will return with Brandon Saine in the Kick Returns, but for the punt returns, Tress will probably go ahead and use DeVier Posey, and mabye Dane Sanzenbacher. Without Ray Small, though, the returning game, would have gone to the Buckeyes, but without him, it is a much less lethal attack.

Oregon: They to, lost a huge asset to their return game, by losing the Oregon version of Ray Small. Oregon has greater speed, and I wouldn't be to surprised if LeMichael James wasn't used in some sort of situation, either on kick returns or punt returns.

Overall

Advantage: None

Ohio State/Oregon: I'ts really hard to judge special teams, anything can happen. Both teams have speed and quickness, so they are pretty even. This game might come down to special teams, whether it be a FG to win it, or better field position for a game winning drive. Special teams has always been stressed and preached at Ohio State, whenever Jim Tressel is around. He is going to make it better, even with the loss of Small.

Matching Up: Defense

With 2 days until the Rose Bowl, Inside The Shoe is diving deeper into the match up between Oregon and Ohio State by looking at the three main points of the game, and choosing who has the advantage. With Oregon having the advantage on Offense, we now look at Defense.

Defensive Line

Advantage: Ohio State

Gibson/Heyward/Wilson/Larimore: I mean, do you really have to ask? These guys are about as studly as they come. All of the following linemen can pass rush, and of course, stop the run. Thad Gibson is a definte pass rusher and has great agile speed. Heyward and Wilson are similar, they both bring great run coverage and Larimore can do a combination. The D Line really showed their stuff aganist supposdly the best offensive line in the nation, USC. After a lackluster effort at Navy, it looked like the Silver Bullets were back.

Tukuafu/Bair/Ferras/Rowe: Although they all give pretty good pass rush, the defensive line for Oregon was porous when it came to the running game this year and to add on to that, their pass rush fell below expectations this year as well, as Oregon's opponets had a good time running and passing all day long to score a lot of points.

Linebackers

Advantage: Ohio State

Spitler/Rolle/Homan: When the Ohio State Buckeye linebackers took the field aganist Navy, they were filling big shoes, in Marcus Freeman, and James Laurinatis. Spitler was the only one who had game experince, although Ross Homan had quite a bit of playing time whenever the score was run up. As you know, Brian Rolle made an entrance by making the game sealing INT for 2 points aganist Navy. The season has been very good for the Buckeye linebackers, even if they had their downs. At some points they seemed to under achieve, or didn't seem to play all out. This was the closest match up, and the only reason they won this was because overall, they were better.

Matthews/Paysinger/Pleasant: At the beginning of the season, hopes were high for the linebacking core at Oregon, and they should have been. Casey Matthews, The son of former NFL star Clay Matthews, with Paysinger and Pleasant were hoping to carry this defense to a national championship. Overall, they did their jobs, but sometimes just doing your job means giving up big points to the opposing offenses. That will not win games for your team either, but you can't put it all on the linebacking core.

Secondary

Advantage: Oregon

Coleman/Torrence/Chekwa/Russell/Hines: Although very talented, Ohio State's cornerbacks really kill them, otherwise, they would have won. As you saw aganist Iowa, a quality WR gives them trouble. They also tend to leave a lot of space, which means big plays off of bubble screens, and slants. With that being said, Kurt Coleman, Jermale Hines, and (ugh) Anderson Russell have to pick up some of the slack. Russell started out awful, giving up the majority of the passing TD's, but has settled down, and is now a solid contribuitor. Kurt Coleman is, in one word, studly. Jermale Hines does his job effectivly, and likes to bring a big hit up every now and then.

Oregon: They get some players back from injuries, and coming off a huge 2008 season, Oregon's secondary has stepped up, but not to expectations. The secondary looks to correct it's final mistakes, but should worry about run defense more, as Ohio State said it would focus on the run.

Overall

Advantage: Ohio State

Ohio State: If you look at the Silver Bullets this year, they really stepped up, pitching a couple of shut outs at Toledo, Illinois, and New Mexico State. They held Penn State to 7 points, and USC to 18. In my life time, beside the 2002 national championship team, this is the best defense i've seen. That, is my opinion, but i like it, and support it. They will look to stop this crazy Oregon offensive attack, and will hope to have their final great performance.

Oregon: Focus: Stop the run. If you can force Ohio State to throw the football, you have a wayyyyy better chance to put this game under the win column. They have had an underwhelming season, giving huge points up, but it could have to do with always being on the field, because of the quick pace and up-tempo offense Oregon brings to the table.

1st Big Ten team, Wisconsin, Today.

The first Big Ten team for the bowl games plays today aganist Miami U. This match-up is going to be really exciting, as everyone has been waiting to see what will become of Jacory Harris and John Clay. As you know, Inside The Shoe picked Miami, but we wouldn't mind a loss here, if Wisky can pull the upset off. There is also the UCLA-Temple game, which is at 4:30, (we picked Temple). Tune in at 8:00, to watch the ACC-B10 match up.

Georgia Domination

Dale Zanine/US Presswire

Both teams from the get go struggled early to get their team clicking, and special teams was all first half. Then in the second half, Georgia started rolling in rout to a 44-20 victory that gave the SEC their first bowl win of the season. I happend to watch some of the game and every time, it seemed like Texas A&M's Johnson was either throwing or running for big yardage or a first down, and he had 2 of A&M's touchdowns, the other going to Christine Michael. The real playmakers came for Georgia, in Joe Cox and Caleb King, both who had 2 TD's in the win. This didn't come as a real shock, but it does put a damper on the 20th win, as we also have now, 10 losses.

Bowl Week 3

20-9! With the win over Kentucky last night, Clemson secured a bowl win, and Inside The Shoe´s 20th win in picking. We hope to have more success with this, and will keep moving on. So let´s begin week 3, I am excited, as the bowl games get more intense, all leading up to the BCS bowls.

Today

Independence Bowl: Texas A&M v. Georgia – 5:00 PM (ESPN2)

Expect an all out bout of passing attack as Joe Cox and the Bulldogs face of aganist Texas A&M´s Jerrod Johnson. This game in which two high powered offenses face off aganist the opposing defense´s that are, well, terrible, to put it simply. I like Georgia, but i think i HAVE to go with the upset simply because Georgia tends to let everyone down, Texas A&M 35-31

Tuesday

EagleBank Bowl: UCLA v. Temple – 4:30 PM (ESPN)

In a game that UCLA is lucky to be in, as if Army would have won aganist Navy they would be in and not UCLA, Temple looks to cap off a pretty good season, and will look for the so called "upset". Both teams have nothing spectactular about their offense. Or defense. Or really anything for that matter, so expect a bit of a slow start, middle, and ending, as Temple gets the win 10-7.

Champs Sports Bowl: Miami v. Wisconsin – 8:00 PM (ESPN)

This game brings a lot of attention, 1. Jacory Harris and 2. It´s the first B10 team. Both team´s have their play makers on offense with Jacory Harris and John Clay. Wisky´s defense is not much of a threat, although they can rise to the occasion. Miami´s D-Line is not to be toyed with, so expect Clay to have some trouble finding some holes as Miami takes this one, and will look to have a great season next year, 24-14

Wednesday

Humanitarian Bowl: Bowling Green v. Idaho – 4:30 PM (ESPN)

With the game being full of high scoring and high powered offenses, look for this to be a common, but fun to watch MAC\WAC shootout, Bowling Green´s senior wide-out, Barnes, looks to hold the single season reception record down, if he can get 5 more catches. Look for BG to win, a close one though, 42-35

Holiday Bowl: Arizona v. Nebraska – 8:00 PM (ESPN)

Perhaps the match-up everyone has been waiting for, for awhile now. You have one of the best defenses, Nebraska, and a high powered offense, Arizona. Suh will look to cap off a Heisman running season, into which he leads his team, while Arizona looking for some bowl love, will be led by tailbacks Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin, who combined for over 1100 yards and 9 touchdowns for this season. Expect a struggle for power, with Nebraska pulling it out 20-14.

The rest of the bowl week 3 will be continued in another post, as a majority of the bowls are on Thursday, then we move to the BCS bowls..stay tuned.

One away..

I´m not sure why It´s such a big deal to me, but 20 wins is something to be proud of, right? With USC´s win over Boston College, Inside The Shoe moves to 19-9. I have to say, the Pac-10 is quite a dissapointment this year so far, and with all of the chaos ensuing Urban Meyers statement, It almost seems like BCS chaos. Except with College Football itself. Thoughts?