BCS vs. Playoffs: Another Reason For The Playoff System

Do teams like Boise State deserve a shot?

Ed. Note: This is Brady's response to Danny's take on the BCS

I couldn’t agree with you more Danny. The pre-BCS era was awful and in no way gave us a true national champion. You will get no argument on this point from me. Unfortunately, just because the system was tweaked to get a “national championship game” in the fold doesn’t mean that the NCAA got it right. It is still an incredibly flawed and biased system. The fact remains that teams are still elected to their various BCS games in what amounts to be a beauty contest.

You mentioned that individuals have bias and computers don’t. I don’t think anybody would argue with that. You also noted that by combining a voting public with a non-emotional-by-the-numbers computer entity, one comes up with two teams that the majority of people think should be in a title game.

That is also true but why must the public settle on a majority vote when a playoff bracket, used in almost every competitive sporting competition in this country, could just crown a champion on the field? The combination of computer programs, crazy algorithms and voting could still be used to seed the brackets. Arguments would still exist as to why team A got in over team B on the lower end of the brackets but that wouldn’t bother me as much. If a given team’s reason for missing a 8 or 12 seed (depending on the number of teams) in the playoffs was due to a loss or scheduling a weak out of conference slate then tough luck. I can guarantee no undefeated squads would be left out and the TCU’s of the world would get a fair chance to compete for a national title.

Ohio State Wearing New Helmets For Spring

Ed. Note: This post was written by Danny.

Not only will Ohio State look different during the first five games of the upcoming season (missing 4 starters and Fearless Leader Jim Tressel), but they will also be sporting new helmets in the April 23^rd Spring Game.  The new helmets will have a custom painted digital camouflage pattern on both sides.  They will be worn throughout spring practice this year by all Buckeye players.  Following the conclusion of practice, the majority of the helmets will be repainted in Buckeye silver.

The helmets that aren’t repainted will be autographed by Jim Tressel himself, and then sold for $1000.00 each, with the proceeds going to benefit the Ohio National Guard Family Readiness and Warrior Support Program, and Ohio State’s own Learning in Fitness and Education through Sports program and the Ruth and Jesse Ownes Scholars Fund.  If you are hoping ot purchase one of these fine, limited edition helmets, you are out of luck.  All 25 of these helmets sold within hours after the university made the announcement. 

                

This is not Tressel’s first charitable venture to honor the military.  Tressel’s father, Lee, left Ohio State’s football team in 1943 to serve in the Navy, and ended up being stationed in the South Pacific.  In 2009, five FCS coaches (including Tressel) traveled to the Middle East to speak and interact with military personel  as part of the annual Under Amour  Coaches Tour.  Tressel also gathered several Buckeye players with him to speak to children of active military members at day-long football camp at Ohio State last year.

                

I know he has taken a lot of heat lately, and rightly so.  But let’s not forget all the good things Tressel does for the Columbus community.  Not every big time coach does things like that.  Now let’s just sit back and enjoy the start of spring football.

BCS vs. Playoffs: BCS is......OK

The controversial BCS

Ed. Note: This is part 1 of Danny's response to Brady. Part 2 will come next week and will cover more of the financial part of it all.

Moving to a playoff system in the Division formerly known as 1-A is all the rage these days.  Everyone, from U.S. Senators to NBA owners (of all people) has thrown their ideas out into the open.  Now, while the BCS is not a perfect system by any means, I think it has taken some unnecessary heat.  All I would like to do is defend the current system a little bit, so people can stop complaining and whining for a playoff system, and just enjoy the great game of college football.

To everyone that thinks the BCS is the worst thing that has ever happened to college football, what did you think of the pre-BCS years?  There was no designated National Championship Game.  The conferences were very tightly bound to certain bowl games.  Now, bear with me, because conference names have changed a bit, bowl affiliations basically amounted to the Big Ten champion (see: Ohio State or Michigan) playing the Pac-10 champion (also known as USC) in the Rose Bowl, the SEC champion playing an at-large bid in the Sugar Bowl, the former Big Eight champions meeting an at-large in the Orange Bowl, and the South West Conference champions playing another at-large in the Cotton Bowl.  The ACC as we know it now (with Florida State, Miami, and Boston College) was not intact yet.  These at-large teams were either second place teams in major conferences or independent teams that may have played a very weak schedule (PENN STATE).

BCS vs. Playoffs: Playoffs Are Better

Football??

Ed. Note: The first in a series of posts between Brady and Danny on what system is better: The BCS, or the Playoffs.

The NCAA basketball tournament is at full throttle and our Ohio St. Buckeyes have been as good as advertised up to this point. George Mason hardly stood a chance on Sunday with OSU’s onslaught of 3 pointers and the physical presence of Jared Sullinger on the inside. The Buckeye’s move on to Newark, NJ to face the Kentucky Wildcats on Friday night. With any luck, and continued hot shooting from the outside, OSU will move to the regional finals against the winner of North Carolina/Marquette for a chance to head down south for the Final Four.

Without a doubt, March Madness is this country’s greatest sporting event. The excitement and revenue that is generated from this tournament is astronomical. There are upsets and buzzer beaters every year that get your heart pumping no matter what team you root for personally. Nothing can compare to the drama that Cinderella teams such as Butler and George Mason create when they beat the odds and take down national powers. I am not a huge Basketball fan by any means but am gripped annually by this event.

With all the success and excitement that Basketball creates in this country every March, I wonder what football could do with a similar format. The ridiculous, unfair and laughable way the NCAA decides to crown its’ champion on the gridiron still dumbfounds myself and the population at large. Tournament brackets are so easy and obviously fair to set up one can lose their mind trying to figure out why a computer formula is in charge of crowning a champion. This is America! We decide things on the field.

Does Ohio State "Need To Lose"?

Can a loss make this team better?

Ed. Note: This post was written by Danny.

The majority of people I have spoken to and heard on various sports shows seem to agree that losing at least one game during the regular season helps a team in the long run.  They don't have to deal with any questions about an undefeated season and can just focus on the game at hand.  I do not buy into this philosophy, for several reasons.  Ask any of the players on the team that question, if they think they need to lose a game in order to win the championship.  

I would expect every single one of them to confidently respond "No".  David Lighty, William Buford, Jon Diebler, Dallas Lauderdale; they all know what it is like to lose regular season and  tournament games.  Jared Sullinger's Columbus Northland team lost in the State Championship last season after winning it the year before.  Aaron Craft and Deshaun Thomas each lost games throughout their high school careers.  My point is it's not like none of the players know what it is like to lose.  All of the guys on this team know what it is like to win championships (be it state high school titles or Big Ten or high school conference championships) and know what it is like to lose in tournament games.  

Ohio State vs. Minnesota Preview

I am just now starting to come down from the euphoric high that was a Sugar Bowl win over an SEC team. So to all of you who are joining my back in reality, let's get ready for some Buckeye basketball. Sunday at 2:00 PM Eastern Time, Ohio State takes the floor at Value City Arena for the (home) Big Ten opener against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. So let's take a look at Tubby Smith's squad, shall we?

Just Enjoy It, Buckeye Fans

That has to be one of my favorite sports pictures of all time. It was taken as Cameron Heyward realizes that Solomon Thomas has just made the biggest play of his career, clinching the Sugar Bowl for the Buckeyes. Joy, excitement, relief, all those emotions (and more) were shared by Heyward and all of Buckeye Nation when the referees signaled Ohio State possession. Ohio State has finally beaten an SEC team in a bowl game, a task 33 years in the making. I slept about 3 hours after the game, and I am guessing many of you went to work the next day fueled by nothing but adrenaline just like I did. Such a great feeling, to never have to hear "0-9" again. While euphoria is still going strong, I do want to touch on a few specifics from Tuesday night's game.

First and foremost, Cam Heyward is officially a man-beast. He earned himself a place in Buckeye lore. Statistically, he did not have the best season. Coaches praised his effort and emphasized the fact that he was soaking up double teams all year kept his number lower. But no matter how many Razorback O-linemen tried to block him or cheap shot him last night, Heyward made sure Ryan Mallet felt his presence. His arm was about to fall off several times last night, and what did he do? Slap some tape on it, and get right back to terrorizing the Arkansas backfield.

Live Blog: The Sugar Bowl

Join us as the Buckeyes take on the Razorbacks for the Sugar Bowl

Chat starts at 8:15 PM EST!

Big Ten Basketball: Week In Review

With all the bowl games, the basketball has (once again) taken a back seat to football in Buckeye country, and in Big Ten country in general. But the first week of conference play is complete, and here is your round-up.

I am going to go as far as to say that there were absolutely no surprises in Week 1 of Big Ten Basketball. Your officially standings (as of 1/3) are:

Big Ten Standings
Team	Conf. Record	Overall Record
Illinois	2 - 0	12 - 3
Purdue	2 - 0	13 - 1
Ohio State	1 - 0	14 - 0
Michigan State	1 - 0	9 - 4
Michigan	1 - 1	11 - 3
Penn State	1 - 1	8 - 5
Wisconsin	1 - 1	11 - 3
Iowa	0 - 1	7 - 6
Northwestern	0 - 1	9 - 2
Indiana	0 - 2	9 - 6
Minnesota	0 - 2	11 - 3

Minnesota at 0-2 is probably the biggest eye-catcher, but when you look at their first two games, their record needs no further explanation. After a fairly average non-conference slate, their first two conference games were at Wisconsin and at Michigan State. On paper, Minnesota looks pretty much like the fifth best team in the league, and they are still right on track to finish there.

Matt Painter's squad has to be feeling pretty good about themselves right about now. Many people wrote the Boilermakers off after Robbie Hummel went down, but after dismantling Michigan and Northwestern Purdue sits atop the Big Ten. Granted, they didn't play the toughest opening week, but the took care of business against weaker opponents.

Michigan State has, in my opinion, played the toughest schedule in the country. The Spartans have played six ranked teams in their first 13 games (Minnesota is ranked in the latest Coaches' Poll, but not the AP, and Washington is ranked in the AP, but not the coaches), compiling a 2-4 record against them. You have to wonder if playing such a brutal schedule will help strengthen this team for the end of the season, or just burn them out by tournament time. At this point it is all speculation. I want to believe that Tom Izzo will have his team primed and ready to go come March, but if you can't consistently beat ranked teams in November and December, will they really be able to do it later in the year?

This just in: Indiana is bad. The once proud Hoosier program fell to the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions at home. Indiana has not beaten a major conference team this season, and also dropped a home game to Northern Iowa. Tom Crean needs to get the program turned around, and fast.

This week, your beloved Buckeyes play at Iowa (during the Sugar Bowl, no less), and at home against Minnesota. Ohio State had better not take Tubby Smith's team lightly, but if they come into the game focused they should come out with a victory. The first "real" test I see for this team is on January 22nd at Illinois.

That's all for now faithful Buckeye fans. Now let's have ourselves a pig roast Tuesday night.

NCAA Basketball Power Poll: Elite Eight

Giving the Top 8 Teams in the country.

Welcome, faithful readers, to Inside The Shoe's first basketball power poll of this young season. Fair warning: This is not a compilation of all ITS's writers, it is solely my opinion. I will try to be as objective as possible, but college basketball is vastly different from college football.

There are hundreds of more basketball games per week in the season than there are football games, and regular season losses don't mean nearly as much. It is great to go undefeated, but realistically all you have to do is make the tournament and you have a chance. While reading through these rankings, you will notice there are some really big games this week,

Enough talk, here are, as of December 6th, the top eight teams in the country:

1. Duke: Any surprise here? No, there is no surprise here. Duke won the championship last year, brought back some big pieces from that team, namely Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler. They have already knocked off two top six (at the time) teams, plus perennial mid-major powerhouse and last year's national runner-up Butler. They are #1 until they lose, and possibly even after that.

2. Ohio State: The Buckeyes have looked very impressive so far this year. They ran away from a ranked Florida team on the road, and took care of business against a very good defensive team in Florida State. OSU has blown out the cupcakes on their schedule, as expected, and is ready to make a run at the Big Ten (national?) Championship.

3. Connecticut: I might be drinking the UConn kool-aid a little bit, but they beat two top ten teams on a neutral court, and have the early season favorite for Player of the Year in Kemba Walker. How many other teams can say they have those things? None.

4. Kansas: Unlike the first three teams, I haven't had a chance to see the Jayhawks play yet. But they are a team led by juniors and seniors, and have one of the top coaches in the country in Bill Self. Their signature wins include Arizona and UCLA, which don't mean quite what they would used to, but at 7-0 there is no reason this team shouldn't be in the top four. Big Upcoming Game: December 7th vs. #14 Memphis

If The 'Shoe Fits: Podcast #2

Ian brings Danny back for another podcast, and this time we talk a little about the Michigan game, but go more into the BCS, including Heisman's and National Championships. We also talk Oregon-Auburn, and other bowl match ups. All that and much, much more.


Podcast after the jump

Ohio State vs. Florida State - Game Notes

- First things first, great victory for the Buckeyes. Florida State is not ranked, but they are a very tough team to play against. They remind me a lot of Cavs teams from 2-3 years ago, under former head coach Mike Brown. Very, very tough defense, but incompetent at times on the offensive end. They have a lot of big men, and a lot of tall wing players, but the lack of a true point guard hurts them, and can stall movement.

He did very well last night

- When he plays aggressively, Chris Singleton is one of the better players in the ACC. He is already a game changer on defense. He had plenty of blocks, and even had a steal against Aaron Craft. Fran Fraschilla made a point during the broadcast of how the Ohio State big men play into contact, while the FSU big men avoid it. If Singleton can learn to embrace the contact on offense, you will see this guy in the NBA (lockouts pending).

- I would like to single out a player or two after every game that really impressed me, but I have a feeling that will be very difficult this season. I am impressed by every player on this team almost every time they play. I will try to be brief for each guy, so join me after the break:

Ohio State - Florida State Preview

Seminoles are up next

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving, but it is back to business now for the basketball Buckeyes. And it is everybody's favorite time of year, the ACC/Big Ten Challenge! What's that, you are an Ohio State fan, don't really care about basketball, and haven't followed the team much, but since football season just ended you figured you would watch a couple of games? Well, lucky for you I have decided to take a break from my usual after-work routine (Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and sleep) to give you an idea of what to expect.

The Big Ten won the ACC/Big Ten Challenge for the very first time last season, after a decade of futility. This year's Challenge looks to be very competitive as well, with games like Michigan State vs. Duke, North Carolina @ Illinois, and our very own Buckeyes playing on the road at Florida State. The Seminoles are a respectable 5-1 in this young season, but have only really played one quality opponent. That opponent was the Florida Gators, and that game also happens to be FSU's only loss.

Let's look at some starting lineups:

THE Game: What It Means To Me

Brutus has our back

This week we are running a feature where each of the writers tries to describe what the annual Ohio State vs. Michigan game means to them. Here's Danny's take:

It's a little difficult for me to put into words, because some of my experiences with this game have just been so cool. Being only 22, for the majority of the years I have been able to intelligently watch football, Ohio State has pretty much dominated Michigan.

Thankfully, I missed most of the John Cooper Years, and Ohio State has gone 7-3 against That School Up North in the past decade. But save for 2008, when Rich Rod was new to The Rivalry and Lloyd Carr had left a pretty bare cupboard, every year since 1995 has been a two possession game. Basically, in my short history with The Ohio State/Michigan game, almost every game has been close and has meant something to the Big Ten standings. So even without the hatred for Michigan that is ingrained in my DNA, I look forward to this game all year, every year, simply because it almost always determines what bowl game each school will go to.

My first year attending Ohio State just so happened to coincide with the 2006 football season. And although that season ultimately ending with an epic debacle, the Michigan game that year almost completely gets rid of the bitter aftertaste of the championship game. The only time in the 106 meetings that both teams have been ranked #1 and #2, respectively, which, to be honestly, I am still surprised about. With all the titles won by these two teams, I would have thought that they would have been the top two teams at least once before, but they never were. So obviously, this was a special game. The fact that this was the first Michigan game I saw in person makes it a special game for me, personally. Throw in the fact that the game itself was incredible, and that the winner went the the BCS Title Game, and it means that much more.

If The 'Shoe Fits: Podcast #1

This is our first podcast at Inside The Shoe, and we're very excited. Danny will be joining me and we'll be talking about the BCS, Bowl Games, the Iowa game, and where things will end up, plus tons of other stuff!

You may have to turn your volume up all the way, and if you can't hear Danny very well let us know so we can fix it.

We hope you enjoy, and give us your thoughts!

Ohio State - Florida Analysis : How Good Is This Team?

Sullinger proved to be the key to this team's success.

I am sure by now you have read multiple game recaps and seen all the box scores, so I want to do a little more than just regurgitate the same old facts. Last night, the #5 team in the country dismantled the #10 team in the country, making them look foolish in the process. As the commentators mentioned a couple times last night, it is a rare occurrence for two top ten, non-conference teams to meet in the regular season, so there is a lot to learn from last night's game, about both teams.

In my game preview, I wrote that rebounding would be the key to the game. And in the first half, it was. Florida had significant edge on the glass, and pulled down offensive rebound after offensive rebound. They also had a lead at the half. After the break, the Buckeyes kept the Gators from getting as many boards, and were able to pull away. Florida still held a 26-17 overall rebounding advantage, plus an 8-7 edge on offensive rebounds, but much of that edge came in the first 20 minutes.

Buckeye Basketball: Weekly Preview

Sullinger looks to man-handle teams
AP/Terry Gilliam

Big week for the basketball Buckeyes, as they travel to Gainesville on Tuesday to take on Billy Donovan's Gators, followed by a home game against UNC-Wilmington on Saturday. Tuesday night's contest will be televised on ESPN, and tips off at 6:00 p.m., instead of the usual 7:00. The game Saturday will be at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are available for Saturday, and with high quality games coming up in Big Ten play, this might be one of your few chances to see the Bucks in person.

Also, we will be running a live chat here at Inside The Shoe during the Florida game, for those who don't have the luxury of watching the games with other Buckeye fans. Now let's take a closer look at the games:

Ohio State Basketball - Season Preview

It's finally here! Ohio State basketball tips off tonight at 7:00 against the Aggies.....of North Carolina A&T. Not exactly a marquee match up, but at least the team will actually be on the floor for a game that counts. With the season only hours away from officially beginning, now is a better time than ever to give our faithful (handful of) readers an idea of what to expect this year. If you are new to the site, or for some reason just missed them here are the four profiles I have done on the new freshman to the team: Jared Sullinger, Deshaun Thomas, Aaron Craft, and Lenzelle Smith, Jr. I promise, I will get profiles up on Jordan Sibert and J.D. Witherspoon soon. For now, I want to focus on what lineups will likely be on the floor this year and how I think the team will finish in the Big Ten.

Turner carried the team last year.

Last year, lack of depth was a major problem for the basketball Buckeyes. This year, depth presents a different problem: Too much of it. Of course, I don't actually think that having an excess of talent is ever an actual "problem" (unless you are Mike Brown, and simply REFUSE to put good players on the floor...or call timeouts, or coach offense, or stand up to your players, etc.). Ohio State will be two-deep at every position, with several players (both starters and backups) having the ability to play multiple positions. There are five positions, so let's begin.

Joe Pa and His 400th Win - Should We Care?

What do I care about Buckeye fans??

Penn State head football coach Joe Paterno currently sits at 399 wins in his coaching career. If you are new to college football (welcome!) that is a lot of wins. Much has been made of Joe Pa's career and impending record in recent weeks, but I am going to tell this tale a little differently. Some of you might think I am mean spirited or trying to darken a great moment, but this is an Ohio State blog, and I am an Ohio State fan, so I am going to call this as I see it. Mind you, this is my opinion only, but as always it will be backed up with fact (and proven correct).

Before I begin, I do want to say that I do respect many of the things Paterno has done in his career. His dedication to his school is unmatched by anyone. Ever. I have always laughed at Browns fans who said that Tressel is going to coach the Browns. Tressel's dream job is Ohio State, and I never see him coaching anywhere else, he is totally dedicated to the Buckeyes. Paterno has the same level of dedication as Tress, but has had it for FOUR times as long. Also, he has an extremely low salary (relatively speaking). He makes slightly more than $1 million per year, much less than guys like Saban, Meyer, and even Coach Tressel. And I don't remember any scandals or excess criminal activity at Penn State, unlike Florida State under Bobby Bowden, UNC under Butch Davis, USC under Pete Carroll, and especially Florida under Urban Meyer.

Cavs 2010-11 Season Preview and Predictions

REALLY Rise Up

Regular season play begins Wednesday for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and while there has been a considerable drop in interest (and expectations) in the franchise, I am very excited about the upcoming season. You see, the rebuilding process has already begun on the North Coast, and this season will determine how long that process will take, and how successful it will be. There are a lot of new players on the team, and much to discuss in terms of potential trades, so let's jump right in.

As I have established in previous articles, I am usually irrationally optimistic about my favorite sports teams, and the Cavs are no different. Experts and regular fans see nothing but doom and gloom because the Cavs lost the 4th best player (Kobe, Durant, Wade), largest ego, and biggest diva in the league. However, I see one of the youngest teams in the league with a HUGE trade exception to use, and whose veterans could potentially bring in more youth or draft picks later in the season. I feel like a lot of people think the Cavs simply "lost" Lebron, but that could not be farther from the truth. So my first order of business is to clear up that misconception and explain why losing Lebron was, dare I say it, good for the franchise.