Ohio State Offers 2014 4-Star Wide Receiver Johnnie Dixon

Dixon has Ohio State on his mind early

The 2013 recruiting season is far from over, but Urban Meyer takes a much different approach then the previous coaching staff in that he begins his recruiting ahead of schedule to try to gain an upper hand on recruits. 2014 recruiting has been underway for a while now and the offers are starting to pile up.

With the latest offer coming to 2014 wide receiver Johnnie Dixon (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Dwyer), this offer makes Dixon one of the first half dozen teams to offer him a scholarship.

Including Ohio State on his list, he has offers from Miami, Alabama, Florida, Florida State and South Florida.

The 6'0",180-pound Dixon caught 18 passes for 433 yards and four touchdowns during his sophomore season. While those numbers are not great, it did not take the Buckeyes long to know Dixon is an outstanding talent. Dixon has a tremendous amount of speed, which is one of the big reasons why he's on the offer list for Ohio State.

Dixon is using this summer to go to camps in the state of Florida. Next summer will likely be the Buckeyes’ turn. Dixon has been a Florida Gator fan, but says that won’t have an impact on his college choice.

Dixon is a 4-star prospect in the 247Sports rankings.

Dixon seems as if he is truly interested in Ohio State and a big part of that is Meyer. Since he is a big fan of the Gators, expect Urban Meyer to pull out some big stops with Dixon’s recruitment.

2013 4-Star Defensive End Joey Bosa Commits To Ohio State

Bosa is #12 for the Class of '13

It doesn’t get much better than the defensive end trio Urban Meyer signed for his 2012 recruiting class, which included Noah Spence, Adolphus Washington and Se’Von Pittman that Urban Meyer landed last recruiting season.

Now, though, Meyer may just be outdoing himself as the Buckeyes added a fantastic defensive end earlier this afternoon.

Joey Bosa, the country’s No. 2 strong-side defensive end in the 247Sports rankings, has tweeted that he has committed to Ohio State. This makes Bosa the 12th commitment to Meyer and OSU's Class of 2013.

Bosa made his decision while visiting Ohio State over the weekend and attending the Ohio State spring game on Saturday. However, he waited - for good reason - to make his announcement this morning.

Bosa is more familiar with Ohio State football than most high school football players in the state of Florida. Bosa’s mother is from Chicago and his uncle Eric Kumerow was a high school star there before heading to Ohio State where he became a star defensive end for the Buckeyes.

The 6'5", 260-pound Bosa played in every game during his sophomore season and started two for one of the country’s top prep teams. He missed four games during his junior season with a concussion, but still made 50 tackles including eight sacks. Bosa had 16 tackles for loss as St. Thomas Acquinas finished with a 10-3 record.

Bosa picked Ohio State over an impressive list of scholarship offers that includes Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, Wisconsin, Michigan, Boston College, Notre Dame and Iowa.

In addition to being the country’s No. 2 strong-side defensive end prospect, Bosa is the country’s No. 24 overall prospect and the No. 7 prospect in the state of Florida.

This defensive line recruiting is just getting out of hand - in the best way possible. This a fantastic pick up for Ohio State and one that they really wanted to add to their class. Now that they have him, they can focus more on the other key recruits. 

Keep it at Inside The Shoe for the latest news, updates and opinions on Ohio State athletics. 

4-Star Tight End Marcus Baugh Commits To Ohio State

According to Bucknuts ($) 4-star tight-end Marcus Baugh has committed to Ohio State as of last night.

The decision to play for coach Urban Meyer was heavily influenced by the success of former Gator, Aaron Hernandez, now of the New England Patriots.

Baugh is rated as the No. 3 tight end in the country, the No. 9 player in the state of California and the No. 93 rated prospect overall. His commitment is the 8th verbal pledge in Ohio State’s 2013 class.

Throughout the process, Baugh has been interested in Ohio State and when an offer came, the Buckeyes immediately shot near the top of his list. The 6'4", 225-pounder already has some familiarity with the program due to having a cousin that is enrolled at Ohio State as a student.

Baugh chose the Buckeyes over offers from the likes of Florida, Washington, UCLA, Nebraska, Arizona State, California and more. Despite all of those offers, Baugh claims to be done with his recruitment.

This is a great commitment, as the Buckeyes will try to add 1 more tight-end in the class of 2013, whether it be Mike Heuerman or Josh McNeil. This commitment also shows the recruiting abilit of Meyer, as he was able to lock down a great tight-end from out West, Riverside (Calif.) J.W. North, to be exact.

Keep it at Inside The Shoe for the latest news, updates and opinions on Ohio State athletics. 

'12 5-Star WR/ATH Recruit Stefon Diggs To Announce Decision Today

Diggs has the potential to play instantly

2012 5-star wide receiver/athlete Stefon Diggs is scheduled to announce his college choice on a Washington cable channel at 6 p.m. today.

As of last night, the blue-chip receiver from Olney, Md., apparently hadn’t made up his mind. From what I've gathered; Ohio State, Florida, Auburn, and Maryland are all still in the running. Every single team site for those teams has said that he is going to their school.

The 6'1", 190-pound Diggs is rated as the nation’s No. 10 prospect overall, according to 247Sports.com. He is the lone prospect in the national top 50 that did not sign on national signing day last Wednesday. 

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, on national signing day, told reporters that he still had room for one more signee in the 2012 recruiting class and that he was specifically looking for a speed athlete to help with his spread offense. So he targeted Diggs to fill a need for playmaking speed, as he put it, to be the cherry on top of his highly ranked recruiting class. Of course, that doesn't mean Florida, Maryland, and Auburn can't use him for the same reason.

Mike Farrell of Rivals.com believes that the Terrapins are the team to beat, as of Thursday. In second place? The Florida Gators. If that seems surprising, remember that the nation’s No. 1 prospect this year, receiver Dorial Green-Beckham of Springfield, Mo., chose Missouri over Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama and a host of others on National Signing Day.

Hit the jump for video highlights of Diggs, and stay tuned for the latest news on his announcement.

Gator Bowl Live Blog: Ohio State vs. Florida

The 2011-2012 Gator Bowl is finally upon us. Jim Bollman is coaching in his final game. 'nuff said. Enjoy the game, as Ohio State will not be attending a bowl game next year. Join us down below!

The live blog starts at 12:45 PM EST. We hope to see you there cheering on the Buckeyes!

Enemy Blogger Interview: Florida

Gators in the Gator Bowl. Hmph.

The Gator Bowl is only 2 days away Buckeye fans. With that being said, it's time to learn about the 2011 Florida Gators. Andy Hutchins from Alligator Army joins us, and was nice enough to answer our questions about the the Gator squad, and how they match up against Ohio State.

Both Florida and Ohio State did not have the season that either fan bases expected from their team. Will Muschamp and Luke Fickell were both first year head coaches. What do Florida fans think of the 2011 season overall?


In general, Gator Nation's pretty disappointed. Florida's 6-6 record is lower than it ever was, even under Ron Zook, and those years had more exciting offenses and more promise burbling than this year seemed to have.

The Gator Bowl has been called "The Urban Meyer Bowl" for obvious reasons. How do Florida fans feel about Meyer coming out of retirement to coach the Buckeyes, instead of the Gators?


No one has renamed the Gator Bowl but TaxSlayer.com, I think, but Florida fans are in one of two camps on Meyer: Either they have come to terms with him being a mercenary and resigned themselves to wishing him well, or they have taken his decision to coach Ohio State as a defection and branded him a traitor and a liar. I'm more in the first camp than the second.

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.

The Gator Bowl Meet and Greet: Who Are The Florida Gators?

Florida has some speed

As it was announced Sunday night, Ohio State will take on the Florida Gators in the 2011-2012 Gator Bowl. Both teams are coming off a disappointing 6-6 regular season, but have high hopes for coming out with a win in this game. So let's take a look at who the Florida Gators are.

Coach
Will Muschamp: 6-6 (3-5) 1st Year
On December 11, 2010, University of Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley named Muschamp to succeed current Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer as the head coach of the Florida Gators football program. 

Since that time, Muschamp has led the Gators to a 6-6 season, which is disappointing for a team that has won 2 National Championships in the past 5 years. On January 3, 2011, Muschamp announced the hiring of Charlie Weis, former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator, as the Gators' new offensive coordinator. Weis is a four-time Super Bowl champion and a former head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish team. 

The offense isn't as good as Ohio State's (shocking, I know), but their defense is certainly greater than the Buckeyes' attempt this year. Let's take a look at some of those key players after the jump.

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. 

Basketball Preview: #3 Ohio State vs. #8 Florida

Matta has another talented squad

A lot of teams would rather not have a huge test in their second game of the season.

But that's just fine with No. 3 Ohio State and No. 7 Florida.

"I love playing a game like this," Buckeyes preseason All-American Jared Sullinger said about the Tuesday night showdown. "They have a team that comes in and they like to transition and they like to shoot 3s, they like to score. And they're also physical down low. This really determines what type of a team we are. Are we strong enough to handle the transition 3s back to back and then come down and score? Or are we just going to crumble?"

They met in the second game for each last year, too. In that one, Ohio State's veteran presence on the perimeter showed it was a perfect match with Sullinger, a callow freshman with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the Buckeyes coasted in Gainesville, Fla., 93-75.

"Even though they beat us handily at our place last year, I still felt coming out of that game a lot of things, for us, got exposed that we had to address and get better at. It ultimately ended up being a good game for us," Gators coach Billy Donovan said.

Donovan and Matta might not seem like kindred spirits. But they're best friends, trading calls and getting together whenever possible except for when they're opposing each other.

"He's one of the good guys," Matta said of the coach that beat his Buckeyes in the 2006 NCAA title game. "We bounce things off of each other through the course of the season. We always laugh because we like to get together and talk basketball, but when we're playing each other we don't want to divulge any secrets."

There aren't a whole lot of secrets to reveal. Both teams are defending conference champions. Both are also replacing three starters and have a talented group of freshmen.

Basketball Recap: #3 Ohio State 73, Wright State 42

Sullinger back to work

Preseason All-American Jared Sullinger scored 19 points to go with nine rebounds in leading No. 3 Ohio State to a 73-42 win over Wright State on Friday night in the Global Sports Shootout. William Buford added 13 points for the Buckeyes. Point guard Aaron Craft had 10 points and just one turnover in 28 minutes in the opener for both teams.

A.J. Pacher had 13 points and Reggie Arcenaux 11 for Wright State, which was 19-14 a year ago, but doesn't have a player on the roster with more than a year of experience with the Raiders. It seemed as if OSU was bigger, and quicker, as they went 26 of 38 at the free-throw line compared to Wright State's 10 of 15.

The Buckeyes must replace three starters from last year's Big Ten regular-season and tournament champion (34-3) that won its first 24 games and was ranked No. 1 before losing 62-60 in the NCAA regional semifinal to Kentucky. This year's roster includes only one senior (Buford), one junior, and 10 sophomores and freshmen.

Up by 14 at the break, the Buckeyes pulled away on field goals by Buford, Deshaun Thomas and Sullinger to push the lead to 40-20. Buford, the Buckeyes' second leading scorer a year ago, added two more baskets in the 10-0 spurt. The lead hovered around 30 for most of the second half as both teams emptied their benches and the Buckeyes led 34-20 at the half, with Sullinger picking up nine of his 13 points at the line.

Predictions For National Signing Day Part 1

Can Tressel reel in some more recruits?

Wednesday may mark a big day for Ohio State. As you know, 2 days from now, is the National Signing Day this year. This means all the big recruit names that haven't committed anywhere have to make their decision.


The Buckeye's have their eyes on a couple of star studded individuals that would really put the cherry on top for the 2011 Recruiting class. We've gone over a couple, including Doran Grant, Jajuan Story, Curtis Grant, and Ejuan Price. Here they are, and the rest of our predictions as to who is going to be a Buckeye in 2011.

Stan Drayton Is Hired

Welcome Coach Drayton!

As we reported earlier last week, Stan Drayton may be on his way to accepting the vacant WR coaching spot on the Buckeyes. The former Florida RB coach, the move was different, but welcome among fans. Not only can he teach the players, but recruiting is a big part of this. As of right now, Curtis Grant and Jajuan Story are picking between Florida and Ohio State. Signing Day is coming up, and this hire may just help the lean towards OSU.

This story was confirmed by the excellent writers at the Plain Dealer,  With his extensive ties to the Florida prep community, this hire could start to pay big dividends right away, especially if Story decides to follow Drayton to Columbus.

Recruiting Update: JaJuan Story

Fans, get to know this wide receiver. The #33 ranked WR in the '11 class, according to Scout, just finished his visit to Ohio State, and you may be wondering how it went for the Florida commit:

"2011 WR JaJuan Story says his #OhioState visit is "amazing" so far.#gators #Oregon"

via Laura McKeeman 

Ohio State still has a chance with the 6'4'' 192 receiver, and Buckeye fans can only hope for the announcement they are looking for. Laura also dropped the bomb that an update would be given, saying "Florida fans won't be too happy".

Story is one of the more physically imposing receivers in the country, and has all the tools to be a great receiver on the college level with excellent size and speed. He needs to work on honing his skills and the finer points of the position as his routes can be loose and he needs to recognize coverage better. His hands will get better with more experience as should the rest of his game.

Buckeye Basketball: Live Blog: #5 Ohio State vs. #9 Florida

The game tips off at 6:00, so join us here at Inside The Shoe at 5:45 to cheer on the Buckeyes with other fans.

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.

Idiocy.

Sigh. I don't know who to feel bad for, Kelly, or Cincy.

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2009/12/after-meeting-last-week-brian-kelly-on-brink-of-becoming-notre-dame-coach.html

BCS Bowl Breakdown by Inside The Shoe.

Rose Bowl Presented by Citi - No. 7 Oregon vs No. 8 Ohio State

This is one of the BCS Bowl match-ups that almost everyone is looking forward to. It is sort of intresting in the plot. Here we have Oregon, looking to prove that the Pac-10 is not a one man team, and is trying to earn national respect. Ohio State, on the other hand, is trying to convince the nation that they still belong in that national spotlight. Oregon has a small defense, but will be facing a talented, big, but a very inconsistent offense, headed by sophomore Terrelle Pryor. On the offensive side of the ball, Oregon has one of the top 10 rushing games and faces the 5th ranked rushing defense in the Buckeyes. All very intresting. With all of this going on, Oregon is a 3 point favorite.

Allstate Sugar Bowl - No. 3 Cincinnati vs No. 5 Florida

In what many people view as a pretty big mismatch, the Big East champions look to take down the defending national champions. Florida comes in looking very strong on D, and a little blustered on offense. Alabama pounded them to the point it seemed like they didn't really want to seem to play anymore. On the other side, Cincy comes off a huge win over Big East rival, Pitt. After a long TD special, the Bearcats won by an extra point, showing they once again, have almost no defense. Giving Illinois 36 points is quite an amazing feat.

Tostitos Feista Bowl - No. 4 TCU vs No. 6 Boise State

I have to say, I am one of many that agree that the BCS voted for a cop-out. Instead of trying to prove a point that these confrences deserve BCS bids, and that they should have national respect, they will just be beating each other up in the face. The big key to this game is TCU's amazing defense aganist the best scoring offense, Boise State, in the NCAA. I would look out though, TCU has a pretty darn good offense.

FedEx Orange Bowl - No. 9 Georgia Tech vs No. 10 Iowa

Iowa got the 2nd BCS bowl for the Big Ten and Georgia Tech is feeling confident as they just won a close game aganist Spiller and the Tigers. GT's bread and butter is the triple option, though unfortunatly for them, Iowa's inside linmen are built for stopping the run. Just ask Ohio State. Right? Right?

CITI BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME - No. 1 Alabama vs No. 2 Texas

People are already wanting to give the crystal, when Texas had to use every second they had to beat the good defense of Nebraska. After Alabama crushed the defending national and SEC champs, who would argue? I think it was read into to much about the Big 12 champ game, but I would defintaly say it's never to early to start watching film.

National CFB Games This Weekend.

It's time again for the weekly games to come. This is really the last regular season week, and to look back on it, this has been the fastest year of college football of my life.We the Buckeyes have had our ups, (Penn St. Iowa) and our downs (USC, Purdue). Overall though, most Buckeye fans realized that we would be headed to the Rose Bowl, due to losing to Penn St. and USC, just like last year. Well, USC came and went, but we lost to Purdue, but won out. So really, expectations were met this year. Now for the rest of the BCS, it really counts tonight and this weekend. After last week, we at Inside The Shoe are now 10-4. So! Let's get to it.

National Games

Today – #14 Oregon State at #7 Oregon – 9:00 p.m. (ESPN)

This match-up will deciede who Ohio State faces in the Rose Bowl. Oregon comes in off a double overtime win @ Arizona, with QB Jermiah Massoli, and running back(s) LeMichal James and LeGarette Blount(?). Oregon State will look to win the Civil war, although most Buckeye fans agree Oregon would be the "sexier" opponet. I think that Oregon faces trouble ahead, but will eventually come up victorious 37-21.

Saturday - #5 Cincinnati at #13 Pittsburgh – 12:00 p.m. (ABC)

After last week's debacle aganist WVU, I lost a lot of faith in Pitt. They don't seem to be very consistent, and Brian Kelly and Co. won't have any of it as UC will take this one, and try to head to the BCS, 28-13

SEC Championship Game: #1 Florida vs. #2 Alabama – 4:00 p.m. (CBS)

This one is being dubbed as the defacto BCS Championsip game. That's terrible. I honestly believe that Florida is overrated, and Alabama is a national title contender this year. As long as the Defense holds up for Bama, then they will win this thing fairly easily, 24-10.

ACC Championship Game: #10 Georgia Tech vs. #25 Clemson – 8:00 p.m. (ESPN)

Georgia Tech's triple option is one of the best I have seen in a long time, but i have to go with Clemson and my man, C.J. Spiller, 17-6.

Big XII Championship Game: #3 Texas vs. #23 Nebraska – 8:00 p.m. (ABC)

All i have to really say about this game is, Welcome to the NC since 2005 Texas, 35-14.