ITS's BlogPoll Ballot: Post Spring

Spring Football is all wrapped up and now college football fans will have to wait a couple of more months before the beginning of the 2012-2013 season. Until that time is upon us, you can look at the Post-Spring Preseason BlogPoll. Spring practices are done, recruiting classes are in, and it's time to make our judgement as to who goes where among the top 25 best teams in college football.

Of course, we remind you that this BlogPoll is as much ours as it is yours. We want your feedback as to who should go where and why. What you post (within reason) will have an effect on where we place teams the next time the poll comes around. 

With that, here is our early look at the Post Spring BlogPoll:

* Keep in mind that we did NOT rank USC last season at any point because of their ban from postseason play. As much as it pains me to do so, I will not be placing any teams that are banned from postseason play which includes Ohio State.

   

 

 

Inside The Shoe Ballot - Week 18

Rank	Team	Delta
1	USC Trojans - The Trojan's first season off of the postseason bans have them coming in at #1. With Matt Barkley leading the charge, USC has a chance at a title run once more.	--
2	LSU Tigers - Les Miles and his squad are picking right up where they left off. Solid recruiting and playmakers all over the field will help LSU contend for a title again.	--
3	Alabama Crimson Tide - The Crimson Tide are right there with LSU, just like last season. With returning starter A.J. McCarron improving and a more-than capable running back in Eddie Lacy, things are looking bright for Bama.	--
4	Georgia Bulldogs - One of the darkhorses in the SEC this season, the Bulldogs have the talent to compete with the best of them, starting with QB Aaron Murray. A favorable schedule helps as well.	--
5	Oregon Ducks - While Chip Kelly and the Ducks lose LaMichael James and Darron Thomas, Oregon still has plenty of firepower in DeAnthony Thomas and Kenjon Barner.	--
6	Oklahoma Sooners - Landry Jones is back again and the receiving core is one of the best in the country with Kenny Stills and Jaz Reynolds returning, as well as signing top receivers in the 2012 recruiting class.	--
7	South Carolina Gamecocks - Marcus Lattimore is coming off of an ACL tear, but Connor Shaw will try and lead the Gamecocks without WR Alshon Jeffrey. This really comes down to Lattimore.	--
8	Florida St. Seminoles - Jimbo Fisher is recruiting like a madman, signing top prospects such as Mario Edwards and Eddie Goldman. E.J. Manuel returns to quarterback the offense in 2012.	--
9	West Virginia Mountaineers - The Mountaineers have everything going for them, following the Orange Bowl smashing of Clemson, 70-33. Geno Smith and Dustin Garrison look to improve on the 2011 season and become an early favorite to win the Big 12.	--
10	Arkansas Razorbacks - Arkansas lost a lot of talent at the wide receiver position, but with Knile Davis returning from an injury and QB Tyler Wilson, the Razorbacks will try to take the SEC by surprise under John L. Smith.	--
11	Michigan Wolverines - Coming off of a Sugar Bowl-winning season, the Wolverines look to finally take back the Big Ten title in 2012. Early Heisman candidate Denard Robinson will lead UM on offense while Greg Mattison continues to improve the defense.	--
12	Wisconsin Badgers - Russell Wilson is gone, but the Badgers were able to nab Montee Ball from joining the NFL, instantly making the Badgers competitors in the Big Ten. The coaching staff lost 6 assistants over the course of the off-season, so it's up to the school to replace them with quality coaches.	--
13	Clemson Tigers - Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins are back as one of the top dynamic duos in the country. While they need to figure things out defensively, Clemson can still get back to national prominence under Dabo Swinney.	--
14	Michigan St. Spartans - The Spartans will have to replace some key positions, including the QB spot that Kirk Cousins held down for the past couple of years. A stingy defense will help propel any offensive troubles, as MSU tries to head back to Indy for the B1G Championship Game.	--
15	Nebraska Cornhuskers - Taylor Martinez enters his 3rd year as a Cornhusker and again big things are expected from the Big Red. Rex Burkhead will have to be more than efficient to help Nebraska in it's second season in the Big Ten.	--
16	TCU Horned Frogs - A recent addition to the Big 12, TCU will try to show what they've got under head coach Gary Patterson. TCU brings back much of its firepower on offense, with quarterback Casey Pachall, tailbacks Waymon James and Ed Wesley and receivers Josh Boyce and Skye Dawson coming back.	--
17	Kansas St. Wildcats - With quarterback Collin Klein and linebacker Arthur Brown coming back this season, the Wildcats might be among the Big 12 favorites, along with Oklahoma and West Virginia. Klein is also an early candidate for the Heisman trophy.	--
18	Illinois Fighting Illini - You might be surprised to find the Fighting Illini this high, but don't be. With Nathan Scheelhaase in his third year as a QB, expect him to be among the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten. Under new head coach Tim Beckman, the Illini should not be overlooked.	--
19	Texas Longhorns - The Longhorns rebounded nicely this past season, after a head-scratching 5-7 finish in 2010. David Ash will have the edge entering spring practice, but he'll continue to be pushed by Case McCoy. The running game should be better if tailbacks Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron can stay healthy, and incoming freshman Johnathan Gray.	--
20	Washington Huskies - Quarterback Keith Price has given Huskie fans some hope for this season. Price has the offense resting completely on his shoulders, but after dazzling against RG3 in the Alamo Bowl (though they lost), Washington should be pretty decent this year.	--
21	Virginia Tech Hokies - Quarterback Logan Thomas will be back for his second season as a starter and he showed he was capable in 2011. Incoming freshman Joel Caleb might need to emerge as a big-play threat early in his career. The good news is that as many as eight starters might be back on defense.	--
22	Oklahoma St. Cowboys - If OSU coach Mike Gundy is going to keep his program near the top of the Big 12, he's going to have to rebuild his record-setting offense after losing quarterback Brandon Weeden and receiver Justin Blackmon. Rising junior Clint Chelf, RS FR J.W. Walsh and incoming FR West Lunt will battle for the starting QB job this spring.	--
23	Boise St. Broncos - The Broncos went 73-6 in coach Chris Petersen's first six seasons and flirted with playing for a BCS national championship in each of the past two seasons. Rising junior Joe Southwick will be the favorite to replace Moore, but he'll get competition from rising sophomore Grant Hedrick and incoming freshman Nick Patti.	--
24	Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Brian Kelly will again oversee a quarterback battle in the offseason, with Tommy Rees, Andrew Hendrix, Everett Golson and freshman Gunner Kiel (who enrolled in January) battling for the starting job.	--
25	Stanford Cardinal - David Shaw lead Stanford to an 11-2 record and BCS bowl game in his first season and also signed arguably the best recruiting class in school history. Stanford signed top offensive line prospects, including tackles Andrus Peat and Kyle Murphy and guard Josh Garnett. Tailback Barry Sanders Jr., the son of NFL Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, also was a big recruiting coup. Of course, the Cardinal have to replace quarterback Andrew Luck.	--

Receiving Votes: Florida, Auburn, Miami (Fl.), Washington State

SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »

Some more bad news.

Lebron James is not the only one to go to Miami today. Seantrel Henderon is as well. Although he said himself that Ohio State was a close second, once again the Buckeyes are losers...this was forseen, but still hurts, and only adds pain to Ohio after losing He Who Shan't Be Named. If you're to lazy to hit the link, I understand so here you go:

"Seantrel Henderson, a prized offensive lineman considered by most analysts to be the nation’s top high school football recruit, and his father, Sean, said on Friday afternoon that he would attend the University of Miami in the fall.

...Henderson is a 6-foot-8, 340-pound left tackle from Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, Minn. and had been recruited by just about every major college football program in the country. Immediately, he becomes the prize of a Hurricanes recruiting class that had already been ranked No. 14 by Scout.com and No. 16 by Rivals.com...

He will arrive at Miami on Aug. 3 and is already academically eligible for the upcoming season, Sean Henderson said."

Sigh...

Seantrel Henderson was in Miami.

"According to Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press, Henderson was in Miami on Saturday."

Any chance at all he comes to this?

As I reported to you earlier in the week, Seantrel is leaning towards Miami, and apparently was his second choice behind USC. This news doesn't bode well for the Buckeyes, and I have a feeling we can start forgetting about it. Now comes the real sad part. If Seantrel would go to Miami, Ohio State, or anywhere else, then he might be able to get out of his LOI (letter of intent) and then not have to sit out a season.

"Walters also raises an interesting point regarding Henderson's Letter of Intent.  The Henderson's are claiming that Kiffin assured the recruit there would be no major sanctions for the football program, and that could be used as a way to secure a waiver from the NCAA in getting out of the LOI and not having to sit out a transfer year. "

Seantrel coming out of this helmet?

The news stops there, but that is very grim news for Buckeye fans. We could see Seantrel in Columbus come Sept. 11, but not in the uniform I want to see him in. He will have the U. I hope this is all just talk, and no show, but I have a gut feeling this time there's no dodging the bullet.

Here we go again..

A report from the Twin Cities is saying that Seantrel Henderson might be headed to Miami, even if he has to sit out a season because of the transfer.

"Latest word is that Cretin-Derham Hall grad Seantrel Henderson, who was assured by new Southern California football coach Lane Kiffin during recruitment that USC would not receive serious NCAA penalties, is balking at his commitment and now leaning toward Miami, even though he would have to sit out a transfer season."

I think this means for sure Seantrel will be leaving USC for good, but I don't think anyone truly knows where he is going to be. Also, it could just be wishful thinking. I know that many Ohio State fans don't like/want the kid anymore, but I also know that mistakes can be made in the recruiting process. I think he should come to Ohio State if he is serious about wanting to be in the NFL. Obviously Miami is a great place to get that talent, at least it used to be, but Ohio State is the place to be now. Just look at Terrelle Pryor. He wanted a pro style place that would have him turned into a pro quarterback for the NFL. He doesn't want to be a project like JaMarcus Russell and Vince Young, he wants to be a Peyton Manning with some speed.

Come block for Boom/Berry/Hyde/Miller/TP/Everyone else.

Seantrel should do the right thing this time and learn from his mistakes. Jim Tressel knows what to do to get you ready for the NFL, and hell, you will most likely have a good time here anyways. Plus, this is the best place to try and win a championship right now. Although he would have to sit out 1 year, he could lead the squad with TP/Braxton Miller in 2011.

We will see what he decides to do, and most definitely keep you up to date on all the latest news regarding Seantrel and his new decision.

I found this mildly humorous

Also, I'm thinking about getting this one blown up and made in to a banner to hang from my balcony for this upcoming football season. What do you think?

I wish I was good at or even owned photoshop :(

Dear Matt Barkley

"Derrpa Derrr!"

Yo broseph, what's shakin? Catch any waves lately? No, huh.... butt's too sore from that NCAA beat-down I guess. Hey man, I feel for you. It really sucks. Last year you almost won the Heisman Trophy and according to one NFL coach, you were the best QB in the country if not the universe! You've got a tough road ahead of you this season. You can't transfer unless you want to lose a year of playing time. Maybe you should just go to the NFL. I mean, I heard once that you were the best QB USC ever had ... EVER! I'm sure you could just show up to Patriots, or maybe even Seahawks training camp an assert your will to become their starting QB! YOU CAN DO IT! I can see it now, "Matt Barkley 2010 NFL MVP and SUPER BOWL MVP"!!! "Fight on"! -SBB

What the USC sanctions really mean.

Sad Panda. No, not because hes Asian. That's racist bro.

The NCAA Squeaky Punishment Hammer has finally come down after 6(6?!? geez-us) years of speculation, investigation and not-so-patient waiting by some of us. 30 Scholarships over 3 years, 2 season bowl ban, vacating wins, etc etc(not to mention the women's tennis team got in some trouble to I guess). We've pretty much all read or heard all about it. What does it mean? Too heavy? Too lenient? Depends on who you talk to...

• The NCAA actually has teeth and knows how to (think about using them for a long time and then) use them.

• 30 Scholarships is BIG. Really Big. The NCAA limits the number of scholarship players on a division 1 roster to 85 total at any given time. How that impacts a given recruiting year varies on the number of freshman, sophomores, juniors, seniors, etc you have on the team at a given time. For arguments sake, and for easier math, let's assume an equal distribution, which would 21.25 scholarships be class, and for the sake of round numbers we'll use 21. That means for the 2011, 2012(when the world ends) and 2013 seasons you're down to 11 scholarships you can offer, or a little more than half of your normal allotment. That's gonna sting.
• 2 year post-season ban. What this comes down to is recruiting(think national TV) and Money(bowl games pay out TONS of money to the participating schools/conferences). When you couple the loss of national exposure to recruits during those bowl games, which except for last season have all been prime time, January 1st or later games, with the loss of available scholarships you get a double hit on recruiting. Also, playing in a bowl game is some-what prestigious depending on which one you are in. By not playing in one your team could take a bit of a PR/mystique hit in the eyes of recruits and their parents. Kids want a couple of things when they decide on a football program: immediate playing time, national exposure and the best possible shot at making it to the in as little time as possible. With this 2 year ban, the 3 year plan to jump takes a big hit.(these are assumptions for top talent mostly)

• The 2010 USC Tojans enter the season in lot of polls as a top ten or higher team(s0mehow). Will they play up to their potential or has the reality of no post season taken the wind out of their sails already? Can this coupled with a new coaching staff set them back significantly in wins and losses? Maybe. Actually, it's quite probable.

While some will say that this took to long, we have to realize that the NCAA only has one shot to get it right. Convincing former and current Athletic Directors of these sorts of things isn't exaclty easy. Sure, most of the offending parties have gone on to other things(we think) but it is the institution that we punish, not the individual.(unless you're Tim Floyd who got fired a while back) So down with the car flags. Put away all your obnoxious USC gear, and no more "fight on" with your V's or peace signs, whatever the hell they are. Let us revel in your sadness. Let me taste your delicious tears. And please please please go undefeated for the next two seasons just because I would find that to be very ironic.

Sad Pandas that have migrated out of their natural habitat of Happy Valley for warmer climates. They are still very sad though.

Dear Seantrel

We were dismayed to hear your choice a couple months ago. Most of us wished you well, but knew something bad was about to happen. We don't fault you for drinking that Cardinal and Gold kool-aid, better men have done the same. We started to tell ourselves "we don't want him anyways!!!", and "I hope his dad gets a record deal LOLZ!" But on this day, the Christmas Day for everyone outside of U$C (fair-weather) fans, we have to say that we told you so. Something wasn't right. When Coach Tress gave you the family values schpeel he meant it, and still means it. When coach Kiffin talked to you about Tennesssss... I mean USC he sold you swamp land in Florida. Snake oil, if you will. So what do you do now? Transfer and burn a year? Or spend two years in South LA(which is an ugly ugly place) and hope that you make it to a BCS bowl game in 3 years, the year you thought would be your last and you'd make the jump early to the NFL? It's a tough call, but good luck. -SBB

USC gets the Smack-Down.

Galloping into the NCAA's hands..

Update: Here is a PDF of all the infractions.

Update 2: USC has to give up Championship, and more wins from 2005 season.

Finally! Bruce Feldman reports that USC has been given the consequences. A 2 year bowl ban, loss of 20 scholarships, and has to forfeit the 2004 season. How's that for some slapping? I can only begin to wonder if this has any effect on Seantrel Henderson. His fault, he wanted to go to the place with a new coach and a ton of NCAA violations. To say the least, this is awesome, but kind of silly. With the Nebraska news, this almost seems pointless to come out with at this point. By the way, the Pac 10 is to officially invite 6 Pac 10 members..I hope Texas doesn't go to them. No word on what Notre Dame will do. We will keep you updated.

There goes that MNC..

Your POW.

The POW this week comes from the announcement today of whether USC gets hammered, or a slap on the wrist. Obviously were begging for the earlier mentioned pick. Reggie Bush, below is a big reason as to why. If you would like to suggest a picture for the POW, please send it to insidetheshoe2009@hotmail.com

UPDATE: NCAA tells us that they won't be coming out with the announcement today. Figures.

A look back in Buckeye History.

Last BH post.

Every now and then, we will look back to great moments in Ohio State history and recap what happened. Today we will be looking back to the 1974 Rose Bowl game aganist USC and a little bit of the Michigan game before that USC game.

Ohio State - 42  USC - 21

Looking for revenge as well as redemption, the 1974 Buckeye squad was a good one. The 60th Rose Bowl then, the Buckeyes would be facing the USC Trojans. The Buckeyes won in a dominant way, with the running attack in Archie Griffin, but also with the precision passing of Cornelius Greene. Greene would end up being the MVP of the Rose Bowl that year, much like Terrelle Pryor was this year. He finished only 6 of 8 passing for 129 yards though. Griffin, a sophomore then, had his 11th straight 100 yard rushing game on the season. He ended up with 149 yards on 22 carries. Hayes said that the week before they had been working on passing the ball more because USC knew what was coming in Griffin. The Buckeye's defense was key, although allowing over 200 yards passing, they shut down the running game, including Anthony Davis, USC's leading rusher. The game was tied at 14 at the end of the first half, but the Buckeyes exploded in the second half scoring 28 unanswered points.

 Archie Griffin had the Buckeye's last play, a beautfiul 47 yard run late in the fourth quarter. This was a big win, not only for the Buckeyes, but for the Big Ten, as they had lost 4 straight in the Rose Bowl prior to Ohio State winning it. The Buckeyes coach said he thought they deserved the title of number one, on the fact they were undefeated, with a tie. That tie, though, came to Michigan. A 10-10 tie that will go down in College Football history as one of the greatest, and most controversial. To start, Ohio State ripped down the "Support Michigan" banner. Then, fierce play that resulted in a tie led most to believe that Michigan, not Ohio State, would be headed to the Rose Bowl. The band had started playing "California Dreamin", and most Buckeyes thought since they were the ones who got "upset" they woulnd't be going. The next day, however, the Big Ten wanted so badly to win the Rose Bowl, they deceided to give themselves a fighting chance. So they sent Ohio State.

How can you not love this??

• Bo Schembechler said the desicion was tragic.

• Most Buckeye fans didn't think so.

•  Ohio State's Archie Griffin would go onto to win the Heisman trophy as a junior, and a senior. The only two-timer ever.

USC's 3 day hearing session is over

As scheduled, the probing and talking by the NCAA to USC as ended today, and most Buckeye fans, hell, even USC fan's don't know what will happen until 6-8 weeks. That time is when the NCAA usually releases information about the "punishment". Most likely what will happen is that they will be put on probation, and at worse, get a couple of wins taken away. I don't think that's enough to lure away Seantrel Henderson, as he has had no comment on all of this, except during the beginning.

Reports of N.C.A.A. rules violations by U.S.C. football and basketball players, most notably a 2006 Yahoo Sports report that Reggie Bush received as much as $300,000 in cash and goods from a would-be marketing agent. ESPN and Yahoo later reported that the former Trojans basketball star O. J. Mayo received improper gifts on multiple occasions.

Obviously, they received amazing treatment, and the NCAA didn't like that so much. Like I said earlier, don't expect much, because if something big would have occured then the media would be all over it. Or at least you would have found something on a Google search about it. Keep your fingers crossed Buckeye fans, but don't get to hung up on the final verdict.

Hopefully jumping into a pot of trouble.

Your POW.

Last week's POW

 This is the 3rd POW from ITS. The picture this week is one that I made myself, as there were not many to choose from. As you all know by now, USC is facing punishment from the NCAA, if found guilty. Reggie Bush has said he will defend them no matter what (No, really?). The NCAA is also looking into the situation with O.J. Mayo, who was given special treatment on and around campus. The lawyers met today, which is good news for Buckeye fans, unless the SC lawyers do an amazing job. If you would like to suggjest some photos, just email us at insidetheshoe2009@hotmail.com or tweet @us, or even fire off a message at Facebook.

Big day for Buckeyes.

Today is a big day for all Buckeye fans. For an investigation that started in 2006, the USC confrence starts today, and we will get see if they are guilty, or not innocent. The most recent USC "hmm's" are landing Seantrel Henderson right after Pete Carroll leaving USC and Lane Kiffin coming up in a Limo everywhere. Before that, just two months ago, running back Joe McKnight was caught driving a Land Rover provided by an LA businessman…and then, what the NCAA is looking at now, is Reggie Bush's treatment, (treated like a god, apparently), and OJ Mayo’s matriculation to LA broke in 2008 and the Trojan basketball program announced self-imposed penalties that included a postseason ban, forfeiting wins, the loss of scholarships and coach Tim Floyd leaving the program. If USC does somehow get away with all this, it will be, as i like to say, reDONKulous.

In more Buckeye news, Jim Tressel and his staff are already starting to recruit for next season, and the season after that. In fact, just yesterday, Quarterback coach Nick Sillicano found a 5 foot 3 kindergarden kid who can throw about 200 yards with a perfect spiral. It was to late, though, the kid, named Luke Sands, has already commited to Florida because Urban Meyer heard that Lane Kiffin got a 13 year old to commit, so he pulled the "I had a dream" speech with his parents. No, all kidding aside, The Buckeyes got early verbals from 2011 recruits Ken Hayes and Steve Miller and some people think that quarterback Braxton Miller may be a Buckeye come spring. This is huge, and there are plenty more recruits commiting to Ohio State quickly. The 2011 class is really looking a lot better than this class has looked.

Finally, you may have already seen this in our "Inside The Shoe News" but Miami quarterback Jacory Harris is out for the whole spring, including the spring game, due to surgery on his throwing thumb. Rustiness will only follow Harris into the big game, we hope, and highly touted running back Graig Cooper is most likely not going to see the playing field all season, let alone the Buckeye game. This is some more of the injures coming from the camp: Kicker/punter Matt Bosher, seen recently wearing a sling; linebacker Ramon Buchanan (shoulder); running back Cooper (knee); guard Joel Figueroa (upper extremity); linebacker Jordan Futch (knee); defensive lineman Levi Paalua (upper extremity), running back Lee Chambers (lower extremity). UM listed defensive tackle Marcus Forston (upper extremity), defensive back Ryan Hill (upper extremity) and safety JoJo Nicolas (upper extremity) as limited. Most of these players were projected starters, so even more good news for the Buckeyes. It seems like a good day to be one. Oh, and go on over to tBBC to wish congrats to Jeff, Eric, Jim, and Mali  for getting linked by ESPN. We here at ITS can only hope to follow in their footsteps. Great job guys.

P.S. If you all didn't notice the great post by Lee, head on over there to read the recap of the game last night.

It's not over yet.

Seantrel Henderson has not yet sent his LOI (Letter of Intent) into USC yet, waiting to see about the investigations on them. This is great news for Buckeye fans, and it shows that Jim over at tBBC was correct in believing Seantrel obviously wants more time to think about his decsison. He would without a doubt make history, if in fact he does change his mind. If he does, you can't blame him, USC is corrupt anyway. His father got offered a recording contract from Snoop Dog, and all of a sudden his dad says he didn't like Tressel and Ohio State, calling them boring and to much informative talk. Classy, there. Either way, it will all come down to Feburuary 19-21, when the Judge and jury will be talking about USC's infractions. I would love to see Henderson see the errors of his ways and come to Ohio State, because we could definitly use this guy for our MNC run(s).

Big ups to 11W for the heads up. They are great at finding links to the big stories.

Not so fast, my friend.

He's Gone. Finally.

It's a done deal folks. USC's now former head coach will head to Seattle to finish the paperwork, and now the hunt begins for USC to find a coach fit for the program. THIS IS AWESOME.