Ohio State's 2012 Bowl Ban Isn't The End Of The World

Bowl ban? No biggie.

The pre-Christmas announcement of Ohio State’s 2012 postseason ban came as a shock to Buckeye Nation, who mistakenly assumed that the self-applied punishment of scholarship restrictions would absolve the program of all sins. 

The wave of Urban Meyer-induced euphoria that had enveloped Columbus over the last several weeks has subsided, and fans can finally look at the grim reality. A 6-6 season, with a loss in Michigan, is not a season worth remembering. A bowl ban for 2012 has hopes from Buckeye fans as gray as an Ohio November day. 

It doesn’t have to be that way.

Some Tests Are Too Easy

Ed. Note: Our friend ProveIt has accepted to share some knowledge with the rest of us in form of a guest post. Be sure to tell him what you think of his article!
Did your favorite sports site or sports writer get all excited when the BCS proposed eliminating AQ status? Well, so did I!


Was he excited when he quoted Delany as open to the idea? Well, so was I!

Does he claim it would create more opportunities for mid majors, would create fewer lopsided match ups, or would open the top bowls to everyone? If so, it’s time to find a new favorite writer.


The proposal to the BCS
Remove the 4 bowls from the BCS. The NCG would be maintained as a separate bowl, and the only bowl under BCS control. BCS AQ status is eliminated. BCS ranking would only be pertinent to the title game. The NCG might be freed to market its location much like the Super Bowl.

Delany stated here "As long as I can go to the Rose Bowl, I'm OK without automatic bids. If (CUSA commissioner) Brit doesn't want automatic bids, that's fine with me. And if he doesn't want me to have one that's OK, as long as I can go to Pasadena. If they (CUSA and MWC commissioners) are saying, essentially, let the system be market based, I can't object to that." This is the closest you may ever see Delany understating his support for an idea.

ITS's BlogPoll Ballot: Week 14

It's Week 14. That means it's time for conference championship games to be played. The regular season is over, and now teams will try and earn bragging rights, and their respective conference championships. Of course, some of the games mean more to teams than just the conference game. For LSU, they hope to be in the National Championship win OR lose. Teams like Oklahoma, Oregon, etc. are all hoping that there's a bit of BCS chaos and somehow their teams end up in the championship game. Let's check out where teams stand in this week's BlogPoll Ballot.

 

 

Inside The Shoe Ballot - Week 14

Rank	Team	Delta
1	LSU Tigers - The Tigers dominated Arkansas after going down 14-0 early, and are now headed to the SEC Championship game. Up Next: #6 Georgia (SEC CCG)	--
2	Virginia Tech Hokies - Frank Beamer had his squad ready, and easily cruised against the Cavaliers 38-0. Up Next: #21 Clemson (ACC CCG)	1
3	Alabama Crimson Tide - War Eagle was no match for Alabama's Trent Richardson - he had 203 yards. Will there be a rematch with LSU? Up Next: BYE	1
4	Stanford Cardinal - Andrew Luck and the Cardinal took care of business, downing Notre Dame 28-14. Up Next: BYE	1
5	Houston Cougars - Case Keenum got a scare for the first half, but then the Cougars took control on their way to a 48-16 thrashing of Tulsa. Up Next: #25 Southern Miss (C-USA CCG)	1
6	Georgia Bulldogs - The Bulldogs downed their rival Georgia Tech again, and now face their toughest challenge yet in the SEC CCG. Up Next: #1 LSU (SEC CCG)	1
7	Oregon Ducks - Oregon walloped Oregon State 49-21, and now are headed to make one final statement. Up Next: UCLA (Pac-12 CCG)	1
8	Oklahoma St. Cowboys - While Oklahoma State got a break, they might need it against the Sooners. Up Next: #12 Oklahoma	1
9	South Carolina Gamecocks - South Carolina continues to win, this time beating down Clemson 34-13. Up Next: BYE	1
10	Arkansas Razorbacks - The Razorbacks end their regular season with a crushing 41-17 loss to LSU. To think they were ahead 14-0, might be too much for Arkansas fans. Up Next: BYE	-8
11	Boise St. Broncos - Boise State handled Wyoming 36-14, and their BCS hopes depend on some serious luck. Up Next: BYE	--
12	Oklahoma Sooners - The Sooners bounce back after another upset loss to Baylor with avoiding another upset bid against Iowa State. Up Next: #8 Oklahoma State	--
13	Michigan St. Spartans - Michigan State got a big 31-17 win over Northwestern, and are headed to Indy for the B1G CCG. Up Next: #15 Wisconsin (B1G CCG)	--
14	Kansas St. Wildcats - The Wildcats got off with a BYE, but now are set to finish their regular season with a game against Iowa State. Up Next: Iowa State	--
15	Wisconsin Badgers - The Badgers rolled over Penn State to clinch the B1G Leaders Division Title, and now will play for the whole enchilada. Up Next: #13 Michigan State (B1G CCG)	--
16	Michigan Wolverines - A shootout against rival Ohio State gave the Wolverines a serious boost to their chances of getting into a BCS Bowl. Up Next: BYE	2
17	Baylor Bears - RG3 is hurt, but no telling where the Bears will end up week against Texas. Up Next: Texas	3
18	TCU Horned Frogs - TCU had a BYE, but now must face off against UNLV to end their regular season. Up Next: UNLV	3
19	West Virginia Mountaineers - A 1 point win over Pitt usually wouldn't cut it, but the Mountaineers rise thanks to a couple of teams falling in front of them. Up Next: South Florida	4
20	Nebraska Cornhuskers - The Cornhuskers ended their regular season with a beat down of Iowa in the first game of that rivalry. Up Next: BYE	4
21	Clemson Tigers - Tajh Boyd and the Tigers fall once more, and the question stands: Was Clemson really good, or was the beginning of the season just a fluke? Up Next: #2 Virginia Tech	-5
22	Penn St. Nittany Lions - The Nittany Lions fell 1 game short of the B1G CCG, this time falling to Wisconsin. Up Next: BYE	-5
23	Florida St. Seminoles - FSU makes the return the BlogPoll, after a big win over rival Florida. Up Next: BYE	--
24	Virginia Cavaliers - A tough setback against Virginia Tech ends the Cavaliers hope of getting into National prominence. Up Next: BYE	-5
25	Southern Miss. Golden Eagles - Southern Miss sneaks back into the #25 spot after blowing by Memphis 46-7. Up Next: #5 Houston (C-USA CCG)	--
Dropouts: Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

 

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Live Blog: Ohio State vs. #18 Michigan

The Rivalry is finally here. Ohio State hasn't had the season Buckeye fans had hoped for, but with this group of freshman, hopes are high for the coming years. Right now, nothing else matters. Urban Meyer? Psh. Luke Fickell? It's his time to leave a legacy. Go Bucks.

Join the Live Blog at 11:45 to cheer on the Buckeyes as they head to Ann Arbor.

Live Blog: Ohio State vs. #19 Penn State

The Buckeyes are facing a rival in Penn State as the Nittany Lions invade the 'Shoe. If Penn State wants to keep their Leaders division hopes alive, they must pass through Columbus. Let's get this party started.

Please join the Live Blog with us at 3:15 PM EST! Go Bucks!

ITS's BlogPoll Ballot: Week 12

Some monumental upsets took place during the weekend, shaking up the rankings once more. Stanford, Boise State, and Penn State all went down. Virginia Tech got a big win, leaping them higher into the rankings, while Clemson fought to stay alive. Arkansas might be the biggest winner this week, even though they blew out unranked Tennessee, due to the teams above them losing. One of the big questions is where Houston will land at the end of the season. Let's find out who's where in this weeks BlogPoll Ballot.

 

 

Inside The Shoe Ballot - Week 12

Rank	Team	Delta
1	LSU Tigers - LSU got a bit of a scare from Western Kentucky, before finally settling down and winning handily to maintain the #1 spot. Up Next: Ole Miss	--
2	Oklahoma St. Cowboys - The Cowboys had one of the most impressive showings on Saturday, just destroying Texas Tech 66-7, who upset Oklahoma easily. Up Next: Iowa State	--
3	Oregon Ducks - Chip Kelly and his Ducks are back in the National Title race after speeding past Stanford with ease, 55-30. Up Next: USC	2
4	Arkansas Razorbacks - Arkansas gets to jump up in the rankings thanks to the teams ahead falling on Saturday. Tennessee was no match for the Razorbacks. Up Next: Mississippi State	3
5	Oklahoma Sooners - The team in Norman got off with a BYE, but had better have their defense ready for some RG3. Up Next: Baylor	1
6	Virginia Tech Hokies - Frank Beamer's squad impressed folks on Thursday, taking care of business against Georgia Tech 37-26. Up Next: North Carolina	3
7	Alabama Crimson Tide - The Tide seemed just as beat as LSU, but then were able to turn on the afterburners to silence Mississippi State 24-7. Up Next: Georgia South	1
8	Clemson Tigers - The play of the game, a game-winning FG, pushes the Tigers into the ACC Championship Game, and a Division title. Up Next: NC State	2
9	Stanford Cardinal - Andrew Luck did all he could, but the defense couldn't stop anything the Ducks threw at them. Their hopes for a National Title are over. Up Next: California	-6
10	Houston Cougars - The Cougars have finally made it into the Top 10 as one of very few undefeated teams left in college football. Can they make it into a BCS bowl game? Up Next: SMU	1
11	Boise St. Broncos - The Broncos have done it again. A year after an upset loss to Nevada after missing 2 field goals consecutively, the Horned Frogs gave them a chance to win, but another missed FG ended any BCS dreams. Up Next: San Diego State	-7
12	South Carolina Gamecocks - Don't ask me how they keep doing it, but the Gamecocks continue to win down the line without a really solid QB and their starting running back out for the season. Up Next: Citadel	2
13	Georgia Bulldogs - The Bulldogs continue their turnaround, and now move to 8-2 on the year. That's 8 straight wins for Georgia. Up Next: Kentucky	--
14	Nebraska Cornhuskers - Nebraska escaped Happy Valley with a W, 17-14. Penn State fans and players were pretty upset. Up Next: #21 Michigan	1
15	Michigan St. Spartans - MSU is still on track, trying to fight their way into the Legends division for the spot in the B1G CCG. Up Next: Indiana	1
16	Kansas St. Wildcats - It took 4 overtimes for the Wildcats to finally beat Texas A&M in a high scoring affair, but this is certainly still a great season. Up Next: Texas	2
17	Southern Miss. Golden Eagles - The Golden Eagles survived a scare from Central Florida, but continue to rise in the rankings. Up Next: UAB	3
18	Wisconsin Badgers - Wisconsin demolished an upbeat Minnesota team 42-13 after a slow start. The Badgers only have to win out to get to the B1G CCG. Up Next: Illinois	4
19	Penn St. Nittany Lions - While Penn State is going through a rough time without their head coach, there is still 1 last opportunity to make it into the B1G CCG. That chance comes from winning out. Up Next: Ohio State	-7
20	Florida St. Seminoles - Florida State makes it back into the BlogPoll after a long absence, after a big kick return for a touchdown lifted the Seminoles over Miami 23-16. Up Next: #23 Virginia	--
21	Michigan Wolverines - Denard Robinson has been mostly ineffective since October, but they keep on winning regardless, this time against Illinois. Up Next: #14 Nebraska	--
22	Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Brian Kelly might be wishing he never left Cincinatti at this point, but the Fighting Irish improved to 7-3 after an easy win over Maryland. Up Next: Boston College	--
23	Virginia Cavaliers - The Cavaliers make an entrance to the BlogPoll after ending their woes of losing to Duke. They now sit at 7-3. Up Next: #20 Florida State	--
24	TCU Horned Frogs - Gary Patterson once again proved the Horned Frogs won't go down so easily, this time going for 2 against the Broncos and shutting down Kellen Moore. Up Next: Colorado State	--
25	West Virginia Mountaineers - The Mountaineers have improved to 7-3 and get a BYE this week! Up Next: BYE	--
Dropouts: Cincinnati Bearcats, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Arizona St. Sun Devils, Auburn Tigers, Texas Longhorns, Ohio St. Buckeyes

 

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Live Blog: #25 Ohio State vs. Purdue

A week after coming out slow and unprepared for the Indiana Hoosiers, Ohio State must travel to Purdue, to keep their B1G CCG dreams alive. Braxton Miller and the offense have to continue to improve, and the defense needs to up their game for this one. 

Join us at 11:45 AM EST for the Live Blog!

ITS's BlogPoll Ballot: Week 11

It's time yet again for the BlogPoll. No explanations this week, but let me say Alabama DID lose on Saturday. I don't quite understand how they managed to stay #3 in the BCS standings. Boise and Stanford get completely screwed over. That's tough. Ohio State is also staying in the BlogPoll. Our will power ceases to exist.

   

 

 

Inside The Shoe Ballot - Week 11

Rank	Team	Delta
1	LSU Tigers	--
2	Oklahoma St. Cowboys	1
3	Stanford Cardinal	1
4	Boise St. Broncos	1
5	Oregon Ducks	1
6	Oklahoma Sooners	3
7	Arkansas Razorbacks	1
8	Alabama Crimson Tide	-6
9	Virginia Tech Hokies	1
10	Clemson Tigers	2
11	Houston Cougars	2
12	Penn St. Nittany Lions	2
13	Georgia Bulldogs	6
14	South Carolina Gamecocks	-3
15	Nebraska Cornhuskers	-8
16	Michigan St. Spartans	1
17	Cincinnati Bearcats	1
18	Kansas St. Wildcats	-3
19	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	3
20	Southern Miss. Golden Eagles	--
21	Arizona St. Sun Devils	--
22	Wisconsin Badgers	1
23	Auburn Tigers	1
24	Texas Longhorns	--
25	Ohio St. Buckeyes	--
Dropouts: Michigan Wolverines

 

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