Inaugural OhioCollegeFootball.Com Senior Bowl Set For April 2010

COLUMBUS, Ohio - GameDay Management, Inc (GDM), in conjunction with OhioCollegeFootball.com, will host the Inaugural Senior Bowl featuring Ohio's top college football players, with the first game slated to be played Saturday, April 17, 2010, in Columbus, Ohio at Marv Moorehead Stadium.

The OhioCollegeFootball.Com Bowl will consist of the top players from the NCAA I-A, II, III and the NAIA.

"This is an exciting day for OCF and the State of Ohio, as we bring a quality college bowl game to Columbus," said GameDay Management President and Owner of OhioCollegeFootball.Com Todd Oliver. "A bowl like this has been a long time coming and I can't think of a better way to showcase the talent of so many great players who deserve to play one last time."

"Columbus is not only a great football city to host this event but it will allow participating players additional exposure and a chance to get noticed by scouts from the NFL, CFL and the new UFL."

Ninety senior football players, with no college eligibility remaining, will be selected at the end of the 2009 season by a selection committee. Teams will be divided up between North and South.

Coaching the two teams will be former Ohio State Assistant Coach Bill Conley (South Team) and former Ohio State quarterback Greg Frey (North Team).

"You couldn't ask for two better coaches to help us launch our Inaugural bowl game," said Oliver. "Coach Conley and Coach Frey have a tremendous amount of coaching success and experience which will allow our players to be coached by some of the best."

Coach Bill Conley: During his 17 years as an assistant football coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Coach Conley was consistently recognized as one of America's top recruiters.

Coach Conley had the honor of working for head coaches Earle Bruce, John Cooper and Jim Tressel while coaching several All-America and eventual NFL players he recruited and/or coached. Notable players are Cris Carter, Chris Spielman, Orlando Pace, Mike Vrabel, Eddie George, Terry Glenn, Chris Gamble and Mike Nugent, to name just a few.

Coach Conley has the distinction of being part of three national championship football teams at Ohio State, two as a player and one as a coach.

Coach Greg Frey: Coach Frey is the founder of QB Ohio and brings 10+ years of quarterback training, as well as five years of high school coaching, and 17 years of analysis from the broadcast booth. His quarterback's have excelled at every level, including high school, college, and pro. Thus far, his most famous student is Heisman Trophy finalist Brady Quinn, who currently plays for the Cleveland Browns of the NFL.

Coach Frey was a three-year starter and Captain at Ohio State from 1988-1990, where he led the Big Ten is passing efficiency and still ranks 4th all-time in passing yards as a Buckeye.

The Event: The OhioCollegeFootball.Com Bowl will kickoff at 1:00 p.m. from Marv Moorehead Stadium/10,000. A pregame concert will be held prior to the game and will feature 2009 American Idol contestant Brent Keith. Presale tickets will go on sale March 1, 2010 at OhioCollegeFootball.Com.

About OhioCollegeFootball.Com: OCF is a new website dedicated to bringing Ohio college football fans news, notes and information on every NCAA I, II, III and NAIA program in the state. Fans can register for FREE and get news, information and Zips Picks emailed directly to them while interacting with fans on the Fifth Quarter Forum message board.

Bowl Projections

Breaking down the bowl schedule and potential match-ups.

THE TITLE GAME:

1.7.10 - Citi BCS Championship Game (BCS #1 vs. BCS #2) Texas vs. Alabama

THE BCS BOWLS:

1.1.10 - Rose Bowl presented by Citi (BCS/Big Ten Champ If Available vs. BCS/Pac-10 Champ If Available) Ohio State vs. Oregon

1.1.10 - Allstate Sugar Bowl (BCS/SEC Champ If Available vs. BCS) Florida vs. TCU

1.4.10 - Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (BCS/Big 12 Champ If Available vs. BCS) Boise State vs. Cincinnati

1.5.10 - FedEx Orange Bowl (BCS/ACC Champ If Available vs. BCS) Georgia Tech vs. Iowa

THE REST OF THE BOWL SCHEDULE:

12.19.09 - New Mexico Bowl (WAC vs. Mountain West) Nevada vs. Wyoming

12.20.09 - R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (C-USA vs. Sun Belt) Marshall vs. Troy

12.19.09 - St. Petersburg Bowl (Big East vs. C-USA) South Florida vs. Central Florida

12.22.09 - Las Vegas Bowl (Mountain West vs. Pac-10) BYU vs. Oregon State

12.23.09 - San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl (Mountain West vs. Pac-10 or WAC) Utah vs. Arizona

12.24.09 - Sheraton Hawaii Bowl (WAC vs. C-USA) Fresno State vs. SMU

12.26.09 - Meineke Car Care Bowl (Big East vs. ACC) West Virginia vs. Clemson

12.26.09 - Little Caesars Bowl (MAC vs. Big Ten) Central Michigan vs. UCLA

12.26.09 - Emerald Bowl (Pac-10 vs. ACC) California vs. North Carolina

12.27.09- Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl (ACC vs. SEC) Boston College vs. Georgia

12.28.09 - AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl (SEC vs. Big 12) South Carolina vs. Missouri

12.29.09 - EagleBank Bowl (ACC vs. Army/Conference USA) Southern Mississippi vs. Northern Illinois

12.29.09 - Champs Sports Bowl - (ACC vs. Big Ten) Florida State vs. Michigan State

12.30.09 - Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl (WAC vs. Mountain West) Idaho vs. Bowling Green

12.30.09 - Texas Bowl (Big XII vs. Navy) Iowa State vs. Navy

12.30.09 - Pacific Life Holiday Bowl (Pac-10 vs. Big XII) USC vs. Nebraska

12.31.09 - Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Mountain West vs. C-USA) Air Force vs. East Carolina

12.31.09 - Burt Sun Bowl (Pac-10 vs. Big 12/Big East/Notre Dame) Stanford vs. Oklahoma

12.31.09 - Insight Bowl (Big 12 vs. Big Ten) Texas A&M vs. Minnesota

12.31.09 - Chick-Fil-A Bowl (SEC vs. ACC) Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech

1.1.10 - Outback Bowl (Big Ten vs. SEC) Wisconsin vs. Auburn

1.1.10 - Capital One Bowl (SEC vs. Big Ten) LSU vs. Penn State

1.1.10 - Konica Minolta Gator Bowl (ACC vs. Big 12/Big East/Notre Dame) Miami (FL) vs. Pittsburgh

1.2.10 - International Bowl (Big East vs. MAC) Connecticut vs. Temple

1.2.10 - Papa John.com Bowl (Big East vs. SEC) Rutgers vs. Kentucky

1.2.10 - AT&T Cotton Bowl (Big 12 - SEC) Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss

1.2.10 - AutoZone Liberty Bowl (C-USA vs. SEC) Houston vs. Arkansas

1.2.10 - Valero Alamo Bowl (Big Ten vs. Big 12) Northwestern vs. Texas Tech

1.6.10 - GMAC Bowl (ACC or WAC) Middle Tennessee State vs. Ohio

Photos Courtesy of College Press Box, University of California, OU Athletics Department

Draft Watch: Iowa @ Ohio State

1) In the Trenches: Iowa’s top two prospects on the offensive side of the ball are their tackles, junior Bryan Bulaga (25 career starts) and senior Kyle Calloway (34 career starts). Bulaga is the crown jewel and could be next in the line of Big Ten top-ten picks at offensive tackle. The conference has produced three in the last three years—Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (third pick in 2007), Penn State’s Levi Brown (fifth pick in 2007) and Michigan’s Jake Long (first pick in 2008). Iowa is no stranger to the top of the draft—Robert Gallery was the second overall pick in 2004. Heading into the season Bulaga appeared well on his way, coming off an outstanding sophomore campaign which he capped off with a dominant performance against South Carolina in the Outback Bowl. However, his junior season did not start off the way he expected as he missed significant time early on with an undisclosed illness. Still, no one doubts his first round talent—at 6’ 6” and 315 pounds he has the size, feet and athleticism to man the all-important left tackle position. On the right side, Calloway has started the last nine games and has improved his stock this season. Not as talented as Bulaga, Calloway has proved more agile than many expected and at 6’ 7” and 315 pounds, size is not an issue. Taking on the stellar Buckeye defense is an opportunity for both of these big uglies to make an impression in front of the talent scouts in attendance.

Putting the Iowa blocking bookends to the test will be one of the fiercest defensive end duos in the nation—Ohio State juniors Thaddeus Gibson and Cameron Heyward. While they are equally dangerous, their styles of play are very distinct, as are their dimensions. Heyward, the son of Ironhead, checks in at 6’ 6” and 287 pounds, while Gibson is 6’ 2” and 240 pounds. When speaking to College Football Insiders Radio in an interview earlier this season, Heyward discussed his attributes, “I have a lot of power. It works to my advantage. I can play defensive end and it gives us a chance to be versatile. We have guys like Thad [Gibson]…we can be strong sometimes and we can be quick.” Gibson will likely shift to outside linebacker at the next level—and hopefully achieve better results than former Buckeye Vernon Gholston—while Heyward will continue to play with his hand on the ground. That is not to say the powerful Heyward lacks explosiveness, just ask Penn State. The junior is coming off his top game of the season against the Nittany Lions: 11 tackles, three tackles for a loss and two sacks. Heyward now leads the team with his five sacks and tops the defensive line with 36 tackles. Gibson (33 tackles) has four sacks among his team-high 10.5 tackles for loss. “He’s one of the best pass-rushers on the team and he’s so versatile—he can go up and under, come off the edge…but he also has a lot of power. Thad’s one of the strongest guys on our team,” Heyward said of his fellow end. It will be fun to watch how these two disruptive ends fare against the blocking duo of Bulaga and Calloway.

2) Pryor Progress: If the play in the trenches isn’t sexy enough for you, let’s talk some TP. When he arrived at Ohio State, Terrelle Pryor brought with him the reputation as a can’t-miss prospect—he’s 6’ 6”, 235 pounds and runs like the wind. He is physically gifted, but his development at quarterback hasn’t been as smooth of a ride as anticipated. Pryor is getting opportunities to air it out—averaging 22.4 pass attempts per game—but those chances have yielded inconsistent results. His completion percentage is down from 60.6 percent as a freshman to 54 percent this season and while his touchdowns are up from 12 to 15, so are his interceptions from four to nine. Pryor still struggles to read defenses, find the open receivers, and connect with them even when he makes the right decision. He has thrown three touchdowns with no interceptions in the Buckeyes’ last two games, but he also failed to complete half of his passes against both New Mexico State and Penn State. Pryor is still a long way from being a pro passer, but has two years of eligibility remaining after this season to make some progress.

3) Iowa Defense: While most people have focused on Iowa’s lack of an explosive offense, the Hawkeyes have won so many close games because their defense has been so stout. They are in every game because of that defense and that should be no different this week. Iowa is ranked third in scoring defense (15.9 points per game), pass defense (173 yards per game) and total defense (291.7 yards per game), while leading the conference in pass efficiency defense and turnovers created with 26.

Coming into the season everyone knew about senior MIKE Pat Angerer and he has done nothing to hurt his draft stock. Angerer, whose name suits a middle linebacker perfectly, is second in the Big Ten with his 106 stops. He is a bit undersized at 6’ 1” and 235 pounds, but has underrated game speed and is a very instinctive defender. In addition to being a fierce hitter, Angerer is also solid in coverage, which makes him a three-down player. Senior SAM A.J. Edds is solid linebacking prospect in his own right, bringing more in terms of size at 6’ 4” and 244 pounds. Edds is not the tackling the machine that Angerer is, but is a good athlete with three interceptions to his credit. Neither gets after the quarterback, which has a lot to do with Iowa’s scheme—they don’t blitz very often. Their leading sacker is junior end Adrian Clayborn who, at 6’ 3” and 282 pounds, has both the size and athleticism to be an impact player. He leads Iowa with his 7.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. Coming off the edge on the other side is sophomore Broderick Binns (five sacks) who is even more athletic and ready to blossom as a pass rusher. On the inside, juniors Karl Klug (6’ 4”/258 pounds) and Christian Ballard (6’ 5”/285 pounds) make things happen with their quickness. Each has three sacks, with Klug second on the team with his 10 tackles for loss. Ballard can also play defensive end. Their top defensive back is junior Amari Spievey (6’ 0”/190 pounds), who is among the top cover men in the nation. Spievey is not a risk taker, as he plays with sound technique and rarely gives up the big play. Look for him to match-up with Ohio State’s big play wide out, sophomore DeVier Posey (45 receptions, 672 yards, 7 touchdowns), often on Saturday.

Photos Courtesy of Iowa Sports Information, The Ohio State Department of Athletics

College Football Insiders Newsletter 3.10

Inside College Football Insiders 3.10:

* Inside the Nation: Welcome to the "House of Spears" & Week 10 Opportunities Lost

* Between the Hashes: Roll Tide Roll (Plus Bayou Bengals Bite)

* On Location: From the Big House

* One On One with Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald

* Player Spotlight on John Clay of Wisconsin

* Game of the Week: Iowa @ Ohio State in the Battle for the Big Ten Title

* Conference Focus on the Big East - Mardy Gilyard, Noel Devine & USF DBs

* Plus...the Top 25, BCS Busters, Fans Weekend Guide & Football Fans Four-Pack

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD (PDF) FOR FREE

Photo Courtesy of Northwestern: Stephen J. Carrera