#33: DE Carl Ihenacho, San Jose State

The Verdict:While much of the nation’s attention gravitated towards Spartan defensive tackle and YouTube phenom Jarron Gilbert during the 2008 season, one could make the case that the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Ihenacho began the season with just as good of a start. A fast-twitch defender who comes off the ball with elite quickness, the Nigerian native actually led the WAC in both sacks and tackles for a loss through seven weeks of the season last year, until a thumb injury against Boise State crippled his production through the final five games. Despite missing all of one game and being less than 100% in the final four, Ihenacho (whose brother, Duke, plays linebacker for SJSU) still earned second team All-WAC honors and recorded an impressive 47 solo tackles on the season. While he projects as an outside linebacker on the next level, his outstanding speed (4.7/40) and ability to use his hands make him an intriguing player who could excel as both a pass rusher and a run stuffer.

For the incoming class of freshman, if they have not already reported to school for summer sessions, they will be there within a week or two. In that time they will get acclimated with the rigors of being a student and being to work out with their new teammates. So if you’ve been busy getting your freshman ready for school…here is what you missed in the past week.

What we’ve been working on:

We once again went out and got you another quality guest for the podcast. ESPN’s Bruce Feldman joined us last week to talk SEC and Pac 10 football. The podcast is pretty USC heavy, but when you are annually one of the best teams in the country, who has won 7 straight Pac Ten titles, and have one of the hottest starting quarterback battles going on…well you are going to hear about it. For you SEC fans, Bruce has some interesting thoughts on the SEC West, which should be a fun race to watch this year.

Just so you don’t think we are going to rest on our past accomplishments, Adam and I have another great guest lined up for a podcast which will be ready for your listening pleasure tomorrow morning. We feel bad that we have neglected the Big XII, so tomorrow you will hear Adam and I, along with The Wiz from The Wiz of Odds, discuss the Big XII. On paper it looks as if both the North and South could go down to the wire again when deciding who will play in the Big XII Championship game. Also, we’ll pick his brain about some National News.

Adam has continued to countdown his list of Top 50 Best Non-BCS Players. In his latest installment, Bryan Anderson, a wide receiver from Central Michigan is his choice at #34. Something tells me that Anderson will have a pretty big effect on another player that has yet to be named on this list.

Navy only returns 23% of last year’s offensive yards with potentially NFL bound players Shun White and Eric Kettani gone. Adam sits down and talks with Bobby Doyle about the endless barrage of questions he and the other Navy slotbacks are getting on how they are going to replace 77% of last year’s offense which has now graduated.

For the second year in a row the Big East Conference looks to be wide open. A lot of experts think it is going to come down between Pittsburgh and Rutgers, but neither are very solid under center. Brian talks about which players have the leg up to win the quarterback battles at both schools.

What we’ve been reading:

On a sad note, yesterday was the 3 year anniversary of Randy Walkers passing. Over at Lake The Post they are asking for a moment of silence to remember his passing.

He will go down in history for the murder that he did did not commit, and will be forever known as Nordberg in the Naked Gun movies; but before all of that he was a Heisman Trophy winner. Prolate Spheroid rehashes OJ’s career at USC.

Bruce Feldman picks the top 10 toughest non-conference schedule. A few teams that I mentioned made the list. But one team you won’t find on that list, who is Phil Steele’s #1 surprise team, the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Adam has talked about reviving a countdown he started last year where he picked the Top 10 potential upsets of a FCS team over a FBS team. Double T Nation has an early preview of the Red Raiders game against the North Dakota State Fighting Sioux. I am fairly certain this game will not make Adam’s list.

The Georgia Bulldogs suffered a heartbreaking and somewhat surprising upset loss to their rival Georgia Tech last year. Paul Westerdawg of the Georgia Sports Blog gives his thoughts on how to defend Tech’s option.

The Quad continues their countdown from 120 to 1. Yesterday they previewed the Navy Midshipmen at number 64.

Annually one of the best offensive line units in the country resides in the state of Oklahoma. The Crimson and Cream Machine previews this year’s crop of linemen for the Sooners.

NCAA Football 2010 comes out for video game consoles on July 14th. Over the Pylon has a sneak peak of Ball State’s Scheumann Stadium and Kentucky’s Commonwealth Stadium.

When Coach Wannstedt first arrived at Pitt, he was pulling in one good recruiting class after another, but after only going to one bowl game in his tenure, he finds himself still chasing a 82 year old man who is stealing recruits out of his own back yard. Recently, Wannstedt and the Panthers got a commitment from TJ Clemmings, a defensive tackle from New Jersey. But according to Zags Blog and Clemmings he did not commit.

Finally, I leave you with a sign of the Apocalypse. Evan Berry the younger brother of Tennessee safety Eric Berry has verbally committed to the Vols. Did I mention that Evan was 13 years old?

# 34: WR Bryan Anderson, Central Michigan

The Verdict: At 6-foot-5, 213-pounds, Anderson represents one of the most consistent receivers in the entire country, with the senior having already compiled a resume that includes  226 career receptions and 21 career receiving touchdowns (both school records.) A two-time First Team All-MAC selection and a Freshman All American in 2006, Anderson is one of the most multi-faceted receivers in the college game today, with the uncanny ability to transition his game to fit the the needs of any situation on the field. He’s an obvious red zone threat who can be physical against defensive backs when called upon, but he’s also remarkably fluid for his size and shows tremendous precision in his routes despite being such a long strider. Anderson is a player who can both stretch the field and work the interior of zone coverages, making him an almost certain mismatch against whichever defensive personnel are assigned to cover him. A two-time academic All-Conference selection with a 3.31 GPA in biomedical sciences, Anderson’s high football IQ and obvious physical talents make him one of the sleeper non-BCS prospects to watch going into next year’s NFL draft.

Past Players: [#50: Navy LB Ross Pospisil] [#49: Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews] [#48: Wyoming DT John Fletcher] [#47: BSU WR Briggs Orsbon] [#46: EMU QB Andy Schmitt] [#45: Marshall TE Cody Slate] [#44: LA Tech WR/KR Philip Livas] [#43: CSU Gaurd Shelly Smith] [#42: Wyoming FS Chris Prosinski] [#41: SMU receiver Emmanual Sanders] [#40: UTEP QB Trevor Vittatoe] [#39: CMU DE/DT Frank Zombo] [#38: Nevada RB Vai Tuau] [#37: Marshall DE Albert McClellan] [#36: Boise State DE Ryan Winterswyk] [#35: ULM LB Cardia Jackson]

#37: DE Albert McClellan, Marshall

The Verdict: At 6-foot-2, 252-pounds, Marshall defensive end Albert McClellan may just be one of the best defenders in Conference-USA. Named to the All-Conference freshmen team during his rookie season in 2005, McClellan was a one man-wrecking crew for the Thundering Herd in 2006 en route to earning Conference-USA Defensive Player of the Year honors. His 19 tackles for a loss and 11.5 sacks led the conference that year, and coming into the 2007 season it looked as though the athletic junior might become one of the hottest prospects to ever come out of Huntington. A pre-season knee injury derailed those prospects, although McClellan returned last season to record 58 stops and 2.5 sacks despite not being fully recovered. A ‘tweener prospect with elite initial quickness off the line, McClellan commands the respect of offensive linemen whenever he steps out on the field, making him one of the best defenders in any non-BCS conference.

Tomorrow’s Player:We’re taking the day off tomorrow so you can listen to our totally awesome podcast.

Past Players: [#50: Navy LB Ross Pospisil] [#49: Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews] [#48: Wyoming DT John Fletcher] [#47: BSU WR Briggs Orsbon] [#46: EMU QB Andy Schmitt] [#45: Marshall TE Cody Slate] [#44: LA Tech WR/KR Philip Livas] [#43: CSU Gaurd Shelly Smith] [#42: Wyoming FS Chris Prosinski] [#41: SMU receiver Emmanual Sanders] [#40: UTEP QB Trevor Vittatoe] [#39: CMU DE/DT Frank Zombo] [#38: Nevada RB Vai Tuau]

#40: QB Trevor Vittatoe, UTEP

The Verdict: Put Vittatoe in any other conference in the country and he would have been a first or second team All-Conference selection at some point over the past two seasons. Unfortunately for Vittatoe, he plays a conference in which the race to top 5000 yards passing often becomes the determining factor when picking all star teams. After redshirting in Mike Price’s offense and earning Scout Team MVP honors during 2006, Vittatoe exploded onto the scene in 2007 and threw for over 3000 yards with an impressive 25-7 touchdown to interception ratio. Last year he came back and although he only hit 59% of his passes, he threw for over 3000 yards again with a 33-9 ratio. Vittatoe was plagued at times in 2008 by inconsistent wide receiver play (he had three tipped balls for interceptions in the season opener against Buffalo) and a late-season ankle injury, but his combination of arm strength and field vision make him one of the country’s most overlooked quarterbacks headed into 2008. A passer built in the pure-pocket mold, Vittatoe has especially intriguing next-level potential because of his field presence and arm strength, which may be the best of any non-BCS conference quarterback in the country.

Past Players: [#50: Navy LB Ross Pospisil] [#49: Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews] [#48: Wyoming DT John Fletcher] [#47: BSU WR Briggs Orsbon] [#46: EMU QB Andy Schmitt] [#45: Marshall TE Cody Slate] [#44: LA Tech WR/KR Philip Livas] [#43: CSU Gaurd Shelly Smith] [#42: Wyoming FS Chris Prosinski] [#41: SMU receiver Emmanual Sanders]

#41: WR Emmanuel Sanders, SMU

The Verdict: It can be tough to gauge the physical talent of a C-USA receiver as the offenses in the conference thrive off of spreading teams out and throwing the ball to what amounts to being a ridiculous amount of the time. Still, to overlook Emmanuel Sanders as just a “system player” is to overlook one of the best athletes that the conference has seen in recent years. Not only has SMU headman June Jones compared Sanders to Jerry Rice, but the second year head coach has made no secret about using his star wideout on defense in 2009, hoping to give his secondary a boost of athleticism by installing the 5-foot-11 Sanders at cornerback this past spring. A First Team All-Conference selection a season ago despite being suspended during the final two games of the season, Sanders combines outstanding body control with great field vision, making him one of C-USA’s most dangerous playmakers.

Past Players: [#50: Navy LB Ross Pospisil] [#49: Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews] [#48: Wyoming DT John Fletcher] [#47: BSU WR Briggs Orsbon] [#46: EMU QB Andy Schmitt] [#45: Marshall TE Cody Slate] [#44: LA Tech WR/KR Philip Livas] [#43: CSU Gaurd Shelly Smith] [#42: Wyoming FS Chris Prosinski]

Before you read this, make sure you check out the big announcement about future ITB podcasts. That’s right kids…ESPN’s Bruce Feldman is coming back for more!

#43: LG Shelly Smith, Colorado State

The Verdict: Colorado State is one of those teams which had an aggressive inside running attack last year, and despite the fact that it was the team’s first year in Steve Fairchild’s west coast system the Ram offensive line paved the way for a respectable 4.2 yard per carry average. Not only that, but leading rusher Gartrell Johnson ran for 1476 yards on 5.3 yards a carry, thanks in large part (literally) to 6-foot-4 guard Shelly Smith. Smith earned Second Team All-Conference honors a season ago, and since coming to Fort Collins has matured into one of the best interior linemen in the conference. Particularly athletic for his size, Smith shows outstanding ability to pull from his position, while also showing a knack for pancaking smaller (but quicker) defenders in open space. Along with center Tim Walter and right guard Andrian Martinez, Smith gives Colorado State arguably the best interior line combination of any Non-BCS team going into 2009.

Past Players: [#50: Navy LB Ross Pospisil] [#49: Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews] [#48: Wyoming DT John Fletcher] [#47: BSU WR Briggs Orsbon] [#46: EMU QB Andy Schmitt] [#45: Marshall TE Cody Slate] [#44: LA Tech WR/KR Philip Livas]

The countdown rolls on with our first tight end sighting, and first player to be featured from C-USA.

#45: TE Cody Slate, Marshall

The Verdict: With four straight losing seasons, Marshall University hasn’t exactly been drawing national media attention as of late (well, that is unless you factor in a Matthew McConaughey appearance) but in Cody Slate the Thundering Heard have one of the most consistent and reliable tight ends in the country. Slate is one of those players who has put up solid numbers for seemingly forever (three straight seasons with 500+ receiving yards) but never quite makes it on the ’short list’ of the country’s most talked about tight ends. What separates Slate from other tight ends in the non-BCS conferences is his ability to separate in the downfield passing game. While he’s a solid possession receiver, Slate has above average speed for his 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame, and even toted an impressive 15.9 yard per catch average during his freshmen season. A particularly effective red zone target, Slate should not only top 200 career catches in 2009, but he should put himself in a position to hear his name called on draft day.

Past Players: [#50: Navy LB Ross Pospisil] [#49: Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews] [#48: Wyoming DT John Fletcher] [#47: BSU WR Briggs Orsbon] [#46: EMU QB Andy Schmitt]

There has been a lot of talk lately about how with the BCS, college programs are looking to go the easier route with their out of conference scheduling. Some teams claim that their conference schedule is hard enough and they just want to have a few cupcakes on their schedule, while other claim they need the 7 or 8 home games a year to fund the rest of their sports. I did a quick glance and found a few schools that should be proud of their scheduling.

In the Pac 10, a move was made a few years ago, once the 12th game was added, to play 9 conference games. Therefore, that leaves only 3 games on the out of conference slate to fill in. Both USC and Oregon filled them up with some quality opponents.

The Trojans have their yearly tilt at the end of the year against Notre Dame, who many thing will be top 10 material this year. Including the Domers, the Trojans also travel to Columbus to play Ohio State. Their final OOC game is San Jose State, which is not a tough game for them, but after playing two (potential) top 10 teams, I can let this one slide.

Oregon opens up the season traveling to the blue turf at Boise State and has other out of conference games with Utah and Purdue. I have to give the Ducks credit because those are three quality schools. Purdue will be a bit down this year but the games at Boise State and against Utah are better than the majority of the teams that can schedule 4 OOC games.

If you listened to the Phil Steele interview we had on Monday, you’ll remember how he mentioned that BYU controls their own destiny when it comes to making the BCS Championship game. You heard it right, not just a BCS Bowl, but the BCS Championship game. They open the season versus Oklahoma, and have Florida State later in the year. Those are two quality programs to go along with an increasingly tougher Mountain West and you have a difficult schedule for the Cougars.

Sticking in the Non-BCS conference, the Bulldogs of Fresno State once again loaded up their out of conference scheduling. If you remember last year they played both Rutgers and Wisconsin in back to back weeks. This year they play Wisconsin, Cincinnati (defending Big East champions), and Illinois all on the road. I won’t get on them too much for scheduling UC Davis because of what they have to face in the other 3 games.

Remember last year when there was a big deal made about Georgia finally leaving the south to play an out of conference game against Arizona State? Well hold on to your hats, the Dawgs are going west again to play the Oklahoma State Cowboys. It should be interesting to see how the Dawgs can handle the Cowboys’ high scoring offense. Besides the Cowboys, Georgia has a return game against Arizona State at home and travels to play Georgia Tech in their yearly rivalry match. With those three games, I give them a free pass (much like with Fresno State) in playing Tennessee Tech.

Finally we come to the Hokies of Virginia Tech who are no strangers to scheduling tough out of conference opponents. A few years ago they opened up with USC in our Nation’s Capital, this year they have a neutral site game against Alabama. I am really looking forward to this game. Alabama will have some holes to fill but Nick Saban has had some great recruiting classes, and Virginia Tech is clamoring to be the favorite in the ACC. A win here by the Hokies would do wonders for the ACC’s image. The Hokies also have a home game against Nebraska, who many think is the favorite in the Big 12 North, and take a trip to play East Carolina who surprised them last year. I’m sure that loss to the Pirates last year will not be forgotten when that game comes around.

As college football fans we’d love to see more games and schedules like the ones I mentioned above. For the most part, a lot of these schedules are made 6 or 7 years in advance, and that’s plenty of time for teams that were once good to go south and stink. But having said that, you never know what games or teams will come up to bite you. Who thought last year that East Carolina would beat both West Virginia and Virginia Tech? Just because it doesn’t look good on paper, does not mean it won’t be a quality game.

You know the drill by now. If you don’t…well shame on you. Today we have our first ”directional” player. I know right? Pretty sweet.

#46: QB Andy Schmitt, Eastern Michigan

The Verdict: Has there been a more physically gifted athlete playing on a worse football team in the MAC conference over the past four seasons? We’re open for debate on the issue (Eugene Jarvis comes to mind), but when it comes to players who just can’t seem to buy a break, Schmitt certainly makes the short list. What we really want to know is whether or not the 6-foot-4 inch quarterback can finally lead his Eagles to bowl eligibility in 2009, a hereto now elusive prospect for the often injured Schmitt, who was never fully effective last season after injuring his shoulder in week three. While fellow MAC quarterback Dan LeFevour often gets compared to Tim Tebow, it’s the slightly thicker Schmitt who combines the physical and battering ram like athleticism of Tebow with solid arm  strength and accuracy. A career 63% passer, Schmitt should benefit immensely from eight other returning starters on the Eagle offense this fall, and if he can stay healthy he should compete for a spot on an All-Conference team. If that happens, the only question left may be whether or not he gets a shot at the NFL as a quarterback or as a tight end.

Past Players: [#50: Navy LB Ross Pospisil] [#49: Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews] [#48: Wyoming DT John Fletcher] [#47: BSU WR Briggs Orsbon]