Dec. 31st, Chik-Fil-A Bowl (Atlanta, Georgia) #20 South Carolina versus #23 Florida State
Synopsis:
Two bowl game selecting rules collide as Rule #1 never pick against the SEC and rule #5 pick the Florida team meet. Florida State has already proven they can win against football's most prestigious conference as they crushed rival Florida 31-7, but South Carolina also defeated the Gators 36-14. Both defenses took thrashings in their respected conference championship games, Florida State gave up 44 points and SC gave up 56. Aside from their shared victories against Florida and Clemson South Carolina has better wins against Alabama and Georgia. FSU's best wins are versus Miami Florida and Maryland. Florida State played much better on the road and Christian Ponder is a superior quarterback to Stephen Garcia.
X-Factor:
Alshon Jeffery, the tall, big wideout will be the best player on the field and South Carolina needs to take advantage of his ability.
Prediction: South Carolina 35 over Florida State 23
Jan. 1st Outback Bowl (Tampa, Florida) Florida versus Penn State
Synopsis:
Joe Paterno already announced a desire to return for next year, so this game does not have any of the drama which surrounded Bobby Bowden's Gator Bowl finale last year. However, there has been a turnover for the Gators with Urban Meyer's unexpected departure. We will have to see if the Gators are as affected by their head coaching change as Cincinnati was against the Gators last season. Both teams have been disappointingly mediocre. John Brantley has impressed no one in 1 A.T. The Gators' defense will need to be stout because Penn State's defense will not give up much to the surprisingly weak Florida offense.
X-Factor:
Lawrence Marsh, the big defensive tackle will need to be a stopper against Even Royster, Penn State's oustanding runner.
Prediction: Penn State 20 over Florida 13
Jan. 1st Capital One Bowl (Orlando, Florida) #16 Alabama versus #9 Michigan State:
Synopsis:
It is hard to justify Michigan State being better than Alabama. The Spartans appear to be outclassed in every facet of the game, but it also appeared that way for Sparty against Wisconsin, the most impressive win from either of these teams. Of course Bama has the returning talent from last year's championship team, but will those guys feel motivated to play in the Capital One Bowl? MSU can continue to make a mark on the College Football world by beating the Tide, but it will be their toughest test yet. Michigan State is not in the top 20 for total, rushing, passing, or scoring offense or defense. Bama is higher than Michigan State in all of those statistics as well as in the top five in scoring and total defense, but Michigan State always finds a way to win ball games.
X-Factor:
Edwin Baker, Sparty's running back will need to be sharp as the Bama defense out matches the Spartan offense at every position on the field.
Prediction: #16 Alabama 34 over #9 Michigan State 14
Jan. 4th Cotton Bowl (Dallas, Texas) #11 LSU versus #17 Texas A&M
Synopsis:
Les Miles once again sees himself outside the BCS and on the hot seat. His championship in 2007 is losing its luster as LSU hasn't played in a BCS game since. Unlike the disappointed Tigers, Texas A&M enters with a "We're just happy to be here" mentality. The Aggies finished a solid 9-3 after a horrendous start which included losses to Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma State. The Aggies have more quality wins, against Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas, and a good Baylor team. LSU did beat North Carolina and West Virginia out of conference and Bama, but the UNC win looked worse as the season moved on and West Virginia is in the Big East. This is a game to look forward to between a team that wanted to get more and a team that got more than it wanted. We'll see if this intangible plays a role in the game.
X-Factor:
Ryan Tannehill, as always it is easy to take a Quarterback, but Tannehill has been the reason for the Aggies' revitalization. If he plays like he did during the regular season, A&M wins.
Prediction: #11 LSU 31 over #17 Texas A&M 21
Jan. 1st The Rose Bowl Game (Pasadena, California) #3 TCU versus #5 Wisconsin
Synopsis:
The Badgers are one of the most feared rushing teams in the nation with three backs all garnering over 850 yards and 13 touchdowns: (James White 1,029, 14; John Clay 936, 13; Monte Ball 864, 17). TCU however has gained the reputation of stopping every team's offense. They are first in team defense and points against. Surprisingly, the Horned Frogs are actually higher in rushing yards per game, but many would attribute this to the Mountain West-Big Ten rather than the ability of each team. This is TCU's real chance to prove they are not an overrated BCS Buster, but a legitimate National Title contender against a legitimate National Title contender.
X-Factor:
Andy Dalton, it is always easy to pick the quarterback, but Dalton needs to have a great game for the Horned Frogs to score with the Badgers.
Prediction: #5 Wisconsin 31 over #3 TCU 27
Jan. 1st Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Arizona) #7 Oklahoma versus Connecticut
Synopsis:
The Huskies are one of the most surprising and criticized BCS teams ever. They won an automatic qualifying conference, yet they are getting pelted with harsh reactions. While the 8-4, unranked Huskies are felt as being undeserving, they did what they had to. Early season losses to Michigan, Temple, Louisville, and Rutgers never phased UConn and they won their last five conference games. Oklahoma, however, had been highly ranked for most of the year including being number 1 for a week. They have wins against Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma State and Florida State. The Sooners fought to get their BCS bid. Both teams had to make tough conference runs to get here, although the road through the Big-12 was tougher than that of the Big East. UConn is not a leader in many major categories, but Oklahoma is one of the best passing teams in the country.
X-Factor:
Ryan Broyles: The Oklahoma wideout much like Alshon Jeffrey will be the best player on the field. If he makes plays, Oklahoma wins comfortably, but if he struggles, it could be a long, grind-it-out game.
Prediction: #7 Oklahoma 35 over Connecticut 17
Jan. 3rd Orange Bowl (Miami, Florida) #4 Stanford versus #13 Virginia Tech
Synopsis:
Both these teams have flown into Miami under the national radar. Stanford has been overshadowed by Pac-10 mate Oregon and Va-Tech's two early losses to Boise State and James Madison made people ignore the Hokies. Now, both teams find themselves in a BCS bowl. Few players have been playing as well as Va-Tech's quarterback Tyrod Taylor, but one might be Stanford signal-caller Andrew Luck. The disappearance of Ryan Williams has confused many after being one of the best backs last year, but Darren Evans has re-made his own name rushing for over 800 yards this year. Meanwhile, Stanford has not been phased by Toby Gerhardt's departure as their rushing attack is still 17th in the country. Both teams are balanced, so it will be hard for the opposing defenses to keep the scoring low.
X-Factor:
Stepfan Taylor, the Stanford running back needs to keep Va-Tech off of Andrew Luck by both running and blocking effectively.
Prediction: #13 Virgina Tech 28 over #4 Stanford 27
Jan 3rd Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, Louisiana) #6 Ohio State versus #8 Arkansas
Synopsis:
It should be mentioned Ohio State will be at full force as the suspensions to key players will not be enforced until the start of next year. Even at full strength, it is still up in the air if Ohio State can beat Arkansas (or any SEC team for that matter). They beat Miami Florida, a fast southern team, but that win got less impressive as the season culminated. The Pigs made noise in the SEC by nearly defeating the #1 team in the nation at the time, Alabama, scroing 43 points and playing solidly against the current #1 team in the nation Auburn, and knocking Les Miles from the BCS by defeating #5 LSU. Arkansas has been a dark horse all year, but now the team can show they are forreal by winning a BCS game. It would behoove Jim Tressel to win another BCS game after beating Oregon last year since he has been in the doghouse for not winning the bowl games. Ohio State's defense can make stops, but can the offense score enough to beat the SEC? History says no.
X-Factor:
Cameron Heyward, OSU's stout defensive end will need to play tough and get pressure on Ryan Mallet and force Mallet's hand early in pass plays.
Prediction: #8 Arkansas 27 over #6 Ohio State 17
Jan. 10th National Championship Game (Glendale, Arizona) #1 Auburn versus #2 Oregon
Synopsis:
People cannot wait for this game. Two teams that love to score which have big names in the backfields. Both run the ball as much as possible. Auburn has the advantage at Quarterback in Heisman winner Cam Newton. but Oregon's main play-maker is running back LaMichael James. Auburn's defensive front has been outstanding, but the same can be said for Oregon's burly offensive line. At the end, it may appear the defenses did not show up to Glendale for this game. In the end, it may be whoever makes the bigger play on defense wins this game.
X-factor:
Darvin Adams: Oregon will be keyed in on stopping Cam Newton and Auburn from running. The Tigers will need Adams to play like he did against South Carolina in the SEC championship game.
Prediction: #1 Auburn 45 over #2 Oregon 41
