2011 New Years Day Bowls

TicketCity Bowl
     Texas Tech vs. Northwestern- Really? The Ticketcity Bowl is a New Years Day bowl game? (I can only imagine trying to explain how the bowl system works to my kids someday.) Northwestern wins in this game coming off of a disappointing season. They have not been the same team since the injury to their starting QB Dan Persa.

Capital One Bowl
     Alabama vs. Michigan State- As I have said before, this is the best non-BCS bowl game, bar none. One of three Big 10 Champions and last year's national champions take the field to help decide the Big 10 vs. SEC debate. Alabama has to still be hurt after how they lost to Auburn and MSU has to be a little let down after not being invited to a BCS bowl game. MSU Head Coach Mike D'Antonio comes from the Nick Saban coaching tree adding some spice to this match up. I see Alabama coming out strong and pulling out a win for their program and the SEC.

Outback Bowl
     Florida vs. Penn State- Urban Meyer vs. Joe Paterno... The most exciting storyline of the whole game is between the coaches. One coached dinosaurs and the other has had tremendous success early in his career, which appears to be over. I see Penn State pulling out a win because their offense is much more versatile than they are given credit. That is a tough statement for this SEC homer to say.

Gator Bowl
     Mississippi State vs. Michigan- Many people are writing off Michigan because Head Coach Rich Rodriguez's uncertain future in Ann Arbor. I am not quite ready to do that yet. Chances are he will be back next year, and the kids playing for him love their coach. Also Michigan QB Denard Robinson will be at full health for the first time since the beginning of the season. As long as he is not injured by the big boys from the SEC he could have a big day. State needs to stop him and limit turnovers to have success. This game will be closer than the experts think. State does these things and wins though, making their fans the most excited in the nation for a nine win season.

Rose Bowl
     TCU vs. Wisconsin- This year's Rose Bowl does not have the same amount of swagger as last year's national championship.  Who ever thought the day would come we would see TCU in the Rose Bowl? I do not think the Horned Frogs will enjoy their stay too much. Much has been made about the size of Wisconsin's offensive and defensive linemen. The fact is line play determines so much of the success of a team and that will stand true tomorrow, too. The Badgers wear out a smaller TCU.

Fiesta Bowl
     Connecticut vs. Oklahoma-  How about the job UConn Head Coach Randy Edsell has done with his Huskies, taking them from a D-IAA school to a BCS bowl game. On the other hand is a team that has experienced recent struggles in their BCS games, including a shot at a national championship. Oklahoma has a chance to exorcise their recent BCS bowl game demons against an inferior opponent. Here we will see experience win, and win big. Oklahoma rolls much like Florida, a much more BCS experienced team, did in last year's Sugar Bowl, dominating the Big East Conference champion, Cincinnati.

The 10 Bowls to See

It is here. The wait is over. As we get ready for one of the most exciting times of the year we all forget the mess that is the BCS, but can we agree it did what it was meant to do? Did it not put the top two teams in the nation in a bowl game? Granted, there are aspects that need attention, but those in charge of the BCS are working on those and open to change. Good or bad, we are stuck with the bowl system for now and here are the ten that I am looking forward to the most.

1. Tostitos BCS National Championship Game
No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 1 Auburn

 This one should be obvious as to why it is number one. The two best teams, best offenses, and players in the nation are all on one field. I think both offenses start off slow because of the layoff, but then the winner is the defense that can make one more stop than the other.

2. Allstate Sugar Bowl
No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Arkansas

  Two explosive quarterbacks going at one another. The Sugar Bowl pits a typical NFL style quarterback in Ryan Mallet versus the more mobile Terrelle Pryor. It will be interesting to see how Mallet can handle the number two defense and how the improved Arkansas can handle another mobile quarterback. Can OSU’s get past their losing streak, excuse me, beating streak by SEC teams?

3.Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO
No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 3 TCU

    It will be fun to see if TCU is as good as they think they are and prove that to the rest of the country. They have yet to win in all of their BCS bowl tries. They will get their chance against a huge, smash-mouth Wisconsin team whose play is described by their coach as “real American football.” 

4. Discover Orange Bowl
No. 4 Stanford vs. No. 13 Virginia Tech

    Though this game looks like a promising one, will anyone be at the Orange Bowl who is known for its bad attendance numbers. Again, here we have a match-up of two different types of quarterbacks. On one hand what looks like will the number one overall pick in April’s NFL draft and the other is a more mobile and winningest quarterback in Hokie history, Tyrod Taylor.

5. Capital One Bowl
No. 16 Alabama vs. No. 9 Michigan State

    Easily the best non-BCS game Alabama and Michigan State will meet on New Years Day. Alabama, who is still bitter about a loss in which they blew a 24 point lead, will try and go back to what has made them so good, a solid running game. On the opposite side of the field is a team which is bitter that they are not playing in a BCS game after sharing part of the Big 10 title. It’s always fun when the SEC and Big 10 get together.

6. AT&T Cotton Bowl
No. 10 LSU vs. No. 17 Texas A&M

      A team that is on the rise and has played extremely well since a tough loss to Arkansas will play a team that is coming off a loss to Arkansas that would have locked up a Sugar Bowl bid. The Jerry Dome will be rocking as both schools are close and travel well, not to mention that Jerry Jones, Arkansas alumni and member of of their 1964 National Championship team, will not be outdone as far as the environment goes.

7. Chick-fil-A Bowl
No. 20 South Carolina vs. No. 23 Florida State

    South Carolina has to go back to the site at which they were embarrassed by the number one team in the country. They will be taking on a team that is just not quite ready to be compared to the FSU teams of old. Jimbo has this team on the right track. Steve Spurrier needs this win or this season, though making it to the SEC Championship will end in disappointment as many of his seasons have.

8. Gator Bowl
No. 21 Mississippi State vs. Michigan

  Here again we have up and coming in MSU against a team with a “Rich” heritage in bowl games. Speaking of... Rodriguez will be fighting for his job and beating an SEC team would help his resume tremendously. The Bulldogs, however, couldn’t be happier with their coach as he is the envy of all programs head coach hunting.

9. AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Georgia vs. No. 25 UCF

 Really the only reason this game is of any real interest is one of UCF’s  starting wide receivers is from Rome, Georgia and gets a chance to play his home state team in front of many family members and friends. But seriously the UCF team is nothing to look past for the Bulldogs. They are a very talented team, maybe the second best in Florida this year. There is still a lot of pressure on Mark Richt, and losing this game would not help his cause.

10. Hyundai Sun Bowl
Notre Dame vs. Miami

   Criminals vs. Catholics... No it doesn’t have the same ring to it as it used to, but this game shows the state of college football right now. Miami and Notre Dame of today are not your dad’s Miami and Notre Dame. Winning this game will be a huge stepping point to get things back on track for the winner.

The Weekend that Was

After a trip to Rome for the weekend, I am back to the real world where there are always places to be and things to get done. At least the drive over and the extra hour was nice. Really though, I don’t think many have a better drive home from school than I do, through the north Georgia mountains and over Lake Lanier. With the leaves changing and crispness in the air, it was nearly perfect.

 One of my reasons for going home? I love sitting on the couch and watching football with the old man, especially when the Hogs play. Both of us sit there with our laptops looking up information about different teams and scores. Not many things can be more relaxing to me. (Mama, I enjoyed the walk, too.)

It is nice when the Razorbacks do not add any more stress to your life. They looked great against the No. 18 ranked team in the nation. We couldn’t get ever how much more fun it is to watch a game when your team can get the lead and control the rest of the game. Mallet looked great with another 300 yard game. Besides a few of the terrible calls by the refereeing crew and Tyler Wilson fumble at the end of the fourth quarter there was no negative yelling at the TV screen. The win insured that the SEC East winner will have at least 3 losses for the first time ever.

As far as the rest of the nation…

1. Called it a mile away. I knew that TCU was legit and now they have proved it to the rest of you. Their defense has allowed only 20 points in six games. No matter the league or division that is an impressive stat.

2. LSU won a huge game and in effect helped Auburn. Yes to beat Alabama at any time is impressive but the Tide looked as if they were giving a lack luster effort. And come on Saban, is that the best final play you could have run at the end of the fourth quarter.

3. Let’s take out the C in TCU because right now they are the best team in Texas. With the Longhorns blowout loss to Kansas State you have to wonder what is happening in Ausitn, from national championship to hoping for a bowl game. Come to think of it TCU is the only positive thing going in terms of Texas football as the Cowboys just fired Head Coach Wade Phillips.

4. Yes it is pretty much settled that Oregon is the best team in the PAC-10. I got up to go to get some sweet heat chips and they put up 40 points. I just wish ABC would let the east coast see one of their games every once in a while.

5. Sticking with the PAC-10 Stanford won another big game. I just wonder what would happen if Stanford had the chance to play Oregon in a title game. The Cardinal sure are looking good right now and Andrew Luck is solidifying his number one overall pick for the NFL Draft in April.

6. In light of the recent hoopla about non automatic qualifying teams playing for the national championship is the Big East really getting a bid for a BCS game? Right now the best they can offer is Pittsburgh, a 5-3 unranked team. Come on…

The Weekend that Will Be

First and foremost let me wish a happy birthday to the most sports knowledgeable grandmother I know. Grannie, I hope you have a great one!

Secondly, I am sorry that I was not able to provide a breakdown of the action from last week. I have been working on a huge paper for one of my classes and every time I sat down at the computer writing did not sound like much fun. Nonetheless, I am in Rome this weekend, sitting in front of a fire, and enjoying a warm cup of coffee from an Arkansas Razorback mug. Life is good. Here are the picks for the weekend.

TCU vs. Utah- It feels like everything is against the team from Fort Worth in this one as they have never won a game in Salt Lake. The Horned Frogs from Texas Christian have the best defense in the country so far this season allowing less than nine points a game and only thirteen in their last five games. As the saying goes defense wins championships and it will to day too as TCU wins this game on their way to another Mountain West Conference title.

Alabama vs. LSU- The game to day will be Alabama’s hardest in the stretch before the Iron Bowl. This game could very easily become a slugfest with the defenses that will be playing today. It’s the kind of game that gives the SEC the stigma it has around the country, tough, hard hitting defense with an offense that just needs to score a time or two. The advantage to goes to Alabama because of its running back tandem of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson and the Tide roll today.

Arkansas vs. South Carolina- Here is the upset special of the week. I know it is a little hard to believe I have the Hogs winning, again but I can’t help it and you couldn’t either if you grew up in my house. I do have data to back up my prediction. Ryan Mallet is coming off of record breaking performance last weekend, albeit Vandy. South Carolina has the 105^th rated pass defense in the nation. Granted the Razorbacks lost their best receiver last week in Greg Childs, Mallet has no problem spreading the ball around as he proved last week with completions to eight different receivers. Watch a high scoring game tonight on ESPN as they call the Hogs loud and proud in Columbia tonight.

Arizona vs. Stanford- Another big game for Coach Jim Harbaugh and the Cardinal as they try to separate themselves from the pack, more specifically the Arizona Wildcats, in their quest for the last PAC-10 title ever. I was a little off last week when I said they will be played closely by the Huskies of Washington, winning 41-0. Now I am a believer. They win this game easily with the second best quarterback in the country and Heisman darkhorse leading the way in Andrew Luck.

Other Winners (In Bold)-

Baylor at Oklahoma State- Baylor is still on a high from beating the hated Texas and does not bounce back quickly enough.

Nebraska at Iowa State- No repeat of last year but it is worth it just to see Iowa State Head Coach Paul Rhoads give an emotional post game speech.

Northwestern vs. Penn State- JoePa gets win number 400… Wow.

North Carolina at Florida State

Missouri at Texas Tech

Hawaii at Boise State- Maybe not but you have to believe.

Florida at Vanderbilt

Maryland at Miami (FL)

Wisconsin at Purdue

Washington at Oregon