Ducks Look To Upset #4 Arizona

It has been quite the week in Oregon athletics. The Duck football team won the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl 35-17 over Kansas State last Thursday, then on Sunday it was announced that Head Coach Chip Kelly would be returning to coach for another season during the Duck basketball team's 79-66 win over Oregon State in Corvallis.

Senior Forward Arsalan Kazemi
Source: Netscoutsbasketball.com

The Oregon Duck basketball team will now play their biggest home game since 2007 when they hosted #8 UCLA and lost 80-75 at the old McArthur Court. This will be the biggest game at the new Matthew Night Arena since it opened in 2011. The Ducks had shown inconsistency and had not looked as smooth offensively until Sunday night. The Ducks weren't as solid against Nebraska in a 60-38 win on December 15th as they turned the ball over and struggled to put points on the scoreboard. The Duck's inconsistency then led to a 91-84 triple overtime loss on December 19th at UTEP, which hurt the Duck's chances of hitting the AP Top 25. The Ducks blew by Houston Baptist at home 91-50 on December 22nd, but again struggled offensively in a 56-43 home win against Nevada on December 31st. The Ducks looked inconsistent in the first half against Oregon State on Sunday, but turned things around in the second half.

After the Ducks trailed 34-28 after the first half, the Ducks came out in the second half and outscored the Beavers 51-32. The Ducks were led by freshman guard Damyean Dotson's 21 points. This gave the Ducks a 79-66 win in the 338th Civil War game at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis. This win gives the Ducks motivation and confidence heading into their showdown with #4 Arizona tonight.

Arizona, who is led by sophomore guard Nick Johnson and senior guard Mark Lyons, are coming in after very close home wins against Colorado and Utah. Colorado, in majority of people's minds, should have actually defeated the Wildcats 83-80. Unfortunately, instant replay apparently proved that Colorado's Sabatino Chen's 3-pointer did not make it out of his hand's as the the buzzer sounded at the end of regulation. Arizona ended up winning the game in overtime 92-83. Arizona then ended up in a tussle with a Utah squad that is supposed to be one of the teams in the Pac-12 cellar this season. Arizona avoided a game tying 3-pointer as regulation expired and escaped with a 60-57 victory.

Matt Knight Arena

This game at Matthew Knight Arena tonight could get very interesting. This may potentially be the loudest crowd the Ducks have had in years. For the Ducks to win, they are going to need a big inside game from Arsalan Kazemi and also need to rely on their 3-point game led by E.J. Singler. Arizona has shown difficulty defending against the 3-pointer this season. The free throws are going to have to fall as well. The Ducks have shot over 70 percent from the line in their past two games. Arsalan Kazemi will need to find a way to knock his free throws down though, as he as shot just 47.3 percent from the line in his past three games. Freshmen Damyean Dotson will need to get in on the action as well, as he has averaged 12.6 points in the Duck's last five games. The Ducks will need to shutdown Nick Johnson and the surging Solomon Hill. Johnson has been solid this season and has averaged 12.2 points per game. Hill, on the other hand, scored a combined 34 points and recorded 14 rebounds in Arizona's first two Pac-12 games. The other players the Ducks need to contain are Mark Lyons and Kevin Parrom. Lyons leads his team in scoring with an average of 14.4 points per game and has been clutch from the line as he has not missed a free throw in the final minute of any game this season. Parrom has also been a force inside with his rebounding game.

Tonight: #4 Arizona 14-0 (2-0) at Oregon 12-2 (1-0)   Matthew Knight Arena (Eugene, OR)     

                                                               6:00 PM PT ESPN2 

Eagles Eye Former Bear Head Coach Lovie Smith

It was reported by ESPN.com on Tuesday that former Chicago Bear head coach Lovie Smith will interview for the Philadelphia Eagles coaching vacancy on Thursday. Former Eagle head coach Andy Reid, of course, was fired after a disappointing 4-12 season and has accepted the coaching job with the Kansas City Chiefs.  

The Philadelphia Eagles are still on the coaching hunt after not being able to land high profiled Oregon coach Chip Kelly. Lovie Smith is now on the Eagle’s coaching radar after he was fired by the Chicago Bears. The Bears finished 10-6 this season and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Smith led the Bears to two NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl appearance in his nine-year tenure with Chicago. Smith already interviewed with the Buffalo Bills, but that position was filled by former Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone.  

If Lovie Smith were to be hired by the Eagles, he would bring a physical defensive style of play to Philadelphia. The Bears defense was ranked in the top ten this season against both the rush and the pass. The mystery will be if the Eagle’s offense could improve under him after struggling this season. The Eagle offense averaged just 17.5 points per game. 

The Philadelphia Eagles have already interviewed Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien and Oregon head coach Chip Kelly. Both decided to stay in the college game. The Eagles have also interviewed Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, Falcons special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong, and Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy. 

The coaching carousel continues in the NFL with five coaching positions still waiting to be filled. The Philadelphia Eagles along with the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, and San Diego Chargers are among the five organizations in need of a new head coach. We should have a better idea in the next week of who is going where in the NFL. 

January 7th- Discover BCS National Championship game prediction

Bowl Prediction total record: 20-14

Bowl Prediction analysis record: 6-4

Valero Alamo Bowl

Prediction: Texas 34, Oregon State 24

Result: Texas 31, Oregon State 27

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl

Prediction: TCU 27, Michigan State 23
Result: Michigan State 17, TCU 16

Chick-fil-A Bowl

Prediction: LSU 34, Clemson 27
Result: Clemson 25, LSU 24

Outback Bowl

Prediction: South Carolina 32, Michigan 21

Result: South Carolina 33, Michigan 28

Capital One Bowl

Prediction: Georgia 37, Nebraska 27

Result: Georgia 45, Nebraska 31

Rose Bowl Game Presented by Vizio

Prediction: Prediction: Wisconsin 28, Stanford 24

Result: Stanford 20, Wisconsin 14

Discover Orange Bowl

Prediction: Florida State 31, Northern Illinois 17

Result: Florida State 31, Northern Illinois 10

Allstate Sugar Bowl

Prediction: Florida 31, Louisville 13

Result: Louisville 33, Florida 23

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

Prediction: Oregon 41, Kansas State 30

Result: Oregon 35, Kansas State 17

AT&T Cotton Bowl

Prediction: Texas A&M 41, Oklahoma 33
Result: Texas A&M 41, Oklahoma 13

January 7, 2013

11. Discover BCS National Championship (Miami Gardens, FL)  8:30 PM ET ESPN

#1 Notre Dame vs #2 Alabama   

- The BCS National Championship is finally here. Tonight, two schools with rich history and tradition will fight for that crystal ball that every team set out for at the beginning of the season. It has come down to the No. 1 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the No. 2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. When I think about this matchup, I cannot stop comparing it to the 2003 BCS National Championship Fiesta Bowl game that featured the Miami (FL) Hurricanes and the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Hurricanes were heavy favorites to win their second straight BCS National Championship. They had future NFL stars like wide receiver Andre Johnson, running back Willis McGahee, tight end Kellen Winslow II, and middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma. Alabama is the Miami (FL) team from the 2002-2003 season. The Ohio State Buckeyes came into the title game with wins they were barely able to squeak out. Notre Dame is the Ohio State team from the 2002-2003 season. The Buckeyes played close games with Cincinnati, Wisconsin, Penn State, and needed a fourth-and-one "Holy Buckeye" touchdown pass from Craig Krenzel to Michael Jenkins to win at Purdue. They also had an overtime victory at Illinois a week later, and a last second interception at home to beat rival Michigan to clinch a spot in the National Championship game. The Buckeyes relied on their physical defensive play to win ball games. Second year head coach Jim Tressel, at the time, was trying to bring Ohio State back into the national spotlight again. Third year head coach Brian Kelly is trying to do the same thing at Notre Dame right now.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are very much like the 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes. Notre Dame and Ohio State managed to have some luck on their side during the season and at times struggled offensively to score points. Ohio State's defense gave up an average of 12.2 points per game during the 2002 season and Notre Dame held their opponents this season to 10.3 points per game. It is going to be interesting to see if the Irish can do what the Buckeyes did just a decade ago.

Season in review:

Pictured above: (5) LB Manti Te'o and (48) LB Dan Fox

Source: NY Times 

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are, as mentioned above, a team that relies heavily on their defense. Not a lot of analysts were picking the Irish to do anything this season. The quarterback situation was a mystery and no one knew if it would be sophomore Everett Golson or junior Tommy Rees. No one really knew what the Irish defense was capable of either. The Irish started the season off with a 50-10 blowout win over Army in Dublin, Ireland. In their second game, the Irish relied on their physical defense to knock off Purdue in a very close game that came down to a game-winning field goal. When the nation really started to find out what this team was made of was when the Irish went into East Lansing. The Irish defense held Michigan State and physical running back Le'Veon Bell to just three points in a 20-3 win. The ferocious Irish defense continued into the next week as they converted six turnovers in a 13-6 win over rival Michigan. That following week, the Irish had their last easy victory for a while as they defeated Miami (FL) 41-3 in Chicago. The next four games against Stanford, BYU, Oklahoma, and Pittsburgh are what defined this team's season. Notre Dame was down by three against Stanford with 20 seconds remaining in the game, but were able to come down the field with backup quarterback Tommy Reese and get a field goal to knot the game up at 13. In overtime, The Irish defense had a goal line stand for the ages, as they held the Stanford offense and running back Stepfan Taylor out of the endzone for three straight plays on the goal line to get the 20-13 victory. The Irish continued into the next week with a tough 17-14 victory over BYU. They then won a huge game at Oklahoma 30-13. The Oklahoma game is where linebacker Manti Te'o began his Heisman campaign and where quarterback Everett Golson had his coming out party. The last real test for this team was when the Irish needed to rely on luck to defeat Pittsburgh 29-26 in triple overtime. The Irish were down 20-6 going into the fourth quarter, but again came back and tied the game with two minutes left in regulation. In overtime, Pittsburgh had a chance to win, but was not able to convert a game-winning field goal. Golson then snuck his way into the end zone on a quarterback sneak in the third overtime to give the Irish a 29-26 win. After this game, the Irish won their next two games convincingly against Boston College and Wake Forest. The Irish then finished up the regular season with a 22-13 win over USC and had another huge goal line stand. This win guaranteed the Irish a spot in the BCS National Championship game.

Pictured above: quarterback AJ McCarron
Source: ESPN 

On the other hand, the Alabama Crimson Tide came into this season with very high expectations after coming off of their second title in three years. The Crimson Tide opened their season with a 41-14 blowout win over Michigan in Arlington. The Crimson Tide then blew out Western Kentucky, Arkansas, Florida Atlantic, Ole Miss, Missouri, Tennessee, and Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide outscored their first eight opponents 325 to 65. It wasn't until early November where the Crimson Tide were faced with any sort of challenge. The Crimson Tide were again in another tussle with LSU in Death Valley. LSU led 17-14 until the Crimson Tide made their way down the field with 50 seconds remaining in the game. Quarterback AJ McCarron threw a touchdown pass to running back T.J. Yeldon to get the 21-17 victory. That next week though, the Crimson Tide found themselves in a very similar situation from last season. Texas A&M and Heisman Trophy winner freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel came into Tuscaloosa and put on one of the best performances of the season. Texas A&M was able to hold off a late surge from the Crimson Tide when AJ McCarron's fourth down pass from the Texas A&M two-yard line was intercepted by Deshazor Everett to seal the 29-24 victory. The Crimson Tide dropped out of the BCS National Championship picture, but a week later were let back in when No. 1 Kansas State and No. 2 Oregon were both upset. Alabama blew out Western Carolina and Auburn 49-0 and clinched a birth in the SEC Championship game in Atlanta. The Crimson Tide battled back against Georgia in the fourth quarter after trailing 21-10 half way through the third quarter. It was again AJ McCarron who threw another game winning touchdown pass to take the late lead. This time it was to freshman wide receiver Amari Cooper on a 45-yard pass. The Crimson Tide defense then stopped Georgia on the five-yard line to seal the win and clinched a spot in their second consecutive BCS National Championship game.

BCS Championship game analysis:

- Notre Dame and Alabama are both very physical football teams and depend on their defenses. The Fighting Irish are led by Heisman Trophy finalist senior linebacker Manti Te'o. The Irish defense held their opponents to 10.3 points per game this season and also held their opponents to an average of 92.4 rushing yards per game. The Irish offense is going to be the big question going into this game. The real question is going to be how sophomore quarterback Everett Golson handles the pressure of the Alabama defense and if he can manage the game and not make mistakes. Golson will need a big game from senior running back Theo Riddick, so the passing game can open up. Golson will need to get the ball to senior All-American tight end Tyler Eifert. Eifert leads the team with 624 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

Alabama comes in with a physical defense as well. The Crimson Tide defense led by junior All-American linebacker C.J. Mosley and junior All-American cornerback Dee Milliner. The Crimson Tide defense held their opponents to 11.6 points per game, 80.6 rushing yards per game, and only 172.3 passing yards per game. The statistics show that this Alabama defense can play, but they have shown vulnerability this season. The Texas A&M and Georgia games are the ones that stick out in my mind. The Crimson Tide offense has proved to be very talented again this season. Junior quarterback AJ McCarron threw for 2,669 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and had only three interceptions during the regular season. The running game consisting of powerful running backs Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon have proved to be one of the biggest strengths this season, along with freshman wide receiver Amari Cooper and an offensive line led by senior All-American center Barrett Jones.

This game is going to come down to who can control the line of scrimmage. Notre Dame has to establish a solid rushing attack and avoid mental mistakes. Everett Golson needs to protect the ball and avoid big hits when he decides to take the ball and run with it. If the Irish offensive line begins to get beat upfront it is going to be very difficult for the Irish to win this ball game. Alabama is in better shape coming into this game, because they have a more experienced quarterback in AJ McCarron. The Crimson Tide can rely on their running game, but also have a passing game they can rely on with speedy receiver Amari Cooper. For Alabama to win their second straight National Championship, the offense needs to get points down in the red zone and the defense needs to avoid giving up big plays that  keep the Irish in the game. I think this is going to be a very close game and we are going to see the Irish stay with the Crimson Tide until late in the fourth quarter. In the end, I feel it will be Nick Saban and his Crimson Tide winning their third National Championship in four years.

Prediction: Alabama 24, Notre Dame 21

January 4th- Cotton Bowl Prediction

Bowl Prediction total record: 19-12

Bowl Prediction analysis record: 5-4

Valero Alamo Bowl

Prediction: Texas 34, Oregon State 24

Result: Texas 31, Oregon State 27

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl

Prediction: TCU 27, Michigan State 23
Result: Michigan State 17, TCU 16

Chick-fil-A Bowl

Prediction: LSU 34, Clemson 27
Result: Clemson 25, LSU 24

Outback Bowl

Prediction: South Carolina 32, Michigan 21

Result: South Carolina 33, Michigan 28

Capital One Bowl

Prediction: Georgia 37, Nebraska 27

Result: Georgia 45, Nebraska 31

Rose Bowl Game Presented by Vizio

Prediction: Prediction: Wisconsin 28, Stanford 24

Result: Stanford 20, Wisconsin 14

Discover Orange Bowl

Prediction: Florida State 31, Northern Illinois 17

Result: Florida State 31, Northern Illinois 10

Allstate Sugar Bowl

Prediction: Florida 31, Louisville 13

Result: Louisville 33, Florida 23

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

Prediction: Oregon 41, Kansas State 30

Result: Oregon 35, Kansas State 17

January 4, 2013

10. AT&T Cotton Bowl (Arlington, TX)  8:00 PM ET FOX
#9 Texas A&M vs #11 Oklahoma 

- It's an old Big 12 rivalry between the Aggies and Sooners. Texas A&M comes in with motivation after having their best regular season since 1998 and also have Heisman Trophy winner freshman quarterback Johnny "Football" Manziel. Manziel has an impressive 43 total touchdowns this season. He passed for 3,419 yards and rushed for 1,181 yards. Besides Manziel, the Aggie offense has had other weapons as well this season. Freshman wide receiver Mike Evans had 1,022 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Ryan Swope had 809 receiving yards with seven touchdowns. This Aggie offense comes in averaging 42.0 points per game and is racking up an impressive 565.3 yards per game. The Aggie defense was much improved this season as well. The Aggie defense has given up 22.8 points per game this season and had big stops in an upset win at Alabama.

Oklahoma expected to be Big 12 Champions this season, but had an early season loss at home against Kansas State. Oklahoma then hoped to receive an at-large BCS bowl bid, but were knocked out of the running when Northern Illinois hit No. 15 in the BCS Standings. Senior quarterback Landry Jones will play his last game in a Sooner uniform after never quite meeting expectations, but still becoming the all-time leading passer in Oklahoma football history. Jones threw for 3,989 yards and 29 touchdowns this season. The ground attack is led by junior running back Damien Williams and the wide receiving core consists of junior Kenny Stills and Justin Brown. This Sooner offense averages 37.6 points per game and 490.9 yards per game. The Sooner defense struggled in their last five games of the season. Even though the Sooners won all five games, the defense gave up an average of 33.6 points per game. This is a red flag going into this game for the Sooner defense, because they are faced with the challenge of defending an offense that can beat you on the ground and in the air. This should be a pretty even ball game. The quarterback play for Manziel and Jones will be the key to winning this game. It is going to turn into an old-fashioned shootout in Jerry World.

Prediction: Texas A&M 41, Oklahoma 33 

January 3rd- Fiesta Bowl Prediction

I will be attending the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in Glendale. The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl is probably the second best bowl game this season. Both Oregon and Kansas State had a chance to punch their ticket to Miami for the BCS National Championship, but choked it away in the third to last week of the season and found themselves playing each other in the desert instead.

1. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, AZ) 01/03  8:30 PM ET ESPN

#4 Oregon vs #5 Kansas State

Bowl Prediction total record: 18-12
Bowl Prediction analysis record: 4-4

Valero Alamo Bowl

Prediction: Texas 34, Oregon State 24

Result: Texas 31, Oregon State 27

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl

Prediction: TCU 27, Michigan State 23
Result: Michigan State 17, TCU 16

Chick-fil-A Bowl

Prediction: LSU 34, Clemson 27
Result: Clemson 25, LSU 24

Outback Bowl

Prediction: South Carolina 32, Michigan 21

Result: South Carolina 33, Michigan 28

Capital One Bowl

Prediction: Georgia 37, Nebraska 27

Result: Georgia 45, Nebraska 31

Rose Bowl Game Presented by Vizio

Prediction: Prediction: Wisconsin 28, Stanford 24

Result: Stanford 20, Wisconsin 14

Discover Orange Bowl

Prediction: Florida State 31, Northern Illinois 17

Result: Florida State 31, Northern Illinois 10

Allstate Sugar Bowl

Prediction: Florida 31, Louisville 13
Result: Louisville 33, Florida 23

January 3, 2013

9. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, AZ)  8:30 PM ET ESPN
#4 Oregon vs #5 Kansas State 

- This is the matchup everyone wanted to see in the BCS National Championship game. Both teams were upset though and now find themselves facing each other in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. This is clearly the second best matchup after the BCS National Championship game between Alabama and Notre Dame. These two teams were originally supposed to meet in Eugene at the beginning of this season, but Kansas State dropped out of the game a few years ago. Leading Kansas State wide receiver Chris Harper will also be playing his former school after transferring Oregon after his freshman season. With all these side stories, these teams play two completely different styles of football. The Oregon Ducks run a fast-paced spread offense that gives a majority of the defenses they face complete nightmares. The lethal Duck offense is led by redshirt freshman Marcus Mariota who has 30 passing touchdowns and just six interceptions on the season. The Duck offense also has talented senior running back Kenjon Barner and the always dangerous De'Anthony Thomas. This Duck offense averages 49.7 points per game and 540.8 yards per game. Oregon also had one of their best defenses this season as they held opponents to 22.7 points per game. 

The Kansas State Wildcats are in their first BCS Bowl game since 2004 and are looking to knock off the Ducks. The Wildcat offense is led by Heisman finalist quarterback Collin Klein. Klein has 22 rushing touchdowns this season and also passed for 15. The Wildcat offense also includes running back John Hubert and wide receivers Chris Harper, Tyler Locket and Tramaine Thompson. The Wildcat defense led by linebacker Arthur Brown has been stellar this season holding opponents to 22.2 points per game and 121.5 rushing yards per game. Everything about this game is going to be interesting. It will be interesting to see if the the Wildcat defense can shutdown the Duck rushing attack and if Kansas State's pro-style methodical style offense can wear down the Duck defense. It is going to be a good one in Glendale. 

Prediction: Oregon 41, Kansas State 30

January 2nd- Sugar Bowl Prediction

Bowl Prediction total record: 18-11
Bowl Prediction analysis record: 4-3

Valero Alamo Bowl

Prediction: Texas 34, Oregon State 24

Result: Texas 31, Oregon State 27

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl


Prediction: TCU 27, Michigan State 23
Result: Michigan State 17, TCU 16

Chick-fil-A Bowl

Prediction: LSU 34, Clemson 27
Result: Clemson 25, LSU 24

Outback Bowl

Prediction: South Carolina 32, Michigan 21

Result: South Carolina 33, Michigan 28

Capital One Bowl

Prediction: Georgia 37, Nebraska 27

Result: Georgia 45, Nebraska 31

Rose Bowl Game Presented by Vizio

Prediction: Prediction: Wisconsin 28, Stanford 24

Result: Stanford 20, Wisconsin 14

Discover Orange Bowl

Prediction: Florida State 31, Northern Illinois 17

Result: Florida State 31, Northern Illinois 10

January 2, 2013

8. Allstate Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, LA)  8:30 PM ET ESPN

#21 Louisville vs #3 Florida 

- We heavy weight SEC Florida against little Big East opponent Louisville. The last time Florida played in a BCS bowl game it was against Big East Champion Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl. The Gators won convincingly 51-24. The Florida Gators were so close to making the BCS National Championship, but could not beat rival Georgia and could not get a Notre Dame loss on the last weekend of the season. The Florida Gator offense was inconsistent a majority of the season under quarterback Jeff Driskel. The running game wasn't bad led by Mike Gillislee, but the passing game was the sixth worst in the country. It was the Gator defense led by defensive backs Josh Evans and Matt Elam that played flat out amazing this season. The Gator defense is the main reason why a Sugar Bowl birth was even possible. The Gator defense gave up just 14.1 points per game and 286.3 yards per game.

The Louisville Cardinals led by talented quarterback Teddy Bridgewater are back in their first BCS game since 2007. With a healthy Bridgwater, the Cardinal offense will focus more on the passing game. The rushing attack was not very talented this season averaging just 126.7 yards per game and will not work on a talented Gator defense. If Louisville wants to pull off the huge upset it will be up to Teddy Bridgwater to get the ball to his main wide receiver DeVante Parker. The Gator defense will be the main story of this game as they will try to shut down the Cardinal offense throughout the entire game. The Gators speed on offense should present problems to the Cardinal defense as well.

Prediction: Florida 31, Louisville 13 

New Year's Day Predictions

January 1, 2013

4. Outback Bowl (Tampa, FL)  1:00 PM ET ESPN

#10 South Carolina @ #18 Michigan 

- South Carolina and Michigan lost key games that could have put them in BCS bowl games. Both teams have good defenses that rank ten and eleven in the country. The South Carolina Gamecocks lost running back Marcus Lattimore in late October for the season, but were still able to have a good season. The offense led by quarterback Connor Shaw was good, but the Gamecock defense is what made this team successful. The Gamecock defense is led by one of the best defensive ends in the country Jadeveon Clowney. The Gamecock defense held opponents to 18.4 points per game and just 106.3 rushing yards per game this season.

The Michigan Wolverines lost a key game at Nebraska that would have put them in a position to go to the Rose Bowl, but quarterback Denard Robinson went down with an elbow injury. With Robinson injured, the Wolverines brought back converted wide receiver Devin Gardner to the quarterback position. Gardner proved to be the right fit as a dual threat quarterback for the Wolverine offense. The offense was shaky at times this season for the Wolverines, but the defense was able to be the catalyst for winning ball games. The Wolverine defense held their opponents to 18.8 points per game and 155.2 passing yards per game. The Michigan defense will need to be strong and keep their team in this game, because the offense may struggle. The Gamecock defense is so fast and physical, which means that the Michigan offensive line will need to protect Devin Gardner, as well as Denard Robinson, from big hits. Gardner will not be able to run the ball or scramble like he was able to in other games this season. The Wolverines are going to have to mix up their game plan with more passing plays. If Michigan cannot establish a passing game it is going to be tough for them to stay in this game. 

Prediction: South Carolina 32, Michigan 21

5. Capital One Bowl (Orlando, FL)  1:00 PM ET ABC 

#7 Georgia vs #16 Nebraska 

- Both teams were one game away from going to a BCS bowl game. Georgia wasn't able to hold off Alabama when it mattered most and Nebraska was blown out by Wisconsin as they gave up 70 points. The Georgia Bulldogs had a good offense with an even better defense this season. The Bulldog passing game was solid with quarterback Aaron Murray. Murray passed for 31 touchdowns and had a 172.4 quarterback rating this season. The running game also surprisingly became very good with freshman Todd Gurley rushing for over 1,000 yards. The Bulldog defense struggled early in the season, but were able to bounce back. After giving up 35 points to South Carolina in a 35-7 loss in early October, the Bulldog defense finished their last seven games by giving up just 14.1 points per game. The defensive play of linebackers Jarvis Jones and Alec Olgletree played a key role in why the defense became such a threat to other team's offenses.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers had high hopes of being in the Rose Bowl, but found themselves in a horrible nightmare when they were blown out against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game. The Husker offense relies heavily on the running game consisting of quarterback Taylor Martinez and running backs Ameer Abdullah and Rex Burkhead. The passing game has struggled, even though Taylor Martinez improved his accuracy. The Husker defense ranks first in the nation against the pass, but against the run it has been a different story. Wisconsin's rushing attack led by Montee Ball put up 539 rushing yards on the Husker defense. The Husker defense must try to contain yet another physical rushing attack led by Todd Gurley. For the Huskers to win this ball game, the offensive line has to protect Taylor Martinez and be able to run the ball. If the Huskers cannot establish a rushing attack and begin committing turnovers like they have this season it will be another long game for this Husker team. Most people are not giving the Huskers a chance in this game. I think this game is closer than most people might think.

Prediction: Georgia 37, Nebraska 27

6. Rose Bowl Game Presented by Vizio (Pasadena, CA)  5:00 PM ET ESPN

Wisconsin vs #6 Stanford

- This is a matchup that everyone has wanted to see. These two teams are identical in the way they play football. They pound it out on the ground with their talented running backs and play physical defense. The Stanford Cardinal hung around this season and then upset #2 Oregon on the road in overtime. This gave Stanford a clear path to the Pac-12 Championship game and then found themselves in their first Rose Bowl since 2000. Stanford became a much better team when head coach David Shaw made the switch at the quarterback position from Josh Nunes to Kevin Hogan. Kevin Hogan made the Cardinal offense tremendously better with his ability to take pressure off of 1,000 yard rusher Stepfan Taylor by being able to scramble and make plays outside of the pocket. The Cardinal defense was once again one of the best defenses in the country with potentially the best outside linebacking unit in the country consisting of Trent Murphy and Chase Thomas. The Cardinal defense has given up just 17.5 points per game and an astounding 88.0 rushing yards per game.

The Wisconsin Badgers appeared to be out of a BCS game with an 7-5 record season, but with Ohio State and Penn State being ineligible in the Big Ten Leaders Division it gave the Badgers an opportunity to knock off Nebraska in the Big Ten Championship. The Badgers ran all over Nebraska and won in blow out fashion 70-31. So here are the Badgers again in Pasadena for the third straight year. The Badgers come into this game without their head coach Bret Bielema, after he bolted for the Arkansas job. This will give the most successful coach in Wisconsin history, Barry Alvarez, one last time to coach his school that he loves so dearly. The Badgers offense finally found a starting quarterback in Curt Phillips, but will still need to depend on running backs Montee Ball, James White, and Melvin Gordon to move the offense. The Badger defense is an important aspect to this team as well. The Badger defense is solid with a linebacking core consisting of Mike Taylor, Chris Borland, and Ethan Armstrong. This is going to be a hard-nosed football game with teams running it up the gut the whole game and being put in third and five passing situations. This is going to be a very close game with both teams leaning on their defenses to make key stops in the red zone. Most people are taking Stanford to win this game, but I'm going with Wisconsin. Third time's a charm, right?

Prediction: Wisconsin 28, Stanford 24

7. Discover Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, FL)  8:30 PM ET ESPN

#15 Northern Illinois vs #12 Florida State 

- This became the most controversial bowl matchup of the year. Northern Illinois found themselves at No. 15 in the BCS Standings, which put them in the Orange Bowl. The Huskies will be without head coach Dave Doeren who left for the NC State job, but the Huskies will have one of the most dynamic players in college football Jordan Lynch. Lynch has 43 total touchdowns and 1,771 rushing yards on the season. The Husky offense has averaged 41.2 points per game and 490.7 yards per game this season. The Husky offense focuses on running the ball, but Lynch will need to rely on wide receiver Martel Moore because of how difficult it may be to run on the Florida State defense. The Florida State Seminoles almost blew their ACC title again this season, but found a way to get to their first BCS Bowl game since the 2005 season. This will be senior quarterback EJ Manuel's last game as a Seminole and he will be more motivated then ever to go out with an Orange Bowl victory. The Seminole offense averaged 35.9 points per game this season and will face a Northern Illinois defense that held opponents to 20.0 points per game this season. The Seminole defense is going to be the story of this game with defensive end Bjoern Werner, safety Lamarcus Joyner, and cornerback Xavier Rhodes. The Seminole defense is the fourth best in the country and give up only 104.2 rushing yards per game. If the Husky offense cannot get the rushing attack going, the Seminoles are going to blow the Huskies out. It is not possible for Lynch to sit back in the pocket the entire game and expect to have a chance of upsetting the Seminoles.

Prediction: Florida State 31, Northern Illinois 17