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

New Year's Eve/Day Bowl Game Predictions

It's the best time of the year! It's bowl week with some of the most intriguing matchups of the college football season. The interesting December bowl games include Oregon State and Texas in the Valero Alamo Bowl, TCU and Michigan State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, and LSU-Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. As we make our way into the New Year, we have a few interesting matchups on New Year's Day. The Outback Bowl between Michigan and South Carolina could be interesting with strong defensive play and the Rose Bowl will be fun with Stanford and Wisconsin, who are mirror images of one another because of their strong running game and physical defenses. We continue with the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl between Oregon and Kansas State, who both had their chance of making the BCS National Championship. The season finishes up with Texas A&M, led by Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, against old Big 12 opponent Oklahoma in the AT&T Cotton Bowl. The season then finishes up with the BCS National Championship game between the historic programs of Notre Dame and Alabama.

I will be attending the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl in Tempe and the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in Glendale. The Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl pits two teams that rely heavily on their defense. Both TCU and Michigan State underachieved this season and lost close games that could have turned their season's around. We will see which offense decides to show up and put more points on the board. 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. Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl (Tempe, AZ) 12/29 10:15 PM ET ESPN
TCU vs Michigan State

2. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, AZ) 01/03  8:30 PM ET ESPN
#4 Oregon vs #5 Kansas State

December 31, 2012

3. Chick-fil-A Bowl (Atlanta, GA)  7:30 PM ET ESPN  

#8 LSU @ #14 Clemson

- It's an all Tiger matchup and teams that could have been BCS bowl game qualifiers. This is going to be a fun game because of the style of play from both teams. LSU likes to pound it out on the ground and win games in the trenches. Clemson likes to spread the ball out to their wide receivers and rely more on the play of their quarterback Tajh Boyd. LSU's pound it out on the ground offense has been led by Jeremy Hill this season. Zach Mettenberger has also improved as a passer as the season has gone on as well. The strong part about this LSU team though has been the defense. The LSU defense led by defensive ends Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo have given up only 16.5 points per game and 297.6 yards per game this season. This defense will be in for a good one though as they must hold off a lethal Clemson offense. The Clemson offense is full of explosive players consisting of quarterback Tajh Boyd, running back Andre Ellington, and wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins. The Clemson offense is averaging 42.5 points per game and are putting up 520.2 yards per game. For Clemson to win this ball game, the offensive line is going to need to protect Tajh Boyd. The Clemson defense is also going to have to be physical against the LSU ground game and cause Zach Mettenberger to make bad decisions when he is forced to throw the football. This is going to be a good game, but I think LSU's defense gets the job done in the end.

Prediction: LSU 34, Clemson 27

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

December 29th Bowl Game Predictions

It's the best time of the year! It's bowl week with some of the most intriguing matchups of the college football season. The interesting December bowl games include Oregon State and Texas in the Valero Alamo Bowl, TCU and Michigan State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, and LSU-Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. As we make our way into the New Year, we have a few interesting matchups on New Year's Day. The Outback Bowl between Michigan and South Carolina could be interesting with strong defensive play and the Rose Bowl will be fun with Stanford and Wisconsin, who are mirror images of one another because of their strong running game and physical defenses. We continue with the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl between Oregon and Kansas State, who both had their chance of making the BCS National Championship. The season finishes up with Texas A&M, led by Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, against old Big 12 opponent Oklahoma in the AT&T Cotton Bowl. The season then finishes up with the BCS National Championship game between the historic programs of Notre Dame and Alabama.

I will be attending the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl in Tempe and the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in Glendale. The Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl pits two teams that rely heavily on their defense. Both TCU and Michigan State underachieved this season and lost close games that could have turned their season's around. We will see which offense decides to show up and put more points on the board. 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 were tripped up in the third to last week of the season and found themselves playing each other in the desert instead.

          

1. Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl (Tempe, AZ)  10:15 PM ET ESPN

TCU vs Michigan State

2. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, AZ)  8:30 PM ET ESPN

#4 Oregon vs #5 Kansas State

1. Valero Alamo Bowl (San Antonio,TX)  6:45 PM ET ESPN

 #23 Texas vs #13 Oregon State 

- This will surprisingly be a very good game between two teams that are very even. The Texas Longhorns and Oregon State Beavers were in position to win their conferences, but lost key games at the end of the season. Texas will start quarterback David Ash again after he was benched against TCU and Kansas State at the end of the season. There is going to be a lot of pressure on the Longhorn rushing attack as the Beaver defense continues to be tough against the run. The Longhorn offense needs to run outside like they did against Kansas State to pick up yardage, otherwise the Beaver defensive line will stuff them if they try to go up the middle. Another aspect to this game is going to be the Longhorn secondary trying to defend the Beaver receiving core consisting of Markus Wheaton and Brandin Cooks. The Longhorn defense consisting of defensive end Alex Okafor will need to get pressure on Beaver quarterback Cody Vaz to take the Beaver passing game away. This is going to be a tough game, but I feel with the Longhorns being a Texas team and almost having a home field advantage they will find a way to win this game. Texas Head Coach Mac Brown cannot afford to lose this game either.

Prediction: Texas 34, Oregon State 24

              2. Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl (Tempe, AZ)  10:15 PM ET ESPN

TCU vs Michigan State

- This is a game of underachieving teams. Both the TCU Horned Frogs and Michigan State Spartans were projected to be contenders to win their conferences, but lost key games and found themselves in the middle of the pack. TCU had their fair share of problems this season with Casey Pachall leaving the team with alcohol related problems and having to rely on 16 true freshman to play after other starters went down with injuries. It is going to be interesting to see if the Horned Frogs offense led by quarterback Trevone Boykin can score points on the third best overall defense in the country. The Spartan defense is giving up just 16.3 points per game and 99.6 rushing yards per game. What Michigan State has to do in this game is keep TCU's offense off the field and continue to run with one of the most physical running backs in the country in Le'Veon Bell. It just depends if the Spartans can put enough points up to beat a team that has played in a stronger conference this season. The Spartans have lost five games by four points or less this season and have only averaged 20.2 points per game. We'll see if the Spartans have what it takes to improve offensively tonight. This is going to be a very defensive ball game and it is going to be up to the offenses to put up enough points to win this ball game.

Prediction: TCU 27, Michigan State 23

College Basketball Games to Watch on Saturday

Saturday's Lineup

(Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis, IN) 

 (1) Indiana vs Butler *   2:00 PM ET CBS

- The Hoosiers have looked almost unstoppable this season with sophomore center Cody Zeller leading the way with 15.4 points per game. Butler has lost to Xavier and a very good Illinois team this season, but are true contenders to win the Atlantic-10 Conference in their very first season. Butler is led by senior guard Rotnei Clarke and junior forward Khyle Marshall. The Bulldogs may keep it close early in Indianapolis, but the Hoosiers will take control of this game once the second half begins. The explosiveness and play on the glass for the Hoosiers will be simply to much for the Bulldogs to handle. Cody Zeller along with Victor Oladipo and Christian Watford will be a nightmare for these Bulldogs to handle.  

Prediction: Indiana 75, Butler 58 

(5) Louisville at Memphis  2:30 PM ET FSN

- Louisville has been one of the best teams in the country this season with their only loss coming at the hands of #2 Duke. The leader of the Cardinals this season has been junior guard Russ Smith. Smith is averaging 20.3 points per game and has averaged 3.3 steals per game. Senior guard Peyton Siva continues to be a leader of this Cardinals team as well. Josh Pastner's Memphis Tigers have lost to VCU and Minnesota, but are the clear favorite to win Conference USA again this season. The Tigers do not have a dynamic scorer this season. The Tigers have been led by junior guard Geron Johnson who missed the first three games of the season because of disciplinary reasons. From the opening tip, this game could possibly turn into an uphill battle for the Tigers. I feel though that Memphis makes this a closer game than most might think.

Prediction: Louisville 71, Memphis 65

(Brooklyn Hoops Winter Festival in Brooklyn, NY) 

West Virginia vs (3) Michigan *  8:00 PM ET ESPN

- The Michigan Wolverines are off to their best start since the 1988-1989 season. The Wolverines led by sophomore guard Trey Burke have turned into one of the most dangerous teams in the country this season. The Wolverines currently have a field goal percentage .507 and are one of the most defensively sound teams I have seen this season. The play from Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr, Nick Stauskas, and Glenn Robinsin III has been impressive and it appears they will continue to get better as the season goes on. Bob Huggin's West Virginia Mountaineers come in limping after losing on the road at Duquesne 60-56 Tuesday night. The Mountaineers have not been impressive this season and have already lost four of their first eight games. The Mountaineers currently have a team field goal percentage of .390, which is one of the worst in the country. The Wolverines are a by far better team than the Mountaineers and should have no problem winning this ball game.

Prediction: Michigan 78, West Virginia 61

Kansas State vs (10) Gonzaga * (Seattle, WA)  9:00 PM ET ESPN2

- Gonzaga was in for a rude awakening last Saturday at home as they lost to a surging Illinois team. The Zags will now play at a neutral Key Arena in Seattle against a Kansas State Wildcat team that has been questionable so far this season. Gonzaga barely escaped Washington State last week then fell at home against Illinois in part to Fighting Illini guard Brandon Paul's 35 points. The Zags otherwise have been dominant this season and currently rank first in the country with a team shooting percentage of .527. Senior forward Elias Harris has led the way hitting double-digits in nine games this season and junior forward Kelly Olynyk, after missing the first three games of the season, has been averaging 7.1 rebounds per game. The Wildcats are coming off of a close game against George Washington and are looking to upset the No. 14 Zags. The Wildcats are sixth in the nation averaging 44.6 rebounds per game. The Wildcats will need scoring and rebounding from senior guard Rodney McGruder. The Wildcats will also need solid play from sophomore guard Angel Rodriguez and outside scoring from junior guard Will Spradling. It will be interesting to see if Kansas State can hang in this game with a tough Gonzaga squad that will be coming in very motivated after a tough loss.

Prediction: Gonzaga 73, Kansas State 66

(5) Florida @ (8) Arizona  10:00 PM ET ESPN

- This is going to be the best game on Saturday. Both teams are ranked in the Top 10 and this game would be a huge boost for whichever team can win it. This game went into overtime last year in Gainesville with the Gators winning 78-72. The Gators are led by senior guard Kenny Boynton who is averaging 14.4 points per game and leads his team in three-pointers with 14. senior forward Erik Murphy, senior guard Mike Rosario, and junior center Patric Young will also be very important in leading the Gators into a hostile Zona Zoo. The Wildcats have been led this season so far by sophomore guard Nick Johnson, who is averaging 13.6 points per game with a field goal percentage of .548. The Wildcats will need solid play out of senior guard Mark Lyons who will be matched up against Kenny Boynton and freshman center Kaleb Tarczewski who will guard Patric Young. Also if senior forward Solomon Hill can step up in this game it could be crucial in the Cats winning. A key to this game will be the the Wildcats being able to guard the lethal 3-point attack that the Gators present. This game will be just as close this year as it was last year. Look for this game to come down to the very last minute.

Prediction: Florida 71, Arizona 69

Why You Can't Blame Northern Illinois

Associated Press/Carlos Osorio

The Northern Illinois Huskies out of the Mid-American Conference will be playing in their first BCS Bowl game in school history. The Huskies were selected to play in the Discover Orange Bowl against ACC Champion Florida State after hitting the 15th spot in the final regular season BCS Standings. There are a lot of analysts and fans of college football that have not accepted the fact that the Huskies are playing in this bowl game. The Huskies, who are led by one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the country Jordan Lynch, came into the final weekend with an 11-1 record and a No. 21 ranking in the BCS Standings. It seemed almost impossible that the Huskies would make a BCS Bowl game, even with a MAC Conference Championship win over #17 Kent State. The Huskies would need to defeat Kent State, leap an idle Michigan and hope Boise State, Texas, UCLA, Florida State, and Nebraska would lose. What ended up happening was that Northern Illinois won the MAC Conference Championship in double overtime, Boise State defeated Nevada, Texas lost to Kansas State, UCLA lost to Stanford, Florida State defeated Georgia Tech, and Nebraska lost to Wisconsin. Just hours before the final BCS Standings were to be released on the Bowl Game Selection Show, there were reports that Northern Illinois had hit No. 15 in the BCS Standings. Northern Illinois only needed to hit No. 16 in the BCS Standings to receive an automatic BCS Bowl bid, because the Big East and Big Ten Champions were not going to be ranked in front of them. The reports were indeed correct and the Huskies became the main topic of discussion when the bowl games were unveiled on ESPN. There was a lot of anger and confusion over the Huskies and why they did not deserve to be in the Discover Orange Bowl.

NIU Pre-game Huddle

A majority of College Football fans that were not living in the small Illinois town of DeKalb thought this was the most ridiculous thing they had ever seen. The real question was do they really belong in a BCS Bowl game over Oklahoma or Clemson? In all honesty, they probably did not deserve it. You can't hate Northern Illinois though. All Northern Illinois did was continue to win and ended up doing what they needed to do to crash the BCS. The Huskies cannot control that a few conference champions from other BCS automatic qualifying conferences finished behind them. The teams to be blamed for this problem are simply Louisville and Nebraska. Louisville and Rutgers both were upset a week before their final meeting of the season and were knocked out of the Top 25. After Louisville defeated Rutgers for the Big East title, the Cardinals were only able to make it to No. 21 in the BCS Standings. It wasn't so much having Wisconsin (8-5) winning the Big Ten Championship as it was Nebraska getting blown out and dropping from No. 12 to No. 16. The Big East Champion was already going to be the automatic qualifier to fall behind Northern Illinois. The Huskers loss gave the Huskies a very good chance of hitting the No. 16 spot in the BCS Standings.

Who to blame for Northern Illinois's BCS Birth?

                                 1. Louisville and Rutgers from a weak Big East Conference.

  2. Nebraska losing to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship. 

                  3. Can also blame UCLA and Texas for not winning their season finales. 

                                 4. The BCS system.          

Northern Illinois Huskies Resumé

Record: 12-1 (8-0 MAC)

Defeated #17 Kent State 44-37 (2OT) for the MAC Championship.

Best wins: #17 Kent State (11-2), Toledo (9-3), Kansas (1-11)

Bad loss: Iowa (4-8)            

Ranking: 15th in the final regular season BCS Standings. 

Note: Have won 11 or more games in their past three seasons and currently are 

          back-to-back MAC Champions.          

What is interesting about this resumé is that Northern Illinois only defeated one ranked opponent the entire season and their best win over a BCS automatic qualifier was against a Kansas team that won just one game this entire season. Northern Illinois was winning the entire game against the Iowa Hawkeyes in a showdown at Chicago's Soldier Field, but then blew a a five-point lead with 2:15 left in the game and lost 18-17. I figured Northern Illinois had a legitimate chance coming into the season to make a splash into the BCS picture, but thought for sure they were completely eliminated after this loss. What happened this season was out of the ordinary. If you noticed teams such as Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Northwestern, and Arizona bounced back and forth between entering and dropping out of the Top 25. This gave teams from mid-major conferences with one or two losses to begin placing themselves in shape to hit the No. 16 spot in the BCS Standings. These mid-major schools hoped that the conference champion from the Big East would drop behind them. As everyone well knows, the Big East should not be an automatic qualifying conference. This season, the Big East was the main reason why mid-major schools felt they had a chance of crashing the BCS party. Northern Illinois didn't hit the Top 25 until one week before the regular season ended. Look at all of the non-BCS automatic qualifying teams that could have been in a BCS bowl game besides Northern Illinois. 

Final BCS Standings

19. Boise State       10-2

22. Utah State        10-2

24. San Jose State  10-2

25. Kent State        11-2

All of these mid-major schools had a chance to make it to a BCS Bowl game because of the inconsistency of teams from BCS automatic qualifying conferences. The MAC had an overall record of 4-3 against the Big East. This is proof of why the Big East should be placed in the pool of mid-major schools. With the loss of West Virginia to the Big 12 this season, the depth of the conference has become weaker and weaker. One positive aspect that Northern Illinois has that these other mid-major schools do not is an explosive player in quarterback Jordan Lynch. Lynch became more and more recognizable as the college football season progressed. There are pros and cons to this whole BCS situation and here they are. 

Pros

° Northern Illinois will be in their first BCS Bowl game and is led by an explosive quarterback in Jordan Lynch.

° 28th in total defense and holding opponents to 19.0 points per game. 

° Free tickets for Northern Illinois students (see con below related to this topic).

° Have nothing to lose against Florida State. 

Cons

° Dave Doreen will not be the head coach during the Discover Orange Bowl as he has accepted the head coaching position at NC State.

° Potentially being overmatched by Florida State. Have not faced a team with this much talent all season long. 

° As generous as it is giving students free tickets to the Discover Orange Bowl, the university could be in jeopardy of losing money because of their BCS Bowl bid. The ticket allotment for Northern Illinois is 17,500. Northern Illinois has averaged just 15,670 in attendance this season. With a once in a life time opportunity, hopefully Husky fans will make their way down to Miami. 

Note: UConn went to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in 2010 and lost $2,924.385. Only 2,771 of the tickets were sold of the ticket allotment of 17,500. This is what NIU is hoping to avoid. 

Source: 

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/northern-illinois-free-orange-bowl-ticket-every-student-182836361--ncaaf.html 

College Football Regular Season Recap

Preseason Projections: 

Correct Bowl Projection

Capital One Bowl (Orlando, FL)

Georgia vs Nebraska 

Note: Lindy's Sports Magazine, Athlon Sports Magazine, and Phil Steele Magazine did not pick one correct bowl game in their preseason projections. 

Heisman Projection

Kansas State Quarterback Collin Klein was sixth on my Heisman list heading into the 2012 College Football Season. 

Who surprised and disappointed this season: 

Surprised

1. Notre Dame: 

My projection: 9-3 losses: Michigan, Oklahoma, USC

Record: 12-0         losses: none

- I wasn't sure if this Irish team could pull through this season. The inconsistency these past few seasons made me doubt the Irish and put them in the Russell Athletic Bowl. The Irish became a new beast this season with a defense led by linebacker Manti Te'o. The offense also improved as the season continued under sophomore quarterback Everett Golson. The Irish will play Alabama in the BCS National Championship.  

2. Texas A&M:

My projection: 7-5 losses: Florida, Arkansas, LSU, Auburn, Alabama
Record: 10-2         losses: Florida & LSU

- Everyone was saying how the Aggies could not compete in the SEC Conference this season. First year head coach Kevin Sumlin turned the program around in one season with the help of freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel. The Aggies lost to Florida and LSU, but had possibly the best win of the season in college football at Alabama. Texas A&M ranked in the Top 15 in passing yards, rushing yards, and in scoring.

3. Oregon State:

My projection: 5-7 losses: Wisconsin, UCLA, BYU, Utah, Washington, Stanford, Oregon 

Record: 9-3           losses: Washington, Stanford, Oregon

-  After this season, it was thought that Head Coach Mike Riley would be on the hot seat and his job would be in jeopardy after losing seven or eight games. Riley once again proved the nation wrong and led his team to a 6-0 start and ended the season with a 9-3 record. The defense ranked as one of the best against the rush and the offense became dangerous with a passing attack led by quarterbacks Sean Mannion and Cody Vaz. The wide receiver play of Markus Wheaton and Brandin Cooks presented problems for secondaries all season long as well.

4. Stanford:

My projection: 8-4 losses: USC, Washington, Notre Dame, Oregon
Record: 10-2         losses: Washington, Notre Dame

- With the departure of quarterback Andrew Luck, there weren't many people who thought the Cardinal would be competing for the Pac-12 Championship with Oregon and USC appearing to be the true contenders. David Shaw's team hung around in the rankings the whole season. The Cardinal upset #2 USC in the second week of the season and then were upset two weeks later at Washington. The Cardinal two weeks later lost in a controversial overtime loss at #7 Notre Dame, but won out the regular season as they upset #2 Oregon on the road and defeated #16 UCLA in the Pac-12 Championship. A major reason for the improvement of the Cardinal at the end of the season was in part to the switch of quarterbacks from Josh Nunes to Kevin Hogan. The defense continued to be one of the best in the nation again this season.

5. Kansas State:

My projection: 8-4 losses: Oklahoma, West Virginia, TCU, Baylor
Record: 11-1         losses: Baylor

- I think most people thought that last year was simply a fluke. The 73-year-old Bill Snyder and his captain quarterback Collin Klein apparently did not feel the same way as the Wildcats made it all the way to number one in the nation until their second to last game of the season when they were upset at Baylor. The Wildcats were not flashy, but were a solid team offensively, as well as defensively. Without Heisman finalist Collin Klein, this team does not go on the road and get a signature win at Oklahoma, nor do they win the Big 12 title.


Disappointed

1. Arkansas:

My projection: 9-3 losses: Alabama, South Carolina, LSU
Record: 4-8           losses: LA-Monroe, Alabama, Rutgers, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, South Carolina,     Mississippi State, LSU

- The departure of Bobby Petrino hurt the Razorbacks, but who would have seen a 4-8 record coming? The upset loss, most likely the biggest one in Arkansas history, again LA-Monroe in overtime put the Razorbacks in panic mode and everything hit rock bottom after that. Interim coach John L. Smith lost control of the situation and senior quarterback Tyler Wilson battled through an injury early in the season and was not able to be as successful as last season. Arkansas's only SEC wins came against Auburn and Kentucky, who both combined for a total of five wins on the season and no wins in SEC play.

2. USC:

My projection: 13-0 losses: none
Record: 7-5             losses: Stanford, Arizona, Oregon, UCLA, Notre Dame

- The Trojans came into the season as a lock for the Pac-12 Championship and a potential BCS National Championship contender. Only three weeks into the season though the Trojans were upset at Stanford. After that loss, USC went on to win their next four games and were at a solid 6-1 record. Once late October/November hit the Trojans season went literally down the drain. USC lost at Arizona, gave up 62 points to Oregon at home in a 62-51 loss, lost the Pac-12 South Division as UCLA beat USC for the first time since 2006, and then lost at home to Notre Dame. The offense led my senior quarterback Matt Barkley and potential Heisman candidate wide receiver Marqise Lee was solid for the most part, but the Trojan defense looked awful and struggled most of the season. "Unfinished business" was not finished as the Trojans settled with a 7-5 record.

3. Auburn:

My projection: 8-4 losses: LSU, Arkansas, Georgia, Alabama
Record: 3-9           losses: Clemson, Mississippi State, LSU, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Georgia, Alabama

- This team may have been the biggest nightmare of them all. Auburn looked to be an improved team this season and everything was bad from start to finish. The offense was atrocious averaging just 18.7 points per game and had one of the worst passing attacks in the country. The Auburn offense was my preseason biggest disappointment. The defense which should have been improved this season ended up giving up 439.8 yards per game and 28.3 points per game. Auburn failed to beat a team from a BCS automatic qualifying conference and had their worst season since 1998. Head Coach Gene Chizik was fired just two seasons after he had won a BCS National Championship.

4. Iowa:

My projection: 8-4 losses: Michigan State, Northwestern, Michigan, Nebraska
Record: 4-8           losses: Iowa State, Central Michigan, Penn State, Northwestern, Indiana, Purdue, Michigan, Nebraska

- The Iowa Hawkeyes may have been projected to be the fourth best team in the Big Ten Legends Division, but their were expectations this season of being at least an eight win team. The schedule set up nicely for the Hawkeyes as they did not have to face Ohio State or Wisconsin this season. Iowa began the season in a tussle with a Northern Illinois team that is now playing in the Orange Bowl. The Hawkeyes came away with a one-point victory, but lost two of their next three non-conference games at home to in-state rival Iowa State and Central Michigan. As the season went on in Big Ten play the offense struggled to put points on the board as they averaged just 19.3 points per game. This ended up  putting the Hawkeye defense in a difficult position to win ball games. The expectations of senior quarterback James Vandenberg were not fulfilled and there continued to be problems with depth at the running back position. Heading into next season Kirk Ferentz will be on the hot seat.

5. Utah:

My projection: 8-4 losses: BYU, USC, Cal, Washington
Record: 5-7           losses: Utah State, Arizona State, USC, UCLA, Oregon State, Washington, Arizona

- A team that was supposedly going to be improved and an asset to the Pac-12 Conference were a disappointment this season. It started with being upset at Utah State in overtime and losing quarterback Jordan Wynn with an injury for good. This Utah team should have been at worst second in the Pac-12 South Division with an 8-4 record. This team made costly mistakes in close games and turned the ball over. This is what prevented this Ute team from being bowl eligible and a contender in the Pac-12  Conference this season.