| 31 December 2009
Alright, so after almost a month away from college football, I was all set to blow you away with the most comprehensive BCS bowl previews anywhere on the internet.
Unfortunately, because of the bad weather, my irregular holiday schedule, and watching the New Jersey Nets in person the other night, I've come down with a vicious, violent illness. I'm even calling it A1T1, and if you haven't gotten your shot for it yet, well break down your doctors office door to get one.
Anyway, I'm nothing, if not for you all, my loyal readers. So despite my soaring temperature, blurry vision, and the fact that I just coughed up a boot, I've still come up with my BCS bowl game previews.
They're shorter than I'd like, and somewhat incoherent, but at least they're something. Besides, you all need something to make fun of me for, and I'm sure these picks will provide for that.
Regardless, enjoy the games, and enjoy your holiday, and check back next week for my BCS National Championship game preview, which I guarantee will be better than the jibberish below.
Happy New Year,
Aaron
Rose Bowl:
Oregon (-4) over Ohio State: January 1, 4:30 p.m.
Of every bowl game this season, I think I went back and forth on this one more than any other (well at least until I started thinking about the Orange Bowl, at which point my head actually exploded).
On the one hand, Ohio State is better than people realize. Their problem all year has been that everyone went into this season with their minds already made up that the Big 10 just wasn’t that good, and nothing anyone did in this conference was going to change that opinion (Well, except for Penn State, who for some strange reason can do no wrong according to the national media. Don’t ask, I don’t have an answer).
Only I watch the games every Saturday, and can tell you, the Big 10 really wasn’t all that bad this year. Northwestern is better than people realize. So is Iowa. Ask Miami what they think of Wisconsin right now. And of course Ohio State is right in that mix too.
So why am I picking against the Buckeyes? Because no matter how hard I try, I can’t get the images of Jeremiah Masoli and Oregon running over, around and through Oklahoma State in last year’s Holiday Bowl out of my head.
This is offense is just terrifying. Watching them from September to December, they literally got better every week. So who knows what they’ll be capable of with a month to prepare for this game.
Also, no matter how much you prepare, you can't simulate this offense in practice. And since Ohio State hasn’t played since November 21, they’re going to need at least a quarter to get their legs under them defensively. And by then it might be too late.
This isn’t an anti-Ohio State pick as much as it is a pro Oregon pick. The Ducks are just that good.
Oregon 27 Ohio State 17
Sugar Bowl:
Cincinnati (+13.5) over Florida: January, 1, 8:00 p.m.
Brian Kelly left for Notre Dame. Urban Meyer resigned, then he didn’t. It’s Tim Tebow’s last college game. Carlos Dunlap’s suspension is over. Joe Haden might go pro after this game. Same with Aaron Hernandez. And the Pouncey twins.
Here’s my question: When’s the last time we heard Tony Pike’s name? Or Mardy Gilyard’s? Or Zach Collaros’s?
And on top of that, when did Louis Murphy and Percy Harvin regain eligibility for the Gators? Because I watched Florida all year, and there aren’t many teams they should be a two touchdown favorite against. Especially one that averaged 39 points a game this year.
Now, do I think Cincinnati is going to win? Not necessarily. But if there’s one team that’s used to playing with a chip on their shoulder, it’s this team. You know, considering they’ve been doing it basically every game for the last three years.
Florida wins, but don’t let the Meyer-Tebow-Kelly melodrama fool you. Cincinnati will be ready to play.
Florida 23 Cincinnati 20
Fiesta Bowl:
Boise State (+7.5) over TCU: Monday, January 4, 8:00 p.m.
So TCU played Boise in last year’s Poinsettia Bowl, outgained the Broncos almost 2-1, and won 17-16, in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicated.
This one’s easy, right? Wrong.
Much like the rest of the country that wanted to see TCU play a “bigger,” opponent, I can’t imagine the Horned Frogs will be very geared up to play Boise.
Don’t get me wrong, I think they’re glad to be in the Fiesta Bowl. But Utah got Alabama last year. TCU might be even better, and they get…Boise. Umm, what?
Meanwhile, if you’re on the other sideline playing for the Broncos, all you've heard all year is that you don’t belong. You’ve become kind of the third wheel on the undefeated TCU-Cincinnati-Boise train all season long.
Only out of all three teams, you’ve got the best win out of all of them, against Oregon. You went out and just kept winning games all year, but no matter what you did, or by how much you won , it was never good enough.
I’m not saying Boise is the better team, or that if these teams played a seven game series that TCU wouldn’t likely win in five or six games.
I’m just saying that in a one game situation, anything can happen. And it will Monday night in the Fiesta Bowl.
Boise State 21 TCU 17
Orange Bowl
Iowa (+3.5) over Georgia Tech: Tuesday, January 5, 8:00 p.m.
I’ve said it all year long, and I’ll say it again: Bet against Georgia Tech at your own risk.
They kill the clock and kill your morale with their offense, and if you get down early it seems like you’re playing catch up the entire rest of the game.
But with that said, I don’t know that they’ve faced a front seven as physical as Iowa’s all year long. The only one recently that’s even close would be Georgia, and that one didn’t turn out all that well for Tech.
Also, Iowa getting Ricky Stanzi back is a bigger deal than it should be.
Honestly, if you watched the Hawkeyes this year, you know that Stanzi really wasn’t as good as advertised. Think of him as the George Foreman grill of college football (Weird analogy, I know), the hype just never matched what you actually got out of him on Saturday's
His touchdown to interception ratio (15 to 14) was abysmal for a quarterback on a team this good, and of the nine games he won, four were by three points or less.
But they still won those games. And having him back is the psychological difference that this team needed. Whether he's actually a better quarterback than James Vandenberg, I'm not sure. But his Iowa teammates sure seem to think so.
I still don’t like betting against Georgia Tech, but they seem like almost too easy of a choice here.
Take Iowa.
Iowa 35 Georgia Tech 31
Bowl Season So Far (As of 12/31/09): 8-7
