The irony of the Sun Bowl matchup highlights the mediocrity of college football in 2007. Sadly, we wouldn't be talking about either South Florida or Oregon winning a bowl game if they weren't matched up. Each of their seasons took a dive late, so breaking this game down is a bit tricky...
The first thing you want to look at here is which team has turned things around. South Florida is now on a three-game winning streak. Oregon is on a three-game losing streak.
Advantage: South Florida
The second thing to note is how the teams' previous opponents have fared in bowl matchups.
Why is this important?
In a bowl, you take everything you've learned over the course of the season and use it to your advantage. Being battle-tested is a plus.
We found out last year in the National Championship Game that who you play during the regular season does matter. Most of Florida's regular season opponents won their bowl games, while Ohio State's opponents lost.
South Florida's opponents:
FAU and Cincinnati both took care of business.
Oregon's opponents:
UCLA lost in a heartbreaker.
There are several games to watch before the Bulls and Ducks take the field, but I see South Florida's fos performing well in the remaining bowl games.
Advantange: South Florida
The last key to this matchup is leadership. Although I believe that Dennis Dixon will do a great job cheering his team on from the sidelines, cheerleaders don't put points on the scoreboard.
Advantage: South Florida
My final analysis?
Look for South Florida to dominate as Oregon continues to develop chemistry for next season.
comments (5) write a comment »
write a new comment
9 months ago
Typical underestimation of Oregon. The only time they've ever gotten the credit they deserve is midway through this season when they were winning and everyone else was losing.
Look at the Ducks' offensive performance in the Civil War. Everyone, including Duck fans, expected the Ducks to lay another egg. But the fifth-string quarterback came out and passed and ran all over the supposedly best defense in the conference. Justin Roper is for real, and now that he's had a month to prepare as the starter, he's going to make a game of it.
If USF is as over-confident as the media seems to be, they'll be in for a rude awakening.
9 months ago
Yeah,
Great analysis.... Ha.
Lets look at how their opponents do in bowls to predict a winner. You should go tout. Could make a fortune with insight like this.
9 months ago
Keep an eye on Justin Roper. He came off the bench in their last game with no game experience and showed the poise of a seasoned quarterback, throwing for a touchdown on his first play from scrimmage. He passed for another and ran for a touchdown. He is cool under pressure and has the best arm on the team. He has the height to see the receivers down field. Could be the Ducks starter next year.
9 months ago
the media isn't over-confident! The espn analysts all expect a good game. Some, like Lee Corso, have Oregon winning. USF should dominate but we wont. I think USF will win, but it will be closer then it should be. USF will definitley not be over-confident. This is the biggest bowl they ever been to, so there is no way they are going to overlook Oregon. If USF loses though, I am sure it will be because of bad coaching. In the three games that USF lost the coaches did a terrible job of utilizing their players. The key for the coaches: PLAY FORD!
9 months ago
Based on their efforts against OSU, this Duck team appears to have to have PRIDE in themselves. A young guy (Roper) comes off the bench and makes a game out of it. These guys will play hard, and make us proud. To all you band wagon Duck fans....get lost and stay there.
write a new comment