Bleacher Report - Articles by Marcus Eagle

College Football: 2008 BCS Bowl Predictions

Marcus Eagle — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:49:18 -0400

This year seems to be loaded with teams with a lot of talent, and every BCS bowl seems to be up for grabs. However, there are a few teams that stand out as favorites to be playing in January in the BCS games.

These are my predictions on how the major bowl games will end up.

Fiesta Bowl

There are a few teams from the Big 12 that have a chance to make it, but I believe one team will power over the rest.

Oklahoma has a favorable schedule to be able to make it this far. The first five games of the season seem to be easy wins for Oklahoma, but the next two weeks are going to be a challenge—they play Texas and then Kansas back to back at home. Oklahoma will be able to win both and remain undefeated.

Oklahoma will have their next challenge when they play Texas Tech. I see Texas Tech being able to pass all over Oklahoma and end their undefeated streak, but the Sooners will then close out the season with a win over Oklahoma State and defeat Missouri in the Big 12 championship.

Their opponent will be Pac-10 No. 2 Arizona State. Arizona State will be able to start the season off with three impressive wins, but then face their first big challenge of the year when they host Georgia. The Bulldogs will be able to hand Arizona State their first loss of the season and put a dent in their chances at a BCS bowl.

The Sun Devils will be able to win the next game when they travel to California, but the following week will be too much to handle when they travel to USC and face the potential No. 1 team.

Their record won’t be too impressive at 4-2, but Arizona State will be able to end the season on a six-game winning streak, improve to 10-2, and clinch an at-large bid in the BCS.

Rose Bowl

The Rose Bowl will feature Big 10 powerhouse Ohio State. OSU will open the season with two blowout wins over Youngstown State and Ohio.

The following week will feature one of the most anticipated games of the year when OSU travels to USC to face the Trojans. I see this being a close and very exciting game, but in the end, USC, playing in front of their home fans, will be able to finish off the Buckeyes and hand OSU their first loss of the season.

OSU will then be able to run away with the Big 10 and finish the regular season 11-1 two years in a row.

Another at-large team will be able to clinch a spot into the Rose Bowl—the Big 12’s No. 2 Missouri Tigers will be able to secure a spot in a BCS bowl.

Chase Daniels and Missouri’s offense will be able to start the season on a six-game winning streak. They will hit their first real challenge of the season when they travel to Texas.

Missouri’s Heisman hopeful will be able to prevail and wrap up a win to stay undefeated. They will then be able to finish the season with five more wins and improve to 12-0 with hopes of a national championship.

The Tigers will meet Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game and have their national championship hopes crushed when Oklahoma prevails in a close game to clinch the Big 12 championship. Missouri’s one-loss season will be able to garner them a spot in the Rose bowl with an at-large bid.

Sugar Bowl

The one surprise I see in the BCS will be from Rich Rodriguez and his new team, the Michigan Wolverines. Michigan will be able to start the season 3-0, including a win at Notre Dame, and then host their first real challenge of the season when they face Wisconsin.

I see Wisconsin being able to upset Michigan and hand them their first loss of the season. The Wolverines will then be able to pick up seven straight wins to improve their record to 10-1.

The season finale will feature the Big 10’s No. 1 and No. 2 teams when Michigan travels to Ohio State. The Buckeyes will be able to prevail and win the Big 10, dropping Michigan to 10-2. Michigan’s standout record and quality wins will be able to give them an at-large bid to a BCS bowl.

This will be the only BCS bowl game featuring two at-large teams, as Michigan will have to face the No. 2 team from the SEC, the Florida Gators. Tim Tebow and the Gators will be able to start the season off right with a 7-0 start, including a win at the Swamp over the defending national champions, LSU.

Two weeks later they will travel to Jacksonville and have an undefeated matchup when they play the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia will be able to triumph two years in a row with the help of Heisman hopeful Knowshon Moreno.

Florida will drop to 5-1 in the SEC and not be able to catch up to Georgia, finishing the season 11-1 and second in the SEC East. They will do just as Georgia did last year and end the season on a good note to clinch a spot in the Sugar Bowl.

Orange Bowl

The Orange Bowl will feature the ACC surprise of the season, the Clemson Tigers. Clemson will start off the season on a bad note as they lose the home opener to SEC power Alabama.

This loss will not stay in their heads too long, as they will be able to win five straight games and start the ACC season with two straight wins.

Clemson then hosts ACC shocker Georgia Tech. Newly acquired Paul Johnson and the ferocious quarterback Josh Nesbitt will be able to lift the Rambling Wreck above the Tigers and power Georgia Tech to a bowl season.

This loss will not be too much of a factor, as Clemson will be able to end the ACC season on a good note with four straight wins. The season finale against Steve Spurrier and the rival Gamecocks will prove too much for them, as the old ball coach finds a way to win and gives Clemson their third loss of the season.

Clemson will then meet Virginia Tech in the ACC championship game and somehow pull off a shocking win to clinch a bid in the Orange bowl despite their three regular season losses.

Clemson will have to step it up a bit as they face the Big East champion West Virginia Mountaineers. Pat White and West Virginia will be able to cruise this year in the Big East, as they seem to have an automatic bid to a BCS bowl.

West Virginia will open the season with six big wins before they host the Auburn Tigers. This SEC team will prove to be the complete opposite of what they have faced this season, and Auburn will be able to pull off the upset of the undefeated Mountaineers.

West Virginia will then be able to keep their national championship hopes alive as they end the season with five straight wins. The Big East champions will then be able to travel to Miami for another BCS bowl bid.

BCS National Championship Game

The National Championship Game will feature the SEC champions, the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia will start the season off with three straight wins, including a win over Spurrier’s Gamecocks in South Carolina.

They will then have to travel all the way to Arizona to face BCS hopeful Arizona State. ASU will prove to not have enough talent, as Georgia will pull off a win and keep their undefeated hopes alive.

The next two weeks will have the Dawgs hosting Alabama and Tennessee. Georgia will somehow be able to pull off the two wins with the help of their stellar running game and the high-flying passing attack.

Two weeks later they will travel to LSU to face the defending national champions. With the dismissal of quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, LSU will not be able to make another run as the Dawgs beat LSU on their home field.

The following week they will travel to Jacksonville to face the Gators in the game of the year. This will be the most grind-it-out game of the year as two Heisman hopefuls, Tim Tebow and Knowshon Moreno, battle it out. In the end, Moreno and the Dawgs will be able to make it two years in a row as they beat the undefeated Gators.

Georgia will end the season with three more hard-fought wins over Kentucky, Auburn, and Georgia Tech, and they will head into the SEC championship for a rematch against the Tigers of LSU. This game will have the same result as the Dawgs clinch their undefeated season and a spot in the national championship game.

The Dawgs will have to face the national powerhouse, the USC Trojans. USC will open the season with a win at Virginia and then host Ohio State in their biggest game of the year. USC will have the tools to finish off OSU and stay undefeated, and most likely the No. 1 team in the nation.

USC will have two more wins before they host the one-loss Arizona State team that still has hopes of making a national championship. USC will be able to demolish those hopes as they will beat Arizona State and remain undefeated.

USC will be able to close the season off with seven straight wins, including wins over rivals California and UCLA. USC will be the preseason No.1 and will keep the spot all season long as they win the Pac-10 and secure a spot in the national championship game.

All right, I have done the hard part in picking who is going to play out of all the teams. Now it is your turn to pick the winners of each BCS bowl game, or who you think will be in each game.

SEC Football: 2008 Week By Week Preview

Marcus Eagle — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:40:38 -0400

The SEC is without a doubt the toughest conference in college football—no other conference can even compete.

This year looks like the most up-for-grabs year yet. No one team is really standing out over the rest. There are a few favorites, but not a year goes by without seeing a couple of upsets.

I will give you my picks and predictions of the main SEC games throughout this year and we will see how it all turns out.

In the second week of the season we get the first conference game—South Carolina at Vanderbilt. Vandy had a shocking season last year and was one win away from making it to a bowl game, but ended up losing the last four games and killing their season.

I don't see them being able to make it two years in a row. Steve Spurrier will find a way to get it done, and South Carolina will open the SEC season off with a win.

In the third week we really start the season with a couple of revenge games. Auburn has to play at Mississippi State, and Auburn will be looking to recover from last year's 19-14 upset. I don't see Mississippi State winning again, and I have Auburn winning.

The game of the week will be Georgia at South Carolina. South Carolina gave Georgia a 16-12 loss last year that kept Georgia out of the SEC championship, and possibly the national championship. Georgia had not found Knowshon Moreno at that time, but he will definitely be here this year, and he will lead Georgia to their first SEC win of the season.

In the fourth week we get a few rivalry games. Alabama has to play at Arkansas and will be looking to beat them two years in a row. If Alabama could beat Arkansas with Darren McFadden last year, I see Alabama beating them again. This time, though, it won't be as close as the three-point game last year.

If Alabama wants any chance at competing in the SEC West, they need to start the season off right with a win.

We also get to see LSU play at Auburn. This will be the first SEC game that the defending champions will play, and if they want to win it all two years in a row, they will need to win this game. I don't think Auburn has enough talent on their team to upset possibly the No. 1 team in the nation, and LSU will escape with a win.

The biggest game of the week will be Florida at Tennessee. Florida ran away from Tennessee last year and demolished them 59-20. I don't see it being any different this year. Tim Tebow will try to put up some more Heisman stats as Florida beats Tennessee by at least two touchdowns.

In the fifth week we get some standout East versus West games.

Tennessee plays at Auburn, and after a good year off from playing each other, this should be a really interesting game. I don't see either one of them putting a real big dent in the SEC race, so this would be for bragging rights and a chance at a better bowl game. This should be a really close, pound it out game, but I see Auburn winning a close one.

Ole Miss has to go to Florida and look to recover from the 30-24 loss last year. This game always seems to be a shocker—every year either team has a chance at winning, but Tebow will handle Ole Miss and Florida will walk away with a win.

The game of the week will be Alabama playing at Georgia. Both teams will most likely be undefeated in the SEC heading into this game, and the winner will be able to put up a challenge in their side of the SEC.

Last year's game was arguably one of the best games in the SEC. It took extra time for Georgia to finally take care of Alabama, as Georgia scored on their first play of overtime to defeat Alabama 26-23.

I see this season's outcome being about the same. It's going to come down to whoever has the ball last, and I see Georgia having the ball last. Georgia will win this game and remain in first place in the SEC East.

The sixth week doesn't have many exciting games. Florida will have to put their undefeated record on the line as they travel to Arkansas. Arkansas will put up enough of a challenge to keep it close, but in the end Florida will pull away with a win and remain undefeated.

In the game of the week, Kentucky will have to travel to Alabama. Alabama will still be recovering from their loss to Georgia, and they will be able to take their anger out on Kentucky. This game will not be close—Alabama will be able to get back on a winning streak as they beat Kentucky pretty easily.

The seventh week will feature key games in deciding who will play for the SEC championship. Arkansas has to play at Auburn in a battle for third place in the SEC West. Last year's contest was a defensive battle in a 9-7 Auburn win. I see about the same outcome this year, as Auburn will win another defensive battle to take over the third spot in the SEC West.

In another standout SEC East game, Tennessee has to travel to Georgia. Last year Tennessee ran away from Georgia in a 35-14 win and eventually clinched the SEC East. It will not be the same this year with the loss of Tennessee's Erik Ainge, and Georgia will continue their undefeated streak as they beat Tennessee and remain in first place.

The game of the week will pit two top five undefeated teams against each other as LSU has to travel to Florida to play the Gators. Florida will try to reverse last year's 28-24 loss, and they will be able to do so with the help of Tim Tebow and the roar of the home fans. With this win, Florida will most likely jump to the number one spot in most polls.

Week eight will have more East versus West battles. I'm not picking any upsets this week—the team with the higher ranking will win.

In the closest game of the week, Arkansas will have to play Kentucky. This game will have nothing on the line, because by this time both teams will be out of the race for the SEC. I see Arkansas coming out with a win and giving them a little bit of a boost in shooting for a bowl game.

In the most lopsided game of the week, LSU has to play South Carolina. LSU will be coming off their loss to Florida, and I see them running up the score in a blowout win over South Carolina as they start their winning streak again and stay on top of the SEC West.

Week nine features two very exciting games. Alabama has to travel to Tennessee in hopes of staying in the race for the SEC West. Last year Alabama murdered Tennessee in a 41-17 runaway game. This year I don't see it being that much of a blowout, but Alabama will still walk away with a win and stay number one in the SEC West.

The game of the week will have Georgia traveling to LSU. This game will be the second top five matchup of the season in a very grueling meeting. This game could very likely be decided in overtime because the teams are that even, but in the end I see Georgia walking away with a win and staying undefeated.

Week 10 will feature the game of the year—Georgia versus Florida. This could be a No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup. Last year Georgia beat Florida 42-30 in a very uneven game.

This year I see it being a lot closer. Both teams have a great quarterback, but this game will come down to the running game, and Georgia definitely has the edge on Florida with Knowshon Moreno. Georgia will be able to pound it out on the ground and somehow walk away with two straight victories over Florida.

This win will boost Georgia to No. 1 overall in the nation and put them alone atop the SEC East.

In week 11, we will have the SEC West championship when Alabama travels to LSU. Last year Alabama lost 41-34 in LSU's national championship run. Alabama has the tools to get the job done, but in the end I see LSU walking away with a win in front of the home crowd.

This win will tie Alabama and LSU atop the SEC West, but LSU will own the tiebreaker and eventually clinch the SEC West for the second straight year.

Week 12 will have more rivalry games. Vanderbilt has to travel to Kentucky, and both teams will enter this game with hopes of playing in a bowl game. This should be an interesting game in a fight for respect and a bowl appearance, and Kentucky will walk away with a win and become bowl eligible.

The game of the week will pit No. 1 Georgia against Auburn. Last year's Blackout game was a very good game for Georgia—it put them on the right track to head to the Sugar Bowl. This win will clinch the SEC East for Georgia and give them an undefeated season in the SEC.

Week 13 will pit Vanderbilt versus Tennessee. Tennessee will have already clinched a bowl spot and will most likely overlook Vandy. Vanderbilt will come into this game still looking for a bowl spot, and they will be able to shock the Volunteers in front of their home fans and pick up a win.

In the last week of the season, Auburn will travel to Alabama. Alabama will still harbor hopes of going to the SEC championship. Auburn will not have the talent or the tools to be able to clinch this win, and Alabama will remain tied for No. 1 in the SEC west.

In the game of the week, LSU travels to Arkansas with hopes of going to the SEC championship with a win. LSU will not play around with Arkansas and will get this game over with quickly. The Tigers will clinch the SEC West with a win and end the regular season on a good note.

The SEC championship will pit SEC West champion LSU against SEC East champion Georgia. This game will be just like the first game of the season, as Georgia has their eyes on the national championship.

It will be a close, high-scoring game, but Georgia will have the better passing game and will clinch a spot in the national championship with a win.

This is my first entry on this site. Please go easy on me. I would really appreciate any comments or suggestions in how to improve my writing or what you liked. Thank You.