Sun Bowl Preveiew: USF, Oregon in Battle of Former No. 2's

Robbie Munroe — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 12:45:54 -0500

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.

Bleacher Report - Articles by Robbie Munroe

Sun Bowl Preveiew: USF, Oregon in Battle of Former No. 2's