2011 Bowl Predictions: 5 Players Who Will Light Up Champs Sports Bowl

The Florida State Seminoles and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish both entered the season looking to make it to a BCS bowl, but neither of them made good on their potential.

So the Champs Sports Bowl will have to do, which is not exactly ideal, but certainly better than nothing.

Because both of these defenses are strong and both of these offenses are weak, the Champs Sports Bowl is probably going to be a hotly contested low-scoring affair. Both teams are going to need some key individual players to step up.

And some will. Here are five players that I anticipate showing up in a big way in the Champs Sports Bowl.

Andrew Hendrix

Yup, I'm calling it right here and now. Andrew Hendrix is going to outperform Tommy Rees on Thursday night.

The word from CSNChicago.com is that Rees is going to start, but that Hendrix will see some time under center off the bench.

Because Rees has a tendency to struggle, and because Hendrix played pretty well against Stanford in late November, I anticipate Hendrix being the more productive of the two.

It's not going to be easy, mind you. Florida State's pass defense is not as strong as its rush defense, but it's still pretty strong. Hendrix will have his work cut out for him.

But hey, he'll have a better game than Rees, and he'll have a better game than EJ Manuel. It's all relative. 

Brandon Jenkins

Why do I anticipate Rees struggling?

Primarily, because he's going to have Brandon Jenkins chasing him around, Jenkins is a beastly pass rusher, and he can be downright dominant on a good night.

For example, you can go back to Florida State's loss to Virginia in mid-November. It was a lousy night for the Seminoles, but it was a great night for Jenkins. He had 2.5 sacks and six tackles.

Against a Notre Dame offense that has had its issues with pass protection;Jenkins will have the upper hand. He'll get after Rees, but it will be slightly harder for him to track down Hendrix, who is a more mobile and elusive.

Manti Te'o

Manti Te'o is a beast. If he had chosen to go pro, then he probably would have been the first inside linebacker taken on draft day.

But Te'o is staying at South Bend to terrorize the college ranks for another year. He's looking to end his career on a high note, and that process will start on Thursday night.

I don't see why Te'o wouldn't have a big game against Florida State. He's a lock for eight or more tackles every game, and the Seminoles aren't going to be able to avoid him. Even if Florida State makes an effort to avoid Te'o, he'll find a way to assert himself.

Nigel Bradham

We go from one stud linebacker to another.

Though it's in Notre Dame's best interest to pass the rock against Florida State, the Irish will undoubtedly look to establish the run anyway.

That's where Nigel Bradham, the Seminoles' leading tackler, will come into play.

Bradham won't let Cierre Wood gain an inch. In addition to being Florida State's leading tackler, Bradham is third on the team in tackles for loss. He knows how to be right in the thick of things, and that won't change against Notre Dame.

Michael Floyd

There's no stopping Michael Floyd. He only had a couple bad games in 2011, and that's not an accident.

All Notre Dame's quarterbacks have to do is chuck it up for grabs, and Floyd will come down with it.

Hendrix knows that. I assume he's also well aware that Floyd was money in the Sun Bowl last season against Miami. He caught two early touchdown passes, setting the Irish up for a rout.

The Irish aren't going to rout the Seminoles, but Floyd is going to play a big role in this game. Like I mentioned, all Hendrix will have to do is throw it up for grabs, and Floyd will go up and get it.

In fact, don't be surprised if plays like those account for the bulk of Notre Dame's offense.