2010 Bowl Schedule: 25 Bold Predictions for Bowl Season
Now that we know where all the teams will be going this bowl season it is time to break down all the games. If you are breaking down the National Championship game you have plenty of time: They don't play for 35 days (come on NCAA, really?). There are a lot of stories to analyze and a lot of games to breakdown. Here are my 25 bold predictions for the 2010 NCAA bowl season.
Utah Will Beat Boise State In The Las Vegas Bowl
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This is definitely not the game that Boise State envisioned themselves playing in when the season started. However, two awful moments for the kicker made this the bowl game for the Broncos in 2010. They will not be focused and will come out distracted because they feel that they are better than this game. As a result, Utah will be able to pull off the upset.
Utah Will Use The Las Vegas Bowl To Catapult Into The BCS Next Year
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Boise State is likely to step back a little bit when Kellen Moore graduates after this season. Utah was in contention for a BCS game this year for a while before they lost to TCU and Notre Dame. They will use their victory over Boise State to position themselves as the BCS buster in 2011.
Correction: As a reader pointed out, Kellen Moore is graduating this year but is only a junior so he will be back. That doesn't change my feelings about both Boise and Utah for next year. I had someone tell me that Moore was leaving Boise after the year and I didn't look that up before I wrote it. I did you a disservice and myself, as an aspiring writer. Please accept my sincerest apologies.
Auburn's Defense Will Be Their Undoing
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Auburn has given up a lot of points to a lot of mediocre teams (34 vs Kentucky, 24 vs Clemson, 26 vs Arkansas State, 31 vs Mississippi). I understand that some of those were in garbage time, but their defense still isn't as good as Oregon's. You can only outscore someone so many times before you have to play a little bit of a defensive game.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
LaMichael James Will Have The Big Game, Darron Thomas Will Be The Key
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His accuracy has gotten better as the year has gone on. In order for Oregon to stay in the game, Darron Thomas will have to protect the ball and establish the passing game. I believe that he will and it will open up everything for the Oregon offense. If he doesn't, it could be a long day for the Ducks.
Chip Kelly Will Confuse The Auburn Defense
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The Oregon offense is so good because they are so dynamic. They have a lot more offensive weapons than does Auburn, and they use a lot more scheming and trickery to get their offense rolling. That game plan will confuse Auburn and help Oregon to open up their offense against the Tigers defense.
The Missouri Defense Will Make Iowa Look Inept On Offense
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The Insight Bowl between Iowa and Missouri will be like a Ravens-Steelers game. Not a whole lot of scoring, with two of the best defenses in the country. Missouri will make Ricky Stanzi and co. uncomfortable all day. Granted that doesn't necessarily mean that they will win because...(see next slide)
The Iowa Defense Will Make Missouri Look Inept On Offense
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The Hawkeyes started the year with a lot of promise. They fell on hard times, losing their last three games, though. Their defense has held up very strong throughout the year, but their offense has just been so inconsistent. They will swarm Blaine Gabbert, and the Missouri offense will have a bad day. This will be the lowest scoring bowl game of the season, by far.
The Best Individual Performance Will Be From Hawaii QB Bryant Moniz
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The Hawaii system churns out QBs every single year. This year it is Bryant Moniz and he led the FBS in passing yards (4,629). He is going up against the 84th-ranked scoring defense, a deadly combination that will lead Moniz to put up MAMMOTH numbers in the Hawaii Bowl. His performance will be the biggest of the bowl season, not in terms of importance but just based on numbers.
The Alamo Bowl Will Be A Shootout
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Oklahoma State has one of the best offenses in the country, averaging nearly 45 points per game. Arizona, while not as high-powered as the Cowboys, has a good offense that averaged nearly 30 points per game. The power of Oklahoma State's offense and the lack of defense that they have will make this the highest scoring bowl game of this season. Look for a 48-45 kind of shootout between these two teams.
Jake Locker's Stock Will Go Down After The Holiday Bowl
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If Jake Locker had come out last year he would likely have been the top player taken in the NFL draft. He came back to work on some things, and it has actually hurt his draft stock. There are serious questions about his accuracy and his ability to handle the position. This game against Nebraska will not do him any favors. When they played earlier this year, Locker was beyond atrocious: 4-20 for 71 yards, 2 INTs and was flustered all day. While he may not be that bad again, he will hurt his draft stock against the Huskers.
Nebraska's Defense Will Own Washington's Offense
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Nebraska has had one of the best defenses in the country all season long. They played Washington earlier in the season, and it wasn't close, as the Huskers won 56-21. Jake Locker couldn't figure the defense out and no one else was able to help him. Nebraska will do it to the Huskies again in the Holiday Bowl.
Notre Dame Will Miss QB Dayne Crist In The Sun Bowl
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Talk about a sign of the times: Miami and Notre Dame are playing in a bowl game...the Sun Bowl. These two former powerhouse schools are in a transition period. Miami will be bringing in a new head coach. Notre Dame has their coach, but their QB is hurt. Tommy Rees has been a good fill-in for the Irish, but Crist brought something else to this team. They seemed to be a bit more explosive and attacking than in years before. Miami's defense will confuse Rees, and he will have a horrible day as Miami gets the victory.
AJ Green Will Show Why He Is The Best Talent Available In The Draft
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Georgia WR AJ Green will not be the first pick in the 2011 NFL draft, but he is probably the best pure talent in that draft. He will dominate UCF in the Liberty Bowl and turn a lot of scouts' heads with the performance that he puts on. I say at least 10 catches, 175 yards and two touchdowns for the Bulldogs wideout.
Steve Spurrier Will Continue To Give Florida State Fits
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Steve Spurrier and the Seminoles have a hate-hate relationship, stemming from his days at Florida. He doesn't like them, they don't care for him. Granted, since Bobby Bowden left a little of the fire is gone, but it still burns deep inside both the old-ball coach and the school. His South Carolina team is a better team than the Seminoles, and they will show it in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.
The Best Non-BCS Game Will Be The Capital One Bowl
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Michigan State could easily have gotten into a BCS game—they were tied with Wisconsin and Ohio State in the Big Ten and lost the BCS tiebreaker. Alabama started the year as the top ranked team in the country. They are one of the most physical teams in the country and had the SEC champion Auburn Tigers on the ropes before losing a heartbreaker. This game will be the best non-BCS game of the bowl season.
Alabama RB Mark Ingram Will Play In His Final Collegiate Game Jan. 1
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He is a junior, so he could come back for his senior season. I think that his draft status has been hampered a little bit this year. With that said, he is still a first round pick, and the injury he had to start the year will make him realize that his best chance to get paid will be to come out this year and not risk another injury in college.
Rich Rodriguez Will Not Return As Michigan Head Coach
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He has a huge buyout if he is fired before January 1st, which also happens to be when Michigan plays Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl. His tenure at Michigan has always been marred by controversy and distaste from Michigan fans. Their weak finish to the year, combined with another humiliating loss to Ohio State will lead Michigan to let go of their head coach.
The Orange Bowl Will Be Jim Harbaugh's Last Game As Stanford Head Coach
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Jim Harbaugh has been great for Stanford since he took over in late 2006. He has made Stanford into a legitimate power in football, but all that will come to an end after the Orange Bowl on January 3rd. He will take the San Francisco 49ers head coaching position that will become available after the NFL season is over.
Stanford QB Andrew Luck Will Make A Great Case To Be The Top Pick
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Andrew Luck is already near the top of almost every analyst's draft boards. After the Orange Bowl, there will be little, if any, doubt left that he should be the No. 1 pick in April's NFL Draft. He will pick apart Frank Beamer's defense and lead Stanford to a victory in the Orange Bowl.
Ryan Mallett Will Outplay Terrelle Pryor
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Two very different types of quarterbacks meet up in the Sugar Bowl when Ohio State meets Arkansas. Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett is a traditional pocket-passer, while Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor is more of a hybrid RB/QB. Ohio State will win the game, but Mallett will have played the better game for his team.
The Worst BCS Game Will Be The Fiesta Bowl
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On the one side there is the Big 12 juggernaut, the Oklahoma Sooners. On the other side there is the Big East Champion....the Connecticut Huskies. No disrespect to UConn, but the fact that the Big East still has an automatic qualifier spot in the BCS is a total joke. Does anyone think that Boise State is worse than Connecticut? I would much rather see a Boise-Oklahoma game but because Boise plays in the WAC and must win all their games just to get a shot while the Huskies play in the Big East, Uconn can be mediocre and get into the BCS. This game will be an absolute blowout—the starters for the Sooners will not even have to play in the fourth quarter it will be so bad.
The Most Intriguing BCS Game Is The Rose Bowl
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This is TCU's chance to show that they are more than just the best of non-automatic qualifying schools. Last year they matched up with Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, which was an epic failure because it put the two non-AQ schools against each other. Now, TCU gets to play in the most prestigious bowl game against the best team in the Big Ten this year, Wisconsin. Controversy has surrounded the Badgers because teams are accusing them of running up the score (they put up 83 against IU and 70 points twice). They are a mid-western team with a west coast kind of offense. The game will be fun to watch, and it will be interesting to see how TCU is able to perform against one of the best teams in the country.
The BCS Title Game Will Not Be A Shootout
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Let me clarify this statement by saying the over/under for the game opened at 74 points. I think that the teams will combine for fewer points than that. It could still be 38-35 and be under the 74 total points. Oregon has a very underrated defense, and Auburn has a physical defensive team, even though their results weren't always great.
Cam Newton Will NOT Be The Best Player On The Field
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Cam Newton is going to win the Heisman and deservedly so. He has been the best player in college football week-in and week-out. On January 10th, he will not be the best player on the field, however. Oregon RB LaMichael James will run for 170 yards, two touchdowns and will dominate the game. He will be the story of the game and the biggest reason that...(see next slide)
Oregon Will Pull Off The Upset And Win Their First National Title
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All the talk about Cam Newton and how great Auburn has been this year will go up in smoke as the Ducks fly over the Tigers (I know it's cheap but I am OK with it). Oregon's offense is as good, if not better, than Auburn's. Their defense is fast and attacking, while Auburn's defense has a lot of holes in it. The Tigers have not played a team as good as Oregon this year. The Pac-10, while it had a down year as a whole, had two of the Top Five teams in college football (Stanford the other) and Oregon beat them by 21 points. The Ducks will win and earn their first ever National Championship.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
