2010 Bowl Matchups: 25 Bold Predictions and Stone Cold Shockers
Many bowl games pave the way for many upsets. Whether it's Ohio State slipping past Miami or Boise State tricking their way past Oklahoma, the upsets that rear their heads can often create very memorable games, remembered throughout college football's history.
Naturally, there will be many games that go the way they're supposed to. Nevada will beat Boston College, Hawaii and Tulsa will score a lot, and Auburn and Oregon will light up the field in the National Championship Game.
The following are 25 bold predictions for the bowl games. While they aren't necessarily ones that I think will absolutely happen, all of these certainly have the potential to occur over the next few weeks.
Marylands Offense Will Erupt
1 of 25
Maryland is a football team that, unlike others such as Oklahoma State, isn't known for a strong offense. They're a solid team that can put up enough points to win. East Carolina, however, has one of the worst defenses in the country, and I see Maryland erupting for a minimum of 50 points, making the Military Bowl a whitewash.
Boise State Will Struggle Against Utah
2 of 25
Boise State fell from a likely BCS bowl game to the Las Vegas Bowl against fellow mid-major Utah. This, unfortunately, is not unusual for them. As a result, they're not going to show up for the game. They'll probably still win because they are the clearly superior team, but anyone expecting a flashy matchup will be disappointed.
Army Will Throw Five Passes
3 of 25
This actually isn't as shocking as it sounds. Army is last in the air for a reason, not because they're bad at passing, but they win games with their rushing and defense. Those will come through in the game against SMU, who can be limited to few points.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Oklahoma State Will Be Done By Halftime
4 of 25
Arizona is a team that barely squeaked into a bowl game. Oklahoma State is one of the top teams in the Big 12 with the top offense in the country. Needless to say, the backups are happy about this, since they'll actually get to play in the game. Oklahoma State will light up the scoreboard then put the guns away before it gets out of hand.
People Will Watch The GoDaddy.com Bowl, But For The Commercials
5 of 25
They probably figured that they could put any two teams in there and people would watch. It's a shame since the MAC champs deserve a bit more than a 6-6 Sun Belt team.
Ricky Dobbs Will Have 50 Rushing Touchdowns
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The Navy-San Diego State game is going to be a big one to watch, if for one reason: Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs. He set the rushing touchdown record for a quarterback last year (27) but concentrated more on passing this year. He has 47, so getting three more could certainly happen in this bowl game. That's how you end a college career.
Notre Dame and Miami Will Wear Throwback Uniforms
7 of 25
Okay, they probably won't, but they should. They used to be two football dynasties that have fallen on hard times, so they could always act like it's the 70s or 80s again. People will watch either way since they are such big names.
Denard Robinson Will Have More Rushing Yards Than Passing
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It's not all that shocking for this to happen even though he's the quarterback; he did that in half his games this year. If it can confuse Mississippi State and get the win, that may be what keeps Rich Rodriguez around. Then again, he could already be on the way out.
Hawaii and Tulsa Will Score 120 Points
9 of 25
We know that Hawaii and Tulsa will be a shootout. They have two of the top passing offenses in the league in lieu of running and defense, so naturally they're going to get many touchdowns. The question becomes, however, how many? Tulsa's had two 100-point combined games this season, so let's shoot really high and say 120.
Granted, if that actually were to happen, I wouldn't know whether to be awed or wonder where the defense was.
DaQuan Bowers Will Have Multiple Sacks
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The nation's sack leader wants to make a name for himself and cement his name on the top of draft boards. South Florida's B.J. Daniels has been sacked 20 times, so adding two or three from Clemson's Da'Quan Bowers could easily happen.
Nebraska Will Crush Washington
11 of 25
Nebraska was nearly the Big 12 champions, while Washington had to beat Washington State to get a bowl game. The end result is that the Nebraska-Washington game will be a blowout. How badly? At least 35 points. The fact that that's already happened tells me the outcome won't be much different.
Iowa Will Pull Off an Upset Against Missouri
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So 12th-ranked Missouri will lose to unranked Iowa? More accurately, I ask this: do you think Ricky Stanzi and company want to end the season with four straight losses, including one to Minnesota? Of course not, they'll find a way to pull it out.
Alabama Will Get The Upset Over Michigan State
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Can you call it an upset if the No. 1 ranked team for a chunk of the season wins a game? Maybe not. Can you call it an upset if a three-loss team beats a one-loss team? Yes, and that's what's going to happen in the Capitol One Bowl, which may be the best non-BCS bowl game this year.
Florida Will Be Dominant For Urban Meyer
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Urban Meyer will likely be coaching his final game in the Outback Bowl against Penn State. As a result, this is going to put a spark into the Gators, and they are going to play like the team we thought they would be to start the season.
Kentucky Will Upset Pittsburgh
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With Dave Wannstedt no longer being the coach of Pittsburgh, the team is going to be in disarray for the bowl game. Kentucky, meanwhile, may have struggled in the SEC, but did beat South Carolina and came close to beating Auburn, so despite their 6-6 record, they can beat Pitt and get the upset in the BBVA Compass Bowl.
Texas A&M and LSU Will Go to Overtime
16 of 25
The Cotton Bowl has the potential to be one of the best games this bowl season, and it will live up to that. After an exciting back and forth game, we'll go to overtime, where the best team will squeak out with the win. As to who will actually get the win, you'll have to watch the game to find out.
Nevada and Boston College Won't Be a Great Preview
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The day before the National Championship Game, we have the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl between Nevada and Boston College, an offense-driven mid-major team versus a defensive major team. It sounds nice on paper, but it won't end up working very well, and the hunger for Oregon-Auburn will only increase.
The Fiesta Bowl Will Be a Back and Forth Affair
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Most people are writing off the Oklahoma-UConn game as a blowout, one not to worry about. They did the same thing several years ago when they played Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. This doesn't necessarily mean Connecticut will win, but they may seem like they will at times. You can't discount Jordan Todman's rushing.
Andrew Luck Will Continuously Be Called an NFL Quarterback
19 of 25
The Orange Bowl, Stanford against Virginia Tech, will no doubt be exciting to watch, and it will be a tough battle on both sides. That being said, you know that during the game, the commentators will keep noting how Andrew Luck will be the next big thing in the NFL should he leave, and make various comparisons of that nature. Hopefully, that won't take away from the game.
Ohio State Will Finally Beat a SEC Team
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Does the Arkansas offense have enough firepower behind Ryan Mallett to topple Ohio State's defense in the Sugar Bowl? I don't think they do. Terrelle Pryor's looking to finally have a big bowl game, and he's lot letting this one pass by.
Wisconsin and TCU Will Be Low-Scoring
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Looking for shootouts is one of the joys of bowl season. This is one of those games where it will not happen. TCU has the best defense by a mile, and Wisconsin's strength is it's tough offensive line. When two lines meet up and deadlock, the end result is going to be little movement one way or the other, as both lines for both teams are tough.
TCU Will Beat Wisconsin
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To some, this is not a shocker at all, yet to others, this sounds ridiculous. Could a mid-major team beat a major team in the Rose Bowl? Why not? TCU can clearly play, and as tough as Wisconsin is, they could pull out a win.
LaMichael James Will Break The 150 Yard Mark
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Oregon has one of the top offenses in the country, thanks primarily to LaMichael James' nation-leading running attack. Auburn isn't exactly known for their defense, so James will have a field day in the championship game.
Cam Newton Will Top 400 Total Yards
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Can Cam Newton throw and run for 400 combined yards? He has his best performances in statement games, such as his last matchup against South Carolina. As a result, I see no reason not to believe he'll light up the field.
Auburn Will Win
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Both teams have amazing offenses. When you put together two teams with highlight-reel offenses, the deciding factor will be defense. Led by Nick Fairley, Auburn's defense is a bit better, and will be able to make a stronger stand, giving them the win.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
