2010 Bowl Matchups: 25 Locks, Bold Predictions And Upset Alerts for Bowl Season
2010 Bowl Matchups are here, and I could not be anymore happy. The smell of roasting meats and the chance to get our drink on at holiday parties can mean only one thing, it's bowl season. We already have a few games under our belt. But the good portion of matches are well ahead of us.
With so many good games scheduled, there are bound to be some surprises and nail-biters. As always, there will be heroes, goats and everyone in between. Many will be immortalized, and some will wish they had just stayed home. So here are 25 things that you can look forward to this Bowl season.
25. St. Petersburg Bowl: Southern Miss Wins in Overtime
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The next game we have to look forward to is the St. Petersburg Bowl. While at first glance, this looks like two teams with little to offer in entertainment value, this is simply not the case.
This bowl game has all the makings of a fight to the finish scrap fest. Both teams have similar talents on offense and just as big holes on defense. This will be a shoot out in Florida. The best part is we will get to see an overtime game. There is no sport that does extra time better than college football.
24. Las Vegas Bowl: Kellen Moore Will Throw for Close to 350 Yards
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One thing is certain about the 2010 season, Utah is not that good of a football team. Let me clarify, they are not as good as we might have let on in the beginning of the season. The Utes lacked depth and any sort of defense that could stop some of the more prestigious programs, and San Diego State for the matter.
The bowl selection committee did Utah no favors by passing along Boise State to the Las Vegas Bowl. This will be a rout along the lines of the Utah versus TCU game. In that affair, Andy Dalton passed for 355 yards and three touchdowns. There is no reason to expect less this time around.
23. Poinsettia Bowl: San Diego State Will Win Handily
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San Diego State showed a lot this season. They have one of the more prolific passers in the conference. That is saying quite a bit considering Andy Dalton is around.
Their offense is tremendously deep. They boast a potential star QB in Ryan Lindley. He has benefited from having sure-handed receivers in DeMarco Sampson and Vincent Brown. Their other asset has to be Ronnie Hillman. The freshman is clearly the future for this program. His freshman year was amazing as he ran for over 1,300 yards.
Navy will have little to say in this one.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
22. Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii Wins in a Landslide Victory
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There is little hope for Tulsa. Hawaii is a lion in waiting. They have a prolific air attack that Tulsa really has no answer for. This will be one of those games you can take a nap for. With holiday food abounding, it will be appreciated.
The bigger plus is that Hawaii boasts a much more seasoned team. They have had to face USC, Nevada and Boise State. Tulsa should be no problem for them to handle.
21. Independence Bowl: Air Force Wins the Battle of the Running Attacks
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This should be a fun one to watch. Both teams love to run, and they do so very effectively. The sad fact for Georgia Tech is that Air Force also has a formidable quarterback to spread the offense.
Tim Jefferson may not win the game on his own, but what he does with passing efficiency is spread the field. Georgia Tech will not be able to stack the box to stop the running attack as they can get beat for 10 to 15 yards at any time by Jefferson. That will be the one glowing plus for Air Force.
20. Compass Bowl: Dion Lewis Rushes for over 100 Yards
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Well, this will not be a game that displays star-like talent. That does not mean there will not be flashes of it on the field. Dion Lewis is a great running back from a small program. He will be the focal point of the Pittsburgh attack at the 2011 Compass Bowl.
Lewis and his explosive runs and the Pittsburgh defense will lead the story lines on this game. After that, you can forget anything you see here. There will be little to nothing else to make fans salivate.
19. Champs Sports Bowl: North Carolina State Will Upset the Mountaineers
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West Virginia is a much better team than North Carolina State. There is no denying they have a very stout defense that can, and has, stopped many top teams. But the sad fact is that this team has little to play for.
The Mountaineers were hoping for a BCS bid that went to Connecticut. Now, they play in a bowl that is less than what they hoped for. It will be very difficult to motivate these guys to play a hard-fought battle. Also, take into account that coach Bill Stewart will be ousted from his coaching duties in 2012.
The West Virginia coach has been allowed to take on the team next year but will have to let go in 2012. That is a fact that will put little to no pressure on the coach to get the best from his players.
18. Insight Bowl: Iowa Woes Continue With Loss to Missouri
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The Iowa Hawkeyes have entirely too much to deal with and still forge a win at the Insight Bowl. It has been a bad season and will be an even worse December.
All-Big Ten wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos was arrested on December 7th for drug charges. Then Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz stated that running back Adam Robinson would not be available for the game. He apparently failed to comply with team policies.
This game will be about two programs on completely different paths. Missouri will cap off one of their best season. Meanwhile, Iowa will hope to quickly forget about their 2010 campaign.
17. Military Bowl: East Carolina Scores Early and Often in Win
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The Military bowl will not be about redemption. It will not feature a Maryland team returning to bowl game glory. It will however feature a highly fueled East Carolina attack.
While the Pirates have trouble stopping teams from scoring, their highly volatile offense will catch the Maryland defense off guard. Look for deep passes to spread the field beyond Maryland's means. If anything, this will be a highly entertaining game to watch.
16. Texas Bowl: Illinois Travels to Texas To Get Beat
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Ron Zook has his hands full. His team has not traveled well all season. Now, he has to traverse the country to Houston right after Christmas and before New Year's Eve. But even if his players are awake for the game, it will not matter.
Baylor is an under appreciated team. They are lead by the prolific passing of Robert Griffin III. But more than his arm, the Baylor Bears do the little things right. They will take care of the ball and have the comfort of being so close to home. This one will go Baylor's way.
15. Alamo Bowl: Nick Foles Dazzles But Arizona Still Loses
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Oklahoma State is still hot about their loss to the Oklahoma Sooners to end the regular season. They will take their anger out on the Arizona Wildcats. Make no mistake, the Cowboys are one of the best teams in the nation. They will move the chains at a rapid pace with Justin Blackmon creating a sturdy target.
But do not forget Nick Foles. The Arizona quarterback has sparkled at the end of the season. This game will showcase that arm for the NFL. But in the end, the Cowboys will be too much to handle.
14. Holiday Bowl: Washington Find It Difficult To Score in Loss
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Jake Locker is a beast. He is part of the glut of fantastic quarterbacks in the Pac-10 this season. He has taken this mediocre Washington team and made them players in a bowl game. Locker should showcase his form in this one. But sadly for the Huskies, the man does not play defense.
Nebraska is just too big and deep of a team to be contained by Washington. This game will be very difficult to watch. This lopsided affair is further proof that the current bowl system just does not work.
13. Sun Bowl: Notre Dame Get Back to Prominance with Win
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The elements are there for an upset. Notre Dame has suffered great loss and turmoil this season. That has seemed to bring them together as a unit. Meanwhile, Miami is reeling.
They have fallen off the precipice of college elite into collegiate mediocrity. Proving that the program has much bigger plans, they fired coach Randy Shannon last month. The Hurricanes will have too much on the mind to take one from Notre Dame and their spiritual leader, head coach Brian Kelly.
It will be nice to see Notre Dame once again getting a victory so late in the year.
12. Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Alshon Jeffery & Stephen Garcia Lead Gamecocks to Victory
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With so many arbitrary matches amongst the bowl games, it is nice when there are genuine story lines involved. Steve Spurrier once again takes on his bitter rivals—the Florida State Seminoles.
This time around, he should get the win coaching from the South Carolina Gamecocks. Nobody knows the Seminoles better than Spurrier. He will take advantage of that fact against first-year head coach Jimbo Fisher. It doesn't hurt having two talents on the offensive side of the ball like Alshon Jeffrey and Stephen Garcia. They will be hooking up for long drives all night.
11. Outback Bowl: Urban Meyer Will Go Out in Style
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It is rare that a coach or player can dictate how he leaves the sport. That privilege will be afforded to Urban Meyer when he takes on Penn State in the Outback Bowl.
Last month, Urban Meyer decided to walk away from one of the most successful programs in the nation. He cited familial reasons for his departure. Penn State could very well be the last opponent he coaches against. He will be very prepared and considerably lucky to have the upper hand in talented players.
10. Capital One Bowl: Spartans Stun Alabama
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This happens every bowl season. There are usually a couple of teams that get ignored for the prestigious BCS bowl games. They usually go one of two ways after. That team either loses all motivation and lays an egg on national television. The other rout is that they get an extra spring in their step as they try to prove their detractors wrong.
Michigan State falls into the latter. Alabama will be a fierce opponent but the Spartans have been underrepresented all year long. Kirk Cousins will show why he is one of the most unheralded quarterbacks in the game.
9. Hunger Bowl: Colin Kaepernick and Nevada Stomp Boston College
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Colin Kaepernick is like the junior varsity version on Cam Newton. That is not necessarily a bad thing. He averages about a touchdown a game both by running the ball and by tossing it around the yard. The pistol offense that the Wolf Pack run have befuddled teams all season long.
Look for Colin and running back, Vai Taua, to have remarkable games. Boston College has no idea what it is getting into.
8. Gator Bowl: Denard Robinson Shines in Michigan Win
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Denard Robinson is a stud. He is the reason that Michigan matters at all this season. While most people like the Mississippi State Bulldogs on New Year's Day, I like the Wolverines. The simple reason is Denard Robinson.
I expect him to do what he does regularly. He will net 200-plus yards right in the Bulldogs' back yard.
7. Rose Bowl: TCU Goes On Offensive
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Wisconsin and TCU do battle in one of the more prestigious bowl games. While Wisconsin has a terrific rushing attack, they have little to say about TCU and their very productive offense.
The Horned Frogs will be led in the air by Andy Dalton. He and Jeremy Kerley will be hooking up all game. When they aren't, it will be the Ed Wesley show. I could see a scenario that nets Dalton 200 yards by air and 100 yards on the ground for Wesley. All of that spells doom for Wisconsin.
6. Fiesta Bowl: Can the Huskies Mount an Upset?
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No. That is the simple answer. The winner of the automatic bid given to the Big East is the Connecticut Huskies. Did I mention that the Big East is a dismal looking bunch? I guess I just did. The fact that these two teams will share the same field is laughable.
The only way the Huskies matter is if Oklahoma allows it. This is the Sooners to lose.
5. Orange Bowl: Andrew Luck Improves Draft Status with Orange Bowl Domination
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Bear in mind that this is coming from a Cal fan. Andrew Luck is amazing. He was built to play quarterback in the NFL. His statuesque build allows him to see over the line. His build causes defenders to struggle in bringing him down. This is John Elway's doppelganger, and we should all be thankful for bearing witness.
While both teams have similarly talented defenses, the quarterback race goes to Stanford. While Tyrod Taylor is a beast of a talent. There is little not to like about Luck and the Cardinal.
4. Sugar Bowl: Terrelle Pryor Is Welcomed Back to the Big Time
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Where did Terrelle Pryor go? Nowhere. He is still a fine quarterback that can get timely pick ups with his legs. He was maligned by inconsistency this season and issues with his completion rate. But the Sugar Bowl will be his stage to shine.
While most would have January 4th be the Ryan Mallet show, Pryor will not allow this to happen. This game will be a stark reminder of another talent that has gone largely unnoticed this year. It will put him back in the mind's of college football fans.
3. Cotton Bowl: LSU Defense Stifles Aggies
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Ryan Tannehill has many targets to throw to. He uses none more often than Jeff Fuller. But at the Cotton Bowl, he will struggle to get a pass off.
The LSU defense is a fierce unrelenting beast. They boast over four sacks a contest and many more hurries. They will never allow Tannehill to get comfortable in the pocket. That will be the main factor in the LSU eventual victory.
2. BCS National Title Game: Cam Newton Will Light Up the House
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Amidst scandal allegations, Cam Newton has remained surprisingly calm and collected. He has that special talent that all star athletes have. He can ignore the pressure of any situation and just concentrate on playing ball. This will be the biggest game of his young career, and he will shine.
Newton is the type of player that any team would kill for. He can ruin another team's hopes with his amazing size and speed. When he isn't running all over the grid iron, he is throwing touchdown passes with regularity.
The Auburn quarterback will display a talent we have not seen since Vince Young took on USC in the Rose Bowl. But it will not be enough.
1. BCS National Title Game: Oregon Will Win
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While Cam Newton will be lighting up the Oregon defense, it will not be enough for the Tigers to win the game. Oregon boasts the biggest killer of all—the no-huddle offense. The Ducks have fallen behind in the first half many times this season.
They end up trouncing the opposition in the end. It is not the opponent's fault. Oregon just tires them out. After spending play after play rushing to the line, defenders tire. They make mistakes. They allow runners to breeze right by them. No team is immune, not even Auburn.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
