Bowl Schedule 2010: 25 Bold Predicitions, Shockers and Surefire Upsets
The holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year. People have various and individual reasons but the one true factor that pushes it above and beyond is the College Bowl Season. While the bowl season has already begun, we now prepare to make the leap to hyper-drive. Big games are ready to unfold.
All of this waiting splendor can be a little overwhelming. Nobody wants to miss the amazing events, the shocking performances or the historical upsets. Lucky for all of us, here is a list of 25 of the most breathtaking and memorable events yet to happen in the 2010 Bowl Season.
25. Air Force-Georgia Tech Will Feature Over 600 Rushing Yards
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If you like to see fast paced games that are dominated by the running attacks, this game is for you. Georgia Tech and Air Force are first and second in the nation in rushing yardage. Georgia Tech is averaging 327 yards per game and Air Force is just a hair under 318.
This is going to be an exciting game that will go down to the wire. The unique styles and pace of this game will make it enjoyable to watch. These teams are too evenly matched to predict a winner, but there is one sure fire prediction to be made: they are going to crank out the yards on the ground.
Update: The offenses didn't quite live up to the prediction. The teams combined for just 21 points as Air Force held on for the 14-7 win. Georgia Tech came closest to their average on the ground, putting up 279 yards while AF managed just 170.
24. Arizona Will Upset #14 Oklahoma State
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Arizona does not currently reside in the top 25 like their Alamo Bowl opponent, but they have shown flashes of brilliance this year. Arizona will bring a stout defense into this game that has been tested in the pass heavy, quarterback rich and high scoring Pac-10. Their defense is what will lead them to this upset.
Oklahoma State earned their 10-2 record largely due to their offensive attack. While they have great balance, they use the passing game to set up their success for the ground game. At just over 364 yards per game, the Cowboys have the nation's second ranked passing attack.
Arizona will be able to apply enough pressure on the QB, Brandon Weedon, while employing a physical bump and run defense to slow down the Cowboy offense. Wildcat QB, Nick Foles, is battle tested and competent and the Wildcat offense will seize the momentum their defense captures.
23. Ricky Stanzi Will Light Up Missouri For Five Touchdowns
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Iowa's Ricky Stanzi has had a great college career and he is going to cap it off by lighting up the Insight Bowl scoreboards with five touchdown passes. Iowa uses a balanced offensive attack, but as they enter the biggest game of their season they are going to get on and ride the right arm of their senior quarterback.
Missouri will force Iowa into a pass heavy attack by opening up an early lead. Then buckle your seat-belts as Stanzi leads his team up and down the field while showing the NFL scouts that he is a force to be reckoned with.
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22. Baylor-Illinois Will Put Up Over 70 Points
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The Texas Bowl is going to be a high scoring affair. Both Illinois and Baylor feature dynamic offensive attacks and both teams rely on their offenses to win games. The difference in offensive styles will make this game enjoyable to watch and If you like points, this game is for you.
Illinois prefers to beat teams with their ground game led by Mikel Leshoure. They enter this game averaging over 240 yards a game on the ground. Baylor opts for a more vertical offensive attack, led by quarterback Robert Griffin III.
Both teams have struggled on defense in 2010 and Baylor has already yielded over 40 points six times this season. The points are going to come early and often in this one.
21. Maryland's Ralph Friedgen Will Go Out on Top
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Friedgen helped turn around Maryland and led them back to a bowl game with an 8-4 record. It was not enough to keep his job. After the regular season, Friedgen was told that the Military Bowl would be his last as Head Coach of the Maryland Terrapins. He will have his team ready and prepared to ensure he goes out on top.
East Carolina will try and pull off the upset behind the strength of the seventh highest passing attack in terms of yardage. They will test the Maryland defense. Ultimately, it will be East Carolina's defense that lets them down. They have given up an average of 43.4 points per game this season. They will not be able to slow down a Maryland offense that is averaging over 30 a game.
20. West Virginia Will Shut-Out NC State
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West Virginia's defense is going to dominate the Champs Sports Bowl. West Virginia comes into this game with a chip on their shoulder having just missed out on a BCS Bowl berth. This is often a recipe for a let-down. Not this time.
Despite the Mountaineers successful season, Head Coach Bill Stewart has been relieved of his coaching duties and will be on the Mountaineers sideline for the final time. His team is not going to send him off empty handed. On the season, the Mountaineers have allowed only 12.8 points per game and they will have their finest performance against an NC State team that is averaging over 30 points a game.
NC State will not be able to get their passing game on-track and their frustration will lead to turnovers. It is going to be a long day for the Wolfpack.
19. SMU's Zach Line Will Get Over 200 Yards Rushing
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Army features the dominant running game in the Armed Forces Bowl, but SMU features the dominant Running Back. Zach Line has had a stellar season. He rushed for over 1,300 yards on 6.1 yards per carry.
While SMU's Head Coach, June Jones, favors the pass he is going to use his running back early and often in this one and Zach Line is going to introduce himself to the Nation.
18. Jake Locker Will Avenge His Demons
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Jake Locker and the Washington Huskies will look to gain a measure of revenge on Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl. The Cornhuskers destroyed the Huskies, 55-10, earlier in the season. It was a game in which Locker was only able to complete four passes and sent his draft stock plummeting.
Locker is a senior and has yet to play in a college bowl game. He is not going to let this opportunity slip away with another sub-par performance. He will not be alone either. Steve Sarkisian, his offensive minded Head Coach, will make sure he has a game plan that will allow Locker to find more success.
17. North Carolina Is Going to Take Out a Season Of Frustration on Tennessee
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North Carolina has had a rocky season of diminished hopes. They were a team that started off with BCS dreams. Dreams that were quickly vanquished in the wake of suspensions stemming from NCAA rule violations. Through it all, they were still able to go 7-5 and make it to the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl to take on the Tennessee Volunteers.
The game will essentially be a home game for Tennessee, but they are still going to be turned away in defeat. North Carolina has displayed the ability to play suffocating defense and in the end, that defense is going to prove to be too much for the Volunteers average offensive attack. North Carolina is going to win big.
16. Kansas State's Daniel Thomas Will End His Career on a 250 Yard Rushing Day
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Daniel Thomas, the Kansas State senior running back, has had a great college career. He is going to finish it off in style. He is going to run all over the Syracuse defense. He should also get plenty of opportunities to do so.
Kansas State is a run first team and given the fact that Syracuse's defense excels against the pass, look for Thomas to get the ball early and often. Thomas has proved that when given enough opportunities, he will produce in a big way.
15. Miami Is Going To Have Notre Dame Put Away by The End Of The First Half
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Miami and Notre Dame both underwhelmed their fan bases with average performances this year. Everyone involved with both programs was hoping for much more than a season ending match-up in the Hyundai Sun Bowl. Yet that is exactly where they find themselves.
Notre Dame will not be able to keep pace with Miami's spread offense and diverse running attack. The Notre Dame offense will fail to find a rhythm and consequently will be forced into turnovers. The season of disappointment will get a little more disappointing for Notre Dame and just a bit better for Miami.
14. Steve Spurrier Will Remind Florida State Fans Why They Hate Visors
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It's been a while since the mention of Steve Spurrier and Florida State has been relevant to anything other than memories. This year's Chick-fil-A Bowl changes that. Spurrier leads his 20th ranked Gamecocks against the 23rd ranked Seminoles in what should be a high-scoring and entertaining match-up. I don't think anyone would be surprised to see this one come down to a field goal.
However, this game is not going to be that close. The Gamecocks have played one of the toughest schedules in the country and that experience is going to pay dividends in this bowl game. Spurrier's balanced offensive system will lead him to a 10 point victory.
13. Urban Meyer Will Go into Retirement With a Victory
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Before the season, it would not have come as that big of a shock to hear that Florida and Penn State would be ending their years in a bowl game and that it would be the final game for one of the two iconic coaches. Of course, most people probably would've assumed that coach would be Joe Paterno.
Instead, it's his much younger friend and foe, Urban Meyer, who will make the Outback Bowl his farewell. These teams are fairly evenly matched, but Florida is averaging five points more a game on offense. Florida's offensive attack will overwhelm Penn State. Look for an offensive genius coach to pull out all the stops in his final game.
12. Les Miles Will Be Ridiculed By His Fans After His Team Wiins
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This prediction is probably not as shocking as is expected at this point. Les Miles led his Tigers to a 10-2 record and a spot in the AT&T Cotton Bowl, but it was not enough to keep his doubters at bay. Miles is the coach that has every move second guessed by fans.
The Tigers had some close victories this year with questionable clock management and play-calling against teams they were favored to beat. There is no reason to think this one will be any different. Texas A&M is a formidable opponent, but they will not be able to overcome LSU's defense.
11. Northwestern Gets Its First Bowl Victory Since 1949
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Northwestern fans have suffered through a bowl victory drought for so long that only the most seasoned fans remember the last time they got one. Well, happy days are here again Northwesterners! Your Wildcats are about to have some new hardware to add to the dusty trophy case.
They will be facing a high-powered Texas Tech offense. It will be a mighty test for a Wildcats' defense that struggled down the stretch. The extra rest has allowed the Wildcats to get healthy. With a full arsenal of defensive talent, the Northwestern coaching staff will be able to put together a game plan to limit the Red Raiders offense and lead the Wildcats to the promise land.
10. Ryan Mallett To Boost NFL Status With a Four TD Performance
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Ryan Mallett has all the tools that scouts look for in a NFL Quarterback. It is his intangibles that have been called into question. Those same scouts will be watching the All State Sugar Bowl closely to see how Mallett performs on a big stage.
No one knows better how important this game is to his Draft status then Mallett himself. Look for Mallett to come out prepared and ready to light up the scoreboard as he goes against an Ohio State team that is reeling and depleted from a recent slew of suspensions.
9. Bob Stoops Remembers How to Coach a Bowl Game in 35 Point Victory
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Bob Stoops has been at the helm of Oklahoma for five straight bowl game defeats. A fact I am sure he is acutely aware of. So, as he and his team prepare for what appears to be a big mismatch, do not expect them to overlook anything.
Stoops will have his team prepared for anything the University of Connecticut has to throw at them. The Huskies like to win behind their ground game and Stoops will have his team ready to take the ground out from under the Huskies. If you are crunched for bowl game viewing time, skip this one.
8. Pitt's Jon Baldwin Will Haul in Three TD Passes
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Jon Baldwin is a receiver that has all the tools. He has NFL scouts drooling over his pro potential. He is going to put all of these tools on full display in the BBVA Compass Bowl.
Baldwin is likely going to face game long double teams. It won't matter. He is set to shred an over-matched University of Kentucky secondary.
7. Wisconsin-TCU Are Going To Put Up 1,000 Yards of Offense
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Both of these teams can put up points and yards. Their Rose Bowl match-up will be no different. While TCU is allowing on average just over 11 points a game, they have yet to face an offense quite like Wisconsin's.
The Badgers' Offensive Line is going to wear down the Horned Frogs up front and pave the way for some big plays on the ground and in the air. Conversely, the Badgers will offer little in the way of resistance to TCU's own punishing running attack.
6. Andrew Luck Will Help Jim Harbaugh Decide to Leave Stanford
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If Jim Harbaugh holds any doubt about his future, Stanford QB Andrew Luck is going to erase it. Luck will not do this by a heartfelt conversation or with any words at all. He will do it with yet another stellar performance on the field.
With another impeccable performance by Luck in the biggest game of Harbaugh's coaching career, Harbaugh will decide it is better to start over someplace else than try to fill the Paul Bunyan size shoes left behind by Luck at Stanford.
5. Nevada's Lopsided Victory Will Increase College Playoff Chatter
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Nevada's pistol offense is clicking. It is clicking to the tune of 535 yards per game. While Boston College has a solid defense, it is going to be over-matched in this contest.
Nevada is going to run all over BC and win by 20. They are going to announce to the country that Boise State isn't the only WAC team to get snubbed by the bowls. Once again, the lament of the college football fan at the end of the bowl season will be about the matchups that could have been in a playoff system. They will point to the performance of Nevada as their first piece of evidence.
4. Virginia Tech Will Find Luck Is on Their Opposition's Side
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You didn't think I could get through this without making an Andrew Luck pun did you? Punny business aside, Virginia Tech is over-matched in this game. Stanford is playing great on both sides of the ball.
The Cardinal's powerful defensive front will stuff the Hokies' rushing attack and this will leave the ball in Luck's capable hands for far too much time. Stanford is going to wear the Hokies down and then out.
3. Oregon-Auburn Will Not Be The High Scoring Affair Many Believe
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This year's national title game features two teams that average well over 40 points a game. You do not go undefeated in major college football though without being able to play some defense. Look for early nerves and tougher than anticipated defense to keep the scoring down early in this contest.
While the offenses may settle into a late groove, it will not be enough to get the total to the 80 point level many anticipate.
2. Officials Will Take Center Stage on The Biggest Stage
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Oregon's frantic pace can be a shock to the system for those not accustomed to witnessing it. This game is going to be officiated by people not accustomed to it. Look for it to create some questionable calls on the line of scrimmage, possibly affecting a play or two down the field with a ref being out of position.
1. Cam Newton Will Secure Legacy With a Last Minute TD Drive
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This game is going to find its rhythm in the second half. It is shaping up to be a back and forth contest. Auburn has enough offense to keep the Duck from controlling the ball and consequently wearing out the Tigers' defense.
With the game on the line and the clock and season approaching its end, Cam Newton is going to conjure up memories of Vince Young's Championship drive against the Trojans as he runs and throws on a tiring Ducks' defense.
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