Bowl Projections: Predicting the 3 Best Player vs. Player Matchups

Thanks to college football’s bowl season, fans get to see some of the best players across the nation battle each other and this year is no different.

And this year, the three best matchups will likely all come in BCS bowls.

Here are the three most exciting duels you can expect to see in January.

LaMichael James vs. Montee Ball

The first- and third-leading rushers per game will be likely opponents in this year’s Rose Bowl. Ball is second in the country in total rushing yards but if James had remained healthy all season while putting up the same numbers, he would be leading in that category.

The two are in completely opposite offenses—James works out of the spread while Ball does his work in a pro-style offense—but their production is undeniable. Ball has an incredible 29 touchdowns on the year but James is averaging over seven yards per carry.

It should be fun watching these two guys battle it out for yards.

Andrew Luck vs. Brandon Weeden/Landry Jones

Whoever wins Saturday’s game between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will likely face Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl and it would be a great display of quarterback talent.

All three of these players were in the Heisman race at one point in the season and there is a very good chance Luck will win the prestigious award.

None of these teams have a particularly good pass defense either, so there should be a lot of yards between the quarterbacks.

Denard Robinson vs. Case Keenum

Assuming Houston beats Southern Miss, they will in all likelihood face Michigan in what would be another fantastic display of stat-stuffing quarterbacks.

The two could not be more different in how they get their yards, Robinson doing most of his work on the ground while Keenum doing most of his through the air, but they command two of the most explosive offenses in the country.

If there was an award for the bowl game that most resembled a video game, this would be it and it’s all because of the quarterbacks.