2011 Bowl Predictions: Picking Winners of the SEC vs. Big Ten Showdowns

Most college football fans are looking forward to Jan. 2, because that’s the day when two of the best bowl games of the season will be played: the Rose Bowl pitting Oregon against Wisconsin and the Fiesta Bowl featuring Oklahoma State and Stanford.

But it’s also a day when the Big Ten and the SEC will put their bragging rights on the line.

Well, sort off.

The three top teams from the SEC East—Georgia, South Carolina and Florida—will all take on Big Ten opponents down in Florida on Jan. 2.

For the Big Ten, it will be Nebraska, Michigan State and Ohio State representing the conference down in the Sunshine State.

Obviously, the SEC East was the weaker of the conference’s two divisions this year, but still, if the Big Ten can notch a few victories against opponents from the supposed "most powerful conference in college football," it will definitely help earn the league some more respect and credibility.

For the past few years, we’ve all heard that the Big Ten doesn’t have the speed and the type of athletes to keep up with SEC teams, but now the Cornhuskers, the Spartans and the Buckeyes will all have the opportunity to change that belief.

Here’s a look at who I think has the best chance of winning each of the three big SEC-Big Ten bowl battles.

Outback Bowl: Michigan State vs. Georgia

Michigan State be peeved that in-state rival Michigan made it into a BCS bowl game over the Spartans, who actually won their division and made it to the Big Ten title game. The boys from East Landing probably aren’t all that excited about playing an SEC team in a bowl game again, considering what happened to them against Alabama last season.

I doubt we’ll see another 49-7 drubbing this time around, but the Spartans are still going to have their hands full with Georgia QB Aaron Murray and a fierce Bulldogs defense.

Michigan State has a great defense of its own, though, as the Spartans rank in the Top 10 nationally in both scoring defense and total defense, and they’ve allowed just 17.5 points per game this year.

What I ultimately think this game will come down to is the efficiency of both quarterbacks.

Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins and Georgia QB Aaron Murray are both experienced signal-callers, who shouldn’t be overwhelmed by having to go up against a stout defense.

Cousins, who will be playing in his last collegiate game, will be looking to end his career on a high note, while Murray will be looking to kick start his 2012 Heisman campaign with a big postseason performance.

On paper, this is one of the most evenly matched games of the bowl season, and both of these teams have the type of balance on both sides of the ball that you like to see.

This one’s a tough one to call, but as a long-time Kirk Cousins fan, my heart tells me to go with the Spartans in what should be one of the most physical and hard-fought bowls of the postseason.

Pick: Michigan State

Gator Bowl: Ohio State vs. Florida

Usually a matchup of two power programs like Ohio State and Florida would garner a ton of buzz around the college football world, but given that these two teams suffered through such mediocre seasons this year, it’s hard to really get excited for this one.

This game's being billed as Urban Meyer’s new team versus his old team, even though Meyer won’t be coaching in the game.

It will be up to Luke Fickell, who didn’t exactly have a dream season as an interim head coach this year, to guide the Buckeyes to victory.

If there’s one coach who can sympathize with Fickell’s pain of struggling through a rough season, it’s Florida’s Will Muschamp, whose first campaign in Gainesville didn’t exactly get Gator fans all that excited.

Yes, losing starting quarterback John Brantley for a few games during the middle of the year certainly hurt this team’s chances—they suffered four consecutive losses during the brutal part of their schedule— but if there’s one fanbase that doesn’t tolerate excuses, it’s Florida’s.

That’s why it will be Muschamp who has the most to gain from this game, as he tries to salvage an otherwise disastrous 6-6 season.

The question is, can the Florida coach finally get his players to perform up to their potential?

The Gators have the clear athletic and talent advantage for this one, but it’s those same talented players who haven’t gotten the job done this season.

If senior leaders like Brantley, Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey and Jaye Howard can motivate this Florida team, the Gators should be able to cap off their disappointing year with a victory. But if this is the same team that we saw mail it in against Florida State in the final game of the season, then the Buckeyes will definitely have a chance to come out on top.

In the end, I think the Gators are just too athletically superior, and if they put forth the effort and play with the right attitude, they should be able to get the job done.

Pick: Florida

Capital One Bowl: Nebraska vs. South Carolina

Nebraska and South Carolina are two teams that had high expectations going into the 2011 season, but in the end, both of them ended up missing out on their respective conference championship games.

Just because they were a little underwhelming this year doesn’t mean that these squads aren’t supremely talented teams, though.

You can bet that a few NFL scouts will be in attendance for this one, as they try to get a peak at guys like CB Alfonzo Dennard, DE Melvin Ingram, S Antonio Allen and the many other talented pro prospects that will be on display.

South Carolina may have suffered one of the most crippling injuries of the year—when star RB Marcus Lattimore went down for the season back in Week 7—but Steve Spurrier’s squad still managed to reach the 10-win plateau without him.

The Gamecocks definitely have the type of offensive firepower to put pressure on a Nebraska defense that didn’t come close to living up to expectations this year.

I think in the end this game will come down to how well South Carolina QB Connor Shaw plays, and how much pressure the South Carolina front four is able to get on Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez.

The Gamecocks have one of the most underrated defenses in the country, and if they come to play, they should definitely be able to contain Martinez, RB Rex Burkhead and the rest of the Nebraska offense.

Pick: South Carolina