BCS Bowl Predictions: MVP Predictions for BCS Bowls and Best Non-BCS Matchups

The 2011 Bowl Season is underway and there have already been a few great performances, but they will pale in comparison to the performances of these players in the "best non-BCS" and BCS bowl matchups.

There are some great matchups this bowl season, whether it is the "mini-national championship" game between No. 3 Oklahoma State and No. 4 Stanford, the grandaddy of them all featuring No. 10 Wisconsin and. No. 5 Oregon or the actual BCS championship featuring No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama.

The 2011 bowl season will definitely be one to watch, both for the actual results of the games and for the performances that are undoubtedly going to amaze college football fans around the nation.  

Here are the predictions of which players will win the MVP awards of their respective bowl matchups.  

Insight Bowl: Iowa vs. No. 14 Oklahoma ... Oklahoma QB Landry Jones

No offense to the Iowa Hawkeyes, who lost to the lowly Minnesota Gophers but managed to beat the 13th ranked Michigan Wolverines, but they just won't be able to hang with Landry Jones and the Oklahoma Sooners.  

The Hawkeyes don't necessarily excel at anything offensively, they are ranked 53rd in scoring, 77th in rushing yards per game and 57th in passing yards per game.  The Sooners on the other hand, have the nation's fourth-ranked passing offense led by potential first-round draft pick Landry Jones. 

Landry Jones will tear apart the Hawkeyes' secondary in his final game audition for NFL teams, putting up numbers to the tune of 415 yards and four touchdowns.  That production will earn him the Insight Bowl MVP trophy. 

Champs Sports Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Florida State ... Notre Dame LB Manti Te'o

The Fighting Irish got an early Christmas gift when junior Manti Te'o announced he would be returning for his senior season next year.  There is no doubt that Te'o is the best player on the entire Fighting Irish roster and they are lucky to have him for another year. 

This Champs Sports Bowl will give Te'o a great opportunity to put his incredible strength and athleticism on display against a solid Florida State team.  Florida State's defense ranks fourth nationally, and Notre Dame will have a difficult time scoring more than 17 points, but that is all they'll need because Te'o will have little trouble anchoring Notre Dame's defense and holding FSU to only 14 points.

Te'o will account for no less than 15 tackles and 1.0 sacks, helping the Notre Dame Fighting Irish earn a much needed bowl win and bringing home the Champs Sports Bowl MVP trophy for himself.   

Valero Alamo Bowl: Washington vs. No. 17 Baylor ... Baylor QB Robert Griffin III

This one is really a no-brainer.  RGIII has been the most outstanding player on the field every game this year, so why would that change in the 2011 Alamo Bowl?  Good news for Griffin and Baylor, that won't change, and Griffin will be named the Alamo Bowl MVP, adding yet another piece of hardware to his trophy list. 

The Huskies' secondary won't be able to contain Griffin's passing attack, and when they think they are about to, Griffin will burn the Huskies' defense on the ground with his athleticism.  

Robert Griffin III is going to have one of the best statistical games of his 2011 season in the Alamo Bowl, and he is going to do so with ease.  Griffin will put his Heisman skills on display, and he'll show the college football world why he is deserving of the Heisman honor and the Alamo Bowl MVP.

Chik-Fil-a Bowl: Virginia vs. No. 25 Auburn ... Virginia RB Perry Jones

Both Auburn and Virginia will be coming off of absolutely embarrassing end of the season losses with UVA losing to Va Tech 38-0 and Auburn losing to Alabama 42-14.  While I think Auburn will be hungrier for a win than Virginia, losing running back Michael Dyer for undisclosed reasons is going to be their Achilles' Heel.

Virginia hasn't been the most overwhelming offensive team all season but they have gotten the job done, almost earning themselves a spot in the ACC championship game.  One of the brightest spots of UVA's offense was the production of RB Perry Jones.  Jones accounted for eight total touchdowns and 1299 total yards.

Perry's production will continue against Auburn's 78th-ranked defense, producing to the tune of 180 total yards and two touchdowns, earning him the Chik-fil-A Bowl MVP trophy.  

TicketCity Bowl: No. 19 Houston vs. No. 22 Penn State ... PSU RB Silas Redd

Wait a minute, Case Keenum isn't the TicketCity Bowl MVP? No he's not, and it's not because Penn State's defense will blanket him in the TicketCity Bowl, it's because Silas Redd and Penn State's rushing attack will do a great job of keeping the ball out of Keenum's hands throughout the game.  

Houston boasts the 77th-ranked rushing defense in the nation, giving up around 171.7 yards per game, which fits well with Penn State's rushing attack which averages 180.0 yards per game.  Silas Redd will lead the Nittany Lions' rushing attack, keeping the ball away from Case Keenum by slowly moving the ball up the field against Houston's weak defense.

Silas Redd will rush for over 170 yards and earn three touchdowns, which will easily result in Redd taking home the TicketCity Bowl MVP trophy and starting the talk of a 2012 Heisman campaign.    

Capital One Bowl: No. 20 Nebraska vs. No. 9 South Carolina ... SC DE Melvin Ingram

The 2012 Capital One Bowl will provide college football fans with quite a matchup.  It pits Nebraska's 13th-ranked rushing defense against Melvin Ingram and the Gamecocks 45th-ranked rushing defense.  I know this is a long shot, but I still think it's possible that South Carolina's DE Melvin Ingram could walk away with the Capital One Bowl MVP trophy.

Ingram will be the key to the Gamecocks being able to contain Nebraska's rushing tandem of Taylor Martinez and Rex Burkhead.  If Ingram can get pressure on the running game and contain the rushing attack to the middle of the field, it will force the Cornhuskers into passing situations which won't bode well for them. 

Ingram will account for six total tackles, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles, which will lead the Gamecocks to a big bowl win while at the same time earning himself the Capital One Bowl MVP trophy. 

Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl: Ohio State vs. Florida ... OSU RB Dan Herron

Ohio State against the Florida Gators.  A battle between Urban Meyer's old team and the team about to become his new one.  A rematch of the 2007 BCS National Championship game.  I mean, could there be anymore storylines for this game?  The key to this game won't be who's on the sideline coaching, it will be the rushing attack of the Ohio State Buckeyes, anchored by senior running back Dan Herron.

In his first three games back after serving a six-game suspension, Herron rushed for 415 yards on 70 carries, earning him an average of 5.9 yards per carry.  Florida won't be able to handle the running tandem of Herron and quarterback Braxton Miller, but they will undoubtedly key on stopping Miller, which will leave the field wide open for Herron to dominate.

Dan "boom" Herron will rush for 180 yards and two touchdowns, which will be enough to earn him the Gator Bowl MVP trophy and earn the Buckeyes and new coach Urban Meyer a big bowl win.    

Outback Bowl: No. 17 Michigan State vs. No. 16 Georgia ... MSU WR Keshawn Martin

The main difference between Michigan State and Georgia is that one of them proved they couldn't handle the top-tier competition of the SEC, and the other proved they were one terrible penalty away from being the Big Ten champion.

Statistically speaking, it's uncanny how identical these two teams are.  Just look at these comparisons: passing yards per game (Spartans 247, Bulldogs 241), rushing yards per game (Bulldogs 172, Spartans 143), points per game (Spartans 31, Bulldogs 32) and points allowed per game (Spartans 17.5, Bulldogs 19.6).

The difference maker in this game is going to be MSU WR/PR Keshawn Martin.  Much like Tyrann Mathieu did against Georgia, Martin will burn Georgia's special teams for two big punt returns, one resulting in a touchdown.  Martin will account for a total of 250 yards and three touchdowns, easily earning him the Outback Bowl MVP trophy in what will be his last game as a Spartan.   

AT&T Cotton Bowl: No. 8 Kansas State vs. No. 6 Arkansas ... KSU QB Collin Klein

Kansas State and Arkansas both feel that they were snubbed by the BCS selection committee and they will both try to show the committee that they made a mistake by not sending them to a BCS bowl game.

Arkansas' two losses came in blowout fashion to the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the nation, in LSU and Alabama. Kansas State's two losses came to No. 4 Oklahoma State in a nail biter and to No. 14 Oklahoma in a blowout. 

Both teams will be hungry to end their seasons on a high note, but the hungriest of them all will be Kansas State QB Collin Klein.  Klein's 2011 production was pretty impressive, accounting for 1,745 passing yards, 1,099 rushing yards and 38 total touchdowns.  Arkansas' pass defense is very good, ranked 27th in the nation, but that won't matter because Klein will burn their defense on the ground, not through the air. 

Kansas State will win a a close game, like they have all season, behind the legs of quarterback Collin Klein. Klein will rush for at least 150 yards and account for five total touchdowns, earning him the Cotton Bowl MVP trophy and starting the 2012 Heisman talk. 

AllState Sugar Bowl: No. 13 Michigan vs. No. 11 Va Tech ... UM QB Denard Robinson

The AllState Sugar Bowl features two teams that play very similar styles of games relying on the production of athletic quarterbacks who can both pass and run equally well.  The slight edge in this game, however, is given to the team with a more complete quarterback and that nod goes to Michigan and quarterback Denard Robinson.  

Denard Robinson is a sight to see.  He never fails to produce highlight reel moments and jaw dropping plays.  Robinson knows what it takes to win big games as he's proved time and time again, and that will be the difference maker here.  Robinson averages 96.9 yards per game on the ground and 171 yards through the air.  Those numbers aren't astounding and he will be able to outproduce his averages come bowl season.

Denard Robinson will show Virginia Tech they can't hang with Big Ten competition, winning the AllState Sugar Bowl on the shoelaces of Denard Robinson who will account for four touchdowns and 425 all purpose yards on his way to winning the Sugar Bowl MVP trophy.  

Discover Orange Bowl: No. 23 WVU vs. No. 15 Clemson ... Clemson WR Sammy Watkins

Here is an interesting matchup between West Virginia, the only currently ranked Big East team playing in a bowl, and Clemson, who was an early favorite to make it to the BCS National Championship Game after an 8-0 start.  Both teams fell short of their respective expectations, but they landed nicely in this BCS bowl matchup. 

For Clemson, the emergence of freshman wide receiver Sammy Watkins was the surprise of the season.  In his first nine collegiate games he had five 100-plus yard receiving games and 10 receiving touchdowns.  Watkins accumulated 1,153 yards and 11 touchdowns on only 77 receptions, earning him an average of 15.0 yards per catch.  West Virginia has the nation's 32nd-ranked passing defense but Watkins will give them lots of trouble with his speed and quickness off the line of scrimmage.

Look for Clemson to utilize Watkins in a wildcat formation to keep the Mountaineers on their heels for most of the game.  Watkins will account for 220 yards of total offense and three touchdowns, earning Clemson their first BCS win in over 60 years.  Watkins will bring home the Discover Orange Bowl MVP trophy, which will start the 2012 Heisman campaign talk down in Clemson. 

2012 Rose Bowl: No. 10 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Oregon ... Oregon RB LaMichael James

Wisconsin vs. Oregon in the 2012 Rose Bowl will undoubtedly be one of the best bowl matchups of the 2011-12 bowl season.  This matchup features two prolific offenses that play vastly different styles of offense, with Wisconsin running a more traditional offense as opposed to Oregon's fast-paced spread offense.

The difference maker in this game will be the unbelievable speed of Oregon running back LaMichael James.  James has put together four 200-plus yard games and the 2012 Rose Bowl will be no different.  Wisconsin won't be able to handle James' speed and explosive athleticism, the likes of which they haven't seen all season in the more power-focused Big Ten. 

LaMichael James will rush for 215 yards and score at least three touchdowns becoming the 2012 Rose Bowl's most valuable player, proving to pro scouts that he has what it takes to take his game to the next level in the NFL.  

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: No. 4 Stanford vs. No. 3 OK State ... Stanford QB Andrew Luck

This "mini national championship" will end up being an absolute shootout.  Oklahoma State boasts the nation's 102nd-ranked passing defense, while Stanford isn't much better with the nation's 78th best passing defense.  In a game where both teams rely heavily on the passing game, the difference maker will be which quarterback will be able to be more consistent and that man is Andrew Luck. 

Andrew Luck is going to give Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden a hard lesson in what it takes to be considered an elite NFL quarterback prospect.  Luck has the better quarterback rating at 167.5, compared to Weeden's overall rating of 159.1.  While that difference isn't enormous, it is enough to give Luck the advantage in this Fiesta Bowl matchup. 

Andrew Luck will lead his Cardinals to one final win in his last game with the team.  He will pass for over 375 yards and five touchdowns, making him the clear winner of the 2012 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl MVP trophy. 

AllState BCS Championship: No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 1 LSU ... Alabama WR Marquis Maze

Here's a shocker.  The BCS championship game MVP won't be either of the two Heisman finalists, Bama RB Trent Richardson or LSU CB Tyrann Mathieu, and it won't be a player from either of the first or second-ranked defenses in the game either.  The BCS championship game MVP will be Alabama wide receiver and special teams man Marquis Maze.

Senior receiver Marquis Maze will win the BCS championship MVP trophy because the Crimson Tide will utilize him in a wildcat formation.  If Alabama wants to win this game, and prove that they are 2011's best college football team, they have to surprise LSU and they can do just that by coming out in a wildcat formation with Trent Richardson and Marquis Maze. LSU's defense will undoubtedly key in on stopping Richardson, which will leave the outside of the field open for Maze. 

Marquis Maze will have the best game of his Alabama career, accounting for 85 receiving yards, 105 rushing yards, 120 return yards and a total of two touchdowns.  Maze will earn himself the BCS championship game MVP trophy while helping the Crimson Tide win their second BCS national championship in the past three years.