2012-13 College Football Bowl Preview (Part III)

This is the final edition of my 2012-13 College Football Preview.  I thoroughly enjoyed writing these, and there has been a a lot of positive response about them.  This is definitely something that I will do again next year! (as always, all times are Eastern)

The Chick-fil-A Bowl: Monday December 31st, 7:30 pm.
#8 LSU (10-2) vs #14 Clemson (10-2) - This is the first matchup of the bowl season that features two teams that are ranked in the top 25.  These two teams make for a great matchup, with LSU's running game and defense going up against one the top offenses in the nation, led by Tajh Boyd and Clemson's group of dynamic receivers. LSU has thrived in games against top 25 opponents, going 3-2.  Clemson, on the other hand, has lost to the only ranked teams that they faced: South Carolina and Florida State.  LSU also played South Carolina, and beat them 23-21.  I guarantee there will be a trick play at some point, as these teams are led by two of the most gutsy (and some times crazy) coaches: Les Miles for LSU, and Dabo Swinney for Clemson. Straight Up Pick: LSU.

The Gator Bowl: Tuesday January 1st, 12:00 pm.
Mississippi State (8-4) vs #20 Northwestern (9-3) - The first of several great SEC vs Big Ten matchups; this one might be the best.  Both teams come in with something to prove.  Northwestern has not won a bowl game in 64 years (!) and they need this game to get the monkey off of their back.  Mississippi State needs this game to prove that they belong in the top of the SEC, even though they can't beat a ranked SEC team (0-3 this year).  Both teams have been exposed by the better teams on their schedule so we will see who is able to capitalize. Straight Up Pick: Northwestern.

The Heart of Dallas Bowl: Tuesday January 1st, 12:00 pm.
Purdue (6-6) vs Oklahoma State (7-5) - Defensively, these teams are almost the same: not good (ranked 72nd and 73rd in total defense).  It's when you look at the offenses where you see a difference. Oklahoma is 4th in points scored, 7th in passing, and 22nd in rushing.  Purdue is 54th or worse in all of those categories.  To their defense, Purdue won their last 3 games to become bowl eligible, including a great comeback win against Iowa.  But they are 0-1 against ranked teams, while Oklahoma State is 2-3.  Straight Up Pick: Oklahoma State.


The Outback Bowl: Tuesday January 1st, 1:00 pm.
#10 South Carolina (10-2) vs #18 Michigan (8-4) - In this marquee Big Ten-SEC game, South Carolina and Michigan square off in what should be one of the more entertaining games.  Michigan's elite dual threat quarterback Denard Robinson has been relegated to receiver running back because of an arm injury.  But he might be even more dangerous, because Michigan went 3-1 after backup Devin Gardner stepped in to take his place.  South Carolina has taken care of everyone on the schedule save their two losses against LSU and Florida, but they do boast a 35-7 win over Georgia.  However, they are missing a key piece to their offense in running back Marcus Lattimore, who is out with a broken leg.  Straight Up Pick: Michigan.

The Capital One Bowl: Tuesday January 1st, 1:00 pm.
#7 Georgia (11-2) vs #16 Nebraska (10-3) - Both losers of their conference championship game, Georgia and Nebraska clash in a battle of quarterbacks   Nebraska's Taylor Martinez and Georgia's Aaron Murray, will attempt to lead their teams to victory against a couple of tough ball-pursuit defenses.  Georgia will be without DT John Jenkins, who is a key part of their rush defense.  They will need every bit of that rush defense against Nebraska's attack, which ranks 8th in the nation.  Straight Up Pick: Georgia.

The Rose Bowl: Tuesday January 1st, 5:00 pm.
#6 Stanford (10-2) vs Wisconsin (8-5) - There is nothing better than the "Granddaddy of Them All" - The Rose Bowl.  Thanks to the NCAA bowl bans against Ohio State and Penn State, Wisconsin received the Big Ten Championship Game big and took advantage of it. Wisconsin comes in an interesting situation, demolishing Nebraska in the Big Ten Championship Game 70-31, having their coach leave, and then using their athletic directer, Barry Alvarez, as an interim coach.  But this isn't just any athletic directer: Alvarez led Wisconsin to 3 Rose Bowl victories in the 1990's.  Does the magic remain, or will Stanford's top notch defense and stellar running game put Wisconsin in a sleep that they will not be able to rise from? Stanford was 5-1 against ranked teams this year, including their last 4 games against teams that were all ranked in the top 25.  Straight Up Pick: Stanford.

The Discover Orange Bowl: Tuesday January 1st, 8:30 pm.
#15 Northern Illinois (12-1) vs #12 Florida State (11-2) - If you love an underdog, you have to love Northern Illinois.  They busted the BCS by beating Kent State 44-37 in a dramatic double overtime MAC Championship Game.  Their only loss of the year came by one point against Iowa, and they are led by incredible quarterback Jordan Lynch.  Lynch has compiled almost 3000 yards passing and over 1700 yards rushing.  Northern Illinois is up against a tough task, however.  Florida State boasts the number 6 ranked defense, a win against Clemson, and an ACC championship.  With senior signal caller EJ Manuel at the helm, the Seminoles are in a good place for a victory.  Straight Up Pick: Florida State.

The Allstate Sugar Bowl: Wednesday January 2nd, 8:30 pm.

#21 Louisville (10-2) vs #3 Florida (11-1) - Louisville had a great year this year, winning the Big East and landing a BCS Bowl bid.  But the good news stops there.  They have yet to play a ranked team, and their season included losses to Syracuse and Connecticut. They do have a great playmaker in quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, but that might not be enough against Florida's 3rd ranked defense.  Sometimes stats lie, but this was a defense that held LSU to 6 points, South Carolina to 11, Missouri to 7, and Georgia to 17.  More impressively they held Heisman Winner Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M to just 17 points.  On offense they always seem to have just enough to win, with their only loss coming to Georgia when they simply could not move the ball.  Straight Up Pick: Florida.

The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Thursday January 3rd, 8:30 pm.
#4 Oregon (11-1) vs #5 Kansas State (11-1) - With a few weeks left, many people thought that this would be the matchup in the National Championship.  But Stanford took down Oregon in OT and the next week Baylor pulled a gigantic upset of Kansas State, throttling them 52-24.  Both teams have great conflicting styles.  Kansas State is content to bore you to death with a power running game and solid defense, while Oregon tries to run as many plays as they can.  Oregon has the number 2 scoring offense, and number 3 rushing attacks in the nation.  They don't play much defense, so it's safe to say that is will be a relativity high scoring game.  Straight Up Pick: Oregon.

The AT&T Cotton Bowl: Friday January 4th, 8:00 pm.
#9 Texas A&M (10-2) vs #11 Oklahoma (10-2) - Now THIS is a game.  Heisman winner Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M take on Landry Jones and Oklahoma.  Both teams bring average defenses and top level offenses to the table. These former Big 12 foes will be sure to duke it out to rabid crowds in Dallas.  A&M had one of the best upsets of the year, beating (then #1) Alabama, but lost to LSU and Florida.  Oklahoma lost to Notre Dame and Kansas State, but beat the other two ranked teams on their schedule.  Straight Up Pick: Oklahoma.

The BBVA Compass Bowl: Saturday January 5th, 1:00 pm.
Ole Miss (6-6) vs Pittsburgh (6-6) - Pittsburgh might be the most inconsistent team ever.  They took Notre Dame to the wire in 3 overtimes and beat Rutgers, but lost to the likes of Youngstown State and Connecticut. They do boast an above average defense, and leadership at the quarterback position in senior Tino Sunseri.  Ole Miss on the other hand has been one of the nation's rebuilding projects over the last few years, and has started to climb back into the thick of things with a 3-5 record in the SEC this year.  They are pretty balanced in all phases of the game, but can really sling it around on offense if they need to.  Straight Up Pick: Ole Miss.

The Godadyy.com Bowl: Sunday January 6th, 9:00 pm.

#25 Kent State (11-2) vs Arkansas State (9-3) - Kent State was in position to land a BCS berth before Northern Illinois mounted a comeback and won the MAC Championship Game in triple overtime.  Now, the Golden Flashes are taking on Arkansas State.  Both teams have average defenses and great running games.  Both teams are under the leadership of senior quarterbacks, Spencer Keith for Kent State, and Ryan Aplin for Arkansas State.  This looks like it will be one of the best under-the-radar bowl games. Straight Up Pick: Kent State.

You may have noticed that I left one very important game out: The BCS National Championship.  That is because I am doing a special game breakdown post just for that game.  It's that important.  But sadly, this is the last post of the Bowl Preview series. 'Til next time.

Super Bowl and Some Upsets

This has been the craziest last few days in sports. Good thing I am here to straighten it out.

Today, Sunday January 22nd, former Penn State head coach Joe Paterno passed away at the age of 85 due to complications with lung cancer.  Paterno won 409 career games as a head coach, all of them with Penn State. He is the all time winningest coach in college football history.  He took the Nittany Lions to 37 bowl games and two national championships, and over 250 of his players would go on to the NFL. "He will go down as the greatest football coach in the history of the game," Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said today.  The circumstances surrounding his death are extremely sad. 

How do I describe this week in college basketball? Exciting? Crazy? Unstable? How ever you say it, it was awesome for any hoops fan, or anyone that loves to watch a good upset.  The first team I would like to highlight is Baylor.  The Bears came into this week 17-0 and ranked #3 with two top ten matchups within  the Big 12. They lost them both. First, an 18 point whooping at #7 Kansas, followed by a 1 point 89-88 loss at home to #5 Missouri.  This gives Kansas 16-3(6-0) the lead in the Big 12, but with a very tough schedule to come, that includes Missouri twice, and Baylor one more. Looks like a great race in the Big 12.  

Duke came into the week with a 45 home court winning streak. That streak is no more.  Thanks to the giant killer Florida State, Duke suffered their first ACC loss at the hands of the Seminoles.  Junior guard Michael Snaer hit a game winning three as time expired to upset the #4 Blue Devils 76-73. A week earlier the 'Noles upset #5 North Carolina 90-57. This is coming from a team that lost to Harvard and Princeton, and lost their first ACC game by 20 to a inconsistent rebuilding Clemson team. But Florida State is 4-1 in the ACC, and might be the hottest team in college hoops right now.  

After Baylor went down, there were two undefeated teams left: number 1 ranked Syracuse and Murray State. Then Syracuse lost.  Playing in a very hostile environment at Notre Dame, the Irish were in control of the game from the start, out hustling Syracuse the whole game. The Orange, playing without their starting center Fab Melo, who was unable to make the trip due to academic issues, were outmatched in the post. Notre Dame is now 12-8 (4-3 in the Big East), and has suffered this year after losing star forward Tim Abromaitis early in the season to an injury.  But this win could spark the Irish, who definitely have to ability to step up this year in the Big East. Syracuse still leads the Big East, however, leaving Murray State as the only undefeated team left in college basketball.

The Super Bowl matchup is set, and I can't wait.  Patriots vs. Giants. The New England Patriots, defeated the Baltimore Ravens 23-20 thanks to a Billy Cundiff missed 32 yard field goal with 11 seconds left to send the game into overtime. This will be Tom Brady's fifth career trip to the Super Bowl.  

It is very difficult to win games when you go 0-12 on 3rd down conversions. The San Francisco 49ers learned this, losing to the red hot New York Giants 20-17 in overtime. Two fumbles on punt returns for the normally turnover free 49ers led to a crucial touchdown and the game winning Lawrence Tynes field goal in overtime. Tynes also kicked a game winning overtime field goal in 2007 to put the Giants in the Super Bowl against the Patriots, which the Giants won. The stage is set for a great, deja-vu, Super Bowl!

The Super Bowl is set, college basketball is on fire, the NBA and the NHL are getting exciting, and I think I can almost smell spring training! 'Til Next Time.