Two weeks ago we posted our previews and predictions of every non-BCS Bowl Game, but today we preview the five BCS games. These will be fun and exciting, just like the regular season was. Enjoy!
Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs Stanford:
Greg: STANFORD--Wisconsin struggled mightily throughout the season except in the Big 10 championship game against quality opponents. Stanford’s rush defense is one of the best in the country. The Pac-12 wins this matchup of run-first opponents.
Andrew: STANFORD – If the game were played immediately after the season, it would have been tough to go against the Badgers after they dismantled Nebraska in the Big Ten Championship. But this game is a month later so momentum isn’t a factor, and head coach Bret Bielema bolted for Arkansas. Stanford also closed the season hot, winning their last seven games, including a win against the team I believe is the best in the nation: Oregon. They have a defense that excels at stopping the run, which is what Wisconsin loves to do. While I always root for the Big Ten, I’m not picking them here…
Greg Add-on: As a side note on this- Stanford are the Pac-12 champs, having beaten Oregon in Eugene. You cannot continue to assert that Oregon is the best team in the nation when they are A) not undefeated, and B) did not win their own conference. The best team in the country will be decided on Jan 7 when one of the only two undefeated teams in the country (Notre Dame) and the Champions of the SEC (which has 3 teams that I’d rank above Oregon) play for the National Championship, a game that Oregon is not a part of. Oregon is not a part of it due to their own inability to handle pressure and win the only game this whole season that was close.
Orange Bowl: Northern Illinois vs Florida State:
Greg: NORTHERN ILLINOIS--I’m going to go with the underdog in this one- against my better judgement. The MAC played well against power conference teams all year long. I didn’t pick them much in the non-BCS games because they were not playing against power conference teams. These MAC kids have a chip on their should because many of them feel they should have played/were good enough to play power conference division I football. The Huskies come out and shock the Seminoles in florida.
Andrew: FLORIDA STATE – I don’t even believe Northern Illinois should be in a BCS game, so I’m definitely not picking them. Florida State is clearly superior, particularly on defense, and they have played (and beaten) much better competition this year. But I’ll still be rooting on the underdogs despite this pick…
Sugar Bowl: Louisville vs Florida:
Greg: FLORIDA--The Gators will crush the Cardinals in this one. I think this will mainly be due to the line play on both sides of the ball. Florida will dominate on defense and cause almost as many turnovers as Louisville scores points.
Andrew: FLORIDA – What I said about the Orange Bowl also applies here. Louisville is underserving of this game, while Florida was close to playing for the National Championship. So just like that other game, I’m taking the favorite from Florida. And I will be rooting for them also. Blowout city in this one!
Fiesta Bowl:Oregon vs Kansas State:
Greg: KANSAS STATE: Just to go against Andrew’s self-proclaimed team of the century, I am picking Kansas State in this game. Kansas State has a ton to prove in this game, and I think they show up and play well. Colin Klein and the Wildcat offense will run all over the weakling Ducks and will win a competitive, well played game.
Andrew: OREGON – This is one of the best matchups in any bowl game; in fact, at one point this looked like it could be the National Championship matchup. But I’m taking the Ducks by a comfy margin. I fully believe Oregon is the best team in all the land and would win a playoff if there were one in college football. Their offense is the best in the country and the defense is underrated. Go Ducks!
BCS National Championship game:Notre Dame vs Alabama:
Greg: NOTRE DAME -- As has been the case all year, Andrew’s logic is faulty when speaking about Notre Dame. In the only game that these two opponents had in common this season(Michigan) both teams dominated the Wolverines, but Notre Dame did it at home instead of at a “Neutral” site. Notre Dame has the best defensive line and front seven in football, and their secondary has improved all year long. If Everett Golson plays well, the Irish will win this game. I think he shows up, plays well and Brian Kelly continues the tradition of winning championships at Notre Dame in the third season as a head coach (Parsigian & Holtz also won championship in their third season). This will be a great game.
Andrew: ALABAMA – If you follow this blog you know Notre Dame has been a hot topic all season. Greg loves Notre Dame and I do not. I don’t believe they are the best team in the country (nor Alabama for that matter) and I think the Irish should have lost multiple times. Their schedule turned out to be soft while Alabama played against a bunch of great teams. The edge in coaching goes to the Crimson Tide just as the edge in talent also goes to Alabama. I will admit that the ND offense has improved throughout the year and could cause some issues in and out of this game, but Alabama will prove too tough. The only thing that scares me about this pick is that I’m sure Notre Dame feels disrespected and like underdogs, which will make them play a little more freely. But I still believe Alabama wins by at least two TD’s.
Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs Stanford:
Greg: STANFORD--Wisconsin struggled mightily throughout the season except in the Big 10 championship game against quality opponents. Stanford’s rush defense is one of the best in the country. The Pac-12 wins this matchup of run-first opponents.
Andrew: STANFORD – If the game were played immediately after the season, it would have been tough to go against the Badgers after they dismantled Nebraska in the Big Ten Championship. But this game is a month later so momentum isn’t a factor, and head coach Bret Bielema bolted for Arkansas. Stanford also closed the season hot, winning their last seven games, including a win against the team I believe is the best in the nation: Oregon. They have a defense that excels at stopping the run, which is what Wisconsin loves to do. While I always root for the Big Ten, I’m not picking them here…
Greg Add-on: As a side note on this- Stanford are the Pac-12 champs, having beaten Oregon in Eugene. You cannot continue to assert that Oregon is the best team in the nation when they are A) not undefeated, and B) did not win their own conference. The best team in the country will be decided on Jan 7 when one of the only two undefeated teams in the country (Notre Dame) and the Champions of the SEC (which has 3 teams that I’d rank above Oregon) play for the National Championship, a game that Oregon is not a part of. Oregon is not a part of it due to their own inability to handle pressure and win the only game this whole season that was close.
Orange Bowl: Northern Illinois vs Florida State:
Greg: NORTHERN ILLINOIS--I’m going to go with the underdog in this one- against my better judgement. The MAC played well against power conference teams all year long. I didn’t pick them much in the non-BCS games because they were not playing against power conference teams. These MAC kids have a chip on their should because many of them feel they should have played/were good enough to play power conference division I football. The Huskies come out and shock the Seminoles in florida.
Andrew: FLORIDA STATE – I don’t even believe Northern Illinois should be in a BCS game, so I’m definitely not picking them. Florida State is clearly superior, particularly on defense, and they have played (and beaten) much better competition this year. But I’ll still be rooting on the underdogs despite this pick…
Sugar Bowl: Louisville vs Florida:
Greg: FLORIDA--The Gators will crush the Cardinals in this one. I think this will mainly be due to the line play on both sides of the ball. Florida will dominate on defense and cause almost as many turnovers as Louisville scores points.
Andrew: FLORIDA – What I said about the Orange Bowl also applies here. Louisville is underserving of this game, while Florida was close to playing for the National Championship. So just like that other game, I’m taking the favorite from Florida. And I will be rooting for them also. Blowout city in this one!
Fiesta Bowl:Oregon vs Kansas State:
Greg: KANSAS STATE: Just to go against Andrew’s self-proclaimed team of the century, I am picking Kansas State in this game. Kansas State has a ton to prove in this game, and I think they show up and play well. Colin Klein and the Wildcat offense will run all over the weakling Ducks and will win a competitive, well played game.
Andrew: OREGON – This is one of the best matchups in any bowl game; in fact, at one point this looked like it could be the National Championship matchup. But I’m taking the Ducks by a comfy margin. I fully believe Oregon is the best team in all the land and would win a playoff if there were one in college football. Their offense is the best in the country and the defense is underrated. Go Ducks!
Greg: NOTRE DAME -- As has been the case all year, Andrew’s logic is faulty when speaking about Notre Dame. In the only game that these two opponents had in common this season(Michigan) both teams dominated the Wolverines, but Notre Dame did it at home instead of at a “Neutral” site. Notre Dame has the best defensive line and front seven in football, and their secondary has improved all year long. If Everett Golson plays well, the Irish will win this game. I think he shows up, plays well and Brian Kelly continues the tradition of winning championships at Notre Dame in the third season as a head coach (Parsigian & Holtz also won championship in their third season). This will be a great game.
Andrew: ALABAMA – If you follow this blog you know Notre Dame has been a hot topic all season. Greg loves Notre Dame and I do not. I don’t believe they are the best team in the country (nor Alabama for that matter) and I think the Irish should have lost multiple times. Their schedule turned out to be soft while Alabama played against a bunch of great teams. The edge in coaching goes to the Crimson Tide just as the edge in talent also goes to Alabama. I will admit that the ND offense has improved throughout the year and could cause some issues in and out of this game, but Alabama will prove too tough. The only thing that scares me about this pick is that I’m sure Notre Dame feels disrespected and like underdogs, which will make them play a little more freely. But I still believe Alabama wins by at least two TD’s.
Bowl Standings Update:
ReplyDeleteIn bowls through last night, Andrew and Greg are both 9-5 in their picks. Here are the updated overall totals:
Greg: 52-29
Andrew: 48-33
When Oregon wins and Notre Dame loses, it will be clear who is better... Although Alabama will be ranked 1st over both... #WhyNoPlayoff
ReplyDeleteAndrew is now 11-8 in Bowls, Greg is 10-9. Overall:
ReplyDeleteGreg: 53-33
Andrew: 50-36
Greg is now 14-9, Andrew is 13-11
ReplyDeleteOverall:
Greg:57-33
Andrew:52-38