Bowl Season

I hope that everyone had a good Christmas this year. I was out of town and couldn’t get to a computer so I decided to record every single bowl game since I have updated this and to predict them and watch them now. So I will put my predictions for the games I missed here, and then I will write how the teams got there and a game summary on my next post for each game.  The wrap up of the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl will also be in there.

Independence Bowl: Missouri vs North Carolina

Prediction: Missouri

Little Ceasar’s Bowl: Purdue vs Western Michigan

Prediction: Purdue

Belk Bowl: Louisville vs North Carolina State

Prediction: Louisville

Military Bowl: Air Force vs Toledo

Prediction: Toledo

Holiday Bowl: California vs Texas

Prediction: California

Champs Sports Bowl: Notre Dame vs Florida State

Prediction: Florida State

Alamo Bowl: Baylor vs Washington

Prediction: Baylor

Bell Helicopter Bowl: BYU vs Tulsa

Prediction: Tulsa

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Rutgers vs Iowa State

Prediction: Iowa State

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: Mississippi State vs Wake Forest

Prediction: Mississippi State

Insight Bowl: Iowa vs Oklahoma

Prediction: Oklahoma

Meineke Car Care Bowl: Texas A&M vs Northwestern

Prediction: Texas A&M

Hyundai Sun Bowl: Georgia Tech vs Utah

Prediction: Georgia Tech

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Illinois vs UCLA

Prediction: Illinois

Autozone Liberty Bowl: Cincinnati vs Vanderbilt

Prediction: Cincinnati

Chick-fil-a Bowl: Auburn vs Virginia

Prediction: Auburn

Ticketcity Bowl: Houston vs Penn State

Prediction: Penn State

Outback Bowl: Georgia vs Michigan State

Prediction: Michigan State

Capital One Bowl: South Carolina vs Nebraska

Prediction: South Carolina

Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl: Ohio State vs Florida

Prediction: Ohio State

Rose Bowl Game: Wisconsin vs Oregon

Prediction: Wisconsin

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State vs Stanford

Prediction: Oklahoma State

Allstate Sugar Bowl: Michigan vs Virginia Tech

Prediction: Michigan

Discover Orange Bowl: Clemson vs West Virginia

Prediction: Clemson

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Kansas State vs Arkansas

Prediction: Arkansas

BBVA Compass Bowl: SMU vs Pittsburgh

Prediction: Pittsburgh

GODADDY.com Bowl: Arkansas State vs Northern Illinois

Prediction: Arkansas State

Allstate BCS National Title Game: LSU vs Alabama

Prediction: LSU

MAACO Bowl Las Vegas Wrap Up and Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Prediction

Boise State running back Doug Martin takes the opening kickoff back for a touchdown. Credit: usatoday.net

MAACO Bowl Las Vegas:

This game wasn’t even a contest. Boise State routed the Sun Devils of Arizona State 56-24. The first quarter was all Boise State. I figured the Broncos would have a pretty good special teams play, in fact they returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown.  Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore then completed a 14 yard touchdown pass to Tyler Shoemaker to make it 14-0 Boise State. This continued in the second quarter. Moore completed a touchdown pass to Matt Miller for another touchdown then Arizona State finally got on the board with a 32 yard field goal off the leg of Alex Garoutte.

Boise State then replied with a trick play where wideout Matt Miller threw a touchdown pass to Kyle Efaw. Arizona State never gave up and returned the opening kickoff of the second half back for a touchdown making the score 28-10. It looked like they may have a chance but the rest of this game was all Boise State for the most part. Boise scored 21 points in the fourth to clinch the win. The Broncos actually had one more turnover than the Sun Devils but the Sun Devils had a bunch of stupid penalties for players just not being smart. I am now 4-2 in picks.

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl:

How They Got Here:

Southern Miss:  The Golden Eagles of Southern Miss played a very weak schedule this season. They lost to Marshall in the second week of the season and also lost to UAB late. They beat Houston in the Conference-USA title game to earn some respect and ruin Houston’s BCS bid chances. They finished 11-2.

Nevada: The Wolf Pack lost to Oregon big out in Oregon in their opener and also lost a couple of other tough games against their conference winner Louisiana Tech and lost to a Texas Tech team that crushed Oklahoma and a seventh ranked Boise State Bronco team. They also couldn’t stop the Utah State Aggies and suffered a loss in that game. Nevada did finish with a 7-5 record though despite this.

Prediction:

This Bowl season has been absolutely insane so far but I think that I will take Southern Miss in this game in a close one. Southern Miss has a strongly balanced offense and a very strong offense. They were able to run and throw all over Houston and this team can score quickly or have a very time consuming drive. This team is so explosive and I think Nevada’s fifty-eighth ranked defense is going to have some problems stopping the Golden Eagles.

San Diego County Poinsettia Bowl Wrap Up and MAACO Bowl Las Vegas Bowl Prediction

San Diego County Poinsettia Bowl:

I was very concerned that Louisiana Tech was going to ruin the bowl game I had felt the safest about picking. Louisiana Tech nearly surprised the Horned Frogs of TCU but TCU got a much needed turn over and blanked the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in the fourth quarter to win the game. It was over after TCU scored the second touchdown in the fourth to take a 31-24 lead. I’m now 3-2 on picks.

MAACO Bowl Las Vegas:

How They Got Here:

Boise State: Boise State relied on quarterback Kellen Moore all season and has had an extremely weak schedule other than the game against Georgia and they are a very good offensive team. They went 11-1 this season and couldn’t get the last BCS bowl bid this season.

Arizona State: Arizona State fought injuries and despite a very weak season in the PAC-12 they were able to get into a bowl game at 6-6.

Prediction: Boise State always seems to play well in bowl games and always puts in a trick play or two. They beat Oklahoma with some excited plays in the Fiesta Bowl including a Statue of Liberty call and a Hook –and-Latter play that got them to an upset win. Then they beat TCU in a bowl game with the key play being a fake punt. Look for a trick play if needed, or even a big special teams play like a kickoff return for a touchdown. Boise State wins this game, but Arizona State will make it interesting.

Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl Game Summary and San Diego County Poinsettia Bowl Prediction

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl 2011

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl:

This game surprised me and I was yet again proved wrong by a team that I had picked against. That’s one thing about this bowl season. These games are so hard to predict due to how evenly matched a lot of these teams are. I’m 2-2 on my picks now and am hoping to improve that tonight.

If you live by the big play you can also die by big play. Florida International didn’t make the big play in this game and the offense couldn’t get much of anything going and the Florida International Golden Panther defense became very tired and was unable to make the necessary stops to defeat the Marshall Thundering Herd.

This game was tied at ten going into the half but Marshall blanked the Golden Panthers in the second half and the blocked punt was one the worst things that happened for Florida International. They just made too many mistakes and couldn’t win the game.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl:


How They Got Here:

TCU: The TCU Horned Frogs lost the opening college game on ESPN against Robert Griffin III and Baylor. TCU had a very easy schedule and were able to win all of their games in the Mountain West conference including an upset of Boise State, though they did suffer an embarrassing loss to SMU by seven in overtime.

Louisiana Tech: The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs were able to go 8-4 and 6-1 in the WAC conference. They give up twenty-two points per game which isn’t bad but the TCU offense puts up forty-two points per game so this will be entertaining.


My Prediction:
I am going to have to go with TCU who in my opinion deserved that last BCS bowl bid, though I wanted to see Baylor play in it. TCU will put up more points than this Louisiana Tech team can handle. The Horned Frogs win.

Saturday's Bowl Wrap Up: Tonights Bowl Match Up

LaVon Brazill number 7 and Ohio celebrate after scoring the go ahead touchdown.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl:

This game was really terrible. Temple played with a lead all game and were able to keep building that lead until the very end when Wyoming was able to score a late touchdown and make a two point conversion that was just to erase the margin of the loss. Temple drove right down the field and scored an opening touchdown which is nothing new since they scored nine opening drive touchdowns this year. The Temple Owls running game could not be stopped as Bernard Pierce ran for 100 yards, Chris Coyer ran for 71, and Matt Brown ran for another 49. Temple had 255 yards on the ground and completely blew out Wyoming 37-15.

My Prediction:  I predicted Temple in this bowl game so I'm starting at 1-0 for bowl picks this season.


Famous Idaho Potato Bowl:

This game was probably the best one yet of this bowl season. It was a thrilling game and came down to the final possession. Tyler Tettleton struggled early and had a ball slip from his hands on the second play of the game and just knocked the ball out of the back of the end zone to prevent Utah State from scoring a cheap touchdown. Then Utah State started to dominate in the running game. Michael Smith was Utah State's leading rusher with 157 yards and two touchdowns in this game on just twelve carries. It was starting to look like this game would be just another blow out but then Ohio started to come alive in the second half.  Tyler Tettleton led his team with his late game heroics as he threw a pass to LaVon Brazill on fourth down which got them inside the one yard line after a bunch of reviews that made no sense other than the original review. Tyler Tettleton was able to break outside and dive into the right corner of the end zone over the pylon to send his team to a 24-23 victory over the Utah State Aggies.

My Prediction: I predicted Ohio to win a high scoring game so I have improved to 2-0 in picks.


R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl:

This also turned out to be a great game and since San Diego State just didn't play well in the first half they were unable to win this 32-30 nail biter. This game ended on a 50 yard field goal by ULL kicker Brett Baer. Louisiana-Lafayette quarterback Blaine Gautier had a mind blowing 470 passing yards in this game. San Diego State played well in the second half and took a late lead but were not able to hold on and win the bowl game.

My Prediction: I predicted San Diego State in a blow out and I was wrong on this one. I am now 2-1 in picks.

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl:

How They Got Here:

Florida International: The Golden Panthers went 8-4 and they went 5-3 in the Sunbelt Conference. This team relies on big plays on offense and defense to lead them to victory. They are ranked 16th in points allowed this season.


Marshall: The Thundering Heard lost to all the big name teams they played this year though they did come out on top in some of the other games they have played. They went 6-6 overall and had a conference record of 5-3. This team has nothing that really jumps off the page at you but they need their quarterback Rakeem Cato to have a big game.

My Prediction: I'm going to have to go with Florida International in this game. Florida International's strong defense will lead them to a win in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg. This game is being played at Tropicanaa Field in St.Petersburg home of the MLB's Tampa Bay Rays.

Bowl Season Has Finally Arrived

It’s time to go bowling.  The College football bowl season kicks off today with a triple header.  Temple and Wyoming will face off in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl, Ohio takes on Utah State in the  Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, and San Diego State and Louisiana-Lafayette will play in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl tonight. All of these games will be on ESPN.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl:

How They Got Here:

Temple: Temple started the 2011 season with two wins over Villanova and Akron, Two not so great teams in college football. Then Penn State traveled into Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to play the Temple Owls. That was a great game where Temple had a strong chance to upset Penn State but Penn State scored late and that was the end of the game. I was at that game, and it was pretty great. Temple then crushed an awful Maryland team and then was crushed by Toledo. Temple was able to put beatings on Ball State and Buffalo but stumbled against Bowling Green and Ohio in the next two weeks. Temple then wrapped up the season with a three game winning streak.   Temple finished with an 8-4 record this season.

         

Wyoming:  Wyoming started well out of the gates in 2011 where they started 3-0. Wyoming then faced a tough Nebraska team that was able to beat them 38-14. The Wyoming Cowboys then got lassoed by Utah State 63-19. They then went on a two game winning streak beating UNLV and San Diego State. Wyoming then lost to a really good TCU team 31-20. The Cowboys then handled Air Force and New Mexico but lost to the seventh ranked Boise State Broncos. The Cowboys finished the season with a win over Colorado State. Wyoming also finished with an 8-4 record.

Prediction:  I believe that this will be a good game but Temple has the 13^th best defense in the country and is also 7^th in the running game. If Wyoming can keep Temple from being able to run the ball they will have a chance in this game since Temple isn’t a very good passing team. I do think that Temple junior running back Bernard Pierce will have a good game and Temple will beat Wyoming in the first bowl game of the 2011 bowl season.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl:

How They Got Here:

Ohio Bobcats:  Ohio relied heavily on quarterback Tyler Tettleton who threw for nearly 3,100 yards and 26 touchdowns this season. Ohio was 3-0 after beating New Mexico State, Gardner-Webb, and Marshall to open up the season. Ohio then traveled to Rutgers where they fell to the Scarlet Knights 38-26. The Bobcats then bounced back against Kent State the next week winning 17-10. They then traveled to Buffalo and lost then lost to Ball State at home. Ohio then got hot and beat Akron, Temple, Central Michigan, Bowling Green, and then Miami Ohio. They then went to the MAC title game where they fell to Northern Illinois on a last minute field goal.

Utah State: The Utah State Aggies were on the losing end of a close game versus the defending champion Auburn Tigers 42-38. They then bounced back and beat Weber State. Utah State then started struggling then lost to Colorado State in Overtime and lost to BYU by a field goal. Utah State then crushed the Wyoming Cowboys 63-19. Then the woes continued losing to Fresno State and Louisiana Tech. Then Utah State went 4-0 to end the season.  They finished with a 7-5 record.

Prediction: This will be an entertaining game but as long as Ohio can handle Utah States 6^th rated running game I think that Ohio will come out on top in a pretty high scoring game.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl:

How They Got Here:

San Diego State: The Aztecs of San Diego State played absolutely nobody and lost to any decent team they played this season, which includes a very overrated Michigan team. San Diego State was able to finish at 8-4.

Louisiana- Lafayette:  This team played even worse competition then San Diego State though they did open with a game against Oklahoma State and were crushed. They also lost to a not so good Arizona team and two horrible teams in Western Kentucky and Arkansas State. The Ragin’ Cajuns finished with an 8-4 record.

Prediction: San Diego State should completely dominate this game. San Diego State running back Ronnie Hillman ran for over 1600 yards this season and you will see that in this game tonight. San Diego State wins this bowl game.

Tebow Time In Denver

It’s Tebow time. You may have heard of Tim Tebow if you have paid any attention whatsoever to ESPN or any other sports network or website the last few days or even weeks. Tim Tebow became the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos on October 23^rd after Kyle Orton had an awful game before that.

Tebow has always faced criticism ever since he was drafted last year in the first round by the Broncos. ESPN analysts and people who covered the NFL said that his throwing motion isn’t good and that Tebow couldn’t make it as an NFL quarterback. Tebow has so much heart and passion and is one of the hardest working players in the league. He works hard and because of that he wins. He motivates his team and he gets players around him to buy into it and play above their ability. This team believes in their quarterback and so does the city.

Since Tebow has taken over the Broncos have won three overtime games and are 7-1 since. Tebow hasn’t been great statistically but when its crunch time he goes into Beast Mode. Tebow has been unstoppable and this team is the hottest team in the league. Nobody can figure out why this guy is winning football games.

I think the true answer is he has the heart to win, the ambition to win, and the work ethic of a champion. Tebow hates losing and he will do anything to help his team win a game. You can hate on this man all you want but you have to respect him, not for his numbers but for his courage and determination. Tebow is overall the perfect NFL player and perfect role model. This makes a lot of people want to see him fail. I say you give him a break.  The winning streak may end this week against the Patriots but the magic is just beginning. I’m rooting for Tim Tebow.

Game Of Honor: Army vs Navy

Honor. Something all people in the Military have. The annual Army vs Navy football game rivalry was fittingly played near the Nation’s Capital this season.  This game is virtually always all running plays due to both teams playing in an option offense. These two teams are great at utilizing every player they have and using them as a weapon. 

The Navy Midshipmen were able to fight back to beat the Army Black Knights 27-21. Senior quarterback Kriss Proctor led the way with 32 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown. 

Navy got out to an early 14-0 lead but Army rallied back to tie the game after an Alexander Teich and Trent Steelman touchdown. Kriss Proctor than ran for a touchdown for Navy to lead 21-14 early in the third quarter.

 Army then completed a 25 yard pass to Trent Steelman for a touchdown to tie it up. A passing touchdown in a game between these two teams is almost unheard of.  In the fourth quarter it was all Navy as they made two field goals and held the Black Knights scoreless in the fourth to win the game.

This game is more than just a win or loss for each team. These men serve our country and I’d like to congratulate all of these men who put on uniforms for the United States. They are the true winners. Navy’s win this Saturday made it their tenth straight in the rivalry.

The Recent Changes In The MLB World

The MLB offseason is here and the spending is higher than ever. This is going to be a rundown of some of the players that will be stepping into a new place during the 2012 baseball season.

Key Players on the Move:

The most coveted free agent was Albert Pujols hands down.  Pujols who helped lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series title last season. Pujols has a career batting average of .328 to go along with 445 homers. This set him up to make big money and he signed with the Angels after denying a $210 million dollar deal to play ball for the Florida Marlins, along with a deal worth even more money by his former team, the Cardinals. Albert Pujols will be with the Angels for ten years and is set to make $254 million with this contract that features a no trade clause.

Jose Reyes was the other big name out there this offseason. He signed with the Miami Marlins this offseason. Though, an injury prone Reyes is great it is uncertain how many games he will suit up. I was expecting to see an ESPN report like “Newly Acquired Reyes Pulls Hamstring in a Miami Airport.”Reyes was set to join another great player at his own position in Hanley Ramirez who tends to have a poor work ethic at times but is obviously a great player. Ramirez didn’t want to move to third base and may end up being traded. Reye’s contract is for six years worth $106 million. Veteran relief pitcher Heath Bell also signed with the team.

Key Players Still Available:

There are also many players who should get big deals this offseason as well. Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins and Prince Fielder headline this group. Fielder, an explosive power hitter will probably make a huge amount of money but not nearly as much as Pujols, though he deserves more than Reyes. Fielder can produce many runs and really energize a team. He’s a big time power bat in the middle of the line up that would inprove any team he signs with immediately.

Championship Week in College Football

It’s time to wrap up the Conference Championship games from this Friday and Saturday. These games are a huge factor for teams looking for BCS Bowl bids.

Let’s start on Friday night, when there were two games. Northern Illinois rallied from a 20-0 deficit to beat Ohio 23-20. The other game was the inaugural PAC-12 title game which featured Oregon and UCLA. USC, who beat up on the UCLA Bruins last week, face sanctions so they were unable to participate in this game. Oregon went on to beat UCLA 49-31 in a really unexciting game.

Yesterday afternoon Houston and Southern Miss went out to play for the Conference USA title. Houston was ranked number six in the nation, though a very overrated team this year. Houston has a great offense but was unable to execute on the defensive side of the ball and get the necessary stops against the also explosive Southern Miss offense. The Houston Cougars went on to get blown out 49-28, and eliminated their chances of getting a BCS Bowl game.

Wisconsin was able to hold off Michigan State in the inaugural Big Ten title game in a last minute thriller, 42-39. Wisconsin will play the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl. The Clemson Tigers were able to beat an overrated Virginia Tech team 38-10 to win the ACC Championship, and to clinch a BCS Bowl bid.  LSU struggled in the first half against Georgia in the SEC title game but was able to rally and dismantle the Bulldogs 42-10. The Tigers are the best team in the country and will more than likely be playing in the BCS National Title game in their home state of Louisiana.

Chris Paul to New York?

Now that the NBA lockout is over we can finally talk about things like trades and free agents for this season. Yahoo! sports reported that Chris Paul's agent says that Paul would like to be traded and not have to play the last season of his current contract in New Orleans.

Paul hasn't really come out to the media and said this, though him and Carmelo Anthony have been good friends and they have joked about both of them playing on a team somewhere before. There is no better place to play basketball then the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York City.

There were also many reports stating that Celtics wanted to swap point guard Rajon Rondo in a straight up trade but decided that it wasn't going to happen if Paul wouldn't sign an extension in Boston and he didn't want to do that. Paul would be a great fit in New York with his great defense, something that the Knicks lack who were 28th in points allowed last season giving up over 100 points a game! I don't care how good you are on offense that is just unacceptable. I do kind of expect this from a Mike D'Antoni coached team since defense has never been a big focus for him.

The Hornets can't afford to let their star player leave without getting something for him. Not after watching what LeBron James did to the Cavaliers a season ago. Many teams will try to trade their stars for many role players or draft picks. I think that the Knicks could give up back up guard Toney Douglas or maybe Landry Fields and a draft pick or two that this deal could be done. This is just what the city of New York wants and has been waiting for. Don't disappoint your loyal fans and bring in another star.

Just for a note, Chris Paul played once last year at Madison Square Garden and was held to only four points in the game against a Knicks defense that gave up over 100 points per game on average. The pressure may be a factor in The Garden.

Upsets In The World Of College Basketball

UNLV and their fans rushing the court after upseting the Number one North Carolina Tar Heels.

It isn’t March but there has been plenty of madness in the college basketball universe so far this season. North Carolina, the number one team in the country, was shocked by UNLV in Las Vegas Saturday in a 90-80 loss. UNLV really shot the three well and every time it seemed North Carolina may make a run UNLV buried them with a three. UNLV was led by Chace Stanback who had 28 points and ten rebounds and Harrison Barnes was North Carolina’s leading scorer with 15 points.

 The Tar Heels couldn’t make that many shots in the second half, as they only shot 31 percent in that half. North Carolina was stripped of their top rank but bounced back against Wisconsin last night in a thrilling 60-57 game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated due to North Carolina’s near collapse at the end.

The Connecticut Huskies suffered the same fate in an early season tournament. UConn led by as much as 17 but UCF rallied to win 68-63. Michael Jordan’s son, Marcus, plays for the UCF Knights and led them in scoring with 20 points. UConn was able to also bounce back with a win over Florida State in a 78-76 overtime nail biter.

How these upsets will affect these teams in seeding for the NCAA tournament is uncertain for now, but these games certainly have been something to watch.