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1 Auburn 14-0
2 TCU 13-0
3 Oregon 12-1
4 Stanford 12-1
5 Ohio State 12-1
6 Wisconsin 11-2
7 Boise State 12-1
8 Oklahoma 12-2
9 LSU 11-2
10 Alabama 10-3
11 Arkansas 10-3
12 Nevada 13-1
13 Oklahoma St. 11-2
14 Virginia Tech 11-3
15 Michigan State 11-2
16 Florida State 10-4
17 Mississippi State 9-4
18 Texas A&M 9-4
19 Missouri 10-3
20 Central Florida 11-3
21 Maryland 9-4
22 Nebraska 10-4
23 Utah 10-3
24 South Carolina 9-5
25 Tulsa 10-3
For all intents and purposes the BCS Championship Game has become a game involving the winner of the SEC versus the best team in the rest of the nation. For the 5th straight year the BCS Championship Game includes an SEC team. The last Pac-10 team to play for the title was USC in 2005. This game is among the most anticipated championship games in recent memory. It has a Heisman trophy winner, two prolific offenses, and the best running back and defensive tackle in the country. It also has a villain. The pay for play controversy surrounding Cam Newton has painted Auburn in a negative light throughout the nation, rightly or not. That Auburn is a member of the SEC, who's fans have been as arrogant as the conference has been dominant in recent years, means that the rest of the country will probably be rooting for Oregon. Neither of these teams is conventional. Both win with offense not defense. Neither seems to care much about time of possession. Neither seem to care what anyone else thinks. Conventionally both are extremely disciplined and play with great emotion and a killer instinct. This should make for a great game that is close late.
3 Keys from the scouts for Oregon
1 Come out firing. Usually timing offenses like Oregon's are the most affected by the long lay off between the regular season and the bowl game. Oregon, however, might be different by simply being better than the great offenses of recent years. Auburn is one of the few teams Oregon will have faced this season that can match them score for score, and like Auburn Oregon has a tendency to start out slowly before picking up steam and blowing games open late. The Ducks will put themselves in a much better position to withstand any late games momentum that seems to always favor Auburn.
2.Win the kicking game. The single biggest mismatch in this game will be when Auburn punts. Oregon leads the nation with 5 returned punts for touch downs and averages over 18 yards per return. Auburn is dead last in the SEC and 108th nationally. If the Ducks can set themselves up with shorter fields, or even get some points on a return, then Auburn will be under even more pressure. The Ducks must exploit this math up as the two teams are very similar in most other areas.
3.Get LaMichael James in open space. Oregon is known as the better team while Auburn is considered the more talented team. LaMichael James shatters that perception by being every bit as electrifying as Newton, only at running back. Small and shifty James will have a hard time against the center of Auburn's attacking front 7. In space, however, James can maximize his speed and shiftiness and force Auburn's defensive backs and linebackers to not miss tackles, an area they have struggled with all season.
3 Keys from the scouts for Auburn
1. Physically dominate both LOS. Oregon has benefited from very solid play along both lines all year. In this game their offensive line will be facing a more physical defensive front 7 then they are used to seeing, with apologies to Stanford. Nick Fairly has not been stopped all season despite being a focal point in their opponents game planning. Auburn likes to make plays in the backfield and doing so will severely limit the effectiveness of the Ducks rushing attack. Auburn's offensive line is arguably the best in the country and at 24 pounds heavier than Oregon's defensive line (on average) has the potential to take the game away from the Ducks early. All season Mike Aliotti has relied on rotating his players every 3 snaps in order to keep them fresh. That won't be an option against Auburn's fast paced offense. If the Tigers can impose their will early enough to run their power game effectively in the second half and force Oregon to be one dimensional offensively it could make for a long hard night for Chip Kelly and company.
2. Control the clock. Both Auburn and Oregon are capable of the quick score. Neither really cares much about time of possession but in this game Auburn probably should. Certainly not at the expense of offensive production, but Auburn and Oregon are both second half teams and winning the 4th quarter will likely dictate who wins the game. Being the more physical of the two teams Auburn should try to wear down Oregon, the deeper team, in hopes of gaining an edge late in the game.
3. Don't turn the ball over. Oregon is 3rd nationally with 35 turnovers forced, a big reason their scoring offense is as good as it is. Aside from the obvious lost scoring opportunities turnovers will give the Ducks more possessions, shorter fields to work with, and momentum. With an offense as potent as Oregon those things are killers. It also has the added benefit of keeping the Ducks defense off the field making it harder for Auburn to wear them down.
Bold Prediction: Honestly if either of these teams plays flat they are risking a blow out loss. Oregon is likely prepared for the start of this game and I expect them to come out hot. Auburn might start a little slower, like they usually do, but will eventually settle down. By the middle of the third quarter, assuming both teams are playing well, I would expect Auburn to be in better shape given their more physical style of football and start to grind Oregon down. This game should be close into the 4th quarter but I expect Auburn's defense to make a critical stop and Auburn to pull away winning by 2 scores. Auburn 41 Oregon 31.
In Texas they like to say things are bigger here. That will likely be the case on the scoreboard later today in the Bowl game named after the state that hosts it. Baylor is making its first bowl appearance since 1994 today against the Fighting Illinis of Ron Zook. Illinois is making its first bowl trip since 2007 when they played in the Rose Bowl. Both teams are known for potent offenses and each have one of the better players in the country in Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin and Illinois tail back Michael Leshoure. Like the Hawaii Bowl earlier this week the game figures to be heavy on offense. A victory here for Baylor would be huge for a program that Art Briles has rebuilt after years of futility. An Illinois win would secure Ron Zooks second winning season in Champagne and might ease the pressure on him heading into next season.
3 Keys from the scouts
1. How good will Robert Griffin look? The Illinois defense has looked pedestrian all season and never more so than against Michigan when they gave up 67 points. Although they were able to hold Missouri and Ohio State to respectable scores Griffin will be a tougher test for them. The Missouri game was the season opener for both teams and Ohio State never really turned on the jets against he Illini preferring to grind them down instead. Griffin, like Robinson and Pryor is a dual threat quarterback, although he is a better passer than either.
2. Michael Leshore's production. The best way to defend Griffin is to keep him on the bench. Enter Michael Leshoure. Baylor is not a good rush defense and that is probably the strength of Ron Zook's team. Leshoure has been a star all season and will need to be one again.
3. Which team will remain the calmest. Baylor is among the most penalized teams in the country. Illinois is among the worst tackling teams in the country. Both are signs of a lack of discipline. Neither team is particularly effective defensively on 3rd downs or in the red zone. Any scoreless drive in this game will be critical and missed tackles and penalties will probably lead to points for the opposing team.
Bold Prediction: No matter what happens in this game Baylor's season is already a success while Illinois has underwhelmed yet again. The pressure will be on the Illini not the Bears. While there is little reason for optimism regarding a low scoring game on either side Robert Griffin should be the difference. Baylor 42 Illinois 38
Year in and year out the Alamo Bowl is usually one of the best Bowl games. The Big 12 - Pac 10 match up has been good for all parties involved. This year the Alamo Bowl hit a home run even by its standards. Oklahoma State is the number one offense in the country. Arizona has a big play defense that is capable of disrupting anyone. Having faced Oregon the Wildcats will be ready for Oklahoma State who will be without offensive coordinator Dana Holgerson. They will also be extra motivated to end a 4 game season ending losing streak. Oklahoma State has a chance to finish in the Top 10 and be the highest ranked team from the Big 12
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It would be difficult to find 2 programs that were more polar opposites than Maryland and East Carolina heading into the Military Bowl. Ruffin McNeal led East Carolina to a bowl game in his first season as a head coach and scored a big victory for the Pirates in their win over NC State. Meanwhile Ralph Friedgen is being forced out in Maryland for no good reason after a decade of success at the school. East Carolina has a chance to get to 500 against the ACC this year with a win while the Terrapins will want to send their beleaguered coach out a winner.
3 Keys from the scouts
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It's the 1070's all over again in this years Independence Bowl. Only three teams still run the triple option. Two of them Air Force and Georgia Tech will be playing in this game. These two teams rank first and second in rushing yards per game nationally so this game could be the shortest bowl game in the last 30 years.
3 Keys from the Scouts
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The Little Ceasers Bowl brings round two of the battle between the Sun Belt and MAC. Round one went to the Sunbelt in the New Orleans Bowl. Round two is highlighted by the emergence of Florida International University. The Golden Panthers won the first conference title in route to qualifying for the first bowl game in school history. The achieved this in only their 9th year as a football team. Meanwhile second year coach Tim Beckman has Toledo back in a bowl game. The Rockets only lost 1 MAC game this season but went 1-3 outside the conference. The one win was against Purdue
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Southern Mississippi plays Louisville in this year's Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl. The Golden Eagles have put together a good season in the face of off field adversity. Three of their players were shot following a victory in Hattiesburg earlier in the year. That Larry Fedora kept them motivated enough to make a Bowl game speaks volumes for the job he and his staff did. Meanwhile first year coach Charlie Strong put together a better season than anyone could have expected at Louisville this year, for much different reasons. Louisville has been on a slow decline since Bobby Petrino left following the 2006 season. This game is a match up between a BCS conference team and a non AQ team that appears evenly matched. A rare treat indeed
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The Sun Belt and MAC are considered the two weakest conferences in the FBS division. For the first year the two conferences will pit non division champs against each other in the New Orleans Bowl. Troy has made the trip 3 times in the last 5 years while Ohio is making its first appearance in the game. While neither team is well known nationally it should make for a exciting match up between two evenly matched, but wildly different teams
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Comment by Brent
on Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl
College Football Post
I just love Bilal Powell in this game. Thus I took the Cardinals.