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I'm doing a bowl preview for my sports section. Thought I'd share it with you guys. I'm breaking up the games so that I don't have to take up too much space in my section. This actually ran yesterday with the first bowl game being played last night. I didn't have time to post it on here yesterday, though. I actually added a section in each capsule for posting on here -- top draft prospects. This is a look at the first six games.
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
And with no offense intended, I’m not necessarily talking about Christmas. Although, it is definitely a part of the reason this time of year feels so special to me.
For me, the holiday season begins tonight with the first college bowl game taking place. Sure, it’s only Utah vs. Navy, but I will watch.
Say what you will about the need for a playoff in Division I-A college football. There is still something magical about the bowl season. Something that drives me to look forward to it every year.
No matter the matchup, I will try to watch every single bowl game. I’ll even sit down for the New Orleans Bowl, which is quite possibly the worst game of the holiday season featuring Florida Atlantic and Memphis.
Why will I watch? There are great reasons to watch every game. There are great storylines surrounding every matchup.
Some teams struggled to even get to .500 in order to qualify for the bowl games (UCLA, Memphis). Some squads probably deserve to be in a more illustrious bowl (Cincinnati, Boise St.). Others become almost sentimental favorites to root for (Navy, Florida Atlantic).
Over the next three weeks, I will use some space to highlight every bowl matchup. Six games are on tap through Wednesday. There are reasons to check out each one. Look for a coaching legend on the sidelines Friday and watch a team that could be the next BCS Buster — like Hawaii this year and Boise St. last year — for the 2008 season.
Poinsettia Bowl
Utah (8-4) vs. Navy (8-4)
8 p.m. today (ESPN)
Last bowl appearance: Utah 25, Tulsa 13 (2006 Armed Forces); Boston College 25, Navy 24 (2006 Meineke Car Care).
Top draft prospects: Utah - FS Steve Tate
Synopsis: Like watching triple-option offensive attacks?
Not many college teams still use the run-heavy offense, but the Navy Midshipmen are still one of the few that do. And they run it better than anyone else in the country.
Navy averages more than 350 yards a game on the ground and has been tops in the NCAA in rushing offense in four of the last five seasons. However, Navy plays its first game in six years without Paul Johnson as its head coach.
Johnson left to take the job at Georgia Tech after six successful seasons, leading Navy to five consecutive bowl games in that time.
The Midshipmen spread their rushing attempts around with seven players averaging at least 35 yards a game. Their leading rusher also leads the nation in the longest name department — Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada. Luckily all I have to do is write the quarterback’s name and not attempt pronouncing it.
Utah’s Utes have won six straight bowl games — the second-longest bowl winning streak in the nation behind only Boston College. They finished the regular season winning seven of their last eight games behind a superior defense and kicking game.
Kicker Louis Sakoda is one of the best in the country and a difference maker.
Prediction: Utah 27, Navy 24 — Interesting enough, the Midshipmen are also the worst passing team in the country and Utah allows only 130 rushing yards a game.
Defensive back Steve Tate leads the Utes in tackles and will figure in heavily in Utah’s attempt to contain the option threat. Although, Navy hasn’t scored less than 24 points this season.
Last year, the Midshipmen lost to Boston College courtesy of a
late field goal, allowing BC to extend its bowl game win streak. A similar result could be in order for Navy this season with Sakoda ready to win a game for Utah with his leg at any moment.
New Orleans Bowl
Memphis (7-5) vs. Fla. Atl. (7-5)
7 p.m. Friday (ESPN2)
Last bowl appearance: Memphis 38, Akron 31 (2005 Motor City); Florida Atlantic is making its first bowl appearance.
Top draft prospects: None.
Synopsis: Very few realize former Miami Hurricanes coach Howard Schnellenberger took over the upstart Florida Athlantic Owls football program in 2001. Quietly, Schnellenberger has taken this team to the top of the Sun Belt Conference and into its first bowl game in school history.
Memphis has an explosive offense led by senior quarterback Martin Hankins.
Memphis started the season 2-4 and had to overcome the tragic death of one of its players in midseason.
The Tigers responded by winning five of their last six games, including a 55-52 triple-overtime victory of SMU to close out the regular season.
Prediction: Florida Atlantic 35, Memphis 34 — The Owls live off turnovers. They lead the nation in turnover margin with 19 interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries this season. Offensively, they don’t turn the ball over at all.
Neither team plays in a very good conference and neither has victories over a quality team. However, the Owls gave South Florida a scare when the Bulls were ranked in the top five. Memphis is 0-2 against the Sun Belt Conference this season. The Owls went 5-1 on their way to a Sun Belt title.
The 73-year-old Schnellenberger shows he can still build a program from the ground up.
Papajohns.com Bowl
So. Miss (7-5) vs. Cincinnati (9-3)
Noon Saturday (ESPN2)
Last bowl appearance: Southern Miss 28, Ohio 7 (2006 GMAC); Cincinnati 27, Western Michigan 24 (2006 International)
Top draft prospects: Cincinnati - QB Ben Mauk, DE Anthony Hoke.
Synopsis: After Florida, Cincinnati’s Bearcats are, in my opinion, the best three-loss football team in the country. That puts them ahead of BCS qualifier Illinois, Clemson, Texas and Wisconsin.
The Bearcats were just 16 points from finishing the season undefeated. They lost by four point to Louisville, seven to Pitt and five to West Virginia.
Cincinnati features several of the best players no one has ever heard of, including quarterback Ben Mauk, who finished ninth in the nation in passing efficiency. Also, defensive end Anthony Hoke has twice recorded three sacks in a game on his way to a 12-sack season.
Cincinnati also boasts one of the game’s hottest coaching names in Brian Kelly.
It’s not a question of if Kelly will someday coach one of the nation’s elite programs, but rather when and where he’ll take over.
Southern Miss won’t have that familiarity at head coach. The administration just all but kicked out Jeff Bower, who ran the program for 17 years. In doing so, the Golden Eagles alienated their most infamous alum, Brett Favre.
Prediction: Cincinnati 34, Southern Miss 20 — Frankly, Cincinnati outmatches the Golden Eagles in every aspect.
Most importantly, the Bearcats have two intangibles in their favor — they don’t turn the ball over and, at the same time, force a large amount of turnovers.
Southern Miss’ biggest hope is to get powerful running back Damion Fletcher started early, keeping Cincinnati’s balanced offense off the field.
New Mexico Bowl
Nevada (6-6) vs. New Mexico (8-4)
3:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)
Last bowl appearance: Miami 21, Nevada 20 (2006 MPC Computers); San Jose St. 20, New Mexico 12 (2006 New Mexico)
Top draft prospects: Nevada - LB Ezra Butler, LB Nick Fuhr; New Mexico - WR Travis Brown, WR Marcus Smith.
Synopsis: Aren’t bowl games supposed to take place on a neutral field?
Well nobody informed the officials of the New Mexico Bowl that unwritten rule.
Much in the tradition of the much more acclaimed Rose Bowl, which routinely selects USC to play pseudo-home game, the second-year bowl has picked the New Mexico Lobos to play on its home field at University Stadium in Albuquerque.
Last season, it didn’t matter as the Lobos lost to San Jose St. This year, New Mexico is a better team with a 5-1 home record.
However, don’t let Nevada’s .500 record fool you. The Wolfpack lost to last year’s BCS Buster Boise St. by two points in triple overtime. Then, for an encore, Nevada almost kept undefeated and BCS bound Hawaii from attending the Orange Bowl, falling 28-26 due to a Hawaii game-winning field goal with 11 seconds left.
Nevada freshman quarterback Colin Kaepernick is a college football star in the making. He fits the pistol offense perfectly, showing adept ability with his arm and legs. Kaepernick finished fifth in the nation in passing efficiency and 38th in total offense.
Prediction: Nevada 31, New Mexico 27 — Home field advantage ends up not making a difference.
New Mexico has a feisty defense, but its never seen an offensive attack like Nevada’s. This is Kaepernick’s stage and I don’t think he’ll disappoint the national audience.
Las Vegas Bowl
UCLA (6-6) vs. BYU (10-2)
7 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)
Last bowl appearance: Florida St. 44, UCLA 27 (2006 Emerald); BYU 38, Oregon 8 (2006 Las Vegas)
Top draft prospects: UCLA - SS Chris Horton, DE/OLB Bruce Davis, FS Dennis Keyes, OG Shannon Tevega, DT Kevin Brown, DT Brigham Harwell, RB Chris Markey, LB Christian Taylor; BYU - LB Kelly Poppinga, LB Bryan Kehl.
Synopsis: The Las Vegas Bowl is becoming to BYU what the Holiday Bowl used to be. BYU has made 11 appearances in the Holiday Bowl, including seven straight from 1978-1984.
This marks BYU’s third-consecutive trip to Las Vegas for an annual matchup with a Pac-10 opponent.
Don’t be fooled by UCLA’s 6-6 record. The Bruins aren’t really that good. Not to mention, they just fired Coach Karl Dorrell.
Former University of Colorado Coach Rick Neuheisel could be named Dorrell’s successor any day, though. Neuheisel is considered an offensive genius and will have to work some magic to turn around whatever it is the Bruins have been playing.
UCLA does boast three defensive players that will be playing on Sundays next year — end Bruce Davis and safeties Dennis Keyes and Chris Horton.
BYU, sticking to its tradition, remains one of the most volatile offenses in the country. The Cougars are one of the leading candidates to be a BCS busting team in the 2008 season.
Prediction: BYU 32, UCLA 14 — The Bruins defeated UCLA in the second week of the season, 27-17. However, this is a different Cougars team, now.
BYU was coping with the loss of several seniors from last season’s squad, but recovered to roll off nine straight victories. Sophomore quarterback Max Hall is the latest Cougar to emerge at the position, much like Ty Detmer, John Beck and Steve Young before him.
UCLA lacks the offensive fire power to compete with BYU and as soon as this game turns into a shootout, it’s over for the Bruins. The only thing they do well offensively is run the football and that’s the only thing BYU defends well.
The only reason the Cougars won’t score into the high 30s or 40s is because the Bruins do defend well against the pass.
Hawaii Bowl
Boise St. (10-2) vs. East Carolina (7-5)
7 p.m. Sunday (ESPN)
Last bowl appearance: Boise St. 43, Oklahoma 42 (2006 Fiesta); South Florida 24, ECU 7 (2006 Papajohns.com)
Top draft prospects: Boise St. - OT Ryan Clady, OC Jeff Cavender, OG Tad Miller, DB Marty Tadman; ECU - RB Chris Johnson.
Synopsis: Who could ever forget the showing Boise State’s Broncos put on in last season’s Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma?
Outside of the 2006 National Championship between Texas and USC, the Broncos and Sooners had the greatest bowl game I’ve ever seen played. The game forever immortalized the hook-and-ladder and statue of liberty plays.
This season, Boise St. serves as a great example to what one loss can do to a team in Division I-A, or FBS, college football. Were it not for a 39-27 loss to Hawaii in the last game of the season, the Broncos might be headed back to another BCS bowl.
This game features two of the better running backs in the country that happen to also share the same last name — Boise St.’s Ian Johnson and ECU’s Chris Johnson.
Ian made a name for himself last season’s Fiesta Bowl by first running in the winning 2-point conversion and then by proposing his girlfriend, who happened to be a Broncos’ cheerleader, on national television. Could a better script be written?
Chris is hoping the national stage can be a catapult to making a name for him. If there are faster running backs in the nation, then they are few and far between. Once he’s in the open field, few defensive backs have a chance of catching him.
Stopping their opponents’ run game is priority for both defenses.
Prediction: Boise St. 49, ECU 28 — Expect both Johnsons to top 100-yards rushing and to score at least one touchdown.
However, Boise St. does a better job at defending the run than ECU does. Also, the Broncos can throw the ball more effectively with the very efficient Taylor Tharp at quarterback.
Motor City Bowl
Purdue (7-5) vs. Central Michigan (8-5)
6:30 p.m. Wednesday (ESPN)
Last bowl appearance: Maryland 24, Purdue 7 (2006 Champs Sports); Central Michigan 31, Middle Tennessee St. 14 (2006 Motor City)
Top draft prospects: Purdue - WR Dorien Bryant, TE Dustin Keller, DE Cliff Avril, OG Jordan Grimes, OT Sean Sester; CMU - LB Thomas Keith.
Synopsis: BYU and UCLA aren’t the only two teams playing a rematch this bowl season. Purdue’s Boilermakers defeated Central Michigan’s Chippewas 45-22 in the third week of the season.
Everyone knows that Tim Tebow ran for 1,000 yards and threw for 3,000 yards this season. What most people don’t realize is he isn’t the only quarterback to accomplish that feat this season.
The Chippewas Dan LeFevour is a true dual threat, throwing for 3,360 yards and rushing for 1,008 yards. Lefevour torched Purdue for 364 yards in the air the first time they met, however, the Boilermakers completely took away his ability to run the football.
Purdue features a stellar quarterback of its own. Senior Curtis Painter has thrown for 3,300 yards this season. However, Purdue has lost its last three games and finished Big 10 play 3-5.
Prediction: CMU 45, Purdue 41 — This could be one of the higher scoring games in the bowl season. CMU will be more competitive in this meeting than the first one and have the ability to beat Purdue.
It all centers on LeFevour’s ability to run and pass the ball effectively. The Chippewas definitely come in the hotter team. Purdue represents what has been an utterly disappointing season for the Big 10 conference.
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