Bowl Preview Part II

[cubuffsman78]

(Here's the column I wrote previewing tier II of the bowl games for the main FFJ site. Just thought I'd share it with you guys. I'm doing well so far, posting a 6-1 record through the first seven.)

Five days into the bowl season and several teams received early Christmas gifts.



Personally, Christmas has already been fantastic for this writer and not only because my sister and brother-in-law hooked me up with Guitar Hero: World Tour. I went 6-1 in the first seven bowl games with my only blemish coming via a blocked Troy field goal by Southern Miss in overtime.



The solid start puts me tied for the lead in my College Bowl Pick 'Em pool where the winner will take home a nice $200 prize. That's the late Christmas present I'm looking forward to.



As for the first seven games of the bowl season, I don't know that a college football fan could have asked for a better slate of games.



Here's a look at some of the highlights:



* Without a doubt, the early marquee matchup was Boise State vs. TCU and it didn't disappoint. For the record, this writer predicted a score of 18-17 in favor of TCU. The actual final was 17-16 with the Frogs winning. I don't care what conference it plays in, TCU's defense is without a doubt one of the best in the country and could slow any offense down. For example, look at what the Frogs did to Oklahoma earlier this season. They held the Sooners to 35 points -- the lowest total OU's record-setting offense has posted all season. I'm not saying TCU could win the Big 12, but they would shock some teams and wouldn't be a squad to be overlooked.

* No one had a bigger day than Colorado State's Gartrell Johnson, who led the Rams to a 40-35 victory over Fresno State. Johnson's numbers in this contest are ridiculous. He had 375 total yards from scrimmage with 285 coming on the ground and 90 on receptions. I called him the most explosive player on the field going into the game, but I have to admit, I didn't expect him to perform like this. Johnson probably still won't be drafted in April, but he has now at least opened the eyes of some scouts and coaches on the next level, where he projects more as a fullback.

* Arizona has been one of my Cinderella squads since the start of the season. I love their playmakers on offense and Willie Tuitama is the best QB no one had heard of. However, anyone who watched the Wildcats' 31-21 win over BYU now knows what I was talking about. Tuitama threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns, then ran for another score. For some, this was the surprise victory of the early bowl season. For others, the writing on the wall was clear. BYU hadn't seen anything like what Arizona was capable of doing offensively. Coach Mike Stoops got an extension for his team's efforts this season. There couldn't be a much more deserving coach in the nation.

* Welcome to Division I FCS college football Jimmy Clausen. Where has that been? Seriously, the hype surrounding Clausen as the savior of Notre Dame football has been tremendous and he finally lived up to it with a phenomenal performance in the Hawaii Bow, throwing for 401 yards and five touchdowns. Then there was WR Golden Tate, who looked like he could be one of the top playmakers in the country. More importantly for the Irish, the 49-21 victory ends a nine-game bowl losing streak.

Hopefully, the next group of games can continue to provide us with top-notch and memorable performances.

Here's a look at every bowl matchup scheduled for Friday through Monday.

Motor City Bowl

Florida Atlantic (6-6) vs. Central Michigan (8-4)

8 p.m., Dec. 26 (ESPN)

Last bowl appearances: Florida Atlantic – 44-27 win over Memphis in 2007 New Orleans; Central Michigan – 51-48 loss to Purdue in 2007 Motor City.

Top 2009 draft prospects: Florida Atlantic – MLB Frantz Joseph; Central Michigan – OT Andrew Hartline.

Reasons to watch: It’s a second consecutive bowl trip for the Owls of FAU, who are coached by the legendary Howard Schnellenberger. Not bad for a program that didn’t play it’s first football game until 2001. FAU and CMU have one thing in common – its biggest playmakers are at quarterback. For FAU, it’s Rusty Smith, whose junior season hasn’t been nearly as impressive as his sophomore year was in 2007. For CMU, everything runs through junior Dan LeFevour. LeFevour’s numbers in 2008 also aren’t as impressive as the ones posted in his sophomore year, when he threw for 27 touchdowns and ran for another 19. This season he’s only passed for 19 and ran for six.

Prediction: Central Michigan 40, Florida Atlantic 24 – The biggest difference for Smith and LeFevour is the quality of playmakers around them. Smith is lacking an explosive option. LeFevour isn’t and can count on two tremendous WRs. Bryan Anderson has been his favorite target for two years and Antonio Brown will be the fastest player on either sideline in this game. Brown is also the top punt returner in the nation, averaging more than 20 yards a pop. FAU does have a trump card on LeFevour, who also leads CMU in rushing. Owls LB Frantz Joseph is a legit NFL-caliber defender and is second in the nation in tackles. Still, Joseph is going to need more help than is available in this matchup.



Meineke Car Care Bowl

West Virginia (8-4) vs. North Carolina (8-4)

1 p.m., Dec. 27 (ESPN)

Last bowl appearances: West Virginia – 48-28 win over Oklahoma in 2007 Fiesta; North Carolina – 37-24 loss to Boston College in 2004 Continental Tire.

Top 2009 draft prospects: West Virginia – QB Pat White, OT Selvish Capers, OLB Mortty Ivy, CB Ellis Lankster; North Carolina – OT Garrett Reynolds, WR Brooks Foster.

Reasons to watch: Each team comes in with different attitudes. West Virginia is coming off a disappointing season, considering the talent and speed returning from last year’s BCS squad. North Carolina lived above expectations and is making its first bowl appearance since 2004. Not bad for a program in the first year of direction under Butch Davis. It is hard to find an enticing feature of a young Tarheels’ squad, though. Quite simply, they’re playing above their ability right now. The Mountaineers on the other hand are playing under theirs. They’re a true wild card, but the presence of playmakers is abundant. Pat White is one of the most electrifying players in the nation, while Noel Devine has proved to be one of the quickest.

Prediction: West Virginia 27, North Carolina 21 – Davis is a great defensive coach and giving him this much time to prepare for an opponent will benefit him greatly. Coaching is the one area UNC has a decisive advantage over West Virginia. However, it’s not enough. Playmakers have to be found and UNC needs one to step up. Who? Well that’s the question Davis hopes to have answered. Until that answer becomes more clear, White, Devine and Co. will do enough to close out the season with a win.

[cubuffsman78]

Champs Sports Bowl

Wisconsin (7-5) vs. Florida State (8-4)

4:30 p.m., Dec. 27 (ESPN)

Last bowl appearances: Wisconsin – 21-17 loss to Tennessee in 2007 Outback; Florida State – 35-28 loss to Kentucky in 2007 Music City.

Top 2009 draft prospects: Wisconsin – TE Travis Beckum (if healthy), DE Matt Shaughnessy, OG Kraig Urbik, OG Andy Kemp, MLB Elijah Hodge, OLB DeAndre Levy, OT Eric Vanden Heuvel, CB Allen Langford; Florida State – DE Everette Brown, SS Myron Rolle, PK Graham Gano, RB Antone Smith, CB Tony Carter, WR Greg Carr.

Reasons to watch: This is the first game of the bowl season with a significant amount of players with the potential to be playing on Sundays. Of them all, Florida State’s Everette Brown and Myron Rolle stand out. Brown might be the best defensive end in the country. Rolle is an anomaly. Honestly, playing football on Sundays might be underachieving for the Rhodes Scholarship winner. He’s got higher ambitions. However, he’s one of the best defensive backs in the nation with the ability to change a game quickly. Wisconsin, on the other hand, is one of the more disappointing teams in team in the country. It was thought the Badgers could contend with the likes of Ohio State and Penn State for a Big Ten title. Instead, they were fighting for bowl eligibility late in the season. Still, players like Travis Beckum (if he’s healthy enough to go), RB P.J. Hill and Matt Shaughnessy make this team worth watching and a danger to anyone it faces.

Prediction: Florida State 13, Wisconsin 7 – The best playmakers for both squads are on the defensive side of the ball. Expect at least five combined turnovers in this game. It’s hard to believe in Wisconsin’s abilities to win a big game. As long as the Seminoles offense doesn’t given the Badgers too many chances, Florida State’s defense should dominate the Badgers for the win.



Emerald Bowl

Miami, Fla. (7-5) vs. Cal (8-4)

8 p.m., Dec. 27 (ESPN)

Last bowl appearances: Miami – 21-20 win over Nevada in 2006 MPC Computers; Cal – 42-36 win over Air Force in 2007 Armed Forces.

Top 2009 draft prospects: Miami – CB Bruce Johnson, FS Randy Phillips (if healthy); Cal – OC Alex Mack, MLB Worrell Williams, OLB Zack Follett, OLB Anthony Felder.

Reasons to watch: Cal RB Jahvid Best is already one of the most electrifying players in the country as a sophomore. He’s fifth in the nation in rushing and racked up 311 yards vs. Washington in the regular season finale, which was just an encore to a 201-yard performance against Stanford. Miami is showing some promise, but still seem to be a season away from really turning the corner. Still, the Canes rank in the top 25 in total defense and have several young playmakers in their front seven.

Prediction: Cal 30, Miami 14 – It’s a little known fact that Cal’s also ranks in the top 25 in total defense. The Bears are solid against the run and do a great job of pressuring opposing QBs. Miami is still looking for an identity on offense and the defense has a true Achilles’ heel – stopping a good ground game. Best is already a blip on the national radar. Playing this game on a national stage will simply place the spotlight a little more on him.



Independence Bowl

Northern Illinois (6-6) vs. Louisiana Tech (7-5)

8:15 p.m., Dec. 28 (ESPN)

Last bowl appearances: Northern Illinois – 37-7 loss to TCU in 2006 Poinsettia; Louisiana Tech – 49-24 loss to Clemson in 2001 Humanitarian.

Top 2009 draft prospects: Northern Illinois – OLB Larry English; Louisiana Tech – None.

Reasons to watch: OK. Let’s be honest. If there is one bowl game to skip this season, this is it. It’s not a great matchup. The actual tie-ins for this game are lower tiered Big 12 and SEC squads. Neither conference qualified enough teams, though. So instead at-large bids were handed out to Northern Illinois and La. Tech, which combine for five total bowl appearances – NIU has three, while La. Tech has two – between the respective programs. There honestly isn’t even a big name on the field. NIU’s Larry English is the best player on the field and his presence should be felt in the La. Tech backfield.

Prediction: Northern Illinois 23, La. Tech 14 – The good news? This game should be quick as both teams prefer running the ball over airing it out. NIU has simply been tested more in the MAC and played well against solid squads like Central Michigan, Western Michigan and Minnesota, despite losing all three. La. Tech played in a disappointing WAC and didn’t play well against formidable opponents like Boise State and Kansas. A 38-35 win over Fresno State is the highlight of the season, although playing Nevada close in a 35-31 loss is something to be proud of. Still, advantage goes to NIU.



Papajohns.com Bowl

NC State (6-6) vs. Rutgers (6-6)

3 p.m., Dec. 29 (ESPN)

Last bowl appearances: NC State – 14-0 win over South Florida in 2005 Meineke; Rutgers – 52-30 win over Ball State in 2007 International.

Top 2009 draft prospects: NC State – DE/OLB Willie Young, RB Andre Brown; Rutgers – WR Kenny Britt, FS Courtney Greene, TE Kevin Brock, CB Jason McCourty, DE Jamaal Westerman, QB Mike Teel.

Reasons to watch: Both squads come into the bowl season playing its best football. NC State finished the regular season winning four straight, including wins over bowl qualifiers Wake Forest, North Carolina and Miami. Meanwhile, Rutgers is on a six game win streak, topping teams like Connecticut, Pitt and South Florida. Scarlet Knights WR Kenny Britt is a legitimate first-round talent in the NFL draft come April and Courtney Greene is one of the best safeties in the country. For NC State, Andre Brown has a lot of talent in the backfield, but has struggled to live up to expectations.

Prediction: Rutgers 33, NC State 17 – It was a disappointing start to the year for Rutgers, but an argument could be made that the Scarlet Knights were the best team in the Big East at the end of the regular season. Expect that momentum to continue as QB Mike Teel is finally playing up to expectations. The most impressive part of Rutgers win streak is the way it dominated its opponents in the process with an average margin of victory at 24.8 points. This would be a third-straight win for Rutgers in bowl games as this is only the fifth postseason appearance the Knights have made in program history with this year marking a fourth consecutive berth.



Valero Alamo Bowl

Missouri (9-4) vs. Northwestern (9-3)

8 p.m., Dec. 29 (ESPN)

Last bowl appearances: Missouri – 38-7 win over Arkansas in 2007 Cotton; Northwestern – 50-38 loss to UCLA in 2005 Sun.

Top 2009 draft prospects: Missouri – FS Williams Moore, OLB Sean Weatherspoon, TE Chase Coffman, DT Evander Hood, DE Stryker Sulak, QB Chase Daniel, MLB Brock Christopher, WR Jeremy Maclin; Northwestern – RB Tyrell Sutton .

Reasons to watch: Northwestern has not won a bowl game since 1948 when the Wildcats topped Cal, 20-14, in the Rose Bowl. The last time a Northwestern team posted a record as good as 2008’s was in 1996 and leading that squad was a dynamic running back named Darnell Autry. The formula for success has been similar this season as Tyrell Sutton has led a Wildcats squad playing above its capabilities. Missouri’s season, on the other hand, is a disappointment. With the talent returning from a 12-1 2007 squad, it was thought the Tigers could potentially contend for a national title. They simply haven’t matched up with the elite of the Big 12, though, and are now regulated to playing in San Antonio for the postseason. Chase Daniel is still one of the best quarterbacks in the country, but hasn’t had the type of protection he needs from his offensive line. There might not be a more exciting player to watch in the country than Jeremy Maclin. He’s a threat to score every time he touches the ball.
Prediction: Missouri 41, Northwestern 24 – Mizzou has been guilty of playing down to its opponent all season, but should find plenty of opportunities to score against the Wildcats. It’ll be interesting how well Sutton plays as he’s been out four weeks with injury. Maclin is the key. Mizzou needs to put the ball in his hands as much as possible and ride him to the victory.