All that’s left in the 2011 college football season are the bowl games. December 17th kicks off the beginning of bowl season and it all concludes January 9th when the national championship game is played. In this post I’ll preview all of the December bowl games. Check back in a couple of weeks for a January preview.
Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Wyoming Broncos (8-4) vs. Temple Owls (8-4)
Dec. 17, 2:00 p.m.
The Broncos come into the game after having a surprisingly good season. They have a solid offense, but their defense is what costs them games. They rank 115th nationally in rush defense, giving up 230 yards per game. That’s not good news when they’re about to face a great running team.
The Owls are led by running back Bernard Pierce who had a great year. Pierce earned a spot on the All-MAC first-team as he rushed for 1,300 yards and 25 touchdowns. The work from him has elevated the Owls to rank 7th nationally in rushing offense. The Owls’ weakness comes at the quarterback position though. They have gone through three different quarterbacks this season and it is still in question who will start the game.
My pick: Temple
Update: Temple wins 37-15
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Ohio Bobcats (9-4) vs. Utah State Aggies (7-5)
Dec. 17, 5:30 p.m.
The Bobcats were the runner up in the MAC Conference. Their strength lies in its rushing attack, which is ranked 24th nationally. Running back Donte Harden leads the team in yards and carries, but he’s not far ahead of quarterback Tyler Tettleton. Plus, two other players have rushed for more than 400 yards.
Utah State won seven games this season for the first time since 1993. They have a powerful rushing attack as well, as they rank 6th nationally in rushing yards. They have two players that have more than 100 carries and 700 rushing yards. Whoever wins this game, it will be because of the strength of the running game.
My pick: Ohio
Update: Ohio wins 24-23
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
San Diego State Aztecs (8-4) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (8-4)
Dec. 17, 9:00 p.m.
The Aztecs come into the game with a depleted wide receiver corps, which has forced them to rely on their running back, Ronnie Hillman. Hillman has produced though. He has 1,656 yards and 19 touchdowns, thanks in part to his very talented offensive line.
The Ragin’ Cajuns are under the helm of first-year coach Mark Hudspeth who has led his team to a great season. Hudspeth made the move early in the season to replace the original starting quarterback with Blaine Gautier. Gautier responded by throwing for more than 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns with just 5 interceptions.
My pick: San Diego
Update: Louisiana-Lafayette wins 32-30
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl
Florida International Golden Panthers (8-4) vs. Marshall Thundering Herd (6-6)
Dec. 20, 8:00 p.m.
Florida International recorded their best season in school history and is playing in a bowl for just the second time. The Panthers got some national attention when wide receiver T.Y. Hilton put up great numbers in the beginning of the season. Hilton finished the year with 950 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. FIU has a solid defense that ranks 16th in points allowed.
Marshall had to win two straight to become bowl-eligible and they did just that. The Herd are winning games because of their defense. They are lead by two outstanding players, Vinny Curry and Rashad Jackson. Curry is a defensive lineman that had 11 sacks and 21 tackles for losses. Jackson recorded nine pass breakups and four interceptions.
My pick: Florida International
Update: Marshall wins 20-10
San Diego Country Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
TCU Horned Frogs (10-2) vs. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8-4)
Dec. 21, 8:00 p.m.
The Horned Frogs had a great season, but it’s hard to wonder “what if?” Their only two losses came by a combined nine points and if they could have won those they would be playing in a BCS Bowl. They got to 10 wins with stellar quarterback, Casey Pachall. Pachall has thrown 24 touchdowns to just six interceptions and has completed 68% of his passes. TCU also has a strong running game that is split between three different players, who all have over 600 rushing yards.
Louisiana Tech is the 2011 WAC Champion, a title it hasn’t earned since 2001. They have a very young team, as only four starters from 2010 returned to the team. The Bulldogs strength is defense, which has played lights-out nearly the entire season. They have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 10 of their games, recorded 20 interceptions, and ranked 11th in the nation in turnover margin.
My pick: Louisiana Tech gets the upset
Update: TCU wins 31-24
MAACO Las Vegas Bowl
Arizona State Sun Devils (6-6) vs. Boise State Broncos (11-1)
Dec. 22, 8:00 p.m.
The Sun Devils had a great start to the season and were 6-2, and then it all went downhill. They lost four straight and ended up firing their head coach. If they come into this game unfocused or without motivation, they will get destroyed by the Broncos. That is completely possible since everybody, from the players to the fans, are looking to next season and who will be the next coach. Even if ASU plays their best game, it doesn’t compare to BSU’s best game.
I have been drinking the Broncos’ Kool-Aid since 2007, but the past two years it has been pretty hard to support them. In both seasons, they have lost a game on a last-second field goal. Boise is lead by senior quarterback Kellen Moore. Moore has been stellar his entire career, and there is no way he goes out a loser.
My pick: Boise wins big
Update: Boise St. wins 56-24
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Nevada Wolf Pack (7-5) vs. Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (11-2)
Dec. 24, 8:00 p.m.
Nothing says “Merry Christmas!” like a college football game played 3,000 miles away. Nevada finished 13-1 last year, but this year has been a far cry from that. They started 6-3 and in control of the WAC, but a brutal four-game stretch left the Pack 7-5. Starting quarterback, freshman Cody Fajardo, has completed 71% of his passes and has thrown for 1,647 yards and six touchdowns. Fajardo also ran for 680 yards and 11 touchdowns. Their offense ranks 8th nationally and rushing offense ranks 5th nationally.
The Eagles stunned the college football world when they blew out then-ranked #6 Houston and won the Conference-USA Championship. This is the tenth straight year the Eagles are playing in a bowl game. The streak continues in large part to the outstanding play of quarterback Austin Davis. Davis has threw for 28 touchdowns and 3,331 yards, both are single-season school records.
My pick: Southern Miss
Update: Southern Miss wins 24-17
AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl
Missouri Tigers (7-5) vs. North Carolina (7-5)
Dec. 26, 5:00 p.m.
This is the last game for Missouri as part of the Big 12, as next season they move to the SEC. On offense they have dual-threat quarterback James Franklin, but he has struggled since the team’s leading rusher got injured. Still though, the Tigers have the 12th most productive offense in America. Defensively, the Tigers have played adequately, but never outstanding.
The Tarheels had a rough 2010 season and this year wasn’t much better. Head coach Butch Davis was fired just days before the season began, but interim coach Everett Withers kept the program headed in the right direction. They started 5-1, but their success dwindled as they began to play tougher competition. North Carolina has some very talented players, so it has to be disappointing for their fans they finished with just seven wins.
My pick: North Carolina
Update: Missouri wins 41-24
Little Caesars Bowl
Western Michigan Broncos (7-5) vs. Purdue Boilermakers (6-6)
Dec. 27, 4:30 p.m.
The Broncos have a prolific offensive attack that ranks within the top 20 nationally in passing, passing efficiency, and scoring. Their quarterback Alex Carder and wide receiver Jordan White are two of the best duos in America. White leads the nation in total receiving yards, total receptions, and receptions per game. Carder threw for 20 touchdowns and more than 3,000 yards.
If you look up the word “inconsistent” in the dictionary, you may see a picture of the Boilermakers. They never once won two games in a row and only had one two-game losing streak. They had great performances against Penn State and Ohio State but got beat by Rice. Purdue can sometimes struggle on offense, where they split quarterback play between Robert Marve and Caleb TerBush. On defense, they are led by lineman Kawann Short, who is one of the best in the Big 10.
My pick: Western Michigan
Update: Purdue wins 37-32
Belk Bowl
Louisville Cardinals (7-5) vs. NC State Wolfpack (7-5)
Dec. 27, 8:00 p.m.
Louisville started 2-4, but they came together to finish stongly and look to continue that success in this game. The Cardinals have a young team, but showed a lot of maturity in they way they never gave up on their season. Louisville’s defense ranks 24th nationally in yards allowed and 14th in points allowed.
The Wolfpack have definitely had their ups and downs. They beat rival North Carolina, then lost to Boston College, and next week blew out Clemson. They are a pretty average team though, as their offense ranks 93rd nationally in total yards and the defense ranks 39th in total yards given up.
My pick: Louisville
Update: NC State wins 31-24
Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman
Toledo Rockets (8-4) vs. Air Force Falcons (7-5)
Dec. 28, 4:30 p.m.
Toledo is bowling for the second straight year as they are coming off a great year where they went 7-1 in MAC play. The Rockets utilize a two-quarterback system with Terrance Owens and Austin Dantin. They also have offensive weapons Eric Page and Adonis Thomas. Page is an all-purpose player who sees time as a wide receiver, running back, punt returner, and kick returner.
Air Force is led by quarterback Tim Jefferson who has won a school record 28 games. He’s also the head of the nation’s No. 2 rushing attack, an attack that averages 320 yards per game. Jefferson isn’t just a runner though, as he has thrown for 12 touchdowns in 2011.
My pick: Toledo wins in a shootout
Update: Toledo wins 42-41. That would constitute as a shootout
Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl
California Golden Bears (7-5) vs. Texas Longhorns (7-5)
Dec. 28, 8:00 p.m.
Cal has relied on its running game and stout defense to get to a bowl game this year. Their quarterback Zach Maynard has had good games, but he had a slew of bad games too. Cal ranks 38th nationally in passing yards and 48th in rushing yards, and their total defense is ranked 26th. It’s not that the Bears are a bad team; they’ve just played a lot of teams that are better.
Texas is coming off one of the worst seasons in school history and nobody expected much of them this year. A 7-5 record isn’t exactly the standard Texas has set for itself, but it’s not so bad for a team that’s in a rebuilding year. The Longhorns split quarterback time between three guys, but the two that stood out were David Ash and Case McCoy. It is likely that head coach Mack Brown will use this game to decide who will be the quarterback next season.
My pick: California
Update: Texas wins 21-10
Champs Sports Bowl
Florida State Seminoles (8-4) vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-4)
Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m.
Both programs began the season with BCS expectations, but neither could live up to those expectations and end up here. The Seminoles struggle on offense and rank 99th in the country in rushing yards and 111th in sacks allowed. They are playing strong on defense though. That unit is ranked in the top 10 in sacks, tackles for losses, scoring defense, rushing defense, and total defense.
Ah, Notre Dame. When the Irish were good, they were good. When the Irish were bad, they were bad. Against Michigan State, Purdue, and Air Force, Notre Dame played spectacularly on both sides of the ball. Against USC, Michigan State, and USF, Notre Dame played awful. There are talented players on both sides of the ball, and if they come out ready to play they can beat just about anybody, including FSU.
I will have a more detailed preview of this game posted later.
My pick: Notre Dame of course
Update: Florida State wins 18-14
Valero Alamo Bowl
Washington Huskies (7-5) vs. Baylor Bears (9-3)
Dec. 29, 9 p.m.
The Huskies had to find a way to replace their star quarterback Jake Locker after he left for the NFL. Not many people thought they would have found it so fast with the emergence of Keith Price. Price actually put up better numbers than Locker did last season. The Huskies biggest flaw is their defense, which ranks 94th in yards given up and 99th in points allowed. That’s not good news to hear when you’re about to face a Heisman Trophy winner.
The Baylor Bears are lead by Robert Griffin III, the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner. Griffin is one of the most exciting players to watch in all of college football. He has had to do mostly everything on his own, because the Bears defense has struggled all season. Griffin does have help on offense. That comes from receiver Kendall Wright and running back Terrance Ganaway. Both are two of the best in the Big 12.
My pick: Baylor
Update: Baylor wins 67-56
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
BYU Cougars (9-3) vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (8-4)
Dec. 30, Noon
The Cougars struggled at the beginning of the season with Jake Heaps as quarterback. In week 5, he was replaces by Riley Nelson, who led the team to a victory and remained the starter for the rest of the season. On defense, the best player was Kyle Van Noy, who led the team with 10 tackles for loss, five sacks, and three interceptions.
The Hurricanes may have had the toughest out-of-conference schedule of any team in America. Their four losses were against Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Boise State, and Houston. All are Top 15 teams. Tulsa has a strong running game led by Ja’Terian Douglas who averages 204 yards a game. The running game also gets some help from the passing of quarterback G.J. Kinne, who has thrown for 25 touchdowns and averaged 250 yards each game.
My pick: Tulsa
Update: BYU wins 24-21
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-4) vs. Iowa State Cyclones (6-6)
Dec. 30, 3:20 p.m.
Rutgers went 4-8 last year and was picked by most experts to finish dead last in the Big East Conference. Instead they went 8-4 and were a win away from clinching the conference championship. On offense, the Knights have wide receiver Mohamed Sanu who finished the season with 109 receptions, the second-highest total nationally. Rutgers defense was the best in the Big East and linebacker Khaseem Greene led the conference in tackles.
The Cyclones biggest win this season came against Oklahoma State, who entered the game undefeated and the #2 team in the country. The Cyclones don’t have any highly-talented players, but they have a group of guys that play physical and play as a team.
My pick: Iowa State
Update: Rutgers wins 27-13
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-6) vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-6)
Dec. 30, 6:40 p.m.
The Bulldogs are only in this bowl because they are in the SEC. Their only wins came against opponents with a combined record of 25-46. They rank 92nd in passing yards and 45th in rushing yards. Their defense is the strength of the team and the only thing that has kept them competitive.
Wake Forest started 5-2 and had a great chance at winning the Atlantic Division in the ACC. They then lost four of their last five and barely maintained bowl-eligibility. Quarterback Tanner Price improved dramatically as the season went on and finished with 2803 yards and 20 touchdowns.
My pick: Wake Forest
Update: Mississippi State wins 23-17
Insight Bowl
Iowa Hawkeyes (7-5) vs. Oklahoma Sooners (9-3)
Dec. 30, 1:00 p.m.
The Hawkeyes are back in the Insight Bowl for the second-straight year. They offense have a triple threat attack in quarterback James Vandenburg, receiver Marvin McNutt, and running back Marcus Coker. The defense hasn’t been too outstanding, and that may cost them in this game.
The Sooners started the 2011 season as the No. 1 team in the country. That ranking, and their season, went down the drain after a loss to Texas Tech. After that game Oklahoma lost two of their last five. Their team relies on the arm of quarterback Landry Jones, who’s passing game is ranked 4th in the nation.
My pick: Iowa gets the upset
Update: Oklahoma wins 31-14
Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas
Texas A&M Aggies (6-6) vs. Northwestern Wildcats (6-6)
Dec. 31, Noon
The Aggies struggled to win every game that was close. Five of their six losses came by an average of 3 points. Needless to say, they are a much better team than what their record indicates. The Aggies offense is ranked 7th in the nation, and 11th in points scored. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill has plenty of options, including Ryan Swope and Jeff Fuller. However, like most Big 12 teams, their weakness is on defense.
Northwestern is in a bowl-game for the fourth consecutive season, but have yet to win one since 1949. The Wildcats will have the best player on the field playing for their team, and that’s quarterback Dan Persa. He lead the Big 10 in passing yards and completed 74% of his passes.
My pick: Northwestern
Update: Texas A&M wins 33-22
Hyundai Sun Bowl
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-4) vs. Utah Utes (7-5)
Dec. 31, 2:00 p.m.
Georgia Tech is the only team besides the military academies to use an option offense. They have the 3rd best rushing attack and are 19th in total points scored. Their leading rusher is also their quarterback, Tevin Washington. Because of their option attack, Tech gets in trouble when they are losing and forced to throw the ball. They rank 112th in passing yards.
2011 was the first year in the Pac 12 for Utah. They got off to a very rough start as they went 0-4 in their first four conference games. However, they were still in the hunt for a division title until the final week of the season when they lost to Colorado. The Utes have a solid team, especially on defense, which ranks 19th in points allowed.
My pick: Utah
Update: Utah wins 30-27
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3) vs. Vanderbilt Commodores (6-6)
Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m.
The Bearcats were flying high as they got off to a 7-1 start and were in control of the Big East. In the game against West Virginia, quarterback Zach Collaros broke his ankle and the Bearcats came crashing down. They lost that game and then lost the next week to Rutgers. Cincinnati trudged on though. Their defense finished the season with 44 sacks and 106 tackles for loss. Collaros is expected to play in the bowl game by the way.
Vandy is heading to a bowl game for just the fifth time in school history. The Commodores lost four of their games by an average of 4 points, so this is a team that could have easily won 9 or 10 games. The offense really improved when Jordan Rodgers took over at quarterback in Week 7. Running back Zac Stacey and wide receiver Jordan Matthews are two of the best weapons the SEC and really made Rodgers’s job easier.
This may be the most underrated of all the games played before the January bowls.
My pick: Cincinnati
Update: Cincinnati wins 31-14
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
Illinois Fighting Illini (6-6) vs. UCLA Bruins (6-7)
Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m.
Illinois started 6-0 and looked like a serious contender for their division title. They then self-destructed and lost their final six games. That resulted in the firing of head coach Ron Zook. Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase was unable to produce any kind of offense as the Illini only scored 66 points in their final six games. The Illini have been strong on defense though. Defensive end Whitney Mercilus leads the nation in sacks and forced fumbles.
UCLA heads into this bowl game with a losing record and an interim coach. The Bruins have a strong running game, ranked 30th nationally, but have failed to balance their attack with a strong passing game. Defensively, they are awful. In their last three games they have given up 144 points.
This may be the most dismal bowl game of all them.
My pick: Illinois
Update: Illinois wins 20-14
Chick fil-A Bowl
Virginia Cavaliers (8-4) vs. Auburn Tigers (7-5)
Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m.
This is the palette cleanser for the Illinois-UCLA game. Virginia had a great season and nearly won their division. The Cavaliers’ strength is with their defense, which is full of veteran players. They ranked 29th nationally in total defense, and 32nd in points allowed. On the offensive side, the best unit is the offensive line. They have been able to open huge holes for the running game, which averages 165 yards a game.
Nobody expected the Tigers to match the success they had last year (a national championship), as they had to replace the best player in college football last year and just about everybody on defense. Auburn had a good start to season and went 4-1. But as the season wore on, the players began to wear down and play with less physicality. They have shuffled through three quarterbacks, but finally settled on sophomore Clint Moseley. The Tigers are not great on any side of the ball, but they do have the talent to win this game.
My pick: Virginia
Update: Auburn wins 43-24
