SOME BOWL BID OBSERVATIONS
As a Mizzou man, I'm pretty unhappy with the Tiger's bowl bid, a trip to Texas for the 4th consecutive season. Sun, Cotton, Alamo & now the Texas Bowl in Houston on New Year's Eve afternoon. Their opponent will be the Midshipmen from the Naval Academy. Playing Navy assures Mizzou of having only their own fans routing for them. This will be the David vs. Goliath matchup Navy had with Ohio State & Notre Dame. I doubt most Tiger faithful are excited to go to Texas for the 4th year in a row. Maybe I'm crazy. I know almost a third of the team was recruited from the Lone Star State. Playing Navy's triple option is a nightmare, although having over 3 weeks to prepare for them helps. Their passing game ranks 119th nationally out of 120, which is good news for the beleaguered Tiger secondary, ranked 109th. See if you can wrap your brain around this one. In the 3rd quarter of the MU-KU game, WR Danario Alexander caught passes good for 182 yards. One quarter. That is more yardage than any of the Navy receivers had for the entire season. I'm not kidding. Las Vegas hasn't posted a line on the game, maybe tomorrow. I make it Mizzou -7 1/2.
I was very surprised to see Florida facing Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl. Is this a recipe for a repeat of last year's SEC runner-up facing an undefeated team that feels like they ought to be in the BCS title game? Remember that one? An undefeated Alabama team lost in the SEC Championship Game & then got smoked by an undefeated Utah team that was really steamed to be 'left out'. The 31-17 score wasn't indicative of how the game unfolded, it was Utah all the way. Unlike Utah, Cincinnati doesn't have much of a defense, but then Florida really doesn't have much of an offense. They'll try to control the ball, play keep away from Tony Pike & the Bearcat offense. You have to wonder how motivated Florida will be after their 23-game winning streak was snapped last night. It may also be a rocky road for Cincinnati if Brian Kelly announces he's moving on to Notre Dame. The Gators are favored by 10 1/2 & the total is 62.
Georgia Tech will face Iowa in the Orange Bowl. The Hawkeyes might be without starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi & having to face the option that Tech runs will be a huge challenge. Unlike Navy, the Yellow jackets run this nightmare with NFL-caliber players. Plus they can throw the ball. If Stanzi doesn't return, I can't see them winning this game. The Big-10 has lost 6 consecutive BCS Bowl Games. Tech opened as a 3 1/2 point favorite with a total of 51.
The Fiesta Bowl plays host to the other pair of undefeated competitors. TCU will meet Boise State in a rematch of last year's Poinsettia Bowl, won by TCU 17-16. I was secretly hoping both of these teams would face off with 2 of the establishment big schools & whip 'em. But they should provide a good game. TCU opened as a 4-point favorite with a total of 54.
Oregon returns to the Rose Bowl for the 1st time since 1995. Their opponent, Ohio State, hasn't traveled to Pasadena since '97 & they've lost 3 straight BCS Bowls. Oregon has three dangerous runners, QB Jeremiah Masoli, running backs LaMichael James & LeGarrette Blount. Buckeye QB Terrelle Pryor is his team's leading rusher. I know Ohio State has a decent defense, but they haven't faced anything like Oregon. The Ducks hammered USC & also beat Purdue, Ohio State lost to both. I think the opening line will grow from 3 1/2. The total is 50 1/2.
The BCS title game between Texas & Alabama should be a great game between 2 of the most honored football programs in the country. At 1st glance, the Crimson Tide appear to be a huge favorite, but remember, both teams have a full month to prepare for each other. The media will compare 'Bama's DT Shaun Cody to Nebraska's Ndamakong Suh, who dealt the Longhorns a fit last night. It's a bad comparison, Cody doesn't play every down like Suh & his ability to rush the passer isn't remotely close to Suh. The media will pitch the fact ''Bama scored 32 points on the #1 ranked defense in the country. By next Saturday night, one of these teams might have a Heisman Trophy winner. Like always, this game will be over-hyped & over-analyzed. One good thing is Fox doesn't have broadcast rights since the game is at the Rose Bowl, a longtime ABC holdout. ABC has broadcast college football longer than anyone & they really know how to do it right. The line is just right, opening at 'Bama -4 1/2 & 44 1/2 as a total.
Some other bowl observations would include the number of 6-6 teams in bowls, sadly it's six. Too many .500 teams playing in bowls. The bowl system is truly watered down when being average is rewarded. Sort of like real life isn't it? Everybody in the T-ball league gets a trophy, even the last place team. Oh, what was I thinking? They don't keep score in T-ball, we don't want to hurt the little tyke's self-esteem. Garbage, that's part of the reason people feel so entitled today. They can't grasp the concept of failure, because they've never experienced losing before. Jeez, that Chiefs' game still has me angry doesn't it?
I was very surprised to see Florida facing Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl. Is this a recipe for a repeat of last year's SEC runner-up facing an undefeated team that feels like they ought to be in the BCS title game? Remember that one? An undefeated Alabama team lost in the SEC Championship Game & then got smoked by an undefeated Utah team that was really steamed to be 'left out'. The 31-17 score wasn't indicative of how the game unfolded, it was Utah all the way. Unlike Utah, Cincinnati doesn't have much of a defense, but then Florida really doesn't have much of an offense. They'll try to control the ball, play keep away from Tony Pike & the Bearcat offense. You have to wonder how motivated Florida will be after their 23-game winning streak was snapped last night. It may also be a rocky road for Cincinnati if Brian Kelly announces he's moving on to Notre Dame. The Gators are favored by 10 1/2 & the total is 62.
Georgia Tech will face Iowa in the Orange Bowl. The Hawkeyes might be without starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi & having to face the option that Tech runs will be a huge challenge. Unlike Navy, the Yellow jackets run this nightmare with NFL-caliber players. Plus they can throw the ball. If Stanzi doesn't return, I can't see them winning this game. The Big-10 has lost 6 consecutive BCS Bowl Games. Tech opened as a 3 1/2 point favorite with a total of 51.
The Fiesta Bowl plays host to the other pair of undefeated competitors. TCU will meet Boise State in a rematch of last year's Poinsettia Bowl, won by TCU 17-16. I was secretly hoping both of these teams would face off with 2 of the establishment big schools & whip 'em. But they should provide a good game. TCU opened as a 4-point favorite with a total of 54.
Oregon returns to the Rose Bowl for the 1st time since 1995. Their opponent, Ohio State, hasn't traveled to Pasadena since '97 & they've lost 3 straight BCS Bowls. Oregon has three dangerous runners, QB Jeremiah Masoli, running backs LaMichael James & LeGarrette Blount. Buckeye QB Terrelle Pryor is his team's leading rusher. I know Ohio State has a decent defense, but they haven't faced anything like Oregon. The Ducks hammered USC & also beat Purdue, Ohio State lost to both. I think the opening line will grow from 3 1/2. The total is 50 1/2.
The BCS title game between Texas & Alabama should be a great game between 2 of the most honored football programs in the country. At 1st glance, the Crimson Tide appear to be a huge favorite, but remember, both teams have a full month to prepare for each other. The media will compare 'Bama's DT Shaun Cody to Nebraska's Ndamakong Suh, who dealt the Longhorns a fit last night. It's a bad comparison, Cody doesn't play every down like Suh & his ability to rush the passer isn't remotely close to Suh. The media will pitch the fact ''Bama scored 32 points on the #1 ranked defense in the country. By next Saturday night, one of these teams might have a Heisman Trophy winner. Like always, this game will be over-hyped & over-analyzed. One good thing is Fox doesn't have broadcast rights since the game is at the Rose Bowl, a longtime ABC holdout. ABC has broadcast college football longer than anyone & they really know how to do it right. The line is just right, opening at 'Bama -4 1/2 & 44 1/2 as a total.
Some other bowl observations would include the number of 6-6 teams in bowls, sadly it's six. Too many .500 teams playing in bowls. The bowl system is truly watered down when being average is rewarded. Sort of like real life isn't it? Everybody in the T-ball league gets a trophy, even the last place team. Oh, what was I thinking? They don't keep score in T-ball, we don't want to hurt the little tyke's self-esteem. Garbage, that's part of the reason people feel so entitled today. They can't grasp the concept of failure, because they've never experienced losing before. Jeez, that Chiefs' game still has me angry doesn't it?
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