Football Future-see 2012: Bowl Edition

Record

Week 1…..8-1
Week 2…..5-0
Week 3…..2-3
Week 4…..5-0
Week 5…..4-1
Week 6…..2-3
Week 7…..5-1
Week 8…..4-1
Week 9…..2-3
Week 10...4-1
Week 11...4-1
Week 12…4-1
Week 13…4-1
Week 14…2-3
Bowls…….7-3
Overall..…62-23

Review/Preview:
So it ended on a sad note, as I had a sub-.500 week to wrap up the regular season. Still, 55-20 is not bad. Now we go into Bowl Season, and we’ve got a ten game slate to project…so let’s get started…

The Games:

Hyundai Sun Bowl .....INCORRECT
USC vs Georgia Tech

I’m picking this game out of pity. Georgia Tech is 6-7, and yet they have a bowl game. Meanwhile, Louisiana Tech (9-3, best offense in the nation) is not even in a bowl thanks to the greed of their athletic director. If I were in charge of the NCAA, one of the first things I would do is remove Georgia Tech from this game and put LaTech in. But since that won’t happen, we’re left with what should be a dominating victory by Southern Cal. The Trojans are looking for whatever redemption they can find after a stirringly lackluster season. The Yellow Jackets may hang tight for a quarter, but I expect USC to cruise off in the second half. Trojans get the W.
FINAL SCORE: USC 49, Georgia Tech 17

Chick-fil-A Bowl .....INCORRECT
8 LSU vs 14 Clemson

To give you an idea of just how stacked the top half of the SEC is, LSU is not playing in a New Year’s Day bowl. Clemson is a stout offense, but like the ACC as a whole, they have times when they just don’t show up. LSU knows that they could’ve had so much more. If only that game against Alabama had been a minute shorter. But enough of the past. LSU QB Zack Mettenberger will look to get his team a bowl win, while Clemson QB Tajh Boyd (who had one of the quietest good seasons ever) will push his Tigers to do the same. Tigers win (ha!).
FINAL SCORE: LSU 28, Clemson 20

Outback Bowl .....CORRECT
10 South Carolina vs 18 Michigan 

A match-up of two teams who know they could’ve been so much more. South Carolina was bitten hard by the injury bug. Michigan looked to come out of the gate strong by taking on Alabama. While it was projected to be a close match, ‘Bama slammed Michigan and moved on. The Wolverines took some time to get over that beating. They managed a decent enough showing in the Big Ten, but not enough to even reach the conference title game. Now the Wolverines are slated to meet the Gamecocks in the Outback. South Carolina would like a win to close out an otherwise disappointing ten-win season. Michigan will keep it close, and may even lead for a bit, but I think the Gamecock defense adjusts in the second half and takes over for a touchdown victory. South Carolina wins.
FINAL SCORE: South Carolina 31, Michigan 26

Capital One Bowl .....CORRECT
7 Georgia vs 16 Nebraska

For a while, it looked as though the loser of the SEC Championship Game could tumble as far as the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Then the rumor began to circulate that the SEC may try to convince the Cotton Bowl to take the SEC runner-up. Now, we find that the SEC and the Big Ten met with the Capital One and convinced them to take the conference title game runners up. So we’re left with Georgia and Nebraska meeting in Orlando on New Year’s Day. Georgia is likely angry after coming up 5 yards short of the National Championship Game (Note, also, that Georgia lost by 4 points [and 5 yards] to the #2 team in the nation and fell from third to seventh…Kansas State lost by nearly 30 points to Baylor and fell from first to sixth…Georgia may see that similarity in poll placement as a reason to come out angry in this game). Nebraska was just handed their worst loss in recent memory. The Bulldogs offense is similar to Wisconsin’s, though I think Georgia’s offense is more explosive. Nebraska will be ready, but it won’t be enough. Dawgs win.
FINAL SCORE: Georgia 49, Nebraska 20

AT&T Cotton Bowl .....CORRECT
9 Texas A&M vs 11 Oklahoma

The Cotton Bowl wound up with a BCS-level pairing of teams. This actually may be one of the best games we get all bowl season. Heisman-winner  Johnny Manziel leads the Aggies into Dallas to take on wizened QB Landry Jones and the Sooner offense. Texas A&M was the only team to figure out Alabama. Georgia came close, but the Aggies actually notched the win. I can see this being a close game, but in the end, the Aggies will prove too much for Oklahoma. And remember, Johnny Football is just a freshman.
FINAL SCORE: Texas A&M 33, Oklahoma 27

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl .....CORRECT
4 Oregon vs 5 Kansas State

If the 17th of November not happened, we’d be talking about this as the BCS National Championship match-up and the SEC’s streak would be over. Instead, Oregon and K-State are left with a consolation prize of sorts. The winner of this game will likely bounce up to 3rd in the final poll. Wildcats QB Collin Klein is a Heisman finalist and, with the exception of games played in Waco, can lead his team to victory anywhere. Oregon is led by an offense that moves only slightly slower than the speed of light. The Ducks will look to establish quick dominance, but Kansas State has a solid defense. Still, at the end of the day, I can’t see Oregon faltering in the Fiesta. Ducks win.
FINAL SCORE: Oregon 42, Kansas State 35

Allstate Sugar Bowl .....INCORRECT
3 Florida vs 21 Louisville

By virtue of finishing in the Top 3 Florida was guaranteed a spot in the BCS, thus eliminating Georgia, LSU, Texas A&M, and South Carolina from claiming the other spot open for the SEC. I’m not saying the Gators are undeserving. They played a monstrously difficult schedule; they beat 4 top ten teams, with their only loss coming to SEC runner-up Georgia. My biggest gripe with Florida is their on-again-off-again offense. Their defense might be the best in the nation. But their offense at times sputters and at other times stops. They shouldn’t have any trouble with Louisville. Gators feast on some red birds.
FINAL SCORE: Florida 42, Louisville 17

FedEx Orange Bowl .....CORRECT
12 Florida State vs 15 Northern Illinois

Northern Illinois is in a BCS game. I will repeat that. Northern Illinois is in a BCS game. The Huskies are 12-1, which I’m told is respectable. However, they are the first non-AQ team to reach a BCS game without being undefeated. They lost to Iowa, who was 4-8 overall, with only 2 Big Ten conference wins. The Huskies are in because they won the MAC and squeaked into the top 16 of the BCS. Here’s where the rules get wacky. A non-AQ team finishing in the Top 16 of the BCS and ahead of the champion of an AQ Conference receives an automatic invite to the BCS. Outside of beating Kent State in the MAC Championship, NIU’s biggest claim to fame this season is beating Directional Michigan by a combined score of 152-65. Florida State, meanwhile, had to run the gauntlet that is the ACC. Seriously, it’s not often that the ACC can be called a gauntlet. I really can’t see this game even being close, but it’s not even the biggest point spread as set by the bookies in Vegas. That dubious honor belongs to the Sugar Bowl match-up. Seminoles win.
FINAL SCORE: Florida State 35, Northern Illinois 18

Rose Bowl Game .....CORRECT
6 Stanford vs Wisconsin

Okay, this is going to take a moment, because I’m about to unload some frustration on behalf of football fans everywhere. As the bowl match-ups were announced, a certain analyst on a certain acronym sports station went very nearly berserk. He proceeded to lambast the long-standing BCS rule that only two teams per conference can get in. (The rule allows for three teams if two teams are in the national title game.) His argument was that Louisville, Northern Illinois, and Wisconsin did not deserve BCS berths ahead of Georgia, Oklahoma, LSU, Texas A&M, and South Carolina. I can see his argument, but at the same time, the rule in question has been in place since 1998. So we’re left with a 5-loss Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl, because they won the Big Ten Championship Game. I actually have a hard time calling them champions. It’s not like ‘Bama or Georgia, who were by and large dominant all year, or Kansas State, who suffered one bad loss but still took the Big XII. Wisconsin only got into the conference title game because Ohio State and Penn State were ineligible. Then, inexplicably, Nebraska refused to show up and play Wisconsin, leading to a 70-31 Badgers victory. Stanford, meanwhile, took care of business in the PAC-12, beating UCLA in consecutive weeks. I can’t see Wisconsin having a repeat performance of the Big Ten title game. Stanford wins.
FINAL SCORE: Stanford 28, Wisconsin 21

BCS National Championship Game .....CORRECT
1 Notre Dame vs 2 Alabama

Alabama won one of the best SEC Title Games in recent memory, as it proved to be every bit the titanic slugfest it was projected to be. Of course, afterwards, a certain acronym sports station began casting Alabama as the greatest team ever and Georgia (more specifically, Aaron Murray) as the dumbest to ever play the game. But enough of that…we have a chance for a seventh straight SEC national champion. Notre Dame is good. They play SEC-level defense. I just don’t see them able to score enough points to knock off Alabama. The Tide rolls in Miami.
FINAL SCORE: Alabama 33, Notre Dame 18