Priceless. And, once again for the Onion, entirely too close to the truth.
Nate’s Take - BCS Title Game
Look, this game has been broken down from so many angles that it’s going to be impossible for me to provide any meaningful, original insight into this game. We all know about Colt McCoy being clutch, Texas having no solid running game, Mark Ingram’s anticipated struggles with the Texas run defense and the pressure that is going to be put on Greg McElroy to get the ball to Julio Jones. So, let’s just cut to the chase, shall we?
I think that it’s about damn time that Colt McCoy wins something big, instead of being leap-frogged by anyone and everyone. The kid is a gamer who has been overshadowed by Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford most of his college career. By all accounts, he’s a classy kid who has taken it all in stride, and good for him. But I think he’s hungry for something big. Colt will show up with his “A” game tonight, put the Longhorns on his back and lead them to victory. Hook ‘em.
Texas wins, 27-24.
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Adam’s Take - BCS National Championship
Now that I have officially fallen asleep on most of the Bowl games, I figured I should probably give my take on Championship game. So far this Bowl season the Big Ten has proved that they are much better than anyone has given them credit for this entire season. Now though the focus is on the two highest profile undefeated teams in the country.
When I think about this game my brain is telling me to pick Alabama with their amazing defense and Heisman Trophy running back, but my gut keeps telling me to pick Texas. Colt McCoy came back to win this game, and let’s not forget that Texas’ defense is pretty darn good.
One things for sure, this is going to be a great game.
Texas Wins 34-27
Nate’s Take - Orange Bowl
Just a scant three games are left in the college football season. That, I guess, is reason enough to watch this year’s Orange Bowl, a game pitting the enigma wrapped inside a conundrum that is the Iowa Hawkeyes against the Ramblin’ Wreck that is Georgia Tech.
Sure, Tech sounds sexy, with their nu-triple option offense and Leach-esque Paul Johnson at the helm, but they have proven to be almost as frustrating this season as Iowa. Of course, they don’t have a close call to a FCS team, but they do play in the ACC.
On paper, Georgia Tech should blow Iowa out of the water. They’re explosive, high-scoring and play solid defense. But Iowa does feature a Top 10 run defense and…
Okay, I just can’t get excited for this one. At all. Nothing about it makes me want to watch this game, aside from the aforementioned cache of being 1/3 of my college football viewing left for the year. It’s being broadcast on Fox, who has made a habit of shitting all over college football with their half-assed BCS broadcasts for the past few years, and that’s enough reason right there. Add in the heart attack inducing Ricky Stanzi, who is just as likely to throw 4 INTs in a quarter as he is to throw 4 TDs and I have officially checked out. I’m looking forward to the GMAC bowl, starting….now.
What the hell, Iowa wins, 20-18.
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Nate’s Take - Fiesta Bowl
So it’s come time for us to turn our attention to the two undefeated teams playing at the kid’s table of the BCS bowls. Boise State and TCU own some of the best overall records in college football over the past five seasons and all they got was a matchup against each other, instead of a chance to show that they belong with the big, bad Automatic Qualifiers. It’s bullshit, if you ask me.
The BCS is treating two undefeated teams like also-rans and it stinks. Not just for Boise State and TCU fans, but for college football fans in general. Part of the joy of college football is seeing a plucky underdog team, outmatched and outgunned, take down a powerhouse. Well, both of these programs have quietly built themselves up to powerhouse status in their respective divisions and they’re feeling the crush of the glass ceiling that the BCS is imposing on them, for no other reason than their names aren’t Texas or Alabama.
For those of you who are quick to point out the strength of schedule that Boise State and TCU faced this year, I’ll counter with last year’s Utah/Alabama matchup in the Fiesta bowl, where an undefeated Utah team bludgeoned a juggernaut Alabama team for 60 minutes. Or how about Boise State’s takedown of Oklahoma in 2007? This year, TCU’s Mountain West Conference is 4-0 in bowls and TCU itself was 6-0 during the season against teams that went on to play in bowls.
In the end, you play the schedule that you have. Boise State has tried to set up home and home series with a number of AQ teams, all of which turned them down. You might even say that big programs are scurred to face Boise on the Smurf Turf.
But we are where we are. Boise State will be taking on TCU tonight in the Fiesta Bowl and the winner will be able to argue that they should be either #2 or #3 in the final polls, marking the second straight year that a non-AQ team can do so.
Boise has been explosive all year on offense, whether they’re running or passing. Their defense has swung from dominant to simply aggressive and willing. Teams have been able to score on Boise State this year more than in the past and that could end up being a problem.
TCU, on the other hand, has been explosive offensively and utterly dominant defensively. Only two teams scored more than 20 points against the Horned Frogs all year, and most of those points came once the games were decided.
TCU is fast everywhere and would be a nightmare matchup for anyone. Boise is more savvy than overwhelmingly talented. They have swagger and some brilliant playcalling to lean on. Because of this, I think that Boise State is the definite underdog in this game. They have an uphill climb to overcome TCU’s athleticism and talent, but they have shown time and time again that, when confronted with that sort of challenge, they’re up to the task. Still, TCU has been demolishing people all year and Boise State has made their living this year outscoring teams more than dominating them. I think TCU wins this game and makes a case for a few #1 votes in the process.
TCU wins, 24-13.
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Nate’s Take - Holiday & Outback Bowls
This is a bit slapdash and last-minute, but I’m working on about four different deadlines at the moment in two different mediums, so gimmie a break.
Holiday Bowl
Arizona has a tough defense and a capable offense. Nebraska has a great defense and a piss-poor offense. This one’s gonna be ugly, one way or another. I’m not going to pick against Suh, though.
Nebraska wins, 8-7
Outback Bowl
This one’s going to be a bit of a sleeper. Both of these teams fight hard and are full of overachievers. I think it’s going to be very entertaining all the way through. Something tells me not to pick against Mike Kafka and the Wildcats.
Northwestern wins, 34-30
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Nate’s Take - Pontsettia Bowl
Another busy day running around and accomplishing little with the in-laws means that I’m posting this last-minute pick for the Utah-Cal matchup in the Pointsettia Bowl from the backseat of a rental car somewhere in the exurbs of Omaha.
Anyway, both of these teams were very over-hyped to start the season. Utah lost a ton of major contributors from last year’s team. Cal had Jahvid Best and that was about it. Somehow, both of them managed to finished the season with winning records.
Cal was blown out multiple times by conference foes this year, including a season-ending 42-10 loss to Washington.
Utah lost badly to BYU and barely beat laughably bad Utah State.
That said, this matchup of misfits might just be entertaining. Both teams can score. Cal has a capable Shane Vereen to turn to with the dynamic Best out for the rest of the season. Utah still has quality WRs to throw to, if their freshman QB has time to find it.
In the end, though, Cal has the better athletes and more depth, which, if last year’s Sugar Bowl has taught us anything, means that Utah will blow them out of the water.
Utes win, 34-17
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Adam’s Take - Maaco/Las Vegas Bowl
This bowl is going to be a hell of a game for sure. Two high powered offenses facing off in the first big matchup of the bowl season.
To be honest, my first inclination is to pick BYU. The Cougars’ passing game is certainly cause for concern, but I don’t think I am giving the Oregon State defense enough credit. Prior to the Civil War game, the Beavers hadn’t given up more than 21 points since their loss to USC. In that same Civil War game, they played exception well against an Oregon team that I believe would shred the BYU defense.
All signs are point towards a very close game. Everyone knows BYU passing game is on point, but it may have escaped the minds of some people that the Cougars do have a 1,000 yard rusher. Harvey Unga is quietly had his third 1,000 yard season on this pass happy team. He’s a 240-pounder who could pose some problems for the Beavers in the same way LaGarrette Blount did when he was inserted into the Civil War game.
On the other sideline is the exceedingly impressive Oregon State offense. Sean Canfield is playing the best football of his life. If you shut down his No. 1 target James Rodgers, there’s always the other Rodgers brother, Jacquizz, to contend with.
Come game time, both defenses will struggle to contend with all the weapons the opposing offenses throw their way. We’re likely to see a lot of lead changes and a fairly high score. In the end the Beavs will have just a little more than BYU.
Oregon State Wins 35-31
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Nate’s Take - Las Vegas Bowl
It’s always difficult to pick bowl games. Most teams have been off for almost a month, players have been on the banquet circuit, have been enjoying the holiday season and have been studying for finals. Their attention has been anywhere but on football.
But if there is one team over the last decade that have been able to maintain that razor-sharp focus going into a bowl game, it’s been Mike Riley’s Beavers. Oregon State has gone 6-0 since Riley returned as the head coach, including a brutal 3-0 win over Pitt last year.
As for BYU, after their signature win of the season, an opening game squeaker against Oklahoma, they faltered every time they faced a big-name team until their overtime win over rival Utah to close out the season. The Cougars are usually a solid team on both sides of the ball and should prove to be a challenge for the Beavers.
All in all, the Las Vegas bowl should prove to be the best of the pre-New Years bowls. Two well-coached, ranked teams facing off. My money is on the Beavers, because of their daunting schedule in the Pac-10. The Beavers faced more quality teams and have more quality wins than BYU. Oregon State took Oregon to the wire while BYU was crushed by TCU. Even more damning, BYU was blown out at home by a underachieving Florida State team.
BYU will be up for this game, but Oregon State just has more talent and you know that Coach Riley is going to have them ready for this game.
Oregon State wins 24-20.
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Our Best Guesses - Championship Weekend Edition
Nate - Once again, the college football regular season has gone by far too fast for my liking. For the regular season, my record rests at a respectable 41-29. It’s Championship and de facto championship weekend, so all of our picks are going to be either title games or games that are essentially title games.
Adam - A 4-1 record last week keeps me in winning form going into the Bowls. Things were looking shaky for my credibility after the first half of the season, but I’m back on track with some great games to play this week.
No. 5 Cincinnati at No. 15 Pittsburgh
Nate - Pitt lost a hard game last week against West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl and now has to face Cincy for what is, in effect, the Big East title game. You can bet that Pitt is going to be looking to lay the wood to the Bearcats after losing to their bitter rival.
Cincinnati, on the other hand, has escaped unscathed in each of their last three games, winning by a total of 12 points. The defense has been exposed as suspect, but the offense, now with more Pike, has been up to the task of simply out-scoring anything and anyone. Don’t think that the rampant rumors that head coach Brian Kelly is headed to South Bend after the season ends isn’t going to play a part here, especially since he hasn’t denied anything and refuses to even talk about the issue to his own players. That can’t be good for team unity.
As much as I like the Bearcats and Brian Kelly, I think Pittsburgh ends their streak right here.
Pitt wins, 38-35
Adam - Last week Pitt stopped a great offensive team in West Virginia but lost the game. This week, they face undefeated Cincinnati who are on their way to a BCS game. I see a similar game with just a few more points being scored.
Bearcats Win 27-24
No. 1 Florida vs. No. 2 Alabama
Nate - Will we finally see the fall of the Tebow child in a big game or will he continue to build on his inexplicable Heisman hype? (seriously, he’s not having that good of a season at all) Mark Ingram is going to try and go for Alabama, but their struggles against an attacking Auburn defense don’t make me hopeful that they can pull out a game against Florida’s defensive juggernaut, Carlos Dunlap or no.
Florida wins, 28-17
Adam - I would love very much for Alabama to spoil the final season of Tim Tebow’s career, but I don’t see that happening. Bama’s defense is great, but they had a tough time with Auburn Last week. I don’t think Florida will score even as much as Auburn, but Tebow and the Florida defense will find a way to win.
Gators Win 20-17
No. 3 Texas vs. No. 22 Nebraska
Nate - The Boy Wonder Colt McCoy vs. Big Suh. That’s essentially what this game grinds down to. The Huskers offense leaves so much to be desired, it’s not even funny. Why they haven’t lined up Suh at TE at least once or twice this year is beyond me. The intimidation factor alone would be worth it.
Texas’ defense was exposed last week against A&M, but I don’t think that Muschamp is going to let that happen again, especially against an offense that is anything but explosive. If Nebraska has any hope of fucking up the BCS, it’s in shutting down Colt McCoy for 60 minutes, like they did with Oklahoma. But McCoy hasn’t been shut down like that all season and I don’t expect it to happen in this game.
Texas wins, 24-14
Adam - Colt McCoy is catching fire at the right time, and that spells trouble for Nebraska. The Cornhuskers’ defense has been solid all year, but Texas can smell the BCS Championship game and there’s no way they’ll lose.
Longhorns Win 31-20
No. 10 Georgia Tech vs. Clemson
Nate - Excitement, thy name is the ACC title game. Both GT and Clemson come limping into this game after getting their butts whupped in rivalry games last week. This game should be frustration revenge meted out in quarter-lengths. Expect a lot of big hits, late hits, breathtaking runs and mouth punches. I don’t think that Clemson is man enough to stop Paul Johnson’s offense, and C.J. Spiller can’t play every position, even if he wanted to.
Georgia Tech wins, 31-20
Adam - Tech beat Clemson early on this season by just a field goal, and now they face off in the ACC title game. Clemson’s defense has looked vulnerable lately, and after their loss to South Carolina, I think the Tech rushing game is going to have a nice day. Clemson is going to need big plays on defense and special teams to keep this game close.
Georgia Tech Wins 35-24
No. 16 Oregon State at No. 7 Oregon
Nate - Autzen Stadium at night. The Rose Bowl on the line. The Civil War. Retina-burning uniform colors. Micro-brew drunk fans. I can’t imagine a better game to kick off championship weekend than this.
We have two high-powered offenses coming in at full strength. Two capable defenses who play opportunistic football but are not shut-down caliber. With the bitter rivalry angle, everything is lined up for a big time shootout. Do not be surprised to see sluggo LaGarrette Blount make a surprise appearance at some point and run over a few Beaver defenders. Chip Kelly has shown that he is nothing if not innovative and that would be one hell of a wrinkle to pull out in a game like this. In the end, I think that Oregon has just too much firepower to lose this game.
Oregon wins, 48-45
Adam - I’m gonna call this one like most of the recent Oregon games. Their defense will surrender plenty of points to the Beavers, especially with the way the Oregon State offense is playing, but the offense of the Ducks is just too damn good. Add to that, that Oregon is playing at home and you have a trip to the Rose Bowl.
Ducks Win 45-41
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Our Best Guesses - Week 13
Adam - A 4-2 record last week keep me on the winning side of my picks as we enter a week full of rivalries and games where truly anything can happen. My beloved Boilermakers finished their season at 5-7; probably a tad bit better than most thought they would do. The offense is likely to have a completely different look next season so there will still be a lot of questions to start the year as to how good this team can be. One thing is for certain, the defense can’t give up a million points like they did this year.
Nate - I stumbled to a 3-3 record last week, placing me squarely at 37-27 on the season with one week left. There were so many good rivalry games with implications this weekend that it was hard to nail down which games to pick, but I think we got it down to a hearty five. Like most of you, I’m a bit crunched for time in this short week, so my picks will be in haiku form again. Enjoy!
No. 2 Alabama at Auburn
Adam - Here’s the thing Auburn’s offense is awesome, but Alabama has the top defense in the country. SEC games can go either way on any given week, but I think Bama can roll this week on their way to the SEC title game against Florida next week.
Tide Wins 23-17
Nate -
War Eagle, Roll Tide
Saban-focused SEC
Roll Tide Roll Tide Roll
Alabama wins, 31-14
No. 9 Pittsburgh at West Virginia
Adam - Pitt has had a very difficult schedule leading up to this game against West Virginia and then they get to face Cinci next week. They’re coming off a big win against the Irish, and could be on their way to a huge BCS game if they run the table. Both offenses are great, but I think the Pitt defense will stop West Virginia.
Pitt Wins 31-24
Nate-
Devine runs thru night
Pitt to the left and the right
Mountaineer upset
West Virginia wins, 38-35 (OT)
Nevada at No. 6 Boise State
Adam - This is a tough one to call. I like to watch Boise State play, because they are fun, but I don’t like them at all. I don’t think they deserve to be in the National Title game. Maybe it’s because of the BCS, maybe their strength of schedule; I don’t know, but something’s gotta give if they ever want serious recognition. Perhaps a change of scenery would do the trick. I like about a million points to be scored in this game, but I like the Broncos on their stupid blue turf.
Boise State Wins 51-41
Nate -
Wolfpack run around
Boise on the ground and air
Broncos by a hair
Boise State wins, 58-57
Florida State at No. 1 Florida
Adam - Florida State’s defense gives up far too many points for them to be able to take down the Gators at home. Tim Tebow is a Golden God. The Second Coming. The Messiah. The Lord of College Football. Well…you get the picture. Look for Florida and Tebow’s legend to really be tested when they face Alabama. Even if they lose to Alabama I wouldn’t be surprised if Florida plays in the National Championship because you will never see Tim Tebow want to play in a game as much as he will want to play in that game. Thank you and God bless.
Florida Wins 35-21
Nate -
Bobby rises again
Tebow not enough to win
Florida trap game
Florida State wins, 42-37
UCLA at No. 20 USC
Adam - USC’s defense and the entire program have collapsed over the past three or four weeks. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. It’s time to crown a new king in the Pac 10. UCLA is coming off three straight wins and actually look like they have an outside shot at the win. It’ll surely be a nail biter, but UCLA’s lack of an explosive running game will hurt them in the end.
USC Wins 27-24
Nate -
Win forever, ha!
Bruins hungry for fresh blood
Four-loss season hurts
UCLA wins, 24-20
Charlie’s toast, Clausen’s surveying defenses through a black eye and AD Swarbrick is ducking errant reports of who’s going to be coaching the Irish next year like a elementary school dodgeball game. Everything is lining up for this to be a slaughter. Stanford is going to come out pissed after losing the Big Game to Cal last weekend. Gerhart is going to be in full-on BEAST MODE and Harbaugh might just go for two every chance he gets against the hapless Irish defense.
But then again, adversity has a way of bringing everyone together in a way that nothing else can. I’m just not certain that the Irish offense will be able to outscore the Cardinal in regulation. At the very least, I see another overtime thriller unfolding, as Clausen finishes his career with a flourish, attempting to vault himself to the top of the draft boards. Maybe the Irish can pull this one out in Palo Alto, maybe they can’t, but it will be riveting television, either way. I think that it does go to OT and the walk-on kicker, Ruffer, who has been replacing Nick Tausch the last two weeks, comes up big. It’s probably just wishful thinking on my part, but hey, I have to have something to look forward to at this point, right?
Irish win, 48-45 (OT)
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Replacing Weis - Part Three: Mike Riley
Mike Riley has made chicken salad from chicken shit in Corvallis for the last six years. He routinely picks up the leftover recruits that the big boys in the Pac-10 pass over and makes them into hard-nosed winners who play the whole 60 minutes and never, ever give up. Sure, his 61-45 record doesn’t look all that impressive at first blush, but he wins late in the year every year and has the longest streak of bowl wins (five) in college football. With the right players, he could be a big-time winner.
The problem is, he’s a Pacific Northwest boy through and through. He grew up in Idaho and loves the Beavers with every bone in his body. Getting him to leave and take on the extremely difficult job of coaching college football’s most visible team would take some work, and that’s putting it lightly.
Of course, $$$ helps and prestige helps and a challenge is something that he is always up for.
If nothing else, hiring a coach like Mike Riley would ensure that the Irish wouldn’t get embarrassed at home, would always have a chance to win and would always play hard. In the end, that’s all any fan of any team can hope for.
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