Top 10 Bowl Games to Watch: 2014

Top 10 Bowl Games to Watch

1.  Rose Bowl: #2 Oregon Ducks vs. #3 Florida State Seminoles: Jan. 1 at 5 p.m. on ESPN

This game will be the first College Football Playoff game ever played!!  The play of the starting quarterbacks of each team will determine who advances to the National Championship Game. Leading the Ducks is this year's Heisman trophy winner Marcus Mariota, while last year's Heisman winner Jameis Winston will command the Seminoles.  There are major differences between these two quarterbacks both on the field and off.  Mariota has put up exceptional numbers this year, running for 14 touchdowns, throwing for 38 touchdowns and throwing only 2 interceptions!  Winston, on the other hand, has thrown for only 24 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.  The differences off the field are even more apparent as Mariota's Heisman acceptance speech was filled with his thanks for others, rather than praising himself, while Winston has gotten into trouble doing dumb things for his entire college career.  I will cheer for the upstanding man that is Mariota instead of the immature boy that is Winston.  GO DUCKS!!

2.  Sugar Bowl: #4 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. #1 (not for long) Alabama Crimson Tide: Jan. 1 at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN

Ohio State comes into this game with a slight edge in momentum.  Alabama got an expected victory in the SEC Championship Game over an inconsistent Missouri team, while Ohio State, with their third string quarterback Cardale Jones, scored a multitude of points against Wisconsin in a surprising 59-0 blowout win.  The Buckeyes will have to match their amazing performance if they are going to beat that pesky Alabama team.  Ohio State's run game will have to fire on all cylinders once again and Jones needs to play as well as he did against Wisconsin in order for the Buckeyes to knock off the Red Tide, I mean Crimson Tide.  The defense will also need to play great to slow down a balanced Alabama offense.  Ohio State could definitely shock the nation again.

3.  National Championship Game at Cowboys Stadium:  ??? : Jan 12. at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN 

Who will make it to the final round?  Only time will tell.  I hope Alabama won't make it here, but if they do Oregon will hopefully be waiting there to deal them a long-overdue loss.  My prediction is that the Ducks will win it all!

4.  Peach Bowl: #6 TCU Horned Frogs vs. #9 Ole Miss Rebels: Dec. 31 at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN

TCU fell out of the top 4 in the final College Football Playoff rankings.  However, the Horned Frogs still made it in to a major bowl game and have a chance to prove how good they really are against a tough SEC team, which features a usually stellar defense. Quarterback Trevone Boykin (pictured below) will look to have another great game both running and passing the ball and end the year right with a New Year's Eve victory!

5.  Fiesta Bowl: #10 Arizona Wildcats vs. #20 Boise State Broncos: Dec. 31 at 4 p.m. on ESPN

This year's Fiesta Bowl pits two quality teams out west against each other.  Arizona is coming off of a disappointing loss to Oregon while Boise State brought home the Mountain West Conference championship.  Normally, a team down at #20 would not be selected to play in a major bowl game like this. To understand why you need to know the difference between Power 5 conferences and the non-Power 5 conferences.  The Power 5 conferences include the SEC (South-Eastern Conference), the PAC (Pacific American Conference) 12, the Big 12, the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference), and the Big 10.  These conferences features teams that have been good for decades, due to the quality of the players and coaches.  The non-Power 5 conferences include the Mountain West Conference, the American Athletic Conference, the MAC (Mid-American Conference), the C-USA (Conference USA) and the Sun Belt Conference.  Under the new playoff/bowl system the highest ranked team from the non-Power 5 conferences gets a guaranteed spot in a major bowl game, hence Boise State's place in this bowl.  Boise State has pulled 2 upsets in the Fiesta Bowl in 2007 and 2010.  Can the Broncos due it again behind the powerful strides of running back Jay Ajayi, or will Wildcats quarterback Anu Solomon lead his team to a bounceback win?

My pick: Arizona

6.  Boca Raton Bowl: Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Marshall Thundering Herd: Dec. 23 at 6 p.m. on ESPN

Both teams roll happily into this new bowl game in sunny Florida after winning their respective conference championship games. Northern Illinois defeated Bowling Green for their 3rd MAC title in 4 years while Marshall defeated Louisiana Tech for the C-USA Championship.  Will the Huskies' run game produce enough yards to create clear passing lanes, which is how they win games, or will Marshall stampede their way to victory?

My pick: Northern Illinois of course!

7.  Cotton Bowl: #5 Baylor Bears vs. #9 Michigan State Spartans: Jan 1. at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN

Baylor fans, coaches, and players are all upset over getting knocked out of the top 4 by Ohio State. They have a great chance to proof how good their high-scoring team is against the experienced defensive-minded Spartans.  What's even better for the Bears is that this game will be played in the same stadium as the National Championship Game: Cowboys Stadium in Texas.  Probably 60% or more of the fans in the stands will be cheering for Baylor, as the Baylor campus is also in Texas. Although Baylor wanted more, the consolation prize is pretty sweet.

My pick: Baylor

8.  Orange Bowl: #7 Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. #12 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Dec. 31 at 8 p.m. on ESPN

Both of these teams have accomplished good things this year but have also lost their final games. Mississippi State beat 3 top 10 teams in a row in late September and early October, but lost their last game to in-state rival Ole Miss (Mississippi).  Georgia Tech won the ACC Coastal Division Title but was defeated by Florida State in the ACC Championship Game due to their pathetic defense.  Will quarterback Dak Prescott lead his Bulldogs to a victory or will the Yellow Jackets be able to play well enough on defense to make this close?

My pick: Mississippi State

9.  Outback Bowl: #18 Wisconsin Badgers vs. #19 Auburn Tigers: Jan 1 at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN2

These two teams are quite similar to the duo mentioned in game #8.   Like their SEC counterpart Mississippi State, Auburn failed to achieve a win in their yearly rivalry game with Alabama. :( Wisconsin, like Georgia Tech, won a division title but were blown out in their conference championship game by Ohio State. :)  Will Wisconsin running back and Heisman finalist Melvin Gordon run for 200+ yards and fuel a Badgers victory?  Or will Auburn dual-threat (running and passing) quarterback Nick Marshall marshal the troops and the lead the Tigers to a quality bowl win?

My pick: Wisconsin

10.  Alamo Bowl: #11 Kansas State Wildcats vs. #14 UCLA Bruins (old name for brown bear): Jan. 2 at 6:45 p.m. on ESPN

This notable bowl game is played in an excellent domed stadium not far from famous Fort Alamo in San Antonio, Texas.  The Wildcats and Bruins each managed to claw their way to respectable 9-3 records.  The winner will achieve the coveted 10-win season.  Will the great quarterback-wide receiver duo of Jake Waters and Tyler Lockett be enough to propel Kansas State to a victory?  Or will UCLA's junior quarterback Brett Hundley, playing in his final college football game (due to his decision to enter the NFL draft early), end his tenure with the Bruins by guiding his teammates to a triumph in San Antonio?

My pick: UCLA

Championship Week

Championship Week

Results of Last Week's Games to Watch

1.  Oregon Ducks vs. Arizona Wildcats

This game was described as a game in which Oregon would be looking to avenge their upset loss to Arizona early in the year.  The Ducks did that and much more.  The game seemed like it was over at halftime as the Ducks defense would not let the Wildcats do anything on offense.  On the other side of the ball, Heisman candidate quarterback Marcus Mariota led Oregon to 23 1st half points.  The score at the half was Oregon 23 Arizona zip. The final score was even uglier.  However, with this win Oregon will get their shot at Florida State and maybe even Alabama in the playoffs.  That would make me very happy if they beat both of those teams. :)

Final Score: Oregon 51 Arizona 13

2.  Florida State Seminoles vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

The 1st half of this game could be described as a scorefest with a total of 49 points scored. Georgia Tech's triple-option rushing attack was on a roll, reaching the endzone on almost every drive. However, the Yellow Jackets' defense was as crumbly as a honey graham cracker as they let the Seminoles offense score just as easily.  Florida State had a 1 touchdown lead at the half and they would not trail during the remainder of the game.  The Yellow Jackets' offense was not as productive in the 2nd half which allowed the Seminoles to build a 9 point lead.  Florida State was able to absorb a late touchdown and recovered Georgia Tech's onside kick attempt to seal the game.  Just like bees, the Yellow Jackets only knew how to attack, not how to defend.

Final Score: Florida State 37 Georgia Tech 35

3. Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Wisconsin Badgers

This game was undoubtedly the most surprising game of the weekend.  If you recall from last week's blog, Ohio State is having to rally behind their 3rd-string quarterback Cardale Jones after 2 fantastic quarterbacks suffered season-ending injuries.  Unbelievably, the Buckeyes have a 3rd great quarterback on their roster, as Jones passed for 257 yards and 3 touchdowns, all of which were perfect passes that were hauled in by star receiver Devin Smith. (see below)  On defense, the Buckeyes had their best game of the year, holding the Badgers' running game, headlined by record-setting running back Melvin Gordon, to only 71 yards!  The fate of Wisconsin was perfectly summed up when an Ohio State defensive lineman forced Gordon to fumble, and talented freshman Joey Bosa scooped up the loose ball and sauntered into the endzone.  The Buckeyes would absolutely destroy the Badgers 59 to nothing.  This awesomely amazing victory earned the Buckeyes a spot in the 1st College Football Playoffs.  More on that later.

Final Score: Ohio State 59 Wisconsin 0

Most Exciting Game of the Week

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs @ Marshall Thundering Herd

(The Marshall football team was the subject of the great movie We Are Marshall.  It's worth watching.)

Unlike other college football championship games that are played at a neutral site, the Conference-USA (C-USA) Championship Game is played at the better team's stadium. The main reason why is that this conference takes in less revenue than other more prestigious conferences and can't afford to play a championship game in an NFL stadium. Anyway, the Marshall players and fans were hoping to capture a conference championship to make up for their loss in overtime the previous week that ended their perfect season and the possibility to go to a New Year's bowl game.

As the game began, the Marshall players looked like they hadn't yet shaken off last week's heartbreaking loss.  The offense, led by record-setting QB Rakeem Cato, was inconsistent and the defense was weak as the Bulldogs had a 17-7 lead halfway through the 2nd quarter.  In the last 5 minutes of the half, the Thundering Herd used their horns to bull their way to a 40 and a 46 yard field goal, both of which were the longest kicker Justin Haig had ever converted.

At the start of the 2nd half, Marshall looked as though they had finally put the past behind them and were ready to battle for the C-USA Championship.  On their first drive they converted a 3rd and 17 and managed another 40 yard field goal.  Now trailing only by 1, the momentum slipped away from Marshall after a blocked punt set up Louisiana Tech in the red zone.  Bulldogs' running back Kenneth Dixon sprinted into the endzone on the next play, but the extra point was blocked.  Going into the 4th quarter, Louisiana Tech led 23-16, but the game wasn't over yet.

After Cato and the offense only managed 3 points on two golden opportunities to tie the game up, the Thundering Herd defense would have to save the day.  They subscribed to the defensive adage "bend but don't break" as they allowed a 30 yard completion but stopped the Bulldogs at the 32 yard line. Louisiana Tech attempted a 49 yard field goal but it sailed wide and the Marshall fans cheered as the ball fell harmlessly into the stands. With 5 minutes left, Cato was determined to not let his teammates and the fans suffer through another disappointing loss.  10 plays later, Cato had completed 6 of 7 passes for 47 yards and run another 11 yards and Marshall was at the Bulldogs' 5 yard line.  On 2nd and Goal, Cato rolled out to the right, and fired a crisp pass that was caught for the game-winning touchdown.  Only minutes later, the Marshall Thundering Herd had captured the C-USA Championship and Cato was hoisting the championship trophy surrounded by his celebrating teammates.

Final Score: Marshall 26 Louisiana Tech 23

Final College Football Playoff Rankings

1.  Alabama Crimson Tide

2.  Oregon Ducks

3.  Florida State Seminoles

4.  Ohio State Buckeyes

These rankings were determined by a 12 member selection committee that includes athletic directors and former coaches, unlike the previous system of polls and computer rankings which only chose two teams who would compete for the national championship. Ohio State's blowout win over Wisconsin warranted their unexpected jump into the top 4. Alabama and Ohio State will face off at the Sugar Bowl and Oregon and Florida State will battle at the Rose Bowl.  The winners will go to play at Cowboys Stadium for a shot at the national championship.  Buckle your seat belts.  Its going to be a wild ride.