SB Nation - Arizona Wildcats

Holiday Bowl: Against Arizona, Motivation for Nebraska Won't Be A Problem

Jon Johnston — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:31:53 -0000

More photos » by Amy Gutierrez - AP

Suh won't go out with a loss. While one man does not a team make, his teammates will follow his lead as they have before.

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There seems to be some question regarding Nebraska's motivation heading into the Holiday Bowl against Arizona. The feeling is that the Huskers will be flat because they came so close to greatness (within a second) that their game against the Wildcats must be seen as nothing more than a let down.

For fans, perhaps, it may be nothing more than another bowl game, another blip in a long history of Nebraska bowl appearances. On top of that, it's against an opponent with which Nebraska has had little history. Nebraska and Arizona have played only twice in history, the first game in 1961 in which the two teams played to a 14-14 tie. The last game was in the 1998 Holiday Bowl, a 23-20 loss for Nebraska as the Wildcats had one of their best seasons ever, while Nebraska's season, by our standards, was pedestrian at best.

History does not matter to the team. Nor does the fact that Arizona doesn't have a marquee name. For the head coach and this team, things are very different.

Bo Pelini has screamed motivation since he first arrived at Nebraska. He's talked about consistently improving his team, refusing to issue depth charts so as to make it clear to his players that no job is safe. He's benched starters in the middle of games in which they weren't performing well, replacing them with younger players who deserved their chance.

To think that Pelini is taking a game off from his constant harping on improvement is to not understand his nature. This isn't a bowl game to him. A win isn't about bringing home another bowl trophy, it's another step towards the return to greatness. A loss would be as unacceptable as it was in the Big 12 championship game because it would be a step back heading into next season.

For the Husker seniors, it's the end of a long journey on which they've come so far it has to be inconceivable that they would let up now.

To recall that journey, take yourself back to September 15, 2007, to the USC game. It was supposed to be Bill Callahan's coming out party against the top-ranked Trojans, but instead ended as an embarrassment and a foreshadow to the worst season in Nebraska football history. The defensive line was shredded, with USC blowing holes open large enough to accommodate a truck. As the season progressed, fans wondered if things could get much worse, and with each game, they did.

It's hard to believe that Barry Turner and Ndamukong Suh were on that 2007 defensive line. One year later under a new set of coaches their unit became the backbone of the defense. Add another year and they've become the best in the nation. Suh will finish his college career as the most decorated Husker in school history, having won the Bronko Nagurski, Bednarik, Lombardi, Outland, finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy and was recently named the AP Player of the Year. To say that he's come a long way would be an understatement of preposterous proportions.

Turner had to fight back from a broken leg that occurred in September 2008 to just to be a part of this season. This season he's third on the team in sacks, and second in tackles for loss.

Consider Phillip Dillard's journey. He was the starting Mike linebacker in 2007. Entering 2009, Dillard was so far in the doghouse that he'd nearly dropped off the depth chart. He started the season on the scout team and didn't play until the third game against Virginia Tech. Since then, he's made the most of his opportunity, finishing the regular season third in tackles and playing well enough to earn second team All-Big 12 honors.

Jacob Hickman was the starting left guard in 2007. The Holiday Bowl will be his 37th start, and while the offense has been much aligned this season, Hickman has been an anchor and consistent throughout. Andy Christensen never returned to his 2006 form, but has still been a part of the team. Derek Meyer's journey took him first to Kansas State and then back again as he walked on at Nebraska in 2008. He had to sit out last year to realize his dream of playing for Nebraska this season.

Larry Asante will be making his 36th start, the veteran of a secondary that's been nothing less than stellar this season. Asante is second in tackles behind Suh and made first team All-Big 12 in his final season. Matt O'Hanlon has had some exceptional moments, including 12 tackles and three interceptions in this year's 10-3 win against Oklahoma.

Add to them Chris Brooks, Andy Christensen, Wes Cammack, Menelik Holt, David Harvey, and Colton Koehler. For some their Husker careers didn't turn out the way they might have planned, but they've still been part of an amazing turn around.

You think these guys are looking at this as just another bowl game? This is their last game as a Husker, the last time wearing the scarlet and cream. After all they've been through, is there any question that they don't want to go out with a loss?

Arizona 83 vs. Lipscomb 82 Recap

joenewby4040 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:47:26 -0000

More photos » by A.J. Mast - AP

9 months ago: Arizona's Nic Wise takes a shot agianst Louisville's Terrence Williams (1) in the second half of an NCAA Midwest regional men's college basketball tournament semifinal game Friday, March 27, 2009, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/A.J. Mast)

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The Arizona Wildcats squeaked out a victory on Monday night, beating Lipscomb by a score of 83-82. Nic Wise hit a 3 pointer with .1 seconds left in overtime to give the Cats the win. The Cats trailed most of the game but kept answering the Bison with strong play from Derrick Williams., Nic Wise, and Kyle Fogg. Wise had 26 points, made all 12 free throw attempts, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Fogg had 18 while Derrick Williams had 13.

The Cats had no answer for the Bison's big man Adnan Hodzic, who scored 34 points, had 13 rebounds and was 14-21 from the floor. The Cats were outrebounded 37-31 in the game. Not too much of a good feeling after this win. The Cats continue to struggle to stop anybody and other than Williams, Horne, and Wise, are not getting steady production from anyone.

Next up: North Carolina State, December 23, 2009. 10:30 ET

Arizona vs. Nebraska: How They Got Here

joenewby4040 — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:45:08 -0000

More photos » by Jae C. Hong - AP

18 days ago: Arizona quarterback Nick Foles (8) looks to pass against Southern California defensive end Armond Armstead (94) during the first half of their NCAA college football game in Los Angeles, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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Arizona will take on Nebraska in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl on December 29, 2009 at 8:00 ET. The Arizona Wildcats finished 8-4 and 6-3 in the Pac-10. Arizona finished 2nd in the Pac-10 in 2009. Nebraska finished 9-4 and was 1 second away from playing in a BCS bowl game. Other than the BCS games, the Nebraska/Arizona matchup will be one of the most anticipated games of the bowl season. Mike Stoops has been with Arizona since 2004 when he started his Arizona career with a 3-8 record. He has turned the program around and created a winning atmosphere that has led him to an 8 win season in 2008 which included a Las Vegas Bowl victory over BUY 21-10. Stoops added another 8 win season in 2009. The Las Vegas Bowl was Arizona's first bowl game since 1998 where Arizona defeated Nebraska 23-20.

Bo Pelini has been at Nebraska as the head coach since 2008. He won 9 games in 2008 and another 9 this year. Nebraska beat Clemson last year in the Gator Bowl 26-21. Pelini rescued Nebraska who was 5-7 in 2007. Nebraska had a great year winning the Big XII North and going to the Big XII Championship game to face Texas. It seemed as if Nebraska had it sewn up when Colt McCoy threw the ball out of bounds with :00 left on the clock. It was all for not as the replay booth gave the Horns 1 second and that was all they needed to kick the game winning FG. Nebraska will be a tough opponent who has a guy named Ndamakuh Suh. Yeah, you know him.

ARIZONA WILDCATS: HOW THEY GOT HERE

Arizona Wildcats
Record	8-4
AP Final Rank	22
Offensive Rank	40
Defensive Rank	21
Rushing Yards Allowed Per Game	112
Passing Yards Allowed Per Game	204
Rushing Yards Per Game	168
Passing Yards Per Game	240

Arizona started off the season with a different quarterback and a healthy running back in Nic Grigsby. After two and a half games, Nic Foles was at the helm and Nic Grigsby was already fading in the health department. After the mid-game switch to Foles, the Cats took on a new identity and began to rack up offense.

September 5, 2009: The Cats opened up the season starting Matt Scott and took care of Central Michigan at home holding Lefevour to his 3rd fewest passing yards in 40 starts. Grigsby had 118 yards on 23 carries. Starting out stong. Arizona 19 vs. Central Michigan 6

September 12, 2009: Arizona plays a gimme at home. Grigsby ran for 207 yards, including a 94 yard run in the 4th quarter. Matt Scott was 14-20 with 150 yards and a TD and an INT. Foles enters the mix going 6-8 with a TD and 44 yards passing. Arizona 34 vs. Northern Arizona University 17

September 19, 2009: Times are a changing. With Matt Scott struggling most of the game, Stoops looks to Foles to inspire the offense. Foles tried to salvage the Cats going 6-11 with 55 yards and a TD. This was most definitely the turning point of the season. Arizona 17 vs. Iowa 27

September 26, 2009: Coming out party? Definitely. Foles was 25-34 for 254 yards and threw for 3 TD and 0 interceptions. The defense was exploited in the secondary. The Cats start gaining momentum at this point. Arizona 37 vs. Oregon State 32

October 10, 2009: The first of many disappointments to come. Did you see it? Check it out below. That ball definitely hit the turf. One of many offensive play calls that was questionable all season with the Cats up and on offense, we are throwing. Another great performance by the offense. Locker had an incredible game and the ball just didn't bounce our way, literally. Arizona 33 vs. Washington 36

October 17, 2009: Arizona puts on offensive show and goes toe to toe with Andrew Luck. Nick Foles is 40-51 for 415 yards and 3 touchdowns. Defense gets torched for 583 yards. Arizona wins, momentum builds. Arizona is now 4-2. Arizona 43 vs. Stanford 38

October 24, 2009: Domination. Arizona gains 456 yards. Foles gets 247 but has 3 INT's. Rushing game gets 209 from an array of different backs. Still missing Grigs at this point. Arizona 27 vs. UCLA 13

November 7, 2009: Gimme. Arizona puts in a full performance. 294 rushing. Foles 12-19 for 136 and a TD. Defense only gives up 185 total. Arizona 48 vs. Washington State 7

November 14, 2009: Are you kidding me? A double pass? The Cats were poised to win the game by setting up a field goal for Zendejas only to have it disappear in an instant. Sad, sad day for the Cats. The offensive line looked terrible on this day. Arizona 16 vs. California 24

November 21, 2009: Oh no! Not again? The Cats look like they are in control heading into the 4th quarter. There was a 3rd and long that I questioned here where I thought the offense should have run it and then punted the ball, milking precious time off the clock. Instead, Foles throws an INT and gives Oregon the ball on their 20 with no timeouts used. We all know the rest, right? Arizona 41 vs. Oregon 44

November 28, 2009: Agghh. The Cats get a win (that they should not have). Who cares, we beat ASU. On to USC! Arizona 20 vs. Arizona State 17

December 5, 2009: Arizona breaks a 7 game losing streak to USC by winning in the final 3:00 of the game with a 36 yard pass from Nick Foles to Juron Criner. The Cats pulled off an incredible win that brings them to San Diego! Arizona 21 vs. USC 17

And that's how it happened. Arizona had a great, but disappointing season. There were a few games that a more experienced, less injured team should have won this year. The Cats lost to Washington, Oregon, and Cal all within the last 2:00 of the game. Nick Foles solidified himself as the leader of the team and the defense came together as a unit to finish in the top 25 overall.

Next up: Arizona vs. Nebraska: How They Got Here Part II

Don't Bet On It!: College Football Bowl Edition (Part IV)

T Kyle King — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 03:48:06 -0000

Bowl season has just gotten underway, and already I am off to an 0-1 start in my postseason picks. Surely, I shouldn’t even need to tell you at this point, but I will, anyway: Don’t Bet On It!

Here is the next round of bowl forecasts:

Humanitarian Bowl: Bowling Green Falcons v. Idaho Vandals (Dec. 30): Oh, you have to be kidding me! I’m diving headfirst back into bowl season, and you’re giving me Bowling Green versus Idaho on the blue field in Boise? For crying out loud, this is a game so lame even I may not watch it! If I declared a national bowl of disinterest, this would be it. Eenie meenie minie . . . Bowling Green. Moving right along now. . . .

Holiday Bowl: Arizona Wildcats v. Nebraska Cornhuskers (Dec. 30): There was some good thinking going on there. Here we have a bowl game with a long history of being one of the most exciting postseason tilts around, played in scenic San Diego, all of which adds up to one of the most watchable bowls on the slate, and some nimrod at Pacific Life decides to invite Mike Stoops and Bo Pelini, the two finalists for the AFCA’s Wayne Woodrow Hayes Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the head coach voted most likely to blow a head gasket and completely flip out on the sideline. Watching this bowl game will be like watching a hockey game . . . you’ll just be hanging around waiting for the fight to start. The ‘Cats are happy to be there and the ‘Huskers are miffed about coming within one second of winning the Big 12, so I’m going with Arizona.

Armed Forces Bowl: Air Force Falcons v. Houston Cougars (Dec. 31): I’m glad the House Committee on Un-American Activities isn’t still in existence, because I’m afraid I might be investigated for picking against a service academy in the Armed Forces Bowl. Nevertheless, the Cougs have done what putative "BCS busters" did perennially prior to the Utah Utes’ breakthrough season in 2004, winning their marquee non-conference contests while stumbling against league foes in head-scratching losses. Inasmuch as this game qualifies as a marquee non-conference contest (and is being played in the Lone Star State), I’m thinking Houston should have no problem.

Sun Bowl: Oklahoma Sooners v. Stanford Cardinal (Dec. 31): If I’d told you four months ago that Oklahoma and Stanford would be meeting in a bowl game this season, you’d have told me either that I was crazy or that my prediction was a sign of the apocalypse. Well, you may want to have your Bible open to the Book of Revelation on New Year’s Eve, because I’m picking the Cardinal to win in spite of the numerical advantage the Sooners enjoy by virtue of having pluralized their mascot.

If my math is correct (and there’s a very good chance it isn’t), I’m halfway through the bowl season, so stick around for the ~~bowls you actually care about~~ rest of my prognostications, but, in the meantime, don’t forget my regular disclaimer: Don’t Bet On It!

Go ‘Dawgs!

Fortune Teller: 2009 Bowl Predictions (Part 1)

Brian @ BCI — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:16:14 -0000

For the third straight year, we preview the upcoming college football postseason. Here are our picks for bowls 1-17, which takes you from the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque to El Paso, Texas for the Sun Bowl.

Leave your thoughts on any of the first 17 matchups below.

New Mexico (December 19)

Matchup: Fresno State (8-4) vs. Wyoming (6-6)
The Line: Fresno State -11.5

The Lead: Wyoming makes only its second trip to a bowl this decade while Fresno State makes its 9th bowl appearance in the last 10 years. Fresno State returns to New Mexico for the second straight year (losing to Colorado State 40-35 last year).

Brian Pick: Fresno State -11.5
Jeff Pick: Wyoming +11.5

St. Petersburg presented by Beef ‘O’ Brady’s (December 19)

Matchup: UCF (8-4) vs. Rutgers (8-4)
The Line: Rutgers -2.5

The Lead: Rutgers just making a bowl game game is no longer exciting for their players and fans who had higher hopes coming into this season than to finish 3-4 in the Big East. UCF meanwhile will be playing less than three hours from their campus and should be thrilled to be there.

Jeff Pick: UCF +2.5
Brian Pick: Rutgers -2.5

R + L Carrier New Orleans (December 20)

Matchup: Southern Miss (7-5) vs. Middle Tennessee (9-3)
The Line: Southern Miss -3.5

The Lead: Southern Miss returns to the New Orleans Bowl for the second straight year. Last year, Southern Miss blocked a field goal in overtime to defeat Troy 30-27 in one of the more entertaining 2008 bowl games. Middle Tennessee State is one of the hottest teams in the country, having won 6 straight and reaching the 9 win plateau for the first time since joining Division I-A in 1999. Southern Miss has a perfect 3-0 record in the New Orleans Bowl.

Brian Pick: Southern Miss -3.5
Jeff Pick: Southern Miss -3.5

MAACO Las Vegas (December 22)

Matchup: Oregon State (8-4) vs. BYU (10-2)
The Line: Oregon State -2.5

The Lead: BYU was on top of the world after beating Oklahoma to start the season. Oregon State was on top of the college football world in the final Thursday night of the season when playing Oregon for the Pac-10 title. Things didn't work out as either team had hoped from those points on though and they both fell to the pre-Christmas Las Vegas Bowl. Oregon State has plenty to prove though as they attempt to beat BYU, TCU and Boise State in the next 11 months and serve as the non-BCS school killer.

Jeff Pick: Oregon State -2.5
Brian Pick: Oregon State -2.5

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia (December 23)

Matchup: Utah (9-3) vs. California (8-4)
The Line: California -3

The Lead: With BC losing to Vanderbilt last season, Utah now owns the longest active winning streak in bowl games, having won their last 8 games including last year’s Sugar Bowl over Alabama. Cal is riding a seven game streak for bowl apperances, the longest in school history.

Brian Pick: Utah +3
Jeff Pick: Utah +3

Sheraton Hawaii (December 24)

Matchup: Nevada (8-4) vs. SMU (7-5)
The Line: Nevada -15

The Lead: This game features a very good WAC team against a very good C-USA team but does that mean that they are actually good teams? It's tough to say. Neither team has a very impressive win this season and both seemed to lose all their games when they had opportunities to prove themselves. Will anyone watch the Christmas Eve game in Hawaii? Other than Brian?

Jeff Pick: SMU +15
Brian Pick: Nevada -15

Little Caesars (December 26)

Matchup: Marshall (6-6) vs. Ohio (9-4)
The Line: Ohio -2.5

The Lead: This game renews a rivalry game between the two schools located only 80 miles apart. Ohio and Marshall used to compete in the Battle for the Bell which is set to be renewed in 2010. Ohio leads the all-time series 29-17-6, however Marshall has won 8 of the last 10 matchups between the two geographic neighbors.

Brian Pick: Ohio -2.5
Jeff Pick: Ohio -2.5

Meineke Car Care (December 26)

Matchup: Pittsburgh (9-3) vs. North Carolina (8-4)
The Line: Pittsburgh -3

The Lead: What a disappointing finish to the season for Pittsburgh. Pitt lost to their backyard brawl rival West Virginia before losing to Cincinnati in a de-facto Big East Championship game. The Panthers led the entire game against Cincinnati but could not finish so now instead of the Orange Bowl they get a trip to Charlotte to play North Carolina in a "road" bowl game. Good luck getting your team fired up for this one, Dave!

Jeff Pick: North Carolina +3
Brian Pick: Pittsburgh -3

Emerald (December 26)

Matchup: Boston College (8-4) vs. USC (8-4)
The Line: USC -9

The Lead: The 8-4 Eagles travel to San Francisco for the second time this decade to take on the 8-4 USC Trojans. This is the first time in seven years that USC hasn’t played in a BCS bowl game (5 Rose Bowls, 2 Orange Bowls). Good news for the Eagles is the last time Pete Carroll found himself in a non-BCS bowl game, the Trojans lost 10-6 to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl. You don't think we would pick against BC now, do you?

Brian Pick: Boston College +9
Jeff Pick: Boston College +9

Gaylor Hotels Music City (December 27)

Matchup: Kentucky (7-5) vs. Clemson (8-5)
The Line: Clemson -7.5

The Lead: If Boston College's 2008 performance in the Music City Bowl is any indication of how Clemson might play this year after the disappointing ACC Championship Game, it's is going to be tough to watch for Tiger fans. But after losing to South Carolina, the ACC really doesn't need Clemson, or any of its top programs, to lose to mediocre SEC teams. Clemson ticket sales for the bowl have been soft but hopefully Dabo can rally this team to victory.

Jeff Pick: Kentucky +7.5
Brian Pick: Clemson -7.5

AdvoCare V100 Independence (December 28)

Matchup: Texas A&M (6-6) vs. Georgia (7-5)
The Line: Georgia -7

The Lead: Georgia wraps up an otherwise disappointing, up-and-down season in Shreveport, Louisiana. For every quality win for UGA, there seemed to be an equally puzzling loss this year. Defeat Arkansas, get crushed at Tennessee. Defeat Auburn, lose to Kentucky at home, come back and defeat in-state rival Georgia Tech. Texas A&M has had a similar up-and-down season, but seemingly backed into the postseason having lost 3 of their last 4 games.

Brian Pick: Georgia -7
Jeff Pick: Georgia -7

EagleBank (December 29)

Matchup: UCLA (6-6) vs. Temple (9-3)
The Line: UCLA -4

The Lead: UCLA had to wait to see the result of the Army-Navy game before getting officially invited to this bowl game. In the bowl's second season, I don't imagine that their will be much hype this year compared to last year's geographically favorable matchup of Wake Forest vs. Navy. Look for Temple to surprise some people and possibly knock off a BCS school in this one.

Jeff Pick: Temple +4
Brian Pick: Temple +4

Champs Sports (December 29)

Matchup: Miami (Fla.) (9-3) vs. Wisconsin (9-3)
The Line: Miami -3

The Lead: This year’s Champs Sports Bowl is a matchup of 9-3 ranked teams. Both teams are coming off strong finishes, each winning 4 of their final 5 games. Wisconsin finished the season with a 51-10 drubbing of Hawaii on the road, while Miami took care of USF 31-10. Miami is 2-0 all-time in the Champs Sports Bowl. Wisconsin played in Orlando last season, losing to Florida State 42-13. This is the last year the Big 10 will be represented in this bowl as the Big East will send a team to face an ACC opponent starting next season.

Brian Pick: Miami -3
Jeff Pick: Miami -3

Roady’s Humanitarian (December 30)

Matchup: Bowling Green (8-5) vs. Idaho (7-5)
The Line: Idaho +1.5

The Lead: Another game that might set an attendance record this season but not the kind of record that you want to be setting if you are putting this bowl together. Boise fans might already be on their way to the Fiesta Bowl so even getting a few locals to come out for this game will be difficult. Bowling Green has a pretty good WR, and Idaho plays home games in a dome. That's all I have for this one.

Jeff Pick: Bowling Green -1.5
Brian Pick: Idaho +1.5

Pacific Life Holiday (December 30)

Matchup: Arizona (8-4) vs. Nebraska (9-4)
The Line: Arizona -1.5

The Lead: Arizona - having defeated the Trojans 21-17 to move to 6-3 in conference - will represent the Pac-10 as its #2 team in the Holiday Bowl. Nebraska won the Big 12 North, finishing the season at 9-4, 6-2 in conference. The Cornhuskers are coming off a heartbreaking 13-12 loss to Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Brian Pick: Arizona -1.5
Jeff Pick: Nebraska +1.5

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces (December 31)

Matchup: Houston (10-3) vs. Air Force (7-5)
The Line: Houston -4.5

The Lead: The mighty Houston Cougars who knocked off Oklahoma State at home are only 4.5 point favorites against Air Force? Oh right, we later found out that Oklahoma State was not nearly as good as anyone thought the would be and failed to make a push for a BCS bowl by nearly losing to Colorado and then getting destroyed by Oklahoma to end the season. Air Force had another nice season but only managed a 1-5 record against bowl bound teams this season.

Jeff Pick: Air Force +4.5
Brian Pick: Houston -4.5

Brut Sun (December 31)

Matchup: Oklahoma (7-5) vs. Stanford (8-4)
The Line: Oklahoma -8

The Lead: This should be an intriguing matchup between the unstoppable force (Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart and the 15th ranked Stanford Cardinal offense) and the immovable object (Oklahoma's 7th ranked defense). Oklahoma has had an otherwise disappointing season, that is, up until they put a 27-0 hurtin' on in-state rival Oklahoma State in Bedlam. Stanford may or may not be playing without the services of starting freshman quarterback Andrew Luck.

Brian Pick: Stanford +8
Jeff Pick: Oklahoma -8

The Shotgun/Throwdown: Thursday (12/17/09) Edition

WVUIE97 — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:09:10 -0000

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's best place for sports links, information and entertainment. Today we're being brought to you by Solera in honor of today's Miss Throwdown.

First, it seems that former WVU wide receiver Chris Henry has passed away. He was an amazing talent that we all hoped would get his life together and now it seems to have been tragically cut short. The other news today has shifted from Big Ten expansion to the loss of Doc and any other assistants he may take with him (mostly regarding the recruiting effects). The tips, suggestions and requests are always welcome. Now updated with Gazette articles. See you after the jump...

What You May Have Missed:

Bengals wide receiver dies after Charlotte accident - WCNC.com
R.I.P. Chris Henry

Gold and Blue Report for Thursday - WVMETRONEWS.COM

Hol(l)iday Break - BlueGoldNews.com
4 big points about next years football team inside

News of Note (FB):

Holliday on track for Marshall position - Times West Virginian

Doc has gone back to ties at WVU to start filling positions at Marshall - WVIllustrated.com
IMHO, losing Seider and Beatty would be the biggest losses.

What's up with Doc gone? - Charleston Gazette

Manchin on Doc; WVU hoop recruits on display - Charleston Gazette
Vingle's hodgepodge

Mark Ingram, Jerry Hughes lead SI.com's 2009 All-America teams - SI.com
Brandon Hogan and Scott Kozlowski get Honorable Mention status.

Jarrett Brown vs. the world - Times West Virginian
Hertzel Column

News of Note (BB):

Kentucky and Syracuse most likely to stay undefeated longest - SI.com
He figures we'll drop our first at Purdue on Jan 1.

Elite Eight | 2005 NCAA tournament - 2000s: Top 10 College Hoops Games - Photos - SI.com

BIG EAST Hardwood Slate - WVIllustrated.com

Recruiting:

Doc or no Doc - WVIllustrated.com
Millines is still committed to WVU

Around the League (and Beyond):

Bearcats suffer setback at UAB - Cincinnati Enquirer
64-47?!?!?

High expectations for Jones - Cincinnati Enquirer

Following Pitino challenge, Louisville basketball gets real in rout of Oral Roberts, 94-57 - Courier-Journal

Do you want to please Jim Boeheim? Expand the NCAA Tournament and watch him beam - syracuse.com

USF's Miller: Leavitt didn't strike me - Tampa Tribune

Jones scores 27 as USF men top UCF, 69-65 - Tampa Tribune

Jasper Howard stabbing suspect pleads not guilty - SI.com (AP)

Lawyer: Ex-Connecticut Huskies student manager at center of recruiting allegations has not spoken to NCAA - ESPN

Rutgers AD Tim Pernetti on Big Ten conference expansion plans: 'We are a proud member of the Big East Conference' - Star Ledger

Briefly on Big 11 Expansion Talk - Pitt Blather

Big East expansion - looking at some numbers - Card Chronicle

Four Things The Big East Conference Needs To Do Right Now - Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician
"The four things the Big East Conference should begin doing in order to quell the Big Ten's overtures."

Report: Arizona's Mark Stoops heading to FSU - Tampa Tribune

Pac-10 will consider expansion - ESPN

Video of Interest:

Yes, he was troubled, but he was a Mountaineer. Rest in peace Chris.

Video of (Dis)Interest:

I'm a little behind with this video, but it's worth it. Warning: Strong Language.

Year in Review Gallery of the Week:

This is a double bonus gallery. Everything inside is basically SFW, but I'm guessing the linked galleries inside aren't, based on the URL's.

via coedmagazine.files.wordpress.com

Miss Throwdown:

Today's Miss Throwdown is an unbelievable combination of Italian and Venezuelan hotness. This is Carolina Marconi. (Scroll down inside the link a bit for the gallery)

via multimedia.quotidianonet.ilsole24ore.com

This one is only 7 seconds, but....oh, my!

Warning: A little bit of NSFW in this one:

Solera image via 4.bp.blogspot.com

Ranking the 2009 Pac-10 Football MVPs: Part I

Avinash — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:00:29 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

Mike Mohamed had some big plays this season. Was it enough to be a Pac-10 MVP?

Browse more photos »

In case you missed it, here's Part 1: the LVPs of their respective teams.

This post got too long, so I had to split it into three. Here are the honorable mention categories and the Pac-10 players and units ranked #30 thru #21 (#20-11 coming this afternoon, #10-1 coming Friday morning). Let's dive into it.

Honorable Mention

Jeff Locke, Reid Forrest: You know your team's in trouble when your punters are higher than anyone on your offense. And in Forrest's case, you know your team is royally fucked when your punter is the only one on your team who appears on this list.

Donald Butler: Didn't really do anything spectacular this year, but 96 tackles will get you on this list.

Daniel Te'o-Nesheim: So will 9.5 sacks and 12.5 TFL. Too bad the Huskies defense ranged from 'sheer brilliance' to 'human atrocity'

Ed Dickson: I'll be nice as possible about this--FUCK ED DICKSON. AGGGGGHHHHHHHHH.

Damola Adeniji: Despite all the production of James Rodgers, he wasn't Canfield's main target on 3rd down. Probably because secondaries keyed in on Rodgers, Adeniji racked up 27 catches in that situation, 21 for first downs, 5th in the country. Only 49 catches overall, but considering he only had 1 last season, I'll say this is a slight upgrade.

Chris Polk: Finished this season on a tear: Five ninety+ yard games and a 1000 yard season overall. Hard to measure his impact though, since the Huskies lost three of those games and Locker and the defense were the focal points of the other two.

Trojan offensive line: Lost season for these guys. 17 sacks allowed, 40 tackles for loss allowed, only a top 40 rushing offense. Ho-hum for them. I would've dreamed of something like this for the Bears.

Mike Mohamed: Cal's most productive defensive player on a not-so-great defensive unit. You have to give massive props for a 100 tackle season (his 104 tackles were tops in the Pac-10). And he saved another Cal season from sliding into disaster with a crucial interception in the Big Game.

Kyle Williams, Dmitri Nance: Solid production considering their quarterback struggled to complete half of his passes. Plus I feel bad for Williams ending his career like that.

Syd'Quan Thompson: If Cal had ONE guy (Hagan, Hill, Nnabuife, Conte, Rope Guy, someone) step up at corner on the other side of the field, who knows how our season turns out. We sure as hell don't get lit up by Oregon, USC or UDub on defense (Syd's limited ability in the final game pretty much assured we were screwed against Locker).

He was still a fabulous open field tackler when he got the chance, and when quarterbacks threw to his side of the field, he usually shut down. Like Asomugha in Oakland, that kind of effort only gets rewarded with first team All Pac-10, and minimal impact on the box score. So while his talent is easy enough to gauge, it's really hard to measure his value. Which is why he's honorable mention and not on the top 30.

After the jump, here's #30-21. If there are any thoughts of players or units left off, or guesses as to who will end up in the top 20, leave them in the comments.

#30 Damian Williams, #29 Joe McKnight

via theoraclesays.files.wordpress.com

These two are actually the first since Bush and White to break 100+ all-purpose yards a game since Bush and Leinart. Solid seasons, but other than McKnight on the final drive against Ohio State and Williams tearing up Notre Dame, how many moments do you remember concerning these two? That kind of year for the Trojans. It's up in the air whether either will return too.

#28 Ryan Whalen

via www4.pictures.zimbio.com

6th in the Pac-10 in receptions, turned into Luck's best passing threat when Owusu went Section Eight in the biggest games. Thought about ranking him higher, but I don't have any Whalen moments to really justify putting him further up. Perhaps the Cardinal fans can refresh my memory...oh, wait, there are no Cardinal fans. #28 it is.

#27 Arizona's receiving corps (Turner, Criner, Roberts, Dean, Douglas)

via www.azstarnet.com

Five guys with 30 catches or more? Now that's spreading the wealth around. By contrast, Cal had only one receiver (Jones) catch more than 30. Obviously, Cal isn't built to be a passing offense, but still, this is a far cry from two-three years ago. Sigh.

#26 UCLA's secondary

via images.ocregister.com

I know Rahim Moore led the nation in picks, and Alterraun Verner had another fine year--but how good are these guys? Other than shutting down Jonathan Crompton and whoever the hell Kansas State's quarterback is, the Bruins pass D has been surprisingly average. Even Kevin Riley burned them deep. I repeat, KEVIN RILEY BURNED THEM DEEP. Does this happen to good secondaries?

Oh well...at least Moore is capable of that "deep, longing, alluring, penetrating, soul-piercing, heart-tugging look".

#25 Tyson Alualu

via cache.daylife.com

Kind of hard to say how bad the Bears defense would've been without Alualu cracking apart the line. His efforts alone helped shut down Minnesota's passing game in a tight 4th quarter. Extra linemen often were forced to commit to him, and it opened up the rest of the front to get after Arizona and the Furd's high powered offensive attack.

Unfortunately, he never really had a Mebane-like force on the line--he couldn't really disrupt the passing attacks the way his predecessors did How much of that was dictated by scheme or by his own pass rush methods is beyond my knowledge, but Cal's pass rush was far weaker than anticipated, far weaker than the 27 sacks they put up this year.

Still a great season for Tice though--Cal's run defense was top-tier, and a lot of that had to do with #44.

(Story that really depressed me this week: Bear Insider's look at how close Ndamukong Suh came to being a Golden Bear. Imagine Alualu and Suh coming together in the 3-4 the last two seasons, particularly last year. I'm getting bummed out now.)

#24 Jahvid Best

via www.pe.com

For a guy who was supposed to be a Heisman hopeful, it's shocking to see Best not even crack the top 20. But that's how it is in a frustrating season for Jahvid, whose season seemed to peak in Minneapolis. Still had some spectacular runs, but running behind the crappiest offensive line in the Tedford era, it could've been way, way better.

#23 Chris Owusu

via a.espncdn.com

A menace for us, and a big game-changer for the Furd, having huge returns on almost every opponent this year. Surprisingly (and stupidly), everyone in the Pac-10 continued to kick to Owusu long after he demonstrated he would outrace their coverage to the end zone. The Furd ranked 3rd in the country in kickoff returns, mostly due to Owusu's skills.

He gets bumped down a bit because if he could just hang onto a few passes (he dropped big catches in EVERY conference loss), the Furd are going to Pasadena.

#22 Kai Forbath

via tnjn.com

Laugh all you want that a kicker cracks the top 25. When a Bruins fan describes him as your most consistent player...well, that says a lot.

Take a look at the games Forbath swung this season.
~13 of UCLA's 19 points in a 4 point win over the Vols in Rocky Top
~11 of UCLA's 23 points in a 10 point win over the Sun Devils
~6 of UCLA's 24 points in a 1 point win over the Huskies
~11 of UCLA's 23 points in a 14 point win over K-State.

Add in these stats
~26 field goals, second most in the country behind Alabama's Tiffin
~99th scoring offense in the country

Not hard to say Forbath was UCLA's offensive MVP this season, isn't it? Switch Forbath with an average kicker and the Bruins win four games? Three?

#21 Shane Vereen

via dlerium.smugmug.com

(Image from dmo580)

Surprisingly had more impressive performances than Best this season, cementing away a Cal victory in Pasadena and being the workload in two upsets over the Wildcats and the Cardinal. Best racked up big numbers against two of the worst teams in the country and an FCS opponent, managing only one great game this season against a bowl-eligible team. Although Best ended up with more rushing yards, Vereen had more all-purpose yards thanks to his kickoff returns and his own pass-catching abilities. Most importantly, when the offensive line collapsed, Vereen had more of the elusiveness to slip away from encroaching defenders.

Best might be the better talent, but Vereen was the more valuable Bear for this Cal squad...but only by a little.

Coming this afternoon: #20-11.

Who Were the Worst Performers in the Pac-10 in 2009?

Avinash — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:30:02 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Meet the Pac-10 MVP of interceptions!

Browse more photos »

It's always hard to measure the value of good teams in football. It almost always starts with a good quarterback, followed closely behind by an offensive line and a running back. Then you want a strong front seven, with receivers and secondary coming somewhere after that. You can build a good team around the front four, a great one with everything else coming together

So in determining a football MVP (or I guess for college football, Heisman), we're looking at people from the first three or four categories strongly. In the next two days we'll start counting down the best players and o-line/defensive units in the conference to try and figure out who deserves to be the Pac-10's most valuable player

That's right, instead of doing a national college football consensus (which would be tedious and terrifying), let's go with what we know well. This is all Pac-10.

Because most of us are sick inside, we'll start with the worst Pac-10 performers. What player or unit (offensive line, particular aspect of defense, coach, other thing, etc.) do you feel played the worst this season? Did I leave anyone off that requires mention? Discuss in the comments!

USC--Matt Barkley

Wait a second. Didn't Barkley just beat Ohio State in the Horseshoe? Nothing can stop him now! He's on his way to college football greatness!

Anyway, it seems like Carroll's petty anger at Mark Sanchez was a bad sign of things to come. I'm not saying that Sanchez could've saved USC from the avalanche at Autzen, but he should've outdueled Luck and Foles with essentially the same offense from last year. It would've been a B- version of the 2005 team, all offense and average defense. And they'd probably have ended up in Tempe.

If Sanchez was like an ice cream sundae at Fenton's (a little bad here and there, but still a tasty ride the whole way), Barkley was like a strawberry cream pie shake at Sonic's (tantalizing at first taste, but man would it make you sick down the road). He threw the most interceptions in the Pac-10, more than Sullivan, Prince, and any of the Wazzu troupe. His four turnovers in the Cardinal romp led to 28 Furd points, and he threw another killer pick against Arizona that led to what turned out to be a crucial seven points for the Wildcats. His 4th quarter stats were abominable--50% completion rate, one touchdown, SEVEN interceptions, 83 passer rating, which is good for 117th in the country, only about a drop of about a hundred in the rankings from the season before. His most memorable touchdown throw of the year was only meaningful in the sense that UCLA's defense will be headhunting him in eleven months.

Add in these continuing rumors from Thoroughbred that many of his teammates despise him, and all is not well at Heritage Hall for the first time in...well, a decade. The rest of the Pac-10 couldn't be more delighted.

Note: Thought about the Trojan run defense here, but come on, those guys got DECIMATED (entire front seven gone, plus another four or five guys injured). They had no chance against the Quack Attack or the power run game of the Furd.

UCLA--The entire Bruin offense

via cache.daylife.com

Man, it was brutal watching these guys this year.

Some more fun stats:

There were four teams in the Pac-10 (Oregon, Arizona, USC, Cal) who had two rushers that ran for more than UCLA's leading rusher (Johnathan Franklin)
The Bruins leading man in yards for scrimmage was Nelson Rosario, who finished 19th overall. There were seven teams in the Pac-10 with two or more players with more yards from scrimmage, and four (Furd, Oregon State, Arizona St., Oregon) with three.
Navy threw the ball 96 times this year, Army 161 (http://www.cfbstats.com/2009/leader/national/team/offense/split01/category02/sort06.html), Kevin Prince 267. Navy and Army scored 5 touchdowns apiece on those passes. Prince scored 6. Somewhere Norm Chow is wringing his neck (could be either Prince's neck or his own).
The USC game perfectly encapsulates UCLA's offensive abilities: To prevent from being shutout by their crosstown rivals, the Bruins needed a 13 play, 65 yard, five and a half minute drive that included two fourth down conversions, and two forced fumbles.
Bruins fans are actually calling on Kevin Craft for the bowl game. Yes, THAT Kevin Craft. (Okay, they only want him to start because he wasn't happy at playing hookie, but still). You know your offense is in desperate straits when your fans are ACTIVELY CALLING for Kevin Craft.

Furd--The ENTIRE CARDINAL DEFENSE

via www2.pictures.zimbio.com

Exactly the same thing we did for UCLA. Let's just rattle off the numbers...

A few examples of their defensive fails:

Their defense never forced a fourth down in the first half at Corvallis; five times Oregon State got the ball, five times they marched down the field and put points on the board, 31 in all.
The Cardinal surrendered not one, but two 40+ yard rushing touchdowns to Arizona to blow a two score lead in the 4th quarter, the last one on a 50+ yard scamper by Nwoko on THIRD AND SEVENTEEN.
The Cardinal took a 14-0 lead on the Bears with 6 minutes left in the first quarter; Cal responded by holding onto the ball for 35 of the final 50 minutes, including ripping off 24 unanswered points and scoring on five of their next six drives.

Perfect example of their horrid season came against Notre Dame. Toby Gerhart rushed in the go-ahead touchdown with a minute left in a tied game against an awful Irish defense, and Harbaugh looks about as pleased as Michael Corleone finding out Kay had an abortion. Why? The Cardinal could have kneeled down three times and kicked a chip shot extra point-type field goal at the buzzer to win. The touchdown put the Cardinal defense back on the field against Jimmy Clausen. Sure enough, after getting pinned at their own ten, in TWENTY SECONDS the Irish are at the Cardinal 24 and nearly pull a win out of their asses. All thanks to the Cardinal's hideous defense.

Yeesh. Maybe Gerhart did deserve the Heisman. But we'll get to the MVP candidates soon enough.

Oregon State's September swoon

via blog.oregonlive.com

This isn't really a unit fail as opposed to a team fail; the Beavers suck in September EVERY SINGLE YEAR. They could never get going against Cincinnati even though they were at home. They allowed Nick Foles in his starting debut in Corvallis to complete 74% of his passes at 7.5 YPA with 3 touchdowns and no picks. And they needed a last second Kahut field goal to beat a 5-7 UNLV squad. And these guys plan to play TCU in Dallas and Boise in the Smurf Turf next September?

Cal's pass defense not named Syd'Quan Thompson

via cdn2.sbnation.com

108th in passing yards given up; 103rd in completion percentage; 81st in passer rating. The Bears dropped from 3rd in the country in INTs to 71st, from 1st in the country in passes defended to 47th. So let's say they regressed a little.

(You might say the offensive line deserves this...but Cal still ranked top 40 in rushing yards per game and top 25 in yards per attempt. You might even say the special teams, but they didn't have as much impact as our defense, plus their general incompetence over the past half-decade deserves its own post. A lot of that had to do with Best and Vereen, but that's still only a mediocre unit, not an awful one. Nothing hurt the Bears more in 2009 than their pass defense...the offensive line just exacerbated the situation.)

Washington--Nick Holt

This one's hard to say. Holt's defense was much improved from last year, especially in the run game. USC, Cal, Wazzu, Arizona all fell. On the other hand...his defense still got ripped apart by the Oregon schools and the Furd. They weren't that bad, but they weren't that good either, so it's hard to call them the worst. So I'll go with the easy to hate Holt here.

Ultimately though, Holt's defense still provided us with the most comical college football moment of 2009, which could've been the difference between Locker and his first bowl game...

Arizona State

Only four games into the season, Pitchfork Nation wrote an open letter to his beleaguered starting QB withdrawing his support.

I retract anything positive I said about Danny Sullivan. Not only are you not physically talented enough to start for a Pac-10 team, but as you proved last night, you’re what we call in my family a "mental midget."

..

Instead, you exhibited the same physical problems we saw in each of the Sun Devils first three games. You sailed balls, you completely missed wide open receivers and left your pass catchers out to dry with several horribly thrown balls. Your most accurate pass was one you threw away in the 3rd quarter that perfectly nailed the "C" on the Muscle Milk sign on the side of the east bleachers.

Well, that sucks.

The numbers don't get much better for Sullivan: He never threw better than 56% in any quarter, he threw well on 1st down but didn't make much of a dent otherwise, and he generally struggled with everything. He hit 60% completions in only three of his games, all against bad pass Ds (Cal, Furd, Oregon State). For God's sake, he struggled against Wazzu. Shouldn't there be a shaming list for athletes who struggle against Wazzu?

And it wasn't like he was throwing to turds out there; both Kyle Williams and Chris McGaha notched 57 catches, and Dmitri Nance was a capable runner. No, it looks like most of the wounds were self-inflicted.

Wazzu--Everyone?

via cache.daylife.com

I'll save those poor Cougar fans an explanation; I really don't want to go over this hundred car pile-up, and they've suffered enough. At least they have Klay Thompson.

Oregon: LeGarrette Blount?

via www1.pictures.zimbio.com

He's probably the Ducks Least Valuable Player. I'm not happy stating it since the dude got a huge punishment for a totally surreal moment, but he redeemed himself, so that's always good.

But I put a question mark there...because for not-so-obvious reasons, you could make the case that he's the unintentional Pac-10 MVP. Why?

1) The Punch changed the whole Oregon running dynamic. For nearly a month Oregon struggled to get past the rust, but slowly things started to click and their offense got back in sync for the Utah game; once James and Masoli started operating in tandem the Quack Attack began rolling.

So...does Oregon win close games versus Purdue and Utah if Blount is in the backfield? Do the Ducks slow the pace down against Cal, USC, UCLA, Arizona State, Arizona and Oregon State instead of attacking, attacking, attacking? Does James get going at all? Does Barner break out as a pure speed demon? Would Oregon have gone 10-2 without the Punch? I doubt it. In a strange way, Blount's actions made his team BETTER in the long run--the Ducks were able to play that fast up-tempo offense that Kelly relished, and they blew through the Pac-10 relatively unscathed.

(I will always believe that if the Bears had played Blount and Masoli that we could've snuck that game out--not necessarily won, but the opportunity would've been there. We could've bottled up Blount the way we held Gerhart in check, play deliberate 3-4 football and wait for Blount to find the hole before matching him at the line of scrimmage. Of course, we still wouldn't have been able to defend Ed Dickson, but at least it's a step up from defending no one.)

2) The media hatefest gave the Ducks an 'us against the world' mentality. You can't underestimate the power of ESPN and the Internet on these guys--when Oregon became the dominant storyline of the opening college football weekend, when they heard about how they stunk and that their coach should be fired...it's not implausible they didn't rally around the hate and use it to fuel their overall mission. It's hard for me to say that Chip Kelly didn't use that to motivate the Ducks to play better, execute better, keep the pace going; they only let down once (the Cardinal), rolled everyone else and delivered in what amounted to Rose Bowl quarter and semifinals against Arizona and Oregon State.

If it had just been an awful loss the Ducks would've been forgotten by the national media--the Punch gave it the attention, gave Oregon the fire they needed to run through the rest of the season. It was the perfect black swan event. Everything went wrong on the first day of the season, and the Ducks spent the next three months trying to prove that it was an aberration. Didn't do too shabby, did they?

Of course, you could say he would've been theoretically least valuable; were the Ducks a better team if Blount wasn't playing? We'll never totally know, but the fact they barely missed a beat without him says a lot. They probably beat the Furd with him, but do they blow out USC, Cal, Arizona State, Washington and UCLA? I'm not so sure about that.

So Blount gets his team's LVP...only because the rest of the Ducks played like MVPs the rest of the year. For some reason, I feel he won't mind it that much.

Tomorrow: Pac-10 MVP honorable mentions

Arizona Quick Hits: December 16, 2009

joenewby4040 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 08:00:25 -0000

Stoops and his team have been working on their class of 2010 for almost a year now. They have 18 commitments, including 3 four stars committed. As this article states, Stoops doesn't care much for star ratings. He recruits for talent and then develops at will.

Jim Livengood is currently one of three finalists for the AD at UNLV. He visited the school on December 15, 2009 and UNLV will make its decision in the next few days. I'm not really sure how I feel about this. I love the Sean Miller hire and Livengood has been good to all Arizona programs. I think I'll miss him if he goes.

Arizona has moved quickly to replace defensive coordinator Mark Stoops, who left for Florida State last week. The Cats will replace him with Greg Brown who was the secondary coach at the University of Colorado. I fully trust Stoops on this decision. Brown will make it to the Holiday Bowl and help the Cats play against Nebraska. Rumor also has it that Stoops will name Tim Kish as the co-defensive coordinator for this year and the 2010 season. Rumors, rumors, rumors.

Go on over and visit Corn Nation for all of the prep work Nebraska will be putting in during the next two weeks. The Cats and Cornhuskers will face off on December 20, 2009 at the Holiday Bowl. I hope you have your tickets because the Arizona and Nebraska allotment have been sold out. That does not mean that the game is sold out, but you'd better get on it!

If you haven't heard, "The streak is very much in jeopardy." Not good. This article also hits on Kevin Parrom is still out of practices and now the Cats may be without Jamelle Horne who suffered an ankle sprain in the San Diego State game.

Washington State is 8-2 overall. Klay Thompson is averaging 25.1 points per game. Wow! Look out Pac-10.

Ranking The 2009-2010 Bowls: Part 2

Mark Kieffer — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:31:13 -0000

In Part 1 of the series, I listed the bowls that I would not be mad at missing. With this Part 2, I'm continuing the countdown. This set of games are those that I would like to see, but I'm not going to make any kind of sacrifices to watch these games.

During the holidays, especially when traveling to a bowl game myself, you're sometimes going to miss some. Click on the jump, to see the 12 bowls that I have in my middle tier of games!

#20: Outback Bowl (Northwestern vs. Auburn), 1/1/2010, 10am CST, ESPN

After a night of partying in Tempe on New Years, there's no way in hell I'm going to get myself up early to watch this. I'm not really one of those ISU fans obsessed with Chizik anyways. This game could have easily gone in my Part 1 post. Honestly, I think Auburn rolls in this one anyways, but you never know.

#19: Texas Bowl (Navy vs. Missouri), 12/31/2009, 2:30pm CST, ESPN

There's no way I'm seeing this game, (although I would've liked to) so it ranks this low. I'll be at Sundevil Stadium when this is getting underway, but I'll be scoreboard checking during the game. Not a bad matchup at all, and could be an entertaining game. Navy has that triple option, while Missouri has a good passing game behind Danario Alexander.

#18: Emerald Bowl (Boston College vs. USC), 12/26/2009, 7pm CST, ESPN

This should be an evenly matched game for the most part. USC has had a down year by their standards, but I think this year was pretty good for Boston College. I'm not really a fan of either team, which is why it ranks relatively low on my list.

#17: Liberty Bowl (Arkansas vs. East Carolina), 1/2/2010, 4:30pm CST, ESPN

You have a pretty good offense in Arkansas against an East Carolina team that won the CUSA, and has been on a roll down the stretch.

#16: Independence Bowl (Texas A&M vs. Georgia), 12/28/2009, 4pm CST, ESPN

Georgia has the better defense, and better overall team, while A&M has the better offense. You can't ignore Georgia's win over Georgia Tech; that was impressive. I think this has the makings of a good game, and it might suprise some people.

#15: Champs Sports Bowl (Miami vs. Wisconsin), 12/29/2009, 7pm CST, ESPN

I like watching Miami. Been a fan of them since I've been following College Football. Growing up in Minnesota, I've seen a lot of Wisconsin as well. A game between two programs I'm familiar with. Miami likes to pass it, and is a very athletic team. Wisconsin, plays your typical Big 10 style of game: running the ball and trying to play defense.

#14: Chick-Fil-A Bowl (VA Tech vs. Tennessee), 12/31/2009, 6:30pm CST, ESPN

Lane Kiffin is just a drama-machine. Seems like controversy follows him around, and that alone may be worth watching. It will also be interesting to see how VA Tech plays, when they've been eying a BCS Bowl game all year, and feel a little snubbed. Tennesee has played close to teams all year, with a pretty solid defense. This could end up being similar to the Nebraska vs. VA Tech game earlier in the year.

#13: Capital One Bowl (Penn State vs. LSU), 1/1/2010, Noon CST, ABC

If you like watching a good defensive game, this one is for you. Both teams have issues scoring at times, but have no issues stopping the opposing offense.

#12: Cotton Bowl (Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss), 1/2/2010, 1pm CST, Fox

This is the battle between two disappointing teams. Both were ranked high at the beginning of the year, and neither really did much of anything notable on the national scale. I'm still confused as to how Oklahoma State just laid an egg against Oklahoma, along with how Ole Miss was supposed to have this Heisman contender in Snead. I don't really think either fanbase is that excited about the game either. With how inconsistent these teams have been all year, I don't think anyone knows what to expect in this one, and maybe for that, it's worth tuning into for a little bit.

#11: Holiday Bowl (Arizona vs. Nebraska), 12/30/2009, 7pm CST, ESPN

These teams are pretty even on paper. I can't see scores outside of the teens in this one. Heck, this game could be 10-9 or something like that. It's really too bad for Husker fans that their offense was so bad this year, as it's really brought this team down. I have also come around to being a big fan of Suh, and it's extremley fun to watch him dominate the line of scrimmage all game long. Even if he doesn't get the tackle or sack, Suh has an impact on the play.

#10: Poinsettia Bowl (Utah vs. Cal), 12/23/2009, 7pm CST, ESPN

Jahvid Best is back for the Golden Bears, and he's a lot of fun to watch. Really good to see that he's going to be able to continue playing, after that scary concussion he suffered not too long ago. Honestly, when I saw that play, I thought his playing days in the future could be in jeopardy. This game is likely going to come down to the wire, as they are dead even on paper.

In Part 3, I'm going to countdown the bowls that are must-see for me. By process of elimination, you can figure out which bowls they are, but you will have to see on Thursday as to what the order is.

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Part 1