I picked up a few good wins, with Oregon and Texas A&M both coming through for me, giving me a three game lead over Nick. We have a big one with tonight's BCS Title Game. Stay tuned for the preview and as always follow us on twitter for some thoughts on the games as they happen at @kinneybrozcfb.
Nick- 16-16 (.500)
Jeremy- 19-13 (.593)
Monday, January 7th
Discover BCS National Championship, 8pm ET, ESPN
#1 Notre Dame (12-0) vs. #2 Alabama (12-1)
At the beginning of the season this match-up seemed not just improbable but impossible. Sure, Alabama wasn't necessarily a surprise but having lost the talent they lost on defense last season many expected the Tide to take a bit of a step back this season. As for the Irish, not even Touchdown Jesus would have expected this. Notre Dame has been a perennial underachiever pretty much since their last national title in 1988 and has been holding on to its storied history for dear life while trying to stay relevant in college football. Brian Kelly had done a good job with Notre Dame football in his first two season and improvement was obvious but a birth in the BCS National Championship didn't seem possible until November 17th when the two teams ahead of the Irish- #1 K-State and #2 Oregon- both lost, paving Notre Dame's way to Miami.
Alabama offense vs. Notre Dame defense
Notre Dame ranks 6th in total defense, 1st in scoring defense, 4th in run defense (they gave up only 2 rushing touchdowns) and 21st in pass defense (but 1st in yards per pass). The Irish have shutdown some solid offenses this season but none that will be as big and physical as Alabama. The Tide's greatest strength on offense, their 19th ranked rushing attack, will have to run right into the teeth of the Irish's greatest defensive strength. Alabama has a big, powerful offensive line and a pair of running backs to match. Running backs Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon each went over the 1,000 yards mark and combined for 27 rushing touchdowns on the season. The Tide were able to out physical nearly every opponent this season with their rushing attack and will certainly give Notre Dame their toughest test of the season.
Alabama quarterback, AJ McCarron had a solid year and was even in the Heisman conversation at one point. McCarron led the nation in pass efficiency this season and threw 26 touchdowns to only three interceptions. McCarron will have to be a factor and hit passes in tonight's game for Alabama to win. While Notre Dame's pass defense is statistically its weakest area, this will still be a tough task as Notre Dame gives up the fewest yards per completion in the country, intercepted 16 passes and can pressure the quarterback- Stephon Truitt had 12 sacks on one side and Kapron Lewis-Moore and Prince Shembo combined for 13.5 on the other.
I give a slight edge here to Notre Dame's defense, but I fully expect Alabama to run the ball at times on the Irish. They faced two top 25 run defenses this season and ran for 166 against LSU (9th) and 225 against Arkansas (20th). The key will be whether or not AJ McCarron can hit enough passes to keep the chains moving. Irish offense vs. Bama defense
Clearly Alabama has an advantage here but don't forget the fact, that although Notre Dame hasn't put up big numbers on offense, they have scored when they needed to. Against Oklahoma, Notre Dame was averaging almost 20 fewer points per game and ended up winning 30-13. The Fighting Irish averaged 202.5 rushing yards per game this season. They faced four of the nations top 25 run defenses (#8 Michigan State- 122, #3 Stanford- 150, #2 BYU- 270 and #24 Pitt- 231) and still averaged 193.3 rushing in those four games. Alabama, even as the nations top run defense will have its work cut out for them. The Tide only faced one top 25 rushing team this season, Texas A&M and gave up 165 yards in their only loss of the season.
In the games Alabama struggled in, it was their pass defense that was the issue despite being ranked 6th in the nation. In their come from behind win over LSU, "quarterback" Zach Mettenberger had his best performance of the season. In their loss to Texas A&M, Johnny Manziel went for 253 and two touchdowns and Georgia's Aaron Murrey went for 265, one touchdown and as leading his team down the field for a game winning touchdown before running just short on time. It's a tall task for Notre Dame's Everett Golson, who for the season averaged 58.9% completion with 11 touchdowns and five picks. The Irish will need to get ahead of the chains with the running game and keep Golson on the move and in short yardage situations.
It's hard to see Notre Dame moving the ball against this Alabama defense and they'll need to take advantage of the few opportunities they get. 'Bama leads the nation in nearly every statistical category. Alabama gets a big advantage here against Notre Dame's 49th ranked offense.
Picks
I'm going with Notre Dame in tonight's game. Notre Dame is a 9.5 point underdog in this game, but so what, they've been an underdog all season. No one expected them to make it through a four game stretch against Michigan State, Michigan, Miami and Stanford. They won all four, led by a defense that gave up a total of 25 points over those four games and held each opponent to under 300 yards of total offense. They were double-digit underdogs at Oklahoma and won 30-13 and finished the season with a big road win over rival USC. Lead by Heisman finalist, Manti Te'o, along with Louis Nix III, Stephon Tuitt, the Irish bring arguably the nations best defense. As good as this Alabama team is this season, they got about as easy a draw as you can expect in the SEC. They really only faced two legit teams in the regular season in LSU and Texas A&M (sorry Michigan) and went 1-1. I expect a defensive slug-fest with a little luck, find the pot of gold.
-Jeremy- Notre Dame, 20-17
I really like Jeremy's pick and breakdown here. I do have to disagree with the pick though. I have been going back-and-forth on this all week and finally was able to come up with my pick. Before I get to that I would just like to add a couple things to this. I think the quarterbacks for both teams will be the key here. It is going to come down to who can make the big play or, like Jeremy said, who can move the ball on third down consistently. We know that both teams are going to try and pound the ball on the ground and make big plays from that, but I think the big plays are going to need to come in the passing game and McCarron has the better big play ability. Finally, the reason I am picking Alabama is I can never bet against Nick Saban when he has six weeks to prepare for a team. Every time his teams have extra time to prepare and study their oppoenents he comes out with big wins. I see this game no different. I think Jeremy is right about a defensive slug-fest game, but I think Alabama wins 17-14.
-Nick -- Roll Tide, 17-14
Alabama offense vs. Notre Dame defense
Notre Dame ranks 6th in total defense, 1st in scoring defense, 4th in run defense (they gave up only 2 rushing touchdowns) and 21st in pass defense (but 1st in yards per pass). The Irish have shutdown some solid offenses this season but none that will be as big and physical as Alabama. The Tide's greatest strength on offense, their 19th ranked rushing attack, will have to run right into the teeth of the Irish's greatest defensive strength. Alabama has a big, powerful offensive line and a pair of running backs to match. Running backs Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon each went over the 1,000 yards mark and combined for 27 rushing touchdowns on the season. The Tide were able to out physical nearly every opponent this season with their rushing attack and will certainly give Notre Dame their toughest test of the season.
Alabama quarterback, AJ McCarron had a solid year and was even in the Heisman conversation at one point. McCarron led the nation in pass efficiency this season and threw 26 touchdowns to only three interceptions. McCarron will have to be a factor and hit passes in tonight's game for Alabama to win. While Notre Dame's pass defense is statistically its weakest area, this will still be a tough task as Notre Dame gives up the fewest yards per completion in the country, intercepted 16 passes and can pressure the quarterback- Stephon Truitt had 12 sacks on one side and Kapron Lewis-Moore and Prince Shembo combined for 13.5 on the other.
I give a slight edge here to Notre Dame's defense, but I fully expect Alabama to run the ball at times on the Irish. They faced two top 25 run defenses this season and ran for 166 against LSU (9th) and 225 against Arkansas (20th). The key will be whether or not AJ McCarron can hit enough passes to keep the chains moving. Irish offense vs. Bama defense
Clearly Alabama has an advantage here but don't forget the fact, that although Notre Dame hasn't put up big numbers on offense, they have scored when they needed to. Against Oklahoma, Notre Dame was averaging almost 20 fewer points per game and ended up winning 30-13. The Fighting Irish averaged 202.5 rushing yards per game this season. They faced four of the nations top 25 run defenses (#8 Michigan State- 122, #3 Stanford- 150, #2 BYU- 270 and #24 Pitt- 231) and still averaged 193.3 rushing in those four games. Alabama, even as the nations top run defense will have its work cut out for them. The Tide only faced one top 25 rushing team this season, Texas A&M and gave up 165 yards in their only loss of the season.
In the games Alabama struggled in, it was their pass defense that was the issue despite being ranked 6th in the nation. In their come from behind win over LSU, "quarterback" Zach Mettenberger had his best performance of the season. In their loss to Texas A&M, Johnny Manziel went for 253 and two touchdowns and Georgia's Aaron Murrey went for 265, one touchdown and as leading his team down the field for a game winning touchdown before running just short on time. It's a tall task for Notre Dame's Everett Golson, who for the season averaged 58.9% completion with 11 touchdowns and five picks. The Irish will need to get ahead of the chains with the running game and keep Golson on the move and in short yardage situations.
It's hard to see Notre Dame moving the ball against this Alabama defense and they'll need to take advantage of the few opportunities they get. 'Bama leads the nation in nearly every statistical category. Alabama gets a big advantage here against Notre Dame's 49th ranked offense.
Picks
I'm going with Notre Dame in tonight's game. Notre Dame is a 9.5 point underdog in this game, but so what, they've been an underdog all season. No one expected them to make it through a four game stretch against Michigan State, Michigan, Miami and Stanford. They won all four, led by a defense that gave up a total of 25 points over those four games and held each opponent to under 300 yards of total offense. They were double-digit underdogs at Oklahoma and won 30-13 and finished the season with a big road win over rival USC. Lead by Heisman finalist, Manti Te'o, along with Louis Nix III, Stephon Tuitt, the Irish bring arguably the nations best defense. As good as this Alabama team is this season, they got about as easy a draw as you can expect in the SEC. They really only faced two legit teams in the regular season in LSU and Texas A&M (sorry Michigan) and went 1-1. I expect a defensive slug-fest with a little luck, find the pot of gold.
-Jeremy- Notre Dame, 20-17
I really like Jeremy's pick and breakdown here. I do have to disagree with the pick though. I have been going back-and-forth on this all week and finally was able to come up with my pick. Before I get to that I would just like to add a couple things to this. I think the quarterbacks for both teams will be the key here. It is going to come down to who can make the big play or, like Jeremy said, who can move the ball on third down consistently. We know that both teams are going to try and pound the ball on the ground and make big plays from that, but I think the big plays are going to need to come in the passing game and McCarron has the better big play ability. Finally, the reason I am picking Alabama is I can never bet against Nick Saban when he has six weeks to prepare for a team. Every time his teams have extra time to prepare and study their oppoenents he comes out with big wins. I see this game no different. I think Jeremy is right about a defensive slug-fest game, but I think Alabama wins 17-14.
-Nick -- Roll Tide, 17-14
Friday, January 4th
AT&T Cotton Bowl
Texas A&M- 41, Oklahoma- 13
Well, we predicted that Johnny Manziel would be the deciding factor in this game and boy was he! "Johnny Football" set a Cotton Bowl record with his 516 yards of offense (A&M went for 633 total) and ran for two scores and threw for two more. A tight contest at halftime at 14-13, Texas A&M blew the game open in the third quarter scoring three touchdowns in the quarter (one PAT was missed) and capping the game with another score in the fourth. Manziel was unstoppable as he gashed the defense with his feet setting a FBS bowl record for a quarterback with his 229 rushing yards and picked the Sooners apart with his arm, adding 287 yards through the air.
-Jeremy- A&M, 42-38
-Nick- Oklahoma, 48-42
Thursday, January 3
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Oregon- 35, Kansas State- 17
The speed and tempo ended up being just too much for Kansas State to deal with. The Wildcats found themselves in an early deficit, giving up a touchdown on the opening kickoff and a touchdown on Oregon's first drive. Despite the early deficit Kansas State battled back to to 15-10 but that's as close as they would get as Oregon would score the next 17 points, sealing the deal for the Ducks. Oregon ran 219 yards and limited the Wildcats to 283 total yards and kept Heisman finalist Collin Klein to just 30 rushing yards and intercepted him twice. The Ducks defense, which won't get the credit it deserves was the difference in this game limiting K-St to 122 yards below their season average and 21 points below their season average.
-Jeremy- Oregon, 52-46
-Nick, Kansas State 56-52
-Nick, Kansas State 56-52
Wednesday, January 2
Allstate Sugar Bowl
Louisville (11-2) 33 vs. Florida (11-1) 23
This game just showed how crazy this bowl season has been. It also shows how much I know about these games. I figured the Florida defense would come out and dominate this game, but as it turns out the Gators looked very disinterested in this game and looked like they didn't want to beat for defensive coordinator Charlie Strong. The Cardinal offense really impressed me especially, Teddy Bridgewater who threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns and looked unstoppable in the first half. Also give the Louisville defense for forcing three turnovers and holding the Florida offense to less than 300 yards. Great season for Strong and the Cardinals. It is easy to see why Louisville threw a lot of money at Strong to keep him. He truly is a rising star in the coaching ranks.
-Nick, Florida 31-13
-Jeremy, Florida 24-10
Tuesday, January 1
Discover Orange Bowl
Northern Illinois- 10, Florida State- 31
This game was a little closer than most people might have thought, but Nick and I both predicted a close matchup. The Seminoles blew the game open with two touchdowns in the 4th quarter but it was very much up in the air at 17-10 after three quarters. At the end of the day it was the Seminoles speed and athleticism on defense that was the difference. All-everything qb Jordan Lynch was completely bottled up a swarming, relentless defense. The NIU offense that came in averaging nearly 500 ypg was limited to 259 and Lynch, only 44 rushing yards on 23 carries. This win marks the first BCS win for the 'Noles since their '00 win over VaTech in the BCS Championship and what could be a huge turning point for this program.
-Jeremy- FSU, 33-31
-Nick- FSU, 42-38
Rose Bowl
Wisconsin- 14, Stanford- 20
Well, this might not have been the most exciting Rose Bowl game ever but it did end up being a very hard fought, physical football game, featuring solid defensive play and smash-mouth rushing attacks. Combined, Stanford and Wisconsin ran the football 80 times for 405 yards. After going down 14-0 right out of the gates, the Barry Alvarez led Badgers settled down nicely and gave Stanford all they could handle for the next three quarters. In the end, the Stanford defense was too much for the Badgers and despite running for 100 yards, Montee Ball couldn't lift his team to an improbable Rose Bowl victory. This is the first Rose Bowl victory for the Cardinal since 1972.
-Jeremy- Stanford, 30-21
-Nick- Stanford, 38-21
Outback Bowl
South Carolina- 33, Michigan- 28
The Outback Bowl gets my vote for game of the day. This game had four lead changes in the final 15:02 of the game and gave us big play after big play. Michigan battle back from a 21-10 second quarter deficit, scoring nine unanswered points to take the lead going into the fourth quarter. After getting a field goal blocked and a botched spot that gave the Wolverines a critical first down, all-world defensive end Jadeveon Clowney blew up running back Vincent Smith in the backfield causing a fumble on a play that changed the course of the game for the Gamecocks. SC would score on a 31 yard pass from Conner Shaw to Ace Sanders on the next play. Michigan would recover however, and march down the field for the go-ahead touchdown on their next drive to take a 28-27 lead with 3:29 to play. It took two quarterback, a 4th down conversion and 3:18 seconds but South Carolina drove the field and scored the game winning touchdown on a 32-yard pass from backup quarterback Dylan Thompson to Bruce Ellington leaving Michigan with only 11 seconds and no shot at a win.
-Jeremy- South Carolina, 27-17
-Nick- South Carolina, 24-17
Capitol One Bowl
Georgia- 45, Nebraska- 31
It took a heroic effort by Aaron Murray as the Bulldogs proved to be too much for the much maligned Blackshirts defense. Murray overcame a rough start to finish the game with 427 passing yards and five touchdowns to lift the 'Dawgs past Nebraska in the Capitol One Bowl. The Georgia offense continued a season long struggle against the run giving up 239 rushing yards to the Huskers, including 140 by Rex Burkhead. In the end, the three turnovers by Nebraska cost them and Georgia snaps a two game, bowl losing streak and reaches 12 wins for the third time in school history.
-Jeremy- UGA, 40-35
-Nick- UGA, 27-21
Heart of Dallas Bowl
Purdue- 14, Oklahoma State- 58
This game was pretty much over the moment it started. Purdue's defense was overwhelmed early and often by a high-powered OK State offense. The Cowboys racked up 524 yards of offense and had the victory sealed before Purdue even got on the scoreboard in the closing seconds of the 3rd quarter at 45-7. Purdue turned the ball over five times and four of those turnover resulted in points for the Cowboys.
-Jeremy- OK St. 51-34
-Nick- OK St. 45-35
TAXSLAYER.com Gator Bowl
Mississippi State- 20, Northwestern- 34
Congrats to Northwestern for earning their first bowl win since 1949 with their win over Mississippi State and giving the B1G one of their few bright spots in this bowl season. N'western would jump out to a 13-0 lead, but MissSt would battle back and tie the game at the beginning of the third quarter. From there, it was all Wildcats, as they outscored the Bulldogs 21-7 after the tie. N'western out gained Mississippi State 357-292 and won the turnover battle 3-4.
-Jeremy- N'western, 34-31
-Nick- MissSt. 38-24
Monday, December 31
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
NC State- 24, Vanderbilt- 38
You can pretty much give the SEC the win anytime they play the ACC. Vandy caps an impressive 9-4 season with their 38-24 win over NC State. The win was very SEC esq as they shutdown NC State's running game and forced the game into quarterback Mike Glennon's hands. Glennon put up 383 yards but was intercepted three times by a stingy Vandy defense. Coach James Franklin gets a huge boost as his turnaround of Vanderbilt takes a huge step forward. This is Vandy's first bowl win since '08 and only their third in school history.
-Nick, Vandy 35-24
-Jeremy, Vandy 28-20
Hyundai Sun Bowl
USC- 7, Georgia Tech- 21
As I sat to make my picks for this game, my gut screamed at me to take Georgia Tech. This is what I get. I literally had to talk myself into taking USC and rationalized the loss of Matt Barkley, the late season tail-spin and the complete lack of character and heart on this Trojans team, thinking that they were too talented to get beat by Georgia Tech- a team that had to petition to get into the post season. USC managed only 207 total yards against the nations 53rd ranked defense and were 3 of 15 on third down. The story of the game for me was the GTech ground game that literally took this game over. The Yellow Jackets handed the ball off 63 times for 294 yards, chewing up first downs and clock on their way to a very convincing victory. The win snaps a seven game bowl losing streak and might mark the end of USC's run as one of the top teams in college football.
-Nick, USC 41-27
-Jeremy, USC 31-27
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Iowa State- 17, Tulsa- 31
Iowa State had a great start to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl jumping out to a 17-7 lead in the first quarter, but it was all Tulsa the rest of the way as they outscored the Cyclones 24-0 the rest of the way. Tulsa ran for 317 yards and Iowa State had now answers for the Golden Hurricane ground game. Tulsa gets their second bowl victory in three years while Iowa State drops their second straight.
-Nick, Tulsa 35-31
-Jeremy, Iowa State 24-17
Chick-fil-A Bowl
No. 8 LSU- 24, No. 14 Clemson- 25
Clemson picked a fine time to get their first win over a ranked opponent this season as they scratch and claw their way to their Chick-fil-A bowl win. The LSU defense played well, like they have all season, but were out done by an anemic offense that offered no help to the defense. LSU's offense was only able to manage 219 yards against what has been a shaky Clemson defense that was ranked 74th in the nation and was giving up 411 yards per game. It was that lack of offense that cost them in this game as they were unable to run the clock late in the game and missed pass after pass giving Clemson the ball back with 1:39 remaining in the game. Clemson was able to drive 60-yards in the closing seconds and hit a 37-yard game winning field goal. Quarterback Tajh Boyd threw for 346 and two scores leading his team to their fist bowl victory in three seasons.
Nick, LSU 34-27
Jeremy, LSU 34-24
Saturday, December 29
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, 10:15pm ET, ESPN
TCU (7-6) 16 vs. Michigan State (7-6) 17
Tough game for the offenses in this one. TCU jumped out to an early lead and it looked like their defense was going to be able to hang on, but the Spartans stormed back to win on a late field goal. Le'Von Bell led the Spartans back in this game rushing 32 times for 145 yards and one touchdown.
-Jeremy- TCU, 16-13
-Nick- TCU, 20-16
Valero Alamo Bowl
Texas (9-4) 31 vs. Oregon State (9-4) 27
Give credit to the Longhorns and David Ash they hung in and pulled this game out. Texas was down 27-17 entering the fourth quarter and scored 14 unanswered in the fourth to win. Mack Brown should be getting a lot of credit for this Texas team winning nine games. From being on the hot seat to winning five of their last seven is impressive for Brown and his Longhorns.
-Jeremy- Oregon State, 38-35
-Nick- Oregon State, 28-20
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, 4pm ET, ESPN2
Arizona State (8-5) 62 vs. Navy (8-5) 28
Good call brosef. I thought this game would be close either way but not a 62 point drubbing. Navy is a lot better team than allowing 62 points to Arizona State, but sometimes teams just run into a buzz saw. Marion Grice led the Sundevils with 159 yards and two touchdowns, with receiver Rashad Ross also going over 100 yards catching four balls for 139 yards and three touchdowns. Solid first season for Graham in Tempe.
-Jeremy- ASU, 30-27
-Nick- Navy, 31-30
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
West Virginia (7-5) 14 vs. Syracuse (7-5) 38
I was expecting this game to be really high scoring with possibly 60 points each, but instead the West Virginia offense did not show up like it did in its five losses and only scored 14 points. Cuse proved how bad the WVU rushing defense is with two players over 100 yards and one over 200 in the game. Prince Gulley rushed 25 times for 208 yards and two touchdowns. Jerome Smith also went over 100 yards rushing 30 times for 157 yards. The 369 yards on the ground was the key to this game for the Orange.
-Jeremy- West Virginia, 41-31
-Nick- West Virginia, 52-42
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Rice (7-6) 33 vs. Air Force (6-7) 14
This game was pretty boring for the most part. The Falcons jumped out to a 14-7 lead but were shut down from that point by the Rice offense. Air Force is a team that cannot play from behind and when it lost the lead to start with the fourth quarter the game was over. The Owls 20 straight points in the fourth quarter made this look like a lot worse than the game was, because neither offense really moved the ball well.
-Jeremy- Air Force, 33-31
-Nick- Air Force, 38-35
Friday, December 28
AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl
Ohio- 45, Louisiana Monroe- 14
This one was all Ohio from start to finish. The Bobcats jumped out to a 24-7 half-time lead and never looked back. Ohio out gained ULM 556-314 and dominated on the ground with 219 rushing yards.
-Nick, Ohio 35-31
-Jeremy, UL-Monroe 36-31
Russell Athletic Bowl
Rutgers- 10, Virginia Tech- 13
Good on yah Tech. After one of the worst seasons under coach Frank Beamer, at least the Hokies will go into the off season with a big W. This wasn't only a bowl victory, this gives the Hokies yet another winning season and should go a long way in giving this young team confidence going into next year. The Hokies, who trailed most of the game, came through late with a field goal to give the the 13-10 win.
-Nick, Rutgers 31-20
-Jeremy, Rutgers 24-17
Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas
Minnesota (6-6) vs. Texas Tech (7-5)
This was a great back and forth matchup between two teams that are epically different. This game saw seven lead changes and just about as many punches thrown. Minnesota's ground game got going early and often pushing around a smaller TTech defensive line for a total of 222 yards. Tech saw a 24-17 halftime lead slowly melt away as Minnesota took the lead with just over 13" left in the fourth. The Red Raiders battled back late in the final quarter with a game tying 35-yard touchdown pass from Seth Doege to Eric Ward. Minnesota's only turnover came at the worst possible time as Gophers qb Philip Nelson was intercepted by D.J. Johnson on the ensuing drive setting up the game winning field goal.
-Nick, Red Raiders, 41-21
-Jeremy, Texas Tech, 31-24
Thursday, December 27
Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl
Baylor (8-5) 49 vs. UCLA (9-5) 26
Good call here Jeremy. This game was not even contested. Baylor jumped out to an early 21-0 lead and never looked back. All the credit in this game goes to the Baylor road graters, they opened up holes Lache Seastruck and company to the tune of 306 yards on the ground and five touchdowns. Great finish to the season for the Bears winning five of their last six, including the bowl game, to get to eight wins on the season. For UCLA tough finish to lose three in a row to end the season but coach Mora has a great first season to build on in LA.
-Jeremy- Baylor- 51-49
-Nick- UCLA, 52-45
Belk Bowl
Cincinnati (10-3) 48 vs. Duke (6-7) 34
This was a great game. Back and forth with the Blue Devils having a chance to win their first bowl game since 1960. With the score tied at 34 all late in the fourth quarter, a Blue Devil fumble inside the Bearcat five yard line opened the door for a 14-0 run by the Bearcats to pull away 48-34. Cincinnati hung tough in this game and made the plays to win in the end. Bearcat quarterback Brendon Kay had 332 and a Belk Bowl record four passing touchdowns, his offense was also helped by George Winn's 130 yards on the ground and one touchdown. Good way to end the season for Cincy with 10 wins and I am sure all in Bearcat country are excited to get Tommy Tubberville to work. For Duke another season that could have been, after getting bowl eligible it lost five in a row.
-Jeremy- Cincy, 38-31
-Nick- Cincy, 41-28
Military Bowl-- Presented by Northup Grumman
San Jose State 29 (11-2) vs. Bowling Green (8-5) 20
Great game here. This was the best game of the day yesterday. You never know how a team will respond when their coach has left, but San Jose State did what it has done all season found a way to win. San Jose's best season in school history was capped with a great bowl win. Bowling Green took a 20-19 lead early in the fourth quarter but the Spartans battled back kicking a field goal with just under five minutes to go to take a 22-19 lead. San Jose put the finishing touches on about two minutes later with a one-yard touchdown run to win 29-20. San Jose St. quarterback David Fales tossed for 395 yards and two touchdowns, while as a team the Spartans could not run the ball at all combining for a minus-15 yards on the ground in the game. Give the the SJSU defense credit for only allowing just 264 yards of total offense to BGSU, that is what won the Spartans the game.
-Jeremy- San Jose, 31-24
-Nick- San Jose, 24-21
Monday, December 24, 2012
Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, 8 p.m. ET ESPN
Fresno State- 10, SMU- 43
Swing and a miss! June Jones, making his triumphant return to Hawaii, led his SMU team to a reminiscent 43-10 smashing of Fresno State. The Mustangs defense was all over Carr and the Fresno offense.
-Nick, Fresno, 42-31
-Jeremy, Fresno State 33-21
Saturday, December 22, 2012
R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, 12pm ET ESPN
East Carolina- 34, UL Lafayette- 43
ULL jumped out to an early lead and never looked back against ECU. The Pirates came back for a moment in the third, tying the game at 31 but pulled away in the fourth and finished the Pirates for good. 591 yards of offense and 267 rushing yards paved the way for ULL.
-Jeremy- ULL, 35-31
-Nick- UL Lafayette, 34-28
MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, 3:30pm ET ESPN
Washington- 26, #19 Boise State- 28
The Broncos did the same thing they have done in almost every game this season. They got up huge 25-0 on the Huskies and let them crawl right back in and take a 26-25 lead. If not for a game-winning field goal Boise would be a three-loss team right now. Neither team looked very good in this game, but Bronco quarterback Joe Southwick led the way with 264 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Impressive for the Huskies was Bishop Sankey who rushed for 205 yards and a touchdown while catching six passes for 74 yards. Solid season for the Broncos at 11-2.
-Jeremy- Boise State, 23-21
-Nick- Boise State, 45-42
Friday, December 21, 2012
Beef "O" Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg, 7:30 ET ESPN
Ball State- 17, UCF- 38
Well, turns out we both gave Ball State way too much credit. UCF jumped out to quick 13-0 lead and never looked back. UCF out gained Ball State 493 to 288 with 222 of that coming on the ground. Knights quarterback, Blake Bortles had a career game, accounting for 352 total yards and four touchdowns.
-Nick, UCF 38-30
-Jeremy, Ball State, 31-27
Thursday, December 20, 2012
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, 8pm ET ESPN
Final- BYU 23 vs. San Diego State 6
Jeremy was exactly right with this game. He said that the BYU defense would be the key to this game and it was. This may have been one of the most boring three quarters I have seen this season, but the BYU defense did what it had to and made plays down the stretch to win the game. A couple turnovers in the fourth quarter by the Aztecs turned this game in the Cougars favor. Without their defense stepping up big I see no way BYU wins this game they have had one of the worst offenses in the country this season and both touchdowns they scored were set up with great field position by the Cougar defense.
-Jeremy- BYU, 23-17
-Nick- BYU, 24-21
-Jeremy- BYU, 23-17
-Nick- BYU, 24-21
Saturday, December 15th, Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Nevada vs. Arizona, Albuquerque, N.M.
-Nick, Nevada 56-53
-Jeremy- Nevada, 56-51
Saturday, December 15, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Toledo vs. Utah State, Boise, ID
Final- Utah State- 41, Toledo- 15
Utah State proved to be too much for the Rockets. It was a defensive struggle at 13-6 going into the fourth quarter when Utah State blew the doors off, going for 28 points in the final period. The Aggies went for 582 total and 353 rushing, led by Kerwynn Williams who broke off 235 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
-Jeremy- Utah State, 45-24
-Nick- Utah State, 42-31
-Jeremy- Nevada, 56-51
Saturday, December 15, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Toledo vs. Utah State, Boise, ID
Final- Utah State- 41, Toledo- 15
Utah State proved to be too much for the Rockets. It was a defensive struggle at 13-6 going into the fourth quarter when Utah State blew the doors off, going for 28 points in the final period. The Aggies went for 582 total and 353 rushing, led by Kerwynn Williams who broke off 235 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
-Jeremy- Utah State, 45-24
-Nick- Utah State, 42-31
