The Granddaddy of Them All Preview

Michigan vs USC (+1)
This is it. The last bowl game for the Pac-10, and a disappointment for both teams to be playing in it. The Trojans had pipe dreams of playing Ohio State in the national championship game, until they remembered they had to score on the Bruins if they wanted to make it there. The Wolverines were hoping to play the Buckeyes a second time, to see if Ohio State truly is the better team on a neutral field. Instead, Florida hopped into #2 and Michigan has to play USC in Pasadena as a consolation. Really, it’s the best consolation in college football, but neither team can win the national title this year which truly is anticlimactic. But for the rest of us, at least it’s the Pac-10 vs Big Ten in the Rose Bowl instead of seeing LSU or Notre Dame playing out here.

The Michigan Wolverines have a dangerous offense. Chad Henne doesn’t turn the ball over and isn’t afraid to spread it around either, with Mario Manningham and Steve Breaston being his favorite targets. But Mike Hart is the focal point of the Michigan offense. His 1500 rushing yards this season place him eighth in country, though he does have the lowest yards per carry of any back in the top 10. That said, he still averaged 5 ypc and he should get some holes to run through courtesy of Jake Long and the Wolverine O-line. That’ll give him the chance to meet Rey Maualuga and company at the second level. If Hart can get past them and into the Trojan secondary, USC will struggle to win this game. While Henne and Manningham can be a dangerous QB-WR duo, Michigan relies on their rushing attack much more. As long as USC can keep Hart from moving the chains too frequently, they can contain the Wolverine offense.

Michigan’s LaMarr Woodley and Alan Branch probably make up the best DE-DT tandem in the country. That’s the bad news for the Trojans and their offensive line. After seeing what UCLA’s DEs were capable of in USC’s final regular season game, Woodley must be chomping at the bit to go against Kyle Williams. But if USC can keep Booty from getting pressured too much, he shouldn’t have trouble finding Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett open down the field. The good news for USC is that Michigan’s defense can be scored upon if you have a good offense. All you have to do is look at the OSU game to see that. So even seeing how dominating Michigan’s run D was most of the season, a good offensive line can still open up holes and give the running backs room to break off some long runs. Sam Baker and Ryan Kalil will have to create space for Moody, Gable and Washington if they want to keep the Wolverine defense off balance.

As far as special teams go, Michigan doesn’t have the greatest special teams, but neither do the Trojans so we’ll consider this one a wash, though Troy Van Blarcom and his mad kickoff skillz will be missed.

So the greatest disappointment bowl of all time is about to happen. Michigan wants to prove it was cheated out of a spot in the title game and USC wants to prove it isn’t as bad as UCLA made them look. The Trojans also haven’t lost back to back games since the 2001 season. So come on Pete. Show us your stones and don’t let this streak end this season as well.

The Pick: USC (+1)

And yes, I am a homer, but I think USC should win.

Sun Bowl Recap (Mike Riley's Enormous Balls Edition)

Oregon State 39, Missouri 38
Man, did that decision by Riley take some serious stugats. Going for two with less than a minute left. Make it and you win, miss it and you lose. Kudos to Riley for taking that chance and actually calling a play that made it to the endzone. A great end to a great comeback. It was a pretty incredible game to watch. More than 1,000 yards of offense, lots of points and plenty of big plays.

Tony Temple was the star of the game. With 194 rushing yards and 2 TDs, it was the best game of his career and he kept the Tiger offense going when Chase Daniel wasn't lighting up the Beaver secondary. Daniel had a nice game with 330 yards and a pair of TDs, plus the Tigers got another score on a double pass from TE Chase Coffman to put them up by 14 in the fourth quarter. The Beaver's coverage continually broke down and allowed plays like Coffman's pass, Danario Alexander's 74-yard TD catch and big runs from Tony Temple.

Thankfully for the Beavs, Matt Moore and Yvenson Bernard were up to scoring some points as well. Moore had 356 yards passing and four TDs plus a TD run and Bernard had 166 total yards and a score to lead the Beavers to victory. Once the Tigers took their 14 point lead and given how OSU had played up to that point, I figured the game was over. But Moore and Bernard proved me wrong. The Beavers feed Bernard the ball down the stretch, as he was the target on 9 of OSU's final 14 plays and also carried the ball into the endzone to get the two point conversion. The last two drives were pretty incredible. Only one third down, which wasn't converted and turned into a fourth down that was, and a great job by the receivers of getting open. When Joe Newton caught the touchdown pass to bring the Beavers within one, I assumed Riley would kick the extra point and go to overtime. Instead, Missou took a timeout and Riley decided to go for two and the win. I couldn't believe Riley would make such a ballsy call, but it worked when Bernard plowed over the goal line.

I also can't believe that Riley admitted to Sam Ryan after the game that Yvenson Bernard convinced him to go for two. What!? Like Jake over at Building the Dam, I wonder just what Bernard said to Riley that made him take that chance. I assume it was something about the pictures of Riley that Bernard has in his possession. A solid end to a solid season for the Beavers. Ended the Trojan's Pac-10 streak, won the Civil War and topped it off with a big bowl win. So congratulations Beavers! Your coach has some serious huevos and now the Pac-10 is one Rose Bowl away from a .500 bowl season. Now Pete Carroll needs to show us that he too has some rocks.

Sun Bowl Preview

Missouri vs Oregon State (-3.5)
Let’s make it two in a row for the Pac-10! After seeing Cal destroy a Big 12 team yesterday, it’d only be right for OSU to drop another today. The Beavers have been on a pretty good streak, having won seven of their last eight games. The Tigers have done pretty much the opposite, losing four of their last six games.

Missouri has a very good offense, led by sophomore quarterback Chase Daniel. They finished 12^th in the country in total offense, though only 25^th in scoring. OSU is of course led by the enigmatic Matt Moore and finished 50^th and 42nd in those categories respectively. Tony Temple is a solid running back, as he average about 5 yards per carry. But Yvenson Bernard is more of a workhorse, as he had 100 more carries and twice as many touchdowns. Sammie Stroughter will provide the big plays for the Beavers receiving corps, as William Franklin fills the same role for the Tigers, albeit not as frequently as Stroughter.

Missouri has an above average D that can get to the quarterback and cause trouble in the backfield. OSU is even better, as they were fourth in the country in sacks and eighth in tackles for loss.

The Beavers have a huge edge on special teams, where Sammie Stroughter and Gerard Lawson are among the best in the country at returning kicks. That field position and/or TDs could be the difference against a solid Tiger defense.

In all four of their losses, the Tigers scored 20 or fewer points. Of course, the same can be said for OSU, who didn’t score more than 14 points in any of their losses. If the Beavs can contain Daniel with their pass rush and keep the touchdowns off the board, which has been commonplace for Missouri lately, they can win this game. I say Daniel gets hit more today than he has all season.

The Pick: OSU (-3.5)

Holiday Bowl Recap

Cal 45, Texas A&M 10
Finally, a damn win for the Pac-10. After three sad showings from the Ducks, Sun Devils and Bruins, the Bears actually won a big game and showed the Big 12 what Pac-10 football is really about. Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett both ran for over 100 yards, Nate Longshore barely let a pass hit the ground and Desmond Bishop and Co. punished Stephen McGee and the rest of the Aggie offense.

I really thought that 275 pound Jorvorskie Lane was going to get more than seven carries for A&M, but evidently Dennis Franchione didn’t feel the same way. Cal is used to seeing quick tailbacks like Mike Goodson in the Pac-10, not Rosie O’Donnell-type beasts like Lane. So why did Goodson get twice as many carries? I don’t know. Lane never went down on the first hit and usually was dragging a couple Bears behind him before hitting the ground. But they leaned on Goodson and never tired the Cal defense enough to break off any big plays. Goodson ended up with 62 yards and Lane had 36, which wasn’t enough to set up much of a passing game. Cal’s defense didn’t dominate the Aggies’ offense, as they gave up 349 yards, but they limited the big plays and stopped A&M three times on fourth down. They also laid out some big hits, particularly on Stephen McGee, with Daymeion Hughes and Desmond Bishop doing the most damage. McGee popped right back up, but never could get the Aggies back into the endzone after scoring on their opening drive.

The big story was the Bear ground game, which totaled 241 yards and accounted for five of Cal’s six touchdowns. Lynch ended up with 20 carries for 111 yards and 2 TDs while Forsett had 124 yards and a score on only 8 attempts. Basically, the Bears offensive line ripped open huge holes in the Aggie “Wrecking Crew” and gave Longshore time to pick apart their secondary. He averaged almost 10 yards per pass and completed passes to eight different receivers in route to leading Cal to almost 500 yards of total offense. It was a quintessential beating, with 31 straight points to end the game. This is what Cal should have done against Tennessee. At least they saved some face for themselves and the Pac-10 with this game.

Holiday Bowl Preview

Texas A&M vs Cal (-3)
I don't know how to say it more clearly, Cal must win this game! For the sake of the Pac-10, we cannot see the conference get shut out of the bowls. I realize that Tedford has come up short in almost every recent big game, but this is for more than just the Bear faithful, it's for the entire Pac-10. So please Coach, don't prolong the embarrassment.

As for the real preview, this should definitely be an interesting game. Cal's big play offense goes up against A&M's dominant running attack. Going by the numbers, the big difference between the teams is on defense. Where Cal's has good athletes but sub-par performance, the Aggies actually had a good defense. Of course, TAMU didn't play a very tough schedule and Cal did, so that probably distorts the numbers a little. Either way, the fact that the spread is only three points points to how close this game should be. So hopefully Lynch gets running lanes, Longshore doesn't get pressured, A&M throws at Daymeion Hughes and punts at DeSean Jackson. That'd pretty much guarantee a win for the Bears and the Pac-10.

The Pick: Cal (-3)

Emerald Bowl Recap

Florida Stage 44, UCLA 27
Thanks, UCLA. Another day, another Pac-10 loser. We now stand at a tremendous 0-3 in the postseason, with three bad losses to three teams we should have beaten. Even though Chris Markey ran through the Seminole defense like Charlie Weis goes through a box of donuts, the well-hyped DeWayne Walker and the Bruin defense couldn't stop the offensive machine that is commanded by lame duck coordinator Jeff Bowden. FSU had the 73rd ranked offense in the NCAA this year and evidently, that was more than enough to continually burn UCLA's 32nd ranked defense. The player responsible for most of that burning was tailback Lorenzo Booker, one of the few Seminoles that had actually been to California before this week. Booker is from Ventura County and needed 130 tickets for the game, and he surely didn't disappoint his friends and family. He accounted for half of FSU's offensive yards and a pair of TDs to lead the offensive charge. Drew Weatherford also had a solid game for the Seminoles. He hit the 300 yard passing mark for only the third time all season and after missing Greg Carr the first seven or so times he threw in his direction, finally began completing passes to him in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach. Of course, the blocked punt FSU returned 25 yards for a score as well as Cowan's terrible redzone pick-six didn't make it any easier for the Bruins to win. Chris Markey led UCLA with 144 rushing yards and reached the 1000 yard milestone for the season as the Bruins put an exclamation mark on another disappointing season. Now the Pac-10's hopes to get a bowl win this week rest on the shoulders of the conference's other ursine team.

Emerald Bowl Preview

Florida State vs UCLA (-4)
Can the Pac-10 finally win a freaking bowl game? I don't want to see the conference start out 0-3, but UCLA is just maddeningly average enough to leave San Francisco a loser. The Bruins are coming off quite a high note, but does that mean they can finish the season with a win? At least this game pits two disappointing teams against one another instead of a non-BCS school with something to prove. In fact, UCLA and FSU are surprisingly close matched. Both score somewhere around 20 points a game, are 79th and 80th in total offense, have pretty solid defenses and have below average quarterbacks, running backs and receivers. Seems like it should be quite an exciting game. Plus, its such an exclusive bowl that both teams will be sharing the sidelines! Maybe the Seminoles can bring a little of the UM-FIU fire with them to the Bay and bring some thrills to the poor souls who have to watch this game.

The Pick: UCLA (-4)

Hawaii Bowl Recap

Hope everyone had a good Christmas, because Dirk Koetter sure didn't.

Hawaii 41, Arizona State 24
Guess Dirk Koetter didn't want to have anything to lord over Lisa Love. And any time your defense gives up almost 700(!) yards, you don't get bragging rights. Colt Brennan went berserk, throwing for 559 yards and 5 TDs to set the records for passer rating(185.96) and TDs(58) in a single season. He also has the second most passing yards and is only the third player to ever top the 5000 yard mark. Besides those marks, Warriors receiver Jason Rivers had 14 catches for 308 yards and 2 TDs and Ryan Grice-Mullen also topped 100 yards with a pair of TD receptions.

In short, it was a dismal showing for ASU. If Koetter wasn't a lame duck heading into this game, the Sun Devil faithful would be calling for his head now. Even though ASU had the lead at halftime, they let Hawaii score the next 24 points and put the game out of reach. Even with 200 rushing yards and a 70 yard advantage in penalty yardage, ASU couldn't stop Hawaii's run and shoot. Every time Brennan threw the ball, it went for a first down. Just a sad day for another outmatched Pac-10 defense as Koetter finishes his ASU career with another loss in a big game.

Hawaii Bowl Preview

Arizona State vs Hawaii (-7)
This is Dirk Koetter's final game as the head coach at Arizona State. After an up and down season, the Sun Devils are hoping to give Koetter two big wins to end his ASU career. After surprisingly beating Arizona in Tucson, Koetter now has a chance to win his third straight bowl game with ASU. The Sun Devil offense was pretty disappointing this season, though Koetter did finally find some magic with a running attack in the second half of the year. That's what got Koetter fired though: not being able to meet expectations. Of course, switching starting quarterbacks at the last second doesn't exactly set you up for success. But none of that matters now, it's all about this Christmas Eve game. Rudy Carpenter and Ryan Torain both had big days against the Wildcats and should be able to continue that success against the Warriors.

Hawaii ended the season on a sour note. After winning nine games in a row, the Warriors were stopped in Honolulu by Oregon State. It was the first time in ten games that they were held under 40 points. Of course, ASU also got to play the Beavers this year and were absolutely pasted by them. I'd be remiss to not mention the staggering numbers that Hawaii QB Colt Brennan has put up this season. 4990 yards, 72.1% completion rate, 53 TDs to only 11 INTs and a quarterback rating of 182.8. Just unreal. I mean he passed for 400 yards and 2 TDs against OSU and it was a bad game for him. June Jones just does crazy stuff out there in the Pacific. With another big game, Brennan can set the single season TD and passer rating records and come close to BJ Symons' passing yards record.

So who has the advantage? Well, Hawaii has the amazingly effective gimmicky offense (#1 in scoring and total yards) and ASU gives up a lot of points. Meanwhile, Hawaii has a terrible defense but ASU only has a slightly above-average offense. I think ASU keeps it close. I don't know if they have enough to keep pace with the Warriors (ASU only scored 40 twice this year) if Carpenter can't get the ball to his receivers. But, if Torain and the Sun Devil ground attack have a big game, they can keep Hawaii's offense off the field and keep the score down. Besides, Dirk Koetter has to want to stick in Lisa Love's face just a little, doesn't he?

The Pick: Arizona State (+7)

Merry Christmas!!

Las Vegas Bowl Recap

BYU 38, Oregon 8
Wow, Oregon. Just wow. 8 points? Thats all? Did you forget you had a game today? I realize its Vegas and there's lots to do, but you didn't do anything on the field. So lets forget about the 48 different uniform combinations, the hideous new domes you were sporting earlier and the metal cross-hatching on your shoulders. You look ridiculous when you can't back up your outlandish outfits with your play. Go back to the basics and concentrate on football instead of what you are going to design at the Nike campus. So today at least, what happens in Vegas, will not stay in Vegas. Everyone who wants to say the Pac-10 is overrated will point to the Cal-Tennessee game and even more so to your disaster that was the Las Vegas Bowl. You got outgained by almost 300 yards tonight. It was such a blowout, Musberger spent half the time talking to Jerry Tarkanian about Bob Knight and the other half talking with Bob Davie and Craig James about how bad Oregon looks when they are running Gary Crowton's spread offense without the spread. Note to Oregon: Don't use a statue for a QB if you want to run the spread. It only worked intermittently all season and it sure as hell didn't work tonight. Just stop. Please.

We'll recap the game like this. John Beck looked solid for the Cougars and Brady Leaf looked like his cousin Ryan - totally lost. (Sidenote: Some guy is making a movie about Ryan Leaf and how much he sucked for the Chargers. Could be an instant classic. I can't wait.) Jaison Williams had a big game for the Ducks, with all of ZERO catches. You tear up Pac-10 defenses all season, then decide to lay a goose egg here? Way to go. Brian Paysinger led the team with 47 receiving yards on one reception, a TD catch from Dennis Dixon that didn't look like it was even intended for him. Classic Dixon. Over on the BYU side of the ball, Jonny Harline had a monster game against the Oregon secondary. And I realize that Harline is a really good tight end, but how do you sleep at night when you're part of a defense that gave up 181 receiving yards to a tight end? Just a pathetic showing all around for the Ducks. Maybe next year they'll be ready to show up for the second half of the season. Bravo, Bellotti. Bravo.