Words of Wisdom

Another gloriously unpredictable college football season is nearing its end, thus beginning the dark, 8 month drought (which is slightly broken in the month of March) for college sports as fans await next year. 2007 has been a strange year in the world of college football, with number ones falling on a seemingly weekly basis and little-known teams staking their claim for some of the biggest bowl games of all. Let’s take a look at what lies ahead in the BCS games…

Jan. 1
Rose Bowl – (6) USC vs. (13) Illinois
It’s easy to not like USC with their West Coast flair and unrequited arrogance, but, with a 10-2 record in a tough Pac-10, they are certainly a force to be reckoned with. Illinois had the luxury of being a decent team in a down year for the Big 10, but critics of the Illini can’t help but wonder if this 9-3 squad truly deserves to be in one of the biggest bowls in the land.
Prediction: USC 34 – Illinois 13: Zook’s team isn’t ready for the big time yet.

Sugar Bowl – (10) Hawaii vs. (4) Georgia
Sure, Hawaii is the only undefeated team left, but the only ranked team they’ve played all season is Boise St. Georgia, on the other hand, finished the season with six consecutive wins that included convincing victories over Florida, Auburn, and Kentucky.
Prediction: Georgia 27 – Hawaii 20: The superiority of the SEC leaves the Warriors with a long flight home.

Fiesta Bowl – (11) West Virginia vs. (3) Oklahoma
A stunning loss to lowly Pittsburgh kept the Mountaineers out of the title game and, following that debacle, the defection of head coach Rich Rodriquez leave a large hole for West Virginia to climb out of. Oklahoma ended the season with a 21 point win over then-number 1 Missouri, knocking them from a date in the title game.
Prediction: Oklahoma 27 – West Virginia 17: There is just too much turmoil and too many distractions in the Mountaineer organization.

Orange Bowl: (8) Kansas vs. (5) Virginia Tech
The inclusion of the Jayhawks in a BCS game following their regular season-ending 12 point loss to Missouri (who are not in a BCS game), caused no shortage of head scratching among college football fans. Virginia Tech’s ugly 48-7 loss to LSU in September probably kept them out of the title game, but they have improved greatly as the season progressed.
Virginia Tech 31 – Kansas 17: The overrated Jayhawks display why Missouri should be here rather than them.

BCS Title Game: (2) LSU vs. (1) Ohio St.
Following a late-season loss to Illinois, it seemed as though the Buckeyes has squandered their chance for a repeat appearance in the national title game, but, as luck would have it, after a series of improbably losses they are back to try again. LSU has two triple-overtime losses on their record, but they have built a 6-1 record against ranked teams.
Prediction: LSU 35 – Ohio St. 27: Ohio State doesn’t lose in as devastating a fashion as last year against Florida, but the SEC again takes the Big 10 to school…

*Bonus*
Cotton Bowl: (7) Missouri vs. (25) Arkansas
Houston Nutt is gone following a regular season-ending miracle win against number 1 LSU and the Hogs, with two of the best backs in college football are on fire. Missouri ended the season with a dissappointing loss to Oklahoma and with being shut out of the BCS despite their number 7 ranking.
Prediction: Arkansas 38 – Missouri 37: With Nutt no longer calling the plays, quarterback Casey Dick suddenly turns into a superstar and throws for 250 yards to complement the devastating running attack of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, who set an NCAA record for rushing yards in a game. The Hogs’ defense, though, is not quite up to par with Tiger quarterback Chase Daniel, who picks apart the Arkansas secondary, leading to a dramatic finish in which McFadden scores the winning touchdown from the Wildcat position. Woo Pig!