Thursday, January 1, 2009

New Year's Day Bowl Predictions

Outback Bowl: South Carolina vs. Iowa
I've watched South Carolina a few times this year, and I haven't come away impressed. Iowa has Shonne Green, so they should be able to at least do one thing efficiently. I don't think I can say the same thing about South Carolina.
Prediction: Iowa 24, South Carolina 20.

Gator Bowl: Nebraska vs. Clemson
Clemson should win this game. They have more talent, and they have a lot of players who might want to use this opportunity to show off their talents to a large TV audience (and NFL scouts). I think Bo Pelini is an excellent coach and will have his team - especially his defense - ready to play. But it's too much of an uphill battle.
Prediction: Clemson 31, Nebraska 17

Capital One Bowl: Georgia vs. Michigan State
The Big Ten is 0-3 in bowl games so far this season. And even though I predicted an Iowa victory above, I don't see MSU beating Georgia. Matt Stafford is going to have an excellent day throwing the ball; Brian Hoyer won't. Both Javon Ringer and Knowshown Moreno will have good days, so that will be a wash.
Prediction: Georgia 34, Michigan State 24

Rose Bowl: Penn State vs. Southern California
Once again, the Big Ten will fall. USC has clobbered Big Ten opponents in recent years (Michigan and Ohio State included). Southern Cal is basically playing a home game. There's too much talent at USC, especially on defense, where they're averaging only 7.8 points allowed per game. Penn State will score more than that, but not much.
Prediction: USC 42, Penn State 13

Orange Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech
Cincinnati won the Big East, which I generally don't view to be a big deal, unless the Big East's top team is West Virginia. Brian Kelly is an excellent coach, but his team isn't being quarterbacked by Pat White, so I'm going with the Hokies. Virginia Tech has a good freshman running back in Darren Evans and a couple guys in the defensive backfield who will cause some turnovers.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 24, Cincinnati 20

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