The Texas A&M Aggies(6-6) are taking on the Northwestern Wildcats (6-6) in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. This will once again be a test for the Big 10 and Big 12 to see which conference is better. Northwestern has had an up and down season. They had their moments of greatness (a win against Nebraska and a four game win streak) and their moments of failure (a loss to Army and a six game losing streak). Through the thick and the thin, the Wildcats have been lead by their Senior QB, Dan Persa. Persa put together a great season as he accumulated 2,163 yards and 17 TDs. He will be key if the Wildcats want to win. The Cats have a decent run game, but don't expect an incredible performance from running back Jacob Schmidt. One factor the Cats have against them is the fact that they loss their star corner, Jordan Mabin. Mabin has never missed a game and he will be missed when the Northwestern defense needs a big stop against the talented A&M wide receivers. The Aggies have been extremely disappointing this season. In the preseason, the were predicted to be a dark horse for the National Championship. After close losses to Oklahoma State and Arkansas, their title hopes were dashed. The Aggies always found a way to lose the game in the second half. Through the disappointment, it isn't hard to see all the promise in this great Texas A&M team. QB Ryan Tannehill has been an offensive Juggernaut throwing for 3,415 yards and 28 TDs. Tannehill is only the tip of the proverbial ice-burgh that is the Texas A&M offense. Running back Cyrus Gay has been amazing as well. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards and 12 TDs this season. He will be able to wear down the Cat's front four with his powerful running style. The catch with the Aggies is their defense. As prolific as A&M's offense is, their defense has really let them down. The defense has averaged 28.7 points per game this season and has only forced 15 turnovers. They will need to make at least one big play if they expect to have a chance in this game. After the dust settles, I see the Aggies walking out of Houston with the win. The amazing A&M offense will have the Aggies moving up and down the field and the defense will make enough stops to bag the 35-24 win.
The Sun Bowl will feature the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-4) and the Utah Utes (7-5). Utah will be looking to make a statement in their first year in the PAC-12. To do so, they will need a big game from their defense and line backer Chaz Walker. Walker has recorded 103 tackles this season and has been a disturbance for almost every offense he has faced. The Ute's defensive unit has had a great year as well only allowing an average of 19.7 points per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Utes have been out right dreadful. The passing game lead by Jon Hays has been one of the worst in the nation and the running game is just as bad. The Utes will need the best performances from both functions of the offenses if they want to win. On the other side, Georgia Tech has one of the best ground games in all of college football. Averaging over 316 yards a game, the rush has been lead by junior QB, Tevin Washington. In many ways, he has been more effective on the ground than in the air. Washington has amassed over 850 yards and 14 scores on the ground this season. When he does throw the ball, look for him to try to find is big play man, Stephan Hill, who averages 30 yards per catch. I expect this game to be won by the team who can find their passing game in the critical moments. Both teams will be running the ball all day and one of them will need to step up when they need to throw. I see Georgia Tech being the team to make the plays. They will get a big pass play when they need it most and win 34-28.
We've now made it all the way to the bowl I have been shaking my head at ever since I found out the match up. It's the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl with the Illinois Fighting Illini (6-6) and the UCLA Bruins (6-7)...oh boy. There isn't much in the game that appeals to me. Both teams struggled through their seasons and are now going to duke it out in the Toilet Bowl. UCLA isn't even at .500! They some how miraculously fought their way through the Southern division of the PAC-12 and then lost to the Oregon Ducks in the PAC 12 Championship game. Come on people, they had to write a petition to the NCAA to become bowl eligible! Sorry to any of you Bruin or Illini fans, but I'm not wasting too much time on this one. I expect Illinois' QB Nathan Scheelhaase to have a great game and lead the Illini to a 17-10 win. Ugh...
Next up on the bowl docket is the Liberty Bowl which features the Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3) and the Vanderbilt Commodores (6-6). Though the records of both teams are very far apart, these teams are closer matched than one may think. Vandy fought their way through the extremely tough SEC East behind the leadership of the young Jordan Rodgers. Rodgers has thrown for 1,498 yards with 9 TDs. His problem has been taking care of the ball; throwing just as many interceptions as touchdowns. With so much uncertainty in the passing game, the Commodores will have to rely on their running back Zac Stacy. Zac has spearheaded the running game by racking up 1,136 yards and 13 touchdowns. When the offense isn't on the field, look for corner back Casey Hayward to lead the defense on a shutdown mission. The Bearcats on the other hand, will really be relying on their running game. Cinci will be going with QB Zach Collaros to lead their offense. He has been out for over a month with a broken ankle. I am uncertain of how he will play, so the run game will be key. The more work running back Isaiah Pead does on the ground, the less opportunities Collaros has to turn the ball over. Pead has run for 1,110 yards this season and a Big East leading 11 touchdowns. The Cats also have a menace on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive end Derick Wolfe has 9.5 sacks this season and will be the key player for forcing erred throws from Vandy's Rodgers. Though Vandy is the favorite in Vegas, I'm going to have to go with the Bearcats. They have the proven quarterback and that will be key late in the game as Cincinnati wins 24-17.
The final game of 2011 will be the Chick-Fil-A Bowl which pits the Virginia Cavaliers (8-4) and the former champions the Auburn Tigers (7-5). Though this hasn't been the season that the Tigers imagined it would be, they can still finish it off with a win and extend their bowl winning streak to 5. To do so, the Tigers will rely on their incredible running back Micheal Dyer. Dyer hasn't disappointed in his second season as a a Tiger by going for 1,242 yards on the ground with 10 TDs. His powerful running style will be like nothing that Virginia has seen before. However, Auburn's passing game has dropped significantly since last season. The Tiger air attack is now one of the worst in the nation only averaging 169.8 yards per game. QB Barrett Trotter isn't Cam Newton if you couldn't tell. Through his struggles, Trotter has thrown for just over 1,000 yards and 10 TDs. The defense has been average, but if you have to point to the player that has made the most difference, you would have to point to safety Neiko Thorpe. He is the vocal leader of the Auburn defense and will get his name called plenty of times tonight. Virginia poses an interesting challenge. The Cavs have one of the best run stopping defenses and have never allowed more than 38 points in a game. The defense is also good at protecting the pass and is lead by safety Rodney McLeod who has 4 picks this season.The Cavs running game is by committee, but Perry Jones gets the bulk of the carries and has amassed 883 yards this season. The Virginia air raid is probably their strongest asset. QB Micheal Rocco has thrown for 2,359 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. His issue is throwing interceptions; he has 11 this season. When the final whistle blows, I expect the Auburn Tigers to bag the bowl win by dominating on the ground and winning 31-20.
Thanks for reading!
The final game of 2011 will be the Chick-Fil-A Bowl which pits the Virginia Cavaliers (8-4) and the former champions the Auburn Tigers (7-5). Though this hasn't been the season that the Tigers imagined it would be, they can still finish it off with a win and extend their bowl winning streak to 5. To do so, the Tigers will rely on their incredible running back Micheal Dyer. Dyer hasn't disappointed in his second season as a a Tiger by going for 1,242 yards on the ground with 10 TDs. His powerful running style will be like nothing that Virginia has seen before. However, Auburn's passing game has dropped significantly since last season. The Tiger air attack is now one of the worst in the nation only averaging 169.8 yards per game. QB Barrett Trotter isn't Cam Newton if you couldn't tell. Through his struggles, Trotter has thrown for just over 1,000 yards and 10 TDs. The defense has been average, but if you have to point to the player that has made the most difference, you would have to point to safety Neiko Thorpe. He is the vocal leader of the Auburn defense and will get his name called plenty of times tonight. Virginia poses an interesting challenge. The Cavs have one of the best run stopping defenses and have never allowed more than 38 points in a game. The defense is also good at protecting the pass and is lead by safety Rodney McLeod who has 4 picks this season.The Cavs running game is by committee, but Perry Jones gets the bulk of the carries and has amassed 883 yards this season. The Virginia air raid is probably their strongest asset. QB Micheal Rocco has thrown for 2,359 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. His issue is throwing interceptions; he has 11 this season. When the final whistle blows, I expect the Auburn Tigers to bag the bowl win by dominating on the ground and winning 31-20.
Thanks for reading!
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