New Year's Day Bowl Games

They might as well call New Year's Day, Big Ten vs SEC day. Their are a lot of good match ups on the first day of 2013 and there is a good chance the Big 10 could get some quality wins. Will they? I examine all four non-BCS games in this post and give you my picks! 

The Gator Bowl – Mississippi State VS Northwestern

Northwestern was a bit of a surprise to go 9-3 this season. Their lack of a passing game had a lot of people questioning if the Wildcats had what it takes to win. With their Tandum of QB’s, Northwestern shocked the Big Ten. Kain Colter and Trevor Siemian have been splitting the snaps this season and have had some success. The biggest past of the Wildcat offense is their run game. RB Venric Mark has been the main guy on the ground. He has 1,310 yards this year with 11 touchdowns. QB Kain Colter also contributes on the ground with 820 yards and 12 touchdowns. Mississippi State started the year 7-0. The Bulldogs are a bit pass heavy, but still have a solid running game. QB Tyler Russell and WR Chad Bumphis are the guys to watch. They have connected well this season as Bumphis caught 55 balls for 904 yards with 12 touchdowns. I expect him to carve up the Northwestern secondary while the Bulldogs cruise to a 35-10 win.

Heart of Dallas Bowl – Purdue VS Oklahoma State

Purdue carries a three game win streak and a 6-6 into Dallas. The Boilermakers have a middle of the road offense with a defense that isn’t much better. QB Robert Marve started off cold and eventually got hurt. After returning from his injury, his season has a new life. He has 13 touchdowns with only three interceptions this year. The other guy to watch for is RB Akeem Shavers. The senior running back has over 700 yards this season with 6 touchdowns. He is a solid back that can make some people miss and catch out of the backfield. He will be key if this Purdue team wants to get going. Oklahoma State comes in with one of the best offenses in the nation. It looks like back up QB Clint Chelf will be the man under center come game time. The junior had a great season by throwing for 1,391 yards with 12 touchdowns in 5 full games. He will be the key part of this offense if they want to win. RB Joseph Randle will be the star of the offense. His 1,351 yards and 14 touchdowns have been the best part of this Cowboy offense. I think OSU will win this game because of their offense. I think they will be able to tear apart the Boilermakers and will win 40-20.

Capitol One Bowl – Georgia VS Nebraska

Unfortunately for the Big 10, I don’t see this one going so well for the Huskers. Georgia has a very balanced and good offense. Aaron Murray is the obvious star for this game. He has thrown for almost 3,500 yards and has 31 touchdowns. He is also very accurate only throwing 8 interceptions with a 65.4% passing percentage. Murray is almost overshadowed by Georgia’s freshman running back, Todd Gurley. He has 1,260 yards on the ground this season with 16 touchdowns. He is a very explosive back and can really take a hit as well. The Georgia defense was also able to make it through the tough SEC while allowing an average of 18.8 points per game. Nebraska comes into the game with one of the best rushing attacks in the nation. RB Ameer Abdullah spear heads the rushing attack that averages 254.5 points per game. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards and is accompanied by QB Taylor Martinez. Martinez is a good duel threat who has over 3,000 total yards and 31
touchdowns. His arm will be the key part of the Nebraska offense. He’s going to have to make some big passes at some point and if he can’t Nebraska is doomed. I think he won’t be able to do it and that the Nebraska defense will get torn up by the Bulldog offense. I got Georgia winning 42-17.

The Outback Bowl – South Carolina VS Michigan

Unlike last year, Michigan didn’t get lucky with their bowl game, but this doesn’t mean they can’t win it. Michigan has had a lot of time to figure out a tough offense that will undoubtedly feature both Denard Robinson and Devin Gardner in some fashion. They will both make an impact through the air because both have thrown for over 1,000 yards this season. The Wolverines will need to rely on Robinson’s legs for most of their offense comes from him. His 1,166 yards and 7 rushing touchdowns vastly overshadow RB Fitzgerald Toussaint. If Michigan is going to win this game, their defense is going to need to show up. Their defense allowed an average of 18.8 points this season, but was very exposed in many of their losses. South Carolina comes in with a balanced and slightly lethargic offense. RB Marcus Lattimore would have been the star for the Gamecocks. His 662 yards and 11 touchdowns lead the team. Unfortunatly, he broke his leg in October, but the Cocks have other options in the back field. The passing game will also be a huge part of the SC attack. Wide Receivers Bruce Ellington and Ace Sanders are deadly. They have combined for over 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns. Because of both defenses, this will be a very low scoring game. The team that wins this game will have to grind it out of the offensive side of the ball. I think South Carolina can do this better than Michigan and they will win the game 19-10.  

Thanks for reading!