As the days before Christmas wind down, college football is giving us some early gifts. Many include a top 25 darling (TCU, Boise, Southern Miss) looking to end their season on a high note. I believe that the next few days of bowls will be some of the best games all bowl season.
First up in this week of bowls, we have the St. Petersburg Bowl which features the 8-4 Florida International Golden Panthers and the 6-6 Marshall Thundering Herd. To the casual college football fan, this looks like one of those bowls that won't have much action or talented players. That fan, would be very wrong. Florida International has an incredibly talented running game. Kedrick Rhodes leads the ground game and averages 5 yards a carry. FIU's quarterback Wesley Carroll serves as a sufficient passer and has thrown for 14 touchdowns this year. The Golden Panthers also have a solid defense that has allowed and average of 20 points a game this season.
Marshall on the other hand as maybe one of the best defensive menaces in all of college football. Vinny Curry has been an absolute defensive beast for the Thundering Herd and has racked up 11 sacks this season. The Herd doesn't have a strong running game, but the passing game is where they really shine. Wide Receiver Aaron Dobson has collected 10 touchdown passes.
All in all I find that Marshall will have a lot of difficulties in this game. Marshall's Rakeem Cato has a tendency to throw plenty of interceptions and I believe that the FIU defense will have no problem taking care of his miscues. FIU, lead by Kedrick Rhodes, will win 30-24. Look for both FIU and Marshall to struggle in the fourth quarter of this one; both have been outscored in the fourth all season.
The Poinsettia Bowl will feature the TCU Horned Frogs (10-2) and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8-4). TCU has frequently been a participant in San Diego and will be looking to win their third Poinsettia crown. To do so, they will need a big game out of Casey Pachall. This wont be a problem for Pachall because he limits his mistakes (only 6 interceptions this season) and throws plenty of scoring passes (24 Touchdowns). The scary part is that the running game is even more dangerous than the passing game. The Horned Frog running game is lead by the epic duo of Waymon James and Matthew Tucker. Both have over 650 yards and 6 touchdowns on the year. They will be in full swing all throughout this bowl.
On the flip side, Louisiana Tech has a very strong defense. The defense is lead by Adrian Cole who has 120 tackles this season. With his leadership, the squad has allowed an average of 22.5 points a game. The Bulldog's biggest weakness is their offense. Tech really doesn't have a stand alone player to lead them down the field. If you had to point to one player, it would have to be the running back Lennon Creer who has 838 rushing yards this season.
The key to this game will be Louisiana Tech's ability to contain Casey Pachall and the rest of the Frog's offense who have scored 500 points this season. I can't see the Tech defense rising to the call, so I have TCU dominating the entire game and wining 41-17.
One of my favorite December bowls this season has to be the Las Vegas Bowl which features Arizona State (6-6) and Boise State (11-1). With their one lost, the Boise State Broncos are far from were they imagined they would be. Dreams of a Sugar or Fiesta Bowl were dashed when the BCS picked Virginia Tech and Michigan ahead of them. None the less, Kellen Moore comes in looked to finish off his Bronco career with a W. Kellen Moore will be the story of the game and rightfully so! His 3,507 passing yards and 41 touchdowns are some of the best marks in the nation. Boise also boasts a strong run game lead by senior running back Doug Martin. He will be key to the Broncos play action game and will likely hit pay dirt in this game. Boise also has one of the best defenses in college football and will be able to take whatever Arizona State throws or runs at it.
Speaking of the Sun devils, they have had a pretty solid season. Their QB Brock Osweiler has lead them to many wins and has been a big part of many losses. With 12 interceptions as a starter, he will need to have a near perfect game if ASU wants a chance to beat the Broncos. Cameron Marshall will be the Devil's threat from the backfield and will be very effective against the Broncos.
It is very hard for me to see this game going anyway else than to Boise State. The only way to beat the Broncos is to pressure Kellen Moore and the BSU offensive line has been stellar this entire season. Another factor is that ASU comes in on a four game losing streak and it looks like they might have hit the proverbial wall. The final tidbit I have for this game is the fact that the Broncos got snubbed from the BCS. They want nothing more but to show the voters just how big of a mistake they made. Boise will come out trying to destroy the Sun Devils in all three fazes. With that, I see the Broncos winning 49-17.
The final game before Christmas will be the Nevada (7-5) Southern Miss (11-2) clash in the Hawaii Bowl. Nevada has had a rough season in the WAC this year, but was still able to grab one of the conference's three bowl bids and they certainly won't want to waste it. The Wolf Pack has one of the most prolific offenses in college football (at least by the numbers) and has a very balanced offensive attack. The run game is certainly the scariest part. The Pack average over 251 rushing yards per game. Lampford Mark lead the Pack with 728 yards this season and 8 scores. If he can't get the job done, the second stringer, Mike Ball, will be able to take over. Ball was able to post very similar numbers this season. I expect their unique pistol offense to give the Souther Miss defense fits early and often. The Wolf Pack's defense has also been very effective this season. Linebacker Brett Roy is the centerpiece and always finds ways to make big plays in a game. Brett Roy has also been a huge playmaker. He has recorded 10 sacks this season.
Southern Miss will be energized to keep their top 25 Ranking coming off their win in the C-USA championship game. The Golden Eagles are lead by quarterback Austin Davis on this magical season. Davis has 28 touchdown tosses this season and has accounted for over 3,330 passing yards as well. The Golden Eagle ground game is just as powerful as the passing game. The upstart freshman Jamal Woodyard has been the best of the Southern miss running backs this season. His 683 yards and 3 touchdowns have been a real compliment to the passing game. The pass rush may be Southern Miss' best asset this season. Jamie Collins and Cordarro Law have combined for 14 sacks this season.
I see this game being a shootout due to the fact that combined, both offenses have scored over 900 and have recorded over 11,000 yards. With so many similarities, the game will come down to the pass rush. Whoever gets to the QB more will win this game. I see Southern Miss doing so and out gunning the Wolf Pack 51-48.
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