After a hard nosed Rose Bowl and lack luster Orange Bowl, the BCS now turns to the Sugar and Fiesta Bowls. The Sugar Bowl features one of the SEC's elite and a Big East school trying to prove that they belong. The Fiesta features two of the nation's best offenses as the dual in the desert. Needless to say, there are a couple of good games heading our way.
The Sugar Bowl - Louisville VS Florida
Nothing spells disaster like Big East vs SEC during football season. The Big East always seems like a joke to everyone around the country and after their self destruction during conference re-alignment, the conference may never be respected. That being said, this Louisville team could change that tonight. Ranked as the 21st team in the nation, the Cardinals smashed through the regular season to a 10-2 record and were led by QB Teddy Bridgewater. He will be one of the best athletes on the field tonight and will threaten the Florida defense with his arm. Bridgewater threw for 3,452 yards this season with 25 touchdowns. He is a very actuate passer who completed 69% of his throws this year and only gave up 7 picks. Bridewater is also a mobile quarterback. He doesn't run down field a lot, but he can extend the play in the backfield by making people miss. The Louisville running game is ranked 100th in the nation in yards gained, but they gain the yards in key spots and score touchdowns. Jeremy Wright leads the rushing attack after an injury to Senorise Perry. Wright has 740 yards this season with 9 touchdowns. He will be the key to this game. If he can get some gains against this tough Florida defense, he opens up the playbook and allows Bridgewater to shine. Florida comes in as the favorites. The Gators' 11-1 record in the SEC is very impressive and they should give most of the credit to their defense. Florida's defense is ranked 3rd nationally in points allowed. Allowing 12.9 points per game will give even the most sluggish of offenses a chance to win. On the offensive side of the ball, the Gators have a solid running game led by RB Mike Gillislee. His 1,104 yards and 10 touchdowns lead the Gators and should be added to tonight. The other offensive weapon the Gators have is QB Jeff Driskel. He isn't such a great passer, but has the ability to run. With only 1,471 yards through the air, he makes up for it with his 404 yards on the ground.
I see this game coming down to Louisville's ability to handle the Florida defense. The Cardinal's offensive line has allowed 23 sacks on Bridgewater which is not a good sign. I see this game going much like the Gator's 2010 stomping of Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl. It wont be as high scoring, but Florida will dominate just the same. I see the Gators winning 31-10 with Louisville's 10 coming late.
The Fiesta Bowl - Kansas State VS Oregon
This is one of the games I have been looking forward to the most. These are two of the best offenses in the nation and we were very close to seeing them in the National Championship. If there was a third place game for college football this year, this would be it. Kansas State has scored an average of 40.7 points per game this season. All of the credit for the offense goes to QB Colin Klein. He has 3,380 yards of total offense and 37 total touchdowns. He gets a lot done with his arm, but his legs have led him to more touchdowns. He will be the main contributor to the K-State offense, but if the Wildcats want to win, they are also going to need big performances from RB John Hubert and WR Tyler Lockett. Lockett averages 16.3 yards per catch and will be a thorn in the Oregon defense's side. Hubert, who rushed for 892 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, we be needed to take some of the pressure off of Klein. Oregon comes in with the second best scoring and rushing offense in the nation. Led by RB Kenjon Barner, the Ducks have put an average of 50.8 points per game while rushing for an average of 323.3 yards per game. Barner is the center piece of the rush attack. His powerful, yet graceful running ability allowed him to run for 1,624 yards and 21 touchdowns while averaging 6.5 yards per carry. Oregon's other weapons include QB Marcus Mariota, RB/WR De'Anthony Thomas and WR Josh Huff. Thomas has run for 686 yards this season and has caught 41 passes for 385 yards. The scary thing about him is that he averages 7.6 yards per rush and 9.4 yards per catch. K-State's ability to contain him will dictate their chances of winning. The glue that holds this offense together is Mariota. The freshman QB has been exactly what the Ducks needed after Darron Thomas left last year. He completes 69% of his passes, doesn't throw many interceptions and has some ridiculous stats.
As you can see, both offenses are raring to go, but this game will come down to the defenses. Both allow around 22 points per game and are well practiced because they have to face their own offenses. Both cause a good amount of turn overs and both bend with out breaking. So who can I pick? I think KSU's game against Baylor will tell the story. I think the Ducks run all over the K-State defense while Klein struggles just enough to give Oregon the win. The Ducks win a shoot out 40-35.
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