2010-2011 Bowl Preview
It’s bowl season. We’re only one day away from the start of the end of the college football season. There are plenty of games to watch over the next few weeks and a number coming to you on random week days. Rarely will you be unable to find something good to watch between now and January 10.
To preview each and every bowl game, I invited One Eyed Willy to go on a journey with me. We split the bowls and gave our previews as well as predicted outcomes. What follows is 4,700+ words of bowl madness. Enjoy and be sure to keep track of how incredibly awful our picks end up being. Happy bowl season everyone!
New Mexico Bowl – BYU (6-6) vs. UTEP (6-6) – Dec. 18 – 2:00pm
The Bull Gator: The NCAA needs to get rid of this “get to six wins and your eligible for a bowl” thing. If it wasn’t in place, UTEP wouldn’t stand a chance. If this were the NCAA basketball tournament, the Miners – who went 1-5 during the second half of the season – would be on the outside looking in. But they’re going bowling so we get a battle of 6-6 teams. Oh the excitement. Again, you shouldn’t go bowling if a loss could result in a losing season. End of story.
Line: BYU -11.5
Prediction: BYU 66 – UTEP 6
uDrove Humanitarian Bowl – Northern Illinois (10-3) vs. Fresno State (8-4) – Dec. 18 – 5:30pm
One Eyed Willy: Before I get started on my picks, what is it with the names of these bowl games? uDrove? AdvoCare V100? BBVA Compass? The person who comes up with some of these names needs to take a seriously look in the mirror and wonder if it’s worthwhile to “go on.” Anyway, back to the game. And what a game it will be! The MAC runner-up (Northern Illinois) versus the 4th place team in the WAC (Fresno State). For a game like this, we have to look at the important things…namely, mascots. So it’s the Huskies versus the Bulldogs. We all know dogs are better than cats, so I’m going with Fresno State.
Line: Northern Illinois -1
Prediction: Fresno State 27 – Northern Illinois 21
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl – Ohio (8-4) vs. Troy (7-5) – Dec. 18 – 9:00pm
TBG: Troy is the Sun Belt champion. Ohio has never won a bowl game. Neither of those things are impressive. After starting the season 1-3, the Bobcats finished it 7-1 meaning they could have momentum on their side. While Ohio is 0-4 in bowls, Troy is 1-4. The Trojans have the advantage of having a postseason win on their side. Expect both teams to put the ball in the air and hopefully, for those of us watching, put up some points.
Line: Troy -2.5
Prediction: Troy 31 – Ohio 28
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl – Southern Miss (8-4) vs. Louisville (6-6) – Dec. 21 – 8:00pm
OEW: Wait just a second! A St. Petersburg Bowl without a local Florida team playing in it? What was the St. Petersburg Bowl Committee thinking? Well, obviously they weren’t. But they did manage to get two teams whose head coaches have strong ties to the University of Florida, so that’s a plus. Southern Mississippi is coached by UF’s former offensive coordinator Larry Fedora while Louisville is coached by longtime UF defensive coordinator Charlie Strong. Not too surprising then that this will be a game matching a strong offense (Southern Miss ranks 15th in scoring) against a strong defense (Louisville ranks 11th in total defense). Do you think the guy who said defense wins championships was referring to the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl? I do!
Line: Louisville -3
Prediction: Louisville 28 – Southern Mississippi 24
MAACO Las Vegas Bowl – #19 Utah (10-2) vs. #10 Boise State (11-1) – Dec. 22 – 8:00pm
TBG: A ranked matchup before Christmas! Both of these teams have to be disappointed with where they ended up. One more win and Utah could have put themselves in a game deeper into December. An overtime loss to a ranked team and Boise State fell completely off the BCS mountain. This could be a better game than the line indicated IF the Utes show up. In back-to-back losses in November, Utah was defeated by a total score of 75-10. Methinks the Broncos are still fuming over the loss to Nevada and doesn’t let this stay close for long.
Line: Boise State -17
Prediction: Boise State 42 – Utah 17
S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl – Navy (9-3) – San Diego State (8-4) – Dec. 23 – 8:00pm
OEW: Although San Diego State is basically playing a home game in this one, let’s not forget that the “Whale’s Va-jay-jay” is also home to one of the largest Naval bases in the country. So it should be a nice turnout for this game. I find it hard to pick against the Armed Forces teams around the holidays. Just something inside of me that won’t let me do it. Plus, the only thing I really know about San Diego State is that Marshall Faulk went there a long time ago. No way San Diego State stops the triple option offense! Right???
Line: San Diego State -4.5
Prediction: Navy 35 – San Diego State 17
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl – #24 Hawaii (10-3) – Tulsa (9-3) – Dec. 24 – 8:00pm
TBG: Hawaii should not get to go to the Hawaii Bowl! They shouldn’t. It’s as simple as that. No team should go to a bowl in their immediate area, but Hawaii is the worst on the list. Hawaii in December is an ideal trip for a small program that has the chance to go bowling. Even if the Warriors deserve to be there because of their conference affiliation and where they end up in the standings, they should be put elsewhere. For themselves as well. They should get a trip too. I’m so against this I’m going against my better judgment and going with the Golden Hurricane.
Line: Hawaii -10
Prediction: Tulsa 45 – Hawaii 38
Little Caesars Bowl – FIU (6-6) vs. Toledo (8-4) – Dec. 26 – 8:30pm
OEW: Damn! FIU made it to a bowl game? Who knew! FIU had gone 9-39 in the past four seasons and was one of the worst teams year-in and year-out in college football. This year they ended up 6-6 (see The Bull Gator’s comments from the New Mexico Bowl breakdown on my thoughts on 6-6 teams making bowls), but 6-2 in the powerful Sun Belt Conference. Toledo finished 8-4 overall and 7-1 in the MAC, with its only conference loss coming to the hands of Northern Illinois. As much as I want to support my local Florida team, I think I am going to have to go with the Rockets of Toledo as they have been a little more battle-tested throughout the year in a slightly stronger conference.
Line: Toledo -1.5
Prediction: Toledo 24 – FIU 14
AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl – Air Force (8-4) vs. Georgia Tech (6-6) – Dec. 27 – 5:00pm
TBG: If you want to get a feel for what football used to be, look no further. There may be a total of 10 passes thrown in this one. Then again, why not air it out? It’s not like either defense will be expecting it. The Falcons and Yellow Jackets average a combined 644.9 rushing yards per game and only attempted 12.5 passes per contest. Total, not each. Basically, this one will be a grind.
Line: Air Force -3
Prediction: If Josh Nesbitt plays: Georgia Tech 31 – Air Force 28; If Nesbitt doesn’t play: Air Force 28 – Georgia Tech 20
Champs Sports Bowl – #22 West Virginia (9-3) vs. NC State (8-4) – Dec. 28 – 6:30pm
OEW: Are any other Florida fans still pissed off at NC State that they didn’t take care of Maryland the last game of the season and let FSU back right into the ACC Championship Game? Call me bitter (BITTER!), but I hate seeing FSU have even marginal success. Add that to the fact that I have been on the Noel Devine bandwagon for over seven years now and I think you all know who I am picking in this matchup.
Line: West Virginia -3
Prediction: WVU 45 – NC State 27
Insight Bowl – #12 Missouri (10-2) vs. Iowa (7-5) – Dec. 28 – 10:00pm
TBG: Eventually we have to stop believing the Iowa hype, right? Sure they may have a decent, above-average season here and there, but overall aren’t they just always going to be a three-to-five-loss team? We get all excited when they knock off a big name and then they falter against someone they are supposed to crush. This season the Hawkeyes stumbled to 7-5 and into the Insight Bowl where their rewarded is facing a Tiger team having one of its best seasons.
Line: Missouri -1
Prediction: Not Iowa.
Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman – East Carolina (6-6) vs. Maryland (8-4) – Dec. 29 – 2:30pm
OEW: East Carolina versus Maryland. East Carolina versus Maryland. East Carolina versus Maryland. Sorry…just trying to stall to see if there were any poignant facts or information that I could come up with for this game. And sadly there was none. So I will let my 2-year old daughter pick this one. “Daddy, I like turtles!!” Good for you honey, good for you!
Line: Maryland -7
Prediction: Maryland 38 – East Carolina 10
Texas Bowl – Illinois (6-6) vs. Baylor (7-5) – Dec. 29 – 6:00pm
TBG: Even with a win in a bowl game, is Ron Zook’s job safe much longer? Sure Illinois is bowling, but after finishing the season 1-3 with a loss to Minnesota, it’s hard to imagine Zook sticking around past next season at the most. Baylor hasn’t been to the postseason since 1994 and is coming in after a three-game losing streak. Granted those three losses were to teams all ranked in the top 18. This is a hard one to call, but you have to go with your heart and every Gator fan has a heart that still screams obscenities in the general direction of Zook.
Line: Baylor -1
Prediction: Baylor 34 – Illinois 24
Valero Alamo Bowl – #14 Oklahoma State (10-2) vs. Arizona (7-5) – Dec. 29 – 9:15pm
OEW: This is one of those games that might fly under the radar for many college football fans, but one that I think will turn out to be a very good game. Oklahoma State, led by QB Brandon Weeden, RB Kendall Hunter and stud WR Justin Blackmon, has one of the best offenses in the country. But their OC Dana Holgorsen just got hired as the head coach at WVU and even though he will stick with OSU through its bowl game, you have to wonder if losing him will have an effect on the team. Arizona started the season 7-1 before losing its last four games, including a double-overtime loss to their in-state rival Sun Devils in the last game of the season. In the end, I think OSU’s offense will too much for the Wildcats, but expect a good game in this one.
Line: Oklahoma State -5
Prediction: Oklahoma State 38 – Arizona 31
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl – Army (6-6) vs. SMU (7-6) – Dec. 30 – 12:00pm
TBG: Well, at least one of the Military Bowl and Armed Forces Bowl got it right and invited one of the service academies. Even though SMU is favored by more than a touchdown, I don’t think I’m allowed to pick against Army. I’ve already tempted fate by picking Georgia Tech over Air Force if Nesbitt plays and doing it again would be a death sentence. So Army it is.
Line: SMU -8
Prediction: U.S.A. 100 – SMU 0
New Era Pinstripe Bowl – Kansas State (7-5) vs. Syracuse (7-5) – Dec. 30 – 3:20pm
OEW: A football game in a professional baseball stadium. What could go wrong? This one takes place in Yankee Stadium, so hopefully the NCAA has worked out the dimensions in such a way that the teams can actually use both end zones. This is the Orange’s first bowl appearance since 2004. Their last bowl win? The 2001 Orange Bowl against Kansas State. After great starts for both teams (Syracuse was 6-2 and K State was 6-1), both have drifted back down to reality and ended their seasons with a 7-5 record. I’ll give the edge to Syracuse mainly because I think a lot of New York fans will show up to cheer on the Yankees…I mean the Orange.
Line: Syracuse -1
Prediction: Syracuse 17 – Kansas State 13
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl – UNC (7-5) vs. Tennessee (6-6) – Dec. 30 – 6:40pm
TBG: Should a mortgage company really be sponsoring a bowl game? There are probably other things they could be concerned with I would think. Kudos to the Vols for getting to a bowl a year after they were dropped by Lane Kiffin. USC may be the better team, but they’re at home this postseason. These two schools were supposed to face each other in 2011 and 2012, but Tennessee weaseled out of the deal and ended up having to face UNC in the postseason. That reeks of karma.
Line: UNC -1.5
Prediction: UNC 31 – Tennessee 14
Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl – #18 Nebraska (10-3) vs. Washington (6-6) – Dec. 30 – 10:00pm
OEW: Shouldn’t there be a rule against rematches in bowl games? I, for one, think there should be. These two teams squared off in September in Washington and it was most certainly a one-sided affair. Nebraska won 56-21 riding the back of freshman phenom QB Taylor Martinez who passed for 150 yards and a TD and ran for 137 yards and 3 TDs. On the other side of the field you have Jake Locker, who will be making his final start as QB for the Huskies before taking his talents to the NFL. (PS – Jake Locker is nowhere near as cool of a name as Marques Tuiasosopo). If these teams hadn’t already played once this year, I might be predicting an upset-alert. But as it stands, I don’t think Washington has gotten that much better or Nebraska that much worse to erase the 35-point victory from early this fall.
Line: Nebraska -14
Prediction: Nebraska 56 – Washington 21 (Déjà vu!)
Meineke Car Care Bowl – USF (7-5) vs. Clemson (6-6) – Dec. 31 – 12:00pm
TBG: Clemson is another one of those teams that we constant hear will make the leap this season. That’s said about them almost every year and almost every year we find them back at the middle of the pack somewhere. The Tigers stumbled into a bowl at 6-6 and got to face a USF team that likes to play up to big opponents. Whether Clemson is a big opponent or not is debatable, but do you honestly think I’ll pick against the Bulls? Better judgment tells me take the Tigers and the points, but this seems like one of those games where someone on USF could step up and end the season on a high note.
Line: Clemson -5
Prediction: USF 17 – Clemson 13
Hyundai Sun Bowl – Notre Dame (7-5) vs. Miami (7-5) – Dec. 31 – 2:00pm
OEW: If I have to hear one more time about the Catholics vs. Convicts game that took place like seven decades ago, I am going to hurl a small leprechaun into an ibis and call it a day. This is not the Lou Holtz led Fighting Irish versus the Jimmy Johnson led Hurricanes. Not even close! Notre Dame has been irrelevant since I was a wee lad and Miami just fired its head coach so that it could move onto bigger and better things – namely, that guy who was the head coach at Temple! My friends at Wikipedia tell me that the Sun Bowl is the second-oldest bowl game in the country behind the Rose Bowl. And you know what, despite all my hatred for these two teams, this may actually be the first one I tune in to.
Line: Miami -3
Prediction: Notre Dame 666 – Miami 187
Autozone Liberty Bowl – Georgia (6-6) vs. #25 UCF (10-3) – Dec. 31 – 3:30pm
TBG: Aaron Murray looks like he is going to turn out to be a stud for the Bulldogs and could be what keeps Georgia in this one. By name alone, picking UGA in this one makes sense. But there’s something about this UCF team. The Bulldogs had a down season while the Knights played well and may have made themselves into a program a bigger conference (cough…Big East) may desire. I have to think they’ll be up for this game and although they won’t be able to completely stop Murray and A.J. Green, they’ll be able to stay in it and maybe even pull off the “upset.”
Line: Georgia -6.5
Prediction: UCF 28 – Georgia 27
Chick-fil-A Bowl – #20 South Carolina (9-4) vs. #23 FSU (9-4) – Dec. 31 – 7:30pm
OEW: This year’s Peach Bowl matchup (which is what us in the South will always know this game as) is a good one with two teams that have something very special in common. They both beat the tar out of the Gators! I know what you’re thinking…who didn’t beat the tar out of the Gators? But seriously, both teams were runners-up in their respective conference championship games and both teams have a very good defense, especially the guys in front. The ‘Cocks are #1 in the nation against the run and in sacks. FSU is #2 in sacks. In the end, I think it’s the Ol’ Ball Coach and RB Marcus Lattimore who push South Carolina over the edge.
Line: South Carolina -3
Prediction: South Carolina 30 – FSU 28
TicketCity Bowl – Northwestern (7-5) vs. Texas Tech (7-5) – Jan. 1 – 12:00pm
TBG: I get the feelings that one of these teams is better than its 7-5 record – Northwestern – and one is worse – Texas Tech. The Wildcats haven’t won a bowl game since 1949, but play the role of David repeatedly year after year when it comes to the regular season. The Red Raiders are favored heavily, but plenty of teams have been on the right side of the point spread against Northwestern before and still come away with a loss. This could be one of the under-the-radar games to keep an eye on.
Line: Texas Tech -10
Prediction: Northwestern 34 – Texas Tech 31 (OT)
Outback Bowl – Florida (7-5) vs. Penn State (7-5) – Jan. 1 – 1:00pm
OEW: Woohoo, the Gators get to play in a New Year’s Day bowl! Suck it Miami! Suck it FSU! I am not sure that UF deserves to be playing in any bowl game, especially one of the better non-BCS bowls, but I am sure that UF’s coaches, players and fans will gladly take it. This is probably one of the first bowl games I can remember where it’s the coaching matchup that by far is the biggest attraction. Urban Meyer is set to coach his last game with the Gators and Joe Paterno is set to coach his 539th with the Nittany Lions. Both teams, especially the Gators, have underachieved this year with a combined 10 losses between the two. But nine of those losses have come against ranked opponents. This could be a game for the ages…not because of what’s going on between the sidelines, but because of the men standing just outside those sidelines. Florida wins (I hope!), but it might not be pretty!
Line: Florida -7
Prediction: Florida 24 – Penn State 17
Capital One Bowl – #16 Alabama (9-3) vs. #9 Michigan State (11-1) – Jan. 1 – 1:00pm
TBG: I’m still trying to figure out how the Crimson Tide lost three games. One sure. Two believable, but it’s still hard to fathom how they ended up at 9-3. Especially considering they knocked Auburn to the mat several times before bowing out to the undefeated Tigers. I want to like the Spartans and I actually do this year. They probably deserved more than the Capital One Bowl, but of them, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, the Spartans were the only one to lose to a team that ended up unranked. I think they stand a chance in this one early, but Alabama wants to erase the memory of the collapse against Auburn.
Line: Alabama -10
Prediction: Alabama 34 – Michigan State 13
Progressive Gator Bowl – #21 Mississippi State (8-4) vs. Michigan (7-5) – Jan. 1 – 1:30pm
OEW: If you are a fan of the spread offense, make sure you turn into the Gator Bowl on New Year’s Day. Dan Mullen, in his second year as the Bulldogs’ coach, brings the 16th ranked rushing offense to Jacksonville to face Rich “Man This Seat is Hot” Rodriguez and uber-talented QB Denard Robinson. Robinson, a Florida native who was highly recruited by the Gators, has led his team with over 2,300 passing yards, 1,600 rushing yards and 30 total TDs. A loss here and Rich Rod may be looking for a gig in the near future. And who knows, maybe Mullen is one of the guys looked at to replace him.
Line: MSU -5
Prediction: Mississippi State 36 – Michigan 24
Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO – #5 Wisconsin (11-1) vs. #3 TCU (12-0) – Jan. 1 – 5:00pm
TBG: You hear from almost everyone that the Badgers are one of the best teams in the nation at the moment, that they’re playing better football than anyone, yet they’re the underdog to the Horned Frogs? Not to say TCU isn’t good and can’t give them a good game, but I’m finding it extremely hard to understand why Wisconsin isn’t favored. The Horned Frogs have the nation’s best defense, that’s true, but the Badgers will run and run and run. And they can pass. Quarterback Scott Tolzien completes nearly three-fourths of his passes. Sorry TCU, but I have to go with Wisconsin.
Line: TCU -2.5
Prediction: Wisconsin 27 – TCU 20
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl – Connecticut (8-4) vs. #7 Oklahoma (11-2) – Jan. 1 – 8:30pm
OEW: If you ask me, it’s a travesty when an 8-4 team gets into a BCS Game. I understand why there are BCS conference championship tie-ins, but you can’t tell me that you wouldn’t rather see a team like Michigan State play in this game instead of UConn. But, as I like to say…it is what it is! This game provides us with the most lopsided of all 35 bowl games – at least in the eyes of the betting public – as Oklahoma is a 17-point favorite over UConn. Many people will point to “Big Game” Bob Stoops’ five-game losing streak in BCS games as a sign of things to come in this one, but I’m not buying it. Not one of UConn’s opponents this year was ranked at the time they played them, which means that all four losses came to subpar teams – Michigan, Temple, Rutgers and Louisville. OU is significantly better than all those teams! Now that’s some good analysis!
Line: Oklahoma -17
Prediction: Oklahoma 55 – UConn 13
Discover Orange Bowl – #4 Stanford (11-1) vs. #13 Virginia Tech (11-2) – Jan. 3 – 8:30pm
TBG: Remember when the Hokies lost back-to-back games to Boise State and James Madison and everyone wrote them off? That was a very long time ago. 11-straight wins ago to be exact. This might be the hardest game of them all to predict. VT lost their first two games when many teams are still figuring themselves out and one was to a high-ranked Bronco team. Stanford, on the other hand, had its only loss come at the hands of Oregon who is playing in the National Championship a few days after this one. The Cardinal are favored by three, but I can’t go more than one point in either direction.
Line: Stanford -3
Prediction: Stanford 24 – Virginia Tech 23
Allstate Sugar Bowl – #6 Ohio State (11-1) vs. #8 Arkansas (10-2) – Jan. 4 – 8:30pm
OEW: For the past few years, the knock on Ohio State is that they can’t compete with the faster SEC teams, especially in BCS bowl games. You don’t have to look any further than the Buckeyes’ bowl record against SEC schools to get confirmation of this: 0-9. But this year they aren’t playing the elite LSU team of 2007 or the legendary Florida team of 2006. In fact, even ranked #8 in the nation, many would still consider Arkansas a second-tier SEC team this year. So can Ohio State finally quiet the SEC demons? I think they just may.
Line: Ohio State -3.5
Prediction: Ohio State 31 – Arkansas 28
GoDaddy.com Bowl – Middle Tennessee (6-6) vs. Miami (OH) (9-4) – Jan. 6 – 8:00pm
TBG: Read One Eyed Willy’s preview of the Cotton Bowl directly below this. THERE SHOULDN’T BE OTHER BOWLS SHOVED IN BETWEEN THE BCS GAMES!!! At least the two he got to preview have ranked teams in them. I got two to look at and those two include two 6-6 teams! Not only do 6-6 teams not belong in the postseason (the whole “if you can end up with a losing record, you shouldn’t be here” thing again), but here are two that get rewarded with post New Year’s games. Ridiculous. I’m too upset to care about the outcome of this game.
Line: Miami (OH) -1
Prediction: Miami (OH) More Points – Middle Tennessee Less Points
AT&T Cotton Bowl – #11 LSU (10-2) vs. #17 Texas A&M (9-3) – Jan. 7 – 8:00pm
OEW: Although the Cotton Bowl is a historic and typically entertaining bowl, I am still not a fan of these “smaller” bowls being played after the BCS games have started. The fact that this bowl is played on January 7 just doesn’t make too much sense to me. Texas A&M comes into the game having lost three games in two years to SEC foes. Makes you wonder why the Aggies even flirted with joining the SEC earlier this year. LSU is the team that seems like they should have lost 6-7 games, but ended up finishing 10-2. Eight of LSU’s wins were by eight points or less which makes me think that if this is a close game, which the experts predict it will be, then the Tigers should have the advantage.
Line: LSU -1
Prediction: LSU 24 – Texas A&M 23
BBVA Compass Bowl – Pittsburgh (7-5) vs. Kentucky (6-6) – Jan. 8 – 12:00pm
TBG: If neither participant truly deserve to play in a bowl and no one knows of that bowl or watches it on television, does that bowl truly exist?
Line: Pittsburgh -3
Prediction: Flip a coin.
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl – #15 Nevada (12-1) vs. Boston College (7-5) – Jan. 9 – 9:00pm
OEW: It will be over six weeks since Boston College last hit the field when they lace it up for the Kraft Mac & Cheese Bowl. The Eagles’ reward for waiting that long? A matchup with 15th ranked Nevada. Nevada finished the season 12-1, won the WAC and officially put an end to Boise State’s Cinderella season with a 34-31 win over the then #4 Broncos. Nevada only stumbled once this year, when they had to fly all the way out to Hawaii to play the team formerly known as the Fighting Rainbows. A short flight to San Fran for this game and in the end I think Nevada walks away with an easy “W.”
Line: Nevada -9.5
Prediction: Nevada 45 – Boston College 7
Tostitos BCS National Championship Game – #2 Oregon (12-0) vs. #1 Auburn (13-0) – Jan. 10 – 8:30pm
OEW: The game that many college football fans have been waiting for all year. Two of the most high-powered offenses in the country meet up in Glendale, Arizona for all the marbles. Both teams are led by extremely talented playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. Heisman winner QB Cam Newton leads the Tigers against the runner-up to the Heisman runner-up, Oregon’s RB LaMichael James. In the end, one defensive stop or turnover at the right time will probably be the difference. Gene Chizik is a defensive coach – that defensive prowess finally comes through and the Tigers D steps up when it matters most. Five in a row for the SEC!
TBG: There’s not a whole lot I can add to that. This is one of the most highly-anticipated games in a long time and I can say that I can’t wait for it. I just hope it lives up to the hype. Sometimes games of this magnitude end up being decided early. In the end, I can to go with the team that has Newton over the one that does not. Willy threw out the prediction below and I’ll go with it as well. If my math is right, the Tigers will score five touchdowns. Newton will be directly responsible for at least four of those.
Line: Auburn -3
Prediction: Auburn 41 – Oregon 38