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Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Bowl buzz: Tech to Chick-fil-A; Georgia to Capital One
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The pairings won’t be official until Sunday, but based on a bunch of phone calls here is the latest Bowl Buzz for the BCS, ACC, and SEC:
BCS PROJECTIONS
Championship, Jan. 8: Oklahoma vs. Alabama-Florida winner: This assumes, of course, that Oklahoma beats Missouri in the Big 12 championship game. If Florida beats Alabama, it will jump over No. 3 Texas, which is idle, into the No. 2 or No. 1 spot.
Rose Bowl, Jan. 1: Southern Cal vs. Penn State: Penn State (11-1) is in and Southern Cal (11-1) can punch its ticket to Pasadena if the Trojans beat UCLA (4-7) on Saturday. Could No. 5 Southern Cal jump over Texas if Missouri beats Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game? Nope. The Trojans are ranked No. 8 in the computers and that ranking will only go down after playing UCLA.
Orange Bowl, Jan. 1: Boston College or Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati (10-2): The Bearcats of the Big East still have a game at Hawaii on Saturday. It will be the biggest bowl game in school history. Boston College has not been to a major bowl since Doug Flutie took the Eagles to the Cotton after the 1984 season.
Sugar Bowl, Jan. 2: Alabama-Florida loser vs. Utah (12-0): The Utes are done and finished No. 6 in the BCS standings. It will certainly be interesting if Florida is there with Utah’s old coach, Urban Meyer.
Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 5: Texas (11-1) vs. Ohio State (10-2): The Fiesta Bowl was toying with the idea of matching up undefeated Utah (12-0) against undefeated Boise State (12-0), which it could do if Oklahoma finished No. 1. But to do that the Fiesta would have to shut out No. 10 Ohio State and limit the Big Ten to just one BCS slot. That would not b a wise business move.
ACC PROJECTIONS
Orange: Boston College-Virginia Tech winner vs. Cincinnati
Chick-fil-A: Georgia Tech (9-3) vs. LSU (7-5). The hometown bowl takes the hometown team which will take on the defending national champions. LSU has had a tough time stopping conventional offenses. How excited will LSU be?
Gator: Florida State (8-4) or Clemson (7-5) vs. Nebraska (8-4): The Gator is having an internal debate on the ACC side. Clemson will bring a ton of folks with a new coach and a strong finish. But it’s hard to pass up Bobby Bowden and the Seminoles in the state of Florida.
Champs Sports: Florida State or Clemson vs. Wisconsin (7-5). If the Gator takes Clemson, the Orlando Bowl will take Florida State. Wisconsin has had a very disappointing season.
Music City: Boston College-Virginia Tech loser vs. Kentucky (6-6) or Vanderbilt (6-6). By rule, the ACC championship game loser cannot fall below the Music City. If Virginia Tech is the loser, the Champs could take the Hokies ahead of Clemson.
Meinke: North Carolina (8-4) vs. West Virginia (7-4): North Carolina was a hot team three weeks ago but the Tar Heels stumbled down the stretch and will go to Charlotte.
Emerald: Miami (7-5) vs. Arizona (6-5): The Emerald has expressed some interest in the Hurricanes. Arizona still has a game with Arizona State.
Humanitarian: Wake Forest (7-5) vs. Nevada (7-5): The Deacons will be going to their third straight bowl for the first time in school history.
Eagle Bank: N.C. State (6-6) vs. Navy (7-4): N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien, whose team finished with four straight wins, goes against his alma mater. Navy still has a game with Army on Saturday.
Motor City: Maryland vs. Ball State (12-0). Maryland can’t go to the Eagle Bank on Dec. 20 in Washington, D.C. because it conflicts with exams. Wake Forest can’t go because it played Navy this season. The Big Ten won’t fill its slot in the Motor City so the ACC cuts a deal for the Terps to play a 13-0 Ball State, which faces Buffalo for the MAC championship.
SEC PROJECTIONS
BCS championship: Alabama-Florida winner vs. Oklahoma
Sugar: Alabama-Florida loser vs. Utah
Capital One: Georgia (9-3) vs. Michigan State (9-3): If Georgia had a tough time stopping Jonathan Dwyer, wait until they see Michigan State’s Javon Ringer, the nation’s No. 3 rusher (132.50 ypg).
Outback: South Carolina (7-5) vs. Iowa (8-4): The Outback could take Ole Miss (8-4) but lean towards the Gamecocks and Steve Spurrier, despite two bad losses to Florida and Clemson to end the season.
Cotton: Ole Miss (8-4) vs. Texas Tech (11-1): Could be a wild one with a lot of points.
Chick-fil-A: LSU (7-5) vs. Georgia Tech (9-3): Now that LSU has committed to freshman quarterback Jordan Jefferson, this one could be very entertaining.
Music City: Kentucky or Vanderbilt vs. Boston College-Virginia Tech loser: Kentucky has been to the Music City the past two seasons, but the bowl doesn’t want to take home town Vanderbilt unless the Commodores are going to bring a ton of people.
Liberty: Kentucky or Vanderbilt vs. Tulsa-East Carolina winner: After 25 years without a bowl game, Vanderbilt deserves a chance to get on the bus and go somewhere instead of playing at home. The Commodores get their shot against the Conference USA champs.
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