Bowl Picks: Louisville Vs. Southern Miss

In one of the better-named bowls of the 2010/2011 season, Louisville and Southern Miss will meet on the field to battle for whatever trophy is handed out in the Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl. This will be only the third iteration of this prestigious bowl, with South Florida and Rutgers winning the first two, respectively. That bodes will for Big East representative Louisville, but regardless of the outcome, there aren't too many winners in the Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl.

These teams have met 24 times in the past, with Southern Miss holding a slight 15-8-1 edge over Louisville. They played every year from 1978 to 2002 (save 1992 and 1994), so this matchup should help rekindle rivalry feelings in the older fans of each school.

Louisville is led by first year head coach Charlie Strong, while Larry Fedora is finishing his third season in Hattiesburg. Fedora has led the Golden Eagles to a record of 22-18 over the past three years.
- SBN Pittsburgh analysis by Jeff Junstrom

SBN PITTSBURGH BOLD PREDICTION: Southern Miss 30, Louisville 23

Analyst Projections
Aaron - Southern Miss
Anson - Louisville
Jeff - Southern Miss

From ESPN:

This game features two old rivals. Southern Miss was a thorn in Louisville's side in the 1980s and '90s, so it's fitting that the Golden Eagles await in the Cardinals' first postseason appearance since the 2007 Orange Bowl. It's a classic clash of offense (Southern Miss is the nation's 15th-highest scoring team) vs. defense (Louisville finished 11th in total defense). -- Brian Bennett

From Fox Sports:

Charlie Strong has quickly turned around the Louisville program and took a great first step to get to a bowl game in his first year. The Cardinals is known for its offense, but the defense is the star under Strong. USM is known for its defense, but its explosive offense rocks ranked 15th in the nation in yards and 15th in scoring. The Big East needs this.

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