SB Nation Pittsburgh - Bowl Picks: New Years Day Bowl Gameshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48827/pitt-fv.png2010-12-31T17:08:56-05:00http://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/rss/stream/16703622010-12-31T17:08:56-05:002010-12-31T17:08:56-05:00Bowl Picks: Oklahoma Vs. UConn
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<p>Oklahoma Sooners (11-2, 6-2 Big Twelve) vs. Connecticut Huskies (8-4, 5-2 Big East)</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.fiestabowl.org/">Tostitos Fiesta Bowl<br></a>January 1 - 8:30 pm - ESPN<br>Glendale, AZ<br>$17,000,000 payout per team</p>
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<p>It was no secret that the Big East, as a conference, had a down year on the field. Three different teams had a chance to take the conference title heading into the final week of play, with the four-loss Connecticut Huskies earning the honors. Now they get to play against the much better Oklahoma Sooners in primetime in the desert. This will not likely be a close game.</p>
<p>Oklahoma and QB Landry Jones should be able to pass and run all over the Huskie defense, a squad that gave up 30 and 27 points to Temple and Rutgers, respectively. Neither of those teams feature in any of the 35 college football bowls this season.</p>
<p>The saving grace for Connecticut could be "Big Game" Bob Stoops' consecutive bowl loss streak. However, not even that should keep this game close. The betting line for this game <a target="_blank" href="http://sportsdirect.usatoday.com/football/ncaaf-matchups.aspx?page=/data/ncaaf/matchups/g8_summary_20.html">opened at Oklahoma (-18)</a>, and has gone down slightly, but this should be an easy cover for the Sooners.<br><em>- SBN Pittsburgh analysis by Jeff Junstrom</em></p>
<p><strong>SBN PITTSBURGH BOLD PREDICTION</strong>: Oklahoma 51, Connecticut 12</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/overview/_/week/17">From ESPN</a>:</p>
<blockquote>This looks like the biggest mismatch of the five BCS games. Oklahoma's only two losses came on the road to Big 12 teams that earned a share of a division title. Two of UConn's four losses came to Temple and Rutgers, a pair of teams that won't be bowling this postseason. But considering Bob Stoops' five-game losing streak in BCS bowl games, anything could happen. <i>-- David Ubben</i>
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https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/penn-st-nittany-lions/2010/12/31/1906458/bowl-picks-oklahoma-vs-uconnJunny Junny2010-12-31T16:07:25-05:002010-12-31T16:07:25-05:00Bowl Picks: Wisconsin Vs. TCU
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<p>Wisconsin Badgers (11-1, 7-1 Big Ten) vs. TCU Horned Frogs (12-0, 8-0 Mountain West)</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.tournamentofroses.com/">Rose Bowl presented by Vizio<br></a>January 1 - 4:30 pm - ABC<br>Pasadena, CA<br>$17,000,000 payout per team</p>
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<p>The granddaddy of them all ... or something like that.</p>
<p>This is, at the least, a pretty intriguing matchup. Both teams are tied for No. 4 in the nation in offense with 43.4 points per game.</p>
<p>Everyone wants to see an undefeated TCU team play one of the big boys from the BCS and that's exactly what is going to happen in this game. Wisconsin might not sound like the prototypical powerhouse, but the fact is that they're a one-loss team. The Badgers beat No. 1 Ohio State by 13 points, beat No. 15 Iowa on the road, and put up 70 points this season. <em>Three times. </em>Wisconsin relies on a pair of backs in James White and John Clay that ran for nearly 2,000 yards to lead them to one of the nation's best ground attacks.</p>
<p>TCU hasn't been challenged all that much and a matchup with then No. 5 Utah turned out to be a complete dud as Utah really faltered down the stretch. But it was still pretty easy to see that this is a talented team. While Wisconsin has a pretty good defense, TCU's is No. 1 in the nation and absolutely electric. And even though the competition has been spotty at times, TCU has held opponents to ten points or less in eight of their twelve games. The matchup to watch in this game is clearly TCU's defense against the Badgers' offense.<br><em>- SBN Pittsburgh analysis by Anson Whaley</em></p>
<p><strong>SBN PITTSBURGH BOLD PREDICTION</strong>: Wisconsin 34, TCU 27</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/overview/_/week/17">From ESPN</a>:</p>
<blockquote>Wisconsin makes its first trip to Pasadena in 11 seasons, while TCU becomes the first team from a non-AQ league in the BCS era to play in the Rose Bowl. Both teams scored 520 points, tying for fourth nationally. While TCU boasts the stingier defense, Wisconsin racked up 201 points in its final three regular-season games. <i>-- Adam Rittenberg</i>
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https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/penn-st-nittany-lions/2010/12/31/1906444/bowl-picks-wisconsin-vs-tcuJunny Junny2010-12-31T16:06:59-05:002010-12-31T16:06:59-05:00Bowl Picks: Mississippi State Vs. Michigan
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<p>Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-4, 4-4 SEC) vs. Michigan Wolverines (7-5, 3-5 Big Ten)</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.gatorbowl.com/">Progressive Gator Bowl<br></a>January 1 - 1:30 pm - ESPN2<br>Jacksonville, FL<br>$2,750,000 payout per team</p>
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<p>This year, the 65<sup>th</sup>Gator Bowl from Jacksonville Florida pits the Michigan Wolverines against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. It will be the Bulldogs first appearance in the Gator Bowl, while the Wolverines have made two previous appearances. Michigan lost to North Carolina in the 1979 Gator Bowl, while beating Mississippi in their most recent appearance in 1991. Last year's Gator Bowl was the final game for legendary coach Bobby Bowden whose Florida State Seminoles beat the West Virginia Mountaineers 33-21.</p>
<p>Michigan enters the Gator Bowl as the seventh place team in the Big Ten, finishing the year with a 7-5 record. Mississippi State enters the game with an 8-4 record, which was good enough for a sixth place finish in the SEC. Michigan has never faced Mississippi State, though Rich Rodriguez beat the Bulldogs twice as West Virginia’s head coach in 2006 and 2007.</p>
<p>The Wolverines are led by dynamic duel threat quarterback Denard Robinsion, and Rich Rodriguez’s spread offense can pile up points in bunches. Problem is, the key to this game will be whether or not the Michigan defense decides to play. The 102<sup>nd</sup>ranked defense in the country, the Wolverines give up over thirty three points per game, so it's often hard for their offense to keep up. Against the Bulldogs’ stout defense, Robinson could have trouble and the defense might dig a hole that’s hard to get out of.<br><em>- SBN Pittsburgh analysis by Aaron Hawley</em></p>
<p><strong>SBN PITTSBURGH BOLD PREDICTION</strong>: Michigan 38, Mississippi 31</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/overview/_/week/17">From ESPN</a>:</p>
<blockquote>The spread offense and speed will be everywhere in Jacksonville. Florida native Denard Robinson leads the nation's No. 6 offense against a Mississippi State squad that ranks 16th nationally in rushing and boasts a better defense than Michigan. A hot young coach (Mississippi State's Dan Mullen) goes up against a coach on the hot seat (Michigan's Rich Rodriguez). <i>-- Adam Rittenberg</i>
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https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/penn-st-nittany-lions/2010/12/31/1906431/bowl-picks-mississippi-state-vs-michiganJunny Junny2010-12-31T16:06:30-05:002010-12-31T16:06:30-05:00Bowl Picks: Michigan State Vs. Alabama
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<p>Michigan State Spartans (11-1, 7-1 Big Ten) vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-3, 5-3 SEC)</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.fcsports.com/">Capital One Bowl<br></a>January 1 - 1:00 pm - ESPN<br>Orlando, FL<br>$4,250,000 payout per team</p>
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<p>The 2011 installment of the Capital One Bowl will pit the defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide against the Michigan State Spartans. Formerly the Citrus Bowl, the Capital One Bowl is one of the most prestigious non-BCS bowl games and is played on New Year’s Day. Alabama enters the game as the fourth place team from the SEC, with a 9-3 overall record.<span> </span>Michigan State finished the year in a three way tie atop the Big Ten with Ohio State and Wisconsin, each team holding matching 11-1 records.</p>
<p>Last year's Capital One Bowl was 19-17 victory for the Penn State Nittany Lions against the LSU Tigers.<span> </span>This year's matchup features two of college football's storied programs though the Spartans and Crimson Tide have never faced off on the gridiron.</p>
<p>While Alabama has struggled to regain the dominant form of last season’s title team, the Crimson Tide defense is as terrifying as ever.<span> </span>This unit is the fifth ranked defense in the country allowing a paltry 14 points per game.<span> </span>Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins will have his work cut out for him and it will be hard to move the football.<span> </span>However, if the Spartan defense can hold a struggling Alabama offense in check, Cousins could put just enough points on the board to win.<br><em>- SBN Pittsburgh analysis by Aaron Hawley</em></p>
<p><strong>SBN PITTSBURGH BOLD PREDICTION</strong>: Michigan State 17, Alabama 16</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/overview/_/week/17">From ESPN</a>:</p>
<blockquote>Alabama's quest for a second straight national championship ended back in November, but the Crimson Tide can still win 10 games for the third straight season when they take on Michigan State. Alabama coach Nick Saban was the Spartans' head coach before going to LSU, and Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio is a former assistant under Saban. <i>-- Chris Low</i>
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https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/penn-st-nittany-lions/2010/12/31/1906369/bowl-picks-michigan-state-vs-alabamaJunny Junny2010-12-31T16:06:05-05:002010-12-31T16:06:05-05:00Bowl Picks: Texas Tech Vs. Northwestern
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<p>Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-5, 3-5 Big Twelve) vs. Northwestern Wildcats (7-5, 3-5 Big Ten)</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://ticketcitybowl.com/">TicketCity Bowl<br></a>January 1 - 12:00 pm - ESPNU<br>Dallas, TX<br>$1,200,000 payout per team</p>
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<p>The Big Ten sits at an impressive 2-0 so far in the 2010-2011 bowl season, but Northwestern will be tested by an up-and-down Texas Tech team. It doesn't help the Wildcats' fortune that the game is being played in Texas, but Pat Fitzgerald knows how to get his team ready for a bowl game. Last year, Northwestern took Auburn to the wire before falling to the Tigers. Northwestern is looking to pull out the big win this year.</p>
<p>These two schools have never met on the field, so the game will have a feeling out process before either team settles in to play. Unfortunately, Northwester will be without star QB Dan Persa, who is out for a few more weeks with injuries. At the end of the regular season, Persa's absence was instrumental in Northwestern losses, while Texas Tech is riding late season momentum into the TicketCity Bowl.</p>
<p>This is the first ever playing of the TicketCity bowl, being hosted by Jerry Jones and the theme park-like Texas Stadium. <br><em>- SBN Pittsburgh analysis by Jeff Junstrom</em></p>
<p><strong>SBN PITTSBURGH BOLD PREDICTION</strong>: Northwestern 23, Texas Tech 21</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/college-football/overview/_/week/17">From ESPN</a>:</p>
<blockquote>Texas Tech has dealt with plenty of injuries this year, but nothing like what Northwestern suffered late in the season. The Wildcats will take on the Red Raiders without quarterback Dan Persa, who tore his Achilles on the game-winning play against Iowa. NU was blown out in its final two games without Persa, but Tech won three of its final four games, including a win over then-No. 12 Missouri. <i>-- David Ubben</i>
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https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/penn-st-nittany-lions/2010/12/31/1906348/bowl-picks-texas-tech-vs-northwesternJunny Junny2010-12-31T14:59:53-05:002010-12-31T14:59:53-05:00Bowl Picks: New Years Day Bowl Games
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<p>The January 1, 2011 bowl slate is very intriguing, including the Penn State Nittany Lions taking on the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/florida-gators" class="sbn-auto-link">Florida Gators</a> in the Outback Bowl. That game will be covered in <a target="_blank" href="http://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/penn-st-nittany-lions/2010/12/5/1857107/penn-state-vs-florida-2010-outback-bowl-nittany-lions-gators-projections-predictions">a different stream</a>, so stay tuned here for the other five games. They include:</p>
<p>Texas Tech vs. Northwestern in the TicketCity Bowl</p>
<p>Michigan State vs. Alabama in the Capital One Bowl</p>
<p>Mississippi State vs. Michigan in the Gator Bowl</p>
<p>TCU vs. Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl</p>
<p>Oklahoma vs. UConn in the Fiesta Bowl</p>
<p>Notice five of the six games played on New Years Day will involved Big Ten teams, with three of them coming against SEC teams. Conference bragging rights will certainly be on the line with this slate, as the Big Ten is off to an impressive 2-0 start.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/2010/12/31/2327248/bowl-picks-new-years-day-bowl-gamesJunny Junny