This year’s bowls are shaping up to be exciting events.
In the Allstate College National Championship Bowl Game, the Ohio State Buckeyes are facing off against LSU Tigers. Oddsmakers are pegging LSU for the championship with a -5.5 spread, but the Buckeyes may exhibit surprising performance. This will certainly be a neck to neck defensive battle, with the champion being the team who executes the more flawless game. The performance of Ohio State this season is 7 – 4 against the spread, while LSU has been against the point spread 4 – 7 – 2. Both teams ended the regular season with 11 wins, with Ohio State enduring only one loss, followed up by LSU’s two losses. Ohio State’s defense gives LSU a run for their money, but with the Tigers having a stronger offense, this game may be a closer call than spectators think.
The Rose Bowl pits the Fighting Illini of the University of Illinois against the Trojans of the University of Southern California. If there’s one thing that can be said about the Fighting Illini team, it’s that they want this win bad. U of I pulled a big turnaround this season, going from 42nd in the BCS rankings to suddenly jumping up to 13th, winning five games straight. They even tackled the #1 ranked Ohio State recently and came out on top. In the history of bowl games, fans love a Cinderella story. USC are the veterans of the Rose Bowl in terms of experience, with this being their third straight game in Pasadena. The Trojans were also certainly the more favored of the two teams at the beginning of the season. The smart bet on this game would lie with the Trojans winning, but one can never underestimate the rags-to-riches story of a team against the odds, playing in their first Rose Bowl since 1984. Put a bet on U of I if you still believe in miracles.
The Fedex Orange Bowl will feature Kansas vs. Virginia Tech. The Kansas Jayhawks were actually just one win shy of being ranked #1 in the BCS scoreboard. Because of that single loss, however, the Jayhawks will be participating the Orange Bowl. The VT Hokies are the opposition, and their recent history doesn’t include a bowl as large as the Orange Bowl, but KU has already been to three bowl games under coach Mark Mangino. Both teams have a fairly impressive win record this season, with Kansas having only one loss and VT having two. Look for the Kansas Jayhawks to take this game, unless their single loss against Missouri has demoralized them too badly to play this game to their full extent.
The Allstate Sugar Bowl is going to be another one to watch this year. The Hawaii Warriors are taking on the Georgia Bulldogs in New Orleans in 2008. The Warriors are coming off an undefeated season this year, ranked tenth in the BCS rankings. The Bulldogs look a little bit better in the rankings, coming in at fifth. Both teams appear to be in top form this season. The hidden value in this game is that Hawaii is on an undefeated winning streak, and morale like that can’t be quantified with statistics and numbers – they are backed by home fans on a psychological high from UH Warriors’ first battle ever at BCS bowl. Look to Hawaii to give a game-winning performance at the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
And finally we have the Fiesta Bowl, which will feature the showdown between the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Oklahoma Sooners. The Mountaineers are feeling the sting of not being qualified to enter the BCS national championship game in New Orleans, but the Fiesta Bowl is nothing to scoff at either. Both teams have been very impressive this season, and the Mountaineers and the Sooners have won the Big East and Big 12 championship, respectively. However, the demoralizing loss that West Virginia took should make them off their game for the Fiesta Bowl.
