Tom O'Leary

Jack Johnson

We are officially done with the extensive 34 game undercard leading up to the vaunted BCS Championship: #1 vs. #2. Horns vs. the Tide. Alabama’s six All-Americans are going up against the all-time winningest quarterback in college football history. If you want to throw down in fisticuffs, I’ve got Jack Johnson and Tom O’Leary right here, ready to go. Ladies and Gentlemen! Let’s get it on!

AT&T Cotton Bowl–Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma St. (Jan. 2) Line: Ole Miss-3

Consider this the welterweight SEC/Big 12 title game. Both teams redefined “uninspired” during their last game of the season. Okla St. was shut out against their rival Sooners–with a BCS berth in the balance. Ole Miss found a way to lose to a scrappy Mississippi State team. Not exactly the way you want to go out.

On paper this is an easy pick, Ole Miss actually has talented players on offense (Snead, Hodge, McCluster). But Snead beat out Jonathan Crompton for the national headcase of the year award. Hodge doesn’t get a lot of help from the other receivers. And Nutt occasionally forgets to give the ball to McCluster. Luckily for the Rebels, they have a better defense than Oklahoma State.

When you look at Ole Miss’ schedule, if they had just taken care of two marginal teams they finish the regular season with 10 wins. But they could have just as easily lost to LSU and finished with 7 wins. Weird season.

AT&T is your corporate sponsor. I read an article where an independent firm said that AT&T actually had better service than Verizon, that the problems with the iphone had more to do with the phone than the service. So quit whining about AT&T. They’re bringing you the Cotton Bowl, for Chrissakes.

I can't quit you, Coach Nutt...

Reason to pick Ole Miss: Rebs are 7-2 with six straight wins in bowls vs. the Big 12

Reason to pick Oklahoma St: To curry favor with billionaire T. Boone Pickens.

Reason to watch: You’ve already broken your New Year’s Resolution, can’t resist the charisma of Houston Nutt.

Pick: Ole Miss

AutoZone Liberty Bowl–Arkansas vs. East Carolina (Jan. 2) Line: Ark-7

I’d make fun of the Liberty Bowl, but at least Memphis has a local corporation buying the naming rights to the game. Here in Birmingham, we have to ride the coattails of the Papa John’s empire. The actual stadium is just as decrepit as Legion Field, so that at least is some consolation.

If for some reason you are walking by the television when this game is on, be sure to ask yourself the question, “Do I really want to spend the next three hours watching the Liberty Bowl?”

Reason to pick Arkansas: You like watching 7′ quarterbacks.

Reason to pick East Carolina: You are looking for any reason to pick against an SEC team.

Mallett towers over the competition.

Reason to watch: You literally have nothing else to do.

Pick: Arkansas

Valero Alamo Bowl–Texas Tech vs. Michigan State (Jan. 2) Line: Texas Tech-7.5

The good people at Valero really need to do something about that aquamarine color scheme they’ve got going–driving across Texas is a sea of foamy colors splashed across the Valero signage. Actually, that is probably the least of your worries driving across Texas. The biggest chafe in Texas is the use of the service road, which forces you to constantly make a U-turn when you want to fill up at a Valero station. Drives me crazy.

I think there should probably be some rules in place so that a 6-6 team (I’m looking at you, Michigan State) does not get to play after January 1st. It kind of takes the shine off of the experience.

Anyway, nothing like having your mind made up on a pick within twelve seconds of reading the breakdown: Michigan St. has one of the worst pass defenses in the country. And they are suspending 11 players for the game. I thought the Oregon/Ohio State game was a lock. I don’t really trust Texas Tech, but they have beaten the teams they were supposed to beat (excepting a weird blowout loss to Texas A&M). Anyway, go for it.

Reason to pick Texas Tech: Lots of offense.

Reason to pick against Michigan State: Lots of missing players.

Reason to watch: You’ve watched 29 bowl games to this point. Why stop now?

Pick: Texas Tech

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl–Boise St. vs. TCU (Jan. 4) Line: TCU-7

This is going to be the second best bowl game of the season. Watching TCU beat Utah was about as thorough of a beating as you’ll see all year. I watched Boise beat Oregon in the first game of the year, and they handled a top 10 team and made them quit. Both of these teams have great coaches, great offensive players, solid defenses.

I think TCU is going to win. The key for Boise is going to be the defensive end (Hughes) for TCU–if they can keep him contained (Boise St has given up 5 sacks all season) then they are going to have a shot. It will be interesting to see if this turns out to be a shootout or if the coaches get conservative.

Jerry Hughes should have a big impact on the Fiesta Bowl.

Anyway, I just feel like 7 points is too much in this game. I’d feel better if Boise’s best receiver wasn’t trying to come back from a fractured leg.

Reason to pick TCU: They have dominated the competition.

Reason to pick Boise St: They aren’t intimidated by anyone.

Reason to watch: Might be the most entertaining game of the year.

Pick: Boise St.

FedEx Orange Bowl–Georgia Tech vs. Iowa (Jan. 5) Line: Ga Tech-4

Remember when the Orange Bowl was a big time football game?

Quick! Pick against the Big 10.

Reason to pick Georgia Tech: Playing against the Big 10.

Reason to pick against Iowa: Unfortunately in the Big 10.

Reason to watch: You mistakenly believe you’re watching the 1984 Orange Bowl on ESPN Classic.

Pick: Georgia Tech

GMAC Bowl–Central Michigan vs. Troy (Jan. 6) Line: Cent Mich-3

It can’t be a good time to be a GMAC representative. Financing car purchases has surely hit the skids, and the next year probably doesn’t look too bright. The GMAC Bowl is usually one of the best games if you like watching high scoring, video game offenses. The over/under on this game is 63.5, which is probably about 20 shy of where it sould be.

Anyway, this game has two of the best quarterbacks in the country not named Tebow or McCoy. Without getting too involved in the analysis, Troy’s defense has been suspect this season. Not a good thing when you’re up against Dan LeFevour.

Expect some offense courtesy of Dan LeFevour in the GMAC Bowl.

Reason to pick Central Michigan: I’ve got LeFevour!

Reason to pick Troy: solid, well coached, they score a ton of points.

Reason to watch: This will actually be a good game.

Pick: Central Michigan

CITI BCS National Championship–Alabama vs. Texas (Jan. 7) Line: Alabama -3.5

There will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 750,000 words written about this game, so I’ll be brief. There is a weird mood among Alabama fans–we were so fixated about Florida that we feel like beating them, as soundly as we beat them, assures us of a national championship.

We’ve finished the award season with a Heisman, a Broyles, a couple of awards for Rolando McClain, and six different players were named First Team All-Americans.

Nothing is weirder than college football’s award season happening before the season is over.

I hope the players can find the motivation to prepare for this game. Texas has nothing to lose and is going to be ready to go. They were literally one second away from playing Iowa in a semi-crappy BCS Bowl. Now they are playing for the National Championship. And some speculate that they’re not be the best team in Texas.

So the motivation edge should tilt in UT’s favor. The saving grace for Alabama is that our coach is going to prepare for this like Patton going up against Rommell. What am I saying? He probably prepared for this over the summer.

Could Patton outwork Saban?

Anyway, good luck to the Texas fans. I hope it’s a great game for America. I hope Alabama wins, and that 20 years from now I’ll be flipping channels and I can think about the game and how much vodka I drank and where I was and hopefully these will be good memories.

I’m abstaining from picking this one, much like Herbstreit before he jets off to cover a game. I think it’s going to be a good game. As a fan, it probably doesn’t get better than this. I’m going to have the big bottle of Svedka with me. It’s been there for me all season. Actually, Svedka should be the presenting sponsor of this blog: “Helping neurotic fans deal with adversity since…”

Thanks for checking out these posts. I think I clocked somewhere around 7500 words on all the bowl games. I think it’s a fairly thorough recap of what you need to know. It’s almost time for the New Mexico Bowl to kickoff.

Happy holidays, and enjoy the games. JB

Bowl season gets underway Saturday with the first of 34 bowl games.  Damn, that’s 68 bowl bids.  I guess when a team loads up on FCS and Sun Belt teams in the nonconference, being bowl eligible doesn’t mean much.  But here we are anyway, and I’ll attempt to pick all 34, though I will likely only watch about half of them.

New Mexico Bowl – Fresno State vs Wyoming
Fresno finished strong with a dramatic overtime win over Illinois in Champaign.  A loaded schedule included losses to Wisconsin, Cincinnati and Boise State, but that should have them ready.  Props for Dave Christensen for getting Wyoming back to a bowl in his first season.
Pick:  Fresno State

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl – Central Florida vs Rutgers
When Rutgers lost by 32 at home to Cincinnati in week one, things weren’t looking good.  But the Scarlet Knights pulled it together and finished 8-4 in a surprisingly competitive Big East.  However, Central Florida basically has a home game here, and containing Tim Brown’s big play ability will be key.  Rutgers’ D ranks 99th.
Pick:  Central Florida

New Orleans Bowl – Southern Mississippi vs Middle Tennessee State
Sub Belt runner-up Middle Tennessee’s lone conference loss was to Troy, and 9-3 should be considered a success.  Al logic says pick the Blue Raiders, but I’m going against my logic on this.  Southern Mississippi had some heartbreaking losses against good teams, which will ultimately have them prepared for this game.
Pick:  Southern Mississippi

Las Vegas Bowl – Oregon State vs BYU
The Beavers were just a few plays away from playing Ohio State in the Rose Bowl.  Instead, they settle for Vegas and a great matchup with BYU.  The Beavers played five teams in the top 25, while the Cougars played just two.  Max Hall should have fun with the Beaver defense, but Oregon State will win a high-scoring game.
Pick:  Oregon State

Poinsettia Bowl – Utah vs California
Jahvid Best should be ready for this game, but how well he will do coming back from the concussion is unknown.  The Golden Bears, ranked as high as #6 earlier this year, fell after back to back blowout losses mid-season.  Utah’s defense is #20 in the country, while Cal ranks at #70.
Pick:  Utah

Sheraton Bowl – Nevada vs SMU
SMU will snap its 25 year bowl drought when it takes the field in Honolulu on Christmas Eve to play Nevada.  The Wolfpack got hot at the end of the season, winning eight of their final nine after an 0-3 start.  SMU will be happy to be here.  Nevada isn’t leaving without a win.
Pick:  Nevada

Little Caesars Bowl – Marshall vs Ohio
One of only two bowls north of the Mason Dixon line takes place in Detroit between two virtually equal teams.  Marshall is 6-6 but has played a tougher schedule.  Ohio is 9-4 after a MAC Championship loss to Central Michigan.  Ohio did play Tennessee and UConn tough.
Pick:  Ohio

Meineke Car Care Bowl – Pittsburgh vs North Carolina
Like Oregon State, Pittsburgh has to be crushed knowing that an Orange Bowl date with Georgia Tech was probably one or two plays away.  After a heartbreaking loss to Cincinnati, the Panthers settle for a “neutral” site game in Charlotte with the Heels.  Carolina’s defense will keep it close, but the ‘Heels just can’t score.
Pick:  Pittsburgh

Emerald Bowl – Boston College vs USC
I’m really entertained to see what the line on this game will turn out to be.  Right now it’s USC -9, and I’ll take the Trojans to cover.  Boston College has a terrible offense, and USC’s defense can be good despite some poor games.  This is a weird bowl to see USC playing in, and you know they are peeved about it.  Watch out BC.
Pick:  USC

Music City Bowl – Kentucky vs Clemson
Clemson, suffering from the Pitt/Oregon State virus, will have to watch their team take on a -not-as-good-as-their-record Kentucky team.  I’ve thought the ‘Cats were overrated all year, and Clemson has a chance to prove me right.  Kentucky’s rush D is ranked #100.  C.J. Spiller will have a field day.
Pick:  Clemson

Independence Bowl – Texas A&M vs Georgia
The interesting matchup here is Georgia’s fairly good defense against Texas A&M’s explosive offense.  The Aggies lit up Texas’ third ranked D and can do it again when they play the Bulldogs.  But the Aggie defense is awful, and Georgia should have its chances to score as well.
Pick:  Georgia

EagleBank Bowl – UCLA vs Temple
Games like this are the toughest to pick.  UCLA is 6-6, but with the #11 schedule in the nation.  Temple is 9-3, but had the sixth easiest schedule.  UCLA’s offense is ranked #88.  Temple’s is #89.  UCLA’s defense is #39, Temple’s is #37.  I’ll take the Bruins because of the schedule.
Pick:  UCLA

Champs Sports Bowl – Miami vs Wisconsin
Another game with no distinct advantage is a good one which features two 9-3 teams.  Wisconsin’s loss to Northwestern cost them their shot at a New Year’s Day bowl game despite a better overall record than the Wildcats.  Jacory Harris will make enough plays to push the ‘Canes to victory in their home state.
Pick:  Miami

Humanitarian Bowl – Bowling Green vs Idaho
Idaho fans were on a roller coaster early this season with the team’s 6-1 start.  But that vanished after the Vandals lost four of their final five, and they limp into Boise, where they lost on the same field by 38.  This time, Tyler Sheehan and Bowling Green are the opponents.  Limiting Sheehan’s big plays will be key for Idaho.
Pick:  Idaho

Holiday Bowl – Arizona vs Nebraska
Geographically, Arizona has the edge, but Husker fans will travel to watch their near Big 12 champions play.  Both defenses are really good, which is why I think 17 points may be enough.  The difference is that Arizona can score, and has, against good teams.  The Huskers haven’t shown consistent offense all season.
Pick:  Arizona

Armed Forces Bowl – Houston vs Air Force
The Armed Forces have their team, the Falcons, in this game.  Awaiting the Falcons is the #1 offense in the nation – the Houston Cougars.  Case Keenum and James Cleveland will be faced with its toughest task of the season with the Falcons’ #10 defense.  It’s Keenum’s chance to prove he deserved an invite to New York.
Pick:  Houston

Sun Bowl – Oklahoma vs Stanford
How about this high-profile matchup?  Last year, the final score of the Sun Bowl was 3-0.  This year Heisman runner-up Toby Gerhart and the Cardinal will need more than that to beat the Sooners.  Gerhart will look to add to his nation-best 26 touchdowns against the seventh ranked Sooner rush defense.
Pick:  Stanford

Texas Bowl – Navy vs Missouri
Missouri became the first team in college football history to scout its bowl opponent in a live game, as the Army/Navy game took place after the bowl selection process.  It’s Navy’s fourth ranked rush attack vs Missouri’s #12 rush defense.  Navy’s only chance is if they can find a way to pass.
Pick:  Missouri

Insight Bowl – Minnesota vs Iowa State
The Insight Bowl took the Cyclones, who are bowling for the first time since 2001.  That decision makes for a good game.  Neither team’s offense or defense is any good, but the Gophers at least have a respectable defense.  Iowa State can’t stop anyone.
Pick:  Minnesota

Chick-fil-A Bowl – Virginia Tech vs Tennessee
Here’s a game that I don’t think will be close.  Virginia Tech has an outstanding defense, and Tennessee doesn’t do much to move the ball.  The Vols defense may keep it respectable for a while, but eventually Virginia Tech, who was ranked as high as number four even after the ‘Bama loss, will pull away.
Pick:  Virginia Tech

Outback Bowl – Northwestern vs Auburn
Would you believe me if I told you Auburn has played seven top 30 teams?  That’s right, seven.  The Tigers won three of those games, but it’s more about the fact that they played those games that has them prepared for this New Year’s Day dandy.  Northwestern played well at the end of the year and won’t go down without a fight.
Pick:  Auburn

Capital One Bowl – Penn State vs LSU
The best bowl game of the season is in Orlando.  LSU played Florida and Alabama tough, but Penn State will be a monstrous challenge as well.  The Lions’ D is eighth best in the country, and LSU has the twelfth worst offense in the nation.  It’s going to be tough for the Tigers to score.
Pick:  Penn State

Gator Bowl – West Virginia vs Florida State
How ironic is it that Bobby Bowden’s last game is against the team he used to coach?  As fun as the Bowden storyline should be, the Seminoles have no business being in this game.  Other ACC schools (Clemson, Miami) have to be peeved about the ‘Noles getting the Gator bid.
Pick:  West Virginia

International Bowl – South Florida vs Northern Illinois
Sophomore quarterback Chandler Harnish has been very efficient for Northern Illinois, but they haven’t played a team nearly as good as South Florida since a week one loss to Wisconsin.  The Bulls played tough in a good Big East conference.  The only bowl not played in the U.S. should be a fun one.
Pick:  South Florida

Papajohns.com Bowl – South Carolina vs Connecticut
Middle-of-the-pack teams clash in the only bowl named for a pizza.  UConn lost all five games by four points or fewer, which is quite unbelievable when you think about it.  A few bounces going the other way could make this team 12-0.  Four of South Carolina’s five losses came by double digits.
Pick:  Connecticut

Cotton Bowl – Oklahoma State vs Mississippi
Both of these teams started the season in the top 10 and had national championship aspirations.  Jevan Snead was supposed to win the Heisman and go #1.  Zac Robinson, Kendall Hunter and Dez Bryant were supposed to combine to form the best offense in the country.  This is a game of disappointment.
Pick:  Mississippi

Liberty Bowl – Arkansas vs East Carolina
The Pirates were awfully impressive in capturing their second straight Conference USA championship by knocking off Houston.  Their reward is a date with Arkansas.  Ryan Mallett had a heck of a year that went unnoticed because the Hogs lost five games.
Pick:  Arkansas

Alamo Bowl – Michigan State vs Texas Tech
Everyone knew this would be a down year for Texas Tech following the losses of Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree, but 8-4 is surprisingly respectable for the Red Raiders.  First year starter Taylor Potts threw for more than 3,000 yards, and he’ll have another big game against the Spartans.
Pick:  Texas Tech

GMAC Bowl – Central Michigan vs Troy
Central Michigan’s turnaround led to a MAC championship.  Now Butch Jones is bolting for Cincinnati to fill the void left by Brian Kelly.  Coach or no coach, the Chippewas should have no trouble moving the ball at will against Troy.  Troy has the offense to keep it close, so look for a high-scoring game.
Pick:  Central Michigan

Rose Bowl – Ohio State vs Oregon
Jeremiah Masoli and the Ducks could have folded after losing to Boise State to open the season.  Instead, the Ducks won 10 of 11, dethroned USC to win the Pac 10, and earned a Rose Bowl berth.  Ohio State is on the other end, making this the best BCS game on this year’s slate.
Pick:  Oregon

Sugar Bowl – Cincinnati vs Florida
Tim Tebow lost the game he wanted to win more than anything.  Now he plays his last college game against a team without a coach.  Cincinnati has scored a lot of points on a lot of people, but they haven’t faced a defense like Florida’s.  Tebow won’t let the Gators lose this one.
Pick:  Florida

Fiesta Bowl – Boise State vs TCU
We can talk all we want about the fact that these are two non-BCS teams playing each other, or about them both being undefeated, or about them playing in the national championship game.  But the matchup is what it is, and it should be entertaining.  TCU won last year, and they’ll repeat this year.
Pick:  TCU

Orange Bowl – Iowa vs Georgia Tech
The Hawkeyes were an overtime loss away from winning the Big Ten, but they’ll take their first BCS bowl game since the era began.  Awaiting Iowa and its #11 defense is Georgia Tech’s second ranked rush offense, led by Jonathan Dwyer and Josh Nesbitt.
Pick:  Georgia Tech

BCS National Championship – Alabama vs Texas
Which Texas team will show up?  The Horns that blew out Okie State in Stillwater?  It better be.  The team that “beat” Nebraska?  Stay home.  We know the Tide and Heisman winner Mark Ingram will be there.  Both teams have good enough defenses to keep from getting blown out.  Bottom line: roll Tide.
Pick:  Alabama

It is exhibition season in college football as the bowl games kickoff tomorrow (Saturday).  Meanwhile, the National Champion will be decided tonight; my money is on Montana as Villanova struggles against the pass.  The Grizzlies can also stop the run, which is what the Wildcats do well in the spread.

Anyway, so the exhibitions begin.  And there are five non-BCS games that are worth checking out.  These games include teams that may not receive the exposure as some of the “powers.”  So, it is worth checking out.

HUMANITARIAN BOWL: Bowling Green versus Idaho (Wednesday, 30 December)

Welcome back to the exhibition season, Vandals!  Idaho started strong but stumbled down the stretch, going 1-4 and losing to fucking Utah State!!  Nevertheless, Idaho had a solid QB-WR combo with Nathan Enderle throwing to Max Komar.  Komar caught 62 passes for 1036 and 10 TDs.  Enderle, who missed a couple of games near the end of the season, threw for over 2600 yards and has plenty of other targets — including Komar, the Vandals had five receivers catch over 25 passes.

Idaho can also run the ball.  Washington State transfer DeMaundray Woolridge ran for 853 yards and 16 touchdowns, while Princeton McCarty went for 605 yards.  Overall, Idaho ranks 11th in yards per game and can put up numbers.

Bowling Green WR Freddie Barnes

Bowling Green also has a great passing combination — QB Tyler Sheehan and WR Freddie Barnes.  In fact, Barnes was second in yards per game (129.2 per game, or 1551 yards) and led the country in touchdowns (16) and receptions (138).  Sheehan, who went for 3664 passing, also has some other targets — six with 25 or more catches — but none with more than 45 catches and no one with more than two TDs.

Overall, Bowling Green ranks eighth in passing yards per game.  They do not run the ball much, but starting running back Willie Geter is used in the passing game.

Defense?  Why bother?  Idaho cannot stop the pass, which should make it a field day for Sheehan and Barnes.  Bowling Green is decent against the pass, but cannot stop the run.  You have to figure that the Vandals will run to exploit that.

In all, should be a fun, high-scoring game on the blue turf of Bronco Stadium.

HAWAI’I BOWL: Nevada versus SMU (Thursday 24 December)

It is a game of contrasting style that could turn into a blowout.  But it will also be interesting to see how June Jones is received at Hawai’i.

Returning to Honolulu for the first time since leaving the Warriors, Jones brings the Mustangs to their first bowl game since before the ‘death penalty.’  I do not think it will be negative as most anger seems to be towards former Hawai’i AD Herman Frazier.

Nevertheless, Jones has attempted to implement his air attack at SMU, but has only seen some success.  Jones had rode Bo Levi Mitchell until an injury allowed Kyle Padron to take the starting role; a position that he has held on to since the Houston game.  Padron, a freshman, has played well and could be a sign of things to come…in the future.

Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick

Nevada does one thing and one thing very well –  run the ball!  They even do it better than the academies!  Nevada led the country in yards per game and sport three 1000+ yard runners — Vai Taua (1345 yards, 10 TDs), Luke Lippincott (1034 yards, 9 TDs) and the main reason to watch this game QB Colin Kaepernick (1160 yards, 16 TDs).

Kaepernick, a redshirt junior, has run for 2883 yards during his tenure in Reno, topping 1100 yards in each of the past two seasons.  And he does throw the ball — nearly 7000 yards passing, although he only threw for 1875 this season.

Defense?  Um, yeah, that is missing here, too.  Nevada is near the bottom (119 out of 120) against the pass, which bodes well for SMU.  But the Mustangs struggle against the run.  And it is likely the Wolf Pack will go for 500 yards on the ground in what could be an entertaining game.

NEW ORLEANS BOWL: Southern Miss versus Middle Tennessee State (Sunday December 20)

It is highly doubtful that many people have seen a Sun Belt team play.  But MTSU is a squad worth watching.

Head coach Rick Stockstill has done a great job with the Blue Raiders, taking them to the first two bowl games in MTSU history.  Middle Tennessee beat Maryland for the second year in a row and finished the season 9-3 with their only conference loss to Sun Belt champion Troy.

MTSU QB Dwight Dasher

Quarterback Dwight Dasher is fun to watch.  In his first full season as a starter, Dasher threw for over 2600 yards and 21 TDs.  He also lived up to his last name, leading the Blue Raiders in rushing (953 yards and 11 TDs).  Running back D.D. Kyles is right behind him with 822 yards, but only three touchdowns.  In the passing game, no receiver stood out as Dasher spreads the ball around quite well.

Southern Miss had a rough three-game stretch in late September and early October, losing to Kansas (when they were still “good”), UAB and woeful Louisville…all on the road.  They also lost talented sophomore QB Austin Davis for the season in the loss to UAB.

All could have been lost, but Martevious Young stepped in and played superbly.  His thrown for almost 1600 yards in nine games (seven full starts) and 13 touchdowns.  He has only thrown one interception and that was six games ago!

DeAndre Brown, sophomore wide receiver, had a disappointing second-year but still went for 720 yards and seven TDs.  Running backs Damion Fletcher and Tory Harrison went for a combined 1563 yards and 17 touchdowns!

Both teams are well-balanced on offense.  On defense, Southern Miss struggles against the pass, but is solid against the run led by linebacker Korey Williams (109 tackles, six sacks).

MTSU is middle of the pack.  But they have Sun Belt defensive player of the year Chris McCoy, who had seven sacks, and a stout group in the defensive backfield led by Marcus Udell (seven interceptions) and Kevin Brown (four picks, 55 tackles).

Again, should be a good game and a chance to see players you normally would not see.

GMAC BOWL: Central Michigan versus Troy (Wednesday, 6 January)

This bowl usually gets lost because it is sandwiched between the BCS bowls and the BCS title game.  And, usually by now, many people are becoming burned out from the tsunami of exhibition games.  The game usually has a lot of offense (see the 2001 64-61 double overtime game with Marshall knocking off East Carolina), but recently has been one-sided (thanks to Tulsa).

Central Michigan QB Dan LeFevour

This game has all the makings of an offensive explosion that probably will not be one-sided.  Central Michigan comes in with the under-appreciated (at least outside of the midwest) Dan LeFevour at QB.  The four-year starter has thrown for over 12,500 yards during his career and ran for 2936 yards.  He has also thrown 101 touchdowns to 35 interceptions, and ran for another 46 TDs!  His 148 touchdowns (he has one receiving TD) is the most in college history.  As a starter, he is 37-17 for the Chippewas.

This will be the last chance to see LeFevour at QB.  This season he has thrown for over 3000 yards, tying a career high for TDs with 27.  He has solid weapons, with Antonio Brown (97 receptions for 1020 yards), Bryan Anderson (57 catches for 700 yards) and Kito Poblah (50 catches for 631 yards).  Running?  Well that is for LeFevour, who led the team with 701 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Troy also has a phenomenal quarterback in Sun Belt offensive player of the year Levi Brown.  Brown set the Sun Belt record for passing yards, throwing for 3868 yards and 22 touchdowns.  He topped 300 yards seven times, including against SEC foe Arkansas, and went over 400 yards three times.

Jerrel Jernigan is Brown’s favorite target, catching 62 balls for 947 yards.  Jernigan is also a threat in the return game as the Trojans’ top kick returner.  Tebiarus Gill is also a solid receiver, accumulating 553 yards and team-high six touchdowns.

Troy does not run much, but Shawn Southward and DuJuan Harris are serviceable, and the latter plays a big role in the passing game.  And, Jernigan surfaces here as well, carrying the ball 34 times for 227 yards.

Defense?  Ha!  Troy is near the bottom in all the FBS.  Central Michigan is good, but mediocre against the pass.  And Troy has the fourth-best passing yards per game average in the country.  Should be another exciting high-scoring game, and the last chance to see Brown and LeFevour.

ARMED FORCES BOWL: Houston versus Air Force (Thursday 31 December)

Some are writing this off as Houston will run away with it.  But do not count out the Falcons.

Houston QB Case Keenum

Houston has been a great story this season, returning to the high-powered offenses of the days of the Southwest Conference (first in total yards per game).  Junior QB and one time Heisman hopeful Case Keenum played out of his mind this year — 5449 yards and 43 touchdowns on 71 percent passing!  He exceeded 300 yards in 12 of 13 games, seven times went over 400 yards, and topped 500 yards four times!!!

Keenum had five receivers top 500 yards, four of those caught over 60 passes, and three went over 900 yards!  James Cleveland is the leader, catching 101 passes for 1182 yards and 14 TDs, but Tyron Carrier (998 yards, 7 TDs) and Patrick Edwards (985 yards, 5 TDs) are also quite good.

And given how much they throw, they run the ball admirably.  Bryce Beall and Charles Sims both topped 600 yards rushing, with seven and nine touchdowns respectively.  Sims contributes heavily in the passing game, catching 64 passes for 702 yards.  Beall added 31 receptions for 302 yards.

Air Force is the exact opposite of the Cougars — third in the country rushing the ball, but 118th passing.  As usual, there are many different ball carriers, with seven players going over 200 yards rushing, and two topping 700 yards.  Fullback Jared Tew is the team’s league rusher with just a shade under 800 yards.  Sophomore wideout Jonathan Warzeka is more important in the running game (42 carries for 232 yards, 2 TDs) than the passing game (15 catches for 201 yards, 1 TD).  Sophomore Tim Jefferson runs the triple option for the Falcons.

Air Force CB Anthony Wright, Jr.

But it is Air Force’s defense that will make this interesting.  Air Force has the tenth best defense, and the number one pass defense in the country.  The Falcons use a 3-4 defense that does not get a lot of attacks, but can be disruptive in the passing game.  Air Force picked the ball off 14 times (tied for 28th) and the defensive backfield is led by corner backs Anthony Wright, Jr. (four interceptions, 51 tackles) and Mountain West first teamer Reggie Rembert (three interceptions, 41 tackles).  Jonathan Falgout is also worth watching at linebacker.

And before you write off Air Force’s pass defense, they faced some good passing offense — BYU (12th), San Diego State (31st), UNLV (49th), and Utah (55th).  They shut down the latter two, contained the Aztecs, and BYU…well, Max Hall had a big day.

Air Force can also control the clock and keep Keenum and the Cougars offense off the field.  The Falcons are 20th in time of possession.  And while the Cougars can be quick strike, they tend to put drives together rather than go for the killshot.  So, keeping Keenum off of the field is crucial.

Plus, Houston is 112th against the run, allowing 213.1 yards per game!  In the Cougars’ three losses, they gave up over 300 yards to UTEP (57th in rushing yards per game), over 150 to UCF (73rd running the ball), and 151 yards to East Carolina (59th)!

Thus, knowing that Houston probably will not stop the Air Force running game, this game should be yet another entertaining bowl.  And, it will be interesting to see if the top passing defense can stop, or at least contain, the top passing offense.

So, those are five games beyond the power conferences and the BCS bowls that are worth checking out.

Or, you could watch an “exciting” game like Pittsburgh v. North Carolina or South Carolina v. Connecticut!

The entire team rushing onto the field minutes before kick-off.

Central Michigan (10-2, 8-0) showed on Nov. 27th why it is the class of the Mid-American Conference when it defeated the Northern Illinois Huskies 45-31, in a close rivalry match-up at Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. It was a thrilling victory for Senior QB Dan LeFevour and the Chippewas because it marked their record-tying ninth straight win for the school.

Almost a week before this game the Chippewas would secure the MAC West title for the third consecutive year and they will head to Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan to play for the conference title against Theo Scott and his Ohio U. Bobcats. The Chippewas are the heavy favorite in this years game considering they have been victorious the past two seasons and have made three straight visits to the stadium.

Dan LeFevour, the record-setting quarterback that will enter the NFL Draft at the end of the season.

Bryan Schroeder would open the scoring of the game when he caught a 13-yard touchdown reception early in the first quarter, the Sophmore RB would finish with a career-high 128 yards and 2 touchdowns with his longest gain being an 80-yard run for the score. After exchanging field goals, the Chippewas added to its lead over the NIU Huskies (7-5, 5-3) to 17-3 when record-setting LeFevour found Kito Poblah for a 16-yard score. LeFevour would conclude his final home game with 255 yards, 3 TDs and went 27-for-41. He has literally rewritten the record books for his school and has been a four-year starter for CMU. You shall almost certainly see him in the near future on an NFL team.

Northern Illinois scored its first touchdown of the game with 5:12 left in the first half when Junior WR Landon Cox caught an absolute bullet from Junior QB Chandler Harnish to cut the score to 17-10, but CMU would answer right back when they had a 13-play, 78 yard drive and capped off the first half with Schroeder’s leap into the endzone for a 24-10 half time score. After the second half began, NIU would continue to struggle but found their momentum a little late. Schroeder would score on the next offensive series for CMU with the 80-yard dash to the endzone and Lefevour would throw his last touchdown of the game to WR Bryan Anderson for sixteen yards to put them up for good, 38-10 in the 3rd quarter.

A featured Huskies RB rushing against the tired worn down defense in the fourth quarter.

In typical MAC fashion, the Huskies would mount a comeback and proceed to light up the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, but would add on three more touchdowns. They would earn two offensive TDs and one defensive pick-six when defender Patrick George intercepted a tipped pass from second-string CMU Freshman QB Ryan Radcliff and returned it eighty-yards to the endzone. Junior RB Chad Spann added a 6-yard touchdown to make it 38-24, he would finish on 15 carries for 76 yards. Harnish would tack on one last touchdown to conclude his game, but would be intercepted late in the fourth quarter when Senior defensive end Frank Zombo capped the scoring for CMU with the 27-yard grab and sprint to pay dirt.

Junior RB Bryan Schroeder

Stat Attack:   The Chippewas would finish undefeated in conference play for the first time in school history. Bryan Anderson caught three passes for CMU to set an NCAA all-divisions record of having at least one reception in 52 consecutive games. The previous record was 51 and was held by Tauren Henderson of Texas Tech and Michael Larkin at Miami-Ohio.

LeFevour’s third TD pass to Anderson was the 99th of his career, only one shy of Marshall’s Chad Pennington for the MAC record of 100. Huskies QB Chandler Harnish would finish the game with 17-28 for 206 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions each.

1st Downs: CMU – 28, NIU – 19 Total yards: CMU – 512, NIU – 332 Passing:  CMU – 225, NIU – 206   Rushing: CMU – 257, NIU – 126  3rd DN COV_: CMU – 12/18, NIU – 4/12     4th DN COV_:  CMU – 0-1, NIU – 0-0 , Turnovers:  CMU – 2, NUI – 3  Posessions: CMU – 34:13 ; NIU – 25:47

Longhorn fans, hate me all you want.  Your team is now #4 in the most prestigious rankings in the country.  This despite a 34 point blowout road win.  Gator fans, hate me all you want.  Your team is still #2, despite Alabama’s near collapse against the Vols.  Bronco fans, hate me now.  Your team is #6, despite a blowout win on the island.  Yes, my rankings may make your head scratch and your forehead wrinkle.  But there’s justification here.  Boise State hasn’t played anybody, prompting Iowa to jump them.  Alabama has still played better teams than Florida.  And I’ll explain the Texas setback in a blog post tomorrow, for it is the one that could mean the most come Dec. 6.

1)  Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0) – I picked the Vols to win, and they probably should have.  But they didn’t.  Alabama’s defense was stiff enough in another quality win.  They get a bye week to prepare for LSU’s trip to Tuscaloosa.

2)  Florida Gators (7-0) – Something is off with the offense.  Playing a relatively weak SEC schedule, they have broken 30 just once in five conference games.  Red zone offense has been a problem.  In 35 trips, they have only 16 touchdowns.

3)  Iowa Hawkeyes (8-0) – The Hawkeyes are 8-0 for the first time ever after beating a hot Michigan State team in East Lansing.  It’s not pretty, but this team finds ways to win.  The offense, ranked #87 in the country, needs to play better.

4)  Texas Longhorns (7-0) – Colt McCoy is closing in on the all time FBS wins record after an impressive 41-7 win against Missouri.  It’s Texas’ first well-played game in the conference, and it comes just in time.  They go to Stillwater next.

5)  Cincinnati Bearcats (7-0) – Can we still say Cincinnati is flying under the radar?  They are blowing teams out while making their best case for a title shot.  After Syracuse, things get tough with games against UConn, West Virginia and Pitt.

6)  Boise State Broncos (7-0) – If the Broncos want any prayer of playing for a national championship, they’ll need four teams ahead of them on this list to lose.  They are winning by similar margins against much worse teams – simple as that.

7)  LSU Tigers (6-1) – LSU came off the bye week by throttling Auburn.  Their only loss is Florida, and they’ve allowed 20+ points just twice.  They go to Alabama in two weeks and can still control their own destiny to a conference championship.

8)  Oregon Ducks (6-1) – The Ducks continue to roll.  Jeremiah Masoli came back this week to throw for 157 yards and a touchdown, and added two rushing touchdowns too.  If they beat USC Saturday, The Trojans will miss a BCS game.

9)  Penn State Nittany Lions (7-1) – Hammering Michigan by 25 in the Big House will get you back on track.  Penn State’s defense is the reason they are beating teams up.  They are #3 in the nation, allowing just 240 yards per game.

10)  TCU Horned Frogs (7-0) – The Horned Frogs’ four biggest wins have come on the road.  After blowing out BYU in Provo, TCU should finish 12-0.  Will the BCS take both them and an undefeated Boise State team?

11)  Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-1) – The Texas A&M win looks better after A&M blew out Texas Tech in Lubbock, but otherwise it hasn’t been much of a schedule for the Cowboys.  A win this week puts them in control of the south.

12)  USC Trojans (6-1) - Maybe my expectations are too high for this team, but I just don’t think one possession wins are good enough against the Pac 10.  Matt Barkley’s two interceptions are concerning, as is the defense all of a sudden.

13)  Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-1) – Virginia was the only remaining unbeaten in the ACC until Georgia Tech crushed them.  With the Miami loss, the Yellow Jackets are now in line to win the Coastal if they can beat Wake and Duke.

14)  Houston Cougars (6-1) – It’s time to start seriously considering Case Keenum for Heisman.  He leads the nation in total offense, completions per game, passing yards per game and is second in touchdown passes.

15)  Pittsburgh Panthers (7-1) – A solid win over South Florida topped with a lot of one loss teams going down bumps Pitt up to 15.  They now enter a stretch in which they play just two games in 33 days.  The showdown with Cincy is Dec. 5.

16)  Virginia Tech Hokies (5-2) – The Hokies still have that bitter taste in their mouths from the Georgia Tech loss, but can still win the ACC with some help.  Ryan Williams averages six yards per carry and has 10 touchdowns already.

17)  Miami Hurricanes (5-2) – The ‘Canes just couldn’t shake Clemson, and eventually lost the game in overtime.  An uncharacteristic defense gave up 410 yards, and Jacory Harris threw three interceptions for Miami.

18)  Ohio State Buckeyes (6-2) – Terrelle Pryor needed a huge game after the Purdue meltdown, and he delivered.  Pryor went 13-25 for 239 yards and two touchdowns.  He also ran for 104 yards and a score in the win over Minnesota.

19)  West Virginia Mountaineers (6-1) - The Mountaineers are quietly playing well since the Auburn loss and are undefeated in the Big East.  They still have Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Rutgers, but first is a trip to South Florida.

20)  Utah Utes (6-1) – Here’s a team that has lost to the only good team it has played, yet sits at #19 at 6-1.  Utah is doing all the right things to win, as they showed in overtime against Air Force.  They still go to Provo and Fort Worth.

21)  South Carolina Gamecocks (6-2) – Steve Spurrier is eking out wins, but he’ll tell you that against the SEC, winning is all that matters.  They outgained Vanderbilt by 158 yards and were turnover-free, yet needed a late TD to hold on.

22)  BYU Cougars (6-2) – I don’t think anyone saw that coming.  BYU failed to show up against TCU, leaving them all but out of the Mountain West championship hunt.  Five TCU players scored in a game that was over after the first quarter.

23)  Wisconsin Badgers (5-2) – Despite not having won since Oct. 3, the Badgers are back in the rankings after a few two loss teams fell this week.  For Wisconsin, 10-2 is a legitimate possibility, although this season, who knows?

24) Kansas Jayhawks (5-2) – Two weeks ago they looked like they could challenge for a BCS game.  Now they’re thinking bowl eligibility and maybe a north title after OU blows them out.  Kansas fans should be looking toward basketball.

25)  Central Michigan (7-1) – Why not?  Butch Jones has the Chippewas at 7-1 going into the showdown at Boston College.  They have a win at Michigan State and played Arizona tough in the desert.  They’ve also won seven in a row.

It’s Friday, and that means time for another edition of Pigskin Preview!

This week, we’ll be focusing on tomorrow’s game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Arizona Wildcats at Kinnick Stadium. I’ll be there, sending tweets as SigHawk04 to Eastern Iowa News for inclusion in their live chat.

A television crew will also be on hand to broadcast the event to the nation live on either ABC or ESPN2 at 2:35 p.m. CDT. Check your local listings or this map provided by ABC/ESPN to see which channel, especially if you’re in western Iowa.

Because Nebraska is also playing in that 2:30 slot on ABC, Hawkeye fans in the Omaha/Council Bluffs market will have to watch on ESPN2. Likewise, Husker fans in the area they like to call Siouxland (which encompasses both northwest Iowa and northeast Nebraska) will have to settle for seeing Big Red on the Deuce, as my former station, KCAU in Sioux City, will carry the Hawkeyes.

I’m going to come right out and admit I don’t know much about the Wildcats. Here’s what I do know. Their head coach, Mike Stoops, is a former Hawkeye player (1981-84) who became a graduate assistant (1986-87) and then a volunteer linebackers and defensive backs coach (1988-91).

His brother, Arizona defensive coordinator Mark Stoops, played at Iowa in the late ’80s and also was a graduate assistant under Hayden Fry in 1990 and 1991. He also has a national championship under his belt as an assistant coach with the Miami Hurricanes in 2001. He’s been involved in developing big names in the NFL like Ed Reed and the late Sean Taylor.

The other thing I know is that traditionally, Iowa hasn’t fared well against the Pacific 10 Conference. Going back since the beginning of the Hayden Fry era in 1979, Iowa is 6-11 in games with Pac-10 schools, the most recent being a lopsided 44-7 loss at Arizona State.

Their games with the Wildcats in this time period have been for the most part pretty close. In 1980, Arizona won in Iowa City by a baseball score of 5-3. Two years later, the Hawkeyes would go to Tucson and win, 17-14. Then in 1987, Iowa eked out a 15-14 win again on the road. And Iowa would record a one-point win over the Wildcats at Kinnick in 1996, 21-20.

Going off what little I know, I’d have to say I expect this to be a close game. I will call it Iowa 19, Arizona 16. It would seem to me that it will come down to whose defense is better. Iowa’s looked very good at Iowa State last week, forcing six turnovers. The offense took full advantage of those mistakes as well, turning four of them into touchdowns.

Much as I’d like to see them improve on this, judging by how good Arizona’s defense is, it pains me to say that Iowa will probably have its third slow start of the year. In their first two wins, they’ve looked sluggish at first, and quarterback Ricky Stanzi has not looked anything like the leader fans have made him out to be.

But as you can probably guess, they’ve gone into the locker room at halftime and worked things out. And they’ve ended up playing a better second half and notching a win. As long as their defense can keep them in the game, it’s not a problem.

You can’t always count on one side of the ball to win it for you, however. And you want to avoid the slow starts going into Happy Valley next week and the Horseshoe later in the year. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. The Hawkeyes need tomorrow’s game, because their schedule doesn’t get easier from here.

A loss would support the growing sentiment among college football fans that the Big Ten is just not that powerful in the BCS era. Ohio State is bearing the brunt of that talk, after beating Navy by only four, then losing to USC by three, both games in Columbus.

Elsewhere, Minnesota needed a field goal in overtime to beat Syracuse and opened their new stadium trailing Air Force in the third quarter, 10-3, before winning by a touchdown. Iowa of course needed to blocked field goals to beat Northern Iowa.

Illinois was slaughtered by Missouri, 37-9, Indiana beat Western Michigan at home by only four points, Central Michigan upset Michigan State in East Lansing, Michigan beat Notre Dame with a touchdown in the closing seconds, Purdue lost to Oregon, and Northwestern squandered a 21-3 lead over Eastern Michigan and needed a field goal to win, 27-24.

Then there’s Wisconsin, where Bucky Badger hung on with a 28-20 win, despite leading 28-6 at one point. The following week, they made fans at Camp Randall Stadium nervous again, beating Fresno State in double overtime, 34-31.

That right there might seem like another knock on the Big Ten, but in the Badgers’ defense, they’ve been dealing with serious health issues. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says at least 40 players had flu-like symptoms last week, but still suited up for the Fresno State game. Turns out some of the players had the H1N1 virus, or the swine flu.

So it’s really to Wisconsin’s credit that they are 2-0, when you consider how hard this bug has hit them. This week, they’ll take on Wofford at home. We’ll see if the players are still shaking off the effects of their illnesses.

Hopefully you’re not dealing with any illness, but if you are, get well soon! At least there will be another barrage of both collegiate and professional football games on TV this weekend. And if you’re near a computer, follow my tweets from Kinnick Stadium, either at SigHawk04 on Twitter or Eastern Iowa News‘ live Hawkeye chat!

Chippewas -7 vs. Owls

They had them right where they wanted them. Central Michigan, champions of the Mid-American Conference two years running was playing the team that wanted their title, in the snow, in Mount Pleasant. Yet the, then, undefeated Ball State Cardinals weathered both the winter storm and the Chippewa storm en route to a 34-21 victory. The loss sealed CMU’s fate within their conference. They would not repeat as champions, but circumstances came into play that sent Central to their third straight Motor City Bowl. They will take on legendary coach Howard Schnellenberger and Florida Atlantic at Ford Field in Detroit the day after Christmas.

When Buffalo handed Ball State a devastating loss in the MAC Championship Game, also played in Detroit, it muddied up the MAC bowl picture. Throughout it’s 12-year history, the Motor City Bowl has usually been the reward for the champion of the conference. But even though Buffalo won the MAC Championship, it made much more sense for them to head a few miles north to Toronto for the International Bowl on January 3rd. This opened up the door for Ball State to head to the Motor City Bowl, but the MAC and the bowl game decided to allow the Cardinals to have a better matchup with Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl to be held in Mobile, Alabama on January 6, so the door swung open for the Chippewas (8-4).

CMU enjoyed its fourth straight winning season and earned a third straight trip to a bowl game, even though its regular season ended in the disappointment of Ball State and an upset loss to Eastern Michigan on the final game of the regular season. The Central Michigan Chippewas will attempt to avoid a three-game losing streak for the first time since October 2004.

Much was expected of Schnellenberger and the Owls this season after winning the Sun Belt Conference last year, but a devastating 1-5 start seemed to seal their fate. But the team responded by winning five of their last six games. During the stretch Florida Atlantic averaged 35 points and defeated Florida International 57-50 in overtime to win their final game and become bowl eligible.

The bowl game may be one of the more entertaining early bowl games because both teams feature potent offenses. Dan LeFevour and Central are ranked third in the MAC with 253.1 passing yards and 24th in the nation with 427.1 yards per contest. The Owls’ Rusty Smith led his conference with 2918 yards and 22 scores.

This will be the first all-time meeting between the schools.

This will be CMU’s fifth bowl appearance, having gone 1-3 in previous appearances, including last year’s last second 51-48 loss to Purdue in last year’s Motor City Bowl. FAU went to their first bowl game last season and beat Memphis in the New Orleans Bowl. Coach Schnellenberger is 5-0 all-time in bowl games with FAU, Miami and Louisville.

InSpin.com

Cardinals -7 vs. Chippewas

The mid-week college football matchups have traditionally not been “Must See TV” in the past. Most teams are from mid-majors and at this point in this season, usually floundering with losing records, but this Wednesday, one of the best games on the college slate this week will be played when the undefeated Ball State Cardinals will face their toughest test of the season as they travel to Mount Pleasant to take on their fellow first place, Central Michigan Chippewas.

Fans in Muncie know this season is special for Ball State (10-0, 6-0). Not since 1978 have they had so much success. Interesting enough in that season, in which the Cardinals posted 10 wins, current Coach Brady Hoke was a linebacker. So perhaps lightning has struck twice for Hoke. But the season can spiral quickly out of control for the Cardinals if they loss to Central Michigan and then face a tough Western Michigan coming in for Ball State’s home finale.

Central Michigan (8-2, 6-0) is the only other team without a loss within the MAC. They will attempt to upset Ball State to take over first place in the Western Division and pave their way to the MAC Championship Game so they may attempt to win their third straight conference title. The Chippewas know they have the upper hand in recent years in head-to-head matchups. Ball State has lost four straight to Central Michigan. Last season, CMU rolled up 58 points in a road decimation of Ball State.

Last week Miami served as Ball State’s latest victim, 31-16. Running back MiQuale Lewis ran for 165 yards and two touchdowns. The back now has eight 100-yard games this season and has scored in nine straight games. The balanced Cardinal offensive attack is anchored by Nate Davis. The quarterback tossed for 289 yards and a score. Ball State is ranked 16th  in the AP and 17th in the BCS with an offense ranked 12th in the country with 461 yards per contest and 15th with 37.6 points per game.

Central Michigan had a little tougher task last week when they had to go to overtime to beat Northern Illinois 33-30. The Chippewas blew a 24-point lead in the second half. Perhaps CMU was looking ahead to Ball State or perhaps they were just road weary. The Chippewas were finishing a grueling three game road streak against MAC foes and they won all three. They have not been home since a 38-28 victory over in-state rival Western Michigan.

Ball State has not beaten Central Michigan since 2003 and has not won in Mount Pleasant since 2002.

InSpin.com

Huskies -3 1/2 vs. Chippewas

Trying to keep pace within the conference with Ball State, Central Michigan takes to the field tonight to attempt to stay undefeated in the conference and maintain the ability to control their own destiny.

The Chippewas (7-2, 5-0) head to Illinois to battle Northern Illinois in a last season Mid-American Conference matchup. While Central Michigan’s future may not be as bright as Ball State’s, who is undefeated, number 14 in the BSC standings and have a possibility of going to the best bowl game a MAC school has ever participated in. CMU, if they win out will go to the MAC Championship game with a chance to go to the Motor City Bowl for the third straight season. Looming on the horizon for Central Michigan is a matchup at home with Ball State next week. But that game will lose some of its luster if the Chippewas get knocked off because they were looking ahead to the game of the year in the MAC.

Dan LeFevour has paced Central well with a stellar offense. CMU’s passing offense ranks 12th in the country and 27th in total offense. The junior quarterback has completed 67 percent of his passes for 1619 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Chippewas have had to rely on the pass much more than they would like because their rushing attack is ranked 90th.

Northern Illinois (5-4, 4-2) was the most recent victim of the Ball State Express. The Cardinals decimated the Huskies on the road last weekend 45-14. NIU will look to regroup at home and take their vengeance out on the other first place team, Central Michigan. Prior to last week, the Huskies had been on a roll, winning three straight and five out of six. Northern Illinois has down this with a stout defense and a solid running game led by freshman back Me-co Brown.

Central Michigan won the last outing 35-10 last season in Mount Pleasant, but Northern Illinois has owned the series lately. Prior to last year’s loss, the Huskies had won nine in a row in the series.

InSpin.com

There will be thoughts on the we’re-taking-every-other-week-off Illini, Kyle Orton’s smoking offense, and my continuing man crush on Derrick Rose soon.  In the meantime, here are some quick picks again on a Halloween weekend (home teams in CAPS):

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PARLAY

(1) INDIANA HOOSIERS (-2) over Central Michigan Chippewas
(2) Colorado Buffaloes (+3.5) over TEXAS A&M AGGIES
(3) ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI (-2.5) over Iowa Hawkeyes (We’re on the semi-weekly schedule for Illinois showing up for games, so this ought to be a relatively easy win.  If the Illini lose this game, everyone should be fired.)

Frank the Tank’s College Football Parlay Record
Last Week: 2-1
Illini Games for the Season: 3-4
Overall Season: 15-11-1

NFL FOOTBALL PARLAY

(1) Baltimore Ravens (+1.5) over CLEVELAND BROWNS
(2) DENVER BRONCOS (-3) over Miami Dolphins
(3) Detroit Lions (+12.5) over CHICAGO BEARS (I have a bad feeling about this game, where the Bears should win but the team comes out so flat that they’ll fail to cover.  If the Bears lose this game, everyone should be fired.)

Frank the Tank’s NFL Football Parlay Record
Last Week: 2-1
Bears Games for the Season: 2-4-1
Overall Season: 11-10-3

(Image from Happy Hour Valley)

BOX SCORE

In a game that saw its two teams combine for 99 points, the most important play of the game was executed by a kicker — good news for Purdue, bad news for Central Michigan.

Boilermakers kicker Chris Summers split the uprights on a 40-yard field goal as regulation time expired to secure a 51-48 win for Purdue in a wild Motor City Bowl.

The Summers kick capped off a seven-play, 38-yard drive which began at the Purdue 39-yard line with 1:04 remaining in regulation. As had been the case for the entire game, Boilermakers quarterback Curtis Painter marched the team down the field, completing four of five attempted passes for 41 yards before kneeling in the middle of the field to set up what would become the game-winning field goal.

Painter completed 35 of 54 passes for 546 yards and three touchdowns in the game, doing much of his damage early in the game. Painter’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Jake Standeford with 13:20 left in the third quarter gave Purdue a commanding 21-point lead. But while the lead was commanding, it was proven not to be insurmountable.

Led by quarterback Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan rallied to score 21 consecutive points and tie the game up — in the third quarter. LeFevour accumulated 56 of his 107 rushing yards and 150 of his 292 passing yards as the Chippewas rallied in the third period.

Despite momentum shifting to the virtual home team late in the game, Purdue would not go away. After forcing Central Michigan to go three-and-out on its first fourth quarter drive, the Boilermakers responded with a 12-play, 76-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a 13-yard Jaycen Taylor touchdown run. The junior’s jaunt allowed Purdue to reclaim a seven-point lead.

While it would come late — though not late enough in retrospect — the Chippewas would have an answer. On what would turn out to be its final drive of the game, Central Michigan would tie the game as LeFevour scrambled twice for 18 yards and completed all three of his attempted passes — including the game-tying 20-yard touchdown toss to sophomore Bryan Anderson — for 56 yards. The drive, which began with 2:15 remaining, took only 61 seconds off of the clock, leaving plenty of time for Painter and Purdue’s eventual response.

The win lifts Purdue to an 8-5 record to finish the year, while the Chippewas fell to 8-6.

UPDATED CDDYHARFCS RECORDS:
NCAA Football 08 (4-3)
Merrill Park Superstar (3-4)

Holiday Bowl Predictions:
NCAA Football 08: Texas
Merrill Park Superstar: Texas

Barely seconds into the second half of the Motor City bowl in Detroit, which is pitting Purdue vs. Central Michigan, the Boilermakers saw their 34-13 lead shrink as Central Michigan just whipped off a 77-yard passing score to bring them with two scores. While trying to tell you about that, however, the Boilermakers just drove down the field and scored again, making the score now 41-20.

Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter already has 399 passing yards and three scores and we are barelytwo minutes into the second half. It looks pretty good that the Yardstick for the Motor City Bowl could easily have been higher that the eight points victory it was predicting for Purdue at kickoff.

Motor City Bowl
Dec. 26, 4:30 p.m. PST
Purdue (7-5) vs. Central Michigan (8-5)
Detroit, Michigan
Payout: $750,000
Spread: Purdue – 9

Hooray, another rematch! We must’ve been really good this year because Santa brought us the first ever bowl season with two rematches from the regular season. I’m so filled with joy I could gouge out my eyes. At least Central Michigan has improved since the egg they laid on the road against this Purdue team in September. Purdue on the other hand, let their season slip away down the stretch.

Purdue isn’t a very good football team, even by Big 10 standards, which have been lowered this year from their lofty perch. The only bowl team Purdue beat all year was this Central Michigan team. After starting 5-0 loading up on the likes of Toledo, Eastern Illinois, Minnesota and Notre Dame, the Boilermakers fell hard and fast. Five of their final seven games were against teams bound for the post-season and wouldn’t you know it, they lost five of seven. Included among those games was a 17-point loss to Michigan State, a 27-point loss to Michigan and a three-point loss to Indiana, putting the Hoosiers in the Insight Bowl. If only they could play teams from Michigan not named Michigan or Michigan State more often.

Head coach Joe Tiller’s Purdue teams have been known for one thing, offense. This team is no different. Quarterback Curtis Painter has really improved since his sophomore season, especially in cutting down on turnovers. He’s next in a long line of great Purdue QB’s who have spent time playing in the No Fun League. He has an embarrassment of riches to throw to as six players have contributed significantly in the passing game. Wide receivers Dorien Bryant, Greg Orton, Selwyn Lymon and Jake Standeford, tight end Dustin Keller and running back Kory Sheets all had at least 27 catches.

Central Michigan’s secondary will probably focus on Bryant (82 catches, eight TD’s) but that will open up opportunities for the rest of the receiving corps. Bryant had a relatively average day in the first meeting with six catches. If Painter tries to force to ball to Bryant, who will be playing in his final collegiate game, the rest of the offense will suffer and CMU will be able to stay in the game. If the ball is spread around as it was in September, when Lymon recorded six receptions, then the rout will once again be on. Tailback Kory Sheets ran for a season high in yardage when the two teams played in September, if he can have similar success CMU linebackers will have too much to worry about.

The Boilermakers are atrocious defensively though, even in a conference where offenses have labored to put up points this season. Chippewa quarterback Dan LeFevour could be the benefactor of their inability to stop anyone. LeFevour is in elite company statistically. He is one of two players in division 1-A history to throw for 3,000 yards and run for 1,000. The other is Vince Young.

He’s now led this team to two consecutive MAC championships and potentially two consecutive Motor City Bowl wins. Keep in mind he’s still a sophomore. He had 40 total TD’s this year, 17 of those rushing. His completion percentage is up to 66 percent and though he threw three more interceptions than last year, that can be attributed to throwing over 100 more passes. In the Purdue game he threw for 364 yards, largely because of the deficit, but he was held to just 26 yards rushing. If the Chippewas are going to have a chance in this game LeFevour must emerge as a running threat. They won’t be able to rely on the tandem of Justin Hoskins and Ontario Sneed to keep move the chains, although the emergence of Hoskins midway through the season certainly helped the offense. LeFevour will have to do much of the grunt work himself. This could be a statement game for him and what could be a strong Central Michigan team next year. If they three-peat as MAC champs and pull an upset or two in non-conference games they could be looking at a BCS appearance with LeFevour as an attraction for the big money bowl games.

It won’t be a matter of playing defense because neither team can. This game should be fun to watch with two pro prospects at quarterback airing it out all night. I think CMU is excited to get their shot at a rematch and will take full advantage.

Prediction:
Central Michigan 48 - Purdue 45