Sugar Bowl: Oklahoma vs. LSU
Oklahoma and USC is who everyone wanted in the national championship, but Kansas State changed all of that by upsetting previously unbeaten Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship. USC slipped in the BCS rankings due to its strength of schedule and instead of playing in the Sugar Bowl, is now going to the Rose Bowl.
Oklahoma has a quarterback-receiver tandem that makes defending the Sooners a bear. Heisman candidate Jason White looks to receiver Mark Clayton, a Fred Biletnikoff Award Finalist, as his go-to-guy. Against Texas Tech, White threw for 394 yards and four touchdowns, with Clayton catching one of those, as Oklahoma routed the Red Raiders 56-25 Nov. 22. Clayton set the school- record at Oklahoma with 71 catches for 1,289 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Sooners, who have outscored their Big 12 South foes 291-50, concluded their 10th unbeaten regular season in 65 years. Oklahoma (12-1) also had the nation’s longest winning streak, 14, in Division I-A. These Sooners pack a mean punch on defense. Against Texas Tech’s (7-5, 4-4) No. 1 rated offense in the nation, Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mike Stoop’s troops held Red Raider quarterback B.J. Symons to a season-low 230 yards and got him to throw five interceptions. The Sooners lead the Big 12 in scoring offense and defense. Oklahoma’s offense averages 48.3 points, while the defense is allowing just 13.2 points a game.
LSU has made school history this season by winning 12 games, but what is even more incredible is that the Tigers jumped ahead of USC in the BCS rankings and landed a spot in the national title game. The Tigers (12-1) did what they had to do by whipping Georgia 34-13 Saturday to win the Southeastern Conference title for the second time in three years. Freshman running back Justin Vincent, MVP of the game, rushed for a championship record 201 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Tigers. But the LSU team was in a giving mood because of the holiday season and spread the wealth against the Bulldogs (10-3). Quarterback Matt Mauck and receivers Michael Clayton and Skyler Green hooked up for 43- and 34-yard touchdown passes. The defense, stingiest in the country in points allowed, also dominated Georgia’s offense. Georgia quarterback David Greene, who has gone three games without throwing an interception, was picked off three times, sacked five times and finished 17-of-41 for 199 yards. LSU, ranked No. 1 in rushing defense allowing a paltry 69.7 yards a game, held the Bulldogs to just 50 yards on the ground. Shifting attention to the national championship game, Oklahoma will have its hands full against these all-around explosive Tigers. LSU led the SEC in scoring offense (35 points a game) and ranked first in total defense (260.4 yards a game).
Oklahoma and LSU’s history in the Sugar Bowl: Oklahoma has played in the bowl five times and racked up five wins. The most recent Sugar Bowl victory for the Sooners came in 1972 against Auburn (40-22). LSU has played in the Sugar Bowl 10 times and has achieved a 4-6 record. The Tigers last played in the bowl in 2002 and beat Illinois 47-34. Oklahoma and LSU have played each other once in the Sugar Bowl. In 1950, the Sooners shut out the Tigers 35-0.
Look for: Lots of scoring by both teams. Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops has been here before in 2001, so I’d tip my hat to him and the Sooners to not let their emotions get the best of them and play a solid football game. But LSU matches up well with Oklahoma in terms of the skill positions, so whichever skilled players make the most plays will be on the team crowned national champions.
Bowld prediction: Oklahoma 41, LSU 35 – Sooner D rules the day, as Mauck isn’t in Louisiana anymore. White doesn’t win the Heisman, but more importantly, he does win the national championship.
Key matchups: First, White versus LSU’s defensive line. The Tigers line is fierce and fast, so if they can get to White, who is not the most mobile quarterback, LSU could stick around. Second, Vincent and Clayton versus Oklahoma’s defense: If the Sooners can limit Vincent to not many big plays, Mauck will be forced to look elsewhere to move the offense, which he hasn’t had to do much this season. This could rattle the Tigers offense, and if the Sooners can get to Mauck, he could crack under pressure.
Rose Bowl: USC vs. Michigan
The Pac 10-Big Ten matchup returns to the Rose Bowl and what a game it should be. These two teams have a long-standing tradition of playing classic games in the Rose Bowl, and this game should be no different.
USC has nine players on the All-Pac 10 first team, quarterback Matt Leinart was named Pac 10 offensive player of the year, and receiver Mike Williams is listed as a Fred Biletnikoff Award Finalist. More importantly, these Trojans are fun to watch. USC’s pass-happy offense, ranked first in the Pac 10 in scoring offense averaging 41.3 points, is led by the dynamic duo of Leinart and Williams. In USC’s second-to-last game, the Trojans (11-1) crushed the Bruins 47-22 en route to capturing the Pac 10 conference title. Leinart, a redshirt sophomore, threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns. Williams, also a sophomore, caught 11 passes for 181 yards and two scores, which marked a school-record (27) in career touchdown receptions. Even the defense, ranked first in scoring defense averaging 17.9 points, got caught in the scoring-fest against the Bruins (6-6, 4-4). Two touchdowns were scored by the defense on fumble returns, and the defense also held UCLA to a minuscule 11 yards rushing. The Trojans continued their scoring-fest in the regular season finale against Oregon State (7-5), as Leinart threw for five touchdowns in a 52-28 win. By doing so, Leinart chiseled out a conference single-season mark with 35 touchdown passes. Also, USC scored 40 or more points for the seventh game in a row and finished the regular season with a Pac 10 record 506 points. To boot, out of the nine placed on the All-Pac-10 first team, four were defensive players. USC has it all, offense, defense and special teams. Punter Tom Malone, one of the nine Trojans placed on the All-Pac 10 first team, led the conference in punting with 43.1 net yards.
Two things are obvious when clicking onto Michigan’s official football web site: Its offense is the team’s strength, with pictures featuring running back Chris Perry, quarterback John Navarre and receiver Braylon Edwards doing their thing. Secondly, the Wolverines are still gloating over their performance against Ohio State Nov. 22, with the score (35-21) and “Big Ten Champs” strewn across the web page. The 100th meeting between Ohio State and Michigan was a storybook ending for Wolverine fans, and to be playing in the Rose Bowl is just icing on the cake. Its trio of offensive playmakers helped Michigan (10-2) seize the first outright Big Ten Conference title since 1997 and snapped a two-game losing streak to the hated Buckeyes. Just to put the playmakers numbers in perspective: Perry led the Big Ten in rushing with an average of 126.8 yards a game, Navarre finished second in passing (265 yards a game), and Edwards finished second in receptions a game (6.12). Add this all up and it results in the Wolverines leading conference in scoring with 35.8 points a game. But maybe the most important statistic for the offense is that it was first in red zone offense, scoring 16 touchdowns and kicking six field goals on 25 attempts. Defensively, Michigan ranked third in total defense, giving up 303.4 yards a game. They finished first in pass defense efficiency with a 52.1 percent.
USC and Michigan’s history in the Rose Bowl: The Trojans have played in the bowl 28 times, with their last appearance coming in 1996 when they beat Northwestern 41-32. Michigan has played in Pasadena 17 times, with an overall record of 7-10. The Wolverines last appearance came in 1998 when they beat Washington State 21-16. Worth noting: Michigan and Stanford played in the first Rose Bowl game, and the Wolverines easily won, 49-0. USC-Michigan has played each other six times in
the Rose Bowl, with the Trojans owning a 4-2 record against the Wolverines. The two last met in 1990, and USC won a close one, 17-10.
Look for: The home team, USC, to seize the momentum and outplay Michigan. USC will ride Leinart’s hot hand and its speed on offense will be too much for the Wolverines.
Bowld prediction: USC 41, Michigan 28 – Even though Michigan ranked first in pass defense efficiency, the Wolverines have not played a team like USC. The Trojans will roll up 40 points for the eighth straight game, and the athletic defense shuts down Perry and Navarre.
Key matchups: First, Perry versus USC’s defensive line. If Perry can have his way like he did against Ohio State, look out USC. But, if the Trojans defense can either eliminate the running game or bend and not break, USC will be able to focus more defending against the pass. Second, Leinart versus Michigan’s defensive line. Leinart is a mobile quarterback who has pin-point accuracy. If the Wolverines defensive line can disrupt his timing or knock him around a bit, Michigan’s secondary could be in position to pick off some of his throws.
Fiesta Bowl: Ohio State vs. Kansas State
The Buckeyes return to the site where it last won the national championship against the surprise team of the year, the Kansas State Wildcats.
Ohio State finished the Big Ten season on a down note, which is the understatement of the year in Columbus. With the Big Ten title and a return trip to the national championship waning in the balance, the Buckeyes got rocked in the 100th meeting of OSU-Michigan 35-21 Nov.22. Michigan (10-2) instead won the Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl appearance. The No. 8 Buckeyes (10-2) had the No. 1 run defense in the country entering the contest, but Wolverine running back Chris Perry changed all of that. Perry steamrolled his way through OSU’s defense for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback John Navarre also had his way with the Buckeyes secondary as he torched them for 278 touchdowns and two touchdowns.
Kansas State might as well be labeled the Cinderella team of the year as it knocked off top-ranked Oklahoma (12-1) to claw its way into a BCS bowl. To win its first conference crown in 69 years and first since winning the Big Six in 1934, and shook things up in the BCS is truly a remarkable testament to Wildcat coach Bill Snyder and his staff, especially defensive coordinator Bob Elliott. Elliott’s defense pressured Sooner quarterback Jason White all night, intercepted two of his passes, and held their running game to 83 yards while on its way to staging this year’s biggest upset, 35-7 on Dec. 6. Quarterback Ell Roberson threw four touchdowns passes and Darren Sproles ran for 235 yards as Kansas State (11-3) outplayed Oklahoma’s vaunted defense. White, who was the Heisman Trophy favorite, finished 27-for-50 for 298 yards and no touchdowns.
OSU and Kansas State’s history in the Fiesta Bowl: OSU has played in the bowl three times (2-1 record), with the most memorable one coming just last year. The Buckeyes captured their seventh national title in double overtime against Miami 31-24. Kansas State won its only game Fiesta bowl game, 35-18, in 1998 against Syracuse.
Look for: OSU coach Jim Tressel to switch quarterback Craig Krenzel with Scott McMullen (the people’s choice at quarterback) if he struggles a la the Michigan game. Spare the loyalty to Krenzel, Tressel needs to salvage this failed season in the eyes of Columbus’ faithful and pull out a win.
Bowld prediction: Kansas State 31, Ohio State 17 – The speed of the Wildcats catches OSU off guard and Kansas State achieves another impressive win.
Key matchups: First, Sproles versus the Buckeyes defensive line. If OSU can comeback from its last performance against Michigan and put it to the short, speedy running back, the Buckeyes could hang around longer than expected. Second, OSU’s offense versus Kansas State’s defense. If the no-balanced offense can get it together and put up some points on the board, the Buckeyes might finish out the season on a positive note. And if the Buckeyes can sustain a running game with either or both Lydell Ross and Maurice Hall, it could alleviate some of the pressure at quarterback. If not, look for Krenzel to be running for his life, which may be a good thing Bucks fans because he throws better on the run.
