San Diego County Poinsettia Bowl Wrap Up and Beef O' Brady's Bowl Preview

BYU Linebacker Kyle Van Noy had a huge game in their Poinsettia Bowl Victory over San Diego State

San Diego County Poinsettia Bowl: BYU 23, San Diego State 6

This was a game that featured very little offense, especially in the first half, as San Diego State held a 6-3 lead going into the half. The second half was a completely different story, as BYU stepped it up on defense, especially linebacker Kyle Van Noy, as he scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery, and also ran an interception back for a score. He was undoubtedly the deciding factor in this game, as BYU scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to win the game 23-6. 

I picked San Diego State in this game, so I am now 2-1 on bowl picks this season.

The knights of Central Florida will square off against Ball State tonight for the Beef O' Brady's Bowl

Beef O' Brady's Bowl:

How They Got Here:

Central Florida: The Knights of Central Florida had a good season this year, finishing with a 9-4 record in the Conference USA. Central Florida has a high powered offense that has been putting up 35 points per game this season, and its only losses came against Missouri, Ohio State, and Tulsa (twice). Central Florida lost the Conference USA Title Game to Tulsa, which put them in the Beef O' Brady's Bowl instead of going to the Liberty Bowl. Central Florida had some key wins over East Carolina, SMU, and Rice.

Ball State: The Cardinals of Ball State also had a good season as they went 9-3, represent the MAC conference, and look to pick up their first ever bowl win tonight against UCF. Ball State is 0-5 all time in bowl games heading into tonight's match up against the Knights. Ball State played a tough schedule this year, as the MAC Conference surprised some people by getting Northern Illinois to a BCS Bowl, and having seven teams in the conference be bowl eligible. Ball State relies on their explosive offense, but they don't play that great on defense, as they are ranked 91st in points allowed in the nation. Ball State picked up some key victories against Southern Florida, Ohio, Toledo, and Central Michigan. 

Prediction: I picked against defense last time, as I picked San Diego State over BYU, and with Central Florida having such an explosive offense I have to go with the Knights in this match-up. Ball State will keep it close, but if they make a mistake Central Florida will take advantage of it, and I think that will be the difference. Central Florida wins this high scoring affair, 42-38.

Credits:

Central Florida picture:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/beef-o-brady-bowl-preview-central-florida-vs-001124932--ncaaf.html#more-24224

BYU Picture:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2012/12/21/brigham-young-san-diego-state-poinsettia-bowl/1783645/

Information:

http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/_/id/2050/ball-state-cardinals

http://espn.go.com/ncf/preview?id=323562116

http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/_/id/2116/ucf-knights

Gildan New Mexico Bowl and Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Wrap Up, San Diego County Poinsettia Bowl Preview

Arizona running back Ka'Deem Carey had a big game in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl

Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Arizona 49, Nevada 48
This game was a thrilling start to the 2012 bowl season. This high scoring affair was decided late in the final quarter, as the Wildcats rallied from a 21 point deficit to defeat the Nevada Wolf Pack, 49-48. Arizona was down 13 with just under two minutes remaining.

Arizona knew they needed a miracle. Arizona quarter back Matt Scott kept his composure, and took the team down the field for a much needed touchdown. Then with no timeouts, Arizona had to attempt an onside kick. Then the unthinkable happened. The onside kick was executed to perfection. Scott then rallied the Wildcats and led them down the field throwing a two yard strike to wide receiver Tyler Slavin, who scored the game winning touchdown. The Wildcats kicked off this year's bowl season with a heck of a game. Both teams combined for 1,237 yards of total offense. Turnovers really killed Nevada late in this game, as two fumbles were the Wolf Packs downfall. Arizona back Ka'Deem Carey ran for 172 yards and three touchdowns in the win. He is only a sophomore, and he could contend for the Heisman Trophy next season. He's definitely a player to watch.


I picked Arizona in my preview post, so after this game I am 1-0 in Bowl Picks.

Utah State running back Kerwynn Williams ran all over Toledo

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Utah State 41, Toledo 15
This game was close for three quarters, but got way out of hand. Toledo never had a chance in the second half as Utah State running back Kerwynn Williams exploded in the 4th quarter, having two rushes of of more than 50 yards. Williams finished the game with 235 yards rushing and three touchdowns.


I picked Utah State in the preview, so after this game I am now 2-0 in Bowl Picks.

San Diego State will square off against BYU in this years Poinsettia Bowl

San Diego County Poinsettia Bowl:

How They Got Here:

BYU: The Cougars of BYU had an up and down year this season, going 7-5 as an Independent.They started out the year 2-0, with routs of Washington State and Weber State, but dropped their next two games against Utah, 24-21, and Boise State 7-6. BYU then destroyed Hawaii, and took a 6-3 victory over Utah State. BYU had a rough schedule this year, and their next two games came against two top 10 opponents. BYU lost both games, 42-24 to Oregon State, and 17-14 to the top ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. BYU finished the year out on a high note, winning three of their last four games against Georgia Tech, Idaho, and New Mexico State. BYU mainly relies on their 5th ranked defense to win them games. Five of their games were decided by a touchdown or less.


San Diego State: The Aztecs of San Diego State went 9-3 this season, and won a share of the Mountain West title. The Aztecs opened up the year with a loss against Washington, but defeated Army 42-7 the next week. The Aztecs got in a close game the following week, as they edged North Dakota 49-41. San Diego State then dropped two contests against San Jose State and Fresno State. The Aztecs then got on a roll winning seven straight games to wrap up their year at 9-3, and are playing in the Poinsettia Bowl for the second time in three years. Some key wins for the Aztecs are their victories over Boise State, Air Force, and Nevada.


Prediction: BYU does have the 5th ranked defense in all of college football, but I am looking for San Diego State running back Adam Muema to have a big game, and he will need to in order for San Diego State to pull out the victory. Muema, a sophomore, rushed for 1,355 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. The Cougars are the favorite, but look for them to slip up as San Diego State wins this low scoring affair 17-13.




Credits:
Ka'Deem Carey Photo:
http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/azstarnet.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/8/55/85548096-2b78-11e2-870c-0019bb2963f4/509ebe879e944.preview-620.jpg
Gildan New Mexico Bowl Information:
http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=323500012
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Information:
http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?id=323500328
Kerwynn Williams Photo:
http://www.idahopress.com/blogs/sports/dave/famous-idaho-potato-bowl-utah-state-toledo-fourth-quarter/article_5a9df9a6-4700-11e2-90fd-0019bb2963f4.html

San Diego State photo:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/949010-boise-state-football-grading-the-broncos-win-over-san-diego-state#/articles/949010-boise-state-football-grading-the-broncos-win-over-san-diego-state/page/7
BYU Information:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/_/id/252/brigham-young-cougars
San Diego State Information:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/_/id/21/san-diego-state-aztecs

Gildan New Mexico Bowl and Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Predictions

Arizona looks to defeat Nevada in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl

Saturday marks the official start of the college bowl season. Bowl season will kick off with the Gildan New Mexico Bowl which is a match up between the Wildcats of Arizona and the Nevada Wolf Pack.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl:

How They Got Here:

Arizona: The Wildcats of Arizona started the season out strong by racking up three wins early, defeating Toledo in overtime, crushing Oklahoma State, and blanking South Carolina State 56-0. The Wildcats then were crushed by a powerful Oregon Ducks offense, gave Oregon State a closely contest game, they lost, and then fell to the Stanford Cardinal in overtime.

Arizona started turning their season around by beating Washington and then #9 USC, 39-36 despite an amazing game from USC receiver Marqise Lee.The next week Arizona was embarrassed by UCLA, losing 66-10. That improved their record to 5-4. Arizona finished out their season by beating Colorado and Utah, while losing their final game against in state rival Arizona State in a 41-34 thriller. The Wildcats finished at 7-5.



Nevada: The Wolf Pack of Nevada started off hot but had a disappointing end to their regular season. Nevada started out 6-1, but a bad couple of games made the Wildcats finish out 7-5, and put them in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl. Nevada had early wins in the season against California, Northwestern State, Hawaii, Texas State,Wyoming, and UNLV. Then some close games went against the Wolf Pack, as Nevada lost an overtime game to San Diego State and a close game to Boise State, nearly pulling off the upset.


Prediction: Both of these teams rely heavily on the running games, Arizona having Ka'Deem Carey, who is a sophomore running back who put up amazing numbers this season, with 1,757 yards and 20 scores. Nevada has junior running back Stefphon Jefferson, who rushed for 1,703 yards, and 22 touchdowns. Both offenses put up high numbers, while both teams have mediocre defenses that allow a ton of points. Expect this game to be a high scoring see-saw battle, the winner being the team that makes the least amount of mistakes, or the team who has the ball last. I see Arizona coming out on top in this one because Ka'Deem Carey is a machine, and I honestly think he could have been a legitimate Heisman candidate, even though Johnny Manziel deserved to bring home the trophy. Matt Scott, the quarterback of Arizona will play well against Nevada, and will be the difference in this game. Look for Arizona to get the stop they need late, to win this thriller.

I think Arizona wins this game 45-42.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl:

Chuckie Keeton of Utah State looks to lead the Aggies to victory over Toledo

How They Got Here:

Utah State: The Aggies of Utah State had a solid year this season, picking up 10 wins, and going undefeated in the WAC. Utah defeated Southern Utah, and finally defeated Utah for the first time in 15 years, 27-20 in overtime. Utah dropped only two contests all year, and that was a 6-3 loss to BYU, and a 16-14 loss to Wisconsin. The Aggies rely heavily on defense, as they rank eighth in points allowed in the nation, giving up just 15.4 per game. The team also is a good offensive team, as they rank in the top 40 in passing and rushing in the nation. Key wins for Utah State include victories over Utah, Louisiana Tech, and San Jose State.



Toledo: The Rockets of Toledo are representing the MAC, and had a solid season going 9-3 on the year. The Rockets rely mainly on their offense, as they put up around 33 points per game. Key wins for this team include wins over Cincinnati, Central Michigan, and Wyoming.

Prediction: I think that the Aggies will shut down the Toledo offense with their strong defense, and Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton will be too much for the Rockets to handle, as Utah State wins 34-21.





Credits:
Arizona Wildcats photo:
http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/002/789/910/hi-res-157253245_display_image.jpg?1354497724

Information for Gildan New Mexico Bowl:
http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/preview?gameId=323500012
http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/_/id/12/arizona-wildcats
http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/_/id/2440/nevada-wolf-pack

Chuckie Keeton photo:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865562133/USU-football-Utah-State7s-Chuckie-Keeton-and-Tyler-Bennett-earn-WAC-Player-of-the-Week-honors.html?pg=all

Information for Famous Idaho Potato Bowl:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/_/id/328/utah-state-aggies
http://espn.go.com/college-football/team/_/id/2649/toledo-rockets
http://espn.go.com/ncf/preview?id=323500328

Heisman Trophy Finalists 2012

The Greatest Award in Sports

With the college football season in the books, it's that time again. Time to announce the Heisman Trophy winner for 2012. Three players are headed to New York for the Trophy Presentation, those three men being Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, also known as Johnny Football, and Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o. All three players had a great year, but only one really has a chance of winning the award, with Manziel being the favorite to haul in the hardware. That's something really impressive considering he is only a freshman.

Manziel has thrown for 3,419 yards on the season, while completing 68.3 percent of his passes. Manziel threw for 24 touchdowns, and also made an impact on the ground this season, rushing for 1,181 yards, and 19 scores. He burst right onto the scene as a freshman, and if he doesn't take home the trophy this year, there's a very strong chance that he will his sophomore or junior season. Collin Klein and Manti Te'o both had an amazing year, but neither one really will come close to winning this trophy. Te'o is at a disadvantage because only one person has ever won the Heisman that was a defensive player, and that was Charles Woodson for the university of Michigan back in 1997. Klein is great, but he isn't Johnny Football.

Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M should bring home the Heisman.

Credits:

Heisman Trophy Picture:
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_Ip5StD-zoE3YVEZUp9DXPTaUGEn1cIcbq0g-e7wX8uZx5XiONZkDAEuANHZCWHusQeorlm43AzmM4w3kJYfenzgoG6-6DEThN_jZZEFk_oTNl3F7zE4Idii0TZ1Y08abMJFirPgk0Im/s1600/heisman+trophy.jpg

Johnny Manziel Picture:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/andy_staples/11/10/texas-am-alabama-johnny-manziel/index.html

Information:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/stats/_/id/517475/johnny-manziel

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8706848/heisman-trophy-johnny-manziel-collin-klein-manti-teo-named-finalists

BCS Week 12 Rankings: The New Number One

Kansas State is the new # 1 in the BCS

Thanks to Texas A&M, there was some madness in the new BCS Standings. Texas A&M pulled out a huge upset over the number one Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa. Johnny Manziel played a great game, and shocked the Crimson Tide. With the loss, Alabama fell in the polls, and shook things up a bit, opening the door for controversy. This week's top 10 looks like this:

1. Kansas State
2. Oregon
3. Notre Dame
4. Alabama
5. Georgia
6. Florida
7. LSU
8. Texas A&M
9. South Carolina
10. Florida State

There are a couple controversial things about these rankings. First, Oregon should be number one, not Kansas State. The next problem is Texas A&M jumping from 15 to number eight in just one week. Sure they upset the number one team in the nation, but they just jumped too many teams in one week. Don't get me wrong, they were very impressive against Alabama, but they still have two losses, and a few teams they jumped would be very competitive with the Aggies.

Oregon should be the top team in the BCS Poll. They continue to impress by putting up points and rolling over teams. Though they will face another tough test on their schedule as they finish up the year with Stanford and will play their rivalry game known as the Civil War, against in state opponent Oregon State. If Oregon can finish the year undefeated they should be playing for the championship, which they will do if they manage to stay unbeaten. Kansas State has a rougher schedule, but they don't dominate the game like Oregon does. I really want to see Kansas State matched up with Oregon. Either team could really come out on top. Both teams have great offenses; Oregon's being the more explosive offense. Oregon's defense scares me though, as they have given up 51 points to USC, 34 points to Arkansas State, 25 to Fresno State, and 26 to Washington State. Kansas State on the other hand is a very solid defensive team and wouldn't allow Oregon to put up the 54.8 points that they average per game.

Notre Dame is really favored by the computers and with that help if they can go 12-0 they may be able to jump Kansas State to play Oregon in the Title, assuming that all three teams go 12-0. Notre Dame isn't as good as Kansas State or Oregon but may be able to get a good push from the computers to get them there. That is the problem with the BCS. Ever since its installment issues like that have come up many times. The four team playoff next season can't get here soon enough. Though to put that in perspective, if there was a playoff, the 1 and 2 seeds would host the 3 and 4 seeds. So Kansas State would play Alabama at home, and Oregon would get Notre Dame at home. The problem? Alabama is MUCH better than Notre Dame. How things will come into shape will be interesting to say the least. Until then, enjoy college football, and get ready for what is hopefully a great bowl season.

Games of The Week:

(18) USC vs (17) UCLA

(2) Oregon vs (14) Stanford

Upset Alert:

(2) Oregon vs (14) Stanford

(3) Notre Dame vs Wake Forest







Credits:


Photo From:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/13/kansas-state-football-collin-klein-iowa-state_n_1963938.html

Information from:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/

Number 1 Goes Down!



Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel and team celebrate the upset victory over Alabama

 Johnny Manziel knew that to beat Alabama it was going to take a great game from him. He was up for the challenge. Alabama came into the game ranked number one in the BCS, and they may have saw their national championship hopes fall apart. After Alabama had to claw it's way to a 20-17 win against LSU last week, an upset was in the air Saturday. The Crimson Tide suffered their first loss of the year at home to the Aggies of Texas A&M.

The Aggies jumped all over Alabama in the first quarter, scoring 20 unanswered points. Christine Michael ran for two scores, and Johnny Manziel threw a 10 yard pass for a touchdown to wide receiver Ryan Swope. Alabama then found a running game as Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon scored on rushing touchdowns in the second quarter to make it a six point game going into the half. The game was up for grabs entering the third quarter but Alabama made some costly mistakes. Alabama had three turnovers, including two interceptions and a fumble. Alabama threw an interception on their last drive. They were able to hold A&M and forced them to punt but Alabama linebacker Tyler Hayes committed a neutral-zone infractions with 40 seconds left, giving the Aggies a first down and the game.

Johnny Manziel played a great game going 24/31 for 253 yards and two touchdowns. He put himself in the Heisman race with this victory. Manziel has been having a great season but this game really caught some attention. Manziel became the second freshman quarterback to beat the AP number one on the road.

Credits:
Texas A&M photo:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2012/11/11/alabama-loss-am-national-championship-race/1697113/

Information from:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/